Levi frowned at the other student standing across from him.

  Of course, it had to be Bram.

  His opponent was from a family in the north, specializing in the ore and ice trade. Dark black hair and black eyes were among the many telltale signs of someone from that area of the kingdom, as well as a permanent squint caused by the sun on the ice.

  “Saw you got lucky against Liora,” Bram said, his deep voice rumbling.

  Someone definitely got the puberty gene…

  “You forgot to shave?” Levi shot back. “I mean, I’m sure we could find a cat somewhere and put some cream on your face and lick off those few hairs on your lip.”

  A chuckle came from the female attendant.

  “You little–”

  “That’s enough,” she said, cutting off Bram as he leaned on top of the crystal arena. “You can talk on your own time. We’ve got a schedule to keep and since you both made it through the first round, you know what to do. Thirty seconds till we start.”

  Bram grunted and pulled a rune-covered box from his jacket pocket. It was blue and the aura of energy that was coming from the rune made an audible hum.

  “Really? You made that?” Levi asked as he pulled his jar out again and pulled the top off.

  “Eat boar dung,” Bram growled. “You and that little slime aren’t going to win this and you can go back to your grandparents and cry about how–”

  “Enough!” the attendant exclaimed, her hand slapping the top of the crystal arena box, the noise of it ringing out around the room. “You can talk crap later, but for now, put your creations in the starting area or forfeit. I don’t have the patience to listen to two boys arguing about whose is bigger.”

  Snorting, Bram flipped his lid and his box upside down.

  “Is that a Cryozoan?” Levi asked. “There’s no way…”

  “Going to call it quits?” his opponent asked, grinning.

  Shaking his head, Levi held the jar up to his face. “Alright, Arin. It’s a cold-based creature. Play smart.”

  “Arin?” Bram called out. “You freaking named your creation?!”

  Ignoring the thicker boy, Levi once again let his slime plop into the starting area and close the lid. The Cryozoan was a sapphire blue color and it almost appeared like ice was trying to form on the crystal base under it. It was about three inches in width and had six pointed sides.

  With both lids closed, the boys stood near their creations and waited until the bell chimed and the partition slid open from the starting area.

  The tiny arena where their creations were housed had an open space better suited for an offensive-based creation, such as the Cryozoan. For a slime, which focused on simply dissolving whatever it sat upon, it was a setting that could quickly end its journey.

  As Arin made its way out of the box, a small appendage about an inch long formed before it, flattening almost like a tiny shield as it approached the Cryozoan.

  “What the hell is that?” Bram asked. “How can–”

  A shard of ice zipped across the small arena, striking the gelatinous shield and freezing instantly.

  Levi sucked in some air through his teeth, waiting to see how his creation would respond.

  Come on Arin…

  A second after the shield appendage was frozen, it snapped off and the red slime moved over it, slowly absorbing it back and forming another shield.

  “What the chuck is that?!” Bram cursed, drawing more attention to their duel. “How can it do that?! You’ve had to help. There’s no way–”

  “Quiet!” Professor Thomas’ voice rang out.

  Immediately, the dark-haired student clamped his jaw shut, eyes fixated upon the slime that was drawing closer to his Cryozoan that hadn’t left the safety of its starting area.

  The ice creation turned, another shard of ice shooting from a different spike.

  Once again, Arin’s shield froze and broke off, reabsorbing and forming another.

  Levi couldn’t help but grin, knowing that his creation was taking the different aspects of the ten slimes he had melded together and was applying all of their affinities and abilities to their absolute potential. He had spent weeks training it against a variety of different stimuli, rewarding Arin when it did what Levi wanted.

  In less than a minute, six ice shards had been sent at the red slime that continued its slow but steady approach. Each one had been blocked, only slowing Arin down. Finally, it reached the Cryozoan, which was backing into the corner of its starting area.

  “No! You can’t do that!” Bram shouted, trying to open the lid to his creation's staging area.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Mr. Holt!” the attendant snapped. “Touch that lid again and I assure you, this defeat won’t be the worst thing that happens to you today.”

  The boy’s face puckered like he had just sucked on a whole lemon. Bram could only watch in horror as Arin enveloped the Cryozoan and began to dissolve it.

  “The winner, Levi Wilson.”

  Levi couldn’t help but smile as the attendant said his name.

  “So much money,” Bram muttered. “My parents…” The boy glanced upward into the stands, where a burly man with the same coal black hair and eyes, wearing thin clothes, scowled.

  “Good duel,” Levi said, holding out his hand.

  “Go eat dung,” Bram replied, slapping Levi’s hand away before storming toward the stairs.

  A sigh came from the attendant. “Some of them are a bit spoiled, aren’t they?”

  Levi shrugged and pulled a piece of moldy bread from his pocket, depositing it in his starting area. “I’d rather not comment on that,” he replied. “I’ve been on the receiving end of a few of their training moments, and let’s just say my talents lie in alchemical areas and not in physical ones. Here, Arin, treat.”

  “You really did train this,” she whispered, leaning closer. “I heard about the first match, but seeing this in person… how?”

  Levi smiled as his slime made its way to the starting area, its red color having lightened slightly and its size having grown just a smidge. “Lots of long nights. But I’ve got a journal with all my notes, I’m hoping it will impress someone and get me a good job,” he said.

  She snorted and shook her head. “I doubt you’ll have that problem,” the woman said, motioning to the section where those who came to scout talent were all watching. “Just remember to make them bid against themselves, and congratulations on making it to the third round.”

  Scooping Arin up and depositing it back into the jar, Levi nodded. “Thanks. I’m Levi, by the way. I didn’t catch your name.”

  She smiled. “I’m Abigail. And thank you for asking.”

  Levi gave a slight bow and moved to the bench where he would wait for the other duels to end before starting his third round.

  “Good work, Arin. Just one more to go!”

  ***

  Lightning surged and struck Arin, causing the slime to shudder, sending droplets of red slime around the arena box.

  “Come on… You can do it,” Levi muttered.

  He watched as the Voltfilament Nematode, a lightning-based worm, coiled and sent a barrage of electrical attacks every two or three seconds.

  There wasn’t much Arin could do beyond take the attacks and push through it, small sections of slime being burnt off from the heat and power.

  His opponent, Tamsin Reed, stood with both arms crossed and a smug smile on his tanned face. The student’s family owned a few ships that ran the river barge trade section and they were known for having magical affinities on top of a lot of money.

  I swear, these people are just paying for their kids to succeed.

  Trying to ignore the negative thoughts in his mind, Levi focused instead on the fight taking place. Even worse was that Professor Thomas was standing nearby, his hand stroking the footlong white beard as others seemed to be paying attention to this fight more than some of the others.

  A groan came from elsewhere in the room while another student let out a cheer signaling a victory and a loss.

  “It’s not going to make it,” Tamsin stated. “The power of the Voltfilament Nematode is too much for it.”

  “Arin, use the cover,” Levi said, ignoring his opponent.

  His slime moved slowly, not nearly as fast as before, but eventually, after suffering two more electrical attacks, Arin got to the wall near the staging area of Tamsin’s creation.

  “That’s not going to save him,” the boy mocked. “It’s already lost a third of its size and it’s moving slower.”

  Levi ignored the taunt, knowing that the training they had done was going to pay off if what he expected happened next.

  Once again, Arin formed a small shield, but this time it wasn’t as large, yet extended further from its body, sagging slightly as the slimy appendage tried to support it further away.

  “That’s going to get blown off,” Tamsin said.

  “Maybe, but you all keep forgetting one thing,” Levi replied. “None of you so far has actually done any work teaching your creation how to fight. You simply bought something or had someone help you make it.”

  “Mr. Wilson,” Professor Thomas said. “Please refrain from accusations you cannot prove. I would prefer not to have to deal with complaints from families that you might be slandering their names.”

  “Forgive me, sir,” Levi said, eyes still focused on the fight.

  A small grunt came, and then the Professor turned, moving toward another ongoing duel.

  “You’re not going to watch me win?” Tamsin asked.

  Professor Thomas turned his head and winked. “No… because Mr. Wilson is right. You’re about to lose.”

  The tanned, blond-headed boy turned his attention back toward the crystal arena and watched as his Voltfilament Nematode launched an electrical attack that worked as he had predicted. The shield erupted in globs of slime, but Levi’s creation made its way into the starting area, rolling faster than before, its smaller size apparently quicker than a moment ago. Without wasting a moment, Arin rolled on top of Tamsin’s creation and began to dissolve it.

  Another electrical discharge came as the lightning worm tried to break free from the slime that had enveloped it. While it appeared to do some damage, it wasn’t enough and before a second internal attack could come, the Voltfilament Nematode went limp.

  “The winner, Levi Wilson,” the attendant stated, holding up his hand towards Levi.

  “How… how?” Tamsin asked.

  “He already told you,” the attendant sighed. “Yours never moved, and once it got trapped, the obvious answer is yours couldn’t defend itself. Now head up to the stands.”

  Tamsin shot Levi a glare, but he ignored it.

  “Arin… collect yourself and come get a treat,” he said.

  After dissolving the lightning worm, the red slime began to move around the crystal arena, collecting the stray pieces of its body that had been sent flying. When a moldy piece of bread was placed back in the starting spot, Arin moved quickly to collect its reward.

  “You do realize that you just made it through three rounds,” the attendant said. “From this point on, you're guaranteed a job with one of the top apothecaries or in a guild house.”

  Levi’s smile was the only answer he needed to give as he scooped up his slime and deposited him back in the jar, dropping two more pieces of bread in after.

  “I do… that’s all I wanted,” he replied.

  “Well, good luck in the rest of the duels. I know they get much harder from here.”

  Sighing, Levi held the jar close, knowing that these next fights were going to be much worse and the threat to his creation was going to be even worse.

  “Hey Arin… play smart. I’m not sure what we’re going to face, but you’ll need to not sacrifice so much of yourself, okay?”

  A small movement from the red slime in the jar might have been a sign of okay, or simply Arin enjoying more to eat. Either way, Levi would take it as a good sign.

  That was until he glanced up at the attendants setting up the match boards and saw the name of his next opponent.

  Havel Deren… shit.