Grandma created a small white ball right in front of her horn.

“This is formless magic, so my pure magical energy. Many try to imagine what they want to create, or they mark their magic inside their bodies."

Before our eyes, the white sphere turned into bolts of lightning. These continued to form a round shape.

"And after you've transformed your magic into the respective element, you shoot it wherever you want."

She let the lightning run free and flung it into the corner of the wall.

"And that process has to happen much, much faster now."

White particles left her body, but instead of forming the white ball, the particles turned into lightning as they gathered.

“This is how it should look in the end. You, En, are too slow because you mark your magic as fire inside your body. It is similar to you, but different because you collect your magic without element in the body and then transform it into the body and bring it out. If we take a closer look at the whole thing, it is also a way to hide better what magic is being used, but it costs an incredible amount of magical energy and would exhaust you in a long-term battle. But as a surprise attack, OK."

Grandma took a step back.

“Now it's your turn. I don't care who of you starts, but be careful and focus. Do not forget that magic should only get an attribute after it has left the body! Not sooner! "

I looked at Si, and she nodded to me to start.

Focus…

I closed my eyes, but ...

"Wrong! How can you close your eyes!? Do you plan on dropping your defense in battle!?"

I started collecting my magic again at the tip of my horn. But my first hopes were dashed because the flames immediately gathered.

"Hmmm... In the beginning, a few formless magical energies came out, but you tensed up too quickly and started making the same mistake as before."

She turned to Si.

"It's your turn."

Si nodded and started. In front of her, the white particles poured out and tried to collect in one place, but instead, they gradually dissolved.

“You have a similar problem, surprisingly. You manage to release formless magic, but your magic disappears because you didn't give a proper shape to the magic."

Grandma shook her head.

“Try again. I will watch you. "

The whole day passed like this without any breaks. My mind focused only on the training, and I forgot all the worries for the moment. After hours of training, my body sagged on the floor. No muscle wanted to move anymore.

"I'm broken... *Huff*."

I blew out the air loudly. My entire body ached, and it felt like I ran a marathon. I stretched myself in full length and closed my eyes. Si threw herself down next to me and looked at me.

"Me too! I don't want to any more!?"

Grandma was lying across from us in the corner and staring over at us.

“Well, you've improved a lot. Your stamina is impressive, and I hope that you don't get any monstrous opponents first. "

She warned us to be careful.

"I hope that too…"

I answered her in a low voice, but I was just too tired, and my mouth fell silent because I just drifted off to sleep.

 

=== The next morning

 

Loud, heavy steps trudged towards our cage. I opened my eyes and looked up. Two orcs stood in front of the cell. One of them opened the lock because the other was throwing scraps of food and grass out of a basket and into the cage.

Hmmm... looks like it's feeding time.

I looked at Si, who got up and approached the food. I got up too and followed her. We looked at the food, but nothing seemed delicious. Most of it was already dried grass or some scraps of vegetables and fruits.

“I would recommend you just put on the grass. Everything else from the feed is days old, if not older. The grass is at least only two or three days old."

Grandma pointed this out to us, and we followed her example and started a grass diet.

After the meal, our training started all over again because we didn't know when our first fight would occur. It was always the same. We concentrated on conjuring the formless magic and transforming it into the respective magic immediately upon leaving the body. With Si, the whole thing had already stabilized, and around ⅘ of her attempts were successful. With me, however, only ⅝ were successful.

“You're getting better, but you don't have the finishing touches. I want to shoo you further, but you have to rest now because the fights always occur in the evening. If you go into battle exhausted, it means that you have already lost."

Grandma, who was resting for a while, two orcs came into the room and stopped in front of our cage. They grunted at each other and now and then pointed to different of us. After a while, one of them pulled out a portable blackboard and began to write something.

"Come here once."

Grandma called us over.

“Take care. I'll explain how you can determine what is ahead of you. There are three arenas. The largest of them is used to fight gladiatorial fights, that is, you against an orc. There are also exceptions for this arena, the so-called group fights. As an example, we three compete against three of a different race. The most important thing for the orcs in this arena is entertainment, the longer the fight, the more fun for them. I'll come back to a couple of details in a moment!"

She paused for a moment.

“The other two arenas are about the same size, but one offers the so-called show fight, that space is for the entertainment of the wealthy orcs. Few spectators, but the bloodiest fights. You will probably not see this arena for a while."

She let her gaze wander between us.

“The last arena is the betting arena. Here orcs can bet on the fights, so the fights are often even because that's the only way many would bet on the loser. You shouldn't worry about getting overly strong opponents."

She paused again.

“You have to be extra careful in the first arena because your opponent becomes an orc. They don't look after their children like we do. For them, only strength counts. That means a young orc can also be your competitor. Should you have a young orc as an opponent, you must not humiliate him. That means an honorable death! Otherwise, its parents or relatives will challenge you. The so-called blood revenge."

Grandma's knowledge was just excellent! She knew a lot about this place and its danger. After Grandma's explanation was over, it wasn't long before the two orcs returned.

"The time has come."

Grandma muttered to herself as the orcs opened the gate. One orc grabbed our Grandmother and put her in a small transport cage.

"See you later."

She said that, but her voice was emotionless.

The orc reached into the cage a second time and grabbed one of the horned rabbits that had come with us.

"Good luck!"

I wished him the best of luck because I didn't know what to expect in his first fight.

Si threw herself on me and got me out of my thoughts.

"We can do it, En!"

The eternal optimist...