Chapter 54: Topaz

Topaz stepped forward, her eyes glinting with a challenge. "I will challenge him," she declared.

Eliana nodded curtly, a hint of amusement playing on her lips. "Very well. Begin."

Topaz. A name I barely recognized. Bookish, they said. High marks in the combat evaluations, but untested in real combat. Curiosity flickered in the icy wasteland of my mind. She'd finished her previous fight quickly, efficiently. I needed to see what she was made of.

Just the word sent a jolt through the arena. Topaz charged without preamble, wind swirling around her hand, forming a vicious blade aimed for my neck. But then, with a blur of movement, she shifted her target, the blade flashing towards my side.

That was intriguing. I formed a wall of ice around myself in a heartbeat, a barrier against further surprise attacks. Simultaneously, icy daggers shot out from my fingertips, a flurry aimed at her shifting form.