Summoner school, p.13
Summoner School, page 13
“He’s good,” I said and motioned to the ring. “And he’s mean. I’m pretty sure that he’ll win just out of spite. Besides, giants always move slow, and the minotaur is pretty agile.”
“Right,” the elven woman said. “An expert already.”
The biggest man that I’d ever seen ducked through the door and walked into the ring with a smile. His head almost hit the ceiling, and I wondered how he’d be able to fight when the cage only barely accommodated him. Rarus looked like a kid next to him, but the minotaur looked like he wasn’t fazed by Inglar’s size.
“Let the fight begin!” the announcer shouted and ran out of the cage like it was on fire.
Neither man waited for the doors to shut before they cast their first spell. The giant cast a whirlwind of leaves that sliced into Rarus’ bare chest, and trickles of blood leaked down to his leather pants. The attack died almost as quickly as it came, and the minotaur sent one of his own toward the giant.
The ground beneath the big man’s feet began to melt and then crawled up his calves to cement him into place. He let out a roar and began to pull at his legs, and the floor let out a deafening crack. Dust flew up from the cement as it began to break apart, but Rarus was ready, and a bubble of water wrapped around Inglar’s head.
Inglar grabbed at the bubble, but the water just leaked down his arms. I turned my attention to Rarus and saw that the minotaur still had his hands extended toward the giant. Blood still leaked down his chest, but all he did was make a fist, and the attack clung to the big man’s head like plastic wrap.
“How the hell…” I whispered and sat forward.
“That’s an advanced spell,” Sarya said as she scooted up next to me. “My brother didn’t learn anything like that until after he’d already graduated, and he’s one of the best water magicians that I’ve ever met. Of course, he’s never been to an underground fight before.”
The giant stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud that rocked the entire cave. Rarus’ attack had run its course, and the water leaked down into the cement and disappeared. Inglar’s body twitched a few times before it finally went still, and the announcer rushed into the cage to declare the winner.
“And once again, the great Rarus stands victorious!” the short man said and lifted the minotaur’s arm as high as possible.
I watched as blue mist lifted up from Inglar’s body and drifted toward the ceiling. It filtered through the bars of the cage, and the shadow creatures’ began to slither toward the glittery cloud. I reached into my pocket for my amulet and realized that it was hot again.
“Are you seeing this?” I asked Sarya.
“Yes, yes, you were right,” the elven woman said and rolled her eyes.
“No, I meant that blue cloud and the shadow creatures,” I said and pointed to the ceiling. “They were here at the last fight, too. Whenever someone died. It’s like they’re collecting that stuff. Is it their souls or something?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the redheaded woman said and glanced around nervously. “I don’t see anything. And there’s no such thing as shadow creatures.”
“I’ll be fine,” I sighed. “You really don’t see those things?”
“Maybe you need food,” Sarya said and waved at a waiter.
“You’re up next,” a willowy man said as he walked up to us. “It’s time to go into the arena.”
“Right,” I said and stood. “Guess you’ll have to eat alone. See you on the other side.”
“Look.” Sarya grabbed my arm. “You… you are really going to do this?”
“Yes?” I smirked at her.
“I thought you were joking!” She groaned. “Like to impress me or something. I expected you to back out at the last second.”
“Nope,” I chuckled. “I’m doing it.”
“Okay, but you don’t have to,” she pleaded as she pulled on my arm. “Sorry I was being such a bitch. You could for real die. I’m impressed, okay? You made your point. Let’s just go have dinner or something and—”
“Think about how impressed you’ll be when I actually win,” I said, and then I yanked my arm free of her grasp.
I followed the tall man into the arena, and my heart dropped to my feet as Ramis walked through the other door. The minotaur had been pretty good in class, even if his specialty was water creatures, and I’d just seen his brother kill another opponent. I wiped off my sweaty palms and forced myself to take a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“And the next match is between two of the newest summoners at Magia Schola,” the announcer said with a sharp smile. “On one side we have the brother of the legendary Rarus. Give it up for Ramis the Minotaur!”
A round of applause and shouts went up around the cave, and I looked through the iron bars to see Sarya. The haughty elf had her eyes on the ceiling instead of the ring, and worry knitted her eyebrows together as she shifted her attention to the people around her like she expected to be attacked. I forced myself to focus on the fight as the announcer motioned to me, but I made a mental note to talk to the redhead again later and get some real answers.
“And on the other side of the ring we have a human summoner,” the small man said. “Let’s hear a round of applause for the ambitious man.”
Laughter erupted from the people outside of the arena, and I started to see red. It took all of my self-control to do the breathing techniques that my grandmother had taught me to calm down. I was ready to beat the crap out of the minotaur, even if he was from a famous line of mages.
“You may’ve impressed Professor Ira,” Ramis called as the announcer left us alone. “But in here is the real test of our powers, and I’m going to prove that I can beat you.”
“I almost feel bad that I’m going to have to show you up again,” I said and pulled out the first crystal.
We both summoned rats, but the minotaur’s was almost twice the size of mine. I could feel the fear in my creation as its massive opponent snapped its mouth in his direction. The bigger rodent raced forward right toward me, and I told mine to jump between us to keep me safe, and the poor thing was bitten right on the neck.
Cheers erupted from the crowd as my rodent turned back into dust, and I swore under my breath. Ramis grinned at me and stomped one massive hoof into the cement in victory. I could see the announcer ready to come into the ring and tell everyone that the human had given his best shot, but the outcome was as expected, and rage swept through me like an inferno. I kicked Ramis’ rat so hard that it turned to dust and then reached into my pocket for the next spell.
Sarya stood on the other side of the cage with her mouth opened wide. Her expression only helped to spur me onwards, and I was determined to prove all of them wrong. I may just be a human, but this was something that I could do. Ramis would yield to me, or die, but I’d be the victorious one. The elven woman motioned for me to hurry up and even feigned a yawn like my fight had started to bore her.
My opponent had already summoned two bats that were heading straight for my face. Their leathery wings were long enough that together they spanned from one side of the arena to the other. I needed to summon my next pet fast, or else my face would become hamburger meat.
I tugged another quartz out of my pocket and then found the strip of paper with the spell for wasps. It had taken me all afternoon to trap an entire nest, but they were in there, and I could almost sense their eagerness to be released from the crystal prison. The white stone began to glow in my hand as I summoned the swarm, and the jeers died away to be replaced with the sound of buzzing insects.
“And in a shocking turn of events, it looks like the human sorcerer may have come prepared,” the bulbous-nosed man said.
“You’re not going to win with a bunch of bugs,” Ramis snapped as he made the bats head toward me.
They flapped around and began to snap up the wasps that I’d summoned at an alarming speed. I had to focus or the fight would be over, and all of my savings would be gone along with my life. Retreat was still an option, but I knew that I could beat the other summoner.
I took a few deep breaths until my pulse was slow enough for me to concentrate, and the angry wasps buzzed around in the back of my consciousness. They’d responded well during my afternoon training sessions, but I hadn’t directed them to attack anything, and none of them wanted to listen to me now that they were free. I had to use all of my strength to make them do as I asked, but finally they went after the bats in a synchronized swarm.
“I think I’m going to be fine,” I said as the first bat went down.
“No!” Ramis shouted as the second flying rodent turned to dust.
The wasps flew at the minotaur as he tried to find another crystal. He pulled one out of the pockets of his leather pants, but it was cracked, and my wasps had started to sting him. A few of the buzzing insects were swatted out of the air, but there were more of them than Ramis could handle, and soon he’d screamed for the fight to end, and I had my win.
“And in the upset of all upsets, the human has actually won his first battle,” the announcer said as my opponent came up empty.
“Andrew,” I sighed. “My name is Andrew. Not human.”
“Sure, sure,” the small man said and waved his hand. “Now, go collect your winnings while I start the next battle. Win a few more fights, and maybe I’ll actually remember your name.”
“Right,” I muttered and then turned to meet Sarya outside the cage.
“Wow!” the beautiful elf shouted as she threw her arms around my neck. “You did it! I didn’t expect you to have that many wasps. How did you gather so many?”
“Trade secret,” I said with a shrug.
“Human!” Rarus roared from a few feet behind me. “You’re going to pay for humiliating my brother.”
Chapter 9
“What the hell?” I muttered.
I turned just in time to see a meaty fist swing toward my face and barely managed to duck in time. The minotaur grunted but caught himself while I hit an uppercut into his stomach. His cuts from earlier were still sore, and the strike staggered him a bit, but pain shot through my arm like he had armor underneath that thick skin.
“Rarus,” the younger minotaur sighed as he joined us. “He didn’t humiliate me. He got lucky. If my other crystal hadn’t broken, then I would’ve won.”
The raging bull-man took a step back and glowered down at me like he might skin me alive. I flexed my hand and stared up at the tall minotaur to let him know that I wasn’t afraid. A tense moment passed between us, and one of the ogres moved toward us through the crowd.
“I would’ve beaten you either way,” I said to Ramis. “Your broken crystal just made the inevitable happen faster.”
“Don’t think that because you’ve done well in class that you’re better than me,” the younger minotaur said. “I’ll destroy you in the next battle.”
“Not if he’s dead,” Rarus growled and shifted from hoof to hoof. “He deserves to be six feet under. Where does a human get the nerve to stand toe to toe with a minotaur?”
“You don’t have toes,” I pointed out and then turned to the ogre bouncer.
“Is there a problem here?” the red-eyed man grunted. “Rarus, you of all people should know the rules. Your brother lost fair and square. There’s no retaliation outside of the ring. Especially when he didn’t take the fight to the death.”
“Fine,” Rarus said and then looked down at his still-open wounds. “You’re lucky that I need to be patched up, human. But you’d better pray to whatever god you serve that I don’t see you around. And keep your mouth shut about being here.”
“No problem,” I said as the bull-man stomped off.
“I’m going to beat you next time,” Ramis said and then looked me up and down with disgust. “I won’t allow some human to think he’s more powerful than me.”
“This is the second time that you’ve been in a fight in this bar,” the bouncer said as he pinned me with a stern look. “One more time, and you’ll be banned for life. Do you understand that, human?”
“Andrew,” I said and rolled my eyes. “I’d also like to point out that I didn’t start either of those fights.”
The green-skinned man lifted an eyebrow and shook his head like I was an irritating child. Two large tusks protruded from his bottom lip, and a scar cut along the left side of his face. He looked like the kind of guy that would make most people run for cover, but I had no intention of backing down when it wasn’t my fault that people wanted to start shit with me.
“Andrew,” the ogre said with a nod. “Regardless of whether you start the fight or not, the only battles are in the arena. If you have a beef, then you can challenge someone. In the ring. Is that clear?”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “Where do I go to collect my winnings?”
“Back there,” the big man pointed and then turned toward another brawl that had broken out.
I turned my attention to where the green-skinned man pointed and then started toward the crowd with Sarya right behind me. The elven woman grabbed my forearm like she didn’t want to be left behind, but dropped it the second that we were away from everyone. I lifted an eyebrow at her, smirked, and then turned my attention to a sluglike creature behind a table full of money.
He looked like he belonged on a Star Wars set with chained-up scantily-clad women, and a shiver ran up my spine as he turned to me. His body squelched as if he was perpetually wet, and a layer of slime covered the cave wall behind him. He looked me up and down, muttered something in a strange language, and then reached for a big canvas pouch.
“Winnings,” the creature said in a thick accent.
“Thanks,” I said. “Is this for both of my bets?”
I tugged the strings open and stared into the bag of golden coins. It had to be at least a few-thousand dollars’ worth, and my jaw dropped open in awe. I’d never seen so much gold before in my entire life. At least, not outside of those mining shows where people got rich. If this was the kind of winnings that a beginner could earn, then with some practice, I could earn enough money to put grandma in the best nursing home possible, buy a new car, and even fix up the manor to its original glory.
The slug-man grunted and then waved a hand for me to move aside for the next person. I glanced behind me, but there wasn’t anyone there, and one of the shadow creatures slithered around above us. The creature made an irritated sound when Sarya and I didn’t immediately leave, and the elven woman tugged me toward the bar.
“Never stay after he gives you the money,” Sarya whispered in my ear. “He’s been known to eat people that hang around.”
“Gross,” I said and shook my head.
The gorgeous redhead clung to my side like velcro through the crowd of drunken mages. It was nice to see her change of attitude, but something told me that she’d still challenge me on a regular basis. Not that I was complaining, because the banter had gotten a lot sexier. Sarya looked over her shoulder as we started up the steep stairs, and I could feel the shift in our relationship as she licked her lips.
“You actually did pretty well,” the elegant woman said as we walked toward the portal. “For a human.”
“I did tell you,” I said with a shrug. “Maybe now you’ll stop giving me so much crap.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” the elf laughed.
The elven city was in full swing as the two of us crept through the side streets, and I wondered if maybe it was a long weekend. I turned to ask Sarya about what an elven workweek looked like, but the redheaded woman was distracted by the palace in the distance.
She flinched as a group of revelers shouted something in their native language, and I reached out to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as she turned to me.
“Nothing,” Sarya said, and the fear disappeared from her silver eyes. “We should go back to the school before anyone sees us.”
“Right,” I said with a nod.
“I can’t wait until the underground ring moves to another dimension,” the elven woman muttered.
“I thought you’d be happy to be back here,” I said and gestured to the flower-laden city. “It’s your home. And it’s gorgeous.”
“It is really pretty,” she said and then glanced over her shoulder at the palace. “But it’s never truly been home.”
I opened my mouth to ask her more, but her shield had gone up again, and we’d reached the portal. She lifted her hand to open the doorway back to Magia Schola and then stepped into the pure-white light. I followed after and let the haughty elven woman pretend that she hadn’t been vulnerable for a second.
My heart almost jumped out of my chest when two people stepped out of the woods. For a second, I thought that Rarus and Ramis had decided to take the fight back to the school, but then my girlfriend and roommate walked into the light, and I let out a sigh of relief while my pulse returned to normal.
“How’d it go?” Mike asked the second that we stepped into the forest.
“Hey,” I said and then flashed a smile at Atlesia. “What are you guys doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” the nymph said and glowered at Sarya. “Did you take him to another underground fight?”
“Don’t worry,” Sarya sneered. “He did awesome and won his match.”
“Of course, he--” the lavender-haired woman began as she rolled her eyes. “Wait, you actually took part in that!”
“I can explain when we get back on campus,” I said.
“I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” the elf said and then left the three of us alone.
The forest at the north side of Magia Schola was completely silent, and it made a shiver run up my spine. It was like there was something out there that had scared all of the regular inhabitants away, and I didn’t want to wait around to find out what it was. I motioned for everyone to hurry through the gate and was surprised to see that Sarya was already halfway back to her dormitory.
“You should’ve told us you were going to fight,” Mike said as he stepped through the gate. “We would’ve come to support you.”
