“True to your word, Nia is safe and sound, Lord Koda,” Azeva said as she crossed her arms. Nia and several other students stood by their Head Mage’s side on the vast sandy battlefield.

Koda stood across from her. His familiar Wildeye and Raine stood on either side of him with Elucard, Stryneth, and Cade standing behind him. Koda gave the fire mage a long, prestigious bow.

“So you will accept my challenge, Master Azeva?”

The dune elf placed a hand on Nia. “You are okay? Were you harmed?”

Nia shook her head. Other than a few scratches and bruises, she came home relatively unscathed. Azeva turned back to Koda. “I am satisfied with your shroud’s work. We can battle now.”

Koda gave her a gleeful smile and clapped his hands. “Thank you, Master Azeva.”

Azeva snapped her fingers and in an instant her students cleared the field. Koda gave his entourage a quick glance, and likewise they exited the area as well.

Now Koda and his opponent were the only combatants left on the field. Warm winds pelted their skin with trails of sand and dust. The sun roasted the back of the necks, and sweat rolled down their cheeks. Koda wiped his brow and squinted his eyes.

“Base or multicolor?” asked Azeva.

Koda looked at Raine and she gave him a reassuring thumbs up. The king turned back to Azeva. “Multicolor,” he answered.

“First hit, first to three hits, unconsciousness, or death?” Azeva said quickly, ready for the next set of rules.

Koda paused before answering this question. He hadn’t given much thought for the win condition against someone as talented as Azeva. He got lucky with the first hit against her brother, surely another first blow match wouldn’t be as forgiving. He did have another color in his arsenal, earth. With the defenses of stone armor or rock walls, He was sure he could withstand any fireball Azeva threw at him. On the other hand, she probably had experience dealing with earth mages. If he had water, that might be a different outcome. No, instead he had earth, and he at least knew it was better than being stuck with his flammable plants.

Koda went through his options one last time. First hit. No, I don’t think that would be a victory in my cards. What else? Third hit. Yes, that seems more plausible. Unconsciousness and death. Neither of those sound appealing.

Azeva tapped her foot impatiently. “Have you made a decision, Lord Koda?”

Koda blew out a long sigh. “I-I believe I have.”

“And?”

Koda curled his fist. “Third hit!”

Azeva nodded to the referee to begin the battle. He raised a bright red flag with a darker red stripe.

“This sanctioned battle is for the element of fire! Combatants will be allowed to use their full array of colors. The first to score three hits will be victorious!”

The referee looked to Koda. “Is the challenger ready?”

Koda tightened his fist even more. “Ready!”

The referee then looked to the Head Mage. “Is the defender ready?”

“Get on with it!” she shouted.

The referee flapped down the flag. “Commence!”

Like a comet slicing through the night, Azeva launched forward. Trails of flames and black smoke followed in her wake. Koda couldn’t react fast enough! Never had he seen someone move at such an explosive rate.

Azeva reeled back her right arm and a whip of burning, orange fire ignited from her hand. With a clean swipe, Koda was thrown backwards as the whip lashed him with a sharp strike across his stomach.

“First hit, Azeva!” called out the referee.

Azeva surfed through the sand, curving around Koda. She created a wave of fire as she propelled herself around the battlefield.

Koda could only spin on his heels, trying desperately to keep a bead on his opponent, but Azeva was just too fast for the lone elf.

The fire mage flanked Koda and flicked her wrist popping up a wall of plasma, burning Koda with a whirl of agony and flames.

“Second hit, Azeva,”

Koda scampered away from Azeva, as the fire shrunk down to small singing embers over his robes. However the magic worked in a mage battle, he did not understand, but it seemed as if any life threatening damage he would normally take from a face full of fire did not melt his flesh or sear his limbs. He was grateful for this discovery, but if he didn’t pull himself together, he would have another embarrassing loss on his hands.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Come on, get it together, Koda!” Raine shouted to him at the top of her lungs. “Show her some earth defense!”

Right! Earth defense! Koda said to himself

Koda raised his fist and struck it on the ground. Instantly he was surrounded by a complete dome of rocks. The sound from outside was now muffled within his shelter. The grey and tan stones warmed up as Azeva blasted streams of fire at Koda’s shielding.

Let’s see where she is. Koda whispered to himself. He lifted his hand to one of the cooler stones and focused his vision past the wall. There he watched Azeva pace back and forth, itching for a moment to get her winning hit. Every so often she threw a fireball at the dome in frustration.

Okay, let’s score some points. Koda pushed against the stone and shot it forward, nailing Azeva’s shoulder.

“First hit, Koda!”

Koda laughed. I’m far from finished! Koda thrusted his hands at several more stones, rapidly firing them at Azeva.

The dune elf ducked and dodged, backpedaling away from the deadly dome, but more and more stones of the structure drove at her. Finally a boulder cracked against her head. Azeva crashed to the sand.

“Second hit, Koda!”

Koda shuffled nervously away from the safety of his shelter. He wondered if he killed the desert elf. Perhaps he was a little too zealous in his attacks, too fervent for his win. Koda stood over Azeva’s still form, but his pupils shrank as she turned and shot a fireblast in his face.

Koda threw himself away, covering his head with the sleeve of his robe and dashed back to his dome. He looked back toward Azeva, a stone mask covering his face.

“I don’t think so, Koda!” Azeva hissed. A flash of light erupted from the dome followed by a loud explosion. Koda crossed his arms and thrust them downwards in instinct. A large trunk enveloped him, protecting the elven king from the brunt of the blast.

“Do you really think wood will protect you from the fury of my red magic?” sneered Azeva.

Koda frantically lined the wood with a layer of stone. I hope that holds her for now.

However, inside the tree, molten stone began to glow as more and more of the bark heated up into a fiery display of Azeva’s Tamed Magi.

Koda leaped through the wood just as it flared into ash and lava.

The green mage sprinted at full speed away from an onslaught of small meteors crashing to his left and right, splashing sand and glass across Koda’s vision.

“You can’t run forever!” Azeva cried from the other end of the battlefield.

Koda knew she was right. He slid to a stop just shy of the sidelines where his friends watched in intense excitement.

“Koda, this is the match point,” whispered Raine. “Whoever gets this final hit wins the duel!”

Koda swallowed the bundle of stress in his throat. “I know, I know.”

“You aren’t using your full arsenal, my king,” said Stryneth. “Unleash your Magi upon her!”

Koda glanced at the blue mage master. Should I? He asked himself.

“No, you shouldn’t,” argued Wildeye. “You can beat her without resorting to your crutch. You are more than the mage you think you are, Koda Dawenedge.”

Hmmm.

“She’s right Koda. Don’t rely on cheap tricks!” spat Elucard, flexing his glass-like fist.

Koda turned back to Azeva. She was quickly approaching, a sword of flame in one hand, a floating fireball in the other.

A low growl cracked through the conversation and echoed through his mind. Do not be afraid of your gift, my dear Koda. Raspy and dark, the voice continued to interrupt Koda’s thoughts. The Magi is not a curse, and you know this!

“I do.” Koda agreed underneath his breath.

The more you hide your true power, the weaker you will become.

“The weaker I will become.” Koda’s voice grew louder.

“What did you say Kod…” Wildeye’s concerned words slowly drowned under the weight of the new voice’s words.

Show those who doubt you. Show your enemies. Show everyone who controls the Magi!

“I will!” Koda clenched his teeth and unleashed a loud roar. “I control the Magi!!!”

Koda thrust his hands forward and clawed his fingers. From the center of his palms he focused a spark of green energy, then after a brief hum, A beam of green light pulsed across the desert. The intensity of light pushed Raine, Stryneth, Wildeye, Elucard, and Cade over, and Koda’s feet slid backwards in the rumbling sand.

Azeva’s eyes widened but as fast as she tried to react, her speed was no match for the brilliant emerald light. It careened into her and sparked several times before erupting into a swath of vines and thorns. The wild magic mummified the dune elf and coiled tightly until she was crushed within the force of the vernal magic.

A wave of silence hung over the battlefield. Koda collapsed to the ground, huffing from the excess adrenaline and Magi pumping through his veins. “What—what was that?”

Raine put her calm hand on his shoulder. “A victory…I think.”

Third point!” the referee finally announced, “The Challenger wins!”

Koda laughed with a sense of relief washing over his face. “My, that was a close one,” he puffed, before falling on his back.

Wildeye stood over him and gave him a disappointed look. “Why must you—”

“Well done, my king!” Stryneth lifted Koda to his feet and vigorously shook the young elf’s hand.

Koda stole a glance from Elucard. The shroud’s face shivered in pain as he clutched his arm with his other arm.

“You better figure out this Magi addiction, or I’ll figure it out for you!” Elucard spat in a vicious whisper.

Koda bit his lip and turned back to Stryneth and Raine.

“Well done, indeed, Koda,” Raine laughed.

“Onward to your next victory, young king!” Stryneth continued to compliment Koda with a slap on the elf’s back.

Koda eyed Wildeye.

Sorry girl.

“Save it, Koda. Just save it,” Wildeye hissed.