Queen's Mettle VII -- Hearts of Fire I
The moment Sarada stepped foot inside Lasair's realm, she saw him waiting for her.
[COLOR="#B22222"]"So, you have finally arrived,"[/COLOR] he said, arms folded over his chest. [COLOR="#B22222"]"And unfortunately for you, you are alone. You will not survive this time!!"[/COLOR]
Sarada still had the ice tear Oighear gave her years ago to survive the extreme heat. She was just going to straight up kick the shit out of this little bastard and knock him down a peg. It wasn't going to be a lesson for her, but for him; and that lesson was to not fucking with Queen Sarada. She powered up and charged straight for Lasair, who in turn charged for her.
The two collided, creating a shockwave that ripped through the ground like tissue paper. Both combatants were flung in opposite directions. Sarada righted herself first and flew toward Lasair. She sent a pair of blasts to herald her arrival. They were dodged and left to harmlessly sail over the horizon.
[COLOR="#B22222"]"It seems you have learned nothing!"[/COLOR] He roared and unleashed a tremendous heat wave that warped the air between himself and Sarada.
Sarada tried to power through, but somehow, the haet was too intense for her to breach the distance. She growled and flew up high to try and think of a strategy. [i]Damn it! Just punching him isn't going to work,[/i] she groused silently. That was the entire point, yes, but she still wanted to do this one fight her way.
She knew that she was likely stronger than he was, but by how much wasn't certain. However, he complete mastery over fire and heat gave him an advantage. However, she knew that fire needed three things to thrive: oxygen, heat, and fuel. Lasair was both the source of heat and the fuel, meaning he still needed oxygen to thrive. Much like her fight with Oighear, she knew exactly what to do.
From what she could tell, Lasair was a hot head like her. That meant that he could be easily goaded into making mistakes. Of course, that wasn't to say that Sarada was easily goaded, because she wasn't. She was far to astute and sharp-witted to be fooled by simple schemes and deceptive tactics. Unlike the dummy she was fighting, she used her brain while fighting.
The two clashed pretty evenly, though Sarada was purposefully holding back to lull him into a false sense of security. The ice tear protected her from the burns that would have resulted from touching his super-heated form and she was still too fast to actually be in danger of being hit. After so many quests where she couldn't fight her opponent, it felt good to actually do some punching. The only downside was that both beings were weaker than her, so she didn't gain anything from it.
With that in mind, she decided to wrap things up. There was no point in dragging things out and wasting time. She had two fights to go after this one and at least one of them was promising.
The dance between the two fiery warriors continued unabated. They dashed across the gloomy sky, creating shockwaves that rocked the surrounding area with each clash. The longer it went on, the more Sarada was enjoying herself. This was what she had been missing.
"Well, dummy," she said suddenly. "Time to end this."
If Lasair had eyebrows, one of them surely would have been raised. "Surrender is not an option. You will see this fight through to the end."
"Ha! You would think that [i]I'm[/i] the one that'll be doing the quitting!" She clenched her fist, then thrust it forward. A green barrier quickly formed and surrounded Lasair, sealing him off completely from the outside world. She smirked and watched him begin to understant the dire straits he suddenly found himself in. "Confused? Lemme dumb it down for you. Fire needs three components to start: fuel, oxygen, and heat. You know that better than me. Without one, no fire. I took away your oxygen, so your fire should be dying out pretty soon."
Lasair was silent. Clearly, he was dumbfounded by Sarada's clever strategy and was struggling to figure out a means of escape. Assuming he had two brain cells - or whatever these things had for brains - to rub together, he would figure out eventually that there was no escape. He wasn't strong enough to brute-force his way out, and there wasn't a crack or tiny hole in her shield for him to worm his way out. Escape was quite impossible.
Like a caged animal, he lashed out. His power blazed and lashed out against the barrier. The large green sphere was filled with the ardent flames of a young master, yet it was of no avail. Yet, even despite his lack of headway, he persisted.
Sarada raised an eyebrow. Surely he would have run through the oxygen that had been left in the barrier by then. "Hey, what gives?" Then, her barrier started to crack. "What?!" She quickly reinforced it, even as he continued to lash out.
She didn't understand. Then, she quickly realized where her thinking was askew. [i]I've been thinking about this all wrong. These creatures have mastered their elements.[/i] She went back to her first fight with Gaineamh. It said there was a reason they were the Archons of their species. She didn't pay it any attention at the time, but she then realized what she meant. They were the elite. Snuffing out Lasair's flame wasn't going to be as simple as applying science to something that was well beyond science.
[COLOR="#B22222"]"So, you finally understand,"[/COLOR] he stated while drawing back his power. She quickly noticed that it was diminished, but still burned brightly. [COLOR="#B22222"]"You will never snuff out my flame. It is impossible. There is a reason, out of all the powerful fire elementals of my species, that I am the Archon of the Flame. I have worked for my entire existence to hone my control over fire."[/COLOR]
Sarada felt her eyes widen a touch. He had worked his entire life to get to where he was right then. "That sounds familiar."
[COLOR="#B22222"]"What are you talking about?"[/COLOR]
"I was one of the weakest members of my own race just a few years ago. I've worked hard to gain the strength I have and earned the mantle and the right to rule over my people." She frowned heavily. This was [I]not[/I] how she expected this fight to go. She wanted to pound his face in and snuff out his flame like a cheap candle. Not only was the latter impossible, but they had more in common than she thought.
[COLOR="#B22222"]"I see."[/COLOR] He fell silent, hands lazily hanging at his sides. [COLOR="#B22222"]"You are a Queen. I am not royalty, but I am the leader of the fire elementals that rule this world. I know we'll the burden leadership places on an individual, especially one so "young".[/COLOR]
She had a feeling that was the way it was. From the way the other Archons deferred to her, she could tell that Criostalach was the leader. How she gained that position wasn't known, but she was definitely the most powerful. That Lasair was so "young" and was also the leader of his tribe was impressive. And relatable. "I see." She disengaged the barrier. "We're more alike than I realized."
Both hot-headed and prone to making decisions based on emotion, rather than rational thinking. Not to mention they both had a predisposition to kill anyone who grieved them in any way, rather than punish in a more just manner. Sarada had managed to get over that in the last few years, but the urge still lingered at times.
"So, no one can cut off your power?"
[COLOR="#B22222"]"That is correct. It is still possible for lesser elementals, but Archons are the best our species have to offer. Your ploy would have only slowed me down, but stopped me completely."[/COLOR]
That was good to know, and a very interesting ability to have. The ki draining techs Parsley and Avoca had made them both very annoying to fight. If she could learn how to resist that, then she could mop the floor with both of them no problem.
She had a feeling there was more to this than a simple fight, given how Lasair seemed to lose the bloodlust he appeared to have before. [COLOR="#B22222"]"Your ploy from before was a sound one, but you mistakenly assumed I was beholden to your laws of science. Basing strategy on assumptions is dangerous and will only very likely lead to defeat."[/COLOR]
She took in his words quietly. He may have been the youngest of the Archons, but he was still thousands of years older than her. He had likely faced an untold number of adversaries who tried every permutation of techniques, ploys, and tactics to best him. That he was still there proved how formidable he was. "Yeah, that was my mistake." Again, her lack of awareness showed itself.
[COLOR="#B22222"]"Good."[/COLOR]
Queen's Mettle VII -- Hearts of Fire II
She spent the rest of the day with Lasair, a far cry from the urgency she treated the previous phases of her quest. Being young rulers who had to earn the respect of their peers, she had quite a bit to learn from him.
The remainder of that day passed, giving way to the night and then the morning sun. [COLOR="#B22222"]"...nd once I determined that Inanna was not the Ishtar who destroyed Ilargi over five thousand cycles ago, I had no choice but to let go my rage and want for vengeance."[/COLOR] He sighed. [COLOR="#B22222"]"In truth, it devoured me alive for so long. Now that it has been exorcised, I feel much better."[/COLOR]
He let go of his vendetta? She supposed that if Inanna had been training wtih these creatures for so long, that something would have needed to change. "I understand. Then, in that case, there's no point in me continuing to hold my grudge." She felt that it was a personal affront whenever someone made an attempt on her Oni's life - or whatever Inanna was. That dated all the way back to when Ishtar was still around and kicking, and it wouldn't change any time soon.
[COLOR="#B22222"]"That is good to hear. Sound leadership, I have learned, requires a clear mind. Thoughts of revenge and bouts of anger only cloud the hear and judgment." [/COLOR]
She had a feeling that was a lesson he had to have impressed on him more times than anyone could count. She knew she did. "I'd better get going. I have two more stops to make and then I'm done." She saluted and bowed slightly. "It's been fun. Let's do it again sometime!"
[COLOR="#B22222"]"Indeed, young one. I will be here, waiting for you."[/COLOR]
She smiled and nodded, and took off for the next realm. From what they talked about the day before, the next realm should have been the Archon of Tintreach. "Lightning, hm? That should be fun."