As the old man who initially created the stage got to work fixing it along with the arena walls, Olicia's classmates all surrounded her. They all looked puzzled and confused. The end of the battle had made no sense to them. It looked like Olicia was in position to win it, but then she just...walked off.
"Are you okay?..." Rael walked up and put her hand on Olicia's shoulder.
"Did you not want to win or something?" Bif grimaced as he chuckled.
"Ya know we do kinda need to win, right?" Lylas nervously gazed at the arena.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't do that on purpose...My entire body froze up...and the guy said to walk off, and I did...I didn't want to! I swear!" Olicia panted as she looked at all of her friends. Her eyes trembled, looking for any sort of reassurance.
"I noticed a glow from him." Avures replied. "It was on his neck. I don't know if that has anything to do with it...but..."
"It could have been a sigil of some sort like your own." Ventrix tapped his foot on the ground. He then looked up to the overlook where his father sat. His father happened to be staring right at him, confirming his suspicion.
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"I can't believe they let vermin like that in the Academy." A man sitting beside Velix shook his head. Much like Velix and Ventrix resembled each other. This man seemed to resemble Iola as well.
"Come now, Ion. My boy states that she's not as bad as a bearer usually is." Velix patted his brother on the shoulder.
"You're too soft on that kid." Ion swatted Velix's hand away. "The idea of Iola ever fraternizing with a beast like that...I'd disown her. He ought to slay the demon, lest she grow to amount great power and blood-lust."
"That's why it's his responsibility to keep her in line." Velix shrugged. "I trust Ventrix with this. After all, he's grown up to be quite strong. He knows how to do the right thing without my help at all."
"That woman softened you up so much...your boy is the same too."
"I'd prefer if you don't talk about my late wife like that...brother." Velix stared daggers at Ion.
"Anyways!...that was a pretty exciting fight, eh?" George leaned forward and put his arms around the two brothers while standing in between them.
"Don't touch me like you know me, naive." Ion grabbed George's arm and threw it off of him.
"I'd say. That Olicia girl fought quite well. It's a shame she fell victim to such a trick. A sigil of command is a phenomenal tide turning tool to have. Commanding any one person with it's activation is extremely powerful." Velix looked down at his son as he was looked at back.
"Oh...I think the next one is starting..." George pointed to the arena...
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"Oy-oy which one of you losers are gonna fight me, huh?" Keleman hopped onto the stage and walked over to the side of the other class, aiming to taunt them.
"That's right...loser picks second." Ventrix looked at his classmates.
"We don't know anything about this guy, do we?" Lylas pondered what they should do. "I guess we could send-"
"Oy-oy, speak up will ya!" Keleman exaggeratedly put his hand to his ear and leaned in. He then returned to standing straight up and pointed at Rael. "I wasn't kidding by the way. You. Me. After I beat up one of your classmates over there, we'll go watch the fireworks tonight."
"I'll fight." Avures turned to the stage.
"I guess that works..." Lylas shrugged.
"Hey, don't feel like you have to just because-" Rael walked up to Avures and was about to put her hand on his shoulder, but he quickly turned around and looked her deadpan in the eyes.
"Did I say anything about it being for you?" Avures looked at her blankly. Their eyes locked for but a brief moment. Avures turned back around. "We don't know anything about this guy. So, it might just be better if we throw me into it."
"It would let us keep some preferred fights..." Ventrix nodded in agreement.
"Here goes..." Avures jumped onto the stage. The old man had just finished his repairs to the place and stepped off. Avures stood face to face with his opponent, though perhaps it was more face to neck. This guy was fairly lanky compared to him. Both of them stood a few feet apart. Keleman's gaze was lackadaisical, but his stature exuded pure confidence. Avures adjusted his gaze to meet Keleman's own. He wouldn't show any feeling that his opponent could read. Preferring to keep himself as a closed book.
"Hey. Kids. Over here..." Dulis gestured for the two of them to come to his side. They obliged, breaking eye contact and walking on over to the center. Strapping on the bracers, Avures could feel his nerves rising.
Having to maintain a good balance...from what he saw from Olicia's fight, heavy magics would sway it greatly to one side. Such as when Calvas had summoned multiple lances at once to stab Olicia. His bracer instantly reacted to it. Though, Avures wasn't sure how relative Flux was compared to Mana...but Olicia was able to conjure forth so many chains before her own glowed blue. That mixture of Artifice, Enchantment, and Utility...they were all extremely light in terms of Mana use. Though, that was most likely from Olicia's own preferences in battle. What Avures figured...was that the range of mana use that can be done before the bracers react wasn't very high. This meant that large, sweeping techniques like Perfect Dark and Deep Murk could unintentionally use more Mana than the bracers would allow. Avures sighed and cringed, realizing just how limited he was in this situation. Without being able to utilize his greatest strengths, or the assistance to said strengths with his Shade...it felt like this was already going to be chalked up as a loss. But, that wouldn't stop him from trying.
"Are you boys ready?" Dulis looked to the two of them. They both nodded. "The moment I jump away, start..."
Avures unsheathed his sword and gripped it in his right hand. Keleman pulled both of his hook swords out, and spun them at his side.
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"For this fight!...We have Avures Kovar versus Keleman Veledis!" Xilvas once again shouted out, this time not so winded with having to throw his voice out.
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Avures looked towards the judge table in surprise. "Kovar"...he didn't tell anyone directly about his discovery. Did George? Though, word might have gotten around about his curiosity surrounding it...strangely...it felt right. Avures steeled his resolve. He wasn't sure how to win this fight, but he'd try what he could. And with a sudden jump back from Dulis, the fight began.
Keleman started his assault. With a single stomp on the ground, the earth that comprised the stage began to shake underneath Avures's feet. Though, nothing rose up out of the ground. Instead, it was a trick to loosen his footing. At the same time, Keleman wielded his hook blades, swinging both upwards and downwards while intersecting them. Avures didn't see blocking this attack as something that would work out well. Though he was no expert, Avures could tell that the design of that weapon Keleman wielded was meant to disarm and cut deep. Avures stepped back, but the shaky ground made him lose his balance causing him to fall forward to his knees. He caught himself with his left hand on the ground, and then tried to stab upward with his sword to either hit his opponent, or make him back away.
However, neither would be the case. Keleman's seemingly mindless and pattern following swings weren't for nothing. Rather, he was simply keeping a defensive pattern while aiming to disarm Avures. Which, he did. With the upward motion, Keleman's hook blades converged and caught Avures's sword. The momentum of his stab was stopped by Keleman's sheer force, and suddenly, Avures's blade was flung high into the air out of his hands. With the hook blades swung upwards, it was time for them to come down. Avures was in position to be decapitated if he didn't act fast. With his hand to the ground, Avures conjured up some magic. A Snaking Shadow escaped from his hands and slithered to Keleman's foot. Suddenly, Keleman found himself unable to move at all.
Avures had wanted to use the shadow to affect his opponent using Enchantment magic, a curse, but it seemed that Keleman was quite adept in his own right. Keleman's magic enveloped him tightly with Enchantment aspects as well, making it impossible for Avures to use a curse on him unless he severely weakened him. So instead, Avures had opted to do as he had done with Lylas before, encasing Keleman using his own mana to hold him still. Avures raised his right hand, and a tendril sprouted forth. It grabbed his sword out of the air, and reeled it back to Avures's grip. As that happened, Avures took his hand off the ground and balled it into a fist, swinging it upwards. Avures uppercut Keleman as he rose back to his feet, and then slashed downwards across his chest with his sword. But that would be all he could do as Keleman managed to break free from his encasement. Avures stepped backwards. The trembling stopped, and Keleman stumbled back as he winced in pain.
While the uppercut left no apparent damage, the slice across his chest had went through his training gear and cut Keleman deeply.
"Agh! You!...Dammit that hurt!" Keleman smiled as he winced in pain, leaving Avures perplexed. "Ha-ha!...check this out."
Keleman took a deep breath and released...suddenly he was in front of Avures. Avures had no time to react as Keleman's foot was firmly planted in his own chest. Kicking with great might, Avures was sent tumbling backwards as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Landing on his back, and then rolling over using the momentum, Avures managed to catch himself on a single knee. He gripped at his chest as he tried to regain the air that was knocked out of him.
"Aha-ha-ha!...how's that one, bitch?!" Keleman chuckled to himself as his eyes got watery from the laughter. Avures caught his breath and stood himself back up.
"How about you take this seriously?" Avures sighed as he readied his blade again.
"Oy-oy!...I'm taking this about as seriously as I need to!" Keleman shrugged with a toothy grin on his face. "I had you pinned as a subpar fighter the moment I saw ya."
"Is that how you see me?" Avures maintained his composure on the outside, but inside...he was starting to get angry.
"How I see you?...Listen, I'm sorry I had to be the one to break it to you, but that's how everyone sees you." Keleman pointed his right hook blade at him.
"Subpar fighter..." Avures repeated the words that started to sting in his head. After all that training with Bif, and his desire to stick through this...Avures let the Flow and Mana culminate in his right arm. That darkness once again darted in lines from his arm, up his neck, and to his right eye.
"Oo...scary." Keleman weakly feigned an expression of fear. "I'm gonna embarrass you."
"Then come try it." Avures waited. Keleman frowned as he felt like fighting once more.
Avures peered into the near future. Much like before, it began and ended with Keleman suddenly appearing in front of him, and that followed up with an attack. Though he didn't know how his opponent was moving so fast, Avures knew he could counter it as long as he was aware of when it was coming. Though the pain of feeling his chest get kicked again rose through him, Avures committed that vision to memory...
Keleman appeared in front of Avures. With his foot raised again, Keleman was poised to hopefully kick Avures out of the arena. But, something had gone wrong for him, Avures had shuffled to the side and out of the way of the attack. As he caught Keleman still in the middle of his kick, Avures sought to slash downwards and to the left, across the side of Keleman's torso. However, Avures couldn't finish this attack in good faith. As to be sure, he had once again peered into the future.
Somehow, someway, Keleman would change his position instantly again while swinging his intersecting hook blades downwards at him. The way it would turn out, Keleman would dodge Avures's hit altogether, and possibly cut off his sword arm.
Avures pulled his attack back, feeling the intense pain of losing his arm, and fearing it as well, Avures readjusted. True to the vision, Keleman appeared to his side in the same motions. Avures needed to think of something quickly. It was then he thought of a rather extreme idea. Extreme, at least, in the sense of it being uncharted territory in battle for Avures. Avures leapt a few feet back to try and give himself time. Keleman's swing continued down, but Avures knew he would only have a few moments to try this. He channeled more Mana and Flow into his arm. That was, more than he usually did in battle, but less than when he had induced those deep visions like before.
When Avures would use this power lightly in battle, the glimpses of the future would typically overtake his vision, but be slightly opaque. It was like time stopped all around him as well. In that sense, his future-sight was quite powerful. But, like before, it did also have it's blatant weaknesses that lay within Avures's ability to use said vision. But this time...it was like the entire right side of his vision was overtaken by a vision. In fact, not just a single vision, but a multitude of them all playing at once as the world in front of him crept to a halt. In an absolutely mind-blowing, and extremely mentally punishing moment, Avures experienced twenty or so different visions...all of which, ended in him getting attacked in some way, and losing the fight.
Losing the fight that is, in receiving a normally lethal wound or being knocked off the stage like the tournament rules indicated. In all of them, the fight had progressed out a few more seconds. The pattern was usually: Avures dodged the next sudden attack, tried something, and then was lethally wounded or knocked off. Over and over and over again...it was excruciatingly painful as Avures's mind somehow endured the torturous trial his future-sight inflicted upon him. But, this helped confirm two things for Avures.
One, rather than being a reactionary tool, his power could be used to submit any plan he had to trial and error. That implying that this ability doesn't only show him endings that he would conceive as bad. But that of which could still be used to full-proof a plan.
Two, it revealed a strange quirk of Keleman's sudden movements. In a couple of the visions, Keleman had not appeared directly in front of his face, but rather, appeared nearby and then ran Avures down. These scenarios only happening when Avures moved himself directly to the other corner of the arena from where he stood now.
If Keleman wasn't constantly reappearing in his face, Avures could mount a counter, or an offensive of his own. Time slowly started to return to normal as Avures's power came to a close. Wasting no time, Avures channeled forth his magic. A dark shield appeared around him and enclosed him. Then, on that other side of the arena, a tendril sprouted from the ground. Keleman had now suddenly appeared in front of him like he had foreseen, but Avures was protected. Keleman swung downward at the shield, and his attack bounced off. Suddenly, the tendril had extended out to them. It latched onto the shield around Avures, and pulled back to where it had sprouted out from. Avures had just created a great distance between the two of them. Dispelling the tendril and shield, Avures then conjured forth a flimsy and long shadow shaped like a line in his left hand. Shadow-Whip.
Just like he had foreseen again, Keleman seemingly appeared in the closest spot he could to Avures, but it still left a good chunk of distance between them. Keleman sought to close the gap, sprinting towards Avures with great speed. This was as Avures planned. Using his Manipulation to give this Shadow-Whip the properties of a blade, while also doubling over his Enchantment magic on himself, Avures cracked the shadowy whip and sliced it across Keleman's abdomen. With blinding speed, Keleman couldn't react to it, and suddenly, a large gash was leaking with blood just above his stomach.
"No way..." Keleman grabbed at the wound with his hand, covering it and the handle of one of his hook blades in blood. Avures wasn't one to normally feel pride, but he certainly felt smug having landed such a blow against Keleman.
"Subpar fighter, huh?" Avures felt strong, he felt confident.
"Your sword skills are mediocre at best...and I'm pretty sure you've used all the magic you know...and if that's the case...it's easy from here on out for me." Keleman grinned as he pulled his hand away from the wound. He happened to catch a glance at his own bracer. A faint red stood. It was time for him to mix things up.
"If you say..." Avures noticed that his bracer was starting to glow a bright blue... "So..."
"Damn...not now..." Avures dispelled his Shadow-Whip and toned down his Enchantment buffs. He was confused. It didn't seem like he had used a lot of magic so far...but then it clicked in his head. Using his future-sight like he had...it used a mixture of Flow and Mana. His magic usage had to be way higher than he anticipated because of it.
"Though...I'll give ya credit where it's due. You seem to have figured out my little funny trick." Keleman smiled and gestured with his hook blade at Avures.
"I have?..."
"Mhm." Avures nodded, only having a running theory as to what Keleman was doing to close the gap so quickly.
"It's a trick I came up with myself using my Earth magic. I can teleport to any place I've already stepped foot at in the last few hours. Granted, it has to be on a floor made of some form of earth or dirt or grass. I'm just surprised you sniffed it out so quickly." Keleman shrugged. "If I had been more thorough...this fight woulda been over."
Avures scoffed at his remark, but when he thought about it. The first thing his opponent had done before the fight...was walk over to the other side of the stage and sort of meander around that side...
"Though...leave it to a dog to sniff it out, eh?" Keleman chuckled, lowering his blades back to his sides.
"You sure do love to talk." Avures shook his head.
"Hey, my voice is pretty soothing. Plus, I'm like the funniest guy I know. Anywho...time to mix it up a little." Keleman slid his right foot forward across the ground. Suddenly, a shard of the stage spiked up and pierced straight through Avures's left foot. Avures winced in pain and was ready to get back to fighting, but he found himself unable to move.
"Looks like someone wasn't ready for a curse, eh? Won't be able to dodge this!" Keleman stepped forward and hooked his swords together. He then let go of one of the swords, and swung it around his head using the other. With a quick flick of his wrists, the hooked sword was released towards Avures. However, what was incredibly strange, was that the sword stopped mid-air only inches away from hitting him.
"Hmm...seems you're pretty close to disqualifying yourself by overusing magic...which means you're locked in place for this one unless you wanna risk it all by breaking free. Stand still and take it!...Or risk it to break free!..." Keleman's smile had seemingly gone ear to ear. Using his free hand, he pointed his index finger in the air, and rotated it in circles. The hook blade frozen in front of Avures's chest responded to this movement, copying it exactly. Avures was overcome with extreme pain as the sharp hook side of the blade sliced him across the chest. And, with it spinning around, the bladed part under the handle also cut him in the same exact area. Avures wanted to scream out in pain, but his body was completely stuck by the curse Keleman had sprung on him. And the worst part was...he was right.
If Avures expended anymore mana to break the curse, he would risk disqualification over magic and martial imbalance. But letting this go on would be pure torture, and at some point, would become lethal through one way or another.
"Here! You'll have to forgive me, I'm a bit O-C-D as the witch-doctors like to put it! So I gotta cut you evenly now or else it'll bother me!" Keleman chuckled as the hook blade suspended and spinning in air slightly lowered itself. In doing so, the blade sliced and opened new wounds lower and lower down on his body. The pain was excruciating and reaching the point of being unbearable.
"Hmm...maybe for fun I...cut a little lower?..." Keleman's smile reached a demonic look as he stared right at Avures's crotch area. He then laughed. "Nah. I couldn't do that. Oh, but you won't be needing this. Yoink."
The hook blade stopped, moved up, and spun once more. Using it's shape and his magnetic control over his hook blade, Keleman knocked Avures's sword out of his hand as he was still frozen there. After that, Keleman returned to torturing Avures using his hook blade suspended in air. This went on for at least another minute until Keleman saw Avures's bracer's blue glow diminish slightly.
"Oy-oy!...Can you free yourself now? I'm starting to feel a little bad about messing with you." Keleman made a beckoning motion with his finger, launching his hook blade back into his hand.
Avures channeled the mana forth, not caring anymore about the disqualification. The power built up inside him, and he burst free from the curse. The stone that was impaled through his foot shattered apart. Which felt absolutely horrid for Avures as pieces of hard rock were now lodged in his foot. Avures panted, and gasped for air. He did what little magic he could do, sealing the wounds that Keleman had opened on him, but soon enough the bracer lit up with a bright blue once again, so he had to stop. Avures was in tremendous pain, and his body felt weak. The situation was grim, and Avures was desperate. With these wounds, and being unable to use anymore magic currently, Avures was in the worst possible position.
"Go ahead. Pick up your sword." Keleman gestured to Avures's sword on the ground.
Avures panted, staring straight at Keleman with that same blank expression he always used. He stepped forward, reached down, and...the sword moved out from under his hand and slightly to the right. Avures thought he was losing it from the toll this fight had taken on him, but when he reached for it again...it moved out to the left this time.
"Oop. Gotta be quicker than that. C'mon Avenue...or whatever the hell your name was..." Keleman giggled as he slightly nudged his arm, his magnetism controlling Avures's blade.
Avures sighed in defeat. He walked over to where the blade sat now, reached down, and...again, it moved away. Keleman was practically doubling over in laughter as he continued this charade. Avures could feel himself building with rage and despair. There was nothing he could do in this scenario...
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"Oh c'mon!...Avures!...Dulis!..." George cringed and put his hand over his face as he watched on.
"This is getting quite silly. How embarrassing this must be for that boy..." Velix shook his head.
"Why anyone is letting this go on is beyond me." Ion scoffed at the display.
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"Tsh...These motherfuckers..." Bif curled his hand into a fist as the anger built up inside of him. "Making a fool of my bro?...I'll kill em."
"This is fucked..." Olicia shook her head.
"Hey now. Don't let it get to ya." Lylas grabbed the attention of the other four students with him. "Avures wanted the fight with the guy we knew nothing about. He knew what he was getting into."
"Avures..." Rael watched on with a hopeless expression.
"Oh damn!...Almost got it...heh." Keleman giggled to himself once again. And now...Avures had enough.
"This is fucking stupid!" Avures had suddenly blurted out. His voice had stopped all talking and caught the attention of everyone, very much to his own surprise. But, Avures didn't shrink back and fall in line.
"It's a little silly, yeah." Keleman shrugged. But, everyone watched on in shock as Avures angrily ripped the bracers off his arm and threw them aside. There was a sort of awkward silence as all watched on. But along with that, there was a great feeling of indignation that encompassed all of the staff watching. What Avures had done was seen as an affront to the Academy.
"Whoa whoa! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Grula stood up from her chair and yelled at Avures.
"That's a "disqual"!...or a forfeit...same thing in this case really..." Dulis walked over to Avures and picked up the bracers.
"What am I doing?! I'm not going to continue doing this!" Avures's face showed real anger in a rare display by him as he turned to face Grula. Avures was dumbfounded on what to do next, but his pride quickly overtook him. "If it wasn't for these stupid rules on balancing magic and martial!...I'd beat him easily!"
"Hold on! Do you really think that?" Keleman laughed in surprise at Avures's words. "Wanna put that to the test? I'll fight ya without those rules!"
"Those rules are in place for a reason." Xilvas jumped onto the stage and everyone's eyes fell on him. Meius also walked alongside him. "Being a good, efficient Lancer is about being powerful in both aspects. That way, you can handle any situation that comes. It's also about having good temperament..."
"Headmaster...hold on." Meius grinned as he eyed-up Avures. His eyes narrowed at the sight of his blackened and spacial looking hands. "I can see where this student is coming from."
"Elaborate, Meius."
"Well...being a well-balanced fighter is good and all. But there's not too many situations where both Martial and Magic skills don't overlap in the field. And it's not like this rule exists out in the real world. Besides, some of our students are more magically inclined than martially..." Meius turned to his superior and explained.
"What are you trying to say here?"
"I say...Keleman Veledis still wins through forfeit...But!...they can continue fighting without the rule. And not only that, we lift the rule for the rest of this tournament!" Meius shrugged. "How about it, Headmaster Xilvas?"
"No." Xilvas very plainly replied. But, he then sighed immediately after. "However, you raise good points. And since we three are the judges here...I'll allow it to be majority rules. Dulis. You're the deciding factor. What do you think?"
"Hmm..." Dulis turned to look at Keleman, and then turned to look back at Avures. Dulis sighed, shrugged, and turned to his superior. "Why not? "
"Fine. It's settled then. The rule will be lifted for this tournament! And you two can continue fighting! But, Keleman is already declared the winner, and thus, Fraythorn's team is up two to zero!" Xilvas declared aloud. The crowd seemed to very much like this idea, as the roars they let out were near-deafening.
Xilvas and Meius returned over to their table, and Dulis took center-stage again with the two students following in tow. Grula reluctantly sat back down in her seat. Everyone watched on with great investment.
"Same thing as before. When I jump back...start." Dulis readied himself once more. Keleman grinned as he made a gesture which caused Avures's sword to fly back at him. Avures held his right hand out and caught the sword. The two of them steeled their nerves, but it was apparently clear which of the two were more invested in the fight ahead. A few more moments passed, then...Dulis jumped back. Keleman sighed and raised his hook swords, ready to start again like he did before, but then he was completely taken aback...
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"Perfect Dark." Avures's stare went completely cold as a deep, dark shadow emanated forth in a perfect circle out from under his feet. The ground of the entire stage became completely overtaken in darkness, and a blanket of shadow seemingly appeared overtop of the entire coliseum. The majority of light was blocked out, like a cloud moving to block the sun. Avures's body and soul toiled as Flow was rapidly pulled into his body and instantly converted into mana.
Xilvas and Meius watched on in great surprise as Avures's technique quickly overtook much of the area. Though the reports they went over had even signified such a detail, they thought it was an exaggeration.
Not trying to let this go on any further, Keleman teleported directly in Avures's face and swung his blade, but it swiftly collided with a black shield whose origin was from the ground below. Suddenly, the shield burst open, and launched Keleman back several feet. Tendrils sprouted forth from the ground all around him. Keleman knew he couldn't avoid those well in open space, and seeing as how Avures was letting loose, he decided to as well. He stomped his foot down, and several pillars of earth sprung up all through the stage. Some went as high as fifteen feet, and some went to thirty-five feet. The idea was to use them to help mask his presence. But...it was no use. A tendril swiftly came around from a pillar in front of him and wrapped itself around him. It then proceeded to yank him directly into Avures's face.
However, Keleman escaped the grasp of the tendril by teleporting directly behind Avures. He swung his hook blades straight for Avures's head...but Avures had already foreseen it. A thick, cylindrical shadow shot down from the shadow overtop of the arena, and directly smashed through Keleman as he swung. The shadow would dissipate when hitting the now-shadowy floor. But, it would completely shatter and pin Keleman's body to the floor. Dropping his weapons as he was pressed against the ground...Keleman found himself being hit by this same thick shadow over and over again. Each time it felt like his body was being crushed by a force a hundred times heavier than him. Eventually, it stopped. Keleman was face-down on the ground and couldn't force himself to move. Avures turned to him, knelt down, and placed his hand on his back.
The pillars of earth that had been created by Keleman slowly retracted into the ground. Avures had used a combination of Enchantment and Manipulation to block Keleman's flow of mana throughout his body by directly blocking his pool. Which was something he could only do after weakening him so much. Sighing, Avures grabbed Keleman by the back side of his training gear's collar. He then slowly dragged him over to the edge of the stage, and lazily threw him off. Avures stood at the edge for a few seconds, staring down at Keleman with a sort of rage that he could not rationalize in his head. Then...he stopped. The shadows all dissipated, and the light of the sun instantly re-enveloped the coliseum.
Avures walked to his team's side of the stage, and hopped off. Much to his own surprise, the crowd cheered at the display. But Avures really did not care. He didn't think himself cool, or amazing, or anything. He allowed himself to feel prideful, and then had that pride get wounded. All he felt was a minor amount of self-satisfaction, and a lot of shame for failing his friends.
"We're gonna talk." Grula came up to Avures and gripped his left shoulder extremely tight to the point it hurt. She then shoved him in the direction of the tunnel on their side of the arena. Avures sighed and obliged.
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As the arena repair commenced, Grula, Zen, and Avures walked into the tunnel. Some ways down it, Grula threw Avures into the wall. It hurt, but he understood what was going on. He refused to look his teachers in the face though.
"I oughta kick your ass out of my class..." Grula shook her head and gritted her teeth. Her eyes were narrowed in on Avures.
"Avures...your acting out was extremely childish. And it looks bad on all of us. You, me, Lancer Academy as a whole..." Zen crossed his arms.
"Would you have rather I sat there and took it?" Avures spitefully and rhetorically asked. Grula and Zen were both about to rebut to this, but Avures continued. "Was I supposed to act like my normal self and just take the punishment, the embarrassment?..."
"You know damn well this all could have been avoided if you put more effort in!" Grula shoved her finger in Avures's chest.
"I did put more effort in!" Avures threw his arms in the air as his eyes grew shaky. "I-...I!-...For the first time in my life, I'm making a real effort at things! For the first time in my life, I'm not letting life drag me along!"
"It's all just about you, isn't it?" Grula pulled her finger away and shook her head. "The nerve...this isn't just for you, Avures!"
"This is a team competition, Avures." Zen calmly stated. "You throwing the match like that makes us zero to two. But not just that, could you imagine the implications of it all if this were a true life or death scenario?"
"Are-are you saying I was-..." Avures's body trembled as he felt himself shrink.
"Yes! Avures...I'm glad you've finally found a backbone or whatever...but you've got the entirely wrong idea on how to act when it comes to considering other people!" Zen raised his voice slightly.
"Consider all of your classmates out there who are affected by you lashing out like that!" Grula sighed, her tone dying out. "It was a self-centered move...we're done here. Be thankful that all you got was a talking-to."
Grula and Zen slowly departed back for the arena, leaving Avures in the tunnel by himself. Avures slid down with his back against the wall. He sat there, unmoving. Where did he go so wrong? All he wanted to do was take the advice of Avura...he just wanted to fulfill her wish for him to live his life. But maybe that's where the thinking was flawed.
Distant footsteps could be heard.
Was it because he was trying hard for the sake of someone else, and not his own? He had resolved to do things for himself, but it was also in the same breath as vowing to do it because Avura wanted him to. So was it wrong?
The footsteps sounded like they were growing closer.
Or maybe, the reason why she had phrased it like she had...
"If you have to think of it as something to do for me, then so be it...but I want you to know, you'll never have to earn your place in your big sister's heart..."
"Live for the people around you, live for your passions, live for what you believe in, and, especially, live for yourself."
Perhaps...perhaps it was because...he should live for himself, and live freely in that way...but...
"You'll never have to earn your place in your big sister's heart..."
"Live for the people around you..."
The footsteps stopped right next to Avures.
When it comes to other people involved with his life...there needs to be give and take...otherwise, he'd be selfish...Which means, he shouldn't toss aside the feelings of other people, even when considering himself. Because without those people...he'd be nothing. That's why he lives for them. That's why he can live for himself. Because other people are there with him too. It's give and take. And if he doesn't consider the feelings of someone else like his own...that would make him as selfish as...
"Avures?...are you okay?" Rael slowly got down on her knees beside Avures. He lifted his gaze, each inch his head moved felt like an eternity passing. But, he met her eyes. Those fiery, crimson red eyes...
"Why are you here?..." Avures's voice cracked as he spoke softly and quietly, trying to maintain his composure.
"I wanted to see how you were doing...that match was rough for you..." Rael scooted closer to Avures, then deciding to sit against the wall like him.
"I don't care about the match...its over now." Avures dropped his gaze straight down once again.
"Oh...well...I enjoyed watching you." Rael leaned herself on Avures. Avures weakly shoved her back upright.
"I'm sure you enjoyed me getting sliced up...especially after everything..." Avures lightly thudded his head against the wall behind him.
"Avures...I don't enjoy watching you get hurt...I enjoy watching you get back up. You don't let a whole lot ever break you or get under your skin. Even after all the words we threw at each other...you're still my hero." Rael turned her head to him, wearing a faint smile on her face.
"I don't feel like a hero..." Avures pulled his legs in close and wrapped his arms around them. Rael patted his shoulder, and then stood up.
"I hope you come out soon to watch. Take as long as you need though. Heroes need to rest." Rael turned away from Avures and started walking down the tunnel towards the arena.
"You don't let a whole lot ever break you or get under your skin."
But here he was...
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Walking out of the tunnel, Avures could see his friends all gathered around and talking. Grula and Zen were nowhere to be found at the moment. And it seemed as if it was about time for the next match to begin. Up on the stage stood that dark-skinned girl with the shield.
"So, we know nothing about her then?" Ventrix looked around at his classmates.
"Nope." Bif shrugged.
"Nada." Olicia shook her head.
"Maybe it-" Rael was about to continue...
"Hey..." Avures walked into the circle of them. All of them looked towards him. "I want to apologize. I'm sorry for acting the way I did and costing us a match. I take full responsibility."
"Huh?..." Olicia tilted her head at him.
"It's my fault that we're losing so bad. If I could have kept my cool...maybe I could have-"
"Avures lemme stop you." Lylas put his hand up. He sighed and smiled at his friend. "If your match were to determine this whole thing...it'd be the fault of me and everyone else too for letting it happen."
"I-...I thought you'd all be more mad at me?" Avures looked around at his friends who were all smiling.
"Why? Lylas is right." Ventrix shrugged. "It's not any one person's fault."
"Besides, we were all pretty angry watching that go on too." Olicia patted Avures on the back. "I might have lashed out in a situation like that too."
"Plus, it was pretty sick watching you beat his ass into the ground after." Bif smiled and gave Avures a thumbs up.
"It don't excuse the behavior..." Lylas lifted a finger up, but shrugged after. "But none of us are mad at ya for it...now, Avures let me ask you. Who should fight that bitch up there?"
"Huh?-...well...if we lose here..." Avures rubbed his chin. "It'll be zero to three...but, it eliminates all the factors we don't know about regardless...it should be you, Lylas...or Rael."
"I can fight!" Rael seemed to get chipper, but Lylas shook his head no.
"I actually want to save you for last if possible. A surprise trump card...let me fight this." Lylas turned towards the stage.
"Works for me, I guess." Rael shrugged, willing to go along with that plan. No one else said anything, indicating agreement.
"Here goes..." Lylas jumped up onto the stage, ready for anything...
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Lylas planted his feet on the stage and looked around. There was mixture of cheers and talking among the crowd. Not that he really cared though. Dulis was sort of just standing around and waiting. And in front of him was that girl he was supposed to fight. Her shield was held by her left arm. Lylas thought it strange, fighting with just a shield. But he supposed everyone had their methods. One thing was for certain, she looked strong. In fact, she seemed to resemble his teacher slightly. Lylas looked back over to his side. Both Zen and Grula were still gone.
"Ready?" Dulis walked to the center and gestured for both of them. Lylas took a deep breath and stepped forward. The girl silently walked forward to meet him. Their eyes met. Lylas knew that this whole thing would be riding on the outcome of this match. Even if he lost, they still had to fight at least one more match. But, if he won, it'd definitely swing the momentum to their side. Either way, Lylas's composure needed to be kept. The pressure of people always looking towards him...something he was always familiar with...
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"Lylas! What do we do?" A kid looked up to the brown-haired boy with worry in his eyes. His hands were shaking. Shattered glass lay around his feet on the cold hard ground. Another boy looked around the area.
"Whaddya mean we?" Lylas tilted his head, his hands in his pockets. "Ya threw the damn rock."
"I don't wanna get in trouble! Please, Lylas!" The other kid got on his knees and put his hands together, begging.
"Agh! Fine...go scurry out of here. I'll deal with it." Lylas sighed and shooed the two kids away. They both thanked him and dashed off...
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"So...you took the fall for some kids...did ya?" A very decrepit and old man sat in a chair on the front porch of his house. Lylas sat in a chair next to him, resting his chin and arm on the chair.
"Yeah. What about it?" Lylas rolled his eyes.
"Ya don't have to do that, bud..." The old man stared straight ahead.
"They say I got that calming presence or whatever...so they look up to me...I just don't wanna let them down." Lylas shrugged...
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"Wow! I can't believe that worked!" A kid running alongside Lylas was enthralled with the shiny necklace he had just nabbed.
"No kidding! Lylas, you really know what you're talking about!" Another kid looked at the diamond ring he pulled as well.
"Course I do!..." Lylas and the two kids stopped running and darted into an alley. They were sure they lost their pursuers. "This is what happens when ya trust the plan."
"Dude, you're like some psychic or something. Lylas you're so cool!"
"Yeah! You always know the right thing to do!..."
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"Lylas...why were you out so late?" The old man asked him. Lylas walked up the porch steps, sighed, and sat beside the old man.
"I was just walkin about."
"Are ya really gonna sit there and lie to your great-grandfather like that?"
"Pap Cynthis...I..."
"Look. A guard came and visited me today. Said he caught some kids who were stealing. And it came right back to ya." Cynthis shook his head.
"...sorry..."
"What are ya apologizing to me for? Look, Lylas. I'm disappointed, I paid your fine, but I'm more concerned about the path you're taking than anything else." Cynthis slowly turned towards the young boy. "If those kids look to ya, you've got a responsibility to them."
"But...they wanted money, shiny things. I got em that. They seemed to like it, so what's the problem?" Lylas looked over at his great-grandfather. "They called me cool. They think I'm a hero or somethin."
"The problem is...doing stuff like that, being a people-pleaser...and thinking that makes you a hero despite the bad things ya do...you'll end up just like him..." Cynthis seemed to show a look of contempt, narrowing his eyes. "And worst of all, you'll be doing a disservice to those people who look to you to guide them."
"Well...whaddya know old man?!" Lylas threw his arms up. "I just want em to like me...ya got me..."
"But is that good for you? For anyone who follows you? If you're gonna lead people or serve as an example to em...keep their best interests in mind. Do what's best for em, and not just what satisfies your ego..."
"It don't mean anything now...if they got caught...they probably-"
"It is your fault if they did...you led em down that path."
"Then yeah...this talk is meaningless...they won't follow me anymore..."
"But you liked leading them around, didn't you?"
"...yeah..."
"I figured. That's why I got you something. A gift that'll last you a lifetime...from your old great-grandpap Cynthis...to you, Lylas." The old man reached into the pocket of his coat, and pulled out a letter. His hand shook as he gave it to the young Lylas.
"What is this?" Lylas held the letter in his hands and stared at it.
"I pulled a string or two...got you an invite to a place known as Lancer Academy."
"Wait...you mean?..."
"Yeah. You'll get to become a Lancer...but you'll also get to meet some people, and possibly lead them around too."
"Don't ya have to be gifted to get in?"
"Come now, Lylas...you're related to me...ha-ha."
"Heh...I dunno how to feel honestly...I'm not sure if I can handle this."
"Sure you can...just keep in mind what I've told ya..."
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"Heh...yeah I'm ready..." Lylas reached for his knives. Holding one in each, he closed his eyes. He took another deep breath and exhaled. He had to set a good example...but when he opened his eyes...that girl's eyes met his own once again. It made him feel uneasy. She was unwavering, unmoving...staring right through him. She gave a thumbs up to Dulis, and didn't move otherwise.
"For this battle...We have Lylas Tynto!...Versus, Vrela Lakentos!..."
"Once I jump back...go ahead." Dulis looked to both of them. Neither moved. Then, he jumped back, and the fight began.
Though, neither of them moved. Lylas had been expecting a first move, considering the previous matches...but the girl just kept staring at him. The name "Lakentos" stuck out as well...she was most certainly related to Grula. And it made sense why she wasn't here now. Still, knowing his teacher, Lylas had expected some serious aggression. Yet, she stood there and stared at him.
"Ya know we started...right?" Lylas darted his eyes around. The cheers of the crowd started to slowly drone out as no one moved. His eyes met back with hers. The curls of her hair lightly dropped over her forehead. One even came down almost to her right eye. That eye...Lylas started to feel uncomfortable.
"Look...I like to talk when I fight. Can ya go along with it?..." Lylas chuckled as he stood up straight and stretched a little. The girl didn't move at all.
It was like she was seeing straight through him. Not to the other side of him, but into his soul. Lylas couldn't put it to words, but it felt like she saw right through his guise...
"Well...Imma start now...for real..." Lylas sighed and steadied his mind. He wasn't going to let her win this mental game.
Lylas reached into his training gear, and pulled out several more knives. Holding three in each hand, he threw them all at Vrela. Though, not directly at her. Three solidly stuck into the ground on each side of her. Vrela still didn't move. The knives were about ten feet away from her at each point. If she still decided not to move, then Lylas decided to commit. Pulling out two more knives, one in each hand, he quickly shuffled towards her. He wasn't going to throw himself directly at her, but rather try to out-maneuver her.
The reason that was...was because of the shield. It wasn't massive, but it was sizeable. It was triangularly shaped, and roughly five feet from top to bottom, and about three feet wide at it's widest point near the top. This width was mostly consistent throughout, but shrunk considerably towards the bottom, forming that strange triangle shape. The whole thing was made of some sort of metal, and sported quite a large gem in the middle. It was no tower shield, but it covered Vrela's form quite efficiently...and that was the point of concern. Lylas's knives, in close quarters, was very ineffective against short weapons which could be swiftly moved like his own. However, nothing was as hard to beat as a shield. His lack of range and the shield's metal form meant that he couldn't strike from any direction she was holding it. But, Lylas was never a straight-forward fighter.
Vrela brought up her shield to guard herself as Lylas was only a few feet away. However, he stopped and swung his right arm out to the side. All of his daggers stuck in the ground glowed a blue color, and electricity sprouted forth. Though, it was orderly and the lightning composed themselves into rounded, connected walls with a dome-like circle overtop. Lylas effectively decreased the fighting area, and though it might seem that it would only work to Vrela's advantage...he had a trick. He started to circle around Vrela. It started with a slow walk, and picked up to a sprint. Keeping himself low as he circled her, Lylas decided to attack. He swooped in, and slashed downwards with the knife in his left hand. Vrela instantly turned to face him, and her shield came up. The knife made contact with the shield, and a clanking of metal rang out.
Lylas grinned, then stepping back a tiny bit. Vrela kept staring at him like before. It genuinely unnerved him. But, he couldn't sit on it. Lylas lightened his stance. He'd make quick steps and jolts towards one direction or another. Each time, Vrela would put her shield in front of herself appropriately to block...just like he hoped. The circular walls of lightning glowed brightly. Seemingly from nothing, knives formed at the edges, suspended in air, and then launched towards Vrela's backside. With the knife point quickly coming in, Lylas decided to strike as well. He spun and swung both knives from the left side at her.
A sphere of light encapsulated Vrela's backside as she blocked Lylas's attack from the front. Lylas watched as during his personal assault, the knives came and hit that barrier of light and bounced off before disappearing.
"Tch...no way..." Lylas backed off a foot away from Vrela. She slightly relaxed as well, lowering her shield. Lylas hastily decided to try again. He swung his knife down at the air. The entire dome of electricity glowed. A raining of knives occurred, all straight at Vrela from every direction. The barrier of light expanded out, and instead now covered Vrela's entire body. Hundreds of knives hit the barrier of light over and over again, each dissipating after bouncing off.
"C'mon! I have to set an example, dammit!" Lylas thought to himself. He decided to go all in. The raining of knives stopped. Lylas dropped to his knees and put his hands to the ground. The electric dome radiated an extremely bright blue color. Suddenly, bolts of electricity darted from the walls and straight to the center where Vrela still stood. Vrela closed her eyes, and stomped her left foot. Vrela's dome of her own, made of the earth in the stage they stood on, covered her and shielded her from the bolts of lightning. Lylas cringed, as he kept the onslaught going. Lylas had no clue that she could use two elements...soon enough, Lylas felt himself tire out from all of the mana use, and dropped the electric dome in it's entirety.
"Stupid...stupid! What was the point of that?" Lylas slowly stood himself to his feet as he panted. The earth dome covering Vrela receded back into the ground as she revealed herself.
"You're being a little harsh on yourself...don't you think?"
Lylas darted his eyes around. He heard a voice. A feminine voice. But it sounded close. Way close. He shook his head. This fight had hardly started, yet he was doing so poorly. He hadn't even hurt Vrela in any sort of way, yet he was tired out. Granted, it didn't even seem like she wanted to fight. She had only defended herself up to this point. He shook his head. What was he doing?...if he couldn't set a good example...if he couldn't win this...or even swing the momentum...how would anyone look to him? Who was he to lead anyone? It'd be shameful...
"There's a lot of pressure on you...but don't let it get to you...play to your strengths..."
Lylas's eyes opened wide...that voice rang out again. That feminine voice. But, he was looking straight towards Vrela. No one else was on the stage. It was just him, and her...and those words...
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The sparking of electricity filled the space in young Lylas's cupped hands. The sound of it jumping around...but it quickly faded out. Lylas grunted and rolled his eyes. He then sighed and covered his eyes with his hands.
"Relax, Lylas. You have a year until you get your chance in the Academy..." A fancifully dressed man with glasses consoled him.
"Argh! It doesn't matter! Ya said it yourself! My magic is weak anyways!" Lylas stomped at the ground and crossed his arms. He was so frustrated that his eyes even started to water up a bit.
"Lylas..." Cynthis sat nearby. "Strength is power, but being powerful doesn't mean you're strong...you're a smart boy. So you should know that the key to power isn't about what you have...it's about how you use it. Think to when you led those kids around..."
"But pap Cynthis...these other guys in the classes with me are gonna be hella strong...if I can't keep up...how are they gonna see me? How are they gonna look to me?" Lylas's gaze and arms dropped down. He sighed, feeling defeated.
"Lylas...I understand. But listen to me..." Cynthis smiled as he looked at the boy. Lylas looked at him with teary eyes. "There's a lot of pressure on you...but don't let it get to you...play to your strengths..."
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"To think ya would remind me of those words..." Lylas sighed and smiled. "Sayin them all back to me...are ya trying to help me? Or are ya trying to win?"
"They seemed to mean a lot to you, but...It's true, you seem to carry a lot of pressure on you. I just don't think you should have to is all. After all, I can understand how you feel..."
"Is that so?..." Lylas watched as Vrela smiled slightly. He didn't understand the game she was playing, but he felt reinvigorated. After all, it wasn't over yet. And, win or lose, Lylas wouldn't allow himself to be brought down now.
It was time for him to try something new. Lylas's creative and strategic mind was his greatest asset. He knew that as well as anyone else. For a moment, he had been consumed by a shred of hopelessness, a shred of despair. But, he couldn't let it show. Or rather, he couldn't let that moment sit. Lylas stepped back. As he held his knives, he closed his eyes and focused in on his situation at hand. Vrela seemed to be able to block any incoming attack he had. However, she would not attack him back to his knowledge. Lylas knew that maintaining pressure would give him an opening. But, it seemed that even as well as he disguised his methods or tricks, she saw right through them. Lylas, in his mind, equated this situation to the way she stared right through him. While he didn't understand how...Lylas could only figure that she somehow knew what he was going to do. So, he sought to use a method that would give little to no indication of his plan. A true trick. Something only someone like him could pull off with his knowledge of Artifice and Time magic, and his strategic mindset.
Lylas took a deep, deep breath...and exhaled while slowly walking around Vrela. She watched on, her eyes going wide as she saw strange dancing lights emit from him as he moved by. It looked as if something was peeling off of him. From his feet, peeling off upwards, a strange blue apparition, with spark of blue bolts fizzling off of it, seemed to be left behind. This form became more full and complete looking the more Lylas moved on. Eventually, a full, humanoid, figure stood where he had walked. It was featureless and completely blue colored, but looked identical to his shape in size, and clothing and weapons. Lylas kept walking around Vrela, leaving more of the same figures. By the time he stopped, he hadn't made a full circle, but there were three of the figures in total. Lylas and three copies of him, made from his electricity, surrounded Vrela.
Vrela turned around all the way, inspecting each of these all looked the same, no differences. She faced back to Lylas. His final gambit was ready. Lylas charged in at Vrela by himself. He made several swings and swipes with a physical intensity he rarely showed. The speed at which he would strike, and follow up into another attack also showcased the proficiency Lylas truly had in his knives aside from trickery. At first, it was just himself, and Vrela blocked his attacks with ease...but then the clone to her right charged in. Following his attack patterns exactly as he had done, Vrela found herself constantly ducking and adjusting her shield to block attacks from in front of her and to the side.
What made this particularly difficult for her...was the fact that not only was the clone attacking her at the side, it was attacking as viciously and in the same way as Lylas had previously done. This combined with the fact that Lylas was attacking in a multitude of different patterns now. Even though Vrela had not been hit yet, she was feeling the pressure with having to defend two, out of sync, fighters. Then, she could feel the one from behind her, and to her other side charging at the same time. This was very much unlike what she thought was happening. Vrela had assumed that Lylas's clones were following his delayed actions, but that appeared not to be the case. Vrela knew that she would have to give ground now.
Vrela stomped on the ground with her left foot. A shockwave emitted from the ground in a circle around her, knocking Lylas and his clones all back in separate directions. Vrela then took a deep breath, and raised both her arms to the sky. Much to Lylas's surprise, an icy pillar rose up from the ground below, lifting her up several feet in the air.
"Man...ya got some talent about you...no denying that!" Lylas stood himself up and looked up at Vrela at the top. Three elements...the idea was inconceivable. Though, Lylas could see it. Three elements...if he had to guess...her types were Protection and Utility. It made sense from a magic standpoint on why she wasn't attacking him. Though, Lylas knew that even Protection magic could be used offensively. That was the way he always used it anyways. But what was really important to him here...was that he pressured her. She seemed to know what he was going to do...so having these clones of him act differently...that being, one delaying all of his actions, and the other two act somewhat independently...she had no way of knowing what they were doing. He knew there had to be something particular about it...
"You got me..." That feminine voice spoke in his head.
"Oh? Did I?" Lylas thought back in his head.
"You're correct in your assumption. I know what you're going to do. It's my ability. I can link my soul to yours. That way, I can see your intent, hear your thoughts...it's even how you hear me right now." Vrela revealed the details of her ability to him.
"Ah...but ya can't get a read on my clones this way...that's why this trick worked...huh?" Lylas grinned. His clones went around and picked up the knives he had thrown into the ground earlier.
"Indeed...but, is that really your next plan?" Vrela put her hands on her hips as she looked down at Lylas.
"Sure is!" Lylas took the knives from his clones.
Lylas had no way to reach her other than throwing knives. Which, in of itself, wouldn't really work. She could just block them with her shield, or that barrier of light. That also struck Lylas as odd. She hadn't used her light barrier there...he could only figure that perhaps she only used it under certain conditions...or using it was costly for her mana pool. But he mostly figured the former.
That aside, it was time to really put the pressure on. The ice pillar she stood on was about fifty feet high. It also looked to be fairly small. It would probably only be able to fit Lylas and her on there. This worked perfectly for what he had planned. Lylas started to to throw daggers around the pillar as he circled it. Each one was higher than the last. He used about ten of them in total. As they reached the place Lylas wanted them to, they seemed to freeze in mid-air. Time magic at it's simplest use...then, a platform made of Lightning magic would sprout out from the knife. Protection and Artifice at it's simplest as well. This occurred with all ten of those knives. Lylas then hopped from one makeshift platform to another until he was at the same height level as Vrela. About ten feet out from the pillar, he looked over at her and around the area. Lylas then took the other ten knives, five in each hand, and threw them all around the pillar. He used the same tricks as well, creating make-shift platforms all surrounding the pillar of ice Vrela stood on.
"You're pretty crafty. I like you." Vrela's voice echoed through Lylas's head.
"Thanks. I gotta be honest. Aside from the weird reading my thoughts thing, you're pretty cute." Lylas chuckled as he thought back. The clones soon climbed up the platforms as well, and all took different platforms as their own. Lylas then dispelled the ten platforms below him, making this a do-or-die scenario in it's truest extent.
As Lylas evaluated the situation, two things became known to both of them. Lylas was quickly tiring more and more. His mana pool was quite expended at this point, and each instance of magic he kept going was only a further drain. So, he needed to force a win as soon as he could. The other thing, was that he had the advantage of being able to position himself more freely. If Vrela tried to use his platforms, he'd simply cancel the magic below her feet. So, as such, she was stuck on this pillar.
Lylas took a deep breath once more...this was it. Lylas dove forward to the pillar. Setting his feet onto the ice, Lylas began a small flurry of blows. Soon, one of the clones dove through. Rather than going on the pillar, they dove past it to a platform on the other side. However, they performed a side swipe in air against her. Vrela managed to switch her shield over to it to block it, and her light barrier came up to block Lylas's hit. Satisfied for the moment, he dove off towards another platform, leaving the pillar.
As he left, the clone using his delayed actions entered the pillar and started assailing Vrela. Blocking the copied patterns, she couldn't have been prepared for what happened next. Both of the other clones also made diving, passing slices at her. Both aimed at her back. As they dove across, each made a deep slice across her back with their knives. As that happened, the clone in front of her backed off onto another platform.
Lylas himself hopped back into the fray. Vrela didn't have time to recover, being assaulted again immediately. It was clear that Lylas was wearing down, but...as long as he could keep her attention split, she could be hit. The two clones once again passed by, trying to make a slice. This time, Vrela anticipated it, and turned to block both the hits with her shield. The barrier of light blocked Lylas's next swing, but he knew it was coming as well. Lylas ducked under and shuffled to where Vrela was now facing, the side where she just blocked the two other clones.
Lylas threw his left dagger in the air, and grabbed a hold of Vrela's shield with his left hand. She wouldn't let go though, and Lylas could tell she was much physically stronger than him. So, he held himself up on her shield, and started trying to reach over her shield to stab her. The light barrier went to her front and blocked his stabs, which meant she was wide open for the next attack...
The clone following Lylas's actions jumped in on what little space was left, and started slicing at Vrela's back. Without her shield, and that barrier, Vrela started to get cut deep by the clone's attack. Slice after slice, Vrela had enough. Her barrier moved to her back, and Lylas managed to stab her in the shoulder while still hanging on to her shield. But, Vrela lifted her shield above her head, lifting Lylas with it, and slammed it onto the pillar below her feet. Lylas gasped and coughed up blood as the wind was knocked out of him and his ribs were crushed. Immense pain suddenly took over his body around his midsection as he let go of the shield. Vrela turned to face the clone, and shield bashed it off the pillar, causing it to fall to the ground below.
One of the clones passed by, and snagged Lylas off the pillar to safety on a different platform. Being shouldered by the clone, Lylas panted and gasped for air.
"Aight! Let's-..." Lylas felt his entire body get weak. The clone beside him slowly faded out, and his platforms all dissipated as well. The sound of knives falling and hitting the ground told Lylas exactly what was happening. Soon enough, his own platform below his feet gave out, and he started free-falling to the ground.
However, Vrela lowered her pillar quickly down to the ground. She then ran and jumped up to catch Lylas before he hit the ground. Holding him in her arms, Lylas didn't even seem to react to her helping him. As she landed on her feet, Vrela tried to help Lylas stand up. With shaky legs, his body was supported by her strength. He let out a weak laugh.
"Okay...you win..." Lylas weakly took his arm off of her shoulder, and slowly walked to his side of the arena.
"I had fun." Vrela kept looking at him, smiling as she did.
"Me too..." Lylas shook his head and smiled as he hopped off the stage and sat himself down in one of the seats.
"Lylas Tynto has forfeited!...Vrela Lakentos wins!..." Dulis yelled out to the coliseum. Cheers erupted in usual fashion.
As Lylas rested on the seat, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He figured it out all too late. But even through it all, he still smiled. The rest of his classmates looked at him and gathered around. They looked to him...as the last possible fight of this tournament remained...