The stones lit up, and a dome appeared.
Left of the field, a woman in training gear held a staff with a white stone. Facing her was a man with a blade.
From the sidelines, Berny introduced the fighters to Ryan. "Left is Ria, an Effector who happens to be quite handy with her skills, and on the right is Mern. A quiet flame user whose abilities are…unique."
Due to their nodes, mages had specializations. Those who used their node to strike mana directly onto weapons or items, and even themselves, were called Combatants. Those who chose to use the mana to incite an effect on the visible environment were called Effectors.
Finally, those who had the ability to resonate with items that had mana inside them (mana stones, for example) through the use of their voice created spells of different calibers and were called Casters.
Instead of bothering to squint for info, Ryan chose to watch the fight commence.
Ria reacted first by dashing towards Mern. The Warrior squinted his gaze before thrusting his blade forward. Light rushed from the sword's tip and quickly dispersed into a red orb.
The red then whirled around him before reeling towards the opponent.
Ria stopped in her tracks, gripping her staff tightly as the stone glowed, and a white sphere emerged, shrouding a few meters around her.
The smoke spun around her protected area, but instead of exploding on the dome, it targeted the land, spilling debris all over.
The onlookers watched as the remaining fireballs withdrew from Ria and rapidly multiplied before hurling themselves back into the ground.
The barrier protecting the mage flickered as more fireballs bombarded debris from under the dome, repeating the vicious cycle.
"What's happening?" One rider asked as they watched fireballs smash into the ground, creating a mix of smoke and dust.
"He's doing two things," Robert replied, sounding like a narrator. "One is a mental attack. The other is targeted at her mana. If she loses control of either one, the other will follow,"
"Yes, but Sir, what exactly is he doing?" The Rider reiterated.
Robert brows knitted, sensing the absurdity in his next sentence, "Absorbing her mana with his attacks."
Ryan blinked, stunned and surprised. Finally, he asked Berny, who was seated right next to him, "Is he a mutant?"
"For now, not at all, Sire. According to our National System of Realm Rankings, his core grade is still at Novice, once its attuned to one of the five skills, it would reach the Basic grade."
'Novice and yet he attacks and uses his skills with such precision.'
Ryan felt impressed by Mern's display.
Novice, Basic, Fledged and Trained. Those were the four main grades for users in the first realm. The five main skills every user was part of was universal and they were:
Wielder, Permeator, Tamer, Chanter, and Mutant.
Ryan remembered when he used Pierre's sword and also shot out rays from his fingers. He considered that having two or more of those skills decided the Mutant Class, but seeing today's battle made him reaccess his thinking.
Now he was more intrigued by how one became a Mutant—the rarest of the five, and had the previous body owner progressed before he took over?
Within the dome, Ria gnashed her teeth as the ground around her exploded with rabid fire, clouding her view with dust and smoke.
She could see the light of her stone flickering, a clear warning that her focus was inadequate.
'Because my node is within my head, he chose to disrupt my focus.'
This act made it clear that her opponent's move was more cynical than his silence. Her greatest regret was wanting to end it all in one move.
The mana her stone controlled required her mind to control the node to resonate, and that effort was slipping away.
"No," She told herself, "Not a chance."
Just as she gripped her staff, determined to turn the tables, a fireball appeared behind the cloud of smoke and blasted the shield. A crack appeared, and her fear shot through the roof.
Unknowingly, she gave her opponent the seal of her fate. More cracks appeared along the dome, expanding until the defensive barrier shattered like broken glass.
Then, in the midst of the chaos, two more attacks collided in front of her, reeling her against the stone barrier with a bang. Slowly, her staff dropped to the floor.
The light from the stones flickered, and with a flash, the dome silently receded, signifying an end to the first battle.
Upon hearing the loud cheers coming from surrounding soldiers, Ria raised her head to see Mern in front of her. The latter shook his head before he turned away.
As she watched him retreat, an urge to spit at him arose from her.
"Brat!" She muttered.
Meanwhile, Ryan analyzed the display between the two. To him, the entire fight was one-sided from the moment it started.
'Is it actually possible to absorb someone's mana mid-attack? Mutants, including me, are quite weird.' .
To Riclockia, Basic required them to properly understand their skills, and after that came Fledged, where they unlocked an aura, and once they learned to wield that aura like it was an outside force or an object, they would reach the grade called Trained.
And right after that came Skilled, the fifth and first rank for those in the second realm.
He wished the system had this ranking, it would allow him to tell how dangerous or how trivial his opponent was.
The first display was over, and the second match was about to begin.
"Sire," Berny called as he glanced at him, "As of now, I believe you have too few people around to protect you. Would you be so kind if these ones shown in today's display were given the honours?"
"If they'll fit the criteria. It should be no problem for the throne." Ryan replied while trying to remain serious.
The stronger the warriors, the more hidden cards he could keep in case of enemy hands.
Suddenly, a soldier rushed into the area, panting and sweating before falling to his knees. Ryan could see that the sun was close to reaching the point where he could call it evening, but chose to listen to the soldier's next words.
"My King." The soldier reported while skimming off beads of sweat from his face, "Lord Liam requests your presence near the gates."
"Lord Liam?" His gaze turned sharp as soon as he heard the word.
'Seems to be an individual with a great name, unfortunately, i don't know who he is.'
After pushing the emerging questions to the back of his head, he rose from the chair and asked the guard to lead him there. Since he was within the city, and the walls weren't far. He might as well take the chance to see who this Liam was.
~~~~~
Before the gates of the city, a man dressed in simple robes and brown hair that grew past his shoulders walked into the cobblestone streets of the capital with deep blue eyes and a pale face that scanned the vicinity.
"My Lord, we've reached our destination."
Behind the stranger were two women in armor, a sword placed at their backs, and a white bandana tied around their heads.
"Hmm," The Lord looked back and nodded to the woman who had spoken.
"Head Strategist we've arrived," One of the guards announced before stepping into the city.
"I can see that," Liam replied and when he was about to add to his speech, the sound of horses barging into the scene made him fall silent.
"Seems my request was fast received." He thought as he peered at a figure in a simple white shirt and brown leather trousers.
"Is that?"
"Yes my Lord, that is the King." A soldier replied.
'How interesting," Liam thought before moving with the swordswomen, stopping before the Royal steed.
"Sire," He bowed and introduced himself. "I am Lord Liam Lancer, Head Strategist."
"Greetings then Lord Liam," Ryan responded back with his brows slowly coming together before they eventually relaxed.
[Character Info
Name - Liam Lancer
Title - Head Strategist of Ridlockia
Elemental Affinity - None
Description
As a child of the Lancer Family. Liam was born into this world with a very sound mind and an equally sound body.
Despite having no affinity or mage capability. He was able to use his mind to react quickly to changes, and climb the ranks. Do not let his appearance fool you. In the eyes of many, this young lad is capable of many things, but in your eyes, wariness begets trust.]
'I see system, you're already on the track to making me a mad man.'