The Rifts of Psyche by Kyle West (popular e readers txt) 📗

certainly didn’t want to do that, but he couldn’t disobey a direct order. He stood directly across from Fergus, about five meters away.

“All of you, keep your watches. I would test this mage.”

Lucian wondered how “testing” him in front of everyone would help the villagers harvest faster or the guards watch the rift better, but he was just a day one grunt, so who was he to question? If there was any watching to be done, it would be watching him have his ass handed to him.

“All right, wyvern-slayer,” Fergus said. “Let’s see what you’re worth.”

Lucian hardly had time to react. Fergus reached out his left hand, which unleashed a sudden flash of green brilliance. Lucian stumbled backwards, blinded, fumbling with his spear. When he felt cold metal at his throat, he knew he had been bested – and in less than five seconds.

“Your Radiance defense is non-existent, as expected. Again.”

At least Fergus had the grace to allow Lucian to regain his vision, first. Lucian crouched, feeling a fire in his belly as he deftly handled the spear, which felt so light in Psyche’s gravity. This round, he wouldn’t embarrass himself.

“Hah!” Fergus shouted, in what Lucian supposed was the beginning of a new bout.

Lucian felt himself getting heavier, even as Fergus leaped high into the air, far higher than he should have been able to. Using his Focus, Lucian detected two streams emanating from Fergus – one that made him heavier, and the other making Fergus lighter. As Lucian struggled to remain standing, his legs buckling, he knew he had to counter one or the other.

What would Fergus expect the least? Lucian reached for Gravitonics, and instead of undoing the gravity amplification disc beneath him, he focused on the anti-grav stream that allowed Fergus to leap so high. His stream met resistance, but to Lucian’s surprise, the tactic was somewhat effective, because Fergus started dropping faster. Fergus’s eyes widened slightly, his only betrayal of surprise, but the captain regained control quickly. He was falling straight toward Lucian, even more quickly than before, which meant Lucian would be “killed” by him even faster. Lucian raised his spear to defend himself, but it was so heavy he could hardly lift it. Fergus landed on Lucian’s opposite side, where he placed his spear at his back. Lucian was so heavy that he couldn’t turn fast enough to deflect the attack.

“Not a good showing for Gravitonics, either.”

The pressure of Fergus’s Gravitonic Magic eased, allowing Lucian to breathe freely once again. His legs were still shaking from the effort of standing.

“You can yield,” Cleon called from the sidelines.

“Not yet,” Lucian said. He had to wait for his opportunity. If Fergus was testing him on each of the Aspects, eventually they’d get to Binding. That was when he’d show him.

But it seemed as if Fergus wasn’t interested in testing Lucian at his strongest Aspect. Next, Fergus swung his spear, but no lightning flowed from the spear’s tip. Instead, a kinetic wave pushed against Lucian, forcing him back to the terrace edge. He responded with his own kinetic wave, but somehow, Fergus was able to shield it. It went back and forth like that for a while, until Fergus started pelting Lucian with rocks. Lucian streamed a Psionic shield, which slowed most of the rocks down, but some still made it through his defenses. While under that barrage, Fergus pounced. Lucian could hardly defend against Fergus’s spear as it found an opening near his abdomen.

In the next bout, Fergus made Lucian’s spear so cold he couldn’t even hold it. By the time the stream was underway, Lucian couldn’t figure out how to reverse it. He tried to do the same thing to Fergus’s spear, but he felt his stream being countered, making it an exercise in futility.

He knew he should just give up. He was already bloody and bruised, and his ether nearly depleted. When Fergus’s spear became shrouded in lightning, Lucian immediately threw up a Dynamistic shield. To his surprise, that shield held at the first streak of lightning from Fergus’s spear tip. They danced around each other, energy shields up and spears wreathed with electricity. Lucian felt his ether fast depleting.

It was then that Lucian remembered Transcend Yellow’s axiom: the mage who ran out of ether first, lost. He didn’t know whose pool was larger, his or Fergus’s, but he knew it was the only way he could possibly beat the more experienced captain. Lucian weakened his shield. Fergus took the bait, his spear becoming awash with electricity. But just before he slammed the tip into Lucian’s shield, Lucian drew even more ether, strengthening the shield not only to match, but overpower. By the time Fergus struck, it was too late. The captain cried out at the nasty shock he got, almost dropping his spear as he was pushed back.

Lucian went on the offensive, collecting the residual energy of his shield into a lightning bolt that streaked from the tip of his spear. Fergus easily countered, somehow absorbing that magic with his own spear, then shooting it right back.

Lucian raised his shield, but he was already so weak. The shield shattered with a thunderous crack, and Lucian was knocked back a few meters. Fergus didn’t even bother delivering the killing blow this time.

“You’ve done him good enough, Captain,” one of the older villagers said, stepping forward. “One would think this isn’t training, but a personal vendetta on your part.”

“This isn’t over until he yields,” Fergus said.

Lucian seethed. When he spat, blood came out. He’d taken a rock right to the face during the Psionic bout. No longer filled with the pain-reducing effect of ether, the pain of it was visceral. Perhaps it was time to give up.

“We have yet to test my Binding, Captain Fergus. Would you care to go another round?”

Fergus watched him, seeming to consider. Lucian then saw his strategy. Tire him out with all his other Aspects before testing him on what he was good at. Perhaps he did somewhat