[Chapter 8: First Battle (3)] 

Rocks piled up on my feet and ankles, forming a layer of stone armor. My hands and arms experienced the same thing. As I sent mana into my legs, my feet bugged into the ground.

My forward dash shatter the ground beneath my feet. Streams of water were aimed at me, but my progress was not slowed in the slightest. My eyes shone brightly.

I got as close to the ground as I could while avoiding all of the attacks. My gaze darted between the dozen or so streams of pressurized water hurling themselves at me.

My face twisted in annoyance. Under my feet, a pillar formed, hunching me into the air. My senses and body were flooded with mana. The world became brighter as the mana specifics more became visible to me.

I crashed to the ground like a meteor, slamming my arms into the ground.

The area around us jolted the woman and her companies off their feet. Five large pillars rose from the ground and slashed into the water wall, causing it to come crashing down. 

"Haha." Standing up straight, I chuckled a little. To be honest, I was skeptical that it would even work. If she had put more effort into keeping the wall together, it would not have worked as well.

However, that requires more mana, and we are both attempting to conserve our mana. Mages fight in this manner. Using more mana on unneeded things is a quick way to lose a battle.

I shot forward, going up nearest pillar to me. A swarm of stone lances trailed behind me. When I reached the top of the pillar, I came to a halt.

While the two men ran towards me, the mage moved the water under her to create some distance.

'Fiona?'

'I need five more minutea, Austin. Keep them busy for a while.'

I tapped my feet on the pillar, frowning. Its base brock apart, causing it to lose the little bit of stupidity it had. This plan had better work. I didn't have much mana left, and I was running out of time. Not the best of combinations.

The pillar fell to the ground, and on my way down, I launched three lances at the woman, which she blocked with Water Magic. They weren't meant to hurt her, just distract her for a few seconds.

The two men jumped to the opposite sides of the river. I landed behind one of them, holding one of the lances. I have a better weapon, and I'm faster than them.

Just keep them from looking up, or the whole thing will fall apart before it even begins.

There is only one issue. I don't know how to use lances, swords, or any other type of bloody weapon, but I can learn. Maybe not right away, but I'll learn something.

I put my trust in the lance and channeled mana into it. It sharp edge became sharper. 

He shifted his weight and slashed his spear down. My other hand went up to catch it. I'm glad I covered my hands in stone, or I wouldn't be able to be this brave.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I kicked his torso and rolled back. With a small smile, I looked at the frozen brute. Their idiocy is truly astounding. I honestly thought their battle cost would be superior.

He saw the lances aimed at him when he looked at me.

"You little-"

"I don't believe it's a good idea to talk when you're about to die."

'Austin, the plan, dammit! Keep to the freaking plan!'

I clicked my tongue and formed three of the lances into spheres. I really wanted to kill them, but I guess I'll have to stick to the plan, apparently. 

"Another time," I said as I lowered my hand.

"HAA!" He yelled as he ran at me. The spheres were moving faster than he could react. They slammed into his face one after the other, knocking him down.

At the very least, he'll suffer from brain damage. He's still alive... maybe. I'm not certain. It's not my problem; at the very least, I can say it wasn't done on purpose. Fiona sighed, but I made the wise decision to ignore it.

Unfortunately, this woman was being a real pain in the ass yet again. A wave was coming at me much faster than I could run away from it.

When I stood up, a wall formed just a few meters away. The wave collided with the curved wall, causing it to fold in on itself.

"You cretin!" The last person appeared in front of me. He threw a punch down, but I could tell he used far too much force.

He wouldn't be able to move away quickly enough, giving me the perfect opportunity to finally make this a fair fight. 

Stone lances flew in front of his fist, forming a small but thick wall. The impact of his fist on the wall cracked the wall and broke his hand.

The wall wrapped itself around his hand and up his arm. More stone accumulated in a matter of seconds, making the weight too great for him to bear, despite his monstrous strength.

I took a few steps back out of his reach—he wasn't going to get out of those any time soon—but it was better to be safe than sorry. More stone was wrapped around his feet, keeping him in place.

"HHAAAAA!" His scream was enough to deafen me. I was beginning to suspect that these guys were using air magic to make their battle cries more dramatic.

But who knows, it could just be me. He pushed up with all his might, attempting to free his arm.

I wrapped more stone around him, subduing him completely, but I didn't stop there. Fiona stated that they needed to be alive, and in my opinion, being alive means that you are breathing.

She never said I couldn't make him disabled in some way. I didn't have time for torture or anything like that, but I can cause permanent damage. 

Unless there is a type of magic that can heal such things, in which case I will be extremely happy, as well as extremely pissed.

'Austin.'

'Ok, Mom!' Hearing her voice made me groan. I forget sometimes that she can read my mind better than I can read hers. I really need to find a way to lock off all of my thoughts.

Anyway, I guess I won't be able to bash his skull in... unfortunately, this is true. That was something I was looking forward to.

A stone sphere smashed into the side of his face, then another, and then another because I felt like it. He'll probably survive, but I'm not sure. The stone that was wrapped around his arms and legs shattered and gathered behind me.

Several streams of water crashed into the ground all around me, forming a cage. My pupils constricted as I gazed at the unconscious brute just outside of it.

Turning my head, I noticed the woman standing a good distance away, smiling.

"This is for my mother." She bit her lower lip so hard that blood flowed.

"Ah, so this is about exacting vengeance on someone you believe murdered your mother?" I said this while checking how much mana remained in my core. "Do you realize I don't even know you guys? I don't think that's how revenge works."

"Your people are to blame for this! All of this is your doing; you came to our forest and pillaged our villages, and for what-"

"I honestly don't know," I shrugged as I sat down. I was trying to appear calm, but in reality I was trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. I didn't have enough Mana to even protect myself, let alone make up and attack.

Using the last of my mana, I cause the stone around my hands and feet to crumble.

"Do you know I don't even remember my name?" I noticed her freeze for a split second, but it didn't last long.

"You're lying to me." Her stuttering was almost audible.

"Actually, I'm not. I awoke in this forest just over two weeks ago. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but all of your friends are still alive." I shook my head. "Perhaps a few... broken bones, brain damage, all that stuff, but they're alive."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" She began walking slowly towards the cage. "You could be be lying to me about all of this. Your people could of sent you here to kill us or collect information."

"Well, I know you don't have much mana left, and my little friend up there could kill you right now." I grinned and pointed up.

Her eyes widened. She looked up immediately, filled with a sense of breed. When she looked up, she was met with hundreds of stone great swords staring back at her.

Fiona was standing on one of them, a satisfied grin on her face. She waved her paw at us, lowering the massive sword she was standing on.

"See~." For a moment, I smiled, enjoying the look on her face. "I told you that if I gave my little contract beast here an order, all of those swords would rain down on you four like a raging meteor shower. Do you really believe any of you will make it out of here alive... for the second time today?"

She looked into my dark cyan eyes. Her intent was strong enough to make my knees buckle, but my consciousness was hanging by a thread at the time. Fiona and I both had a smile on our faces.

The field has been set. Her next move will determine whether I have to go wipe out an entire clan to appease my rage.

Her determination faded, and she let go of her now-bleeding hands. The water cage that had been surrounding me collapsed, soaking me even more. At the very least, it removed some of the dirt and blood.

"Fine." She barely managed to get those words out.

"Perfect!" I clapped my hands. "I'll be going to sleep now since you idiots completely exhausted me, my friend, Fiona will handle everything. If you try anything, just remember what I said." 

'Fiona, make sure I don't have to fight any more brutes when I wake up.' 

'Sir yes sir. Have a nice sleep~."