Chapter 70: The Trio

  The second explosion came moments later.

  A column of orange flame roared upward before collapsing inward on itself. The blast rattled the stone beneath Lance’s boots even from a distance.

  He did not need a better sign than that.

  Lance angled his run toward the disturbance.

  The battlefield had already begun to spread out. Where a thousand fighters had once crowded the arena floor, clusters now formed and dissolved across widening pockets of space. Eliminations flashed constantly as silver bursts of light removed defeated candidates from the field.

  Another flash erupted only a few strides from Lance.

  Two boys clashed with crude swords. One slipped on the smooth stone and caught a fist across the jaw.

  Silver light.

  Gone.

  Lance kept moving.

  The fire plume ahead rose again. This time it came with something else. A sharp shockwave cracked through the air like a hammer striking iron.

  That confirmed it.

  Slade.

  Lance sprinted the last stretch.

  The scene came into view between the shifting bodies of fleeing candidates.

  Slade stood in the middle of a loose circle of attackers.

  His massive shield rested before him like the wall of a fortress. The thick metal surface glowed faintly as Verdant Reprisal pulsed each time a strike landed against it. Scratches marked the surface but none of them had penetrated deeper than a shallow groove.

  Seven candidates surrounded him.

  They circled like hunters who had cornered something much larger than they expected.

  Slade looked delighted.

  A boy with twin short swords darted forward and slashed at the edge of the shield. The blades screeched uselessly across the reinforced metal.

  Slade leaned into the impact and shoved forward.

  The shield slammed into the boy’s chest and sent him stumbling backward across the stone. He barely kept his footing.

  Another attacker tried to exploit the movement.

  A girl with a curved blade leapt in from Slade’s left side. Her strike came down toward the gap behind the shield.

  Slade simply turned. Releasing his charged Mana from his skill all at once, literally blasting the girl, flinging her in the air as she vanished midair is a ball of silver light.

  “Come on,” Slade laughed. “At least try to make it interesting.”

  A streak of flame crawled across the ground beside Lance as he closed the distance.

  He stepped over it without slowing.

  One of the attackers finally noticed him.

  “Another one coming!”

  Several heads turned.

  Too late.

  Lance drove forward with the spear low against his side. Mana surged through the weapon as his muscles tightened with practiced precision.

  The closest attacker raised a staff in panic. Lance slid the spear upward in a tight arc.

  The butt of the shaft slammed into the boy’s ribs.

  The impact lifted him off his feet.

  Silver light flared before he even hit the ground.

  Six left.

  Slade barked a laugh when he saw Lance.

  “Took you long enough!”

  A second attacker rushed Lance from the side with a dagger raised high.

  Lance pivoted and caught the boy’s wrist.

  Static cracked through the contact.

  The boy’s arm seized long enough for Lance to wrench the dagger away and drive a sharp elbow into his jaw.

  Silver light.

  Five.

  The circle around Slade collapsed quickly after that.

  Two of the attackers lunged toward Lance together.

  Slade shifted his stance.

  The enormous shield swept outward like a battering ram. The heavy rim caught one of the charging boys across the shoulder and spun him sideways.

  Lance stepped into the opening.

  His spear thrust forward with a clean, direct strike to the chest.

  The enchantment triggered instantly.

  Four.

  The remaining attackers hesitated.

  They had expected an easy elimination.

  Instead they now faced two opponents standing back to back.

  Slade rolled his shoulders and tapped the rim of his shield against the stone.

  “Does anyone else want to try their luck?”

  A narrow bolt of fire shot toward him in response. This one quicker and more precise than most Lance has seen so far.

  Slade lifted the shield.

  The flame hit hard against his shield, covering the full size of his shield driving Slade back a hair, just a small step.

  Lance moved again.

  The caster who had launched the attack tried to retreat but Lance closed the distance in three quick strides.

  The spear swept low.

  The boy’s legs vanished beneath him. While he was busy falling the spear slammed back down on his chest, driving him into the ground with force.

  Silver light.

  Three.

  The last three candidates broke.

  One sprinted toward the far side of the arena.

  Another ran in the opposite direction.

  The third stood frozen for a second too long.

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  Slade planted his foot and lunged forward with surprising speed for someone carrying a shield that large.

  The metal wall struck the boy square in the chest.

  The impact echoed across the arena floor.

  Silver light.

  Gone.

  Slade straightened and glanced at Lance.

  “Well that was disappointing.”

  Lance lowered his spear slightly while scanning the surrounding battlefield.

  “Looked like you were enjoying yourself. Also, did you really bring that big shield to the Ceremony with you?” Lance raised an eyebrow.

  Slade grinned.

  “Coming from the guy that has 3 weapons on him at all times.”

  He knocked on the metal surface with his knuckles.

  “I don't go anywhere without this big guy either.”

  Lance exhaled slowly and let the tension bleed out of his shoulders.

  The immediate area had cleared.

  Several fights still raged across the arena but none were close enough to threaten them.

  Slade rested the bottom of his shield against the ground.

  “How many have you dropped so far?”

  “Lost count.”

  Slade nodded approvingly.

  “Good start then.”

  Another silver flash erupted somewhere to their right.

  The arena was thinning rapidly now.

  Lance studied the distant battlefield.

  “We need to find Aoife.”

  Slade’s grin softened slightly.

  “Yeah. She is probably already running circles around people.”

  “Or hiding and letting everyone else do the work.”

  “You know, that's what I was leaning towards, I was hoping if we caused a big enough fight she would just come find us.”

  A gust of wind tore across the arena as two distant candidates unleashed competing spells.

  Slade adjusted the grip on his shield.

  “Well, while you brutes were running around, I found some strong ones for us to fight if you want.”

  Lance nearly jumped at the new, familiar voice that came from behind him.

  “Well, there she is!” Slade had a big smile on his face.

  Aoife stood a few paces behind them with her hands folded loosely behind her back, looking as calm as if she had simply been taking a walk through the arena.

  Aoife was dressed in the female ranger uniform, Her daggers placed on each thigh. No bow though, she must have left in whatever room she stayed in.

  Not a strand of her dark hair was out of place.

  Lance turned fully toward her, lowering his spear. “Are you gonna.. You know.. make this a habit or what.”

  Aoife tilted her head slightly. “You were rather distracted.”

  Slade laughed and lifted his shield back into position on his arm. “We were busy dealing with a welcoming party.”

  “I noticed.” Her eyes drifted over the faint scorch marks and scattered grooves across the stone around them. “You both seem to be enjoying yourselves.”

  Lance gave a small shrug. “Well they have been a bit boring so far. Guess sparring with Sir Darvish growing up put my standards too high.”

  Aoife’s gaze swept across the battlefield.

  The arena had changed since the trial began. Patches of stone were blackened where fire spells had detonated. Thin ridges of ice clung stubbornly to the ground in places where frost magic had struck. Here and there the smooth white floor had warped into small jagged formations where earth casters had pulled stone upward to use as cover.

  The air itself felt heavier.

  Mana drifted through it in chaotic currents. Every spell cast left a faint residue behind. Hundreds of spells layered on top of one another had begun to turn the battlefield into a swirling ocean of magical interference.

  Lance felt it pressing faintly against his senses. His Knights Bearing skill working overtime to help him keep his control as the battle rages on.

  His bond stirred uneasily.

  Controlling mana was becoming more difficult.

  Aoife seemed to notice the same thing. “The longer this continues, the more unstable the environment becomes.”

  Slade cracked his neck. “Good.”

  He lifted his shield and pointed across the arena with his chin.

  “So where are these strong ones you mentioned?”

  Aoife gestured toward the far side of the colosseum.

  “Several clusters have formed. Most of the weaker candidates have already been eliminated or are hiding.”

  Another silver flash erupted in the distance.

  “The survivors are beginning to gather.”

  Lance adjusted the grip on his spear.

  “Then we should move.”

  The three of them advanced together through the thinning battlefield.

  At first the fights came easily.

  A pair of boys rushed them from behind a half melted stone pillar. Slade stepped forward and absorbed the incoming blows while Verdant Reprisal gathered the energy of each strike against the shield.

  The moment the attackers committed fully, Slade twisted his body and released the stored power.

  A wave of force erupted outward.

  Both boys were thrown off their feet.

  Before either of them could recover Lance had already moved.

  His spear flashed downward with precise speed. One strike drove the first opponent flat against the ground. The second attempted to scramble away, throwing a small knife towards, after dodging Aoife followed up with her Shadowdraw Release allowing for her to manipulate her shadow energy as she glided through them to release a quick counterstrike up close.

  He hit the floor hard.

  Silver light flashed.

  Gone.

  They continued.

  Another skirmish unfolded ahead where three candidates struggled against a heavily armored girl wielding a long hammer.

  She brought the weapon down with enough force to fracture the arena floor.

  Slade’s eyes lit up.

  “Finally.”

  He charged forward before Lance could say anything.

  The hammer wielder turned just in time to meet the incoming shield.

  The collision rang across the arena like a struck bell.

  The girl grinned.

  For a moment they simply pushed against each other.

  Then Lance darted in from the side.

  The hammer swung toward him with surprising speed. He twisted his body and let the weapon pass inches from his chest before sliding his spear forward.

  The blunt end struck the girl square in the ribs.

  She staggered, stomping her back foot and pushing forward to regain her momentum.

  Aoife’s magic followed instantly.

  A concussive pulse of compressed air slammed into the girl’s back and knocked her forward directly into Slade’s shield.

  Verdant Reprisal detonated again.

  The girl vanished in a burst of silver light before she even hit the ground.

  Slade looked disappointed.

  “I liked that one.”

  Aoife brushed dust from her sleeve. “She lasted longer than most, not to mention is was a 3 against 1.”

  They pushed deeper into the arena.

  The battles grew harder.

  Groups were larger now. Candidates fought with greater coordination and far more dangerous magic.

  A lightning caster forced them to scatter as jagged arcs ripped across the stone. The chaotic mana in the air twisted the spell’s path into erratic angles that forced Lance to dodge twice before closing the distance, his shoulder clipping one of the lingering sparks that he couldn't dodge, thankfully his lightning resistance was greater than most.

  His spear caught the caster across the shoulder.

  Silver light.

  Another group of four attempted to surround them with a layered attack of wind and fire.

  The spells collided midair and detonated in a violent burst that warped the air around them.

  For a moment Lance felt the mana in his own channels shudder as the environment fought against his control.

  Slade reacted instantly.

  His shield Slamming down has him focused on brunting most of the attacks.

  A dome of twisting vines burst from the ground and intercepted the incoming flames long enough for Slade to push forward through the chaos.

  His shield slammed into two opponents at once.

  Lance followed through the opening like a spear of lightning.

  The fight ended in seconds.

  The battlefield around them continued to change.

  The once pristine arena floor now looked like a battlefield carved by war. Stone pillars leaned at strange angles. Melted glass shimmered where heat spells had fused the ground. Small pockets of unstable mana flickered through the air like invisible whirlpools that tugged unpredictably at any spell cast nearby.

  Lance could feel it clearly now.

  The bond inside his chest pulsed as if responding to the turbulence.

  Even breathing the air felt charged.

  Slade rolled his shoulders after another clash and let out a low whistle.

  “Okay. Now it is getting interesting.”

  Aoife glanced toward the far side of the arena again.

  The distant horizon shimmered strangely.

  Another explosion thundered through the colosseum.

  Not the scattered blasts they had grown used to.

  This one carried weight.

  Power.

  A massive column of twisting flame rose high into the air before collapsing into a swirling storm of magic.

  Even from this distance Lance felt the shockwave ripple through the chaotic mana currents around them.

  Slade’s grin slowly returned.

  “Well now.”

  Aoife narrowed her eyes.

  “That was not ordinary magic.”

  Another pulse followed the first.

  The ground trembled faintly.

  Somewhere out there a battle far larger than the ones around them had begun.

  Lance rested the spear against his shoulder and stared toward the distant clash.

  His instincts sharpened instantly. Strong opponents.

  There, not too far from them on the other end of the Arena stood a young girl with Flaming hair blowing softly, her two palms to her side facing upwards as her arms slowly engulfed in flame as well. She looked like the Sun within the Arena. Her eyes seemed to make it known she was looking at them. She was Provoking them

  Lance let out a savage smile as his frost armor slowly enveloped around his chest and shoulders, lightning crackling around his whole body.

  “Let's fight that one.”