As Valery walked towards the test room, murmurs and whispers appeared across the room.
"That's the princess from the Duskveil family," whispered someone.
"I heard she married herself into the family," whispered another.
"Typical, the slut just trying to sell herself into royalty. What is someone like that even doing here?"
"Probably thinks she can get in just because she is royalty now. People like that are so overconfident, it's disgusting."
Lucien clenched his fists, his anger slowly rising. Ellion, noticing this, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ignore them, they are just hating," he reassured.
Sarah looked at Valery, who was walking in. Her face was different. It was battle-ready and unwavering. None of the comments seemed to affect her. Valery looked around. The arena seemed different from before. It had been transformed into a white iron stadium with a golden symbol at its centre. She turned forward as the door on the other side opened. A tall, broad-shouldered man with steel-grey hair walked in. He wore expensive armour from top to bottom, inscribed with faint glowing runes. He carried a large tower shield on his left and a war hammer on his right. A smirk was currently on his face as he walked menacingly inside, orange magical aura protruding outwards.
"Wow," expressed Malrik, with others nodding along. The man looked like a giant, and his weapons were intimidating. Lucien smirked and placed his hands in his pockets.
"For Valery, this battle shall be effortless."
Malrik raised an eyebrow at him, unconvinced. "Are you sure? That man doesn't look like an easy fight."
Lucien shook his head. His eyes stared at Valery intently, his confidence in her shining through. "Be honoured, you're about to witness a royal fight."
Malrik just nodded before glancing back at the two fighters about to face off.
"My name is Rurik Ventral, an elite guard who has protected the honour and safety of this school for years. Now prepare yourself, young lady. My job, given to me by the lord and lady of the Duskveil family, is to ensure you are strong enough to carry their name into battle."
Valery nodded, now understanding the weight of this test. She grabbed her shield and placed it on her right hand, then drew her sword from her back. Placing her legs apart, she got into battle position. "Very well, it is an honour to be tested by you, Mr Ventral."
Valery turned on her Arcane Sight to get a look at his title. The Iron Vanguard.'Not surprising considering the way he is dressed. However, I predict it will be quite difficult to get past his defences. I should not underestimate him.'
Rurik decided to do the same and turned on his own Arcane Sight. Valery's title was The Crowned Blade. "I believe Mother and Father have already made you aware of my abilities, am I correct?"
Rurik nodded. "You have the ability to manipulate Vectors. Other than that, all I have been told is that our abilities are very similar. Now, let our blades do the talking as we start this duel. This duel shall end when one of us has drawn blood from the other."
Valery nodded. She positioned her shield in front of her and her blade held above her head. With a war cry, she charged.
— Waiting Area —
As everyone watched the two combatants converse, Malrik decided to speak up. "Is it just me, or are they taking it a little bit more seriously than they did with ours?"
Sarah nodded, agreeing with her brother, before she glared at the people in the crowd whispering more insults towards Valery.
Lucien chuckled, earning looks from Malrik, Sarah and Ellion. "This is no normal test. She is part of the Duskveil family, but not by blood. This is the work of my parents — a test my wife must prove herself worthy of, should she hope to continue along the path of battle under our family's banner."
Everyone stared at him with their eyebrow raised. Malrik leaned towards Ellion, his weary eye fixed on Lucien. "Does he always talk like that?" he whispered.
Ellion just nodded and cast a nervous glance at his friend. "Only around people he isn't comfortable with. It's his way of sounding more royal-like."
— Test Arena —
As Valery charged forward, she took a massive leap into the air. Rurik hoisted his giant shield up as Valery came crashing down with her own shield — the two shields connected in a head-on collision, sending dust clouds flying away. Valery used Rurik's shield to backflip off before springing back in to strike with her sword.
As Rurik blocked it with his shield, Valery could see the impact being absorbed into the shield. It travelled through Rurik and into his hammer before he smashed the hammer into Valery. Valery narrowly blocked it with her shield using both arms. However, its impact made her arm jolt, and like a ragdoll, she was propelled a few metres back.
She landed gracefully on her feet, preparing for her next attack. 'I see, he must be using the impact from my attack to counterattack with a stronger one. Very well, I'll show him my ability.'
Like a rocket, Valery shot forward, her sword raised into the air. As she drew near, she swung it down towards the shield. Rurik held his ground, preparing to block, but as the sword drew near, his shield suddenly moved to the side, leaving him wide open.
Rurik widened his eyes. 'What happened!' That was all he could think of as Valery's sword headed for his face. Acting quickly, he stomped his foot on the floor. Suddenly, the ground shook, and a burst of wind around Rurik blew back on all sides.
Valery was sent hurling back by the invisible force. She performed a backflip recovery, but as soon as she landed on her feet, Rurik was on her. He raised his war hammer into the air and slammed it on the ground she stood on. Valery quickly rolled underneath his feet and used her hands to propel herself up. From behind him, she twisted her body and sent a kick towards his head.
Rurik quickly turned around, aiming to smash his shield into Valery before she could connect. However, like last time, before he could connect, the shield moved in the opposite direction. Valery channelled magic into her leg as her leg smashed into his head. Luckily for Rurik, he was able to channel his own magic into his head, despite the initial shock. The kick barely made a dent in the man's helmet.
With a growl, Rurik abandoned his shield entirely, spinning and catching her mid-air by the waist. He hoisted her up and cocked back a fist the size of a boulder.
The punch came down like a hammer blow — but she braced her shield across her arms. When steel met knuckles, the force rebounded into his own arm, making his elbow jolt. The force channelled itself throughout his body and into his leg before he whipped a heavy kick into her falling body. Valery was sent crashing into a wall, cracking its stone. She rubbed her sore hips; her magic was unable to fully protect her from the attack.
'He absorbed the impact of his first punch to kick me with an even stronger force.'
Valery had little time to think as she noticed Rurik descending with his hammer hoisted in the air, ready to smash her skull in. 'Wait for it.'
Rurik drew closer and closer with each passing second. 'Wait for it!'
With a war cry, Rurik swung his hammer down. 'Now!'
Valery flung her hand forward, and the hammer stopped and reversed backwards, launching Rurik along with it. Valery quickly took advantage of this opportunity, grabbing her sword and jumping after him. She quickly swung to draw blood, but Rurik was no amateur. He acted fast and sent a kick to her spine, launching her high into the air.
The two landed with a crash. They slowly picked up their tired bodies, Rurik being faster than her.
— Waiting Area —
Outside, everyone was watching with their mouths open wide — everyone except Lucien, who was smirking like a proud mother.
Ellion stared with slight fear in his eyes. He leaned into Lucien and whispered, "Remind me to never make her mad. Like, ever."
"What the hell is this! Isn't this just supposed to be a test?!" shouted an insignificant, random person in the crowd.
Bickers and murmurs once again rose like the plague. Malrik took a deep breath as Sarah turned to him. "You understand her ability?"
Malrik nodded slightly. "Care to enlighten me then?"
"I think she can control Vectors. In other words, she is able to redirect the movement of anything around her or something. Just now, she redirected the movement of the hammer backwards to avoid its hit. Just like before, when the shield moved backwards suddenly, it was her magic controlling the vector of the shield."
Everyone stared in shock while Lucien glanced at Malrik, impressed. "Nameless is almost right."
Malrik glared at Lucien while he continued. "My wife's title is Crowned Blade. It's an Arcane magic type title that allows her to control the vectors of any one object within 2.1 metres of her — everything except a human. A person has to be in control of something for her power to move them, like what just happened now."
Malrik raised an eyebrow at him. "Is it right for you to just tell us her abilities and weaknesses like that?"
"Don't fret, she wouldn't mind, and it's not like it would help anyone with that information."
Lucien turned back towards the screen, ignoring everyone's continuous murmurs.
— Test Arena —
As Valery groggily pushed herself up, she glanced at Rurik, who was standing ready for round two. She gripped her sword and prepared herself. They stared each other down, no words needed.
As seconds passed by, the two made a silent agreement. Start on three.
1, 2, 3.
They took off towards each other, clashing with their shields, sparks flying everywhere. Rurik swung his hammer down. Valery used her sword to slow down its momentum. The hammer slid down her sword before she used her ability to send it flying to the left. Valery brought her sword up, aiming for his protected face. However, she was too slow, and Rurik safely dodged the strike.
He let go of his hammer and slapped the sword out of her arm. Using his free hand, he aimed a punch at her, but she quickly dodged by bending her body backwards. Using her legs, she wrapped herself around his arm and twisted herself upwards. She quickly sent a flurry of punches, smashing her fists into his head.
Rurik quickly grabbed her with his hand and slammed her into the ground. He picked up his hammer and once again tried slamming it down. However, again, it moved to the left before it could connect.
Rurik gritted his teeth, but Valery didn't let this chance slip away. She quickly grabbed an arrow from her side leg and tried to slash his leg with it. Rurik raised his leg and kicked her away from him.
Valery flipped herself to her feet and grabbed her arrow. Aiming it at her opponent, she shot. Rurik quickly grabbed his shield and protected himself. The impact of the arrow was absorbed into him. Valery started running towards him, shooting arrows as she did.
As she got close enough, she shot again, and this time the arrows moved around the shield, aiming for Rurik behind it. The arrow hit its target, but the shield stood still.
Valery raised an eyebrow, confused. She was about to investigate when a large shadow covered her. Widening her eyes, she backflipped away from her position as Rurik came crashing down with a loud stomp that shook the area. The massive impact shook Valery off her feet, so she was not prepared for Rurik's next attack. His punch flew out, connecting with her jaw and sending her crashing into a wall.
Valery slowly walked out of the smoke. She reinforced magic into her battered body, strengthening herself further. She felt like spitting out blood, but didn't want any chance of losing, so she swallowed it instead.
Rurik slowly walked back and picked up his hammer and sword. 'How am I supposed to win? He isn't holding back at all. I can tell he doesn't care whether he kills me or not. Probably by orders of Lucien's parents.'
She tried catching her breath, repeating the same ragged breathing over and over again. She looked down and grimaced. Her sword and shield were closer to Rurik than her, and she doubted her ability to get them back safely.
'Every plan I come up with, he counters it with ease. He is faster and stronger than me; on top of that, the difference in experience is clear. Unless I cut him with something sharp, I won't win. His magic is too strong for me to just punch through. The only chance I have is a surprise attack, one he won't see coming.'
Rurik grinned, deciding to taunt her a bit. "What's wrong, little girl? Rethinking your decision to come out on the field? It's a bit too late for that. You should have stayed at home with your playhouse dolls and continued playing princess with your perfect little husband. The battlefield has no place for weak royalty."
Valery gave him a tired smile. She clenched her bow tightly and strengthened her resolve before aiming at him. "I've been teaching myself several arts of combat so I could become as great a warrior as Sheltered Weapon."
Outside, this comment drew Malrik and Sarah's attention. 'Is she talking about Mum?' they thought.
Valery glared at Rurik and pulled back her arrow.
"I will not fail here!!"