The Elementalists

Chapter 2

"You know how to battle right? And how money's split?" she asked, smirking.

"Well, duh. i either get 20% of your money, or you 20% mine. Whatever, let's go."

"Windstorm!" she shouts as a powerful windstorm overcame me and I slammed into a nearby wall as she slowly walked up to me.

"Flame Row!" I say as a row of lava spewed out of the ground in a row of fountains, like adjacent geysers. She could dodge, but the row followed her temperature, so it never really left her until a moment or so passed, but by then, I was so weak and figured out.

"I could kill you so easily! C'mon now!" Isabella cutely laughed as she stomped her foot, Wind Stalagmite!" A wide 2x2 stalagmite shot from under my feet, made entirely of wind, shot me high up in the air, crashing me to the ground when I fell.

"D-damn...." I grunt. "Gust!"

She absorbs it easily, as it did nothing but casually blow at her hair. "You done?" she chuckled at my power.

"Fireball!" she snaps a finger and a fireball shoots at me.

"No way...." it hit my foot after it narrowly brushed against my leg as I wince. "A-ah......" I try to breathe in and out to nullify the pain. "Intense Heat Wave!" I shout as I flaming wind rushed at her.

With that, she quickly made a shape with her hands. "Fire Wall!" she stomped as the wall of lava seemed to ascend, bringing shrapnel of the ground up with it as it cut my face and burned it slightly, singing my hair.

I just stand at the wall protecting her as I look for wherever she is, just then, I heard a whisper from behind.

"Over here." She grinned as she kicked me into the blazing wall, It was made of fire, so I sailed through it, singed, burned, nearly bare with all of the fire burning away at my clothes. She had a silver staff, as she charged I lay there, in too much pain to move, she struck me with it, making me black out.

--Isabella's POV--

Oh, no! I did it again! I ran to Vector. "Granddad help!" I yelp frantically.

"It happened again.... I see..." he looked down, shaking his head in disappointment. "I'm not even surprised, Isabella. You're way too competitive. You need to learn how to calm do-"

"But you don't calm down when at battle! You fight to win, or to save yourself. You battle to stay alive!" I yell angrily as he opened his eyes in shock. I know damn well he remembers what he did to me. It was what..... 7 years ago? No..... I was 7 years old. He saw my parents get killed and he didn't do a thing. They may have been killers but they were in the Branch of Madness.... the Hidden Insanity inside all Lockehearts. He didn't veto their death sentence because they couldn't control it. But he knows that he's the only Lockeheart that CAN control it. Then he took me in. The second I was old enough, I was put into the school. As long as you were in double digits. You were in. He thinks I'd ever respect him after he could've saved them, but he left them to die. He's.... he's.....

"Isabella, that was years ago..... let it go...... you'll understand when you're older." his grim tone resounded all throughout the room as he quietly left, getting a few Healers and Clerics.

That bastard.....

--Norick's POV--

I wake up hours later. Isabella was there.

"Sorry!" she says, sounding frantic. "I don't fully know my strength! Well, I do but....." she buries her face in her hands. "You wouldn't understand."

"She's really strong. She's only lost twice since she's been here. She was quite apologetic, too....." Vector says, at the door, sounding cheery, but emotionally wrung out. "You lose 400c."

"No. Don't pay me! I'm really sorry and I'd feel guilty for taking a single cent!" she pleads, sounding caught up in her guilt.

"Hm. Interesing." Vector said, raising an eyebrow in shock.

"What? What is it?" I reply.

"She's just.... never turned down a reward before. Ever." he replied.

"Oh, well... how generous. Thank, you Isabella." I smile.

"Please, call me Izzy. And for the record, I already have 5260c....." she shrugged as I widen my eyes.

"What? You call that rich? Rich is about..... I'd say 15000c. At least." Vector said. "Oh, and how you said you lacked friends, which is why this hasn't been as fun for you?"

"Yeah. What about it?" I reply.

"Well, I sent request forms for both of you for some of our groups, known as guilds." he said.

"Well, thank you. I just hope they like me. I never really had friends growing up." I sigh.

"Same for this one." he pointed at Isabella.

"Granddad!! Don't just go around telling people that!" she blushed, embarrassed.

"What? Everyone knows. You just sit in a corner and be exclusive. I basically didn't have to tell him."

"Ugh...." she groaned as I chuckled a bit.

"Well..... when you get better..... I'll take you on a mission. They went over it in Orientation but it's time to get more hands on!" Vector said enthusiastically. "Oh! I'll take the both of you! A team mission!" he said, getting gradually more and more excited.

"A Team Mission is like a Individual Mission, except you fight alongside a friend." Isabella explained.

"Yeah. I could've guessed." I reply.

"Well then, tomorrow, I expect to see the two of you in my office at 10:00, sharp!" Vector said, scurrying off to find the perfect mission.

"Wait! AM or PM?" Isabella shouts.

"You really had to ask?" I laugh, shaking my head.

"Yeah.... you never really know with that guy......" Isabella said.

With a small limp, Isabella walked me home. "Next time, I'll walk you home. The guy does that for the girl." I say,

"That's only if they're dating, though." she smiled.

"Not with me. I'm quite a gentleman." I smiled as I walked in my dorm.

"Fine. See you tomorrow....." she winked, then shut the door as she walked back to her own dorm, the both of us excited for what tomorrow would hold, except there was abit more excitement there, because for once, we wouldn't be without a friend.

((A/N: Yeah! Like it! I'm trying to post these frequently as I write the sequel in real life. See y'all later!))