Lightning's Limit (3 page)

Vernon shouts, “Let’s see how fast you are now!”
 

Vargas replies with a smirk across his face, “Good play Rune Master but you failed to realize what I said earlier, I
ride
lightning.”
 

He shows Vernon what he means as he shatters the layer of ice covering his shoes. Lightning surges out from the souls of his shoes lifting him off the ground. He floats above the ice that Vernon just laid down atop the arcs of lightning under his feet. Leaning forward the bolts reach out and take him across the frost covered floor.

Stopping abruptly in front of Vernon. His opponent flinches bringing his fists up to cover his face. Vargas takes this opportunity to use the second thing that Master Sel had taught him. He uses the extra magic around him to charge himself and his attacks similar to what an elemental mage does in a transformation.

Most people don’t realize that when you cast a spell it releases more energy than just the spell. There is residual energy from every spell used, and with all the spells that have been cast here in the last couple of hours. He can’t even begin to think how strong this is going to make him.
 

Arcs of electricity start flowing out of Vargas’ back as if he spread skeletal wings of lightning. He can see the look in Vernon’s face as he stands there in awe. Vargas can feel the extra energy flowing though the wings and into his body. It feels like he’s vibrating.

The awe on Vernon’s face only last but for a moment, and then he smirks. “I heard you plain and clear, Lightning Mage Vargas.” Then makes a closing gesture with his hands.
 

The ice beneath Vargas snaps and cracks, as it lifts off the ground closing in two halves of a sphere around him. It slams shut quicker than he can react. A muffled voice from the other side say, '
Hot la ow
.'
 
He sure that isn’t what was said, but that is what he heard.

The inside of the shell would have been dark if not for the wings at his back. Which he was thankful for. He needs to get out and fast, because he’s pretty sure Vernon won’t wait. The ice around him is a lot thicker than what was around his feet. He was going to need everything he has to take down Vernon. He looks down and can see the dirt on the ground, and can feel the mana flowing in. Pulling from that mana he folds it into a lightning bolt, releasing it toward the sky.
 

The ice shell bursts open with a frantic rage of sparks and shards of ice flying everywhere.
 
The bolt of lightning heads toward the top of the coliseum and hits the shield guarding the crowd with a great thunder of sizzles and pops.
 

Standing there radiating heat off his shoulders, he spreads his wings and they pulse as they gather up mana for an attack. The shield above flickers and sputters back to full power. Vargas looks around for where Vernon is. He finds him stumbling around. He thinks Vernon must have been knocked back from the blast. There is a pillar of ice that wasn’t there before behind Vernon. It was probably meant for him.

Vargas sees he is still off balance and takes his chance. Forming a blade of plasma he swings at Vernon, connecting with his left shoulder. The blow takes him to his knees, as the air cracks and pops.
 

He thinks, he needs to stat down. So he follows up to make sure. Sending a bolt through the ground which connects effortlessly with the underside of Vernon’s chin sending him flying in the air a few feet off the ground. Vernon comes crashing down on his back with a thud, and cloud of dust. Finally hoping to finish the match Vargas launches a volley of quick lightning strikes as fast as he can.
 

Vargas waits for the dust to clear before noticing that Vernon’s stasis shield has not activated. He walks over to Vernon laying on the ground. His eyes are closed and he’s not moving. He would have to be in pain from everything he just went though. There isn’t anyone he knows of that could take that kind of punishment without feeling something.

Vargas says with sympathy is his voice, "You do know how to take a hit Rune Master."
 

"Just end it without too much gloating if you don't mind." Vernon replies quickly.

"As you wish, I will make it quick." Vargas replies.

Reaching up into the air with his right hand clouds start to form and appear. The wind howls through the coliseum floor as the clouds turn black. A rumble and spark of thunder rolls throughout the coliseum as the thunderstorm grows in strength. The air smells like a brewing storm as the first lightning bolt strikes Vargas’ right hand.
 

He feels the pressure from the strike, and the proceeding four. They almost take him to the ground but he holds himself up. The lightning courses through his body gathering up mana along the way forming a white ball of pulsing energy in his left hand. Vargas points the ball of light at Vernon and braces himself for one last bolt.

The sky flashes, and seats rumble as all the newly formed clouds in the coliseum light up all at once, discharging into Vargas' hand. It all comes out at Vernon, his body jumping a few feet in the air as the clouds fade away to the clear sky up above.
 

The crowd collectively gasps as his body falls back to the ground. Steam coming off Vargas’ shoulders as his wings dissipate. His breathing becomes labored from the over use and combination of his techniques. He didn’t realize how intense the third technique was until just then. Passing an element through ones body and charging it with mana to create an exponential effect.
 

Vernon lays on the ground lifeless and still no stasis shell. There had to be something wrong. The boy he was fighting had to have met his limit by now. It would be nigh impossible for most to have taken a hit like that and survive. Yet he is laying there and no protective shell is healing him. There is always the chance that the stasis band wasn’t working right. Vargas gets a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Vargas walks over to the judge and asks, "Judge, can we call the match here, the poor guy is out cold and I don't want to hit him again just to try to get the stasis shield to work?"
 

"Let me check him." The Judge kneels down to Vernon and checks his pulse. He grabs his HaLO and looks at his. The Judge calls up his Commander. “Sir, I have a HaLO I can't access the data for, can I call the match? He is knocked out but not in stasis?" Vargas overhears the Judge muttering into his HaLO.

"Ignore it, and continue? Are you sure sir, the kid is pretty beat up... Understood..., yes sir..., sorry sir."
 

The Judge turns around, and looks at Vargas, "The match can't be called till you stasis him.
 
We have determined that the contestants stasis device is functioning properly and within expected levels. You can resume the match."

Vargas stands there for a second, his mind blank. He looks down and doesn't even see Vernon breathing. He thinks, I have to attack him to win? Vargas wants to win, but not over some ones safety like this. Thoughts of forfeit spring up in his mind. He wasn’t going to hurt someone like this to win. He turns to the judge and opens his mouth to say he quits when Vernon gasps for air.

He slowly starts to get up, first to his knees and then stumbles to his feet. Vargas is baffled by what he is looking at. This guy was next to dead from what it seemed. To see him standing now is daunting. How can he measure up to someone who can take a hit like that and keep going. He is relieved that he isn’t dead or severely injured, but he isn’t so sure about being able to pull out a win. Even if he was about to forfeit.

Vargas asks with concern in his voice, “How are you doing Vernon?"

"That was a good hit but I guess it wasn't enough to finish the match." Vernon yells and immediately drops to one knee. He stares at the ground for a few moments before he raises his head slowly.

Vargas sees something behind his eyes that wasn’t there before. Like a light or shimmer. He asks, ”Are you sure you are alright?"
 

"I'll be fine, and thanks."

“The judge says that we have to continue until one of us gets stasis'd, so are you good enough to continue?"

"I think so." Vernon stands, "I might have just gotten my second wind."

Vargas laughs, “That’s good to hear. Let us continue then."

Vargas walks back to the starting point and Vernon follows to his. Vernon then digs his right foot into the ground and makes a dash toward Vargas. He is moving faster than he started out with and he didn’t use his wind rune to increase his speed.

The first punch comes in fast and he's barely able to dodge it as Vernon’s fist grazes his cheek. Vargas quickly refocuses on his first technique, to quicken his movements, just in time to block with both forearms a left roundhouse kick. The impact almost knocks him to the ground.
 
In that instance he catches a glimpse of Vernon’s eyes which have turned completely black.
 

Each punch comes in faster and faster, and he has to start using more and more magic just to block and avoid getting hit. He can feel the strain on his body worsening and he knows he wont last long once Vernon starts connecting. It doesn’t even make sense that he could move, and now he is putting up a better fight than before. The only other person he has ever seen do anything close is Master Sel. If he is anything like that, Vargas doesn’t have much time left. He needs to get off the defensive and get back to the offense. Every dodge of Vargas’, Vernon brushes his clothes or skin, while each connecting hit rattles his bones. If he is going to counter, the sooner the better.

He jumps back slamming the butt of his palms together forcing what magic he has left to gather into a plasma blast, as sparks fly from the tips of his fingers into his palms. It creates a pulsing ball of plasma which discharges at Vernon with a thunderous roar. It travels almost instantly but Vernon is able to brace for the impact.
 

It lands square in his hands, as if Vargas pitched a baseball to him. The blast pushes Vernon back, his feet dragging across the ground. Vernon’s fingers grip then squeeze the ball, shattering it as if was made of glass. The gathered electricity dissipates like dust in the wind.
   

Vargas vision blurs slightly from the drain. Using that much magic all at once comes with a toll. But he still can't believe what he just saw. His spell was broken, and as far as he knows there isn’t a way for anyone or any thing to break a spell. Sure they can be blocked or countered. Redirected even. Breaking a spell goes against everything he knows about magic.

Vernon's hands and forearms are glowing black. Vargas believed he was just rune user, but he clearly has access to some type of magic or ability to break his spell like that. Vernon looks ready to advance again. His tank is on e and the only thing he can do is draw from the magic around him. It isn’t the kind of thing he knows how to nuance, so it is going to have to be big or nothing. So big it is. Plasma balls form in the palms of each of his hands, each larger than his last attack. He might have been able to get one, but he might just have a hard time getting two.

Vernon rushes Vargas before he finishes. Vargas changes plans and grabs down on the plasma balls turning them into blades. Each blade is six feet long and three feet wide, and pulsing with enough energy to take down a small army. He swings both horizontally, hoping to connect with at least one. Vernon stops both blades with his hands unfazed. To Vargas it doesn’t even look to be giving my any distress at all. Vernon grips down on them and they shatter like glass.
 

Before Vargas can blink, Vernon’s fist is planted into his stomach. The punch itself vibrates throughout his whole body. Then he feels the connecting to his mana slip away from him leaving a tingling sensation of sharp pin pricks. He watches Vernon pull a pillar of black light back along with his fist before it retracts back into Vernon’s fist.
 

The mana he has left inside of him, which he knows isn’t much, feels like it is boiling him alive and it could explode at any moment. But all he can do is lurch forward expelling what breath he has. The boiling fades slightly before another punch comes across his chin and another round of pin pricks. He spins around dropping to the ground. Once the world stopped spinning and the feeling of lava worms crawling though his veins subsided, he could see that Vernon is starring down at him.

Vernon’s eyes slowly regain their blue color again, as he stumbles backward. Vargas lifts his head to watch as Vernon’s heel catches a small break in the ground and falls over. Vargas still on the ground himself struggles to find the strength to stand. His brain still can’t wrap around what just happened but that will have to be for later. First he gets to his knee before falling back to the ground. He takes a deep breath and pushes past the dull aches to stand.

The first thing he tries is to gather magic. Nothing comes. Closing his eyes for a second he refocus his efforts on what Master Sel had taught him. Gathering the magic from around him to get the first spark. Mana starts to trickle in and then comes back up to a full stream.
 

Opening his eyes he sees Vernon still on the ground and in an instant, the stasis shell covers him. He had won. He didn’t know what just happened, but he lets out a sigh of accomplishment and a smile comes over his face all the same.
   

The paladin judge watching the bout walks over and declares Vargas the winner. The crowd has a moment of silence before erupting into cheers. Looking over to the sideline showed his next opponent, Duke Keragus, waiting patiently. With him being from group two and Saint Anthony, that had to mean he was Vernon’s number two. Vargas knew he didn’t have enough left to make dinner, so there was no way he was going to win a fight with a somewhat rested challenger.

Vargas goes through with the match anyway. It goes quickly. The darkness of the stasis shell covers him.

Vargas wakes up in the locker room. Amber’s face was the first he saw. She was standing over him, greenish white light coming out of her fingers and palms. Bailey was first to tell him how well he did offering her congratulations on the second place spot and the extra points for their team. Amber looked over his body and told him that she didn’t see any surface wounds other than some bruises. Vargas knew his injuries were not on the surface, but in the deep tissue and nerves. He leans in close and asks her to check on those.