Sil Arion wrote:-snip-
Ellyn looked back at Aris assessing the distance between them, and his stance. And his eyes, burning with a longing and excitement that she was almost frightened by, but instead comforted, knowing that her eyes were the same. She raised an eyebrow when he did a walking backflip, showing her that he was just as acrobatic as she was. She analyzed why he hadn't summoned any of his weapons. Was he planning to use hand combat skills? As the countdown began, she got into her own stance, one foot forward, the other back, with her spear pointed at him, and the sword pointing slightly down.
As the countdown continued she looked at Aris, and how he suddenly blazed with a holy, wondrous fire, his hair seemingly ablaze and those eyes, the color of gold. She didn't know his capabilities, but it was obvious that he had infused himself with a magical energy, that would make him stronger, or perhaps faster? There were too many questions, but it was time to fight.
And then, he disappeared. Ellyn sighed, a bit disappointed. But this meant that he did not want to face her directly, meaning that there was some weakness to exploit. She closed her eyes, giving herself three seconds to detect him with her ears, but she heard nothing. He had obviously done this before. At the end of three seconds, she opened her eyes again. There was no telltale sign of him, no shimmer in the air or a buzz like sound.
She hated to reveal her hand so early, but he would be able to sneak up upon her, tackle her or even disarm her. She had no choice. Chanting quietly, not wanting to give any of her spells to the spectators, but knowing that she only had seconds, she focused onto her mind's energy, channeled it into her spear and slammed it down on the ground, sending a strong telekinetic blast through the ground, which would hopefully blast Aris off his feet and disrupt his magic. As she listened intently as her blast spread through the ground, she backed up toward a wall, ensuring that she could not be attacked from behind. Now, she focused her ears, listening for a sound. If her telekinetic blast didn't work, she would have to come up with something else, a shield forged by her mind's will perhaps.
But if Aris wanted to play Hide and Seek, she would oblige him, she thought, starting to smile.
Let the Silver Games begin.