As the Spar continued, I was impressed with the natural abilities of native animal life. It was no wonder people put so much effort into enhancing their bodies - they needed to to hold their own. A normal Earth warrior could have handled the small vermin, but the rats and squirrels would have been about an even match for any soldier with only hand weapons. The fox and raccoon were another level up and such a warrior would have needed either armor or firearms - and even then might be killed by unexpected magical abilities.
The fox had a "blink" ability that let it teleport a small distance every 10 seconds or so, coupled with the speed and power of an Earth cheetah. The raccoon had been able to reflect projectiles, both normal and magical, and was not so fast, but seemed incredibly strong. Both had been moderate challenges for teams of 3 beginner level 2 human magi.
There had also been a kind of flaming lizard, but a fledgling ice mage had dispatched it easily. As Liam watched, I caught on that men were more disposed to fire and ice abilities, and women to air and water, while both shared earth about equally. There were many additional types as well, but the distinctions were not as clear or common. About 15% were pure body enhancement and didn't "cast" their magic at all.
Liam was eager to find his specializations, which would be most of tomorrow's purpose.
From Liam's background thoughts, humanity here had always been "under siege" by nature to some extent, but were now in fairly firm control of "the surface world" due to teams of high-powered magi, basic technology (think about 1700s), and the production and use of magical tools and weapons.
But there were no small villages or encampments. Ordinary people could never even consider "a hike in the wilderness" - that would take a level 5 mage or better, and at least 2 of them so that one could always be on watch. That was considered the minimum to survive encountering something like a bear or wolf pack without injury - let alone hunt bison or elk.
There were thought of many other creatures flitting through Liam's mind as well, but they didn't connect well with my memories of Earth animals, so I just had vague impressions of them.
I also noticed that the girls participating were younger than the boys, almost exclusively. The girls were maybe 13-14, and the boys 16-17. Liam was 16 and felt he should be "in there" - if only his magic had woken on time. The talented girls Liam's age were mostly level 3 mages by now, if they didn't hit limits.
His friend Salia, for example, was nearing level 4 and starting to master flight. Even as an air mage (the physically weakest type) she was about twice as strong as Liam, who was 6" taller and quite fit. When Liam watched her in a pervious Spar, she had been in the center of her own little hurricane, blowing away anything that tried to attack her.
As each animal was killed, magic was absorbed. Strangely, it seemed that magic they USED in fighting and what they took in for self-development were different. What they gained from killing was somehow a stimulus for their own abilities in a way that what they could absorb from the general environment wasn't.
I learned from Liam's casual thoughts that his Dad was a high level 5, but had been stuck there for quite some time, and he was mostly a physical enhancement type with on-contact electrical powers - so he liked metal armor and weapons.
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Liam:
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The Spar had been good relaxation - a return to normalcy, in a way. The only change was that now I thought I could handle myself in a Spar if need be. Maybe they'd even let me try it later on if I could show enough control. With the spirit, guardsman status was nearly certain - I no longer had to worry about being a maintenance or garden worker, worrying constantly about giving offense. But if I didn't show the control they wanted, I might end up in "research", the only place a wild burst would be thought of as a bonus rather than a danger.
On the way home, Dad gave me a few tips on electrical control to help me with the evaluations tomorrow. I smiled at him, extended my arms, and produced a 2" spark between my outstretched fingers, which made him very happy, despite his worries. Yes, it was just momentary static, but I'd done it on my own. Even the spirit hadn't taken active part.
Next week, Dad told me, my older sister Kally should be coming home from her escort trial - her first time visiting another city. Korris was an ocean port and twice the size of our own Cielo. They were one of the great shipping ports that connected the world. The minimum level for ocean ship escort was level 7, so imported goods were insanely expensive - only trade in enchanted items and dungeon explorers made it worth the costs. NO ONE could afford a local dungeon breakout, and there were only 17 active level 10+ clearing teams in the world.
The trade mission Kally was with should be bringing in the magic supplies for our home-town level 8-9 team to clear out the 3 dungeons in our area so that we wouldn't have to pay the fees involved in hiring one of the ultra-elite teams. It would be mainly materials for the custom armor and weapons each high-powered dungeoneer needed tailored to their specific abilities and sizes. Here in Cielo, we only had access to a few air-type enchanting materials - we had to trade for anything else.
The rule of thumb for dungeons was that outbreaks were set back one year for each floor cleared. Sometimes a dungeon could be made dormant by finding and sealing its pathway to the Underdark, but that was tricky and dangerous. Even if it worked, it might set an Ancient One on a rampage.
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Sleep was strange here. In the dreams, I was Liam, and I was dreaming about Earth - mostly distorted or re-invented versions of my own memories. Everything felt both familiar and strange at the same time. Still, it was nice that he had some way to learn my side of our mutual story, as I could learn his from his surface thoughts.
I learned a lot as Liam prepared for his evaluation, and wondered to what degree I should participate. I decided that I would just keep his own mana topped off at a comfortable level for him and let him do what he could while I kept myself undetectable. Liam had studied for this all his life - I would only mess things up and make him look dangerous if I took a direct role in it.
The evaluation hall was fairly empty, since there were no graduations going on. Routine activity was just helping magi evaluate their gains when they broke through to the next level.
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Caswar looked over the young Liam in sympathy - he might well be stuck forever at this level. But it was better than the impression he had gotten from the report. Liam was sitting very near the top of level 1 in aura strength and background power and the flow of his magic was more steady than usual for a new mage. Also, he seemed calm and confident, so being knocked out hadn't intimidated him.
Caswar watched as he was questioned about the basics involved and cautioned not to try to draw too deeply or "force it" during the tests. His knowledge wasn't great, but he should at least be able to follow instructions. Then they started in. Liam was giving basic manifestation instructions in each of the known common and uncommon elements, and asked to produce a simple effect in each. He started off quite well, producing each of the basic common elements in tiny but well formed effects.
But as they progressed into the less common elements, Caswar's interest grew - he was manifesting EVERYTHING asked of him. There were no struggles or failures. They were tiny effects, of course, but he wasn't being drained by the constant, diverse practice being asked of him, and he was producing ALL the elements, as if he had no special affinity. That shouldn't happen. In his experience, it COULD'T happen. Caswar blinked in astonishment as Liam calmly manifested tiny bits of gravitational and inertial magic that would challenge HIM.
Caswar had no idea how to react. He simply didn't know what was going on. His mind went back to the "clear burst" theory - could even that explain what was happening?