Malek stood up from the bench and walked toward the arena.
"Good luck," Elara said. "Try not to embarrass yourself."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Malek muttered.
He walked toward the arena. The testing ground was the same as before. A flat circular space with boundaries marked by white lines. Simple.
His opponent was already waiting. Taron was a tall guy, probably a year or two older than Malek. He had short black hair and carried a longsword at his side. The sword had a red gem embedded in the hilt. Fire affinity, Malek guessed.
"Begin," the examiner announced.
Taron didn't waste time. He drew his sword and charged forward. The blade ignited with flames as he swung it toward Malek's head.
Malek jumped back. The flaming sword missed him by inches. He could feel the heat on his face.
Taron attacked again. A horizontal slash aimed at Malek's chest.
Malek ducked and rolled to the side. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small glass vial. Inside was a green liquid. He threw it at Taron's feet.
The vial shattered. Green smoke erupted from the ground, covering Taron completely.
"A smoke potion? Really?" Taron's voice came from inside the smoke. "That's not gonna work."
Taron swung his flaming sword in a wide arc. The fire burned away the smoke, clearing his vision.
But Malek was already gone.
Taron looked around. "Where did you—"
A small object flew through the air and hit Taron's back. It was another vial. This one contained a thick blue liquid.
The vial broke on impact. The blue liquid spread across Taron's back and started to harden. Within seconds, it turned into a solid mass. Heavy and sticky.
Taron stumbled forward. "What the hell is this?"
"Adhesive potion," Malek said from behind him. "Made it last week. Works pretty well, don't you think?"
Taron tried to move, but the hardened substance weighed him down. It wasn't enough to completely stop him, but it slowed him significantly.
"You little—" Taron turned around and swung his sword.
Malek dodged. He pulled out another vial. This one was filled with red powder.
Taron saw it and raised his sword defensively. "Another trick?"
"Yep." Malek threw the vial.
But he didn't throw it at Taron. He threw it at the ground between them.
The vial exploded. Red powder filled the air. It spread out in a cloud, covering both of them.
Taron coughed. "What is this supposed to do? Make me sneeze?"
"Not exactly," Malek said.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Taron swung his flaming sword through the powder cloud.
Bad idea.
The powder ignited instantly. Flames erupted all around Taron. The fire spread through the entire cloud in less than a second.
"Shit!" Taron jumped back, but the flames had already caught on his clothes. He dropped to the ground and rolled to put them out.
The adhesive substance on his back made it hard to roll properly. He looked more like a turtle stuck on its shell.
Malek watched from outside the powder cloud. He had moved away before throwing the vial. He knew what would happen when fire met the powder. That was the whole point.
"Combustible powder," Malek explained. "Reacts to heat. The stronger the heat source, the bigger the explosion. Your fire sword was perfect for setting it off."
Taron finally put out the flames on his clothes. He stood up, breathing hard. His face was covered in soot, and his clothes were singed. The adhesive substance on his back was still there, weighing him down.
"You're using my own magic against me," Taron said.
"That's the idea."
Taron gritted his teeth. He raised his sword again, channeling more mana into it. The flames grew larger and hotter.
"If powder won't work, then I'll just burn everything you throw at me," Taron said.
He charged forward again, swinging his sword in rapid strikes.
Malek backpedaled. He didn't have many potions left. He needed to be smart about this.
Taron's sword came down in a vertical slash. Malek sidestepped and felt the heat singe his sleeve.
Another slash. Horizontal this time.
Malek ducked.
Another slash. Diagonal.
Malek rolled away.
Taron was relentless. Each attack came faster than the last. The adhesive on his back was slowing him down, but he was compensating with pure aggression.
Malek's back hit the arena boundary. Nowhere left to run.
Taron grinned. "Got you now."
He raised his sword for a final strike.
Malek pulled out two vials. One in each hand. The left one contained yellow liquid. The right one contained clear liquid.
"Two at once?" Taron said.
Malek threw both vials at the same time. Not at Taron, but at the ground in front of him.
The vials shattered. The liquids mixed together on impact.
A thick foam erupted from the ground. It expanded rapidly, creating a wall between Malek and Taron.
Taron slashed through it with his flaming sword. The foam split apart easily.
But behind the foam, Malek was already moving.
He had used the wall as a distraction. While Taron was cutting through it, Malek ran to the side, circling around.
Taron realized too late. He turned, but Malek was already behind him.
Malek pulled out his last vial. This one was different from the others. It was smaller, and the liquid inside was pitch black.
"This is my best one," Malek said. "Paralysis potion. Took me sometime to make it."
He threw it at Taron's legs.
The vial shattered. Black liquid splashed across Taron's boots and seeped into his pants.
Taron tried to move, but his legs locked up. The muscles wouldn't respond. He stumbled and fell to one knee.
"What did you do?" Taron tried to stand, but his legs were completely numb.
"The potion blocks nerve signals temporarily," Malek explained. "You can't move your legs for about five minutes. Maybe longer if I made it strong enough."
Taron swung his sword at Malek from his kneeling position.
Malek stepped back, out of range.
Taron tried again. Another swing. Another miss.
He was stuck on the ground, unable to stand, unable to chase.
Malek walked around him in a circle, staying just out of sword range.
"You can keep swinging if you want," Malek said. "But you're not gonna hit me from down there."
Taron glared at him. The fire on his sword flickered and died out. He was running out of mana.
The examiner stepped forward. "Competitor Taron is unable to continue. Winner: Malek."
The announcement echoed across the testing ground.
Malek let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He won. He actually won.
Taron dropped his sword. "Damn it."
"Good fight," Malek said, extending a hand.
Taron looked at the hand, then at Malek's face. After a moment, he took it.
"You fight dirty," Taron said.
"I fight smart," Malek corrected. "There's a difference."
Taron snorted. "Whatever. Just help me up. My legs are still dead."
Malek pulled Taron to his feet and supported him as they walked out of the arena. The paralysis would wear off soon, but for now, Taron needed the help.
As they exited, Malek saw Elara waiting by the bench. She was clapping slowly, a smirk on her face.
"Not bad," she said. "You actually used your brain for once."
"Thanks," Malek said. "I think."
"Don't let it go to your head. You barely won. If Taron had been faster, you would've been toast."
"But he wasn't faster. And I'm not toast. So I'll take the win."
Elara shook her head, still smirking. "Fine. I'll admit it. That was pretty cool."
Malek grinned. Coming from Elara, that was high praise.
He helped Taron sit down on a nearby bench, then collapsed next to Elara.
His hands were shaking. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins.
But he won.
For the first time in a while, Malek felt like maybe he wasn't so useless after all.
[Cultivation] [Progression] [Fantasy] [Action] [Anti-Hero]
Synopsis (Click to Expand)
Two paths define the world: The Arcane and the Auric. Damon walks a third: The mind.
But a unique power is not a gift. It is a curse.
“Pain is the chisel. Will is the hammer. Mind is the stone.”