[ CS ] Rites of Passage

My heart pounds in my chest as sweat beads on my forehead, running into my eyes. Time slips from moment to moment, each an empty eternity. I lick my lips to moisten them as I notice the heavy smell of ozone beginning to fill the air. I glance to my best friend and classmate, who is making motion we discussed before hand, to determine which element the sorcerer I would face was a master of. Lightning. I've studied this and practiced endlessly how to defend against it. 
 
 The man in black robes slowly raises his hands, and the further they get from the ground, the more the air seems to crackle with static electricity. When his hands reach their apex, lightning dances from his finger tips, blazing so brightly that the very air I breathe feels as if it's about to catch fire. Before I can even gasp at the sharp increase in temperature, his voice fills the room, but by the lack of reaction from my classmates, I'm the only one that hears it. `` This is no mere exam! Life or death beckons to you, and only your knowledge will determine which greets you!'' 
 
 Rule 1 ) Never attack a lightning user directly. Blindly attacking by sheer definition leaves you open, and a master of lightning needs only the tiniest opportunity to fry even an experienced wizard where they stand. 
 
 He rushes at me, hands outstretched behind him, fingers sparking and trailing light behind him. I stand my ground and run through various spells to defend against him. A simple shield? No. A deflection spell? Might hurt one of my classmates, and that would definitely cut down on my grade, if I even live through this. I would kill to be an earth user right now. But me and my ego, decided to master in the generic arcane arts. Though potentially the most powerful, they're not particularly strong against any element. Then again... they're not weak either. An absorption spell, that's what I need! 
 
 Rule 2 ) Never use weapons against a lightning user. All wooden and metal weapons used by mages are conductors of electricity. Wielding a weapon against someone with power over electricity is a very bad idea. 
 
 My thoughts immediately turn to the staff at my side. Why did they give this to me at the beginning anyway? I think the proprietors of this school have a sadistic streak. I quickly cast it aside and gather energy into my right arm. This would be so much easier with a weapon to focus on, but I'll have to make due. I really wish I had an arcanum right now, since it's the only weapon useful against a lightning user, being a book and all, but I'm not eligible for one until I pass the sorcery boards and obtain my conjurer license. 
 
 The black robed mage is floating above the floor of the arena, coming towards me at a frightening pace. He's close enough that I can see the menacing grin and his blindly white teeth underneath the hood that masks the rest of his features. He'll be on me before I take another breath. It does n't appear that he's an expert on long distance lightning magic, since he could have already attempted to fry me from the distance he started at. 
 
 Rule 3 ) In the event of a close range lightning user, do not, under any circumstance, allow them to touch you. May result in arrhythmia, sever burns, and death. 
 
 This is it. Before I'm able to take another breath, he's on me. He strikes with one outstretched hand, the other still trailing behind him. I raise my right arm in front of me as if I were deflecting with an actual shield. His hand strikes the bubble of my absorb spell, which causes all of the electricity he was carrying in that hand to be dissipated. He stops dead in his tracks, one hand still crackling, and he grins that cheshire grin again. `` Not bad. Not bad, but not enough.'' 
 
 `` You sure about that?'' I grin back at him. 
 
 His face converts to anger as he begins to strike out again after my absorption spell evaporated. I had been gathering energy in my left hand, and through my shoulders the moment his blow struck. I'm practically giddy since I know I've already won. 
 
 Rule 4 ) Lightning users tend to be very egotistical. It is a difficult element to master, and many take too much pride in this. It is their downfall, use it to your advantage. 
 
 I clap my wrists together and stretch my arms out with hands unfurled at the ends. I shout my rage at him as I unleash a second absorption spell that I'm able to use as a dome to cover him and force him to the ground. The static in the air vanishes as the room cools. My classmates watching cheer, some pumping their fists in the air, and others leaping out of excitement. The robed figure beneath the dome at my feet vanishes, leaving nothing but scraps of cloth behind. 
 
 `` Well done!'' The same voice from before bellows across the long arena. This time it comes from one of the higher instructors at this school. The recognizable grin spreading across his face as he makes his way back across to me.
