The two sat opposite each other, a slight, competitive smirk creasing their lips as the wind blew between them. Complete silence filled the arena, as even the announcer had left in a hurry, and the rest of the spectators were either asleep or uninterested. However, in the Magic Academy’s VIP room, this city’s representative had yet to leave and watched the boys with an amused expression. “It looks like we’re going to have a proper show put on display.” The man said, his voice rough and raspy. A long, gray beard decorated his face, accompanied by a mustache of similar color. His ashy eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the two, and a soft light appeared within the hazel amber-like jewels he had instead of eyes. Or rather, those were his eyes - a pair of beautiful crystals that enhanced one’s magic vision at the price of losing their sight.
“What makes you say so?” A feminine voice asked, her melodious voice leaving much to the imagination as her figure was nowhere to be seen inside the room.
“This Sverik kid, he isn’t exceptional, but he’s still worth cultivating. We need as much manpower as possible for the upcoming battle.” He explained, walking to the window and taking a closer look at Kai. “However this other kid, he’s weird. I can barely sense his presence, it’s like he has no magic… yet I feel such a powerful aura emanating off of him. It both confuses and scares me.”
The female voice didn’t respond as silence filled the room, and the man sighed as he waited for the fight to start, curiosity gleaming within his jaded gaze.
“Let’s be fair, no magic?” Sverik asked, clutching the hilt of his sword with excitement.
“Sure.” Kai agreed, after all, he had no easy way to use magic, and Sverik’s spells had been boosted by his third star.
No other words were needed to be said as both of them readied their stance. Sverik held the shield high, protecting his vital organs, but unlike his previous choices, this time he only took a buckler shield. His sword pointed high at the skies, and he held it diagonally to his defensive weapon.
Kai held his longsword with two hands, placing it diagonally in front of him.
The wind blew, whispering in a soft voice the start of the battle. Sverik advanced with his guard up, carefully analyzing Kai’s movements as they grew ever closer to each other. Kai, on the other hand, moved diagonally, slowly, taking careful, calculated steps as he waited for his opponent to make the first move. However, that’s what both of them wanted, so they looked for an opening, a moment of distraction - a small edge that would give them the upper hand. None of them bulged, however, a clash was inevitable. Five meters… three meters… one meter… They could almost feel each other’s shaky breath, hear their racing heart and the swords’ desire to meet.
Clang…
The weapons kissed, creating a sharp sound that reverberated in the air, followed by a second and a third. Metal scraped against metal as Kai launched a horizontal slash, which Sverik parried with his shield, followed by a counterattack aimed directly at his opponent’s shoulder. Stepping to the side, Kai avoided the attack and thrust toward the stomach, causing Sverik to attempt to block. However, his eyes widened in surprise as Kai didn’t commit to the attack, and instead threw a punch toward Sverik.
Without any time to dodge, Sverik took the hit and used the opportunity to retreat. Rubbing his face, he raised an eyebrow at Kai. “I didn’t know duels were allowed with fists when we picked up swords.”
“We only agreed on no magic.” Kai laughed, dashing toward Sverik and crouching as he slashed toward his legs, however, the dwarf dodged, jumping above Kai and sending a slash of his own aimed at the shoulder. Kai clicked his tongue and quickly fell to the ground, rolling away before jumping back to his feet. The moment he landed, however, Sverik was ready to meet him with a piercing thrust at the midsection, which Kai quickly deflected with his sword, only to be met by Sverik’s shield bashing against his head. With no free arm to defend himself, Kai fell backward but quickly rested on his arm and sent a kick toward his opponent’s legs, giving him enough time to stand up.
Panting heavily, both of them took a second to catch their breath, however the smile on their faces only grew wider as the fight went on. Clutching the hilt of their blades, the two quickly advanced toward each other, with Sverik holding his buckler a few inches away from his face, ready to parry whatever attack Kai threw at him.
As their swords met, the two quickly took a step back before Sverik quickly thrust forward, rotating his wrist and turning his attack into a diagonal slash. Kai grunted and caught the blade with his hilt and bounced it back before slashing downward. The sound of metal scrapping against metal reverberated in the air as Sverik defended with his buckler, gritting his teeth while his hand trembled from the impact. He clicked his tongue and pushed Kai’s sword away as he swung his own, rotating his wrist and aiming toward his midsection.
The two continued exchanging blows, with neither of them getting the upper hand or getting tired. Sweat drenched their back as the sound of metal scraping metal reverberated in the arena. Kai’s heart raced with excitement, his mask turning into a sweaty mess and his disheveled hair flew about as the wind blew. Each strike seemed to take away more energy than the last, and soon enough this fight became a competition of endurance and not skill. He clicked his tongue and took a step back after deflecting another blow. His chest heaved heavily and he let out a light sigh. Creaking his mask open, he inhaled deeply and tried to recuperate, however, Sverik would not give him such an opportunity. The air split as his sword came crashing down, shaking as it hit the hard floor of the arena in the location where Kai once stood. Pulling it from the ground, he exhaled sharply, catching his breath alongside his opponent.
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“I wonder why that boy isn’t taking off that stupid mask?” The female voice echoed in the VIP room, catching the man by surprise.
“A bad scar perhaps? Disfigured? Shy? Regardless of the reason, it’s clear that he suffers because of it. This battle has gone on for far too long already. If it was a short duel it wouldn’t have been a problem, but both of them are evenly matched. I’m frankly impressed, neither of them uses magic but it’s clear the masked boy’s sword skills are cruder, and if Sverik used magic this match would have already been over.”
“That’s true,” the voice agreed. “I find it weird, that boy doesn’t have either a magic or mana core, yet has mana veins. I can still feel a little bit of magic inside his body, but it’s very faint.”
“You can feel it?” The bearded man asked in shock, as even he with his eyes could not sense any sort of mana from Kai. He cleared his throat and quickly regained his composure, “You’re right, but this kind of practice does wonders in the long run, knowing when to rely on magic is an important survival skill.”
“Mhm, let’s keep watching, this has been the best battle I’ve witnessed at these events. These dwarves ought to stop caring so much about their golems and train their warriors more.”
In the arena, the two eyed each other like eagles as they rested, the desire to win burning strong inside their
This mask isn’t helping me one bit… in an actual fight, I’d already be dead or running. I need to end it quickly. With that thought in mind, Kai’s left hand let go of the sword, and he quickly ripped his shirt, creating a small tear that could easily be ripped off with the gentlest of movements. Taking in a deep breath, he carefully advanced toward Sverik, who in turn waited for him with a heaving chest.
None of them said a word, as both of them understood this next exchange would determine the winner of this duel. Mere inches separated them as they faced each other, and they simultaneously raised their swords, touching the weak sides to mark the start of this last move.
Kai stepped backward and waited to observe Sverik’s move, however, the young dwarf had the same thought in mind. They began drawing circles, holding a defensive position while waiting for the other to reveal an opening. Their blades trembled, and so did their arms as fatigue began taking over them, however, none of them backed off despite the amount of sweat dripping down their faces.
Sverik bit his lip and swung first, his blade aimed straight at Kai’s wrists, which he quickly dodged and counter-attacked with a thrust. His movement, however, was slower, duller but more refined. He used less raw strength but his technique became sharper and more precise. Sverik’s eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly turned in an attempt to dodge the strike. The sound of cloth tearing and the soft dripping of blood reverberated in the air. Quickly taking a step back, a soft smirk creased Kai’s lips as a crimson liquid dripped off the edge of his blade.
His opponent frowned but didn’t pay the fresh wound any more attention than he should, and it instead fueled his desire to win even more. With the fire within his soul burning even brighter than before, Sverik dashed toward Kai, aiming his sword right between his eyebrows. Raising his sword to block, it was Kai’s turn to be surprised as instead of meeting the weak side of Sveirk’s blade, he met with the solid buckler, which easily pushed his sword to the side, leaving him defenseless to the next attack. Sverik’s blade feinted to the side, quickly attacking once again, this time going for the shoulders.
Kai panicked and quickly ducked, successfully dodging the blade aiming for his arm, however, one thing he forgot was that Sverik, too, could use other weapons besides a sword. He found himself with a kick to the collarbone as he fell to the ground with immeasurable pain. Despite that, he rapidly collected himself and rolled away, jumping to his feet and running at Sverik, holding his sword back, thrusting forward as soon as he was within striking distance. Sverik dodged with his buckler and prepared to swing another hit, however the sound the expected sound never arrived, and neither did the weight.
Without much of a choice, Sverik attempted to dodge backward, however, the wild blade still grazed his pants, creating a small, linear hole inside them. Kai allowed him to retreat one step, catching his breath for the briefest of moments and analyzing the exchange. This is it, now or never!
Clicking his tongue, Kai’s hand flew toward the tear he made in his shirt, quickly gripping it as he slashed toward Sverik’s shoulder, which was blocked with his buckler. Like before, he used the opening to swing at Kai, however, his eyes widened in surprise as Kai showed no signs of backing off. Sverik hesitated for a split second before continuing the motion, however that split second was all that Kai needed to approach one step closer.
Sverik’s sword stopped mid-air, caught by Kai’s hand, blood seeping through the thin cloth he used as protection to grab the sharp blade. He pushed it to the side, and instead of swinging his own weapon, he kicked at Sverik’s midsection. The hit made contact, and the dwarf lost all strength in his body as he let go of his sword and buckler. He staggered slightly before falling on his back. A strong gust of wind appeared above his face before he could even process what had happened, and as his blurry vision returned to normal, he was greeted by the tip of Kai’s sword.
“Ha…” he let out a long sigh as he laid down, silently admitting defeat. Kai exhaled heavily and dropped his sword as he fell next to Sverik. They both let out a light chuckle, as that was all they could muster and closed their eyes.
The man from the Magic Academy nodded and prepared to leave, only to be stopped by the now familiar voice. “Don’t approach the masked kid, let him be. Recruit Sverik, we’ll take him in as a special apprentice.”
“But he doesn’t fit the criteria?”
“Arthur’s orders.” The woman barked before falling silent. The man let out a sigh and left the room, not moving directly toward Sverik but instead disappearing into the shadows, with not even a hair of him left.