The earth shuddered, and jagged spikes erupted from the ground, racing toward Elena. The magician, a lanky man with a crazed glint in his eyes, vanished in a shimmer of air. But Elena was faster. A violet aura, as beautiful as a twilight sky, encased her blade. She didn't just parry the spikes; she shattered them, her sword a blur of motion that left crystalline dust in the air.
Her movements were a dance, a series of quick, deliberate steps that ate up the distance between her and the vanishing magician. Just as she closed in, a heavy boot slammed into her side. She pivoted, blocking the kick with the flat of her sword, the impact rattling her teeth.
"Voncrest Swordsmanship," she announced, her voice a cold whisper that cut through the chaos.
A thick, violet mist, smelling of crushed orchids and bitter almonds, billowed from her body, engulfing her and her new opponent.
"Fuck, it's poison!" a voice rasped from the fog.
