Chapter 6: A Clash of Wills!!! Part IV

Chapter 6: A Clash of Wills!!! Part IV

1

Before Ash and Tekka began their duel:

“Hey guys, do you think I made the right decision sending Scott off alone?” Lissandra asked as she followed the cut-down trees and burning firewood trail, where Alexis and Baron were close behind.

“It’s what he wanted,” Alexis said as she hopped from one burning branch to the next ignoring the heat and taking the fact that they immediately fell whenever she put her weight on them as a time challenge.

“Of course,” Baron said, walking next to Lissandra with his Dragon Scales already covering his arms as he was ready for the fight ahead.

According to Scott, only two members were left on the other side of the forest fire, but he was barely sure where the remaining two were. There was also no sight of Ash after he gave them that flaming cloak signal, so Lissandra deduced that he was separated from the others. Probably to settle a score in true Dragonoid fashion. Which was something Lissandra began to mull over as a desire welled up inside her until she stopped, ruining Alexis’s streak as she fell out of the trees.

“Ow… Why’d you stop Liz?” Alexis brushed the fire off her cloak. “I was finally feeling it too.”

“I’ve decided I’m going to take her on.”

“Alone?” Baron asked.

“Only until the rest of you catch up to me.” Lissandra placed her hand over her chest, feeling Ignis’s desire to avenge her pride. “We need to drain her energy anyway, so it makes the most sense for me to go.”

“I don’t think that’s a wise move—”

“Give her hell Liz!” Alexis held her hand up, which Lissandra high-fived as they had each other’s back. Especially when it came to unreasonable requests.

“Thanks, Lexi, for understanding. And Baron, I know I’m being foolish, maybe even selfish. But I have this strange feeling, as stupid as it sounds. I believe if we follow our hearts we’ll forge a path to victory. For Fire Cleanses All.”

“For Fire Cleanses All,” Baron repeated, accepting his Leader’s and, more importantly, his friend’s desire. Even though it reminded him of something Ash would say or rather do as he, like Alexis, fought with one thing in mind: Sating their inner Dragon’s hunger. Something Baron could never afford to do, not again.

“With that outta the way, can we get to the fun part?”

“Of course.” Lissandra smiled at Alexis’s enthusiasm. “I’ll need you two to clear a path for me to get to her. It’s not like Squad T is just going to let me through.”

“Sounds like I’m taking Ash’s job after all.” Baron sighed as he had a bad feeling about the entire situation but kept it to himself as nothing could put the girls’ fire out. And like that, the trio continued to follow the path of destruction, never once getting lost even without Scott, as Ash had cleared the way minutes prior.

2

Taniss felt them before he saw Baron break past the burning tree line with his cloak on fire. And with a hidden smirk, Taniss clacked his nails against each other forming fireballs that he lobbed at the tall target.

Hearing the sparks, Baron turned his attention to the incoming fireballs, not even thinking of using his cloak to absorb the blast as he shielded himself with his arms. Each of the blasts slammed against Baron’s ruby scales dissipating after barely leaving a mark.

Taniss clicked his tongue as he’d need more heat to burn through scales, but with gashes on his hands, there was a chance he’d overheat. So instead, he called out to the big guy who lay in wait. “Tomss!”

A shadow loomed over Baron as a large ruby fist came crashing down on him. Tomsk intended to turn his counterpart into paste, but Baron wasn’t ready to lose just yet, matching the big guy’s fist with his own. The ground under Baron cracked as he withheld the first strike, but when the second came, it was his ruby scales that cracked under the pressure.

After being recently heated, Baron needed time for his scales to cool down before they could regain their original toughness. Time that Tomsk wasn’t going to give him as he hammered away at Baron’s defenses. The only issue with Tomsk’s line of thought was that Taniss couldn’t get a clear shot to finish off Baron, but that was the least of their worries as Taniss felt something was off.

Due to the forest fire, he couldn’t exactly smell the remaining members of Squad S as the smoke covered it up, but Taniss could still feel their presence, especially Lissandra’s, so that begged the question: where were they? And with it came the answer as a blur of black passed him, dispensing a heat that left Taniss breathless, which meant:

“He’sss a disstraction! The princesss is heading for the hill!”

Taniss roared as he didn’t care about overheating. If he was going to beat a Princess of Fire, he’d need to give it his all. Just as Tekka would have. Sparks cracked at his fingertips, and the cuts on his palms reopened, flooding them with blood that fueled his fire. Where through the pain, he gained the flames he needed to blast off as he used his hands to propel himself forward like a rocket.

In a matter of seconds, Taniss caught up to the princess, blocking her path to Tuvira. There he pointed his left hand behind him and his right in front of him, using the flames from his left to keep him sturdy while his right was ready to show the world why he was still a Sparkclaw. “Let’s see you stop this, Flash Point!”

There was a single point of light that flickered, hidden within the fire around Taniss’s hand, and right after came the bang of a roaring flame that engulfed the princess in fire she couldn’t hope to dispel as it was too fast. Too instant. Where it was so hot that it would burn through her fire-resistant cloak, leaving her as nothing but a stain on the plains.

“Holy shit dude…. You may actually be worth playing with….”

“You’re not—”

“The princess, yeah, did you forget already…. Small Fry…”

Taniss watched as the dust cloud settled where there should have been nothing but a crater; a girl with long unruly blonde hair stood on a lone pillar of earth that survived the blast. Sadly for the rest of them, her cloak crumbled into ashes as she felt a choking sensation around her neck.

“…When I said I was gunning for your ass—”

Alexis let out a cough as she took a knee, holding onto her neck in pain. There were way too many people in the audience, and she could barely breathe. But more importantly, she could barely contain herself as the words left her lips involuntarily. Words she tried so hard to resist, but the ringing in her head just wouldn’t stop!

3

Seeing Alexis hunched over, Baron decided he could no longer hold himself back. Since it would be way worst if Alexis let loose than him. So as the next blow from Tomsk came crashing down, Baron allowed himself to feel the rage that burned within him. As he had a deal to keep.

And before their fist collided again, Baron opened the palm of his hand as another layer of scales were revealed, but instead of rubies, it was steel. There he absorbed the blow gripping onto Tomsk’s hand, and when he threw another punch, Baron caught the other. Still, instead of picking him up, Baron pushed Tomsk back, disengaging from the fight. As Baron only had one thing on his mind, which was to stop Alexis from losing herself.

“Taniss throw your fireball now! Before it’s too late!” Baron roared as he realized he might not make it in time to knock her out.

Taniss stared at his palms which were scorched along with his forearms. He was down for the count as he had put everything into that strike. Flash Point was an all-or-nothing technique passed down for generations to each head within the Spark family. That girl being able to survive it meant she too was the head of her family. Taniss had terrible luck, but he had no idea how unlucky she must be for her own teammate to ask an enemy for help.

“Bwahahaha! We’re going to fucking die!” Tinto laughed with chills running down his spine as he had finally returned to the rest of his Squad after trying to chase down Squad S’s Scout only to be given the ringaround the forest. But after meeting another hidden monster in Squad S, Tinto couldn’t help but laugh.

“Bwahahaha! First I get outsped by a runt, and now there’s a ticking time bomb right in front of me….” Tinto scratched his head. “Why the hell am I the Scout! Wyvernshit!”

Taniss nor Tomsk had any clue what was going on, and Tinto was making even less sense than usual which didn’t help, while Baron, seeing the three as fucking useless, jumped across the crater. Baron didn’t care if he was going to be disqualified. He wasn’t going to let that thing take over Alexis.

I’m sorry guys, but I’d rather lose the team than lose her. Baron raised his fist and aimed it straight at Alexis’s lowered head with all the force he could muster, but it was too late as the Dragon-marked tattoo around Alexis’s neck glowed.

“Embrace My Pain, Susanoo!”

And in a flash, Baron was struck by four bolts of lighting where he couldn’t even call out her name as he was turned to dust, eliminated from the match.

Having just attacked her own teammate, the rest of Squad T stared at Alexis in horror as she had 4 bolts of lighting floating behind her as if they wings while jagged horns grew from her head. She stood tall, letting the crowd see her embracing all the pain it gave her as it didn’t matter, for she was one with her Dragon again. And thanks to Susanoo, she was free from her shackles, so of course, Alexis smiled as she could finally show the world the sparks behind her fangs.

“Squad S’s Support: Baron Steelwing has been eliminated and returned to Drakos.”

“Squad S’s Specialist: Alexis Sparkfang has been disqualified, and Jeanne Sparkfang has been called onto the field to return her to Drakos.”

4

“The battle timer has been paused at the 10-minute mark, and we ask that the contestants do not fight while faculty resolves this interruption as we cut off the monitors.”

Everyone, from the audience to those within the field, heard Dr. Windchaser’s announcement, all except for the one who caused the pause as she paid it no mind, blinking from her spot. No one knew where she had gone if they even perceived the moment in time. They just knew a sleeping beast had been awakened because if Arena couldn’t remove someone from their Domain, then it meant they could oppose the long-gone Fire Dragon of Battle.

“H-hey Tinto d-did ssshe just kill own teammate?” Taniss asked, staring at Alexis, who stood in silence.

But Tinto couldn’t answer his friend as, for better or worst, he saw Alexis move. If it could even be considered moving. It was like watching the world lag as she stuttered about, leaving behind images of herself. As a Scout, Tinto was able to see the slightest movements in something as small as an ant from miles away with ease, but this was something else entirely.

First Alexis was standing alone on the pillar, then she stood next to a burning tree, then she went back to the pillar, then she checked out the stain that used to be Baron, then she went back to the pillar, then she appeared next to Tomsk—who was still in shock—then she went back to pillar, and waved at Tinto with a devilish grin as that wave became a point that led to—

“Hey Tinto—”

Tinto flew as fast he could, faster than the word: move, could ever reach his friend, as he knocked Taniss out of the way before the impact that never came as once again Alexis was standing atop of the pillar. Yet this time, she held something in her hand that looked awfully familiar. Tinto couldn’t tell what it was as it had become ashes on her fingertips. And there he heard a scream.

“Y-your wingsss!”

“My what—”

Tinto dropped to the ground, arms wrapped around himself as he cried out in agony from the seared stumps of what used to be his wings leading to him losing his Dragon form simply to get rid of the pain but now Squad T had lost their only way of seeing the monster they were caged with.

Alexis Sparkfang was a direct descendant of Delakai’s right hand: The Fire Dragon known as Sparkfang, whose flames were 5 times hotter than the sun’s surface, akin to lightning. Yet that wasn’t the only attribute she had inherited from the Fire Dragon of Storms as the next head of the Sparkfang family on the day her mother died. She inherited the vestiges of Sparkfang’s soul that refused to ascend to the Stars: Her pact weapon known as Susanoo, whose seal was the choker-like dragon tattoo around her neck.

“Holy shit, you managed to move even faster than me!” Alexis laughed. “Then again, I was walking—”

Alexis appeared in front of Tinto and crouched down, pushing up his head with her fingertip until the tall Dragonoid stared at her, unable to voice his screams.

“—While you were giving your all.” Alexis turned her head as Tinto’s eyes began to refocus, meaning he could listen to her next words. “You know what? You should be thanking me. Because if I didn’t clip your wings, you’d be in so much pain that Arena could quite possibly take pity on you and release you from our game.”

Alexis’s smile grew as she gripped Tinto’s hair. “So do it. Thank me.”

“What are you doing! Didn’t you hear we’re paussing!” Taniss said, trying to will his flames to life to no avail as he was all out of fuel. So the most he could do was stand up and use whatever words he could to stall until Ms. Sparkfang arrived.

“No shit Sherlock. I’m the reason we’re pausing after all.” Alexis sighed. “My dear old Bear really thought I’d let him silence me a second time. If I didn’t love him. I’d kill him. But I guess I can settle for doing it temporarily.”

“Bwahahaha…”

Alexis turned her attention back to Tinto, who just couldn’t help but laugh as the next words left his mouth.

“I actually feel sorry for the guy…. Being stuck on the same team as a Kinslayer—”

“Squad T’s Scout: Tinto Quickflick has been eliminated and returned to Drakos.”

“I did not kill them!” Alexis said, staring at the black stain that used to be Tinto as her hand filled with ashes that blew away with the wind.

With the monitors off for the spectators, no one but a select few saw the brutality that came from one of their own kind. Unfortunately for Taniss and Tomsk, they both had front-row seats to the spectacle of their friend’s demise. Tomsk immediately took off as he didn’t care if he’d be ok afterwards. No one’s mind could handle dying like that, all while Taniss threw up everything he could.

“Turning your back to a Dragon….” Alexis’s clothes began to tear from the crackling of lightning as these lesser creatures continued to disrespect her. “Toying with you wouldn’t even be fun!”

And like the Baal, she left behind the weaker prey that couldn’t move appearing in front of a shocked Tomsk, who immediately swung forward only to strike the air as Alexis stood on top of his giant ruby fist.

“How will I ever be able to let loose when you guys are soo easy—”

Tomsk moved to grab Alexis with his other hand, only to miss again as she sat on his shoulder.

“I mean, look at you. All brawn and no brains. At least you’re not like the Shrimp over there blowing his load in a single stroke—”

“Get off!”

Tomsk flailed around, swinging at every glimpse of her in hopes that at least one of his blows could connect, but he didn’t know that whatever he saw was simply a static image that existed moments prior to where she actually was. And soon enough, Alexis got tired of walking all over the big guy—literally—as she decided not to dodge the incoming punch, instead taking the full force of the large Dragonoid head-on. Yet before Tomsk’s fist made contact with Alexis, he stopped.

“Hey scales for brains. I’m finally going to let you hit me. So don’t go blue balling me now.”Alexis said as the big guy seemed to be petrified. “Oh, I get it. In the face of a Dragon, you can’t hope but clam up. Don’t worry, I give you permission—”

“You bring shame onto our forefathers’ name with your foul claim. But worry not for I, their Sword of Justice: Jeanne Sparkfang, the Grand Duelist, Second daughter of Marie Sparkfang, and twin sister to Joan Sparkfang, the Tamer of Storms, has come to deliver retribution. So en garde Kinslayer you face a Sparkfang.”

5

Standing behind Alexis was none other than Ms. Sparkfang, who had the same golden hair, sharpened amber eyes, and jagged horns as her. Anyone watching could have easily thought it was mother and daughter, but that could never be the case as—

“I didn’t kill them!”

Alexis had no idea how Ms. Sparkfang had gotten behind her undetected, but she could care less as she refused to be called a Kinslayer! And moving as fast as lightning, she swung her fist that carried the storm of her pain. All of it aimed to wipe her aunt from existence, yet Ms. Sparkfang simply gave her niece a half smile filled with disappointment as she sidestepped the blow that vaporized the trees behind her.

“Ouh-là-là, was that supposed to hit me?”

“Fuck you!”

Alexis blitzed Ms. Sparkfang once more, using the lightning that flowed from her body to enhance her physique where each swing of her fist left behind catastrophe as the pain she felt only grew from not being able to land a hit.

Alexis threw a left hook only to receive a—

“I’m over here.”

Then she threw a right kick that was met with a

“You’re getting warmer.”

But what pissed her off most of all was when she jumped into the air using her bolts of lightning to fly as she rained a breath of fire on the ground, Ms. Sparkfang stood some ways away without so much as ashes on her saying the words:

“And you used our ancestors' name for flames like this.” Ms. Sparkfang shook her head. “If I didn’t know this was mostly the effects of the unready receiving Susanoo prematurely, I’d petition for your expulsion from such a baseless claim.”

“Shut your fucking mouth you disgrace! You can’t even breathe fire! You have to use your blades to come close to our fangs! So no wonder Susanoo chose me!”

Ms. Sparkfang chuckled, which turned into a full-on laugh as she held onto her stomach. “Struck a nerve, have I? You do realize I haven’t even drawn my Fangs. Since if I did, it would be too quick of a punishment. No, just like you toyed with them, I’ll play with you, my dear niece.”

“Don’t call me that!”

Alexis appeared before Ms. Sparkfang with her mouth open wide as a wave of fire was aimed to engulf her. As the thought crossed both of their minds: Critical Point!

But before that could even go off, the sleeping beast awoke inside of Ms. Sparkfang as she drew her rapier, which was immediately blocked by all 4 of Alexis’s lightning bolts. The sheer force of Ms. Sparkfang’s drawing slash knocked Alexis away, revealing that she knew of Susanoo’s weakness, yet she may have used too much force as Alexis landed in a faraway clearing.

“You gotta be shitting me….” Alexis muttered as she got up from the crater she made, dusting herself off. “She knows Susanoo will protect me… Embracing my pain….”

Alexis held onto her neck, feeling Susanoo’s desires which became her own as they were one and the same. But when Dr. Windchaser made another announcement, Alexis regained some of her desires.

“Hill Contested!”

That was enough to bring some of Alexis back from the depths of pain as she remembered that it was her job to take care of those small fry and help Lissandra win this game. So when Ms. Sparkfang reentered the scene staring at Alexis, who finally smiled at her, she couldn’t help but ask:

“You’re smiling? I know you made me pull out a Fang but isn’t that too little of an accomplishment for you?”

“I’ve seen through your game. Keeping me away from those two treats. You really thought I wouldn’t notice.”

“Ouh-là-là, you can hear over all that noise in your head. I’m shocked.”

“So you know what it’s like?”

“Of course, you don’t know this, but I was the older twin—”

In a flash, Alexis dashed out of the crater flying high into the sky, trying to sense Taniss and Tomsk’s presence which wasn’t too hard as neither had moved since the fighting between the Sparkfangs started. No one in their right mind would be able to move as the sheer sight of the two going at it was incomprehensible, like watching the Moon stand up to the Sun.

Yet before Alexis could bolt down to kill her prey, she was met with another surprise. Though Ms. Sparkfang had no wings, from sheer force of will, she had made it to Alexis’s height far above the trees with just a jump aiming to skewer her. But Susanoo had already moved to intercept the blow using the four bolts to shield the strike; however, if they were defending, then what was keeping Alexis afloat? Nothing.

Alexis plummeted down to the ground, and being locked in place, Susanoo couldn’t move to help as Ms. Sparkfang kept the bolts occupied, yet she didn’t need their help. Spitting out a blast of fire, Alexis maneuvered in the air until the unmoving Tomsk was below her. Still petrified, the big guy could only watch as he saw the sparks that hid behind Alexis’s fangs which engulfed him in a blaze of fire.

“Squad T’s Support: Tomsk Diamondhands has been eliminated and returned to Drakos.”

“One down and one more to go—”

“As if I’d let you!”

Alexis looked down at her stomach to see a rose on the hilt of the blade that pierced her. Somehow Ms. Sparkfang had moved faster than lightning. As it took a moment before Susanoo returned to Alexis, but it was too late as the blade emitted a cleansing flame. She had lost even with Susanoo. She had lost to her aunt. Her mother always said that Jeanne was a monster. That it was such a shame that even with all her devotion, the Stars just didn’t love her. Yet apparently, the Stars adored Alexis so much that she needed to cultivate her gifts day in and day out until she’d collapse from the pain. Until her hero came.

“I-I’m sorry… Guys… It looks like I won’t be able to do my part… Ha… Dying still sucks….” Alexis began to lose vision as the flames engulfed her, yet upon hearing her niece’s final words before her loss. Ms. Sparkfang took some form of pity on her earnest feelings.

“Know this, my dearest niece. I have never once believed you were a Kinslayer. Since a hatchling such as you could never hope to best my sister. Not even if you were given a millennium.”

Alexis didn’t say a word as her mouth was already gone, but with a softened gaze that came from her amber eyes and a flick of her middle finger, Ms. Sparkfang knew she had made the right choice in relieving some of her niece’s pain.

“Squad S’s Specialist: Alexis Sparkfang has been eliminated and returned to Drakos.”

“The timer has been resumed, and you may continue the game.”

“Squad T’s Specialist: Taniss Sparkclaw has been eliminated and returned to Drakos.”

“Wait, what?” Ms. Sparkfang said as she turned around to see that Ash was standing over a black stain with his blade in hand.

“Don’t worry Teach, I made it quick.”

“Teach? I thought I told you to call me your Sensei.”

Ash scratched his head as he laughed. “I would have, but not even my Sensei would be that nice. Especially to someone that disrespectful.”

“I can be nice.”

“You made me fight a Baal on my first day!”

“And you became stronger from the experience.”

“Now I know where she gets it from….”

“What was that?”

“Nothing Sensei.” Ash sighed as he really needed to get going and catch up to Lissandra. He had to be the one to end the game.

“Well, if that is all, I shall be returning to the stands—”

“Wait, I have a request.”

Ms. Sparkfang raised an eyebrow at her tattered pupil, who in a certain light was reminiscent of her younger self. “You do realize that I can’t help you right?”

“But it’s your fault I wasted more time than I wanted to, so the least you can do is make it up.”

“Wouldn’t it be Alexis’s fault—”

“Do you want to see Lissandra get held back a term?”

“No…”

“Alright, so here’s the plan.”

Ash told Ms. Sparkfang his plan to catch up to Tuvira and Lissandra at the hill, which technically wouldn’t be helping them.

“You’re insane.”

“Hey, I haven’t met a single sane Dragonoid since I’ve got here. So that right there is a compliment.” Ash said with a smile as the thought crossed his mind.

Tuvira, we haven’t said a word to each other since that night… You didn’t even say a word to me when our eyes met. What does a prince have to do to get noticed by his princess….