Chapter 23: Ready for dungeons
Wesley watched silently, arms folded again, heart no longer racing but still alert.
The battle had taken a sharp turn the moment Instructor Heiron gave the command to attack.
From that instant, the tension in the arena shifted—not because of Gabe’s surge of power, but because... there wasn’t one.
Gabe moved forward, shield lowered just enough to swing his short blade.
The angle was off. His footwork, shaky.
The blade met the Spearopion’s carapace with a dull clang that made even some students flinch—not from awe, but secondhand embarrassment.
The blade bounced back, doing almost nothing. No dent. No blood. No reaction.
Another strike. Again, the same.
Wesley narrowed his eyes, watching the pattern. Gabe’s strikes lacked weight. His arms didn’t follow through. His shoulders were tight, his footing unsure. The defensive rhythm he had danced with earlier vanished the moment he stepped into offense.
The Instructor noticed too.
Heiron’s hand lifted again, and thick roots burst from the earth, curling tightly around the Spearopion’s limbs before it could counter. The creature hissed and squirmed, but the vines were firm, thickened with magic. It was held in place—for now.