As a teacher, Donovan couldn’t give me all of his free time, but he did keep a private box available for me at all times.
I went there every chance I got over the next week to train and practice. In between lessons and after hours, I spent most of my time dodging, weaving and countering blows, or striking and getting struck by an automated practice dummy.
Donovan only came to supervise for two days out of the week, but after those two days I saw improvements in myself I could never have imagined.
Kayla had apparently been training Valentina in combat as well; although, as a spell tome, she could do things that were impossible for me. For instance, she could become a ball of light and cross a forty meter field in a matter of seconds, then strike immediately as she personified either in front or behind her foe.
In the third week, when the professor arrived at our private box, he seemed especially agitated. He didn't give us time to prepare.
Donning an intense expression he looked directly at me, then glanced over to Valentina, who sat by the river talking to Kayla.
“Hey,” he said, nodding at me.
I nodded back.
Donovan scrunched up his face and shook his head like he was trying to shake off a fly. Looking sternly at me, he said. “You haven’t done any duels since we started this.”
I nodded again.
The professor's face hardened even further as he added. “The point of this is so you can fight without exposing your secrets and also so Valentina can keep progressing. It’s useless if you just keep training. Besides, training and real fights are different.” He turned to Valentina and nodded towards me.
She stood, coming over with Kayla and looking at me expectantly.
As soon as they were close, the professor said, “Today you’re going to go find a match and see how far your new skills can take you. Just like here, you won’t use any magic, but you should be fine.”
I took a deep breath and glanced at Valentina who gave a little nod, smiling like she was about to have a picnic in the park. She was happy to fight again, to start learning new spells. I still felt apprehensive, but I also knew Donovan was right. We wouldn’t make progress just by training here, we had to test ourselves, to see where we were lacking.
Valentina grabbed my arm as she said, “It'll be fun, let's do it!”
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It didn’t take long to find a duel. With my record being 0 - 2 most of the stronger magisters wouldn’t even look at me, but those with poor records saw me as an easy win and I had a dozen match requests within seconds of posting an open room.
Professor Kaylastal looked over the options and selected an opponent he felt would put up a challenge.
I knew next to nothing about the kid besides the fact he was heavily sculpted and had an even win loss record of 5 - 5. His name was Wane and his spell tome had the appearance of an old book with yellowing pages and a fraying leather cover. The professor seemed to know more, judging by the way he smiled and laughed when he saw the request.
Professor Kaylastal swiped over the screen, accepting the request and creating a time for the fight. It would take place in fifteen minutes.
I tried to ask him what he knew about the guy, but the professor only chuckled, shaking his head. “It wouldn't be fair for me to help you. I have to be impartial.”
My lips tightened at his comment, but he ignored me and went on. “Do your best, I’ll be watching with Kayla from the viewing hall. Oh, and Dexter, he doesn’t need to know how you can afford the box.”
I nodded my understanding.
He nodded back then tapped his wrist where a watch would normally be, indicating I had fifteen minutes to prepare.
With that, he flashed out, leaving Valentina and I alone.
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Wane appeared in a flash of light with both fists on his hips. He slowly looked up from the ground to meet my eyes, jerking his bright orange bangs out of his face at the last moment. His spell tome hung from a gold chain, tucked away inside his white studded jacket. He wore dark jeans that had holes in the knees and black sneakers with a golden strip across the toe.
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As he sized me up he rolled his eyes then laughed like a little goblin that just found a whole chest of points.
He pulled his tome from his jacket, shouting, “Clarence, bewilder my enemies and pave me a path to victory!”
I tried to stifle my laughter, but failed. Turning to Valentina, I asked, “Is this guy for real?”
She shrugged, dropping into a fighting stance that looked nothing like what the professor taught me, but her confidence had improved.
Putting a hand behind his back and bringing his feet together, Wane straightened himself like a soldier awaiting an inspection. His tome flipped open in his left hand while he read in a slow steady rhythm, as if reciting the words from a script. “The summer breeze kisses the fair maiden’s cheeks in the first bloom of morning. The gentle touch awakens the love inside her and he gives her his name: the man she will forever be enthralled to, for she cannot love another…”
I struggled to keep a straight face as I listened to his spell. I had waited long enough though. The duel had begun so I burst forward, closing the short distance between us in a single breath.
Wane continued with his incantation.
A gust of wind kicked up and spread across the entire field, bringing the scent of flowers, but also blowing me back. Valentina appeared behind Wane, kicking him in the back.
The attack connected, sending Wane stumbling forward with a startled cry. His spell tome snapped shut as his concentration broke. He spun, eyes wide, staring at Valentina in shock.
She knelt down, punching at his face, fast and hard, but Wane rolled aside, then scrambled to his feet. He looked from her to me, then he turned on his heel and bolted across the field, shouting,
“Clarence! Clarence! The maidens have turned into beasts, I need aid, I need aid now or we shall surely perish from this wickedness and deception!”
He was like all the elites I’d encountered before, used to comfort and unaccustomed to work—he was slow and I caught him easily, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him round.
“Please Clarence, heed me now, we shall be slain if you keep ignoring your master! I need to be defended, protected, from these hags that would do us harm, and—ahhhh! Get away from me you harpy, foul witch! Let go of me, let go of me, let go of me!”
It was surprisingly difficult to land a blow on his face as he squirmed and swatted at my hands. He also seemed to have an uncanny knack for stepping back as soon as I raised a fist.
Giving up on striking his face, I pulled him in while raising my knee to meet his chest. Wane cried out, falling over backward. His hand slipped off his tome as he dropped to the ground. The book hovered a few inches above him, as if caught by an unseen hand.
Flipping open, the tome settled on a spell and with a small, mouse-like voice, it said, “Master, this spell should prove useful in the current situation. Please cast it now.”
Clarence sounded like a girl, but now wasn’t the time to concern myself with the spell tome’s identity.
Valentina, in a ball of light, drifted to my side, whispering, “His spells are long, but maybe we should let him cast a few before we end the duel?”
I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow, then I took a step toward Wane and knelt on his chest. His eyes darted wildly back and forth from me to his spell tome, floating beside me. “Clarence, do something! I can not be defeated by this—this cur!”
I waited patiently.
“Yes, master…” the tomes pages flipped again. “…I believe this spell will be most useful now.”
“CLARENCE! Become flesh and defend me! NOW! Do something! This boy, he...he will not remove himself and I cannot fight properly like this, and...and—”
Rolling my eyes, I asked, “Just to confirm, you’ve no intention of casting another spell, is that right?”
Wane’s eyes widened in confusion as he tried to push me off.
Clearance personified, appearing as a small boy, four or five, with golden hair and white butlers suit.
He lifted a hand trying to move me, but it was like lifting a boulder for a child, his small arms barely budged my leg.
Wane, who was still struggling to breath under my knee, screamed at Clarence to stop wasting time and just fight, but the child gave him a helpless look before shrugging his shoulders and reverting.
Shaking my head, I punched Wane three times in the face, then he went limp, his eyes unfocused and his breathing ragged. A moment later, he vanished in a flash of light. I didn't feel any different as I stood. I felt a little sorry for Clarence. He was too pathetic to be cruel to.
I turned to Val as the professor and Kayla flashed in behind her. Donovan beamed as he came closer.
Valentina was grinning wide, but I felt disappointed.
“Why the hell did you choose him?” I asked.
He laughed, shrugging as he replied,
“Because he mocked me as I was coming here to meet you, and I wanted to watch you kick his ass.”
My jaw dropped as I said, “Really? Just because of that?”
He glared, then snapped, “Yes, but next time I’ll be sure to choose a real punishing opponent for you. Maybe you’ll be the one getting his ass kicked.” He then smiled at Valentina saying, “I see you two have been working hard.”
She nodded. “But I still have a lot to learn.”
“Yes, but these skills can only get you so far. It’s time I told you where you can go to practice magic and learn more spells faster. But first, how about we go eat somewhere? A little reward for your hard work.” He added.
Valentina giggled while my stomach growled.
“Sure,” I nodded. “I could go for a good dual horn steak.”