Chapter 15 — An Official Duel

Ria was standing in the Grand Arena’s dueling grounds, facing her opponent as an announcer excitedly detailed the parties and reason for the duel to the hundreds of students gathered for the spectacle.

Not just students had gathered. Stole-wearing older mages who Ria assumed were instructors were also present in the viewing stands that circled the dueling grounds. It really had become a huge event.

Ria let her gaze fall back to the grass tufted grounds, a healer standing ready to one side and the officiating judge to the other. Ria didn’t recognize either mage but was relieved that neither wore Ravelle or Vesali colors on their mantles.

The announced reason for the duel was to defend second-year honor. That the duel was approved and that she was suddenly facing the top-ranked second-year clearly showed the academy’s intent to put her in her place, perhaps to discourage a flood of prideful first-years overestimating themselves and challenging second-years.

She smiled wryly. One good thing had already come of her first official duel. The question bothering her since meeting Faris the other day was now answered. Vesali men might actually be even more beautiful than Novidus men. Or at least, her opponent was—even with his odd amethyst-color hair and eyes.

Taking in the boy’s graceful figure for a second time, Ria again found herself almost mesmerized by his iridescent robes and long, loosely-tied hair fluttering in the light breeze as he placidly watched her, patiently waiting for the start of the duel. The contrast with the haughty Ravelle boy couldn’t be clearer. This time, she was facing a true elite, an elite that would require her best—and then some—if she was to defeat him.

She gripped her staff tighter, continuing to discreetly drain her energy into the staff that was mostly empty after the prior night’s marathon scroll-making. To say she was nervous was an understatement. Standing surrounded by so many eyes and the murmuring of the crowd reminded of Amilee’s trial. The fear she had felt at that time...

No, duels were different. In a duel, she could fight.

The duel with the Ravelle boy had been liberating and exhilarating. Being able to test her strength against another and to harness her anxiety into violence without the consequences of life and death... she had greatly enjoyed it.

Before her was a strong opponent, a potential rival she could go all out against, and that made her all the more frustrated at the current situation. She understood the why of what was required, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be irritated for days. Tomorrow’s team meeting better provide her an opportunity to let loose, or else.

The announcer finished up explaining the rules for the duel—rules that she had chosen as the one challenged.

“Phaelys of House Vesali, are you ready?” the duel’s judge called over to the boy.

“Yes, I am ready,” Phaelys replied in a clear voice that carried well, his gaze not leaving his opponent. “I have heard impressive things about you, Ria of Shadewood, and am eager to test myself against one who has faced real combat.”

Ria’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and she felt a pang of regret for an opportunity lost, almost feeling bad for what she was about to do. “I fear you are overestimating me, Phaelys of House Vesali.”

Her voice trembled annoyingly even as she used body-strengthening to be heard over the distance separating them and the noise of the crowd.

“Are you ready, Ria of Shadewood?” the judge called her way.

She carefully visualized the two spell designs that she would need. The first was an earth magic that would strengthen her bones and muscles and hopefully limit the extent of her injuries. The second was the same shadow magic she used against the Ravelle boy to return his own spell at him. “I am ready.”

“Then begin!”

Ria tapped her foot to extend her sensing domain and immediately began forming her spells, focusing more on the earth magic. To her surprise, Phaelys opted for a simple spell, quickly forming a fist-sized crystal and launching it forward at a startling speed before she had even finished casting the earth magic.

Not having sufficient control to cast both spells even under the best of conditions, Ria didn't have to fake losing control of the complicated shadow magic as she abandoned it and barely completed the earth magic in time for the hunk of crystal to smash into her face. The force of the impact threw her backward and to the ground like a rag-doll. Her staff, safely filled with most of her energy, flew from her hand to land some distance away as planned.

Owwwwwww! Hulle was going to owe her big time for this one!

Reeling from the impact, her nose rapidly congesting, and her face and jaw hurting terribly, she mustered enough presence of mind to keep her eyes shut and push her remaining energy out into the air to make it seem as if she were instantly knocked unconscious—which was not far from the truth... and might yet happen.

Leaving herself undefended like this was risky, and she was relieved to promptly hear the judge’s panicked voice.

“Stop! Stop! Phaelys Vesali is the victor!”

A mixture of gasps, boos, and laughter rained down from the crowd once the shock of the fight’s sudden conclusion wore off.

The stunned announcer began to weigh in with some spiel which she was distracted from by an upset Ranger mentally demanding to know if she was okay, and doing her best to hide how bad her situation was, she groggily reassured him through the bond that the healer would fix her up and not to worry.

She gasped and burbled what she assumed was blood when a hand pressed against her face, but the pain gradually began to recede.

"This is why first-years shouldn't be allowed to duel! They simply don't have the control and practice needed to consistently cast their magic!” the judge complained from beside her.

“We were lucky,” came another adult voice who she assumed was the healer. “The damage isn’t as bad as I initially feared. Restoring brain tissue tends to cause memory loss.”

“Will she be okay?” a surprisingly flustered-sounding Phaelys asked.

“Aiming for her head, are you an idiot?!” the judge snapped.

Phaelys made what sounded like an annoyed huffing sound. “I only intended to disrupt her spell and was certain she would dodge it!”

“You’re lucky to have used a blunt end or I would have disqualified you for attempting a mortal strike!”

After the pain in her jaw and face left, Ria felt the healer use a different magic to clear the congestion from her nose and the blood from her face. She worked her tongue around her mouth and swallowed down the last taste of iron before gingerly opening her eyes, only to squint them mostly shut when the unexpectedly bright light of early evening caused her head to throb.

“Welcome back,” the white-robed mage greeted with a wry smile as he helped her sit up. “I bet you have a right fierce headache still.”

Ria nodded but soon regretted the motion as it made her feel nauseous.

At her confirmation the healer brought a pungent-smelling vial near her mouth. “Drink. This should help with the injury to the brain.”

He assisted her to down the concoction. The taste was a jumble of strong minty herbs and a sharp fishy flavor. The oily texture wasn’t particularly appealing either, but her headache rapidly eased to a manageable dullness.

“You’ll want to take things easy for the rest of the day. Make sure to seek further treatment if the pain or dizziness persists.”

Ria nodded that she understood then voiced that she understood, since that seemed to be what the mage wanted.

Upon hearing her voice, Phaelys abandoned his still-ongoing argument with the judge to address her. “I am relieved that you will be okay, Ria of Shadewood. But this duel... to win with a lucky shot... it is most unsatisfying.”

Unsatisfying?

She bit down her rising anger and took a deep breath before replying with bitterness she didn’t need to fake, “An enemy killed by a lucky shot is just as dead. You won, I lost. It’s as simple as that.”

Though it was true that she had intentionally thrown the fight, what she said wasn’t a lie. She had witnessed death strike both friend and foe, and it was often sudden and unfair.

Her reply earned her an evaluating look from the mage who had judged the duel, but she avoided meeting his eyes, worried about how much he noticed during the fight. Instead, she turned to the healer and got him to help her stand up.

She was surprised by Phaelys retrieving her staff for her, handing it over with his soft-looking hands. From his conflicted expression, she guessed that he still wanted to argue but didn’t have anything good to reply with.

“Maybe we’ll face each other again if I earn a spot on my Order’s team for the Grand Games?” Ria tried and gave him a brief smile.

The noble boy’s face brightened at the idea, and he slowly nodded. “I shall look forward to it.”

“Cousin Phaelys, how much more time are you going to waste on that nobody?” a purple-haired girl with a first-year insignia and wearing the same color robes as Phaelys called over from the front row of the viewing stands. “You should have dragged the fight out to make it more entertaining. Now poor Verdin looks even more pathetic.”

“Rather, Ophesia, he did right by quickly reacquainting that ugly peasant with the dirt where she belongs,” another purple haired first-year girl spoke up from beside the first. “Now, if we hurry, we can celebrate Cousin Phaelys’ effortless victory at Master Tarro’s.”

“Suppose that’s true enough,” Ophesia admitted. “Well, Phae?”

The boy grimaced and gave Ria an apologetic gesture before turning to address his cousins. “I am done here. Let us meet at the gate.”

Ria wasn't sure how to react to the... twins? Huffing, she chose to ignore them, instead thanking the healer and judge and, a little unsteadily, started walking back toward where she had entered the arena.

Hulle called over to her and directed her toward a different gate where he and Ranger were waiting. As soon as the warded grill was pushed open, Ranger galloped over to her and gave a worried bark.

“I’m fine, Ranger.” She gave him a hug and rubbed her familiar’s head enough to make his ears flop around. “Thanks for worrying about me buddy!”

“War-woof wawr...”

She gave a laugh at his grumbled complaint. “Don't worry. After we finish our new training, you’ll be able to fight beside me, and then we’ll be unstoppable!”

“Woof! Woof!”

Ranger pranced in place and his tail made an aggressive swishing as he perked up in strong agreement.

Hulle waited at the gate and greeted her with a faint smile when she joined him. “Well done. You managed not to reveal any new skills, and with such a convincing and dangerous loss, it is unlikely that the Student Affairs Administrator will approve any further duels against you until you’ve proven yourself capable.”

Ria simply nodded and followed along as he ushered her toward an exit, not trusting herself to say anything civil to him with how much his demand that she lose the duel still rankled. Getting hurt in the pursuit of victory was one thing, pain to advance a deception was another. But grumble as she might, Hulle’s goal-oriented planning and strategy aligned better with her own long-term goals.

She faced a few jeers and loud complaints about how the duel had been a waste of time. Even though the reactions from her fellow students were the desired result, Ria couldn’t help bristling. It wasn’t as if she asked for this duel! What right did they have to expect her to entertain them?! She never asked them to come watch!

“Ria!” Keira’s voice cut through the crowd and the boys nearby got shoved out of the way as the golden-robed girl pushed her way past to give her an emotional hug. “I was so worried! Are you really okay?!”

“My head’s still a little foggy, but I’m okay,” Ria reassured.

Keira frowned. “Aiming for a girl’s face with a cheap-shot like that! It’s despicable! But, I still can’t believe your spell failed! Were you nervous?”

Ria gave Keira a wry smile. “I was, but I guess casting two spells at once is still too hard...”

“You idiot!” Keira fumed. “You should’ve just used body-strengthening and dodged!”

“I really didn’t think he would use such a simple spell or finish casting it that fast,” Ria offered.

“Ah, you’re Ria’s friend from before,” Hulle observed.

“Who...?” Keira started to ask but seemed to piece his identity together from his mantle and face. “Hulle Novidus.”

“Indeed,” Hulle confirmed with a smirk. “With such a dedicated friend involved to see Ria safely home, it appears my presence is no longer necessary.”

Keira’s nose scrunched up.

“You won’t?” he queried with a raised eyebrow and mock surprise.

“Of course, I will,” Keira snapped. “I don’t need to be cajoled into it!”

Hulle laughed lightly then turned to Ria with a serious expression. “Go home and rest up, Ria. Your evaluation will be tomorrow after classes.”

Keira’s eyes snapped to Ria and then back to the departing third-year. “Just what is your involvement with Hulle Novidus?”

Witnessing her friend’s protectiveness, Ria couldn’t help smiling a bit. “He’s my sponsor within the Order.”

“Your sponsor is Hulle Novidus?”

“Yep.”

Keira’s shocked face turned into a raised eyebrow when Ria couldn’t hold back a giggle, but the girl soon groaned and rubbed her forehead. “I can’t believe you think having someone that infamous as a sponsor is a laughing matter.”

“Oh? Do tell,” Ria asked with interest.

Keira sighed. “Fine. But it’ll have to wait until after we get to the carriage.”

“Ah, that reminds me.” Ria made one of the enchantment-marked communication stones appear from her pouch and handed it over. “I bought paired stones for us to communicate with.”

The glyphs on the stone soon glowed in Keira’s hand as she attuned it with her personal energy. “This would have been helpful when I was looking for you earlier. But wasn’t it expensive?”

“Yep. Want to help me make some enchanted paper?” Ria suggested with a grin.

Keira rolled her eyes. “How can I say no after such bribery?”

Ria laughed. “Great! I’ll try to contact Jarrel.”

“Can he even use one of these?” Keira asked, tilting her head.

“Don’t worry. His is a servant’s version that I can remotely activate.”