Have you ever been absolutely sure I that you were about to die? Well, that’s where you’re finding me right now. Here I stood staring down a massive cyclops. I’ll also mention this particular cyclops was furious at me. He gripped his club just as hard as I gripped my wand. It was clear he was hell bent on smashing me into a thick paste right where I stood. It was only a few moments earlier that I’d done the most idiotic thing.

The most idiotic thing i’d done today, I mean.

I’d been doing a series of idiotic things recently. It started with accepting an invitation to play a game from a sketchy old man and it had now culminated with me allowing myself into an arena with a cyclops I’d insulted armed only with a wand and not a single offensive spell in my repertoire.

“Uhhh Nice cyclops… Please no smashy. I’m sorry for what I said about your smell.” I said meekly, my hands up defensively. The creature started a low growl from somewhere deep in its throat. It began to pace around the edge of the arena.

“I’m going to suck the marrow from your bones, young Magi.” The Cyclops said bearing it’s decaying yellow teeth at me. I was honestly surprised it spoke back with such a clear sentence.

I turned to face the man standing behind me. The Teacher that invited me. He rested himself up against the bars of the gate, lounging and looking unfazed.

“What the hell is marrow? Do I need that?” I whispered to him. He smirked back at me and shrugged.

“I guess we’ll find out.” He said back.

“What would I do? I haven’t learned a single spell!” I pleaded.

“Just wing it. I’ve been doing it for years.” He said. I stared back at him in disbelief.

“You told me you were a teacher here.” I said.

“I never said I teach magic. Just that I was a teacher at a school for magic.” He shrugged sheepishly. My anger was beginning to boil.

“So what do you teach?!” I said. The whole time I was making sure I kept one eye on the cyclops if he made a move. He was still pacing and it looked like he might even be amused by my bickering.

“Literature.”

“BOOKS?” I yelled. “What am I meant to do? Read him a poem?” I saw the swing of the club out of the corner of my eye and ducked. I felt the wind rush past me as it narrowly missed decapitating me. I rolled away and took up fighting stance. My wand was raised pointing at the cyclops. I was secretly hoping they hadn’t heard I didn’t know how to use it. It looked back at me and smiled.

“Well, It looks like you do have some fight in you! Good.” It stood in a ready stance, club raised like a he was a baseballer up to bat. “Cast your pathetic spells. I’m ready.” I looked at my wand in my hand and then quickly at the teacher. He gave me a thumbs up sign and I narrowed my eyes at him in mild disgust. I decided something in that moment. I was going to absolutely throttle that man if I made it out of here.

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Okay. I can do this. I’ve seen the others before me use their wands. It can’t be that hard.

“Just wing it…” I said. Screw it, I’ve got no better ideas. I thought about the spell I wanted. Visualized myself casting it. I felt something warm welling within me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on that warmth and felt it move along my chest and down my arm. It moved to my palm and fingers that touched my wand. Then, with a swift flick of my wrist, I released it. A bolt of blue fire erupted from the tip and shot quickly at the cyclops. It also caused the wand to superheat and I dropped it as it scorched the skin on my hand. The act of me dropping the wand caused it to shoot off course. Instead of hitting the cyclops square in the chest it went wide and hit the wall beside his head. I shook off my burnt hand. I could feel it throbbing with pain. I quickly scrambled and reached down to test the heat of the wand. I was a bit confused why a wooden wand had burnt my hand like a hot metal pan handle, but I needed this if I wanted to have any chance to survive. I had to grab it and quickly tumble forward in a roll as the Cyclops swung again. I felt that rush of wind pass dangerously close again. The force behind that must have been incredible to push that much wind around. His club collided with the wall and got stuck about a foot deep. The cyclops grunted as he pulled on it and it didn’t come out immediately. He tugged again even harder and it finally came free. A plan began to form a little. If I could get this just right, I might have a small sliver of a chance. I turned and ran for the opposite side of the arena. I slid in the sand and turned around with my back pressed to the wall.

“Hey Big fella! Come do your worst! Can’t be nastier than your breath!” I yelled at him. The Cyclops turned and I couldn’t see a smirk on anymore. His face was a shade of deep purple and scrunched up with fury. He snorted and kicked sand behind him like a raging bull. Then he lived up to the likeness and ran at me with his club trailing behind him. It used the momentum to swing it’s club hard and with a split second left before it connected I dropped down. I felt the heavy thud of the club embedding itself deeply into the wall. This was exactly what I had hoped for. The cyclops tugged with both arms trying to free the weapon, but it wouldn’t budge. I didn’t wait for him to pull a second time. I was already moving as fast as I could. I quickly jumped up and landed on his bulky arm. It was about the size and thickness of old oak tree. I ran along it and felt that warmth again moving down my wand arm. I reached the cyclops shoulder intending to jump onto it’s head. I pivoted as one of it’s meaty hands swung to try and swat me. Instead of landing on the back of it’s head I was now on the front. I didn’t waste a moment. I punched my wand directly into the bulbous yellow eye of the cyclops with a squelch and released another bolt of fire from it. The creature’s head exploded and I was flung backward landing in the sand below. All the wind was knocked out of me and I saw black spots floating in my vision. I was also keenly aware that I was covered in cyclops gore. I slowly sat up. I could hear the murmuring of the crowd of students now. I’d been mostly ignoring their presence during the battle with the creature. I turned to face the gate which was now opened and the teacher was making their way in cautiously. He took a moment and paused to kick the body. It didn’t react and he seemed satisfied with that outcome enough to fully move inside. He kneeled down to eye level with and placed a gloved hand on my shoulder. He smiled and this would be the moment where he might say something something witty or profound to cap off the moment. Instead, I punched him in his perfectly square jaw. He sprawled into a heap and I could hear the audible gasp from the students. I thought I heard one of them laugh, a small high pitched giggle. I stood and rested my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath.

This was definitely not what I had signed up for. I, August Adams, was in for a hell of a first year of magic school.