"Now, are you gonna stand there all slack jawed princess, or are you gonna send more? This is the best workout I've had in the past few days, and I don't wanna miss out cause of you."
"The nerve…" Elise stared towards Zain, her eyes filling with anger. She was being underestimated. The honor and pride she always knew growing up was being mocked by some unknown commoner. He treated her lightly, as if she were a joke. "A simple workout." Her teeth grit together as her fist clenched tightly.
"You want to be challenged so much?! Fine then! Regret ever making light of me!" The surrounding air in the arena grew colder and colder as a multitude of ice puppets rose from the ground, each wielding a different form of weapon. A hammer, axe, bow and arrow, spear and long sword. She created her own army in an instant, and in unison they all charged forward, arms ready to attack Zain.
"That's more like it…"
'However.' Zain thought to himself, a suspicion forming in his mind. As he thought, blades poured down on him from every angle, each one closer to striking his body than the last, but never being able to deal a lethal blow. An ice arrow was loosed from its string and flew towards his head, but was caught by Zain's hand before it could make contact with him.
'I know she's holding back...a royal should have much more power than this.' Zain could feel her hesitation to go all out. She simply refused to see him as an actual threat and held back her more devastating attacks.
Crack
The arrow was crushed in Zain's palm as he dodged yet another strike.
"Alright then...I'll just force you to take this more seriously."
As Zain dodged another blow, his knee found its way into the chest of one of the puppets. Cracks formed all across its body, yet it still continued to move. Forced back, Zain landed on his feet and began observing his opponents before him.
"At least she's smart. She moved the runes around to different parts of their body…" Even in the midst of a fight, Zain kept a calm mind to learn all he could about his opponent. His eyes scanned the entire battlefield and the enemies he was facing before finding the weakness he was searching for.
A shadow was cast above his body as a heavy thud could be heard. A giant hammer was lodged into the ground where Zain once stood. The man in question was nowhere to be seen, causing slight relief on Elise's part.
"Did that finally end that pesk?"
Her puppet stood rooted in the ground, only for its head to be caved in mere seconds later. It split in half as the rest of its body crumbled away to the ground. Zain's elbow had found, and destroyed it's mark, leaving him with only a few more enemies.
"Moving the runes that order it around to a different location wasn't a bad idea, but you're wrong to think I'd shy away from its size. What else you got?"
In response to his taunt, axe's flew straight to his head, forcing him to dodge into the range of a long sword attack. The ends of his hair were trimmed off as another arrow was knocked loose and flew towards his leg. Zain leapt into the air to dodge while kicking away an enemy. Another axe was thrown at him which he caught midair before throwing it back into the forearm of the puppet. It's body stilled before slowly crumbling away after having it's runes destroyed.
"Two left."
Zain's skin got goosebumps as a frigid blade was thrust at his face. The attacks were swift and fierce, barely allowing any room for him to move. And the support rain of arrows helped even less. An upward slash had barely grazed his cheek before he grabbed the wrist of his adversary and flipped them over onto the ground, it's spine shattering. The body vanished soon after, leaving him with one opponent left.
"Now!" In his blind spot Elise gave an order as another arrow loosed from the bow, yet was swiftly cut in half. In Zain's hand he held the frozen blade of the previous enemy he faced, before using it in his next attack. A multitude of arrows rained down on him as he charged forward, but with sword in hand he managed to deflect the most lethal ones before finally reaching his target. The cold edge ran straight through the neck of the puppet, forcing all its functions to cease as it's core had been destroyed. It was only him and Elise on the battlefield, and without wasting a second Zain quickly turned his offense onto her. Using the weapon of her own creation he attempted a downward slash, yet his speed and momentum were quickly stopped as his weapon grew into massive proportions. With his arms weighed down Zain was put to a stop as Elise reeled her head back before breathing out frigid air right into Zain's face. He did his best to shield his body before being blown back. The entire arena was filled with a mist that blocked everyone's vision.
"Let alone challenge me, you have the GALL to attack me with my own magic..? Your arrogance knows no bounds!" Elise's voice could be heard in the distance. She was furious, that much was obvious. As Zain broke free from her spell he focused on his surroundings before seeing glints in the air above him. Shards of ice rained down around him from all directions, cutting up his clothing and digging itself into the ground. It's obvious this attack was filled with the intent to do harm. Yet as he continued to look on, he had realized that he was surrounded by a multitude of attacks in the air, all aimed directly at him. Zain had nowhere to run, all his exits were covered with more blades and a thick fog. As he watched his surroundings the voice of Elise reached his ears.
"Insolent fool. Know your place!"
Elise's raised hand fell, and her order was given. The weapons she conjured all converged on Zain, pinning him down and locking him in place. His body couldn't move as the cold embrace of her magic enveloped him. The spectators watched on as he stood helplessly in the center. Looks of awe and worry fell on Zain as his head was lowered. Elise stared down at him in anger before turning around and walking away, believing victory to be in her hands.
"I-Incredible…To think he'd last this long. Sir, I'd say it's clear who the winner of this fight is. We need to get him out of there and fast before he gets hurt." Carter expressed his concern for Zain, hoping to free him from his constraints. Just as he began to move, Zephyr held out his hand to stop him.
"Sir..?"
Down in the arena Zain continued to breathe steadily before raising his head.
"Agility, strength, battle sense and tactics…I haven't lost any of it. Now all that's left….is my magical abilities." Zain's fist clenched tightly, his veins bulging from his forearm as a black aura rose around him. Elise stopped in her tracks, sensing the rising aura of mana in the air. Her face exploded in anger as she whipped around, staring Zain down.
"You never learn your lesson do you?!"
An ice spear formed in her hand as she threw it towards Zain. It sliced through the air and headed towards her opponent, but was quickly knocked out from the sky as a black bolt struck down. Ice shards flew in every direction, causing more devastation on the already broken floor. The mana in the area grew violent as winds blew about. The air shrieked as lightning crackled across the floor. In the stands Zephyr smirked as he watched Zain stand up.
"It seems...this fight is far from over."