Chapter 21: Fury of the Wild

  Ambrose’s match with Raeleq was the first third year fight of the day, and he was glad that he had stopped drinking fairly early into the night. The younger Ransa kept drinking and feasting after his victory over his sister, but standing in the center of the arena together, he didn’t look any the worse for wear. In fact, Raeleq grinned at him the entire time Professor Dietrich talked them up.

  It was almost effective, but after spending hours listening to him talk about his favorite goats back home and the wildcat he’d wrestled to help heal its broken leg, Ambrose knew damned well what a softy the massive man was.

  At least, in his personal life. Standing there in his armor, Raeleq looked more eager than ever to fight. The increasingly aware voice of conscience in the back of his head whispered that if he lost, he’d probably have it coming.

  Of course, Ambrose would never let that show. He stood in simple, dark athletic wear only he could make look this fashionable. As he did his best to play up his confidence and lack of concern, his body was like a coiled spring, ready to go at the first sign of danger.

  Two new cards for this match, bringing his deck up to eight cards, plus his cantrip and signature creature. It was the largest of anyone in his year, which meant he could keep on going longer than others, but it also came with a weakness. It would take three rounds to fully cycle enough hands for a shuffle. More good cards, but also more chances that a hand simply wouldn’t come together.

  With all the drinking and eating, there had been no time for strategy. He kicked himself over it now, but what’s done was done. Besides, his versatility and ability to adapt had always been his real strength.

  “...Do both of you understand these warnings and rules?”

  “Yes,” said Raeleq.

  “Sure,” said Ambrose, who hadn’t been listening, and everyone knew it.

  Professor Dietrich’s eyes narrowed. “The fight begins as soon as the barrier goes up.” She shuffled out of the arena, taking her time.

  Ambrose gave a nod of respect to his opponent, who returned it with a smile that shouldn’t have been so guileless and friendly.

  “Winner buys tonight’s drinks,” Raeleq said with a booming laugh.

  Before Ambrose could refuse, the transparent pink sheen of the barrier came to life, and they received their hands.

  Round 1

  Cantrip: [Vampiric Kiss], Spell: [Assassin’s Strike], Signature Creature: [Hateful Imp], Spell: [Thought Tap]

  None of his new spells, but that was fine. He didn’t want to reveal everything new he could do. One useless card, but it was never going to be useful in this matchup. Ambrose had no intention of winning via shredding the Ransa twin’s deck.

  When things sped back up, both wizards cast creature spells. Ambrose’s purple circle was off to the side, while Raeleq’s was between them. Their Countdowns paused simultaneously, though Ambrose’s spell was the first to finish casting, about two seconds ahead of time.

  The [Hateful Imp] showed up on all fours, baring sharp, uneven teeth capped by horrible canines. As strong as it was, it wouldn’t pose much of a threat to either Raeleq or his signature creature. It didn’t need to, for Ambrose’s plan to succeed. The instant the summoning finished, it darted at Raeleq, who actually seemed a little surprised and backed up.

  His own spell continued, and Ambrose waited for the chance to use his [Assassin’s Strike] on [Reggie]. Unfortunately, the circle was maybe half the size, and instead a vibrant red [Pack Raptor] with feathers along its claws and head came out.

  Opening its mouth to let out a short, sharp roar, Ambrose had to conclude that it was still dangerous enough to warrant his kill-spell. His arm erupted in black and purple letters, glowing darkly as the hilt of a blade formed in his hand.

  Raeleq tried to stomp the Imp, but it dodged and went between his legs. His eyes widened as it scrambled up his back with dagger-like claws. It paused between his shoulder blades, and then slashed the massive man’s thick hair and the back of his neck, shrieking as it went to town.

  He whirled around to get it off, but the imp held on tight and got in attacks when it could. The crowd laughed and cheered as he grew increasingly distressed.

  Meanwhile, the [Pack Raptor] stalked forward, razor-sharp claw clicking on the stone floor menacingly. The black blade finished forming in Ambrose’s hand, and he held it between them, threatening the creature. With Raeleq occupied, it didn’t have much of a plan other than to attack the lanky wizard and try to rip him limb from limb.

  Ambrose carefully moved sideways, never taking his eyes off the creature. It did the same as him, snapping jaws that could easily break bones or take off his face. Time ticked down, and soon his spells would cycle over, but whoever moved first lost.

  The [Hateful Imp] screamed violently as it attacked and splashed blood from a dozen shallow cuts everywhere. Raeleq moved backwards, until he slammed himself against the barrier. The Imp’s scream cut off suddenly, and then the wizard was able to grab the creature by the head and yank it from his back.

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  The [Pack Raptor] bunched up its legs. Ambrose’s eyes slid away for just a second, but it was like begging to be attacked. The dinosaur sprung forward, right as the shadow wizard swung the magical blade. The second it touched the creature’s flesh, the mana Ambrose poured into it took it apart and banished it back to the aether.

  The wizards dealt with the opposing creatures at nearly the same time. The raptor died, while Raeleq hurled the imp into Ambrose with all of his strength. Nearly forty pounds of miniature demon collided with him and sent him sprawling, but he was on his feet in a second, while the imp disappeared from the damage.

  They faced each other, panting in pain and exertion. Although deeply sore, Ambrose believed Raeleq got the worst of it. He bled freely from so many cuts around his scalp and shoulder, and the wild wizard wasn’t amused. His thick, tight curls were even more shredded.

  “The healers won’t grow back hair, you bastard!” he shouted at Ambrose.

  He smirked. “So, just shave your head. You’d look good that way, I think. We could take turns polishing you to a fine sheen.”

  Raeleq responded by summoning his [Ironwood Club].

  “You know? Fair.” Ambrose raised a hand and snapped, casting [Thought Tap], mostly because he could. The [Pack Raptor] went dormant in its deck, useless for the rest of the fight.

  With an angry roar, the prince raised his club high and attacked. The first swing came within an inch of Ambrose’s face. The wake of the attack was so strong it nearly threw off his balance entirely. He didn’t stop moving backwards as Raeleq advanced, pivoting his body to avoid the next two swings.

  “If you could hit me, I’d be worried,” Ambrose jeered, only moments and scant inches away from losing with every passing second. “You really can’t win without [Reggie], can you?”

  The words seemed to hurt worse than the imp. The next swing was even wilder, and Ambrose was ready for it, casting [Vampiric Kiss] close enough that no one would've been able to dodge it.

  The life sapped from his opponent and flooded him with renewed vitality. The damage from the imp missile had been healed, and Raeleq looked tired already.

  Before the next attack could come, the timer counted down to nothing.

  Round 2

  Cantrip: [Vampiric Kiss], Spell: [Shred Mind], Creature: [Night Terror], Enchantment: [Mark of Service]

  Shit, this gave him some trouble. He’d only be able to cast maybe two spells this round, depending on what he chose. The smart thing to do would be to bring out the creature. Raeleq had no way to deal with it, and [Reggie] couldn’t tear the shadow-creature apart. It would be a guaranteed win if he could survive…

  But it wasn’t enough to win. Ambrose had to dominate, to make it clear that even the tournament favorite wasn’t his equal. And that meant beating Raeleq at his own game, even if it was harder.

  When time resumed, Raeleq had stepped back a couple of feet and raised his club up. A huge summoning circle flashed into existence beside them. Raeleq’s own timer had finished first, and now Ambrose had barely registered the spell before the next swing came.

  He scrambled away, biting back maniacal laughter. Sure, his [Assassin’s Strike] was in his discard, but there was more than one way to kill a creature. He put distance as the nearly ten foot tall form of Reggie appeared in greater detail.

  Ambrose counted to five before casting [Mark of Service]. His mana drained almost all the way. The second the juvenile tyrannosaurus came into view, the enchantment snapped around it in the form of a tight black collar.

  He cried out in distress, but then the commands from its master came, and they couldn’t be more clear. [Reggie] roared out anger and hunger, and then stomped his way, while Raeleq approached from the side.

  The arena wasn’t big enough to avoid them both for too long, and any sudden movements and they would pin him. Briefly, Ambrose toyed with the idea of getting in so close that they’d be in danger of hitting each other, but he wasn’t that agile. Jessica might’ve been able to do it, and he’d recommend it to her later.

  “You could always surrender now, Amby-lamb,” Raeleq suggested.

  “It sounds stupid when you call me that,” he said. “Well, it always sounds stupid, but now it’s even worse.”

  Raeleq shouldered his massive club. He stopped nearby while [Reggie] circled around, not quite getting closer. “Maybe, but ‘ugly, annoying smear on the floor’ is a bit of a mouthful.”

  “Damn, you’ve got me there.”

  He feinted at Raeleq, then dodged the retaliation swing. Momentum carried him towards [Reggie]’s snapping jaws as the creature dipped down to get him. Ambrose threw himself to the side and rolled back to his feet in one smooth motion. He didn’t stop, and moved to the other side of the arena with his pursuers hot on his heels.

  Unfortunately, while it may have bought him a few seconds, they regrouped and converged on him. The dinosaur moved faster, just by virtue of having longer strides, which meant that Ambrose could veer off and use it to his advantage.

  Just when they got close enough to be a threat, he feinted again, at the dinosaur. The tyrannosaurus snapped massive jaws forward, coming dangerously close to his master’s head. Raeleq paused short, eyes widening.

  Ambrose took the opportunity to cast [Vampiric Kiss] at him, draining yet more of his life. By his estimation, the wild wizard looked rough, but not enough for an easy, fast takedown.

  “Cute,” said Raeleq, his expression a harsh glare. Ambrose backed up further, but his back hit the barrier. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run.

  “Any last words?” Raeleq asked. “Club or [Reggie], how do you want to lose?”

  This was exactly what Ambrose had feared, but the two had managed to get him in this position after all. The Countdown ticked, but there wouldn’t be enough time before one or both descended on him.

  He had only one chance, and it was a gamble.

  “Hey Raeleq,” said Ambrose, putting his hand on the barrier. “Bye.”

  The wild wizard shrugged and swung his club.