“I hope I won’t see any breaches of the rules I established last session. Now, all of you go pick a ring. Once you all are ready, I’ll give the signal to begin.” The professor said after the last team came.

  I exchanged a look with Magnar. He gave me a small nod. He still didn’t know exactly how strong I was, I never really told him, and the way I sensed aether was… unusual… especially for a lower body core mage like us. I gave him a thumbs up, then pointed at Elian and yawned.

  Our little exchange did not escape Elian’s sight. It was his turn to clench his jaw and tremble in rage. Until the professor gave the signal, he couldn’t do anything regardless. We all headed to the rings. Me and Magnar picked ones next to each other.

  After all of us took our spots and the formations formed domes over the rings, the professor finally spoke again.

  “You may begin!” His voice still soft and warm, yet it spread widely and was clearly heard by everyone.

  Ellian did not hesitate a moment. As soon as the signal was given, he raised his hand towards me. I stepped diagonally forward, pushing myself off the ground at high-speed using aether. The place I was in earlier ignited and a small shockwave spread out.

  He kept moving his hand around, trying to catch me off guard. He even raised his second hand to start producing those explosions. Shockwaves bloomed as I kept stepping out of the range at the last second. I was circling Elian, doing all kinds of acrobatic movements.

  I switched a part of my attention over to Magnar’s side. The situation was similar, he was facing what looked like a caster type mage too. His opponent was using wind, pushing himself to move swiftly and glide escaping Magnar’s attempts to catch him.

  Elian noticing I was not paying attention got even angrier. He started waving his hands as swathes of air exploded before me. But I did not falter. I kept avoiding his attacks. Be it jumping over them, ducking, stepping forward or back, it was all done seamlessly.

  “Is this all you can do?”

  Elian clenched his jaw. Outside the arbiter was looking at me wide eyed as I kept dodging at the last second. Seeing I couldn’t be hit like that, he changed strategies. He stopped using explosions. Instead, his hands wrapped in flames purplish from aether.

  “I didn’t want to use this but…” I heard a mutter coming from Elian.

  Meanwhile, Magnar’s fight was unfolding. Despite the initial impression that he was dominated, he slowly started to corner his opponent. Step by step he left less space for maneuvering. At first his opponent controlled him and pinned him in place by using gusts and continuously jumping around carried by his own winds.

  But now… The strain on his face made it all too clear. He was running out of aether, while Magnar adapted to his strategy. He no longer tried to simply catch him. He was pushing himself at great speed sideways in the direction his opponent was rushing to.

  After a few such maneuvers, Magnar cornered his opponent. In a desperate attempt the guy tried jumping over Magnar. Bad idea. Magnar grabbed his leg, and, with great force, slammed the guy to the floor twice. Once the kid managed to cushion himself with wind, but the second time he was slammed face first at full strength.

  The kid collapsed, his body hanging limply in Magnar’s grip. But he didn’t just drop him. Magnar actually scooped him up in his arms, having him lay on his forehands. He got off the stage and handed the kid to his friends, then came over to watch the rest of my fight. ‘I guess what he said was true about valuing strength…’. I returned my focus to my own fight.

  At this point flames were dancing on the arena as Elian spread them all over. His hands turned into veritable flame throwers. But I got tired of dodging. Since Magnar finished his match, it was time for me to get it over with too.

  I stepped forward slowly, right into his attack. A motion that was evidently deliberate. My figure was engulfed by the flames. The arbiter was about to declare my loss with a smirk, but my steps sounded out, then my figure became apparent again.

  Bathed in Elian’s flames, I was stepping forward against his fire jet. Step by step I was getting closer to him, smiling devilishly while wrapped in flames.

  “Do you see now? Your attacks mean nothing.” I said in a lazy manner. “I was merely toying with you earlier, giving you a sense of power. But you’re boring. If this is your great backup, then… You fail here.”

  Elian’s eyes dilated and he started shaking. As I stepped forward, I could see sweat trickle down his face as he renewed his effort, producing more flames. Another step and Elian stopped making flames with one of his hands. Instead, he aimed at me to produce another explosion.

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  I sensed it before it fully formed. Air gathered together then he added a lot of heat producing a blast. But I wasn’t about to let it happen. I needed to release the pressure from the gathering point, and do it in a humiliating way, so, I made my own construct of aether, guiding the air away from the explosion through it.

  I added a flexible, elastic membrane to the exit, with a few folds and a hole. The result was a loud fart like sound. His explosion turned into a fart.

  “You, see? This is what your efforts are to me. In fact, they are even less impactful; at least farts would stink and disgust me.”

  Suddenly Elian stopped producing flames all together. As the fire jet dissipated my body came in everyone’s view. My clothes weren’t even slightly blackened. Entirely untouched. All due to the reinforcement technique I learnt under Fjorn. This Elian has a death wish to use fire against a blacksmith.

  Elian’s jaw clenched. He brought his palms together facing each other. Flames started forming and condensing between his hands in a ball. It turned from red to orange to yellow.

  Elian’s hands started trembling and he shifted his, trembling with strain, hands. I propelled myself forward. Protecting my hand with aether, I placed it right in front of the fire ball. Just as it exploded and flames started rushing backwards, under my influence, towards the incredulous Elian, the flames went out, leaving behind nothing but a slight smell of burnt.

  Both our wrists got hit. The professor suddenly standing next to us.

  “I’ve seen enough. Both of you get down.” His usually warm voice carried a trace of coldness.

  ‘I fucked up.’ I thought as I was getting off the ring.

  “I want both of you to stay after class.” He continued.

  I parted ways with Elian that was still holding his hand and rubbing it. Looking for Magnar, I saw him talking with some of his peers from Vok’Tar. My feet got stuck to the ground and I couldn’t move them. A heaviness pressed on me.

  I turned around to look at the rest of the matches. Suddenly a big hand fell on my shoulder. It came unexpectedly and made my knees buckle.

  “Come, I have to introduce you to the rest. Guys like you are rare round here, Not to mention that getting gear made around here for us costs a fortune even if we bring the materials due to our huge frames.” Magnar said.

  I threw him a look. A raised eyebrow and pursed lips.

  “Is that why you hang around with me? For cheap armor?” I asked sarcastically.

  I went with him. I have to say though. The beastman women… They are definitely not something anyone can handle… Big and muscular just like the men. Well anyway, I pray for the guys that were supposed to marry them, after all, it seems they were sent here for a marriage alliance. Let’s just say that the husbands will be doing the laundry…

  “You walking through the flames there, looked really menacing! I didn’t expect someone so gutsy to be here!” One of Magnar’s friends said.

  “Ah… That… Well, if you already know it can’t hurt you… Then it’s not really something that I’d call gutsy. Just a matter of course. Got tired of making a show and running.”

  After we just watched the rest of the fights. They were honestly lacking any suspense. The nobles would dominate the commoners since they never received any form of combat education beforehand, rarely would one actually pose a challenge to a noble or straight up defeat one like I did.

  The few fights amongst nobles and the ones amongst beastmen were the highlights. Aside from challenges, most beastmen fought amongst themselves. Be it a clash of pure strength or one of projectiles, it all ended up in a very straight forward way in the end.

  Still seeing an eleven-year-old clash with a mountainous beastman and keep up was quite the surreal sight. But in close quarters all such attempts ended up in the defeat of the challenger. Only casters managed to secure some victories, and they weren’t a lot.

  Those that already fought could fight again, so in the end all the noble casters tried their hand at fighting the beastman. Strangely enough, no one challenged me again, I expected another fight… But I guess no one understood how I kept dodging…

  The end of the class came. Me and Magnar parted with the rest of the beastmen, waiting for the professor.

  “Hey, there’s no need for you to stay with me, it was my mistake that prompted the professor to intervene.”

  “You did it for me, so I’m seeing this to the end with you.”

  “I told you already… If it wasn’t for you, I’d have been the target.”

  “And yet you aren’t, and you still got involved.”

  I stopped talking. ‘Since when is he so eloquent?’. Elian approached us too. He stood a few steps away from us and even harrumphed coldly at us. None of his friends remained with him. He was alone. Not long after the professor finished stopping and verifying all the arrays and came towards us to.

  “I hope you thought and realized your mistakes. What you did there could have ended in some serious injuries.”

  “I understand, professor, I got carried away.” I spoke.

  “You could have burned him till only the bones remained! I doubt you fully understand the severity of such actions. As for you…” The professors gaze turned to Elian. “I clearly told you last class that I want you to stop at the first sign of possible injury. Had you stopped when he stepped in your flames you’d have been declared the winner.”

  “Out of the two of you, one acted recklessly, while the other went directly against my instructions. You’ll both be suspended from this class.” He turned his gaze to me. “Especially you! Why does your file not say anything about you being in the core formation stage?”

  I blinked caught off guard… I had no idea about any file or what not. I only knew that I was supposed to attend classes here… Garrick never mentioned anything about it nor did Cassia. While I was struggling to come up with a good answer, both Magnar and Elian starred at me wide eyed.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what files you’re talking about…”

  “Ha… That is to be expected… You’re just a commoner, anyway, you won’t be training with these kids anymore. Your sensitivity to aether is particularly sharp and is making the fights even more unfair. I’ll arrange something for you. Until then, you won’t get to take part in the physical part of the class.”

  “Understood.”

  “Alright, dismissed.” He looked at Elian again. “I hope the defeat this time will be a lesson to you. Don’t underestimate anyone!”

  We walked away, the professor remained behind. As we left the arena we turned to go towards the market while Elian quickly walked to the dorms. It was time to get the last things needed to finish the forge and start smithing!

  !