Fawkes had barely finished his incantation when a black sphere materialized in the center of the alleyway. A strange energy pulsed from the lunar shaped object; exponentially rising until the sphere cracked and revealed the Summon inside.
The Werewolf landed on the concrete with a thump. Fawkes' final Summon was a terrifying beast with an enormous frame and brutish proportions. Coarse, gray hair ran down the Summon’s back like dark flames, making its ivory fangs appear even more imposing.
The Lycanthrope straightened its back and howled up to the sky. As it howled, the Summon seemed to grow even larger and so did its already monstrous claws.
The technique obviously functioned as a way to boost the Summon’s offensive capabilities. It was a move best stopped in its tracks so that its effect could be minimized, but Elem could only watch as the Werewolf grew in power. He and his Kappa were simply too winded to do anything.
Once it finished howling, the Werewolf cracked its neck and immediately charged at Elem’s exhausted Summon. The Kappa raised its forearms, just in time to block the Werewolf’s first claw strike. However, the Void Summon’s second attack harnessed enough savagery to break through the Kappa’s defenses.
Elem’s Summon hissed in pain, blood splattering from its damaged arms. While the Kappa attempted to move away, the wolf followed up with another series of slashes; this time stabbing the Water Summon’s torso with its dagger-like claws.
Elem clasped his stomach as the Werewolf continued its relentless onslaught. He felt how his Kappa grew limp. By now, the velocity of his opponent’s attacks were the only thing that kept the Kappa on its feet. When blood began bubbling from the Kappa’s beak, Elem finally realized that the match was over- there was no way he could come back from a beatdown like this.
However, Fawkes wouldn’t allow him to concede this easily. Elem’s unexpected success against the Vodyanoy had clearly embarrassed the Ultra Gym instructor. Any Summoner with Fawkes’ degree of experience shouldn’t have even lost a single Summon to a beginner like Elem. If he wanted to save face, Fawkes had to make an example out of the arrogant upstart.
The Werewolf kicked the Kappa in its bloodied stomach, before throwing the battered Summon against one of the alley’s wallsides. Elem winced, believing he felt a crack rippling through the Kappa’s shell.
After firing off another flurry of ruthless strikes, Fawkes’ massive Void Summon grabbed the Kappa by the throat and raised it in the air. The Werewolf studied its victim with its pale blue eyes. Then, in what either was a moment of mercy or simply the instinctive urge of a predator, the Werewolf slashed the Kappa’s neck with its teeth.
Elem fell to his back as his Summon disintegrated. The duel was finally over and the Kappa would return to its realm so it could recover.
“Elem! Elem!” he heard his friend shout. “That was insane! Are you okay?”
He was so drained he could only reply with a half baked smile.
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“He’s fine,” Fawkes answered. “Just make sure he gets enough sleep and a healthy breakfast tomorrow. Summoners have to build a resistance to using Essence anyways so this only makes him stronger.”
The Ultra Gym instructor sighed as he looked at Elem.
“That was impressive, kid. You're talented but if you don’t watch out, that attitude of yours will get you in a lot of trouble,” Fawkes added as he walked off. “Sign up for the waitlist and maybe we’ll meet again next year.”
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After the duel, Aja escorted Elem back to their hostel where he went straight to bed without having dinner. When Elem woke up the following afternoon, the sunlight in the room hurt his eyes.
“Good morning sunshine,” Aja teased when she noticed him flinching. “How do you feel?”
Elem stared at the ceiling. His body was weak and everything he did seemed to hurt but other than that, he felt better than expected.
“Pretty good,” he said with some surprise in his tone.
“Good. At first, I was mad at you for putting yourself at risk, but not after you put on a performance like that,” she replied casually. “Now I’m just bored. Had to stay in all day, you know in case you wouldn’t wake up and all that.”
It seemed that by defeating the Vodyanoy, Elem had really exceeded everyone’s expectations; including his own. Elem chuckled as he thought back to the match. He had overperformed against a more powerful and experienced duelist, how could he not be happy?
No matter the outcome, Elem had learned much from his duel with Fawkes. He was starting to feel more comfortable with his Summon. The Kappa certainly had its advantages; the Water Summon had shown immense durability and had successfully transformed one of its weaknesses into a weapon.
Not quite ready to leave his room, Elem spent the rest of the afternoon meditating and gently cultivating his Essence by drilling some light practice forms.
However, around dinner-time, his impatient friend dragged him out of the Harpy House to catch a meal.
“The sustenance will give you some much needed strength,” Aja argued when Elem tried to decline. She pointed at a small neon lit storefront one street down. “See that place? They’re supposed to have great noodles there.”
It began to pour as they entered the noodle shop. Elem liked the place. The restaurant was small and old fashioned, a cozy opposite from the hypermodern concrete mess that was Alabaster City.
They took a seat near the window, watching the rain slam against the glass, and ordered two steaming bowls of noodle soup.
“As a friend I’m proud of you,” Aja said before taking her first bite. “But this whole situation does leave us in a pickle. Although you did well, you still lost your gambit and now we can forget about becoming disciples at the Ultra Gym. So what should we do now?”
Elem took a moment to think. Aja was posing a good question and he honestly didn’t have an answer for her. There were other training facilities in the city but none had a reputation that could match the Ultra Gym.
They could train each other through sparring matches and other methods of independent study, but was that effective when both of them still had so much to learn?
“I don’t know what the future holds,” Elem admitted. The thought was a little sobering. Mere hours ago he'd experienced an endorphin induced rush of optimism but now reality was rapidly crashing down on him.
“Me neither,” Aja nudged at the window, “but maybe she does.”
Elem nearly choked on a noodle when he saw what his friend was talking about. Across the street, he noticed an old woman sitting in front of a small building labeled ‘fortune teller’. It was the same lady who had clasped his arm the day before.
“Let’s go,” Aja suggested.