Chapter 55:

Clypeus grabbed his makeshift swords and rose with slow movements. “I really didn’t expect the shame of the Veres to appear. At least you’re not a coward.”

“Save the sweet talk for later Cly,” Callum grinned.

Callum tried to take in the situation. Clypeus seemed worse for wear, but was still standing fine. It was to be expected, he had been raised to be an elite warrior his entire life. Callum was just glad he didn’t have his gladii with him, otherwise they’d really be in trouble.

Still, Clypeus was a dangerous foe not to be underestimated. Yet, Stryg had managed to fight him and was still standing. Not just him, Callum looked around. Kegrog and Nora were here too. Had Stryg really taken on all three of them at once?

“Why are you both here?” Stryg asked. How did his teammates even find him?

“Because we’re your friends, you idiot,” Kithina glared at him.

Stryg looked at her in surprise. Since when had the angry dwarf been his friend? As for Callum, well Stryg didn’t know what to make of the other hybrid.

“Stryg, what’s your condition?” Callum asked without taking his eyes away from Clypeus.

“I’ve been better,” Stryg panted. His grey spell had backfired and drained most of his stamina. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand.

“Can you fight?” Callum asked.

“...Always,” Stryg raised his claws, but fell to one knee.

Callum frowned, this wasn’t good.

Clypeus smiled. The goblin seemed to be out of the fight.

“Kegrog, focus on the shame of the Veres. Nora, get Stryg’s necklace. I’ll deal with the dwarf,” Clypeus said.

“Of course,” Nora nodded.

“On it,” Kegrog said, his arms still covered in a bronze sheen.

“Let’s dance, big guy.” Callum brandished his branch.

Kithina stood in Nora’s way. “You’re not going anywhere Miss Azol.”

“Try and stop her,” Clypeus confronted the dwarf. “We’re both in the same chromatic yellow class. I know your limits.”

Kithina swallowed, “This isn’t like our first mock duel. You may be the son of some famous martial House and that blue idiot behind me may be ignorant, and definitely the world’s most stubborn goblin, but he’s my friend, and that’s all I need to stop you.”

“Friendship doesn’t make you stronger, though,” Stryg voiced.

“Shut up, Stryg!” Kithina shouted back. “Gods, you’re as quiet as the dead whenever I try to talk to you, but you can’t shut your pie hole when you need to. This is my moment, don’t ruin it dammit!”

“Then let's make your moment bright and short.” Clypeus attacked her.

Kithina closed her eyes and raised her arms. Faint yellow scales covered her body. Clypeus focused his attacks below her ribs, where her spell would be weakest. She grinded her teeth in pain but held strong. She reached out to grab him. He danced away. She charged him, but Clypeus kept back pedalling while attacking her relentlessly. Her scales began to crack.

“Give up.” Clypeus swung at her necklace.

She covered it with one arm, the other reaching out to grab him. Clypeus jumped into the air and over her.

“Not today!” She bellowed.

She jumped and the wind followed behind her.

“Multicast!?” Clypeus shouted, eyes wide.

The wind pushed her up high. Kithina’s head smacked into Clypeus’ chest, knocking the breath out of him. They both tumbled to the ground in a pile of wrestling limbs. She kept smacking her fists into his chest. He grimaced in pain and hugged her by the waist. They sank into the ground slowly, the ground swallowing their limbs.

“What the blazes?” Kithina shouted in bewilderment.

Neither of them could move. Clypeus took a deep breath, the earth shifted around him and he stood up from the earthen cage.

“I’m impressed. I haven’t seen any first-year multicast before,” Clypeus said. He dusted himself off, “But you forget I’m a manifold mage. I’m not just a chromatic yellow, I’m a green as well.”

“Get me out of this!” Kithina protested. She tried moving but couldn’t get out.

“This stone spell can’t hold someone as strong as Stryg. A dwarf without any strength enhancement though? Well, that’s a different story,” Clypeus smiled.

He reached down and ripped off Kithina's necklace. The magestone glowed red. Kithina cursed under her breath.

“One down, two more to go,” Clypeus said.

He glanced over at Kegrog. The orc was pushing Callum back with relative ease. The damn hybrid really was a shame to the Great House of Veres. Clypeus turned his attention to Stryg.

Nora edged over to the goblin hybrid cautiously. Stryg sat still as he watched her. She threw another pebble at his face. Stryg caught it and threw it back in a flash. The stone zipped through the air, smacking Nora in the forehead. Her head snapped back in a bloody mess. She fell to the ground with a twitch. Clypeus sighed.

Callum glanced over at his teammates. This wasn’t going well. Kithina was out and Stryg didn’t look much better. Callum stepped away from Kergog and checked his time trinket. They were cutting it close.

“Stryg, I need you to run!” Callum shouted.

“What? No! I came here to fight,” Stryg wobbled to his feet.

Clypeus closed in on him.

“One of us needs to get out of here. We can’t beat them. If we lose here it’s over,” Callum said as he ducked under Kegrog’s swing.

“Then why don’t you go? I’ll fight them to the end,” Stryg raised his claws.

“I can’t,” Callum swiped his branch in wide swing.

Stryg took a long look at Callum. His leg was covered in blood. Kegrog hadn’t done that. Callum and Kithina must have fought others before coming here. Had Callum run all this way with a wound like that?

“We’re running on empty, Stryg. You need to go,” Callum smiled sadly.

“Stay still!” Kegrog shouted as he charged the hybrid vampire.

Callum danced to the side despite his injured leg.

“I can’t…” Stryg mumbled. He had changed, he wasn’t the goblin who had run away from the cave of lamias. He wasn’t a coward.

“Don’t let Kithina’s sacrifice go in vain!” Callum yelled.

“Run you idiot!” Kithina groaned from the ground.

“Fight me!” Clypeus swiped at Stryg.

Stryg blocked the attack with his left arm and pushed the vampire away with his right.

“Damn you all,” Stryg cursed. He turned and ran.

Stryg’s silhouette disappeared amidst the trees.

Clypeus turned on Callum, “Kegrog, leave him to me. Go check on Nora.”

Kegrog nodded. His bronze skin returned to its normal bright red. He jogged over to the unconscious Nora.

“I should have guessed you’d make Stryg run. You ruin anything of honor,” Clypeus glared at half-breed vampire.

“I wouldn’t say that. I’ll give you a fight you’ll never forget,” Callum raised his branch.

“Still full of yourself as always. Stryg is the only worthy adversary among our class. Compared to him you aren’t worth my time.”

“Oh, please, don’t underestimate me, Cly,” Callum grinned.

“No, I don’t. I know you for the snake you are,” Clypeus raised his broken quarterstaff halves. “You may act innocent, but I know who you really are.”

“Now is that anyway to talk to a Veres, son of House Gale?”

Clypeus frowned, “The Veres demand respect and are given it. But, you don’t deserve it. The other ruling families look down on the Veres because of you. The legendary House of Veres has been humiliated because of you.”

Clypeus shook his head, “But, you don’t care. You actually think you can stand tall among your family, despite your human half. You think you’re strong. Come back to reality, you’re not even a chromatic black, like the other Veres. What power do you bring with sub-par potions? Try all the tricks you want. You will never win without true strength. The Veres are weakened by having you. Your literal existence opens a potential breach to strike against your father. Any Gale worth his salt would know you don’t belong.”

“I don’t need my family’s black magic to win. I’ll win on my own accord, with my own strength,” Callum clenched his fists.

“Then show me your strength, bastard.” Clypeus glared at him.

“Gladly,” He dropped his branch and ripped off his own necklace. It glowed a soft blue.

“W-what? What did you do?” Clypeus’ eyes widened.

“I’m winning. Just not against you. Loh never stated it was against the rules to take off your own necklace. Just that I’d be disqualified. My team may lose a point, but you won’t gain any either,” Callum grinned.

“Always with the tricks, snake. I may not be able to attack you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take whatever necklaces you’ve taken from others. Not against the rules to just grab them either is it?”

Callum took a step back and showed them his time trinket. Loh’s horn resounded in the distance, signaling the end of the match. Clypeus froze.

“Time’s up. Thanks for monologuing,” Callum smiled.

Kegrog stepped forward. “So, what if time’s up. Clypeus, let’s grab his necklaces anyway. Loh won’t know. It’s his word against ours.”

“Stop Kegrog. It wouldn’t be honorable,” Clypeus sighed. “Callum wormed his way out of this fight.”

That and Loh can always find a purple mage to read our minds, Callum thought.

Clypeus walked over to Kithina. He placed his hands on the ground and closed his eyes. The earth shifted away, freeing Kithina’s body.

“Well fought,” he whispered.

“...Thanks, you too,” she eyed him cautiously.

Clypeus picked up the unconscious Nora and looked over at Kegrog, “I’m sorry you two. I failed you both.”

The orc shook his head slowly, “Not at all. I have no regrets.” He rubbed his head, “Well, except for Stryg kicking me in the temple.”

Clypeus nodded, “Noted.”

Callum stood still and watched the opposing team walk away. The moment they were out of sight he fell over, his last bits of strength gone.

“Callum!” Kithina rushed over to his side.

“I’m alright, just a little tired. I just need a moment to catch my breath,” Callum closed his eyes.

“I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault, had you not covered me against the first team you would have never gotten hurt,” Kithina cried.

“I was rushing to find Stryg, I was careless. It’s not your fault. You did great, especially that multicast at the end there, I didn’t know you could do that.”

She smiled, “Stryg really has a great team, huh?”

“The best,” Callum laughed weakly.

“He really is an idiot for rushing off like that.” She looked in the direction Stryg had run.

“...Hey, Kithina? Do me a favor. When we see Stryg, don’t try to give him a hard time about this whole thing.”

“What? Why? He deserves a good scolding and a smack on the head,” she wrinkled her nose.

I don’t think you could hit him on the head if you tried, Callum thought. “He may not look it, but Stryg is one of the proudest people we know. He views his honor as a warrior highly and he was just forced to run away. Right now, I think he’s punishing himself more than we ever could.”

Overall, this was a good chance for Callum. He needed Stryg to feel thankful to them for coming to help him. He didn’t wish for Stryg to feel alienated from him because of Kithina's potentially vicious words. He needed Stryg to confide in him by his own accord. But, first, he needed to get out of this grove.

“Kithina, could you give me a hand?”