Student Statistics

[[God] - Yuki Shiotaro]

Yuki's tone and body language reverted back to the disguise. Airy and mysterious, but with a feeling of total control instead of the hare-brained water god that was with Zedd just minutes before. She glanced at Damien, movement slight as she simply nodded his way to acknowledge his sickeningly sweet words. She would definitely be there. 

She watched the two exchange their words. Needless to say, it appeared Zedd was doing more than puffing his chest and bluffing before Damien and Headmaster Valiant. When the two left to make their way, Yuki turned to Valiant and gave him a slight bow of her head to give a silent notice of leave. She was going to witness this match in person. Zedd seemed to have some form of newfound confidence, and she wanted to see if that would help him burst through.

She entered the Arcane Field to notice the entire space filled to the brim with students. There were so many that there was even a crowd present outside of the facility. Professors appeared to have suspended classes for this, using it as a case of an educational show whereas students were more invested on the underdog and one of the most elite students. She sighed quietly and Aurora appeared just to teleport her to the center of the stage so she could prep hype for the upcoming match while Zedd and Damien were preparing.

When they were ready and at the entrance of the the fields from wherever they chose to start, the noise of the faculty and student body turned to nothing but a few whispers. More than several placed bets amongst each other, something Aurora was secretly watching on a panel on the side while broadcasting the rest of the event.

[smear:#00fff7]"The rules are standard. The match will end when a student's aura breaks, when either one of you forfeit, or if you are incapacitated. You may bring in whatever armour and weaponry you see fit, however no outside help is allowed. Any attempts of sabotage will render the guilty party disqualification. Any attacks or attempts of murder after the opposed is incapacitated or forfeits will disqualify the guilty party. May both of you fight with honour."[/smear:#0066FF:0], she said, stepping back and letting the match begin. The victor's prize is up to them, but surely the two knew this and either prepared the deal in advance or will mention it to the end. There was no use explaining what the winners got. For all the rest of the school know, this was just a disproportionate match.

[[???] - Bahamut]

[Refs]

   It was amusing seeing Zedd try and be threatening towards him, like hearing a puppy growl. Damian simply looked him straight in the eyes, smiled towards him and shook his head ever so slightly in the most condescending way that he could muster. It wasn't good to reward such behaviour with a response, it would simply jump him up and an angry person was less predictable than a shamed one. With that done, Damian himself left and went to go and get ready, he knew he wouldn't have too much time but thankfully with a few messages sent out to his closest associates, they brought what he needed to him.



Thus it was when he entered the Arcane Field, he raised his arms and clapped a few times, flashing everyone in the crowd a massive smile. He knew they'd love him, sure some were there to see him get demolished but he knew they were the minority. He had changed out of his uniform and into something more battle appropriate. Metal covered his lower half, a heavy pair of greaves and chausses, lightened with a touch of his magic. His upper half was covered with a tank-top and a pair of massive metal bracers over his forearms, polished to a near mirror sheen.



Now Damian was arrogant but he wasn't an idiot and he'd studied up on lightning, just a little bit. Every piece of armour he had on was placed on top of a thick layer of insulating cloth, it might reduce his mobility a bit but it was better than making him an easy target for electricity and with the cloth hidden, he might even be able to get a surprise strike off.



As he moved his way to the starting position, he danced a bit, shadowboxing as well, giving a bit of a show to the crowd before spinning around and pulling out more cloth wrappings of a deep golden colour, tying them around his hands and fingers. With a bit of a finger wiggle he then tapped a piece of the plate skirt around his hips and flicked it forwards, a long spear of metal forming out of the piece he'd touched which he grabbed and flourished over his head and around his body, the speed slicing through the air with a whistle.



With his weapon summoned, he stabbed it into the ground at his feet and turned towards the crowd, blowing a few kisses to the assembled masses and throwing one especially to Shion with a wink.



Now that he suited up and ready for battle all of the earlier anger and anxiety had melted away, he just oozed confidence now and he knew it. A smug smile sat on his lips and he rolled his shoulders and neck out. This wasn't going to be a fight, this was going to be a slaughter and once more he'd have everyone wrapped around his little finger. Damian loved being at the top.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   Word traveled fast, even reaching Isaah of all people. As much as he hated it, he had to see what was going on, sitting with the rest of the honors students to view the bout. What the hell is Zedd thinking? The water mage folded his arms across his chest, furrowing his brows down at Damien. The crowd around the forested arena was awash with both cheers and jeers alike. The honor's class, however, remained markedly quiet. Not because they had a reputation to keep, but because they were more interested in the actual results.

    There had been few challenges against their ranks since Isaah demolished Damien and took the number one spot. It was a hefty blow to the other's reputation, and it was obvious he was still recovering from it. But, to be frank...

    This match up was completely one sided.

    Isaah didn't want anything to do with Zedd anymore, and he was completely apathetic towards Damien. However, the blond's tendency to harass and belittle others was still one of the few things that actually pissed Isaah off. And this? This was just going to be an excuse for Damien to once again inflate his ego. The water mage's eyes narrowed, staring down at his fellow honor's student as he worked up the crowd.

    What are you playing at, Damien?

---

[Refs]

   Zedd stepped out into the arena, straightening his jacket as his feet touched the magically created grass. His gauntlets and shoulder pieces sparked and glowed with electricity, goggles shimmering in the artificially created light. The second he stepped out, there was a roar of laughter from many of the crowd. He grit his teeth. 

    Of course they would laugh. He was known for his instability when casting magic. He'd practically blown himself up multiple times. Unlike Damien who was showered in equal parts contempt and praise, Zedd was shown no such support from the crowd. Many wanted to see Damien's downfall, but no one really expected Zedd to pull it off.

    Up in a special office overlooking the arena, Valiant watched the scene. 

    The arena would give neither mage the advantage, which left it as a fair as it could possibly be. Zedd began planning. Covered in trees and hills, he terrain could be used to maneuver around Damien, helping the young man keep distance from his opponent. However, as soon as the boy saw Damien's attire, he knew he was going to have a far more brutal uphill battle than originally anticipated. The fact that he was covered in metal was enough to clue Zedd in. 

    Damien was showing it off. He was broadcasting the fact that Zedd's advantage was all but lost. Was it insulation? Rubber, fabric, or something else to redirect the current? Gauntleted hands balled into fists. It didn't matter. It wouldn't matter. It just meant that the lightning mage had to fight far harder, think more outside the box. They were idiots to think he only knew how to rely on his magic. He could fight too. I need a plan. Zedd's mind scattered, searching every possible route to form a strategy. Some way to gather an advantage. 

    He's using heavy insulation, so that will cut his mobility. As long as I use that fact to keep my distance, he'll have to try to hit me at range, where I have the advantage. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing he really had an advantage in. The young mage was fast, nimble. Stick to the plan of keeping Damien out of close quarters, and you might make it out of this without being pummeled to a pulp, Zedd.
   
    His time was up. 

    Remember Goddess Yuki's words. He sucked in a breath. "If you're entering with doubts, you've already lost."  Don't doubt yourself. Even if this plan is shaky on the best of days, it's all you have. Metal gauntlets reached up, fingers adjusting his goggles. Just fight like hell.

     Zedd straightened up as the crowd began roaring. Every arena match was an event. A moment for all the students to let lose. It was like the Academy's version of a sporting event. Their own gladiatorial arena. A heavy breath escaped Zedd's lips. How many in the crowd were rooting for the underdog? How many were content betting on the champion?

    Was the crowd on his side, or Damien's? 

[[???] - Bahamut]

[Refs]

   

 He could tell his little gambit had already had an effect. There was a slight moment of shock in Zedd and that was all Damian needed. Of course he was showing off, clad in metal as he was against a lightning mage. What was the point of fighting if you didn't make a spectacle out of it? It only made victory all the sweeter when you crushed your opponent's spirit as well as their body.

Knowing the fight was about to start made a warmth start to flutter inside Damian, his mana already reacting and flaring up inside him. The warmth distracted him from the fact that he had spotted Isaah in the crowd, the guy that had taken his title but it was fine. He'd get it back one of these days, he simply had more important things to do just now. Damian took a deep breath in and crouched slightly, arm and spear to his side.

His eyes narrowed and he stared directly at Zedd, waiting to catch the boy's eyes. There was no trepidation in Damian's, not a single bit of worry or doubt... He knew the crowd was cheering for him and not this little twerp. The blonde haired boy flicked his fingers, spinning his spear around.

Then the horn blared and the match started.

His mind easily fell into a rhythm, he'd been training for combat since a very young age, his father had all but demanded it. He'd suffered a lot of beatings back then but they'd taught him strength, physical and not. He could barely even feel the weight of the metal plates covering his legs and hips as he rushed forwards, armoured feet slamming into the dirt. His left arm was held across his chest, fingers on his shoulder as he charged.

He didn't even try and move in a dodging pattern or do anything fancy, no he just ran straight at Zedd, glaring daggers at him the entire time, his right arm held off to the side with the spear gripped tightly. It was as though he was waiting for something or wanted Zedd to try something first, his eyes never even twitched.

Why dodge after all... This chump was more likely to blow himself up than hit him...

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   Damien acted exactly as Zedd had  expected. Charging forwards without a single care in the world. But, Zedd had one advantage over Damien that not many others could take claim to. The lightning mage was known for accidentally blowing himself up, but no one knew exactly what he was capable of. Damien was a champion of the arena, where as Zedd's abilities had been seen very rarely. As soon as the horn blared, the roaring of the crowd fell into the background of Zedd's mind

    Lightning danced wildly across his whole entire body. Every stand of hair stood on end. Parts of the ground scorched from wild bolts as as mass of electricity welled up in the very palm of Zedd's hands. The energy was enough to distort the boy's scream as his muscles tensed, lifting his gauntleted hands up, then thrusting them forwards.

    The first sign of danger around Damien would be the sudden rise of static electricity. Followed by a bombshell's worth of lightning. The shocks were tightly clustered, incinerating all of the plant-life caught within it's radius and burning the ground black. It didn't matter if he couldn't lock directly onto Damien, he could track him just fine through sight. 

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell name: Electrodominance
Spell Main Element: Lightning
Affinity Strength: 3 at base
Function: Caster unleashes a violent storm of electricity around themselves, or directs it in a wide, uncontrollable burst in the general direction of a target. Lightning is more guaranteed to strike an opponent wearing conductive metals. The cluster of electrical strikes and its range is determined by affinity strength.
Affinity:
3- Short range, Average cluster
>[5- Mid range, Average cluster]
7- Mid range, High cluster
Availability: Open

    
    Of course, the accuracy was up in the air, but Zedd could care less. He had to drop everything he could before he began his maneuvers. the boy had to make himself known. And with that in mind, he reeled his arm back, gathering a mass of electricity, and throwing his arm down, finger pointing dead onto Damien. The sky crashed with the sound of a thunderclap as a bolt of lightning rocketed down towards his targeted enemy.

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell name: Strikedown
Spell Main Element: Lightning
Affinity Strength: 4
Function: The user channels their magic and focuses on a target for lightning to come from the sky and strike onto the enemy. Lightning it more guaranteed to strike an opponent wearing conductive metals, are airborne, or are in high places compared to the caster.
Availability: Open

    By the time it struck the ground, Zedd was already on the move, putting his plan into action to use his speed as much as possible. With every fiber of his being on fire, veins coursing with energy, the lightning mage banked into the surrounding foliage, putting trees and other obstacles between him and Damien. 
    
    He wouldn't allow Damien to simply walk over him.

    Speed was the name of the game. As long as Zedd kept maneuvering, keep the distance, he could pepper Damien at range as much as he wanted. The crowd was roaring, the sudden bombshells Zedd had dropped coming right out of left field. Of course, with his gauntlets, Zedd could properly harness his magical potential. No one expected the walking time bomb to unleash such attacks without destroying himself in the process. 

    It appeared as though Zedd had shown his entire hand early, but that couldn't be any further from the truth. The young man still had one more ace kept securely up his sleeve. But now wasn't the time to waste such a spell. No, he'd need an opening for that one. He'd need time. And more than that, Zedd would need as much space from Damien as he could possibly manage. The evasion game had begun.
    

[[???] - Bahamut]

[Refs]

   

  Gods but it was such an obvious ploy. Run forwards straight towards the target that specialised in ranged combat. If only Damian had actually been that stupid.

The burst of lightning would work exactly as Zedd hoped it would, scorching the ground and incinerating the plant life around Damian and then the lightning bolt finished it nice and cleanly. It slammed down and straight through the Mirage that Damian had sent forwards. It shattered into shards of glittering light that fell across the battlefield and lit up the area that was struck for just a moment.

Damian was a master light mage or near enough to it, it was far too easy for him to simply fold the light around himself as he ran, simultaneously forming a duplicate of himself that charged forwards and made him invisible. Everything he'd watched and learned taught him that Zedd had no good way to detect an invisible target and thus the real Damian slowed to a stop and waited for Damian to move into the undergrowth.

A grin split his features, predatory and cruel and he dashed off into the foliage as well, he knew the leaves would break his invisibility but he only needed it long enough to intercept Zedd's path and what do you know, that's exactly what he did. He wasn't as fast as Zedd especially with the armour on his legs but cutting across a circle made the distance travelled much shorter and enabled him to find Zedd.

The boy's first hint that something was amiss would be a gasp from the crowd, the second was a burst of leaves directly in front of him. The final was Damian appearing out of thin air before him, still looking utterly pristine and with a smile, even as his armoured gauntlet swung out towards Zedd's face in a massive left hook.

As he done this, his other wrist flicked and planted the spear in the ground just to the right of the pair of them, any electrical blasts would probably take the closer metal target than Damian but he wasn't too sure of that, especially because he had no idea how powerful Zedd's control over his lightning actually was. Either way, a Metal enhanced punch would be soaring towards Zedd's right cheek and all of a sudden the fight was no longer so ranged...

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell name:
Light Fold
Spell Main Element:
Light
-Spell Sub Elements:
None
Affinity Strength:
3
Function:
The most basic form of Light-based invisibility, the user folds light around them, strategically letting rays in so that they can see. This turns them invisible to normal sight and enables them to move about unseen. However this has a glaring flaw in that the Light magic used is not actually suppressed meaning mana or spell-sight is able to find users of this easily.
Availability: Open


Spell name:
Mirage
Spell Main Element:
Light
-Spell Sub Elements:
None
Affinity Strength:
3
Function:
By twisting and warping light, the user is able to make a facsimile of themselves and is able to control it and make it take simple actions. However this is simply a trick of the light and is unable to actually do anything to anyone except distract them or make them look another direction. It is unable to make sound either, meaning it can be easily picked out if one knows what to look for. The length of time the Mirage can stay active is dependent on the user's affinity.

Affinity - Duration of Mirage(Posts Total)
3 - 2
4 - 4
5 - 6
6 - 8
7 - 10
8 - 12
9 - 14
10 - 16

Availability: Open


Spell name:
Armor Crush
Spell Main Element:
Metal
-Spell Sub Elements:
None/War
Affinity Strength:
2
Function:
A very simple if dangerous Metal spell, the user focuses their mana into their weapon in order to increase its density and the force applied behind it before striking the opponent. This can cause even slashing weapons to suddenly deal intense crushing damage and allows even weak metal weapons to hammer through heavy armour to harm an opponent. This only lasts for a single strike however before the mana fades.
Availability:Open.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   Zedd felt utterly frustrated at the light ploy. It was unusual to see Damien play tricky, but that was honestly the perfect way to do it, unfortunately. The gasp of the crowd drew Zedd's attention and immediately when he saw the burst of activity in the ground, Zedd halted and dodged backwards. 

    Too late. 

    Damien immediately got up into Zedd's face, that sickening smile taunting Zedd as the fist swung in. A metallic clang echoed through the field as Zedd's right gauntlet tanked the hit, the impact rattling the boy deep into the core. The metal on metal groaned and strained. But instead of dodging back, Zedd stepped in. With no hesitation, his hand launched out to grab Damien's pretty-boy face. 

    And fry the everloving fuck out of it.

    It was a simple idea. Both of his opponents hands were currently occupied, and logic would dictate Zedd would run away as far and fast as possible, yes? Certainly, against an enemy who's whole kit was built around close quarters combat, that would be the smart play. No idiot would get rid of their advantage to give the advantage to their enemy. Well, Damien wasn't the only one who could be tricky and unpredictable, and if Zedd wasn't mistaken... Damien's head wasn't insulated, now was it? 

    Zedd roared with the crowd as he pumped as much electricity into his gauntlets as possible. Bolts of lightning ripped apart the ground around them. The boy was always known as a time bomb. Well, one wouldn't exactly want to be next to a bomb when it actually went of, right? 

    A lot of luck and chance was poured into this attack. 

    If this gambit failed, then Zedd was sure to be fed a fist to his face. But even if it worked, Zedd still had trouble. He was still close in with Damien, and unless the attack dazed the other mage, a fist was still entirely possible within the young mage's imminent future. And the boy very much wanted his face to remain intact. 

    If he was able to manage it, the lightning mage tried to immediately go on the defensive. The shield-like gauntlets covered his vital points, as Zedd backpedaled as fast as his feet could carry him. Eventually he'd have to turn. Jump, run, properly disengage. But that was all only if Damien was nice enough to let Zedd actually get away.

    

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell name: Shock
Spell Main Element: Lightning
Affinity Strength: 1
Function: The caster holds their hand out to unleash sparks of lightning from their fingertips. The lightning itself cant be directed at a specific target, but more in a general direction towards the target unless the target has conductive metals on them.
Availability: Open

[[???] - Bahamut]

[Refs]

   The runt was faster than Damian gave him credit for and blocking the blow was a decent idea. The real surprise came from the fact he didn't try and flee but instead went for a much more close and personal approach. Damian's eyes widened and although his hands had been occupied, throwing a weapon quickly freed one of them up and his right hand snapped up.

Now unfortunately he wasn't quite fast enough to get his magic into play or knock aside the blow properly, instead he grabbed onto Zedd's gauntlet and blocked it from hitting him in the face, taking a surge of lightning through the arm instead although it was minimised somewhat due to the wrappings he had tied around his hands and fingers. It still burned like a bitch though and Damian let out a snarl before digging his fingers in.

"You want to play it like this, fine, let's play."

Damian gritted his teeth as he held onto the gauntlet and lifted one of his legs, using the leverage to plant his foot directly against Zedd's stomach. Then his mana surged down into the armour protecting his leg, what he was doing would reduce the protection he had but then again... This armour was never to protect him anyway.

The metal twisted and with a horrific shriek and a bang, exploded outwards like a shotgun of wicked sharp metal fragments straight into Zedd's chest and stomach. Damian let go of the gauntlet just as the spell went off to let it launch his opponent away if he didn't find some way to deflect it or deal with the horrific concussive force. It was one of his bigger Metal tricks though and he only had one armoured leg left so he'd need to be careful about using it again.

Whether or not it landed he'd push the advantage, rushing in towards Zedd and laying into him with a series of sharp strikes from his fists and elbows, not enhancing them with mana as he knew he'd need to preserve it if he wanted to keep this fight going.

"Come on, Zedd. Get angry, throw lightning, show everyone you're better. Explode."

His voice was taunting but his face continued to smile even as the venom dripped from every syllable he spoke.

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell name: Shrapnel Burst
Spell Main Element: Metal
-Spell Sub Elements: None/War
Affinity Strength: 5
Function: By focusing either on a weapon or a section of armour they are wearing, the user supercharges it with mana causing it to whine horrifically before exploding outwards in a twenty foot cone of mana charged shrapnel, shredding anyone and anything hit by it, usually causing blood loss or additional damage if the shrapnel is allowed to hit vital areas. For anyone within 5 feet of the user that gets struck by Shrapnel Burst, they suffer knockback based on the user's Metal Affinity.

Affinity - Knockback Distance(ft)
5 - 10
6 - 15
7 - 20
8 - 25
9 - 30
10 - 35
Availability: Open

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   The gambit failed. I have to get away. Zedd began to pull his arms back from Damien, but the metal mage had him locked tight. Zedd began charging up another attack, planning on using the closeness to get something off.

    A bang silenced all of his plans. 
    
    Time felt slow as he flew back, the world tumbling and twisting around him. The first impact against the ground knocked him to his senses, the second brought with it all the pain. The aura had eaten up all the damage, but it was a miracle it hadn't shattered outright. Zedd supposed he  was far more durable than he'd given himself credit for, but he couldn't take an attack like that again.

    An audible, pained "Ooo." escaped the crowd as they witness the violent explosion shred through Zedd's minimal defenses. Some form of pity, it seemed. Everyone felt that one. As Zedd tried to get back to his feet another punch slammed him right back into the ground. The boy rolled and tried to block against some of the strikes as he gathered his strength. 

    "You want me to explode?" Zedd grunted, gritting against Damien's force. Once again the level of static increased around them. "Fine."

    Electrodominance wasn't just a ranged ability.

    The ground exploded with bolts of lightning as Zedd unleashed an assault of electric magic. Steadily, the boy worked back to his feet, hoping that the effect would be enough. Zedd launched back, trying to gain ground. Gain space. He had only one last option. One trump card. Zedd brought his hands down to his side and gathered up every last drop of mana he had with in himself.

    "I'm not just a walking bombshell, I earned my place in this school just as you did!" He shouted. The ground burned black, shrubbery lit aflame. Zedd's veins and goggles glowed bright, hair standing on end. His muscled tensed, fingers locked as more and more electricity gathered together. One last shot. He had to make it count, but one hit would render everything useless. He had to hope against hope that dropping electrodominance at close range managed to stun Damien for even just a second longer. "I command the storm!"

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell name: Command the Storm
Spell Main Element: Lightning
Affinity Strength: 5
Function: The caster harnesses raw electricity from either themselves or from outside sources and focuses it into one, powerful lightning bolt attack. This ability requires intense concentration, and any falter can cause the attack to fly off wildly in a different direction, or descend into a shattered collection of random, barely effective shocks. The attack is more likely to hit if the target is wearing conductive metals.
Availability: Open

[[???] - Bahamut]

[Refs]

   Damian was expecting a lot of things. A point blank explosion of electricity was not one of them.

The lightning surged over him and he snarled in pain, his hair prickling and standing on edge, muscles tensing as it ran over him. The actual physical damage was taken away by the Aura but the after effects still lingered and smoke rose from his skin after the blast was done. Luckily for Zedd it had in fact stunned him for a few seconds.

Unluckily, it wasn't quite enough to land an unguarded hit.

"Oh shining heavens!"

Damian cursed loudly and blasted out his mana, multiple walls of Light appeared in front of him but he'd never been the best at defensive magic, he was always an aggressive type, all about the damage and the quick finish. It was enough to take away a fair chunk of the damage though but the fact he was still wearing metal made sure that the lightning got through to him. It slammed into his stomach as it arced down towards the plates around his waist.

There was a thunderous crack and Damian was thrown backwards into the foliage, disappearing from sight, followed by a dull thump but the fight didn't end.

Unseen to Zedd at the moment, Damian had managed to lower the damage enough to keep the fight going but he knew his aura had taken a beating. Not only that, the concussive force had cracked his armour and slamming straight into a rock had blown it off of him.

He sat on the ground in front of the rock, panting for a few moments before reaching up and fixing his hair and slowly getting to his feet. Both him and Zedd had taken heavy hits and he knew that but he knew his trick wouldn't work again, especially with his armour missing. 

Then he put his hand on the rock.

All of a sudden Damian slumped down against the rock, groaning loudly in pain and clutching his stomach and sides. 

"You bastard. Where were you hiding that much power damn it? Used up all my mana blocking that stupid bolt!" 

He snarled, actually sounding incredibly pissed off. His usual calm demeanour was gone and not all of this anger was faked. Where had this little shit been hiding that much bloody power? That was a hell of a lightning bolt but he was damned if he was going to let a crybaby like Zedd take him down. He hated playing dirty but it had to be done.

"Come on then, get over here and finish this damned fight. You gonna hide in the shadows or come face me, wimp? You got one good shot in and it bloody hurt, so come on, show me how strong you've gotten, show me how much better you are than me!" 

Damian sounded almost deranged as he shouted out into the woods before groaning again, holding his arm across his stomach and hissing out a breath. 

He just needed Zedd to come closer.

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell name: Light Screen
Spell Main Element: Light
-Spell Sub Elements: None/Arcane
Affinity Strength: 2
Function: A simple spell but one that can be put to great use. Light is not an effective defensive discipline but when utilised like this, the mage can form hardlight barriers in front of them in order to weaken blows or take away power from larger spells so that they are better able to soak the damage after it hits them. Depending on Affinity, the Mage can cast multiple walls at the same time, further reducing damage although each wall takes its own mana price.

Affinity - Walls At Once
2 - 1
3 - 1
4 - 2
5 - 2
6 - 3
7 - 3
8 - 4
9 - 4
10 - 5
Availability: Open

Spell name: Metal Sense
Spell Main Element: Metal
-Spell Sub Elements: None
Affinity Strength: 1
Function: One of the most basic Metal spells and usually the first taught to any Metal mage. With a pulse of mana they are capable of detecting any metal around them for a fair distance, allowing them to know where best to take a fight and knowing if there are minerals they are capable of drawing out to use for attacks.

Affinity - Sense Range(ft)
1 - 5
2 - 10
3 - 15
4 - 20
5 - 25
6 - 30
7 - 35
8 - 40
9 - 45
10 - 50
Availability: Open

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   Isaah leaned forwards in his seat, watching as Damien was blasted back. A small sense of satisfaction welled in his chest at seeing Damien get hammered so heavily. The fight was far closer than the water mage had anticipated, than many people anticipated, actually. Zedd was a goofball, a jokester, what many did not see him as was a powerhouse.

    And yet, the lightning mage had just rocketed Damien back and cracked his armor, all after breaking through multiple light shields. Isaah settled back into his seat, arms folded across his chest. The whole fight had looked like an uphill slog from the very start, but that one move seemed to equalize things. 

    Interesting. 

    The honors student waited, watched with mild intrigue to see what happened next, stealing glances at his fellow honors students to see how they were taking the fight. A few made no attempt to hide their smug satisfaction at seeing Damien get his ass handed to him in one solid move. It was hard not to feel the same.

---

[Refs]

   Zedd's panted, his body smoking and crackling with static and leftover energy. His hands hissed, while the palms were still red hot from the energy he had just put out. There was no way he was going to get Damien twice with that attack. 

    The blond screamed and shouted, but Zedd could tell just from the tone of voice that the boy's opponent was simply trying to bait him in. Needles to say, the lightning mage would not fall for it. "You're the close quarters fighter!" Zedd chided. "You come to me!"

    With that, Zedd's feet kicked off the ground, gaining ground on the currently incapacitated Damien. He felt a thousand eyes upon him, and charged forwards without a care. Watch me. Every impact on the ground reverberated deep into Zedd's core. I can do this. So watch me, everyone. I'll show you I'm not just a joke. I'll show you that me being here wasn't just a fluke.

    Zedd didn't let his success get to his head. Damien was still a massive threat, no matter how wounded. The next attack he made had to be a decisive one, otherwise it would all mean nothing. Sure, already Damien's reputation was now in question, given a supposedly "low-ranked" mage just handed him the biggest serving of "Fuck you" the blond had ever seen, but that wasn't the issue right now. The boy needed to find the perfect location to set up. Make his plan. And he had the perfect idea of where to go

    The cave that'd came with this field set up held a large amount of both magic crystals and iron inside, a fact known by very little and usually held only in importance by those it mattered to. The cave would make dirrected attacks nigh impossible, area of effect however... 

    This was a massive gamble Zedd was taking, sliding down the slope into the cave itself. Up on the screen displayed to the crowd, the camera switched to split view, showing both competitors in their respective areas. This was important, as there would be no other way for the crowd to see Zedd as he carefully set up within the depths.  The crystals gave off a near constant glow, but there were still some darker corners and sharp angles the young man could use to conceal himself. It would have to do. 

    Now, instead of Damien being the one readying himself to spring a trap, Zedd was instead the one waiting to do the very same thing. And now it came down to who would get to set off their plan first, who would give and head towards the other. The whole time Zedd Kept mindful of Damien's light illusion, planning a way around that as best he could. Only way to find out if it'd work would be when Damien walked in.

[[???] - Bahamut]

[Refs]

   "Lux's light but you're obnoxious."

Damian sat back for a moment and sighed loudly, hearing Zedd walk away and towards the caves. He pulled himself to his feet, the earlier pretending to be wounded was gone and he shook himself out for a few moments before moving back through the path he'd been blasted through. He picked up his spear, the only bit of metal he had left. It wasn't even hurt at all, although it was a little warm from the stray electricity that had been blasted around the area.

He spun the weapon lazily as he brushed his hair back with his fingers, wiping off any smudges on his face before starting to walk towards the cave that Zedd had entered.

The light mage spent a few moments at the entrance, staring down into the darkness and humming to himself. He knew Zedd couldn't afford to not look at the entrance, he had to see him coming to get a good attack off. There was also no ambient noise in the cave and a mirage wouldn't make footsteps, so that idea was out. It was truly a bit of an issue that Zedd had put him into until he realised something quite simple.

Zedd had to be watching the opening.

Damian hopped forwards into the cave, closing his eyes for a moment as his hand lashed out. A small orb of gleaming light hit the floor of the cave and then exploded. Anyone watching the opening of the cave entrance would find themselves completely blind and probs in an intense amount of pain as the Flash Sphere went off and the lingering light was great for illuminating the cave as Damian opened his eyes.

He hit the ground and immediately rushed towards Zedd, or at least where he had last seen the boy with the fading light, spear held out in front of him to try and ram it straight into Zedd's gut and end this fight quickly, he really was running quite low on mana and it was starting to bother him that he had to put in so much effort to deal with someone like this. 

"Silly boy, you're no shadow mage, your darkness is nothing to my radiance."

SPOILER: Click to show

Light lingers for 3 PT

Spell name: Flash Sphere

Spell Main Element: Light
-Spell Sub Elements: None
Affinity Strength: 4
Function: Focusing mana into their hand, the user flicks it and sends the mana screaming forwards. On a signal or when it hits an object, the sphere explodes into a violent flash of light, blinding anyone looking at it directly. The length of the blind is dependent on the caster's Affinity although shadow magic or specially made goggles can weaken this blind, reducing the duration to half. Additionally, the user may choose a time of 1-5 PT to have the light linger and illuminate the area before it fades away.

Affinity - Blind Duration(Total Posts)
4 - 1
5 - 2
6 - 3
7 - 4
8 - 5
9 - 6
10 - 7


Availability: Open

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   Blinding light flooded the cave, alleviated somewhat by Zedd's goggles. But blind he may be, it didn't matter. He wasn't intending on aiming anyways. The sight Damien would be greeted by upon entering the cave, would be Zedd covered with electricity. The boy had been charging this next attempt, planning just as Damien had been to finally end this bout. There was no need to aim, no need to worry about sight, as this cavern was chock full of crystals, iron ore, and pools of water. 
    
    Perfect conductive materials for a wildly uncontrollable lightning mage.

    And Damien had waltzed right into his trap without a single thought.

    "I told you Damien... I command the storm." Zedd stretched a hand out in the direction of the incoming, heavy foot falls...  and snapped his fingers. There was a familiar moment of static... and a storm of electricity unleashed, flooding the entire cavern with dancing bolts.

    It was pure chaos. 

    And of course, one more thing that certainly would have attracted a nice cluster of electricity would have been that wonderfully metal spear Damien held. A lightning rod in the middle of a storm. No amount of insulation could help him now. This was Zedd's final hail Mary. If he failed now, it was all over. Even with his protective goggles, he wouldn't be able to see properly until after he'd been defeated. If this attack didn't work, then... well... it  was a good attempt, no one could say differently. 

    So once again, Zedd hoped against hope and poured every ounce of magic, dropping shocki after shock into the cave to keep the electricity flowing as much as possible, as hard as he possibly could. His body was on the brink of breaking just from this strain alone. This really was all or nothing.

[[???] - Bahamut]

[Refs]

   "No Zedd, you command my attention but now I'm bored of you."

His retort was laced with fury as he drove his foot into the ground, throwing his spear forward and stopping himself. He'd seen the electricity sparking and building around Zedd with the fading light and he knew what was coming, a trump card only ever worked once.

Damian grabbed every shred of his mana in retaliation and threw it forwards, the metal of his spear and that in the ground around him suddenly exploded and flew forwards as he triggered it into a Shrapnel Burst. It slammed into the lightning that came forwards and there was mutual destruction, the lightning spreading through the veritable cloud of metal that had erupted from the earth but equally, there was nothing but stone under Damian now.

The lightning petered out the air emptied filled with metal dust, the ground covered in puddles of molten slag that were quickly cooling and solidifying. 

Blonde hair erupted out of the cloud, he had no weapons left but his body was enough as he swung his fist in low to try and slam into Zedd's kidney and open up his guard, a snarl leaving his lips as he done so. He knew the blindness was probably going to be wearing off but he hoped it gave enough of an opening for him to land his hit.

Blocked or not he'd hop up, firing a knee up towards the Lightning mage's chin before hammering in an elbow to drive him into the dirt if it was successful. If he didn't let up with the attacks, he knew the other mage wouldn't have time to retaliate properly and launch another lightning burst. 

Then again, did he even have the mana for that?

Something deep down had changed within Damian though, even as he snarled and swung out vicious blows. He realised that perhaps he didn't need to be cruel... To be cruel. A plan, an idea, started to form and slowly his snarl turned to a smile as he swung out attack after attack. Oh yes, this would be good.

SPOILER: Click to show

Shrapnel Burst used again to clear away Iron Ore and spear, preventing Lightning spread and blocking bolt

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   The first punch was enough. Zedd couldn't see Damien's fist coming, even if he heard him. He knew the attack had failed, and there was no chance or time to dodge. Damien's fist connected solidly, and Zedd's aura broke as the lightning mage felt all the air rush clear of his lungs. The boy collapsed against the rock wall of the cavern, wheezing and trying to reclaim his breath. 

    The horns blared, signaling the matches end. 

    Zedd had lost, Yuki's plan had failed. 

    The crowd was silent, the honor's students leaving one after the other. None of them cared to see whatever flaunting Damien would perform after it had ended. Isaah cast one final glance at the screen... and walked off. The student body was hushed, the few cheers coming from Damien's fans, but many simply didn't know how to feel it seemed. After seeing the underdog pummel the honor's student, many had begun to root for Zedd, and even indeed hope for his victory. 

    But, in the end, Damien still one. There was no upset, no underdog story. Just business as usual. Even if this time there had been one hell of a viscous fight. All eyes went to Valiant, up above the arena. But he was unreadable as always. The Headmaster viewed the scene silently, and took a sip of his drink. The goddess's gambit had proved as futile as Zedd's, and the status quo would not shift. 
    
    As Headmaster, he hoped this would serve as inspiration for the Zedd to improve. 

    Nothing more, nothing less. With the event over, Headmaster Valiant returned to his office. All other eyes remained on the field to see what would happen next. Zedd, who had finally caught his breath, grit his teeth. There was nothing left he had to give. Nothing more he could do. He knew that this plan was doomed to fail and yet he had believed the goddess, put faith in her words and followed it as best he could. He had trusted her and believed in himself, and yet at the most pivotal point it all fell apart. 
    
    The least surprising outcome to ever happen. The young man didn't even know if he was disappointed either. The only thing that really killed him was knowing that now he had to suffer through Damien lording his victory over him. And that was a fate far worse than any defeat. Hell, it was a fate worse than death.