Annihilate

John turned his furious gaze on Aarav. He nodded and cast Call Summon twice, summoning Ignis and Calista. Ignis was laying on its side, still injured. Calista saw the situation and immediately began to heal Ignis. Aarav raised his eyebrows.

“Most interesting indeed. You will have your hour.”

John’s fury burned on as Calista murmured over Ignis’s injuries. The buffs provided by Rageflame served as a sort of chaotic meditation, healing him and regenerating his mana. Calista got to her feet after a few minutes and bowed to John.

“She is ready to fight again, Master Newman.”

John nodded his thanks and turned to Aarav. Aarav snapped his fingers four times, and a familiar figure sauntered into the Arena.

“Looks like someone is all riled up already. Prepare to meet your match again, fire mage.”

Julie Ankov taunted John, but he didn’t take the bait. He circled the emblem, analyzing his opponent’s movements as she did the same. Ignis was stealth walking behind her and Calista stood next to Aarav. Her hand twitched. John squinted at her. She reached the point where John had been standing when she had made her entrance. John took a deep breath and stopped walking. This startled her, and John took advantage of the opening by launching two fireballs at her as he began a charge towards her. Ignis pounced on Julie’s back and she shrieked in shock and pain as Ignis bit into her neck.

10 dmg

5 dmg

1 dmg

Ignis jumped off of Julie, and ran out of her sight to prepare for another sneak attack. John’s fireballs hit and Julie screamed again.

12 dmg

12 dmg

John was right in front of her, about to deal a finishing fireball blow, when her purple aura solidified into a suit of rocks. His fire blasted into her new earthen armor, making it white hot. His fist connected with the stone for -5 hp. He jumped backwards into the center of the courtyard, wary of her next move. Three purple summoning circles appeared around John, spewing forth a cloud of Pebble Pixies. Unfortunately for Julie, they were still level 2 and John was now level 7. The Rageflame that burned around John melted the pixies out of the air after only a minute within its radius. Four bigger summoning circles appeared around the edges of the courtyard’s circle, out of range for John’s flames, as Julie held her hands above her head and a fifth circle slowly glowed into existence. John checked his mana. 150/165. He cast fireball in both his hands, and then noticed a rapidly blinking notification in the bottom left corner of his vision. That’s new. By concentrating on it, the message opened.

New Skill: Sparks level 1

New Skill: Bolt level 1

John had no time to be amazed or actually look into details. The four circles spawned brick creatures, vaguely humanoid in structure. John cast observe.

Level 5 Brick Golem

A summoned creature made of bricks. It is both heavy and fast, getting close to its enemies and crushing them with its blocky fists.

John frowned. I might not win this duel.

Have you forgotten me already, Master Newman? Calista’s voice rang softly in John’s head.

It seems I have. Do you believe we can attain victory in this battle?

I am sure of it.

John smiled grimly. Then I am sure as well.

He launched two fireballs at one of the brick golems.

25 dmg

25 dmg

One of the golems was struck by a water whip.

Crit! 50 dmg

John’s smile widened. He fired two more fireballs at a golem that was approaching him at alarming speeds, aiming for its legs.

25 dmg

Crit! 50 dmg

The golem stumbled and fell, sliding forward towards John. He jumped over it and fired two more fireballs at the golem he had hit first. It exploded upon impact of the second fireball.

25 dmg

25 dmg

+50 Exp.

100 hp. Good to know. Calista can take them easily.

John let Calista finish off the last three golems as he charged towards Julie in hopes of stopping her from summoning whatever she was summoning. He was too late. The level 8 Earth Golem from before rose up dramatically from above Julie’s hands. John signaled Ignis to stay out of sight. Not waiting for the golem to finish her entrance, John slid into a foot first dive and cast Flames from his feet in an attempt to trip Julie. It worked. Her feet were swept out from under her by his flaming legs and her entire summoning circle ritual fell with her. John saw it happen in slow motion.

He slid. His feet caught fire. He slid farther. His legs caught fire. His right foot hit her left foot. Her earthen aura glowed white hot. It shattered. Her left foot slid. He slid farther. His left foot hit her right foot. Her left foot slid further. Her aura shattered. Her right foot slid. He slid further. She started to tilt. Her circle started to tilt. Her golem’s eyes opened wide with panic. Calista whipped a brick golem into nonexistence. He slid further. She tilted further. The circle was nearly vertical. The golem reached out to steady herself. He was clear of the disaster zone. She started to hit the ground. The summoning circle started to shatter. He started to get to his feet. The golem glowed purple. Calista started to calmly walk to John’s side. Julie’s head hit the ground. The golem shattered into purple shards of aura with a loud explosion.

Duel Winner! +1500 Exp

Level up! +5 Stat points

“Most interesting indeed. You defeated a fourth-year student. Would you like to attempt to defeat a fifth-year student?”

John’s rage vanished, replaced by startled confusion.

“Wait, how many years do students attend this school for?”

“Eight.”

Aarav seemed amused. John was not.

“No, I would not like to get my ass handed to me by someone who is far stronger than I am.”

“Very well. You have scored excellently in all battle criteria. The testing portion of orientation has culminated. You have placed fourth-year. Now we will move on to a description of your classes.”

Julie disappeared. John tried not to think too hard about how dizzyingly strong Aarav was magic-wise. John sat cross legged across from Aarav, and Ignis came to him. He pet it - her, according to Calista. Calista also walked over to John and stood behind him.

“I was surprised to see a student sign up for a full schedule, but now that I see you and what you are capable of I am sure you can handle it.

“First: Conjuration. Conjuration spells involve the transportation of objects and creatures from one location to another. Some spells summon creatures or objects to the caster's side, whereas others allow the caster to teleport to another location. Some conjurations create objects or effects out of nothing. Your summoning skills are a branch of Conjuration. I teach that subject.

“Next: Evocation. As you are most likely already aware of, Evocation spells manipulate magical energy to produce a desired effect. Some call up blasts of fire or lightning. Others channel positive energy to heal wounds. Your manipulation of fire is a branch of Evocation. Master Arjun teaches that subject.

“Next: Transmutation. Transmutation spells change the properties of a creature, object, or environment. They might turn an enemy into a harmless creature, bolster the strength of an ally, make an object move at the caster's command, or enhance a creature's innate healing abilities to rapidly recover from injury. I have not seen you use Transmutation. Master Vihaan teaches that subject.

“Next: Abjuration. Abjuration spells are protective in nature, though some of them have aggressive uses. They create magical barriers, negate harmful effects, harm trespassers, or banish creatures to other planes of existence. Your flaming aura is an Abjuration. Master Sai teaches that subject.

“Next: Enchantment. Enchantment is the process by which magical energy is infused into an object for a specific effect. Some enchantments strengthen the user, weaken the user, unleash an attack, or defend against certain kinds of attacks. I do not believe you are in possession of enchanted objects. Mistress Sofia teaches that subject.

“Smithing, Alchemy, Beast Taming, Archery, and Martial Arts are usually taught individually, so I will leave their orientation to your teachers. This concludes the class description section of orientation.”

Aarav went on to explain the school rules and the general layout of the school. He also mentioned that club activities existed in this school and that they were highly recommended. Then orientation was over. John left and decided to take the subway home, not confident that he would be able to focus on not getting trapped in an instant dungeon while parkouring.