A FINAL CONFRONTATION
Aariah didn't wake up until the afternoon, and even then, a little sluggish. She picked up her pendant and looked at it. The dagger reflected the sunlight dimly as it shined its weariness from its use. She sighed for she was weary as well.
After packing, She continued down river for the scorched earth and woods were bound to attract attention. She was not far from Fight Lake and it did not take her more than a few hours to reach it. "Wow" she breathed, for she had never seen a lake before. Her life had been pretty simple before capturing the elements: study magic, work for her instructor, she didn't do much exploring.
The water before her was as clear as a mirror, if not as calm. Strangely, an old dock sat boldly out from the rocky shoreline near the mountains.
"Hello again, my element mage!" Aariah looked up to see a familiar blue and gold clad character posed on a rocky outcropping.
"What are you doing here!?" she backed up and dropped the majority of her stuff.
The Traveler busied himself with straightening his outfit as he spoke "I was actually on my way over to capturing wood when I had watched from atop a mountain, part of the forest burning. At first I thought it was just a normal forest fire nothing to concern myself with." He held his arms out to make sure his sleeves looked right, "But then I realized, you my dear, had already captured Water and Air and I already had the others of Water Air and Fire." He looked at her with a proud raised head and smoothed his jacket down as he moved his hands down to his sides. "So I knew you would be after Fire next."
"But" Aariah protested slightly.
"Ah you're wondering how I knew you would be at Fight Lake?" She nodded and gulped as he went on. "I figured that you would travel in the direction Fire had been chasing you. Down river Am I right?"
Aariah was getting tired of the man. "And so this brings us to the present then, does it not?" The Traveler smirked at her noticing that a bit of him was rubbing off on her. Aariah didn't notice and continued. "So, what? What is it? Why do you bother me?" she spat.
He lowered his head, "I hate to be cliché but You know very well what I want and unlike you, I do not hide my magic, but keep it released!" With that his wings appeared into her view, as he had been holding them directly behind him to hide them. His wings were also angel like, but more of a dark gray-green than compared hers.
Aariah worked quickly and tossed out her pendant as she chanted: "I-call-upon-my-own-might-to-release-the-staff-of-my-right!" time seemed to pause as the Traveler flew in her direction and she took hold of her extended dagger staff. Without hesitation she turned it tip downward. "My-strength-resides-in-my-own-heart-but-there-is-a-foe-that-I-must-fight-so-outside-me-there-will-be-a-part-to-help-me-battle-with-all-my-might!" Instantly she received her wings and she also took off into the air, dodging the rocket like attack of the Traveler. "You won't get it!" She flew up and away.
The Traveler hit the ground with his feet and used his momentum to rebound in her direction. "You are no match for me! Even if you have the other half of the tree elements!" he snarled.
"Fire!" she cried as she turned and held her hands out at him. A column of flames burst from her hands at him.
"It's not that easy!" The Traveler dodged to the side almost getting singed. "Now see my fire!!" he held his palms out in the same way as another pillar of flames formed. She dodged downward and flew straight as an arrow towards the water. "Air! Water! Help me breathe!" She dove beneath the placid depths, as would a bird diving for fish. When she had reached several feet under she spread her wings, slowing and turning to face up.
"You think that water will conceal you?" he hovered over the water where she had entered. "I can do the same tricks as you! Air! Water!" He also dove beneath the waves.
Aariah used her wings as she had before and jetted away from his entry point. She understood that she had to conceal her commands if she was to get any upper hand at all. "Air Water" she whispered only then noticing that she really could breathe under water. "Make bubbles" she held out her hands in the same ways he had done fire and a huge torpedo of bubbles shot directly at the Traveler.
He tuned underwater and was struck by only part of the blast. "Clever girl. Combining your elements into an attack instead of an aid." He did seem to be bothered by getting struck first. He swam to the surface and jumped across the air to dive back in above her. "But anything you show me, I can do just as well!" he grinned and blasted bubbles at her as well.
She dodged the attack having heard him coming. "Water freeze a wall" Water complied with her demands and made a perfectly clear wall of ice across the center of the lake, separating them.
He stopped short of the wall "Water, melt!" and it complied so that he would only have to hesitate before continuing his pursuit. Aariah fled through the water from him. "Water! It's time for a little whirl pool, don't you think?" he stopped and water began to turn around him. It was slow at first, but picked up speed at a miraculous pace. He was at the center of the vortex so that anything caught in it would be drawn to him. A pillar of air formed where he stood quietly on the lakebed, untouched by water now.
Aariah tried to get out of the water fast enough, but was still caught in the eddy and dragged backwards around the lake. "No!" she scrambled wildly to get free as the Traveler only folded his arms and laughed. All he had to do was wait.
