-91-

The midnight gong echoed through the cavern as I sat in what was a small waiting room of an arena.

Even Ethan told me off for accepting the trail but I needed as many people on our sides as we could get to assure success.

This seemed to be a big deal as it wasn't a one on one fight but everyone that fit into the sitting area and up on the bridges passing over it were there to watch.

I placed with the lace of my corset before sighing as I stood and exited the small room, through a hallway entering the shineless yellow granite with orange and brown speck covered arena.

The walls were several meters high and it was circular, a big arena, at least one hundred yards so this place was built for big events.

The man that faced me surprisingly was an elf but his complexion pointed his mixed blood.

Skin almost as dark as Calypso but still visibly lighter, white lines swirling around on his skin with shapes to accompany them, from his wrists up his arms and to his shoulders, a sun shape on his chest and a few others around his eyes.

Unlike usual elves, his body was well developed, muscled in all the right places but just half a head taller then I am.

His black hair possibly shoulder length, slicked back and pulled in a tight pony tail.

His eyes shone an amber gold fill with same determination hidden in me.

He didn't wear much, some brown fabric was wrapped around his foot  and ankle but left his toes and heel uncovered with a leather-like material from which his pants were made, and the same fabric around his wrist and fists.

I almost felt.... Challenged just by the way he held himself with pride and power and only such as an outfit.

I lifted my arms to my necklace and untied it, dropping it off to my side before untying the bracers and dropping those too with the hidden blade, expertly kicked off my boots and socks will taking my corset and undershirt back off leaving me in my pants, binds and gloves, I do not need anything more then he does and I am not scared to show it.

He lowered his eyes, one foot sliding back and lock behind the other, arms crossing in his back as he lowered himself, bending at the waist, in a bow.

I steadied my feet at shoulder lengths apart and straightened myself, resting right fist over my heart and the other arm just bent in my back to be out of my way and bowed my head.

A warrior's greeting to another.

I ignored the shuffle of someone taking my stuff away from the ground and rose as he did.

His stance shifted lower to the ground, feet apart and arms bent at his side, a strong and solid stance good for the element of earth.

I slid my left foot back and stood diagonally with my knees slightly bent, left fist and arm raised right up by my face with the back of it turned against me while the right hand was held out straight in front of me, lower at breast level, hand opened and loose, palm facing the ground, a light stance but one with promise of a powerful strike.

The words of the king, the worry of Audrey, the cheers of the crowed, they faded from my ears as only him and I remained.

I feel this will be a full on magic battle.

And the gong rang.

I dropped from my upright stance, right foot sliding forth onto one knee that hit the ground, a boulder the size of my horse passing over my head.

I pulled my left fist back just slightly as I yanked my right one back to create a spinning force as flames spewed out in a circular jet even if my fist was closed, my flames could emanate from where I wanted them from.

As my left hand passed in front of me I kept it moving and placed it on the ground while pulling my bent leg back and up, sending myself in a flip, a trail of flame lashing it of my heels and extinguished as I landed.

I took a deep breath, shifting back to my initial stance, exchanging stare with the elvish man.

A small flick of my wrist and magic brushed all my hair forth like it had once a few months ago for the first feast I met Audrey at, this being a wordless taunt from my part as his hair got slightly unmade for my counterattack, my hair being made flawless was a taunt in a way that he couldn't even have messed that up with his attack.

I threw out my fist, opening my fist into a stiff flat palm, splitting the water jet coming at me into two with my fingers as my other hand pulled down at my side and closed in a fit.

I hopped back and swung my leg in a huge half circle and slammed it in the ground, the granite rippling and shooting up in spikes towards him.

I thrusted my hand in the air, a pillar of the granite rising under my feet to send me up, minus the usual flip this time.

He sent the spikes I created at me and I used them as platforms to hop further without landing.

As my foot landed on another I crouched, hand against it as I kicked myself in a flip, heel slamming into his forearm and slipping forwards right into the collarbone but didn't manage to even fracture it or I would have felt it.

He grabbed my leg as I brought my other one down and suffered the same fate.

I bent my knees and sprang up, trying to use him as a jumping platform, the yank of my body being enough to make him take a step forwards.

I snapped my arm out behind my back, water condensing and shooting out right under his moving foot.

I still ended smacked against the ground but he fell too.

I gasped as I landed on my back which was quite frankly a pain.

Planting my hands by my head gave me a solid base as I kicked my legs out and pushed up, throwing my body in a crouch.

I crossed my arms over my head and shifted my legs apart to be able to stably rest my heels on the ground as I braced for impact, him giving back the heel kick.

I spanned my foot out and ended with it over his right foot, just barely resting against the front of his ankle and froze it over before blasting air from my other foot and flipping him as I went straight up.

making a slicing movement sent a large wave of ice shards at him before I landed.

With one wave I was shot with water and it hurt.

I kicked my foot up so I was only on one foot and a wall of the rock followed before I kicked it and sent it at him.

Never should someone think they have the advantage as the next second I lost mine, hearing the whisper of a language I never learnt, must be what the halfmen speak, and fog blanketed my vision, if it was the whole arena or just my eyes I couldn't tell and was frantically searching for the magic link to let me stop the spell.

I was struck in the back by lightning and felt my skin burn from it.

I hopped around, blasting fire but never felt it hit its target but I got tossed around a bit, skin sizzling and muscles spazzing at the stronger zaps, ice freezing and breaking my skin so blood dripped, rock, ice, water and lightning doing a number on me in the little time I've been blinded.

I can't loose not now, not ever, I need to find a way, fuck I need to find a way!

No calm down Mystery, you can do this.

I crouched down, right hand on the ground, left hovering.

Let magic guide you, you can feel wild magic, wild magic is in everything, the air, the ground, the sweat, the fabrics.... Listen....

I threw my left arm out as my side, sparking my own lightning, from my palm as I closed my blind eyes and stood, ripples through the wild magic let me see, I need to end this and quickly before he has more time to take me down.

I stomped on the ground and a fire jet shot out right beneath him.

I blasted myself in the air and with a spin sent trails of fire crashing down, so strong the ground cracked.

His concentration broken and I felt the fog almost peel away from my eyeballs as I landed.

My legs instantly got frozen over as the place was drenched in water.

I brought my right hand up to chest level and the other straight over my head, aimed at the ceiling.

Flames rose and quickly begin raging just at the foot of the arena wall before forming into a huge fire whirlwind that was scorching the ceiling but leaving the spectators harm free but the heat climbing with us and water evaporating and freeing me.

I flexed my hands and my blood stopped listening to gravity, rolling up the other way and to my hands, hovering and floating blobs before lashing out with them like whips, sharp as a sword, bending and twisting with each movement of my hands.

The blood splattered on the ground as I focused in on the lightning speeding at me.

I didn't have time to dodge nor block.... I just need to pass through it.

My right hand was held towards it as my left was hovering right under my heart, the lightning meeting the pointer and middle finger, the rest bent, it rushed down my arm as I bent it as I made the same hand shape with my other hand  as I touched them and extended the left hand, lightning spewing from it and hitting the wall.

I gave myself a second to realize the three things I just did almost back to back, saw using wild magic when blinded, used my blood as a weapon and redirected lightning.

Two of those are extremely advanced wild magic techniques and one is really dangerous as if you guide the lightning through your heart it will stop but you need the straightest line through the body, that's why my hand hovered right under my heart.

I caught another lightning strike and directed it at the ceiling, sparks crashing against it as my skin smoked.

I took a breath and the silver whirlwind dangerously flamed up.

"I am the new silver queen." I said, I knew he couldn't hear me tho I was talking to him but I didn't care. "I'll show you what a dragon can do!!!" That for sure he heard as purple flames sparked from the silver until the silver was overpowered by the flames only dragons could possess as my hand was thrusted in the air.

The wind generated so strong it whipped my hair around and forced me to take a more stable stance and flex my right hand by my hip, the rock reaching up and grabbing my feet.

With a war cry I slammed my extended arm into the ground, the huge fire vortex imploding on itself and creating a ground shattering explosion in a huge fireball, I threw both my hands out to forcefully contain in the arena and not hurt those watching.

When the light fell and I could finally open my eyes, I patted out my singed black and burning clothes as I watched the man, heavily burnt, bleeding all over the ground but breathing.

I hummed as I stood, the light there was scattering off the silver scales covering my body to protect me from the flames' heat as only my silver flames wouldn't need this to not hurt me, these were purple dragon flames, all dragons could make them so they could burn me if not protected.

"I win." I breathed out, falling over on my butt, hands behind me to hold me out as I took a few deep breaths as my face was towards the ceiling.

Despite the pain and grime over my body I still smirked.

"I win... Told you so." I said with a softer, close eyed smile.