"Greetings, all of you.  My name is Varea," the feline spoke with a soft voice as she walked slowly over the surface of the water, barely sinking even an inch.  "If you have travelled to see my Sage, you will be disappointed; she has been missing several days now and the waves speak of the worst."

Arlex looked the creature over as he sat on the lake's grassy bank with Mother.  She was a beautiful cat, with a reflective layer of thin blue fur and a large, trailing a very thick flipper tail behind her as she gazed back with her large black eyes.

"Can you impart the water's blessing in her stead?"  Mother asked directly.

Varea paused in her walking, sitting down on a large leaf pad in the water as she curled her long tail around her legs and folded her finned ears back against her head.  "I see... who is your challenger?  Him?"

Arlex knew they were talking about him.

"This is my son," Mother addressed.

"My name is Arlex," Arlex answered.

"An unusual name," Varea nodded.  "Very well.  If you are seeking our blessing, I will meet you in a Duel."

Varea walked over to another leaf pad and sat down once more.  "However, I have two conditions...."

"Yes?"  Mother inquired.

"One."  Varea stood up and walked to the shore.  "His opponent ... shall be me."

"You!?"  Arlex asked in surprise; this cat was easily three times his size, and no doubt far stronger.

"I know full well you arboreals have power over water.  You will need to ply that advantage...."

"But... you're so big!"

"That seems hardly fair...."  Mother noted.

"Indeed, I have no fear of your son.  But as an acolyte in this Sanctuary, I am well within my right to set the terms that you are to comply with ... which leads me to my second condition," Varea added as she stepped closer to the bank.

"Your son cannot fight me alone.  He must be accompanied by another...."

"Another?"  Arlex asked.  "Who?"

Suddenly a voice cried out from behind them as a small blue-and-black cat leapt out from the grassy bank.  "Pick me!" 

"Who -- ?"

"You again?"  Varea cringed.  "Rae.  When will you stop pestering the visitors to our Sanctuary?"

"Rae?"

Arlex glanced at the cat scampering up aside him, who immediately sat down and sniffed him over.  "Hi.  Who are you?"

Arlex looked at the feline furball, noting the yellow tuft on his tail and his inquisitive, almost glowing eyes.  "Eh, I'm Arlex...."

Where are this one's parents?"  Mother asked.  "He is too young to be left by himself."

"He has no parents," Varea answered.  "The task of raising him fell to me.  He is a loyal one, but quite a handful."

"Can I?  Can I be his partner?"

"I don't see why not," Varea shrugged.  "But even together, you are still not strong enough to challenge me; you will need another."

"Three against one?"  Mother mused.  "What kind of Duel do you have in mind?"

"Tad," Varea called out to the lake.  "Introduce yourself to our guests...."

A splash of water broke through the surface as a strange creature popped up above the surface -- a blue fish-like creature with a yellow beak, whose disguise of a large circular leaf allowed it to go unnoticed until now.

"You called?"

"Are you able to participate in a duel today?"

"Yes, my lady," answered the creature Tad.  "Who are the challengers?"

"Those two," Varea motioned over to Arlex, Mother, and the young cat Rae.

"Them?  Are you sure?"

Varea simply glared back dismissively.

"Sorry," Tad answered.  "I really should know better than to question you ... I shall ferry them across, then?"

"Yes," Varea replied before turning her gaze back to Arlex.  "The island at center is where we shall duel.  Tad will see you there safely.  Coming?"

Varea lay down against the surface of the lake's water as Tad dove his head underneath, with only the large leaf on his head remaining atop.

"You may both hop on," Varea addressed.  "I shall meet you over there."

And with that, Varea sank into the water and vanished entirely from view.

Rae hopped aboard the leaf pad, then motioned for Arlex to jump aboard as well.

"Mother?"

"Go on, son," Mother answered.  "I can keep watch from here."

Arlex nodded, then jumped and landed next to Rae as well; Tad began drifting away from the bank as he swam out towards the small grassy island in the lake's center.

[center]* * *[/center]

The water around the isle was shallow, barely waist-high on either Arlex or Rae as they hopped off and waded ashore, after which Tad followed behind them.

"Where is Varea?"

"I am here."  Varea appeared out of the water from the opposite side as she climbed ashore.  "Are all three of you ready?"

"I am always ready!"  Rae answered energectically.

"Of course you are," Varea chuckled.  "Now, to set the rules for our Duel.  Arlex, I can sense you have the blessing of Earth within you.  You know what to expect?"

"I think so," Arlex answered, even though he had hardly a clue.  "Something like, we exchange turns, attacking and defending, until one of us is defeated?"

"A bit simplistic, but yes," Varea nodded.  "This island shall be our arena.  I trust you can remain inside it of your own will.  Now...."

Varea walked to the center of the isle.  "Since we shall duel myself against the three of you, we shall afford special rules.  Rae, Arlex," Varea glanced at them.  "The two of you are agile but need to mind your defense.  I could easily blast you off this island and out of the match."

"Which is what I'm here for," Tad answered as he crawled ashore.  "I am to protect them, am I not?"

"He's done this before?"  Arlex inquired.

"Yes," Varea answered.  "Many times.  But back to the rules for this Duel.  Tad's role in this battle is to shield you; I advise that you take advantage of his position.  You and Rae may attack in sequence, in whatever order you agree upon.  I shall make my moves between the three of yours, but you should be very wise to take notice of them and take up your guard."

"Are you ready for this, Arlex?"

"Yes," Arlex nodded.

"Then the Duel shall begin.  Challengers, you may have the first strike!"

Varea assumed an aggressive stance, waiting for their opening gambit.  Arlex looked her over carefully, while Rae crouched down, his fur starting to bristle on end with energy.

"Guard me," Rae asked of Tad.

"This tactic again?"  Tad asked as he walked over.

"What is it?"  Arlex inquired.

"Don't mind us.  Pay attention to Varea," Tad guided.

"Very well...," Arlex turned to Varea.  "If you are as strong as you look, then...."

Arlex crouched down, clenching the soil in his hands as he concentrated on the energy around him.

"You are drawing strength from the earth?"  Varea smiled.  "A wise opening move.  You will need the extra strength!"

Varea let out a large cry of her high-pitched voice, churning the lake waters around her as if in direct response to the sound of her voice.  She took a step back, the waters receding with her, and then took a leap forward, summoning a large wave of water, easily Arlex's own height, that splashed forcefully over the island in the center.

Arlex lost his grip amidst the force and when the large wave cleared, he found himself on the opposite side of the island.  Tad seemed to weather this pulse of water much better, while Rae barely showed any signs of taking on water at all due to his position behind Tad.

"What was that?"

"Varea's specialty," Tad addressed.  "Is everyone alright?

"I think so...," Arlex clambered back to the center of the island.  "It's our turn now, right?"

"You may move when ready," called Varea as she rose out of the water to stand firmly on the shore.

"Allow me," Tad called out with a cry of his own.  The surrounding breezes died down as rays of the sun pierced through the clouded sky above, bringing a wave of heat onto the island.

What was this?  The change in weather could not be simple coincidence.

Varea nodded.  "Good move, as always.  The sun's heat protects you from my water -- and you will definitely need it.  Next?"

"Me!"  Rae pounced out from his hiding perch behind Tad, strong energy bristling from his fur as he approached in fast pursuit.  A small explosion of energy crackled as he butted headfirst into Varea.  The bristling energy diffused into Varea as she yelped in shock, and in another moment her body seemed to explode in a burst of water, and Rae splashed down in the waves behind her.

"What did you DO!?"  Arlex shouted out in horror as Varea's watery remains drained from the island into the lake.

"Varea's fine," Tad informed.  In a moment, Arlex spotted Varea's head rising from the water as she willingly pulled her body together to stand upon the shore again.

"...I see you have been practicing that, Rae," Varea nodded, much to Rae's delight, who was currently shaking the water out of his ears.

"You're --?  How did you ... ?"  Arlex wondered in surprise.

"Don't worry about me," Varea responded.  "My solid form is just a shell that I can melt into any water as I see fit."

"Can the Sage do that too?"  Arlex asked.

"No, she cannot," Varea answered.  "And that is not what made her the Sage to begin with.  But enough about that; do you wish to take a move, or shall I make my next move first?"

"Indeed!"  Arlex pounced upon her body, landing squarely on her right side as he sank his clawed hands against her fur.  "I am an arboreal ... you realize what I am going to do?"

"To what end?"  Varea merely asked as Arlex pressed against her further, sensing her strength through this direct contact.  "You cannot drain all of my strength!"

Varea bit down on Arlex's tail and pulled him free of her body, tossing him back to the middle of the island.

"Argh," Arlex growled as he flipped over and came to a rest on his feet.  "I could barely draw anything out of her...."

"Of course," Tad advised.  "Varea is very resilient and very intelligent -- watch out!"

Tad stepped in front of Arlex as Varea exhaled a deep breath, a biting cold gale of rainbow-hued mist that covered Tad's large leaf cap in a thin layer of crippling ice.

"Good move, Tad," Varea commended.  "But how much more can you take?  It is their move now...."

Rae leapt at her from behind and bit down on the fins of her tail.  "Arlex, now!  Try it again!"

Arlex nodded and pounced upon Varea as well, this time against her head as he grabbed her by the ears and began to sap a share of energy out of her.

Varea tried to physically shake him free, failing for the moment as Arlex continued to sap energy from her.  She stepped backwards, faltered slightly, then allowed her body to collapse into a layer of water as she escaped to the lake around her, leaving Arlex and Rae standing on the island bank with little more than splashes of water as she resurfaced from the water, this time choosing to remain offshore by a few paces.

"I give you credit for your tactics," she noted.  "But I am not finished yet.  Rather, I am just getting started!"

Varea inhaled deeply, and Tad identified what was coming next.  "Out of the way!  Out of the way!"

"Do you think you can endure another one, Tad?"  Varea called out as Tad stepped onto the shore, his frozen cap thawing in the dry sunlight.

"Get behind me, everyone!"  Tad shouted out; Arlex and Rae quickly did so.

"Very well.  Let's find out!"  Varea spout out a forceful spray of water, as if drawing it from the lake to use as an attack.  The volume of water hit Tad dead center as he blocked it,  then a second blast knocked him aside.

Tad struggled to regain his footing; visibly shaken, but conscious nonetheless.  "I'm... still ... standing!"

"As you can see, Tad is very water repellent," Varea informed them.  "I chose him for a reason, to give you a fighting chance against me.  But it is not Tad's strength I need to acknowledge -- it is your turn now, show me yours!"

"Very well!"  Rae charged at Varea and impacted her in a headbutt, releasing the bristling energy from his fur directly into and through Varea's body.  She seemed to stumble from the impact, yet her body remained intact, rather than dispersing into the water, even though she lost balance and fell onto her side.  She struggled to get back up, but one of her legs simply would not cooperate.

"Hah...," Varea responded.  "You definitely are getting stronger...  but what about you, Arlex?  Where is your strength?"

"Right here!"  Arlex lunged at her from the opposite side, cutting his claws across her finned ears as he impacted the back of her head in a sharp blow.

"I barely felt that," Varea answered, almost tauntingly.  "That cannot be all the training you posess?"

Varea still could not stand up on her legs, so she called out to the waves for help.

"Everyone, look out!"

The impending wave of water swept over them all, and when it cleared, Varea still lay on her side, unable to stand on all of her four legs, while Arlex found himself atop the center of the island, Rae crawling back out from the shore, and Tad nowhere to be seen, presumably swept out onto the lake.

"I see," Varea noted.  "So Tad has no more strength to stand; and he will not participate any further in this duel.  The two of you must now take me on your own!"

"Arlex," Rae called.  "Can you cover me?"

"I think so," Arlex answered.  "What are you planning?"

"I paralyzed her leg; that's why Varea's not standing.  We can win this if I can just land one more hit...."

"What do I do?"

"Keep her busy," Rae answered.

"Right...," Arlex answered.  He looked Varea over, then lunged for the shallow cuts across her head.

Varea, unable to stand, proved unable to defend herself as Arlex clamped his arms around her ears, wrapping his legs and tail around the back of her head as he pressed against her to draw the strength out of her.

"You are doing well...," Varea commented as she tried to shake Arlex off, somehow managing to grab his tail between her teeth and release his grip from her head before slamming him back down against the ground.

"Ow!"  Arlex spat out as he hit the ground.  Those teeth of hers were sharp!

"I got it!"  Rae charged at her with his fur visibly bristling, almost shimmering with energy, slamming directly into Varea's shoulder as the energy discharged into her, her body wavered, then burst asunder into water, with a force that knocked Rae back.

Varea collected herself near the edge of the bank and reformed her watery body back into shape, but still remained unable to stand up as she lay on the shore of the island, breathing heavily, still unable to move her hind legs -- or, for that matter, her tail.

"Do we win?"

Varea looked at the two of them.  "...not yet!"

Somehow, Varea forced herself into a leap, suddenly closing the distance between her and Rae in an instant as she rammed him headfirst, knocking him off into the water.  Rae splashed down and for a moment couldn't move to get back up, despite the water being shallow and his head still above the surface.  He couln't look back, either; that was a mighty hit.

No sooner did she strike Rae than Arlex returned the favor, lunging at her in a sprint and striking the back of her head with his sharp claws, knocking her down as her body dispersed into water and began draining down the sides of the island.  He then sprinted over to Rae.

"Rae?  Rae!"

Arlex pulled the small cat ashore.

"Enough," called Varea as she resurfaced her head above the water.  "You have proven yourself worthy of our blessing."

Arlex looked back towards Varea as she continued reforming her body from the lake.  She seemed able to stand once more, although she still bore some scratches and signs of injury.

"What about Rae?"

"He's tougher than he looks," Varea answered.  "I just knocked the wind out of him; he'll come to any moment."

"And you?"

"You sapped more of my strength than I let on," Varea replied as she sat down.  "And my legs haven't fully recovered yet from Rae.  His static discharges always were very painful."

Rae groaned as he opened his eyes.  "Did ... you catch the feathers of that bird ... ?"

"Bird?"  Varea chuckled.  "Rae, that was part of our Duel.  How are you feeling?"

Rae groaned again as he release himself from Arlex's grip and, with some teetering, stood on his four feet.  "Is it over now?  I feel like I was hit by a --"

"It is concluded, yes," Varea nodded.  "The two of you did well; if not alone, then as a pair.  You may both partake in the blessing of this Sanctuary."

"Both of us?"

"Yes," Varea nodded.  "Per agreement.  And Rae especially, perhaps this will finally put an end to your incessant challenges...."

"What do we do?"

Varea swept her tail around herself, catching the large fin on its end in her front paws as she pressed it against the soft ground.  "Take this...."

Varea closed her eyes, and the fin decorating her tail seemed to melt, dissolving into two puddles of water as she pulled her bare tail away, next sitting down near the edge of the island so as to dip her tail back into the lake.

Arlex and Rae walked over to the water that had been part of her tail, examining it carefully.  " 'Take' this?  How do we do that?"

"It is water, silly," Varea chuckled.  "You drink it."

"... Drink it?"  Arlex seemed mortified at the thought.  He hadn't entirely connected that the Earth blessing he received previously was, in fact, once part of the Sage's own body itself.

Varea pulled her tail out from the lake, revealing a new pair of fins decorating it.  "It is no injury to me.  Remember, my body is like water; to have our blessing means that what is mine, is now a part of you.  Go ahead; it is all right."

Arlex sniffed the small pools of water before him; it bore a slight hint of Varea's scent, no doubt, but it looked much like ordinary water.

Rae, meanwhile, silently crouched down and began lapping one of the puddles up.

Arlex sighed.  "All right, if that's what you want...."

Arlex tasted the water before him, trying to figure out the nature of it, then shrugged as he sipped the rest of it up.  It still tasted like water....

"Congratulations," Varea commended.  "With our blessing, the two of you are free to leave in peace."