https://youtu.be/bSHyDzfzOWI

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"when faced with overwhelming odds, do not be afraid. do not hesitate. to hesitate is to be killed, to stop is to die, to kill the enemy is victory!"

-The Master's quotes: The Master's Farewell-

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"Kat Jealson!"

my name rang out, for the sixth time today. i had defeated my next five opponents after katy with ease, and now i was to face Clarkson, another trouble person. as i say, fate like's to f*** with me.

i went out, and to my surprise, the only thing on the arena was stone.

on the opposite side of the stone plain, stood clarkson. i made ready my magic.

we walked out onto the plain of stone, pillars sprouting up out of the ground at regular intervals.

we stopped a hundred feet away from each other, eyeing the other up and down.

i conjured a couple fireballs, then shot them out of the circle, then running in a sprint toward her, covering the ground in front of me in ice, so i was sliding in quickly toward her. she held up a hand.

as i said, she is a genius. in particular, her mana sphere is of gargantuan size. she uses this to maximum effect.

pillars of rock sprang up in front of me, trying to crush me. the disadvantage of being an earth mage, is that unlike the other three elements, you can't conjure earth. you can move it, though.

she formed spears close by herself, then shot them toward me, while raising a block of stone to stop my fireballs. i shot mana out of my feet, sending the ice in a line toward her, and erupting in spikes in front of her spears, knocking them off course, while still sprinting toward her. finally, when we were twenty feet away, i slowed down and stopped. we circled, then finally, we went all out.

fire blasted from my fingertips, arcing across the distance between us, either being dodged or deflected by stone. i jumped from side to side, and pillar to pillar, as they were soon common beneath me. i sent ice through my feet, attempting to spear her.

finally, we had exhausted most of our mana. i stood on a pillar, and she stood in between two javelins made of ice. dueling with magic was useless, as we seemed to have similar skill. so, we would take things hand-to-hand.

i started crafting a spear. she molded a mace from stone.

we approached, bearing our respective weapons, then, we did what mages did when forced to use close range weapons. we took our remaining mana, and fitted it around our body. in terms of defense, using earth was much more cost effective, but there would be no time for using the elements.

she ran toward me, raising shield and mace, letting out a yell.

"come, then"

i kicked the back of my spear, spinning it in a flashing circle, the ice reflecting sun into clarkson's eyes, then stopping the spinning spear and attempting to drive it into her gut.

she instinctively put her shield in the way of my spear, and it rebounded, leaving me open for her mace to come forward in a short, vicious jab, driving the breath from me. instead of crushing ribs, which would have happened if my mana covering weren't there.

i side-stepped her next overhand blow, and twisted my spear, bringing the haft against her torso, and driving her a few feet away. unlike normal warriors, mages did not train their muscles. but, not knowing how to wield a weapon for when your mana was depleted was stupid.

also, mages could channel mana into their weapons, making the force greater than normal. i batted her mace to the side, then thrust toward her head. her twisted, bringing her shield around to block, then took a couple steps back, and summoned an earth pillar right below me. i used the force to leap, and flip over her head, flipping the spear backwards, until i held it reverse, and thrust behind.

i heard a grunt, and turned. my spear thrust had depleted her remaining mana, and made a small incision in her back.

i stepped forward, and stomped the ground, bringing three spears of ice from the frozen stone beneath my feet. i threw the first, then the second, and grabbed the third, holding both spear's in my hands. i ran forward, and gathered mana in the palm of my hand. i thrust with the left spear, which she blocked, then i thrust with the right, forcing her to open herself.

then, i stuck the left spear into her abdomen, making her spit blood. then i threw away the right spear. she was confused, as i had no weapon. i used her confusion to step up to her face, and placed my right palm onto the right side of her chest. then, i scorched a hole through her. she stumbled back, her eyes listless, then fell unconscious.

the teleport crystal blinked, and she disappeared.

"now, perry is next."

"f*** my life."

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Shadowpelt's POV

i was sitting beside the headmaster, watching Kat fight. the headmaster said something.

"so, has living with her for the past month taught you anything?"

i nodded.

"it's taught me to walk carefully."

we watched the rest of the fight in silence. finally, i broached the subject.

"she cannot defeat perry."

the headmaster just nodded.

"it is not fair to have such a person such as him go up against her."

he nodded again.

"plus, if i faced him, you would be able to study my power."

"i do not know if you will win, he could very well kill you."

"why, of course. it would be a waste of time otherwise."

he thought for a little, but finally agreed.

"fine. but, remember, he must stay alive."

i smiled like a cheshire.

"but of course."

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"Kat Jealson!"

i heard the dreaded calling of my name. i made to step out of the door, when the headmaster appeared before me.

"ahh, kat! i have brought your little friend, he wishes to cheer you on from a closer perspective."

"but, i will probably lose, and if i have to protect a cat while fighting someone like perry-"

"think of it as a handicap. if you achieve victory, it will be even more impressive, no?"

i looked at the lunatic, but sighed.

oh well, if a stray fireball scorched the bastard, i wouldn't have to worry about him.

"sure! just hope he explodes- i mean stays safe."

he placed cat bastard on my shoulder, then disappeared again.

ahhh, i give up. lets just do this...

i walked out, cat on my shoulder, and faced the instrument of my destruction.

the arena was grass, with dirt beneath. perry was tall, green haired, and wore a pair of glasses.

he said nothing, and i expected no words from him. around school, he was known as one of the biggest pricks around, though no one said anything to his face. too scared.

i resignedly raised my hands, and prepared my mana.

this will be short.

it went how i thought. i threw everything i had at him, and he dismissed it as nothing. halfway through, he erected a dome of water, and froze it. i looked around, and saw that our view of the spectators was locked off. it seems he didn't want to show anyone his magic. no one could see or hear us, in this dome.

he surrounded me in a globe of water, and i started drowning. when i thought i was going to black out, i reached for the bracelet.

it's a shame. i really didn't want to admit defeat.

when my hand was an inch away from the crystal, it stopped. i looked around, then saw a man holding my wrist. suddenly, the water splashed back to the ground, and i stood on solid ground.

i gasped, and asked the stranger. "who are you?"

he smiled, and i focused on the red that made up his pupils.

"why, Shadowpelt, of course. who else did you think it was?"

i looked at his black cat ears, and the tail flicking around behind him, as well as the black pelt surrounding his waist.

"what are you..." i nearly fell asleep. i wouldn't stay awake much longer, i had a major case of oxygen depravation, and my body was shutting down.

at this, he smiled even wider.

"why, insane, of course."

i fell into the blackness, and heard no more.

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i looked down at the red-haired girl. over the month i had been with her, i had come to like her.

i turned to this 'perry' and lay Kat down gently on the ground. i focused my eyes on every part of him, studying his every move. if i wanted to win, and gain entry to the hall of artifacts, i'd need to defeat him. my deal with mr. joyins had been simple.

i had asked him if there was any condition where i myself could win, and he had said,

"tell you what, i'll put perry in kat's block, and if you beat him, i'll consider it a win for both of you. after all, you are a student here, even if un officially. if you were to enter the tournament in the normal way, we'd have a riot."

"these conditions are acceptable. if i lose, it will make little difference to Kat, but if i win..."

he nodded. "besides, perry needs a worthy opponent. if he spends his entire devolopment being on the top, he will never improve."

i focused back on the present. perry wanted to talk, apparently.

"so, her cat is really a demi-human? how strange. i think you are a pervert."

i smiled.

"oh? not surprised at all, are we? well, if you aren't surprised, then we can get to this."

"if you think i'll fight an animal, you are sorely mistaken."

i smiled even wider.

"if you think i'll give you a choice, you've got another thing coming."

his eyes widened, as i gathered my mana.

"let's get started, shall we?

hahhahaHahAHahahaHahaHahaHahaHahAHahAHahAHhahAhahaHahahahaHhahahah

i'm going to write the third chapter now.

teehee. i've been saving a song for this chapter. it's one of my favorites.