Lia and Lacey stood at the edge of a small town. Its design and layout were based on the extremely dense forest surrounding it. According to Saf's intel, Fifth Place had set themself up in this town.
Lacey spoke in a tone that was as low as a whisper. "Where should we start looking?"
Lia shook her head and pointed down. "Open your mind a little. We don't need to search."
Lacey drew a blank. She wasn't sure what Lia was talking about. "Uhm. What?"
Lia shook her head. "Fifth place has mana threads set up all around the village. As soon as we begin to approach, they'll show up."
Lacey's eyes went wide. "I. I see. I'll practice that and be much better next time."
For some reason, Lia could now see the mana threads. They littered the ground, creating a fine web of detection. As far as she could tell, they were just for that: detection. She wasn't sure if her seeing the mana threads was supposed to lead her into a false sense of security. Lia had never been able to see mana threads before, so she was inherently confused. She had pointed down to test if Lacey was able to see them, and she wasn't.
Lia took a step forward, stepping directly on the closest mana thread. Immediately, they all dispersed. An indescribable voice spoke. They were likely using something to cloak or change their voice. "I see. You could detect them, strange. Well, unless you want to back off, I will have to remove your head from your shoulders."
Lia cracked her shoulders and began to step forward. "I doubt you'll survive having your arms removed long enough for me to rip your skull apart."
The figure wore a long robe that looked way too big for them. Their face was adorned with a white mask that had cracks strewn about it. The cracks leaked some form of red mana. As they stepped forward, a book appeared in their hand. It automatically flipped to a random page and floated next to 'Fifth'.
Lia quirked an eyebrow. 'A witch? Hmm, Witches are a very rare species of Elves. They channel their mana through a "focus" to make it more refined, and by definition, more potent. This will be interesting.'
Lia dashed forward first. Her body moved at incredible speeds. The witch hastily said something in the Elven language. A multitude of invisible threads appeared and attempted to restrain Lia.
The effort didn't last long, as Lia snapped free almost instantly. The witch let out an Elven curse as dark purple energy began to coalesce in front of them. The witch moved their hand forward and sent the ball flying towards Lia with a crackle.
Lia raised her hand in response. Two thin walls of Arcane mana were raised and immediately shredded. The ball of energy was only slowed for a second, but Lia was able to move thanks the second she had slowed it for.
Biting her thumb, a hint of bitterness touched her tongue; it was the taste of her blood. She weaved blood magic as the minuscule drop of blood grew and began to coil. It formed a large lance.
She threw the lance towards her target, twisting her wrist in the process. The lance began spinning as flew toward the witch. They said an Elven word in response and brought a hand up.
The lance arrived first, and it drilled into the witch's mana barrier. Lia could tell the witch was barely holding it off. The witch grunted in pain as the lance hit the barrier and began to rapidly destabilize her mana barriers, they were constantly funneling energy into the barriers to repair it.
Lia ran toward the witch who was barely holding the blood lance at bay. She jumped and twisted her body, grabbing the lance in mid-air. She slammed it down as hard as she could.
The lance hit the ground with immense force, sending both of them flying. Lia flipped and landed on her feet.
When the dust cleared, Lia looked at a battered and bruised opponent. The witch's mask was untouched, but her robes were torn in various places. The middle of her hand had a hole in it that gushed blood. Their hand wasn't punctured clean through, but it looked gruesome.
Lia spoke. "What's your name?"
The witch looked up, their voice sounded exhausted, and they panted heavily. "Kurial, you?"
"Lia. You're stronger than I anticipated. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like you're strong enough." Lia sounded slightly disappointed.
The witch shrugged. "It happens. At least I'm not dying for real."
Lia spoke with a hint of annoyance. "I just wish you were a bit stronger. Then you could at least give me a bit of a challenge."
The witch chuckled. "Sometimes, being too strong is a curse."
Lia didn't respond to that comment. Sh let out a sigh. "In any case, a guy by the name of Saf sent me to eliminate you for some reason or another."
"Tch. Of course he did. The bastard ran away from me after entering my territory. Saf is currently in Sixth place if I'm not mistaken." The witch didn't sound surprised.
Lia shrugged. "Unfortunately, he has the information I need, so you'll have to be eliminated."
Her mind had briefly mulled over attempting to negotiate with Saf, but it would be a losing battle. Saf wasn't likely to hand the information over very easily.
Lia's eyes sharpened as her resolve deepened. "It's unfortunate, but you won't be making it into the academy."
She rushed forward as the magic of decay wrapped itself around her finger. It was an inexplicable feeling. Decay felt almost natural to Lia. It always gave her a rush to wield. It was by far the easiest Black Magic concept for her to understand.
The witch put up three barriers. One to their left, one to their right, and one directly in front of them. As Lia approached, the barriers moved and merged into one. It began to glow with a magnificent arcane blue.
It let loose a centralized beam of physical energy, and Lia spoke softly. "Bad move."
The beam collided with her hand. It was a physical manifestation of mana and disintegrated right before the witch's eyes.
The witch spoke with confusion and a hint of curiosity. "H...how?"
Lia shrugged as the barrier disintigreated at her touch. She gripped the witch's masked face tightly. "Decay disintegrates physical objects, and mana is no exception. Perhaps if you had read more about Black Magic, you would have known that. Alas, this world's view is too narrow, and you weren't instructed on Black Magic. Your lack of knowledge made this fight easier for me."
The witch's face began to age, and eventually, all that was left was their mask. The masked face that was once there had turned to ashes, and the skin around their neck was lined with blackened cracks. Moments later, the witch's whole body glowed and disappeared, it was thr signal that she had been transported out.
Lia approached Lacey. She had been watching the whole thing and her eyes were full of stars.
Lacey's thoughts held nothing but admiration for Lia. 'Ahhh! She's so cool and pretty. She killed that woman with seemingly no effort! Her hair still looks flawless, and the blood that has soaked her clothes only makes her look better!'
Lia chopped Lacey's head. Attempting to snap her out of her thoughts. She had been talking, but Lacey was entirely unresponsive. "Come on, we need to contact Saf."
Lia walked back into the forest and spoke Saf's name. A shadow descended from the forest trees and began speaking. "So you've killed Fifth, perfect. Second place is near the base of the mountains. By the time you reach there, it should be night. Happy hunting."
Without another word, the shadow sank into the ground. Lia smiled in response. "Perfect."