Nebura took a step back. She now knew that Velvet had consumed devil’s blood, becoming more powerful than usual.

But that’s where her advantages ended. Nebura wasn’t only a more combat focused mage, she also had much more years than Velvet to learn and use magic.

And it was time for her to put that brat into place. She had gotten in her way too many times.

“Stay!” Nebura started with an Order, but Velvet was ready for it, using the Sound Blocking charms.

At the next instant, she summoned her mercury whips, slashing in her direction in a spread manner, blocking any attempt to escape.

Chunks of trees fell down, together with branches, dirt and rocks, the forest’s calm ruined.

Velvet dashed to the side, hiding behind a thick tree.

Got you. Nebura tensed, twisting her wrist and pulling the air. Instantly, all the spread mercury lashes changed direction, their power increasing, chopping all the trees in their path, coiling around Velvet.

With a spiraling slash, the tree where Velvet was hiding got reduced to splinters in a second.

Clink. The silvery threads got stopped, three golden vertical pillars protecting Velvet. Nebura recognized the spell, it was Dianthus’.

With a flicker of Velvet’s hand, the pillars started spinning, their triangular edges destroying the mercury whips, scattering them into liquid droplets in all directions.

Nebura extended her palms, the droplets stopping in the air, before joining her hands, making the droplets shoot towards Velvet like silver bullets.

Velvet threw a paper figurine up in the air with one hand, while the other pulled out Syon’s umbrella. An icicle rain fell down, colliding against the bullets, stopping most than half of them, while the surviving ones clashed against the umbrella.

A sense of pride enveloped Nebura. As long as she kept the offensive up, she, who was under Arhontissa, would produce less miasma than Velvet, lasting more than her and winning by attrition.

Just have to keep her from counterattacking. Easy. Not waiting for the dust and ice particles to settle, Nebura mobilized her mercury once again.

She was going to crush Velvet. No need to congratulate herself until she went completely down.

Nebura started combining the mercury particles. They being so small reduced her power by a lot, but putting them back together just took a second.

A second that the wind used to partially clear the dust in the air, revealing Velvet’s silhouette.

A second which she used to put the open umbrella on her shoulder, wink at Nebura and snap her fingers in a tryhard cute posture.

Nebura wasn’t a lip reader, but she understood Velvet’s words clearly.

“Boom.”

“Wha-” Unable to react in time, a strong explosion came from below Nebura, throwing her to the ground.

Mages had some innate resistance to magic attacks, so, unlike an explosion made with gunpowder, it didn’t straight up blow her into pieces.

Even so, a close, direct and strong surprise attack like that was enough to damage her greatly, cutting the control with her mercury.

Raising her head to cough, the nitid sound of steps approaching her made her grimace.

Forest floor didn’t sound like that, so Velvet was spending magic just to strengthen the stepping noise.

Once she was right in front of her, Velvet bent forward, twirling the umbrella and looking down at her.

“Next time, look at your feet.” Something skittered on the floor, climbing Velvet’s body, until it hid on her hat.

It was a spider.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Now everything clicked for Nebura. Why Velvet had waited for her to notice her presence, instead of making a surprise attack. Why she had threatened her, instead of keeping her cards close to her chest.

It wasn’t like Velvet needed a reason to clown, but, unfortunately for Nebura, this time she clowned for a reason.

The reason being obtaining knowledge about her fighting style and spells, which wouldn’t be possible under a successful surprise attack.

For that, Velvet hadn’t played the attacker, but the bait.

And, Nebura realized too late, watching Velvet raise her foot.

This bait had caught the fish.

…

“That felt a bit too personal.” Hyde said, as Velvet was going back to her hut, strolling through the forest.

“Because it was.” She nonchalantly answered. Unfortunately for her, Nebura was somehow ready for her attack, not bringing any artifact or container, leaving her without any spoil. “She is Madam Dorna’s niece, after all.”

“Wouldn’t that make her your big stepsister?” Hyde said, in a joking manner, safely protected from harm since he was inside his pocket dimension.

“No. She left Casrey right after the accident, so we never had a chance to live together. I only knew her from when my parents were still alive.”

She barely knew Nebura. But she knew her grandma. Hell, she’d been raised by her.

“But Madam Dorna…” She sighed. “She kept having faith about her return. Year after year. But alas.”

She made a pause, her thoughts going back to the letter she sent.

“What was I supposed to say? Mages didn’t take your niece. She simply didn’t feel you were worth it.” Velvet didn’t use those exact words in her letter to Madam Dorna, but only an idiot wouldn’t understand the meaning behind the mellowed words.

“Your wait was for nothing. She needs you no more.”

“All the time you spent hating mages and magic was meaningless. No one forced her hand. No one killed her. It was her own decision.”

“There is nothing to avenge. Hell, you talked about how my chase for the Chained Man was futile, but at least I have a target. You have no one to blame.”

She wouldn’t care if Nebura was someone else’s niece, but she was Madam Dorna’s, and Velvet knew how much she had waited, waited and waited.

Now, Velvet didn’t exactly hate Nebura. But she harbored no desires of making her life easier.

She was aware that it was pure selfishness from her side. But she didn’t care.

But nevermind her personal relations. There were worse things to worry about, starting by analyzing her fight.

Even if she had won, Velvet wasn't going to jest. She won because of her trap working, not because she was stronger than Nebura.

She had been sent into defensive the whole battle, without a chance of counterattacking. And in those battles, the one who lasted longer won.

Arhontissa's blessing was no joke. Nebura accumulated miasma way slower than her, and she wasn't completely blessed like Dianthus, Igern or Doireann were.

But she was already aware of that, and had some plan to combat it.

To obtain magic, there were two ways, previously explained:

Obtaining an Esca after opening a gate to the Primeval Sea, which produced enchantresses. Velvet was one of these, like Gertine, Tristan, the Mergifari’s Director…

And being blessed by a deity, becoming sorcerers. Like Skogul, the Queen of Arhontissa, Syon…

Both categories were considered mages, the only difference being the way of becoming one. But, pertaining to one group didn’t forbid the mage from joining the other.

Of course, the only way was being first an enchanter and then a sorcerer. If a mage blessed by a deity touched the Primeval Sea, they would die instantly, consumed by the miasma.

That’s why someone like Skogul had to remain just a death follower forever. He became a mage after dying, which now cut him from obtaining an Esca.

But mages like Igern and Nebura were both. Igern was from the Tyranny Paradigm, and also used runes pertaining to Arhontissa. Nebura didn’t use runes, but had the miasma accumulation slowed.

She wasn’t sure about Dianthus’ category, but he probably was an exception anyway. Even so, he used runes too, which put him at least in the sorcerer’s group.

But, Velvet was an enchantress first and foremost. And she had no desire to restrict herself to a group.

Power was power, no matter who gave it to her.

She didn't want to try and get blessed by a planetary deity, since she only knew Arhontissa and Idir, and didn't fancy any of them.

But, before the Opening, she had made a deal with Skugol. A trade consisting of a wraith for a name.

A conceptual deity's name.