I grounded myself on the obsidian as the rock seemed to drink the energy from my skin. My hair stood on end like some kind of 80’s rockstar, and Abby chuckled as she advanced.
“That’s quite the hair style,” she said.
“Thirty years ago, it was all the rage on Earth,” I said as I noticed Bertha enter through the corridor. From the smile on her face and the way she hefted her halberd, my champion knew my intent. This was a game, and she intended on playing her part.
“Sounds like you’re old-fashioned, Dom.” She lifted a finger, and a lightning bolt danced on its tip.
Abby was having fun with this.
Good. It was about to get a hell of a lot more fun.
Bertha raced in from behind, her Amazonian form rippling with the same power as a hunting feline. Abby half-turned, saw my half-troll closing in, and dove across the polished floor. The elemental righted herself and zipped to the side as Bertha shifted her momentum. The dull handle of the half-troll’s poleaxe arced, looking to catch the Storm Elemental’s jaw, but Abby was out of range. The avatar raised her hands and lightning arced out from her fingertips, catching my champion in the chest. Bertha’s warrior braid sparked and stood on end before she hit the floor on her hands and knees. Her teeth gritted as the electricity coursed through her, stunned her, and kept her in place.
I figured I needed to even the odds a little, so I burst in from Abby’s left and aimed at her feet with a sliding kick. Caught off guard, she yelped as she collapsed. Bright blue sparks danced across her flesh as she touched the floor. The avatar didn’t stay down long; the lightning seemed to lift her upright.
The tempest brewing around Abby darkened, and tiny storm clouds appeared above her head. She was a hell of a sight—a walking thunderstorm—as she blazed toward me again, eyes burning with essence. Bertha suddenly swooped from the right and crash-tackled the elemental, taking her to the floor. Abby twisted and got a hand to the half-troll’s tightly-bound chest. Bertha’s eyes widened as she realized how dangerous close combat with an elemental could be, and Abby confirmed it by blasting the half-troll into the air like she weighed nothing more than a paperclip. Bertha corrected her fall and landed on her feet.
“Not bad,” I commented as I leaned on a pillar and watched. “Not bad at all.”
Bertha snarled, and her purple tattoos flared while her muscles expanded. Her evolved form seemed to grow more powerful with fury, and her footfalls cratered my polished floors as she charged. The half-troll didn’t slow as she snatched her halberd from the ground and swung for Abby’s leg. The storm avatar darted aside and hit my champion with a torrent of blue energy. This time, Bertha remained standing, her frenzied state giving her the stamina to withstand a direct hit. Abby lifted her palm again and sent more storm bolts into Bertha. To her credit, the half-troll kept her feet, despite her nerves and whole body being fried with lightning. The poleaxe shook in her hand as she waded through the energy.
I didn’t want to waste precious essence on resurrecting Bertha, so I shot toward Abby and caught hold of her from behind. I wrapped an arm around her throat, and Bertha was finally released from her torment.
Lightning raced through me again, forcing my muscles to contract. I endured the stunning force and yanked the elemental backward. We both crashed to the floor while I held her in a playful headlock. She twisted, trying to get free, but her essence rippled through me and kept me locked tight. Realizing this, she stopped channelling, just as the razor-sharp edge of Bertha’s poleaxe came to rest on her cheek. My champion was smiling now, her snarl from before now a genuine expression of admiration and appreciation.
“You fight well, little one,” the half-troll said to Abby. “A little more finesse and finer application—you truly would be a force to reckon with.”
I loosened my grip on Abby, and the lightning retreated into her pores as if someone had snuffed out the essence within her like a candle. She was now the creamy-skinned blonde I’d first met. Her body relaxed into mine, and I realized the Storm Elemental was just happy to be touching me again, even if I could’ve broken her neck from behind.
It was a weird method of flirting, but this wasn’t Earth, and these two weren’t exactly ordinary females. While were different, they were both warriors. This kind of sparring probably sent passion racing through their veins—it certainly fired me up.
I grinned at Bertha, who smiled in return and then inclined her head in a sign of respect.
“With your leave, Master?” she asked.
I nodded. “As you were.”
Bertha turned and vanished behind a pillar before heading through the corridor and back toward the antechamber.
I stood and shook the last of the static and electricity from my limbs. “This next pack of adventurers—they’re likely to be stronger than anything I’ve encountered before. It’s only going to end in our favor if we work together.”
Abby lifted herself from the dais, and I stepped closer to her. Her gloved hands encircled my neck, pulling me nearer.
“Will you stand with us?” I asked.
“You gave me hope.” She kissed my cheek and traced her mouth over my jaw. “You freed me. Why would I do anything else?”
My mind flashed back to my champion vacancy, and a crazy idea occurred to me. I didn’t even know whether it would work, but I wanted her permission before attempting to capture her. Call me old fashioned, but even as a vampiric elf, I wanted those under my command to show some willingness.
“Will you be my champion?” I asked her.
When Abby went still, my hands slid
