Are You Not Entertained!?

“Are you sure?” Hawthorn asks me. His voice nearly cracks from the surprise of my decision.

“I am.” I reply bluntly before continuing to eat my tasty silver drake. Screw these money grubbers. I am doing this to prove a damn point! They want a show, they will get one!

“I, I-” The apprentice stammers with a lose for words at my declaration apparently.

-- -- --

“So what happened to you?” Birta inquires as I enter our dorm.

“I’m going to be in the annual applicant duel.” I answer matter-of-factly after shutting the door.

“The what?” My roommate asks. I sit on my bed before I decide to answer.

“Apparently they get two applicants to fight in a nonlethal duel every year." I explain.

“Who’s your opponent?” She asks nearly yelling.

“I didn’t ask.” I respond. “Oh… I should have asked that.” I add.

“Things like this are when I realize that no one will think you’re not a child.” Birta mocks with a snicker.

“What does that mean!?” I exclaim in annoyance.

-- -- --

I sit on a bench in the small gladiator’s room. Hawthorn walks up to me and kneels down so we are at eye level.

“I know you said you would do this.” The apprentice says putting his rough hands on my small shoulders. “But you don’t have to go through with this.” He adds.

“But I do.” I reply. The cheers of the crowd roar into the small room. My vision begins to golden. Damn it! I got so caught up in my own anger I did not think about this happening.

“Why?” He asks me with genuine concern. “You’re only a child! There is no reason that you have to do this!” He nearly yells in frustration. Hawthorn looks down at the ground as tears begin to fall down his cheeks. I merely stand up to my feet.

“Many of you may not know this girl!” The announcer’s voice echoes in through the building. “But you soon will!” He continues, “The girl with affinity for every element! It’s applicant Yamakuma Lydia!” The voice finishes.

“I’ll tell you when I’m done.” I say sternly wiping a tear off of his cheek.

Having stunned the apprentice wordless I get out of his grip and walk out into the arena proper. But before stepping out I look back at the man and smile as broad as I can. “I’ll be back!” I say.

-- -- --

The sound is much quieter in the arena proper than I thought it would be. Must be part of the enchantments.

“Only reason I agreed is because I wanted to test my skills against all the elements.” The orc in the arena yells at me. Of course he only cares about that.

The crowd roars in excitement. Even with the dampeners my periphery begins to fill with gold. I tap a fist against my head to remove it.

“The pit are you doing?” Quanah taunts me before pulling his metallic staff from his back. Before I can respond the mage unleashes a torrent of water at me.

In reaction, I conjure streams of flame from my hands. The two forces creating steam where they meet. So he uses water magic.

The cheers of the crowd roar once more. Gold bleeds into more of my vision.

“Enough.” Quanah’s voice says before a powerful burst of air clears the steam away. And air magic apparently. “What are you smiling for?” The orc asks me swinging his staff at me as if it was a bat or gold club. A powerful gust of air follows behind the swing and flings me against the hard stone wall behind me.

“You got this Lydia!” Birta’s voice cheers to me from the stands. I rise up to my feet and give the teen a thumbs up.

My vision goes completely gold.

-- -- --

A shock surges through my entire body. I think it is supposed to hurt, but it feels energizing.

“Is this it!?” The announcer’s booming voice echoes. “Is the fight truly over!?” He continues. I hop up to my feet.

“Woooooo!” I exclaim while shake myself removing the excess energy from the shock if there even is any. That is when I realize my vision is still gold. Why? How?

The only sound in the building is the falling rain and rumble of thunder. When did it start raining? A lightning bolt strikes the muddy ground between Quanah and I. Mud?

“What are you?” My opponent asks with a dropped jaw.

I ignore his question and begin to bob in place. I feel light, extremely light.

I slide on the mud almost as if it is a mere slip-n-slide. Well more like I am an expert surfer or something on a surf board I suppose.

“You little-!” Quanah snarls at me raising his staff into the air. A bolt of lightning strikes the staff before the teen redirects the electricity at me.

I raise a wall of mud to absorb most of the lightning as I slide away from the conjured wall. That felt so easy to do. Like it took no effort at all.

I raise my hand into the air towards the storm clouds. A thin metal pillar rises up from the muddy ground. A bolt quickly strikes the lightning rod.

My opponent swings his staff once more unleashing a powerful gust of spiraling wind. I stick my hands into the muddy ground to stop myself from being blown away, unfortunately the tower is not so lucky.

I sink the mage’s feet into the mud and begin to sprint at him. I need to end this, now. He shoots a jet of air beneath himself and jumps out of his restraints.

Another lightning bolt crashes into me. I soar past the boy. It feels good. But I should feel terrible pain.

“Can the feral caster take a second bolt!?” The announcer yells as I belly flop into the mud.

“Fuck this kid.” I mumble after sticking my face out of the ground with a grimace. I feel even lighter thanks to that second bolt though.

With fury I leap over to my opponent and entrap both of us inside a cage of branches.

“What are you doing!?” Quanah yells in confusion and, more importantly, fear as I wrap myself around him.

I could end this with a spell. A powerful one, perhaps a combination of all the elements. No, I am doing this my way. Screw all these people.

I slam my fist into the orc’s nose.

The crowd and announcer go silent as the clouds in the arena begin to dissipate. My wooden cage crumbles away into tinder once I see Quanah is unconscious.

I lift my arms and look at the ceiling before unleashing an inhuman screech.