The Flame of Eldralis

The square had begun to stir awake due to the earlier commotion. Caelus exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he looked at the knight seated above. His body still pulsed with the lingering heat of battle, but he kept his focus entirely on her.

"And just who the hell are you?" he asked

The white haired woman took slow bites of her apple, chewing leisurely, as though she had all the time in the world. She then tossed the core aside into the square and leaned forward with a sly smile upon her face, her crimson-streaked armour shimmered in the morning light.

"Wess Luthaine," she answered with a smooth and composed face. "The most powerful mage of Eldralis. You perhaps know me by my moniker—The Flame of Eldralis."

"Oh right—the rookie mage who thinks she's hot shit." Caelus insulted "What makes you so sure you're on my level?"

"Because I know exactly how to deal with someone like you, cocky newbie!" her smirk quickly turned into irritation

Below her, Claris groaned as she struggled to sit up, the knight beside her still unconscious.

"Wess—Lady Wess! Should we engage him together?"

"No need." Wess stood, materialising a staff and rolling her neck before stretching out a hand. "Just stay where you are, Heldran! This shouldn't take too long!"

Atop the adjacent rooftop, a towering man with golden-trimmed armour and tied-back black hair stood there, remaining motionless with his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze was sharp and adamant.

"As you wish," Heldran replied with a steady voice, "just know that if you fail, I will take it upon myself to step in and deal with him myself."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen then!" Wess chuckled

Her staff banged against the roof of the stall.

A surge of heat exploded outward, sending dust and any loose object swirling through the square. Flames roared to life around the small woman, licking at the air as the temperature spiked.

Caelus sensed a change in the heat's magnitude.

"Flame Serpent!" Wess called out

A torrent of fire surged toward him, coiled like a snake preparing to strike its prey. Caelus dodged sideways but Wess smirked as she watched his movements.

"Burst!"

The torrent burst into a wall of fire, pouring down searing projectiles in rapid succession as Caelus maneuvered through the inferno.

He repeatedly dodged the flames as they scorched the cobblestone. Which each step, he was grazed by heat, every path he turned to was cut off by fire, forcing him to depend on buildings for movement.

"Dammit!!" Caelus growled

"What's wrong, Star Child?" Wess looked upon Caelus with a smug look upon her face, "You can't do anything if the ground is on fire, can you?"

Caelus exhaled as he assessed the situation. She was good at keeping distance—too good. He knew direct attacks weren't going to work and he desperately needed something that would shift the balance of the battle. His eyes flicked around the square, scanning the previous battle's destruction. Debris. Broken stalls. The unconscious bodies of the River Soul knights.

A strategy formed in his mind.

He kicked off, tearing a nearby lampstand from the ground, hurling it at Wess, who took no time to incinerate it.

Then he did it again. And again.

Chunks of broken stone. Pieced up crates. Sheets of cloth. Broken weapons. Wess reacted to every single one, sending plumes of fire in controlled bursts, reducing them all to ash before it could come close to touching her.

Then he hurled the unconscious dagger-wielder.

This immediately shattered her focus. She quickly brought her magic to a halt to avoid burning her comrade. Then the halberdier. Then the swordsman. Then the flail-wielder. All around her, her fellow knights of the River Souls were thrown at her, making it so that she could not use her flames without harming them. Her breath hitched as her eyes scanned around for her foe. Then she caught it—the unnatural shift in the halberdier's falling body. The limp body fell to the ground mid-flight, revealing a smirking Caelus.

He was already in range.

Before she could speak a flame into being, his fist drove into her chestplate, crushing her fortified armour with sheer force. Her body lurched as she was sent flying into the River's Rest, crashing into the common room. A window on the upper storey flew open, showing the bewildered faces of Mira and Elise.

"Just what the hell's happening out here?!" Mira shouted

"Umm," Caelus hesitated, "don't worry about it!"

"Oh god, is that Claris?!" Elise squealed

"Again, don't worry about it!" Caelus repeated as he walked towards the inn's broken entrance

As Wess slowly rose, with crimson blood slowly dripping from her nose onto her similarly coloured sash, she was greeted by the menacing vision of Caelus making his way toward her. She gingerly rose her hand towards her threat.

"Resurgent Flame!" she yelled as yellow flames sparked in her hand

Almost in an instant, Caelus rushed to her right and landed a spinning kick to the back of her head, sending her skidding across the ground, back into the outside of the inn. She groaned as she rose, her head throbbing in pain, but this did not stop her from preparing to launch off another spell. He was on her immediately, delivering a flurry of strikes across her body before she could speak the spell from her lips. She heaved as she had a free moment from the relentless blows, but it was short-lived as she soon received a swift knee to the stomach.

Her vision began to blur. She began to fall to the ground.

In her last waking moments, she saw Heldran, in his glistening armour, descend from his position on the rooftop, unsheathing his sword, Goldmarke, and approaching her vanquisher.

"Do not worry yourself, Wess. I'll end this and take him to the King!" the knight called out to his now unconscious comrade

Caelus rolled his shoulders and tightened his fists before assuming a stance.

"You look like you'll actually give me a challenge!"