Master Kincaid sprang to his feet, to stop Hazel from acting any further. But he struck his body against a wall made of solidified air. Which was quite ironic, since he was a Wind Mage.
The force of impact sent him back to his seat and he rubbed his glabella with a groan, "Don't try to stop me, Elora."
He could easily tell who had erected the wall of air. It was Princess Elora. Though she was a Light Mage from the Luminescent Mage Path, she had some control over wind thanks to her royal bloodline.
The Royal family were another set of anomalies. But unlike the Kanes, their second Mage sub Path was fixed. The Wind Mage sub Path under the Luminescent Mage Path. Some royals neglect it since there is an embargo placed to stop them from advancing past the Psyon tier.
Elora didn't make eye contact with the Master as she responded, "I'm sorry, Master, but you'll have to sit down and watch this to the end."
"This won't end well," Master Kincaid shook his head.
"It was never going to end well since you put Richard against Lucas. It's just that the odds are in our favour this time around," she shrugged.
Master Kincaid sighed and rested his jaw on the back to his palm. He wanted to interfere when Richard was knocking at death's door against the massive fireballs, but Hazel acted faster. Knowing who Hazel was, Lucas was going to be humbled.
But that wasn't the Master's problem. He feared that Lucas' lackeys would jump onto the court once their boss was defeated, and they'll attack Hazel. Hazel might win, but It'd be a mess, and he wouldn't be able to stop it since he had broken the rules by allowing Hazel to join an ongoing fight.
He was a very passive man, and related well with his students. He could handle their tantrums in class, but when it came to using their magic in battles, it was just too much for him to handle alone.
Down at the court, Lucas had a brow raised as Hazel approached him, "What are you doing here, twisted ears? You'll have your chance to fight me once I deal with Richard."
Hazel chuckled coldly, "Sorry, but you'll have to deal with me first."
"The more, the merrier, I guess," Lucas shrugged as he muttered some unclear words under his breath, erupting red flames that covered his fists to his elbows.
Richard's buff had worn off, so Lucas had to wait for a few minutes before he could tap into his second Mage Path. He leapt forward via jets of flames from the soles of his feet. His shoes burned off in the process.
He felt he had to get close to her and strike her first before she could cast another annoying spell. He saw the Resonant Mages as people who relied on long ranged attacks to keep their enemies away. He wasn't wrong though, since sound needed a medium of propagation. Unskilled Resonant Mages could get caught up in their attack if they're too close to their opponents.
But little did he know that Hazel had taken this into consideration and honed her hand to hand combat skills. She was built different.
He was in for a pleasant surprise.
Hazel didn't stop walking, even as Lucas got in proximity.
Still in the air, and about three feet away from her, Lucas drew back his right arm and then slung it forward at her face.
Swiftly and with precise finesse, she slapped his right hand upward, allowing his flames to roar at the ceiling. She followed up by grabbing his right shoulder and turning him horizontal using his momentum. She then widened the palm of her other hand and slapped it against his chest.
Her hand rippled with violent vibrational energy before she made contact with his chest.
A deep boom resonated across the hall. Everyone blocked their ears and groaned. The next thing they saw was Lucas flying toward the ceiling speedily. He struck his back against the hard wooden ceiling and plummeted immediately.
Coughing out a sparse amount of blood, he managed to find some balance in mid air and tapped himself, alleviating some of the realm's gravitational push on him. He didn't deduct much since he hadn't gotten a hang of the Mage Path, but it helped cushion his crash landing on the hard wooden floor of the court.
It felt like landing on a really thin mattress. It was painful, but he escaped major injuries or broken bones.
The audience was left stupefied. For one, they had no idea that Hazel could be this aggressive. Even though she was known to love battles and wars, she still acted like a casual, calm elf. They were also surprised by her physical prowess, and the smart use of her Mage Path.
Seated between James and Elora, Richard had his jaw dropped in awe. He was also a Resonant Mage like her, though an Invoker, but she had just taken down Lucas with one basic manoeuvre.
'I have a lot to ask her,' he said internally.
A mild bang resonated across the hall as Lucas slapped his hand on the floor, aggressively rising to his feet. He turned to Hazel with raging eyes, "That was a lucky shot!'
"Oh, really?" Hazel couldn't help it; she chuckled. She then spread her arms wide, "Then I employ you to give it another try."
"You must think me of a fool, don't you?" Lucas scoffed. "You expect to come to you, while you stand there in your domain and catch me in your trap?"
He took a step forward and his hands burst into flames once again.
Hazel shrugged, dropping her hands, "Fine, then. I'll come to you instead."
She raised her right leg and the air around her rippled. She was found standing before Lucas in an instant.
She had performed sonoportation. It was like teleportation, but via sound waves. She had simply locked onto the sound produced from Lucas's feet and flames, then travelled over to him at the speed of sound.
It was a really advanced skills that usurped a lot of mana and stamina than usual. She could only use it twice a day at her current tier.
She was so angry at Lucas that she ignored the risks and used it.
Lucas froze as they met eye to eye. They could almost feel each other's breath. He was startled, flabbergasted.
A scoff from her thawed him out of his frozen state and he stepped back to gain some distance, before lunging his fiery fists at her. His flames had lost their intensity though, due to his shocked state.
Hazel put her feet to work and dodged all his punches. Then she leaned forward and hit him with another vibrational blast. He wasn't thrown away, as she targeted his innards instead.
He was overheating from within, as the vibrations amplified the internal chemistry that helped produce his flames.
He dropped to his knees and clung tightly to his chest, perspiring as though he had just walked out of a bath.
Hazel tapped his forehead with her thumb and cancelled out her vibrations before his skin burned. She was angry, not heartless.
Silence descended on the hall as everyone was left frozen on their seats, unable to take their eyes off Hazel and the kneeling Lucas.
They all entered the hall wary of Lucas, because he was an anomaly. But this changed everything. Hazel was terrifying.
'I guess I overdid it,' Hazel muttered inwardly as she stood before Lucas, who was now seated on the floor, exhaling heavily. A small part of her felt pity towards him, another part was vexed at what she did. But the bigger part of her was grinning from ear to ear in satisfaction.
Lucas was a proud pain in the ass, but Hazel was never bothered by him. She only did this because of what he did to Richard. Let's just say she had a thing for Richard and was ready to go extra miles for him.
She sighed and stretched her right hand towards him, "Need a hand?"
Still trying to even his heavy breathing, Lucas raised his head and sized her up in disdain. He clicked his teeth and turned his face away.
"Okay," Hazel shrugged and retracted her hand.
She slipped her hands into her pockets and turned to walk away, only to see Eric and Dane running angrily towards her. They were two of Lucas's lackeys. They were here to avenge him.
Hazel was no longer in the mood to engage in combat. She had already accomplished her short term mission and was ready to go home and have some rest.
But since the two lads weren't slowing down, she prepared herself to release a sparse outburst of her magical aura, to at least subdue them.
But Master Kincaid showed up just in time. He appeared between Hazel and the incoming Lackeys. He pushed them back with a sparse thrust of air, while turning towards Hazel.
"You know they'll start stalking you after today, right?" he said and retracted his gaze back to Eric and Dane.
She shrugged, "I know. But I couldn't just sit down and watch Richard get burnt to crisps."
Binding the two lackeys with air whips, since they were about to attack again, Master Kincaid replied, "I was going to save him before you interfered. But anyways, what's happened has happened. Just be careful."
She scoffed, walking past him, "Tell that to Lucas and his fodder goons."