Something felt off. Rehtul's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he saw his attacks bounce off the force that had surrounded Shinsou's body.

The hell was that? Some kind of exoskin spell? No matter, I'll just- as the thought continued to go through the mage's head, his opponent turned into what appeared to be liquid shadow before he seemed to melt into the floor of the clearing, blending with the shadows between the two men.

Rehtul attempted to eyeball where the shadow Osiris had become was going, but it was pointless. He couldn't tell under all the blades of grass scattered throughout the clearing. He only had his experience and reflexed to rely on, and suddenly he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

No, not again! he thought as he jumped forward, but only a little too late. He felt the point of the sword dig into his lower back. A burning pain erupted up his spine as he caught himself on the ground with his hands. Without even looking behind himself, he brought a hand up, open palmed, toward the man who had just attacked him from behind a second time in this battle. He clenched his hand into a fist and the remaining seven spears floating where he had once stood all shattered and homed in on Shinsou, looking to impale him with as many small shards of ice as possible.

The ice mage pushed himself up on his hands and threw his legs around under himself... or at least tried to. Breaths started to come more quickly as the young mage attempted again to force his legs to move by force of will alone, but not only were they refusing his orders, he could not even feel them anymore.

I'm paralyzed?! No... no, no, no. Just... no, calm down, I can handle this, he thought, as if to force himself not to panic. Hoping Shinsou was still dealing with the barrage of ice that had come at him from every side, Rehtul pulled on his magic once more. The spear in his right hand slinked down into his jacket and down his legs, wrapping itself around his waist. Slowly, then with increasing speed, more ice gathered under the mage's billowing slacks, covering even his feet in a solid coating of ice.

With that now out of the way, Rehtul stood up. He wobbled a bit on a type of motor control he had never had to use before, and locked his legs in place using his pseudo armor. Without so much as a sound, he willed his new armor to carry itself, and by extension, him, into the air to buy himself some time.

A sense of vertigo threatened to cause him to fall backwards, but he simply extended the ice on his back up his spine to hold himself in place.

"Damn..." he whispered as he extended an arm. More ice appeared from the surrounding air and fitted itself around both of his arms and his chest. The hood of his jacket was forced up over his head as a sparkling but remarkably clear helmet of ice materialized inches from his face.

Of all the crap I've been crazy enough to pull, this has got to take the cake. Encasing myself in ice just so I can keep fighting?

In all honestly, he considered, he'd have long given up had this battle been real, and not merely for sport and sheer pride.