EA Chapter 22 - The Hawks Take Flight

The silence hanging over the arena had grown so thick that one could cut it with a knife. The instructors, seated upon their raised dais, watched Luna with some fascination.

“You...” Lethe glared at her, venom flashing in her eyes. “Take this seriously!”

“I am taking it seriously,” Luna replied. “And I’m seriously giving you a free shot.”

Lethe’s aura grew brighter, hotter, and Luna could sense her qi rising by the second. Luna had observed her in the way she did with every other Arcanist in her class. She would consider Lethe above average, born a practitioner of the Way of Creation, strong and creative. But, in terms of raw strength, Luna had her beat.

Energy coalesced in Lethe’s right hand, forming into a long spear that shone like a miniature star. “Fine!” Lethe barked. “You asked for it!”

Luna smiled. With her rune buzzing, giving her a free barrier, she was able to focus her mind elsewhere. Primarily by creating a slowly rising bubble of unseen power directly above Lethe.

The spear of light rushed toward Luna, kicking up a boom of force. The referee watched, his whole body tense. When the spear met her it collided with a great blinding explosion of qi, melting the tiles around her boots. Red hot air flickered around Luna, but the girl herself was unharmed. A small tingle raced out from her rune.

Lethe’s eyes widened in shock as the smoke cleared, revealing an utterly unharmed Luna.

“What th-”

A wave of gravity rushed downward at Luna’s command, the sheer power striking her from above like a sledgehammer. The tiles shattered and buckled beneath Lethe’s feet, creating a great rounded crater in the platform and sending tremors racing across the arena.

Another hush fell over the crowd, stunned eyes focused on Lethe as she tried to push herself to her hands and knees. “How did... you...”

“That’s a secret,” Luna said, smiling impishly. She sensed the eyes of the instructors on her, particularly Gallow and Yifang. She was sure she was trying to puzzle her out.

Snarling, Lethe’s eyes ignited like a pair of stars, unleashing twin beams of golden light at Luna. She raised her hand to counter, the rays of energy bending and warping at Luna’s mental command, rapidly morphing into a focused sphere of light. Manipulating the magic of another wizard was tricky, back in her old world. It was something that took exceptional power and control.

But Luna had been a veteran of that little trick in her old life. She would admit that, perhaps, she had grown too reliant on bending the power of her foes back upon them. It had left her a touch off balance when faced against someone armed solely with powerful antimagic.

She balanced the sphere of Lethe’s qi on her fingertips, while the taller girl struggled and strained against Luna’s oppressive gravity. “You have potential Lethe, I’ll grant you that. But the distance between you and I? It’s further than here to the Moon.” She flicked the sphere at Lethe, the explosion striking the ground just as Luna dispelled her augmented gravity. The explosion swept Lethe off her feet like a great tide, knocking her clean into the dirt beyond the arena.

A few chunks of shrapnel were uprooted from the platform, hurtling toward the crowd. They struck a barrier which flashed into existence before the stands, shredding the chunks into nothingness. The qi barrier was a construct of the staff, who doubtless believed no cadet-spawned attack could even threatened to piece it.

“Winner!” The referee gestured to Luna with a massive, calloused hand. “Cadet Alcett.”

“Naturally,” Luna said, smiling at the mixed cheers and chattering of the crowd. Her amethyst eyes scanned the faces around her, until she found who she was looking for: Prince Oathsworn, surrounded by the other members of their party.

Their eyes met, and she noted the distinct distaste in the prince’s face.

Luna mouthed two words while looking him dead in the eye.

You’re next.

That made him visible bristle, his face burning with anger. Luna smirked and sauntered from the arena, leaving Lethe to be tended by the medical staff. A pair of technicians moved into position, using their qi to mend the tiles.

“Gods below!” Syri exclaimed in shock. “You... you didn’t even take your weights off!”

“Didn’t need to,” she admitted, shrugging. “I’ve seen enough of Lethe in our classes to know her abilities. The Prince, however...” It was a given that Aryn would win his first bout and, loathe as Luna was to admit it, he had proven to be considerably powerful in training. She was sure she’d need to drop the weights to best him.

“Luna!” the twins called in unison, hugging her from both sides. Luna grimaced.

“That was amazing!” Rema said.

“You were so cool!” Romula cheered.

Luna sighed, trying to push the two off of her. “Yes, yes, thank you.”

She could see Kiharu trying not to laugh, but she gave Luna a pat on the back all the same. “Well, shit, we’ve already got three points. Maybe our team ain’t totally washed,” she said.

“Yes. You three did amazing,” Syri said, a relieved smile flashing across her face. “I’ll admit I was worried, but our training really has paid dividends. We owe you a lot, for catching Calvert’s eye.”

“Well, you all were not exactly lazy in your training. Despite some griping,” Luna said, eventually disentangling herself from the grip of the twins. “I think we should all be rather strong as a group. But, after this little tourney, it would be prudent to upgrade to heavier weights.”

Syri glanced to Kiharu. “Looks like the Brawlers are up next. Who is your opponent?”

Kiharu glanced to the domed ceiling above them, knitting her brow as she fought to pierce the fog of her memories. “Ahh... Gravy-something.”

“Gravide Ventius,” Luna corrected. “Of the Black Drakes.”

The mood of the group dropped significantly, the twins giving Kiharu a worried look. “Will you be okay?” Rema asked.

Kiharu snorted and spat on the ground. “Yeah, well, I’ll be sure to give that rich bitch a bloody nose, win or lose.”

“Don’t underestimate anyone from the Drakes, Kiharu,” Syri said, concern thick in her voice. “They’re the top team in our year for a reason.”

“Guess they wouldn’t put a prince with anyone but the best of the best,” Luna reasoned. Certainly, if she’d had any heirs, she wouldn’t want them teamed up with dead weight.

“Not only that, they’re also from aristocratic family. Hailing from storied, powerful lineages.” Syri only looked more concerned as she spoke, the young woman hugging her arms to her chest from her worries. “The Ventius family... They oversee the Barony of Venta, by the coast. They’ve fought and killed plenty of terrifying monsters from the Mire. They way I hear, that family know a lot of strong techniques.”

“Spirits, Syri. I know how to take care of myself, I’m not a damn cub.”

“Could have fooled me,” Syri replied, giving her a flat look.

“She has a point,” Luna said, though she doubted Kiharu was inclined to listen either way. “Just be careful when you fight her. You’re likely in for a tough time.”