Jora of the Challenge

Merciful balance! she has not lost any of her strength!

Granite thought to himself as Jora's tail slammed into his hastily summoned rock wall, sending the wall meant for defense rocketing away with Granite plastered to it.

Granite used the moments flying through the air to take stock.

It seemed that physical attacks from the corrupted dragons did not spread the crystal, just their breath weapons, which is probably why he had lasted so long against Jora.

Next that led to the theory that the crystal has a growth state and a stable state, that said the stable state seemed to be just as hard or harder than dragon scale.

On the flip side the crystal dragons were getting reinforcements not just from tagging their enemies, but also from puddles of the growing crystal on the ground acting as spawning pits.

Granite rolled out of the way as Jora lobbed a boulder at him.

That was a bright side, Jora had landed just as many punches on crystal dragons coming to 'help' her as she had on Granite, highly discouraging the beasts from interfering.

Other than the stakes, it was exactly like old times.

Granite dusted himself off, formed gauntlets of stone and heaved himself at Jora, the old dance freeing old memories.

Marble landed with a thud against the edge of the Dwarven sparing ring while Jora kept her limbs warm with that annoying boxer's dance.

Why did she have to do this to herself? Marble asked herself, in a voice that sounded more like her elder sister than herself.

She did not have to after all, the records state explicitly that the Champion of the Dwarves has only been incidentally known for their martial prowess and what they truly add to Balance is their knowledge and wisdom.

Especially a dainty and bookish girl like herself.

As always that was the answer, she loved her dusty books and long days puzzling out new languages but she was no dainty flower.

Maybe that is why out of all the Champion apprentices she liked Jora the best.

Living up to her title of the 'The Challenge' she never let anyone around her be complacent, while that drove many away, and Marble had lost count of how many of these sparring matches had ended in her swearing loudly that she never wanted to see Jora again, Marble always came back.

Jora was the only person who did not treat her like a porcelain cup, and so Marble go back up…

Granite landed a hit, just like he had been practicing and sent Jora flying for the first time ever, he hoped that where ever her mind was it has seen that hit and was proud.

The space the blow bought him allowed him to check his opponent again for weak spots.

He had not been surprised that the crystal had not been successful in holding her physically, he wondered how long it had actually held her before she had busted out and wished he had been there to see when she did.

Yet, as evidenced by the fragments growing out of her like a sick joke of a tattoo, her mind was still totally behind the seal.

Her moves were no less fast, her hits no less hard, but something was nagging at Granite, something was different than the millions of times they had spared back when he was another person, he just could not put his finger on it.

Jora came careening out of the dust, elemental fire burning on her first.

"Giant's ball!" Granite swore and dodged, he had forgotten that when she really wanted to kill she would wreath her fist in her own breath weapon to add to the damage.

The strike landed where Granite had been moments before, an impact crevice blasting its way through an already shattered landscape sending the unwarned other combatants surrounding the duel flying, be they real of fake dragons. The edges of the damaged rock sparkled with active crystals.

"One" Granite said out loud and launched a feinted charge, Jora struck the ground where the charge would have put his face and instead blasted a hole into unoccupied rock

"Two" Granite spoke with a smile, he had figured it out. The crystal or whatever was controlling her had no sense of strategy, only muscle memory and one of Jora's most stunning combat skills was stringing together seeming infinitely varied combo attacks. Combo attack she never committed to muscle memory because they were all build out of her basic six strikes.

All her strength, none of her brilliance.

Marble lay panting on the ground looking at Jora's boots as she squatted next to her and said "Remember, intellect is just as much a challenge as strength."

Jora lunged at Granite this time, and everything fell into place, "Three" Granite whispered as he shifted his weight allowing the flaming fist to slide into the space his head used to occupy and collide with the pillar he had summoned, as it struck the flame winked out and Granite put all his force into striking down on Jora's exposed back reducing the crystal across her body to a fine powder.

No longer under the crystal's power, the Champion of the Dragons slumped like a rag doll into Granite's waiting hands.

Marble took a deep breath as the Champions exited the human mansion with the cups given as hospitality gifts held carelessly.

Tonight she was going to face her biggest challenge yet.

As Jora walked by trading a joke about their host with Hassium, Marble cleared her throat "Can I talk to you for a moment Jora?"

Hassium, with a knowing look in their eye made thin excuses to go talk to Willow and Conch who were debating if a sea beast could beat a land beast in a fight.

Jora faced Marble the way she always did, like ever conversation was a challenge that deserved the full focus of her entire being. Endearing, but nerve wracking.

"I um, would like, that is to say' Marble stuttered before blurting 'I like you and want to be more than friends!"

It had taken her a decade to work up the nerve for this moment, and had chosen tonight because her heart told her that this was an important occasion and thing should not be left undone.

Now the hard part, the space between confession and answer, Giants this is hard and Marble almost took her confession back several times in the space of a thought.

Jora's mouth opened "I like you too Marble, but unlike most of our fellow champions I am not into girls. I am not foolish enough to think we can go forward unchanged after this, but I would still like to be friends."

Marble was crushed at this news and made a lame excuse to head to her riding beast.

Jora opened her eyes and looked up into Granite's face and smiled weakly with a bit of puzzlement "Marble?' she whispered tiredly 'you have a beard now, it looks good on you." Then passed out again.

Granite pressed his love's fingers to his mouth then wept in relief.