The ember bears came at Lonn from different sides, hugging the wall with Lonn in the center of the pit. They seemed wary, batting their clawed paws ahead without making a move against the spinning spikes.
"He can't hold on forever." Ara said.
"What would your chances be against those beasts, Ara?" Rae got up from the corner to watch Lonn's fight.
Ara looked away for a moment at Rae, and then at Dorin. She didn't say anything, which meant she didn't want to admit that it was low, if not impossible.
A loud thud stopped their conversation, and they all pressed their faces against the windows again.
One of the bears was thrown into wall, its left paw had been pulverized and what remained burned with a black flame. The crowd was cheering so loud that even if they wanted to keep talking they wouldn't be able to hear much.
Lonn was visible again, and he was desperately trying to get the ball spinning again. The other bear didn't give him that chance, as it charged right at him.
Lonn abandoned his plan and ran towards the ball, taking more of the chain in his hands. He threw the chain at the bear, which it trampled. Lonn strained as he pulled the chain back, catching on the bears legs. The bear tripped and slid into the spikes.
The bear roared, trying to free itself. Lonn quickly ran to the other side, so that the bear was between him and the ball. He pulled towards him, and the ball rolled over the bear, impaling it on its spikes once more.
The crowd went silent, and Dorin wanted to shout but he doubted Lonn would be able to hear. The other bear had put out the flame and was in striking range behind Lonn. Lonn turned around but it was too late, as the bear was mid-jump right behind him.
The entire chain, ball, and bracer erupted into flame. To Dorin, it looked like nothing was left in the pit but fire. Lonn's screams were the only reason that Dorin thought he was still alive.
It took a couple minutes, but the fire eventually burnt out. The charred bodies of the bears could be seen, along with what was left of Lonn. His arm that held the bracer was completely gone, along with severe burns on that entire side of his body. He had pressed that part of him against the wall in an effort to quench the flame.
"Well done." Tordi nodded towards Lonn. "I am proud to say that I sired you."
Lonn fell to the ground without a word.
The crowd erupted with cheers. Dorin had to put his hands over his ears to stay sane.
Rae looked at Dorin with a horrified expression. For the last couple years they had been at the mercy of Lonn's bullying, but he had never given them anything more than a bruise. "Will he be okay?"
"I don't know, Rae." Dorin said.
"I'm surprised he survived that fire at all." Ara still had her head against the window.
"That was well worth the wait!" The Spire paced back and forth in front of his throne. "Sadly we cannot have a cripple as a spark."
The crowd applauded, seemingly agreeing with the Spire.
Jerl raised his lip in defiance. "The only others barely managed to kill mundane creatures of the forest. I say that my son would do better than any of them even if he lost both of his hands."
"Shut up, Jerl." Tordi turned towards him with his stomach following soon after. "You are the strongest among us beside the Spire, there is no way we'd sacrifice a chance for something fresh just to give you a little more power."
Dorin felt the similar sense of unfairness from his past life. He knew that his chances were now much better, but Lonn deserved it more than any of the three of them.
"The choice has been made." The Spire clapped his hands and the sound made Dorin clenched his jaw. "Onto the next round. Ara, Dorin, and Rae. It's time for the final round."
Ara was the first out, but before Rae could follow Dorin stopped him. "Don't worry. Even if we lose, I'll see you again."
"What're you talking about?" Rae turned his head to the side in confusion. "Of course I'll see you again. If it comes to it, I'll just surrender, I've already gotten much closer to becoming the spark than I thought possible."
After a short handshake, they joined Ara together in the center of the pit.
"For this final round, the winner will be the last person standing. You have all shown a certain level of strength that isn't completely up to par to our standards for becoming a spark." The Spire stopped for a moment. "Show me that you have what it takes by being the last candidate left unmarked."