Chapter 99 - The First Duel (Patreon)

Quick Character Cheat Sheet

Gilly SunderhallBlonde and slender. Competitive, energetic, and very serious about magic. Daughter of Kevin Sunderhall. Fire and Water Aspects.

Madri SunvalleyCurly, fluffy hair. Bookish and curious, with a strong interest in artifacts and how magic works. Daughter of inventors. Earth and Fire Aspects.

Elia SeathamBlonde. Cheerful, playful, and fond of flirting. Comes from a minor noble family and is part of Efie’s group. Her sister was taken by the Mist Procession. Water and Earth Aspects.

Sebastian VinteyBlack hair and grey eyes. Reserved, analytical. Comes from a wealthy aristocratic family and is currently ranked just behind Reyna. Water and Earth Aspects.

Matt StonewallBrown hair, tall, broad shoulders. Combat focused, stubborn, grounded, and loyal. His father is a general. Fire and Earth Aspects.

Porietta “Pori” MileyLong, fluffy chestnut hair, a round face, and hazel eyes. Gentle, well mannered, and socially perceptive. Sole heir to an aristocratic family and a close childhood friend of Mel. Earth and Air Aspects.

Adam UthelsonLean, brown-haired, a commoner,also determined, charismatic, and openly hostile toward the nobility. Has his own group within the year. Aspects: Fire, Air, Earth.

Missy TamranBlack hair. Proud, outspoken, and very conscious of social status. Daughter of minor noble House Tamran. Fire Aspect.

Cedrick WyndorSon of Prince Leonard, one of the stars of the Academy, and its undefeated Champion. Currently away on the Eighth-Year Expedition.

Arien felt a little excited as he walked toward the Arena with Pori and Madri. His first match might not have promised much of a challenge, but it was still his first official duel there, and he had been looking forward to seeing how the whole thing worked.

His opponent was Corgi, the blond boy he had defeated during Basil's team assault on their camp. Expecting a relatively easy fight, Arien had spent most of the morning practicing Levitation and arrived with only a little over half his mana remaining.

Yesterday, Vizimir had become so irritated by their incompetence that only five students remained in the classroom by the end of the lesson. At least from the following week onward, the students expelled during the first lesson would begin returning.

“Pori, what's the point of throwing people out of class for weak mana manipulation when those lessons are exactly where they'd have the chance to improve?” he asked.

If Vizimir kept doing this, the students who struggled most would only fall further behind. And after the first week, Arien doubted anyone was taking his classes lightly.

“For the same reason the Academy is pressuring us from every direction,” Pori replied. “They want to force us not only to work harder, but also to care about the rankings. I'm already starting to feel sick from mana potions, and it's only the first week. Matt is going to spend half of tomorrow with a hired specialist practicing Levitation, and the coming weeks will only get worse once we move on to more difficult spells.” She glanced at him. “What do you think people will do when they find themselves at the bottom of the leagues?”

“Everything they can to climb higher.”

“Exactly. I've heard that during the second month, the number of duels usually reaches record levels and the assistants have to stay up until late at night.”

“But won't that eventually create an impossible gap between students?” Arien asked. “Why would the Academy deliberately cripple their progress?”

Pori glanced toward the Arena ahead. “Because only the best are meant to remain in the end.”

“Sounds like a waste of potential talent to me. Wouldn't it be better to give everyone a little more time to develop?”

Pori rolled her eyes. “The first four years were that time. And don't worry, people who drop out after the fifth year usually receive job offers immediately from all sorts of groups interested in working with them. Their potential isn't wasted, it's simply directed elsewhere.”

“You mean contracts with the Factions?”

“Partly, but despite appearances, the Factions aren't interested in most students. For them, it's an investment with an uncertain return. There are plenty of private individuals and organizations constantly looking for talented workers without demanding long-term contracts, though the support they offer is nowhere near what the Factions can provide.”

“See? This is why I ask you these things.”

She blushed slightly and gave him a small nod. “Then perhaps you could tell me what Reyna offered you in exchange for your points?” she asked, trying for a casual tone and failing rather badly.

“That's a secret.” Still, Arien decided to reveal a little. He didn't want anyone assuming Reyna had taken advantage of him. “But I was the one who offered Reyna my points. I would've offered them to you as well if it could have gotten you into the Portal.”

Pori stared at him for a moment, then shook her head while Madri quietly giggled.

By then they had almost reached the Arena.

The oval stone building stood in a broad clearing among the trees, its upper rows of seats visible above the outer wall. It was large enough to hold a few thousand spectators, but still compact enough that Arien could easily make out the separate entrances and the students gathering around them.

The closer they came, the busier it became. Students streamed toward the Arena along the forest paths, some loudly discussing their opponents, others walking in tense silence. Small groups clustered near the entrances to compare rankings and match assignments, while occasional cheers from inside carried through the open arches.

Arien felt his excitement rising as they joined the line at the competitor entrance. After a short wait, they showed the guard the numbers stamped onto their clay tablets and were waved inside.

The tunnel sloped gently downward beneath the stands. Voices and footsteps echoed from the stone walls, mixed with the muffled noise of the crowd somewhere ahead.

A moment later, Arien stepped out onto the Arena sands and slowed.

Even the spectator stands were restricted to students from fifth year onward, so this was his first time seeing the place from inside. Rows of stone seats rose around the oval grounds, already filling with students leaning over the railings and pointing toward the different fields below.

The fighting area itself had been divided into eight rectangular fields, each roughly forty feet long and twenty five feet wide. A shimmering Barrier surrounded every one of them, sealing the combatants inside. Spells, sound, and even images could not pass outward through the enchantment, while from the spectator side the fighters remained perfectly visible.

His duel was scheduled for the next round, so Arien examined the fields and quickly spotted several familiar faces. Matt was facing Sebastian, Gilly had been matched against a short-haired brunette, and Adam stood opposite Missy. Of the remaining competitors, the only one Arien recognized was Edd, the only other student of peasant origin still in their class.

“Hey, Arien!”

He turned and spotted Elia approaching.

“Waiting for your turn? I just finished mine,” she said, her face still flushed from exertion.

“Yeah. I'm fighting in the next round. How did it go?”

“I won! Against Selena, too!”

“That's great. Congratulations.”

Arien had enjoyed Elia's company during their few days together in the Reznan Forest. She had turned out to be surprisingly easy to get along with.

"Thanks! Who are you fighting?"

"Corgi."

"Oh. In that case, I won't even wish you luck," she laughed. "Poor Corgi. Having to face you again. She turned toward a girl tugging at her sleeve. “I know, Liz, I'm coming. Sorry, but I have to go. I promised Liz we'd practice for class with that madman."

"Oh. Levitation?" Arien asked, not even bothering to ask whom she meant.

"Levitation," she replied with a sigh.

"I see you were unlucky enough to get him too."

“Unfortunately. I’m starting to understand why everyone calls him that. I have to go. See you later!”

Arien watched her leave, wondering how students in Vizimir's other classes were coping.

A trumpet sounded, announcing the start of the duels, and he turned his attention to the fields. The duel that interested him most was the one between Matt and Sebastian.

Sebastian was the more talented mage and generally achieved better academic results, but from what Arien understood, he intended to pursue the path of a Mana Master rather than a Battle Mage. With a longsword glowing with mana in hand, Matt might have the advantage here.

Both boys cast at almost the same moment. Matt launched a Fireball, Sebastian answered with Water Lance, and the two spells collided in the center of the field.

Matt immediately charged forward. He had barely covered six feet before a Stone Spear forced him to stop and catch it on his Half-Shield. The impact made him flinch, and he answered with another Fireball.

Soon the two were exchanging spells back and forth.

Arien glanced toward the other fields. Gilly was bombarding her opponent with Flaming Arrows so quickly that the girl barely had time to respond, while Edd seemed determined to empty his entire mana reserve against an opponent hiding behind Water Shields.

Adam, meanwhile, appeared to be tormenting Missy. Every time she began an incantation, he launched an Earth Spear at her, interrupting the spell and forcing her to start over.

Arien managed to see Gilly finally break through her opponent's defenses before turning his attention back to Matt and Sebastian's fight.

Both were breathing heavily now, and their attacks came much more slowly. That favored Matt. With every exchange, he managed to close a little more of the distance between them. Sebastian kept trying to stop him, but his spells were no longer coming quickly enough.

On another field, Adam finally broke through Missy's defenses and sent her crashing to her knees. The golden protective dome appeared around her, and she started to cry. For a moment, Arien felt sorry for her. Then he remembered some of her past comments and decided that perhaps a small dose of humility wouldn't hurt.

Matt finally reached Sebastian and began hammering at his Magic Shield with his sword, constantly circling to make himself harder to target.

Sebastian grimaced and summoned two earthen pillars that erupted from either side of Matt. Matt pivoted toward the first, smashed it apart with his sword, and stepped clear of the second.

Sebastian took a step back, breathing hard. Matt was already closing the distance again. 

After a brief hesitation, Sebastian raised his hand in surrender. The assistant overseeing the match immediately raised a red flag toward their field, confirming Matt's victory. Matt lowered his sword. The two boys exchanged a few words, shook hands, and left the field together.

Less than three minutes later, every duel except Edd's had ended. His match was nearly over as well, with both fighters visibly struggling to cast on what little mana they had left. After one more attack from Edd, his opponent finally raised her hand in surrender.

“Well done, Edd!” Adam called.

Edd hurried over to him with a wide grin. Adam put a hand on his shoulder and said something that made him burst out laughing, and the two headed toward the tunnel together.

"Hey, Arien," Matt said as he strode energetically toward him.

“Hey, guys. Good fight.” Arien glanced at Matt’s sword. “Stupid piece of metal. Battlemages shouldn’t fight in melee.”

Both boys smiled. They knew his opinion on close-combat mages all too well.

"Today I share your opinion," Sebastian said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "What was it you always say? Hit them hard?"

"Hit them hard and don't stop!" Arien replied dramatically.

"Apparently that worked on Liam," Matt commented, shaking his head. "I hope I get matched against him this month. If not, I'll challenge him myself."

"Do it," Arien agreed. "Let the bloodthirsty lunatics fight each other in melee while normal, Gods-fearing mages engage in elegant duels."

"Who are you fighting?" Sebastian asked.

“Corgi.”

“Eh. Not even worth staying to watch. I'm heading out. What about you, Matt?”

Matt glanced toward Arien’s field, hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “Yeah, I'm coming.”

They had barely started toward the exit when Gilly came running over, laughing, and threw herself at Matt in a quick hug.

Arien watched them go, then turned toward Field Number Five. His pulse quickened as he crossed the sand. After all the talk about the Arena, the rankings, and the duels, he was finally about to fight his first match here.

Corgi was already waiting for him, casting nervous glances in his direction.

Arien stepped through the Barrier and immediately slowed, his attention shifting away from his opponent. From inside, everything beyond it looked slightly blurred, as though seen through a thin layer of mist.

I wonder how strong the barrier actually is. Supposedly, Prince Cedrick had once managed to break one by accident during a duel.

Arien rolled his wrists a few times, then his neck, considering how to open the match. His control over Fire Whip had been improving steadily, but he wanted to try some new spells configurations.

Maybe I should use the duel to practice Half-Shield instead?

The trumpet sounded, and Arien gathered mana in his hands, already bracing for Corgi’s opening move.

Corgi raised his hand in surrender.

Arien stared at him.

That was it.

I could have stayed in my room practicing magic instead...

Sorry, everyone, but Corgi didn't want to waste his mana just for our entertainment. :) We'll have two proper duels on Tuesday, though!

Also I hope the last few worldbuilding posts have been useful and helped make some of the systems and background of EoN a little clearer. :)

Later today, after the chapter, I’ll also put up a post for the next Q&A, so if there’s anything you want to ask, that’ll be the place. And as always, you can also just DM me.

I’m also planning to put up a few polls soon. There are a couple of directions I’m considering, and I’d like to get a better idea of what you guys are interested in before I decide.

One more important thing: from now on, I’ll probably be a little less active in the comments under chapters.

There are two main reasons for that.

The first is simply time. Reading and replying to comments has started taking up quite a lot of it, and I’d rather put more of those hours back into working on EoN itself.

The second is actually one of the reasons I wanted to publish a story in the first place. I really wanted to see people come up with their own theories about where the plot might go, what certain things mean, who can be trusted, and so on.

But I’ve realized that once I start actively joining those discussions myself, it stops being a fair game. Even when I’m careful, anything I say can confirm, deny, or accidentally steer a theory in one direction.

So I’ll still read the comments, because they’re usually a lot of fun, but I’d rather leave you guys more room to argue, theorize, and discuss things among yourselves without me constantly jumping in.

The only thing I’d ask is to keep it civil. If discussions turn into personal insults, I’ll have to remove those comments. The same goes for characters in EoN. Feel free to criticize their decisions, personalities, mistakes, or anything else. That’s completely fair game. Just try to keep the insults and excessive profanity out of it. :)