Todd twisted to the side mere instants before the tree beside him exploded with a brilliant crack. Fragments of wood exploded out. He struck his bracelets together, summoning a swirl of flame before his face that consumed the shards before they could reach his skin.

He hit the ground in a roll and sprang to his feet, contorting his body as a blade whistled through the air where his stomach had been moments before. Leaves crunched beneath his feet as fire erupted from behind one of his stone-plated legs, accelerating his leg as he drove it up in a kick.

Bird vaulted back. Todd’s foot passed so close to her face that the wind knocked her hair back, but the blow didn’t connect. She landed on one foot, balancing on a protruding root like it were flat ground. She blurred forward, her sword flitting out like a striking snake.

Todd shifted his weight and pirouetted. Pain twinged in his neck, but the cool frost burning into it prevented it from hindering his motion. His palm, coated in a thin layer of stone, scraped along the length of the blade as he shoved it to the side.

He drove his other hand toward Bird’s stomach. She shifted her weight. His strike narrowly missed. If he’d moved just slightly to the side, his hand would have driven straight into the bandages covering her body. They were covered with scrapes and thin cuts, but he hadn’t managed to land a direct hit on her yet.

Bird’s knee whipped up between Todd’s legs — wrapped with similar bandages to the ones she wore — and a loud crunch rang out.

They froze.

Bird’s eye twitched. Then she hopped back, clutching her knee and cursing under her breath.

“What the fuck is wrong with your—”

Todd pulled a bandage back, not even bothering to hide the smirk on his face. A thin layer of hardened stone covered his body beneath the wrappings coating him. “Isabel already tried that one. I’m a fast learner. That’s what you get for going for a cheap shot.”

“There are no cheap shots,” Bird said through clenched teeth. She held a hand up, waving impatiently.

The bushes around them rustled. A health potion sailed free from one of them. Bird snagged it, draining the entire vial in a single swig, and Jalen emerged from behind the trees with a huge grin on his face.

He, like the rest of them, was covered in tight wrappings.

Unlike the rest of them, Jalen hadn’t stopped at his body. He’d wrapped every single bit from his fingers up to his hair, leaving only his eyes and nose uncovered. The Rank 6 mage had even covered his own mouth. Jalen gave Todd a thumbs-up and said something that the wrappings covering him completely muffled.

Todd stared at him.

Jalen lifted a finger to his mouth and ripped through the wrappings.

“Good job,” Jalen said. “That was amusing.”

“It was effective,” Alexandra said, stepping out from the bushes behind Jalen. She walked through a small patch of sunlight in the forest before coming to a stop in the shadows of the thick canopy above them. She rested her hand on the hilt of her sword and gave Todd a nod. “That could have gone poorly if Bird was putting more force into that, though. Or if it had been me.”

“I would not let any squishy bits anywhere near you,” Todd informed Alexandra with a shudder. “There’s a difference between normal people and ones empowered by Body Runes like you. The moment I’m in a close quarters fight with you, I’ve already screwed up.”

The trees rustled as the rest of the group emerged one by one. Emily and James stepped out together, followed by Isabel and Silvertide. They were wore the same wrappings, though Silvertide had gone and attached his cape as well as several pieces of intentionally-placed armor on top of his.

“You know, this training style is uncomfortably effective,” Emily said. “But… no offense, Bird. I’m putting normal clothes on as soon as we get out of here.”

“Effectiveness is the only thing that matters,” Bird said.

“No, I’m with the girl on this one,” Silvertide said. “I’m too old for this. Vermil is a man in his own league. I fear I’m not quite deranged enough to voluntarily fight like this in any normal situation.”

They all went silent for a moment. Todd’s hands tightened at his sides. It had been more than a week since Vermil, Lee, and Moxie had fallen through a portal into the Damned Plains. Their next exam was quickly approaching.

It’s just not the same. Jalen, Brayden, Silvertide are doing a great job of keeping us busy, but I miss Vermil. A big part of that might just be because Jalen is batshit fucking insane. In comparison, Vermil almost seems normal.

“But can you imagine the looks on everyone’s faces when you completely crush some King family brat dressed like a runaway mummy?” Jalen asked, rubbing his hands together with a delighted grin. “Their eyes might pop out of their skull. The memory would sear itself into my mind for at least a few years.”

“Are you having us focus on this training so much specifically because you think it would be funny if we used it in public?” Alexandra asked, squinting at Jalen.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Of course not,” Jalen said in an affronted tone. He pressed a hand to his chest and shook his head in disappointment at Alexandra’s accusatory words. “My personal amusement is only around 80 percent of my motivation. The other 10 percent is desire to see you become capable, successful mages.”

“You’re missing 10 percent,” James said.

Jalen’s expression turned serious and his hand dropped back to his side. “The final 10 percent of my motivation is the understanding that I cannot be Vermil. I do not understand Formations like he did. I cannot be a teacher like he was. Brayden can train you in magical combat. Bird can help progress your physical abilities and Silvertide can teach tactics and strategy — but I can teach you nothing that will aid you.”

“You’re the strongest one here, though,” Isabel said with a frown. “You could easily teach us if you wanted to. You… just like screwing around more.”

“Correct,” Jalen said. “The latter half, that is. I value my enjoyment. I’ve lived too long to ignore my desires. But if you think power begets a good teacher, then you would be incorrect. Do you know why?”

“If she knew why, I don’t think she would have asked,” James said.

“It is because teaching requires understanding of your power,” Jalen said, ignoring James. “And I am my power. I have possessed my Runes for such a long time that I cannot explain to you how they work. They simply do. It is instinctive. My body fights on its own. It does not need intentional thought. Simply put, the difference between your power and mine is so vast that I cannot properly comprehend what you would need to understand.”

“Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but even this has been really helpful. We wouldn’t have gotten extra runes from Bird or half the training we’ve gotten so far if it wasn’t for you,” Todd said.

“And you have sparred with us,” Isabel pointed out. “Multiple times.”

“I was playing darts. You were just in the way of my targets.” Jalen turned his nose up and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Don’t mistake my boredom for anything else. I am here purely because I have nothing better to do. Now, if we’re done wasting time here, I do believe you all have some Formation practice to waste your efforts on. It would be embarrassing if you are ill-prepared for the exam tomorrow.”

They all stared at Jalen.

“Er… I don’t think the exam is tomorrow,” Todd said.

“It’s definitely not tomorrow,” Isabel said. “It’s next week.”

“That’s what I said,” Jalen said with a wave of his hand. “Next week. Tomorrow. Same thing, give or take a few hundred hours.”

“They really aren’t,” James muttered under his breath. Emily elbowed him in the side.

“Does this mean I can leave now?” Bird asked. “I have more theories to test. I need to locate more powerful monsters to practice against. This style must be pushed to its limits, and I have only started to integrate it into proper magical combat. The possibilities are endless.”

“Quell the impatience.” Jalen covered his mouth as he yawned.

A rumbling crash shook the forest. Everyone other than Jalen spun in its direction, drawing on their runes.

“What was that?” Alexandra asked as she pulled her sword from its spot at her side and settled into a fighting stance. “It sounded rather large.”

“That would be Brayden,” Jalen said. “As Bird requested, some monsters to test. I sent him to gather them a short while ago. It seems he has finally located enough.”

The rumbling grew louder. Todd and Isabel exchanged a glance before looking to the other students. They all moved closer to each other. Alexandra and Isabel took up spots closest to the oncoming threat while Todd and Emily set up behind them. A bow made of ice materialized in Emily’s hands, while James faded entirely from view.

“I thought we were practicing Formations now,” Todd said, readying his bracelets as a roar split the air. The ground started to tremble beneath his feet as something — or a lot of somethings — grew closer.

“Oh, you are,” Jalen said. The wrappings on his face crinkled as he smiled. “This will be real battle practice, not that boring meditation you’ve all been repeating. Fear not. I will crush your magic with my domain should you make a mistake. I am far more sensitive than Vermil. I may not be able to instruct you, but adversity is an excellent teacher.”

“If you crush our magic, I’m pretty sure we’re going to get killed by whatever that huge thing is,” Emily said nervously. “Shouldn’t we have tried this with something smaller?”

“What? Of course not.” Jalen stared at Emily in disbelief. “Where would the fun in that be? Now get to preparing those little Formations of yours. You’re going to need them.”

Even as Todd reached for the magic within him and raised his bracelets in preparation for the upcoming fight, he couldn’t stop a flicker of amusement from flitting through him. This wasn’t all that different from how Vermil had trained them in the Scorched Acres.

I think Jalen might be more like Vermil than he thinks.

“There is nothing to fear,” Bird proclaimed with an excited smile. “I have been waiting for this. I will—”

Jalen blinked out of existence with a tiny pop of purple energy. He reformed behind Bird, his hand falling on her shoulder as a dangerous smile played across his lips. “Be playing darts with me, I fear. No interference.”

“What? But—”

They both vanished.

Emily swallowed. “How is he going to do anything to stop our Formations if he isn’t even here?”

“Stay focused,” Silvertide suggested. “Jalen is insane.”

They paused for a moment.

“Aren’t you supposed to follow that up with something like, ‘but I’m sure he’ll be watching closely’, or something like that?” Todd asked.

“Oh, no. I was finished with my statement,” Silvertide said.

Isabel let out a sigh. The ground before her rumbled as stone rolled up to cover her body and formed into a thick shield in one of her hands. Shimmering blue energy wormed through the cracks in the rock and hummed around her, forming into a spear in her other hand. “Alexandra and I will keep the monster’s attention while we figure out what we’re up against. Todd, James, Emily, you all back us up.”

“On it,” Todd said. Stone rushed up from the ground to form casings around his hands and legs, readying his makeshift explosion magic. “I’m ready.”

“Really?” Emily asked as she nocked an ice arrow pulled back on the string of her bow.

“No,” Todd replied with a grin. The rumbling grew louder until Todd’s legs trembled from the force of the ground bucking beneath him. He raised his arms to keep his balance. “But I’ve gotten used to improvising.”

Then the trees in front of them shattered, and an enormous lizard-like monster the size of several houses burst free from the forest, its wide eyes blood-red in fury and rows of jagged teeth jutting from its black-gummed lips.

It spotted the group and advanced straight toward them, its tail annihilating several trees to its side with an idle flick as it charged into the clearing. Dirt and broken wood flew up all around it in a miniature storm and a hissing roar slipped free of its mouth.

A grin tugged at the corners of Todd’s lips as Isabel and Alexandra burst into motion, yelling to draw the monster’s attention.

It looked like today was going to be another fairly average day of training.