The Elemental Chain Saga Book Two: Dragons Ascending

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Dance of the Flames

The warrior crashed to the ground and Max rolled to his feet, getting up so that he was standing over his foe. The man's face was screwed up in pain, beads of sweat dotting his brow. Max tried to not look him in the eye. He unsheathed the silver glaive from his back sheathe, the beautiful blade seeming to come alive as it was brought out, the intricate runes on the silver wrought in blue Gardvian script. Max spun it once in his right hand before stabbing downward, not looking as he did, not wanting to see the man's end.

Max's arm jarred. The stinging point struck the earth. Max looked down as foot slammed into his face, bursting his nose and striking him off his feet. Max hit the ground and rolled, stumbling to a kneeling position. He pointed the glaive in the direction of Silverware, blood flowing from his face.

The man slowly stood, the rod wavering in his hand "I don't want your sympathy because I won't give you mine. Come at me like a man, boy! Show me your real strength or die at my hand!" The man stood erect, drawing another rod from his side and snapping it into the bottom of the first. He spun the combined weapon in his hand, the second half snapping out into it's full gleaming extension, the now single rod gleaming with its two wicked blades.

Max stood, crimson drops running down his face as he stood. He breathed deeply, a hot, fiery sensation in the pit of his stomach. His brown eyes snapped onto Silverware's green "You want to fight?" His aura blazed around him and he could actually feel it's burning heat and thrumming power "okay then," he grinned.

He treated this man as he would a Andanobian; he held nothing back. He threw the glaive high into the air as Silverware approached, keeping his hands free to work his magic but his weapon ready to use. He let a fire blaze around him, let it burn off his aura "Ignis." The flames rose and roared and the warrior charged at them, moving surprisingly fast for someone with an injured knee. Max punched out at the air and it combusted around Silverware, but the man only stumbled, the rod rotating like a turbine, twisting the flames off of himself.

Max let the flames that scorched the ground explode into individual columns, the pure majesty blazing around him. He had to focus on keeping it from burning himself or he would surely die.

Silverware shouted in defiance, pushing off the ground with his weapon, and vaulting into the air with it. Max could see how his arms and legs were blistered and his armor scorched, probably cooking inside of it. Max could appreciate his endurance.

Gathering his power, he grabbed his glaive as it reached the ground and readied the blade, the pillars of fire still shooting up into the sky around him in six foot columns, taller then himself. He could feel as his power was being spent but he ground his teeth and waited, knowing that Silverware would have to fall back down into the flames. And fall he did. He twisted in the air above Max, trying to clear the flames as he descended.

Max watched as he hit the ground, just clipping over the roaring fire, rolling clear of it.

Max rushed after him, silver flickering in the light of the fire. He burst through and spun on his foot, launching a vicious overhead slice as he stopped his rotation and swung down with all his might at the warrior as the man stood. The blow was perfectly deflected off his rod and Max was the one hard pressed, surprised at the utter strength he could muster, even from a crouched position. As he stood, Max lunged once more but the blow was twisted to the side, and as his flank was exposed, the knifed tip of the rod struck home in Max's side.

His body went rigged and a gasp of pain slipped from his mouth as the blade bit in deep. Max kicked out, striking the warrior's bad knee causing him to lurch backwards, freeing Max from the attack. He clutched his side with one hand. His aura had dissipated from around him a while ago. He felt out at his auric energy as he flitted backwards, feeling the power he still had left. The aura was like hot water around his body, he knew that he still had enough to spare to light up quite a blaze; he zoned in on those reserves as Silverware warily neared, blade flicking, feigning attack and then stepping back out of Max's reach.

Max felt his aura appear around him, covering his tunic-clad silhouette in a fiery glow "Phoenix flamma!" His head burnt up on the inside and his stomach was a lion's den, roaring with a hidden fury. Max gasped at the pain in his head as red-hot waves of fire exploded from the base of his feet, stretching upwards until his body was bathed and alight with flames. Max's eyes were sharp, hi-lighted by the fire. He groaned for a second and then steadied himself. This was the type of raw power he needed to win, he could deal with the pain, it would soon be worth it.

Max spun the glaive before him, the fire taking hold of it as well. Max urged the intense flames not to melt the blade; he missed Cometfell.

He was like a blazing comet of power, slamming his foot on the ground and leaping into the air, twisting and kicking out, slamming his foot right into-fiercely blocked, his foot slamming into the center of Silverware's weapon. Time seemed to slow, him slowly sliding falling back, he couldn't win.

His head felt like it was going to combust, and for the first time since he died, he felt it. Buh dum, buh dum, buh dum...

For once, Max could only hear voices, reverberating through his head. Visually, he saw only darkness.

"Max, run! Forget me, you're more important, you have lives to save, people who care for you in anguish over your death! I...I don't want you to die for no reason, forever this time..."

"Flee, insect. Run away to your little world, she will perish in darkness because of you."

Max raised his weapon as black flames closed in around him.

Max felt his foot sliding from the weapon, Silverware pulling it back to trip Max. He didn't understand what had just happened, what he had heard, rather. Someone would die because of him. He struggled to focus on the now.

Max fell, his back hitting the ground, still on fire. The warrior stood over him, striking downwards. Max rolled in the dirt, the strike hitting besides his head. He reacted fast, raising his hands and releasing a ball of roaring fire at Silverware's chest. Silverware brought the rod upwards, the flames exploding on the impact of the rod, blinding him for a moment.

Max rolled backwards, only having time to kick off the ground, palms flat on the gritty earth as he balanced in a half hand stand. Silverware blinked once and went to strike Max in the vulnerable position.

Max's blazing foot slid down, underneath the rod and Max held himself in a hand stand, his legs horizontal instead of in the air. The warrior's eyes widened as Max put his full force behind a powerful upwards kick, catching the rod in the perfect center, striking it skyward, out of his reach. Max grunted, pushing off his arms, his glaive still in his hands. He flipped his feet catching Silverware under the chin and in the chest as he did. The man stumbled back as Max landed on his feet in Salamander, already lunging forward with his blazing weapon.

The blade sunk into his chest. Max sadly watched as the life left him, letting his aura slip away. The man gave a weak chuckle "You won. Oh, Grace. My...daughter...Grace Olvaduke.....tell her....if you make it....that I died....trying....to get back...to her..." A tear dropped from his eyes as his body convulsed. Max saw as his eyes went dull and blank, longing the last emotion to pass through his eyes. He retracted the blade and Silverware fell backwards.

The crowd said nothing, but as one, they pointed towards a door that now opened in the side of the arena that hadn't been there before. The speaker stood once more, voice still dull and empty "Leave us, warrior. Be happy it is you that lived and he that died."

And as Max left he tried to be happy, but he couldn't. Deep down, he felt like part of him was missing, his compassion. He dashed through the door, not daring to look back, knowing that he would shed empty and pointless tears of sorrow if he did. More blood on my hands, and this time, innocent blood, a true man, worthy of redemption.
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DragonDog1: This was the last chapter of the book. It will conclude with the epilogue, after which, I will revise plot and grammar of my first two books before beginning the third. Thank you for those who have been faithful to the series and for those new to it. As always, if you enjoyed, please comment and vote because your opinion matters to me greatly. Thank you!