Sulphur & Lightning Chapter 32: 031 - Calling Upon The Sword

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Yachit bowed to her opponent, and he returned the gesture. Despite her small hesitation earlier, there remained no doubt in her heart about what she had to do. Master, she said internally, I’ll be stronger. She watched the young boy take off his top gingerly, revealing a body covered in small scars. Most notably, his left hand had severe burn marks. He hadn’t had that when they last met. She frowned slightly at this, wondering what could have caused such lasting damage to a Lycan in the brief space between the meetings. This confirmation of vulnerability didn’t set her at ease, though. If anything, the evidence of battle on a warrior this young did more to unsettle her. “Where’s your weapon?” His question pulled her out of her musings, though she did not answer. “If you fight against a Lycan barehanded, you’ll die foolishly.” The words were said coolly as he lowered himself on all fours. She still didn’t answer. Brown eyes caught yellow. They stared for an eternity of seconds, wondering if they could extract anything from one another’s gazes. All she could perceive was her own reflection. She watched as a coldness slowly possessed her opponent, his eyes turning into frigid mirrors. Again, her instincts insisted on survival. Again, she pushed them aside. She was terrified but focused on her breathing. Everything was in the breath. She closed her eyes and exhaled once more. Volcanic ash and a red sea of stars erupted without warning. Her opponent had returned to his true state. Crouched before her was a black hound with burning yellow eyes. Eyes that spoke of the kill. It didn’t charge instantly as she had expected. Instead, it walked slowly forward, that hellish smoke following it like its dark train. There wasn’t a hint of the boy that she had spoken to there. Despite the impossibility of true communication, one look was enough for her to confirm. It was going to kill her! She breathed out one long, forceful breath. She was ready. Her fist flew forward, cracking the air between them as she closed the space like a bolt. The impact was thunderous, shaking the entire arena and rocking the trees nearby, throwing many-coloured flowers down across the scene only to be entangled by the corrosive black smoke. She drew back instantly, not wanting to give her opponent any chance for retribution. It didn’t seem inclined towards that action, though, and instead stayed still, regarding her fully with an expression her strained mind interpreted as mockery. She made to go for another attack, but the beast suddenly howled. The effect was unaccountable, like an explosive had gone off in her ear canal and she had been dunked into ice water. She had to close her eyes to recover from this poignant tincture of pain, vertigo and cold shock. That was her first mistake. Her Aura told her something was wrong before her senses did, and she leapt back. The sound of fangs closing around air, like the gates of hell shutting suddenly, brought her back to reality. Her enemy was upon her. It wasn’t dissuaded by her quick reactions and instead leapt again, looking for her throat. She stretched her arm out and red energy shot out like an arrow, penetrating the beast’s upper jaw and leaving a bloody mess. Still, ghastly white teeth found their way through. The attack, while ferocious, hadn’t bought her much time. The resulting sound was grating, like the screech of stone meeting chisel – a savage, bloodthirsty chisel. She’d reacted in time. Her entire forearm no longer had the supple firmness of a trained fighter but was a large block of granite. Despite the massive increase in heft, the beast’s maw managed to wrap around its width entirely, pressing down like a boa on its prey. It abruptly let go, though and pounced at her legs. They too were stone, but she still felt its claws break through. Her fist came down on its neck, and starry red energy came down like a meteor and flattened the creature with its fury. The reprieve was short, though, as claws found ski