“A partner?!” exclaimed Koda. He stood in the center of the Lorendeen light mage school battlefield. Raised high on the roof, it reminded Koda of Trent’s wind mage school. His body finally stopped aching this morning from his experience in the Serpent Trench. What happened, he still wasn’t sure. Perhaps a Magi leyline ran through the Serpent Trench and he passively absorbed too much of it. However, the excess Magi had passed and it was time to earn his light magic.

The headmaster stood tall with a barreled chest and squared shoulders. He folded his toned arms and shook his head. “Raine, tell your fellow elf how my school works.”

Raine turned to the befuddled Koda. “Master Michael only accepts two on one matches, Koda. I am sorry, but that slipped my mind. I was so sure you were going to challenge Blight City’s school.”

Koda looked at Raine with pleading eyes. “Well, can you be my partner?”

“No Koda, I am a purple mage already. You’ll need to find someone else.”

Koda turned to Stryneth.

“I am sorry, my king, but as a Headmaster, I can not aid students in challenges,” Stryneth said in a low voice.

Koda hid his disappointment in his hand.

“Wait.” Wildeye stepped forward.”

“What is it, kanis?” asked Michael.

Wildeye scrunched up her muzzle. “I am no kanis. I am a Wolf of the Eclipse and as an Arcane Guardian familiar, I invoke the right to challenge alongside Koda.”

Koda looked up with a hopeful face.

Michael rubbed his rough beard. “I respect the position of the Arcane Guardian. I am not just a mage but a student of history as well.”

“Wait, wait. This means I can challenge you?!” asked Koda, too surprised to process what just happened.

“Aye, Koda, she can be your partner,” Michael said with a smile. “What are the rules?”

“What do you think, Wildeye?” Koda asked his familiar telepathically. “You’ve seen enough of my battles to measure my capabilities.”

This is true, but never have you fought alongside a partner.

“Well, I don’t think Michael has dealt with a duo so in sync quite like us”

Then do you think we’d have an advantage with any of these rulesets?

“Hm. If we had access to all our colors and with our experience, I would like to think ‘all colors and unconsciousness’ would be the best bet for us.”

I agree. You have the answer, then.

“We have chosen all of our colors and to unconsciousness,” Koda replied.

Michael spread out his feet and stretched back and forth to each knee. “Very well, I agree to those terms.” He nodded to the referee.

The referee raised his flag and pointed to Koda and Wildeye. “Challengers, are you ready?”

They both looked at each other and responded with a joined yes.

The official turned to his headmaster. “Defender, are you ready?”

“I am.”

The referee quickly flapped the flag down. “Begin!”

Without warning, black clouds churned together and a downpour of rain engulfed the battlefield. Wildeye yelled to Koda over the roar of pounding water, “Evergreen style, now!!”

Koda clenched his teeth, stamped his foot, and lifted his hands in the air. Simultaneously, mounds of soil appeared scattered across the battlefield and from it pine trees raised from the ground. On top of the mage school, Koda grew a lush evergreen forest.

Koda ran from tree to tree. The shadows of the forest flashed with each crack of lightning.

Where is he? Koda thought. The elf placed a smooth hand on the trunk of a nearby tree and concentrated. His vision began to split apart into forty different sights. Each tree shared its eyes allowing Koda to see the entire battlefield.

Where are you?

Where are you?

Wait!!!

Koda peered closely at an amorphous blur of rain sneaking through the forest. Koda concentrated on that single tree until he saw the water shadow run up…behind him!

Koda closed his eyes and ducked as a hammer of ice crashed against the tree. The elf rolled backwards and scrambled to his feet in time for a row of ice daggers to drive into the ground in front of him.

Michael’s form apparated from the water and fired a blast of ice at Koda.

The elf stumbled back and found himself merging through the tree behind him. Koda watched as the tree shook from the impact of ice.

“I got your back, Koda!” Wildeye whispered in his mind.

Thanks Wildeye, Koda thought with a smirk.

Koda waved his hand sideways and the tree mimicked his movements, swinging a heavy branch and swatting Michael like a fly.

The headmage slammed against a nearby trunk, just as Koda melded Michael’s limbs into the bark, entrapping him.

The elf strolled up to the struggling purple mage with a cocky confidence. “It’s over, Michael.”

Michael could only grin. His body transformed into electricity and shot into Koda.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Koda screamed out in agony as the lighting blast shocked and burned him. Michael appeared and kinetically held Koda’s convulsing body in the air.

“Is it?” Michael chuckled. He spun on his heel and threw Koda crashing through several trees and skidding across the mud.

Koda grunted as he urged his body to move, even an inch. He winced in pain trying to move his right arm. Trying to wiggle his fingers or curl his and was met with numbing pain as well. He gingerly sat up and looked at his limp arm. Dislocated.

How did Elucard fix a dislocated shoulder? He pressed his right hand on the ground and pressured for it to pop into place but only cried further. No, this won’t work. I’m not some hardened warrior that can ignore the pain.

Wildeye, are you alright?

“I’ll be fine, Koda. My right arm hurts, but I can still use it.”

Mine is dislocated. I need somewhere to hide to gather my wits.

The roots of a tree tenderly wrapped around him and pulled him inside its trunk. With his fingers placed firmly on the inside of the tree, the wood became translucent. He peered into the forest with both worry and anticipation. He was losing control of this battle, but as long as he had his partner active, there was still a chance…as small as it may be.

All was quiet, save for the pattering rain. A thunderous boom rumbled through the city. The rain turned into a trenchual downpour. Streaks of lightning screamed down into Koda’s makeshift forest, splintering trees in two. Flares of fire roared from trunk to trunk. Black smoke billowed into the storming skies.

Koda’s eyes flared green with each futile attempt to smother the flames with rolling dirt, repair the shattered trees, and strengthen the roots that covered the field, but his wild forest continued to burn.

It’s no use, the Evergreen style is no match for Michael’s Tempest style!

Koda cursed through his clenched teeth. He concentrated and focused on his familiar.

Do you have any ideas? Michael is countering everything that we the—

“K-Koda—!”

Wildeye!? Hang on, I’m coming!

Koda lunged through the tree he was hiding in and dashed through the blazing wildfire. Arid smoke filled his lungs. The unwavering heat singed his hair and clothes. He coughed and choked, driving his body harder and harder to move faster. Finally he breached the forest’s edge to find the unconscious body of Wildeye at Michael’s feet.

“No more running, Koda,” Michael spat. “It’s just you and me.”

Wildeye, wake up! Please, girl! I need you.

Koda’s breathing became short and heavy. His focus grew darker and darker. As his familiar bond slowly began to shut down his body and cloud his mind with sleep.

“Give up, you lost,” growled the headmaster. “Your magic is too weak on your own. You can not defeat me.”

Koda swayed on his feet, however, but he endured. He placed his only good hand on his chest and sent a jolt of Magi through his body.

Wildeye stirred away. Her eyes flared with the new found energy of the Magi. “K…Koda…”

Get up, Wildeye, we can still beat him.

“Y… you used… the Magi?”

I had to, girl. We need the edge!

Koda grit his teeth and balled his fist. He spun around and darted into the smoldering woods. I’ll buy you some time to recover, but I think I have a plan.

Smoke wafted in his stinging eyes, as Koda ducked and weaved through the inferno. The advantage of cover ended with Michael’s excessive lightning storm, but he didn’t want cover, he wanted distance.

“Where are you going, Koda?” Michael’s voice echoed over the storm and roaring fire.

Koda looked up, spotting the purple mage floating in the air.

First thing’s first. Ending this forest fire.

Koda concentrated his red magic around him, reaching out for the fire, experiencing its wild energy, becoming one with its flames. Then he took a deep breath; the wafting smoke nearly choked him, but he held his focus. Exhaling, he pushed all the flames away from him until they sizzled into glowing embers. However the rain continued to fall and his trees were no more than ash.

I need the sun. If a storm is his power, mine is the sun. How do I make a sun without light magic?

He looked down at his hand and imagined a focus ball of fire spinning in his palm, but the rain poured harder dousing any fire spell.

I’m far too weak for any more spells. I need to use more Magi—

“Don’t Koda,” Wildeye interrupted his thoughts “The Magi shouldn’t be taken advantage of. Its effects are far too dangerous to keep using it like a drug!”

I’m out of options! Just be ready when I give you the signal to attack, commanded Koda.

“Koda…”

Koda’s anger and frustration compounded on his need to avoid a debate on the ethics of the Magi with Wildeye. Trust me!

Koda breathed in deep once more. He focused his Magi into forging a sphere of fire. He mustered his remaining magic into the growing orb and threw it into the sky. Upon reaching its zenith, the ball exploded into a small sun. The radiant magic split apart the clouds and halted the rain. A surge of vernal magic rushed through his veins. The Magi was just what he needed to turn the battle around.

Michael orbited around the sun, stunned by the brilliant spell that hung in the sky. “What in the name of Ruens…”

Koda took advantage of his distracted opponent. “Wildeye! Now!!!” He called to his partner, but Wildeye still lay on the ground. Koda tried again and again until voice grew hoarse. “Wildeye, attack!!!”

Wildeye, why won’t you attack him!?

Silence.

“Communication breakdown, Koda?” taunted Michael as he began to channel more electricity through his hands, creating a javelin of lighting. “No matter, you are finished” the purple mage heaved the crackling javelin.

Koda burst into a blur of rose petals just as the bolt hit the ground. His sun spell fueled his vernal magic with solar power. The rose petals withstood the burning lightning and flung up to Michael.

Koda reformed from the petals. Large leafy angel wings kept him aloft in the air and a wooden brace twisted around Koda’s dislocated arm, which he raised and forged his own javelin in his hand. The spear had a toxic glow that pulsed through gaps in the wood. A large spade-shaped leaf, folded over a hundred times created a sharpened tip. Koda’s eyes flared with the Magi as he hurled the wild grown javelin with the force of a cannon.

Michael’s mouth gaped open as the javelin merged into his chest, splay green roots across his torso, shoulders, and thighs. The roots coarse a high dosage of poison into his body, stiffening the muscles and restricting his breathing.

Koda lowered himself from the air as Michael’s paralyzed form crashed to the ground, defeated.

***

Koda tied his new violet sash around his waist. The runes of the battlefield healed his burns, bruises, and injured arm. Vernal, earth, fire, and now light!

Raine gave him a tight hug. “You and Wildeye were beyond brilliant!”

Koda glanced at his familiar. “It was a close one,” he replied back.

Stryneth shook the king's hand. “Photosynthesis style. Rare, but effective.”

Elucard crossed his arms and gave Koda a knowing look. “You used the Magi, again,” he whispered.

Koda ignored him and turned back to Raine and Stryneth.

“Blue, white, and black. Where do we go next?” he asked the two mages.

Rain rested a hand on her hip. “Well, Stratus has an excellent white mage school.”

“If you play your cards right, my master, Duke Alfinister Finn, would be willing to train you in shadow magic,” added Stryneth.

“Aren’t you a hydro mage headmaster?” Raine asked Stryneth.

“Yes, and you two are welcome to challenge my school in the water city of Jhoone if you would like to face an old mage such as myself.”

Koda and Raine beamed brightly to each other.

“But know this, I will not go easy on you,” warned Stryneth.

“So the tropical realm of Abyss or the icy climate of Stratus?” asked Koda.

“We could use a paradise vacation after all we’ve been through,” said Raine as she stretched her back. “I say Abyss.”

Koda looked around to his companions. Their eyes were tired and bodies worn. It was a no-brainer to him. “Then we set off for Dragon Realm Abyss!”