Cearbhail:

So, I screwed up this chapter to be honest. You'll see what I mean.

[Vatu Raz'Akha]

I watched as Talia limped her way past me. She had a wide smile growing on her face as she winked at me. "Go get 'em, tiger." As she walked past me, she patted me on my shoulder. "Will I get to see those nightmare eyes of yours today?" Talia pulled down on her violet eye, smiling at me.

"I hope not." Was all I could say. "Mine… or your girlfriend's."

Talia's smirk vanished from her face. She turned around, continuing down the stairs leaving the arena. "Whatever. Good luck on your match. I'm rooting for you. If not only so that Erickha will have the exciting match she's always wanted."

"What you did to Pra'ja… I hope you realize she's friends with everyone in Unit 4. She's like the heart of the team. You mess with our heart… and you mess with the team. And some of us are really protective of Pra'ja." I felt a growl forming in my throat.

Talia glanced back at me. "You should talk to Pra'ja before you decide to jump me. Get her permission first. I did." Talia walked away without another word. She did kick a rock as soon as she hit the ground though. Such a disgraceful person.

I turned back to the arena. My opponent waited to enter the arena just like I was. They were comforting Pra'ja as she walked out of the arena. I saw Pra'ja look back at me, trying her best to hold a strong face, but I could see the sheer amount of defeat she was holding onto. Talia pulled Pra'ja down into a place she never had to visit. Public humiliation. Pra'ja was always very expressive of everything she did. And she acted like she didn't care what people thought of her. She was constantly trying to get people to notice her and her crazy antics. I don't think she enjoyed being disrobed in front of the entire arena. Over 100 people, people from our training units, to civilians watching the war mages training, just watched Pra'ja stripped naked in front of everyone. I could tell from the way Pra'ja glanced at everyone as the match was turning worse that she was worried what would happen in front of her. Not because she couldn't take it… but because she didn't want us to see it happen to her.

Just seeing Talia walk past the training units, and how everyone glared at her as she walked past them, I could tell I wouldn't have to mess with her. Everyone else was going to do it for me. I could focus on my match.

Kelciene Skull-Hammer. The Nordic person walked into the ring, nodding a welcome to me. I swallowed, keeping myself composed as I walked into the ring, meeting them in the middle.

"Well, Vatu. Never thought you'd see me, huh?" Kelc smiled at me, crossing their arms.

"Hey, fae. Want to have that match you're always begging me for?" I tried my best to smile.

"Why would I want to fight you?" Kelc crossed their arms. "It's not like we're in the middle of a combat arena, seconds before we start our match, right?"

"Right you are!" Arch Mage Sosia Ernard screamed into her enchanted wand. "And let's begin the introductions. In the Left Corner, we have Vatu Raz'Akha-Ernard. My godchild. So, as his godparents, I can tell you Vatu's whole life story. Vatu grew up in the Imperial City, right here in this town. Vatu was living in the Elven Garden District back during the Oblivion Crisis. He was trapped in his house as Daedra marched through the streets. His parents defended their house while Vatu and his baby sister Nisha hid in the sewers. They barely survived the encounter with the Daedra, and because of horrible people who didn't think to look for the children, myself included, Vatu and Nisha retreated deeper into the sewers, trying their best to survive. Vatu basically raised his sister on his own, and... I'm much to blame for that. I was still dealing with the Cult of the Worm at the time, trying my best to stamp out the remnants of the cult, and keep my guild up and running with no ruling council to assist me.

"It's because of Vatu's quick thinking that he and Nisha were able to survive as long as they have. They lived in the wilderness with another survivor: Pra'ja Vanderma. They survived off of fish and whatever they could scrounge up from Ayleid ruins and other dungeons. That would change once Vatu wandered into a weird Ayleid ruin, one that housed a dangerous dark welkynd stone. Because of Vatu's natural Atronach abilities, he and his sister were able to survive a dark welkynd stone's lightning attack. And this unlocked Vatu's magickal abilities. Ever since, his path has been clear. He wants to become a battlemage to protect others from what he had to grow up in. He's seen this world for what it is, and so… he fights to change it."

Kelciene smiled. "Nice to hear your story. You're always so broody."

"Vatu's favorite color is…" Arch Mage Sosia chortled to herself, her face turning bright pink as she read my listed favorites. "Are you serious?" She couldn't stop herself from laughing herself out of her chair.

I rolled my eyes as BI Hans Battle-Born picked up the sheet. He gave it a quick read before arching an eyebrow. "I never would have guessed." Hans cleared his throat. "Vatu's favorite color is… rainbow. And his favorite season is spring. And his favorite weather is… whenever rainbows are out. He likes cooking fish, camping, and playing football. With those talons, I would hope he knows how to properly kick the ball."

"Of course I do!" I screamed. "I'm the best defender this side of the Niben."

"We're in the middle." Hans reminded me.

"Exactly." I reported.

With Arch Mage Godmother on the ground, still losing her shit to my list of favorites, Hans decided to introduce Kelciene. "And in the Right Corner, we have a local legend back in Winterhold. Kelciene Skull-Hammer, of the famous warriors of the glacier mountains. Kelciene, must like our favorite Orc, was disowned from their clan after they started displaying certain… destructive elements present in their aura. It's hard to live on a sheet of ice when a kid sneezes and melts the town into the freezing water. Kelciene and their father made the long journey to Winterhold when they were only five. They didn't get to see the Oblivion Crisis, like most of us had, but they did get to meet the Witch Hunters of the Lost Glade. A band of Nordic Companions that believed that anyone with that much destructive potential was nothing to let live. With everything Skyrim had just gone through with the Oblivion Crisis… it was no wonder that Kelciene was turned away by the townsfolk, only to be accepted into the arms of Arch Mage Ezust Silver-Sword, the Arch Mage of the Winterhold College of the Arcane Arts.

"But Kelciene would quickly learn that their destructive potential was even deadlier than imagined. With one bad accident, Kelciene almost blew up the college, scarring several of the professors in the process."

"It's not my fault. I told them I have an explosive reaction to being embarrassed. And one of them took my nose. How was I supposed to react to that?" Kelciene was addressing me. And as they were talking to me, I could see pink and yellow lightning sparking across their body. They were almost glowing with elemental magick. I could feel the vibrations from where I was standing. Oh no… I knew Kelciene whenever they have a moment. This was bad. This was very bad.

"Kelciene was similarly dismissed from the college for coming out as genderfluid, something that Arch Mage Silver-Sword outlawed from his campuses when he took ownership of the Winterhold College. And… let's just say Pra'ja wouldn't be welcome their either, for a lot of reasons."

"They could never afford me!" Pra'ja screamed from outside the ring, wearing a new outfit.

"And so Kelciene came here, seeking their fame. And to prove to their father, who died saving their life, that they are worth the sacrifice he made for them. They're training to bring down Witchhunters. And this training will prepare them for their revenge. Kelciene's favorite color is silver, their favorite weather is cloudy. Their favorite location in the world are the glaciers they grew up in. They like to play bass lute and designing fashion."

Kelciene nodded. "So, I wanted to ask if you'd let me examine your outfits. I have an idea for waterproof fabric wear for Khajiits, Lilmothiits, and Argonians. I need to borrow something from Talia, if she'll let me though. She has those rubbery outfits Black Marsh Argonians wear."

I shrugged. "Sure, I'm okay with that."

"Okay, everyone. It's finally time. Ready, set… match begin."

I was quick as I wrapped Frost over my talons. Black Lightning sparked on my clawtips as fire crawled across my arms. Okay, I'm ready for my offensive.

I lowered my stance, charging to Kelciene. Kelciene sighed as they ran for me. Lightning crackled over their whole body. Blasts of Shock flew off their arms as they threw a punch at me.

You know that moment where you can taste static electricity? How about the moment where you adrenaline kicks in and you taste metal in your mouth? I was experiencing both of those things as Kelciene threw their first punch at me. Kelciene has a way of using their overwhelming Shock element as unfocused as possible. They throw a punch, and the discharge destroys whatever is in front of it. The thing is… Kelciene is a short-round ballista. They can't fire it off too often. They deplete too quickly. Then again… they don't have to fire it off too often. Anyone normal after one round of Kelciene's Shockwave Palm Thrust wouldn't want to get off the ground.

Me… I'm a little different. I'm an Atronach. I absorb magicka. And Kelciene's attack was no different. It tasted bitter on my tongue. My fangs were shaking as if I took a hard punch to the face… but I was still kneeling. Magickal smoke was smoldering off my fur, but I was still breathing.

Kelciene was almost doubled over, trying their best to catch their breath. "You still standing, Vats?"

I nodded. I spat out some metallic-tasting spit. Blood… go figure.

"Just trying to keep myself in check." I said as I stood up.

"Well, look at you."

I heard a familiar voice call over my shoulder. I had to force myself not to groan or react as Mannimarco's astral form walked over to in front of me. He was blocking my vision of Kelciene. "You're going to let this half-breed do you like that?" Mannimarco bent down, touching my cheek. He pulled his hand away, showing my blood on his fingertips. "I mean… really? You fell a whole gaggle of Aedra and you let this… Nord, of all things, attack you with magicka? You have access to my most forbidden arts… and you choose to bleed?"

I grunted as I stood up. Kelciene was still collecting their magicka back. The people behind me were hiding behind a Shield Wall Hans threw up at the last second. I could see that even he was struggling to keep the Shield up from Kelciene's one attack. The arena's new enchantment was barely holding together. Like I said… Kelciene is a glass ballista. One Punch Person.

I wiped the blood off my chin. "Good shot, Kelc. As always."

Kelciene was rolling their shoulder. "Really, Vats?" They sounded almost surprised. "I suspected you'd either kill me or be blasted out of the ring. You really dug your claws into the stonework and held your ground?"

Mannimarco was resting next to Kelciene. He placed an arm over Kelciene's shoulder. "Well, this is interesting. I did tell you that my magicka is infectious, right? If you attack your friend here… you'll infect them. They'll catch me like a bad cold. One they just can't shake. And little by little… I'll get into their pretty little head. With their destructive aura… I could replace you."

That was exactly what I feared. Mannimarco's element inside my body was the black lightning that crackled within me. It was hard separating it from the other magicka floating inside me. It would be like separating my white blood cells from my red when I have an open cut gushing blood. Luckily for me, Mannimarco only had real hold whenever my eyes turned red. For him to be standing in front of me right now, something had to be wrong.

"Kelc… what color are my eyes right now?" I held my claws in front of my face, protecting me from their second attack.

"Red." Kelciene relayed to me. "Are you threatening me, Vatu? I won't be another Travis/Jessie incident."

I shook my head. "Nope, nothing like that." I gave Kelciene my best glare. "You need to dodge any attack I give you. If Mannimarco gets inside you…"

"Don't need to tell me twice, dark avenger." Kelc replied, throwing two arms out to me.

Next thing I knew… I was on my back. The breath had been blasted out of my body.

"Chapter 23, paragraph 7." Mannimarco walked in front of me, holding what looked like his book of shadows. I'm sure he was referencing to one of his spells. "Interested?"

I shook my head, rolling myself onto my side. My head spun in every direction.

"Your eyes are growing stronger. And my connection to you is growing stronger as well." I felt anger welling up inside me. My vision was beginning to blur. I tried my best to keep my head cool. But it was quickly becoming overwhelming. My fur was beginning to stand on end. My teeth were beginning to thirst for blood. My nose was overactive. I could smell the fear beginning to build in Kelciene's aura. Their heartbeat was begging me to hunt. I wanted to destroy everything Kelciene had to offer. But it was more than that. An aura like Kelciene's. You don't see them too often. Those with almost limitless auric potential. Only so few are likely to exist in one lifetime. And Kelciene was right in front of me. And I have the soul of a soulic examiner lodged in my head. He wanted to examine Kelciene, see what makes them so uncontrollably unique. And I… I wanted to know too. They were like me. I was only hard to kill because of my bloodline. Was Kelciene like me then? Was it a special bloodline? Was it a magickal Berserk kind of bloodline? I wanted to know. And my claws wanted some blood. And what's more impressive… all it would take is one correct scratch and I would cut Kelciene open. They're on the cooldown. They wouldn't be able to attack me for 4 more seconds. More than enough time to rip into their chest, pull their ribs out, examine their heart and stomach…

"Let me in, Vatu. Together, we can find the cure for this bloodline of theirs. Or… we can learn to make more of them. Make a truly invincible army to fight the Aedra. The potential good of this examination could be the victory of this war."

I took a deep breath before screaming, "I quit! I forfeit! Get me out of this match before I do stuff I don't want to!"

Arch Mage Mother was up on me as quickly as she could, placing an enchanted headband on me. I looked at the astral image of Mannimarco waving goodbye to me, smirking at me as he vanished into non-existence.

Kelciene dropped their arms, almost elated that this match didn't progress any further. "Thank the gods I'm still alive after doing that. Vatu looked like he was going to murder me."

"I was…" I couldn't stop myself from growling as I stood up with the Arch Mage's help. I quickly turned around, trying my best to keep my tail from flicking. I didn't try to meet anyone's eyes as I shuffled myself off the stage, the Arch Mage following behind me, resting a hand on my shoulder.

I can't believe it. I couldn't even fight a single round in a combat tournament. I felt so embarrassed. So useless. I didn't even last a full minute against Kelciene. I never even got to make a single move against them.

I exited the arena, I quickly made my way past the other contestants/spectators, and walked over to the lake. When I was by myself, I ripped the headband off my head. I looked around for Mannimarco. I didn't see him near me.

"Come here, you fucking maggot. I've got something to say."

"Maggot? That's a new one." Mannimarco almost sounded amused.

I snapped my head around, seeing the astral Altmer leaning against a tree. "Hey. I'm supposed to be training. You know… getting stronger, facing stronger opponents. All so that I can face the Aedra whenever we face them. So… why did you interfere with my match?"

Mannimarco laughed, throwing his head back as he did so. "Boy… I didn't cost you that match. Let's check the facts." Mannimarco pulled out an illusion of Kelciene's body versus mine. "Let's check mana production/distribution abilities. Oh wait…" Mannimarco glanced at me. "You don't produce mana. You absorb it via contact with others. And you could have stored Kelciene's energy but… there's also the problem of your storage system. Your storage capacity is at a ten. Exactly average. Above average actually. Most mages reach ten by the middle of their growth, you've only just begun. You might be able to expand it, make a 15 if you reach a ripe age of 140, which you will under my guidance. But Kelciene is at… let's check. Oh yeah… a 20. A natural 20. They are a walking miracle of almost limitless potential. They would be lucky to ever get stronger, but they don't need too. If they honed their abilities, they could achieve godhood. Or at least, if they were a summoner, they could summon gods. Either way, you were outclassed in every way. Throw in your refusal to do even the simplest of eye tricks. Your refusal to bloodlet on their body. Throw that in with your ability to absorb only so much energy… and you get… an instant K.O. You couldn't hold Kelciene's energy, you were too busy fighting yourself to do anything useful… and let's face it. Kelciene won't be losing today. Not to anyone."

I let out a long sigh, sinking to my butt. "If you weren't an issue, I could have taken them."

Mannimarco snickered. "Oh, boohoo. The little Khajiit that could isn't up to the task of becoming a god among men."

"Hey, Vatty." Pra'ja walked up.

"Hey, Pra'ja."

"Another interesting specimen. Her capacity for summoning that Shadow Wave… unprecedented in one untrained in the Shadow Arts. I would like to examine her aura more thoroughly." Mannimarco eyed my friend as she walked up to us. He glanced at her like she was a piece of stake he was going to be biting into.

I glanced over to Mannimarco. "Shut up. Don't even…"

"He still talking to you?" Pra'ja walked to me.

I nodded.

"Where?" She asked.

I pointed over to the tree. "He's there. Eyeing you. Wants to dissect you like Kelciene."

Pra'ja sat down next to me, picking up a rock. She tossed it at the tree. "Did I hit him?"

"Missed a bit. Aim three inches to the left."

"Ah, the other side. Okay." Pra'ja threw another rock, one which traveled through Mannimarco's head. "Get him?"

"Yup. Headshot." I was almost laughing.

"The best kind." Pra'ja smiled. "So…" She glanced at me. "You may have seen more of me than I would have liked before bedding you."

"I'm Ace if that helps." I tried my best to comfort her in whatever way she could need. I really didn't know what to say though.

Pra'ja scoffed, ramming my shoulder with her elbow. "Not the point. So… what did you think?"

"Are you serious?" I glanced at her. "You want a body analysis… ask Erandur."

"I liked her curves. She had wide birthing hips. Also the way her scales glittered. Her breasts…"

"Shut up, Manniboy." I growled. "You're not allowed to analyze my friend."

Pra'ja threw six more rocks at Mannimarco's form. "Hey, I didn't drop my pants for your benefit." She glanced back at me. "Seriously, why not just put the headband back on?"

I looked at the headband. "It's a Silencing headband. It will also drain me of my magicka. And if the Aedra attack… I need to have something ready. Besides, I wanted to have a chat with Mannimarco. I wanted to know why he was sabotaging my life."

"Our life." Mannimarco replied. "Soon it will be my life, if you keep losing control. Please keep losing control."

I ignored Mannimarco, looking back to Pra'ja. "Don't you have a match to prepare for?"

Pra'ja laughed. "Oh please, I'm forfeiting. Me against Starian?" She shook her head madly. "Never. Let her face Kelciene."

I patted Pra'ja on the back. "I'll be there, rooting for you. And I'll record the match for Vara to watch later. I'm sure she'd be happy seeing you fight in a real match, displaying your awesome abilities as a Shadow user."

"What abilities?" Pra'ja screamed at the lake. "I got lucky. So fucking lucky! And it wasn't because I was better. Talia… she just… she wanted me to win. She pushed every button I had… even some I didn't realize I had. And I don't mean sexually, Vatu, before you even get your fur ruffled. She used my body image against me… my weakness of fighting dirty, and she even got in my head. She made a bet with me that involved us taking each other's clothes. Whoever lost their clothes first would have to do an embarrassing dance for the 4 training units. It was either that… or she would do something and show it to Vara. And I didn't want to know what that something was so I played her game. And she used this game as a way to piss me off, make me want to beat her. And when she found out it wasn't working like she wanted… she put her name into the game. She was going to force you to join me in the embarrassing dance game. Naked. For everyone to watch."

"Yeah…" I thought I heard that right. With all the jeering behind me, I didn't get a real chance to hear what the two of them were discussing. I just knew that Pra'ja was angry and she was having her clothes ripped off in the middle of a fight. I read that situation wrong.

"Talia wanted nothing more than to piss me off so that I would defeat her in a fight. I was okay with her taking my clothes as long as she didn't go after my friends. Hell, I expect it during a prank war. I had every intention of doing it back to her, but I never got the chance to get off the defense." Pra'ja sighed. "She's just too good. She let me hit her. She forced me to hit her. She must have known I could jinx the stadium, use it against her. She even told Hans that he was going to enjoy what was going to happen next. She was ahead of me every step of the way. There's no way I won that match on my own merit."

"Ha! I'm not that good." I heard Talia walking up to us.

Pra'ja grabbed her chest. "Oh… Talia. You still exist."

Talia came to a stop, cocking her head to the side. "What an odd… statement? And why are you grabbing your breasts like that?"

"So you won't." Pra'ja muttered under her breath.

Talia rolled her eyes. "First off, flattered you think so highly of me. But I'm not interested. You already won our match so I don't need to nuzzle you. Unless you want me to. So, get off your butt. We have training to do."

"Training?" Pra'ja asked, arching her non-existent eyebrow.

"Yes, training." Talia replied. "I'm teaching you Shadow. We don't have long before your match. We have at most 20 minutes. I can take us to a Void where time stretches out. Makes one minute last 30 minutes. 20 times 30… that's ten hours, Pra'ja. We have half a day. Time for me to give you a lesson on using Shadow properly. Time for a nap. Maybe some extra fun…" She gave Pra'ja a wink.

Pra'ja dropped into a deadpanned expression. "I'm all for fun, but I'm still waiting for my girlfriend."

"Not that kind of fun." Talia rolled her eyes. "I have marshmallows, shaving cream, farting cushions, and a portal to the set up at Sanguine's Shrine. I also have some Bloodwine."

I glanced over to Pra'ja. Her eyes were sparkling at the opportunity. "When you say it like that…" She glanced at me. "Can Vatty come too?"

Talia shook her head. "Shadow Users only. The Void will do things to Vatu's head that won't affect us. But I can bring my sister."

Pra'ja glanced at me. "Will you be okay without me?"

I nodded. "Pra'ja… you kind of need this. And I have a younger sister if I really need comfort."

Pra'ja snorted. "Wow… I'm just the worst kind of friend. Unneeded." She gave me a sarcastic nudge as she got up on her feet. "Okay, Talia. I'll bite. As long as you keep your hands, tail, tongue, every bit of you to yourself."

"Prude." Talia said with a laugh. "I promise. Let's go. I have a lot to show you, and you need to get the basics down. What took me years of study… I hope you'll at least pick up in a day's time. With that Shadow Beam you pulled off… I'm sure you'll get enough under your belt."

Cearbhail:

I wanted Vatu to win that match, but just like Manniboy said... their stats were way different. When I rolled up Kelceine's powers and her influence in Destruction, I knew there wasn't a chance in Oblivion for Vatu to win. Vara either. Kelceine very well might win this whole thing. We'll find out after the next chapter.