[Ding!]
[New skill unlocked:]
[Voltaflare!]
KABOOOOM!
Fire and lightning merged into a single devastating blast, in a roaring column of flame interwoven with arcing electrical currents that consumed everything in its path. The sound was deafening, like a thunderclap and an inferno colliding.
Thane raised his axes in a desperate cross-block, essence flooding into the weapons to reinforce them—
CRACK!
One axe shattered under the combined assault. The other held, but barely, and Thane was driven backward across the arena.
When the blast dissipated, smoke curled from Thane's armor. His remaining axe trembled in his grip. Burns covered his arms, and his breathing was ragged.
"You..." He coughed, spitting blood. "You're a monster."
Alaric tilted his head slightly. "Are you yielding?"
For a long moment, Thane stared at him, then at the ruined axe lying, then at his own trembling hands.
"...I yield."
