CHAPTER 4

Combat

They arrived just in time for class.

"Alright!" Coach Boomer said with an evil smile. "Who would like to be first for 'Fight and Capture'?" He looked down at his clipboard and then smiled again. "How about Warren and Tempeste? Consider it a bonding exercise."

"Great!" They spoke in unison as they headed down to get suited up.

"Warren you'll be the Villain and Tempeste you're the Hero. The point of the game is for the hero to put these power-disarming cuffs on the Villain. You have 3 minutes to do so."

"Let's get this over with." Tempeste said grabbing the cuffs from Boomer.

"Fine with me." Warren headed over to his side of the floor.

"GO!" Boomer boomed from his chair.

Warren ignited and Tempeste just stood there. She slowly started to walk toward Warren. He started throwing flames at her, but they had no effect. Warren remembered her comment from earlier. She couldn't burn. At this point she was less than two feet away from him. She moved her hands together, so that it looked like she was praying, and closed her eyes.

When her eyes opened they had what looked like ice over them. She lifted her arms and a white mist surrounded Warren. When the mist cleared, it revealed Warren in a cage of ice hand-cuffed to one of the bars.

"Hero wins." Boomer said a tad confused. "Ms. Toireann it says here you are an elemental. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Tempeste replied taking the cuffs off Warren and helping him melt the cage.

"I've never seen an elemental react that way during combat. How your eyes shifted to ice, like that."

"Yes well I'm just special that way." She was about to take off her armor.

"Oh you're not done yet. Let's see how you fair against Stronghold?"

"Fine." She rolled her eyes as she went back to her start line on the floor.

"Hero or Villain, Stronghold?" Boomer asked looking quite smug.

"Villain's fine." Will replied suiting up. Everyone was curious to see if she could cuff Will the same way she did Warren. Will wanted to see what she was capable of as well, which is why he chose Villain.

Will took his stance, as did Tempeste.

"GO!"

Tempeste took on her praying stance once again. Will punched the ground. Tempeste lifted herself off the ground using wind and avoided the aftermath of Will's punch.

Will flew up to meet her. If she wanted a sky match it was fine with him. To his dismay she regained her footing on the ground. Also regaining her praying position. Will landed about 6 feet from her. She looked up at him with a warm smile and put her arms out in front of her palms up. He was confused and started back a little. It was too late though. She had already surrounded him with fire. It was all around him, even above him.

She pondered how to get the cuffs on him. She put out the fire, still thinking of how to win. Then it hit her, she smiled once again. Will came at her full force but just as he was about to reach her, he was stopped by vines wrapping around him. They grew until he couldn't move an inch. She walked over and placed the cuffs on him with ease.

"Hero wins." Boomer grumbled as he checked off another name. "You can go to the stands now, Ms. Toireann." Boomer called out two more names but Tempeste ignored him. She made the vines go back into the earth and fixed the floor. Will fell to the ground and made his way to the sidelines to take off his armor.

"Good job! You really had me." Will said looking at the small women who had just kicked his ass. She was quite attractive, with an hourglass figure and short blue-black hair that made her icy blue eyes stand out.

"Thanks! I didn't make the vines too tight, did I?

"No, not really! I have to admit I haven't seen anyone be so calm in combat like that. Not to mention so in control of the elements."

"I've had a lot practice. When I started using my powers I read all I could on elementals and their powers. Then I would practice for hours everyday until I had it under control."

"Well it worked." Will went to sit down next to Layla and motioned for Tempeste to follow. "This is Layla, she has control over plants like you do."

"Well, not quite the same. You have power over earth not just plants like me. Nice to meet you." Layla corrected Will and offered Tempeste her hand.

"Nice to meet you too. So have either one of you found a job yet." Tempeste questioned as she sat down next to Layla.