Andorra Academy (Patreon)

This story was brought to you by the Tuan'diath Thunder King, in cooperation with Exzircon, who requested a short story about their custom characters attending the Caldenian magic academy.

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          The lecture fuzzed away in the background as Tellas stared two seats over at Meridias. She was actually paying attention studiously. She kept looking up at the professor and then back down to the notes in front of her as she scribbled away. Her dark blue Andorra Academy robes were clean and buttoned all the way up to her pale neck and the loose bun of her blonde hair flexed with each jerk of her head. Her attention shifted—page, to professor; page, to professor—but her focus on the lecture never seemed to sway. Why couldn’t he pay attention like that? They were complete opposites: she was slender and delicate where he was thick and meaty, she loved studying magical theory while he abhorred it, she was always so smart and he was… well he was just “TK.”

          Tellas went by TK; he told everyone it stood for “Thunder King” but Olidius and Faernyl liked to tease that it stood for “Thick K-Head” like it was the funniest joke in the world. The truth though, was that he just couldn’t make himself give two craps about anything but the practical applications of their training. Book smarts didn’t help during a battle. They were supposed to come out of Andorra being the top wizards in Caldenia, so why did the professors insist on spending several hours of each day torturing them with all the inane talking? Just about the only thing that got him through it was to sit in the back and daydream about Meridias… But how would he ever get her to notice him when she was always so focused on the lectures?

          She turned her head and looked directly at TK. She looked… annoyed! What? Was this really happening? TK looked back to the front of the lecture hall and found Professor Gim looking right at him as well. Between Gim’s round cheeks and ear-length dark hair TK had never been able to confidently determine Gim’s gender, but right now they just looked angry as all hell. In fact, it seemed TK had suddenly gained the attention of the entire class. The classroom consisted of two dozen of Caldenia’s best-and-brightest young elves arranged in evenly-spaced desks with natural lighting coming through the windows behind them. It looked like Professor Gim had set themselves up at the podium at the front of the classroom to read from… something. TK hadn’t even bothered to get his book out yet. It seemed pointless to try to follow along when professor Gim rarely spoke clearly enough to be heard. The professor’s mouth moved and some more fuzzy noise made its way to TK.

          “What?” he asked.

          “I said,” the professor practically bellowed across the room, “one has to be careful not to suffer too much feedback when practicing their magic, correct Mister Koarin?”

          “Umm, yeah,” TK agreed. That seemed like the right answer… probably.

          “Have you been suffering from more sonamancy feedback today, Mister Koarin?”

          Had he? It was hard to tell. Sonamancy Feedback caused deafness, but so did just creating really loud sounds with your magic. “I don’t think so, Professor.”

          “Great, then since you understand it so well perhaps you wouldn’t mind writing a two page essay on the topic for tomorrow?”

          “What? But I—”

          “Wasn’t paying attention, Mister Koarin! The next time I catch you daydreaming during my lectures I’ll be reporting it to your parents!”

          At that last threat, TK heard a deep pitched, “OooooOOoooh!” ripple through the classroom.

          “That’s enough!” Professor Gim snapped at the class. “Now class is dismissed—” Students immediately started to stand and gather their things, the sound of which made it difficult to hear what came next. “…are to report to Battle Training immediately after lunch!” the professor finished.

          That was enough for TK. If not for Battle Training he would have dropped out of Andorra Academy months ago. It was the only part of school he was actually decent at. As he dropped his notepad of blank pages into his backpack, TK saw Meridias stopping by the left side of the room. There were a few other students nearby looking up their names on the board. Apparently the latest exam scores had been posted. All the cool kids made straight for the door, but if Meridias was interested in her test scores, so too was TK.

          “Hey, guys!” TK greeted the others loudly as he joined them. He gave the strange kid a friendly slap on the back as he sidled up to look at the page pinned to the wall. Meridias had her finger on the wall and was tracing it up. She stopped. TK studied the spot she’d stopped at. No surprise there. #2.

          1. Exzerius Vendrius

          2. Meridias Buxian

          3. Faernyl Appenell

          …

          TK’s own name was at the bottom of the list, at number 27. Meridias turned around and looked surprised. “What are you doing checking your exam scores, Tellas?” she asked.

          “Oh, you can just call me TK,” he told her.

          “Well, TK… I didn’t think you cared about your grades.”

          “What? Of course I do!” Like hell was he going to admit how much he hated bookwork to the most stunning girl in class.

          “His scores don’t matter,” the weird kid said. TK shot his angriest glare at the other boy for butting into the conversation. He was definitely the weird kid in the class. Up till now TK had barely seen him interact with any other students. He had dark skin and dark hair, but that wasn’t what made him weird: it was the way he dressed. Even now he wore a knitted cap that hung low over his head. Though they weren’t visible under the cap, TK had seen that his ears were both covered in shiny piercings. He had another on his brow, lip and nose. Around his neck he wore a silver necklace with some kind of massive tooth threaded through it. The school’s dress codes were technically lax about such things, but only because most students weren’t actually dumb enough to push the boundaries. It would be nothing but tucked-in shirts, pressed uniforms and extra-long skirts if the school board took notice. Plenty of the students already dressed that way, but that was just because the servants their parents hired took care of their wardrobe for them. The rumor was that the weird kid didn’t have parents. “His parents paid his tuition,” the kid continued. “The school isn’t going to kick him out over a few bad grades.”

          Meridias nodded. She actually agreed with him! “You’re right,” she said. “It’s only students like us—who got in on scholarships—that have to worry about our grades.”

          Like us? Us! This wouldn’t do. Apparently Meridias had already made friends with this guy. “Umm, sorry, I haven’t got your name,” TK said. He held out his hand for the dark-skinned kid to shake. The kid looked at the hand but didn’t shake it right away. “Don’t do handshakes where you’re from?” TK asked.

          “No,” the kid said, “but I’m a fast learner.” He reached out and grasped TK’s hand in his. For just a second his grip was like iron. TK winced and he immediately slackened the pressure. “My name is Exzerius,” he said, “but you can just call me Ex.”

          “Anyway, Ex,” Meridias said. “You want to go over those exams tonight? I need to see how you scored higher than me.”

          “We got the same score,” Ex answered. “The list is just alphabetical. But if you really want, we can talk over lunch.”

          The two of them were talking like TK wasn’t even in the room anymore. And what’s more, Ex had just invited Meridias on a date! And so casually. The nerve! TK couldn’t allow this to happen. “That sounds like a great idea,” TK butted in. “I have a bunch of questions too. We can all get lunch together. There’s plenty of time before Battle Training.”

          Meridias and Ex shared a look. “You are from the Koarin family, correct?” Ex asked. “People of your”—he coughed—“standing don’t usually visit the dining hall.”

          “Yeah,” Meridias agreed, “I’ve never seen you there.”

          TK shrugged. “I don’t actually need all that fancy stuff at the student lounge,” he said. “It just came with my tuition is all. Come on. I’ll go with you guys today and you can show me around.”

          Ex looked at Meridias. He raised his pierced brow at her questioningly. “Umm. Okay. Let’s go then,” she decided. She and Ex made for the classroom’s exit.

          TK followed close behind. Meridias and Ex led him down the covered walkway that led into the academy’s main courtyard. At the courtyard’s center, a stone fountain bubbled away in the form of the famous Archmage Caladin. One hand was held forth in a warding gesture and his hair was tucked back to prominently display his pointed elven ears. The fountain’s water came from the palm of his outstretched hand. The academy’s main buildings were arranged in a circle around this central courtyard. The classroom they’d just left was one of many in the Lecture Hall. Next around the circle came Research, the Library, Dorms, the Dining Hall, and the Student Lounge. Each were imposing stone structures that mimicked the architecture of castles, but TK had long ago gotten used to seeing them. Normally TK ate lunch at the Lounge with the other students of means.

          “I’ve really got to do something about my grades,” Meridias complained while they walked.

          Ex nodded in agreement. “Yes,” he said, “you’re right on the edge.”

          “Wait, is that some kind of joke or something?” TK asked. “Aren’t you number two in the whole class?”

          Meridias looked down at the ground. “It doesn’t matter. Theory is only forty percent of your overall grade. I don’t know what I’m going to do if I get eliminated in Battle Training again without at least one kill.”

          “I keep telling you…” Ex said. He trailed off and when TK looked over at him he found him studying the Research building closely as they walked past.

          “Telling her what?” TK asked.

          “Oh, sorry. I keep telling you to just hide like I do. You only get four points for a kill but if you’re still standing when the time runs out it’s a ten point bonus. Only a few students end up actually getting more than three kills.” He nodded his chin towards TK. “Like this guy.”

          “Well it’s the only part of class I’m any good at and Faernyl still gets me nearly every time.”

          “I can’t hide!” Meridias complained. “I don’t know any spells that can do that very well and if you fail at hiding you get zero points.”

          “Kind of like the zero you’ve already been getting?”

          “Ex, I told you. I tried to hide during our first two skirmishes and it didn’t work! Ah, here we are.”

          The small group reached the dining hall and headed in. TK had never been inside and was surprised to find so many students just crowded next to each other on open benches. It seemed downright claustrophobic compared to the tables at the student lounge where each student had their own table and a minimum of two waiters to wait on them and take their orders. Meridias and Ex just casually continued their conversation as they approached a line with other students in it. They took positions at the end of the line. TK followed their lead.

          “You don’t know how hard it is to apply lithomancy in combat,” Meridias complained.

          “Litho… that’s word magic, right?” TK asked.

          She turned back to look at him and for a second her piercing blue eyes studied him closely. She looked like she was assessing him and thought he was doing poorly. “That’s a bit of an oversimplification.”

          He wasn’t going to win any points trying to pretend to be smarter than he was. TK decided to just lean into it. He shrugged. “I’m a simple guy, what can I say?”

          Ex hummed to himself. “Well weren’t his exam scores, like, twenty-seventh?”

          TK wasn’t sure if that was intended to be a dig at his intelligence or not, but it didn’t bother him. He boomed out his signature laugh. “Only because there weren’t twenty-eight kids in class! Right?”

          A nearby student laughed along with him and he got to see Meridias’ smile up close for the first time. It was worth it to appear foolish for a moment. They settled down as the line moved forward and TK was grateful the other two were in front of him so he could copy what they were doing. They seemed to be… dishing themselves up? From communal platters? He felt awkward, but he did his best not to let on as scooped up… weird grey gloopy stuff? He wasn’t entirely sure the stuff was even edible; he quickly put the spoon down and grabbed the only thing in all the platters that he even recognized. Asparagus. He filled his entire plate with the stuff.

          Meridias looked at TK’s plate and frowned. She looked up at him with a face equal parts puzzled and disgusted. “You’re just… going to eat nothing but asparagus?”

          “Uhh, yup. Asparagus is my favorite!” TK insisted. Anything to not have to eat grey gloop. He gave Meridias a confident smile.

          “You actually like that stuff?” she asked. “It’s so… bitter.”

          “Ha! That’s just because you haven’t had it with garlic butter! The other day I had some wrapped in bacon. If you tried it like that you’d change your mind.”

          He followed Meridias to a section of bench where Ex had already sat down. Strangely, it looked like the dark-skinned boy had taken three plates and covered them high with grey gloop. “Oh, wow,” TK said as he sat down. “That’s a lot of food. Is your mana low or something? You know there’s three Blink Wells on campus, right? You don’t have to cannibalize food for mana if you don’t want.”

          “He always eats that much,” Meridias said. She’d got herself a bit of the gloop and some carrots, it looked like. “You’re missing out,” she said to TK as she took her first bite of food. “This white gravy is practically the best thing this place serves. I bet it would even make asparagus taste good.”

          “I couldn’t agree more,” Ex said as he dug into the first of his plates.

          TK grabbed the first spear with his fork and gave it a bite. He almost spit it right back out. It didn’t even have any butter on it! He forced himself to swallow. After insisting it was his favorite food he wasn’t about to admit he was wrong. “You know what? Maybe I’ll try it after all.”

          “Here,” Ex said. He lifted one of his extra plates and scooped some of his extra gravy onto TK’s asparagus. TK looked around nervously when he did it but nobody seemed to notice. His mother probably would have taken him out back to watch the whipping boy get a beating if he’d done something like that at his dinner table at home. Here, nobody seemed to pay any mind to dining etiquette.

          TK took his first bite of asparagus with the gravy to flavor it. It wasn’t nearly as good as they were trying to pretend, but it at least made the food tolerable. He almost mentioned something about a duck fat reduction that would put this gravy to shame when Ex changed the subject.

          “So, Mere,” he said. They were on a nickname basis! “You sure you don’t wanna duck in the shadows with me today? Ten points would put you in the top quarter of the class. Between that and your theory scores there’s no way they’d give you the boot.”

          “How many times do I have to tell you; I’m not an umbramancer like you. I can’t just hide in the shadows because you think it’s a good idea. I need an actual spell that will help me do it.”

          “Yeah, I thought about that,” Ex said. He reached across the table and scrawled something complicated on the surface of the wooden table. TK didn’t quite see how he actually did it since the surface seemed pretty sturdy and he didn’t have a pen or anything. He just sort of… used his finger. “Why don’t you try this?” he asked.

          “Is that the runic symbol for ‘nothing?’” she asked.

          Ex gulped down another big bite of food. “Yup, the way I figure it, you should just be able to use that concept in a lithomancy binding. Then it won’t matter if anyone can see you because they won’t be able to notice you. If it works it’ll function kind of like an invisibility spell.”

          Meridias curled her lip up. “It’s not that simple, Ex. For lithomancy to work on a person I have to implant the concept in their mind ahead of time. And like… how am I supposed to get them to think of nothing? I tried leaving notes pinned to tree branches and stuff before but everyone realizes it’s a trap and doesn’t look at them.”

          “Why don’t you just say it?” TK suggested.

          The two of them looked at him. Meridias blinked. “What?”

          “Can’t you just say the word ‘nothing?’” TK asked. “Like, when I hear that word I just think of an endless expanse of grey void. Would that work for your spell?”

          “It might,” she hedged, “but getting close enough for them to hear me might open me up for an attack.”

          TK laughed. “Just say it real loud then. That’s what I always do!”

          Meridias frowned and looked at Ex. He took another bite of food and shrugged his shoulders. “Might work. Just hide in a bush or something so they hear you before they see you.”

          “Don’t climb up in a tree though!” TK warned. “I throw attacks up in the branches all the time. I don’t even check if anyone’s up there first sometimes. You’d be surprised how often you get someone like that. I think Faer does the same thing.”

          “Okay, wow,” Meridias said, “I can’t believe that’s the kind of strategy that gets top marks in Battle Training. I’m over here trying to invent new techniques, you know!” Her cheeks flushed pink as she complained. TK did his best to ignore the feelings that stirred in him and act supportive.

          “I think my harmonic has a lot more to do with it. Sonamancy is fast and easy to turn into an attack.”

          “Well I’m desperate enough to try anything new at this point,” Meridias sighed. “So I guess I’ll try this ‘nothing’ strategy. Thanks for the suggestion, Ex.”

          “No sweat.”

          “Well if it doesn’t work, you could always just hang with me,” TK offered.

          Meridias looked up from her meal and pursed her lips. “I don’t think—”

          “I do pretty well! I could probably take out anyone that gets too close. We could make a kind of unofficial team.”

          Meridias turned her lips up in a tight smile. “Thanks for the offer, TK, but I don’t want to get in trouble. It’s supposed to be a free-for-all. If you get caught actively working together with another student you get an automatic zero for the day.”

          “Oh, come on! You’re not going to tell me that Faernyl and Olidius aren’t secretly working together! They’re always the last two standing. It’s bullshit!”

          “It is,” Ex agreed, “but they’re tuition students.”

          “Like you,” Meridias finished.

          “They always bend the rules for your types.”

          “My types?” TK asked. “I don’t hang out with those two jerkoffs! Faer’s always acting like he’s everyone’s friend, but he—”

          “Forget it, TK,” Meridias said. “I’m just going to go with Ex’s plan for now. I think it’s one I might actually be able to pull off.”

          TK finished off the last of his asparagus. It didn’t exactly make for a filling meal but it was worth putting up with. He wouldn’t say lunch had gone swimmingly, but he was finally on conversational terms with Meridias which was more progress than he’d made in weeks of just watching her from across the room.

          “We’ve got to hurry if we don’t want to be late,” Ex said. He stood up. He’d actually managed to tuck away all three heaping plates of food in less time than the others. The bench he was sitting on audibly creaked as he sat up from it.

          Many of the other students had started to get up from their seats too. TK got up and was surprised to see Meridias and Ex grab their plates. “Oh, you get to keep those?” TK asked. “That’s okay, I don’t need any plates.”

          Meridias just laughed. “No, silly. You’re supposed to clean up after yourself.” She nodded her head at TK’s abandoned plate with a small puddle of green water on it. “Grab that and follow me.”

          He did as he was told and found a long line of fellow students dropping plates and cups into large metal trays where someone dressed in white smocks waited to take them away. It was strange. It seemed they only had one employee managing all these students. TK found he was still a little thirsty as a waiter had never come by to get his drink order. He’d have to think of an excuse to invite Meridias to the Lounge tomorrow. The service would be loads better and it might even impress her.

          The three of them left the dining hall and headed back out to the courtyard. They hadn’t rung the lunch bell yet, so they still had some time to get into position at Battle Training. “Well good luck in there, guys,” TK said as they walked up the steps. “I’ll try not to take either of you out if I see you today.” He gave Meridias a wink.

          She didn’t seem to like that. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Please don’t, TK. I don’t want to get in trouble for colluding.”

          “It’s not like he’d get in trouble,” Ex muttered just loud enough for TK to hear.

          “Hey! I’m just trying to be helpful!”

          “Sir?” TK looked over. One of the academy’s referees was at the front door to the battleground. He held up the heavy ceramic plate with ropes attached to it. A couple complex runes were pressed into the front and it had a slight glow to it. He wasn’t sure how Ex managed to hide in the shadows without that glow giving him away. TK raised his arms up and stepped into the harness. The referee strapped up the ropes in the back. “Is that secure?” he asked. TK gave the straps over his shoulder a quick tug. As he did so he saw that Meridias and Ex were helping each other into their harnesses. Why didn’t the referee offer to help them as well?

          “Seems like it,” TK reported.

          The referee gestured to another referee that came through the front door to collect him. “Gorinthys will take you to your spot,” he said. TK gave one last friendly wave to Meridias and Ex and headed inside.

          All around the square exterior of the Battle Training arena were high walls with referees stationed at regular intervals. They all wore bright white outfits with a slash of Caldenian blue across the chest. At the base of the walls were dozens of warded circles that were randomly assigned to students for each exercise. The middle of the field was taken over by a carefully-cultivated forest. It had enough trees, bushes and boulders to provide lots of cover while still allowing a few open areas towards the middle where combat could happen more-or-less without interruption. TK’s guide led him to a ward circle on the far left side of the square. It was impossible to say where he’d end up in relation to Meridias and Ex. The Academy combined four different Theory classes into one Battle Training group so he sometimes never even ran into anyone he knew until the end.

          TK was dropped off in a circle and it flared with light as he stepped into it. If he’d had any active spells it would break them down, but nobody was stupid enough to risk expulsion for the slight advantage something like that would offer. He was forced to stand around for what felt like ten more minutes before it seemed like they were ready to get started. While he waited, he decided he would try to find Meridias and subtlety help her pass. If she didn’t want his help, he’d just do it in a way that she never realized he was helping. At least that way she would avoid expulsion for the time being. Up on the walls around the perimeter he could see many different referees taking up positions with the pink glow of True Sight active on their foreheads, which would allow them to monitor all the spells being cast. A few, he’d heard, also had luminomancy spells active that would allow them to see everything that was going on even from far away.

          The head referee waved his arm to get everyone’s attention. He was up on the wall next to a big brass bell. “Welcome Training Group C. This is your seventh skirmish this year so you should all be getting the hang of things. You know the deal; protect your plate, break the plate of anyone you find to score four points. We will be issuing replacement plates to students that have theirs broken by someone who’s already been eliminated so pay attention! The artificing class works hard to make those for you. Professor Haevin wanted me to let you all know that the next student to break a plate after they’ve been eliminated will be helping his class make ten more to replace the one they broke.” He glared around the square for a moment like that particular message was meant for someone specific, then raised his mallet. TK tensed himself to get ready. “You’ve got ten minutes. Anyone with an unbroken plate at the end will get a ten point bonus. Good luck.” He brought the mallet down and the bell rang out.

          With no more warning than that, the melee began. TK had no idea where Meridias would be deployed. He figured he could skirt the outside edge of the field to try and find her, or else make his way to a more central location and hope she came to him. He didn’t like his chances of running across her at random. He decided to go to a central location. That would be where she’d need his help the most. If she tried to hide in the woods like usual he wouldn’t stand much of a chance of finding her anyway.

          TK took off at a jog for the middle of the field. While he ran he prepared a Thunderclap spell. He used his special casting method for the spell. Quick-casting so fast it made his fingers snap. It was why he was the best. Nobody else could cast as fast as the Thunder King; even Masters had a hard time keeping up.

          The spell buckled under TK’s fingers when he refused to release it right away. He could feel his fingers vibrate and heard the high-pitched ringing in his ears that signaled his spell was ready to go. He supposed eventually he’d have to try to learn how to silence that part of it, but for now he liked to think it put the fear of the gods into anyone that heard it. He got to the edge of the tree line and scanned the open space at the center of the field. It didn’t look like anyone else was there yet.

          A dark shape darted out from behind him. TK reeled and let loose with his Thunderclap. A loud shockwave exploded outward and knocked a branch off of a nearby tree. A dark shape scampered away from where TK had attacked. He let off another Thunderclap as the figure flitted behind a bush and disappeared. He never got a clear look at who it was. There were plenty of dangerous students that liked to slink around and take people from behind. He felt lucky to have gotten away with his plate unbroken. The center was a dangerous place so early in the match.

          He turned back to the open meadow and scanned the perimeter for any sign of Meridias. From a long distance he was pretty sure he’d be unaffected by any spells she tried. That would give him the ability to move in and take out anyone who got too close to her.

          A lance of fire flew across the open field right for TK. Rather than try to dodge it; he released a Thunderclap to break it up in midair. His hands were like lightning. The fire turned to a puff of smoke in an instant. When it dissipated he saw the source of the attack, Olidius. He was peeking out from behind a tree trunk but TK had faced him too many times to not recognize his shock of bright blonde hair.

          “I guess you want to be the first one eliminated today!” TK shouted across the distance.

          “As if!” Olidius shouted back. “You’re just the most obvious target. You have all the subtlety of a firecracker.”

          “I’ll take that as a compliment!” TK scanned left and right to make sure nobody else was around, then took off at a jog across the clearing. If Olidius thought he could hide behind a tree he had another thing coming. He kept his hands at the ready—vibrating with the next Thunderclap.

          Olidius leaned out from behind his tree and shot another bolt of fire. This one was released hastily and TK was able to easily duck under it. He kept coming. The distance between them was closing. “You really messed up now, Oli,” TK taunted. “You shouldn’t have gotten my attention.”

          “You think you’re hot shit, Thick K-Head?” Olidius shot back. “Let’s see how you handle this!” He jumped out from behind the tree trunk with both hands glowing red. Before he even hit the ground he launched two bolts at the same time. It was pathetic. Oli didn’t stand a chance against TK without Faernyl to back him up. It didn’t matter if he shot a hundred fireballs. TK snapped his fingers and released a Thunderclap strong enough to catch both bolts at once. The shockwave made his ears ring a little, but it was nothing he wasn’t used to. The results were all that mattered.

          Olidius tried to make a run for it, but TK had closed too much distance. As soon as Olidius darted out from behind his cover, TK hit him from behind with a Thunderclap that knocked him headfirst onto his face.

          Instead of trying to get up, Olidius laid on the ground in a pathetic attempt to cover the ceramic plate on his belly. TK kicked him over with his foot, but Olidius had suddenly decided he was a turtle or something and struggled against him to keep his belly firmly planted on the ground.

          “Come on, you lost. Don’t be dumb.” TK grunted with the effort of trying to force the other boy to roll over. “Don’t think I can’t just break that thing right through your chest if I have to!”

          “Do it then,” Olidius said in a voice muffled by dirt.

          “You’re an embarrassment to your family name,” TK insisted.

          “I’m pretty sure doing whatever it takes to win would make my family proud,” Olidius countered.

          “No, you’re just going to lose and get mud all over your face.” TK flicked his fingers through the hand signs for Thunderclap, then laid his hand on Olidius’ back. He unleashed the spell through his body. It probably wasn’t safe, but he thought it probably still qualified as non-lethal. Injuries weren’t against the rules. There was a muffled clap, then Olidius groaned and rolled over. His plate was in pieces. “Ha, finally!”

          One of the referees whistled from up on the wall. “You’re eliminated. Get out of there!”

          “Faer’ll get you,” Oli said sullenly. He brushed himself off and raised his hands high so everyone would know he was out.

          TK looked around. He was between two different clearings now and had a good view of both. He spotted her. Meridias. She was standing right out in the open, and another student was stalking around right next to her, looking all around. They knew she was nearby, but they couldn’t find her. That was good, but also really bad. She was one missed syllable away from being spotted.

          “That your girlfriend?” Olidius asked.

          “Shut your trap, Oli,” TK said. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

          “Not as dead as her. Some of the other guys have a bet running for how much longer she’ll last. I gave her one week.”

          TK did a double-take on the student fumbling around near Meridias. Pale skin, bright red hair. It was Faernyl. Shit. TK ignored Olidius and ran straight for Meridias. If he took out Faernyl she would be safe, and even if her spell failed he could just pretend not to notice her. Faernyl saw TK running right through the middle of the field. He wasn’t the only one either. Running right out in the open wasn’t generally a winning strategy, but TK would consider it a win if he drew attention away from Meridias.

          Faernyl shot out a single bolt of force. TK knew better than to underestimate the little bolt. Faernyl never missed. He was always going on about how his Heat Seeking Missile spell was the best spell in the whole world. TK knew better. It wasn’t the spell; it was the wizard casting it. He waited until the bolt was right on top of him, then wiped it out with a Thunderclap.

          “Oh, hey, TK!” Faernyl waved at him. “I thought that was you, bro. Why you runnin’ out in the open like that, dude? That’s not a great strategy.”

          Faernyl: always so friendly. It was infuriating sometimes. “Just taking out my biggest competition!” TK shot back. That seemed like a decent enough excuse that wouldn’t make it look like he was trying to help… someone? He could no longer remember why he’d run over in such a hurry. It had seemed important at the time…

          “If you wanna go, I’m game,” Faernyl said.

          “That’s right, I wanna go!” TK roared. He charged forward. Range was always his biggest limitation. He needed to close the gap against a long-ranged threat like Faernyl.

          Faernyl twisted two fingers in a simple gesture and popped off another attack. Then another, and another. It was a veritable swarm, and unlike Olidius he was smart enough to stagger them so TK couldn’t take out more than one at a time.

          TK snapped off a Thunderclap. The first bolt was stopped. Then the second came. He ran his fingers through the motion again, and again, and again. There was no end to them! Faernyl just stood there with his cocky half grin making the same lazy gesture with one hand while TK stood his ground and snapped his fingers through the same spell over and over. It was exhausting work and he knew he was burning through way more mana on his defense than Faernyl was on his attack. He was locked down. If he stopped for even a moment he would be eliminated. The attacks kept coming and TK kept countering them. Pop. Crack. Pop. Crack. It was like firecrackers.

          After a few seconds TK’s fingers began to go numb. He’d practiced his signature spell enough times he didn’t need to feel his fingers, but it would become a problem soon enough. He could feel himself start to slip, to lag behind. He had to move his hands through ten motions in the time Faernyl went through only two. Finally it happened; his finger slipped. A bolt got through. TK twisted and took the blow on his side where it wouldn’t break his ceramic plate. It felt like someone punched him in the rib with a pair of brass knuckles. While he was turned away the next bolt hit him in the back. He felt the wind get knocked out of him. He needed to do something.

          “Damn, sorry about that. You okay, bro?”

          That was just like Faernyl! Always so nice to everyone! Always top of the class without even trying! Not today. TK ran his numb fingers through the spell he knew so well. He put every bit of mana he could into the attack. It was the only way he knew to expand his range and right now Faernyl was just outside his usual maximum.

          TK turned and released his spell. The shockwave ripped out with so much force there was a flash of light between TK’s hands. The wave of force that released hit TK’s max range and kept going. It crashed into Faernyl and knocked him back onto his ass. Silence followed the initial shock. Faernyl sat up. His plate was broken.

          “Shit dude, that was pretty good!” he said.

          Next to Faernyl, Meridias also appeared. As she did he finally remembered that she had been the reason he’d run over there in the first place. She held the broken remains of her own plate in her hands. There were tears in her eyes.

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