The crowd was still buzzing from Dev's unexpected victory as Bhūmivedan raised his hand again. The massive stone tablet in the sky shimmered with the next match.
"Next Trial: Rajyashrī vs. Karnav."
Cheers followed. Students whispered and pointed.
Rajyashrī cracked her neck and stepped forward. Her brown robe fluttered slightly as she tightened her belt. Her fingers brushed her side, where the techniques from Bhūmisāgara still glowed in her memory.
"You've got this," Dev said from the sidelines, still holding his ribs.
"Don't lose like I almost did," Roshan added.
Maarun smirked. "Make sure to make it look cooler than Dev. You know, fireballs are out of stock."
Rajyashrī grinned. "I deal in boulders, not fireworks."
Her opponent, Karnav, entered from the opposite side. Slender but tall, with sharp eyes and controlled steps. Rumor had it he could mold earth as easily as a potter shapes clay.
The Nirṇāyakaṇa motioned for silence. "Begin."
Karnav struck first. He slid his palms over the ground, raising a grid of sharp-edged stones like a jagged field. Rajyashrī darted forward, dodging the sudden spikes. She tapped the earth lightly with her foot and whispered:
Earth Pulse.
A wave of vibration disrupted the stone field just enough to open a path. She sprinted through.
Karnav raised a wall. She ran up it, twisted, and launched herself overhead.
Midair, she clapped both hands. Mud Vine Hold.
Vines surged upward from the earth to bind Karnav, but he had expected it. With a twist, he collapsed the stone below him, falling through and escaping the bind.
"He's tricky," Dev murmured from the stands.
"She's trickier," Maarun replied.
Karnav now emerged with two stone discs on his palms. He hurled them like chakrams. Rajyashrī ducked, rolled, then stomped the earth behind her.
Dust Camouflage.
A swirl of dust filled the arena.
"Classic Rajyashrī," Roshan said. "Now watch."
From the haze, a whistle. Then a column of mud shot forward and wrapped around Karnav's leg, pulling him down. He punched the ground, erupting spikes in all directions. A few grazed Rajyashrī's shoulder, but she gritted her teeth and endured.
She backed up, then took a deep breath.
Stone Spiral Flood.
Her feet spun in a perfect arc. Stone circles rose and rotated in a ripple pattern. Karnav braced, but she added something new—Pulse Break.
From beneath, a pulse shattered the rhythm of his defense. His raised platforms cracked.
She leapt forward and used the last of her energy to slam a spiraled plate into his chest.
Karnav staggered. He dropped to one knee, panting.
The dust cleared.
The Nirṇāyakaṇa raised a hand. "Match over. Rajyashrī wins!"
The crowd erupted.
Dev leapt to his feet. "YES! That's how you throw mud!"
Roshan grinned. "Two for two. Bhūmigriha is having a moment."
Maarun chuckled. "She made it look easy."
Rajyashrī helped Karnav up. He offered a silent nod. She returned it, respectful and calm.
She walked off the field, sweat trailing down her brow, mud covering her arms, and pride glowing in her chest.
Dev met her at the edge. "Remind me to never spar with you again."
"Noted," she smirked.
Roshan handed her a water flask. "You're going to be B3 by dusk."
"I better be," she said. "Because next time, I'm going after Vaivikā."
The four friends stood together in the arena's warmth, under the stone sky. Two victories, one element. The ground beneath them had shifted—and they had risen with it.
The crowd was still buzzing from Dev's unexpected victory as Bhūmivedan raised his hand again. The massive stone tablet in the sky shimmered with the next match.
"Next Trial: Rajyashrī vs. Karnav."
Cheers followed. Students whispered and pointed.
Rajyashrī cracked her neck and stepped forward. Her brown robe fluttered slightly as she tightened her belt. Her fingers brushed her side, where the techniques from Bhūmisāgara still glowed in her memory.
"You've got this," Dev said from the sidelines, still holding his ribs.
"Don't lose like I almost did," Roshan added.
Maarun smirked. "Make sure to make it look cooler than Dev. You know, fireballs are out of stock."
Rajyashrī grinned. "I deal in boulders, not fireworks."
Her opponent, Karnav, entered from the opposite side. Slender but tall, with sharp eyes and controlled steps. Rumor had it he could mold earth as easily as a potter shapes clay.
The Nirṇāyakaṇa motioned for silence. "Begin."
Karnav struck first. He slid his palms over the ground, raising a grid of sharp-edged stones like a jagged field. Rajyashrī darted forward, dodging the sudden spikes. She tapped the earth lightly with her foot and whispered:
Earth Pulse.
A wave of vibration disrupted the stone field just enough to open a path. She sprinted through.
Karnav raised a wall. She ran up it, twisted, and launched herself overhead.
Midair, she clapped both hands. Mud Vine Hold.
Vines surged upward from the earth to bind Karnav, but he had expected it. With a twist, he collapsed the stone below him, falling through and escaping the bind.
"He's tricky," Dev murmured from the stands.
"She's trickier," Maarun replied.
Karnav now emerged with two stone discs on his palms. He hurled them like chakrams. Rajyashrī ducked, rolled, then stomped the earth behind her.
Dust Camouflage.
A swirl of dust filled the arena.
"Classic Rajyashrī," Roshan said. "Now watch."
From the haze, a whistle. Then a column of mud shot forward and wrapped around Karnav's leg, pulling him down. He punched the ground, erupting spikes in all directions. A few grazed Rajyashrī's shoulder, but she gritted her teeth and endured.
She backed up, then took a deep breath.
Stone Spiral Flood.
Her feet spun in a perfect arc. Stone circles rose and rotated in a ripple pattern. Karnav braced, but she added something new—Pulse Break.
From beneath, a pulse shattered the rhythm of his defense. His raised platforms cracked.
She leapt forward and used the last of her energy to slam a spiraled plate into his chest.
Karnav staggered. He dropped to one knee, panting.
The dust cleared.
The Nirṇāyakaṇa raised a hand. "Match over. Rajyashrī wins!"
The crowd erupted.
Dev leapt to his feet. "YES! That's how you throw mud!"
Roshan grinned. "Two for two. Bhūmigriha is having a moment."
Maarun chuckled. "She made it look easy."
Rajyashrī helped Karnav up. He offered a silent nod. She returned it, respectful and calm.
She walked off the field, sweat trailing down her brow, mud covering her arms, and pride glowing in her chest.
Dev met her at the edge. "Remind me to never spar with you again."
"Noted," she smirked.
Roshan handed her a water flask. "You're going to be B3 by dusk."
"I better be," she said. "Because next time, I'm going after Vaivikā."
The four friends stood together in the arena's warmth, under the stone sky. Two victories, one element. The ground beneath them had shifted—and they had risen with it.