Joining fulfilled one's lifetime dream

 

Tadrinus gripped the handle of his sword tighter: this was what he had spent his life training for. 
     

The fight had started quickly, his opponent did not give him a moment immediately.
     

The power of his opponent had shifted the ground under Tadrinus's feet. It was difficult, but Tadrinus was able to block each blow that came towards him even with unstable footing. 
     

This was a battle, but Tadrinus was always an entertainer. He had planned his moves for weeks leading up to this fight.
     

First, he would test the range of his opponent’s abilities. He created a dog illusion with a cloud of smoke to hide it just appearing. His opponent watched it carefully, and so did Tadrinus. It was a battle of wits-his opponent trying to hurt what looked like a summoning, and Tadrinus doing his best to move it when it was attacked so as not to reveal his secret.
     

Tadrinus had hoped the dog would distract his opponent to allow Tadrinus to hit him, but any shot he took was blocked. Tadrinus was able to determine that his opponent couldn’t feel the weight of things on the ground, so knew he would be able to go all out. Tadrinus knew he wasn't looking good for this battle yet but was planning to go all out, just waiting for the perfect time. 
     

That time came at the halfway mark. After blocking another attack that sent him back, he formed a solid box in front of him. Both him and the dog entered it,  then he waited. 
     

His opponent watched it carefully for whatever trick Tadrinus might have. He didn’t have to wait long as his opponent lifted dirt straight through the box. That was the opportunity Tadrinus was waiting for. 
     

The spike of dirt shot up through the box, bringing Tadrinus with it. Right before he left the box, he got rid of the dog illusion and summoned two copy illusions instead. Once he and the two clones breached the top of the box, they jumped apart, running to surround his opponent. 
   

As quickly as they set up, they all swung at the opponent. Finally, Tadrinus got a hit with his wooden sword. That didn't matter to him; this match wasn't about winning or losing. It was about proving himself, showing that he could be as strong a fighter as the original Heroes.
     

With that one hit, him and the two illusions circled the opponent. He could see the opponent following him, having figured out which hit had been real, so he placed an illusion of flowers over his eyes to blind him. With that, he took a few more easy swipes with each hit, pushing his opponent farther and farther back; he even got rid of the two copy illusions since they weren’t needed. 
     

His last act before time ran out was to make a ring of guards with their swords pointing at his opponent and hiding himself amongst them disguised as a guard himself. When he removed the flowers, the opponent looked between each one, trying to find him. Anytime he guessed wrong, Tadrinus would take a swipe, cover his eyes, and change himself between them.
     

Eventually, the time ran out, and a trumpet blew. Tadrinus turned away from his opponent and towards the king-to-be, Verisdon, who always watched over the yearly Royal Guard test. Tadrinus bowed to him and left the arena to applause; he would not know the results until all the battles had been fought.
     

It was nerve racking waiting for the rest of the battles to finish. The first round had been much simpler since he just had to win his fight. He knew the second part was more about showing who was creative with the power they were born with rather than how strong they were.
     

Tadrinus sighed as he sat down on the seats, letting himself rest a little while. He was the only one of his family that had tried to be a royal guard. His father was a blacksmith, and his mother a painter. Their magic both worked well with what they wanted to do and while illusions normally wouldn’t help in battle, Tadrinus made it work for him.
     

Tadrinus woke suddenly when a band of trumpets sounded that the last battle had ended. He hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep. He quickly left to the main arena, where everyone was gathering. He looked around as names were being called, noticing Verisdon had left by this point. He was so distracted he almost missed them calling out his name.