“In all the fields of magical study, there is nothing quite as odd as a matchless or ‘wild mage’. They are truly unique, with each one possessing at least one ability that has never been seen before. Oh yes, I am aware that we have separated them into classes-each class encompassing all the matchless that fall into any of the four loosely defined categories. The ability might be something as insignificant as being able to keep a cup of tea warm indefinitely or might be something as terrifying as being able to grow into a 60-foot giant just by willing it. My point is, each one of them is utterly, magically unique. Each one of them is essentially a new, never seen before magical creature and that, my friends, warrants more intensive study”

- excerpt from a lecture given at an academic conference by a renowned magical biologist, two months before the riots at Sarki.

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I know that I said that there were very few things worse than waking up to the sight of an oversized snake trying to decide whether it wanted to eat you raw or whether a few toppings wouldn’t hurt. I know and I’m still not wrong- mind, but I think that the situation I found myself in when I woke up ranks right up there with that.

There was an extremely short, old… hag sitting on my chest. This would be odd in any situation, but it was made even odder by the fact that she seemed to be in some sort of ecstatic bliss. Unfortunately, nothing I did seemed to knock her out of it so I just lay there for half an hour, occasionally flailing my arms to no effect. It must have been quite the sight to see. I’d definitely be laughing if I wasn’t the one suffering.

Since I was stuck for the foreseeable future, I took the time to actually find out where I was. It appeared I was in some sort of tent. That’s about all I could see-since I couldn’t get up. The drab colours of the tent’s interior were however much better to look at than the wrinkled face above mine. To make matters even worse, a strangely elastic line of drool had started to emerge from one corner of the old hag’s chapped lips.

Fortunately for my sanity, the tent flapped open and a woman in soldiering attire walked in. She was young-early twenties at the most- black-haired, and very slim. She noticed me looking at her and threw a smirk my way before lifting the hag off my chest and flinging her to the side like a piece of furniture. I was so shocked I made to get up in a haste but the strange girl calmly laid a hand on my chest and pushed me back down.

“Calm down, idiot. She’s fine, look” she said, gesturing over the hag that was even now still drooling happily on the tent floor.

The stupid look on her face was somehow so funny in that moment that I burst out into laughter. Surprisingly, the mystery brunette joined in with me. Her laugh was clear and sweet yet mischievous, like the innocent laughter of a toddler caught doodling in its father’s journal.

“So, do you want to tell me your name?” I said, after I had recovered from the bout of laughter.

“I’ll be honest, I really don’t want to be here at all, but I fucked up and the captain gave me imbecile duty”

I laughed again.

“By imbecile, were you referring to? “ I gestured at the hag.

“I’m talking about you, idiot. Get up! Captain’s orders are to bring you to him the moment you woke up,” she said with an unpleasant grin.

Suitably chastened by her casual insults, I allowed her to drag me to my feet, but my feet didn’t seem in the mood for cooperation, so I sheepishly allowed her to support me on one shoulder.

“You still haven’t told me your name you know?” I said, trying again.

“I know” came the reply.

Ouch.

We exited the tent into the hustle and bustle of a camp that was clearly under the command of someone who thought ‘rest’ was something that happened to other people. The command tent was just visible in the distance. This was a very… large camp.

“Uh, exactly why does the commander want to talk to me?” I ventured, figuring that no insults would come my way if I kept conversation business-like.

“Captain,” she corrected. “Captain, not commander. Trust me, do not forget to address the captain by his proper title at any time”

“Noted,” I said as I continued to observe the finer details of my surroundings.

The tent we just exited seemed to be in the middle of three rows of similarly large tents. The tents in general seemed to be arranged in neatly ordered grids. The tents also seemed to be colour coded for some reason. The tent I was being kept in was white along with the other nine around it, next to these were blue tents, then silver, then brown, then red. There were two slightly smaller tents surrounding the monstrosity that was the captain’s tent and they were both painted in a different manner from the rest. In addition to the standard paint on the tent flaps, there were also poles about fifteen feet high from which flew banners bearing the same symbol: a single green shoot at the center of a field of black and ash-grey.

I was just about to ask my mouthy escort what the symbol stood for when she brought us to a halt and turned to face me.

“Listen, for your sake and mine you should answer any question he asks you to the best of your ability and as fast as possible. No fucking wisecracks okay?” She was waving her finger up and down as she spoke, it was an effort not to laugh.

“Of course” I replied. “What gives you the idea that I’m the type to mess around?”

“I don’t really know” she admitted ” You just strike me as the type that could be on the headsman's block and still be making jokes about his shoes”

I didn’t say anything of course. I could feel that she was correct. I had no memories of my past character to go by, but it definitely seemed like the kind of thing I could do.

She took a deep breath and seemed to steel herself before she pushed open the gold flaps of the tent and pulled me in behind her.

There was a thin, reedy man picking his nose at a desk just inside the tent. It was odd, there was another flap right behind him which presumably led into the main area of the tent. Presumably, this man was here to filter potential visitors to the captain. The man looked up and saw us, withdrew his finger from his nose and without the slightest hint of shame, started talking.

“Good afternoon sergeant, what is your business with the captain?” he gave me a quick once-over. “And who is …this?”

Hold on. This girl that looked like she was barely five days out from her father’s farm was a sergeant? I hastily re-evaluated all the assumptions I had made regarding her.

“Good afternoon Nathan, you know why I’m here and you no doubt already know who he is. Do you have to play these games every time I see you?” she sounded tired and annoyed.

“Sergeant, I am merely following protocol” he said “I’m sure you understand, don’t you? You know what the captain is like”. He sounded conciliatory but the slightly upturned left corner of his mouth and the mischievous gleam in his eyes told a different story.

I could see her tense up and I quickly stepped in line with her to be in a position to prevent her from doing something as stupid as hitting her commanding officer’s aide, although the smarmy, skinny bastard probably deserved it. She was just opening her mouth, no doubt to say something we’d both regret when a booming voice came from behind the second set of tent flaps.

“Ah, corporal! Is that Sergeant Igni I hear? Send her in immediately!”

Nathan sighed and waved us both in and I thought that would be the end of this strange scenario, but obviously Corporal Nat had other ideas.

“You know, sergeant, we wouldn’t have to do this every time you came in here if you simply reconsidered my proposal”

“Eat shit and die Nathan” the sergeant replied as she dragged me inside again.

I was once again reminded of how massive the tent was. Immediately past the tent flaps was a large sitting area that would beggar the homes of many a wealthy lord or businessman. There were lush chairs and cushions arranged tastefully in the large space, although everything was in somewhat garish tones of deep red and gold. The captain himself was lounged in one of the couches immediately across from the tent opening. He wasn’t quite what I was expecting honestly. He couldn’t be more than forty and had a square, clean-shaven yet attractive face with short brown and hair and only a hint of grey at the temple. I couldn’t be sure- as he was sitting down, but he appeared to be shorter than me but with the ideal build for a soldier, his muscular figure obvious even when he was at rest. He smiled as we came in and gestured to us to take seats facing him.

“Good afternoon, I am Captain Larimar. Who are you?” he asked, before I had even gotten the chance to sink into the comfortable chair.

I have to admit that I was taken aback. First of all, he was too different from what I was expecting. I was expecting a bad-tempered, pot-bellied man in his dotage but instead I was presented with someone who must have been the template for the concept of the “ideal soldier”. At least, in looks. I was also caught off guard by how direct his question was. I didn’t know who I was either so I was unsure of how to respond. For some reason however the sergeant started answering his question.

“I am Sergeant Igni sir. Appointed to this rank directly by you, two months ago” she said, snapping a smart salute.

“I know exactly who you are, Sergeant. Thank you for doing me the favour of answering anyway. My question was directed at the young man across from me that has spent the last three weeks under our care” the captain said easily. He didn’t even glance at her.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Three weeks!?

I was beyond shocked, learning that I was out that long really drove home the fact that my encounter with the midget magic crocodile had nearly killed me. The captain saw the surprise on my face and carried on.

“Yes, you are not mistaken. Your encounter with the Minnian crocodile nearly killed you. In fact, you really should be dead. You had several broken ribs, and the healers informed me that more than one of your internal organs was ruptured. That’s why I’m asking you again”. And he leaned forward to emphasize his point. “Who, or what are you?” his voice was hard now, lacking its previous courteous tone.

I was truly in the shit now. He wasn’t likely to believe that I was an amnesiac, not to mention that the way he said his last question suggested that he believed I was something other than human. I couldn’t even explain how I survived either, if my injuries were as severe as he said, then I should be dead two times over, but then again, it wasn’t the oddest thing to happen to me since I woke up in the swamp. Well, if I was going to go down I might as well have some fun at the Sergeant’s expense.

“I’ll tell you all I know if you tell me what the Sergeant’s first name is” I said, flashing a charming grin at the sergeant.

Sergeant Ignis groaned and buried her head in her hands. The captain just looked amused.

“Very well, her first name is Shikha. Although I’m not sure why you asked me that. I’m sure she would have told you herself. Well then, who are you and what were you doing in Azanti territory?”

“I have no idea. I woke up and found myself in the swamp. I don’t know how I got there, or who I am really” I replied.

The sergeant groaned again and the captain grimaced. He stood up and gestured for us to get up as well.

“Well” he begun. “I would have preferred if this didn’t have to happen. I guess I’m going to have to beat any information you have out of you”

Whaaat?

Wait, how does that even begin to make sense?

He turned around at that and walked over to a nearby desk, pulling out a pair of brown gauntlets. I turned to the sergeant and asked.

“Is he serious?” I said. “This is all an act right?” I asked frantically.

“Of course he is” she sighed. “Didn’t I tell you to behave yourself?”

“What did I do? I honestly have no idea who I am or why I was able to survive the hits I took. I was hoping you people could tell me”

The captain had finished drawing on his gauntlets and walked past us, heading for the exit. He stopped half way through the tent flaps and addressed the sergeant.

“Sergeant Igni, bring him to the sparring grounds, but first, get him kitted out. I’m not a bully, after all”. With that, he left and I was left staring at Sergeant Igni

“You’re the very definition of a bully”. She muttered after the captain.

I raised my eyebrows at her, she snorted and started dragging me out of the tent.

“Follow me if you want, idiot. Let’s see if we can prevent you from getting beaten to the edge of death again” She said, heading out past (and ignoring) the nasally laughter from the skinny corporal.

So, I followed her. I strongly suspected I had no real choice in the matter.

She led me to what must have been the quartermaster’s tent. It was almost as big as the captain’s but was situated behind the healing tents, which explains why I didn’t see it earlier. He was a jovial, portly middle-aged man- exactly as I imagined, which was a welcome relief. I wasn’t sure my sanity could take any more hits.

“Good afternoon Sergeant!” the quartermaster said, with a smile.” And this must be the young man we’ve had in the healing tents”

“Yeah, he is” the Sergeant replied, “I need him kitted out for a full spar”

“So you want him kitted out for a sparring session huh?” he said, a bit confused“Who is he facing? He only just woke up, no?”

“It’s not a spar, it’s going to be a one-sided beat down. Especially seeing as he’s going to be facing the captain”. She laughed.

“The captain! What in all the hells did he do?” he exclaimed, to the further delight of Sergeant Shikha Igni, whom I was slowly starting to dislike. I was also getting tired of them talking around me like I wasn’t present, so I answered.

“I don’t know! I don’t know who I am, what I am, or who you clowns are. My last memories are of walking through a swamp that was doing its level best to kill me, getting beaten up by a midget reptile and waking up to an ancient lady doing… something on my chest!. Just get me the gear and I’ll go out there and get beaten into pulp by your captain, since it appears that’s how he gets his jollies!”

The sergeant and quartermaster were shocked into silence by my outburst, which was precisely what I wanted. I got kitted out with what must have been the standard gear. A head protector that protected my forehead and the sides of my face but left the top of my head bare for whatever reason, A padded chest plate, extremely tough leather hide boots and a pair of gauntlets. The equipment seemed to be solid, quality stuff, the only problem I had was that everything was a drab grey colour.

What? I like looking good even when I’m going to be pounded into the dirt. The quartermaster muttered a few words of encouragement as the sergeant and I left the tent but I wasn’t listening. Given my experience in the swamp, it was certain that this was not going to be an ordinary sparring session or duel.

The captain probably had some control over the elements similar to the crocodile back in the swamp. I decided to ask the sergeant about this, to see if she would provide any clues to what he would do and if there was anything I could do to make it through without being stretchered off. However, she surprised me by speaking first.

“What can you do?” she asked, idly kicking a pebble as we walked.

“Huh?” I replied, somewhat stupidly.

“I mean, what’s your aspect? Fire, earth, water or air. Which of the four were you born with an affinity to?”

“Like I said, I have no idea who I am. That also extends to having no knowledge of any… abilities I might possess”

“I was afraid you’d say that” She sighed. “The captain’s a Duo, but that’s not really uncommon. What’s uncommon is his unusual mastery of both his aspects”

“I still have no idea what you’re talking about” I said, frowning.

“Alright, I’ll try to make it a little clearer then. The captain has affinities toearth and water but prefers earth. He only ever uses water when he’s serious so I doubt you’ll see it today”.

“I’m starting to understand. If that’s the case, isn’t this whole ‘duel’ pointless? I have no defense against him? I mean, can I even land a hit on him?”

“Probably not” she said with a chuckle “Now listen, he likes to lead off with kicking a few rocks up and punching them at you with his fists. It doesn’t have great range so if you just stay away from him you should be fine”.

“He’s not going to be content with just shooting rocks at me all day, is he?” I asked. She had lost control of her pebble and it rolled into my path. I pointedly refused to pass it back to her, ignoring her dirty looks.

“No, of course not. You just really don’t want to get hit by those rocks, trust me. I’ve seen him shatter all the bones in someone’s left arm with just one rock-after it had passed through a Matchless’ shield”.

Every word that came out of her mouth disheartened me even more. Here I was, with no memory and even worse, no idea where I was, about to be flattened by a strange magic soldier captain with my only help coming from his annoying underling. Why exactly was she helping me anyway?

“Uh, thanks sergeant. I can’t help but to be curious though. Why are you helping me?” I asked.

“It won’t be any fun if the captain takes you out quick. Every minute he spends in that sparring ring is another minute he’s not making life difficult for the officers-“

Ah, that explains it.

“-Also, something tells me you’re not just some fast-talking idiot. I can feel it” she finished. She stretched out her right foot and stole back possession of the pebble.

Right.

She led me past the captain’s huge tent. I idly wondered whether the size of his tent was a reflection of his ego and if so, whether it was him that made the decision for it to be that large? Sergeant Ignis nudged me back out of those important thoughts. We had continued on past the captain’s tent into an arena of sorts, a circle fifty feet across and ringed by a stand of tall evergreen trees. Tall wooden poles were spaced out evenly in the circle. There was also a seating area for spectators to the right of the circle. Obviously, these ‘duels’ weren’t an uncommon event.

“Oh wow! Most of the officers are here” Sergeant Ignis said excitedly. “Look, those are the ones who brought you in!” She finished, pointing at two figures sitting in the front row and well away from the others. They were a hulking, muscular man and the woman that I remembered. I now saw her clearly for the first time. She was breathtaking really, a surreal beauty with platinum-blonde hair and startlingly vivid amber eyes. Her gaze flickered over to me and we made eye contact for a couple of seconds before she looked away. I suddenly felt drained and grabbed the sergeant’s shoulder for support, but as quickly as the feeling came over me, it was gone.

“That’s Lady Uro and her minder, Cust” the sergeant said, casting a suspicious glance towards my saviours “She’s beautiful isn’t she?” she asked.

“Well, yes” I replied, unsure where this was going.

“Stay away from her. Again, trust me. You really don’t want to get caught up in all that”

I was just about to ask what she meant by that when the captain walked up to us with a smile on his perfect face. I wanted to hit him so badly.

“I see you did not run away” he said. The bastard was actually smiling at me.

“Trust me, I would’ve if it was a viable option” I replied

“I’m glad you did not. We would have had to kill you if you tried”. It really didn’t seem like he was joking.

“Um, Sergeant Igni? I called, “Exactly what is the point of this duel?”

She looked at me as if shocked that I would even ask such a question, then apparently remembered that I was a self-proclaimed amnesiac.

“Its an old regional custom, practiced in the three southern nations” She began. “I’ll spare you the tedious history, but a duel is usually used to resolve disputes that are not easily solved, usually between two people. The winner of the duel is seen as just and right and the loser must concede his argument or do as the winner wishes. In your particular case, the captain wants the truth out of you, so if you lose the duel, you have to be honest with him”

I could already see the giant, gaping loophole in such a practice. I decided to ask her about it. To ease my curiosity, if nothing else.

“Um, couldn’t the loser just lie? Or even refuse to comply?” I heard the captain snort behind me. I refused to look at him.

“Oh no. They wouldn’t dare,” the sergeant sighed and continued. “Its my fault for not making it clear. It’s an old custom yes, but it's slowly turned into an article of faith for the major religions in the south. Trust me, you do not want the attention of the cults. It would be worse than the social exclusion and shaming that would befall you if you dared do that”.

Alright, don’t cheat during spars. Got it! Also there are creepy cults here, how surprising.

The soldier that had been given the duty of being the arbiter of the duel walked up and asked us to step towards the centre of the circle. It was about to begin.

“That’s strange. Where is Maximillian?” I heard the sergeant mutter as the captain and I walked away.

The arbiter was explaining the rules as we entered the circle.

“No fatal blows, no assistance from those in the sitting area and no weapons apart from your natural aspects. The duel starts as soon as the stage is raised”

Raised? What was he talking about? I found out soon enough. Six soldiers with brown tassels dangling off their uniforms walked towards the seating area and… began to lift the earth under it. It was an amazing sight. They continued until the seating area was at least fifteen feet higher than it was before. Meanwhile, soldiers with red tassels walked out onto the circle, setting fire to the wooden poles. The brown-tasseled soldiers from the seating area walked toward the circle and created a depression about ten feet high and fifteen across. Finally, two soldiers with blue tassels walked up and filled the depression with water from large gourds on their backs, effectively creating a moat around the circle. It was very impressive.

The referee was on a raised platform of earth inside the moat and as he held up a large gong the crowd fell silent.

It was about to begin.