Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Fred stood in the center of the arena, a field of magma bubbling all around him. He finally had Kothar where he wanted him, trapped against the wall of the arena. All he had to do was land one attack against Kothar, as he knew that as a Lightning Mage, Kothar's defense would be unlikely to hold up against his Magma Serpent.

Kothar stood with his back to the wall, staring up at the massive serpent that reared over him.

"Surely you'll forfeit now, I don't want to have to attack you!" Fred called out to Kothar, concealed by the massive serpent.

"Go ahead Fred, I wouldn't want to rob you of the satisfaction!" Kothar called out, a massive ball of lightning charging in his right hand, making a low humming sound.

Without another word from Fred, the massive serpent rushed forward, it's jaws opening wide, ready to consume Kothar.

Kothar stood still, brow furrowed, try to finish his spell casting before the serpent struck.

A loud crack sounded out across the arena, a bolt flying at the serpent.

"That won't cut it, I expected more from you Kothar!" Fred yelled.

Fred's triumphant expression melted away, replaced with one of confusion, the first crack was followed by another, then another, going on and on.

Kothar's Bolt Barrage disintegrated Fred's Magma Serpent, and the few remaining bolts headed straight for Fred, who threw up a simple Magma Shield, and fled backward.

A ball of crackling electricity flew after him, rather than chasing him, Kothar had taken the opportunity to cast yet another spell, which made a beeline for Fred.

Expecting to be followed by the spell, Fred halted his escape, beginning to cast Magma Shell.

However the spell wasn't aimed at him, it flew downwards striking the ground nearby, swirling outwards in a beautiful pattern, Kothar had finally cast Storm Field.

All the while, Fred hunkered down within his Magma Shell, shocked by the appearance of a crackling field of lightning appearing beneath his feet.

"Halt!" The familiar voice called out, as the first bolt struck Fred, Kothar immediately dispelled his Storm Field, but the damage was done.

Fred lay rumpled in a heap, unconscious, while his magically constructed defenses were powerful, his constitution was not.

The Water element professor knelt by Fred, checking his pulse, and lifting his eyelids.

"He'll be okay!" The watching audience and Kothar sighed with relief.

Since it had been such a close battle, the professors had been reluctant to halt the battle, eager to see a full display of skills by the students, trusting them to hold back the strength of their spells to be non-fatal.

The audience stopped holding their breaths, realizing that the neck and neck battle was over, a smattering of applause rang out through the stadium, rising in volume as more people joined in, becoming a thunderous applause.

Professors and students alike were impressed by both the final contestants, not only were they accomplished mages, they also displayed a sense for battle and an unflinching attitude.

"Good stuff Kothar!"

"I thought he had you there!"

"Well done Kothar!"

Luis, Rudy and Janus cheered him on as he returned to his seat, gathering their things to return to their dormitories.

Exhausted from his battle, Kothar only joined his friends in celebration for a short time, returning to his room.

He found a note waiting for him on his table, written in an elegant looping script in blackish/purple ink.

"I expect you at my tower tomorrow .-Krieg

Ps. Well done in your duels, an exceptional performance."

Kothar sat down, in his chair, heaving out a sigh of relief, he would finally be able to begin to unravel the mysteries of planes, and learn Spatial Magic.

[Who the hell writes a postscript longer than an actual message!] Silane interrupted his musings.

[I guess Krieg does.]

[Whatever, make sure you tell him to figure that out when you see him tomorrow!]

[Sure thing Silane, I'll tell him my AI is unhappy with how he writes his notes.]

Kothar chuckled aloud, rolling up the note and stowing it away.

Far to the west, on the banks of the Nerid River, the city of Ranuth stood. Built on the ruins of an ancient city, it seemed to grow out of the surrounding jungle, with successive tiers of buildings creating a step-like almost pyramidal structure.

At the very top, an ornate palace stood, with high arched ceilings and wide open windows, offering sweeping views of the surrounding jungle, and relief from the hot, heavy humid air.

The palace was a shining island of gold amongst the deep green jungle that surrounded the city. A chorus of bird calls, howls, hoots and growls echoed up through the city.

The lower tiers of the city even had their own resident beasts, with small monkeys scavenging from stalls and snatching at fruit, while hawks circled far above, hoping to catch them unawares.

"Envoy Simon! What do you have to say for yourself?" A stern faced man reclining on a tall throne, bedecked in heavy gold jewelry, with strings of jewels woven through his blonde locks.

"Nothing at all Premier Fifth. Sire, I am but a humble ambassador and researcher, my life is dedicated to unravelling the-" Simon knelt at the foot of the throne, two wide bladed spears at his throat, held by a pair of stone-faced guards.

"Enough! It's a simple enough question, Envoy. Did you or did you not murder the merchant Kessel, yes or no?" The Premier rose up from his throne and stalked toward Simon.

"Sire, please. Let us have a civilized discussion about this, there's no need for these guards."

Simon pleaded with the Premier.

"I can't believe I once called you a friend. Take him down to the Spymaster, maybe he'll get something useful out of him. I don't want a peep of this to reach Rotan, or that bloody pain, Tam." The premier kneaded at his forehead, scowling.

"Understood sire!" The two guards lifted Simon by his arms, pulling him along as he dragged his feet and stumbled over his manacles