Chapter 12 - Battle under the Suns

Thomas slowly walked toward the half-sphere. He stopped just before it and touched the surface with a hand. Ripples appeared, like in a flowing river. He looked one last time at the room, his fellows Claimant, the Adepts and the Cell Master, and stepped in. Colors shifted over the sphere, with blue and green all over it. Elijah seemed to think that it was interresting, they way she looked at it. A few seconds later, Thomas stepped out, but… Wow. What happened. He seemed tired, and dirty. H was covered with some sort of armour made of blue crystal, and had a bloodied sword and shield in his hands, made out of crystal too. He fell on his knees as his whole battle set became dust, revealing his ragged cloths. “It seems that I misjudged you. You do have potential, after all. You’re a blacksmith that can work with crystal. No bad, not bad at all.” She looked quite pleased. “Take him to his quarter and let him rest.” She ordonned some acolytes. Ella, if you will?” The woman looked at Elijah, then Thomas, and walked boldly in the portal. She came back nearly as quickly. She was grasping her left hand in a firm grip, muscles tensed by pain. Gold was leaking between her fingers. “A transmuter. You too did way more than you were asked too. Take her to her quarter.” She looked at Sylas.” It seems that we’ve already quite the good harvest, don’t you think? If the next ones does the same, we’re up for a good year.” “Indeed, Master.” Answered cautiously Sylas. “Louisa? Don’t feel pressured because the first two did remarkably well. Just give the best of you, all right?” She seems nearly warm, talking like that. Louisa stepped in next and they needed to wait nearly a whole minute before she exited. She was nearly bare, her cloth more holes than fabric. Like Thomas, she looked exhausted. Electricity ran in her hair and her body was mildly burned on several places. A wristband was shining at her wrist, disappearing like Thomas’ weapons after a few seconds. “Wizard powerfully attuned to fire and lightning. Welcome, Louisa.” It was the first welcome she gave to one of them, and Elijah seemed really happy to have Louisa here. “Take her to her quarter. Assane?” For the fourth time, she pointed toward the sphere. He entered, like the three others, and exited some seconds later, as if coming out of a river, creating ripples all over the portal. Tiny dot of lights were dancing around him, and a hummed song could be heard. “Rituals? In general? Our lukc is truly paramount this time, old friend.” She said to Sylas, delighted. “You’ll be an interesting addition to this cell, Assane. Welcome. Those acolytes will take you to your quarters.” Finally, Lysandre was the only one left in the room. No acolytes were there, only Elijah, Sylas, and the deeply focused adepts maintaining the spell. “Please, step in.” “Yup, there four before me were totally good when the exited, it’s really giving me confidence in this little trick of yours.” Elijah’s gaze hardened. “You may be special, but I won’t tolerate you stepping out of line like that. Enter the portal or go to hell, your choice.” Lysandre glared at the Master before finally diving in. A few seconds passed. Sudenly, the portal turned all red, red like blood. “There’s a problem, master!” Screamed on of the Adepts. “The portal is trying to close! We’re losing the Claimant’s signature!”

***

Addis-Abeba - Wednesday, 22 of May - 15h10

“Orichalcum is entering lower atmosphere, ETA is in two minutes!” Said an officer “The portal is overcharging, ETA of the Duke, sixty-six seconds.” Added another. Fuck. We’ll be short by nearly a minute. “Bastal, you take over the HQ. I’ll go buy us some time.” “Yes Archangel!” Aliel rushed out of the flying headquarter, clad in his heaviest armor. The Bright metal shone under the afternoon sun. Under him, Addis-Abeba was on fire. At least we evacuated most of the civilians. The wild portal was bulging and contording like a blotaed corpse ready to explode. Demons had stopped extiting it nearly half-an-hour ago. Nothing could survive in a Wild Duke’s vicinity. A hand emerged from the putrid half-sphere, then another, and another, till they were six. A Wrath Duke. What shitty luck. A distorded head exited next but went back in a bit when Aliel crashed on its forehead with all the speed of his drop. It opened its six eyes and, inraged, screamed its whish of destruction to the world. It opened its mouth, firing a beam at the armored Archangel whom dodged it swiftly. It won’t be so easy when I’ll be fully out. His Halo blazed like a sun and Aliel fired a beam of solid light at the monster’s jaw…

***

Nowhere

It was hot, hot and full of sand. Three sun hammered her with their infernal rays, floating in the dark sky like disks of molten gold. I already hate this place. Sweat had started pouring down from every part of her body as soon as she got her, soaking her cloths. You could use your Freezing Hands on yourself? Ah? It’s worth the try at least. She got into position, ready to cast her second spell ever. She remembered the hands moves she should do, and the incantation too.

“Ishtr-Al-Ybysl”

She said softly.

The moves were sharp and short, mainly using the thumbs and middle fingers, along with the wrists. She didn’t know why, but they reminded her of ice forming on a pond. Well, I am doing a frost spell, it’s not really surprizing. Indeed. The moves of each schools represent the element they’re working with. They have common aspect, too. For exemple, some Frost spells have similarities with Earth spells, when creating a wall of ice for exemple. Logic, in a way. The spell was cast really quickly, less than three seconds, and her hands were covered with ice. She was going to put them on her own body but stopped. Wait, won’t it hurt me, since it’s an offensive spell? Offensive? Spells can be used in a lot of way. You just heve to keep its output low to no hurt you... ah, yes, you can’t control the output yet. Sorry, for all my knowledge, I’m often forgetting basic things. So what do I do with it now? Just keep it on your hands till it fade. At least it’s that much heat you don’t suffer, right? ...Yeah… She wasn’t very confinced. So what do I do now? I mean, in general? You’re in the Endless Battlefield now. Try to have fun? Elijah also said this was the Endless battlefield. What is it exactly? A go...

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Suddenly, something moved under the sand. Lysandre lowered her stance, like her father had taught her, keeping her eyes on the moving mass. What the fuck is that. The fun I talked about. The mass stopped moving and time slowed down.

“This is your first fight, little one. I can feel it.” Whispered the wind flowing around her. “Don’t fear pain nor death, as you are safe here. Go and try to kill or subdue it. Use what’s around you.” As soon as the wind stopped talking, time gradually started flowing nack normally. Poking its head from under the sand, a giant scorpion looked at her with a famished gaze. Oh no-no-no I’m not fighting this thing! She started to run, starting to cast Shadow cloak, not an easy feat when you were chased by a desert monster. What are you doing?! You really think you’ll be able to use shadows here? We’re in the middle of a desert at noon! And indeed, as her grimoire said, shadows amassed around her forearms before vanishing, destroyed by the pure suns. And what do you want me to do?! I can’t fight this thing! Try using your Freezing Hands. You’re safe, test things. Safe? Too late. The scorpion, a Trinarenns, had caught up with her and launched its sting in her back. She closed her eyes, ready to feel the searing pain of wound and poison, but nothing happened. She opened her eyelids back and discovered that time had slow down again.

“I know it’s not easy to fight when you’ve never do it, but try, please.” Whispered the wind again. “Who are you?” Asked Lysandre back, to no avail. Once again, time started to flow back gradually, letting the young woman dodge the attack of the monster easily. Oh fuck this shit, let’s go then. After all, she already had a spell charged an ready to be used. She took advantage of the slowed down scorpion and put her hands on its stinged tail. Cold permeated it deeply, freezing its joins and making it scream in pain. It took more than one step back, giving the girl a withering glare.”Good. Ice is used to slow down opponent, to control them and to make them brittle. Always try to follow a Frost spell with something that have some weight.” Something that have some weight? She looked at the monster one more time. Nah. I’ll not punch it. Try to freeze it more, then you can punch it. Focus its claws to make it less dangerous, and its legs to diminish its mobility. Copy. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her eyes were totally focused on the beast. Adrenaline roared in her veins and knowledge of her only offensive spell was in her mind. She was scared, she wanted to puke, she wanted to be somewhere else.

The scorpion attacked, but she had already finished casting her second spell. “I’ll help your body a bit. You’ll need to train it to use your full potential.” She didn’t pay attention to the whispers, focused as she was on the fight. She jumped on the enemy’s right side, her body flexible and reactive, lauching hands like vipers to bite the right claw and first leg of the monster. Frost bloomed on them, drawing beautiful paterns of ice over the dark shell. The scorpion tried to retreat a bit but its foremost right leg broke under the strain, raining frozen shell and flesh over the yellow sand. Now, once more. She had already prepared another batch of freezing hands.

***

“So… what was this world, exactly?” Asked Ella, drinking a cup of tea. “We don’t know exactly. Still, i’ll tell you what information we have. It seems that the Endless Battlefield is some kind of Emperor-class spell create by… well, by an Emperor demon. It’s located between our world and the Demon’s. There is fourtheen spells to create a portal to it. One for the humans and one for the demons, so two for each Class of spell, from Soldier to Emperor. It’s a realm that aim at finding what you’re good at, be it in fighting or not, and to make you try it. Like the Cell Master said, it’s literally a place that make you face adapted trials so for you to give everything you have at succeeding…”

***

She still wanted to puke, she still had her heart tumping like galloping horse. It’s dead. It is dead. I killed it. “I killed it! Hahaha!” She started laughing; feeling a rush like she had never felt before. It was like playing at LoC, like playing at Cole Protocole, just better, way better, more alife. Her urge to puke vanished, not her trill. I want to do it again. She had felt so alive, she felt so alive. “Another one. I want to battle another one.” “Are you sure?” The whispers seemed… unsure. “Yes!” “It shall be like that then.” Another scorpion started skimming through the sand, emerging from the yellow grains. “Let’s go again!” She screamed, rushing toward the monster. She had forgotten the sun, she had forgotten her urge to puke, she had forgotten the fear of pain. An ominous red glow started emaniating from her foirehead and right hand.