Bradley and Izzy were practicing their dance when they heard the music stop, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching them. The first to enter the ballroom was Bradley’s father, Finley, dressed in full combat gear. He didn’t spare a glance at the engaged couple as he stormed past them. Behind him came a large crowd, most of the guests from the gala, heading toward the dueling arena.
“What’s going on?” Bradley asked Monika, who was standing nearby in the hall.
“Apparently, that same summoner disrespected Father,” Monika explained, her lips curling into a sinister grin. “Father’s going to teach him a lesson. I’ll save you two lovebirds a seat.”
Bradley knew this was the plan all along. It was likely that Levi hadn’t even said anything to his father to trigger such a reaction. Finley had been waiting for an opportunity to fight a summoner to make several points: first, that summoners deserved to be eliminated because they were weak; second, that the Calders were a family not to be trifled with; and third, that the Calders should be in charge of the city due to their superior strength. Bradley, while ambivalent toward the summoner, knew his father was strong.
“That’s not good,” Izzy said quietly.
“No,” Bradley agreed. “No, it is not.”
“Where is your dad now?” Izzy asked.
“Upper mid-3-star,” Bradley replied. “He stopped training as much for political pursuits. The only person in the city who ranks higher than him is Lord Louis.”
“Hopefully, the lord won’t let your dad do too much damage,” Izzy said.
“It’s unlikely he’ll intervene,” Bradley said, shaking his head. “This isn’t his fight, and interfering with another house’s dispute would be seen as disrespectful.”
Izzy frowned. “That makes sense. Stupid, but it makes sense.” The crowd had thinned in the hall, leaving only Izzy, Bradley, and Levi’s team.
“Be careful, Levi,” Izzy said. “Lord Finley is no slouch in combat.”
“Thanks for the concern. I’ll be fine,” Levi said.
“Don’t be so sure,” Bradley said, his usual smug tone gone, replaced with genuine concern. “My father is a lot of things, but as a combat duelist, he’s possibly the best.”
Levi looked at Bradley with surprise. “That was surprisingly helpful, Bertrum.”
Bradley gave a small, amused shake of his head. Levi noticed the subtle smile and smirked. “So it was all an act?”
“It was,” Bradley said. “Everything my father wanted me to be.”
“But not who you are?”
“Not anymore,” Bradley replied. “I used to be that stuck-up prick. Three years ago, that all changed. But it doesn’t matter now. Be careful, Levi. He’s planning to make an example of you.”
“Understood,” Levi said. “You’ll have to tell me about your change sometime. I’ll be fine, though. Thanks.”
“Why are you so confident?” Bradley asked.
“He’s never fought a summoner before,” Levi said. “It’s not as simple as he thinks.” With a smirk, he walked down the hallway. A puff of white smoke enveloped his body, and he emerged in his combat robes. Bradley admired the cloak flowing behind him. It was a picturesque sunset over a calm gradient sky—so peaceful, so beautiful. But Izzy nudged him out of his thoughts, and they followed Levi’s team toward the dueling arena.
Levi stepped into the massive circular arena, which reminded him of the coliseum. Across the sandy floor stood Finley, glaring at Levi. Levi conjured his sword of Veluvius and held it firmly in his hand. He felt Serenity and Anza return to his body as he crossed the threshold. The arena could seat a few thousand people, and many of the seats were filled. The atmosphere was electric, and Levi couldn’t help but smile.
He thought about his sisters, division-one volleyball players who had made the Olympic team for their country. He’d attended many of their games, sitting in arenas three times the size of this one. He remembered watching them step out onto the court, greeted by the roar of the crowd.
“What’s it like?” Levi asked.
“What’s what like, Levi?” Ally, his oldest sister, asked.
“Walking out of the locker room into a packed arena?”
“Electrifying,” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “Especially when it’s an away game. The crowd’s booing you as you walk out. It fills me with determination.”
“Wow,” Levi said, the memory vivid. He had never experienced that feeling, but right now, standing in this arena, he felt it. A rush of adrenaline filled him, just as Ally had described. He was filled with determination, just like she had been. A single tear slid down his cheek. He missed her, missed these moments. He imagined how excited his family would be to see him right now. Levi was a changed man. He was determined, motivated, and passionate.
He wiped the tear away and stored the memory. A smile spread across his face. All it took was being transported to a magical world for him to feel connected to his sisters again. Whatever it takes, he thought. I love and miss you, Ally. I can see why you loved this feeling. The crowd began to boo as he stepped into the arena, and Levi smiled. Oh yeah, he was going to enjoy this.
“Look, he’s already crying before the duel started!” Finley boomed. The crowd erupted in laughter.
“Why was he crying?” Izzy asked.
“Probably something from his past,” Piper said. “But if anything, it’s happy tears.”
“I’ve seen that look before,” Tycen said. “He’s going to destroy him.”
Without further ado, Finley attacked. A bolt of orange plasma shot from his wand. Levi swiftly moved out of the way, but when he tried drawing a ritual circle in the air, something was off. He glanced at Finley, who laughed.
“What’s the matter? Can’t do your little rituals?” Finley cackled. “What good is a summoner with no summons?”
He lifted his wand, and the ground beneath Levi began to glow orange. Levi jumped acrobatically out of the way.
“So that’s what those formations do,” Levi muttered. “Prevent rituals.”
“Exactly!” Finley laughed evilly.
“Oh well,” Levi shrugged. “I guess this fight will be over faster since I can’t summon weak beings.”
“Did he just say it would be over faster?” Bradley said, incredulously.
“Such bravado!” Finley shouted.
“You know,” Levi said, sheathing his sword. “There’s something about summoners you should learn.”
“What’s that?” Finley sneered.
“That, like every class, we evolve at 3-star.” Levi pulled out his staff. “I was planning on summoning lower-ranked creatures to mess around and put on a show, but you decided to duel on hard mode.”
Finley’s demeanor shifted as he began to sense something was different about Levi. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“So, Lord Finley,” Levi said with a casual tone. “Give up now, or be thoroughly embarrassed.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
That line put a scowl on Finley’s face. His patience snapped. “You little peasant! You dare speak to me that way?” he roared. Pillars of orange plasma erupted from the ground, surrounding Levi on all sides. Finley launched bolt after bolt of plasma at him, each one crackling with energy.
After a huge explosion, the smoke cleared, and Levi stood, untouched. The crowd gasped.
“Good fight,” Levi said, his voice calm. As he spoke, a thick, impenetrable smoke filled his side of the arena, hiding him from sight. Finley stood motionless for a moment, before three orbs shot out from the smoke. He barely managed to dodge them, but as the orbs struck the ground, the area they hit was completely destroyed.
Finley felt heat closing in on him and spun around, only to see a massive fireball coming toward him. He quickly cast a plasma wall to intercept it, but the explosion sent fire and energy spiraling up the wall.
Just as he was trying to regain his footing, a metal tentacle grabbed his leg. He screamed in panic as he was pulled toward the smoke. Finley quickly fired a bolt of plasma, severing the tentacle, and scrambled to his feet. But before he could catch his breath, a swarm of blue and white wisps swarmed around him, encircling him from all sides. They weren’t hurting him... yet. They buzzed around him, moving erratically, but their presence was enough to unsettle him.
Levi emerged from the smoke, nonchalant as ever. He jumped, and the smoke formed a platform beneath his feet, allowing him to rise into the air. The crowd gasped audibly at the sight of the massive dragon and a creature none of them had ever seen before, walking alongside him. The creatures stood at Levi’s side as he flew toward the city lord.
“But you can’t summon,” Finley spat.
“Nope,” Levi replied with a smirk. “They were already summoned. And they are not to be messed with.”
Finley’s eyes hardened with fury. “DIE!” he screamed. “Chaotic Storm!”
Dark gray clouds began to form overhead, swirling ominously as red lightning crackled through them. Levi looked up at the storm, his smirk never faltering.
“Uh-oh,” Bradley murmured. “This is Dad’s strongest attack. It drains a lot of his mana, but it’s inescapable. Levi is going to get hurt.”
“YES, FATHER!” Simon shouted from the crowd.
“GET HIM!” Monika echoed.
“FINLEY! FINLEY! FINLEY!” Cheers erupted from the crowd as the storm above intensified.
Levi smirked, hearing the crowd’s taunts. He held out his hand, and a barely perceptible orb appeared in his palm. The storm above froze. For a brief moment, nothing stirred in the arena. The atmosphere shifted. Bradley’s eyes moved to the cloak on Levi’s back, and it felt like the calm before a storm. Still, peaceful.
“The attack isn’t going to do anything,” Bradley whispered.
Just as the words left his mouth, the storm began funneling into the small orb. As the energy was absorbed, the orb grew into a sphere, expanding until it was the size of a beach ball, spinning wildly in Levi’s hand.
“Next time you want to challenge a summoner to a duel and cheat, make sure you know who they are,” Levi called out, his voice carrying across the arena. “My name is Levi Winters, a Chaotic Paragon.” He pushed out his aura for everyone to feel. “Familiar Summoner. I am not easily taken down. Let this be a lesson, Lord Finley. Summoners are not weak beings.”
He retracted his aura, and the arena fell silent.
“Dameion, knock him out,” Levi ordered.
At his command, another familiar, the veil nebula, appeared. Glowing fuchsia, it floated toward Finley and began siphoning the lord’s mana. Finley stumbled, clutching his head, the classic signs of a low mana headache. He struggled to stay on his feet but passed out when his mana was completely drained.
The crowd fell into stunned silence, watching as the wisps returned to Levi, floating back around him. Vapor dissipated the smoke platform and reappeared by his side. Serenity shrank to her cat size and perched on Levi’s shoulder. Anza shrank to her usual size and sat next to him. Dameion hovered around Levi, offering him some of the mana it had siphoned from Finley.
Levi still held the massive ball of chaotic energy. With both hands, he pressed the ball, pulling his hands apart. The energy followed his motions before disappearing entirely.
----------------------------------------
Quest: Duel - Completed
Win the duel
Reward: Essence of Wishes
Bonus Reward: All-consuming Spark
Bonus Reward: World-Conquering Egg
Bonus Reward: Dragon’s Tears
Bonus Reward: Void Speck
Bonus Reward: Sphere of Smoke
Levi looked over the rewards, confused. Why had he received bonus rewards?
Bonus rewards were given due to the manner in which the fight was won.
Bonus reward - No wisps lost.
Bonus reward - No drones killed.
Bonus reward - No damage taken.
Bonus reward - No damage given.
“That’s pretty stacked,” Levi said with a grin.
Status Progress:
Plus 15 to Wisdom
Wisdom is now 725
----------------------------------------
Levi’s eyes landed on the Dragon’s Tears item. It was a small, purple flame encased in a glass tear shape. He could feel the power of the dragon radiating from it. His gaze lingered on it for a moment, captivated by its energy.
“An interesting item,” Serenity said from beside him.
“It’s another dragon,” Levi murmured. “They all are, something for each of you.”
“There’s only one kind of dragon I know that dies like this,” Serenity said. “And they’re dangerous.”
“Exceptionally,” Serenity nodded. Levi tucked the tear away.
He walked out of the arena, heading back to the gala. As he reentered, the crowd parted in his path, silently avoiding him. The air felt thick with fear, but Levi didn’t mind. The band started playing again, the drinks started flowing, and the mood quickly lifted. The guests returned to dancing, chatting, or relaxing as if nothing had happened.
“Good job,” Piper said excitedly, rushing to Levi and wrapping him in a hug.
“Thanks, Piper,” Levi said, kissing her forehead.
“That was impressive,” Izzy remarked, her eyes wide. “Yet none of you seem impressed.”
“We’ve all seen it before,” Anna said. “That’s how Levi fights. He won the Battle of the Guilds by himself.”
“What?” Bradley asked, standing awkwardly next to Izzy. “How?”
“Summons, familiars, and rituals,” Levi said, looking at his teammates. “I’m sick of this gala. I did my job, did you do yours?”
“Mostly,” Anna replied.
“Can you all handle this without me?” Levi asked.
“Without us,” Piper added, with a sly smile.
Anna nodded, giving Levi a brief hug. “Take care of yourself,” she whispered in his ear. She knew Levi well enough to see that something in that fight had triggered something deeper inside him. Piper must’ve seen it too.
Levi nodded. He turned to Izzy, who looked at him curiously.
“I have a proposition for you, and I want you to think about it. Actually think about it,” Levi said.
“Yes?” Izzy asked, her curiosity piqued.
“I don’t think you should join our team,” Levi said. Izzy’s face fell. “As you can tell, we don’t need another summoner. I’ve got a lot going for us. But I do think you should travel with us to Arcross and join the summoner’s guild there. Professor Egret and Bertrum will be excited to have a student like you. We’ll set some ground rules for traveling with us, but I won’t tell you them until I hear your answer. Form your own team. Once you leave the guild, trust me—you’ll shine much more on your own than with me.”
“Will you teach me along the way?” Izzy asked.
“I will,” Levi said. Izzy nodded, though it was clear she was sad. She forced a smile.
“I’ll sleep on it and let you know tomorrow. Where can I find you?”
“The fountain,” Levi said. “If you want more of an explanation, I can give you that tomorrow.” Izzy nodded, and Levi gave her a sincere smile before turning away with Piper in tow.
“Tomorrow morning, Levi,” Lord Louis called as Levi walked past him. “I’ll have the items for your journey ready. I have a question for you. I can meet you at the fountain when you’re with Lady Avington.”
“I appreciate it,” Levi said, nodding politely. Lord Louis bowed, and Levi returned the gesture.
Once they left the compound, Levi and Piper mounted Serenity, who flew them over the sea toward the Inn.
“So,” Piper said, breaking the silence. “No Izzy?”
“Nah,” Levi replied. “She’d be a hindrance more than helpful. Especially after hearing the plan about getting a Djinn as a familiar, there’s even less reason for her to join. But I do want her to be trained. I think she could do a lot of good for a team, especially if she learns well-balanced healing rituals. I also plan on training—training hard. That means fighting dangerous monsters and dungeons. What are we supposed to do, leave her outside the dungeon while we complete it? That seems like a recipe for her death.”
“That all makes sense,” Piper said, nodding along. “Her joining the summoner school was a sweet idea. We should be back in time for the next enrollment. I think she’d join us then.”
“I think so too,” Levi said. “If anything, that lopsided duel will prove to her father that she’ll be protected on the journey. I want her to carve her own path, not attach herself to mine. She’s too young.”
“Very noble, Mr. Winters,” Piper said, her voice low with a teasing tone. She looked at him with desire in her eyes.
Levi smiled and kissed her. They cuddled in the cold air as Serenity flew them home. Once they arrived at the Inn, Levi went straight to the shower. He always felt better in the hot water. Standing with his hands against the wall, the water streamed down his face.
The door creaked open, and Piper stepped into the shower with him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him from behind. For a moment, they stood like that, feeling the warm water run down both their backs. Piper moved around so she could face him, and she kissed him passionately under the flow of water.
After the shower, the two of them decided to have a duel to end the night—something playful to unwind. It was the first duel they’d ever shared as a couple.