Brianna Alfson often wished that the Department of Dungeon Studies never forced her into Advanced Dungeon Combat. She had the skill and arcane prowess for the class, but she lacked a party.

Unlike her former companions, Brianna didn’t have an affluent background. She was born in the Arctic Wastes amongst the freefolk. They taught her to wield weapons and command her ancestor's magic. Her people didn’t believe in hoarding material wealth. As a result, when her parents passed, they left her nothing but a handful of family heirlooms.

So, Brianna had to work twice as hard as everyone else to get by. Working for the student police force helped her pay tuition and just about survive in the City of Ygg. Her former party didn’t spend time on such endeavors. As a result, a year ago, when Terrastalia appeared outside the walls and monsters flooded the sewers, she got the opportunity to sharpen her skills further and drastically grow her mana levels. Now, as an adept-ranked Aether Warrior, she was significantly more powerful than them. Resentment and jealousy had resulted in her excommunication from the party.

The department promised to help her find new companions, but that meant attending Advanced Dungeon Combat. Unfortunately, all the parties in the class had close ties and had no room for someone new. Brianna also sensed prejudice against Aether Warriors in the department. Only a couple, including her, were in the class of almost twenty students. Individuals of her discipline appeared almost exclusively to gravitate toward the war magic department.

She had approached all the parties in Advanced Dungeon Combat in the month since the semester began. Two outright rejected her. One gave her a noncommittal response. Unlike Kurosaki Hinata, Brianna wasn’t one to persist and humiliate herself. However, she didn’t hesitate to ask them for the opportunity to train.

“Excuse me, Mr Woodson,” she said, approaching the dean’s grandson. He was the most approachable and hospitable of the lot. The rest gave anyone not related to the party a wide berth. However, they were the only party who put in genuine effort when training with outsiders. “Is it okay if I train with you today?”

Kurosaki Hinata shot her a dirty look from a neighboring terrace. It looked like Alexander’s party had already turned her away for the day, and she had somehow weaseled her way into Louis Mercer's party. “I'd love to see how my aura interacts with your sister's water conjurations and Mr Greengrasse's magic.”

“Sure!” Alexander replied, shooting her his characteristic charming smile.

Initially, Brianna had thought the younger of the Woodson siblings as nothing more than a squirrel summoner. But now he sat on a throne Shaped from the roof's rough grey stone. His squirrels sat on his shoulders and scurried around the chair, playing with one another.

“I had an excellent time sparring with you last time, and no one in the party has any issues with you,” he continued. “Just remember that we aren't accepting any party members right now. I'd rather not get your hopes up—”

“That's alright. I understand.” Brianna felt a tad disheartened at the reminder and preemptive Rejection but didn't let her face or body language show it. “I only want to sharpen my skills against talented delvers and improve my teamwork skills.”

“I'm looking for a new sparring partner,” Nox Ratra said, catching her off guard. She had heard of the City of Ygg's savior, heard of his alchemical prowess, and passed his businesses while out around Market Ring. He rarely interacted with people outside of his party, often coming across as aloof and stern. Brianna understood the need for such a demeanor when someone had as much political and economic power as him. People always wanted something of such individuals. “If you don't mind me trialing new spells and tactics during a practice fight, I think we can help each other out?”

“Are you sure, Sir Ratra?” Brianna asked, shooting his party members a concerned look. They looked amused. “You're a long-range fighter. I fight at close range and am pretty speedy and tenacious. My aura and attacks might cause grave injuries despite the dueling wards.”

“I'm sure.” Nox smiled. “My new spells are designed to help me overcome such weaknesses. You might be just the right person to help me refine things and discover any remaining shortcomings.”

“I didn't mean any offense,” Brianma quickly added. “It's not common for a support or control mage to challenge a duelist. That magic weapon of yours might be potent.” She nodded at his rune-covered right arm. The lengths of metal running along it had initially disgusted her. A month later, they didn't look as grotesque anymore. “They might not be enough when I truly unleash.”

“It's quite alright,” Nox replied. “If you're too much for me to handle, I'll throw my hands up and surrender.”

Professor Wolfhammer’s summons, Joanna, nodded off the pair and marched off the terrace training arena. The pole hammer she carried the familiar magic of Forever Frost. It fascinated Brianna how in the south, mages weirded such reviled magic with no qualms. Only criminals, saboteurs, and Deep Dwellers wielded such magic in the Arctic Wastes.

It was tempting to comment on Nox's overconfidence when he took the side of the arena closer to the edge of the roof. Brianna held her tongue. She had an opportunity to train against a decent opponent and show her worth. Unnecessary talk would just ruin things. So, she channeled mana through the intricate crimson tattoos covering her spine, torso, and limbs before drawing her twin hand axes. Their weight felt comfortable in her hands.

Meanwhile, Nox Ratra manifested his mana gauntlet and a short bow. The first covered his left arm from elbow to fingertips. The artifact and its power to solidify mana fascinated her. The three-foot-long, stringless bow was just as impressive.

The match began when Joanna nodded. Neither combatant moved. Brianna had expected Nox to nock and fire his mana arrows straight away, but he didn't budge. Instead, she sensed the mana behaving oddly around him. So, she momentarily redirected mana from her right arm to the tattoo lines running up her neck and cheeks. They ended just below her lower eyelids.

The world lit up with a variety of iridescence. Flecks of green floated in the air around them, raining from Ygg's canopy above. Her tattoos radiated a mercurial silver and fiery crimson light. Nox's artificed weapons glowed with an almost blinding blue glow. It made it difficult to study the odd arcane fields surrounding him, but Brianna’s ancestral tattoos prevailed.

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Nox Ratra's new spell reminded her of the gleemen who roamed between the Freefolk tribes. They were mostly apprentice, with rare journeymen here and there, mages that used cantrips and basic spells to entertain the masses. Brianna remembered one who would often visit her clan while her parents were still alive. He would create layered bubbles and Shape them to add a visual flair to his spell.

An arcane bubble clearer than any Brianna had ever seen floated in front of Nox. She knew at a glance that it was a space devoid of all magic. A larger amorphous bubble twisted and stretched around him. It wobbled like an unfolded jelly for a moment, then transformed into an elongated teardrop with Nox at the rounded, heavy end. Then Brianne’s stomach dropped when she saw flecks of black and purple floating in the outer purple.

No one outside of his party and a handful of professors knew much about Nox Ratra’s magic. He kept his cards close to his chest. She knew he had potent Slow and Haste spells but not much else. He hadn't displayed much else over the past month. People who had seen him in action the last two semesters didn't know much about his mana system either. He occasionally used strange crystals or alchemical products, but Brianna currently saw no signs of them. She worried he had tied himself to something untoward to overcome his weakness—namely, the Void.

Brianna didn't like to show off her ancestral magic unless necessary, but she wanted to take no risk against a Void mage. The tattoos wrapping around her arms came to life. They broke away from her skin and solidified as luminous crimson chains. The top link attached to her axes while the rest remained wrapped around her forearms, merging with her body art as they approached the elbow.

Then, she charged at her opponent. Brianna dropped her left axe, letting it fall a couple of feet before she caught the chain. With a quick flick, she had the weapon spinning. Meanwhile, her opponent finally raised his bow and drew a crystalline arrow of pure mana. It was better defined than the projectiles she had seen his weapon conjure so far. She didn’t worry about it. Her aura would protect her.

Brianna’s speed increased when she returned mana to her leg tattoos. Once she added the Haste cantrip, the world blurred by, and she saw nothing but her opponent. Once within range, she dug a heel into the ground and spun, sending the spinning axe in a wide arc at her opponent. He disappeared before the weapon could make contact. A heartbeat later, she felt a mass of mana enter her aura and destabilize. It struck her back and exploded, almost throwing her off balance and sending her to her knees.

Brianna dove to avoid any subsequent projectiles, rolled, and hopped onto her feet, facing the attacking magic's source. There was no one there. Nox stood twenty feet away, looking sweaty and slightly out of breath but grinning from ear to ear. He had already prepared another arrow and fired it at her. The crystalline projectile cracked and lost some definition when it entered her aura. Brianna already had an axe spinning in front of her. It struck the chain and exploded in a cloud of mana.

“Is that anti-magic?” Nox asked. He sounded winded.

Brianna didn’t reply. She sprinted at her opponent, now box axes spinning. She poured more mana into her spinal tattoos. Her senses sharpened, and time started to slow. Her spinning axe’s revolutions sounded louder, and each appeared to take more time. Even though it drained her significantly, she empowered her eyes, too. Nox continued to stretch and contract the bubble. As she got a closer look, Brianna realized it was his mana zone. She didn’t understand the point of the ability but guessed it had something to do with his movement spell.

Instead of continuing in a straight line, Brianna ran diagonally, hoping it would make her harder to target. She had an axe spinning between herself and Nox anyway. The other spun in a wider arc as she formulated a quick plan to counter her opponent.

Another arrow exploded against her chains. It was more powerful than the previous projectiles. Her chains cracked, and the force behind it almost made her lose her footing. Brianna swung her off-hand axe in a wide arc, using the momentum to bite deep into the ground. Then she leaped, using her momentum to fly in an arc at Nox. His fired projectile missed her by a significant margin. She launched her second axe at him.

“Bastard!” She hissed when he disappeared into thin air and disappeared ten feet away.

Brianna was ready. She spun, moving into her grandmother’s axe-dance form. First, she retracted her chains, retrieving the axe stuck in the ground. Then, she reversed her rotations and released more of her conjurations. The maelstrom of axe and chain expanded to ten feet, followed by twenty.

“Die, Void Mage!” Brianna yelled. The black and purple flecks hadn’t grown and absorbed Ygg’s raining life essence like normal Void magic, but she refused to take any chances. Her tattoos burned, and her heart pounded in her chest. It felt as if her body was on fire. She attempted to contain and channel her rage. Her father had mastered the clan’s technique of using anger to empower the tattoos further, but she hadn’t got the skill yet. It took all her focus just to keep her vision from turning crimson. Failure was a surefire method of gaining the Berserker and Barbarian labels. No one would want her at their party then.

“Void mage?” Nox asked, now standing on the opposite end of the training arena. He had fallen to a knee and looked nauseous. “Is that what’s got you riled up? This is just spatial magic.”

“Oh.” Brianna’s rage immediately ebbed. The purple and black flecks' inertness made sense.

“I surrender. My mana is all gone, and you’re far too frightening.”

Manipulation magic helped Brianna swiftly retract her chains and wrap them around her forearms. They reverted to her tattoo forms. “I apologize,” she said. “My control needs work.”

Nox chuckled. The man didn’t seem angry or scared of her rage. “I’ve read about the Freefolk’s arcane tattoos, but this is my first time seeing them in action. They make you volatile, don’t you?”

Brianna nodded. The rage and heat ebbed as her tattoos slowly lost their luminosity. “Fenrir’s Chains were designed to contain the demon wolf and his anger, but they ended up absorbing a fraction of his rage. The longer I use them, the harder it is to keep control.”

“But the rage further strengthens you, does it not?” Nox asked. He had a notebook out and was taking notes. The man’s nonchalance confused her. “Fenrir’s Chains,” he mumbled. “Fascinating.”

“They do as long as I maintain control and contain my rage,” Brianna answered. “My clan has Soothsingers to help us fight it, but I haven’t met any down south. It makes finding a party significantly harder.”

“I’m not sure if I can help in that department, but if you’re willing to let me study your tattoos, I’d be willing to offer a short-term contract that could turn into more.” Nox smiled up at her. Now that they stood so close to one another, the height and shape disparity became more obvious. Brianna stood as tall as most local men but had several inches on Nox. It made most uncomfortable, but he didn’t seem to care. “If you’re willing, I can draw up the necessary paperwork this evening. It will pay more than working in the student police—”

“I’m sorry this is very sudden,” Brianna interrupted, frowning. “Why?”

“In all honesty? If we train with five members, it will keep Professor Wolfhammer and the other interested candidates away. Secondly, your fighting technique and tattoos are fascinating.” Nox held up his right arm. “As you can see, I’m fairly reliant on arcane tattoos. So, I think we could benefit one another.”

“Alright.” Brianna nodded. She had hoped to find a party for a long time and liked the Woodsons but knew nothing about the two Daksinsthani men in the party. Now, Nox’s bluntness, the spar, and its abrupt end had her unnerved. “I suppose a short-term contract could be good for both of us.”