The Best Offense

“This is stupid…” , the young mage said, slightly louder than intended. 

Ah, another one, thought the old mage. There is always one…

“Archmage… With all due respect sir, why are we doing shielding again?”

The young mage stood within the boundaries of politeness, even if they danced on its edge, but carried the confident indignation of youth.

He was tall, and young, having recently celebrated his 17th birthday, the archmage seemed to remember, with messy black hair and bright green eyes that constantly seemed to study whatever he focused on.

He’s a promising one, thought the old man. Adept at breaking down and learning spells, the young mage learned quickly, and adapted faster.

But he was young, and thus suffered the common afflictions of youth: hasty, impatient, overconfident, naive… 

“Young Master Selco…” started the elder, in his slow and patient cadence of a man long used to teaching lessons in an out of the classroom, “...am I to understand you’re not a fan of defensive magic then?” the old man paced around the large classroom, hands behind his back, seemingly lost in contemplation. The unaware would have classified his stroll as absent-minded. In reality nothing could be further from the truth - the old man watched everything, weighted every action, and every word. He studied his hundreds of students with greater care than most of them studied his lessons. 

“Archmage…” frustration colored young Selco’s voice “... It’s… blocking. A shield. A magical barrier. It’s the first spell we learn and the first spell we master. With all due respect to your tutoring Archmage, why are we focusing on it again?” 

The young man didn’t enjoy talking back to his masters, and he especially held a great deal of respect for the archmage whose stories approached legend itself, but with his frustration at a boiling points the words just seemed to spew forth, lubricated in part by the rest of the class’s silent agreement. Besides, the archmage had never admonished, let alone punished, any of them for challenging his ideas.

“Oh? You believe you have mastered defense then?” inquired the archmage. A cheap provocation, he knew, but one that should prove effective. 

“Haven’t we all? Wasn’t that a requirement for last year’s exam? To effectively shield Mistress Ghallad’s strongest fire spell while holding an egg, without the egg cooking?”

The old man laughed silently to himself. Young man, I’ve seen Ghallad burn a dragon. Were she to hit you with the full brunt of her power she would have incinerated the whole class, shields or not, he resisted saying out loud. Instead he said nothing. The Archmage knew better than most the value of patience.

“Master Kassius, I thought we were supposed to learn combat with you. How to split rock with lightning, turn ice into a weapon and make pillars of fire that can melt metal to slag!” complained Selco “I want to study how Danise The Wise entombed a group of trolls in an icy grave! How Kelsier The Brave leveled an entire island with a single spell to stop an opposing army from invading his home… How The Great Archmage Kassius slew a demi-god, or how they challenged The Four Imperial Mages of Liam and won!” Selco’s tone was a blend of frustration and pleading.

“So you wish to learn how to fight? How to master combat? Yes? Well… That is precisely what I’m doing young master. Patience.” replied the archmage in a calm and leveled tone.

In truth, Kassius had to admit he was slightly amused. He knew exactly how this play went, he had seen it many times before, had even starred in it many decades prior, but he found the dance entertaining in its predictably. A little childish perhaps, he admitted to himself, but nonetheless.

“By blocking spells? Master, I want to learn how to end a fight, not prolong it.”

Kassius allowed himself an open smile. Young Selco was right on cue. He wondered if the adolescent mage would notice it for the hint that it was.

“Very well Master Selco… I’ll tell you what: What about I offer you a deal? An impromptu test, if you will…”

This peaked the entire classroom’s interest. Even Mina, usually more preoccupied daydreaming about her fantastical scenarios than paying attention to her tutors, was standing by.

“I’m listening.” replied Selco. He was interested, but suspicious.The youth expected some sort of trap or catch from the veteran mage. He was not dumb, and had not won a myriad of student tournaments at the academy by being reckless. He listened carefully and double checked every word, every phrasing and exact formulation, for a lure of some kind - mages of Kassius’s caliber were wise, and known to be tricky. 

“A duel.” The Archmage started, before immediately placating the inevitable objection. “...Don’t worry Master Selco, I won’t be so crass as to suggest you should try to defeat me. No offense.”

“None taken.” replied the rookie mage, and meant it. Even the overconfident naivete of his youth was not enough to blind him to the distance between them. He had no chance of defeating “The Legendary Great Archmage Kassius”, God Slayer, King Maker, The Bulwark of Balisahad… No. Young as he was, Selco was wise enough to recognize he would need another decade or three of dedicated training before he stood a chance to win a real duel.

“Instead…” the veteran mage scratched a mark on the ground with the tip of his shoe “...Simply cause me to move from this spot. Or cause me to take any damage at all, before I can knock you down.”

Selco hesitated.

“And… what exactly is at stake here? What do I win?” asked the young prodigy, prodding the challenge for traps.

“IF the young Master Selco wins, I will privately tutor him in whatever spells, techniques, or anything else he desires. For free. For the remainder of the year.”

This drew a gasp from the entire class. Even the least studious and most neglectful of students could understand the exorbitant value of what was on offer. Private tutoring by any competent mage was expensive. Someone of Kassius’s skill and renown could demand kingly sums for even a couple of months of extended consultation. Private tutoring? On any subject? For a whole year? That’s the kind of offer you could start a war over.

“...And if I lose?” Selco inquired. An offer like that HAD to have a catch… It HAD to… right…? 

“Should you lose, I will hear no more complaints from you on this subject. And you will do as many “boring” tasks as you’re told. With no complaints.”

Selco still hesitated. Where was the catch? The offer was several steps past too good, and the boy had grown up hearing about the dangers of offers that seemed too generous.

“No?” teased the archmage “Very well. What if I’m only allowed to hit you once?”

The odds were too good.

The risk too low.

The reward too big.

There has to be a trap, HAS t-

“There is no trap young man.” the archmage uttered. He understood the hesitation for what it was “This is a lesson. Not a punishment.”

That did it.

“I accept.” Tricky as he might be, The Archmage had never been known to lie to a student.

“To be clear, I can only HIT you once, but I can cast as many spells as I wish.” explained Kassius. “And I must knock you down myself. You falling or tripping on your own, for example, does not count.”

Selco nodded silently.

“Very well! Clear the room!” shouted Kassius.

The students moved in a flurry, clearing the area around the two. The hall they were using was large, and intended for sparing, but desks and possessions had to be quickly moved, and students relocated to the gallery. Nobody wanted to find themselves or their valued items on the wrong end of a missed spell. 

Excitement electrified the air as much as any magic. One of the academy’s most prominent students dueling The Great Archmage Kassius himself? Even if it was not a real duel, getting to see them spar was bound to be an event they would talk about for weeks if not years.

“Master Selco, ready yourself if you’d please.”

Selco nodded and took out his choice of magical focus - a pair of leather gloves with intricate glyphs delicately woven and inlaid in a rare meteorite metal. Selco’s father was a craftsman, and had taught his son much of the trade before the young man discovered his aptitude for magic. Selco had crafted the gloves himself, with the help of a blacksmith, and now slipped them on reverently, almost ceremoniously, like a great craftsman handling a precious tool.

The Archmage extended his right arm and opened his palm. A fissure seemed to open in the fabric of reality itself, from which a long staff slowly ascended into his grip. An elegant amalgamation of wood and steel that seemed to have been grown and melded together more so than crafted by human hands.

Kassius didn’t really need a focus for this, they weren’t required to do magic, they were a simple aid, a way to focus magic, as their name implied, to allow a mage to tap faster and deeper into the full well of their power. He, nonetheless, figured the students would enjoy the theatrics. Nor did he want to seem disrespectful towards his opponent. Even if they both understood the true gap in their power was currently insurmountable, not even bothering to use his focus on top of all the other conditions already set would have been insulting and dismissive, tantamount to calling him a joke.

“A word of advice young Master Selco…” voiced the veteran mage “...You need not worry about me. If you’re serious about trying to win, you should throw everything you have at me. Try to kill me if you can. Anything less won’t be enough.”

The massive hall was drowned in anticipation, and deafened by silence. A million frameworks ran through Selco’s mind as he frantically calculated possibilities and probabilities, his mind racing to simulate the scenarios about to come.

“Begin.” calmly cued The Archmage.

Selco immediately exploded into action, hoping to steal momentum through initiative. He ran at full sprint around his opponent, hoping to make himself harder to hit, simultaneously casting bolts of lightning towards Kassius.

The old man smiled as he blocked two of the bolts that had accurately tracked his position with a small magical barrier, ignoring the ones that had gone wide, marking the floor and walls.

Clever! He thought. Misguided, but clever. Impressive for one so young to be able to cast such a spell so fast and hit their target at all while sprinting!

In one swift motion Kassius wordlessly raised his staff, summoning a lightning bolt of his own from above. Selco was already in midair, diving and engulfing his whole body in a shield the moment Kassius lifted his arm. The ground exploded where the bolt hit, just slightly behind the young man, spraying dust and rocks everywhere. Selco rolled to his feet and stood ready. The size of the crater Kassius’s lightning left was chilling. A reminder of the difference between them - the young prodigy’s lightning would bite at the stone, cutting deep and charred gashes on the ground. The Archmage’s lightning exploded it, violently, fiercely, leaving a volcanic wreckage of dust, pebbles, and nearly molten rock. Selco did not want to find out what would happen if he took such a hit unshielded. 

Still, determined not to give up momentum, Selco peppered his opponent with a barrage of lightning. His opponent stood passively, merely deflecting Selco’s barrage with his shield. Two. Three. Four. Kassius’s hand shot up again. Selco threw himself fully into shielding. Another devastating bolt demolished the ground only a couple of steps behind the younger mage. Even knowing Kassius was missing intentionally the power of each explosion was making the younger mage sweat nervously. 

This pattern started to repeat itself. The Prodigy would run around peppering The Archmage with a handful of lightning. Kassius would stand impassive, blocking the shots with a fairly modest shield. Then, after a handful of shots, The Archmage would immediately answer with one of his own, missing Selco intentionally, but forcing him into defense - he knew he’d lose instantly if Kassius decided to not feint and actually hit him. In fact losing the match would probably be the least of his worries.

The young prodigy was beginning to tire, and, he realised, was making no progress. The old man was turning it into a war of attrition. I’m getting nowhere. I need more power… Thought the young mage, as he moved to start charging up mana, lured by his opponent’s passive defense. Kassius had been doing nothing but reacting to his attacks, so he tried to take advantage of his opponent’s defensive proclivities. If you’re not attacking, you’ll give me a chance to charge up a bigger attack. I’ll draw more mana. Make bigger spells. Hit you with bigger and bigger spells until I drain your mana and break your shield. You can’t win by doing nothing!

Selco needed only a moment. Just a sliver of the Archmage’s inattention or hesitation, and he could draw up a large amount of mana from the aether around him into a mana surge for himself. He reached out, pushed out his own presence in the form of his mana, felt it touch the aether of the world around him, and start drawing up power. And then… Nothing. He was suddenly cut off from the source he had tapped. 

Kassius stood smiling, his staff suddenly pointing at the young Selco. A counterspell. The Great Archmage had predicted his play, and simply unraveled his spell. 

Having a spell undone was surprisingly violent. Creating any spell required mana and concentration as one weaved the fabric of mana and reality together to accomplish the otherwise impossible. To have it broken mid-casting meant your concentration was abruptly and jarringly broken, and all that energy would whiplash. The remaining strands of a spell, untethered and wild after being swiftly cleaved, acted like taut ropes on a ship suddenly splitting and thrashing violently. The after shock of the sudden break left Selco’s already somewhat depleted resources drained.

The Great Archmage smiled and pointedly lifted his staff, drawing up mana for a spell. More and more mana. Whatever was coming looked big. Young Selco’s mind raced back to Kassius’s “simple” lightning bolts, and how powerful those had been. Whatever required this much mana and incantation would be terrifying. Did the archmage mean to kill him after all?

Oh no. Oh no no no! Thought the young prodigy, as he scrambled to protect himself. The spell breaking had left him far too tired and rattled to try a counter spell of his own. Instead he drew all the energy he had, pushing deep into his fatigue and tapping into the very depth of his mana reserves to draw up a shield. He drew every last bit of mana he had, the objective of their game now forgotten and overridden by sheer survival instinct, knitting his magical shield in a tight and thick pattern, when the archmage suddenly lowered his staff towards him. His immense surge of mana, which now dissipated harmlessly, had not been mana at all, but a mere glowing ball of light, a cheap party trick any student could do. A volley of ice shards shot instantly from Kassius’s staff.

In that moment Selco realised not just that he had lost, but how truly outmatched he was: the biggest difference between them had never been the strength of their spells. Kassius had predicted every single move Selco had made, even before the fight had started, and played him like the finest tune.

The words of The Great Archmage at the start of the lesson came back to him now:

Mana is an ethereal thing. It’s energy of a sort, as you all know. As such, it’s more adept at driving and manipulating other forms of energy. Lightning, heat, cold… Manipulating physical things is entirely possible, of course, but significantly harder, and more expensive, in terms of mana and concentration required. As such most mages tend to fight primarily through energy. In turn, this means shield spells, as they develop to be faster, stronger, and more efficient, have grown to be primarily effective against other forms of energy. Driving mass, real, physical, mass, is therefore, generally, the most effective method of dealing with magical barriers of most kinds. Some spells are even designed specifically to be shielded.

Kassius’s ice shards connected with Selco’s shield, and immediately tore through it, shattering it in an instant.

The ice shards were designed like semi-hollow spikes, with thick and sharp tips meant to pierce through the outer layers of a magical shield, and semi-hollow bodies, meant to shatter upon breaking through said shield, offloading a spread of high velocity and razor sharp shards of ice into the mage behind it. 

Dozens of frozen shards pierced and shredded through the young mage’s body in an instant, the impact driving him off his feet, flinging him several steps back. The collision drove the remaining strength out of Selco’s body, and his vision immediately dimmed and blurred. He could just barely make note of his classmate’s shouts before fading out completely as his body hit the floor.

When the young prodigy woke up shortly after he saw the archmage standing above him, holding one hand out to him while the other seemed to be working some sort of spell - a healing spell of some sort, he expected, as he could feel some strength return to him.

“There you are, young master. Slowly now.” Kassius said. He could not hide some amusement from his voice. The kind of tone that carries an implicit “...what did I tell you?” without needing any words.

“...Augh. Well met Archmage. And point taken...” Selco sat up slowly and shook his head, offering his hand to the veteran mage, who laughed and took it.

“Well met young Master Selco. A loss, yes, but an impressive performance nonetheless.” Kassius gently helped the young man up to his feet who managed a smile despite his physical and emotional bruises. A compliment by The Great Archmage wasn’t all too bad for a consolation prize.

“Now, who else can tell me why Master Selco lost?” enquired the teacher as he turned to his class, returning instantly to his teaching role.

Mina, surprisingly, raised a hand. The archmage waved her to talk.

“...He… Was too focused on beating-... no. He was too focused on overpowering you…? With his spells I mean…?” she voiced hopeful and shy. It was a rare instance where Mina volunteered her thoughts in class unbidden, and now she hoped she wasn’t making a fool of herself.

“Correct!” said the archmage triumphantly. “Young Master Selco here, being quite proficient for his age and relative experience in the art of spell casting, made the common mistake of focusing entirely on beating me down with said spells.” The archmage paused. 

“But combat between mages isn’t a fight between spells. It’s a fight between minds.” The old veteran let that thought linger for a moment to emphasize its importance. “Trying to simply overpower an opponent is a fool’s errand when dealing with strong mages. You need to understand them. How they’re thinking, and how they’re trying to beat you… You need to be able to know what they’ll do before they do it, and act accordingly. Not by trying to push harder than them, but to, more importantly, allow them opportunities to beat themselves.” 

Another pause.

“All of your spells, all of them, are tools. They are all useful for different things. Some of you might think I beat Selco with the ice spell?” A few embarrassed grunts of acknowledgement rose from the crowd. “No. I beat him with my defense. I spent less mana blocking his lightning than he did summoning it. The few bolts of lightning I summoned myself were simply to not allow him a break, and scare him to keep going. Once he had depleted most of his mana he became frustrated, and more predictable. All it took then was some surgical disruption, to push him into desperation. Remember: frustration and desperation makes you predictable.” 

Kassius looked at his class. They were silently absorbed in awe. He knew better than to expect them all to have learned the lesson, but he allowed himself to hope many did take it to heart. He turned towards the defeated young prodigy, who was currently proding and poking at his healed wounds and bruises.

“Young Master Selco. Earlier you dismissed shielding as something basic. ” The young man cringed a little at the thought that he had considered himself good enough to correct his teacher. “Remember when you asked me how I defeated The Four Imperial Mages? Would it surprise you now to learn liberal use of shielding was crucial to my victory? Do you think I could have beaten 4 mages at once without exceptional defense?”

The young man’s eyes opened wide. Not much but rumor was known from that battle, fought in a castle evacuated as people fled the destruction. All anyone knew for a fact was that five legendary mages did battle, and only Kassius emerged from the ruins, the other four legends having since lied entombed for their mistake. He would have paid all the money he owned to see and study that encounter.

“Remember young Selco: Not every mage begins by mastering the intricate arts of defensive magic. Just the ones that live to see old age.” The old man stared right into Selco’s eyes and nodded, and Selco nodded back, engraving the lesson in his heart.

“Now, for your performance Master Selco, and the class’s attention, I’ll tell you all that story next class, should you so wish…” Continued the Archmage. The crowd broke into excited whispering and murmuring. 

The Great Archmage Kassius clapped his hands hard to get their attention.

“Very well! Very well! For now, young Master Selco please see yourself to the infirmary for a check up. I have performed a functional healing, but it was never my specialty in the first place. Have them make sure everything is in order. And for the rest: class dismissed.”