to flail as it rose into the air.
Qua’Nihil pitched forward. He looked down to see his feet coming off the ground, barriers and winds pushing against his chest and lifting him into the sky.
Raedren watched as his opponent fired spells around him, but they weren’t powerful enough to disrupt Raedren’s magick. Robbed of his martial talents, Qua’Nihil was low on options.
Qua’Nihil and the spectral lion slammed into the wall. Mana hissed as the lion’s body unloaded into the fortified stone, and it grew smaller as its power was siphoned away.
“What are you doing!” yelled Qua’Nihil as he slid up the wall.
“Fighting back,” said Raedren.
Qua’Nihil and the mana beast came to a stop at the top of the wall, right below the transparent barriers that protected the audience.
“Do you surrender?” asked Raedren.
“Never!”
Raedren shrugged. He raised his hand, and with an angry crackle Qua’Nihil and the mana beast slid onto the arena barrier.
Barrier spells work by repulsing anything the caster deems to be a threat. Usually barriers are only felt for a split-second before unwanted contact is pushed away, but when someone can’t get away from a barrier—such as when they’re being squashed between two barriers, one of which curves up and over the arena floor two stories below—they learn that barriers are not as smooth as they appear. It would feel as if Qua’Nihil was being pounded on two sides by a hundred tiny meat tenderizers. Barriers also provided no purchase, meaning he could do nothing to stop his ascent.
Raedren brought Qua’Nihil and the mana lion to the top of the arena barriers, to the point where, were the arena barriers a plastic lid on top of an iced confection, the straw or spoon would have been inserted. Qua’Nihil was at the highest possible point before shooting straight up into the sky.
“Do you surrender now?” asked Raedren.
“Why should I surrender?” shouted Qua’Nihil. “You can’t defeat me just by holding me up here, and you’ll run out of mana eventually.”
“I can hold you up there until the match ends,” said Raedren. “I bet the judges will rule in my favor.”
“I don’t believe that,” said Qua’Nihil. “I—”
The mana lion plummeted to the arena floor. It struck with the sound of a lightning strike, and then quietly dissipated.
Raedren and Qua’Nihil looked at the spot where the mana lion landed.
“Er, I have other options,” said Raedren.
Qua’Nihil considered this for a long moment. Then he threw his sword at Raedren.
Raedren stepped out of the way.
Qua’Nihil sighed. “I surrender.”
* * *
“He did it!” said Gavi, leaping to her feet. The spectators all around them were doing the same. Most hadn’t sat down since the third match.
“Of course he did.” Mazik held up a hand for a high five, and winced when Gavi obliged. His everything still hurt.
“Was that your plan?” asked Mazik.
Gavi nodded. “I thought it was a good way to get around his lack of offense.”
“Well, it’s not like Rae doesn’t know any offensive spells. He just doesn’t like to use them.”
Neither of them said anything for a handful of seconds. They watched as Raedren lowered his opponent safely to the ground. Mazik glanced at the opposing bench, but it was empty. The last guild representative must be on his way down, while the others were probably with their guildmates.
“Do you think he dropped the lion on purpose?” asked Gavi.
“Oh, definitely not. His spell probably gave out. I bet there was a lot of interference from all that mana.”
“Thought so.”
* * *
“Many never thought it would happen, but here it is!” The announcer’s pudgy cheeks were flushed with excitement. “Five matches fought, and it’s not the indomitable guilds in control, but the challengers! Team Kil’Raeus has swept every match so far, with one member of their team still yet to compete!
“But by the look of
Qua’Nihil pitched forward. He looked down to see his feet coming off the ground, barriers and winds pushing against his chest and lifting him into the sky.
Raedren watched as his opponent fired spells around him, but they weren’t powerful enough to disrupt Raedren’s magick. Robbed of his martial talents, Qua’Nihil was low on options.
Qua’Nihil and the spectral lion slammed into the wall. Mana hissed as the lion’s body unloaded into the fortified stone, and it grew smaller as its power was siphoned away.
“What are you doing!” yelled Qua’Nihil as he slid up the wall.
“Fighting back,” said Raedren.
Qua’Nihil and the mana beast came to a stop at the top of the wall, right below the transparent barriers that protected the audience.
“Do you surrender?” asked Raedren.
“Never!”
Raedren shrugged. He raised his hand, and with an angry crackle Qua’Nihil and the mana beast slid onto the arena barrier.
Barrier spells work by repulsing anything the caster deems to be a threat. Usually barriers are only felt for a split-second before unwanted contact is pushed away, but when someone can’t get away from a barrier—such as when they’re being squashed between two barriers, one of which curves up and over the arena floor two stories below—they learn that barriers are not as smooth as they appear. It would feel as if Qua’Nihil was being pounded on two sides by a hundred tiny meat tenderizers. Barriers also provided no purchase, meaning he could do nothing to stop his ascent.
Raedren brought Qua’Nihil and the mana lion to the top of the arena barriers, to the point where, were the arena barriers a plastic lid on top of an iced confection, the straw or spoon would have been inserted. Qua’Nihil was at the highest possible point before shooting straight up into the sky.
“Do you surrender now?” asked Raedren.
“Why should I surrender?” shouted Qua’Nihil. “You can’t defeat me just by holding me up here, and you’ll run out of mana eventually.”
“I can hold you up there until the match ends,” said Raedren. “I bet the judges will rule in my favor.”
“I don’t believe that,” said Qua’Nihil. “I—”
The mana lion plummeted to the arena floor. It struck with the sound of a lightning strike, and then quietly dissipated.
Raedren and Qua’Nihil looked at the spot where the mana lion landed.
“Er, I have other options,” said Raedren.
Qua’Nihil considered this for a long moment. Then he threw his sword at Raedren.
Raedren stepped out of the way.
Qua’Nihil sighed. “I surrender.”
* * *
“He did it!” said Gavi, leaping to her feet. The spectators all around them were doing the same. Most hadn’t sat down since the third match.
“Of course he did.” Mazik held up a hand for a high five, and winced when Gavi obliged. His everything still hurt.
“Was that your plan?” asked Mazik.
Gavi nodded. “I thought it was a good way to get around his lack of offense.”
“Well, it’s not like Rae doesn’t know any offensive spells. He just doesn’t like to use them.”
Neither of them said anything for a handful of seconds. They watched as Raedren lowered his opponent safely to the ground. Mazik glanced at the opposing bench, but it was empty. The last guild representative must be on his way down, while the others were probably with their guildmates.
“Do you think he dropped the lion on purpose?” asked Gavi.
“Oh, definitely not. His spell probably gave out. I bet there was a lot of interference from all that mana.”
“Thought so.”
* * *
“Many never thought it would happen, but here it is!” The announcer’s pudgy cheeks were flushed with excitement. “Five matches fought, and it’s not the indomitable guilds in control, but the challengers! Team Kil’Raeus has swept every match so far, with one member of their team still yet to compete!
“But by the look of
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