“First?” Ammeline stepped forward, whipping out her fencing sword. “Ahahahahahaha! I will be first upon this stage! I am fully prepared to face any one of you in a challenge of combat!”

“Don't you want to hear the rules first?” Dr. Myrden, still in the form of a small bearded magical duck, said with a cocked eyebrow.

“We have been given a limited space with even more limited footholds and you said we would be sparring with each other. I have seen television.”

“She has a point,” Jenny said. “I've only been in this millennium a couple of months now and it seems pretty obvious to me.”

“Is that so?” Dr. Myrden said. “Well then Jenny, do you want to be the one to go in and fight her?”

“Me?” Jenny blinked. “But...I don't know, I mean, didn't you say I was just kind of tagging along because I'm magically bonded to Master? I mean Kyle? Sorry Kyle I still slip up on that sometimes, thousands of years of habit.”

“Just be glad Evan isn't here,” Trevor said. “He'd explode.”

“I dunno maybe not,” Kyle said. “He's got his own thing going on right now.”

“I've noticed that as well!” Ammeline said cheerfully. “Who knew all he needed was a woman who was both irritated with him and attracted to him? I believe his relationship with Goldie will be good for them both...”

“No!” Dr. Myrden said. “No more of that! You've been having hormonal teenager moments ever since you got here! We are training now! Magic! Magic fighting!”

“I think slice of life moments are pretty popular actually, judging by reader response...”

“Hush!” Dr. Myrden said. “I said you're training, so train! Go get on the stones.”

“So we are dueling each other on the stones!” Ammeline said.

“Yes that's the idea,” Dr. Myrden said.

“Okay!” Jenny said, jumping on the stones, pinkish energy flickering around her fingertips. “I guess if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do my best not to lose!”

“Excellent!” Ammeline said, leaping onto the stones with a forward flip. After a perfect landing she executed a sequence of slashes and thrusts with her rapier at the empty air. “Do you remember Jenny, I once said you were not my rival in fencing? Well now we have stepped into the ring, I will prove myself superior once again! Ahahahahaha!”

“Is there a signal to begin the fight?” Jenny asked.

“Oh you'll know when it happens,” Dr. Myrden said.

Jenny and Ammeline faced each other through slitted eyes, waiting for the moment to being their battle. Then the stone platforms disappeared under the surface again and dropped them both into the water.

“AHHHH!” Jenny said.

“Ooup!” Ammeline gasped, before bother were plunged into the pond.

“Also the stones were only staying up because I was putting my magic power into the water,” Dr. Myrden said. “This is magic training. If you want a solid surface to fight on, you're going to have to have enough control of your magical energy to both fight each other and keep a constant stream of power flowing into the pond. Oh, and it has to be an equal amount from each of you, so you'll have to focus on your opponent's power use as well.”

“Why didn't you tell us that?” Ammeline said, flailing and sputtering in the pond.

“Why did I need to? After all, you've seen television.”

“Curse you and the consequences of my own actions!” Ammeline said. “If I did not swim like a graceful mermaid...”

“You look more like a diseased flounder at the moment,” Trevor said.

“Trevor Lu you will pay for that!” Ammeline shouted, any menace her words might have had ruined by the mouthful of water she swallowed while she was yelling that she then had to cough and spit out.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Ammeline, come on!” Jenny said. “I don't swim like a mermaid, I swim like someone who comes from a desert and spent most of her time in a lamp!”

“Actually when you put it that way you swim exceedingly well for someone who comes from a desert and spent most of her time in a lamp,” Ammeline said. “I'm proud of you for staying afloat, honestly.”

“Let's just get our magic in the water so we can stand on something again!”

“Yes, that would probably be best.”

It took a little focusing and arguing, but a few minutes later the stones rose from the bottom of the pond again. Jenny and Ammeline clambered up onto them, wringing water out of their thoroughly drenched clothes and hair.

“Hey!” Kyle said. “I got to see you in wet clothes after all!”

“Kyle I love you, but if you keep talking you will never see me without clothes ever again.”

“You remembered to call me Kyle!”

“It wasn't hard this time.”

“The boys do seem to be taking an unholy amount of glee in this,” Ammeline gave them a suspicious glare. “Don't you have a girlfriend?”

“Oh please you're wearing a dark shirt and jeans,” Trevor said. “You're no more revealing than you were a second ago. I'm laughing at the situation.”

“Jenny was wearing all white,” Ammeline pointed out.

“I'm not looking at her,” Trevor said.

“I'm starting to see what Betty means about having lust overcome you,” Ammeline said. “Can't we get a towel, or wooooah!”

Jenny and Ammeline flailed as the stones shifted underneath them for a moment.

“Ammeline be careful!” Jenny said. “Or we're gonna end up swimming again.”

“I'm having trouble keeping up with you!” Ammeline said. “And that is the last time you will ever hear me say that. But you're pouring so much magic into the water! You must have ten or twelve times as much magical power as I have.”

“That's because she's a magical creature,” Dr. Myrden said. “For what it's worth, Jenny, you can reduce the amount of magic you're putting out. It only needs a trickle, not a flood.”

“Oh okay!” Jenny said. “So I can just eep!”

They stumbled and flailed on the stones for a moment again.

“Don't just suddenly change how much you're putting out!” Ammeline glared. “We have to be even, remember?”

“Sorry, sorry!” Jenny said. “That one was my fault. But is this good?”

“Yes I think I can keep up with this,” Ammeline sighed. “Now we just have to wait for the fight to start.”

“The fight started when I retracted my own magic from the pond,” Dr. Myrden said. “Go. Fight. Stay as dry as possible.”

“Well them...hah!” Ammeline lunged forwards, the tip of her rapier swinging close to Jenny's shoulder.

“Oh no you don't!” Jenny said, diving out of the way. “Hah yourself!”

Jenny chopped her glowing hand through the air and glittering lights appeared around Ammeline's eyes.

“That trick won't work on me!” Ammeline said, her next swing actually slapping Jenny in the stomach.

“Oof!” Jenny said, steadying herself on one of the rocks. “How did you see me?”

“I actually have a problem with sweat getting in my eyes during fencing matches,” Ammeline said. “I've learned to react with my other senses at a moment's notice. Of course it's a little different here, since fencing is played on a very limited filed where you can only move backwards and forwards, but still....”

“All very interesting,” Dr. Myrden said. “But Ammeline, you're not putting any magic into your sword strikes.”

“If I put magic into my sword strikes I could seriously hurt Jenny,” Ammeline pointed out. “Without my magic this is an ordinary fencing sword. No edges, no tip. With my magic it's suddenly super sharp and super strong. I've demolished cars with it. And wounded demons.”

“Ah yes. That's a fair point. Hmm. Let me see it.” Dr. Myrden fluttered over next to Ammeline and she held out the sword. “You've got a point, your fighting style is pretty lethal. Which will be all well and good for monster fighting, but for training....there you go.”

“It doesn't feel any different,” Ammeline said.

“I am one of five mystical duck avatars split off from an ancient wizard, just accept it's magic and go with it.”

“Well alright,” Ammeline said. “Jenny, resume our battle?”

“Sure! Look, I can do this now!” Jenny said, throwing two bolts of glowing magical energy in Ammeline's direction. Ammeline dodged out of the way, landing on another rock.

“You have been improving!” Ammeline laughed. “But let me show you some real fighting moves!”

Ammeline lunged forward, the point of her her sword out. It ramed into Jenny's stomach...and kept going. Ammeline's eyesd widened in surprise as Jenny bonked her on top of the head. Jenny pulled her sword back, staring at Jenny's uninjured stomach and then at her unbroken blade.

“Oops!” Jenny said. “Sorry, did that hurt? I know we're training, but I'm not sure what just happened.”

“I am!” Ammeline said. She waved her fingers through the blade of her fencing sword. They passed through like she was touching a mirage. “My blade is useless now!”

“No,” Dr. Myrden said. “It's not useless. It's just intangible unless you put magic into it. You were still holding back.”

Ammeline focused for a moment, and the next time she touched the blade it was solid.

“See? The magic you need to keep it solid is similar to the magic you need for your techniques, and it will remain harmless. Now fight for real.”

“Well if the last of my concerns are dealt with,” Ammeline said with a sly grin. “Then I suppose we had better begin!”

“You won't get me that easily!” Jenny said, running forward, magic crackling along her fingers.

“Take this!” Ammeline shouted, her blade pulled back for a sweeping cut. The two charged in for a clash....and promptly fell in the water as their footholds disappeared.

“I think that was you.”

“AHAHAHAHAHA DO YOU? BECAUSE I THINK.....”

“They both forgot to control their magic,” Dr. Myrden sighed, shaking his duck billed head an turning back to Kyle and Trevor. “You boys might need to wait a while for your turn...”