Chapter 15: The Light That Blinds

"So this is how it ends. I truly didn't think you were capable, Fireclaw. I can see now that I was wrong. You'll need not worry. Your friends are no longer with us. It is only you and I, as it should be." Valmonway said in a very calm tone.

Valmonway stood facing Fireclaw. Valmonway was also of Allosaur descent. His black skin shined smoothly in the moonlight. He stood as tall as Fireclaw and wore armor as black as the midnight sky itself. He stood with the giant clever-like sword impaled into the ground beneath him. Both hands were crossed on the bottom of his handle. He smiled menacingly at Fireclaw, who stood opposite him in an attack position with his blade at the ready.

"Looks like there's one thing left for us to settle, isn't there Fire? Nothing between us, no monsters, no friends, no foes. You may not know of who I am but I assure you that when this is over, you will." Valmonway said.

"So you're the Sire of corruption? I expected you to be more intimidating, guess I can't say I'm impressed." Fireclaw taunted.

Valmonway lifted his sword from the ground. In a flash of light he went from preparing a swing to being up next to Fireclaw bringing the colossal blade down upon him. Fireclaw dodged it and countered with a swipe of his sword. He hit his mark and slashed Valmonway's leg, which bled a black misty vapor.

"You're good, Fireclaw. I'll give you that. You are a talented sword fighter. It runs in your blood, I can taste it." Valmonway said with a devilish chuckle.

Fireclaw felt a trickle of blood run down his leg. Valmonway licked his finger like he had just finished a juicy piece of meat. Fireclaw charged Valmonway head on, preparing a cross slice while trying to force Valmonway to the ground with the gauntlet's energy. Valmonway moved quickly to the left of Fireclaw and out of the way of the charge and kicked Fireclaw hard in the ribs. Fireclaw rolled over and landed hard on his side, but kept a death grip on the sword.

"You think that blade will guide you? How adorable." Valmonway taunted.

"Why not fight your opponent as an equal, you dishonorable bastard." Fireclaw retorted coldly.

Fireclaw could feel the power from the sword begin to grow within him. He had to somehow get Valmonway to fight him one on one without using any of his power. Valmonway stuck his giant sword blade into the ground at his feet.

"So it's a duel you're asking for is it? Hmm, it would be a shame to turn down such an opportunity." Valmonway explained. His way of words was sophisticated and calculated as if each word was hand picked to make the best sentences.

"Very well then Fireclaw. I'll give you the honor a duel. Sharptooth to sharptooth of course." Valmonway said.

Fireclaw's knees shook as he rose to his feet. He stood ready for an attack and Valmonway did the same. The power inside Fireclaw began to grow faster and faster. Valmonway seemed to pay no mind to it, making Fireclaw unsure if he knew he was gaining power or not. The two began to circle each other with their swords at the ready.

"I give you first strike." Valmonway said with a wicked smile.

Searching for any signs of weakness in Valmonway's stance Fireclaw calculated his first move. A bad move could mean devastating results for him. Fireclaw faked a high strike and Valmonway took the bait. As Valmonway went to block, Fireclaw quickly changed position and landed a clean cross cut. As he finished his attack Valmonway attempted to retaliate by a downward slice onto Fireclaw's back, but Fireclaw saw it coming. He turned his body and thrust his sword up, effectively blocking the slice and sending it safely away from him, where he landed another good blow with his shoulder. Valmonway was taken off balance, but Fireclaw restrained himself from attempting a flurry of attacks. He stood ready once more and waited for Valmonway to rise.

"Excellent choice, Fireclaw. An impressive show of your keen sense of sight and your wit in battle. You've done this before, haven't you?"

"It's different fighting someone on their level isn't it? You've been powerful for so long that you've forgotten just how strong some actually are. You underestimate me Valmonway." Fireclaw replied.

Valmonway noticed he couldn't regenerate his wounds from Fireclaw's sword. His calm and collected demeanor soon changed and he began to for once in his life feel what fear truly was. He truly had underestimated Fireclaw and the blade he wielded.

"Now it's my turn!" Valmonway yelled as he charged in.

Valmonway did an aerial cartwheel and extended his arm as he came back around. Fireclaw stepped out of the way and attempted a slice with his blade after narrowly missing the high speed slice Valmonway brought on. Valmonway hopped backward and brought his arm back across his chest in an attempt to hit Fireclaw as he swung his sword. Fireclaw felt the blade of Valmonway's sword run itself across his cheek. The sting of the wound hit instantly but Fireclaw disregarded it. This was no time to show pain. Fireclaw collected himself once more and struck back. He tried the fake again but Valmonway saw what he was trying to do. Instead Valmonway sliced at Fireclaw's mid-section. Fireclaw barely dodged the deadly slice and blocked it with his sword. He turned Valmonway's momentum against him and sent him sprawling forward a little further than he'd expected. Once Valmonway had lost his balance Fireclaw came around with a back spin and sliced down Valmonway's shoulder. Valmonway collapsed and Fireclaw approached him, sword at his throat.

"I clearly have underestimated you, Fireclaw. I'm very impressed with your show of skill, but there's still one thing you forget." Valmonway angrily spat from the ground.

Valmonway batted the sword away from his throat, deeply cutting his palm. He swept Fireclaw off of his feet with his tail and elbowed him hard in the torso effectively winding him. Fireclaw struggled to regain his breath as Valmonway attempted an overhead slice to take off his head. Suddenly a burst of energy from within Fireclaw sent Valmonway flying across the floating island of Earth they were fighting upon. Below them was an infinite void. To avoid falling Valmonway grabbed the ledge of the island. A lone rock saved him from an uncertain fate. Upon pulling himself up he could see that Fireclaw was now levitating and his sword was breaking apart. Hinges now connected segments of his sword and the blade now became very flexible and whip-like. Fireclaw stared at Valmonway as he pulled himself back up.

"Now we will do things your way Valmonway. Sharptooth to sharptooth." Fireclaw boomed out. His voice was now much louder and much deeper when he spoke.

"Yes, let's!" Valmonway boomed back.

Valmonway held his sword out in front of him and let it go. It floated in front of him and began to radiate dark red clouds with a crimson aura. The blade itself had now rounded and thinned considerably. It was now about the size of a pipe. The tube extended upward before branching off and forming broader parts. The sword now became a battleaxe.

Valmonway spun the battleaxe by the handle and held it as if it weighed nothing. Fireclaw snapped his whipsword like a bullwhip, but due to it being a segmented blade it didn't crack like a normal whip.

Fireclaw extended his arm and shot the tip of the sword at Valmonway. He countered by wrapping the blade around his battleaxe and giving it a hard jerk. Fireclaw's grip was so strong on the sword handle that he went with the sword when Valmonway jerked hard on it. Valmonway struck down hard thinking Fireclaw would land exactly where he was going to hit, but Fireclaw rolled himself and flipped high above Valmonway's head. He wrapped the blade around Valmonway's torso and neck and pulled himself down hard on Valmonway's shoulders. Valmonway went to his knees and Fireclaw began to pull hard on the whip's handle trying to choke or decapitate Valmonway. He struggled hard to get a breath, and because of Fireclaw's sword being a hallowed blade he couldn't regenerate his wounds or simply heal himself as he could if it were another random fighter. After a brief struggle, Valmonway grabbed the blade and flipped Fireclaw onto his back. Valmonway went for Fireclaw's throat but couldn't get a grip. When he'd looked at his hand, he'd lost two of his fingers pulling the blade to flip Fireclaw over him.

"Can't put your finger on it can you? What's wrong? Can't grab me?" Fireclaw taunted.

Valmonway grabbed his axe and threw it at Fireclaw. Fireclaw spun out of the way but was hit again and this time suffered a deep gash to his shoulder. After inspecting his wound he heard something whistling behind him. Fireclaw ducked down just in time to miss the axe coming back around like a boomerang directly over his head. Valmonway caught it and landed a spinning heel kick on Fireclaw. Fireclaw backflipped from the impact of it and landed hard on his face. Valmonway brought his foot down hard on Fireclaw's back, causing him to yell out in pain. Fireclaw's adrenaline rushed through him, now amplifying the power that was growing within him. The blade's power was wanting to be released, but he had to wait until Valmonway was most vulnerable to unleash it. Fireclaw dodged a kick from Valmonway and whipped his ankle causing Valmonway to trip onto his back. Fireclaw fought off the agonizing pain and got to his feet. He used the emerald gauntlet's now amplified power to lift Valmonway and slam him against the ground. He could hear Valmonway gasp for air as he lifted him again, roll him mid air and slam him down face first. After trying to climb to his knees Fireclaw lifted Valmonway one last time, this time turned him upside down and dropped him right down onto his head. The crack of Valmonway's head as it came in contact with the dirt was loud and gruesome.

"You- fight- well." Valmonway choked out.

"Yea, you've told me enough." Fireclaw replied.

The blade's power was causing his temples to pulsate. It was time, and Fireclaw knew it. He raised his sword and the segments of the blade returned and formed a whole blade once again. Fireclaw's blade returned to it's normal form. The battleaxe that Valmonway used was now returned to it's normal form as well. The blade began to glow with a bright white light. The light's intensity was enough to blind anyone who looked at it and wasn't strong enough to see through it. Fireclaw approached Valmonway's broken body and raised his sword. The blade made Fireclaw's arm pulse rapidly, the power within was eager to be released like water breaking through floodgates. It was ready to banish the evil within Valmonway's soul. As Fireclaw prepared to strike, Valmonway stuck his hand out. His sword quickly slid across the ground and the handle caught itself on Fireclaw's foot. Fireclaw was flipped onto his back and the sword dug itself into the dirt behind him. Valmonway flung himself on top of Fireclaw and began to strangle him. Scratching and punching at Valmonway was no use. Valmonway was too heavy to knock off. He grabbed Fireclaw's sword and attempted to impale Fireclaw, but Fireclaw stuck his hand up and caused the sword to flash a light in Valmonway's eyes. Valmonway dropped the sword and instantly grabbed his face in his hands. He yelled in agony as his vision was damaged beyond repair. Fireclaw grabbed his blade and kicked Valmonway back. Valmonway attempted to rise to his feet but Fireclaw sent him sprawling with a cross cut to the face. He severed the flap of skin that held his jaws together at the cheek. The blade's power was so intense it was now humming loudly and shaking Fireclaw's hand as he held it. Valmonway rose to his knees and lowered his hands. His eyes were now black pits.

"You... have... bested... me..." Valmonway choked out between globs of blood that he kept coughing up.

Fireclaw had no words. He swung his sword to meet Valmonway's neck and cleanly sliced off Valmonway's head. It rolled to the left of his body, and he fell right. The blade's angry pulsation and bright light soon faded. Fireclaw sheathed his sword and walked away from his fallen opponent. It was over. The pain in his back was unbearable and caused him to vomit blood. He unsheathed his sword and thrust it into the ground for support. The pain spread from his back to his torso, and down into his legs. Soon it became so unbearable that he collapsed. His vision had faded and soon he lost consciousness.

"Is he awake? Oh my god he's awake!"

"Fireclaw? Fireclaw wake up!"

"Sarah calm down, he'll be fine." Allo reassured.

Fireclaw opened his eyes. He was by the Thundering Falls in a makeshift nest of leaves and sticks.

"Wha- what happened?" Fireclaw asked weakly.

"After the storm at the top of Saurus Rock had dissipated you were the only one left. We had thought you were dead at first, but had Pterano not have checked for a pulse you probably would be." Allo said.

"Allo, you actually called him Pterano instead of Terrible-Dactyl." Fireclaw said jokingly. His voice was very faint and weak and speaking was becoming a chore.

"We had a bit of a discussion on the way back down. Settled differences you could say." Pterano replied.

Fireclaw smiled and rest his head once more.

Fireclaw noticed Cera, Petrie, Ducky, Spike and Chomper standing nearby. He raised his head up and grunted from an ache in his neck.

"Where's Littlefoot?" Fireclaw asked.

"He's over with his Grandpa. He'll be fine, though his Grandpa wasn't really himself for a while." David said.

Fireclaw instantly jerked his head to his right upon hearing his voice and ignored the spurt of pain from doing it.

"Holy shit the secret scouts are in the Great Valley!" Fireclaw exclaimed.

"We got a message from Allo telling us to meet up somewhere and that he was going to send Quackpot to pick us up. At first we didn't really trust him but something's different." Paul said.

"We're actually seeing eye to eye here! It's a friggin' miracle!" Fireclaw said before dropping his head back down and staring off into the sky.

Everyone laughed at Fireclaw's little outburst after Paul told them how they got there. Ozzy and Strut came out of some brush accompanied by Littlefoot and Grandpa Longneck.

"Fireclaw, thank goodness you're alright!" Strut shouted before practically throwing himself at Fireclaw.

"Woah Strut, chill. It's fine, I'm not dead." Fireclaw replied.

"We couldn't believe what we'd seen. It was amazing! It was... well it was magical!" Strut shouted in excitement.

Falchion and Aeris walked onto the scene shortly after and joined the crowd of Dinosaurs and four humans.

"We're actually surprised that you lived Fireclaw. We're even more surprised that you managed to fight and kill the Sire of Corruption." Falchion said.

"It didn't seem like he was giving it his all. It wasn't easy, but why would he not fight at his best?" Fireclaw asked.

"He was one that followed a strict code of honor. It's an ultimate irony for his character because he was as dishonorable as they come." Aeris replied.

"Funny. He actually agreed to a duel with me rather than annhilate me like he could easily have done." Fireclaw replied.

"He couldn't have just wiped you out. You were too strong for that. The blade that you wield chose you to wield it. That's why you were able to gather the power from it and take off his head. Blades break against his skin, Fireclaw. Think about that." Falchion said.

"Speaking of which, this is yours." Aeris added.

Aeris took Fireclaw's hallowed sword off of her back and placed it next to him. Fireclaw instantly felt as if he'd truly done something amazing. He had a sword now that he knew that only he could use. He had no narcissism about it. He knew that he'd earned it.

"Thanks Aeris, and thanks Falchion." Fireclaw said.

"With pleasure. It's been a honor to stand at your side Fireclaw." Falchion said.

Falchion and Aeris backed away from the crowd. As they said their final goodbyes a beacon of light enveloped them. The light caused some of the bystanders to turn their heads or shield their eyes. When the lights had faded, the rainbow faces were gone.

"Fireclaw, is that a tear?" Pterano asked.

"There comes a time when a tear is shed Pterano. Through all the shit that we'd been through, all the fights, all the darkness and senseless murders, somehow I feel that I've managed to do something right. Maybe I'm not a bastard." Fireclaw said with joy. For once Fireclaw felt fulfilled.