Arras, for his part, thought he was conducting himself with at least some semblance of professionalism. Whatever that meant. Surprisingly, this whole gathering business hadn't been nearly as grating as he thought it would've been. Sure, there was chatter about in the air, little snippets of conversation that he could make out, but despite what he had been warned of, nobody really tried to approach him. So, yes, he was quite content to simply enjoy the cold night air outside of the main hall.

"I know you don't really want to talk to any of these people, but Arras I really cannot recommend this enough, you should at least get something to eat. These people suck to talk to, but wow, they do not hold anything back when preparing food for these events, trust me on that one."

"I'm not particularly hungry, and I'm still trying to work out a knot in my stomach from the ride here."

"...Pleeeease?"

"You just want some for yourself don't you?"

"...Maybe."

At the moment, Arras currently found himself leaning on the railing of a balcony. His tails swishing at the open air as he observed the city below him. The place was far more crowded than the Baron's property had ever been. Lights filled the streets beneath him, and even through the constant chatter in the halls behind him, he could still pick up on some occasional sounds from far below.

"Well... I mean, I'm not really against spending the night out here, but we will get food at some point, right? Standing here for six hours starving doesn't exactly sound... Pleasant."

"If you want to eat so badly, why not just get the food yourself?"

"...You do realize why Baron Pennsworth had you learn transformation magic to begin with, don't you?"

"Something about being proper? For respect, or whatever?"

"...That's a butchery of it, but yeah along those lines. We don't really have a familiar contract, or anything of the sort, but to the outside observer right now you look like a mage in a position of power. Not many people have contracts with Ashwings. That's the whole reason the Baron agreed to me coming with you to begin with. Nobody will question you if you take a stroll around the place, however, if I were to fly in and snatch something, it would not go nearly as smoothly."

"So you're saying you can't get anything to eat without me?"

"...Essentially."

"Alright, alright. I can count on you to guide me, yes?"

"Stake a contract on it!"

"I'd... Rather you didn't."

"It's an expression-never mind, yes, you can count on me."

...

Arras was half tempted to activate the physical strengthening infused into his artifact just to get to his destination faster, but ultimately decided against it. It wasn't like anybody was actively trying to start a conversation with him, and as he had tested, the physical strengthening infused into his artifact was focused more on strength and durability. Besides, he had Illia keeping an eye out for any problem makers as he traversed the place.

On top of that, Arras's skills in avoidance served him well. Despite the crowd, he always managed to keep at the least a three meter distance between himself and any other people. When somebody started to break into that bubble? He'd simply move away. If somebody managed to slip his notice?

"Noble on your right, your left is mostly clear bar the group way ahead. Head left and wait a moment before continuing onward. Buffet is about a minute away."

That, that's what happened. Illia was true to her word, she was in fact a guide that Arras could count on. He was starting to get the feeling that she had done something similar to this before now, otherwise, why would she be so good at it?

"You're good to keep moving now, path is mostly clear, just keep an eye out."

"Got it."

As usual, they made a good team.

"Hold on, there's a noble making a line straight for you. Speed up, but only a little bit. If they keep following you, do you see that pillar over there?"

"Yes."

"Walk up to it and wait for them, I'll guide you through the conversation."

Arras, once again, did as instructed. He spotted the noble that Illia had mentioned, and yup... Their eyes were trained on Arras. Though he didn't make it obvious that he'd seen them, at least he had hoped he hadn't. Shortly afterwards, he sped up just a little bit. They course corrected to continue following after Arras, an unavoidable confrontation, drat.

"It's fine, I'll have us out of this in just a moment. Make a new link with them, don't add them to my spell."

Arras nodded to Illia in acknowledgement as he reached the pillar. He proceeded to slightly lean against it, and lo and behold that same noble was there with him a moment later.

"Gr$@in%!."

"Did you make the link yet?"

"Working on it."

"As soon as you create it, reciprocate and tell them "greetings". Okay?"

"Got it."

Arras wasn't exactly working slow, it was just that the entire conversation between him and Illia had taken a little bit less than three seconds in total.

"Greetings."

"M#n^a! (&mmu#icat!o^$? An (dd ch@!ce."

"She noted the mind spell, tell her "Apologies, but I am unfortunately mute." Okay?"

"I got that." Arras addressed Illia, before switching his focus to the noble.

"Apologies, but I am unfortunately mute."

"Hm, well I suppose it's not an issue to use such methods."

"What did she say...?" Illia apparently hadn't expected her to switch to mental communications so quickly.

"That it's not an issue to use the spell."

"Okay, ask her why she's stopping you."

...

It took a moment, but eventually Arras and Illia settled into a comfortable feedback loop. To the point that it didn't even require mentioning.

"So you see, I couldn't help but take notice of your stunning outfit!" Arras mentally scoffed. (And of course he blocked it out.) What a ridiculous reason to waste the time of somebody who was very clearly avoiding talking to others, there was no way that was all, and Illia agreed with him. There had to be an ulterior motive.

"Indeed, it was created by Aria S Nilliea herself, so it is undoubtedly of excellent quality." Arras relayed one for one every word of the conversation. He found it somewhat ironic, that they had specifically approached Arras himself, only to end up talking with Illia instead. Only to not even realize that was what was happening either.

"Ah, it is surprising that you were able to commission a work from her! A notoriously elusive artificer indeed., Yet, I couldn't help but notice something else about you."

There were currently two voices assaulting Arras's mind from both sides, but he was more than skilled enough to deal with it. Both Illia's absolute disbelief with how thick this person was laying it on before just asking the damn question they wanted to ask, and the nobles as mentioned before, laying it on thicker than the bold faced lie that Arras was currently engaging in.

"And what would that happen to be?"

"I don't believe I've seen one of your kind before, at least not in a setting such as this. May you enlighten me as to what exactly you are?"

"...All of that, just to ask what species you are?" Illia narrowed her eyes at the noble before her, though she didn't even notice the Ashwing's glare.

"A Spirit Fox, what of it?"

"I had figured, but I simply had to know you must understand. I take it you yourself aren't a noble, so who might you be here under?"

"Just tell her straight."

"I have come under Baron Pennsworth of the northeastern province."

"Ah, that sorry excuse of a nobleman?"

"I don't like where this is going..."

"What of him?" Arras raised his eyebrows slightly

"I won't claim to be an expert upon matters involving Spirit Foxes, but as one of them with three tails, you must be quite powerful, no? It would surely be a waste for somebody of your caliber to be rotting away in such a... Backwater estate."

"Ah, so that was her angle. Alright Arras, tell her in no uncertain terms, no. You have two active contracts pertaining to the man, and while defecting may not affect your second contract, backstabbing a noble in some form may count as a trigger to your first contract. It's a slim chance, but not worth the risk."

"I will have to apologize, for I cannot accept such an offer. I have my own problems to take care of."

"...By chance, do you know who I am?"

"Oh gooooooood." Illia groaned. Arras figured that didn't bode well.

"You are currently speaking to Viscount Emillius, a noble of far higher station than that pitiful man you currently serve."

"That unfortunately, does not change my answer. I am rather uncompromising, you will have to forgive this transgression."

"...Very well."

And from there the noble walked away without any further protest.

"That sounds like trouble..." Illia leaned against Arras's neck once again. "Sorry, we should've just stayed outside. We can just go back..."

"Nonsense, I can see the food from here."

...

Once again, Arras stood leaning against the balcony railing, this time, with a platform constructed out of force magic with a few plates of food resting upon it. He certainly hadn't managed to circumvent his third issue, buuuut, he did get a lot better at recycling close ranged force magic in the effort. As such, he was able to keep the table manifested permanently. He literally recovered magic faster than the spell depleted it. It wasn't like he was keeping the mind link active himself either, that was Illia's doing. So all he had to focus on was this one spell.

"Sooooo, how's the food?"

"Really good, you weren't lying."

"I never lie silly!"

"That's not..." Arras tried to think of a single instance of Illia actually lying to him. "...Okay, maybe you're right."

"Always am!"

"Okay, now I can think of a time where you lied to me."

"Pff-shut up."

These... berries were rather tasty, they reminded Arras of the Hira berries that grew around his place of birth. But instead of having a tinge of magic in them, they had a tinge of... Flavor.

"Hey Illia, do you know what these are called?"

"I think they're called Millipis, why?"

"No particular reason, just curious." He admitted as he popped another one into his mouth.

"So... You're really not worried about the person from earlier?"

"No, why would I be?"

"...Arras, there's a whole lot of reasons to be worried about upsetting people in positions of power."

"Oh please, they weren't exactly magically powerful enough to overwhelm me."

"They don't need to do it with magic, they could make your life a living hell if they really wanted to. They, almost certainly wouldn't, but they could."

"Well, what is there to be afraid of then?"

"...I guess you're right, but there's probably some other stuff they can do to you too... If they try to get back at you in some sort of duel though, that'd be pretty stupid of them."

...

"Arras, there you are! I was looking all over for you my friend."

Hearing Pennsworth call Arras his friend made him physically cringe.

"Have you been out here all alone this entire time? This is a superb chance to create connections you know, it is not often that you have access to the entire local noble group."

"With respect, I really don't care."

Illia hadn't even told him to say that one.

"Hm, well, it matters not. The banquet will soon be advancing to the next stage. I see you have enjoyed the offered meals, so simply leave your plate on one of the tables inside. It is also good that you have not stained yourself. That would be rather... Unfavorable."

"I'm not a fool."

"Yes, yet you are ignorant." Once again, the Baron's persona slipped and they delivered quit the quip. "It matters not however, there is no fault to be found. Come along Arras, it is time to do what you are best at."

Without further discourse, Arras simply did as instructed. He might not much like his... Employer, but he at least had faith that he wouldn't be putting Arras into a situation that he couldn't handle. It also helped that Illia said he should do as much.

Arras absentmindedly noted that everybody at the event was moving in the general direction that Pennsworth was currently leading him. So, by extension, this must have been something important. Given he'd said "time to do what you're best at", Arras made the conclusion that it would likely be time for those duels he'd been told about.

Eventually, they came to a stop in a somewhat crowded location. Some sat, some stood, others hadn't even arrived yet, but the fair majority of the current attendance was present. In the near distance, was an elevated platform, so Arras figured whatever was happening would be happening there.

"Illia, what exactly is happening?" Arras's eyes drifted towards Illia as he sat down adjacent from the Baron.

"I think they're having an announcement, and then probably the duels will happen after that. It's really just a way for nobles to posture and flex their status... Of course, at the expense of their subordinates. Which... Would be you."

"I do not mind, if anything, a friendly battle with other skilled magic users would be good for me."

"You know... Friendly might not be... Nevermind, you're right, you'll probably be fine if you do have to step up."

Lo and behold, moments after Illia had finished speaking a rather extravagantly dressed man (yes, extravagant as in even more than everybody else present.) stepped up onto the stage and began to speak. Arras thought he wouldn't be able to make much out at first, but surprisingly enough all other conversation ceased.

"Don't try to connect another link until he's done speaking, it's considered rude to converse in the middle of announcements like this."

And with that, she cut off her spell. Arras frowned slightly, but turned his attention to the man up on the stage.

Arras proceeded to do his best to translate, but he wasn't quite getting all of it. He'd like to think he got the gist of it though. At the start, it was just a whole lot of glorified ass-kissing, not quite the worst thing that could've happened but not exactly something Arras cared about. After that, they said something about dinners and what not, but that had easily been the part that Arras got the least out of. But conversely, the third part he readily understood.

He didn't get the specifics, but once the word "duel" was mentioned, Arras could pick up on the rest pretty easily. Fifteen minutes, and they would begin. Perhaps he wouldn't be spending the night outside, cause he wanted to see this.

...

The first duel seemingly took place between a human, and a creature using a metamorphosis spell. At least Arras thought it was a creature using a metamorphosis spell, because humans didn't really have tails and fluffy ears like he did...? Well, it was only a single tail, so who knew.

Speaking of the two people up there however, both of them held a small cylindrical object in their hands. Arras found that curious, because he hadn't quite seen anything like it before. Was it an artifact, was it some kind of weapon, maybe something else entirely?

"Hey Illia, what are those?"

"What are what?"

"The things those two are holding."

"Oh, they're wands."

"Illia..."

"Jeeze, sorry, sorry, just trying to lighten up the mood. Wands are a kind of artifact. They're one of the more commonly made types, but effectively they're just supports for spell casting."

"...What kind of support?"

"Well, you know how you can cast magic more easily when you use your tail for it, right?"

"...Yes, what of it?"

"Think of wands like that, they're loaded up with support magic to make it easier to cast spells. They're pretty helpful, but usually only for people with no natural advantages like yourself. You wouldn't really need one, and you probably shouldn't take any if they're offered to you. Sabotage, and what not."

"I'll take your word for it." Arras shook his head sadly. Really, sabotage?

Regardless of all that, the fight seemed as if it was finally about to begin. Arras primed himself, and focused in on the battle.

They took steps away from each other, each backing up over a bit more than half of the arena. Before once again facing each other. They held their wands to each other, and as soon as a voice called out the non-human began to cast a spell.

A small ball of flame came into existence almost immediately, and just as quickly it whizzed towards the human present. It was a good fireball, quick, efficient, but not very powerful. Arras however, knew better. That had been on purpose, the flame user was simply holding back so as to not cause damage. The aura currently rolling off of him served to suggest that he could put far, FAR more power into a spell.

Despite all of that, Arras didn't particularly care about them. Fire was a magic that Arras had more than enough control over. He was currently more curious as to what the other combatant could do... Or if they'd instead just get hit and lose. Luckily for Arras, they did not disappoint. A wall of water shimmered into existence before the ball of flame, consuming the attack and sizzling quietly for a short moment before it vanished back into the air itself.

This, caught his attention. Water was a magic that Arras himself had always struggled with using, he'd long since given up on pursuing it, but perhaps this battle could rekindle his interest in it?

After that initial exchange, the rate of attack picked up. The flame user, for now the aggressor, whipped their wand back and forth as they conjured fireball after fireball to send flying after their opponent. The water user, responded in kind and blocked each attack with an ease of grace. Throughout it all, both practitioners expertly weaved their way around the battlefield. The flame user would take a step towards the water user, and the water user would step back in tandem, always maintaining a set distance.

It was certainly a riveting display, but so far it seemed as if the water user was only attempting to outlast the flame user, that however, wouldn't work. Arras could tell it wouldn't. The aura of the flame user did not flag in even the slightest upon casting any spells at all. They would be able to keep this fight up for hours, and the water user seemed to understand this as well. Thus, they did something that prompted an updating of Arras's nicknames.

Once the flame user took yet another step forward, instead of backing away the typhoon user quickly stepped forward and thrusted their wand towards their adversary, unleashing a blast of wind straight towards the flame users chest. Even as far as he was, Arras could still see the flame users eyes widen in shock. They attempted to raise their wand to defend themselves, but it was all too late.

The burst of wind slammed into their chest with all the force of a raging Raigahma, sending the flame user flying off of the arena. Arras assumed they would merely climb back up, but with yet another announcement thunderous applause rung out from the crowd. It would seem that the typhoon user had won. Arras found himself inclined to replicate the crowds actions.

It was a good fight, a display of magic that Arras himself considered to be quite impressive, expert defense, offense, and the trickery to top it off. And so it was that he awaited the next fight eagerly.

...

This time, yet another human took the stage, wielding a wand in a similar manner to the previous two participants. Adjacent to them, a taller figure with a sword took the field. It seemed they... Weren't quite human? Maybe they were just really good at transformation magic? Cause they only had rather pointed ears. It was honestly impressive if that was what they had been doing.

"Illia, do you know what that is?"

"I assume you mean the elf?"

"I dunno, maybe?"

"Yes, the tall elf. As I said, it's an elf."

"What is that?"

"Hmm... They're sort of similar to humans, but they live a lot longer and are especially good with water and wind magic. They're terrible with flame magic though, why?"

"Just curious, I was wondering if they were either some sort of human or just way better with a metamorphosis spell than me and that other creature before."

"...? What do you mean that creature from before? Arras, that was a beastkin."

"Oh... And... What is that?"

"Sometimes I forget just how clueless you are about stuff... Sorry, uncalled for. Beastkin are another humanoid race, they're really, really good with physical strengthening magic, but they're generally awful with most other forms of magic besides one or two types. And those types vary from person to person."

"...I see."

Arras nodded to himself, so that had been why the "beastkin" combatant had kept trying to approach their opponent. They wanted to take them down physically instead of magically. Regardless, he turned his focus to the next battle.

The elf unsheathed their sword and stood at the ready, the human had no such weapon to pull in response, but they tightened their grip and steeled their gaze. A moment later, another cry rung out from somewhere, and the fight began.

If Arras blinked, he would've missed it. The elf moved with a speed that he would've thought to be completely impossible before this moment. They crossed almost the entire arena within a single instant, and took a swing at their opponent in that same movement. Luckily for the human, they managed to react in time, if only barely.

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They side stepped the blow, just barely, but instead of attempting to make distance they raised their wand and attacked with an odd purple spell that felt distinctly familiar to Arras...

The elf avoided it with grace and dropped to the ground on their arm, in the same movement they kicked out with their leg. Though, they just barely missed the human who leaped backwards out of the range of their strike. A burst of wind followed the elf's attack, sweeping over the rest of the arena, so Arras noted it was somewhat fortunate that the human had jumped high enough to avoid even that.

Arras was enamored with the battle before him, he couldn't even focus on the magic at play. The flow of this elf's movement was simply... Beautiful. Despite the mastery of their own body however, they still found themselves unable to connect a blow against their opponent. The elf sprung via the use of their arm currently against the ground, yet even with that momentum the human once again ducked under the attack.

This time, it felt as if time slowed down when the elf readied their next move. As they turned, it felt like they fell slower and slower... Arras could feel something coming, some incredible attack... yet... It never came, it felt as if time had ground to a halt.

Arras blinked, that wasn't him, no. The elf had just stopped in place. He focused once again, and no longer did Arras miss the magic at play. A purple energy enveloped the elf as they hovered mid air, and despite their best attempts. it seemed they were unable to break free. Pointing their wand at the elf from below, the human panted heavily for a short moment, before flicking their wrist and sending the elf flying out of the arena.

"Ah, so that's what it was."

"...What?"

Gravity magic, that was what Arras had recognized. He distinctly recalled one of his siblings having been able to use the affinity, and it had proved to be quite potent back then. And here too, it had proved to be no less worthless.

...

Multiple fights proceeded quite similarly to the first two, some were long, some were short. Though all of them held something interesting. Arras himself was plenty entertained and occupied with simply watching. Though, he did hope that if he were to have one of these duels, that it would be soon... He'd need to start powering his artifact himself soon enough.

"Arras."

Pennsworth created a link with him, unprompted, but Arras allowed it.

"Yes?"

"You will be up next, I'm not quite sure who you upset, but I was approached with the express demand to have you duel." Arras paused for a moment, figured Illia had been telling the truth, and then realized that might've been a problem for Pennsworth himself...

"I ap-"

"It's fine, as long as you win anyways. How much longer can you maintain your spell?"

"...I'll need to start maintaining it myself in about thirty minutes."

"Perfect, that should work well enough. As long as you win, it shouldn't be an issue for you to relax. You'll have a certain degree of respect if you are able to deal with the representative of Emillius, certainly enough to assume your true form for the remainder of this gathering."

"...Is that so?" Arras very suddenly had far more motivation to win.

"It is. Though, I hope you realize Illia must stay with me during the duration of your duel."

"...I'd be more worried about you than I would Illia."

The Baron didn't respond.

...

Sure enough, Arras was offered a wand when it was confirmed that he did not have his own. Instead of taking it, or even telling the person offering it to him to buzz off, he simply raised his tails into the air behind him. While transformed, his tails were much larger than they were in his normal state. And he still had just as much control over them as he would otherwise. It did mess with his coat to move his tails around so much, but it was fine. He did have a primarily black shirt under it. He just hadn't realized the shirt and coat were actually separate until a day after he'd initially appraised his own outfit.

With his tails raised, Arras stepped into the arena "unarmed". He'd been somewhat worried that his opponent would be one of those swordsmen he'd watched a few times by now, but luckily for him his opponent seemed to be a humanoid creature wielding a wand. Arras hadn't been sure if he'd be able to deal with overwhelming speed like those combatants had shown. Regardless of that, Arras wasn't sure if his opponent was a beastkin or a creature under the effects of metamorphosis. Either way, it didn't really matter.

Arras supposed he might as well start off lightly, a combination of force magic and illusions ought to work...

His tails swished restlessly as he waited for the first attack. He had to wonder, what exactly was this mage thinking? Were they attempting to size him up? That was rather silly, Arras was allowing them the first move... If they did not take it then he supposed...

Arras squinted slightly, something was off. One of his tails thrashed, and with it Arras unleashed a whirling torrent of flame around him in an instant. The air shimmered with the heat, and immediately he felt the presence of another's magic. How embarrassing, under the rules of this duel he would've lost right there and then had he not picked up on the illusion. They'd gone to great lengths to hide away the wind spell they'd been creating. It would seem he needed to pay closer attention. This human was much better at masking their magic when compared to the other combatants he'd seen so far. Fortunately for Arras, detecting magic was something he excelled at.

As the human scrambled backwards from the ring of flame, Arras's gaze lazily shifted from the now vanishing illusion to their current location. With another lash of his tails, Arras conjured a ginormous ball of flame, and with frightening speed and accuracy, he fired the projectile directly towards his adversary. It whooshed past them and left a shimmer in the air behind it. Arras noted various gasps from the crowd adjacent to the stage, but it was rather pointless to be afraid. It was controlled, completely safe under Arras's management. The fire itself wasn't even that hot, at most it would've singed his opponent if it had hit. But that was fine, there were two ways to win the duel as Arras had observed so far.

Either knock your opponent off stage, or subdue them completely. The former was by far the most common method of victory, but there had been exceptions. However, back to the fight at hand. Now was not the time to let his mind wander after all.

Arras immediately began to work on his next spell, but even during his work, he could sense a rather rough usage of magic from his opponent. They hadn't even tried to hide this one, and it was rather interesting. Perhaps a form of dimensional magic...? Or maybe something else? Regardless of what they did, Arras's opponent suddenly appeared behind him.

A veritable torrent of water manifested itself into existence, smashing into the illusion of himself that Arras had created. There was a look of confusion on his opponents face, but only for a moment as realization rapidly dawned on them. They leaped to the side as a massive coalescence of magic surged through where they had been a mere moments ago, a wall formed from force magic which would've sent them flying if it had connected. Arras could respect his opponents intuition, but he felt it was an appropriate time to stop playing around.

Multiple copies of Arras appeared around the arena, at the very least a dozen. In a mix of confusion and panic, his enemy waved his wand in a circle, and with the motion they created a ring of fire. Arras glanced at it curiously from a safe distance, but quickly realized that he was still in quite a bit of danger. The ring rapidly expanded and slashed through each and every illusion that Arras had created, for his part, Arras simply blocked the attack with a wall of force magic, but his plans had been quite thoroughly dashed.

Yet, he couldn't help but smile. It was a trick that had worked well for him in the past, but against a more competent opponent it would only make sense that it didn't work. Well, that's what backup plans were for he supposed. From where the flame had left lacerations in Arras's illusions, flame licked up and down, contained within the false vessels. With a single mental command, all of that fire which had been held together by Arras's focus escaped out into the world in an instant.

Once more, his opponent's eyes widened in realization. They twirled their wand around in yet another circle as the flames closed in on them, this time creating a protective bubble around themselves.

So, a reliance on water magic, hm?

Arras nodded to himself as his flames died against the thick wall of water. The barrier fell moments later, and after he deflected a blast of wind with yet another force barrier he reevaluated his plan of attack. Earth magic would've been nice to have access to... But he could manage without it. This would've been so much more simple if he could work with lethal magic... But well, that would defeat the point wouldn't it?

Another attack ripped its way towards Arras, but in his place was only another illusion, this time a hollow one, to his opponent's relief. Though, perhaps it might've been a bit soon to be relieved.

Arras barely even attempted to mask his next spell, only doing the bare minimum. Going undetected wasn't exactly the point, he had other plans. So, his opponent reacted almost immediately, deftly side stepping a force magic construct. Despite the spell's purpose, Arras couldn't help but frown. That was a valuable amount of his reserves wasted on nothing but a distraction. Lashing out in the direction that they had sensed activity from, Arras's opponent blasted open air with a gout of water. Just as he had predicted.

Arras knew that this human had good skills involving manipulating magic and detecting it, so he had planned to take advantage of it. To leave a trail that was not so obvious as to completely give away his intentions, but to seem just incompetent enough to leave a tangible trail.

He knew he had to do this next part as quickly as possible, so it was now that Arras made absolutely NO attempt at masking his next move. A tiny, compact ball of flame manifested itself at the tip of Arras's tail. The appendage pointing in his adversaries direction. Within moments, the attack was whistling through the air, if Arras had guessed right...

Once again, his opponent conjured another barrier made from water. They seemed to believe they'd be safe given the still confident look on their face... Unfortunately, however, they'd done exactly what Arras had thought they would.

Instead of harmlessly dying out in the water, the fireball simply smashed straight through it. Around the projectile had been a thin protective casing of force magic. And well, if Arras was one who took pleasure in being petty, seeing the look of shock on his opponent's face would've been rather gratifying after they'd succeeded in thwarting multiple attacks from himself prior to this one.

Arras knew this mage was reliant on their detection skills, and they primarily used water magic to deal with his fire magic. On top of that, if he used force magic offensively, they would simply evade it and waste a significant portion of Arras's magic. So, instead of attempting to beat out his enemy in a battle of attrition, he opted to take advantage of his opponent's one critical flaw.

They trusted in their own perception, far too much. There was a second reason that Arras hadn't bothered to mask his spell, and that was because he knew that it would not be inspected beyond the surface level. Instead of properly defending themselves, his enemy would do the bare minimum upon noticing what seemed to be purely fire magic. The force magic had been so weak in comparison to the fire magic, that unless one went out of their way to truly inspect Arras's spell craft, they would not notice it until it was far too late.

As soon as his enemy thought that they know what they were being attacked with, they would move to defend themselves appropriately. They were reactive, they had demonstrated this when Arras's illusions plan had first fallen through. They did not predict what came next, they merely dealt with the here and now. And so, Arras abused that little quirk, maliciously.

There was nothing they could do. Arras's fireball made clean contact directly against his opponent's chest as the force magic broke away. In an ear splitting KABOOM, the ball of flame rapidly expanded. And with it, his adversary was sent sky high. The flame itself had not been particularly hot, only compact. It was an explosion, not a killing blow.

In some of the most gratifying few seconds of his life, Arras watched on evenly as his enemy hit the ground with a thump.

Arras sighed in relief after all was said and done, but he still had one more duty.

Illia had told him to "be sportsmanlike" whatever that meant, but... He thought he already sort of understood it, and what he understood of it? He certainly agreed with it. Even amidst the applause, Arras walked down the stairs towards his still dazed opponent...

"That was an excellent duel." He offered his hand, even if they had lost, Arras held nothing but respect for his adversary. They had performed well, better than any other enemy he had ever fought in his life.

They blinked a few times, before reaching up to accept the hand.

"!nd$ed. I w!$h y(u w$ll."

"As do I. Are you willing to accept advice?"

They dusted themselves off, before pausing for a moment at Arras's words... They nodded.

"Do not rely on the same tactics so consistently. You become predictable, easy to counter. It is your reliance on water magic to begin with that allowed my strategy to work."

"...(f c%ur$e. T^&nk y^u."

...

There weren't too many more duels after Arras's, which was just fine with him. That was mentally exhausting work. So mentally exhausting in fact, that after the next half an hour had passed and his artifact finally ran out of juice, he didn't even bother trying to maintain his spell. Pennsworth had said it would be fine, and hell, Arras would take his word for it.

He did get a few odd glances... But nothing outright derogatory. Performing as he did had indeed seemed to cut him some slack. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur for him, the most he could do was keep the fights he'd seen so far in mind so he could learn from them later, and of course he'd eat the occasional snack. Illia sort of had to stick with Pennsworth if Arras moved anywhere, given she couldn't exactly perch on him at the moment... But well, that was more of a punishment for Pennsworth than Illia. She basically had him in a stranglehold when it came to communications.

This night, frankly hadn't been too awful. Maybe Arras really could get used to all of this at some point... Probably not, but maybe he could come to bear all of this ridiculous political floundering.

Maybe one day.

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Bestiary

Millipi

A berry with a particularly long period of growth. They can take years to bloom even once, but they are commonly treated as delicacies in places of finer cuisine.

They do not hold any magical properties, but they are quite nutritious, and delicious.

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Elf

Elves are the longest lived colonial race on the face of Araia. Their average life span can last up to a hundred and fifty years without gaining any power, and the longer lived Elves can easily last for over a thousand years.

Often considered the peacekeepers of the world, elves often times keep any possible wars from getting too far out of control when forced into a corner. As of the writing of this passage, currently all elven nations are still in alliance with each other. Any possible assaults against the elven people is unlikely, and as long as they continue to exist they will likely continue to hold this title.

Elves are similar to humans in that they are mostly neutral in all affinities, however, they are generally better with wind and water, and worse with fire.

Out of all the colonial races, Elves are easily the least sociable of all of them. This is also why they do not basically run the world. They simply don't desire to do as such. They generally prefer to keep to themselves in the communities that they create. On top of that, they are remarkably altruistic. Not necessarily in the sense that they are always kind, but that for those that they know and live among, elves are almost always ready to lay down their lives.

It is often an elf who ends up being a master of their craft in the most conventional sense of the word. Their extensively long lives allow them to pick up on knowledge that others would never be able to match with their limited time in the world, Six out of seven of the wonders have been created by elven crafters.

The amount of elven settlements across the world is rather ridiculous. As such, they will not be detailed extensively within this passage, however, their most major and prominent settlements will be noted.

Krasia, aptly named after the prominent magic rich location of Krasia Rift. Where this place was once a barren canyon, through elven intervention it has become a verdant paradise full of life. Unlike Toliama, they do not control access to the place and instead allow visitors to enter, at their own peril. There is also a high profile mining operation within the rift, and as a result many masters of the smithy settle within this kingdom, elf or not.

Greenhome, the origin of all things elven. It is said that long ago, elves were created by an immensely powerful being able to manipulate even the workings of the world. Now all that is left of them is an incredibly magic rich tree within the center of their kingdom. If this tree were allowed to cover more distance, it would likely become the fourth prominent magic rich location.

There are many, MANY other elven settlements, however, these are the two most important kingdoms of them all.

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Beastkin

Not much is known about how these people came into existence, one day they simply arrived on the face of the planet, and after asserting themselves, not much else was questioned from there. They are the most social of the colonial races, in the purest sense of the word, so despite initial confusion they ended up fitting in rather quickly.

Beastkin are distinctly noticeable from their appearance alone. Every beastkin resembles some sort of creature, whether they are sentient or not does not matter, it is as if these people are attuned to the world itself.

Beastkin are wildly different from each other in temperament, some meek, some ferocious. And despite what you would assume, this is no "predator and prey" dynamic. Beastkin which resemble a rabbit could rip your head off just as easily as a raging Arrasima.

Beastkin hold some of the most fascinating magical properties on the face of Araia. From birth, almost all affinities are locked off to them. However, in return for this, their aptitude with one or two specific attunements is practically unrivaled. And the one similarity that all beastkin share, is that each and every one of them possess potent mastery of physical strengthening. They are often limited in their powers, but with what they can use they are almost unrivaled in their field.

Out of all the colonial races, beastkin possess the shortest lifespans. Living up to just about forty years without any other intervention. Though, if they grow powerful enough, they do gain more extra time in comparison to humans. Eventually balancing out somewhat.

Despite their aptitude, beastkin possess no major settlements of their own, instead they end up settling within other's capitals. Accepted as wanderers throughout the world they are often welcomed with open arms into most any settlement.

The places with the highest beastkin populations however, would be Arvalia, the mercenary kingdom, Krasina, the elven kingdom, and Mirrevia, the northern capital.

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Dictionary

Magic masking

Magic, when forced into a spell is always at least somewhat detectable. This is due to a basic principle of magic itself. In order to manifest magic anywhere outside of your body, there is always some form of leakage from you to the destination.

This is usually negligible, and doesn't particularly matter to a caster, bar certain types of magic. However, it makes a spell rather noticeable when it leaks enough magic. Magic masking is the practice of refining a spell enough to minimize that leakage. Thus making it mostly undetectable.

Magic masking becomes easier, or more difficult depending on how much magic a spell uses. It's a rather simple thing to understand. The bigger the container, the bigger the hole. The bigger the hole, the more patching it needs.

Of course, those skilled enough will be able to counteract meager attempts from those less skilled by simply utilizing their own skills to a sufficient enough point, however, when pitted against magic users of equal skill, masking your magic is generally a sure fire way to avoid detection at the cost of a spell taking longer to prepare.