Growth in a fight

Elijah and Lamar then went back down to the other three. They turned into their normal human forms. They stood next to each other, across the three.

"How old are you guys? Fifteen? Please, just run away."

"Yeah, we're not big on killing kids."

"If you leave now, we'll spare you."

"Like hell, we'll let YOU two go. Vic?"

Vic conjures a hand revolver in her hand and she raised it to her hip. She fires as fast as she can. Pulling the hammer back by slapping it back with her palm at the same time she pulled the trigger. Four shots in one second aimed at Lamar. As the bullets traveled closer to him, Nate didn't waste time casting a spell. "Ice Aurora". A spell with the world record for activation. One-tenth a second. It also acts like a sensor bomb. A movement caught by the sensor (its aurora light), the spell activates immediately. The light covered not just Lamar, but Elijah as well.

Nate was confident that Vic's gun could pierce his ice easily. Given its velocity and temperature. So it was a tactic they came up with. Nate freezes them if they were to move because of the bullets shot at their target. Works best for sorcerers. Not so much on unintelligent beasts.

Lamar and Elijah flinched and activated "Ice Aurora". The bullets did shoot through the ice. But not Lamar.

"That is a brutal tactic, you two. Would kill most B-tier sorcerers. Though, I can confidently say we're like an A tier." Lamar already turned into smoke the moment Vic shot her first bullet. So did Elijah.

Sam then immediately clashed his blades together. It blew the smoke sorcerers back. Sam flipped one of his swords in the air and then kicked it at Elijah. The blade flew through him. Sam then threw his other blade. Then recalled the one he kicked. The two blades collide midair and repelled Elijah in erratic directions. Spreading his smoke out from each other. Making the smoke cloud thinner.

Sam recalls both blades to him. He grabs the blades and then brought them close together. He then smashed them to the ground. He flips forward as he does it. Then the blades created a repelling force that flipped him over and made him land behind Elijah. The two then started clashing blades. Sam was fast. Elijah was faster. Sam tried his best to bring Elijah away from Lamar. He was succeeding. Nate and Vic somehow were able to keep Lamar at bay. Sam and Elijah ended up around the end of the village. Close to the pier heading to the ocean.

Sam slashed high, low, middle, middle, high, low. But every attack he uttered was blocked or paired. Sam grit his teeth. Breathing loudly.

"Why can't I land a hit? I know he's made of smoke but none of them are 'connecting'." Sam's frustrated thoughts.

He then got angry. Which was exactly what he needed. He started yelling. A battle cry every swing. Loud and fierce. Elijah was completely composed. Not even emoting in any way. He held a blank monotone face. Sometimes he wasn't even looking at Sam when fighting. He kept glancing behind Sam. His younger brother by a year, Lamar. But because he wasn't paying attention, Sam was able to unleash his attack. Sam clashed his blades and unleashed a stronger repelling force with the effect; necrotization. Elijah was thrown back about seven meters away. He then was confused. He couldn't turn back to smoke.

Sam was also a lot faster. A spike of adrenaline made him better. Sam dashed in front and was able to land a scratch on Elijah's face. Elijah's eyes were opened wide. Sam then twisted his own wrist and made another scratch on Elijah's face. A few centimeters lower from the former cut.

"Just like her!" The Death Flower!" Elijah whispered then progressively got louder

Elijah grinned and started to fight seriously. His speed picked up and matches Sam's. He still couldn't turn into smoke for some reason. Sam and Elijah then started clashing blades again. But this time Elijah was going for kill strokes instead of just blocks and parries. Sam was quickly cut up. A diagonal superficial cut on Sam's left eye. It would hurt to blink. Or even just close his eye.

Sam fell back a few steps. Hurt. Trying to handle the pain. Elijah moves forward. He kicks up to Sam's chin then a consecutive side kick to Sam's left knee. And a final kick back to Sam's chin. But Sam caught his leg with his blades sideways. Sam was about to slash Elijah's tendons. But the moment he moved his blade, Elijah turned to smoke again.

Elijah blew forth as smoke past Sam and slashed his stomach. Wasn't really deep but it hurt. He blew back past Sam again and slashed the back of his leg. And then spun around, and turned to Sam. Sam brought his blades up to block. One knife brushed Sam's blades. One knife slashed both of Sam's elbows. Elijah then spread Sam's hands and thrust both his knife into Sam's front shoulders. A light puncture but it still hurt. Then Elijah side-kicks Sam's abdomen then his face. Sam flopped to the ground and landed on his back.

Elijah walked forward and stood over Sam. Looming over him. He looked down at Sam who looked like he had passed out. He notices that Sam was still intensely gripping his Twin Blades. Sam then opened his eyes and immediately clashed them together. It was an intense wave of repelling with necrotization in effect. Sam flailed his legs clockwise and sat up straight.

He stood up and started yelling as he ran towards Elijah who was thrown about twenty meters away. Elijah quickly got up and started dodging Sam's slashes. Sam used his blades like chakrams. Like he did with the maniacal beast. Elijah was insanely acrobatic. He could gymnastically dodge Sam's blades by the thinnest of hair. He was cut a few times on his arm and leg. But they were nothing but superficial cuts. Not enough to stop him from turning back to smoke.

"Why can't I just land a good hit on him?"

Sam then focused on his vision. He finally saw it. Why Elijah was so good at dodging his attacks, So good that it felt like he knew exactly every move that Sam would make.

"Smoke Extension". A spell that releases a very thin, near-invisible smoke. Movements that happened within that smoke would immediately alert the caster. And so thin it's nearly natural air. When inhaled, it circulates throughout the body. Showing the next move the opponent will make until the smoke is exhaled.

By laser-focusing on his vision, he disregarded everything else. And for that, he was stabbed right through the stomach. His vital organs may have been hit. He felt it. A lot of blood spilled from the wound. His mouth filled with blood, he opened his mouth and spat out the blood. His teeth had never been so red. "You're done," Elijah whispered to Sam's ear.

Elijah tried to pull his blade out but it won't budge. In fact, he couldn't move anything below his wrist. He looked down at his hand and Sam was gripping him. Sam laid his sword on the ground and grabbed Elijah's hand with one hand. He grabbed the back of Elijah's palm which was gripping the blade.

"I'm done when I die. And I don't plan on dying today!"

Sam cuts Elijah's chest diagonally. A big cut but not that deep. But it was enough.

Sam lets go of Elijah's palm and kick him in his abdomen. Elijah fell to the ground and backrolled over. Elijah tried to turn into smoke. He could only turn parts of his hands to smoke.

Then the two heard a wail of agony from the distance.

"Lamar!" Elijah realized that he was in trouble. Big trouble.