The Combat Mages to the left have an interesting and somewhat unique team-framework.
What are combat mages? Why, what a silly question! Ask anyone who's competed in the "mortal combat" plane about it. Combat Mages combine the best of martial arts and magic, to produce quick, often deadly fighting moves. Not all mages are strong in combat, and not all martial artists are terribly good at magic.
This pair, though, have mastered both to a high degree. Of course. Why would we be looking at them otherwise?
Each "Circle" or level of ability has a different set of requirements and a combat match to prove it. Every year, the wandering Tournament might just wander through YOUR level of reality, and then... watch out!
Lethe, 8th Circle Mage/5th Circle Fighting ability |
Angry Andy, 6th Circle Mage/8th Circle Fighting ability |
Finding the tent at last, the black-haired and always-taut Andy flipped the opening wide, and strode in. This brought gasps of anger and surprise from the inside, and he smirked to himself. That was the best response. As usual.
"I think I broke my fingers," he said to one of the older inhabitants of the tent, assuming that this one was better learned than his very young and wide-eyed assistants. "I need them working, before tonight. Seventh circle is coming up and I have to be ready for Eight."
The elder man pushed his fingers together, trying to look stately even though he'd been the one to shout out when Andy entered. "I see. Now, you must wait for the others to finish their work. We have a schedule as well, you know... Most in need, quickest serv--"
"Look MISTER," Andy hissed, "I don't know what YOUR game is, but there is only one other person in this tent with any damage on their ass and if you're not careful, you'll have to wait in line behind ME."
"We do not have to serve anyone if we do not wish to," said one young woman from the back of the tent. She wasn't human, or at least not fully, and her ears were pushed back in an expression of anger. "You can find yourself another healer, SIR."
Andy snapped his eyes away from the old man, and onto the cat-girl. "You come here to heal, or you come here to fight, kitty?"
"Both," she snarled. "And hope that you don't meet me. You might find some old scars aren't as well-healed as you believe..."
"Kalla," the old man said, holding his hand down and indicating with his pleading eyes for her to sit, "calm yourself. Sir, you must be aware that we do not have to heal anyone if the need is not great. We are working on this lad, and as you can see we do require a bit of time and patience."
Andy looked over their current patient. It was taking three of the healers assistants all their power to keep this poor guy's guts from spilling onto the dirt floor of the tent. "You know, there's a time when using plain old superglue and stitches from a staple gun works wonders..." He said, turning, and left the tent in disgust.
"If you're going to spar with me, you're gonna have to be better than that." She said, mockingly.
"You're not fifth circle," the guy groaned, finally able to get up. His hand was still numb from her nerve press. "You're maybe seventh... sixth at least."
"That is why I am here, after all," she replied, sweeping her short hair from her eyes. "Working on sixth circle combat. I'm glad you think I qualify."
"Yeah, well..." He said, standing and working out the numbness in his fingers, "don't get too over confident. There are guys from other planets who think sixth circle is a whole lot easier than you do. They're the newbies this season. I'm not so fond of em, myself."
"Where are they from?"
"Who knows, they're big, grey-skinned, and pretty much pounders. No finesse like you. You might dance around em for a while, but I tell ya, they land a punch, and you, sweetcheeks, will be history."
"Sixth circle isn't a fatal level," Lethe said, but she mulled this new information over. Perhaps she should go find some of these grey bruisers and see for herself...
As she was walking around the wide spread of tents, looking for the off-worlders and their fighting techniques among all the variety of people there at the Tournament, she thought she heard Andy's voice angrily rising over someone else's. Like that was much of a surprise.
"In trouble again, I suppose..." She sighed to herself, and went off to find him instead.
Leaning around the tent flap, and snagging her partner's elbow with her painted nails, Lethe dragged Andy away. "You couldn't just use some medical tape and fix em together, could you. You know we HAVE a first aid kit in the tent y' dodo."
Grumbling, Andy slunk beside Lethe, making himself look even shorter than he really was. Size, however, had never been a problem for them. No one in the Combat Circles cared about how big or small someone was. Nor about the color of their skin, fur, scales, or habit of dress.
All they really cared about was -- could you fight, and can you cast spells. And of course, Andy and Lethe did so with style. They were a bit turned around in the mess of lined-up tents, though, and it took a while for them to reach their 'home' tent.
A series of ear-splitting noises later, Andy's fingers were bent back into shape, and affixed to a small splint which would be removed just before his fight. Even Lethe didn't want to expend the magical energy needed to patch his little booboo'ed fingers. At least she mocked him well, while tearing off the length of white surgical tape she snugged around his fingers.
"Ittle bitty booboo like this will make Andy even angrier when he fights," she cooed, her lips up in a lopsided smirk. "Why is it that men always wimp out on these little things? I mean, need I remind you, 'childbirth'?" She pointed to her hips and indicated wide-load with her hands. "I mean, it's like there's only two kinds of men... The kind who get tattoos, and the kind who can't look a needle in the eye..."
Lethe's match came up shortly, the Sixth Circle being set up as she tended to Andy's wounds. She bolted out of the tent, and Andy followed behind her, gaining quickly the distance she'd given him by his late start.
"Thought you weren't going to watch my match?" Lethe said, putting on her combat gear. She wrapped her arms in a heavy gauze and punched at the air in front of her a couple times to make sure that they were snug. "I mean, don't you have healing left to do?"
"Naw... But I heard that they're running the Seventh Circle at the same time as your Mage circle's going. So I won't be able to see your fight there."
"Unless I go in first, and stay in first..." Lethe said, smirking again. "You know I'll make Eighth. It's so simple..." She kissed him on the cheek, "thanks for coming, then. I like it when you root for me."
She strode up to the ring and introduced herself to the trio of judges, and to the host of the event. The judges were typical of 'martial arts heavy' worlders. Asian in appearance and with long dangerous nails on their hands -- how could they even fight like that? Perhaps they didn't bother to fight any more... But the Host, now HE was a fighter. He'd won the highest honors that the Tournament could offer for several years in a row, and had also developed a fighting style which allowed the highest Circles to keep their fighters alive -- instead of killing them off one by one. He did want to have an opponent who could actually match his skills. He sat with his bronzed skin glimmering in the cloudless sky, wore only black work-out pants, and tabe on his feet.
"Someday," Lethe said, looking him in the eyes, "you and I might be sparring partners."
The Host smiled slightly, narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. He waved the rest of the contestants into their waiting areas. Then, the combat was started.
Lethe was in fourth position when they came to calling bouts. She was to be up against one of those greys -- she was glad that the guy she was sparring with knew about them. They were all bulk, huge but not fat like a sumo guy. But they -- or this one at least -- were slow.
Lethe and he faced off, he took one or two swings just to get the feel for the ring, and to see about how this mere woman might be in his same league. Lethe dodged a little back and forth, her snug leggings keeping men in the audience from seeing up her skirt-like gi.
The grey pushed forward, and Lethe simply dodged to his left side. Then, she applied a small spell over his head. Within a few seconds, though she had to deftly move away from him as he thrashed, Lethe had won the bout. The grey dropped down to the mat, and she lifted the spell.
For the first time since she'd been at the Tournament, the Host spoke directly to her as the three judges raised the "blue side wins" flag. "What did you do to him? What kind of spell was that?"
"It just removed the air, sir," Lethe said, grinning. "Drops them like flies. I've yet to meet an opponent who doesn't need to breathe..."
Though there was considerable yelling about whether that spell was appropriate to this Circle, or even to a Combat instead of a Mage Circle, Lethe was allowed to finish the Sixth Circle matches and plain and simple, she won every match by 'thinking'. She did have to strike one opponent several times, the way he was leering at her made her want to put him in his place, which she did nicely by applying the same nerve strike that downed her sparring partner earlier. At least that was a legal move, someone commented as Lethe took away her Sixth Circle badge and award.
She met up with Andy as the fighting continued, several matches would have to be fought but for Lethe, she'd been awarded her proper status and only if she was defeated next year could it be taken away.
Andy griped about not being able to fight yet, that he was really REALLY getting on edge and wanted to just pummel something. "As if that's not your natural state, hon?"
Giggling to herself, Lethe strode away into the darker part of her tent to meditate. A few moments later, Andy joined her. He lit their concentration-incense, a weakly bitter-smelling smoke rose between them. When they breathed in, it was opposite one another, so the rising column of smoke drifted first toward Lethe, then Andy. Calmly, they allowed themselves to drift into their own private collected state of peace.
For Andy it was a necessarily dark place. One which his will alone controlled. No landscape drifted by his inner eye, but textures and wind flew about until he calmed them. He ignored the outside stimulus of voices and shouting in a hundred different languages beyond their tent. He felt but did not care about the packed dirt below his crossed legs. He could smell the smoke, but it only served to bring him to his place of focus.
For Lethe, it was an entirely brighter place. A landscape of sorts, blocks of white and grey perhaps with the feel of marble, dotted the immediate area. Her mind's eye took all the distractions of the day and crumpled them up into neat little rubbish-bins. The sounds outside were still a bit of a focal point for her, but then she listened more closely to her surroundings: the slight crackle of the burning incense, and Andy's slow, carefully measured breaths comforted her and helped her wipe away any further confusion.
Together and completely separate, they tapped into their stored magic power. Lethe lined hers up for a series of quick, hard bursts and a bigger pyrotechnical display should she need it. She never needed to use her reserved power for healing herself, it was one of the few things she could simply do without thinking. Andy's concentrated pool of energy was drawn into what he called the "boo-yah", which he never really defined beyond that. It was power, almost raw energy, which he could then simply focus at his enemy by visualization.
Either way, when they blinked open their eyes and looked at one another in the dimness of the tent, they were prepared for their battles.
"Not much competition," Andy said, almost disappointed. "I wonder if there's any really good guys this season?"
"Like that one?" Lethe asked, as they reached their parting road between the tent alleys. She pointed to a guy with what looked like a hyena head and a big barbed tail.
Andy's toothy smile told Lethe he was all ready for THAT fight!
"Do well," she said, "I'll see you afterwards. And try not to break any OTHER parts..." He looked at his fingers, back at Lethe, and swung his hips at her.
"Nothin' breakin THIS part, babe," Andy said, laughing as they parted.
Andy's bout was a lot later in the set than he wanted, all that prep time was spent gearing up for the match. His opponent was a lanky red-skinned female with a long tail. He had to remember to keep her off balance - but at the same time that tail would be thrashing around in the attempt to regain it.
He thought about lopping it off with a blast, but that was something he'd have to reserve for his mage circle. Any serious or possibly life threatening damage caused by spells in the combat circles were not only frowned upon, but most were not legal and could result in expulsion. That was one thing he didn't plan on letting happen to him!
So they bowed to one another, to the judges, and back to one another again, facing off. The girl tossed her hands up into the air and swept the ground with her tail as she gave a spinning kick. It would have knocked most people out of the ring, but Andy being the way he was, literally stood there and took it.
He grabbed the red tail and held on to it, grinning madly. "I saw this in a comic book one time," he said, and then tickled the fighter on the torso while gripping her tail. While it caused a huge laughing ruckus in the stands among the audience, the judges didn't seem to like it. But, they let the fight contiune.
The girl's face would have been blushing horridly had she been human...
Andy took the next two hits as well, sizing her up. Then, he layed in on her with a series of pummeling blows to the torso, chest and throat. Though her tail curled around his leg and caught him onto the ground, she collapsed and required healing - losing the match.
Andy was very pleased to be awarded his 7th circle combat badge.
Then he saw something over the tents, that others seemed to be ignoring. He finished up the awards ceremony with a little nod to the Host and everyone else, and then bolted away to find Lethe.
It had looked like a dragon - and those were extinct on this world. Long ago. In fact they were extinct on many planes, so this was a true rarity. The dragon, and its rider, had found a clear spot to put down, away from all the excitement.
It was a blue dragon, a strong looking one with a kind of glimmer in its faceted eye. Its rider was a bit stodgy looking. He grimaced as he set down and saw all the strange faces looking back at him.
"Are you here for the tournament?" Someone asked, and the man shook his head.
"No, no... No." He turned and glared at his dragon. "Both of them? And right here?" The dragon seemed to nod. The man turned to Lethe and Andy. He looked them up and down, and said as if by rote, "you're searched for a clutch of eggs at Ryslen weyr. If you want to come, gather your things and I'll be waiting here. If you don't, it's no skin off my no-- Oh shut up you blue beast! You flew her knowing this would happ--" he kept getting interrupted by the dragon. "All right, all right! Scith wants to congratulate you on your combat wins. Are you coming?"
Standing silently (what an amazing thing, Andy silent?) both combatants watched the man's face turn colors.
"Of course we're coming." Andy decided. "We've got supplies and clothing for it, anyway."
"We'll be back," Lethe announced, and they went back to their tent - Renee, their magic-school friend, watched as the pair hurriedly gathered their things. She almost said something about them being run out for good or something, but didn't even get the chance - they were gone before she knew it. Off to Ryslen Weyr, wherever that was...
Wandering about the grounds of this large dragon area, both Lethe and Andy were given to gape in awe. The dragons came in so many colors and sizes... And so many attitudes, too.
At last, the hatching day came, and though they'd both been meditating and trying to relax, neither combat-mage could subdue the feeling of elation they had.
Even Andy, typically angry and balled up in a tense way, was almost bouncing with eagerness. He was practically embarrassing his partner.
The first egg hatched and it was so pretty - Lethe took as long a look at it as she could, before the brown-silver went off and bonded. During that time, she and Andy heard some rather harsh words coming from the search rider J'lenn, because his prized blue dragon had sired this clutch.
"Why is he so angry at the dragon, again?" Andy asked.
"Because I don't think he likes them coming in these colors..." Lethe said. "Now shush."
A second egg broke up, and showed off a lovely silver-on-silver hatchling. Then after she bonded, a cream silver did the same.
Strongly shattering her egg, a purple-silver colored hatchling came out into the red sands. She looked back and forth, and seeing no other competition on the sands for her bond, she strode to Lethe. Looking up into Lethe's green eyes, the dragonet bespoke something quite private, which Lethe responded to with but a word - her name, "Ravielath."
Shortly after another cream-silver broke her shell, a red-silver broke his own open, and dashed around testing his legs and balance. He was quite the excitable fellow. I'll take you all together! I'll take you all apart! He roared and snorted.
Andy laughed, "there's plenty of time for that later, Nilmarith."
They led their pair of dragons off, hoping that their energy didn't overflow too much, or leave them exhausted. Of course, having hatchlings would be as exhausting an effort as fighting for Tenth Circle status!
Nilmarith glared at his twilight purple sister and snarled. That makes you annoying! You aren't best at anything!
You are not good at anything I am good at.
I am so! I am really good at hunting!
I said at things I am good at, Ravielath smirked in her draconic way. Her red silver brother kept snarling until Andy dragged himself up to their den.
"What in the seventeen hells is going on up here? I can hear you two arguing from-"
She started it!
I did not. I merely pointed out that I am-
You are NOT better than ME!
"Ah. That's all this is about then." Andy nodded, turned away and was about to exit the den, when the pair of dragons both cornered him. He assumed a position that said 'ready to fight' but he knew that he couldn't possibly take down his own dragon.
And if he tried to do something to Lethe's, that would be... well, it would be sloppy and he'd be hurting for days. That's all he knew.
"Look, Nil, you're great at hunting. I'm good at it too. Ravi, you're really hot at flying right now. I know you can chase your tail in the air. That's great."
It's USELESS! Nilmarith bellowed, and at that point Lethe came into their den, saw the trio and almost walked back out again.
"Ravielath, you're going to have to stop taunting him." She said.
Why!?
"Because some day he might be better at those things than you, and you'll never hear the end of it."
And this time, she didn't say anything other than, Oooh. In a manner of speaking, she was impressed.
Lethe and Andy sat back and watched their dragons tussle about, but there was something on the backs of their minds. It wasn't the upcoming match, either. It was a match of a different sort.
"So...." Andy said, trying to be sly and casual, "do you think they're finally gonna, you know, do it?"
"Have you been sitting there waiting for it?" Lethe said, slightly more irritated than she ought to have been about it.
"Yeah, probably." Andy said, smirking. Fiercely, he pushed Lethe's shoulders back to the ground. They'd been there before, looking at the cloudless sky above their little pocket universe home. "Wanna beat them to it?"
Lethe wasn't much amused. "Not right now," she muttered. Andy's eyes went narrow.
"Something wrong?"
"Yes, she's ... I don't want to be sitting here like this. If you haven't noticed, the dragons have very strong emotional ties to us."
"And since when is an emotional tie to me a bad thing?" Andy said, mockingly wounded.
"It isn't you, Andy," Lethe said, "It's that I don't want to have to do something, just because she's experimenting with it."
"Admit it," Andy said, "you're just as frustrated as she is. Maybe even more. I mean, we've been kind of ... more or less celibate for a while."
"And you remember what happened when we did?" Lethe said, a faint grin on her face. The event was rather like a child walking in on their parents for the first time and having nothing but endless questions for them...
At that point, though, right about the time when Lethe was going to tell Andy to stuff himself and walk away, Ravielath began a tumbling dive that landed her right into Nilmarith's arms. Lethe didn't walk off, and Ravi didn't much want to insult her partner any more.
