Chapter 209: Clash
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Chapter 209: Clash
Tala cursed internally as she fought with the bear-man, Ogi.
They were almost perfectly evenly matched in prowess, and he didnt even need to expend power to call upon the plant life around them anymore. Though, that was mostly because Tala had her aura extended and hardened against his magics. He might have been able to do a working through her authority, but it would have taken a great deal more power, and he seemed content to wait.
Instead, the candidate was using his power internally, in looping spell-forms that were incredibly efficient, amplifying himself to match her speed and power.
Not only that, but the benefit of the protian weapon was showing itself.
His every strike seemed to snake around her blocks, cutting at her defensive magics, and forcing her to pull more and more power through her gate.
If shed been an arcane, shed already have lost.
It felt like she was juggling greased electric eels, who were very unhappy by the mishandling.
-That is genuinely one of the oddest metaphors Ive ever heard.-
Im not exactly devoting brainpower to clever figures of speech.
Ogi was, without question, better at utilizing his magic efficiently than she was, by leagues. She was a child beside a master with decades spent honing his craft, in that regard.
-What do you expect? Hes treated magic as an incredibly rare resource his entire life. Youve had virtually unlimited power for as long as youve been using magic.-
Alat was absolutely correct, and it grated on Tala.
She was using the Way of Flowing Blood, but it still felt alien to her, even as her body moved through it with ease. She wasnt used to fighting this way, and that made her reactions just a hair slower than she otherwise could have been, her movements the smallest bit less fluid and precise.
There was still no doubt that the Way of Flowing Blood was superior to how she could have fought without that fighting style. Ogi would have overwhelmed her in the first few exchanges if she was fighting as she had been, before being captured.
That twisted at her, too.
There was only one way that she could win this fight.
-Well, you could turn things over to Tali.-
There were two ways Tala could win this fight, but she wanted to do it herself, leaving her with only one real option.
-This seems needlessly complicated. Why not let a version of us whos a bit better, for now, do this?-
Because then it wouldnt be me.
-I dont mind too much.-
Tala didnt hesitate at that, though it did surprise her; hesitating would have gotten her killed. However, she did grimace internally. Sorry, that was a bit insensitive.
Alat scoffed. -I dont honestly care. The choice is up to you. Im just here to help.-
Ogi brought a great sword down at her, and she parried with her tungsten rod, which was looking very worse for wear. Well need to get that fixed, maybe replaced?
The attacking weapon didnt stop. Instead, a flicker of power ran through the greatsword as it was blocked, and a pivot point appeared in the long blade, just past where shed blocked it. In fact, the block actually caused the attacking blade to speed up, whipping down at her.
Tala barely had time to shift, grunting as she took the hit as a glancing blow.
Enough of this. She had a plan, and it should work.
Tala forced extra power into the scripts enhancing the muscles in her legs and vaulted forward on quick, powerful steps. The inscriptions augmenting the surface area of her footing gave her good traction despite the thick clover beneath her feet.
She hadnt closed the distance between them before, because she knew how it would end.
Tala flicked the discs towards the bear-mans face and hands as distractions and slowing tactics.
As she took the two steps needed, Tala saw Ogis eyes widen just slightly. Even so, he didnt hesitate.
His protian weapon contracted into a coil around his fist. That coil sprung outward, even as he punched forward, driving it towards her chest to push her back.
Instead of blocking or retreating, Tala just used her tungsten sphere to deflect herself slightly to the side, even as she whipped Flow forward.
Ogi saw what she was doing, too late.
He dumped his remaining power into two workings.
The first fought through her hardened aura, controlling the battlefield. He was able to rest just enough of a foothold to cause vines to shoot upward, moving faster than striking snakes to immediately wrap around her and hold her back.
The second added durability to his own neck, making it tougher than an old-growth, hardwood tree.
Neither worked.
Talas strength and momentum tore through the grasping vines, even though they were magically strengthened in the attempt to hamper her. She had her feet planted and was able to exert the strength of her entire body against their restriction, overcoming it with ease.
Ogis protian weapon struck her high on the right side of her chest. The magics within the weapon flashed in conflict with the defenses of her elk-leathers. The focused power of the protian weapon penetrated through the localized part of the elk-leathers protective magics.
Magically sharpened and strengthened metal broke through her skin as it lanced through her.
It couldnt go through her bone, so it was pushed downward as it slid between her ribs, just missing her heart.
The point burst out through her back, sending a spurt of blood to paint the clover behind her.
Tala didnt falter, despite the incredible pain. One puncture? I've endured millions.
Flow hit the bear-mans neck cleanly and passed through in a blink, leaving cauterized flesh above and below.
Talas momentum carried her past Ogi.
Her enemys weapon was ripped from his hand as it was still sticking through her chest.
Tala staggered slightly but maintained her footing, despite the fact that she couldnt seem to draw a proper breath.
Behind her, her opponents head fell free of his body, thudding to the ground. The bear-like torso following shortly after.
Tala grimaced as she reached up with her left hand and pulled the protian weapon from her chest.
With a wet cough, she spat out a good amount of blood. Then, a deep breath reinflated her previously punctured lung.
That rusting hurt.
-That is why I offered another option. You could have used the discs to help deflect his attack, if nothing else.-
RightIm still not used to having those.
Alat huffed a laugh within Talas mind. -Were a bit out of our depth, here.-
I think were doing pretty well, all things considered.
After a chaotic miniature whirlwind of power, the protian weapon reshaped itself into a gauntlet around Talas left hand, sizing itself perfectly to her hand.
It was an odd feeling, having a glove form around her hand. The fount within the weapon was not attuned to her, so its magic was unavailable in its raw form.
Tala tried not to dwell on the literal human soul, trapped and now wrapped around her hand. First, survive.
As for the weapon itself? She had no idea how to use it. Tali hadnt known. It was something that Be-thric had never deigned to teach her.
Thats two. She turned around, scanning the other combatants: those locked in battle, and those already dead.
Obviously, Blu-dine and Ogi were dead. Tala had killed them herself.
To her surprise, Tala saw that Rel was dead as well. His body was laid out, large chunks missing and the other parts smoldering. His protian weapon was laying beside him, where his hand would have been, were it not missing along with his shoulder and a good portion of his torso.
* * *
Tali ducked and rolled to avoid Alops returning attack, even as she used her discs to deflect and ward.
As she rolled, she quickly transitioned her weapon between sword and knife and back repeatedly, flicking her weapon upward in three licking attacks.
Each one struck home, drawing blood and gasps of surprise from her opponent.
Finally. Its time to show my true skill. She briefly shook her head to clear the last vestiges of whatever that had been. It had felt like she was fighting through a fog before, and now the world was clearly laid out before her.
Alop staggered even as he landed, shallow, cauterized wounds in his shoulder, stomach, and left leg.
The fox growled, his protian weapon shifting to a javelin on a rope, which he threw at her while holding the other end of that rope.
She smacked the attack from the air with one of her discs. The motion held all the contempt that she felt for this pitiful creature.
Hed thought to match her? Pathetic.
Even so, a small part of her was jumping for joy, at least internally. She reveled in the feeling of the gauntlet on her left fist. She still couldnt believe that she finally had a protian weapon. It was hers by right of conquest.
She had no idea how to use it, but that could come later.
Now that Alop was hurt, he couldnt continue his harrying tactics. That left him with one option, and he took it, closing into melee range.
He thought he understood her abilities from their earlier clashes.
He was very, very much mistaken.
+Ohwow.+
After the first exchange of blows, Alop retreated, wide-eyed and missing his right hand.
-She is way better than we realized.-
+You arent lying.+
The fox tried to continue that retreat, but Tali pursued, a predators grin pulling at her features.
The next exchange left the fox without his left leg, below the knee.
Alops eyes held clear confusion. He had lost, and he didnt understand how it had happened.
You challenged me; thats how.
Even as he fell, Tali cleaved the beast-mans head in half.
Thats four dead, three by my hand. She was a little disappointed that she wouldnt be able to kill all of her opponents as one had already died to others, but that had been unreasonable to hope for, given her plan. She had needed to give the impression of being significantly less skilled in order to draw in opponents to one-on-one conflict.
If shed shown her true abilities from the beginning, the others would have swarmed her, and that might have ended badly.
+Wow. That actually hurts. Is that really how shes reconciling my fighting abilities in the first part of the conflict?+
-She has to have a coherent internal narrative and given the gulf between your skill levels thats really all that makes sense.-
+II dont know how to take that, actually.+
-You have a lot to learn, and a skilled teacher to help you get there?-
+So it would seem...+
Tali turned to the last two combatants: The dwarf and the hue folk male.
Lets end this. There hadnt been enough time for the Join amplification to ramp up on its own. She only had one choice.
As she continued building power in one of her remaining rocks, she burned through all of her remaining, powerful-burst-style inscriptions to amplify the working faster than it would otherwise have grown. She needed the weapon ready as soon as possible.
That done, she charged forwards, both other candidates seeing her coming even as they clashed.
Thorn didnt really react to her approach. His magics seemed closer range than the red-mans fire.
Girro did turn half way to face her.
Tali grinned, pulling out the stone.
Revered Sanguis had purposely left a hole in the rules, a test to see if any candidate was clever enough to notice.
+OhI completely missed that.+
-I did toowhat the rust?-
+Thats maniacal.+
Tali grinned. This is exactly what Eskau Pallaun would do.
She supplied her working, the built up power, with a target and the rock shot off, almost immediately cracking the air.
Girro threw up a barrier of fire, with Tai being too close for him to trust in his fire lances ability to disrupt the attack, but the rock wasnt aimed towards him.
Thorn wasnt looking at her at all, his defenses didnt require him to. Instead, he pulled back, transforming his protian weapon into something reminiscent of a giant cleaver.
The rock struck home, a precision strike that wouldnt harm any bystander, and potential Pillar Derags head turned to mist, spraying the area around him with blood, bone fragments, and brain matter.
Tali remembered Revered Sanguiss words, her grin spreading:
No outside interference will be acceptable, from the potential Pillars or other watchers.
So, there was nothing blocking magic entering or leaving the pit, and he explicitly stated that those outside would not be allowed to interfere.
The cliff walls are impervious to anything you are capable of but keep your magics contained. Id hate for one of the bystanders to be killed.
Potential Pillars arent bystanders. They are participating through their candidates, and even if they could be considered bystanders, there was no forbiddance against targeting them, just an expression that hed dislike it.
Girros head jerked up even as his potential Pillars lifeless body slumped to the ground, his mouth falling open. Brother!
Thorn struck, bisecting the candidate in a single blow, hip to shoulder.
As the dwarf spun with the attack, he glanced up, his own eyes widening.
Pillars were powerful, but they werent intended to be front-line fighters. They had Eskau for that role.
They could clash with armies, but were not oriented towards direct conflict, certainly not while still only a potential Pillar. If given more than an instant, the attack could probably have been foiled, but Tali hadnt given him that.
Nor did she give that time to her next target.
Tali pulled out another rock, making the motion obvious, and pointed towards potential Pillar Gallop, the one whom Thorn was fighting for.
The gray-skinned man stepped backwards, his eyes widening in horror. Magics began to build around him, but they would take more time to form than Talis attack had seemed to need.
Thorn immediately dropped to one knee. I surrender.
And that was it.
The battle was over, and Tali was victorious.
+I cantHow did that actually work? She just bluffed him into surrendering?+
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Chapter 209: Clash
Tala cursed internally as she fought with the bear-man, Ogi.
They were almost perfectly evenly matched in prowess, and he didnt even need to expend power to call upon the plant life around them anymore. Though, that was mostly because Tala had her aura extended and hardened against his magics. He might have been able to do a working through her authority, but it would have taken a great deal more power, and he seemed content to wait.
Instead, the candidate was using his power internally, in looping spell-forms that were incredibly efficient, amplifying himself to match her speed and power.
Not only that, but the benefit of the protian weapon was showing itself.
His every strike seemed to snake around her blocks, cutting at her defensive magics, and forcing her to pull more and more power through her gate.
If shed been an arcane, shed already have lost.
It felt like she was juggling greased electric eels, who were very unhappy by the mishandling.
-That is genuinely one of the oddest metaphors Ive ever heard.-
Im not exactly devoting brainpower to clever figures of speech.
Ogi was, without question, better at utilizing his magic efficiently than she was, by leagues. She was a child beside a master with decades spent honing his craft, in that regard.
-What do you expect? Hes treated magic as an incredibly rare resource his entire life. Youve had virtually unlimited power for as long as youve been using magic.-
Alat was absolutely correct, and it grated on Tala.
She was using the Way of Flowing Blood, but it still felt alien to her, even as her body moved through it with ease. She wasnt used to fighting this way, and that made her reactions just a hair slower than she otherwise could have been, her movements the smallest bit less fluid and precise.
There was still no doubt that the Way of Flowing Blood was superior to how she could have fought without that fighting style. Ogi would have overwhelmed her in the first few exchanges if she was fighting as she had been, before being captured.
That twisted at her, too.
There was only one way that she could win this fight.
-Well, you could turn things over to Tali.-
There were two ways Tala could win this fight, but she wanted to do it herself, leaving her with only one real option.
-This seems needlessly complicated. Why not let a version of us whos a bit better, for now, do this?-
Because then it wouldnt be me.
-I dont mind too much.-
Tala didnt hesitate at that, though it did surprise her; hesitating would have gotten her killed. However, she did grimace internally. Sorry, that was a bit insensitive.
Alat scoffed. -I dont honestly care. The choice is up to you. Im just here to help.-
Ogi brought a great sword down at her, and she parried with her tungsten rod, which was looking very worse for wear. Well need to get that fixed, maybe replaced?
The attacking weapon didnt stop. Instead, a flicker of power ran through the greatsword as it was blocked, and a pivot point appeared in the long blade, just past where shed blocked it. In fact, the block actually caused the attacking blade to speed up, whipping down at her.
Tala barely had time to shift, grunting as she took the hit as a glancing blow.
Enough of this. She had a plan, and it should work.
Tala forced extra power into the scripts enhancing the muscles in her legs and vaulted forward on quick, powerful steps. The inscriptions augmenting the surface area of her footing gave her good traction despite the thick clover beneath her feet.
She hadnt closed the distance between them before, because she knew how it would end.
Tala flicked the discs towards the bear-mans face and hands as distractions and slowing tactics.
As she took the two steps needed, Tala saw Ogis eyes widen just slightly. Even so, he didnt hesitate.
His protian weapon contracted into a coil around his fist. That coil sprung outward, even as he punched forward, driving it towards her chest to push her back.
Instead of blocking or retreating, Tala just used her tungsten sphere to deflect herself slightly to the side, even as she whipped Flow forward.
Ogi saw what she was doing, too late.
He dumped his remaining power into two workings.
The first fought through her hardened aura, controlling the battlefield. He was able to rest just enough of a foothold to cause vines to shoot upward, moving faster than striking snakes to immediately wrap around her and hold her back.
The second added durability to his own neck, making it tougher than an old-growth, hardwood tree.
Neither worked.
Talas strength and momentum tore through the grasping vines, even though they were magically strengthened in the attempt to hamper her. She had her feet planted and was able to exert the strength of her entire body against their restriction, overcoming it with ease.
Ogis protian weapon struck her high on the right side of her chest. The magics within the weapon flashed in conflict with the defenses of her elk-leathers. The focused power of the protian weapon penetrated through the localized part of the elk-leathers protective magics.
Magically sharpened and strengthened metal broke through her skin as it lanced through her.
It couldnt go through her bone, so it was pushed downward as it slid between her ribs, just missing her heart.
The point burst out through her back, sending a spurt of blood to paint the clover behind her.
Tala didnt falter, despite the incredible pain. One puncture? I've endured millions.
Flow hit the bear-mans neck cleanly and passed through in a blink, leaving cauterized flesh above and below.
Talas momentum carried her past Ogi.
Her enemys weapon was ripped from his hand as it was still sticking through her chest.
Tala staggered slightly but maintained her footing, despite the fact that she couldnt seem to draw a proper breath.
Behind her, her opponents head fell free of his body, thudding to the ground. The bear-like torso following shortly after.
Tala grimaced as she reached up with her left hand and pulled the protian weapon from her chest.
With a wet cough, she spat out a good amount of blood. Then, a deep breath reinflated her previously punctured lung.
That rusting hurt.
-That is why I offered another option. You could have used the discs to help deflect his attack, if nothing else.-
RightIm still not used to having those.
Alat huffed a laugh within Talas mind. -Were a bit out of our depth, here.-
I think were doing pretty well, all things considered.
After a chaotic miniature whirlwind of power, the protian weapon reshaped itself into a gauntlet around Talas left hand, sizing itself perfectly to her hand.
It was an odd feeling, having a glove form around her hand. The fount within the weapon was not attuned to her, so its magic was unavailable in its raw form.
Tala tried not to dwell on the literal human soul, trapped and now wrapped around her hand. First, survive.
As for the weapon itself? She had no idea how to use it. Tali hadnt known. It was something that Be-thric had never deigned to teach her.
Thats two. She turned around, scanning the other combatants: those locked in battle, and those already dead.
Obviously, Blu-dine and Ogi were dead. Tala had killed them herself.
To her surprise, Tala saw that Rel was dead as well. His body was laid out, large chunks missing and the other parts smoldering. His protian weapon was laying beside him, where his hand would have been, were it not missing along with his shoulder and a good portion of his torso.
* * *
Tali ducked and rolled to avoid Alops returning attack, even as she used her discs to deflect and ward.
As she rolled, she quickly transitioned her weapon between sword and knife and back repeatedly, flicking her weapon upward in three licking attacks.
Each one struck home, drawing blood and gasps of surprise from her opponent.
Finally. Its time to show my true skill. She briefly shook her head to clear the last vestiges of whatever that had been. It had felt like she was fighting through a fog before, and now the world was clearly laid out before her.
Alop staggered even as he landed, shallow, cauterized wounds in his shoulder, stomach, and left leg.
The fox growled, his protian weapon shifting to a javelin on a rope, which he threw at her while holding the other end of that rope.
She smacked the attack from the air with one of her discs. The motion held all the contempt that she felt for this pitiful creature.
Hed thought to match her? Pathetic.
Even so, a small part of her was jumping for joy, at least internally. She reveled in the feeling of the gauntlet on her left fist. She still couldnt believe that she finally had a protian weapon. It was hers by right of conquest.
She had no idea how to use it, but that could come later.
Now that Alop was hurt, he couldnt continue his harrying tactics. That left him with one option, and he took it, closing into melee range.
He thought he understood her abilities from their earlier clashes.
He was very, very much mistaken.
+Ohwow.+
After the first exchange of blows, Alop retreated, wide-eyed and missing his right hand.
-She is way better than we realized.-
+You arent lying.+
The fox tried to continue that retreat, but Tali pursued, a predators grin pulling at her features.
The next exchange left the fox without his left leg, below the knee.
Alops eyes held clear confusion. He had lost, and he didnt understand how it had happened.
You challenged me; thats how.
Even as he fell, Tali cleaved the beast-mans head in half.
Thats four dead, three by my hand. She was a little disappointed that she wouldnt be able to kill all of her opponents as one had already died to others, but that had been unreasonable to hope for, given her plan. She had needed to give the impression of being significantly less skilled in order to draw in opponents to one-on-one conflict.
If shed shown her true abilities from the beginning, the others would have swarmed her, and that might have ended badly.
+Wow. That actually hurts. Is that really how shes reconciling my fighting abilities in the first part of the conflict?+
-She has to have a coherent internal narrative and given the gulf between your skill levels thats really all that makes sense.-
+II dont know how to take that, actually.+
-You have a lot to learn, and a skilled teacher to help you get there?-
+So it would seem...+
Tali turned to the last two combatants: The dwarf and the hue folk male.
Lets end this. There hadnt been enough time for the Join amplification to ramp up on its own. She only had one choice.
As she continued building power in one of her remaining rocks, she burned through all of her remaining, powerful-burst-style inscriptions to amplify the working faster than it would otherwise have grown. She needed the weapon ready as soon as possible.
That done, she charged forwards, both other candidates seeing her coming even as they clashed.
Thorn didnt really react to her approach. His magics seemed closer range than the red-mans fire.
Girro did turn half way to face her.
Tali grinned, pulling out the stone.
Revered Sanguis had purposely left a hole in the rules, a test to see if any candidate was clever enough to notice.
+OhI completely missed that.+
-I did toowhat the rust?-
+Thats maniacal.+
Tali grinned. This is exactly what Eskau Pallaun would do.
She supplied her working, the built up power, with a target and the rock shot off, almost immediately cracking the air.
Girro threw up a barrier of fire, with Tai being too close for him to trust in his fire lances ability to disrupt the attack, but the rock wasnt aimed towards him.
Thorn wasnt looking at her at all, his defenses didnt require him to. Instead, he pulled back, transforming his protian weapon into something reminiscent of a giant cleaver.
The rock struck home, a precision strike that wouldnt harm any bystander, and potential Pillar Derags head turned to mist, spraying the area around him with blood, bone fragments, and brain matter.
Tali remembered Revered Sanguiss words, her grin spreading:
No outside interference will be acceptable, from the potential Pillars or other watchers.
So, there was nothing blocking magic entering or leaving the pit, and he explicitly stated that those outside would not be allowed to interfere.
The cliff walls are impervious to anything you are capable of but keep your magics contained. Id hate for one of the bystanders to be killed.
Potential Pillars arent bystanders. They are participating through their candidates, and even if they could be considered bystanders, there was no forbiddance against targeting them, just an expression that hed dislike it.
Girros head jerked up even as his potential Pillars lifeless body slumped to the ground, his mouth falling open. Brother!
Thorn struck, bisecting the candidate in a single blow, hip to shoulder.
As the dwarf spun with the attack, he glanced up, his own eyes widening.
Pillars were powerful, but they werent intended to be front-line fighters. They had Eskau for that role.
They could clash with armies, but were not oriented towards direct conflict, certainly not while still only a potential Pillar. If given more than an instant, the attack could probably have been foiled, but Tali hadnt given him that.
Nor did she give that time to her next target.
Tali pulled out another rock, making the motion obvious, and pointed towards potential Pillar Gallop, the one whom Thorn was fighting for.
The gray-skinned man stepped backwards, his eyes widening in horror. Magics began to build around him, but they would take more time to form than Talis attack had seemed to need.
Thorn immediately dropped to one knee. I surrender.
And that was it.
The battle was over, and Tali was victorious.
+I cantHow did that actually work? She just bluffed him into surrendering?+
Chapter 209: ClashTala cursed internally as she fought with the bear-man, Ogi.They were almost perfectly evenly matched in prowess, and he didnt even need to expend power to call upon the plant life around them anymore. Though, that was mostly because Tala had her aura extended and hardened against his magics. He might have been able to do a working through her authority, but it would have taken a great deal more power, and he seemed content to wait.Instead, the candidate was using his power internally, in looping spell-forms that were incredibly efficient, amplifying himself to match her speed and power.Not only that, but the benefit of the protian weapon was showing itself.His every strike seemed to snake around her blocks, cutting at her defensive magics, and forcing her to pull more and more power through her gate.If shed been an arcane, shed already have lost.It felt like she was juggling greased electric eels, who were very unhappy by the mishandling.-That is genuinely one of the oddest metaphors Ive ever heard.-Im not exactly devoting brainpower to clever figures of speech.Ogi was, without question, better at utilizing his magic efficiently than she was, by leagues. She was a child beside a master with decades spent honing his craft, in that regard.-What do you expect? Hes treated magic as an incredibly rare resource his entire life. Youve had virtually unlimited power for as long as youve been using magic.-Alat was absolutely correct, and it grated on Tala.She was using the Way of Flowing Blood, but it still felt alien to her, even as her body moved through it with ease. She wasnt used to fighting this way, and that made her reactions just a hair slower than she otherwise could have been, her movements the smallest bit less fluid and precise.There was still no doubt that the Way of Flowing Blood was superior to how she could have fought without that fighting style. Ogi would have overwhelmed her in the first few exchanges if she was fighting as she had been, before being captured.That twisted at her, too.There was only one way that she could win this fight.-Well, you could turn things over to Tali.-There were two ways Tala could win this fight, but she wanted to do it herself, leaving her with only one real option.-This seems needlessly complicated. Why not let a version of us whos a bit better, for now, do this?-Because then it wouldnt be me.-I dont mind too much.-Tala didnt hesitate at that, though it did surprise her; hesitating would have gotten her killed. However, she did grimace internally. Sorry, that was a bit insensitive.Alat scoffed. -I dont honestly care. The choice is up to you. Im just here to help.-Ogi brought a great sword down at her, and she parried with her tungsten rod, which was looking very worse for wear. Well need to get that fixed, maybe replaced?The attacking weapon didnt stop. Instead, a flicker of power ran through the greatsword as it was blocked, and a pivot point appeared in the long blade, just past where shed blocked it. In fact, the block actually caused the attacking blade to speed up, whipping down at her.Tala barely had time to shift, grunting as she took the hit as a glancing blow.Enough of this. She had a plan, and it should work.Tala forced extra power into the scripts enhancing the muscles in her legs and vaulted forward on quick, powerful steps. The inscriptions augmenting the surface area of her footing gave her good traction despite the thick clover beneath her feet.She hadnt closed the distance between them before, because she knew how it would end.Tala flicked the discs towards the bear-mans face and hands as distractions and slowing tactics.As she took the two steps needed, Tala saw Ogis eyes widen just slightly. Even so, he didnt hesitate.His protian weapon contracted into a coil around his fist. That coil sprung outward, even as he punched forward, driving it towards her chest to push her back.Instead of blocking or retreating, Tala just used her tungsten sphere to deflect herself slightly to the side, even as she whipped Flow forward.Ogi saw what she was doing, too late.He dumped his remaining power into two workings.The first fought through her hardened aura, controlling the battlefield. He was able to rest just enough of a foothold to cause vines to shoot upward, moving faster than striking snakes to immediately wrap around her and hold her back.The second added durability to his own neck, making it tougher than an old-growth, hardwood tree.Neither worked.Talas strength and momentum tore through the grasping vines, even though they were magically strengthened in the attempt to hamper her. She had her feet planted and was able to exert the strength of her entire body against their restriction, overcoming it with ease.Ogis protian weapon struck her high on the right side of her chest. The magics within the weapon flashed in conflict with the defenses of her elk-leathers. The focused power of the protian weapon penetrated through the localized part of the elk-leathers protective magics.Magically sharpened and strengthened metal broke through her skin as it lanced through her.It couldnt go through her bone, so it was pushed downward as it slid between her ribs, just missing her heart.The point burst out through her back, sending a spurt of blood to paint the clover behind her.Tala didnt falter, despite the incredible pain. One puncture? I've endured millions.Flow hit the bear-mans neck cleanly and passed through in a blink, leaving cauterized flesh above and below.Talas momentum carried her past Ogi.Her enemys weapon was ripped from his hand as it was still sticking through her chest.Tala staggered slightly but maintained her footing, despite the fact that she couldnt seem to draw a proper breath.Behind her, her opponents head fell free of his body, thudding to the ground. The bear-like torso following shortly after.Tala grimaced as she reached up with her left hand and pulled the protian weapon from her chest.With a wet cough, she spat out a good amount of blood. Then, a deep breath reinflated her previously punctured lung.That rusting hurt.-That is why I offered another option. You could have used the discs to help deflect his attack, if nothing else.-RightIm still not used to having those.Alat huffed a laugh within Talas mind. -Were a bit out of our depth, here.-I think were doing pretty well, all things considered.After a chaotic miniature whirlwind of power, the protian weapon reshaped itself into a gauntlet around Talas left hand, sizing itself perfectly to her hand.It was an odd feeling, having a glove form around her hand. The fount within the weapon was not attuned to her, so its magic was unavailable in its raw form.Tala tried not to dwell on the literal human soul, trapped and now wrapped around her hand. First, survive.As for the weapon itself? She had no idea how to use it. Tali hadnt known. It was something that Be-thric had never deigned to teach her.Thats two. She turned around, scanning the other combatants: those locked in battle, and those already dead.Obviously, Blu-dine and Ogi were dead. Tala had killed them herself.To her surprise, Tala saw that Rel was dead as well. His body was laid out, large chunks missing and the other parts smoldering. His protian weapon was laying beside him, where his hand would have been, were it not missing along with his shoulder and a good portion of his torso.* * *Tali ducked and rolled to avoid Alops returning attack, even as she used her discs to deflect and ward.As she rolled, she quickly transitioned her weapon between sword and knife and back repeatedly, flicking her weapon upward in three licking attacks.Each one struck home, drawing blood and gasps of surprise from her opponent.Finally. Its time to show my true skill. She briefly shook her head to clear the last vestiges of whatever that had been. It had felt like she was fighting through a fog before, and now the world was clearly laid out before her.Alop staggered even as he landed, shallow, cauterized wounds in his shoulder, stomach, and left leg.The fox growled, his protian weapon shifting to a javelin on a rope, which he threw at her while holding the other end of that rope.She smacked the attack from the air with one of her discs. The motion held all the contempt that she felt for this pitiful creature.Hed thought to match her? Pathetic.Even so, a small part of her was jumping for joy, at least internally. She reveled in the feeling of the gauntlet on her left fist. She still couldnt believe that she finally had a protian weapon. It was hers by right of conquest.She had no idea how to use it, but that could come later.Now that Alop was hurt, he couldnt continue his harrying tactics. That left him with one option, and he took it, closing into melee range.He thought he understood her abilities from their earlier clashes.He was very, very much mistaken.+Ohwow.+After the first exchange of blows, Alop retreated, wide-eyed and missing his right hand.-She is way better than we realized.-+You arent lying.+The fox tried to continue that retreat, but Tali pursued, a predators grin pulling at her features.The next exchange left the fox without his left leg, below the knee.Alops eyes held clear confusion. He had lost, and he didnt understand how it had happened.You challenged me; thats how.Even as he fell, Tali cleaved the beast-mans head in half.Thats four dead, three by my hand. She was a little disappointed that she wouldnt be able to kill all of her opponents as one had already died to others, but that had been unreasonable to hope for, given her plan. She had needed to give the impression of being significantly less skilled in order to draw in opponents to one-on-one conflict.If shed shown her true abilities from the beginning, the others would have swarmed her, and that might have ended badly.+Wow. That actually hurts. Is that really how shes reconciling my fighting abilities in the first part of the conflict?+-She has to have a coherent internal narrative and given the gulf between your skill levels thats really all that makes sense.-+II dont know how to take that, actually.+-You have a lot to learn, and a skilled teacher to help you get there?-+So it would seem...+Tali turned to the last two combatants: The dwarf and the hue folk male.Lets end this. There hadnt been enough time for the Join amplification to ramp up on its own. She only had one choice.As she continued building power in one of her remaining rocks, she burned through all of her remaining, powerful-burst-style inscriptions to amplify the working faster than it would otherwise have grown. She needed the weapon ready as soon as possible.That done, she charged forwards, both other candidates seeing her coming even as they clashed.Thorn didnt really react to her approach. His magics seemed closer range than the red-mans fire.Girro did turn half way to face her.Tali grinned, pulling out the stone.Revered Sanguis had purposely left a hole in the rules, a test to see if any candidate was clever enough to notice.+OhI completely missed that.+-I did toowhat the rust?-+Thats maniacal.+Tali grinned. This is exactly what Eskau Pallaun would do.She supplied her working, the built up power, with a target and the rock shot off, almost immediately cracking the air.Girro threw up a barrier of fire, with Tai being too close for him to trust in his fire lances ability to disrupt the attack, but the rock wasnt aimed towards him.Thorn wasnt looking at her at all, his defenses didnt require him to. Instead, he pulled back, transforming his protian weapon into something reminiscent of a giant cleaver.The rock struck home, a precision strike that wouldnt harm any bystander, and potential Pillar Derags head turned to mist, spraying the area around him with blood, bone fragments, and brain matter.Tali remembered Revered Sanguiss words, her grin spreading:No outside interference will be acceptable, from the potential Pillars or other watchers.So, there was nothing blocking magic entering or leaving the pit, and he explicitly stated that those outside would not be allowed to interfere.The cliff walls are impervious to anything you are capable of but keep your magics contained. Id hate for one of the bystanders to be killed.Potential Pillars arent bystanders. They are participating through their candidates, and even if they could be considered bystanders, there was no forbiddance against targeting them, just an expression that hed dislike it.Girros head jerked up even as his potential Pillars lifeless body slumped to the ground, his mouth falling open. Brother!Thorn struck, bisecting the candidate in a single blow, hip to shoulder.As the dwarf spun with the attack, he glanced up, his own eyes widening.Pillars were powerful, but they werent intended to be front-line fighters. They had Eskau for that role.They could clash with armies, but were not oriented towards direct conflict, certainly not while still only a potential Pillar. If given more than an instant, the attack could probably have been foiled, but Tali hadnt given him that.Nor did she give that time to her next target.Tali pulled out another rock, making the motion obvious, and pointed towards potential Pillar Gallop, the one whom Thorn was fighting for.The gray-skinned man stepped backwards, his eyes widening in horror. Magics began to build around him, but they would take more time to form than Talis attack had seemed to need.Thorn immediately dropped to one knee. I surrender.And that was it.The battle was over, and Tali was victorious.+I cantHow did that actually work? She just bluffed him into surrendering?+
