The only person that put up much of a fight was a wild card young man named Ronald Slick. The fight was interesting because it was the first time Val’n was forced to tap into his blessing. But when he did, he ended the fight in a single strike.
Right as he had that thought Liam entered their private box followed by Gwen. The two of them teased Grant and Lenard about something then came over to him.
“You little stinker,” said Liam, then he jabbed Lucas’s arm in that annoying way he did, “Get over here.”
Lucas let his brother pull him into a hug, “Okay, okay. Don’t crush me.”
“Mother told me what you did,” said Liam as he let go of him and messed up his hair, “Some pretty advanced spellwork. What was it?”
“Gershwig’s terra habitus,” said Lucas.
As soon as he said it Gwen punched Liam in the arm, “Dammit.”
“Told ya,” said Liam then he flicked Gwen’s hair and put his hand out, “Pay up.”
She was not happy about it, but Gwen pulled a thin talent of gold out of her pocket and tossed it into Liam’s face, “Ass,” then she looked at Lucas, “He taught it to you didn’t he.”
Lucas looked at his brother then at Gwen, “Yeah, he teaches me everything he knows.”
“Oh, screw you guys,” said Gwen as she looked at Tempo, “I swear you can never trust a Santi. Never.”
While she was distracted Lucas leaned into his brother, “Did you talk to uncle?”
“No but Gwen did,” said Liam, “Nothing to worry about.”
“Tell her to forfeit,” said Lucas.
“You know she’ll never go for that,” said Liam, “Besides she’ll be fine.”
“It’s not her I’m worried about,” said Lucas, “Val’n is like a prince or something.”
“Did you say Prince?” asked Liam but it was already too late. Tempo snapped his fingers and forced the arena into silence. Liam took one look in Lucas’s eyes and knew he needed to act. While Tempo announced the fighters Liam nudged Gwen to get her attention. She turned to him with her bright smile and gave him the slightest wave then pointed her spellrod at the center of the arena. By the time Tempo dropped his sound proofing spell Gwen charged her spellrod and lit up the entire arena with her signature golden light. Even standing a few feet away Lucas lost sight of her.
When the light faded, she was standing in the center of the arena, staring at Val’n Dare like she was looking down at a naughty child. That confidence might seem like bravado, but it was well earned. Countless times she proved to be both powerful and loyal. Those were the perfect qualities for a retainer. Lucas could see how those same qualities had been used against her.
All his uncle had to do was tell her that Val’n Dare was a threat to Liam, and she would take care of the rest. The only one she would listen to above uncle William was Liam and he was too busy with his duels to know what was going on behind his back. No, that wasn’t true, Lucas was too slow. Or Tempo was too fast, unless maybe he wasn’t. Maybe that was the last thing Tempo said to Gwen.
The problem was, Tempo didn’t know Gwen. She saw the world in black and white, light and dark. You were her enemy or her friend, nothing in between. She obeyed one family the Santi. Tempo was a respected magister but his word meant nothing when compared to William Santi.
The fight started and in less than five seconds Lucas knew she was going to try to kill him. That wouldn’t be easy, but Gwen had a weapon in her arsenal that even Val’n might not be able to beat. She was capable of a full evocation of an insanely powerful entity. Whatever that entity was, she called it, Axios. The fact that she could handle so much power was a testament to her own mental fortitude. But no matter how powerful she was, it would be dangerous for everyone if she did evoke Axios.
If she fully evoked Axios, she couldn’t just kill Val’n, she could level the whole estate. And neither of those things would be her choice. Not completely. From everything Lucas read on evocation, the host was no longer in full control of what they were doing. It was more like riding a horse, the horse might go where you want. But if it wasn’t in the mood to obey; it would buck you off its back and trample your body.
Within thirty seconds Gwen realized she was not going to overpower Val’n like she did everyone else. Still she kept her secret weapon in check and used partial evocation to grant her more power. It would have been enough but Val’n was too skilled. At first it was hard to tell how skilled he was. His movements were intentionally erratic and impossible to predict.
It seemed like he’d avoid an attack or counterattack by accident, but accidents to happen that often. Whatever he was doing it was unlike any other swordsman or duelist and Gwen couldn’t compete.
Up close anyway and she knew it. That was not something Gwen was used to and she was pissed. Not the first time she lost her temper in a fight. Heck that anger was part of what made her strong, but it also made her reckless. Lucas knew a full evocation was inevitable.
“You have to stop her,” said Lucas as he clamped his hand down on his brother’s arm.
Liam placed his other hand on top of Lucas’s, “Be calm, I will if it gets out of hand.”
“Please,” said Lucas, “Before it’s too late.”
“It’s fine,” said Liam, “She won’t go overboard, I warned her.”
As soon as he said it Gwen evoked Axios, not a full evocation but it was the beginning. Liam didn’t want to believe it, he loved Gwen. Like a sister or a lover, who knew, maybe it was both. Regardless he loved her, and it made him blind.
But what else could Lucas do, not a damn thing. He was a seventeen-year-old kid, a helpless seventeen-year-old child with no real power. There was nothing he could do to save his father, and there was nothing he could do right now except watch. Despite how hard he worked over the last nine years he was still powerless.
The longer the match drug on the angrier Gwen got. Each time she attacked she called on more and more power from Axios and every time it failed. What was clear though is that Val’n was taking the fight serious. He even used his void mana and hit her with a void orb. Because it is so rare; not much is known about the effects of void mana other than it cancels out other types of magic. Which apparently included evocation because Gwen lost hold of Axios’s power the moment she was hit. Too bad that didn’t end the fight.
It only pissed her off more but the final straw was something far worse. Val’n didn’t cancel her magic or defend himself. He shattered her spellrod. Lucas had used the spellrod for a couple of years, and it already felt like an extension of his hand. Almost like an extra limb. Gwen had her spellrod for at least four times as long. The bond was exponentially greater than what he felt.
He couldn’t even imagine the pain she felt when it got shattered.
Despite the pain Gwen fully evoked Axios and from that point on she was no longer the fun-loving woman he had grown to respect. She was a dispassionate monster. A monster hell bent on killing Val’n, no matter who or what got in her way. In the few seconds that followed Val’n displayed great athleticism and skill, but he was a man. Axios was a venerable god.
Axios unleashed an unbelievable torrent of light. The light seared everything in its path and left streaks of flame everywhere it touched. Including Val’n’s arm and part of his chest. But he wasn’t dead yet and that seemed to piss off Axios just as much as it did Gwen. Axios dashed forward, caught a handful of Val’n’s hair and lifted him into the air.
Right when Axios was about to end him, Val’n looked her in the eye, “Pierce the Veil.”
Those three words were all it took to destroy every form of magic half a mile. Including Gwen’s evocation.
Both of them dropped out of the air and landed in a heap in the center of the arena. The fight was over, and by some miracle they were both still alive. Barely conscience but alive.
Chapter 11:
After Gwen’s fight Liam rushed to the fighter’s prep room so he could check on her. She laid unconscious for a full ten m
inutes before the healer let anyone in the room. When they finally let them in the door Gwen laid on a table in the middle of the room. She looked more like a dead body than her bright and sunny self. She was motionless, eyes closed, lips deep purple but there was one sign that she still clung to life. Her chest rose and fell at a steady rhythm. Liam squeezed her hand and for the first time Lucas could remember, he broke into tears.
Of course that was the moment Tempo poked his head into the room, “Enchantments are back up.”
Liam wiped his face and turned to Lucas, “Stay with her.”
“Of course,” replied Lucas but his brother refused to let go of her hand and even if he did, his mind would be on Gwen instead of focused on fighting. He couldn’t fight, not to the best of his ability and he would need to be at his best to beat Val’n.
“Forfeit the match,” said Lucas.
Liam finally let go of Gwen’s hand, “You know I can’t. This is about more than just a tournament, it’s a show of strength.”
Lucas grabbed his brother’s arm in one last attempt at stopping him from fighting Val’n, “Please, none of that matters.”
“It does,” said Liam, “She was out of line. It breaks my heart to see her like this, but she knowingly endangered everyone in that arena. If not for Val’n Dare we would have a bloody mess on our hands and now I need to make it right.”
“Wish me luck,” said Liam then wiped his face and turned for the door.
“Brother,” said Lucas then he rushed over to block his way out of the room, “We have nothing to prove. Forfeit and show our people there is more to our family than power.”
“Power,” said Liam, “Is the problem,” then he walked out of the room.
He was right, power was the problem. For generations the Santi family had ruled because they had a reputation for holding the most powerful Blessing in the world. That was not the whole truth. Yes, they held a powerful Blessing, but that was only half of the reason they maintained power. The other half was that they held the secret to a pair of spells that nobody else could perform.
But nobody had used those spells since his father died. Normally they showcased those spells every year in the arena. Liam was right, he had to fight.
“Lord Santi,” said one of the healers.
Lucas’s head snapped to the door. He expected to find his uncle but there was nobody there.
“We’ve done what we can,” said the healer.
Then Lucas realized, they were talking to him. They had done what? Healed her, she was still unconscious and half dead. They had to do more and if they couldn’t he would. Lucas lifted her wrist to check her auraband.
Lvl. 25 Human Female: Gwendolyn Rios
Exp. 8,432/21,758
3,717/3,717 Health.
0/5,221 Mana.
0/2,121 Stamina.
Shit, no mana, or stamina. They healed her sure, but she was not regening mana or stamina. That’s why she was still unconscious. There had to be a way to jump start her body. Immediately his mind ran through the spells he had in his arsenal. Three were healing spells but none of those were capable of jump starting someone’s regen.
Next he thought of the abilities he’d read about; mana siphon was close but not quite. Stamina convert was perfect, but it couldn’t be used on her. The only option left was a potion, but he was far from a potion expert. He needed help.
“Get the potion masters,” said Lucas.
The healers shared a look, “Mi’lord?”
“I said get the potion masters,” said Lucas again but still no one understood, “On the east lawn we have twenty different potion vendors. Bring them here.” Still none of them moved.
He was not one to shout even when he was angry, but he could act. Right now he had to act angry, so he gripped his spellrod for confidence and raised his voice, “Now!”
In seconds the room cleared, and Lucas found himself alone with Gwen. Unconscious, helpless, powerless. A woman he looked up too all his life. She had stood up for him, protected him when she could. And here she was on the brink of death because his uncle manipulated her. For what? Fear? Ambition?
His uncle’s motivation had never made much sense. Heck, the reason for killing his father was never clear either. Power seemed like the most obvious but he never did anything with it. Jealousy perhaps. But William never married, or tried to deny Liam from taking over. In fact he did his best to prepare Liam for taking over. Whatever, that didn’t matter. He was responsible for Gwen’s condition.
Lucas had to end it.
He was not powerless, not anymore. He could save Gwen.
Lucas squeezed Gwen’s hand and in his head he promised that he would do anything to wake her up. Over and over he told her that she would be okay. Minutes or hours later the healers returned.
“Lord Santi?” said the healer.
“Move aside, let them in,” said Lucas.
Person after person walked through the door until the room was near completely full.
“Don’t be shy, examine her if you need to. She was hit with a large amount of void mana and stopped regening both mana and stamina. I need you to kick start it,” said Lucas.
Silence.
A few of them moved closer and examined her from a few feet away then moved away without a word. Then two more came over and check her but they moved away without any help. An older man came up a little bit slower than the others but after one look he too shook his head and left.
Then a middle-aged man with bright yellow hair rushed into the room with what looked like his son fast on his heels. He pushed his way to Gwen’s side, flipped over her hand and squeezed her wrist. After a few seconds he let go of her hand, placed the back of his hand on her forehead then flicked her nose. Lucas was about to snap at him for that last part when he turned to his son, “Get me two vials of the sour wild-fire, one of your uncle’s deep-blue draught, and one of the honey gold. Hurry. And.”
“Be careful with the wild-fire,” said his son.
Instead of getting angry Lucas held his breath and stepped up beside the yellow haired man, “Can you help her?”
“Huh,” said the man as if it was the first time, he realized Lucas was there, “Yes, maybe. Her…”
Before he could finish several of the potion masters pushed their way between him and Lucas and began to argue with whatever he began to say. For some reason they chose that moment to come up with a plan to save her, or they were full of shit. Most likely full of shit and this was a pissing match.
Lucas twirled his spellrod once, then twice. He had enough mana but this was going to hurt. He took a deep breath and twirled it a third time then he pointed it at the far wall, “Ventus, proxima, repente,” and swiped his spellrod across the room, “If you can’t help, then get the fuck out or shut your damn mouth.”
With the repente trigger the spell only took five seconds to take effect but it did. When it did every one of the potion masters flew across the room and slammed into the far wall. Lucas twirled his spellrod to release the yellow haired man then he sent a surge of mana into the rod to strengthen his spell. The surge blasted the rest of the potion masters into the wall but only for a second before he let go of the spell.
They dropped to the ground and scurried out of the room like rats running from a lion. Cowards.
“Can you help her?” asked Lucas.
“I don’t know, I will try. Her chakras are horribly misaligned. Minor misalignments are no big deal, but this is beyond anything I’ve dealt with,” said the man in a rush, “If my brother were here, he… he… I just don’t know.”
Lucas saw this man wanted to help but he was out of his depth, he needed confidence so he did the only thing he could think of; he grabbed the man’s arm and looked him in the eye, “What’s your name?”
“Ah, uh, Sherwood. Sherwood Everbright,” said the man then he dipped his head.
Lucas tapped his chin with his spellrod, “Sherwood, I’m Lucas, and I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. I’m
sixteen and I am scared shitless,” then he pointed his thumb at Gwen, “But she’s dying, and she needs us. No, she needs you.”
“I…” said Sherwood, “Yes. Yes. I will help her.”
“Okay. Good,” said Lucas, “What do you need?”
“Sour wild-fire, a vial of deep blue draught,” said Sherwood, “and um…”
“Your son’s getting it,” snapped Lucas, “Anything else?”
Sherwood bounced to his feet like a boxer and spun around to search the room, “Umm… heat. I need heat. To mix the potions and ice. It needs to be cooled for her to drink it. The faster it is cooled the more effective the potion will be.”
“Okay clear that table,” said Lucas as he ran over to the healer’s bench and raised his spellrod. Two more spells, he could manage that. The mana would be tight even with his Blessing, but he could manage it, “Obex, proxima, exoticus, incendio.”
With a quick hand he scribbled the spell in the air above the healer’s bench then drew a small circle on the bench with his spellrod. It took several seconds for the enchantment to take hold but when it was done the words of his spell seared themselves into a neat ring on the bench. One spell down, one to go and he could already feel his head aching.
“Obex, proxima, exoticus,” then he raised his voice and screeched the last word, “Frigus.” As the spell took hold, he scribbled the words in the air and drew a second circle on the bench.
His vision blurred for a few seconds, but he maintained his focus just long enough for the enchantment to sear into the table. A half second later the room toppled on its side, bounced twice then everything went black.
Chapter 12:
As soon as his mind cleared enough for him to know he was awake, Lucas tried to listen past the ringing in his ears. Everything was too loud, or too sharp. All he heard was echoes bouncing around between his ears. Sound was not going to help him figure out where he was so he tried to open his eyes. That was just as bad. The light was so bright that it sent a spike of pain across his head. He slammed his eyes shut and tried to move. That was even worse, as if his entire body had been struck by lightning.
The Whetstone Fist 3 Page 6