Tiny Sword Trick

Lævateinn shined even brighter and a huge whirl of flames appeared when Richard swung it lightly. The pure white light of the vending machines was blotted out.

Stiyl arranged the bare minimum of runes and uttered a short spell under his breath. A tiny flame sword appeared.

Stiyl Magnus had to be searching for even the smallest chance.

Both types of flames would provide instant victory with just one hit. They held the destructive power to blow away a human body with the slightest graze. That meant the battle was one of getting the enemy into your range more quickly than they could get you into theirs.

“What courageous prey,” Richard said scornfully.

As he mocked his opponent, he strengthened his grip on Lævateinn.

“Do you want to please me that much?”

As if he was decapitating an invisible man before him, Richard swung his weapon horizontally.

“!!”

But Stiyl reacted before Lævateinn produced a tsunami of flames.

Instead of hopelessly trying to reach the man in time, he stabbed his flame sword directly behind him. One of the drink vending machines was there. The flames melted the plastic as well as the metal.

(...?)

Richard frowned as he moved Lævateinn.

Immediately afterwards, shock covered his face.

With a muffled roar, the vending machine exploded. It had been caused by a phreatic explosion. Stiyl’s flame sword had instantaneously turned the soft drinks to gas. The large amount of steam had needed a way out and had erupted from the hole Stiyl had created.

It almost looked like a laser made of steam.

The steam contained sharp fragments of the plastic bottles and metal cans
.
Some of those pieces slipped through the gaps in Lævateinn’s flames and approached Richard Brave.

“But...”

Richard used his wrist to change Lævateinn’s trajectory.

“That is too weak. Much too weak!!”

In response to his motion, the direction of the flames changed as well. It blew away the deadly fragments as well as the steam surrounding them. The flames burned through it  all evenly.

(Next is my turn!! And this will end it!!)

Richard started to swing Lævateinn once more, but he then realized something.

A thin, thin smile was on Stiyl’s face on the other side of the flames.

“People have a surprising number of blind spots.” He pointed at Richard’s face. “Maybe you should have thought a little more carefully about what burning that steam meant.” By the time Richard realized what he meant, it was too late.

It was true that most of the steam from the explosion had headed in a straight line for Richard. However, not all of it had. A portion of the steam had departed from the main blast and dampened the air around its target rather than striking him.

That portion had been ignited as well.

The steam that had evenly spread around him had ignited.

And Lævateinn burned through everything evenly.

What that meant was...

Richard had blown himself up.

The flames lit everything up with its bright light as it enveloped him.

While that happened, Stiyl immediately jumped to the side of the vending machine he had destroyed. The flames that burned Richard headed back along the path the steam had taken, burned away the entire vending machine, and started to spread throughout the entire rest area.

Stiyl headed out of the rest area and onto bare ground where he tried to catch his breath.

A throbbing pain spread throughout his back. He had not been directly hit by Lævateinn, but he had been very near the vending machine when it had exploded. It would have been more surprising if it had not harmed him at all.

However, he felt more relief than pain.

Index SP, Chapter 1, Part 4