Children Of Infinity (IC)

[Mortelatuzia]

Gawiëhr looked coldly at his replacement escort and responded to his concerns sarcastically.

"Ja ja. Natuurlijk." He stated under his breath in his natural tongue. "I won't stray, sir. But good luck trying to keep watch on me." He smirked slightly, but even that small emotion faded quickly as he turned from the aspirant. He slowly began to pace around the main hall, observing the sites and marvels of the temple. Actually, he cared little for the wonders and more for the damages to the temple and how they were caused. He studied each crater and crack, piecing together in his mind the great battle that took place in this place many years ago. He then had an interesting thought as he perused the war torn building. Why was it that the Gladians had not tried to restore the temple to it's former 'glory?' Perhaps none could match the expertise of it's original architect. Or perhaps it serves better as a reminder and relic of that grim past. The young assassin's son shrugged and took out a notepad and pen he had stowed in an inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"Non sguardo." He muttered as he began to note down all the vantage points and escape routes to the room. It was a simple spell that simply allowed for him to not appear as an anomaly to most weak minded people. It was not uncommon for him to constantly have a spell active in order to mask his movements. His father had always taught him to always be prepared, and to never truly let his guard down.

---

Elysia loudly yawned as the announcer explained the rules of the tournament. Her mind was completely focused on the rules and examining the arena, but her body was preoccupied with waking itself. She was not used to awaking in the dark which left her joyful morning persona somewhat confused. She responded like everyone else at the announcer's question, albeit her response sounded with far less energy.

"Ja ja. Natuurlijk." She said, as she rubbed her eyes and blinked herself back into consciousness. Her nap made her feel a lot better and though the lingering, untold memories still haunted her, she was glad to be out and competing. She enjoyed tournaments far more than duels as most participants never aimed to kill in tournaments, and they are usually filled with joyfulness and not macabre. She looked around as the first two combatants began to fight and spotted Kal sitting among the competitors. She opened her mouth to greet him but quickly stopped and bit her lip shut. She reasoned that after the day's events perhaps she shouldn't initiate conversation, he may still be overly concerned.

However, Elysia did feel some slight relief by discussing her past that day. And on top of that, she also now knew exactly what her breaking points are. She felt a sense of relief, knowing that she no longer had to hide everything from her comrades. She sighed in relief and joyously watched the spectacle.

[Saleon]

Elysia loudly yawned as the announcer explained the rules of the tournament. Her mind was completely focused on the rules and examining the arena, but her body was preoccupied with waking itself. She was not used to awaking in the dark which left her joyful morning persona somewhat confused. She responded like everyone else at the announcer's question, albeit her response sounded with far less energy.

"Ja ja. Natuurlijk." She said, as she rubbed her eyes and blinked herself back into consciousness. Her nap made her feel a lot better and though the lingering, untold memories still haunted her, she was glad to be out and competing. She enjoyed tournaments far more than duels as most participants never aimed to kill in tournaments, and they are usually filled with joyfulness and not macabre. She looked around as the first two combatants began to fight and spotted Kal sitting among the competitors. She opened her mouth to greet him but quickly stopped and bit her lip shut. She reasoned that after the day's events perhaps she shouldn't initiate conversation, he may still be overly concerned.

However, Elysia did feel some slight relief by discussing her past that day. And on top of that, she also now knew exactly what her breaking points are. She felt a sense of relief, knowing that she no longer had to hide everything from her comrades. She sighed in relief and joyously watched the spectacle.

Kal took a conservative seat next to the side-front of the stadium. In these moments, watching the competition, he revealed a strategist's heart and voracity. He was unafraid to dissect the competition during a competition. His eyes would violate the fighters, analyzing them in their most minute of moments. He had little care for personal feelings at these moments as his sight-lines scanned their inner-nature, their aura, their magic... their fighting spirit. He'd taken no time at all to visually eye each person invasively, and pervasively. One couldn't help feeling his harrowing eye peer like a hawk amongst its prey, scowling out the last one, till the course of action was clear. He'd swoop when it was clear and uncommon for movement. A swift hawk, with no apprehensions.

His glasses had been found within his hands, edged to his face. They seemingly took to be perpendicular his face. They had no real reason to be, but he took a small comfort in watching it without a clear image. He tackled the scene from multiple perspectives, with his glasses being one of them. The blur allowed him to take a larger picture-- one without detail, but still with clarity. He soon moved his glasses back to his face, clicking the sides back to their upright position and situated them on his face. The topmost part had come to just barely touch the root of his nose. They landed perfectly to the top. His glasses were the only refined thing, as his hair portrayed an unkempt, rugged disposition, which either betrayed or defined his character. The black of his hair seemed nebulously undefined, not a clear black, nor grey, nor dark black, nor light black. It seemed to just be black as a concept. He sat nestled with his hands lifting his face, save for his right hand which sometimes moved to grasp something. His head was hunched over, taking full support of its weight upon his hands. He motioned slightly with his right hand to grasp an illusory light in the sky. The fingers tipped to his lips. The cigarette seemingly gave out an imaginary orange pyre from the end farthest from him. The non-existent smoke seemed to dazzle in a curly line above him, had it been real it could have annoyed the people who sat above him, with its noxious smell. His desires were subconscious, but not enough to distract him at this moment.

He'd hoped to have seen Ritz fight beforehand, get an idea of who she was. She seemed like a mighty competitor, but he'd known the fight would happen at some time. He would wait with anticipation for his fight, as she seemed like a worthy competitor.

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Rache

"This tournament being hand to hand will be a drawback for us since we don't have any specialization in it but thankfully we have our magic." I tell Kristina as we walk through the stands. "What is most important is that we give a good accounting for ourselves and the Order is that understood?"

"Crystal." She says rubbing her eyes. She is a bit tired, as am I. We had to stay up late last night because of some ritualistic aspects concerning both Kristina and our Order last night. But the sight of battle is quickly waking us up.

"Good. I do not want you to reveal all your powers unless absolutely neccessary but I can't give you commands during the duel."

"That will be a problem." She admits.

"Exactly. Hence why I am ordering you to have freedom of action. If someone touches you ignore it and focus on beating them. Do not use your powers unless you view them as needed but otherwise do what you want to. Throw them out of the ring with telekinesis, mess up their minds with telepathy, hell inflict horrors on their mind if you think you need it to win, beat them into submission with your hands, anything that will allow you to win you do it but you can't go overboard. Understood?"

"Very much so Knight-Commander-sama" Kristina responds.

"Excellent. The only condition I ask is that you don't use THAT memory to fuel your telepathy. This is still a tournament and thus everyone needs to come out alive and relatively unharmed mentally. That memory is only to be used on a bitter enemy."

"Understood." She asks a bit pale as the memory comes back.

"I order you to forget that memory for now." I order quickly to delay a breakdown, we don't have the time and this isn't a good place for me to treat her if she does have one. "It has no purpose in being remembered at the moment, what the Dragon-worshiping bastards did to you is irrelevant right now."

"Of course." She says returning to normal.

"Great. Now let's find a seat." I tell her as we walk through the stands. We come across Elysia who is sitting with some seats open around her. "Excuse me Elysia-san but are these seats taken and if they aren't can we take them ourselves?" I ask politely.

[Atlannia]

"Oh? I'm up already huh?" wondered Lillin, covering up a small yawn as the announcer explained the order of the fights.

So I don't get to go up against her until the finals? What a drag, thought Lillin, walking out to take up her position in the ring unhurriedly, her hands resting behind her head.

I guess it's fitting though, at least this way I won't get bored before the end. Lillin thought, her mouth stretching into a devious smile. So who exactly am I up against first?

Lillin's purple eyes scanned the crowd of contestants and alighted on a light haired boy who reacted visibly when the name was called and then began moving towards the ring.

---

Rache Olderen huh? thought the girl, studying him through half open eyes as she stretched out her arms and shoulders to loosen up. That means nothing to me...doesn't it

Lillin frowned and kept frowning as Rache entered the ring and took up a position opposite her, she nodded loosely as the announcer stood between them and covered the rules once more, plainly bored with the formalities.

We already heard all this, anyone who can't pay that much attention should have just stayed home she thought, lazily locking eyes with Rache.

Suddenly her smile reappeared.

"Your the one everyone's been babbling about," she said to Rache, interrupting the announcer and causing the man to stumble slightly over his next words. "You fought a duel or something, or won it rather." Lillin's smile widened and became predatory, resembling the serpent her order was named for. "How scary, I hope you aren't gonna be too rough on me."

[Mortelatuzia]

Elysia lost herself in her thoughts. She watched the fight with her eyes and observed the combatants, but her mind thought of other things. She had dreamed about him again in her short nap. Her slowly reached inside of her left pocket and she felt the familiar material of the golden scarf that was hidden inside. The superstitious girl inside her reckoned it was this object that kept her thoughts on him. For a moment she considered not keeping it with her to put her heart to rest, but quickly changed her mind, frowning at her own thought. It would be selfish of her, and it would defeat the entire purpose of it. She wasn't ready to forgive him, or to even see him again, but she knew that she couldn't just abandon him. It would go against everything, all the promises, hopes, and dreams that they now couldn't share.

When she heard her name being called she was slightly startled, but relieved to find Rache and Kristina and not Kal. He too was on the list of people she didn't feel ready to face. She smiled at the duo and made a quick bow of her head. "Of course! No problem at all. Actually, I've been meaning to ask h-"

She didn't get to finish before the announcer's booming voice came on and she noticed the Speed Magic user from the match had been pushed off the platform. In the next instance, Rache was called up to face a girl that Elysia did not know. Slightly bummed that she didn't get to ask her question, but still with her usual radiant energy she called after him.

"Looks like you're up. Good luck!"

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Rache

"Of course! No problem at all. Actually, I've been meaning to ask h-"

"Well I suppose I must go down. Wish me luck." I remark to Kristina and Elysia. "You can ask me whatever question you have after the fact. My door is open for everyone." I say with a smile.

"Knight-Commander-sama." Kristina says standing.

"Yes, Hymenaios-kun?" I ask and she quietly places her left hand on my right shoulder and her left hand where my heart would be.

"Sail on fearlessly, our Pride of vigil. Hope of Vigil, you are the burst of faith of the People." She says reciting part of the Hymn of Farewell to Vigil.

I place my hands over hers. "Oh Vigil, oh Vigil, We report our victories to you, our dear Vigil. And to the heritage left by you for us." I reply in the next stanza and I look over at Elysia-san. "In case you are wondering, no the two of us are just friends but this is a common thing back home. Our people are very ritualistic and close with each other and this is something friends do for each other before they go into battle." I explain since I don't want rumors about us and I walk off but I hear Kristina singing in her singing voice that most back home agree is beautiful, 'the Songbird of the Ninth' as she is also known as, a voice I am glad she recovered.

Whether it storms or snows, or the sun smiles on us,
The day glowing hot, or the night freeing cold.
Dusty are the faces, but our spirits are high, yes, spirits are high.
We charge through there in the storm's wind.



Down at the arena....

"Your the one everyone's been babbling about. You fought a duel or something, or won it rather. How scary, I hope you aren't gonna be too rough on me."

A taunt I instinctively feel, and even if I couldn't that smile is a dead give away. "Well I certainly can't take it easy on you miss. Battle is supposed to be rough, fun some would say, but very rough, almost dangerously so." I say with a bow and a smile. "But certainly you know your way around a fight? Snakes are illusive and creative creatures are they not? So even if their opponent is rough they can worm their way out of most things." That smile reminds me of a snake so I feel the need to tack it on. "But babbling about others is certainly a waste is it not? Duels are fought and won and lost all the time but it always preferable to see your opponent do battle rather than listen to others talk about it, and it is even greater if you are doing the fighting yourself. Thus you can know yourself and your opponent." I keep up the smile, a smile that one says belongs to an old man who is always eager for battle, it is a smile I learned from my elders. "Any quarter being given or asked for is a grave insult and in many circumstances is death so one who holds back when it counts is a fool wouldn't you say?"

I know I am at a disadvantage, my hand to hand is not something to boast about, but if you give up in the mind then you can never win a battle but I do not intend to give the field when it comes to a battle of words.

[Ularn]

The Tor Desert had nothing like this.
Being the closest thing the Kerembors had to a permanent settlement, Borzra Outpost did have a temple but, like the rest of the capital, it was little more than a slightly larger than average ger with the walls lined by statues of the disciples facing into the centre. A second smaller scarce made up of the eight blades of Aradain surrounded the God-Knight himself. Although the ger was better looked after than those owned by most families (and the people of the Tor took great pride in looking after their homes) and had stood long enough to be regarded as a permanent structure,its modest furnishings and construction had nothing on this grand stone monument. Borzra's temple would have been erected in an hour and could be dismantled in just as much time by two or three people; constructing this must have taken dozens of people weeks or maybe months! Even with the damage, it was plain to see the skill and craftsmanship that had gone into these statues and carvings.
It was odd for Kyrissa to have come here. Rather than the typical stratotheism adhered to by most lawful orders, the Kerembors and those who lived under their rule practised something more akin to ancestral worship. Members of the family who had done great deeds were held up and venerated as an example for all other Kerembors to follow and most children could recite the names of the important ones by the time they were beginning their first sword lessons. Kere, Inus, Iatanja, Vaen, Jaun, Miri - in a few centuries Kyrissa would probably be teaching her children to add Nianja to that list once her mother was gone. As for the god, Aradain was regarded as the greatest redemit to have ever lived and as such his words, his deeds and his laws were deemed infallible. That was not to say he was regarded as a real 'god' - although no-one argued with the moniker of 'God-Knight' - but at the same time his accomplishments went so far beyond what had been achieved by any other redemit that his example was only of limited use to the common man. Even Lady Sylvalladine - the founder of the order they served - was usually considered far to accomplished to be of assistance and so most Kerembors tended to keep their problems in the family and go out to one of the many monuments in the desert surrounding Borzra when they needed space for contemplation. The temple was mainly used by visitors and for festivals.
Kyrissa was here for lack of a better alternative. Although much more renewed than she had been upon waking, she was still in no shape to be taking part in a spell casting tournament and had no stomach for more combat if she had. The idea of spectating was just as unpleasant - especially once she heard Rache would be participating - and wandering aimlessly about the town held no interest for her. Besides, this seemed somehow appropriate.
She was kneeling before the statue of Lady Sylvalladine with her eyes closed, palms rested in her lap and her sword placed neatly on the stone plinth in front of her that was typically used to receive offerings from more zealous followers than Kyr. The heavy, solid walls of the temple brought to her the sounds of respectfully hushed conversations and careful footsteps. While Alfenn tried to draw Jyna's attention to the craftsmanship of the decorations Kyr noted another set of footsteps coming towards her. They stopped with a muttered whisper and she opened one eye to was standing behind her, only to find no-one. In fact, the walker had carried on past her a few paces without making any sound at all. It was Gawiëhr. She opened both eyes and reached forward to collect her weapon b fore rolling back off herknees onto her toes and then rising to stand in one fluid motion. "Hi again," she greeted, hooking the sword back into her belt.

[Atlannia]

"Your the one everyone's been babbling about. You fought a duel or something, or won it rather. How scary, I hope you aren't gonna be too rough on me."

A taunt I instinctively feel, and even if I couldn't that smile is a dead give away. "Well I certainly can't take it easy on you miss. Battle is supposed to be rough, fun some would say, but very rough, almost dangerously so." I say with a bow and a smile. "But certainly you know your way around a fight? Snakes are illusive and creative creatures are they not? So even if their opponent is rough they can worm their way out of most things." That smile reminds me of a snake so I feel the need to tack it on. "But babbling about others is certainly a waste is it not? Duels are fought and won and lost all the time but it always preferable to see your opponent do battle rather than listen to others talk about it, and it is even greater if you are doing the fighting yourself. Thus you can know yourself and your opponent." I keep up the smile, a smile that one says belongs to an old man who is always eager for battle, it is a smile I learned from my elders. "Any quarter being given or asked for is a grave insult and in many circumstances is death so one who holds back when it counts is a fool wouldn't you say?"

I know I am at a disadvantage, my hand to hand is not something to boast about, but if you give up in the mind then you can never win a battle but I do not intend to give the field when it comes to a battle of words.

"You sure talk a lot for someone who's supposedly made up his mind about what he's going to do already," said Lillin, one eye open as she slipped out of her jacket, leaving only a lighter, easier to move in wrap underneath. "Try condensing it down for those of us not gifted with saintly attention spans. “Try it like this." Lillin raised a hand to point at her opponent, her finger pressed together like a knife and her easy, predatory smile still in place. "I'm going to crush you."

As she spoke the announcer dropped his hand, signaling the start of the match .

Lillin seemed to fall, leaning forwards into a dash towards Rache, covering the distance between them with little wasted effort. With the same exhalation of breath that propelled her forwards she got off a rapid chant.

"SENN NI'KAI!" The first cut

A quick to deploy spell intended for use as a first strike, sneak attack or a response to sudden threats. It was a simple honing spell only good for one attack but favored for speed and suddenness with which it could be wielded. It was rumored an obscure sect of warriors exclusively practiced Senn Ni'kai, refining it into a technique that could end fights in one strike before they even began. Of course most warriors of the Emerald Serpent preferred to draw out and enjoy their fights a little more but none of them looked down on seizing the initiative and the Serpents' propensity for coups, assassinations and ambushes made it a technique with a long and eventful history.

Lillin's hand glowed with a subtle energy as she dashed towards Rache, her hand leaving behind a faint after trail of light as it stabbed towards her opponent's midsection like a spear point.

[Mortelatuzia]

Gawiëhr proceeded to take his notes until he suddenly heard a familiar, feminine voice address him. He wondered why she was able to see through his spell, but then realized the weak spell was only meant to obscure his actions and not himself entirely. He quickly placed his notepad back in it's pocket, it would seem like a major disregard for the sanctity of the temple, and turned on his heels to face the girl. 'Ah.' He thought, as he saw the red-"skinned" girl from his previous encounter. He assumed she was too far into praying or meditating to make note of him, but clearly he was quite wrong. Mentally noting to be more cautious, he bowed with a courteous smile as she rose from the ground, almost appearing as though it were the ancient times and he was addressing royalty.

"Greetings. Nice to see you again, Madám Kyríssa. Good to see you are well." He scanned the room quickly to try and find something to marvel at so that his actions didn't seem so jarringly strange. "Quite a place, don't you think?"

---

Elysia couldn't help but smile as the duo proceeded with their "ritual." Even after Rache assured her of the normality of the event, she still felt touched by the strength of their obvious bond. As the girl began to sing she felt an odd sense of nostalgia, remind of the days when she used to sing with him or to him. Now that she thought about it, it was mostly a one-sided event as he used to only sing if they were completely alone. She warmly remembered his polished baritone voice and the harmonies they sang together during the rain season. But, it was a pastime she had long forgotten alongside the other fragments of her shattered life. She turned to the girl as she finished up her song and Rache stepped into the arena.

"You sing beautifully."

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Rache

As soon as the announcer drops his hand I start muttering rapidly backing away the the edge of the ring. "Nith-qaddash shim-mukh katusha. Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus." I skip several lines because of this being lower power, though admittedly this is a shortcut that does have its risks, namely a fifty-fifty chance I lose the ability to use one of my limbs so I can't run or anything briefly, and I teleport myself to the opposite side of the ring. I feel myself lose control over most of my leg so I can only stand or walk slowly for the next minute. I had hoped that she would take longer to fully register that I have disappeared and charge out of the ring thus giving me the match but she stops just short of doing so and I figure I only get a moment before she realizes what I did. "Tsk." I click my tongue in annoyance. "Looks like the snake has good self control." I mutter to myself and then remark out loud, the only thing I can do since I can't take advantage of her state of distraction with how my leg is. "I disagree. War is fought in both words and blows. This is no different" I tell her as she recovers from what just happened. If I had Solace I would fight her directly but I now I need to rely on hit and run tactics. I know this is a battle I can't win but I need to give a good accounting of myself. She runs at me again and I raise my hand to give a spell. "Nith-qaddash shim-mukh katusha. Plundrar Bråd De våldtar Dod. Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus." Another shortcut yet it is one I don't mind taking since the only one at risk is her but I have a feeling nothing bad will happen to her.

She teleports and she is to the side of me. As soon as she starts teleporting I prepare to hit her and begin another spell. "Nith-qaddash shim-mukh katusha. Plundrar Bråd De våldtar Dod. As soon as she comes through, with her side facing me, I hit her in the neck with my fist. "Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus." I say finishing the spell. In this case it is a complete spell so I don't need to worry about my self and teleport slightly above her and use my good leg to kick her in the head. While doing so I prepare another spell "Nith-qaddash shim-mukh katusha. Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus." Another shortcut and I teleport as far away as I can. Fortunately none of my limbs are taken out and feeling and control is starting to return to my left leg. I know I can't win in a straight up fight but I can try to whittle her down with bug bites. Teleporting myself doesn't use up too much energy while another person consumes more than I want to spare so I need to rely on myself. I prepare for her to come at me again.

Kristina

And if we are abandoned by treacherous luck,
And if we don't return home again,
If death's messengers finds us, and fate calls us away, yes, us away.
Then we shall join our comrades in the grave.

"You sing beautifully." The girl next to me says.

"A songbird who has been maimed, and beaten, and broken, is still a songbird. At least that was what Adina said about me." I reply which is true since I faintly remember the nickname of the Songbird of the Ninth. "Besides it is all ritual. That is what guides our lifestyles. No matter what nothing is meant by them besides tradition and ritual." I don't know why but I feel like emphasizing that. "Besides the commander ordered me to obey our rituals and thus I must always obey his orders. There is nothing else I exist for." This chattiness is unusual for me but for some reason I feel my position is being questioned.

I turn my attention to the fight making note of the battle going on. As the fight goes on I know the truth despite it all. He can't win this. Yet he fights.

Akemi

I just keep sitting observing the battle going on. Rache-kun was always distinctive yet seeing him fight in a hand to hand battle is a refreshing change of pace. But he is out of his element so he won't last forever, a pity. I would have looked forward to fighting him hand to hand. Maybe some other time. I, of course, notice the Hymenaios girl but it isn't a surprise to see her here. My face turns sad, as it does every time I see her. I should have stopped them. I should have stopped them all. But it doesn't matter now does it? She is nothing more than a girl who has lost almost everything yet blindly clings to what little she has left. As soon as she loses that she will perish for there is nothing to keep her here. From what Rache-kun told me she can't feel love nor can she feel happy nor almost any other emotion. Only blind obedience and hatred, she sings yet she doesn't put her soul into it because it had mostly departed from her body. That's how deeply she was broken and disturbed. Yet I couldn't save her from my comrades. Just another atrocity I had to overlook in this war. Rache blames himself as a commander and I blame myself for witnessing it and doing nothing. Hence why she shouldn't even be out of a intensive care unit yet her Elders force her to fight, yet another atrocity.

[Saleon]

Kal watched the speedy fighter be pushed out of the arena. He had a good start, but he did not go as far as he could. The one who had sided with the wind played an equally offensive stance. It caught the speedy fighter off-guard, as the one armed with the wind matched defensive powers with a convincing array of whirlwinds. Ultimately, the speedy one charged fully in an attempt to finish it, but was blown backward with force. It almost looked like it hurt-- how hard he was thrown-- but he simply stood back up and walked it off. He gave a slight thumbs up, before disappearing into the stands. He watched the other fights as well, as his careful eye delivered a visual reenactment of every fight back to him. The thrill of battle was only equaled by his will for knowledge. his eyes gave him all he could want in an instant.

Soon, it came time for his seed, and his fight. He tightened the wrap around his hands, and tugged slightly on his jacket. The school's clothes, as always, which he'd grown comfortable to only just a little. It was at least meant to be free-form and unrestricting, but it was built to fit the average fighter-- a broad characterization of what everyone could use-- therefore, you could never meet one's intricate needs and wants. His hands went to his sides and he walked to the arena with a calm disposition, which hid his unease. The nervousness was not unoriginal, as one could never shake that feeling from a competition, but he had gotten better at handling it.

He popped a couple of his knuckles, and rotated his head as to pop a couple more in his neck. He loosened himself up before standing straight in position. He gave three heavy breathes--in, out, in-- before taking a full stance. He had collected his thoughts, and embraced the feel of battle. His stance seemed to grasp many things on the battlefield, including the feel of the earth beneath his feet. His opponent would be Ritz, who controlled energy, was somebody he knew to be watchful against. She had many tricks up her sleeves, and wouldn't show her tricks at once.

Kal, the tactician, was similar, but with distinct differences. He devolved a battle into a key number of facts and tactics. He was an analyst, who would look into the opponent and seek out their next course of action. He'd keep a couple of things in the back as a surprise, and account for every outcome. He is one to watch his prey run and hide-- peddling its front legs aggressively, with hopes of escape. It soon finds what it thinks is the light at the end of a tunnel, only to find a dead end, and a dead realization of the stage before him. The tactician traps his enemy, and then forces them to come to terms with fate. His intention would be to analyze someone as well. The tacticians stands still and waits for the first blow, but only if he can. He stands still as a statue, seemingly motionless for ages. His breathe is the only thing to remind people he is alive, whereas his eyes do not wander from her. He did not give a brief reprise, nor a kink in his armor.

The ambient silence was chilling. They didn't move, a war of attrition to see who would deliver the first strike.soon, Short words fling from his mouth in short quick snippets, his feet pedal into motion to the right of her, and he quickly snaps his fingers three times. Each snap sends a small whistle outward in a straight line. As soon as it gets close enough, they erupt into an expulsion of fire from singular points in front, behind, and to the side of her. The game of cat and mouse was afoot.

[Ularn]

"It is," Kyrissa agreed, eyes raised to examine what was left of the ceiling for a moment before returning them to Gawiëhr, specifically to his feet before meeting his eyes with a slightly confused expression. "Are you using some sort of spell at the moment?" she asked.

[Atlannia]

As soon as the announcer drops his hand I start muttering rapidly backing away the the edge of the ring. "Nith-qaddash shim-mukh katusha. Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus." I skip several lines because of this being lower power, though admittedly this is a shortcut that does have its risks, namely a fifty-fifty chance I lose the ability to use one of my limbs so I can't run or anything briefly, and I teleport myself to the opposite side of the ring. I feel myself lose control over most of my leg so I can only stand or walk slowly for the next minute. I had hoped that she would take longer to fully register that I have disappeared and charge out of the ring thus giving me the match but she stops just short of doing so and I figure I only get a moment before she realizes what I did. "Tsk." I click my tongue in annoyance. "Looks like the snake has good self control." I mutter to myself and then remark out loud, the only thing I can do since I can't take advantage of her state of distraction with how my leg is. "I disagree. War is fought in both words and blows. This is no different" I tell her as she recovers from what just happened. If I had Solace I would fight her directly but I now I need to rely on hit and run tactics. I know this is a battle I can't win but I need to give a good accounting of myself. She runs at me again and I raise my hand to give a spell. "Nith-qaddash shim-mukh katusha. Plundrar Bråd De våldtar Dod. Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus." Another shortcut yet it is one I don't mind taking since the only one at risk is her but I have a feeling nothing bad will happen to her.

She teleports and she is to the side of me. As soon as she starts teleporting I prepare to hit her and begin another spell. "Nith-qaddash shim-mukh katusha. Plundrar Bråd De våldtar Dod. As soon as she comes through, with her side facing me, I hit her in the neck with my fist. "Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus." I say finishing the spell. In this case it is a complete spell so I don't need to worry about my self and teleport slightly above her and use my good leg to kick her in the head. While doing so I prepare another spell "Nith-qaddash shim-mukh katusha. Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus." Another shortcut and I teleport as far away as I can. Fortunately none of my limbs are taken out and feeling and control is starting to return to my left leg. I know I can't win in a straight up fight but I can try to whittle her down with bug bites. Teleporting myself doesn't use up too much energy while another person consumes more than I want to spare so I need to rely on myself. I prepare for her to come at me again.

So he's a teleporter/i] thought Lillin, gritting her teeth as she felt a solid lib collide with her shoulder. She turned rapidly to counter attack but her opponent had already vanished and her magically charged hand slashed through empty air. She didn't bother responding to his statement and merely hissed in annoyance as Rache reappeared out of easy attack range and continued chanting in preparation of another attack.

[i]So he's going for a hit and run strategy, how irritating she thought, narrowing her eyes as Rache vanished again. This time the attack came from her right and although she didn't have time to block properly she was at least braced to receive the strike and took minimal damage.

This isn't really hurting all that much she mused, as Rache reappeared at a distance again. I suppose he's not much of a hand to hand fighter... Is that why I don't get the feeling he's trying to win? Lillin's purple eyes narrowed and took on a hard edge. What a waste of time.

Lillin began to chant under her breath, not stopping even as Rache teleported in behind her and launched yet another attack, landing a blow between her shoulders. It hurt more than the earlier attack, there seemed to be a correlation between how often he teleported and easily he was able to move and attack immediately after appearing. But Lillin didn't care to analyse it any more than that, the match would be over soon.

She could feel the effects of her spell begin to kick in as she completed the first couple of lines, her heart rate increased and her pupils dilated as stimulants rushed through her blood, amplifying her senses and reaction times, the world seemingly growing sharper and brighter, her arms tingling as the wind caressed her hyper sensitive skin.

The breeze announced the arrival of Rache, his movements pushing the air ahead of him and with her skin this sensitive Lillin could discern the punch he was aiming her way almost as clearly as if she could see it and she swayed around it gracefully, swinging an arm around in the same motion to strike at the space he occupied.

Lillin felt the tantalising brush of fabric against her fingers as Rache hopped backwards out of range and then teleported away. Lillin's brow creased in annoyance.

Even like this I can't quite catch him, it's a real nuisance when he can just appear from any angle Lillin thought, closing her eyes to focus more on the light wind that would give away Rache's arrival. In that case I'll just pick somewhere where he has to attack head on.

When Rache attacked this time Lillin reacted differently, rather than simply absorbing the attack and countering she jumped in the opposite direction, sliding backwards until she was teetering on the edge of the ring, her hands stretched out for balance.

Now let's see if he takes the bait thought Lillin, counting down the seconds in her head and opening her eyes in time to see Rache appear suddenly above her, one leg outstretched towards her clearly intended to kick her out of the arena.

Not this time, Lillin's smile returned, as devious as ever as one of her outstretched arms snaked up to seize Rache's ankle while the other snagged his waist. She twisted and threw, using the momentum of Rache's kick against him and when the motion was complete Rache lay on his back outside of the arena while Lillin leaned over him, her hands on his chest to keep from touching the ground while the tip of one foot rested inside the arena, the other raised in the air to keep her balanced.

"Wars are started with words and ended with blows, that's my way of thinking," said Lillin, her eyes staring down into Rache's as she smiled thinly. "Oh and the next time you fight me you better be trying to win," she said, her hands sliding downwards slightly as she pushed herself up onto her feet in one smooth motion. "I hate guys who don't take me seriously," she said, winking slyly before tossing her hair out her face and walking back to the sidelines as the announcer called out the results of the match.

Well that was dull, I suppose it was an adequate warmup at least.

[Charmera]

"Alright, feel free to look around and ask Cyranis any questions." Arcander spoke to the students he had brought along with him to the trip to the temple. They were not too many, but they were enough, he thought to himself. He then looked at Gawiehr. "Neilender, please try not to wander off. I am well aware that everyone here can watch out for themselves but even so, it is our duty to look after you, and Shanath asked me to keep an eye on you while she makes sure that nothing happens at the magic competition in town." The white-haired aspirant explained.

Alfenn had absorbed the lecture with one ear, his attention mainly focused on the elaborate border work surrounding some of the insignias.

“Our own archives had this motif pegged as not developing for another two centuries after this temple was built,” he said to no one in particular in a tone caught halfway between enthusiasm and irritation. “This is a rather good example too.” He mused “How fortunate the important parts of the temple survived intact.” He murmured, ignoring the sunlight pouring in where the roof had been previously, adding golden highlights to his dark hair.

“Jyna, look at the detail on these leaves! I wonder if these are native flora or a more traditional recurring symbol?”

"The leaves...?" Jyn asked, quite taken aback by the whole temple, though not as much as her reaction to the nature of the planet. She was merely impressed, not overwhelming elated. She paused, feeling the holiness of the place. It spoke to her to some degree, even if she was not particularly religious. "I don't know. I haven't seen anything like them on the planet so far, but it might be a species we just haven't gotten to see." She remarked.

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Rache

My blows are not doing enough damage, I know this much. Effectively I have enough energy to keep this up for a while and thus my bug bite strategy will work if I can just lower her shields enough, if that happens I win. If not I suppose I do not. My opponent surprises me by backing into a corner. This is a trap and I know it but if I can move faster than her then I win if she moves faster than me I lose. So I teleport one last time, intending to hit her as fast as I can. As soon as I come through she grabs me and throws me out of the ring. I glare at her from my position and hears what she says. "Wars are started with words and ended with blows, that's my way of thinking. Oh and the next time you fight me you better be trying to win, I hate guys who don't take me seriously." When she steps away I speak.

"Try to win?" I ask getting up, I expected this conclusion so I don't exactly care. "Perhaps but in a competition like this you had me at a disadvantage. Perhaps another day with different weapons we can have a more satisfying battle." I bow my head slightly to concede the match. "Though I am grateful for the match. Best of luck." I tell her as I walk away. For me my pride can't be hurt from losing what I knew would be lost, I would have committed suicide long ago if it was with all the setbacks I have had but instead I use every battle as a learning opportunity to see my limits and improve them.

But I do disagree with that, to me wars are started by words and more often than not ended by words, otherwise they would only end in genocide.

Kristina

I place my hand in my pocket and curl it into a fist. "Well I suppose that was the result in the end. A good showing is all that he could have given." I remark taking my hand out and resting my hands on my lap. "The commander is certainly not great at everything." I shrug. "That is why the Ninth has more than one Knight, in harmony we work for our goals." Though I say that I do feel an odd sense of anticipation, the commander gave me freedom of action which is rare enough for me to want to do something. I hear a laugh that for some reason sounds familiar but I figure it must be my imagination, there is no way by Mael she can be here. I would sooner have her fighting the rest of the Ninth than be here.

I hum under my breath the words to another song.

Our cause is lost, no more we fight against overwhelming power, all wearied are our limbs and drenched with the sweat of many battles. We yield to them to day while we proudly bear our colors.

Akemi

I smile and chuckle slightly. "Rache-kun was never great at hand to hand and he knows it. But it was still refreshing to see him fight without Solace. Maybe I should give him some pointers on hand to hand while I am here." I chuckle again. "Though I will need to make sure I can still win even with what I teach him otherwise he would kill me." I burst out laughing and grinning at the thought. "But that is to be expected from him, if he didn't try to kill me at almost every chance he got I would be disappointed. Nearly ten years have gone by since we first tried to kill each other yet we have not grown bored of our chase." I calm down but keep smiling. I guess I will just have to get to the finals and beat her then if she makes. It wouldn't do to stand by and do nothing after all would it? That and I joined this competition for the sake of a good fight so I am looking forward to it. I crack my knuckles slightly, a good fight makes everything worthwhile.

[Esternial]

It was her turn now. Ritz felt her legs trembling with anticipation before she pushed herself onto her two feet. The vast presence of onlookers acted as a dense reservoir of energy, all the energy flowing out of their bodies seeping into hers. While focusing on condensing the energy within her core, Ritz seemed as if she had been lulled to sleep and paid no attention to the other fights at all. Accumulating all this energy felt different than last time, when she fought the heretics alongside her fellow students. The pain of so much energy instantaneously surging throughout her body was still etched into her memory. This time however, it flowed in gradually, in small pockets that she could process without pain or strain on her mind. The sensation was like that of a bamboo rocker, filling up and dispensing its contents with a light thud into a water reservoir, and it felt as soothing as being in the presence of one.

During the two matches, Ritz erected four barriers that contained all the cumulative energy ebbing from the people around her into her body. To those closest around her, the energy radiating from her would feel as a warm summer's eve.

Ritz felt absolutely bursting with energy, and keeping it under control demanded a great deal of mental fortitude. Standing still only made things harder, so as soon as she stood up she ran towards the edge of the arena, pushed herself off with her hands and landed on the platform after executing a perfect double front flip.

Though usually calm and collected, whenever Ritz was amped up she felt a rush of euphoria, but she always maintained an air of serenity around her. Her attention remained fixed on Kal as she took her position and observed the boy - no, the man - in front of her. His eyes drew all her attention, staring intensely at her. Ritz knew that Kal wasn't simply preparing to fight - he was planning. So was she.

Now.

Ritz felt a flux in Kal's energy as he began his incantation, and she didn't waste a moment to react. A surge of energy cascaded down into her legs as Kal began his attack. She had lowered the first barrier. Fire manifested all around her, but Kal hadn't accounted for one dimension.

It was hard to see Ritz' shadow above Kal with the bright flames illuminating the arena, but the fight wouldn't be won with a single move. As she came bearing down on him with an axe kick, her foot found nought but the metal platform, which dented as if it were a mere tin can. As she looked up, Ritz and Kal briefly made eye contact, but Ritz did not hesitate for one moment and acted quickly with a follow-up. She lifted herself off the ground with her hands and twisted her body around, performing a flare to gain momentum and land a powerful kick straight against Kal's side that threw him off his feet and sent him hurling several feet away from her. Then, she pushed herself off the ground and landed onto her feet. Ritz felt a momentary wave of excitement. Most other students would no doubt beat her in a fight with weapons, but now she could show her true prowess in combat.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"No rush, Kihari." Elsis grumbled at the serpentine woman as she watched the battle between the speedster and the airbender with an absent gaze, seemingly more preoccupied with the conversation and, most importantly, with her own thoughts. "I simply want to test myself with these people, that's all. It's not often that I have to fight without Salamander, but I'm pretty sure I can do well enough." The girl with coral red hair said with a small shrug of her shoulders as she leaned back on her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. It was true, indeed, that most of the time, while fighting against hostile Redemit or otherwise when involved in any sort of duel or competition, she would usually defended herself and attacked by making use of her enormous magma-like broadsword, only using her fire magic and her hand-to-hand fighting as a compliment, but that by no means implied that she was less skilled with either of those. Her magic and her unarmed combat were both as finely honed as her swordfighting was, even if she didn't use them in live situations as often. She trained those disciplines as much as she trained her swordfighting, if not more, and it had certainly paid off thus far, though she was yet to put them to test while deprived of the use of her dear Salamander.

As she mentally went over the battle arrangements and mused over her potential opponents, however, the braveblood let out a sigh, half annoyed, half dismayed. "If anything, there's someone I'd rather not fight, but if it comes down to that, I suppose I will have to."

---

As the students mingled with each other or explored the various areas, statues and symbols of the temple, Arcander was content with merely hanging back and observing them, making sure to never lose any one of them from sight. Thankfully he was relatively adept at watching over people, having had to watch over his younger sister during his time back home and being more or less his group's mature person (or as they were fond of saying, nanny) during his trainee years (though during his recruit years he had on occasion been the reckless one, experiencing firsthand how a crush can make one act stupidly). It was, for the most part, a simple enough task, though he was struggling to keep watch on Gawiehr for some reason, suspecting that he was using some sort of obfuscating spell. The white-haired aspirant frowned slightly at this, but said nothing. If he happened to feel more comfortable that way, then so be it, he wouldn't get involved.

Meanwhile, Cyranis herself was further inside exploring the central room of the Temple of Glarkanios. Not too many students had approached her with questions, and after replying to those who did, she had decided that she might as well make the most of the experience. She had been to this temple plenty of times already, both on previous school trips and on the occasional diplomatic trip to Gladia before that, during her days on the Phantom Host. With that said, she often neglected exploring the temple in full, instead picking bits and pieces to examine in full detail during each trip. If nothing else, it kept her entertained whenever she had to visit one of these, and she sometimes enjoyed torturing her students with absurdly detailed questions about it.

This trip, it was the turn of the central chamber at last, and so, she opted to start with the enormous statue of Aradain in the center, walking up to it and simply staring at it for a moment. Despite having seen plenty of impressive things before, this never failed to awe her, and so, mesmerized by the aura of holiness surrounding the statue of the almighty God-Knight, the one-eyed instructor reached out to touch the blade Kalibras.

And promptly collapsed, unconscious.

[Ularn]

"Tjov!" Kyrissa cursed as she caught Cyranis' collapse out the corner of her eye. "Arc, over here!" she shouted, drawing the attention of the class' aspirant and healer as she darted away from Gawiëhr with an apologetic glance. Through the ring of swords towards the professor, she came to a halt on her knees with arms raised and a spell already on her lips as she reached out with her mind to locate the cause of her sudden unconsciousness.
"Na peni ot Opohu Nupvuae. Auy lommif na gevjis; qsiqesi vu foi."
The spell was weighty and clumsily worded compared its purpose but with her limited healing powers it was the best Kyr could put together. Anything she could diagnose now might save Arcander time when he got over here in a few moments.

[Mortelatuzia]

Gawiëhr finished scanning the room and returned her attention to the red girl. She seemed sweet, though that may just be the aftereffect of whatever had occurred that morning. There was a peculiarity about her, though not of her body covering tattoo work. She seemed to be lost in an unfamiliar world with unfamiliar people, not unlike himself. Though, she obviously had other ways of dealing with her problems as he had heard about her duel. Honor was a concept he never quite got the grasp of. Loyalty and comradery he understood well, at least for a select few people, but he never quite understood that concept of honor. Perhaps it was the lack of order back home that deafened him to such disputes, but even those "judicial" duels back home that were based on honor he never quite understood. As he finished his thoughts the girl brought her head up and locked eyes with him. She asked him simply if he was using a spell.

Gawiëhr silently cursed himself as he heard her say those words. Not only was a he spotted, but she also figured out it was his doing and not some trick of the mind. His father would've scolded him for three hours if he found out about that. "Cessare." He said bluntly, cancelling the spell and realizing that if he was going to disappear it shouldn't be in a place where people are always looking for him. He was about to answer when he heard a thunk and saw the instructor had collapsed beside the statue. He whistled for the student escort to come and have a look, but walked himself at a leisurely pace toward the accident. He had no healing magic, he could not assist directly. What he did do however, was scan the surrounding area very carefully to try to find the source of the incident, and whether or not foul play was involved.

[Saleon]

Though usually calm and collected, whenever Ritz was amped up she felt a rush of euphoria, but she always maintained an air of serenity around her. Her attention remained fixed on Kal as she took her position and observed the boy - no, the man - in front of her. His eyes drew all her attention, staring intensely at her. Ritz knew that Kal wasn't simply preparing to fight - he was planning. So was she.

Now.

Ritz felt a flux in Kal's energy as he began his incantation, and she didn't waste a moment to react. A surge of energy cascaded down into her legs as Kal began his attack. She had lowered the first barrier. Fire manifested all around her, but Kal hadn't accounted for one dimension.

It was hard to see Ritz' shadow above Kal with the bright flames illuminating the arena, but the fight wouldn't be won with a single move. As she came bearing down on him with an axe kick, her foot found nought but the metal platform, which dented as if it were a mere tin can. As she looked up, Ritz and Kal briefly made eye contact, but Ritz did not hesitate for one moment and acted quickly with a follow-up. She lifted herself off the ground with her hands and twisted her body around, performing a flare to gain momentum and land a powerful kick straight against Kal's side that threw him off his feet and sent him hurling several feet away from her. Then, she pushed herself off the ground and landed onto her feet. Ritz felt a momentary wave of excitement. Most other students would no doubt beat her in a fight with weapons, but now she could show her true prowess in combat.

The blow pushed him back a flight. He could see up into the sky as his body was launched away from her. He knew not to let himself be jettisoned, he manipulated the force, taking his right hand and using it as a turning point on the ground. His legs flew past his hand on a spin. He had just enough energy to push upward with his hand, flipping his body and allowing him to jump onto his legs with ease. It still didn't stop his legs from skidding dust up as he was pushed back even more. Dust could be seen trailing from his feet. "Didn't see that coming," he mumbled. He quickly regained his balance and returned his eyes back to her eyes. "this'll be fun," he giggled, while clenching his fist. He gave a slight moment of reprise, mimicking the start of this duel.

He pulsed forth with intensity.

He began to frantically began sending out a number of words with bold feracity."Mysmanos sipropulsen con fuega" The lines spoke with a certain truth to them, coming out with the power of his order. The Ashtanaran language spoke with an ancient language unbeknownst to anyone but them. It gave them their own culture, their own tribe; in reality, it allowed them to exclude people from their ranks. Few people could learn it, even after hearing it all their life. You had to be tought it. "Ylis cirkula." His hands snapped out in front of Ritz. The whistling power seemed to come at multiple directions. Fire ignited around her, not fully closing though. He had run into the midst of the circle.

Tactician Kal had secluded both him and energized Ritz in a ring of fire. The hunter had caged his animal-- ready to battle, to fight-- to enter into a bloody confrontation. His fists locked tight and she entered into a swapping of blows. He was obviously not the better fighter, hand-to-hand, but he was still a cunning fighter-- A tenacious dueler. He played the fight out, plotting this out. He began with a sweep to the legs. She quickly dodged out of that and pulled out a blow to his jaw. He took it squarely, without flinching. Soon, his hands lunged forward to the side, smacking her in the side. His hair glistened with a drip of sweat, as he seemed to act as a boxer in the ring. It was a brisk brawl, and it would not end eaily.


He began to call out another set of words as they continued to brawl, leaving it a surprise as to what would soon happen.

[Esternial]

Kal recovered from Ritz' blow, as was expected from a student of the Silver Hand. Her opponent was calculated, but not lacking in ferocity. Though she would never admit it in a million year, Ritz secretly enjoyed the rush of adrenaline. It stood in strong contrast with her otherwise calm nature.

It didn't take a sixth sense to know Kal was preparing another attack. Ritz could see it in his eyes, and she was ready for anything he threw at her. Her mind was completely focused, her body bristling with excess energy that radiated outward. However, even Ritz hadn't expect Kal's next tactic: caging himself in with an opponent that excelled in close combat. She had thought that he'd prefer to stay out of her range and attack her with ranged fire magic. Did he have an ace up his sleeve?

His resistance against her attacks was fine, but not exquisite. His attacks were aimed perfectly, but lacked finesse. It was obvious that he was trained in hand-to-hand combat, but Ritz felt - knew - she was the better fighter. Did he overestimate his abilities? Or am I overestimating mine? Kal did have fire magic to his disposal, and clearly knew how to exploit it for tactical benefit. Her focus faltered for only a moment, long enough for Kal to benefit and strike her side. She'd feel it after the fight was over - at the mind her mind was too submerged in adrenaline for her to be bothered.

Another spell was in the works. This time she would give him the time to finish it. Right now they were both engaged in battle that could go either way, but Ritz wasn't planning on dragging it out.

With a restrained shout she tore down the next barrier, releasing the condensed energy throughout her body and infusing every single iota of it into her legs and a single fist. Her entire body momentarily emitted a faint light, before vanishing altogether, like a flash. In a matter of milliseconds she stood next to Kal and directed her fist straight at him. With enough force to splinter a large boulder, she couldn't help but worry about Kal's safety, but in a duel one couldn't afford to fight half-heartedly. Kal knew what he was getting into. So was she.

[Saleon]

Kal recovered from Ritz' blow, as was expected from a student of the Silver Hand. Her opponent was calculated, but not lacking in ferocity. Though she would never admit it in a million year, Ritz secretly enjoyed the rush of adrenaline. It stood in strong contrast with her otherwise calm nature.

It didn't take a sixth sense to know Kal was preparing another attack. Ritz could see it in his eyes, and she was ready for anything he threw at her. Her mind was completely focused, her body bristling with excess energy that radiated outward. However, even Ritz hadn't expect Kal's next tactic: caging himself in with an opponent that excelled in close combat. She had thought that he'd prefer to stay out of her range and attack her with ranged fire magic. Did he have an ace up his sleeve?

His resistance against her attacks was fine, but not exquisite. His attacks were aimed perfectly, but lacked finesse. It was obvious that he was trained in hand-to-hand combat, but Ritz felt - knew - she was the better fighter. Did he overestimate his abilities? Or am I overestimating mine? Kal did have fire magic to his disposal, and clearly knew how to exploit it for tactical benefit. Her focus faltered for only a moment, long enough for Kal to benefit and strike her side. She'd feel it after the fight was over - at the mind her mind was too submerged in adrenaline for her to be bothered.

Another spell was in the works. This time she would give him the time to finish it. Right now they were both engaged in battle that could go either way, but Ritz wasn't planning on dragging it out.

With a restrained shout she tore down the next barrier, releasing the condensed energy throughout her body and infusing every single iota of it into her legs and a single fist. Her entire body momentarily emitted a faint light, before vanishing altogether, like a flash. In a matter of milliseconds she stood next to Kal and directed her fist straight at him. With enough force to splinter a large boulder, she couldn't help but worry about Kal's safety, but in a duel one couldn't afford to fight half-heartedly. Kal knew what he was getting into. So was she.

"Yel fuego de latierra estallan..." his words called out. The fight had continued on, with each bout being an intense volley of blows. What changed his motions was that she had cast a spell of her own. He could see the energy ringing in her. She swiftly moved-- transported, it seemed-- in front of him with a blow lined up. His mind did not seem flustered, but instead continued speaking, "en unesplosión." The line was finished, the keys were in place.

"convenient," he muttered as she began to wind her punch. He snapped his fingers and watched as the ring of fire gathered to the side of her in an instant. An explosive force erupted from that singular point. The spell had to be used in a way not originally intended, but the effect was still strong. The original spell is meant to manipulate "original fire" --which it did-- channeling it into "new fires." He regains control and holds his ground. If he can't beat back her blows, its best to disrupt whatever momentum she has before it becomes a problem.

The complexities of the spell aside, It had messed up her punch and caused her to be pushed away from him. His calm resolve burned with intensity as he continued forward. He took a lengthy distance this time, not letting her get close, taking long sweeps with his leg in an attempt to keep a miserly distance from her. He began muttering out a new string of words, wrapping them around his fingers once again. He was ready to reveal one of his trump cards. Give only a small portion of your hand, best reveal the cards slowly as to trick them into guessing. Keeping your hand hidden merely keeps them on the defensive, as they continue to keep their expectations broader. They take a defensive, whereas it is best to keep them on an offensive.

[Esternial]

No longer than a second. No more and her hit would have connected. Kal's managed to cast his spell just in time to force her to avoid its destructive power and break off her attack moments before it would have ended the fight. With a few backward handsprings, Ritz increased the distance between her and Kal, giving her time to collect her thoughts and regain her focus. Trying to end the fight with a single move was a big gamble, and she had already spent a great deal of energy to pull off that single move. Her heart was racing, her breathing heavy. The energy flowing through her body was pushing it to its limit. Once again, Kal was preparing another spell, a different one from the ones he used before. Never did he use the same one. How many more did he have in his arsenal?

This time, Ritz stood back and waited for Kal to cast his magic. She assumed a more careful approach, biding her time. That was one reason, but she also needed some time to recover after pushing her body so far in such a short time. For now she focused on containing the energy rushing throughout her body, preserving it. The remaining barriers were still firmly in place, but she wouldn't tear them down just yet.

[Saleon]

No longer than a second. No more and her hit would have connected. Kal's managed to cast his spell just in time to force her to avoid its destructive power and break off her attack moments before it would have ended the fight. With a few backward handsprings, Ritz increased the distance between her and Kal, giving her time to collect her thoughts and regain her focus. Trying to end the fight with a single move was a big gamble, and she had already spent a great deal of energy to pull off that single move. Her heart was racing, her breathing heavy. The energy flowing through her body was pushing it to its limit. Once again, Kal was preparing another spell, a different one from the ones he used before. Never did he use the same one. How many more did he have in his arsenal?

This time, Ritz stood back and waited for Kal to cast his magic. She assumed a more careful approach, biding her time. That was one reason, but she also needed some time to recover after pushing her body so far in such a short time. For now she focused on containing the energy rushing throughout her body, preserving it. The remaining barriers were still firmly in place, but she wouldn't tear them down just yet.

Tactician Kal watched as the energized girl abridged her step, instead choosing to cart her way out of his immediate attack distance. It was a wise move in her decision, but it quickly highlighted the desperation in her mind. She had given all of her cards up at the worst possible instance. He carefully operated his words to increase effectiveness and width to better cage in the prey. This game of chance and skill was finally in his favor.

He stamped his foot on the ground, basing his next shot to do massive damage. He conjured up his spirit into one shot, coursing the energy through his body, until it was refined without uncertainty. His hand quickly lunged out like a rod. To shock and surprise, he did not snap his fingetrs, but instead he took two of his fingers extended them outwardly. For a femtosecond, his hand glowed of a blue ferocity, before being expunged with intensity. Bolts of lightning lunged out in wide arcs, as if the full force of a thunder storm had been released. The bolts ended quickly, but one could not ignore the loud crack that each bolt gave out simultaneously. The shot was destined to be felt throughout even a full-shielding.

The shot was taxing on him as well, requiring a good deal of his own energy. It was a shot that required time to regather the energy inside of him. His stance remained like stagnant, stoic, stone-like.

[Esternial]

Tactician Kal watched as the energized girl abridged her step, instead choosing to cart her way out of his immediate attack distance. It was a wise move in her decision, but it quickly highlighted the desperation in her mind. She had given all of her cards up at the worst possible instance. He carefully operated his words to increase effectiveness and width to better cage in the prey. This game of chance and skill was finally in his favor.

He stamped his foot on the ground, basing his next shot to do massive damage. He conjured up his spirit into one shot, coursing the energy through his body, until it was refined without uncertainty. His hand quickly lunged out like a rod. To shock and surprise, he did not snap his fingetrs, but instead he took two of his fingers extended them outwardly. For a femtosecond, his hand glowed of a blue ferocity, before being expunged with intensity. Bolts of lightning lunged out in wide arcs, as if the full force of a thunder storm had been released. The bolts ended quickly, but one could not ignore the loud crack that each bolt gave out simultaneously. The shot was destined to be felt throughout even a full-shielding.

The shot was taxing on him as well, requiring a good deal of his own energy. It was a shot that required time to regather the energy inside of him. His stance remained like stagnant, stoic, stone-like.

In hindsight, it might have been a err of judgement to step back. She had the advantage at close range, while Kal had already demonstrated his prowess at fire magic for long ranged attacks. She anticipated him to use area of effect magic, but in her current state she knew she wouldn't be able to evade it if he did. It was an inevitability, really, and she did her best to limit the impact of whatever he threw at her.

Lighting arched all around her, electrifying her entire body. It was too much to handle all at once, but Ritz drew onto all there energy she had available and forced it towards the periphery of her body, forming a shell of pure energy that cushioned the blow. She fell to her hands and knees, but not without reason. With every ounce of concentration she had, she used her body as a conductor, redirecting the electricity through the metal platform. Panting, and with a strained face, she looked at Kal, who was now experiencing a taste of his own medicine. The electric shock would throw him off his game long enough to get her act back together.

With some effort she stood back up and looked at Kal, waiting for a chance to act. She felt drained.

It was time to break open the penultimate barrier.

Ritz muttered few words between her laboured breaths, her mind reaching inward. The barrier enveloping a mass of raw power disintegrated, allowing the energy to spread outwards. More violently than before it surged throughout her body and reinvigorated every cell. Ritz clenched her teeth as she felt the pain of such a large amount of raw energy rampage throughout her body like a raging storm. It was a reminder that she was still unable to properly wield its power.

Her skin was tingling as white light radiated from it. She was literally glowing. For those sensitive enough to minute temperature changes, it would have seemed as if it went up with almost a degree for just a moment. For Kal, who stood much closer to her, the presence of a sudden but gentle warmth would be unmistakeable.