Chapter Twelve - Dancing with Fire

They lunged at each other before the echo of the last ring receded. Turrock thrust his dagger forward, almost slicing Ailith's jaw, but she ducked and batted his arm away. He grunted upon impact, surprised by her strength, but not unhurt. His long legs swiped at hers, trying to sweep her off her feet. Ailith stumbled backwards and kept her balance to the best of her abilities while avoiding her opponent's dagger. It screeched inches from her face, causing the audience to release a collective gasp.

Ailith crouched and jabbed Turrock in the stomach twice, knocking him back. He coughed, brushing the slight discomfort aside. With him on the back foot, she dashed forward and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. Her attacks were like a blur, pushing the Majan closer and closer to the edge of the arena. But, despite her incredible speed, he blocked and countered all her strikes. Suddenly, Turrock stabbed the small blade towards her chest. Ailith weaved to one side, but he was already waiting and stuck his leg out, causing her to clatter into him before he grabbed her and tossed her into the air.

She landed dangerously close to the edge before springing to her feet and stopping. The drop wouldn't kill her, even if there weren't any water to cushion her fall. However, she kept the mind-set of this being a life or death struggle.

Even though he had her cornered, Turrock remained in the centre of the arena, refusing to come close to the edge.

Ailith felt something poke against her stomach. Afraid for a split-second, she glanced down, relieved to find it was only the hilt of her sword.

''Need a weapon?'' Turrock called out mockingly. ''Feel free. I won't stop you.''

His self-assured grin wavered when Ailith surprised everyone by tossing her sheathed sword into the water. Her eyes scanned the Colosseum, giddy at the reactions she caused. The King was especially curious, sitting on the edge of his seat.

Juggling his dagger, Turrock chuckled. ''An unusual strategy.''

''I don't need it,'' Ailith declared and cracked her knuckles against her palms. ''It's only a distracting weight.''

Without a second thought, she charged, galloping towards her opponent with balled fists. Turrock remained defensive before swinging his blade when she got close enough. She grabbed his arm and the two locked in a fierce, up-close brawl. Turrock's dagger swiped, cutting through Ailith's clothing, but never piercing her skin. While she was having the time of her life, she couldn't deny that Turrock was a worthy opponent. The match was gruelling for them both.

She reared back, luckily avoiding another kick. But, this led to a new problem, she was wide open and seemingly defenceless. In that short time, she knew she couldn't hold back anymore. A thick skin of diamond coated her hand and formed up to her elbow. Turrock's blade struck her skin, bent and snapped cleanly. Nothing pleased Ailith more than seeing the hoodwinked look in Turrock's eyes. Off guard, he was powerless to stop Ailith from pummelling him with a few hard punches, forcing him to stagger away and crash to a heap on the ground.

The crowd went wild.

Sweat rained down Ailith's back as she tried to keep her arms from trembling. Even the air itself was heavy against her aching muscles. She stared up at the pavilion. Elated to see the King on his feet caught up in the excitement, leaping wildly and enthusiastic.

Ailith almost screamed triumphantly. That is until another wave of cheers rumbled from the crowd. It started soft and unsure, like the thrill of anticipation was grasping their throats, before exploding with rapture. Turning her head, Ailith saw why.

Turrock was back up.

He straightened himself, brushing the dust off his jacket and never took his eyes away from Ailith. An uncomfortable chill crawled up Ailith's spine as he smiled. She hit him with her best shot and he was smiling? She didn't know whether to moan at his persistence or smile at his determination.

Resuming her stance, she forced a smirk. ''You're hard to put down. I'm glad that my first opponent in this tournament isn't a chump.''

''This isn't how I predicted this fight would go,'' he remarked in between sharp breaths. It was difficult to tell if he was being genuine or condescending. ''But, you will have to do better if you truly intend on defeating me.''

Ailith scoffed. ''Do better? I broke your weapon. I think that counts for something.''

''To a lesser individual, perhaps,'' he replied with a cold smile. His arms stretched out to the side, facing the ground but keeping a distance from his body. He wriggled his long fingers keenly. ''What was it you said? It was only a distracting weight.''

Her eyes searched him, expecting something to happen at any moment. Seconds passed. Ailith kept her stance, refusing to rush headfirst into a potential trap. For a time, she thought that he might have been bluffing, buying time so that he could catch his breath. However, her eyes trailed down his arms and that's when she noticed something coming from his left hand.

Black goo hung from his fingertips, seeping from within his skin like blood. The liquid grew but never dropped to the floor, remaining stuck to his fingers. Ailith shifted, unsure of what she was facing. She extended her diamond-covered arms to defend herself. A sparkle formed in Turrock's eyes before he slung his arm forward, spraying the black liquid at her.

She couldn't risk shielding herself; afraid that this liquid would melt her through to her bones, so she rolled to the side, dodging the liquid at the last second. It splashed on the ground where she stood. By the time she looked up, she saw another jet of black liquid flying at her. She reeled back, watching the liquid hit the ground in front of her. A hiss slipped through her gritted teeth. Just then, her nose picked up a pungent scent. It wasn't vile, but it wasn't pleasant either.

''Oil?''

Seeing the realisation in her eyes, Turrock's smirk grew. He lifted his right hand over the trail of oil and snapped his fingers. Sparks crackled like small fireworks from the friction. The flickers landed on the oil and ignited into a searing flame that chased after Ailith. Surprised, she almost failed to escape, jumping aside before the flames ensnared her.

Ignoring her throbbing muscles, she stared at the tattoos on his arms. ''So, you can use magic?''

''Everyone can use magic. All you need to draw out its full potential is the right spark!'' He swung his arm, projecting another wave of oil. With a snap of his fingers, sparks caught the oil and a funnel of fire was rocketing towards Ailith. Instinctively, she ran to the side, dodging the attack by the skin of her teeth. Though she wasn't hit, her skin was roasting, even with a thick layer of diamond covering her arms. Already, the air was thinning, causing her to wheeze.

Another round of applause erupted from the audience.

Ailith sensed a change in the atmosphere, a change in allegiance. He was putting on a glorious spectacle for them. He had the backing of the crowd. Angered, Ailith went on the offensive.

Turrock flung another pool of oil in her direction and set off more flames with a snap of his fingers. Ailith rolled out of the way, but the heat was becoming unbearable. As quickly as she could, she tried to punch his gut. She couldn't get close enough before he created a wall of oil with a flick of his wrist. Another snap came soon afterwards and fire rained over Ailith. She screamed in agony and staggered backwards. Thankfully, only pinches of fire caught her, but it was enough to leave her face scorching.

''Come now,'' Turrock taunted. ''Where's the boldness from earlier?''

She pounded her fist into the ground in frustration, cracking it. Urgency flowed through her veins like a raging flood. She hopped on her feet, morphing them into diamond all the way up to her knees, and began vaulting from left to right over a great distance. Turrock's eyes followed her hasty movements, waiting for a clear shot. Noticing that she was getting closer, he hurled his arm forward and a wave of oil missed her by a great distance. 

Ailith jabbed her fist into his chest and pulled back for the second strike. Part of her was watching his left arm, anticipating another wave of oil to be lobbed at her.

To her surprise, he swung his right hand at her and snapped his fingers close to her face. Sparks rained on her cheeks, burning her nose and cheeks. An ear-piercing cry bawled out of her throat and she covered her stinging eyes with her arm.

She was now at his mercy, as he swung his other arm and drenched her in oil.

The sticky substance clung roughly to her entire body. She rubbed her eyes frantically. While her vision was obscured, she heard a gasp from the crowd. His hand was so close she could smell the smoke drifting off his fingers. Despite her limited visibility, she used her other senses to find his position. Ailith grabbed his arm and tossed him towards the edge. She heard the snap, but the momentum of her toss carried the sparks away.

Half of his body was hanging over the perimeter. Gravity almost claimed him, but he dug his fingers into the cracks of the arena and remained in bounds. In a frantic bid to end this fight, Ailith raced towards him, hoping to knock him off with one more attack.

Turrock crawled back up until he was crouching on the edge. In desperation, he unleashed the largest quantity of oil yet. He crusted at least a quarter of the arena, including a portion under Ailith's feet. She slipped over the pool and he snapped his fingers.

The fire overwhelmed her, ready to boil her skin until there was nothing left. If she wanted to win, she had to push herself beyond her limits.

She willed the magic within her to every part of her body, not just her limbs. A throbbing sensation pulsed up her arms and legs, causing her head to go numb. She felt her magic flow and swell. Diamond clawed over her skin, over her toned stomach, chest, and even face and hair.

Protected from the flames, she speared through it. Everyone in the Colosseum gaped in astonishment. Ailith would have too if she could.

It only lasted for a brief instant. The diamond around her body disappeared. A nauseating sickness coiled from her stomach, but she did her best to ignore it for now. Turrock was left dumbfounded and stared in disbelief as Ailith charged towards him. Her knee struck him in the stomach, nearly lifting him off his feet and sending him over the edge.

Nearly.

Turrock's feet remained planted on the ground. Ailith tried to push him off, thrusting her body forward. Exhaustion tore through her every muscle and nerve. The ringing in her head was unbearable and her vision went blurry once again, this time, not from the oil.

Turrock raised his right hand, balling it as if he was about to snap his fingers over Ailith. Her reflexes kicked in and she wobbled to the side. Tired and injured, her body couldn't respond as her mind screamed to run away. The back of Turrock's hand slammed against her cheek, knocking her in the air.

For a few seconds, Ailith's body was weightless. A gust of wind took her breath away before she found herself plunged into water. She struggled to gain control, flapping her arms and legs helpless. Miraculously, she finally broke through the surface of water and gazed upwards.

The crowd was louder than ever before, clapping until their palms were sore. King Kiros was particularly invested, rushing around like an excited child. ''What a fight! What a show! Spectacular!''

With flames still engulfing the arena, Turrock raised his arm to the adoring crowd. Even with his chest heaving and his arms shaking, he kept an imperturbable posture.

Below, floating on the surface of water, Ailith felt like she'd already drowned.

She stared at her surroundings in confusion, still trying to comprehend what happened. The sound of something hitting the wall dragged Ailith out of her thoughts. She saw a ladder being lowered and up above was the gentleman looking down and cupping his hands around his mouth. ''Could you please hurry? We need to prepare for the next fight.''

Jadedly, Ailith swam to the ladder and clung to it, her body pulsating with every movement.

''What am I going to do now?''

A/N: Well, that did not go the way Ailith wanted. What will she do now? Is there any hope left of her becoming a Knight? I hope that you all enjoyed this action-packed chapter. I promise that there will be more details to explain how magic works in this world soon. Also, will Turrock return? Do you want to see him return? Don't be afraid to leave a comment telling me what you liked and where I can improve. Thank you all, and until next time, take care.