Thaleus sat in the crowd as Kip's match began. "Dom show me the new shit I've unlocked."
*New skill received: Ripple Touch speed ups or slows down touched object or body part by 50% for 5 seconds 5% chance to completely stop object or body part.
cost: 20 mana
Level 1: 0/100*
"Would you like to see the rest of what you unlocked?" Dom asked
"Not yet, I would like to watch Kips match up first to see who he's fighting."
"Very well"
Thaleus returned his attention back to the the match. His conversation with Dom and seeing his new skill only took about a fraction of a second so he hadn't missed anything yet. Kip would be fighting forecast in this match up. If Thaleus could take anything from the name he assumed weather would be involved in this fight. He had never seen a weather user before so he was very interested to see how this fights would play out.
He was also excited to see which ability Kip had chosen because he had become a jack of all trades one might say. "Hopefully Kip chose a good ability for this fight. I would hate to see this be fully one sided just because of a bad match up ability.
3...
2...
1...
FIGHT!!!
The match had started. Forecast immediately darkened the arena causing the crowd to squint to see the contesters. Thaleus looked up seeing the sky covered in foreboding clouds. "This doesn't look good. "Lightning rain" bolts of lightning started to strike all over the arena. Kip waited for the attacks to start before he disappeared in front of everyone. "An invisibility ability?" someone questioned
"That won't save him." another person said.
A split second later Forecast was lifted off his feet and flung a few meters from where he stood his health bar down by 1/8 a second later a boom was heard from where Kip was originally standing as the sound barrier had been broken from his movements. Screams and applause came from the stands as they realized he had used a phasing defensive agility ability to make himself seem invisible before launching his attack. However Thaleus knew that this wouldn't be enough he may be fast but it seemed his opponent was strong enough to change weather how he saw fit. It was a student vs. a veteran. He himself was lucky because his opponent didn't take him seriously until too late.
"Earthquake" Forecast stomped the ground causing the earth to crack on his half of the arena as he was getting to his feet. the initial stomp lifted Kip into the air "Storm Shroud" everyone watched in awe as another unique ability was shown covering Forecast in a robe of dark clouds with lightning crackling around him. Boom thunder clapped as Forecast shot into the air above Kip "Storm Shroud's Roar" All of the lightning in his cloud robe shot to his hand as he slammed it into Kips face launching him back to the arena floor. Kip's health had been zeroed in two crowd numbing moves.
Thaleus was stunned. "I'm gonna need a lot more strength to keep up with the big players in this tournament."
"Remember you still have a lot more stuff to check out after hitting level 10 Thaleus." Dom reminded him.
"Your base stats have grown considerably because of the transformation. On top of that you have quite a few skill points to distribute. You also can choose a skill to auto level up. You might be able to pull this tournament off if you keep your head on your shoulders. Would you like to check everything right now?"
"Not quite yet Dom. I need to watch the rest of the contestants fights and I need to stay focused on it otherwise I might get over excited and miss a chance to pay attention."
"Understood. Just remember I'm not just a robot. I am here for advice and conversation as well. I also can view the fights through your eyes and I might give you a different perspective or approach which will give you a better chance of success."
"I'll be happy to check all of this stuff out before my next match up. I'll also remember to ask for your advice and opinion on things more often." Thaleus replied.
He left the stands returning to the contestant waiting area to comfort Kip.
"Tough luck man." He said when he spotted Kip.
"Yeah, but even so a couple of the scouters came and talked to me about signing with their clan after school!" Kip exclaimed.
"That's fuckin dope man, looks like all that hard work paid off."
"Hell yeah, and I think I've finally decided what ability I want from the military."
"Well tell me what it is man, but let's go back to the stands. I still need to observe the rest of the fights to see what they can do."
"Alright let's go find a good seat to watch."
The two boys teleported out back to the stands to see the next match up. Thaleus was focused on creating a strategy for each individual opponent so that way he'd be ready for any situation given by the abilities they presented. Meanwhile he sat and listened to the idle chatter of his friend Kip and which ability he believed would work best to suit his interest. The ability he chose would perfectly play off the ability that Thaleus already had at hand and he hoped that their friendship would continue after military school.
The old man was brooding. "It's unprecedented, none of our kind has reached the strength of this child so quickly. His Aura may seem weak to some, but it's far too strong for a beginner. His time stamp is already etched in my mind. I must leave this planet as soon as possible or he might become a threat to the rest of our existence." Meranol trembled in the wake of the old man's worry.