Ashern City - Reinhart Institute of War, 6th of Brightforge, year 315 UC
A cluster of students from Team Two stood nearby discussing a topic they learned about earlier in their monster analysis class.
"I'm telling you, if we encounter a void beast, we'd have an easy victory."
Ethan said with a smirk on his face.
"They are vulnerable to fire magic, so a fire mage like me could hunt them down without a sweat."
"Dude, you wouldn't even get close to one. You said your stats are D-ranked and you think you can take on a B-ranked monster?"
Kevin asked, baffled by his own teammate's remark.
Ethan fanned his hand as if that comment meant nothing.
"Duh. I'd just need someone to take the hits, but I can take it down."
Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'm guessing you missed the entire section that instructor Wraust said about the void beast having a protective shell that absorbs magic? So what will you do about that, Mr. Too Easy?"
"You just know how to ruin the mood, don't you? Give me a few months and you'll see."
"More like a couple of decades is more like it."
Kevin retorted with a snicker.
Bryan walked past them, finding their conversation foolish. They'd spent one class learning about void beasts, and suddenly thought they could handle one.
They were classified as B-rank but that did not mean anyone could take one down. If he recalled correctly, there were six known types of void beasts. From ones that floated in the air, to ones that took on animal characteristics. They all had blackish-purple skin and purple eyes, but the abilities were different depending on which type you encountered.
The monster analysis class was interesting and gave Bryan time to refresh his mind. They only covered void beasts today, what their strengths and weaknesses were. As well as what to do if you encountered one alone, which was to run away, as it would kill you in our current state.
He still found himself remembering some small details about them from his time in the Inquisition. Bryan never faced one; that would be suicide. He did read about them. It was part of his training.
Studying up on magical creatures.
'At least we're moving our bodies instead of sitting for hours on end.'
Bryan thought.
The constant classroom sessions had been boring, though the information was useful, he felt agitated if he was not able to move around for a while. After today, they'd have a two-day break. He already planned to use that time for additional training.
Christopher waved at him from a distance.
"Hey, Bryan! Ready for more combat?"
Before Bryan could respond, Silivia stepped to the center of the gym, her red hair flowing behind her as she moved.
"Attention, everyone!"
Her voice caused the conversations that were being carried out to cease after a few moments.
"Today we'll be conducting combat duels—one-on-one matches to familiarize you with fighting against various magical attributes and combat styles."
A hand shot up, drawing her attention. Silivia nodded toward Leah.
"Yes, Cadet?"
"I thought we weren't going to have any more combat for a while? After yesterday's team matches, we thought a break would be given to recover. Is that not right?"
Leah asked.
"Good question."
Silivia tapped her fingers against her thigh.
"Based on the schedule you received, Fridays are reserved for combat training. We started with classroom lessons earlier today because we thought it necessary for you to get a feel for the academic environment. It wouldn't be right to toss you into a full day of combat when you just had matches yesterday."
While the others may have disliked more fighting, Bryan was looking forward to it. It was frankly one of the quickest ways to improve your skills as a mage. Although if you were fighting for your life, they tended to increase a lot more.
Brent raised his hand next.
"Is there any reward for winning these duels? You told us about your time as a researcher and inventor, so does that mean we'll get some kind of magitech weapon or device?"
Silvia's lips curved into a smile.
"No, not quite that. Winning a duel wouldn't mean you'd gain a magitech weapon. Although winners will receive 100 academic credits. If you have explored the campus, you'll know that there are stores that may sell magitech components or even weapons for a price. Losers won't gain any points."
A wave of excited murmurs swept through the gathered students.
"Additionally, tomorrow during your free day, you can explore the campus and even venture into Ashern City. However, to leave campus, you'll need a day pass, which costs 200 academic credits. These passes can only be used over the weekend, and must be used as soon as they are brought. You can talk to Marshal the guard at the gate for more information on them."
'Well, now isn't that convenient.'
Bryan thought as he could already see people rushing out of here and heading directly to the front gate to buy a pass tomorrow. Even if they didn't win here, people had enough points to buy a pass.
At least he did.
They gained a certain number of points when they arrived, and it was based on their ranking.
"The pass gives you permission to leave for the day, but you must return by 1600 hours. You must wear your uniform at all times. There are instructors stationed throughout the city who know your faces and data. Don't think you can get away with anything inappropriate."
She warned them before she held up her academic card.
"While in the city, your academic card functions like currency. Local merchants accept it in place of Tales."
Bryan frowned slightly. Would Brandon reimburse him for using his own credits during their check-in? He doubted the Inquisition cared about such minor expenses.
It felt silly for him to use his own money just to meet someone. Bryan didn't even want to see Brandon again, the man wanted him to check in. So he needed to find a way to either sneak out of this place or have Brandon fund his outings.
Lock stepped forward as Silivia took one step back.
"For today's duels, you may pick your opponents freely. There won't be any environmental settings—just a standard arena."
He announced
The instructor held up four fingers.
"Each of you will participate in four duels: two where you choose your opponent, and two where you are chosen by others. A person cannot be selected more than twice in total, and you cannot pick the same opponent for both your duels."
Lock continued explaining.
"No cadet can be selected as an opponent more than twice in total. And remember—you cannot pick the same opponent for both your selections. Once a cadet has been selected for a duel, they are temporarily unavailable for the very next selection but become eligible again after that."
Seeing confusion on some faces, Lock elaborated.
"For example, if Cadet Argoon selects Cadet Graves for his first duel, and Cadet Klein for his second, then the next challenger cannot pick either Graves or Klein. However, the challenger after that could select either of them."
The explanation was simple enough. Going early had its advantages, you could be among the first to pick your opponents. Potentially scoring easy wins against someone less skilled and gaining the amount of credits you needed.
However, it also had the downside of revealing your spells and flaws to everyone else, giving them the chance to gauge your skill level and make plans.
Not that it mattered to Bryan, he already had his opponents picked the moment Lock mentioned they could choose.
"Who's going first?"
Asked Marcus.
"Good question."
Lock replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gold Tale.
"Let's flip for it."
"Heads, we go down in order from your official rankings, meaning Blackwood chooses first. Tails, you choose your own order—whoever steps onto the arena first gets to pick, and the last person they choose will then select their opponent."
With a flick of his thumb, the coin spun into the air. Lock caught it and slapped it onto the back of his hand.
"Heads."
He announced, revealing the coin.
"We go by rank. Blackwood, you're up first."
Bryan stepped forward. His gaze settled on Julius Reinhart who stood among his teammates with his hands behind his back.
"I choose Julius ."
Bryan announced.
There was a wave of excited murmurs from the students. Julius was a Reinhart, ranked second overall, and was the son of Gloria. People were excited to see the rank one and two go at it.
"Quiet down."
Lock ordered.
"Reinhart, take your position."
Julius stepped onto the dueling arena as a slight smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"I didn't think you'd pick me."
Julius said.
"But I'm glad you did."
Bryan tilted his head slightly.
"What makes you think that?"
"You dodged our last duel."
Julius replied, adjusting his uniform cuffs.
"I thought perhaps you were avoiding me."
Bryan paused, recalling that he had indeed agreed to a duel with Julius days ago. With everything that had happened, it had slipped his mind.
"I wasn't dodging anything."
Bryan said, stepping onto the platform.
"Things happened, and I missed it. Never got a chance to reschedule."
Julius shrugged.
"It's alright. I planned on picking you anyway."
Bryan chuckled softly.
"Something funny?"
Julius asked, his blue eyes narrowing slightly.
"No."
Bryan replied, cracking his knuckles one by one.
"Let's get this started."
"My pleasure."
Julius responded, sliding into a combat stance.
Lock stood between the two of them as he looked at Bryan for a moment.
"Blackwood, do you not have a magitech device? I'm sure your instructors told you that you could bring your personal equipment to this class."
Bryan raised a small knife he kept with him at all times.
"This is all I need."
Lock raised his eyebrow but nodded before stepping away from the two of them.
"The match ends when one of you yields, your bracelet registers a fatal hit, or I call it. Begin on my mark."
"Begin!"
As announced the start of the match, Julius immediately leapt backward, creating distance between them. His right hand flicked forward, and five small fireballs erupted from his fingertips, streaking toward Bryan in a wide arc.
Bryan recognized the spell from when Julius first used it when they were being graded by his mother on their performance test.
'Fire Burst.'
It was a pretty common offensive fire spell that could be used in short to mid-range. The accuracy of the spell fell drastically beyond forty-five feet, but given enough training, someone might be able to have an eighty percent hit rate at seventy feet.
The distance between them was less than forty feet.
Bryan twisted his body slightly, letting one of the fireballs fly right past him.
A closer grouping of the fireballs would have been a better option, but it seemed that Julius wanted to try to cut off any path he would take or distract him for a moment.
Bryan never took his eyes off his opponent as the students started cheering now that the match had begun.
Julius charged forward, drawing the magitech sword at his hip in one fluid motion.
All magitech weapons were preloaded with a spell or two. He just needed to know what spell Julius's weapon had.
A moment later, he found out as Julius flashed forward. Covering the distance in a second.
His sword came down, arcing towards Bryan.
'Fast!'
Bryan jumped back as the sword came crashing down. If the arena was not as solid as it was, Bryan was sure that attack would have left a miniature crater in the ground.
He couldn't help but grin. This was exactly what he wanted.
His fingers tingled in excitement.
Slicing his palm while he had the chance, blood flowed out as it rapidly solidified into a curved blade that extended from his hand.
He'd already shown this spell to Farrah during their duel. If he showed a different one, he knew that she would have questions.
A newly awakened mage having one spell was the norm. Being able to use more than one spell within the first year or two of training was what everyone expected.
If you had another spell after training for a couple of months, you were considered exceptional.
So, if Bryan showed three different spells, that would bring people to question when exactly he awakened. Something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
At least until he could better protect himself.
Julius twisted his body using the momentum he generated to go into a side slash.
Bryan's curved blade met the magitech sword in a clash that sent vibrations up his arm. His blood-sword held strong, and he heard Julius click his tongue in what seemed to be annoyance.
They exchanged a flurry of blows with neither of them gaining ground.
The crowd of students were going crazy at their fast-paced movements.
Julius disengaged, jumping back several meters. He lifted his finger in the air, and another volley of fireballs materialized, this time larger and more densely packed.
'Why'd he back up? Can he not use that spell in close range, or is he afraid of something?'
Bryan wondered as he pressed forward and cut the fireball coming his way with his blade.
His ether surged through his body as he reinforced his legs to increase his speed. Bryan seemed to fly, catching Julius off guard.
The boy reacted swiftly as he dashed away with that spell from his sword.
Bryan still wasn't sure what the spell was, but it gave him a burst of speed that made it seem like he was teleporting. But he knew that wasn't the case.
It wasn't as fast as Farrah's blink spell, and he moved in a straight line.
He might be able to use that to his advantage.
Julius narrowed his eyes, clearly reassessing his approach. He circled to Bryan's left, his magitech sword held at the ready.
"You have a pretty solid base of experience with that sword. Not really military, guessing a Reinhart exclusive."
Bryan stated, causing Julius to smirk.
"You can say that. Your swordwork isn't bad itself, what is it?"
Julius asked.
"Nothing special. I try not to bind myself to one style, too many limitations."
"So you're aiming to be a master of nothing then?"
"I'd like to think I can master all the styles if I wanted to. Might even try my hand at yours."
Julius' eyes narrowed at that remark. To him, it seemed that Bryan was just trying to provoke him.
Bryan darted forward, his curved blade taking a similar arc to the one Julius performed earlier.
Julius launched himself toward Bryan, both their swords clashed at the tips.
When Julius spun himself around, he found that Bryan was doing the same motion.
He was confused.
"What is this?"
He asked as they traded blows.
"You tell me, just copying what I saw."
Bryan replied as he switched tactics and kicked Julius, sending him sliding backwards.
"This is impossible! You've only seen it once! How can you…"
Julius didn't finish his sentence as Bryan continued pressing his advantage.
When Julius tried to disengage with his dash, Bryan's blade changed form, thinning itself as it extended into a whip.
Surprised by the sudden transformation, Julius leapt into the air in order to dodge the whip.
Missing the attack, Bryan's whip turned into small streaks of blood that covered the arena floor. He changed those streaks into six cresent blades that he sent flying at Julius.
The change happened in two seconds, and Julius was still in the air.
With no ground beneath his feet to change direction, he had only one option. His barrier flashed into existence—a hexagonal shield of orange energy that intercepted the blood crescents.
The barrier held, but the impact sent Julius skidding backward as he landed.
"Not bad."
He said, adjusting his stance.
"I was wondering when you were going to use those crescent blades of yours."
Bryan raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Julius smiled thinly.
"You've shown two spells. Whatever that blade of yours is, I'm going to assume it's some sort of manipulation spell or something. And you have those crescent blades that you use for range. That's everything, right?"
Bryan smiled but didn't give an answer.
"You have your Fire Burst, which you haven't used in a while. Guessing you're conserving your ether, or you've run out. Plus, whatever spell you have on that sword of yours, but that's not really an attack spell, more of a mobility one. So, ready to end this?"
Bryan countered.
A flicker of something—annoyance, perhaps—crossed Julius's face before his composed expression returned.
"What's the rush? We're just getting started."
Julius said.
He planted his feet firmly, sword held horizontally before him. The blade began to glow intensely as flames spread along its length.
With a swift horizontal slash, Julius sent a cutting wave of fire racing across the arena floor.
Bryan had a split second to react. Rather than dodging, he sent his remaining blood forward to meet the attack. The wave of fire sliced through his blood, but the impact dissipated enough energy that when it reached Bryan, it was significantly weakened.
He formed a barrier just before impact, absorbing the remaining force.
Julius charged, his sword raised for a finishing strike.
Bryan sidestepped at the last possible moment, feeling the heat of Julius's blade as it passed inches from his face.
As Julius's momentum carried him forward, Bryan reformed his blood-sword and placed it at the back of Julius's neck.
"Yield."
Bryan said quietly.
Julius froze, his back to Bryan, sword extended from his final strike. For a moment, the arena was completely silent.
Then Julius lowered his weapon.
"I yield."
Lock stepped forward.
"The match goes to Blackwood."
As the audience erupted in applause and excited chatter, Julius turned to face Bryan.
"You're better than I expected."
He admitted, sheathing his sword.
Bryan allowed his blood to return to his body through the cut on his palm.
"You as well. That last spell you used seems to be new. You'd have been better off using it earlier in the fight, though."
Julius nodded once.
"How did you know it was new?"
"Your hesitation before using it. Also, if I recall, you said you felt close to unlocking your next spell when we last spoke. It's safe to assume that was the spell."
Bryan replied.
Julius was silent for a moment before he laughed.
"Ah, Blackwood, you are an interesting fellow. Why'd you think that was the spell I obtained and not my movement one?"
"Because you used the movement one fairly often. New spells tend to be ether-intensive, so people tend not to use them as often until they have a good grasp on the spell. So, my point stands."
Julius nodded.
"You're correct on that, but next time we fight, it won't go your way."
"I'm counting on it."
Bryan replied with a slight smile.