Chapter 32: The Sparring Match
"Hey, it's not often we get an outsider, let alone one who managed to injure a demon. Don't worry about it," Eirik said.
"But Rhodes is still injured..." Norne protested.
"It's fine, Norne," Rhodes interjected. "I'm a bit stronger than I look. A small injury like this is no big deal."
"Oh? Big words!" Eirik said, raising an eyebrow. "Then let me be the judge of that."
Since Rhodes himself had agreed, Norne had no choice but to give up trying to stop them. He stepped back to give them some space, but not without a word of caution. "Eirik, don't overdo it."
"Relax. You're nagging like an old woman. Are you my mother?" Eirik's retort made Norne's eyebrow twitch. He had to physically restrain himself from punching his friend.
Rhodes, on the other hand, was thinking that the warning should have been directed at him. If he didn't hold back, Eirik might just end up looking like a porcupine. Perhaps I should stick to plant magic, he thought.
"Let's go!" Eirik said, brandishing a wooden staff he had produced from somewhere, and taking a fighting stance. He was the strongest warrior in the tribe. Even Norne was no match for him in some aspects. It was just that Norne was a more cunning fighter, and Eirik would often fall into his traps if he wasn't careful. As a result, even though he was stronger, he lost more spars than he won, a fact that was a constant source of frustration for him.
Seeing Eirik's ready stance, Rhodes just smiled. He raised his right hand, and the mana around him began to stir.
From a distance, Norne keenly sensed the change in Rhodes's aura and immediately shouted, "Be careful!"
"I know, I know! I'll hold back," Eirik replied impatiently, already lunging at Rhodes like a cheetah.
"That idiot!" Norne cursed under his breath. He had been warning Eirik, but his friend had misunderstood and thought he was warning Rhodes.
Eirik was incredibly fast. The staff whistled through the air, aimed straight for Rhodes's stomach, but it stopped dead about a meter away from him. It wasn't that Eirik had held back, but that his attack had been forcefully stopped.
"What!?" Eirik looked down and saw that his feet had, at some point, been ensnared by vines. It was these vines that were preventing him from moving. And in front of him, a faint green mana was flowing from Rhodes's fingertips. The man was a mage.
The vines, like living things, quickly began to climb up his legs. Eirik struggled, but the more he struggled, the tighter they became.
"Magic!?" Norne's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This outsider was a mage? How was that even possible?
A magic circle appeared, and more vines shot out from the ground, wrapping themselves around Eirik.
"Well? Do you give up?" Rhodes asked.
Eirik's face was flushed. "Why didn't you say you were a mage sooner!?"
"Oh? Did I not mention it? I must have forgotten," Rhodes said with a grin, a slightly punchable expression on his face. At least, that's how it looked to Eirik.
"I won't give up so easily!" he roared. He unleashed his full strength and, with a powerful flex, snapped the vines that were binding him.
Rhodes immediately retreated, putting some distance between them. He was a little surprised by Eirik's physical strength.
Having broken free, Eirik charged at him again, this time putting his full strength into it. Rhodes continued to backpedal, trying to maintain the distance, while also sending out more vines to try and restrain him. But Eirik was ready for it this time and managed to dodge them.
He's fast! Rhodes thought, impressed. His vines shot out of the ground in an instant, but Eirik was still able to dodge them.
"But can you dodge this?" Rhodes waved his hand, and dozens of weakened light arrows appeared in the air. A second later, they all shot towards Eirik.
The sheer number of arrows made Eirik's scalp tingle. He was forced to abandon his attack and focus all his energy on dodging. "Hey! I saved your life, you know!" he shouted after barely managing to avoid them all.
"I know. That's why I weakened them. It will still hurt if they hit you, though," Rhodes replied with a cheerful smile.
So this is what it feels like to be Serie, sparring with Somme? The noble mage, beating up on the primitive warrior native. The feeling... it was intoxicating.
Eirik, on the other hand, was not having a good time. "And you told me to hold back!" He turned his frustration on Norne, who was watching from the sidelines. "What am I supposed to do against this!?"
Norne just shrugged. He had no answer. They had only ever heard of mages, but they had never fought one before. They had no experience whatsoever. He hadn't expected Rhodes to be a mage either. No wonder he had managed to escape from a demon, and even wound it.
"Damn it, I'm going all in!" Eirik roared and charged at Rhodes again. Since Rhodes had said he wouldn't kill him, he might as well go all out.
Seeing Eirik charge at him with even greater speed, Rhodes used the same tactic again, unleashing another arrow rain to try and stop him. But this time, Eirik didn't retreat. He dodged some of the arrows and, for those he couldn't dodge, he simply batted them away with his staff. After dealing with all the arrows, he took advantage of the brief opening after Rhodes had cast his spell and charged in. The only way to win against a mage was to close the distance. That was something Mr. Kraft had taught them.
But he had clearly underestimated Rhodes, or rather, underestimated Rhodes's magic.
As Eirik charged at him, Rhodes didn't dodge or retreat. He simply put up a defensive magic barrier, effortlessly blocking the attack.
"No way!" Eirik was exasperated. "That's just dirty!" He echoed the same sentiment Somme had felt. Mages were truly unfair.
Rhodes didn't reply. He just conjured another rain of arrows, surrounding Eirik in a circle, but he didn't fire them.
Eirik froze, a cold sweat trickling down his forehead. At this distance, he couldn't possibly dodge them all. And a volley of that size... it would hurt. A lot. He forced a smile. "Rho-Rhodes, you're not actually going to fire those, are you?"
"That depends on whether you're going to surrender."
"I... I surrender."
As he spoke, the barrier and the arrows dissipated into points of light.
Seeing the dejected look on Eirik's face, Rhodes walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're very strong. You just lack experience in fighting against mages."
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yo guys trying something new for Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter