Stereotype

"You're really leaning hard into the 'stuck-up noble' stereotype, huh Hredaple?" Fate smirked, dropping one of the few big words he knew.

Normally he wasn't so talkative, but Fate wasn't as stupid as that girl made him out to be. With so many eyes to bear witness to what was about to happen, he needed Garn to throw the first punch. "Also, again, I didn't say a single word to her. Your sister is just a bitch."

"Say whatever you want, you pea-sized freak. Soon those ugly black eyes of yours are going to have some purple accents." Garn closed the distance between them in two large bounds, throwing a large fist at Fate's head, playing right into Fate's plans.

Fate ducked under it, twisting into a spin as he swept his leg under the noble. Garn, having not had a chance to regain balance after his failed punch, fell as hard as his size would suggest.

He landed with a thud as the wooden floor groaned under his weight. Fate kicked his backpack, sliding it at the crowd's feet to keep it safe, and circled around the fallen man, creating five feet of distance between the two. Now the crystals would show that he gave the man a chance to leave. Garn pushed himself up, the red around him growing darker as he stared daggers at his opponent.

"Is that Skill of yours just for show?" Fate taunted. "And here I was worried that it'd make you stronger. Looks like all it does is show how easily you lose your cool."

The noble growled and broke into a charge. Fate moved to sidestep it, like how a bullfighter would dodge a charging bull, but just then Garn's speed increased. The speed was almost negligible, but it caused Fate to misjudge the timing, and Garn rammed into his left side. The large man wrapped an arm around Fate's waist and kept charging, bowling over the students around them and smashing Fate into a wall.

Fate winced, the awkward angle he was held causing his spine to suffer the brunt of the damage. Worse, he ended up biting both his tongue and his cheek, his mouth filling with the coppery taste of blood.

As the students yelled at Garn for involving them, the red-hued man lifted Fate up by his robes with one hand as he cocked the other back. Fate grinned down at him, blood dripping down his chin as his arms dangled at his sides. A selfless individual, Fate graciously decided to share the blood, spitting a thick clump into Garn's eye.

The blood fizzled and popped inches from Garn's skin, burning up before it even touched him. Now it was Garn's turn to grin as he brought his fist forward. Fate wasn't out of plays just yet, however. He jabbed the man's throat and kneed him in the chest at the same time, the punch smashing into the wall beside Fate's cheek as the noble staggered back.

Fate dropped to his feet and rushed forward, sliding under a grab from Garn as the latter attempted to embrace him in a bear hug and slipping around to the man's back, where he jumped up, wrapping his arms around Garn's neck and his legs around the brute' waist.

Garn attempted to throw him off, pounding away at his back with both of his fists but was unable to quite reach his opponent. When that tactic failed, he charged toward the wall and launched himself at it, turning in the air so Fate was caught between them.

Fate pushed his legs off of Garn's back, squeezing into a crouch as his legs coiled against the wall, leaving him parallel to the ground. He pushed off forcefully, staggering Garn as he struggled to stay on his feet.

Garn fell to a knee as the lack of circulation finally started to kick in, prompting Fate to squeeze harder. The noble pawed at his throat and smacked Fate with his hands, but he was too confused and distracted to put his full power into it. That, coupled with the way he had to bend his arms just to even try to touch Fate, meant whatever did land felt like a light tap.

The noble fell onto his hands and knees, struggling to get oxygen to his brain. In a last-ditch effort, he rolled onto his back, his full weight squashing Fate below him. Fate grunted but held on, and soon Garn's struggle stopped as his arms dropped limply to the ground. Fate groaned with effort as he tried to roll the man off of him, but he was far too heavy.

Suddenly he remembered his Mage Reach, cursing himself for not using it during the fight. His Mage Grasp, he was shocked to find, wasn't enough either. It was capable of lifting seven hundred pounds, and yet Garn barely budged. He finally used his body and Mage Grasp in tandem, rolling the man off and jumping to a stand.

'It's a good thing this oaf forgot about it too. There's no telling how strong his Mage Reach is.' Fate didn't worry too much about his mistake.

Like nearly all freshmen, he had had his Facet Awakened for less than a year. While there were a few students that were Magicians before their Facet was Awakened, thus giving them access to their Mage Reach earlier, Fate and the bulk of the other students were getting used to telekinetic powers.

"Typical nobles," Fate said, spitting on Garn's robe. A worrying amount of blood flew from his mouth. "Sending someone else to fight their battles."

He grabbed his backpack off the floor, that section of the crowd backing away as he did so, and slid his arms into the straps, on his way to the Academy's built-in hospital to get patched up, then to Alessandra's. He stopped halfway down the hall, walking back and putting the nicest smile he could on as he looked down at the short girl in front of him.

She was trembling on the spot, her pink eyes darting around for an exit as her brown hair swayed from the violence of her tremors. He gestured to her recording crystal, which she had shoved in front of his face like a talisman to ward demons away.

"Think I can borrow this? I'll return it, I promise." The girl nodded meekly, handing it to him.

He cradled it carefully in his palm, not sure exactly how fragile it was, and thanked her before heading off. Behind him, he heard the students burst into chatter, one of them yelling loudly for someone to grab a nurse and a stretcher.