“You want me to spar with you?” I laughed at the absurdity. “Okay, I almost fell for it. Since when are you such a jokester, teacher?”
Belaury crossed her arms and smiled. “Now, why would I joke about something like that. I’m serious, Nora. I want us to have a small duel for today’s lesson.”
“Yes!” Mary shouted, standing up with a fist pump to the air. “A magic duel! I need to see this!”
“No you don’t, Mary!” I gave the elder elf a concerned look. “I don’t get it. You know my abilities better than I do. Surely, you’re aware I wouldn’t last a minute.”
My teacher nodded. “Isn’t that more of a reason to get some practice?”
I shrugged. “Why now?”
“What would you have done if that boy stood his ground instead of running away?”
“Surely, you’re not suggesting I should actually hurt him,” I replied.
“No?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Is it because of his age? Would you rather let him hurt you then?”
He certainly could have.
Oliver’s claws looked just as sharp as mine, and there was no doubt he was physically superior to me in terms of strength and likely speed.
If he attacked me, I would’ve been in serious trouble.
I looked down, somewhat hoping to come up with the right answer. I would have needed to defend myself, I had no doubts about that. The main problem was how. In gaming terms, the kid was like a bruiser or an assassin. I, on the other hand, was more of a glass cannon. Which one was more dangerous?
“I mean, my magic can easily maim or kill on the spot if I’m not careful.” I glanced behind me for a moment. I wasn’t fond of talking like that in front of my parents, even though they knew what I was capable of, already. Shifting back to face my teacher, I continued, “Plus, healing spells do exist. I can recover from a few scratches or a bruise here and there.”
Belaury narrowed her eyes and huffed. “So you’re saying that you’d go as far as to gamble your wellbeing if it means not hurting a child. I do hope you haven’t forgotten you’re one, as well.”
“I am, physically.” I nodded. “I know this might not be much of a difference to you, but I’m still older than him by several years.”
She gave out an exasperated sigh. “If that’s your moral compass, so be it. I can respect your conviction, at least. However, only the strong get the privilege to choose, and you are not quite there yet. A bit of combat experience every now and then can fix that.”
“I guess you’re right…”
My teacher rolled her eyes and snorted. “Of course I am! Now, stand up and head for the training grounds,” she said, also getting on her feet. “We’ll catch up in a moment. I want to discuss something with everyone at the other table before we start.”
“Shouldn’t I hear it, too?” I asked without moving.
“No. Hence, why you’re going there first,” she replied curtly. “Go on now. It won’t be long.”
I sighed and started walking. I couldn’t believe we were actually going to have a magic duel. As exciting as it sounded under any other context, this was reality. It wasn’t like in games or shows, where the characters could simply take a spell directly to the face and keep on fighting. My magic was genuinely dangerous. That was if I could land a hit on her.
Would the duel even last? Belaury clearly knew how to counter me, and it was likely one of the things she wanted to teach me. However, something told me there had to be more to it than that. Something to do with my magic, perhaps.
My thoughts went back to what inspired her in the first place. I recalled her smile as I explained the way I dealt with my bully.
I did use my brain, rather than raw power.
Is that it then?
Does she want me to get creative?
The training grounds didn’t really allow for much. There wasn’t any water I could use to begin with. Sure, I could extract some from the air around me, but the amount was extremely limited. Walking by the edge of the resting area, my eyes shifted towards the lake.
It would be a lot easier for me to fight here…
I paused at the thought, then gave out a short hum and smiled as I continued observing the water.
---<>----------<>----------<>---
“Let me get this straight,” Belaury finally said, wiping tears from her eyes. After pretty much rolling on the floor from laughter, she regained enough control to stand up and speak. “You wanted access to some water for our duel, so you drenched yourself on the way here?”
I looked away, pressing my lips. I could feel the warmth on my face increasing the longer she cackled.
“Better than nothing, I suppose,” she replied to herself.
“Can we get started?” I asked after a faint growl. “This water won’t last forever.”
“Fair enough.” She took a deep breath and recovered her composure. “The rules for this duel are simple. I want you to come at me with everything you got. Oh, and don’t worry about me. I want to see no hesitation on your attacks, understood?”
I nodded. The fact that she wasn’t holding her wand told me how lightly she was taking this duel. If she was that confident in her victory, I knew holding back would only earn me a scolding later.
Belaury smiled and returned the gesture. She then turned around and walked several metres away from me until she reached her desired spot at the other end of the circle we were in. Facing me again, my teacher asked, “Are you sure you don’t need more time to review your strategy?”
“I’m ready,” I replied. In truth, I wasn’t. However, the longer I waited, the less water I had at my disposal. I looked down and quickly removed my sandals, holding them with one hand.
Hearing my response, Mary got closer, only stopping upon reaching the border of the arena. She lifted her arm high and spoke. “This match will end when either participant gives up or is unable to continue.” The glare the elf shot at her was enough to tell me we weren’t supposed to have a referee for this Duel. “Are the two of you ready?”
My teacher rolled her eyes and shouted, “Just go!”
I released my magic instantly, and I was quickly surrounded by a thick fog that fully blocked my vision. Mary squealed at the sight of it and ran away from the arena. I couldn’t tell if her reaction was that of fright or delight.
The spell I used was the same one that saved Lily in the past. Rather than shooting down a specific target, though, my goal was to spread the cold as much as I could. The area it covered wasn’t as big as I anticipated, but it reached her. That was enough for my plan.
This improvised smokescreen had two purposes. The first was obviously to blind her. Yes, my own sight was compromised, yet I hoped that the element of surprise would help level things a little in my favour. Additionally, my blessing protected me from the cold, but this was not the case for my teacher. With some luck, the temperature was low enough to dampen her movements, even if by a smidge.
Belaury certainly looked surprised just before her face was obscured by the cloud. The moment she disappeared from my sight, I quickly dashed away, keeping my wings closed tight to prevent them from blowing my already ephemeral cover away.
I only had a few seconds before the cloud disappeared; less if a strong breeze blew. I needed to act quickly. Based on sound alone, I could tell Belaury hadn’t moved from her spot. I smiled and threw both sandals opposite of where I was.
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Sure enough, a pair of small fireballs glowed from within the mist and shot past my discarded footwear. I smirked and gathered all the water I could from my clothes and hair, quickly shaping it into three egg-sized spheres. As soon as they froze, I shot them in quick succession at the same spot the fire originated from. I listened carefully and frowned when I realised they all missed her.
The fog soon thinned out enough for me to see her standing right there. My eyes widened, both from confusion as well as the huge fireball flying my way.
I screamed and ducked to dodge it. “Are you crazy!?” I yelled out of reflex. I glanced at our audience and saw the clear fear in my mother’s eyes. Dad, much calmer, had a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t get distracted!” Belaury’s voice came from behind me.
I didn’t get time to react before two earth tentacles shot from the ground and wrapped themselves around my arms, hardening in the process. I turned to look at the spot I last saw her. To my surprise, she was still there. An even bigger fireball formed between her hands. My attempts at freeing myself were futile.
“I give up!” I yelled in tears.
At that very moment, the flames vanished, and Belaury herself followed suit.
“What…”
“It was a mirage,” My teacher said from behind me as my shackles shattered back into dust. “Did you really think I’d harm you like that?” She sighed. “Sorry for the scare. I just needed you to take this seriously.”
I was thankful for the reassurance, but that wasn’t my focus at the moment. “When did you-”
“From the very moment you created that cloud,” she answered, cutting me off again. “Your strategy was not bad. If you were fighting a human, I believe you would’ve won. However, you only made things easier for me. I intended on using mirages from the start, you see.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” I closed my eyes and relaxed. By doing that, she pretty much guaranteed our safety while keeping me on edge. “The fireballs could’ve been smaller, even if they were fake.”
“Tell that to your enemy. See how that works out for you.” Belaury patted my head. “Not to mention that you still dodged the one, didn’t you?”
“Oh my gods!” Mary suddenly shouted “That was amazing!” She took no time running my way. The rest of the group followed her, although at a more sedate pace. She quickly hugged and lifted me from the ground. “There was the fog, and the fire, and the thing!” She squealed once more before putting me back on the ground.
Wow, I really needed that hug after the big scare.
I shrugged and smiled at her in humour. “I lost so quickly, though.”
“It was still a good attempt,” my friend commented immediately.
“I agree with her,” Belaury continued. “I’ll be honest, you exceeded my expectations for this duel. Especially with your silly water source and the fog. Your choice in going barefoot to reduce the noise was also good. You used your knowledge and took my hearing into consideration.”
My smile widened upon hearing my teacher’s praise. “Thank you!”
“You did make a few mistakes, though.” Bel gave me a toothy grin. I was somewhat expecting that.
I nodded. “Yeah, I got distracted…”
“Yes! Let this be the last time you do that in the middle of a fight!” My teacher shouted. She continued in a calmer tone, “That was the biggest issue, for sure, but it wasn’t the only one. Can you tell me what else you did wrong?”
I thought for a moment, yet nothing came to mind. Sure, I didn’t expect her to use illusions the whole time, but who would, in all honesty. As she said, my strategy would’ve worked on anyone else, so it couldn’t be that.
After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. “I meant it when I said the fog was certainly a good idea, but you made a terrible mistake in letting me see you remove your footwear. I already knew the noise your sandals made couldn’t be yours. Not only that, since I knew that wasn’t you, it also gave me a good idea of your general location. Even the smallest mistake can tip the fight against you.
“Lastly, for someone who intentionally reduced our visibility, you still relied too much on your eyes. The moment you saw the first fireballs, you stopped thinking and focused on a target you believed to be real. I could tell. You didn’t even hear me walk past you.”
“Ugh…” I brought my hands to my face in frustration. She was right. The whole point of creating the cloud was to reduce the gap between us, and I ended up making it even easier for her.
“You really did well, though,” Belaury said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You even found a solution to my lesson before it even started.”
I dropped both hands and looked up, frowning. “What do you mean?”
“Of course you didn’t even notice.” She chuckled. “I brought you here precisely because there is no water in this place. My plan was to make you struggle to cast any magic at all and realise that it’s extremely important for you, an apprentice mage, to carry the only element you can use at all times. Your solution to the problem was comical and very limited, however, I’m glad that you actually stopped to think about it before our duel. Overall, you get a passing grade.”
My face flushed, reminded of how silly I probably looked when claiming to be ready for the duel while dripping wet. The feeling was soon replaced by pride from her comments. That just left one thing I needed to know. “What did you need to discuss with everyone then?”
“Your safety,” My teacher responded right away. “I told them beforehand that everything they’d see would be fake. I needed to. Otherwise, there’s no way I’d shoot giant fireballs at you in front of your friends and family and hope that they remain calm in their seats.”
“It was still horrible to watch,” My mother said, gently hugging me from behind. “It looked so real, and you were so scared. Warning or not, it was difficult for me to just sit still and do nothing.”
Mary looked around with wide eyes. “Am I really the only one who enjoyed it!?”
“It did look a bit too intense,” Sylvia responded. “I don’t see how this helps with her lessons.”
Belaury sighed but didn’t go on the offensive like usual. She clearly saw everyone present in a better light than the rest. Even Mary, surprisingly. Perhaps it was due to how close they were to me. It made sense considering how she had no problem with Sylvia watching my lessons as opposed to Alex. Allison was also never a problem after she got the time to truly meet her.
“Everything helps when it comes to learning,” she finally said, facing them. “And, while it is important to know the theory, I value practical experience. Our usual exercises are perfect for control, for example.” She placed a hand on my shoulder and continued. “Ever since she started, Nora’s efficiency and capacity have improved considerably. Sure, as a child, she’s still far from reaching her true potential, but there’s no way she could’ve created such a big cloud otherwise. More importantly, how are you feeling, my apprentice? Out of mana yet?”
I shook my head. “No, I feel like I haven’t spent half of it, yet.” Freezing the water particles in the air was surprisingly easy, and I was already capable of creating a few decently sized ice spheres, like the ones I shot. The only taxing part was extracting the water from my clothes. It was similar in effort to when I tried extracting water from the mud buckets.
Belaury nodded. “And that is the result of your training. Now, we already went over the mistakes, but was there anything you learned from this fight?”
“Well, there’s the thing you mentioned about the source,” I responded. “I should probably carry a bottle of water with me from now on. Oh, and also that I should be less obvious about what I’m thinking.“
“Good. I would add that you shouldn’t overly commit to a single plan,” she said, crossing her arms. “Or focus too much on it at least. Stay aware of what happens around you, but also not to the point of distraction. Additionally, you focused so much on your ice magic that you forgot you have access to two different enchanted artefacts. Lastly, I think it would be good if we added more skills to your repertoire. It’s most important to be flexible.”
“Oh! Oh! I vote for fire magic!” Mary shouted, jumping repeatedly on her spot.
“That sounds dangerous,” Mom and Allison said in unison.
“Not with me around to manage it.” Belaury commented with a smirk. She then put her arms on her hips and sighed. “Rather than dangerous, it’s too time consuming. While I don’t doubt that Nora can become an elementarist like me in the future, your rulers will unveil our existence soon. She hasn’t mastered her blessing, so adding another type of magic might be too much. Time is not on our side.”
“What do you mean by that?” Dad asked.
Belaury raised an eyebrow. “You mean to tell me you didn’t know that they plan to end the secrecy?” She looked genuinely surprised by his statement. “Even I am aware of it.”
“We were told about it, yes,” he replied. “However, Dr. Blake assured us Nora would be safe when that happens. Do you disagree?”
My teacher snorted. “No offence, but your kind has not proven to be the most trustworthy throughout the years. Because of your family and Anna’s father, I now know there are exceptions, however, it would be foolish to assume every human will be as understanding as you are.”
Mom pressed her lips. She looked at me, then back at her. “And if you’re wrong?”
The elf shrugged. “Quite honestly, I hope that is the case. I simply prefer to err on the side of caution. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Silence. Nobody present had anything to say against that.
She stepped forward and placed a hand on my mother’s shoulder. “I’ll be here to protect her, of course. All of you, too. Of that, you have my word. Having said that, I’m sure we’d all feel better if Nora is capable of defending herself, should she need to.
“Her magic is certainly strong, and as we all saw, she’s quite resourceful in a fight. And while being a child is great for training, it’s also not ideal for combat. No matter how much bigger her mana pool is compared to others her age, it’s still limited. Having extra skills can only be beneficial.”
“What about a sword?” I suggested. I certainly had some interest in learning if I could. It was mostly the gamer in me not wanting to choose a single class. Sure, my druid character in Danath Online was a mess because of that mindset, but it worked. Plus, real life had the advantage of not being limited by trait points. “It doesn’t need any mana,” I continued. “And I could always carry one along with the water bottle.”
“How do you expect to lift one with those noodle arms?” Allen intervened, finally breaking his silence. “I think a dagger would be more fitting for you.”
“I agree with your brother,” Belaury commented.
I crossed my arms and pouted at them. “I could swing that ice sword, and I’m pretty sure that it’s heavier than a normal sword.”
“An ice sword!?” Mary’s eyes shone at the concept. “You have to show me!”
My teacher cleared her throat, getting my attention back. “You swung that thing once, kid. You couldn’t even dent the tree, might I add. You can’t compare that to actually using one in combat.”
“Didn’t you complain about your arms hurting when you asked us to enrol you into that tennis class two years ago?” Dad added. “The racket was not even 300 grams. You were bigger, too.”
I still can’t get used to the fact that the younger me was taller and stronger…
Belaury nodded. “An average sword weighs at least three times as much. Even if we found a smaller one for you, your demon traits make you weaker than a human. You would need to find a mythril sword to compensate, and, unless that knight guy happens to have one in that vault of his, I don’t see how that would be possible.”
“Perhaps I could help with that.”
I turned around to see Rex walking towards us, followed by Keith and Gary.