Sunlight scattered randomly on the ground as it was refracted through the clear crystal. Elias Erdingham examined the gem closely, admiring his handiwork. He tossed it in the air before catching it deftly and sliding it into a pouch inside his black mage's robes. A heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder. "You've outdone yourself this time, Elias. I'm confident it will take the other Emeralds at least a month before they figure that spell out."

Elias looked over at the source of the voice. Standing behind him was his brother, Donard. He was several inches taller than Elias and well-built, sporting a thick walnut-brown beard and a constant smile. Elias chuckled. "I'd be surprised if anyone lower than Ruby saw through this magic."

It was Donard's turn to laugh. "Seriously? Confidence is all well and good, but Ruby? We would both be dead in seconds if we went up against Rubies."

"I'm glad you have such strong faith in our abilities, oh humble man," Elias replied with a smile. The pair were ranked Emerald in the global listings, three spots away from the highest rank of Diamond and two from the second-highest, Ruby. Donard was right, however. The gap in power increased exponentially as they climbed the ranks. Ingenuity counted for a lot in the circuit matches, but it could only get them so far. Eventually the weight of skill and experience was too much to overcome with cleverness alone.

Donard took his hand off Elias' shoulder and stepped forward, readying the giant two-handed maul he favored so dearly. "Come on then, let's show the crowd how great our humility is!" Elias sighed at his brother's attempt at a joke and followed quickly behind. He ran a hand through his combed black hair and double-checked that all his spell crystals were in the right pockets.

His hearing was assaulted by the noise of the crowd as they stepped into the arena. Carved stone stands rose around the arena, seating a crowd of several thousand. Priests of the god Ectuse stood at the ready in various alcoves set into the arena walls, their Restorative magic sure to be needed. A layer of sand covered an otherwise-flat surface ahead, but that could change at any moment. Gem Circuit organizers were notorious for the joy they took in implementing traps and shifting terrain.

Just as he had the thought, walls of brown rock began to rise out of the floor and form into structures intended to provide some amount of initial complexity to the match. Occasionally some of these were illusions, but in this case Elias doubted that. Many Gem Fighters were known Creative magic users able to manifest and shape the natural elements of the world. Donard was one of them; he had a penchant for manipulating earth and rock with overwhelming force. Elias watched his smile grow at these developments.

A loud voice rang out throughout the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, the city of Julanport welcomes you to the first Emerald Circuit match of the day! The season is coming to a close and the stakes have never been higher! Don't forget to check in with clerks from Richter Betting Houses to make the most of your hard-earned silver. And now, to introduce your Gem Fighters for today!" Massive curtains moved into place to dim the sunlight and allow the two teams to be properly highlighted in beams of light magic.

"Hailing from the imperial province of Cerdin, let's hear a round of applause for the Erdingham brothers! Just four points away from qualifying for the promotion bracket, this intrepid pair take down their foes without hesitation. Combatants need to be wary of Elias' powerful Destructive magic, a rarity seldom found below Sapphire rank!" Elias smirked. If only they knew.

"Their opponents today are no less formidable! The Rell mage Orugir commands impressive control over his fire magic. He is surely blessed by the fire goddess Ignis! Relying on supernatural speed and strength to overpower her enemies, we have the half-elf warrior and Royal Vindicator-to-be, Enria of House Chensi!" Entering the area on the opposite end were the aforementioned pair. The Rell mage was cloaked in flowing black robes hemmed in glowing flame patterns. He swept them aside and brandished an ornate wooden staff tipped with multiple red gems as the crowd chanted his name. Beside him stood a slighter, feminine figure in elegant silver plate armor. No less popular than the fire wielder, she twirled her trident about in a clear display of skill and comfort with the weapon.

A feeling of trepidation flitted through Elias' body. Details of circuit match-ups were kept hidden from the combatants to ensure that their creativity and ability to react were showcased. But there were only so many potential teams to face, and Elias knew they had drawn the short straw this time. A human mage would have been little concern, but this was a Rell. Their dedication to their craft, physical might, and wings combined to make deadly warriors. And the mage was the less concerning of the two. Elias had seen Enria's prowess before. The announcer was selling her short; the young woman's speed could hardly be tracked without magical help.

"I'll distract Enria," Donard whispered. "Deal with Orugir quickly and we can take her down together."

Elias knew Donard was just looking out for him but went along with it. "Give me thirty seconds." He received a wink in reply.

"Contestants, take your place and prepare your starting spells!" Spellcasting was prohibited before the match began, and Gem Fighters were allowed to hold only two spell crystals at the start, one in each hand. Otherwise there were no rules regarding how many or what kind of spells one carried on their person.

Elias retrieved his two starting crystals of choice - one a small, flat silver gem that fit easily into his palm, the other a smooth orange orb about the size of a chestnut. The countdown began. He saw Donard prepare his traditional singular crystal. The cheering grew louder. 3...2...1...Cast! Silence.

Focusing on the flat crystal, he willed the gem's magic to activate. It shattered into nothingness in his hand as the familiar feeling of spellcasting entered his mind. Akin to working through a mathematical equation, layers of pressure and complexity immediately weighed upon his thoughts. This spell's effects were relatively simple, and he completed the balancing act of sorting them quickly. For the next five minutes he could cast spells without requiring direct contact with the crystals, only needing short incantations to activate them instead. The match would not last that long either way.

"Strength, one." The orange crystal disappeared and Elias felt his body fill with physical power. He began running towards the edge of the arena, hoping to catch sight of the Rell. Donard shouted behind him as he heard the hammer slam into the ground. A great rumbling noise ensued, followed by the sound of cracking earth and shattering rock. The arena shook as Donard's magic sent a controlled earthquake at their opponents. Elias doubted this would cause any harm to the dexterous half-elf, but it served well as a distraction.

"Accuracy, one." Shapes and details of the surrounding terrain became clearer and his limbs moved in a controlled fashion. He pulled out two sharp, triangular-shaped crystals. Most mages spent the first seconds of a match casting as many enhancement and defensive spells as they could. Based on the lack of activity in front of him, it seemed Orugir was no different. Not that it mattered anyway. Elias had yet to encounter an opponent who prepared wards effective against his magic. That would likely change if they entered Sapphire, but for now they needed to remain focused on the task at hand.

"Evade, one." This spell would move him to a safe position in reaction to any one harmful attack he failed to see, provided the caster's skill was not much greater than his own. Almost as soon as he activated the spell, he was thrown thirty feet to the side as a massive tornado of flame impacted where he once stood. He quickly picked himself up and kept running. Any Gem Fighter below Ruby would require several seconds to cast a spell that powerful. The Rell had taken a huge gamble and Elias intended to punish him for it, as well as take advantage of his own luck. If he had used any crystal other than the evasion gem third, he would likely be a pile of ash right now.

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There. Sunlight glinted off a sparkling red dot between two pillars of rock. He palmed one of the triangular crystals and threw it straight at the pillar behind the mage. Thanks to the enhancement spells he cast on himself, it flew quick and true. A translucent barrier flashed into existence as the opposing mage reacted, but the crystal had not been aimed at him. It shattered upon impact with the hard stone. Elias immediately threw the second at the nearest rock face and sprinted as fast as he could towards it.

"Thresholds, two." Purple light tore a hole in the pillar before him. The same phenomenon occurred at the first impact site, linking the two doorways into a rudimentary portal. Able to see the back of his opponent for the first time, he noticed that the Rell was missing the pair of wings so ubiquitous among their race. The observation exited his mind as quickly as it had come. Elias dove through the opening and prepared to tackle the large figure. He had no hope of overwhelming the Rell through physical might, even with the enhancement spells active, but closing the gap was all he needed.

"Orbs, three." Three purple spheres, about the size of apples, appeared in the air above him as he rammed into the mage's solid form. As expected, the flame-edged robes concealed a figure built like a strong bull. Despite being taken by surprise, the Rell held his ground and was only pushed to one knee. A trail of red light swung in an arc towards Elias' face as the Rell whipped his staff around in a counter, red flame spilling off of it. Elias anticipated this and was already leaping backwards.

"Emerald ward, one." Similar to the one cast earlier by the Rell, a magical barrier appeared before him, but this was not cast in expectation of a retaliating spell. "Load, three." The orbs exploded, sending countless piercing shards of purple light in every direction. These impacted harmlessly on his barrier, but the Rell was not so lucky. In an act of impressive reaction speed, the fire mage managed to spit out an incantation and threw up a barrier of his own. The shards passed straight through it, tearing his body to shreds in an instant. Blood sprayed out across the ground as the residual shock waves blasted the pieces away.

Twenty-three seconds. Elias was ahead of schedule, but the sounds of battle from the other half of the arena had ceased as well. Something heavy thumped into his back and he felt a wet warmth seep into the fabric of his robes. Turning around, he saw Donard's decapitated head roll slightly away. His hair and beard were soaked with both blood and water. "I don't know whether to be disappointed or impressed that you held out this long," he whispered softly to the lifeless eyes.

"I would say you should be impressed. Eliminating him was no easy task." The half-elf's voice was deeper than he expected. She stepped out from behind a piece of earth broken by Donard's magic, about two hundred feet away. Elias wasn't surprised she had heard him. Her enhancement spells were likely much more complex than his own, allowing for the heightening of multiple physical aspects within a single crystal. That also meant she could close the gap between them in seconds.

The Royal Vindicator candidate walked forward slowly, casually. Her armor displayed no signs of damage, and if it weren't for the blood dripping from her trident, no one would know she had been fighting moments ago. "Your own abilities are also commendable. Orugir is a very skilled mage," she continued in an even tone. The crowd went silent to listen, but Elias groaned. Why do so many Gem Fighters want to talk in situations like this?

Her reasoning came flying at him in a flash of sea-blue metal and he had less than a second to react. "Compress, one!" Drops of blood flew at his face as the trident was halted abruptly by an invisible force, only inches from his face. It flew back to its owner's hand before hitting the ground. Now that's just unnecessary, he thought. Enria was displaying clear mastery over a type of object manipulation spell that took years to properly adjust to, and also one that few mages bothered with. The farther away from the caster a spell's effects were, the harder it was to cast. It was much easier to create a spell that simply teleported a designated weapon back to the caster's general location. There was always the possibility that her trident had been enchanted by a third party, but Gem Fighters who utilized magic other than their own were not very popular. He raised an arm to wipe the blood off his face. When he lowered it, the half-elf had disappeared.

"Impressive. You managed to stop my attack with magic energy alone." Enria's voice was much closer now, coming from somewhere behind him. She was only half-right, however.

"Track, one." Elias felt his body spun around by the spell and his eyes were drawn automatically to the half-elf's position. She was only a couple feet away, the trident already swinging in a wide arc towards his head. There was no time to use the same spell as earlier. As the shining blue spikes neared his face, the only thought he had was how unfair the situation was. He would have some words for the circuit matchmakers later. Enria was far too strong to be in Emerald.

He closed his eyes and braced himself for the sensation of metal cleaving into his head. It never came. A rock-solid force slammed into his side and he was sent flying across the sandy ground. Multiple shattered ribs ground against each other as his tumbling was rudely interrupted by one of the many rock pillars. He lost feeling in his right arm as it impacted the stone at an unfortunate angle. There was one saving grace to the situation - Enria had been hit as well. She lay motionless only a short distance away, the left side of her armor entirely crumpled in and leaking blood.

Elias ended the tracking spell and forced his head up to see what happened. A new pillar was jutting at an angle out of the ground where they had just been standing. One of them had triggered a simple trap and by a stroke of misfortune it caught them both. Or maybe it was a stroke of luck instead. The half-elf still hadn't moved from where she fell. He slowly got to his feet. "Painless, one." His restorative magic abilities were novice-level, if that, but he could still alleviate the pain a small amount.

"Compress, two. Load, two. Eject, two." His vision blurred as the effort of casting six spells in quick succession took its toll. Each one individually was actually quite simple, but the difficulty came in positioning and aligning them to combine for full effect. Layers of pressure weighed on his mind as he raced to organize the various effects contained within the spells. Long hours of practice paid off and two dark purple spears shot towards Enria. One flew at her head and the other at her heart; he was taking no chances.

The half-elf's eyes cracked open just as the first spear hit her chest. It exploded in a shower of purple sparks, but her armor held fast. Shit. Elias realized his mistake too late. Fortunately for him, there was no time for Enria to capitalize on it. The second spear pierced directly between her eyes and exited violently. Her brain matter scarcely had time to hit the sand before the crowd erupted in cheering.

"In a stunningly swift skirmish, the Erdingham brothers have taken down..." The announcer's voice faded as Elias slipped into unconsciousness. At least he had secured one point. He saw the priests' white and gold robes floating across the sand before darkness took him.

~~~~~~~~~

Elias opened his eyes. Nothing changed. Darkness was all around him. My injuries were more severe than I realized. It's been a little while since I last died. "Indeed it has, my dear Elias." A nasally, singsong voice echoed through his mind. Its source slipped out of the blackness before him. The humanoid figure was dressed in red-and-white jester's clothes, cap 'n bells included. Its face was hidden behind a smiling theater mask.

"You know I don't pray to you," Elias responded out loud. "I cannot fathom why you take such joy in interrupting my resurrections."

The sound of laughing penetrated his thoughts. "Is a god not allowed his own entertainments?" More laughter followed.

Elias shook his head. "I thought if anyone had a sense of humor, it would be you. Where's your sister? At least she knows how to tell a joke," he said. Silence stung the air as the laughter ceased abruptly. A too-long figure jabbed his chest and the figure's mask filled his vision.

"You got lucky today. Do better in the future." All mirth was gone from the god's voice.

"I'm all ears for any advice you have," Elias replied, holding up his hands. He meant it, too. Turning down the opportunity for divine aid would be foolishness of the highest order. However, no reply came, and the darkness swallowed him again.

~~~~~~~~~

He was woken by the sound of knuckles rapping on wood. Looking around, he saw he was laying in a bed in a small, sparsely-furnished room. Soft candlelight illuminated Donard's sleeping form in a bed beside him. They were probably in one of the city's several healing cathedrals. The knocking came again. Elias sighed and pulled himself from the warm sheets. His wounds were fully healed. "Coming!" He reached the door and unlocked it.

Standing outside was an older man dressed in robes of light and dark blue. His gray hair and goatee retained their thickness, and a pair of spectacles rested on his nose. "Elias, I presume?" Elias nodded.

"Splendid. I was hoping to offer my congratulations personally. That was some of the most ingenious usage of Creative magic I've seen in my life. If you have some time, I would like to discuss a possible--" The man's voice trailed off. "Are you alright? Were the priests not thorough enough?"

Elias' jaw dropped. This man, whoever he was, had seen straight through him in the span of a single match. Things were about to get much more complicated.