Gregory took a deep breath as he left the tunnel and walked onto the sands of the arena. Nick was staring at him with a smirk as they approached Magus Paul, who was waiting for them in the middle.
“Pet-tit,” Nick called out mockingly as he got closer, “I’ve been looking forward to this. I thought it wouldn’t be until the final eight, but keeping you out will be even better.”
Gregory didn’t reply— he just came to a stop where he should and waited for Paul to have them bow. Paul gave Nick a stern look, but didn’t rebuke him for speaking.
“Novices, the rules are known to you both. Bow to the council.”
Gregory did as he was told, his face impassive, but Nick wore a knowing smirk.
“Bow to me.”
They turned and bowed to Paul.
“Bow to each other.”
As soon as he was out of the bow, Gregory shifted into a defensive stance with his naginata. Nick shook his head, not touching the sword on his hip. Paul backed away from them with his hand in the air, about to start the fight.
Gregory pushed his aether into foresight, and the future opened up to him. Frowning at what he saw, Gregory was worried about his ability to deal with the onslaught he was about to face.
“Fight!” Paul cried out.
The moment that word left Paul’s mouth, Gregory shifted to the right by a couple of steps. The heat of the fireball that went through the spot he’d just been standing on made Gregory’s skin dry out.
There was no time to lose as Gregory darted left, another blast of fire going just behind him. Going into a dive, the third ball of fire went over him, making Gregory blink to get his eyes wet again.
Nick was shouting at him as Gregory dodged blast after blast, always a couple seconds ahead of the fire. The toll on his aether was growing, and Gregory knew he’d have to chance things without foresight.
Letting go of his magic, Gregory rushed at Nick, who was sweating and panting. A dozen feet away, a solid wall of fire rushed out of Nick, engulfing Gregory. The ring on his hand discharged, smothering the flames the instant they touched him and leaving a Gregory-sized hole in the wall.
Nick’s mouth fell open. Disbelief was written large on his features when he saw Gregory still closing the distance. He managed to get his sword out in time to block Gregory’s first attack.
“Impossible!” Nick growled, breathing heavily.
“Just well prepared,” Gregory said, letting go of the naginata with one hand long enough to snatch the bane core from a fold in his obi. When his ring touched the core, the stone fractured and dispersed into dust.
“No!” Nick shouted as another burst of flame flew out from him in all directions.
Again, a Gregory-sized hole appeared in the expanding fire wall, and Gregory brought the naginata around in a complex attack. Nick looked panicked as he blocked the first part, but he missed the second part of the attack. The butt end of the naginata collided with his gut.
Nick doubled over, gagging, as he tried to catch his breath. Spinning the weapon back around, Gregory slammed it into the middle of Nick’s spine.
“Stop!” Paul shouted. “Healer!”
Gregory stepped back, blinking rapidly to moisten his eyes again. His knees buckled under him, dropping him to the arena floor. Head swimming, Gregory looked at Paul, who was checking on Nick.
Mindie was there a second later, her hands pressing lightly to Nick’s back. “It’s… broken,” she said in shock. “I can stabilize him enough to get him to the healers, but they have a lot of work to do.”
“Do what you have to,” Paul said, turning his gaze to Gregory. “You won, Pettit.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory said slowly. “I think… I think I pushed too hard.”
Mindie reached over to touch his shoulder. “Aether depletion. Drink this.” She shoved a small vial at him.
Taking it, he drank the contents without question. The thick, choking flavor of raw ginger hit his mouth like a wild boar. Coughing, Gregory dropped the empty vial, his chest feeling like it was on fire. Tears spilled down his face and he gasped as he tried to get a full breath.
“He’ll be fine,” Mindie explained as a couple of other people came out with a stretcher to get Nick off the arena floor.
“Very well,” Paul said as she stood up. “Pettit?”
Gregory got to his feet slowly. He no longer felt drained, but his whole body felt abnormally warm. He managed to bow to Nick as the men took him away before he turned to Paul, bowing again, and finally finished with a bow toward the council’s box.
Legs feeling unstable, he made his way out of the arena. Coming out of the preparation area, Gregory saw Hao and Dia waiting for him. He gave them a wane smile. “That was… difficult.”
“Are you okay?” Hao asked with concern.
“He pushed his aether too far,” Dia said, eyeing him closely. “The healer gave you a short-term fix, but you’ll need to have a high-aether meal tonight.”
“I’ll make sure he does,” Hao said.
“We should start heading to the clan hall,” Dia said. “That’s where we agreed to meet the others. Lean on me if needed.” She directed her last few words to Gregory.
Gregory took the offer, as his legs still felt like overcooked noodles. “Thank you, Dia.”
Yukiko was waiting when Gregory got there. Hurrying to his side, she took his arm from Dia, giving the older woman a worried look. “What happened?”
“He pushed himself too far,” Dia said, letting Yukiko take him without issue, “but he bested Shun. Broke his spine, in fact.”
Yukiko’s eyes widened. “He’s dead?”
“Alas, no,” Hao sighed. “He’ll survive, from what we heard.”
Yukiko went grim. “He’ll want blood now.”
“Yeah,” Gregory said. “You won?”
“Easily,” Yukiko said. “She was down inside the first minute.”
“I’ll go get him a snack to help stabilize him a little better,” Dia said.
“How did it happen?” Yukiko asked, looking at her father.
“The others are coming this way. We can explain it to everyone at once,” Hao said.
Yukiko looked down the path and saw Jenn, her parents, and Gin coming toward them. Jenn had a bandage on her left hand and was walking gingerly.
“She won, but it cost her,” Gin said. “He offered to fight her with just physical enhancement magic, and she agreed.” He gave Jenn a disapproving look, but continued, “She had him, but then he blasted her with fire. It drove her back, even with it mostly snuffing out. He almost took her down then, but she managed to get the upper hand. When he tried to use fire again, she went low, broke his ankle, and then slammed her weapon into his gut.”
“How about you two?” Jenn asked.
“I finished mine easily,” Yukiko said. “Father was just about to tell us what happened with Greg.”
Hao gave them the recap of the fight, and both Yukiko and Jenn were a little pale by the end of it. “That new ring you told me about was the reason he won,” Hao finished. “That, and his ability to see into the future. It’s so odd to watch. He’s always at least a second ahead of what’s happening.”
“We’ll have to take it easy for the rest of the day,” Yoo-jin said. “Two of our number are injured, if healing.”
“This jerky is for him, and this vial is for her,” Dia said, joining them again. “Tomorrow will be interesting. All of you are still undefeated, along with Novice Hayworth. It wouldn’t be surprising if you four fight each other. It’ll be the only way they can get some of the Eternal Flame into the final eight.”
“Maybe I’ll get to fight Greg before the final eight,” Jenn said.
“Or I will,” Yukiko said. “Though, I’d prefer it to be neither of us.”
“Well, we’re done early again and have a few hours before the auction house opens,” Hao said. “Should we relax here for a while?”
“You’re welcome to stay until you wish to go,” Dia said.
~*~*~
The auction seemed like it was going to be a bust, as it had every other night, until the last few items were coming up for bid. Lightshield blinked, sitting up a little straighter when the next covered item was brought onto the stage.
“Oh, please excuse me for a moment,” he said to Yoo-jin, interrupting the conversation they’d been having.
Everyone stopped talking, interested in what had gotten Lightshield’s attention.
The auctioneer cleared his throat. “Our next item is a book. It appears to be a journal from Lionel Lighthand, written during the First Eurtik War. We will be opening the bids at fifty thousand.”
“Five hundred thousand,” Lightshield said in his normal tone, but his voice carried through the whole hall with ease.
All eyes went to him with surprise. Grandmaster Shun stood up in his box and spoke, pulling everyone’s attention to him, “Elder, it’s well known that he was your grandfather, but that high of a bid makes me think it has something embarrassing to your family.”
Lightshield just smiled at Shun.
“I bid one million vela,” Shun said, staring at Lightshield.
“I believe it’s back to me, then,” Lightshield said, still smiling. “I’ll double yours: two million.”
The audience broke into excited murmurs. The rumors about what the journal might contain started growing wild.
Shun’s lips puckered as if a lemon was wedged firmly in his mouth.
“I have two million,” the auctioneer said after a few seconds. “Do I hear two and a half?”
“Two and a half,” Shun snapped.
Lightshield’s smile grew wider. “Well, if you desire to read his words that much, far be it from me to stop you. I concede the bid.”
The auctioneer tried to get someone else to bid, but no one did. As the seconds ticked by, Shun grew angrier. When the auctioneer finalized the sale, everyone looked at Shun and saw him red in the face.
“I see,” Shun spat. “Very well.”
Lightshield just shrugged and turned back to Yoo-jin. “Some people are easy to manipulate if they let their emotions control them.”
“Elder, did you not want the journal?” Gregory asked.
“No. I was the one who gave it to the auction, after all,” he replied with a sly smile.
All three of the novices did their best to not laugh, but their humor was obvious. Lightshield shrugged and looked across the hall to where Shun was glaring at them all.
“Alas, it seems he isn’t as dumb as some would like one to think. This might cause some trouble, but it was worth it.”
“Are you sure?” Yoo-jin asked. “That family and clan already have a grudge.”
“Well, all that delightful money he just paid is about to be spent,” Lightshield said.
“Our last item for the evening is an odd pair of boots. Our best enchanter couldn’t understand them. There is no telling what they do, as they haven’t reacted to any of the people who tried to test them for us.”
Gregory jerked forward in his seat when he caught sight of them. Black, supple, leather boots sat on the pedestal. “Yoo-jin—!” Gregory started to say.
“I’ll be bidding on them,” Lightshield said, cutting Gregory off.
Yoo-jin looked from Gregory to Lightshield. “Elder, the man my daughter loves is asking me to bid on them for him.”
“I know,” Lightshield said, “but I’ll be winning the bid and making them the prize for a novice who finishes in the top three of the tournament.”
Gregory settled back in his chair. “Mother, it’s alright.”
Yoo-jin’s lips twitched into a smile for a second at Gregory calling her mother. “Very well. It’s yours to win, Elder.”
“I have two hundred thousand from the Swift Wind clan,” the auctioneer said.
“Two hundred fifty thousand,” Magus Marcia said from her box.
Elder Lightshield rose to his feet, and everyone turned to look at him. “I apologize to the other clans and individuals who are bidding on the item. One million vela.”
The auction house went silent as Lightshield yet again jumped the price to heights they hadn’t thought it would get to. The person representing the Swift Wind clan shook his head and set his paddle down. Magus Marcia’s lips pursed as she studied Lightshield.
“Does anyone wish to contest the elder?” the auctioneer asked. “The next bid we are looking for is one and a quarter million.”
Marcia sat forward, ignoring the auctioneer. “Elder, have you encountered such an item before?”
“I have never seen or held one,” Lightshield replied. “It’s novel, and as such, interests me.”
Eyes growing lidded, Marcia smiled. “I do hate to interfere with an elder’s plans, but if you’re interested in them, my grandfather would be, too.”
Lightshield just stood there impassively, his cane helping keep him stable.
“Auctioneer,” Marcia said slowly, “I bid one and three quarters.”
An excited murmur filled the room, and everyone looked back to Lightshield.
“That’s problematic,” Lightshield sighed, looking defeated. “I haven’t spoken with him in many years, and this might make it so we never talk again.”
“Then I’ll accept them and let him know you backed away from the bid to preserve your friendship,” Marica said.
“Alas, it isn’t to be,” Lightshield said. “Two and a quarter million.”
A small smirk appeared on Marcia’s face for a moment before a resigned expression filled it. “That is regrettable, Elder. I can’t bid higher.”
“Please convey my regrets to your grandfather,” Lightshield said. “I’ll do my best to see him again and apologize personally.”
“Anyone else? We’re looking for three million,” The auctioneer said.
When no one else spoke up, the auctioneer finalized the sale.
Lightshield sighed as he turned to the others in the box with him. “I do apologize for taking them away from you, but you’ll have a chance to get them back. If you all will excuse me, I need to go pay for my item.”
Gregory watched Lightshield go, wondering how far into the future the old man could see.
