Opening Moves

The moment the signal was given, Sharkey sprang into action.

He flicked his whip through the air and water burst from the surrounding ocean to cover every centimeter of the barges. Then, the water froze. What had once been two dozen bobbing platforms suddenly became one glacier.

It was a massive show of strength.

Which required an immense amount of essence.

'What is he doing?' Fire looked wide-eyed at the change in the terrain. 'Why make the arena impossible to walk on?' The Awakened fought back the panic rising in her chest.

 Bee's eyes swirled.

 'He is trying to bait you into using up your essence. Don't fall for it.' The floating Awakened tightened her grip on her estoc.

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. If they could trick Fireshing into draining her reserve of power, then she would no longer be able to fight long-range. That would put the Blazing Bees at a huge disadvantage.

Fire pursed her lips. 'But now his team cannot walk either! Surely only he has the means to fight on such a slippery surface.' 

Sharkey's Ability to manipulate water into any state was impressive, but it hurt his teammates as much as Fireshing and Bee. 

Or did it?

Already, Goldie was summoning a pair of spiked cleats for her feet. Lost called forth a set of weights for his ankles to make his steps more firm. A khopesh manifested in his unassuming hand. 

The sickle-shaped sword was as versatile as it was deadly. Lost allowed a ghost of a smile, making his figure even more chilling. 

The trio began to march forward. 

'They are coming. I need to melt the ice so you can fight.' Fire spun her spear in preparation for her flames.

'Don't worry about me, I can manage just fine. Can you?' Bee was never really touching the ground anyway, so it didn't matter what it was made of.

Fire nodded. 'I have an idea of what to do.'

While the ladies had the silent conversation, Gilded Glory sprung their trap. Surrounding them, the trio pinned the Blazing Bees between themselves and the endless ocean.

 "Care for a swim?" GoldieRider used one of her daggers to point to the waves.

 "After you." Fireshing narrowed her gaze.

Goldie's team surged forward as one, ready to end the match almost as soon as they began.

Bee and Fireshing backed up to one another in a desperate last stand.

At least that was how it looked.

Sharkey's whip closed in on Queen Bee's head, but she fluttered away in a blur. His teeth-laden weapon instead caught GoldieRider's left vambrace, pulling her arm and one of the daggers from reaching Fireshing's chest. The rest of her body was dragged out of line, forcing her to lean away to keep from being knocked over.

Lost's khopesh swung like an ax at Fire's head, ready to lop it off. But with the change in the trajectory of his glorious leader, Goldie's head was on the chopping block instead. Lost only managed to miss the lady's black hood by a fraction of a centimeter.

"No friendly fire!" The leader screamed. 

Bee sped past the grey-skinned brute and struck him from behind. Sharkey skidded to the edge of the frozen platform dragging Goldie to the ground in the process. 

While the hooded beauty cursed and slid to a stop, Fireshing raced through the newly formed gap.

 As Fire ran, her feet began to glow. The ice below her sandals melted and turned to steam as she blazed a path to the center of the ring.

 As soon as she reached her target, Fireshing jumped and lodged the [Aching Ember] into one of the frozen spaces between the barges. A crack formed and began to spread.

 Everything shook like an earthquake. All at once, the rafts dislodged from one another creating not one but many floating icebergs.

Sharkey paled. His grasp on the massive rink of ice was slipping. He needed a change of plans.

Adjusting his strategy, he turned the ice to steam, creating a smokescreen for Gilded Glory to reposition. The world went white. 

'Can you see them?' Fire asked. 'Where are you?'

'Here,' Bee touched Fire's back.

Fireshing flinched. 'How did you--?' 

'I know your emotions almost as well as I know my own. The other three are circling around. I think they mean to rush us again.' While Bee could not see the others, she could feel their general location from their emotional signatures.

 None of them had sudden changes in feeling, so she did not think they would attack just yet. That gave them a moment to plan. 

'I think I am going to be sick.' Fireshing leaned harder against Bee's back.

The Queen felt it too. Maybe the steam was messing with their perception. 'Don't let the pressure of the battle get to you.' 

There was a sudden shift in the wind. Neither woman needed to tell the other that things were about to change. 

The mist dissipated, creating a clear circle around them as all three competitors jumped from the white void onto the center barge. 

Goldie's daggers slashed at Bee. One was deflected by her Estoc while the other hit against the breastplate of her armor. Her protection held, but barely.

'That's going to leave a bruise.'

Fire screamed behind her, but Bee had no way to help. She would have to trust her partner to fend for herself for the time being. 

 Bee trained her polychromatic eyes on GoldieRider. The woman was an absolute menace with those daggers. Too many more of those hits would put a crack in her armor. She could not let that happen. 

Following up her initial block with a secondary swipe, Bee used the [Unlikely End] to repel the hooded dagger-wielder. Before Goldie could recover, Queen Bee shoved her shoulder into the woman's chest and sent her stumbling backward. 

GoldieRider lost her footing and overcorrected just as a wave rocked the barge. Falling into the gap, the black-clad combatant landed in the water for a refresher course in swimming. It would take a moment before she was fit to fight again. 

That would have ended the initial confrontation, except there was a second combatant who wanted Queen Bee gone. 

Lost took advantage of GoldieRider's distraction and struck out with his khopesh. The sword released a high-pitched whine as it honed in on Bee, and the sound reverberated a hundred times in the Queen's head. Bee winced. 

'Ah! That hurts.'

Because her estoc was positioned poorly for the block, Bee instinctively kicked at the sword. When her sabaton caught on top curve of the blade, Lost smiled in earnest. He sent his blade soaring upward in an effort to unbalance the Queen and knock her to the ground.

Bee bent her other knee and jumped to dislodge her shoe. With the extra momentum, she spun completely around and hit Lost's chin with her other foot. 

Blood flowed from Lost's lip as he reeled back in surprise. 

Bee was surprised too. She could feel his pain deeply. Not just his emotional pain. 

His physical pain as well. 

The world suddenly felt turned on its head. Bee could see Lost, but she could also see herself. Sounds were doubled and offset. She could taste blood in her mouth. 

She felt...lost...

Something was very wrong.