*Whoosh*
Their plan didn't go as planned. Her figure was coated with an ominous dark light and in an instant disappeared from her current position. The sounds of water bullets and fire chains hissed forming steam clouding the scene.
*Bam*
Brose who was looking around felt a jab at his knee forcing him to kneel. "Your attempts are laughable." Orissa who sensed her made a lunge forward however she dodged once more, thrusting Brose who was still bewildered by her speed into her lance attack bruising his shoulder.
A light shade of crimson painted the ground. "Argh!" Filled with fury, he let out a wave of heat that bordered on the verge of the limit clearing all the steam in an instant. She was already gone. "Damn it!" Brose vent in frustration, his shouts filling the air. Orissa on the other hand looked at his injury.
"We should have that taken care off before we make any rash decisions." As much as he wanted to give chase he knew that she was right. If left unchecked the small bruise could be a huge problem later on.
...
"I didn't think that she would be able to hold her own so easily." Esdora mused contently, a small smile on her face. "It was clear that she baited the two with her act of fatigue." Forare spoke, his eyes analyzing every second of the fight. Even he was curious how it would turn out.
"Jarren, what are you up to?" Timothy cut in, the screen where Jarren was enlarged.
...
Ingrid who lay limply on his makeshift mat gave a heavy sigh, looking at the notifications that filled his vision. And yet there wasn't a look of happiness on his face. "I think that we should get more wood for the fire." A comrade suggested, his voice distant to Ingrid. "Wait! Jarren?!" Ingrid who pondered on going back to sleep shot up.
Walking out of his tent, there he was. The person every student wanted to sink their teeth into. "Oh, hi. I couldn't help but notice that you two were alone and bored so I took it upon myself to help you all pass time." His serpentine smirk made shivers crawl down their spines. With Jarren, they knew that nothing positive could come out.
"There's no need for you to bother here. None of us have ball points." Ingrid stated hoping to discourage him. "I'm not here for ball points. I'm here to help you pass time." It was clear that he wanted a fight. Ingrid's face contorted, cursing inwardly. "I've heard so much about you so let's see just how good you really are."
Looking to his side, he urged his friend to watch. "Don't bother. I'll handle this." Jarren's perfect milky teeth came into view, elated with the response. "That's what I like to hear." There was no bell to signal their commence.
Pillars of stone poked through the ground hoping to grind Jarren to powder however none managed to hit him. He perfectly weaved through each attack, closing the distance between the two of them. Glyphs formed behind Ingrid's figure, his bracelet turning yellow.
Waves of water filled the scene, small shrubs swayed away while the ground crumpled in the attempt of trapping him like a fly on a flytrap. He leapt once more into the air. 'Got you!' The same outcome presented itself. Mid air, he shot streaks of water spears and arrows at his figure akin to a poacher sighting a bird gracefully drift through the air.
He formed platforms of fire, using them to shift the trajectory of his figure whilst in the air.
*Whoosh*
Shooting a small meteor like ball of fire, Ingrid blocked his face with his hands, his figure petrified in stone.
In a few meter radius everything was torched into a crisp. The glyphs of water behind him shattered, the small oceanic pond melted in an instant. Landing softly, he kept the pressure on Ingrid bathing his entire body with fire.
Sure he could hold out for a couple of minutes but that was a matter of time. His flame persisted, the friend to the side that bothered to intervene was swatted away with chains of flame holding him in place.
...
"Is he planning on killing him?" A Vorthmere professor stated in the hopes of interrupting the fight. "No, he's flushing Ingrid out of his suit. The heat will no doubt be too much for him and pass out or give in." Esdora concluded, her mind in awe of Jarren's methods. Sure they were way too brutal for a student but the grace and intellect behind them were noteworthy.
Recalling his combat test, she couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't executing some of his own ideas. "Orissa and Brose won't be able to make it back in time." Timothy added, his eyes never once leaving the screen.
...
The coolness of the stone suit slowly started to wane and replaced with heat that overtime started to get too much for him. The water glyphs meant to keep him cool would barely last a second upon casting thanks to Jarren and his constant pressure he had on Ingrid.
'If Brose doesn't make it back here in time I'm done.' Leaving he stone suit would leave him exposed to any attacks Jarren would have. "Are you going to keep on hiding in your shell because it's not as entertaining as I thought it would be." Jarren taunted, his bracelet never once leaving the realm of green.
He knew how to perfectly cast glyphs thus keeping it under the required limit was child's play. Ina desperate effort to get out of his predicament, he tried to sense Jarren's position with his earth locating spell however the heat was clouding his mind.
If he didn't deal with it quick he would pass out of heatstroke. Blisters started to form on his face, buckets of sweat coating his clothes as Jarren merely wore a simple smile.
*Boom*
The stone coating was wrapped in water however this required a huge toll of his mental fortitude and malcore.
*Beep*
His bracelet alarmed him that he was on the verge of breaking his limit. "Arghh!" Indignant of the bracelet, he let out a war cry as water bathed his entire body. Jarren halted his fire blast and watched it unfold. The scene was dazzling, water glistening in the air, stones crumbling.
It looked like he birth of something primordial. Ingrid fell to he ground shortly after. Looking at the pair who had barely offered any resistance, he pocketed his hands and prepared to leave. A few steps in and a voice urged him to stop. He didn't need to look to know who it was.
"Brose, I was wondering what took you so long." Looking over his shoulder, he saw the pair. His shoulder injury healed and Orissa with a look of hesitance on her face. Looking at Ingrid, Brose was horrified to see the state that he was in.
His body was coated with blisters, his body prune dry as his breathes felt faint. Water and rocks haphazardly all over the place and the culprit walking away without a care. "Orissa, tend to Ingrid, I'll take care of Jarren."
The two faced each other, one with a look of spite and the other a smile that never faltered. "He gave a barely decent performance." Jarren's voice light as he turned to face Brose. The air weighed heavy and spoke of tension, Orissa whisking Ingrid away from the scene and watching from afar as she tended to his ailments.
The scene also had other spectators such as the professors and Callista in the dark. After a few minutes of silence, chaos enraptured the scene. Brose was bathed in golden flames while Jarren merely stood aloof, a faint dwindling flame playing in his arms.
The air crackled with fire and emotions k rage, after failing to catch Callista, a bit of resentment lingered on Brose's mind. Flurries of punches from Brose failed to connect, kicks falling for feints and projectiles canceled with Jarren's. Rising to the sky, Brose watched the scene beneath him.
Jarren looked up, his smile never leaving his face. His hand stretched to the sky, the other pointing at Jarren, it felt like punishment from the very heavens sent to punish Jarren for his acts. Jarren looked at the ray of golden fire, his own coating his body.
The pillar not only covered his entire body but the space around him as well. Trees dried in an instant, the ground turned into fine sand and Jarren's figure was lost in the heat of the moment. The scene was not only beautiful but dreary as well.
...
All of the professors fell silent, some with shock, others with admiration. So far it had been a display of Caelbridge students dominating the scene but now, it would seem that there was finally a worthy contestant.
Timothy was the first to shatter the silence. "I didn't think that a student could be capable of such an attack. It's divine." The praise let out scoffs and snickers from Vorthmere's professors. "Well Jarren was getting out of hand thus he had to be properly dealt with." One of the them spoke.
The easygoing air however came to a halt a few minutes later. The drones screens were bathed with fire way too bright to register thus the satellite was more optimal. Amidst the carnage and destruction that had been brought down, a figure remained standing. Jarren, his figure coated with a crimson flame that burnt way too perfectly. It wasn't magnificent to look at but it's potency was as equal if not more.
His bracelet glowed amber while Brose turned black. Not out of the heat but over exertion. He fell to the ground, his figure crashing hard into the ash ground. His teeth firmly grit as he struggled to rise to his feet. A message made his stomach tie in knots.
[{Ding!}]
[{You have exceeded the necessary malcore limit. From here you will longer receive any points}]
[{Your points of 69,600 points will be permanent here on out}]
The message was gut wretching given that he had not only failed to take Jarren down but he would no longer gain any more points. "I'm sure that you gave it your all will that attack but next time, don't make blind guesses into the dark."
Jarren's clothes sizzled, not with because he was incapable but to give Brose hope. That he could actually make a dent later on. "But your acts were passable so here." Tossing the ball point to Brose's feet, he took his leave.
Those watching were in shock save for Callista. The professors were now intrigued with their limits and potential, Orissa wary of Jarren while Brose looked at the ball point in disbelief. 'How was he able to block my attack so lightly?!' Still, he had anticipated the result to be more but that wasn't the case.
'But that doesn't mean that he's completely invulnerable.' Looking at the ball point gleam in the sun's rays, he recalled Jarren's state, mostly untouched but his clothes gave way. Exactly what Jarren wanted. He didn't want Brose to lose interest so quickly, he had to wear him down before completely shattering him.
The mortal playing his game obliviously picked up the ball point and left, unaware of the scale that he was playing at.