“Mages Thorne and Wakefield, I am going to have you go second. I have a sense that we’ll see quite the show if we let those two go first.” Motioning for them to join him, they made their way to the raised dais that sat overlooking the room. It would allow them full viewing of the field, while still managing to keep them out of whatever transpired below.
Exchanging glances, Cedric grinned at Q in excitement. Q, for his part, still felt guilty after his earlier comments, wasn’t feeling his usual enthusiasm for a fight. “We need restrictions. I’m not going all out, definitely not after this morning. And we have half a day’s worth of classes left. Who knows what they are going to have us do.”
“Fine, fine. No steel orbs. You know I hate having to defend against those.” With another grin, he added, “They are exhausting, and like you said, we still have several hours’ worth of classes to get through.”
Each field held a pair of rings located on opposite sides of the room, meant to indicate starting positions inside the rings .
Burns waited until both young men were in their places before calling out, “This is a practice bout meant to showcase your current fighting abilities. Keep your attacks non-lethal. We have Healing available, but it can not bring back the dead. When I give the signal, you may start.”
“Begin!”
Having dueled Q as many times as he had, Cedric was already shifting his forearms, covering them in heat-resistant scales, when Burns’ voice rang out. Sprinting forward, feet shifting, and leaving his boots lying in the starting circle. The angle of his legs changed as the bones took on a backward bend, a form he’d copied from quick footed animals for the additional movement and agility they granted.
Q was a tough bastard to fight, even limiting his ranged capabilities to just Elemental magic.
The pact dirt in front of Cedric rose up in an attempt to trip him. He leapt over the obstruction when a strong blast of wind caught him in the chest. Forcing him to reorient in mid-air, managing to land back on his feet like a cat. He hurled himself to the side just in time, the ground churning violently where he’d been only moments before. Panting, he glared across the field to where Q still stood in his starting circle, a small smile on his face.
Asshole!
A byproduct of all the time the two of them spent completing obstacle courses gave Q a healthy appreciation for the impact that difficult terrain could have on a fight. It was an aspect of his Elemental gift that he ruthlessly utilized. Turning the battlefield into his own trap field, forcing his opponents to become distrustful of the ground beneath their feet, and proving to be a successful tactic, psychologically.
Need had forced Cedric to adapt, and to use his magic in a way not even his mother had thought to try.
Dodging a thrown fireball, he took off, heading straight for Q, and was ready when the ground before him started to shift. Knowing Q would time it for when he had no other option but to jump, he did so. Creating a plane of telekinetic force right where his left foot would be coming down after his leap.
It had taken him months of practice and repeated failures to accurately and instinctively judge where he needed to place each force plane. It was something he could only do once. Currently, the mental gymnastics needed to plan a second step were too difficult for him to manage.
Now, the trick was to keep Q guessing at where he would touch back down. Regardless of his friend stepping in it earlier with Helena and Izzy, he knew Q would want to put on a good showing just as much as Cedric did and would struggle to hold back. Unfortunately for Cedric, his opponent was just as good up close as he was at a distance.
Instructor Burns stared, open-mouthed, as he watched Mage Vaelmara leap off of an invisible platform, completely changing directions to avoid a third fireball from Mage Valtieri.
“How did he do that?” Whispered Izzy, loud enough for Burns to overhear with his boosted hearing.
“Physical manifestation of telekinetic force.” He responded absentmindedly as he thought over the implications. “Son of the Mind Witch, indeed.”
“I hope you do not expect to see—that, from us,” Izzy commented dryly as they watched the utter nonsense continue below them.
Q struggled not to smile as he listened in on the discussion coming from above, thanks to his augmented ears. He watched as Cedrick quickly closed the distance.
Rolling his shoulders, Q prepared himself mentally, exhaling, and releasing some of the tension locking up his muscles. He was going to need their full use if he was going to fight his friend hand-to-hand. The years Cedric had been learning from Q, had improved his abilities by leaps and bounds. But in a straight fight, Q could still manage to stand toe-to-toe with his friend, even in this larger and stronger form.
If only just, Q admitted to himself. The gap in their skills was shrinking with each passing day as Q continued to train him, and Cedric’s ability to move in his shifted forms was constantly improving.
I am going to need to find a way to get faster, he told himself as he watched Cedric’s body shift once more. Growing larger and thicker in the shoulders, the changes working their way down his arms as they grew in length. His skin darkened in color, going from red-tinted scales to a grey, pebbled, and leathery texture. Q knew the nails on each hand would be elongating, and his opponent’s feet would be turning into hooves to improve his ability to build traction and better support his increase in weight. With the whole picture formed, it was a rather terrifying sight to behold.
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Towering over Q now, Cedric created an imposing figure. One that was quickly bearing down on him.
Stepping out of the starting circle for the first time since the duel began. Q dashed forward, pushing energy through his muscles and enhancing his speed.
Shifting to the side, he dodged Cedric’s Initial charge. Launching himself into the air, his return strike being blocked by an overly muscled high guard. Blow after blow, the two exchanged strikes. Q using his opponent’s height and bulk against him where he could and avoiding it where he couldn’t. Cedric’s defenses had reached the point that Q was unable to deal any meaningful damage with his bare hands, even with the hammer blow-like strikes his Gift enhanced strength brought to bear. Forcing Q to either get creative, or start wearing down his opponent’s enhanced endurance.
He ducked under a strong hook and stepped to his left. Intending to get around his friend’s guard and respond with another blow to the kidney. He was instead met with a solid, invisible wall that put a stop to his smooth transition outside of Cedric’s striking range. Reacting on instinct, Q pushed off the hidden obstacle and let loose a blast of air at the ground beneath his feet. Propelling himself clear of the area in a moment of uncontrolled flight. Corkscrewing through the air, Q landed gracelessly a dozen feet away. Rolling to his feet, he grinned at his opponent.
“Telekinetic barrier walling me off? You finally got that to work?”
Cedric’s grin was answer enough, his jutting lower jaw and enlarged canines protruding menacingly over his upper lip.
“Well done, my friend. That nearly had me.”
With no more interest in talking, the two rushed forward once more. Q, forgetting all about those watching from above, was too excited to see how this new variable would change the fight.
*****
Q inevitably ended their duel by trapping Cedric’s foot in stone for just long enough that Q was able to condense water from the surrounding air. Pulling the heat from it and forming a blade of ice that he held just before his opponent’s wide eye.
Burns called the fight to an end, requesting that they join him up on the dais. Not saying a word about their duel, he just motioned for the next pair to take their positions below.
When Burns called the duel to a start, it was with the hungry gazes of Q and Cedric watching from above. What followed was to them, a rather boring and straightforward exchange of Elemental magic against Mental defense, only lasting long enough for Izzy to get close enough to disable Helena physically, Pinning her arms until her opponent called out her surrender.
Cedric gave voice to Q’s own thoughts. “That was rather… basic?” Saying it quietly in an effort to not be overheard by their fellow mages.
Burns snorted, giving the younger man a side-eye. “That,” he said with emphasis. “Is exactly what I would expect to see from a pair of first years, in what for many, is their first magical duel.”
Q spoke up, objecting, “Surely, other mages teach their family members magic once their gift manifests.”
Nodding, Burns explained, “Of course they do, but it is more piecemeal advice and suggestions on things to try for most. Sure, some of the older families have special techniques, but they aren’t going to teach them to a new mage until after they leave the academy. They wouldn’t want to risk an instructor piecing together how their special casting is done.” The venom in his tone ringing through clearly. Pausing for a moment to collect himself, he continued, “I can tell that you two likely spent hours each day training under supervision. Do not take what I am saying as a rebuke. We are each born with advantages in life, and you have obviously put in the effort and not chosen to waste yours. But, your expectations of your fellow students needs adjusting, if what you just witnessed was a surprise to you.”
He stopped to give the young men beside him a long look. “I only thought it in passing earlier, but we may want to consider speaking with the Headmistress about testing you two out of your first year. It hasn’t been done in decades, most students would rather spend the full two years at the Academy before their service to the Core begins, but based on what I just saw, I can’t imagine you will learn much as a first-year. “Turning back to face the approaching ladies, he added, “Either way, while I am your instructor, I will lean on the two of you often to help teach your fellow students. You may be surprised by how much you can benefit from it yourselves.”
Extending a hand, he stopped Izzy and Helena at the foot of the stairs, proclaiming, ”Well done, Mage Thorne, Mage Wakefield. We have time for a short debrief before you all split into your afternoon courses.”
Just before descending the stairs, Burns hesitated, casting a glance back over his shoulder. “If you two are willing to take my advice on such a short acquaintance, you may not want to advertise your abilities to such an extent with the other instructors. Doing so may paint an unnecessary target on your backs.”
Seated on the main floor in a circle surrounding Instructor Burns, he gave the ladies encouraging feedback, telling them that their duel was exactly what he hoped to see for incoming first-years. His words fell somewhat flat after watching Q and Cedric battle it out, but his warm and sincere smile let his intentions shine through, regardless.
From there, the conversation moved on to the remainder of the day’s schedule. They would be separating for the next three hours for specialized training in their individual schools of magic. The curriculum was not built for the four hours of magic study it would require to cover all of Q’s Gifts, but Burns planned to solve that issue by training Q in mind magic personally after dinner each evening. It would extend his day by a full hour—but he couldn’t complain, not knowing the man was sacrificing an hour of his own time to do it.
Once that last block of training was over, the rest of the evening would be his own to self-study, practice, and relax. All-in-all, their schedules wouldn't be much different from how Q and Cedric spent their days before coming to the academy. The largest difference being the addition of Izzy and Helena. Who’d remained quiet since they’d watched the boys dual. Asking questions periodically, but keeping to themselves, much like they had when first introduced.
Burns directed each of them on where they needed to go to attend their next class. Before dismissing them with a parting request for Cedric to join Q in their Mental training after dinner that night.
Rising to his feet, Q watched as Izzy and Helena made their way quickly toward the door without a word of farewell. The sight left him feeling… off, he thought. This place isn’t what I’d hoped it’d be. He was having a hard time putting an emotion to how he felt right at that moment. The excitement of his next class, this one dedicated to the use of, and not just the theory behind each Gift. Was tempered by the warning Burns gave regarding their expectations, it left him feeling a bit hollow. The anticipation he’d carried for months, imagining grand displays of magic, now felt strangely hollow.