Dante cringed as he witnessed how his Carcinos missed yet another one of its claw attacks. This was the umpteenth time that the Kappa had been too quick for his Summon’s move and Dante was beginning to grow nervous.
Who would have a thought that out of every possible Summon, a freaking Kappa would be the one to make him look bad? The muscles in his neck tightened as he thought about it. Kappas weren’t exactly known for their speed- at least, not as far as Dante was aware of. So then how could it be so fast? Was it simply loaded to the brim with Essence?
“More!” Dante shouted as he stirred his energy towards the Carcinos’ claws.
His Summon launched another attack, and once again the Kappa dived low, easily evading the claw before rolling away to avoid the follow up blow.
Dante struggled to contain his frustration but, with much effort, managed to stay calm. He wasn’t done just yet; there were still some aces up his sleeve.
He ushered his Summon to spread its arms wide so that it exposed its body to the Kappa. The move was an open invitation; a thinly veiled bait that, although obvious, was hopefully too enticing to pass on.
A hint of hesitation rippled across the Kappa’s face. The Summon and its summoner seemed aware they were being lured in but Dante figured that Elem was the type of person to take chances.
As expected the Kappa rushed in, aiming for the crustacean’s thin legs. However this time, the Carcinos pulled its arms down in a rapid, Essence-fueled sweep.
The Carcinos tightened its claws around the Kappa’s shell, making the smaller Summon squirm like a trapped animal.
“Got you!” Dante shouted.
He let out a smile. This was perfect. He could almost smell his victory now. While trapped between two massive shears, the Kappa’s speed was no longer a relevant factor. The opposing Summon would simply have to endure everything the Carcinos would throw at it.
Although it had been hissing like an angry cat before, the Kappa’s didn’t look up when Dante’s Summon pulled it towards its gaping maw. Instead, the Summon turned its bowl-shaped head towards the Carcinos gaping maw without resisting too much.
Was it giving up? Dante wasn’t sure. The kid had already exceeded all expectations, giving up now would not be a shameful decision whatsoever.
But Elem didn’t throw in the towel. Quite the opposite.
The Kappa’s watery scalp began to glow and a brief moment later, the dish embedded in its skull erupted like a volcano of light, shooting a blue beam right into the Carcinos’ maw.
Dante’s jaw dropped as he watched as his Rare Class Summon dramatically attempted to steady itself. The Carcinos staggered from side to side, its body jerking and shaking like a malfunctioning machine.
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The Crustacean, only capable of lateral movement, was too slow to respond to the Kappa’s continuing attacks. The smaller Summon moved like a rage-filled storm, systematically taking out each of the Carcinos’ legs.
Within a few violent seconds, the Carcinos’ exoskeleton finally crashed onto the pebble beach. Its mouth could only helplessly bubble as the Kappa bent over and launched another, final beam.
Dante kept blinking as he stared at his victorious opponent. The kid was barely an adult but, despite his age and unassuming appearance, the young man was already battling with the rigor and confidence of an experienced Summoner. There was something about him Dante couldn’t explain. Perhaps it was Elem’s drive, a fire propelled by some deep motivation, so hot that no water could quench it. That was a rare commodity these days.
Although a part of him was upset, Dante couldn’t help but smile. He had expected this duel to be nothing more than a relaxing sparring session. Yet the kid had pushed him to his limits. His back was covered with sweat and his exerted heart jumped up and down chest like a rubber ball.
“Congratulations,” he said in between breaths. “That was a hell of a match.”
----------------------------------------
“Thank you for your time. It was an honor,” Elem replied solemnly as he reached out to shake the man’s hand.
He was glad to see that Dante was accepting the loss with humility and respect. It couldn’t have been easy for the man to lose before the eyes of his fellow disciples, especially if that loss was to an outsider.
Dante jerked his bandana from his scalp and ran both his hands through his wet, black hair.
“You should meet our school's Master,” he noted, nodding towards the ocean.
Elem turned to see a woman gliding through the waves on a surfboard. “That’s her?”
“Yea that’s Zorya. Master of the Unagi Summoning School. She’s one of the most talented Summoners I have ever seen.”
Master Zorya handled the waves like a dolphin, effortlessly sliding up and down them like a dolphin. Her movements were so smooth and easy that it seemed as if she belonged more at sea than on land.
As she angled her board towards the shore, Elem noticed the woman’s glowing blue eyes, indicating that she was deep in her summoning trance. He looked for a nearby summon and although he saw nothing at first, he eventually noticed the fin of an obscured human-sized Summon slide below the waves.
Zorya let the waves gently carry her to the beach before gracefully jumping off as she simultaneously exited her trance. She emerged from the ocean with her board tucked under her arm and directly approached Elem and Dante.
As she approached them, Elem felt shy just looking at the woman. Balthazar had told him that the Master of the Unagi School was a young woman but Elem hadn’t expected her to be so breathtakingly beautiful.
She was probably just a few years older than Elem. Her skin was bronzed by the sun, her sea sprayed hair long and elegant. And while it didn’t help that she was wearing a wet bathing suit, it were her round, turquoise eyes that really swept Elem from his feet.
“That was a great show,” she said casually. “Welcome to Unagi. What’s your name?”
“Ehm me?” Elem asked awkwardly. His cheeks began to flush. “Ehm… it’s Elem. Elem Eldyck. I am just a Summoner trying to improve.”
“I can see,” Zorya remarked with a teasing smile that made Elem blush even more. “So how can we help you Elem?”
“He’s here to challenge you for a duel of course,” Aja suddenly blurted from the sideline. She had somehow gotten her hands on a bag of chocolate-covered almonds and was devouring the nuts as she spoke.
Zorya laughed.
“Oh really?”