The Artisan

While Bee was fending off Sleepless and Paradise in Red, Fire was fighting harder than she ever had before. Her sorcery Aspect usually gave her a distinct tactical advantage, but with Snowmobile that edge had vanished. 

The auburn-haired Awakened could fight remarkably well in close combat, but her specialty was long-range fighting. Unfortunately for her, Snowmobile seemed to have the same strength. This locked them into a battle of wills, with the cloudy stadium being their unwilling victim.

If not for the cumulus' ability to self-restore, there would already be no floor on which to fight. 

Fire circulated her essence carefully to give each of her flames the most potent power. With her Aspect, proper usage of essence was key. 

But Snowmobile…he was making her run through her core's store at record speed. If he kept on the onslaught, she would have no choice but to empty herself before resorting solely to her Memory usage. 

'I should leave some essence for summoning Memories,' she reminded herself. 

Dodging a mass of golden strings, the fiery Awakened lifted her left hand. It was easier and more efficient to aim at the moving target when she didn't have to factor in the shaft of her spear. The [Aching Ember] could enhance her range and power, but that was not needed for this battle. Speed was paramount. 

Keeping her weapon at the ready in her other palm, Fireshing released the most massive burst she had ever attempted. It was possibly too big. 

No, it was perfect! 'Yes!' 

The gargantuan sphere crashed into the clouds, forcing Snowmobile back. He shielded his face, momentarily losing sight of the beautiful fighter. 

But that was not all, the hole ripped the fabric of the ground like torn paper, revealing the azure sky below. 

Just as Bee had asked. 

The angry Sleepless tumbled into the gaping fissure, relieving the Queen of one of her adversaries. It was not a moment too soon. The timing had been flawless.

An ember of pride burned in Fireshing's chest. She suppressed the feeling. 'Don't get a swelled head,' the woman reminded herself. 

There would be time to celebrate when it was all over. There were still three members of Dawnbreak left to defeat. 

And Fire was determined to see the battle through. 

Snowmobile recovered his footing in barely a moment and had already begun creating a spider web of strings between his fingers. The movement was mesmerizing and Fireshing felt if she stared at it for too long, she would become entranced. 

Blinking, Fire brought her [Aching Ember] in front of her body and lit the tip of the spear. The metal began to glow with a blinding radiance that would rival the absent sun. 

Snowmobile squinted against the tiny star as he constructed the final string. He twisted his wrist differently this time and rather than a ball, a wide net formed in front of him. With one less competitor in the ring, the artisan had changed his tactics. 

The net came flying at Fireshing, but she stood her ground. As the electric trap came within reach, she slashed her fiery spear from above her head straight to her feet in a fierce, decisive movement. 

Her muscles tensed as the electricity from the net ran down her shaft, but her momentum allowed her to finish the action. 

The gamble had paid off. 

The net might have had tremendous force and power, but it lacked cohesive strength. The heat of the Aching Ember had cut through it like it was made of butter. Rather than ensnare the auburn-haired duelist, it split, slid past her body, and crashed in a heap behind her before detonating. 

"Impressive," Snowmobile nodded in deference, perhaps even approval. 

Fire was not fooled. Whether or not his feeling was genuine, the artisan wanted to defeat her. Snowmobile was stalling for time. 

The man tugged at the leather belt of his elegant armor. As Fire sent another cataclysmic ball at her opponent, the thin strap wrapped around Snowmobile's arm. The buckle covered his palm and grew until it reached the size of a saucer-shaped buckler. 

It all happened in a split second. The fire consumed the shield and its wielder for a moment, making the artisan look like a human candle. Fire almost felt bad for the man covered in her flames.

But Snowmobile flicked the buckler to one side, blowing out the conflagration in a small burst of wind. 

'How?' 

The next instant a dozen small charges like darts came flying at her body. Unable to avoid them all, Fireshing was hit in the right thigh and left ankle. While the one on her thigh was absorbed by her cuirass, the one on her ankle forced her to one knee. 

'That stings!' Although it was a glancing blow, the charred flesh caused searing pain to shoot up her leg. If it had been a direct hit, Fireshing had no doubt that her foot would no longer be attached to her leg. 

Using her spear, the fiery Awakened rose to her feet and pursed her lips. 

'So much for long-range. I have to switch things up.' Biting back the pain, Fire lit the tip of her spear as if to launch another missile at the other duelist. 

When he lifted his buckler to block the blow, he missed her sudden movement. 

All at once the woman set up on him, stabbing the spear past the shield and into his upper arm. 

Snowmobile cried out in pain. With his other hand, he lifted a spear of his own to push the woman's weapon away. Only his was not made of wood and metal. It was made of golden electrified strings. 

'Did he make that just now based on my weapon?' Fireshing was amazed. But not in awe enough to let the weapon stand. She tugged her Aching Ember across the Snowmobile's body, cracking the golden duplicate before it had time to fully solidify.

Just as Fire suspected, the spear needed more time to cure before being fully functional. It was strong enough to push her aside, but not sturdy enough to withstand a direct hit. 

Seeing her moment, Fireshing shoved her white-hot spear into the Snowmobile's abdomen. Pushing back his shield, the man grabbed her hand and held it. 

"Paradise in Red has been eliminated."

The words barely registered as Fire's fingers tingle. She was receiving… a Memory? 

"From one artist to another," Snowmobile said. Then his bloodied body dissipated into sparks. 

"Snowmobile has been eliminated." The voice of the Dreamscape almost overlapped itself with the two announcements. 

Fireshing and Queen Bee locked eyes. Both were sweating from the exertion. 

'Three down, one to go.' Bee said through The Other's Voice. 

The two ladies had whittled down the playing field and had not only evened the odds but also tipped them in their favor. For the first time in the battle, they were no longer outnumbered. 

But that didn't cause them to let down their guard. On the contrary, the tension in the air only increased. 

Thorai opened her eyes and grinned at her two opponents. She leisurely stood from her cloudy seat and stretched her arms. 

"I was hoping it would come down to this. Now that it is just us girls, how about a real fight?" 

'What does she mean by a real fight?' Fire asked her teammate.

Bee shrugged and raised her estoc. 'I don't know, but I don't think we are going to like it…'