I often wondered why the naming sense of my people was so literal. Not that the names were bad, per se, as at least they were descriptive, but they certainly seemed to lack a certain dramatic flair.

The main culprits in front of me were Academy, Citadel, and Garrison. Citadel was a fortress-like castle that was the main seat of power for House Flameward outside the City, and was both the most beautifully sculpted and the most heavily fortified of the three - it was, quite literally, a citadel in nearly every sense of the word, as it was also the designated sanctuary where residents of the other two facilities would shelter during a beast attack.

Flanking Citadel on either side stood the academy called 'Academy' (an artful yet sturdily constructed series of buildings where the youth were educated), and the garrison called 'Garrison' (where soldiers of House Flameward lived and were trained). Within the territory of another Great House, these specific buildings might be referred to as Flameward Academy, Flameward Citadel, and Flameward Garrison respectively, but my mother taught me that it was disrespectful to append the name of the noble family who owned the territory to the application without reason (especially for commoners who lived in the area).

Garrison was built in a similar manner to North Stone Fort in that it was blocky and utilitarian in design, although the walls were far thinner since it wasn't meant to be a shelter. The building was a mix of old stone and new, as it had apparently sustained a great deal of damage during the shadow wolf attack. The beasts had managed to avoid detection, showing an uncommon level of coordination, and their group hunting and stalking tactics had allowed them to take out the scouts long enough that they could largely infiltrate all three structures... but in Garrison, they had encountered a literal army of Cultivators and the fighting had been too devastating for the building to withstand.

Academy was a sprawling series of ancient buildings, many of them older than North Stone Village itself, and I could see a lot of architectural similarities with the City (judging from the soul-link images Wolfram had sent me). It had survived countless attacks with relatively little damage since most beasts ignored empty buildings, and I guess nobody took classes overnight so it had been empty during the attack (the instructors were either nobles, who would have rooms in Citadel, or soldiers, who would be housed in Garrison).

In theory, this was the safest place outside the City, as all the most powerful and experienced soldiers under House Flameward were stationed there, yet I felt far less secure than I had back in North Stone Village. Lord Runax had insisted (almost politely) that there was no other choice, and that I would have to be taken to Garrison to verify my claim.

Should it be verified that my Cultivation Technique was distinct from those possessed by House Flameward, my mother would be proven innocent: Otherwise, she would be taken to the City to face judgment. She was being held at North Stone Fort as a reluctant ‘guest’ until we returned, and my father had decided to stay with her. I was assured they would be treated well - fed and housed as though they were visiting nobility, even - so at least there was that...

I wasn’t exactly happy about how things had turned out, but I hadn't been given much of a choice, and it certainly could have been worse. I had only just begun the long journey along my path of cultivation, and even if I could take on a soldier or two, there was still Frog-face himself plus an entire compliment of guards (some of whom I was on friendly terms with due to my time at the Smithy, and I wouldn't want to see them hurt without reason). What I really needed was time!

So there I was, standing outside the gates of Garrison with Lord Runax, just over half of his personal soldiers, and two village guards. Nobody had been told exactly why we were here, as both Mother and Lord Runax had agreed that keeping my status as 'The Merrik's Apprentice' a secret was vitally important for the time being. My father and I had just exchanged a look, shrugged, and agreed to go along with their strongly worded 'suggestion' to keep it quiet.

“As you can see, young Heller,” said Froggy, “this is Garrison.” He gestured around himself grandly, "Next to the impervious Citadel, past which are the grand columned archways of Academy!"

I was actually somewhat impressed, despite myself – the buildings were large, looked to be strong and well-built, and all had a certain majestic beauty (except for Garrison itself, which was just a series of simple stone rectangles). There was a wall enclosing most of the space between Citadel and Garrison, and I could see the tops of smaller buildings here and there sticking up over the wall.

“How are you going to test me?” I asked, not bothering to address him properly. I was still annoyed over Mother's ‘house arrest’ at the fort to show him respect. Probably not the best idea, but I didn’t care - I just wanted them to leave my family alone. With any luck, these tests would be simple.

“In the arena, of course,” he replied with a smile.

Dammit.

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I stood upon a flat stone ring facing a man who was so handsome that I couldn’t help but compare him to a movie star I remembered from Earth, like Brad Pitt back when he was in his early thirties. He had thick metallic golden hair that reminded me of Zephyr's, a wiry yet muscular build, and striking silvery blue eyes. The only thing offputting about his appearance was the sneer he was leveling at me.

“My name is Alder, and I am a Hunter here at Garrison,” he said, shaking his head as he walked around me, “not that you are even worthy of hearing my name, let alone speaking it, Firespawn.”

He looked away from me when he said the final word, which was a slur marking me as the child of a disgraced noble that was illegally taught to cultivate. I had been warned that there might be some... issues when we arrived here, but that using "Rogue Cultivator" as my cover identity was the only alternative to revealing my 'true' identity, for now. Still, I was a little surprised to encounter it so soon. News travels fast, and gossip travels faster, I guess.

I didn't reply, but not because I was struck dumb by his stinging wit - no, I didn't reply because I recognized him! He had been the soldier who fought the huge shadow wolf with the pink-haired soldier and the others! The only one to leave the conflict with both arms intact (if I remembered correctly): He was the soldier who had defied gravity and used his sword to summon bursts of flame. And that beast-brained frog-faced fool of a noble thought it was a good idea for me to fight him!? I sent Lord Runax a glare, but he was busy studying my presumed opponent for this so-called 'test'.

Alder the Hunter was looking at the air above my head, but he was obviously speaking to Lord Runax as he proclaimed, “I have slain countless beasts on hundreds of raids, and even helped bring down one of the three late-stage Reaver Wolves five years ago!” He abruptly turned to face Froggy, “And you want me to spar with a dishonored commoner brat from the village?”

I would have zapped him right then and there, but I was still trapped in the body of a six-year-old who had never really used his powers in genuine combat, and I really needed this test to go well for me. Not to mention the fact that my lightning powers might not be a great matchup against a cultivator of House Flameward, but at least I wasn't up against the pink-haired lightning lady. That could be bad...

Thankfully, he was much smaller than Jaws, but he was probably still at least three or four times my weight and one and a half times my height – if he took this seriously I could be in real trouble. The most promising solution I could think of was to get him to wear metal armor (like the kind they typically wore on duty), and wield a metal weapon. My magnetic abilities were still a bit of a work in practice, but I could easily pump the rest of the CP I had saved up into [Magnetic Field] and [Magnetize Object] in an attempt to use raw power to make up for my lack of finesse. Plus magnetism wasn't something I had seen any of them use before, so hopefully it would be 'unique' enough that Lord Runax would quickly accept my story, and end this farce before someone got hurt.

“I have my reasons, Hunter Alder,” said Lord Runax, “Simply do as I ask, and remember not to hurt the young man. We are here to test him," he looked directly at me, "and find out what he is capable of. You shall then debrief me after this spar. Understood, Hunter?"

Alder snorted, further spoiling his good looks by spitting off to the side of the ring as he shook his head, “His traitor of a mother won't even tell you how far he has progressed, and you don’t want me to hurt him? Bloody beast, he looks like he should still be attached to her tit! Tell me, my lord, how could possibly be worth my time?”

Lord Runax sighed, rolling his eyes again, “You may consider this an order. I may not be your direct superior, but you will surely require my aid should you ever hope to gather enough support to advance within House Flameward." He gestured to a young servant girl who was carrying two wooden practice swords into the arena, "Spar with the young man, report your observations to me, and speak of this to no one. Simple tasks that may seem beneath you, yet I requested you by name, Alder, so I ask again: Understood?”

Staring at the noble in surprise, Alder gathered himself and mumbled something I couldn't hear before giving a brisk salute, "Understood, my lord!" He then gave me a puzzled glare and rolled his shoulders, stretching his neck and back as he took both wooden swords from the servant. He tossed one of them to the ground near my feet, frowning as he tested the weight of the practice weapon in his hand and swung his arm back and forth. “Let’s get on with it then, boy,” he said.

I looked at the non-metallic blade on the stone floor of the arena blankly. This... was less than ideal. "Is it possible to use metal weapons, and metal armor?" I asked absently, my thoughts still on the magnetic aspect of my {Electricity Control} ability set.

Magnetic Field: Create a strong magnetic field in an area, which will attract or repel other magnetic objects.

Magnetize Object: Impart a magnetic charge to any object. Charge duration depends on the target material.

My question had been meant for Frog-face, but it was Alder who answered with a loud derisive laugh. "Armor won't help you against me, Firespawn," he said mockingly, slowly advancing in my direction.

"Oh! No, I meant metal armor for you, not for me. I doubt they'd have something in my size anyway."

A pair of gasps drew my attention away from my System menu, and I looked up in the direction of the sound to see Lord Runax staring at me in amazement, his eyebrows raised, and the servant girl covering her face with her hands in horror as she watched the arena from between her fingers.

Then I smelled smoke, and a blazing wooden practice sword appeared in front of my face.