Tutorial Match: Ultima Weapon I (Private, Special Training)

Mittere held no illusions that her spell would last long at all, it was not an immaterial fortress or a Laminar flow boundary of dispersion (a name in dire need of some modern revision), just a rather simple cast and forget insulation field. She still had every intention of keeping it up as long as it would hold. She concluded it was better to have some sharp fragments than a few pointy tips in her. Though she balked at the idea, seeing it as stupid, Mittere opened her mouth. Both the 'pony' and the ice were crystals, making them prime for destruction by resonance. She began to sing a lyricless melody, her voice shaking only slightly as she raised the pitch. It was one of the songs of her people, performed in a much higher key, to try and break the ice as well as this 'pony'. As she sang, she felt something. Warmer. Stronger. She had chosen this path without fear, she had to make it through. She would win even in the heart of its sanctuary.

Mittere had the right idea, but the wrong assessment. Though the stallion was made of crystal, it was by no means ordinary crystal on top of it already being unusually flexible and would hardly be affected by the resonance. The Ice drills would be more vulnerable to this effect, but strong magic conjured them and gave them form in the first place, and could still hold after being launched.

Granted, they would nonetheless be weakened enough to have a hard time to penetrate the barrier as effectively and would break up violently rather than keep onwards shortly after contact, but given that Mittere had not moved, this was but a minor comfort as yet another drill with a Dispelling effect was launched from a different angle aimed towards her back legs. She might very well have bought herself time, but she would need to be more creative or risk having the barrier collapse under heavy power and dispelling precision magics.

Mittere didn't stop her song, not for breath, not for anything. It was clear it had been ineffective on the 'pony' before her, but it was having a profound effect on her. The barrier flashed white as she poured more power into it. After the light faded, Mittere could be seen coated in a barrier of white hot flame. It was briefly outed by the dispelling touch, but quickly lighting up again as though nothing ever happened.  She just had to be sure she could keep this defence up before she could  press the counterattack on this 'pony', who she had to admit might have looked cute in the flesh. 

The crystal stallion now began to take a somewhat different approach as four more smaller crystals the shape of maces protruded from its body in anticipation to a different kind of fight, while the remaining Ice-drills were all combined into a much larger one, added extra Dispelling energies for stronger barrier-penetrating effects, and gave it a stronger charge of Wind. Once the spell was launched, it practically shot off like a rocket with hurricane force winds going along with it for extra thrust, speed, and momentum directly at Mittere's body in an effort to force her to move for a change and keep her from relying on attrition as much. Following the launch, more water was slowly being conjured around the crystal stallion's body in preparation along with the maces as it now kept running in less of a semi-circle and more of a random circular pattern instead.

Mittere deflected the shot at her deftly with telekinesis, slowing down her song to catch her breath a little The tip was impossible to get a grip on, but since the dispelling energies were so focused, she just need to push the rear to flip it around, using the point to pierce through the winds as she sent telekinetic beam through behind, this time trying to make the 'stallion' crack under the force. With how the fight had progressed so far, it would not be a surprise if it could just put itself back together though, so she began to take flight again, exploiting her natural advantage. 

Seeing that the projectile would not be able to make full intended contact, the crystal stallion would make it collapse at the point it were closest to Mittere and let the fast rotation and momentum send fairly large pieces of hail in virtually all directions, though it was more to keep her from being fully calm at any one time and distracted with something for the time being than an actual attack.

As for dealing with the telekinetic beam as he felt it coming, he teleported not too far out from the target range and would keep moving in a non-specified pattern to conserve as much energy as possible by not risking a struggle with the alicorn and not moving too far away to have to make too many adjustments.

However, she was gaining height unless the hail somehow did manage to bring her down on its own, and would therefore have a hard time catching up. Keeping the water around him absorb the oncoming hail like a gel shield, he currently would be at the defensive while watching her movements in the sky, though the horn was, as usual, flaring in anticipation.

While the explosion of ice was of no threat to her, it happening so close caused her to flinch, flying backwards as a result and having to recover her flight path as she burnt up the ice shards. Mittere had initial designs to freeze the 'pony' inside of his shell, but seeing its previous reactions decided otherwise. If the colour this pony gave to his magic was red, Mittere's was very much blue. The dispelling magics she had seen were interesting and far more aggressive that what she had seen before. Perhaps there was a way she could utilise them herself. She sent out an ark of flame towards the 'pony', the edges holding a white glow, similar to the dispelling tip. 

In retaliation, the crystal stallion focused and gathered water and energy along with yet another Dispelling discharge to counteract Mittere's spell and attempt to beat her offensive with natural elemental advantage. The water spell he launched at the fire but mostly at her was a high pressure blast while a coat of water surrounded him in case some of the fire came close to him regardless. It still kept moving however, as it wasn't about to risk being easy to pin down.

As the attacks met, it was rather anti climatic as they came together in a steamy boily magically mess which persisted for a few seconds before dying down. Mittere didn't waste time watching this show before she tried to attack the 'pony' again. It was a war of attrition certainly, but she knew not how much endurance it had. She began to descend, firing several telekinetic beams that would turn a small magical eruption when in near contact. It wasn't going to stay still, but she didn't need to be accurate. 

The crystal stallion kept moving about and somewhat away from Mittere with two things to focus on: One, erect a barrier to protect it from and dampen the magical barrage sent his way as it wasn't about try and take her head on when she had aerial advantage. Two, to focus all offensive power into a different form of attack as she got closer to the floating platform.

Only when it felt that she was close enough in her descent, he released that aggressive energy constantly into the ground as it ran to launch a barrage of bowling-ball sized chunks of it into the air from below her with explosive charges. With the counter-barrage, it attempted to knock her out from the sky or at least force her to stop attacking him for now lest he eventually lose due to her current height advantage and ancient raw power by making the charged barrage fly both straight at her from below and towards the air close by and above her and explode, releasing both the explosive force and the shrapnel all around her.

Seeing more was coming her way, Mittere was forced to quickly bleed her speed and back out of her attack. It would be easier to avoid the projectiles if she slowed down. She waited as long as she could before they came too close before teleporting a distance away from the furthest one. It was cheap (though not exactly from an exertion point of view) move, but she was playing to win. She continued her descent on the 'pony' trying to come down behind it and pick it up. It wasn't like the overly ornate rock could fly or anything. 

As the crystal stallion made its run still, it dropped the barrier for now and once again focused on conjuring and gathering a lot of water while being wary of Mittere; Even if it closed its eyes, it was constantly aware of her presence due to her strengthened lifeforce and Magic reserves without really trying. The crystal stallion also made sure to bring out up to a total of 4 crystal oval shaped shields in preparation, its horn flaring at maximum output for a capture attempt of its own.

Once ready, it stopped dead in its tracks, made a leap backwards, and attempted to encase itself and her in a large and expanding sphere of water several times their combined sizes, the shield floating nearby ready to take a hit in case something went wrong soon afterwards.

The fact the 'stallion' had stopped threw Mittere slightly, but she adjusted to it. On approach she tried to strike the shields with a quick casted bolt of magic. The leap backwards caused her to slow down, leaving her well within the expanding water. It was not something which made her feel comfortable, but she was not going to let it deter her from doing what she got this close to do, still moving to wrap her legs around the 'pony'. 

The attempt to capture Mittere was almost made a certainty by her moving right into the sphere of water, now engulfing her and the crystal stallion fully. The difference between the two however, was that it was he was the one who made the sphere of water in the first place, and had plenty of control over it as he made an effort to make the water move him out of the sphere, but also try and keep her within with no immediate breathable air in a whirlpool-like effect of water and magic.

Of course, just getting out of the sphere and trapping her in it wasn't all he had in mind. Should he successfully exit the sphere and get to the ground as intended, he'd cast both a Dispelling effect along and into the waters to subdue her own magic to at least slow down her magic and prevent her from simply teleporting quickly out to safety at the very least, as well as cast a Thunder spell to try and incapacitate her with a strong shock therapy.

Mittere stayed very tight to the 'pony', making it as hard as possible to keep her in and itself out. While she wrestled with the 'pony' from behind, she attempted to use magic to freeze up whatever muscles and joints it may have had.

Should she fail and the pony managed to escape her grasp, she was not going to stay at the mercy of the approaching water, exercising some stricter breath control in accord with the current air within. She would create a barrier around herself, working on her own dispelling field around herself, ready to charge through the water. This would leave her attention divided should anything else happen though. 

Just as the crystal pony was escaping, he had been briefly caught. Seeing as he still had the advantage of being in the water he was controlling despite Mittere using her magic to try and keep him from moving, it did nothing to stop his own as some of the water was turned into chunks of ice from within and being deliberately rammed onto her back and wings and force her to release him so that he may go on with his original intent of trapping her for a moment by herself in the water and incapacitating her with an electric shock.

In order to shield her back, Mittere moved her wings in protection of her back. It hurt more and slowed her down. She couldn't keep up, if it didn't slow, she'd lose it. She began to consolidate the ice shards assaulting her back into a ball shape before throwing it towards the 'pony' with such a spin, a good hit would wind or crack or do something otherwise painful. 

Seemingly uncharacteristically of the crystal stallion, it allowed itself to take the blows that Mittere launched at it, leaving visible damage upon it. However, it did counterattack once the 'eyes' changed from the yellow it had to red, seemingly being forced to do something else by another will, and fully flared its horn with a yellow aura and, using simple motion magic, it ignored her efforts to cancel what might have affected muscle even though it had none, and made its horn to spark with electricity as it made contact with her own horn, if not her head, to incapacitate her and knock her out with a point-blank surge made even more prominent due to them being submerged in the sphere of water. Even if it somehow missed direct contact, electricity was still being released until she was left incapacitated, or somehow managed to avoid being stunned harshly.

The shock being unleashed so near her, she had almost no time to erect any kind of defence. This meant as the discharge happened, she was left wildly reaching for a plan whilst in pain. Knowing it's not the voltage, but the amps was of little comfort to her. Taking advantage of their proximity, she began to try and cut into the 'pony's' horn with magic, at least wanting to screw with its magic as the lighting was screwing with hers. She was getting hit by this thing far too much, the aggression was certainly higher. 

Mittere's attempts would result in vain. Whatever had compelled the crystal stallion to take a self-destructive approach would only intensify by allowing itself to have its horn left defenseless. What had previously been an intentional discharge of electricity into the sphere they were in, was now a chaotic ebb and flow of water as the horn became damaged... but the magic released was more haphazard and violent in turn. The crystal stallion only had one task now: Incapacitate and knock out Mittere, alive, at any cost.

Mittere couldn't really be surprised at the fact this 'pony' was being so reckless, it was in the end, just a rather elaborate toy. She wasn't going to let any more harm come to her from a toy, a now defective one at that. She pushed the 'pony' away, her hoof pressing strongly against his face, turning the wild magic away from her. She then pointed her horn a the thing in front of her and "let loose". Several large wheel constructs appeared around the 'pony' all spinning quickly, ready to the tear the thing apart with abrasive force high enough to tear through castle wall with no fear of losing sharpness. Maybe she was expending too much energy, but it was better to be thorough. 

Unfortunately for Mittere, her efforts were for naught. Pushing the crystal stallion away and attacking it further would not lessen the electricity or the fact that they were still submerged. If anything, it only meant that it would release more energy wildly and actually cause her harm for her own recklessness within the sphere to the point it might even be lethal for her by tampering with the trap she was in.

Mittere remained undeterred and impassive as her attempt failed and she became weaker still. She closed her eyes tiredly for a moment. When she opened them she had a better plan, one she was "sure" would work.  She was going to be the only left standing, limping or otherwise moving from this. She made use of another wind spell, wrapping herself and immediate area in it, the winds would move in a circular motion, at first pushing the excess water away before centripetal force would take a hold. Weaponising the water around her and all but freeing herself from the shocks meant it would be a good time for a slightly longer, less pained breath. 

((Time-out))

By the time Mittere would attempt to further resist, the crystal stallion would reach a critical point and actually explode with a very powerful and concussive force on top of the electricity it was already releasing all at once in a dangerously bright flash of light...

By the time the light, the water, and everything else had dissipated and Mittere would be sure to see, hear, and feel everything around her, she'd notice three things: One, she was currently being levitated in a bubble of pure energy that might feel like water inside, but in fact wasn't and it was perfectly fine to breathe in, hear, and even speak if she tried to. Second, there were now 3 crystal stallions identical to the one that exploded; But unlike the one she was combating, these had white blue eyes and were focused on healing her wounds sustained earlier very carefully and attentively, almost tenderly even as they looked over every in of her body while standing near the bubble and restoring her. Lastly, Noriaj was back to his humanoid form with his arms crossed, tapping his 'foot' on the now slowly restoring floating platform, and looking at her with a cocked head and eyes. "... Do you have a death wish...? Why did you insist on catching the ones who were attacking you? Why did you try and fight when you were being shocked still instead of escaping in the first place? I can understand stubborness and foolhardy courage, but what you did borders on stupidity taking all that threshold... So... Now that we're taking a time-out from practice, I'd like it if you could more or less answer my questions. Plus, I'm sure you have quite a few yourself... Oh, yes! Don't worry about these crystal stallions. They're harmless."

Instead of answering the questions straight away, Mittere focussed her attention on the stallions and the bubble around her. Maybe it was a kind of joke, since she loved going into traps so much apparently. She decided to test the bubble she was in, pushing against it in the guise of a much needed stretch. She could understand the need for the bubble, last time Noriaj had tried to have a break she had attacked him, and she likely would have a second time too. "It is perfectly possible to do everything right and still come out badly. It is through less than wise decisions that new opportunities emerge. Be good, but not perfect. Trust me when I say I was playing just with you as much as you were with me," she said simply, though she was a little resentful of her current predicament.