Cecily leaned over and toppled into me. Her weight pushed me further.
My hand landed on Marissa’s.
I activated my Arbiter attunement, shoving every bit of mana I had into Marissa.
Her aura flared, then changed.
It was burning orange as she stood.
“Mara, box,” I managed to whisper.
But I was too late — Marissa was already moving.
Mizuchi hopped off the stage, turning her head downward toward Lord Teft. “You fought well, all things considered. You have my respect.”
She raised a hand, which shifted in form into a blue-scaled claw. Then she swung it down at Teft’s neck.
“Star descends from sky!”
Marissa slammed a glowing fist into Mizuchi’s face.
Mizuchi stumbled back just a step, staggered by the strike.
And, at the point of impact, the cracks that Meltlake had made began to spread.
“Interesting.” Mizuchi cracked the knuckles on her claw. “A student? I didn’t expect any of you to be able to struggle.”
“Lot of folks underestimate me.” Marissa shifted into a fighting stance. “Lot of folks lose.”
“Oh, how delightful. This one thinks she’s a fighter.” Mizuchi lunged with a claw, so fast I could barely see it.
Marissa just shifted her head slightly to the side, then brought a knee up toward Mizuchi’s gut.
Mizuchi responded quickly, blocking with her own leg, and then stepped back. She tilted her head to the side, examining.
Marissa didn’t give her a chance for much analysis. She swept a hand out in a chop. When Mizuchi didn’t bother to block, Marissa reshaped her shroud into a blade just before it impacted against Mizuchi’s shoulder.
A thin line of red appeared across Mizuchi’s scales.
Mizuchi turned her head downward, inspecting the damage. Marissa had hit her on the right shoulder.
“Impressive.” Mizuchi turned her eyes back up to meet Marissa’s. “I think I’ll kill you next.”
She swept out with a claw again, but Marissa side-stepped the strike and responded with a jab of her own.
Mizuchi caught Marissa’s hand.
And squeezed.
Marissa screamed, smashing Mizuchi with her other fist.
Mizuchi barely seemed to feel the impact, but she let go.
Marissa’s right hand was a bloody mess. She cradled it against her chest, breathing heavily.
“That was a truly exceptional effort, and you should be commended for it.”
I tried to move again, but I had no strength left. I’d given everything to Marissa.
I had to keep trying anyway. My eyes searched from side to side, searching for something, anything I could use.
Another glowing arrow of light flashed from the guest section.
Mizuchi turned, caught it, and hurled it straight back at the archer.
The archer ducked out of the way, drawing another arrow.
Marissa punched Mizuchi in the spine with her good hand.
Mizuchi hissed, spun, and swung a kick at Marissa.
Marissa hopped backward, ducked, and then swung her good hand upward in an arc, launching a shockwave of cutting force.
It hit Mizuchi with no effect.
My eyes settled on something — the mana regeneration bracer on Patrick’s arm.
It had a store of my mana inside.
If I could get to it…
I couldn’t move, but I could still feel the auras of my objects against my body.
The mana regeneration bracer was an obvious candidate, but everything I’d enchanted myself had a bit of my own mana in it.
I wasn’t wearing much. Most of my items were in the Jaden Box. I’d been afraid that anything unusual would be taken at the door.
But I did have my phoenix sigil and my mana watch.
It only took the slightest sliver of my mana to connect with their capacity runes.
And then, rather than pushing mana into them, I began to pull.
Marissa dodged another one of Mizuchi’s swings, but she stumbled and fell backward.
Mizuchi took advantage of the opening immediately, launching a kick at Marissa’s chest.
Marissa raised an arm to block, but the kick impacted with such force that it carried her off the ground, throwing her backward a dozen feet. She hit the ground and tumbled into an expert roll.
She managed to make it back to her feet before Mizuchi hit her again, this time in the right shoulder.
Marissa screamed, then jammed her fingers toward Mizuchi’s eyes.
Mizuchi just moved her head to the side, then kicked again.
Marissa hopped back, slower this time, and began to circle back around to where she’d first attacked.
I didn’t know why she was going that way, but I couldn’t think about it.
I poured my effort into draining the mana out of my items.
I drained the mana watch completely. As much as my mind was screaming that I needed it, I knew rationally that it was less important in the middle of a fight.
And for once, my self-control was stronger than my fear.
I drained the shield sigil about halfway. I needed the mana, but I wasn’t going to leave myself completely defenseless.
With a little bit of my mana restored, I concentrated, forming a longer thread of mana out of my right hand.
Then, with a hint of transference mana, I pushed the string toward Patrick’s bracer.
I missed. I pushed again.
Marissa dodged another swing, hopping onto the stage.
Mizuchi hurled a blast of lightning.
Marissa focused her shroud and slashed it in half, just like Keras would have.
But she wasn’t at Keras’ level of skill. Not yet.
The blast was weakened, but it still hit her, sending her into a series of convulsions as she fell to her knees.
Mizuchi hopped onto the stage casually. “Are we done now?” She threw a swing at Marissa’s head.
Marissa ducked the swing, then rolled off the stage.
Mizuchi hissed. “You’re beginning to irritate me, girl.”
“Good, that means I’m startin’ to warm up.” Marissa hopped to the side as Mizuchi lunged at her.
Mizuchi landed near Teft.
More specifically, she landed inside what looked like a bear trap composed of raw mana.
The trap snapped shut around Mizuchi’s leg. She screamed.
Teft, still on the ground, waved a hand. Chains of mana appeared around Mizuchi.
Then columns of mana shot upward all around her, each as thick as a fist.
Like the bars of a prison cell.
Mizuchi snarled, straining at the chains. They cracked, but didn’t break.
“Now,” Teft yelled, his voice somehow strong in spite of his injury.
The archer fired another arrow.
Mizuchi twisted, snapped the chains, and caught the arrow in a clawed hand.
But that was just another distraction.
Elora Theas appeared right behind Mizuchi, a swirling ball of air mana in her hands.
Professor Meltlake pushed herself to her feet, wiping blood from her forehead, and pointing her cane.
They attacked Mizuchi from opposite sides. Elora hurled the sphere of mana, and Meltlake conjured a tremendous torrent of flame.
When the attacks impacted, they mixed. And wind, when mixed with flame, combusted.
The resulting explosion rocked the chamber, unattended tables and chairs aside. I had to brace my feet to keep from falling over. My ears rang.
A large section of the floor around where Mizuchi had stood was simply missing. Nearby the tapestries nearest the center of the room caught fire, spreading smoke.
Elora stumbled back, falling onto the stage.