Imminent demise

"No one fires until I say so," Lance barked out an order. "Listen to your instructor, just like in your classes."

Frey glanced back to find that the students weren't even looking at Lance. 'Damn it,' he thought. 'Mana may have been wasted but it can be regained if we stall. That, however, is merely an inconvenience compared to the mental damage.'

Students bit their lips and cursed. "I'll hit them next time," the flash of bloodlust in their eyes said. The battle's momentum, barely noticeable, tilted against them. It wrapped around their chests, shortening their rhythmic breaths. Fight or flight reactions narrowed their thinking. If Lance were to jump up and down waving his arms about, they wouldn't bat an eye at him. That is what happens to newbies when they fall for a single, simple bluff. Frey knew that well after all the practice matches against Doevm's squad.