"Why does everyone want to battle against me?"
I march my way towards the isolated stick prepared beforehand by none other than Elanor. As I grip the feeble twig in my hand, I see Natalia, who also has her cane, gazes into my eyes.
"It's because you're special," The princess cuts my sentence off while giving me a playful wink with her rose tongue sticking out. "A one of a kind goblin; that's what you are, Lake."
"I'll take that phrase of yours as a compliment," I replied while forming out my stance that I am most comfortable with. "Ready when you are, princess."
The battle proper starts with the King's signal, yet the two of us did not move an inch from our position. Instead of dashing forward, we stand our ground, studying our opponent's next move. It was when I knew I am up against a magician, not a brute that has muscles for brains as my enemy.
Like any other dimensions, mages are patient warriors on a battlefield. They have many tricks behind their sleeves, conjuring enough spells at an ideal time. They can release a massive amount of magic that can destroy anything along its way, unlike a barbarian that needs to wield its blades in a berserk form.
'Such inane efforts' is what I tell myself whenever I get reminded of these individuals.
"You're not attacking, milady?" I taunt her with my words, but it looks like it does not have any effect on her strong-willed mind.
"Why would I?" She retorts while summoning a magic circle beneath the ground. "I prefer laying out the traps than attacking,"
"I Insist, Natalia"
After our exchange, the sorcery she had called forth vanishes from sight as if planned. I turn my gaze to her face and see a snicker rising from her lips, showing that her initial plan has begun.
"Scared of mere transparent spheres?" Natalia provokes me some more, this time slowly approaching in my direction.
I did not reply and made myself busy by materialising the water jets on my feet. If I need to bolt away, this would be my best bet to reposition myself in the back lines, far from the dangerous spells.
However, Natalia reads me like a book and summons a spike underneath the soil. It was a good thing that my system warned me precedently before the thorn could even reach my bottom.
I ascended from my post and eluded the nail in the nick of time, wasting her attack. Even Natalia, who was sure to herself that the stone would skewer, feels dismayed.
"Tsk," She clicks her tongue while feverishly waving her hand, wanting to end the fight once and for all.
Heeding her call, the magic circle that she cast from before appears in front of me, all aimed at my fazed figure floating in mid-air. After completing their preparations, the ten glowing circles discharges a bright speedy projectile aimed in my direction. All rays of light have their distinct colours, with their fundamental element coating the radiance, amplifying its attacks.
"That's a problem, alright!"
I hurriedly cast all the protective barriers that I know of together with the massive tsunami that I had learned to use. I do not have a vague idea if my blitz is enough to fend off her attacks, especially after witnessing the twister drawing close to my feet.
To my astoundment, the runes, upon impact, vitiates the multiple lustres. However, minuscule glints of light escape from the tiny spaces, hitting at random places in my body.
Luckily, I only got sliced-like wounds found all over my clothes, with its crimson blood dripping from my flesh. The injuries that I have accumulated were not enough to hinder my movements, allowing me to continue the truncated battle.
Natalia suffers the same gashes that I have with the sharp water splashing above the head. Upon picking herself upright, the tidal wave drenches her clothes and drowns her nostrils. She shakes her body and removes the excess aqua, soaking her body, with her eyes angrily locked into mine.
Looking from a distance, I could discern Elanor and Miguel watching closely with a transparent mist that safeguards their bodies. Witnessing my peer, Miguel wags his hand, hoping that I could notice him paying close attention to the clash.
I return his acknowledgement in a hand gesture-an 'okay' sign popular in my culture. However, Miguel tilts his face, unsure of the meaning of the hand sign I just acted. Maybe I will explain that to him once I end this battle and teach him more about my world?
Pushing my frivolous thoughts aside, I get my head back in the game, conjuring the quiver and bow that Elanor gave me as a gift from my training.
The emerald and blonde surface of the recurve takes its shape from the incandescent brilliance, revealing the similarly enchanted longbow that Elanor has.
Natalia, who is familiar with the weapon, could not help but gape her eyes after beholding another replica used by her father, himself.
"You. How did you get that?" Natalia lets out a croaking voice while feebly pointing her finger. "That should not belong to you,"
"You mean this?" I wave my recurve and show it off to her, bragging even that I have something that she does not. "It suits me well, you know, as a goblin?"
"You imbecile!"
"Hey! Have you already forgotten that I saved your arse two days ago!"
"Shut up!"
I could see the boiling steam igniting her eyes, whistling like an overheated kettle left on the burning stove. Finally, after finding her turbulent peace, she dashes forth, unbefitting for a mage, and desperately chants her spells. The incantation follows her behind and continues to grow more immensely as time passes by.
My hands reach for my behind as I imagine a bolt imbued with scalding water glazed with the wind element borrowed from my bow. Taking a deep breath, I ready my aim and deliberately pull the string whilst locking my eyes forward at the dashing figure of Natalia.
[Aimed Shot and Scald]
[Congratulations! You made a combination between two skills!] [Aimed Shot and Scald]
[Congratulations! You made a fresh Water Skill!] [Scald]
-Unlock Skill
[Scald]- Summons a hot torrent of liquid. The temperature of the [Scald] will vary upon the level of the user. Arcane consumption: 45.
-Unlock Combination Skill
[Aimed Shot and Scald] {Applies Mystic Eyes}- It uses the abilities of Aimed Shot and Scald in arrows. [Scald] and [Aimed Shot] may double the damage. Chance of doubling the damage by 30%. Arcane consumption: 60.
I did not even mind the system's notifications, sending me alerts as I made a newfangled skill. However, I also noticed that I am approximately half-empty from my arcane power, sitting at exactly 220.
As I release the cord, the dart hastily flies in Natalia's direction, ready to butt heads against the horde of magic coming in its way.
Sensing the abrupt danger ahead, Natalia commands her spells to proceed before her and clash against the single bolt that I have fired. The two opposing forces ram at each other, creating a devastating wind that blows both of us out of our positions.
The blast lasted for a while before it could even decide the result and the winner. After a few seconds, the swift arrow appears from the clouds and descends towards Natalia.
She involuntarily lets out a screeching voice of defeat after beholding the speedy bolt charging in her direction. Her arms shield her face, together with the rest of the remaining magic.
But before the arrow could land at the target, I focused my aim and directed its direction on the other side, missing Natalia's presence. With a brief hiss coming from her side, the arrow hits the ground, dodging the vulnerable body of Natalia.
The princess glances behind and sees the dart impaling the ground with its mammoth craters crawling deep within the earth. The field looks chaotic and deformed when looked at from afar, which made me quiver in fright and realised the tremendous power my bolt has.
However, the attack earlier was just the tip of the iceberg as I reveal the twenty darts piercing the floor. I concealed them after firing the decoy-the first arrow that I discharged-and used the mist from the burning liquid and hid my darts. Five of the shafts should hit Natalia from all sides, but I thought it would have been too much for this mock battle. So, at the last minute, I retracted my bows and directed them off the mark and carefully avoided hitting Natalia.
"I sure paid the price for that hectic training that I had," I mumble to myself while wiping the sweat dripping over from my cheek. If one arrow had hit Natalia's body, she could have been dead by now. "I should be careful using these aimed shot craps for a change,"
"What do you mean?" Elanor shouts a hundred feet off from the ground as if listening to the words that I have uttered. "You did well for an amateur!"
'Amateur, he says?' I grumble to myself while raising an eyebrow. 'I should have hit you with one of those arrows when I had the chance,"
"You sure did, Lake!" Elanor shouts once again, this time shaking an arrow gripped in his hand.
"So, he noticed~,"