《Xenonia: The World of swords and blood》Arc 1 Chapter 8: Lessons we learn by our fists
Advertisement
"So, what's up with you two? You guys have been at each other throats since Adeo transferred here." Yukina asked the anguished duo seated before her. "This ass-hat keeps talking about how he's so much better than everyone else just because he's a Draconian!" Akko replied. "I'm only saying that because it's fakual!" Adeo retorted, trying to appear more dominant in the conversation by sitting taller than Akko and speaking in a louder tone.
"First off, it's 'factual.' Second, I'm pretty sure that Akko could hold her own against you." Yukina corrected, crossing her arms. Her gaze was set on the blabbering Draconian, awaiting his reply. "Oh, and what makes you say that, huh?!" Adeo exclaimed, not wholly grasping what Yukina was getting at. "Donums or gifted capabilities, if you will; are abilities that certain people have transcribed into their very soul, whether through training in that particular field or they are born with it as a sort of talent," Yukina explained to the man that sat before him while sipping Pullum pulmenti, a soup with Pullum broth, from her spoon.
"Oh, I know about those, but what does that have to do with her?" Adeo asked, albeit a question that he should know the answer to, at least if he was paying attention to the flow of the conversation. "A-are you serious? I'm bringing this up because, obviously, Akko's donum is one that's well suited for combat along with various other tasks that require heavy lifting." Yukina said, surprised by how ignorant Adeo was in understanding context clues.
She shook her head in disappointment before Adeo stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "Well then, once they have taught us some spells, then we should see who is truly stronger." He declared with a grin of self-assuring confidence. Yukina dug into the pockets of her long coat, feeling the cold, adamantine sensation of metal in the shape of an oblate ellipsoid before pulling it out. The object in question was revealed to be a golden pocket watch with an emblem of a fox with an eight-pointed star on its forehead.
She opened the pocket watch, the hour hand pointed at the 'XII' and the minute hand pointed: 'VI.' "It's twelve-thirty. We should head back to our class. I think we have combative spells basics." Yukina said after returning her pocket watch into her coat, now sporting a finger on her chin.
Advertisement
"Basics? We should be in the advanced class, or more pacifically, I should be in the advanced class." Adeo replied, connecting his palm with his fist, accompanied by a self-satisfied grin. The Vulpian girls both turned towards each other and sighed at the realization of Adeo's hopelessness of ever having half a brain.
The trio made their way to the courtyard of the school, which looked more like a miniature forest with paths made of stone leading to a glade. Yukina was the last to arrive at the glade out of the trio; she looked at all the students and surveyed the surrounding area. "Where's the instructor?" Yukina asked before realizing she was a couple of feet off the ground. She turned her head behind her; she was being lifted by the back of her long coat by a tall and muscular silhouette. Though unlike most of the other instructors at this academy, this one had...horns? "Okay, I think that's everyone! Bwahaha!" The silhouette bellowed before walking closer to the lot of students. "Oh, there he is," Yukina said as her eyes narrowed in annoyance. She was allowed a respite from the manhandling when she was let back onto the ground before turning towards the instructor in accordance with the rest of the class.
"I go by the name: Tiberius Moltius." the lofty draconian man spoke. His face was chiseled with a scar from his left eye down to the corner of his lips, with a beard that accompanied the fiery red scales on his chin and black horns and hair; spiked back rugged to complete his 'battle-worn' appearance. Yukina surveyed him from head to toe. The instructor wore a dark brown overcoat with silver armor underneath and a battleax strapped to his back; the edges chipped as it had seen its fair share of usage. "I'll be your instructor for the basics of spelling casting. Oh, and before you ask, this class has been integrated with the basics of combat, so you will have to learn hand-to-hand combat." Moltius said. It now made sense to Yukina why a rugged man such as Moltius was overseeing this course. "So let us begin; can anyone tell me the basics of arcane energy?" Moltius asked while pacing slowly from left to right in front of the students. A few of the students raised their hands, wanting to answer the question, one of which was Adeo.
Advertisement
"It's energy that makes us get stronger and fight things?" Adeo said. Albeit, while technically correct, it wasn't the answer Moltius was looking for. "In a sense. Yeah, but it's also our life force that allows us to manipulate our world in many ways. The purpose of this class is to educate you on self-defense," Tiberius explained before continuing his lecture on the spellcasting process, which consisted of pulling your Arcana through your porta, the gateway between soul and body, which determined your affinity; and then chant the incantation. Moments later, the class was instructed to pick their partners for their sparring exercises; unfortunately for Yukina, Akko was paired up with Adeo so they could finally come to a conclusion on who was more potent in combat. "I see that no one had decided to pick you. So I'll be your adversary this time." the silhouette had returned, towering over the achromatic-haired Vulpian. "Okay." She said with a blank expression on her face, her eyes locked onto the brute before her.
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" Tiberius questioned in a booming voice, causing most of the class to turn towards the two of them. Murmurs about how the fight would play out and conclude were spreading like a plague; Yukina paid them no attention as her mind had already drowned them out. She muttered only two words. "Fulgur...Corpus..." Yukina's body surged with an abundance of dormant magical energy as her body was enveloped in an aura of sky-blue lightning. The jaws of her classmates dropped since they could barely cast anything during their fight, but it would seem that Yukina had experience already, but to her, this came as a surprise as she had never used any magicks in her life. It was as if her mind and body already knew how to manipulate her Arcana.
"Impressive, you seem to learn fast...this should be interesting." The bulking Draconian stated; he prepared himself. His stance was similar to that of a boxer, or at least one would assume if it weren't for the Axe making him appear more of a brutish musclehead. Yukina inhaled before taking a single step, and with the first approach, she vanished. Tiberius' eyes widened before he reacted and turned around, thrusting his fist toward the space behind him. The white-haired Vulpian ducked under Tiberius' fist, which left a shockwave in its wake. She retaliated by sweeping his legs, causing Tiberius to get swept off his feet since he was still recovering from his last attack. Yukina used this opportunity for a strike aimed at his pectorals. Her adversary was able to interrupt the assault to his breast using his forearm, but the sheer speed added extra force to the attack causing him to be knocked back. "You're a fast little one. I can barely keep up with you, however..." He paused midsentence before catching himself with wings that sprouted from his back from underneath the slits in his overcoat. Yukina gasped for air after that onslaught as she fell to one knee, and the lightning dissipated. Her spell had concluded. "Clearly, you have talent, but your stamina is holding you back. Overall I'm impressed; as for those two..." He trailed off midsentence as his gaze turned toward Adeo and Akko, who were still in the midst of their 'competition.'
"Damn, I'm surprised a Vulpian could keep up with me," Adeo said while flying a couple of feet off the ground; he was equipped with the same overconfident grin as usual. "By the Caelestis, do you ever shut up!" Akko retorted before squatting as her donum: 'Dei Manus,' activated. Within an instant, not only had she left the ground, but she was in front of Adeo, and the two began exchanging blow for blow, causing shockwaves throughout the forest. After an hour, the lesson had concluded, and it was time for everyone to return home for the day. The trio began making their way home while walking on the beach. The two redheads were riddled with bruises and cuts from their show off of a battle. "You two are idiots..." were the only words Yukina spoke to them that night.
Advertisement
- In Serial10 Chapters
Viceroy's Pride
This story could be about the Tellask Empire, ruler of a thousand suns and faced with imminent peril at the hands of the Orakh hordes. It could be about Paltai Amberell, the scion of a noble elven House, fallen upon hard times and seeking to find the key that will restore his family's name and save the Empire itself. It could be the story of his voidship, The Viceroy's Pride, powered by magic and crewed by a team of crack marines as they search for adventure and the solution to the Empire's myriad problems. Instead, this is the story of Daniel Thrush, human electrical engineer, befuddled researcher and survivor of the debacle that was first contact with a spacefaring civilization. Due to a combination of luck, magic, hard work, and more luck he is thrust into the center of events as Earth is shoved onto a much larger stage rife with semi-immortal elves and magical kingdoms that predate the Earthly invention of agriculture. Earth is outnumbered, and we have precisely one wizard. Dan. He's not very good at it, but he's going to have to learn in a hurry or watch everything he knows get torn apart by massive spacefaring empires straight from the pages of a fantasy novel. ---------- Some readers have noted that the MC tends to be weak willed and pushed around a bit. A significant portion of the story is his character growth into not being a pushover (i.e. him being passive is in the early chapters on purpose). I'm just including this caveat/warning to make sure that readers aren't surprised/upset and that they stick with it until he learns to stand up for himself. His arc begins to crystallize around chapters 25-27. If that's too long to wait, I get it, I'm just trying to do my due diligence and warn you that the character development is a bit of a slow burn. This is NOT a harem novel. Nothing against them, just not what it is. --------- Updates Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday Feel free to bother me on our discord- Discord!
8 167 - In Serial148 Chapters
Elania, Arachne in a different world
Does have GL subplot later on. Warning: Since some people do not seem to get the slice of life idea, this story is SLOW. There is action and I intend to write more of it but don't come here expecting it to be the focus 24/7. A young woman from Earth wakes up in a cave, disoriented, confused, amnesic and with her lower body replaced by that of a giant spider. She has no idea what she stumbled into and all the extra sensations were definitely not helping. "Did I get reincarnated into a fantasy world?" She's not quite sure. But, the goblin, the troll and (soon enough) the hot elf all suggest "yes." As much as it creeps her out, her new body is powerful and flexible in some very interesting 'spidery' ways as she slowly learns to live with it. Combined with what modern knowledge she can still remember, the newly christened Elania soon finds herself building a new life as an adventurer among the elves. Who knows what awaits her? Maybe, just maybe, she might even find happiness along the way. There will be a fair amount of errors in writing up until chapter 43 (where I got a proper proofreader/editor to help me out.) Chapters 1-20 or so will at some point receive partial rewriting because I don't quite like the flow and feel there are some parts that don't make as much sense as they should. Please don't suggest edits for chapters up until 43, anything after that, feel free to in case we missed anything. Find me on discord at : https://discord.gg/TqFjdv8uaE
8 452 - In Serial60 Chapters
Returning
The apocalypse was not kind to humanity. The survivors of the system's arrival banded together as they could, but the harshness of the new reality they faced whittled away at their numbers. A decade later, only a few humans remained, holed up in the last stronghold left. Frank was one of them, his survival as much luck as it was ability. As the final assault broke through their defenses, he felt the end approach. He accepted his death, only to wake up at the beginning. Can he change his fate? The fate of his species?
8 188 - In Serial11 Chapters
Count of Frozen End
Moloch. The lowest ranked vampires, lowly slaves unworthy of even drinking human blood, living to serve their masters until their deaths. In a anger-driven attempt to change his fate, the newly born moloch Tony Lite “Everdeen”, follows a seemingly suicidal path with little to no chances of success. Eons latter, at the edge of the world where only the forsaken dare to venture, an ageless being awakens only to discover that, somehow, his situation has become even more complicated than before. Now, stuck between primordial dragons fighting for hegemony and ancient monsters lurking in the shadows, Tony will have to forge a place called “home” for himself, here, in the endless northern desolate. ….…………………………… This is the first book that I’ll actually try to make… Passable. English is my second language so expect quite a few mistakes. Side note: this is mostly the raw-ish version. I just hope it will be a 2/2.5 in terms of grammar. If you find any mistakes, add a comment and I’ll correct them as fast as possible. PS: Stock cover image for the win. Thank you and enjoy! participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge
8 154 - In Serial7 Chapters
Hope beyond the Horizon
What would you do if you had a fatal disease and only one more year to live?Doing all the fun things life can still offer to you or would you think about how to take care of your family the best way?What would you do if you were offered 10 Million to take part in a test that will take this last year of time you would have with your family?Would you take the money or the time with your family?Xiang Xinya was asked these questions. Bravely moving on, knowing that her body will fail her any time soon.Taking up the offer she ignores all the resistance of her family and her friends. To make sure that her parents are taken care of, to make sure not to leave behind anything unsettled.But the heavens don't want her gone yet, the cards of her destiny were played again. What might wait for her when she activates the unstable prototype of a VR-implant?Follow her to explore a new world with new dangers, and new friends. No regular release - I write whenever I find the time in my busy shedule so please bear with it.
8 190 - In Serial29 Chapters
A Soldier's Harmony
Army Ranger Sergeant Dean Forester, an RSTF operator, is sent on a mission to retake and destroy a secret lab now belonging to Humanities mortal enemy: The Orith. After everything goes wrong for himself and his squad, Dean is sent through an experimental wormhole on the verge of death to a whole new world, one that is corrupted by war and slavery. Twilight Sparkle, the last Alicorn, is on the run. It had been nearly two years since the Dark Elves took the peaceful land of Equestria, enslaving it's habitants, imprisoning the remaining elements, and killing the remaining princesses. With all hope seeming to be lost, Twilight stumbles upon an interesting discovery deep within the Everfree, something she had only heard stories about: A Human. The two must team up and take back the land of Equestria. Challenges will be faced, blood will be spilt, and maybe, just maybe, Sergeant Dean Forester will finally find his peace and harmony in this new land... Original story located on Fimfiction.net. Also posted on Wattpad, Fanfiction, and Scribblehub.
8 111

