Jace the Elemental

As soon as Lord Severian started the duel, Selene didn't hesitate. Shadows began swirling around her hands, dark and menacing, as she channeled her earth magic. The ground beneath Jace's feet trembled violently, a mini earthquake rippling through the arena in an attempt to throw him off balance.

Jace reacted quickly, dropping to one knee and slamming his hand onto the ground. His earth magic surged through the earth, stabilizing the ground beneath him. With his other hand, he cast an ice field at Selene's feet, the frost spreading rapidly across the arena floor.

Selene slipped for a moment, her boots losing traction on the icy surface, but she recovered swiftly. Using her wood magic, she sprouted twisting roots from the ground, anchoring herself in place. At the same time, she conjured a wave of shadow, the inky darkness engulfing the ice field and obscuring Jace's vision. "Let's see how well you skate blind," she taunted, her voice echoing through the shadows.

Jace only smirked. "Skating is how I travel," he shot back, his tone light but confident. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his skates, the blades glinting as they formed around his boots. He then conjured a water orb around himself, the liquid sphere shimmering faintly. If he touched the walls of the arena, the orb would allow him to change direction effortlessly. To counter the shadows, he cast small fireballs, sending them spiraling into the darkness. The flames illuminated patches of the arena, flickering like tiny beacons as he tried to catch sight of Selene.

The shadows began shifting like snakes, writhing and dancing as they followed the movements of Selene's fingers. She weaved through the darkness, her form barely visible as she avoided the fireballs. But Jace was relentless, his fireballs narrowing down her possible positions, slowly but surely limiting her options.

With a click of her tongue, Selene changed tactics. She slammed her foot down, and the ground trembled as thick vines burst forth, their tendrils snaking toward Jace's legs in an attempt to trip him up. At the same time, she thickened the shadows, the inky darkness pressing down on Jace like a heavy fog, slowing his movements and making it harder for him to maneuver.

Due to the shadows causing him to move slower, the vines actually caught him. "Damn." Jace cursed, sending out a pulse of flames to quickly burn the vines away. He also swapped from shooting small fireballs to the larger and heavier ice spears, using them to punch through and dissipate the thickened shadows. 

Selene gritted her teeth before going on the offensive. Stomping her foot, she sent a barrage of small stone spikes toward Jace as he freed himself. Assuming he'd be able to block it, she also summoned a wooden spear, hurling it in his direction.

"You're good," Jace murmured, placing both hands on the ground. A large earth wall rose from the ground, intercepting the stone spikes and blocking the wooden spear at the same time. Once both attacks had been neutralized, he sent the wall hurtling toward Selene, quickly casting another ice spear while hidden behind the wall. He threw it at her, aiming for a blind spot.

Selene responded quickly, focusing her magic to split the wall in two, allowing the two parts to pass by her. However, she didn't see the ice spear until it was too late. She barely managed to dodge the brunt of the damage, but the spear still slammed into her shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through her body. She staggered back, her stormy gray eyes narrowing as she clutched her injured shoulder.

"That's enough," Lord Severian called out, his voice cutting through the tension as he saw the spear hit. "We aren't here to kill each other, just to show what we can do. Good fight, you two." His words were honest, carrying a note of approval. With a wave of his hand, he activated the dueling grounds' reset function. The arena shimmered faintly, the ice, shadows, and vines dissolving into nothingness as the ground returned to its pristine state. "I'll announce the next duel," he said, grabbing his list again.

Jace left the dueling grounds, his adrenaline still buzzing as Selene approached him. "Damn good shot," she said, raising her fist. "I didn't see it coming at all."

"Thanks," Jace replied, returning the fist bump with a grin. "I had no idea you could thicken shadows like that, either. You almost got me just because of that."

Selene shrugged, brushing off the compliment. "Nah, I only managed to trip you up a little. I still don't have a really good way of attacking yet. I'm more specialized in utility and defense currently."

"You don't find too many defensive specialists, though. It's still impressive," said another voice from the side. Turning to face the voice, Jace was met with a familiar face.

"Oh hey Aurora," Jace said looking at her full black uniform. "What do you mean they're hard to find?" 

Aurora leaned casually against a nearby pillar, her sharp gray eyes still holding that strange focus. "Simple," she said, her tone matter-of-fact. "Most people have a tendency to focus on offensive magic. So, it's difficult to find people who are exceptional defensively." She paused, her gaze shifting to Selene. "It means I have another person to scout."