“Bone density,” he muttered, staring at the notification. He would’ve liked to say he couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about the attribute but that would’ve been a lie. Bone density was the most passive attribute he could think of. It was like a person having a stronger heart than other people. It was powerful but not necessarily noticeable. The major part it played for him was making sure some of the attacks he took didn’t mutilate him.
Now that he thought about it, it was perhaps his second most important attribute. [Regenerate] made sure no injury remained and [Bone Density] made sure no injury was fatal.
Except that one time, he mused, his mind going back to Madam Shaggy’s party. In hindsight, perhaps he really would’ve died if he hadn’t had [Bone Density]. If memory served him right, a lot of mages had been dying to single shots that evening. Perhaps—
The door to the training room opened and Chris walked in. It pulled him from his thoughts, brought him to the present and what was required of him. He turned his entire attention to her and could feel his joviality slipping. Since getting his memory back, his joviality was becoming are far more difficult mask to put on around Chris. He wouldn’t say he hated her, but if there was a list of his favorite people from best friend to least favorite person in the world, she wouldn’t make the list.
“Alright, Bloodbath,” Chris said, walking up to him, “no axe today so it might be a bit of a struggle for you.”
“Tomahawk.”
Chris’ brows furrowed. “What?”
“You’re talking about a Tomahawk, not an axe. But then again,” Zed placed a thoughtful finger to his lips, his mind going to [Titan’s Axe], “I did get a new axe recently. I wonder how well that one works.”
“Would you like to go get your axe?” Chris teased. “It might give you a better chance.”
Zed paused. Her words froze him in place, stopped him. There was a single aspect of Chris he didn’t understand; hadn’t understood. She was mean. He knew this. But ever since that moment when she’d been more than determined to inform him of how much she really didn’t like him, the moment before Abed had turned on them, she’d taken a turn for specifically cruel.
“Why?” he murmured.
Chris looked at him, puzzled. “Why?” she asked. “What do you mean ‘why?’ Won’t you like to win?”
“No, not that. I meant…” Zed allowed his words trail off, realizing he hadn’t even intended on asking the question.
He shook himself free of his thoughts. Wondering why Chris was the way she was seemed like a waste of time.
“Alright, love, let’s get this over with.”
Chris scowled. “Why the hell do you keep calling me love?”
Zed met her glare with an empty gaze, watched her. He would have to spar with her but he knew just as much as he knew she did that this wasn’t going to be a spar. Spars did not exist between people like the both of them.
A voice filled the room suddenly.
“Are you ready?”
Chris started at the sound, shaken from her staring. Zed smiled at this mischievously.
“It’s the eyes, isn’t it?” he said as he turned away and increased the distance between them.
Chris shook out her hands. “I’ll wipe that smirk off your face.”
Zed took a combat stance, a boxer’s stance, one of the variations Ivan had thought him. “You’ll have fun trying.”
Chris hands remained held out beside her. Purple lightening crackled between her fingers as she waited for the call that would begin their spar.
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The sparks grew, slow and purposeful. They spread up her fingers so that they crackled through the skin of her entire hand.
Once again, Zed marveled at the beauty of magic, forgetting for a moment just how deadly it was about to be with him in this moment.
“Begin!”
The word suffused the room. Chris’ hands came up, her lips moving in silent incantations, birthing spellforms.
Zed reacted quickly. A single hand came up and he cast a rune. It came alive without thought. His fingers moved as he cast it but everything happened so fast it might as well not have. In one moment, he was thinking of the rune, and in the same moment it was activating.
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* You have cast basic rune [Force].
* Basic rune [Force] has applied effect [Kickback]
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A blast of force aura shot out of Zed’s hand. It scaled through the distance, a striking serpent going after its prey. It clashed with a crackle of lightning, scorched the air where they met.
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* Basic rune [Force] has applied effect [Kickback] on spellform [Lightning].
* Spellform [Lightning] has applied effect [Electrocute] on basic rune [Force].
* [Kickback] has negated effect [Electrocute].
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Zed ignored the notification, cast it aside to a place where it served in a world of the unaware. Chris was already on the move, and so was he.
She conjured a spellform, it whiskered through her entire hand, limited from spreading farther. Zed kept his attention primed as he moved. Whatever spellform she was about to cast was one he didn’t know and couldn’t guess at, but that was her strength: her versatility. He had said he could learn from facing her and he had meant it.
He primed [Force Shield], held it in his mind just in case he needed it. He split his attention twice, held [Flame] in the other like a warrior holds a sword and a shield. He had no idea what she would cast next, but with a limited arsenal of his own, he was hoping he would be fast enough to take it.
Both of them had run sideways, flanking each other in their pacing. They were yet to meet, hesitant even. Zed knew that victory for him laid in the world of close combat. He would take whatever blows she would have to offer, depend on his endurance to keep standing even as he took them. To win against her, he would need a solid hit, one with the weight of the world behind it.
If only I knew how exactly I beat Abed.
As if judging his uncertainty, Chris cast another spellform. Her lips moved, quick as a whip. Whatever spell she was casting was improvised. It would not carry its entire weight, but at Rukh rank, whatever weight it would carry would hit Zed hard. He knew this and brought [Force Shield] to the fore of his mind, braced himself with it.
Chris’ hand shot forward. With a flick of the wrist she sent her spell flying. It cascaded through the air, bolts of purple orbs streaking through.
Zed’s mind interpreted them to be gravity spells. Their purpose, however, was something he couldn’t guess at. Could [Force Shield] intercept them. Perhaps dodging was the best course of action. He staggered in his steps, backtracked like a basketballer on a dribble.
“Oh no you don’t,” Chris smirked. Her hands moved again and the orbs fanned out. Then they doubled.
They would be no avoiding them. At least not easily.
But Zed wasn’t one to be discouraged, at least not now. [Force Shield] still primed in his mind, he met the orbs in a daring challenge. His feet moved across the ground beneath him, danced and swayed, took him through a waltz of avoidance. He made his way through them, weaving and ducking, his attention split so that Chris was ever in his periphery.
When she disappeared from his view, orbs still encircling him, Zed panicked. He discarded cautious planning and went on the defense. This was not a spar in which Chris would take it easy on him. She would toy with him—being the kind of person she was—but taking it easy on him would not be in the books.
He cast his rune, refusing to ponder on where she was. It came alive in a soft touch of purple.
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* You have cast basic rune [Force Shield].
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Zed pulled his hand close to his body, drew the shimmering shield of purple flush against his body. A purple orb glanced against the shield. It left a soft ripple in it as well as a notification.
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* Basic rune [Force Shield] has applied effect [Deflect] on spell [Rising Orb].
* Effect [Deflect] does not take effect.
* Spell [Rising Orb] has applied effect [Lift] on Basic rune [Force Shield]
* You do not have sufficient [Wil]
* [Lift] takes effect.
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Zed’s jaw tightened as he felt his shield move away from his body. He fought to hold it in place, keep its protection. He failed. It pulled away from him like a vengeful god takes their blessing.
His mind battled between holding it and simply releasing the rune when Chris appeared as if from nowhere.
She was ducked low, behind him with a fist primed for an attack, a smug smile on her face. Zed was more than eager to wipe the smile clean. She threw the punch and his second hand shot out. It stopped right in her face.
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* You have cast basic rune [Force].
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