I've been in worse situations.
Age 8, my mana core finally unlocked. My father was so ecstatic that he took me on a fanged boar hunt. Of course, I hadn't yet unlocked my element. I hadn't even learned to strengthen my body yet. So the entire session I was just trying not to die.
Age 12, elemental affinity unlocked. It was only my luck that I'd gotten my late mother's element, not the one my father specialized in. Though I still remember what he said when I brought this up.
"Air and water are close enough. I'm sure we'll figure something out."
That 'figure something out' of course only comprised him throwing me in rivers. He'd just yell 'bubble yourself, your mom could do it' as he watched me thrash. I smiled as the memories continued to find me. At least until the next memory came.
Age 13, my father's death.
I winced at that painful memory return, pushing it out of my mind. I wasn't ready to think about it yet.
I curled up as the rain continued to fall around the bridge. Thankfully, it was dry but with how hard it was raining; I wasn't sure it would last.
The rhythmic sound of rain soothed my mind as I drifted off.
"Hurry!"
"I'm trying, its too fast."
The muffled voices rang loud even under the storm. A cascade of footsteps resounded from down the path. I groaned, pulled myself up, and searched for the origin of the noise. I would not get any sleep with them around. After leaving the shelter of the bridge, and jogged towards the disturbance. The sounds drew me to a nearby alleyway shrouded in darkness. I looked around to find the streets completely empty.
As I approached, I crouched down; the storm masking my footsteps. The voices became clearer and more pronounced.
"Where'd it go?"
"I don't know. It was just here."
"Spread out and find it. I will not go back to the boss empty-handed."
"They're going to kill us."
Three distinct voices rang out. I peered around the corner to get a better view, but I could only make out three figures. The figure in the front stepped forward; his hand glowing slightly, bathing the dark alley in light. The earth trembled as cages of dirt began rising out the ground. I drew any semblance of my aura inward, concealing my presence. If these guys were using magic, they had licences or would break the rules. I wasn't keen on messing with either.
I backed away, turning to leave the way I came, until I saw it. Through the darkness of the alley, another light cut through, brighter than the magic from before. A creature no bigger than a house cat, opposed the three figures. Its glow showed it was some kind of magical beast cub rather than a pet. Then it hit me; these guys are slave traders.
I held my breath, crouching down even further. Slavers were one of the most dangerous types of criminals in the city. Some of the high nobility covet illegal familiars, so anyone who messes with the slavers makes an enemy out of the nobles.
Cages of earth continued to rise from the ground to catch the cub. It did its best; jumping and diving around, but it was cornered. The final cage rose, cutting through the leg of the cub. A yelp of pain erupted from it. I took an involuntary step forward.
"Shut up," the caster said, throwing another spike through the cubs' other leg.
Another cry of pain rang through the alley.
"Stop it!"
The figures turned towards me as I realized I spoke up. My position was already compromised; I stepped into the alley.
The light from the club allowed me to get a good luck at the slavers. Two men and one woman, all dressed in clad black garb; no crests in sight. The earth user, who I presumed to be the leader, stood tallest with a bulky frame. The other two were slender, but nothing else stood out.
"Move along, nothing to see here."
Even if I didn't just see what they were doing, his tone didn't echo that sentiment.
It was a stand-off. My plan didn't extend past this point and the slavers didn't know what to do, so we both waited for the other to move. I gathered mana to augment my legs; I wanted to finish this quickly, if possible.
"Just kill him," the burly man called, throwing spikes of earth from his finger. The slender woman responded by throwing balls of fire.
With my augmented legs, I dashed forward, weaving between their spells. I raced towards the earth-user. Fire wasn't as dangerous in the rain, but rocks could still easily knock me out. On my approach, I dodged the next oncoming flurry of rocks, glancing at the fire woman to make sure no spells caught me off guard.
The earth-user, expecting my approach, conjured a wall. I threw a kick, shattering the wall as he stepped back, startled. He erected two more walls, but they fell with the same result. I grabbed a piece of the wall, and after willing mana into my arm, I threw it towards the fire lady. The spell she was preparing fell through her hands as the rock broke her concentration. I landed, turning to deliver a kick to the earth user until a blast hit me.
The blast knocked me back, hitting the alley wall. The attack knocked out my breath. I looked up to see the slender man standing with his fist extended. I groaned.
Of course it was air magic.