Chapter Two
"Mina Yeung, I will never understand how you can manage people like me on the daily," he thought as he prepared for his sudden training session. Moving quickly through his room he threw on sweatpants over some shorts and one of his older shirts that he used for workouts. "If I head out now," he mused to nobody in particular, "I can spend some time warming up. Since she's giving me an hour I can only imagine what she has in store." He pulled on a jacket and headed out into the campus proper. The sun was well on its way towards setting, he glanced at his watch which read 5:45. "Huh, sun should set within an hour. Why would she want to train at night? Damn, I always feel like I'm a step behind with her." He voiced his thoughts to the cool Korean air as he stepped outside his dorm and into the campus proper. The campus never ceased to amaze him, it truly was at the leading edge of magical education. Dozens of buildings spider webbed outwards over acres of land, all of it funded by either the Mages Association or private donors. The majority of the buildings were newly refurbished and contained state-of-the-art technology, from dorm rooms with functioning central air to a cutting edge magi-tech lab. Alex took a leisurely pace as he walked down into the heart of the campus.
He passed dozens of students enjoying the last few hours of leisure before classes kicked off in the morning. He recognized a few faces as he passed them and registered a multitude of voices from the small crowds that moved along the paved walkways. The vast majority of the conversations were in Korean, and while he had gotten fairly good at learning the language during his time here, he was by no means a master. He reached the large four-story building in good time and stepped inside. The first floor contained a central desk where administrative duties were carried out, as well as locker rooms and showers. He headed straight for the desk and the woman sitting behind it. Her curly blonde hair rested at her shoulders and she wore the standard white and blue crew neck tee of campus staff. As he approached, she looked up and smiled as she recognized him.
"Hey Alex, didn't think I'd see you here so soon." He returned the smile and was grateful that she was one of the few English speakers on campus. He really did not want to pull out his second-rate Korean at the moment. "Well, you know me Ellie. I like to get a head start on everything, even my workout routine." To this, Ellie merely raised an eyebrow, "Uh-huh. So you're not down here for other reasons?" A teasing tone began to edge into her voice, "Because I just got a call from Mina saying that you'd be down here. She figured it would be nearly half an hour before you dragged your ass down here." That smile that she wore now shifted into a mocking grin, "Guess you beat her expectations after all." His own face fell at the revelation, "Seriously? Do you women talk about everything? Shit, I don't suppose that…" She interrupted and confirmed his fears, "Yeah, she already booked a training area. Number six. As to that question, we only talk about the good stuff." He did not appreciate the look that she gave him as she divulged the information. He groaned in exasperation, "Thanks a bunch Ellie. You're such a big help. I'm gonna go warm up now." He stepped to the left and swiped his student ID across the reader. He was rewarded with a low click as the turnstile unlocked and he pushed his way through. As he headed towards the stairs that led to the workout floor he heard Ellie's voice call after him, "You two have fun now." He merely rolled his eyes and did not give her the satisfaction of a response.
He began a set of light exercises; focusing on stretching his muscles and loosening the joints. As he was working through his second round of sit-ups, he begrudgingly accepted that Mina had a point. "I'm definitely not as in-shape as I should be," the thought ran through his mind as he switched to push-ups. "Even with this little warmup session, I'm gonna be hurting after this." As he sat upright and glanced about, it occurred to him that he nearly had the floor to himself. He noticed only two other people, both guys, both doing their own thing. "Well, I shouldn't overdo things before Mina gets here. I feel fine enough, so I'll take it easy until she gets here." He went to a nearby vending machine and with a quick swipe of his card, a cold water bottle soon thudded to the bottom. He took a seat on a bench outside the workout floor and allowed his mind to wander. His thoughts soon landed on Mina.
She was a little older than him, she turned 22 last November while he still had a month to go before he caught up. She was born and raised in South Korea, but Alex was discouraged at how little he knew about her family. Mages were normally very proud of their lineage and he had encountered more than one mage who would boast about his or her prestigious family origins. While he himself came from a well-established mage family back in the United States, he preferred to not let it be the focus of conversation. Mina was the epitome of an accomplished mage, she was brilliant and excelled in many of her classes. Last he heard, she was near the top of their junior class. He was not dumb by any means, but he recalled more than one occasion where he had gone to her for assistance on one assignment or another. She was one of his first friends when he moved to Korea for what his parents referred to as "a proper education for a growing mage." He also suddenly remembered that besides being a mage, she was also a second-degree black belt in hapkido. He shuddered to think of all the ways she could hurt him during their training. He grimaced at the thought, there was a lot of talent stored in her 5'5" body. Just as his imagination was turning towards the grisly, a familiar voice shook him from his reverie. "I hope you haven't been sitting here the whole time." He glanced up to see Mina standing before him, wearing blue workout pants with a matching white and blue jacket. She smiled wide at him, "Ready to get started?"
He rose from his seat, sighing heavily at her enthusiasm, "Yeah I guess so, let's get this over with." He followed her up to the fourth floor which consisted of several large rooms, most of which were dark and empty. The rooms all had large glass windows that allowed onlookers a glance at what would be happening inside. Usually, these rooms would be used for training with magic that would be problematic in the classroom. Alex often frequented these rooms to test out new weapon techniques that incorporated his magic. While he was no stranger to swinging a sword, he very rarely did so against another mage. His mind raced as he tried to recall how Mina fought and what her magic aptitude was. "Shit, I can't remember the last time I saw her fight. All I remember is that she won her match in under twenty seconds! I'm fucked…" He thought miserably, "Maybe she'll go easy on me, she did say we were just training. However…" "Hey! Earth to Alex! We're here!" Mina's sharp tone cut through his thoughts and forced him to refocus on her. She had stopped before a large metallic door with a metal sign that read 'TRAINING ROOM 6.' With a swipe of her ID on the card scanner, the door unlocked and she pushed forward into the dark room.
She flicked on the lights as Alex stepped into the room and glanced around. The room was nearly forty feet long and thirty feet wide, designed to give mages the most room possible for complex or explosive spells. The walls were all padded with fire-resistant covering and reinforced with carbon-fiber steel. The floor was solid concrete and covered in the same fire-resistant padding that the walls were. The ceiling domed twenty feet upwards and he watched as they began to slide down with a mechanical whine, revealing the darkening skies that overlooked the university. "She's doing that on purpose. But it could play to my advantage." As he entered the room he began to strategize how he would fight, "I could try to summon lightning, but that could really hurt her. Or some hail maybe? Nah, that takes too long. Maybe I can," "HEY! You gonna keep daydreaming or what?" Again, he glanced sideways at Mina, who was leaning by a rack of wooden weapons. "Let's get moving slowpoke!" She teased him with a smirk on her face, "Choose your weapon, noble warrior." He ignored her mocking tone and stepped over to the rack.
After a moment of consideration, he selected a hand-and-a-half model and gave it a few swings to test its balance. It was just about as heavy as normal steel, despite being made of wood. Hitting each other with this won't kill them, but it will definitely leave nasty bruises or break something at worst. But there was something different about this wooden weapon, he inspected the material closer and realized there were thin bands of gleaming silver that ran the length of the "blade." He opened his mouth to raise the question, but Mina beat him to it. "I see you've noticed the improvements that the school has made to the training equipment. Thanks to a generous donation from some rich bastard or another, these weapons allow for mana infusing." Alex raised an eyebrow and gave a low whistle, "That's impressive. So what you're saying is that we can imbue these weapons with our magic?" She nodded in agreement, "That's right, though there's a catch. This is experimental technology and hasn't been perfected. At the moment, these weapons can only take so much mana before they fail. So you have to be careful with how much juice you use at any given moment." A lightbulb went off in Alex's head as he realized the true nature of the weapons, "So these are more than just magic weapons. They're supposed to teach mana control as well."
He looked to Mina for confirmation and was met with her usual smirk. "That's right genius. Now then, enough chatter. Let's see what you're made of." She picked up a long quarterstaff and walked towards the far end of the room. Alex followed suit and stood opposite to her, focusing on evening his breath and trying to calm his racing mind. "Alright, I'll start off slow. Test her defenses and see how far she wants to go." She called out to him, "Alright Sparky, we go until one of us either gives or is disarmed. Think you can handle that?" He gritted his teeth as she taunted him, "I hate it when she calls me that. Yeah! Let's do this!"
She nodded at his assent, stood at attention with her staff before her and gave a deep bow. This surprised him, as such formalities only had a place in official duels. But it would be rude to not respond in kind, and as his mother taught him, a mage was always proper and elegant. He stood at attention, presented his weapon to Mina and bowed at the waist. There was only one step left before the duel began, and as always, Mina was faster on the draw. He felt a sudden blast of compressed air slam into the wall behind his right shoulder. At that moment he remembered what her specialty was, "That's right, she's a wind mage. I need to be careful." It was his turn; he raised his left arm and formed a gun with his fingers. A small bead of electricity formed at the tip of his index finger. "Bang," he whispered as a bolt of energy shot from his fingertips and hit the wall to Mina's right. The fight was on.
"Let's go!" Alex cried out as he dashed forward, deciding that he needed to take the initiative. He brought his weapon to bear, slashing diagonally upwards across her chest only to be stopped halfway by the haft of Mina's staff. He recoiled and attempted a reverse cut laterally but was repelled with ease. "Come on! Keep up the pressure. She can't block everything!" Three more slashes and a thrust were attempted and parried before he backed off a few steps to reassess the situation. Mina remained where she stood; her stance barely changed and she neither advanced nor retreated. Her previously goading face was replaced with a serene look; she was totally focused on the fight.
His thoughts came rapid-fire as he slowly circled her, her body did not shift though he noticed her eyes followed his every step. "Damnit I wish I knew more about her fighting style. She hasn't used any magic either, she's just standing there and deflecting whatever I throw at her! Fine! Time to switch things up!" He switched to a two handed style, opting for power over precision. "Have at you!" He cried out again as he closed with her, battering at her from all angles. But each time he noticed an opening, she was always prepared with a counter. He was thrown back once more and felt anger replacing irritation at his inability to pierce through.
"Fuck. It's that staff of hers. I may have six inches on her but I can't get close enough to overpower her. Damnit why is she just standing there?" For the third time their weapons met, the sounds of their blows echoing into the night. This time, Alex opened his circuits and felt the warmth of the mana flood into his forearms. He whispered a brief incantation, "Gel hithe," and felt his muscles tighten in response. His blows came faster and harder and he could see Mina's face twist with the effort of keeping up her defense. For the first time she was forced to retreat, but he knew she wasn't giving up. "Everything she does is calculated. Even when I have the advantage I need to be careful."
He pressed forward and gained ground, though he knew this wouldn't last long. The spell he used was akin to injecting a lot of steroids; it can be incredibly powerful but doesn't last long. And when the spell ends…he would be at a severe disadvantage. He could already feel the strength slowly fading from his extremities. "Shit this might have been a bad idea." But the thought came too late, as he felt the strength leave his arms and his strikes slowed. This was all Mina needed. With one swift motion, she spun the staff in her hands and delivered a thundering blow aimed straight for his head. He swiftly dropped to one knee, feeling the staff whistle inches above his head. Before he could rise the staff came straight down; he had no time to dodge. Lifting the weapon with both hands he caught the staff halfway. The resounding CRACK echoed through the room and Alex grimaced at the shock of pain that ran down his arms and shoulders.
Not wanting to remain in such a problematic position, he pushed upwards as he stood, using his weight to gain leverage over her. Their weapons stayed in contact; the two of them were now eye to eye, straining against each other to gain the upper hand. "Give it up Mina," Alex teased as he pushed down at an angle, he was slowly taking the advantage. "I knew you were just full of hot air." Her voice remained calm, though she was clearly exerting a fair amount of effort to keep the bigger man at bay. "You sure about that Sparky? I'm not finished yet." Alex began to wonder where her smirk was coming from, and then it hit him.
Both of her arms lit up with a sky-blue glow as she activated her circuits. The energy streamed into the staff, causing it to glow with the same hue. "Aw fuck," Alex had no time to disengage. A blast of wind slammed into his chest, blowing him clear of Mina. He registered he was airborne for two full seconds before he hit the ground and skidded several feet before stopping. Even with the padded floor, the impact jarred his entire body. Pain radiated from his entire lower back as well as the back of his head. "Owwww," he groaned as he slowly dragged himself upright. He had been punched in the gut many times in his life, but this felt like he had taken a small sledgehammer to the ribs. As his vision refocused he saw Mina standing several feet away, flourishing her staff and setting into a defensive stance. "That all you got?" she called out to him, "That was pathetic!" Anger rose in his gut as he bit back a retort and growled under his breath. "If that's how we're doing this, then allow me to match."
He forced more mana through his circuits and felt the pain in his chest subside. "Glad I know healing magic, let's find out if she remembers." He crouched low and prepared to charge, muttering an incantation under his breath. Raw electricity surged down his right arm and coursed into the wooden blade. He was pleasantly surprised that it did not burst into flames, though he doubted that it would hold very long. Energy pulsed and crackled in his hand, it was time to give that energy a place to go. He diverted mana to his legs and felt the muscles tense in response. "Ready or not," he called with a grin, "here I come!"
He pushed off the ground like a sprinter and with his enhanced leg muscles, quickly closed the gap. As Mina began to step to receive him, he raised his left arm and shouted, "Fulmen!" Three bursts of lightning lanced out from his fingertips towards Mina, intending to shock her into submission. "Scuto ab aere!" she cried out, surprise edging into her voice. The bolts crashed into a wall of air, concentrated to such an extent that it was akin to hitting concrete. The bolts did not touch her, but Alex figured she would react to that quick enough. All he needed was a distraction, and it worked. By the time Mina realized what had happened, it was too late. Mina's staff attempted to block his blow, but she was a fraction too slow. Alex penetrated her guard and pressed his weapon into her right shoulder, "Bang," and with that poured what he approximated to be about ten volts of electricity through her body. She shrieked in pain and dropped to the ground, shaking as the electricity coursed through her. Alex's momentum carried him over her crumpled form, finally regaining his balance after a few feet.
He doubled over, attempting to catch his breath after exerting so much effort. "Hahh…whew…gotcha Mina…" he managed to pull the words together between breaths. As he recovered, he realized with a jolt that Mina hadn't moved yet. She was still curled in a fetal position, she was still shaking slightly. His head quickly filled with the worst possible situations, "Alex you God damned fool! That could have seriously hurt her! What if I did? Oh no…" "Mina! You okay!?" He dashed over calling to her, though he received no response. As he got near, he knelt down and reached out to her, intending to roll her on her back so he could check her breathing. The proper methods of performing CPR were the last things that ran through his mind before the world turned upside down. "Oh, I'm airborne aga-" SLAM. Next thing he knew he was seeing only stars as his vision swam from the impact. He groaned in pain and attempted to rise, only to have something heavy plant itself in the small of his back, forcing him back to the ground.
"You. Fucking. Idiot," a familiar and very angry voice growled from above him. "I should wind stomp you through the floor for that move you just pulled." He really hoped Mina couldn't see the sheepish grin that was forcing its way across his face. "Mina, I'm really sorry about that. I hope it didn't hurt too much." He tried to sound as sorry as he was feeling, "I'm just glad you're not seriously hurt. I don't think I could live with myself if I caused you serious injury." He stayed still for a few tense moments, hoping that she believed him and did not do whatever a "wind stomp" was. Finally, Mina gave an exasperated response, "As much of an ass as you are, it was a pretty good move." Alex felt the weight removed from his back as Mina backed away. He slowly got up and brushed himself off, turning to face her. "So…does this mean I win?"
He regretted those words the moment they left his lips, mainly because of the staff that swung towards his chest. He would have taken a serious beating if Mina hadn't stopped halfway. He put his hands up in surrender, "Alright you win! How's that?" She grinned and pulled the staff back from his chest, "As much as I might like to take that. I wouldn't deserve it. That was an effective diversion you pulled back there. I honestly did not think you had it in you, so you've impressed me on that count. How about we call it a draw?" Alex felt his cheeks flush slightly at the praise; that diversion was purely spur of the moment. He genuinely did not expect it to work so well. But he nodded in assent, "Sure, let's call it a draw."
He couldn't help but smile as he met her gaze, either because he really enjoyed spending time with her these days or because he was still lightheaded from all the blows to the head that he just received. It didn't matter to him, he was glad he got to experience this. "Thanks for this Mina, despite not being able to see straight right now, this was fun." She rolled her eyes and gave a light laugh, "Yeah it was. You should've seen your face when I sent you flying. It was like you didn't realize why you couldn't touch ground until you hit it!" She struggled mightily to stop herself from laughing at the thought. Alex appreciated the effort but couldn't let her have all the fun. "You're telling me. Your hair is still on end from when I zapped you! It looks like you stood too close to a Tesla coil!" For a brief moment, they both just stared at each other until they couldn't take it anymore. For a solid five minutes, their peals of laughter echoed into the night. A night that had borne witness to violence was now blanketed with a wave of joy.
"Come on Alex," Mina was the first to recover her composure, "we need to clean up and get going. We do have class in the morning." Alex reluctantly had to agree, they had been at this for a while. "Alright let's finish up here," though there was still one nagging question that he had to have answered. "Hey Mina, what exactly is a wind stomp?" Mina responded first with a smile that genuinely struck some measure of fear into Alex. "Well, my dear friend," her voice was like silk, and Alex feared that tone of voice. "It's when I compress the air around me to such an extent that when I release it at a target, it's like being hit by a small car. I've never gotten the chance to test it on a person before. Would you like to make the sacrifice for the betterment of my education?" Alex knew she was joking, but some part of him felt that if she got the chance to test this move on some unlucky bastard, she might not hesitate. "N-no thanks," he managed to stammer, "I prefer to have my torso intact." "She nodded as though this was new information to her, "I figured as such. Unfortunate. Well, be seeing you." As she headed towards the large door he called out to her in disbelief, "Wait! You're just leaving the cleanup to me?" She glanced at him over her shoulder, "Yeah that's totally what I'm doing. It shouldn't take you too long. Only a few scorch marks to get rid of. Be sure to get the skid marks you left too. Najung-e bwa!" With a wave, she unlocked the door and stepped out into the hallway. Then she was gone, leaving Alex staring at the room in utter disbelief.
He chuckled to himself and set to work, both impressed and irritated at Mina's attitude. After about half an hour of hard scrubbing, making good use of the gymnasium's equipment, the room was as good as new, mostly. He returned to his room, thoroughly exhausted from the bout. Despite some cooldown stretches, he knew that he was going to hurt come morning. He spent the rest of his evening doing as little as physically possible, which for him, meant firing up the PS4 that he had installed in the room and enjoying some BloodBorne™. While he enjoyed this last moment of peace, he briefly considered the fight. Mina fought extraordinarily well, it took some serious effort on his part to even come close to beating her. And then there was him electrocuting her; the thought of what could have gone wrong with that move left a bad taste in his mouth. Though he had gotten better with controlling his magic, there is always the chance that something goes wrong. "Ah well, I'll just need to be more careful in future fights. Maybe I should focus more on weapons training, that's more reliable than pure magic tactics. Something to consider at least." The hour soon grew late, and he sadly remembered that he had a class at 9:30, something he had hoped to avoid but was unable to. So ended Alex's last day of vacation; he fell into a slumber dreading both his professors as well as the bruises that he had incurred. He wasn't quite sure which would hurt more come morning.
