The rune activated, pulling me through to a sandy area with dense foliage. The ground beneath my feet felt soft and slightly spongy. The air was heavy, but warm. Sweat was already forming on my brow and my eyes and throat felt dry.

It was quiet except for the faint rustling of leaves on branches and a strange chirping. None of the magisters, drawn in beside me, were present now. It was just me and Valentina and a whole bunch of trees.

The chirping grew louder, closer until I began to see the source moving along the ground in a small cloud of dust.

What looked like a ball of needles the size of my head rolled up to a stop at the base of a tree. After it came to rest, it unrolled, standing on four spindly legs, and turning in place. Its small red eyes glared in at me and its mouth, a gaping hole in a little round body, opened and shut in an endless fit of chirps.

I backed up, slowly putting more distance between us, but not taking my eyes off the odd little creature.

The needle ball hopped closer, bouncing up and down with its legs, chirping constantly like it was trying to annoy me to death.

It froze in place for a moment, its little head twitching to one side and its chirping began to slow—but didn’t stop—as if it were listening for something, or maybe thinking. Then it turned and charged back to the tree and rolled itself back into a ball.

It rolled in a large circle around me, like it was marking territory or something. Then, standing up, it looked around before starting to chirp again.

I almost relaxed until another ball rolled over. It rolled into the circle, bumping the first, then both hopped up and down several times chirping excitedly. The chirps were more urgent now, faster.

They began to roll about together in circles around each other, and around me.

Whatever was going on, it was strange.

Soon several more needle balls joined them, making the ground seem to shake with the vibrations of their tiny legs as they all bounced about in a synchronized frenzy.

A needle ball darted forward, rolling straight at my legs. I moved to the left. Then another came from behind, rolling at me in a blur of motion. I jumped backwards, over it, then shuffled forward as a third came at me from the right. They were everywhere and growing in number with each second.

My mind was racing. I was on the brink of panic, but then I remembered a spell that would be perfect for dealing with them. I touched Valentina as the little spiky balls gathered together for another frantic chirpy dance and waited for the right moment.

As one, the creatures turned to face me, hopping up and down on their tiny little feet with their sharp little bodies thrusting about. Letting out a hurried series of aggressive sounding chirps, they rolled into balls, spreading out and heading toward me.

It’s time!

“Break!” I commanded, watching with satisfaction as the ground split apart beneath them. In an instant the whole group fell through a wide fissure.

Their spiky bodies bounced and skidded across the walls but they couldn’t get a grip or roll out.

The ground trembled as the crevice began to close again. The needle balls, still alive, continued their descent until the walls squeezed together and their chips came to an abrupt halt.

“That, was unexpected…” I said looking around for another magister. As far as I knew, break only opened fissures, it didn’t close them.

When I didn't see anyone else I wondered if this arena was set to maintain its original state and prevent any terrain changing effects from being permanent.

Valentina personified beside me, saying, “We should find somewhere to hide.”

She was already in motion before I nodded my agreement and followed after her.

The jungle was thick. Vines and trees hung everywhere, making the already heavy air feel even heavier and hotter.

With Valentina taking point, we waded through the overgrowth. She moved ahead easily, reverting and floating past any obstacles in her way. I, however, was not as adept in my environment. My feet were constantly caught up in shallow tree roots and my arms snagged constantly on dangling vines.

Val stopped when we came to a clearing that opened to a distant wall of trees with a river cutting through it. Personified, she held a finger to her mouth and the other hand she held up to signal me to stop.

She whispered, “Look.”

I saw nothing but low shrubs, swaying trees and the river. Everything looked perfectly at peace, like a photo that had been taken and captured for an eternity. But Val stayed still, so I held my breath and waited, listening intently for any signs of life.

All I could hear were my own footsteps as I crept toward her, and my own breathing, which sounded unnaturally loud in the serene quiet. That’s when I realized it was too quiet, the river too still, and there was no chirping of bugs or animals of any kind.

Then a magister from the waiting hall burst from the brush. Rushing across the clearing, he fled as a couple of slash claw raptors, chasing after him, stopped at the edge of the trees.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

When he reached about the middle of the clearing, he slowed to a stop, panting and turning back with a smile. “Whoo!” He hooted, throwing up both middle fingers. “You suckas scared of a little open air?” He pulled out his spell tome. “Well fuck you! How about…OH, YEAH, this one’ll do.” The man cleared his throat then began reading. “Mother of the heavens, cast your gaze upon us and deliver your righteous—urhk”

A long barb burst through his chest, spraying red mist on the green scene. It pulled him back as he struggled against it, his words trailing off in a gurgling gasp as blood seeped down from the corners of his mouth.

The raptors stalked back into the forest as a massive maneater raised its leaf covered head above the ground. Its jagged jaws opened slowly with a splintering pop and moaning creak. A sickening squelch and crunch sounded as it slid its barb back out of the man, removing his spine along with the barb.

With a thud, the man landed at the base of its neck and the carnivorous plant beast began to chew on its catch.

A low whistle from the other side of the clearing snapped my head to attention. Another magister, a woman this time, stepped out of the jungle with a book in one hand. She wore a skintight blue and green suit, almost like the black and gray battle suits worn by Society mages. However, her outfit had no markings, and it seemed too stiff and rigid for effective combat.

I tensed at the woman's presence and the sound of her whistle. “Val, can you…” I whispered but stopped short when she shook her head.

She whispered, “She’s too far, and we don’t know if she can fight or not. It’s too big a risk.”

“Yeah… you’re right.” I had been so excited about our new marital skills that I’d almost forgotten the first lesson professor Kaylastal taught me. Overconfidence leads to a swift death. I took a deep breath, focusing my mind, then watched to see what the woman would do.

She raised her tome, chanting, “Scorch the ground with my fury, Mako, go forth!”

A dozen little wisps of fire flew up from the open page, swarming together to form a beast of fire. With hungry glowing eyes the creature stepped forward, letting its flames spread across the field. It raised its head howling as the female magister climbed up a nearby tree. The beast set it focus on the maneater, and the two charged toward each other.

“Fuck,” I pulled Valentina back into the trees. “There’s no way we’re getting across here now. We may as well go back.”

Valentina pulled away. “This match, it’s last man standing right?”

I nodded. “That’s what they said.”

“And we have to win.” She gave me a long hard stare, waiting until I nodded before continuing. “The river's not too wide, and those beasts are pretty evenly matched.” She looked over her shoulder. “If we’re quick, we could run across. Then I can—”

“No! Val—just—no!” I growled as I grabbed her arm and pulled her further from the clearing. “We aren’t killing anyone.”

She let out a breath, looking back over her shoulder. Then she smiled, nodding as if she agreed.

I knew she didn’t really, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t ready to be responsible for anyone’s death. I already felt guilty enough about Seth. Besides, she was just a spell tome. I liked her suggestions when they were useful, but she shouldn’t have been making them at all.

We went back through the forest and followed a narrow path until it brought us to a beach. The water was calm and as vast as the ocean. Wherever we were, I didn’t think I’d find a way home without participating in the duel, but there had to be some other way besides killing.

As we passed a large spot of overgrown brush, I noticed a cave just barely visible in the rock face behind the brush.“There,” I said, pointing it out to Valentina. “We hide there, and we come up with a plan.”

She nodded and followed me inside.

The cave was wide but the ceiling was low and sloped sharply. Still, there was enough room to sit and with only one way in or out, we could be sure no one would sneak up on us.

After a few moments, I was finally able to relax enough to breathe easier, but when Valentina started to pace around I found it impossible to get comfortable again.

She sat beside me huffing, saying, “Dex, it's just—I know you don't want to kill anyone, but if it comes down to them or you, then you have to understand that—that...well—I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”

Wrapping an arm around her, I pulled her close. She stiffened at the first touch, but as soon as she was in my embrace, I could feel the tension leaving her body.

I felt more comfortable holding her, and less afraid too. I leaned my head against hers, feeling her soft hair on my cheek and sighed. I'd almost forgotten about the tournament, just enjoying the feeling of holding her in my arms. I breathed deep and felt like everything would be alright if only I had Valentina beside me.

She shifted, looking up at me. “Dexter, you’ll choose you right?”

I didn’t know how to answer. I definitely didn’t want to kill anyone, but I wasn’t ready to die either. The truth was, I didn’t know what I would do.

When I didn't reply, Val got up and moved away. She said, “You can strive for your ideals, but you might eventually have to make a choice.”

The way she looked at me reminded me of how mom always looked right before scolding me for something. Then her tone and expression softened as she said, “But for now… I guess we can stick to your ideals.”

“Thanks, Val.”

We discussed for a while about how to win, eventually realizing that there was a very simple solution. Then we rested until the sun dropped in the sky, casting dark shadows across the beach.

----------------------------------------

“I wonder how many are left.” I said as we stepped out from behind the brush.

Val just shrugged and we made our way along the shore until we spotted a fire burning in the distance. We approached, carefully sticking to the shadows and stepping around a wall of pointed rocks. It looked like someone had built what looked like a small fort. The smell of various roasted meats, and blood wafted over the walls, making me salivate.

Keep it together Dex, I reminded myself.

I had to be ready and stay focused in case things came down to a fight. When we reached a corner, I paused and took a shallow breath before peering around the edge.

I could see the camp entrance. No one was guarding it, but several heads mounted on spits made me pull back and retch. I hadn’t heard so much as a whisper from inside the walls, but I tried to be quiet anyway. My stomach squeezed in on itself, forcing a bit of bile up my throat. The bitter acid stung the back of my throat then wet the dirt at my feet.

When I looked again, a man walked into view carrying another head by the hair. It was the woman I’d seen battling the maneater. As her head dangled in his hands, her eyes met mine with the same surprise I felt seeing her like that. A shiver jolted me back away from the wall.

The man, probably hearing my steps, jerked to look in my direction, knocking the woman’s face against the wall as he moved.

His mouth turned up in a sneer as he sized me up. He tossed the woman's head aside, then called, “Boy’s we got a—”

A sound like a dull thud followed by a sharp crack, cut off his words. His neck snapped to the side, then his body crumpled under him. Valentina stood frowning behind him, her dark eyes seeming to apologize as they found mine staring in disbelief.

She glanced to her right, into the camp, then horror painted her features.