The dark metal spike hit K'ile's white armor with a stinging click, and the Tia freed one hand from his spear to knock the spike away. When his hand made contact with the metal of Thal's weapon, that metal lit up with sudden heat. He hadn't even thought about it; it had just happened. They stood on a platform glowing hot with heat, the red light refracted through the igneous fumes, each holding a red-hot weapon. K'ile's feet sank deeper into the melting dais and the soles of his boots began to burn away, so that he could feel the hot melting stone against the bottom of his feet. There was no pain. He smiled and stepped back to his grip on his spear once more.
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