Class was...something. Elena didn't have much memory of what class was like back on earth, but she had inklings that this wasn't anything like it. She supposed that maybe there were some schools on earth that got very hands-on, but this was quite unlike anything she remembered going through. The first portion of the day mainly involved a lot of reading through an odd tablet thing they had. It was like a geode of some sort, but the professor called it a compendium. The back was a rocky finish made of some metal crystal hybrid, the front was a pure crystal screen.
She flipped it over many times while she was in class and noted that it was also weirdly sticky. Not like it was covered in glue, but that the back just stuck to surfaces unless you tried to remove it. It reminded her of those child's food mats a parent would put on a desk to keep the food bowl stuck to it. She could put it on her hand and spin her hand over and it would rotate with her hand. This obviously was far more important to learn about than anything the teacher was showing, so the teacher's lesson obviously got relegated to second place when she wasn't doing incredibly important research and testing.
She saw the looks of other students and the whispers as she conducted thorough research of the tablet, and rumors that she might have been playing were scandalous lies. She honestly couldn't tell if they were more amused at the naivete of the blue girl, or the fact that she was absolutely engrossed with the tablet. But nothing she was doing was lessening their interest in her.
The teacher seemed to make a point to try and involve Elena in the discussions at hand. She found that her knowledge of monsters wasn't like what she remembered from games back on her world. And insights to such were not taken as cutely as she meant it.
"And Mrs. Elena, what is your experience with goblins?" the teacher at one point asked.
Elena looked up and proudly exclaimed "They're hateful little mofo's that are easy to kill". That got her some interesting looks and a few smirks from people who knew better and assumed she was boasting.
"You've killed goblins?" he questioned. Elena could tell from the raised eyebrow that he didn't believe her.
She responded as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Oh, dozens. They're a one third CR? Great for beginning adventurers."
"Then I shall look forward to seeing what you do when we go into the field." he crossed his arms and looked at her smugly. 'Well...shit. Oh well, guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it. No need to worry about anything like that now.'
Adrian leaned over and whispered to her "You ok Elena? You look a bit sickly. "
Time and time again over the course of the class, Elena was mistaken about her knowledge of monsters. But it was interesting to see how they were, and how they ticked. And yet, for as many pieces of lore she had gathered over the years, there were still some nuggets of truth. Dragons were apex predators. They had terrible eyesight, but were exemplary at seeing with mana. Unicorns were battle-hardened steeds and were tenacious. And yes, Goblins were hateful mofos.
Elena learned that goblins were about a meter tall and tended to group together in colonies with a queen goblin holding the reins. They actually sounded surprisingly similar to ant colonies. A new goblin colony usually began when a new queen separated herself from an old colony, mated with a male, found a suitable site, excavated a nest, and cloistered herself within the nest for several weeks or more until her eggs matured. At first, people would disappear as the goblins were carnivores, and if left unchecked, they would eventually overwhelm a place. Goblin queens were so widely known to be such prodigious breeders that 'Multiply like goblins' was a colloquialism in most of the world.
What interested Elena more was when they started to pair up for sparring. They headed to a different building, and before they made their way to the changing rooms, Mr. Alderidge pulled her aside and directed her towards a large room next to the arena. As she made her way through the doors, she heard several students mention her being tested, and suddenly the whole class was following. She felt the weight of all their eyes as they followed her and took up spots on the sides in a section of seats.
"Miss Elena, before we proceed with sparring, there's something we need to address," Mr. Alderidge began. "As a new student here, it's essential that we properly register your powers and determine your tier. This isn't just a formality, it's necessary for us to assess whether you're a full initiate or not. If you're not an initiate yet, we'll need to enroll you in additional classes tailored to help you reach that level while keeping you in your current courses. It's crucial that we pair you up with others who match your current abilities to ensure your growth and safety."
Elena nodded. "Wait, I thought that there are some in here that aren't initiates yet. Isn't it dangerous to be weaker in this sort of class?" Mr. Alderidge nodded as Elena talked. "Yes, but some students are close enough to the cusp to be considered already there. In those instances, they can take advanced classes."
Elena nodded in understanding as she mentally pulled up her character sheet. It clearly indicated she was an initiate, but she wondered if it rounded up or something. "So I'm about 99% certain that I am, but what happens if I'm not a full initiate and not close enough? Like if I'm supposed to be at a 100, and I'm at a 1?"
"I was informed by the dean who was informed by a local adventurer that you were fully an initiate and she's the reason why you're in these classes. But if you're not," he continued, "You'll have to attend supplementary classes to catch up, and your sparring partners will be selected accordingly to help you develop your skills. But don't worry - we'll guide you through every step. The important thing is to accurately gauge where you stand right now so we can help you progress."
Elena felt a mix of emotions as she processed this information. On one hand, she was confident in her abilities, but on the other, the prospect of potentially being far behind her classmates was daunting. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever was to come in this assessment.
The chamber itself was impressive. On the walls Elena could see plenty of runes that were etched, high ceilings that arched to the shape of a dome, tall windows that let in natural light and walls lined with bookshelves containing hundreds if not thousands of books. Immediately to the left and right of the door, she could see stadium seating as if a hundred students could sit down and watch the spectacle below. The teacher motioned for her to head towards the center where all she saw was a pedestal and orb. The teacher followed closely enough behind that Elena didn't have a chance but to move forward or get bowled over.
The registration process was something that was done through magic which used a system they called the Arcane Registry Network, or ARN. The ARN was apparently a worldwide network for the adventuring guild. People could access the ARN through their compendiums so long as the level of magic was sufficient.
But registering new powers required a much more impressive device. Elena stood at the entrance to the room that housed the local node for the ARN. It was an intricate glowing orb called an 'Aetheric Nexus Orb'. The orb served as the central node for the registration and cataloging powers within school, and stored that information planet-wide. It seamlessly connected to various guilds and organizations.
It was a crazy thing to look at. About the size of a large melon, it floated serenely above a finely crafted pedestal made of obsidian and silver. The orb itself was composed of a translucent crystal that glowed with a soft ethereal light, pulsing gently as if breathing. Within its depths you could see swirling wisps of color. Blues, purples and greens that shifted like a living aurora.
Just below the surface, as if written on the inside of the ball, intricate runes and glyphs were etched glowing faintly with a magical energy that indicated powerful enchantments. The runes must have been the key to its functionality, allowing it to interface with the ARN and register the powers.
Elena stepped up in front of many of the students who while normally would have gone to eat lunch waited to see what exactly she could do. She looked at the teacher and said only a bit above a whisper. "Sorry, so what do I need to do?"
He spoke in a normal voice not seeming to care about Elena's wishes to keep the conversation between them. "To register your powers, you need to place your hand near or on the orb, and it will scan and analyze your unique magical signature and matrix. As the orb detected and processed the power, the colors will intensify or diminish and also change colors. The runes will glow when the process has completed." His whole speech sounded a bit mechanical.
Elena felt a mixture of curiosity and apprehension as she approached the orb. The weight of the other students' gazes bore down on her, their anticipation palpable in the air. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever might happen next.
Elena put her hand near the orb and heard the hum of magic. She felt a static discharge zap her hand and instinctively pulled it back. It didn't hurt, it was just a bit shocking. She noticed a little blinking exclamation mark near her icon on her interface, probably warning her of a small loss of HP. The teacher, who had stepped away as he was telling her of the orb, informed her to keep her hand near the object. Elena ignored the blinking notification, waiting to see what this orb would do. Once again a zap, and after thirty seconds, nothing happened.
As Elena stood there with all eyes on her, a wave of anxiety washed over her. The weight of the students' stares bore down on her, making her skin prickle with discomfort and her tail thrash about aimlessly. She looked over her shoulder and asked, "Is this normal?"
Mr. Aldridge looked a bit confused at his screen and spoke up louder than necessary, as if his voice would be muffled by not turning to Elena. "Miss Elena, please remove your hand from the orb and place it back." Under his breath, however, he still spoke loud enough to be heard. "Maybe when she removed her hand it glitched the connection?"
Elena put her hand back and waited. The blinking icon reappeared. After a few seconds of nothing happening, she checked what the system was trying to tell her, mostly to stop it from blinking. She realized the problem as soon as she read it.
The notification had been trying to inform her of something crucial, something she had overlooked in her nervousness. As she processed the information, Elena felt a mix of emotions - embarrassment at her oversight, concern about what this might mean for her assessment, and a growing curiosity about what would happen next.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing thoughts. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the occasional whisper from the watching students. Elena knew she had to address the issue, but she hesitated, unsure of how to explain what she had just discovered without revealing too much about her unique situation.
Notification: ANO-4517-ZXQ is attempting to establish a connection. Allow? Yes/No.
Elena hesitated for a moment. "What happens if this doesn't work?"
The teacher looked down at her and said, "Well, there are other tests, but they tend to be a bit more intrusive. And for some quite a bit more painful. If this doesn't work, we'll have to collect samples of blood, and use several different rituals. It will take some time to complete all of that, and I would warn you that many consider it to be unpleasant at best. If you wish to deny those tests, then your continuation at the school would be in jeopardy at best. We cannot teach you if we cannot accurately tell where you are supposed to be. Also, most adventuring groups won't accept a person who cannot be an adventurer."
Elena mentally clicked yes immediately and moments later the orb pulsed a few nasty colors.
The teacher looked at his tablet and called her a Blood mage. A few moments later a screen displayed a picture of Elena's face and several powers were displayed. Some of which she had, some of which she didn't have. She couldn't tell if those were powers she was supposed to get, or just possibilities of powers she could get. Either way, some of them sounded awesome. Blood Storm Convergence? Crimson Tide? Sanguine Dominion? More chattering happened amongst the students who looked at her with looks that ranged from sinister to trepidation to hatred. And Adrian who looked to just be excited she was there.
They all shuffled out of the room, and Elena heard several of the students already starting to add fire to the rumor mill. "I thought they were just rumors," one added, his voice low but tinged with excitement. "Isn't blood magic like, super dangerous?" one of the girls added. "They say it's a forbidden art. I imagine that she'll get kicked out soon because of it." A third said. "A Blood mage?" Another one of the girls hissed at her friend, her voice mired with shock and disdain. "I can't believe they let someone like her in here." Her friend responded promptly, shocked at the ongoing scandal. "I know, right? If my father finds out there's a blood mage in our class, he'll be furious. He's always said those mages are nothing but trouble." She glanced over at Elena, her look oozing superiority, as if her mere presence were a disgusting bug that deserved to be squashed.
"Same here," the third of the posse said, her tone haughty. "Daddy won't stand for this." Adrian on the other hand just gave Elena a thumbs up. But the oddest response out of the group was that of a tall, attractive looking boy who just looked at her like she was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.
The class left and went towards the changing rooms. The girls and boys split, with the girls going to one room, boys to the other. Elena instinctively went towards the guys room but Adrian stopped her and gave her a quiet warning. "Woah, hold up Elena. You don't wanna go in there. Trust me. Girls really don't wanna hear what those horny assholes talk about." Instead he pointed her towards the girls room.
'Damn it.' Elena thought to herself. 'I gotta pay attention to that sort of stuff.'
Now Elena was a married man, and she loved her wife dearly. But she was also not a celibate person. And when she went into the changing rooms, she got very distracted as dozens of girls who were at least as attractive as models were just getting naked in front of her. She tried her best to look solely in an empty locker and not turn her head to the left and right. At least until one of the girls closed the locker in her face.
Veronica, one of the girls that sneered at the teacher's pronouncement moments earlier, and the girl that had pulled her tail twice, spoke loudly enough to be heard by every girl in the room. "So the demon spawn is also a blood mage? So typical. I bet your mom spread her legs for the first dark creature that crawled out of the abyss. It probably didn't even have to steal her soul." Remembering the conversation with Dean Eamon, Elena chuckled, refusing to let her vile attempt to get under her skin. Though the attempt was clear.
Elena turned to look at Veronica and just put a smile on her face. "Veronica, if screwing demons gives someone powers, maybe you should give it a shot. At least that way when you get screwed next time you'll get something out of it. Well, besides 5 minutes with a boy who can't remember who you are. Hell, maybe it'll finally make you an initiate." She smiled sweetly and innocently at Veronica and part of her gave herself a pat on the back for being so spontaneously mean.
Veronica's face turned beet red, clearly not expecting a response. The words hung in the air leaving her mouth open in shocked anger, leaving her momentarily speechless as she tried finding the words to say. Elena took the moment to throw one more dig in there. "See? You got the basics down pact. Just get on your knees and the demons will take care of the rest."
Elena changed from one blouse and skirt to a slightly more form fitting shirt and pants. And with that she left Veronica to insult the air.
The arena was...well...in a word, spectacular. Memories of the great Roman Colosseum in its heyday came to mind. At its core, it was a circular expansive space enclosed by towering rune inscribed walls that shimmered with a faint mystical glow.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Elena saw the last moments of a fight happening in the middle of some city-scape. Despite the two fighters being blocked from view by a building, the area made her view to them uninterrupted as if they were characters in a video game. She found she could zoom in by just wanting to see the fight better, and she could zoom out if she wanted to see more of the arena. Shortly after the fight concluded, the buildings around the fighters melted into the floor. As it did, Elena saw the floor of the area appeared to be a smooth polished surface made of some metallic material. Pylons of some crystal adorned the walls at regular intervals and when the arena returned to its base configuration they stopped glowing, the purple light fading into the opaque nothingness.
Elena stood there, marveling at the technological and magical feat before her. The ability to create and dissolve entire city-scapes at will was beyond anything she had ever imagined. She couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation about what kinds of challenges this arena might present. As she watched the last traces of the previous simulation fade away, she wondered what sort of test awaited her in this impressive battleground.
Elena's attention was drawn to the arena as Mr. Alderidge led their class to a section of seats. He explained that their class had the arena booked for the next two hours and that today's fights would be singular, with team battles scheduled for next week. Names had been chosen at random for the fights based on similar tiers of power, and for each set of names, one individual was able to choose the layout of the arena.
As Mr. Alderidge went into more detail about the fights, Elena's focus shifted elsewhere. Of the two students currently fighting, one was a tall woman with brown hair in obvious combat leathers. She had the look of someone who was quite capable, and her fight was almost over before it began. She moved with incredible speed, her sword attacks seeming to blur the lines of what was possible. She almost reminded Elena of some anime characters with her zipping around. There was also a slight resemblance to Elena's wife, though the body shape and face were different.
Elena was snapped back to attention when she felt Adrian nudge her and whisper, "Wish me luck". She held out her hand for him to fist-bump but he just looked at her oddly. "Uh, good luck," she quickly added. He smiled and quickly made his way down to the arena with another boy.
A few minutes later, Adrian and his opponent both stepped out into the arena, which transformed into the visage of an open field. Elena could tell Adrian was a smart kid. Really smart. Maybe not Lily smart, but from what she had seen of him talking and volunteering information to the teacher, he was among the top brains of the class. In school back on Earth, Elena could easily see him being the nerd that everyone wanted to copy answers from. But while nerds might be the top of the intellectual world, jocks ruled the physical. The fight went about as expected. Three minutes after the two boys went down, and 30 seconds after the match started, Adrian walked back, his clothes soaked and his skin crispy and smoking. The other kid had some weather-based powers and caused a rainstorm; once both of them were soaked, the lightning finished Adrian off.
But the combat was spectacular overall. Maybe not that particular fight, but many of the subsequent ones were. Before every match, Elena could see who was fighting whom and what their abilities were on floating screen crystal things. She noticed that when the fighters entered the arena, you saw a floating spinning head that displayed powers under it, kind of like what she saw when she registered her powers. She also found out that a green background meant someone was an initiate, whereas white was a novice.
Elena watched each fight with intense interest, analyzing the different fighting styles and powers on display. She couldn't help but wonder how she would fare in such a battle, given her abilities as a blood mage.
As Elena watched the fights unfold, she could easily imagine this becoming the kind of sport that people from back home would glue themselves to the TV for. She envisioned stats, win percentages, rankings, fantasy teams - the works. College sports would be dethroned as the prime Saturday watching event. No one would want to miss explosions, ray beams, flying people, giant swords...it was like a couch coach's wet dream. On the fifth fight, a girl with armor that sprouted wings launched fireballs out of a staff made of molten magma. At one point, she launched an attack and turned to slowly walk away. The explosions went off behind her, and they looked so cool Elena could easily envision action movie music and this being the trailer for a summer blockbuster.
Luckily, Elena's fight wasn't one of the first ones, which gave her plenty of chances to see what was going on. As the fights ended, students would return to the seats, looking at the fights with interest. Adrian leaned over and whispered to her, "Technically after the fights are done, students are welcome to leave and study, practice or do something else. I've never seen so many students sticking around."
Elena looked over at him and then looked towards the other students, many of which were looking at the two of them talking and whispering. "So why are you staying?"
Adrian shrugged sheepishly. "I mean, I can't let a friend go through their first fight and not lend my support, right?"
Elena raised her eyebrows. "Friends? Already?"
Adrian turned bright red and very quickly stammered to correct himself. "Well, I…uh..I meant to say. I'm hope-"
Elena smiled and elbowed Adrian's arm. "I'm ok with friends." She nodded back to the rest of the class. "I just hope you can get over the fact that everyone else sees me like a demon."
Adrian shrugged and tried to play it off cool. "Oh, that? Psshhhhh, I doubt anyone notices once they look into your eyes."
Elena looked away quickly and worrying thoughts started coming to the front of her brain. 'Wait, this dude doesn't have a thing for me, does he? God I hope not. That'd be weird.'
Even though all of the students were welcome to leave or stay after their fight, most of them stuck around. Elena didn't know if that was for any reason in particular, but she assumed they wanted to watch the amazing spectacles. Plus it was interesting to learn what people had, and what they could do. 'You know, watching some of these combinations might be really useful to tell me what they can do in the future. Definitely wouldn't have realized some of the abilities combo with each other,' she thought to herself.
As she continued to observe the fights, Elena found herself analyzing each combatant's strengths and weaknesses, mentally noting strategies and tactics that might prove useful in her own upcoming battle. The anticipation of her turn in the arena was a mix of excitement and nervousness, amplified by the knowledge that her blood magic abilities set her apart from the other students in ways she was only beginning to understand. During the fights, Adrian took a few moments to explain some of the combatants' special moves, or what rules the arena had set forth.
"You see," Adrian had said, his voice low and informative, "people can't actually die in the arena. If you were to receive an attack that would normally be fatal, you'd just pass out instead. That signals the end of the fight. If you’re still conscious, you still lived through the attack."
Elena had nodded, taking in this crucial information. "So there's no real danger of death?"
"Exactly," Adrian had confirmed. "But don’t think that you won’t feel it. If you get electrocuted by a bolt of lightning, you’re going to feel it in agonizing detail. Also, one of the combatants gets to choose the manner of the fight. It could be anything from a simple duel to a complex scenario where you have to compete in saving more civilians than the other party. Hunter seeker scenarios are popular too."
“Hunter seeker?” Elena asked, confused. She looked up and saw one of the fighters start shooting arrows of ice at his opponent.
“Yes, usually a one on one where person A is trying to save civilians, and person B is trying to kill person A. Although it’s possible that a person could choose a team vs a lone hunter.”
"Is there anything off limits?" Elena had asked, wondering how far these matches could go.
Adrian had shrugged slightly. "Other than deliberately abusing your opponent, anything else is fair game. The arena's magic prevents lasting injuries, but the fight itself can get pretty intense. Also, I suggest not doing anything taboo. So as long as you don’t get cruel by incapacitating your opponent and then try to have your way with them, it’s fair game. Also in scenarios where there’s a team, the defeated teammates are teleported out, but lifelike replicas are left behind. It gets kind of freaky when you can see your team find your dead body in the street."
Elena noticed that as the matches progressed, the number of students in the seating area slowly increased. Some seats were even being filled by older-looking folks, presumably faculty members. Some of them appeared to be making side bets.
Students like Veronica were surrounded by others - boys who wanted to be with her, or girls who wanted to be her. As this group grew, more and more looks were sent Elena's way.
After what seemed like hours of fighting, Elena heard her name called and saw her face on the screen. Despite having looked in the mirror many times, it still felt odd to her. It took a moment for her to register that she was the next fighter.
Her opponent was introduced as Reginald Lockhart, the same boy who had looked at her with interest during the power registration. As he stood up, Elena observed him closely. He waved to a few girls who blushed and whispered among themselves. Everything about him screamed privileged noble, from his perfectly coiffed chestnut hair to his sharp, chiseled features and piercing blue eyes.
Reginald snapped his fingers, and one of his lackeys handed him a bottle of water. The display of entitlement irked Elena for an unknown reason. She watched as he surveyed the crowd, his gaze a clear indicator of how he viewed everyone around him. Girls received looks of charm and lust, while most boys were met with disdain. Only a select few received approving glances.
His finely tailored clothes further emphasized his status. He wore a dark velvet doublet intricately embroidered with silver thread, which caught the light with every movement. A jeweled dagger hung at his waist, though the chain connecting it to the hilt suggested it was more ornamental than functional.
Adrian leaned in close to Elena, whispering a warning under his breath. "That's Reginald. He's the strongest Arcanist in the class. Nobody wins when they get into close range with him. If he does close the gap, you may want to give up before he hurts you. He’s hurt plenty of people before."
Elena nodded in understanding. A brawler could be a good match-up for her. She had so far only really used her gory armaments in a fight, but piercing blood would probably be a better tactic for this.
As she prepared to make her way down to the arena, Elena took a deep breath, trying to center herself. She knew this fight would be a significant test of her newfound abilities as a blood mage. The pressure of the situation was intensified by the growing crowd and the realization that her opponent was considered the strongest in the class. She felt her skin flush with goosebumps as the eyes of a hundred or so people all turned to look at her. She ducked her head a bit instinctively hoping to make a smaller target for people to see her.
Elena started quickly walking down the stairs towards the arena proper when she heard footsteps speed up to catch up to her. She hadn't heard Reginald speak until now, and he even sounded like one would expect a “Reginald” to speak. His voice was rich and commanding, carrying the authority that was probably drilled into him since birth. Each word was enunciated with precision, and Elena could tell this man had a very specific education from a school where money was no object. She bet he even got an allowance that was worth more than some families made in a month.
And yet, when he spoke, Elena could hear the melodic tone he was giving her. She looked up and could see a confident smirk plastered on his face. He looked her up and down like a lion about to devour a meal. His tongue slowly ran over his lips. It made her skin crawl.
"Elena, my dear," he drawled, his voice smooth like honey but with an undertone that set her teeth on edge. "You're quite the spectacle standing there. I've been watching you in this class and I must say. You look impressive." A shiver ran down Elena's spine as she saw his eyes linger on her hips. It wasn’t the kind of shiver you get from something pleasurable, like a cold beer after a hot day at the beach. It was the kind of shiver you get from hearing a serial killer kidnapped their prey. The kind of shiver you see when you hear that horrific car wreck you passed on the way home involved a family member. The kind of shiver you get from a predator looking at you while licking his lips.
Elena forced a tight smile, already feeling the wave of disgust rising within her. She slowly breathed in and out. "Thank you Reggie," she said curtly, hoping he'd stop talking. But he didn't.
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to something almost conspiratorial. "Why don't we make this fight a bit quick. I could take you out afterwards, show you a side of town you haven't seen before." He put his hand tenderly on Elena's shoulder and squeezed gently. "You know. A great evening of someone who could appreciate every inch of your…generous… talents. Although I do warn you, you might wish to rest up. It might take all night to thoroughly explore what this city has to offer."
Elena turned her head to look at his hand and then looked back into Reginald's eyes. She hated being touched and the mere contact with his hands on her bare shoulders made her queasy.
"While I thank you for the offer, I'm afraid I must decline." She hoped this time Reginald would get the polite offer to go away.
He chuckled softly, clearly undeterred. "Oh come now Elena. Don't be so quick to dismiss my offer. Imagine having someone like me to protect you, to guide you. To move you. A beautiful woman like yourself shouldn't bother herself with the business of men when you could relax in the lap of luxury. Especially when you could relax and indulge yourself. Sure, the nights you earned your luxury would be...long and hard, but you could still rest during the day. And you'd never have to worry about these nasty students again. And as long as you submit to me, all will be fine. Given time, I'm certain that you'll learn to love me."
Elena watched his eyes slowly wander down her body again, hovering around all the parts that guys like. She felt sick to her stomach and wanted nothing more than to leave. She was about to tell him where he could stick his long and hard nights when she saw a quest notification appear.
Quest: Date Night Description: The head of your training class has finally made his way to you. Either win the fight and lose out on the date, or lose the fight and have a "memorable" experience. Warning: This is a multiple-stage quest. Further stages will be unlocked upon completion of earlier parts. Progress: 0 / 1 Reward: New Title, bonus experience, 5 shards
As Elena processed the quest notification, the sheer arrogance of Reginald's approach made her stomach churn. She met his gaze, feeling the acrid bile rising from within. "I think I'd rather you show me a good time in there. Reggie," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Are you certain?” he asked, with the voice of someone who knows something you don’t. “I’ve been told I’m quite the deadly opponent.”
Elena nodded and picked his hand off of her shoulder. “Touch me again and I’ll break your fingers.”
"Suit yourself darling," he replied as he stepped back and turned towards the arena. "But don't say I didn't offer." He then wished her good luck. Elena scowled after him but followed. Her tail whipped back and forth as she walked, and at one point she heard a hiss of pain from a student as her tail hit him.
When Elena got to the arena itself, she stepped out onto the floor that felt surprisingly soft. A few moments later, the ground morphed into that of a city currently under siege. She saw monsters running about and buildings made up of the arena itself. It was amazing. The pungent smell of blood, death, and decay filled her lungs. As she looked around, the source of the smell was evident all around her. Monsters ran from building to building, the occasional adventurer running after them. At one point, she saw a monster chew an adventurer in half. It looked almost surreal.
Reginald and Elena were standing on opposite corners of a city street, their corners reflecting each of them, the differences between the two night and day. His side, a cheesy-looking romantic restaurant, with tables that barely seemed to notice the carnage of the city. Whereas Elena's side barely contained the wreckage of a building teleported from a demolition site.
Elena smiled and looked at everything, her eyes filled with wonder and excitement. She almost skipped over towards the ruined wall of a building, pressing it while laughing. It felt odd, like it was programmed but wasn't a destructible environment from a video game. She touched a sharp edge and it wasn't actually sharp. It was like some crazy VR game. She almost frolicked as she started smelling and poking and touching everything she could. It looked and felt real but at the same time, fake. Even the colors seemed a bit muted.
Elena heard the arena master's voice call out from hidden speakers somewhere, letting them know the purpose of the fight.
"Rule one: Fight Until Concession or Incapacitation. Each combatant will continue to fight until one either concedes or is rendered unable to continue. At that point, the match will immediately cease, and no further attacks may be made.” Elena nodded, in understanding. “No giving up. Check”
“Rule two: Respect the Boundaries of Magic. While the protective magic will prevent death, combatants must still exercise caution. Intentionally exploiting the protection to push the limits of harm is forbidden and will result in disqualification.” Once again, Elena nodded. “No torture past the point of death.”
“Rule three: No Interference with the Magic. Combatants are strictly prohibited from attempting to tamper with, disrupt, or bypass the magical protections. Any attempt to do so will result in immediate expulsion from the arena and severe consequences.” Elena looked a bit confused at that one. She knew she didn’t have anything that could intentionally bypass magical protections, so she was safe, and it was good to know that wasn’t something that Reggie could do.
“Rule four: The arena master reserves the right to call any fight if someone intentionally breaks the spirit of the rules.”
“Alright” Elena said to herself. “The arena master can call an audible.”
And with that, Elena felt a change in the arena itself. She sensed that the monsters here would no longer ignore them, the wreckage of the buildings would no longer be immutable, and objects could pierce her. Whatever would happen in real life would happen here. The surreal feeling went away, and like the final piece being put into the puzzle, Elena could tell the fight was on.