“Another Ground Strike?” Choshi asked me.
“I have something else in mind.”
I opened my water and earth channels, spun the warhammer in my hands, and slammed the handle into the ground, pouring Vigor into my Mud Entrapment pathway. The sand around Yo Hin’s feet congealed into mud and swallowed him up to his shins. Fire cascaded out from his body as he struggled to free himself, but dried mud turned to clay around his legs and fixed him in place.
“You’re amazing,” Choshi said. “How did you know that would work?”
“Single-element Augmenters don’t usually think about how their power affects the environment,” I pointed out. “It’s a small thing, but if you want to break a chain?”
“Then shatter its weakest link,” Choshi finished. “I remember, Master.”
I slung the Demure Rebirth over my shoulder and fixed it into the custom harness I’d had built for my Immense Blades. Yo Hin bowed his head to me in a sign of surrender. A gong echoed through the cacophony of the crowd to signal the end of the bout.
Yo Hin patted out his flaming robe and shook his head. “You always show me up, Swordslinger,” he said.
“Do you see me flying around the place?” I replied with a grin. “The crowd thought you were amazing. Don’t believe me? Look around you.”
Yo Hin looked over the surrounding arena. Every seat held a cheering member of Wysaro City, Radiant Dragon, and even travelers from the nearby province. The pounding of feet, rasp of raw throats, and deafening applause echoed through the guild house training grounds.
A rueful grin appeared on Yo Hin’s face. “Whoa.”
“It’s an exhibition match,” I said. “And we’ve left them thoroughly entertained.”
“Don’t flatter me, Ethan. You were pulling your punches.” Yo Hin struggled against the clay around his feet. “Mind getting me out of this?”
I took a deep breath, found my earth pathways, then stomped down on the hardened quicksand around his legs. Ground Strike technique was immensely powerful and had incredible destructive potential, so I had to control the extent of the blow. The restricting dirt fell away from Yo Hin’s legs, and I offered him a hand up. He took it, and I hauled him out of the sand.
“You should thank them for their applause.” I turned Yo Hin around and raised his arm up beside my own.
The crowd howled their approval as we faced each corner of the arena. We bowed to Guildmaster Xilarion, high up on the south side. I slapped Yo Hin on the shoulder as we returned to our seats in the stands.
“You honor me even in victory, Swordslinger,” Yo Hin said with a formal bow.
I smiled. “Go grab a drink. All that flying must have left you thirsty.”
Yo Hin’s awkward smile returned before he vaulted over the wall of the arena.
I basked in the applause for a moment, placed my hands up on the edge of the high barricade, and hauled myself over it in one smooth motion.
Kegohr, Vesma, Kumi, and Mahrai had vanished from where I had left them before the fight. I scanned the area but couldn’t see them in the thick of the crowd.
“Over here, Ethan!” Faryn called.
I followed the sound of her voice and joined Radiant Dragon’s most attractive tutor. The elf’s dark-brown hair was swept up into a neat bun decorated with local flowers. Her eyes twinkled merrily at me as I sat down beside her and kissed her cheek.
My two other Immense Blades sat sheathed at her sandaled feet. I let my eyes comb appreciatively over her generous curves as I made myself comfortable. Her ceremonial robes did little to hide just how jaw-droppingly gorgeous she looked in the morning sun. I leaned in to kiss her again, and she shoved me away with a laugh.
“Such displays of attachment to a Master will draw attention,” Faryn teased.
I raised an eyebrow as I recalled our last few months together. My travels had taken me far from Radiant Dragon, and although Faryn had been along for our fight against the corrupt Resplendent Tears Guild of the Diamond Coast, we hadn’t seen each other for a long time. I’d made sure to make up for that lost time since I’d arrived back in Flametongue Valley.
“You really think that it’s still a secret?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m sure there are rumors, but you needn’t give them any more fuel,” she said with a lilting laugh. “Save your fire for me later this evening.”
“I’ll make sure to. Where are the others?”
“I believe Guildmaster Xilarion wished to demonstrate the progress of Kegohr and Vesma. Mahrai was invited, too. And Veltai as well, I believe. They’re getting ready for a doubles bout in a few minutes.”
I nodded and looked over the crowd for Kumi. But the striking Qihin Princess wasn’t anywhere to be seen. The teeming masses of Wysaro City filled the wooden rows of seats around Radiant Dragon’s training ground. Men, women, and children cheered for more action as guild initiates drifted through them, bearing trays of food and water.
The proud red eagle of the Wysaro Clan swung from banners in a seating box to the north. Five high-ranking members of the clan sat above their colors, their shoulders squared, their chests lifted with pride. A dark-eyed girl with porcelain-pale skin caught my eye and winked at me. She beckoned to me with a subtle flick of her fingers. As much as I might have liked to talk with her, I was still somewhat cautious of her clan, even months after Jiven Wysaro had attacked the guild.
The clan woman was still looking at me, so I shook my head politely and bowed to her before returning my attention to Faryn.
“It still surprises me that the Wysaros have done so much for the guild, after everything that happened,” I said. “It wasn’t that long ago when Jiven was trying
