Malachai laughed at me as the punch that I threw at him went wide, the fire engulfing my fists singeing the bark of the tree I struck instead. His white-blonde hair shone in the sun and his stormy grey eyes sparkled at me. "You're never going to beat me like that," he taunted, sidestepping yet another punch. "I won't even have to use my powers at this rate."
"You're so annoying!" I groaned at my tutor.
"And you have a lot of attitude for someone so tiny!" He laughed when I threw a fireball at him, doing a back handspring to dodge it. My frustration was getting the better of me, I knew it, but I couldn't help myself around him. He knew exactly which buttons to press and we had been at it for nearly an hour, yet I still hadn't landed a single blow.
"I'll burn down this whole forest if it'll make you shut up!"
I ran toward him, using every bit of my limited training to try to control the fire that was wanting to engulf my entire body so that all I would have to do is touch him and he'd burn. He dropped down low as I descended on him and kicked the feet right out from under me. My temper flared as my face smacked against the ground and his laughter rang in my ears.
Spitting a mouthful of dirt and grass out, I picked myself up and returned to the fighting stance I was taught, my fists in front of my face. Flames licked up and down my arms, and my hair ignited, too, with my temper. I was a skinny, freckled mess of fire elemental with yellow eyes and flaming red hair, and I was bound and determined to kick Malachai's ass.
Once again I sprinted at him, but this time I watched his legs carefully, trying to gauge how he would move. Right before I bowled him over, his ankles braced to the left, and I followed. Like a freight train I hit him square in the chest and he gasped, falling backward. His armor was fireproof, but I was still strong enough to knock the wind out of him, even if my flames weren't eating him alive.
Straddling Malachai, I grinned at my victory while he tried to recover his breath underneath me. "I got you!" I said triumphantly, extinguishing my fire and putting my hands on my hips. I stuck my tongue out at him and watched pink crawl up his cheeks.
"Oh yeah?" he said. I didn't have time to brace myself before he bucked me off of him and I went sprawling face-first in the grass again.
"Ow!" I yelped, rolling onto my back and glaring at him. "You're a sore loser!"