CHAPTER 801: COMBAT ARTS

The mountain island that was home to the colosseum rang with the sounds of battle. Shockwaves rippled to the corners of Haven, dulled to a faint breeze by the powerful barriers surrounding the island. I warded myself as we stepped off the final floating bridge, stopping before the entrance to the narrow path winding to the center of the island, where the arena lay. Even suppressed by my wards, the sounds of explosions and clashing mana rumbled in my ears.

"They’re really going at it, aren’t they," Emlica said.

"They’re all battle junkies," I muttered.

She shook her head in disapproval. "True power is gained from studying, and honed by battle. Only fools seek one or the other, and I have a feeling your two friends don’t spend much time reading."

She started forward, then paused, shooting me a look over her shoulder. Her lip curled in a sly smile.

"I also get the feeling you spend that same amount of time sparring."

My shoulders hunched. "I, um...it scares me. The loud noises, the shockwaves, the flashes of light..."

She continued, her voice echoing in the narrow slot canyon. "All the more reason to pursue it."

I hastened after her. "Is that why you brought me here instead of showing me back there?"

"Something like that. But the truth is, the technique I developed works better on magical techniques than it does on spells. My skills are many, but swinging a sword, fist, or spear is not one of them."

"Really? I always found Adaptive resistance less effective on techniques," I said.

"It isn’t a flaw in the ability," she said shortly.

A sudden roar tore through the canyon. It echoed off the walls, seeming to drag them inward. I squeaked, scurrying close to Emlica, stopping just shy of grabbing her sleeve. My heart slowed again as the noise faded, and my claustrophobia passed. Emlica gave me a pointed look, which I avoided meeting.

"Magic follows the heart’s lead," she said, "Where it fails, so will a spell."

"I know already," I grumbled.

The sounds of battle grew louder as we wound through the mountains, near deafening to my sensitive ears. They were so loud I started to question the effectiveness of my wards, and ended up confused when I found they were in full effect. At worst, they should have sounded like thunder overhead, not the roar of a collapsing mountain.

At last, the mountains parted to reveal the colosseum. It had been months since I’d last tread here, choosing to avoid it even when Fable came to spar with a remnant. The mountains were impossibly tall, and the thousand-foot circle of open space barely gave me room to breathe. The small circle of Haven’s stars overhead felt impossibly far away, leaving my heart fluttering anxiously in my chest. It was as claustrophobic as a cage, made worse by the intensity of the shockwaves and explosions echoing back and forth between the peaks.

Two small motes of light streaked overhead like comets, a red and a blue one. Long tails of mana dragged out behind them, lingering for seconds after they passed, tracing their path in the sky.

"Is that...Korra?" I gasped, mouth going slack.

Ernyst, dressed in leather armor and with a long sword resting point-first against the ground, beckoned us over. My feet moved to obey, but my eyes remained on the two meteors. They clashed again and again, bobbing and weaving like hummingbirds. I could only make out faint silhouettes within the lights, but the auras coming off them in violent waves unmistakably belonged to Korra and Gayron.

"How are they flying?" I asked, staring wide-eyed.

Ernyst chuckled. "Turned out the girl developed her own kind of magical arts. They’re simple and crude, but a good foundation for learning true combat arts."

"Combat arts?" I tried out the unfamiliar term, flinching as Korra smashed directly into Gayron, sending him toppling into a cliffside.

Instead of the crack of stone and collapsing mountain, the invisible barrier flared into view, dispersing the force of the impact and throwing him back into the air. He caught himself with a spin, scraping by Korra’s next attack and regaining his balance.

"It’s been what, an hour? And they already picked up flight?" Emlica asked, raising her eyebrow.

Ernyst shrugged. "They’re good students. It helps that they were particularly enthusiastic about the subject matter."

"Hmm, interesting. Perhaps the inhabitants of Enusia require a second look. Very few mortals can pick up a sixth-level art so quickly."

"Only sixth-circle? Does that mean there’s a spell for light, too?" I asked.

She blinked, giving me a strange look. "Surely you can’t be serious. Are you telling me you don’t know how to...No, I suppose that’s fair. Fate did inform me your world’s spells were rather...stunted. Would you care to learn?"

"N-No!" I cried, frantically shaking my head.

She eyed my lashing tail, pursing her lips. "A mage that can’t fly is a sitting duck. You should only rely on your abilities so much."

"No, please," I insisted. "No flying."

"If you say so. Now then, Ernyst," she said, turning to the other remnant. "Please call those children down. They’re in my way."

"Rather haughty, aren’t you. Striding onto my island and demanding such things," Ernyst said.

I cringed, edging away from the two. Fortunately, Emlica just raised an eyebrow, and Ernyst sighed, resting his hands on his sword hilt.

"Fine," he muttered, "but you owe me."

"Whatever. You’re welcome to claim a favor any time by coming to the library. If you can stomach the ’stench’ of books, that is. Isn’t that how you put it, once?"

Ernyst ignored her, clapping light. The sound reverberated, growing louder each time it echoed off the walls. Korra and Gayron stopped immediately, hovering a thousand feet in the air. After hesitating a second, they reluctantly descended. As they got closer, it became apparent they were far from the graceful comets they’d appeared. The speed of their descent jumped unpredictably. From time to time, their mana would waver, and they’d drop a few dozen feet before regaining control. My stomach flipped as they neared the ground, and their speed didn’t slow.

Sure enough, Korra and Gayron met the earth with the force of a meteor, releasing a shockwave that caused the barrier to flare again. When the dust cleared, the ground had somehow survived without cratering, and the two were wearing childish grins.

"That was awesome!" Gayron cried. "We were flying."

Korra nodded, literally bouncing on her feet. "Let’s do it again! Right now!"

She started to gather her mana, cycling through her body in a way that was completely foreign to me, before she seemed to remember why they’d landed in the first place. With a long sigh, she let her mana go and joined up with an equally disappointed Gayron. The two only noticed me as they jogged toward us.

"Xiviyah! Did you see that?" she cried, throwing her arms around my neck.

I stumbled back from the weight of her hug, gasping for breath as she squeezed me tightly.

"You were so high up," I said once she allowed me to breathe again.

She bounced back, humming. "I know, it was awesome! Come on, Ernyst can teach you too!"

I backed up quickly, coming up fast against the cliff face. "I-I’m good. We’re here for something else."

"Oh?" She cocked her head, seeming to notice Emlica for the first time.

"And you are...?"

Emlica’s eyes narrowed. "Emlica. You do well to show some respect to your elders."

Korra immediately shifted her posture, exchanging her smile for a far more humble expression. "Forgive me. Ernyst preferred it when we were casual, and I assumed that extended to the rest of you remnants."

"Some of us find being on equal footing more conducive to learning," Ernyst said, raising his hands defensively as Emlica’s glare turned to him.

"Well, I prefer the dignity my years and experience demand," Emlica huffed. "Now, stand aside. Xiviyah, if you please?"

I jumped, and quickly summoned my staff. It took barely a second to soul cast Link Soul, but even that felt too long before Emlica’s impatience.

As the spell resolved, Emlica strode into the middle of the arena. Ernyst trailed after her, resting his sword on his shoulder.

"What’s her problem?" Gayron muttered when they were both out of earshot.

"She’s...prickly," I muttered, not meeting his eyes. "But she knows what she’s doing. I hope so, at least. We’re going to be counting on her to save the shards."

"You two, watch closely. This is what a combat art should look like," Ernyst called.

Gayron and Korra perked up, leaning forward. I did the same, twisting my staff in my hands. I couldn’t care less for the combat art, but I had to admit I was a little excited to see what happened when it struck Adaptive Resistance.

"Whenever you’re ready," Emlica said, folding her arms crossly.

I almost missed it. One moment, Ernyst was standing there, relaxed as ever. But the next, he was a hundred feet on the other side of Emlica, sword outstretched. A long tail of mana trailed from his sword to where he’d been standing before, drawing the path he’d moved across.

He sheathed the blade, turning to ward us. "There. Catch that?"