Cracked skin like dry desert stone. It was anathema. Wrinkles don't exist for Elden. When an Elden grows old, their leylines sputter out, dimming with each passing cycle. Their bronze skin transitions to a peachy color, attempting to support their waning energy supply. Very few survive long enough to go through the transition since most Eldens seek death by battle or other memorable means. When their tank reaches zero, the skin begins flaking off as they crumble into ash, lost to the chaotic elements.

A Fractured death leaves behind nothing, not even a remnant. There is no legacy for Fractured.

It happened to her mother, Lye Lestruiz. Lizzy was too young to understand how weak her mother truly was. Lizzy didn't comprehend until much later that that Lye had forsaken an entire afterlife to spend few more days with her. They talked about Berrywrinkles of all things. A disgusting blue fruit that held no magical energy whatsoever. They were the origination of an Elden slur, and Lizzy's favorite treat. Her mother vehemently argued against eating them because they were bad for a growing Elden's health.

After her mother Fractured, Lizzy found a hidden alcove filled to the brim with bright blue berrywrinkles.

Lizzy's first color-phase was blue...

"You repaired the damage?"

The question was rhetorical.

"For now. The cascade was extensive for such a minor trigger. However, judging by how easy it was to fix, I have to assume Wael's daughter performs the same procedure nightly."

"The same girl who tried to kill us."

Lizzy smoothed Eli's cowlick affectionately. Eli was oblivious as she shook her head.

"Remnants and Fractured aren't the worst of it. The entire problem stems from an overpopulation of—"

Lizzy tackled her. They tumbled and rolled, narrowly avoiding the fallout of a second avalanche. The cacophony of noise and movement finally drew more attention. Runners trickled in from each direction to observe the chaos.No one moved to help them up as they eyed at the wreckage with clear greed. The first strike had been magical and the collapsing rock was useless as a building material, but the second avalanche was "natural" and thus the vast amount of mana-infused rubble glittered with power.

Both spies were quick to their feet.

"Back up! Back up if you don't want to lose your grubby hands. This is mine, all mine."

Lizzy chose the feral route while Eli took a logical one.

"Zed is correct. It fell in our section, therefore it is ours."

There was silence as the spectators stared at them for too long. Some rubbed their hands and arms while one man smacked his lips. A few took a step forward but no further.

"Duel."

It was a strapping Elden with dark-blue hair that whispered the challenge with a predatory grin.

"Duel."

Eli looked worriedly at the withering Elden woman that was all-too close to Fracturing.

"Duel."

The chant got louder and more assured with each passing breath. Each Elden stepped forward with the spoken word like it was their birthright. For some, it could clearly be salvation. Lizzy pinched Eli's jerkin in worry. They exchanged quick mental messages.

"It'd be cruel to be them all up, wouldn't it?"

"We need a plan. A rotation, maybe? Pick and choose fights to lose."

"There's not a single person here in their second-color-phase."

"Yet."

"I can fight them. I don't have qualms about tossing around still need to hide your skills. What's my new fighting style?"

"Pretend to be a pure physical enhancer. Make it more believable by throwing in a sloppy spell every now and then. You need to be perfect. There are too many eyes on us."

"Who do you take me for? I'm your duel substitute."

Facing the crowd together, their fingers intertwined naturally.

Zed rolled his muscled shoulders. The masculine voice sounding odd on her tongue.

"On the bright side... people are finally talking to us."

=

The Eben residents weren't entirely stupid. They wanted the stone badly, but not enough to start an all-out brawl. The duels were set up in the order they were challenged. Everyone remembered their place. Zed took on all the challenges, boasted that he could take on each and every one of them. The duel substitute rule was universal so there were no complaints. There was a higher chance of them winning, after all.

The only point they grumbled on was how long the proceedings would take. Twenty-Three separate duels would take the remainder of the afternoon and the entire evening.

Since Eli was not participating, she acted as referee and bookmaker. The challengers could select any prize, be it the entire heap of rubble or just a small section of it, however, they would need to put up something of equal value. Most could only bet their measily hair. The confident or desperate ones bet their own digging sites and sections of their own homes.

As bookie, she took it as her own prerogative to skew the bets in a way so anyone who lost wouldn't lose their entire livelihood. Everything was going smoothly and the duels were just about to start.

"I'll use this as my collateral."

Eli probed the white crystal flake with her senses. On the outside it appeared to be crystallized dead skin, but beautiful. The inside contained a quantity of magical energy that rivaled an entire adult puck boar. The mossy green-haired teenage girl held it outstretched confidently, daring anyone to challenge her for it. Several exchanged glances and two almost jumped her until Lizzy draped her arms over their shoulders and squeezed. They got the message.

"What is this?"

Rez answered calmly and matter of factly.

"These are what they're all really mining for."

"I can feel the energy, but I have no clue what it is worth."

"I'll settle for half."

Eli turned her head quizzically. Rez seemed serious.

"It will be half of whatever is left after the rest finish their duels. Since you came late, you will be last."

"That's fine."

"Okay then. If that is everyone, let's start before it gets too dark."

They used the dueling square next to the pavilion. There was no worry about anyone stealing the prize lot. Any thief would be easily tracked down and reprimanded severely by everyone present. With everyone eager to get things rolling, Lizzy made sure to oblige their wishes. Her first opponent stepped into the ring, the signal was drawn, and it was over.

The challenger wasn't prepared for Lizzy's burst of speed and crumbled around her fist. He flew out of the ring and was promptly disqualified. Not many Eldens could layer three physical enhancement spells simultaneously without serious repercussions. Even a fraction of the combined power, when cast in a stable manner, was enough to decimate her opponent.

With considerable more caution, the others took their turns. The second challenger, the elderly woman, managed to avoid Lizzy's half-hearted strikes using Air magics to move about. She might have been something more in her prime, but she was close to Fracturing. It became apparent that dodging was about all she could do.

There was the dilemma of how to finish the fight. The woman had bet half her home and clearly wanted to win because winning would be her survival. Losing, she would die in a matter of days, likely a Fractured death. Lizzy could accidentally kill her and no one would fault her. A death in a duel was honorable. The people present would remember her.

As the woman's movements started to slow down, Lizzy slapped her so hard her chin pointed in the opposite direction. Through the contact, Lizzy discretely transferred enough energy for the woman to survive for a few more days.

The woman, instead of crumpling as the challenger before, planted her feet and redoubled her efforts, stronger than before. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that magic energy had been transferred in that attack, but most would conclude it was an honest mistake. The precision required to complete the action harmlessly and fluidly was tantamount to impossible.

Lizzy allowed a few soft blows to land, grunting mildly. She made a show of examining the contestants that she still had to fight before she raised a hand in defeat.

"I forfeit this match. Take your stone and go."

There was visible relief. In the challenger and in the crowd. It was a compromise that would allow the woman a small portion of the stone and it showed that winning was possible for the others.

The next few matches were stomps. The challengers bet their hair so Lizzy had no qualms trampling them with brute force.

"Was your husband a soldier?"

Eli glanced away from the current fight. Rez was watching with more interest than before.

"My partner was a Vanguard before we tried farming. It went as well as you could imagine. We took the flooding as a sign to stop. And when we heard that my cousin went missing, my partner insisted on tagging along to protect me."

Rez latched onto the information as a smart girl would.

"He was your cousin?"

Eli smiled in a courtly fashion.

"Second-cousin, actually. You've seen him."

"Hm. He died."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I suspected it. I was afraid he'd have Fractured, but you say he died?"

Rez contemplated. She watching the next fight curiously. Zed seemed to be a meat-head with competent survival skills. To have been in the Vanguard and survived to retirement was an accomplishment to boast about. Rez watched as he threw a lazy fireball when his opponent kept dancing outside his reach. She could see that Zed was starting to tire and would likely be drained soon.

"You helped my dad. Thank you for that..."

Rez looked into the copper-red eyes of Solei, conveying her sincerity.

"I could have lost him. He is... family. You should know your cousin died in a duel. He will see the Everafter."

The next fight was over. The challenger won after Zed ran out of steam. There were still 14 fights left. Solei turned to Zed and excused herself.

"I believe that's my cue."

Rez observed as Solei strutted confidently toward the panting Zed. When the two met at the edge of the ring, they linked arms in a meditative stance. Rez felt the air stir and spun up her Mana Vision. With intense fascination and wonder, she observed Solei's brimming energy flow into Zed's depleted tank. It was a clean and efficient transfer of power not unlike how Rez fixed her father's fractures at times.

The thought of giving her energy to someone else before a battle had never occurred to her. Was that how they did things in the army? Did they charge the Vanguard like batteries before each battle? More reasons for her to leave this sickly town. If only it were so easy.

=

It was the third to last fight when Rez broke her pensive mood.

"Your husband is resilient."

Eli's mood brightened hearing her company's voice once again.

"You have no idea. Do you still want to fight?"

"I can beat him."

"You just entered your second-color-phase, did you not?"

"You can tell?"

"There are still undertones of yellow in your hair. They've darkened, but it is easy to spot the signs with."

"Mm."

"Is the stone you want for your dad?

"Mhm."

"Will it help?"

"Yes."

It was like plucking teeth.

"And that fancy crystal won't help him? If he can digest it properly, he should have at least another year."

Rez's posture shifted several times at once before settling after the third to last match finally ended. Most everyone had gone home cradling their winnings or injuries.

"It's a drug. They call it Qwaver, after the First Elder."

Rez wanted to bite her lip in frustration.

"It can raise anybody's power level. No one wants to share it."

"There have to be downsides."

"It cured the Manaless."

Eli's teeth chattered. Her neck snapped and her vision honed in on Lizzy.

"At least for a time... People started Fracturing. Those that survived learned that the stone has healing properties. Once I get your stone, my dad won't have to rely on these anymore."

Eli ran it through in her mind. If that was the case, almost all the pieces fit in. The Speaker might really believe Qwaver was a gift from the Elders. It expanded normal people's powers and was a sure-kill method of disposing of the Manaless. If the Speaker controls the supply, raising her power level and promoting those loyal to her would be elementary.

But there were still pieces missing. Why were the Manaless allowed to stay? Were they a labor force of some kind? An extra deterrent for outsiders? There had to be a reason for the Speaker allowing them to remain.

"Rez, was it?"

"Yeah."

"Who killed my cousin?"

Rez looked away.

"I can't tell you that. I'm sorry."

"How about we make a deal."

"I can't say."

Eli raised her hands, acknowledging defeat. She'd learned plenty already, and there were other ways to find out what happened to their contact.

"Okay. I understand. Looks like you're up."

Her words were punctuated by a gust of air as a tumbling Elden whizzed past them screaming. The doppler effect still worked even in a magical world. The contestant crashed and created a skid mark in a nearby rock garden, displacing the beautifully organized exhibition.

A gruff voice boasted, dusting off their hands.

"You think they'd have learned by now, scrumptious."

Eli rolled her eyes.

"I told you to never call me that... dear."

"Aye. Is she the last one?"

Lizzy deadpanned, breathing easy. Eli nodded as Rez strolled to the dueling square without delay. Lizzy eyed the overconfident teenager the entire time.

"Permission to go all out."

"Denied."

"Three-quarters strength?"

"Half."

Lizzy grinned maliciously. It looked even more evil with a masculine face.