Contestants: Xadian Night-Shade and
Fenix Fire-Slayer.
The room was thirty feet square, with
half of it in darkness and the other half lit by burning torches.
Xadian was standing in the darkness, which was shifting around him,
as if happy to be with him. His pitch black eyes and hair offset
Fenix's own, which were a deep red. As they stared each other down,
the flames and shadows jumped, dancing and spinning. The torches did
nothing to penetrate the darkness around Xadian, which simply grew
darker as the tension between him and Fenix rose. They seemed to be
fighting an internal war, the expressions on their faces growing
darker and darker. Neither one wanted to make the first move.
Finally, Fenix's hand leaped to the
side, hanging over one of the torches. He grasped something in the
fire, pulling it out. A sword slowly emerged from the flames, which
were still dancing on the blade. It was a scottish claymore, and was
six feet long, almost as long as Fenix was tall, and a good inch
taller than Xadian. It couldn't have weighed less than fifteen
pounds. The flames crawled up the blade until they were centered
around the tip, so that a trail of fire was left when it was swung
through the air.
Xadian's sword, which had materialized
in his hand from the darkness around him, was a more reasonable four
feet long, and was a typical katana,with a slightly curved blade and
an engraved disk separating the hilt from the blade. It was engraved
with vague shapes that suggested shadows within darkness. There were
shadows dancing along the blade itself, so that there was almost more
shadow than metal. There was also a black diamond set in the blade,
which was engraved with runes in some ancient language that the world
had forgotten. It was known as a ShadeSword.
Both weapons enhanced their wielder's
powers, almost to the point of insanity. The arcane magic in them
acted as a focusing lens, projecting their power more fully onto this
world than they would have been able to alone. The weapons had been
forged by the Ancient Makers at the beginning of time, then
requisitioned when Troso the Great had formed the Vampire council.
Now, with almost all the Ancients and Old Ones dead, they were all
that remained of an eon where power flowed like water throughout the
world. There was one for every position on the Vampire Council, and
were the ultimate symbol of power.
Xadian attacked, leaping towards Fenix
with his sword thrust out to skewer him. Xadian was fast, mortal eyes
wouldn't have been able to follow him. Fenix, however, sidestepped
and his hand flew out to catch Xadian's. He threw Xadian into the
wall and slammed the blade of his sword into Xadian's shoulder,
pinning him to the wall. He stepped back for a second. Xadian tried
to grab the hilt of the sword to pull it out but it remained just out
of his reach.
Fenix backed up a step or two to get a
running start, then kicked the hilt of his sword, embedding it deeper
in Xadian's shoulder, almost to the handguard. He stepped back again,
raising his hands. He moved them through the air and a series of
fireballs formed in the air around him. They started spiraling
through the air, forming a cone of fire with the tip directed towards
Xadian.
Despite the sword embedded in his
shoulder, Xadian didn't scream. He never screamed, he just came up
with more inventive ways to kill people. Keeping in step with this,
he jerked forward, tearing himself from the wall, the sword still
embedded in his shoulder. He grabbed the hilt and pushed it away
from his body, until the sword fell to the ground. He didn't pick it
up. It was linked to Fenix's position as a Lord, and if anyone other
than him tried to pick it up, the fail-safes would activate. At best,
it would burn the offender. At worst, it would kill them.
Instead, Xadian held out his hand and
his sword appeared in it. Fenix's cone of fire began to fly through
the air, still spinning. Xadian raised a wall of shadow in front of
himself, blocking the cone. The cone hit the wall and stuck there.
Xadian stepped back, leaving the wall standing for a minute. He began
to prepare a ball of shadows, but a noise interrupted him. The wall
started to vibrate and break apart. The cone was still spinning.
On the other side of the wall Fenix had
retrieved his sword and was moving it through the air. The ball of
fire on the tip left lines in the air. He traced a circle and then
geometric shapes inside. It was a mandala, a circle with magical
power. He stepped back and jumped through the circle. When he came
out he was on Xadian's side of the wall. His sword already coming
down on Xadian's neck.
Xadian reared back, his sword flying to parry. The force from the connecting strikes almost threw him to the ground, knocking him off balance as it was. With his sword down and him teetering on his feet, nothing stopped Fenix from punching him, so hard that he flew into the wall and knocked his head into it. It was hard to daze a vampire, and Xadian was known for being able to take hits, he was a descendant of Troso after all. But he slammed into the wall at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour, and it would be hard for even him to come back from that. He stayed on his knees for a few seconds, trying to glare the spots circling his vision into going away.
Fenix, as opposed to his usual, “if
they're down, kill them”, attitude, let Xadian rise to his feet
again. They stared at each other for a second, like they had at the
beginning of the fight. Then, Xadian relaxed. In an instant, the
shadow wall separating them from the rest of the arena disappeared,
and the fire cone,which had been acting as more of a drill for the
last minute, zoomed through the air and into Fenix. It didn't hurt
him, of course. He was the
Lord of Intense Fire. But it still surprised him, and opened him up
for Xadian to punch him. Fenix was big, and he was strong. But his
punch seemed like nothing compared to Xadian's. There was a sound
like a gunshot and Fenix flew all the way across the thirty foot room
and into the wall, almost going right through it. As it was, he left
a dent in it the size of a car. He was out for about as long as
Xadian had been, but Xadian returned Fenix's favor by waiting for him
to get up. Then, the black orb of shadow that had been orbiting his
hand flew across the room. It was the size of a marble and went so
fast Fenix's eyes could barely follow it. He threw himself to the
side and it, unlike Fenix, drilled right through the wall, leaving a
hole clean through. The wall was a lot thicker than it looked, at
least a foot.
Sand started to
drift in through the hole, bright yellow sand. From where he was
standing, Xadian could see outside. What he saw started him thinking.
How the hell did they get here?
Fenix picked
himself up, surreptitiously drawing a knife from his shoe as he did
so. Xadian approached him, fully aware of the knife, but not letting
on that he was.
They circled each
other warily, brandishing their swords. Xadian caught a look in
Fenix's eye and brought up his sword, even as Fenix leaped towards
him, sword outstretched. Their blades clashed and they held there for
a second, blades grinding against each other. Fenix brought his knife
up towards Xadian's ribs, trying to slide it in under his guard.
Xadian twirled in
place, caught Fenix's knife arm, and twirled again, throwing Fenix
into the wall. He pressed his knee to the center of Fenix's back,
pinning him as he twisted his knife arm.
“Fenix, you know
me. Why would you think I'd fall for that?” Xadian said as Fenix's
knife dropped from his hand.
“Maybe, because
that wasn't the trap.” Fenix smiled into the wall.
Fenix slapped his
free hand against the wall, and flames exploded outward from
it. Xadian was forced to let go of Fenix and step back to avoid being
burned. Fenix twisted around and picked up his sword again. His plan
had been reckless, but worth it. Now he had the initiative in the
battle, and he wasn't let go of it again.
Xadian was still
stepping back when Fenix started swinging, aiming high for Xadian's
head. Xadian managed to get his sword up just in time, blocking the
strike. But the impact almost jarred his sword out of his hand, and
he had to keep moving backwards to get room to attack. He adjusted
the way he was holding his sword, switching to a defensive stance. He
moved his legs farther apart and held his sword out beside his head
in a classic stance, one hand out in front of himself and his legs
braced against the ground.
Fenix swung again,
a savage blow that would have shattered any weaker blade. But
Xadian's sword caught the strike, and he moved in closer, turning as
he moved and bringing his elbow up. He slammed his elbow into Fenix's
ribs, knocking him back a step. He completed the turn and punched him
right in the center of his chest. Another few steps back.
Finally, Xadian
brought his sword up and traced twin cuts up and down Fenix's arms,
each slice flying faster than a mortal would have been able to
follow. Blood started to drip onto the ground.
Fenix moved back
again, yelling out a curse. He'd had the momentum in this battle, if
only for a minute. And now he was on his back foot again, trying to
parry every strike Xadian sent his way. He spotted his knife, still
lying on the other side of the room. No help there. He felt his
power, growing inside him, and felt the focal point on the tip of his
sword, like an extension of his mind. He concentrated and the point
grew to envelope the entire sword. He wouldn't have long before the
effort drained his energy, but it might be enough. He concentrated.
Xadian swung again.
He was swinging so fast he almost couldn't follow the blows, but
Fenix's sword was long enough that he could use it almost like a
staff, tilting it one way or the other to meet his strikes. Then,
almost as their swords met, Fenix's burst into flame. The fire grew
until it's tendrils reached the roof. Xadian jumped back ten feet.
Even so he could feel the heat, as if the room was an oven. He
couldn't imagine how much this must be tiring Fenix, but it didn't
matter. If that sword came within three feet of him, it would bake
him alive. He'd probably burst into flames himself.
Fenix resisted the
urge to drop to his knees. He lumbered forward, his sword dragging on
the ground behind him. He reckoned he had about fifteen seconds
before the effort of keeping his sword alight left him helpless. He
took another step, then another, building up speed until he was
running. Xadian kept moving back, but he was already coming up to a
wall. Fenix got within seven feet of him, then swung.
Xadian ducked the
blow, rolling away. Just coming within two feet of the sword had made
him break out in a sweat for the first time in more than a century.
If it had touched him, he'd be dead. He moved a bit closer and swung
his sword straight up, hitting the underside of Fenix's sword and
flinging it upwards. The momentum and weight of the sword took it in
a full circle and Fenix, in his drained state, couldn't keep his
balance, falling backwards. He hit his head and the flames on his
sword immediately went out.
Fenix blinked
slowly, trying to regain his senses. He was dimly aware of Xadian
standing over him, his sword pointing straight down. Straight at his
heart. He feebly tried to move his legs, his arms, anything. He
managed to twitch a finger. He sighed and waited for the end.
Xadian held his
sword in both hands, the tip wavering slightly. He watched Fenix,
wary of any attempts to attack. One of his fingers moved and Xadian
raised his sword a little higher, ready to strike. But nothing
happened.
For a brief second
Xadian flashed on his relationship with Fenix. They had always had
each others backs in any fights they'd gotten involve in. They'd been
in the same class at the Academy. They hadn't been close at first,
Fenix had been a typical bully. But they'd worked out an
understanding. It was Xadian who had submitted the recommendation
that Fenix be inducted into the Council. He made his decision.
He stepped back,
sheathing his sword. He gave Fenix a second to recover before
grabbing his arm and pulling him, unsteadily, to his feet.
“Thanks, Dian.”
“One thing. How
the hell did this get started?”
