Down on the arena floor, Kaelen nervously bounced on the balls of his feet. Across from him, Corvus cracked his knuckles, a look of supreme arrogance on his face. Master Vorn, observing from a raised platform, gave a sharp, decisive wave of his hand. "Begin!"
Corvus didn't immediately command his golems. Instead, he charged. He sprinted across the sand, clearly intending to humiliate Kaelen with a purely physical victory. Kaelen yelped, unprepared for the rush. He was an enchanter, a tinkerer, not a brawler. He took a few clumsy hits, a punch to the shoulder and a shove that sent him stumbling back.
"Is that all you've got, object-boy?" Corvus sneered, winding up for another punch.
Gasping, Kaelen threw out his hands. Scraps of metal, discarded buckles, and loose stones scattered around the arena floor flew together in front of him, forming a crude, makeshift shield. Corvus's fist slammed into the barrier, the impact rattling Kaelen's teeth. With a grunt of effort, Kaelen pushed his power into the shield, sending the collected objects flying forward and shoving Corvus back.
Corvus stumbled, a look of annoyance replacing his smirk. He realized he wouldn't win with brute force alone. "Fine," he spat. "Have it your way."
He slammed his palms onto the sandy ground. His eyes emitted a faint, earthy light. The ground began to shake, and a massive form of rock and sand started to emerge, growing larger and larger, easily reaching over six feet tall. Then, with a pathetic crumbling sound, the top half of the golem just fell apart, revealing a much smaller, stouter golem, about half the size of the original.
A ripple of laughter went through the stands. Corvus's face flushed with anger. "I'm still not strong enough to maintain the big one," he yelled, mostly to himself. "But this will be enough to crush you! 2-C on top!"
The small golem, though unimpressive in size, moved with surprising speed. It charged forward, its little arms firing off a spray of sharp pebbles. Kaelen yelped again, his shield of junk metal reassembling just in time to block the volley. The golem didn't stop. It reached the shield and delivered a powerful punch that shattered the barrier, sending the objects clattering to the ground.
Kaelen turned and ran.
"That's right, run away!" Corvus taunted, walking casually behind his creation. The golem chased Kaelen around the arena, its stone feet pounding on the sand. It was clear Corvus needed to stay within a certain range to control it. As Kaelen ran, he wasn't just panicking; he was thinking, his eyes darting around the arena, taking note of every discarded piece of metal, every loose stone, every bit of debris.
"You're weak! Just give up!" Corvus shouted.
Kaelen led the chase toward a pile of what looked like discarded construction materials—old pipes, bent rods, and tangled wires. As the golem closed in, Corvus stepped onto the pile to get a better vantage point for his final attack.
"Got you," Kaelen said, skidding to a halt.
The objects beneath Corvus's feet sprang to life. The tangled wires shot up, wrapping around his legs like metallic snakes. The pipes clamped down on his ankles, locking him in place. The objects transformed, tightening into a set of makeshift ropes.
"Let me off, you-" Corvus screamed, struggling, but he was trapped.
Kaelen didn't wait. He sprinted in the opposite direction, putting as much distance as he could between himself and Corvus. As soon as he crossed a certain range, the golem chasing him froze. Its inner light faded, and it collapsed into a simple, lifeless pile of rocks and sand.
The arena was silent. Kaelen walked calmly back towards the trapped and cursing Corvus. A bent metal rod on the ground flew into Kaelen's hand, and with a whisper of enchantment, its end sharpened into a wicked-looking knife. He stopped a few feet from his opponent and pointed the makeshift blade at him.
"I win," Kaelen said, a wide, triumphant grin on his face.
Master Vorn raised a hand. "The winner is Kaelen!"
A roar of cheers erupted from their class section in the grandstands. Kaelen let the objects release Corvus and practically skipped back toward his classmates, his face beaming. Henry found himself smiling, a genuine, happy smile for his friend's clever victory.