Act VI: Tianxia [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/752210279470989312/1120229048220651601/Copy_of_Act_I_Al-Was_Retinue.gif]
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A roar of the crowds boomed from the outside. As she walked down the entrance ramp, her blue cloak slowly flowed behind her. She took a deep breath, feeling the sand crunching beneath her feet. Ayai Toya stepped out onto the arena.
The flash of stadium lights beamed upon her, and that same announcer’s voice reverberated throughout the stands once more. The dome above her separated the sea of people seated all around. Ayai adjusted the red collar on her neck.
The commentator blared through the microphone, “We are finally here with the final round of the 1973 Dineh Kazaàd, the Terminus! On the first side, we have our reigning champion for two straight years, Ayai Toya!”
She stopped once she reached halfway into the arena. Ayai only looked at the opposite corridor where her opponent would soon reveal themselves.
“And here challenging her reign, is the dark horse of this year's tournament. The most feared warrior we’ve ever seen. Thiệu Khoan!”
The audience went wild for both her and him, as the young man smiled and waved from the entrance. He wore a bright red vest, matching with the lock of crimson hair on his head. Ayai could tell that he held serious skill from looking at him. She never wanted to see what her opponents were like until the day came. To her, they meant nothing. They were obstacles in the way of keeping her life, to survive in this never-ending cycle.
“So you’re the champion?” Thiệu Khoan went on with a light voice. “My, you’re much more beautiful in person than in the holograms!”
“...” Toya did not reply, but slyly slid her hand to the handle of her crescent blade.
“The quiet one, huh? I get it. You’ve fought here many times, and probably won a number of battles here. So, fortunately, I will take your place.” He kept his back straight, exaggerating with his hands. “The Minor and Major were tough to get through, you know? Like-”
“Enough.”
“Hm?”
Ayai rotated her blade sideways and glared at him. “Are you done?... With this fight?”
“...” Thiệu Khoan went silent, before stomping his feet onto the ground. The air cackled around him, and a chilling presence seeped into the arena. The sound of the wind whistling. “Dihu Quangmoi: Composed Glacier.”
Particles gathered around him, while Ayai remained unfazed. She could feel her breath freeze, and her skin cold. Khoan kept his stance, one palm forward and the other back against his chest. From a glance, Ayai already calculated her next move.
Khoan disappeared from view. She looked to her right and unlocked her sword. The blade burst forth from her scabbard and met his fist. Ice fragmented around her, as Khoan jumped back. Ayai inspected her sword, the blade cooling into a chilly shine.
“Not bad, champion. You’re the first one who’s blocked my first move.” He stretched his fingers, his fist without a scratch.
“I believe you are overestimating yourself.”
“Is that so?” Khoan’s voice turned serious, tightening his fist. “Then I’ll come at you.”
In an instant, he appeared in front of her. She merely sidestepped. His punch missed by egems. A flurry of jabs rushed at her face. Ayai warded it off with the calm sweep of her sword. Fist banged against metal, Khoan’s fists showing no signs of bleeding nor bone breaking. Each time they clanged, she felt the ice building onto her blade. Ayai knew her movements would be slowed due to the weight.
“Mayin Kopae.” A burst of energy erupted in a horizontal slash. Icicles flew off like bullets as Khoan jumped over them. Ayai turned around and caught his fist mid-punch in her blade.
“That’s strange…” Khoan let out a wince mixed with a smile. “This is the first time someone matched my speed.”
She did not reply. They exchanged blow after blow, and Ayai didn’t even wince or pant. The two circled around. She gave no opening to him, or even a sign of her fatigue. Although Khoan had speed, Ayai had reflexes. But she acknowledged the prowess within his technique.
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Ayai sent Khoan flying back several strides, and he held his balance. He stood tall, letting the silent wind be their intermission. The breeze played with Ayai’s silver-blond hair and cloak, while Khoan allowed his red vest to fly freely.
"You're good," He wiped the sweat off his brow. Soon the ground beneath him shuddered. "Dihu Khongkhi: Agility Stance.”
Ayai detected multiple threats coming from multiple directions. Her instinct gave that thought. But she knew Khoan leaped at her from different angles in a fraction of a second. She deflected his afterimages, her body aware of the direction he came.
“You’re blade isn’t getting nicked at all! It might be a sign you’ve honed your craft to the utmost limit!” Khoan taunted, while dust clouds kicked up and encircled her. Ayai’s blade clashed, the harsh sound ringing in her ears. In the end, he wasn’t a problem.
She brought her sword behind her back. “Mayin Rauj.”
The weapon radiated burning light. Ayai slammed her sword down on him mid-dash. The ground exploded into dust and debris. A cacophony of deafening energy screeched throughout the stadium, the dome wobbling.
A figure emerged from the chaos. The crimson-haired boy now held an icicle spear. His eyes glowed orange, and the aura around him pulsated. His vest, torn to shreds revealed saharic burns on his skin.
"Your sahar doesn't seem too fancy." Khoan took a deep breath and chucked the spear at her.
Ayai shattered the spear with one blow. An explosion shot through the air, and ice crystals fell onto the arena like snowflakes. Khoan charged at her, but she dodged. He leaped again and she struck. The crescent blade barely grazed his neck.
“Don't you have any other tricks?" He shouted before lifting his fist. “My dad once said, ‘one stroke, two halves.’ But you only can make one half!”
"Tch."
Her sword smashed against his auric fist. Ayai pushed it back, forcing him to dodge. The two exchanged blows without hesitation. Yet not even once did they appear as if Ayai wore any fatigue.
Khoan spat onto the ground, digging his feet into it. "I thought you were more than this, champion!"
"..."
Ayai punted Khoan across the arena. He crashed into the wall, shattering it like glass. She sprinted forward, her sword swirling with sahar. The stadium trembled again. A wave of energy surged across the ground to Ayai's path. She swept the area, only to find he had already disappeared. Ayai let down her blade, as melted ice dripped into the sandy floor.
“What reason do fight for?” Her question bounced around the arena. She heard Khoan’s quiet footsteps from behind.
“The Kazaàd Company Zhü gave me the opportunity to shine. So I’m here right now, fighting and having the time of my life.” He responded brazenly, his eyes flaming with intensity. “I also wanted to escape that old geezer, my dad. Wanted to prove to him that I was capable of winning something.”
Ayai turned around and faced him. Her footsteps seemed to drown out the roar of the crowd. “So you do realize that in order to do that, you need to kill me.”
Khoan beat his chest. “That’s right! I’m going to kill you, champion. Mahou Jyuuryok!”
Gravity changed. The sand fell upward, clattering against the dome in wads of dust. Ayai flipped and landed her feet on the dome. Then he came.
Even faster than before Khoan pursued her. She didn’t want to expend more effort than she needed. Her feet grounded, and her hands grabbed his shoulder. Her right arm circled his stomach, and her other arm held the sword up over him. Her entire body tensed, but Khoan managed to slip free of her grasp. He threw a flurry of punches at her face, and she blocked each one. The spectators cheered.
“Slow." She slammed her pommel into his gut. A gush of blood erupted from his mouth. A small explosion rocked the air, sending Khoan tumbling into the sandy pit. His spell ended, and gravity returned to normal.
Ayai floated down gracefully. She could hear him stirring. His fist smashed against the ground, creating an avalanche of sand. It rolled up to her. She kept her guard and aimed forward. The fog soon dispersed.
A frown broke through Khoan's lips. "Impossible, I was supposed to win. I was supposed to win this! I need to prove my dad wrong!"
She readied her sword and sheathed her sword. "I don't know what happened to your father, but you're the one who let down yourself. Your own greed."
Khoan spun around to face her. His eyes were wild, and his body trembled with rage. He raised his fist again.
“You... I'll show you-"
Ayai rotated her blade nearly two hundred seventy degrees. "Mayin Skrastreg."
Her crescent blade exploded from her sheath. A moon cut extended the entire width of the stadium. Khoan's body ripped in two. Blood spurted everywhere, and his limbs fell to the ground.
Ayai watched him fall, but only for a moment. Then she turned around and walked away. In the end, she had no interest in him; she only cared about her own life, to survive in this tournament.
The audience applauded as Ayai continued to walk back into the arena corridor. The people that placed their bets on her cheered on, while there stood others that crumpled their betting parchments.
Ayai's complexion never changed throughout the entire fight, as blood stained her face and cloak. She retracted her sword back into its scabbard. Her steps were firm, her breathing calm. Her silhouette disappeared into the tunnel.
A faint voice reverberated silently from the outside. “Mama…”