Elemental Blitz

3

Rael woke to the sound of someone banging on his door. He groaned, rolling over and staring at the ceiling. It hadn’t even been light out for more than a few minutes. The knock came again, louder this time.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming,” Rael muttered, pulling on his boots.

The door opened, and a young recruit with wide eyes and a nervous expression stood there. “The trials are starting. You’ve got five minutes to be at the arena, or Captain Olysia’s going to have your ass.”

Rael gave him a look that could melt stone. “Thanks for the update.”

As the recruit scurried off, Rael grabbed his sword and headed toward the arena, noticing the tension in the air as he passed. Recruits were lined up, stretching, casting spells, and generally trying to look like they knew what they were doing. Most were either too nervous or too arrogant, and Rael couldn’t decide which was worse.

Olysia stood at the center of the arena, her arms crossed. “You’re late, Phaze.”

Rael shrugged. “You woke me up five minutes ago.”

She grinned. “Better than most of these pricks. Alright, listen up!” She turned to address the recruits. “Today’s trial is simple. Last one standing gets bragging rights. First one down… well, you’ll figure it out.”

Rael eyed the crowd. There were about twenty recruits in total, a mix of magical and non-magical students. Some were already forming alliances, whispering to each other and eyeing their competition.

“This is about endurance,” Olysia continued. “Not just strength or spells. We’ve got some nasty surprises for you. Let’s see who’s actually got what it takes to be here.”

As soon as she gave the signal, chaos erupted.

One recruit—a noble with too much swagger—immediately launched a fireball across the arena. Rael saw the prismatic shift in the air, ducked, and watched as it exploded against a stone pillar behind him. Another recruit threw a spear made of ice, narrowly missing a mage who retaliated with a burst of wind that knocked several others off their feet.

Rael stayed calm, watching the elemental patterns shift and swirl around him. A group of three recruits—two warriors and one mage—moved toward him, clearly thinking they’d gang up on the “country boy.”

The first warrior swung a sword down at Rael’s head, but Rael easily sidestepped, grabbing the guy’s wrist and twisting. The crack of bone was followed by a scream, and the sword fell to the dirt. Rael kicked it aside and turned to the mage, who had already summoned a bolt of lightning. The air shifted, blue and white energy crackling toward him.

Rael flicked his wrist, diverting the bolt into the ground. “You’re going to have to try harder than that.”

The mage’s eyes widened in shock, but before he could respond, Rael was on him, slamming a fist into his gut. The mage dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. Rael turned to the last warrior, who was holding a mace and staring at him like he’d seen a ghost.

“You’re next,” Rael said calmly.

The warrior hesitated, glancing around as if hoping for backup. When none came, he swung the mace. Rael dodged the attack easily, then slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of the guy’s head, knocking him out cold.

Rael looked around. Half the recruits were already down, and the rest were scrambling to form new alliances, watching each other with distrust. He could feel the eyes on him—everyone had seen what he’d just done.

A girl with silver hair and glowing tattoos—a mage—was casting some kind of incantation. Rael could see the pattern forming, an intricate weave of wind and earth magic. She was planning to trap her opponents in a whirlwind of stone shards.

“Clever,” Rael muttered.

Before she could complete the spell, Rael focused on the prismatic shift in the air and disrupted the pattern. The stones she had conjured crumbled into dust, and her whirlwind fizzled out before it even formed. The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief as Rael walked toward her.

“Nice try,” he said, grabbing her by the wrist and twisting, forcing her to drop her staff. She yelped in pain, but Rael didn’t hit her. He didn’t need to. She was already backing away, clearly out of the fight.

Across the arena, a pair of recruits—one with a greatsword, the other wielding twin daggers—were holding their ground, taking down anyone who came near them. Rael watched as they cut through another mage, sending him sprawling into the dirt. They were strong, but predictable.

Rael moved toward them, knowing they’d come for him next.

The one with the greatsword swung first, a heavy, clumsy blow that Rael easily dodged. He stepped inside the guy’s guard, grabbed the back of his head, and smashed his knee into his face. The greatsword clattered to the ground as the recruit staggered back, blood pouring from his nose.

The other recruit, with the daggers, came at Rael from the side, slashing at his ribs. Rael saw the attack coming and sidestepped, grabbing the guy’s wrist and twisting until he dropped the blades. A quick punch to the throat sent him to the ground, choking.

Rael looked around. There were only a handful of recruits left standing, and they were all staring at him like he was something out of a nightmare. One by one, they backed away, clearly not interested in fighting him.

Olysia stepped forward, clapping slowly. “Well, I’ll be damned. You actually impressed me, Phaze.”

Rael shrugged. “Wasn’t that hard.”

The remaining recruits glared at him, but none of them stepped forward to challenge him. Olysia grinned. “Alright, that’s enough for today. Looks like we know who’s top dog around here. But don’t get cocky, Phaze. This was just a warm-up.”

Rael smirked. “More fun. Yippy.”