The party stepped out from between two giant redwood trunks and into a large oval field. Glimmer shrieked from above and dove to the ground, landing with a puff of dust just in front of them and trotting up to Eli to nuzzle her head against his chest.
"I missed you too, girl," he said softly as he scratched her head.
It was late morning, dew rested on every surface and the air was still crisp. They were all dressed in their adventuring gear and, with the exception of Iris and Autumn who still groggily trudged along, looked ready for battle. Titus's chest piece was noticeably missing from his armor, having been left behind with a blacksmith in the city for repairs.
"Alright," Eli said, giving Glimmer a pat on the head before turning to the others, "Titus and I will go first. Remember, the name of the game today is breaking out of habits. We've all gotten comfortable with what works, but comfort is a trap, and we need to practice everything. Titus, we need you in the habit of using your shield ability, you consistently forget to use it in battle. I want that to be your focus today, but try out your new ability while we’re at it."
For Eli, this meant handing his staff off to Victoria before stepping out into the field. Titus reviewed his journal for a moment, looking over the description of the newest ability one last time. He'd gained it just a few days prior, after reaching Level 25 following the healing he'd done in the aftermath of the hydra attack. Eli and Titus made their way to the center of the clearing, facing each other roughly thirty yards apart.
"Vic, start of us off," Eli called out.
"Students ready!" Victoria shouted out, mimicking the instructors who had trained her, "Final call," she paused, "begin!"
Eli activated his Attribute Boost ability to increase his speed and darted forward in a blur. Titus stood poised but still, tracking Eli with his eyes as he veered to loop around and attack from the side. Eli leapt from his sprint, switching his boost from speed to strength and conjuring red swirls of magic around his fist as he struck towards Titus's head. Titus raised his hand and conjured a translucent shield that flashed white and crackled with lightning under the impact of the strike, a blast of red magic blew back against Eli as the strike landed. Titus swung his foot around to twist his body, allowing Eli's remaining momentum to carry him forward and beyond Titus.
Eli was slowed from the lingering trade off of his of his boost ability but the strength boost still remained for a few seconds, which allowed him to take the square punch to the chest from Titus without staggering. Eli shifted his weight and slid his feet, dancing around Titus before he could land another blow. Titus whirled, swinging a hammer fist that flew over Eli's head as he ducked before delivering a magically charged punch to Titus's unarmored abdomen with the last second of his boosted strength. This time the blast of magic erupted into Titus's body, reverberating through his abdomen and sending him stumbling backwards.
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Eli felt his speed return to normal, and darted off to the side to wait for his strength to do the same. After a second to recover, Titus spun in place to keep track of Eli. Still clutching his abdomen with one hand, he held up his other -- keeping it pointed at Eli as he nearly completed a circle around Titus -- and activated his new ability.
A ball of white magic sparks crackled in his palm for an instant, then erupted into a powerful continuous beam that rocketed towards Eli. Eli stopped in his tracks, facing the beam head on and holding out his own palm to meet it. He caught the beam in his palm, then pointed his other hand out to the side. With his Magic Redirect ability, he absorbed the beam into his palm, channeled it through his body and released it out of the other. While the beam he absorbed was pure white in color, the beam he ejected was a deep red. Where the red beam hit the ground chunks of dirt and rock exploded outwards as a crater several inches deep was dug out by the blast.
Titus held the beam and watched Eli tense and grit his teeth under the pressure. Titus could feel his mana depleting, but knew that Eli had smaller reserves, so he held the beam still. Eli felt the magic begin to burn along the path it took through his body as his mana drained to critical levels. He collapsed to one knee, still catching and redirecting the constant beam of magic as he glared up to meet eyes with Titus.
With a wince, Eli swung his redirecting arm towards Titus, digging a trench in the ground as the red beam swung wildly towards Titus. With wide eyes Titus conjured another shield. There was a flash of red and white as an explosion of dust and debris enshrouded Titus. Eli climbed to his feet and smirked. As the dust settled, Titus was on his back, clutching a searing wound across his chest.
"Cease battle!" Victoria shouted, as she, Iris and Autumn rushed onto the field.
Eli was already crouching beside Titus when they arrived, inspecting the damage done. Though he didn't look worried, he was withholding his urge to gloat until he knew Titus was okay.
"I was this close," Titus groaned, holding up two fingers pinched together.
"Not close enough," Eli said, "this is why you need to use the shield more often."
"That was sick!" Autumn shouted.
After a moment to recharge his mana, Titus pressed his hand flat against the wound and healed himself. He did so slowly, both to reduce the pain and to avoid a scar. When he was fully healed, Eli helped him to his feet.
"Can you use that beam on me next?" Autumn asked with excitement, "I already know how to counter it."
Titus laughed, "wanna bet? Loser eats bread for dinner."
Autumn looked aghast at the suggestion.
"Another time," Eli said, "Autumn, you're up against Iris next."
Iris and Autumn looked at each other in surprise at first, then settled into eager glares.