Ar'Kendrithyst

With a Handy Aura, a rough plan, a quick trip to the market, and a stop by Spice Lady Ratchet’s store, Erick had all the pieces to start dinner. He had three hours to go till dinner, and more than enough food to make; he might not even make it, dinner might be late.

He started with dessert first. Lemon bundt cakes soon filled a table, while iced cookies filled four baskets. Two of the cakes were destined for other people, but those cookies were for Jane and the household.

Dinner would, of course, prominently feature potatoes. So Erick got right on that. Sliced, fried, then set aside until he could fry them again right before go-time, the potatoes were easy to make. Chicken came next. It was carved into popcorn sized pieces and breaded and fried, with spices so pungent, Erick had to conjure gloves and a face mask to stop his skin from burning.

When Rats woke up, Erick sent him out for beer. The redscale man smiled and gladly accepted this wonderful new responsibility. He would get the best beer, and it would only cost a few hundred gold. That was okay, money would not be tight for tonight’s service. Erick also told him to buy some fancy breads, too. Rats nodded; he knew just the place.

Erick roasted all sorts of vegetables, from carrots to corn, and not-eggplant and not-zucchini. He even managed to make a passable Ranch dressing with the spices Ratchet sold him, and sour cream he had made the day before. It was slightly different Ranch than how Erick remembered, but when Teressa woke up and tried it, she thought it was wonderful.

Jane showed up half an hour before sunset, walking home with Rats, both of them carrying kegs and bags of food.

Erick had decided to make pizza, too. Buffalo fried chicken pizza. The two-foot wide pizza came out of the oven, perfectly melted and singed, just as Jane tapped the first keg.

As the sun set over western Spur, and the sky turned cold, as winds flowed from the north, Erick laid out dinner for his daughter, and everyone else in the household. It was a nice, calm event. Erick burned his mouth trying out the spicy fried chicken, though he was not alone in that regard. The only one able to stomach the powerful spice was Jane, who absolutely loved it. Kiri almost managed to eat a whole fried tender, but rushed for the milk one bite to the end. Jane laughed, while Teressa and Rats chuckled. Poi ate his non-spicy chicken, smiling as he watched. The pizza was an absolute hit. The Ranch went fast, too; Erick had to make more of that, so he did.

Erick felt a joy, in this moment, in this time.

After dinner, Jane made coftea, while Erick sliced up cakes and set out cookies. Dessert was nice, too. Teressa spoke of the places she had seen and the monsters she had killed, while Rats talked of the people who had come through Spur. Poi spoke of history and facts, while Kiri talked of magic. Jane would go hunt Flame Essences tomorrow, but before she went, Erick had presents to give.

It had only taken him twenty minutes, scattered throughout the afternoon cooking, to go to his tower and actually enchant the blanks he already had, and now, he was going to give them to his people; if they wanted them. Erick excused himself from the kitchen table, and went to his tower to collect the presents.

Erick came back to the kitchen. Dirty plates and half eaten cakes laid scattered across the dark wooden table, while warm mugs of coftea steamed into the air, and people spoke of other places and different times. Nothing had changed between him leaving and coming back, but now, Erick carried ten rings in his pockets, and they felt heavy.

Poi was the first to go silent, and look up to him. Kiri looked up next. Conversation ceased.

Erick said, “I made rings for everyone. But these are special. If anyone ever finds out you have something like this, you might become a target, but we’re already targets. So...”

Kiri breathed in, sharply. Teressa and Rats frowned. More silence.

Jane said, “I think it’s a good idea. You all could do with some more defenses.”

Poi asked, “What are they?”

Erick pulled out his ten rings, and Handy Aura’d them out. The rings floated on unseen hands, to sit beside their designated people. The rings were unassuming things; a silver, plain sphere, set in a thin band of iron. There were no flourishes upon the jewelry, but everyone stared at them like they were priceless, or dangerous, or interesting.

Jane put hers on, first. Left ring finger, right ring finger, and done. She tilted her head, then sat calmly, saying, “That’s some good quality.”

“They’re a bit better than mine, but only by a few points.”

Jane said, “A few points adds up a lot.”

“Well. Yeah,” Erick agreed.

Rats took off his old rings and put on his new ones. He shivered. A moment passed, as he read the air, blinking. His mouth dropped open. He almost said something, but he chose to remain silent.

Poi, Kiri, and Teressa quickly put theirs on.

Erick watched, as eyes lit up, and brows furrowed, and Poi glared daggers at absolutely everyone except Erick. Poi’s look was one that declared that questions would remain questions.

Poi looked up to Erick, and said, “Thank you. These will do nicely.”

Kiri chuckled. “Oh my gods— I don’t want to know how. But I want to know. You know?”

Rats said, “Best not to.”

“Yes.” Teressa said, “Don’t poke around at this, Kiri.” She looked at the rings on her fingers, and said, “I’m not even sure we should have these.”

Rats said, “This solves so many problems for me. I’m using them.”

Kiri said, “Me too.”

“Me three.” Teressa said, “But… There is a danger, here.”

Jane said, “Danger is everywhere. Rats almost died the other day.”

Poi said, “The argument is a valid one to have. But we are using these rings. They solve a lot of problems for me, too.”

Kiri glanced up to Erick with a hunger in her eyes, but she looked away, to the rings on her fingers, and said nothing.

Jane looked to Kiri, then to Erick, smirking, as she asked, “How’d your [Death Spiral Fire], go, Dad?”

Erick exaggerated a frown at his daughter, as he glanced to Kiri.

“What!” Jane asked, all falsely innocent.

Erick decided to pull the bandage off quickly. “I did not get it—”

Kiri sighed out a happy, silent chuckle.

“—but I got something very similar—”

Kiri held her breath.

“—and something that is good enough to use in the place of [Death Spiral Fire].”

Kiri deflated, but quickly regained her composure.

Erick pulled out the box for [Endless Plasma Wrap] and handed it to Jane, across the table. At Kiri’s barely concealed look of supreme want, he handed her a copy, too. Kiri’s eyes went wide, as her breath hitched.

Jane took the spell, and spoke for the group, “Three times Willpower damage until the target dies. 1101 mana. Close range, though that’s not a big deal with Ophiel.” She dismissed the spell. “That’s a wyrm-killer!”

Kiri smiled softly, as she read the spell. She said, “It will serve.”

Erick changed the subject. “Anyone have any idea how [Teleport] works? I couldn’t get anything past the basic spell.”

Kiri kept her soft smile; remaining silent.

Poi said, “I have no idea.”

Teressa and Rats both shrugged, each of them touching the rings on their fingers.

Kiri said, “Uh! Yeah. It’s difficult to get [Teleport Object]. Proper training will help.”

“[Prismatic Ward] didn’t get made well, either.” Erick sat down and carved himself another slice of lemon cake, saying, “I did the rhyme and everything, but I think it was too simple. That spell is seven moving parts, all at once.”

Kiri asked, “How bad was it?”

“It was better than the Script version, for sure. But it was only 3 times Variable, and an unchanging area. Medium sized.”

Kiri paled, guttering out a long, drawn out, “Haaaa.”

Jane laughed loud.

Erick ignored Jane, saying, “So, Kiri. I was thinking to try a few Particle spells, and see about having you make them, and me copying them. Would you be interested in this?”

“Yes!” Kiri said, instantly.

Jane laughed again.

While dessert rolled on, and they spoke of magic, Erick went ahead and bought the rest of the spells necessary for Oceanside.

Fabricate 1, 1 minute, close range, 50MP + Variable

Using provided materials, create a permanent object you know how to create.

Exp: 0/100

Control Item 1, instant, touch, 5MP + Variable

Control a non-living item to move how you desire, for 10 minutes per spell level.

Exp: 0/100

Envelop Item 1, instant, touch, 50MP + Variable

Envelop an item in nigh-unbreakable mana. Lasts for 1 hour per spell level.

Exp: 0/100

Adjust Scent 1, instant, close range, 10 MP + Variable

Change a Scent.

Exp: 0/100

Alter Size 1, instant, touch, 10 MP + Variable

Increase or decease the size of a target. Damage breaks effect. Lasts 1 minute per spell level.

Exp: 0/100

Alter Friction 1, instant, close range, 10 MP

Increase or decease Friction upon a small target. Damage breaks effect. Lasts 1 minute per spell level

Exp: 0/100

Husbandry 1, instant, touch, 50 MP + Variable

An animal’s opinion of you improves.

Exp: 0/100

He’d have to work on leveling those tomorrow, along with all the rest of the spells, as well as take another shot at [Prismatic Ward].

- - - -

Jane left in the morning, with a pack of lemon cookies and a lot of leftover chicken, and a large stone jar of the pepper spices Ratchet had made her. Erick’s rings were dull things on her fingers, while her eyes were bright brown, and full of joy. They spoke of talking every other night, or at least when they could; though Erick’s night would end up being hours ahead of Jane’s, and Jane might actually go out of range. [Telepathy] covered a vast, vast distance, but it wasn’t world-wide.

Oceanside was on an island country, south east of the Greensoil Republic, near the equator, while Jane would be traipsing all across continental Glaquin, as well as a final pass through the islands of Nergal, on the southern hemisphere.

Erick could barely get a [Telepathy] signal from here to Oceanside; he would have enough trouble providing the rains for the farms. Talking across double that distance was just unfeasible. At least with Erick’s basic tier 1 [Telepathy], anyway.

Jane was prepared for a long journey. Months, maybe. But she would be back in Spur, sooner or later. Spur was home, and her father was here, after all.

Erick cried as he hugged Jane beside the garden of their house, one final time. Wind rustled the lemon trees, and the vines and the corn stalks.

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too, Jane.” Erick hugged her tight, asking, “You got a map, right? You know where you’re going?”

“I have a plan.” She said, “I know where I’m going.”

“I know you do.” He said, “I love you.”

Jane giggled, saying, “I love you, too, Dad.” She pulled away, then wiped away a tear of her own. She blinked up at the sunlight, shining across the roof. “Kiri can not have my tower.”

Erick laughed. “Okay.”

“I’m serious about this, now.” Jane smiled. “I’ll see you later, Dad.”

“Later.”

Jane blipped dark blue, and she was gone. The air was empty. Wind blew through the space that had just held his daughter, while she, herself, was a thousand kilometers away, and likely already blipping again, headed north, back to the Wyrmridge Mountains. Firemaw Mountain was her goal; to work on her [Fire Body], before she tackled the unicorn.

Erick stared at the air where his daughter had been.

Then he went back inside, to his tower. He stared at the ceiling, where the model of the Solar System hung. He stared for a while. Thinking, and not thinking. When he was done with that, ten or twenty minutes later, he got to making diamonds. Liquid had one more order of 50 rings left to fulfill, while Odaali and Cyril had 50 coming to them, too.

Erick sent Ophiel out to rain on the farms at the appropriate time, while he continued to toil in his tower. Diamond dust flew from jewelry lathes, and layered against Erick’s skin, and his face mask. Exalted rain funneled through gutters, into a cistern. Maskwards layered over pools of platinum water, as Ultramarine, Cyan, Cinnabar, and Crimson, sunk into spherical gems, to be sealed inside, under layers of platinum-laced diamond.

Artifacts were born, five, ten at a time.

Liquid got her order in the middle of the afternoon. At the same time, Erick delivered two lemon cakes to High Priest Darenka. She loved them.

Cyril, and Odaali, would have to wait till the morning for their shipment, because not only did Erick have no way to contact them, but Poi said they were not accepting anything from him. Well fuck that! Erick made a promise, and they were going to accept their items, dammit.

Erick would have pursued that conversation more, but at that moment, Al showed up at Erick’s front door, half an hour till sunset, wearing nicer clothes than normal.

- - - -

Al was a 9 foot tall hunk of orcol man, with brown-green skin, short black hair, deep black eyes, and light scars that crisscrossed much of his face. The scars were barely noticeable in normal light, though from his time in the bath house, Erick knew those scars covered a lot of the man’s body. But he was fully clothed, right now, and wearing an impeccable gangster-sultan’s loose, black and gold suit, over his massive muscular frame; Erick was completely unprepared for such a sight.

The sun glinted through the solid, flat [Crystalline Air] that surrounded the house, separating Al from Erick, who stood in the doorway, wearing a diamond dust covered tunic and breeches, looking rather destitute. He brushed sparkles out of his hair, and realized he needed a haircut. Shaving was hard enough—

“Good evening, Erick.” Al asked, “May I call upon you tonight, for a night on the town?”

Erick stood, stunned.

Al cleared his throat, adding, “This is not a date. I don’t date.”

Erick broke out in a laugh, while Al’s face turned darker and his arms loosened on his sides. He frowned, as his open hands clenched.

Al said, “I am sorry for the imposition.” Al turned to walk—

Erick quickly said, “Sorry! Not laughing at you. Just— Yes! I want to go on a non-date.” He patted himself down, adding, “I am quite underdressed, though.”

Al froze. He turned back to Erick, his face bright, as his eyebrows went up and his dark eyes sparkled. He stood straighter, stating, “Apologies. I… I have not done this… in a long time.” He tentatively asked, “Your… Your flirting, was real, yes?”

“Yes,” Erick said with a smile. He moved aside from the door, mentally pushing at the [Crystalline Air], giving Al permission to enter, saying, “Come on in. I. Uh. I need to get ready?”

Al looked over the [Solid Ward] around the house, then touched the surface. The solid air parted at his touch. Al pushed through, breaking the [Ward] into fractals across his entire body, as he stepped into the house. He overshadowed Erick by at least two feet. Erick smiled to look up at the man, as Al’s face flushed. The tall man looked away, smiling.

Erick stepped back, again, asking, “What’s the plan for tonight?”

Al glanced back to the [Solid Ward], touching it again, eliciting cracked air around his finger.

“Oh yeah!” Erick said, “I never showed you this, did I?” Erick pulled out the spell and handed it to Al.

Al briefly read over the spell, and smiled to say, “You are a lot more prepared for the trials of this world than you were when you first arrived upon my own doorstep.” He dismissed the blue box. “I am greatly pleased by this.”

“I am too.” Erick said, “Jane’s still worried, though. I sent her off today. She’s out gathering forms for Polymage. Oh! I did make this spell that burns a thing till it dies. It’s not [Death Spiral Fire], but it’s close. Still working on the rest of the standard archmage-repertoire, though.”

Al smiled wide, his lower fangs peeking out. He laughed, happy, saying, “This is good! Are you trying for that pesky mana sense skill, yet?”

“Just got [Detect Magic] the other day, and Kiri says that will help develop the skill, but I’ve yet to actually sit down and attempt such a thing.”

“It is a difficult skill.” Al smiled, saying, “But this is good! We shall celebrate!”

Erick smiled, softly, repeating, “What’s the plan for tonight?” He pulled at his clothes, scattering diamond dust, adding, “How much better should I dress?”

Al said, “I would be honored if you would accompany me to see the opening fights.”

Erick didn’t know if he heard that correctly. “The fights?”

Al paused. “Did you not know they were happening?”

“I have been kinda… occupied. Lately.”

Al smiled. He said, “In three to five days, the underground river will drop to a trickle, and water will have to be manually pulled up from below. This is when we hold the fights.” Al said, “Blood is spilled in friendly combat, to bless the lands and in prayer that the water will come again. Whoever has the most points by the time the water drops, wins. The fights this week promise to be the largest fights in a hundred years.” He added, “That’s the rumor, anyway.” He frowned at Erick, asking, “Did you really not know of them?”

Erick looked back toward Teressa, standing on the edge of the room in her monolithic grey [Conjure Armor]. She stood firm, without her helmet. She looked resigned; maybe slightly sad.

He asked her, “There are fights?”

“Yes, sir.” Teressa said, “I talked about it while you were making that dinner for Jane, and this morning, but it seems your mind was in another place.”

“Sorry. Yeah.” Erick agreed, “Probably.”

Teressa simply nodded.

Erick asked, “I guess I’m going to them. Wouldn’t you want to go, too, Teressa? Or, Poi, can be the guard? And you can just go to the the fights. You didn’t ask me for the night off, did you? Or… did you ask Poi?” Erick looked around. “Where is Poi, anyway?”

Teressa brightened, but she settled down, saying, “It’s me and Rats here, tonight. Poi is off doing whatever. We can go with you, though. Uh.” She said, “If you wish.”

Al readily said, “Yes! Yes. Let us all go!” He whispered to Erick, “This is not a date.”

Erick grinned. “I’ll go get ready.”

- - - -

Teressa watched Erick walk up the stairs to his room, then turned to Al, smiling wide, before she rushed off to her own room to go change. At a sudden thought, she burst into Rats’ room, waking him up, saying, “We’re going to the fights!”

Rats froze in his bed. He was awake, for sure. Teressa heard his heartbeat sledgehammer in his chest. Slowly, wide eyed, he turned over in his bed, glaring death at Teressa.

Teressa only smiled wider, saying, “We’re going to the fights.”

Rats breathed deep, then said, “Fucking hell and heaven, Teressa. Please don’t ever wake me up like that ever again.”

“Why are you still in bed, anyway!” Teressa said, “Get up, get up!”

Rats began extracting himself from his covers, muttering, “Bloody gods damned orcols and your bloody blood sports.”

Teressa squee’d just a bit, saying, “Yes yes! And we get to see them in person, this year!”

“Yeah yeah...”

- - - -

Erick rushed to his room. Once inside, he promptly stripped and then [Stoneshape]d the diamond dust off of his body. He cast a [Cleanse] and put on his best outfit; a pure white set of what he normally wore, and since this was a nightly event, Erick grabbed his nice brown cloak, too.

Ophiel watched him the whole time. He had watched Erick while Erick was shaping diamonds, too. As Erick walked out of his room. Ophiel followed, hovering through the air like he was floating on a lazy river.

Erick was the last one to enter the foyer; Teressa and Rats were waiting for him, alongside Al. Erick’s guards had dressed nicely, both of them wearing finer fabrics than their usual army-assigned armor, with nice belts and nicer cloaks.

Al looked up at Erick stepping down the stairs, and smiled. “Ready?”

“Ready!”

Rats said, “I’ve already checked in with security, so we’re cleared for arrival.”

Erick asked, “Security?”

Al smiled, saying, “People are throwing around high tier magic and weaponry. Of course there’s security.”

- - - -

The northern gates of Spur had been set opened. A ten meter wide, thousand meter long, road had been made out of sand, linking from the city, to a hill of lights off in the distance. Light orbs hung on the sides of that road, while countless people walked north, with friends, or family, or adventuring partners. Guards did not line the road, but they did man the gate from Spur.

The walk was a short one, all things considered. Cold threatened on the air, but a lot of people were here, on the road, and Erick’s cloak was thick enough without needing to resort to some [Conjure Armor]. Others on the road were not so lucky; Erick clearly saw in the singular colored cloaks or the singular colored armors, that some people were outsiders, who needed to learn how to dress for the hot and cold climate of the Crystal Forest.

Stone rose high at the end of that road, and Erick saw the hill was not a hill at all; it was a coliseum. It was a structure that was not there yesterday, and might not have been there this morning, either. Thick columns supported high walls, with arches on top of those columns, and stadium seating beyond. Lightorbs and lightsculptures adorned the structure; weapons, explosions, beams, and people of all sorts, locked in a battle, hovered in a ring of multicolored light atop those columns and arches, providing a diffuse rainbow of color, that added up to a prismatic glow, bathing everything in the colors of a festival.

In the center of that veritable wall of the exterior coliseum, sprung a fountain. Cascading from on high, blue and white lights flowed inside water, to crash upon layers of stone; pools for which the water only took a brief break, before falling down again, to other waiting shelves.

“I need to see that fountain,” Erick said.

“And so you shall!” Al declared, just one loud voice among the throng of people, walking to the fights.

Ophiel rested on Erick’s right shoulder, his eyes open wide to the world.

The roar of the cheering crowd on the other side of that stadium wall rocked across the twilight Crystal Forest, but the noises of the exterior of the coliseum were loud, too. People were everywhere.

And as they got close, the scents of food washed over Erick. Fried things. Cheesy things. Sugar and sweets. Meats and breads. Overhangs of stone and tables made of rock were everywhere across the sands, providing ample seating or respite, while countless food stalls sold brisk business to people eagerly awaiting their food.

Erick smiled. “I want to try some of everything.”

“And so we shall!” Al said, “But the fountain is over there.”

They made their way through the crowd, to stand at the base of the fountain. Water poured from on high, like glowing blue and white rain. The final crash of water ended in a bright pool, littered with light orbs and copper coins, though Erick spotted glints of gold and silver here and there amongst the rippling water.

All around Erick, other people were tossing in coins, and then closing their eyes in prayer, while guards watched from the sides of the pool. A sign in front of the glowing pool declared, ‘All donations go toward the Interfaith Church of Spur.’

As Al threw in a gold coin, Erick looked at the fountain again. The gods were in the waters; statues or reliefs, here and there, in muted glory. Rozeta hovered high on the multi-story fountain; a long dragon weaving among stone clouds. The water started among those stone clouds by Rozeta, but fell down onto other stone clouds, then all the way to the pool at the bottom. On one of those clouds stood Koyabez, with the Silver Star illuminated at his back, while Atunir stood under the rain among glowing stone wheat grown all around her. Phagar stood to the side, in a secluded space, with several slimes around his feet.

Erick threw in a gold coin, and made an indistinct prayer for a good future.

And then it was time to get back to the party. Al led the way back to the food carts, and promptly ended the idea of a discussion about who was going to pay; Al was paying. Erick revived the conversation by shoving money at the next stall before Al could. Al just laughed. From one eatery to the next, the balance of who-paid-for-what might have been even, but Erick was already three beers into the night.

In the middle of their fourth food stall, Poi showed up.

Erick shoved some beer at the dour man, saying, “Drink up! It’s a festival, didn’t you know!”

Poi took the beer, almost saying something that was surely a buzzkill, but he stopped, and said, “Very well.” He sipped his beer, and said, “Teressa and Rats want to participate in the fights, you know? They left you behind twenty minutes ago.”

“No!?” Erick said, “I did not know!” Erick turned to Al, declaring, “We must go cheer them on.”

Al pointed over the crowd, saying, “Onward! To the arena!”

Erick finished his beer and got a fifth on his way through the crowd, to the arena proper.

The coliseum was only half of a coliseum, specifically, the southern half. There were no two sides to this conflict, only the one side: Spur. The seating for all of Spur took up hundreds of rows, up and down the veritable mountain of stone that had been moved in for this event. Three such seating areas had been made, and all of them looked down onto a hundred meter wide oval of bare rock and sand, and the dark expanse of the north, at night.

With [Ultrasight] Erick saw two groups of people already fighting in the oval, under bright spotlights that illuminated everything, though one of the fighters was in the sky, shooting [Force Bolt]s. Ophiel trilled to see the man in the air, as though asking, ‘Why aren’t they all flying?’

Erick asked, “Only half an arena?”

Al carried his beer in one hand, and pointed with a tray of donuts in the other, saying, “They start down there, but they often end up elsewhere.” He added, “And besides! It’s bad form to use the audience as a shield, even accidentally. These guys look like rookies, but we might see a real fight by the end of the night.”

Erick glanced backward at the fight, as they walked up the seating area to find a nice spot. Swords flashed under spotlights. Beams carved across the sand. A man leapt at a woman, as the woman vanished, and reappeared behind the man, striking hard. The man crashed across the arena to spack against a boulder. The audience all around Erick both cheered and winced.

People on the sidelines at the arena edge rushed to the downed man, but the man stood back up, to a minor cheer from the crowd. But he was bleeding from that attack; he was out of the fight.

“Hello there!” Al said, to someone.

Erick turned back to see Al greeting Mog. A few other people Erick had never seen before sat with the guildmaster. All of them wore armor; all of them looked ready for a fight. Mog wore a powerful red armor that protected her more than anything else Erick had ever seen her wear, hiding much of her massive musculature, and making her look twice as huge as normal. A powerful smile finished off her powerful look.

Mog said, “Why hello there, you two beautiful men.”

“Mog!” Erick said, “Hello! The Hydra is dead.”

“I know.” Mog smirked, asking, “What about the rest of them?”

“Ah. Well.” Erick said, “Soon I’ll be off to Oceanside for some archmage training, if that's what you’d want to call it. But if you get any sightings, I’m always open to a [Telepathy]. Or Poi is.” Erick looked behind him, to see Poi. “Maybe?”

Poi spoke up, “Any time, Guildmaster Mog.”

Mog said, “I’ll hold you to that.”

Al said, “We must talk about this Oceanside trip, Erick.”

A man with Mog leaned over— It was Draz, from Erick’s remedial adventuring training. Erick smiled to see the man, as a tendril of thought connected him to Mog.

Mog sighed, looking over Erick and Al, and said, “We’re up—”

“You are? Already?” Al asked.

“Yup.” Mog and her team stood from their seats. “Keep our seats warm, would you? I’d like to talk to you about Oceanside. After we win.”

Erick said, “Certainly! Good luck.”

Mog smiled, to say, “We make our own luck.”

“Good fight, Mog,” Al said.

“Later, Al.”

Mog walked down the aisle, as other people walked up. The half-stadium was getting full, as twilight ended and stars took hold of the northern sky. A cool wind should have blown… But the air was rather still. It was chilly, but someone must have layered [Weather Ward]s out there.

Al sat down where Mog had been. Erick sat down beside him. And they watched the fights.

People in the crowd occasionally blipped away, only to reappear later with more food, and to a guard standing where they blipped back; scoldings played out across the stadium, here and there, while most people just watched the battles down below, cheering, and booing, and laughing, and roaring at the good show.

Al looked like he had something to say, but nothing came.

Erick said, “Thank you for inviting me out, Al. I had no idea this was happening. I was going to [Teleport] out to Oceanside the day after tomorrow… But I was going to see you right before that.” He looked up to the blushing orcol, and said, “I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten cold feet after I dropped on you that I was over 50.”

Al sat straighter. “I understood what you meant.” He reluctantly added, “I just did not know… What to do with this information. Spur is a melting pot, but I have no idea how to interact with a human… in this scenario. We haven’t had humans in Spur in a very… Ever since I moved to the city.”

Erick smiled. “I don’t bite, unless you want me to.”

Al laughed loud. It was a good sound.

Erick joked, “I was actually trying to flirt with Mog the other day, since it looked like you weren’t interested—”

Al blushed dark.

“— But I think I might have done something to offend her.”

Al suddenly laughed again. “Mog loves to flirt, but as soon as affection is returned, she shuts down. It is an old problem with her.” He added, “But this is good news for me. It means I have at least a year to make a move on you. If we are your only suitors, that is.”

Erick laughed.

Al asked, “Are there any other rivals for your affections I should be aware of?”

Erick forced falsely-serious words through his smile, saying, “I’m hot stuff. Everyone wants a piece of this platinum rain action.”

Al laughed loud.

- - - -

When Team Mog’s turn came, the arena cheered like thunder rolling across the land.

Her opponents never stood a chance. Mog instantly zipped through the space between her and those four unfortunate people. By herself, in bright red armor, she bashed a leg in half, sent a guy flying, turned an arm into a broken thing, and accepted the surrender of the fourth guy. She casually cast a conjured sword across the fourth guy's cheek, spilling several drops of bright red blood to the sands of the arena.

The crowd cheered, again.

Erick sent Ophiel down for more beer. And fried chicken. And fries. Couldn’t forget the fries!

The vendors were only slightly worried about Ophiel’s half-enlarged appearance, but everyone knew who he was from his time providing rain for the farms. Ophiel handed over gold, too, so that smoothed a lot of ruffled feathers.

- - - -

Mog walked up the stairs, without her group, and without her armor. She wore a red dress, instead. A warm cloak wrapped around her shoulders, but her dress was cut to reveal. Erick’s Vitality had already prodded at him this entire night, but now, with Al sitting on one side and Mog suddenly sitting down on the other side, Erick just chuckled to himself, as his pants were a bit too tight.

Mog leaned into him, asking, “How’d you like our fight?”

Erick smiled. “Was that a fight? It looked like a beating.”

Al laughed. “You never gave them a chance, Mog!”

Mog leaned back, putting on a false offense, as she said, “They were our opponents! I did what anyone should do.”

“You smacked them up right good,” Erick said.

“I did.” Mog grinned, looking down at the fights in the arena, adding, “It’s what rivals deserve.” She looked to Al, saying, “My very best.”

Erick looked up from Mog, to Al, saying, “You know? For the longest time, I thought you two were an item.”

Mog laughed at that, while Al coughed up his beer. The people on the seats below looked up; Erick mouthed ‘Sorry’, but they just turned back around, eyes intent on the arena.

Mog said, “We would have been.”

Al added, “You wanted what I could not give.”

“And it’s an old argument that doesn’t bear repeating.” Mog said, “But now, we’re just friends who meet around town, and occasionally in each other’s beds.”

Al choked on his beer again, but contained the spilled beer to himself this time.

Erick just smiled to himself, saying, “Ah. Well I’m not that… Ah.”

Mog sat straight, saying, “I didn’t mean to imply that you were. Uh.” She went silent. She stared down at the fight. She said, “Sorry.”

She vanished in a blip of grey.

Al said, “Sorry about… Uh.” He looked to Erick, and said, “Oceanside will be good for you. Very good. Just don’t get taken in by the Headmaster. Uh.” He paused. He said, “This is all very awkward, now. She should not have said that.”

Erick looked up to the man, and said, “Don’t worry about it.”

A bright flash of light on the arena drew Erick back toward the action.

As the arena turned to flame, and the crowd went quiet, Erick added, “Ah! Let’s watch this one.”

Al agreed, obviously glad for the sudden distraction.

Three people set out against three others, one team in blue, the other in yellow. Blue light streamed down from the sky, striking yellow adventurers, exploding into blue conflagrations. Sand melted, as yellow men and women vanished and reappeared in the blue formation. Yellow pulses rocked the arena, like drops hitting a calm pond, striking blue armor and fracturing into further explosions.

A blue arm went flying.

Somewhere in the middle of that, blue swords carved against yellow helmets. A yellow breastplate streaked with red; first blood. They were out of the fight. They were also unconscious.

The chaff was discarded; only two people remained.

A blue man stood against a yellow woman, the others having already fallen. The heavens opened up again, raining blue [Force Bomb]s that scattered across the field, exploding in blazes of glory. But yellow moved faster than blue. She pulsed with rings of yellow; Force exploding where it touched something that was not already yellow.

Blue flew into the air, away from the audience. Yellow chased, flying, sword drawn, a seven meter length of unwieldy weapon. Not a drop of blood yet spilled from either combatant.

Blue opened the sky with crashes of blue Force, but Yellow twisted in the air, dodging nebulous blue bullets the size of her body. Yellow retaliated with concentrated explosions of her own that burst around Blue, completely obscuring the man. But Blue was already forty yards away, in another part of the sky. A cacophony filled the night as yellow and blue light danced a song of destruction.

A stray explosion struck the ground of the arena, too close to the stands, sending sand into the audience. Some cheered. Guards stood up and cast [Force Wall]s.

Whoever Yellow and Blue were, they were not rookies; they were veterans, and evenly matched. Blue struck with waves of lightning. Yellow deflected with barriers of Force. Yellow struck with a [Blink] and a swipe. Blue retaliated with a reactive explosion that sent Yellow hurling backward, and faintly on fire.

Beams of green light ripped through the air from a dozen different sources around Blue, converging on Yellow, as Yellow swiped a hand through the air, and the beams reflected back to Blue.

“How did she do that!” Erick asked.

Al answered, “[Reflection]. An exceedingly good version. You get it through [Ward].”

“How?”

“[Rebound] and [Ward]. Somehow.” Al said, “Very difficult to get right.”

“Wait! I think I knew that. Did I? I might be drunk.” As the arena flashed with a hundred small blue explosions, Erick added, “I need [Reflection].”

Al smiled, saying, “It is a good spell.”

Tiny sized Ophiel stared at the fight with a hundred open eyes. Being that he was only, all together, five linear foot of wings, a hundred eyes upon him made him look quite nightmarish. Erick went to pat Ophiel, to calm him down a bit, but he was unsure of where to touch to not touch an eye. Ophiel solved Erick’s hesitation by pressing his open eyes against Erick’s hand.

It was not the most pleasant experience. It wasn’t wet; Ophiel wasn’t organic. But it was… icky. But Erick just laughed, and petted anyway. Erick returned his own eyes to the fight in front of him, burning [Ultrasight] to see more clearly.

After ten minutes a winner appeared: Yellow. But only because Blue fell out of the sky, mana spent. With nothing left to give and too tired to move, Yellow stabbed Blue in the side; a tiny cut, releasing drops of blood onto the sand.

Erick turned backward toward Poi. “Are Rats and Teressa going out later?”

Poi said, “They’re not going to fight. They weren’t willing to disclose their enchanted equipment under truthstone.”

“Probably for the best.” Erick said, “I was waiting for them, but if they're not going then that’s enough for me, Al.”

Al grinned. “Me too. Let me walk you home.”

Erick smiled.

- - - -

At Erick’s front door, Poi went inside while Erick and Al remained a few feet outside of the [Crystalline Air]. Erick looked over Al, briefly remembering their time at the bath house, and everything that those clothes hid, while Al looked down at Erick, with a slight smile and his lower fangs protruding.

Al stepped away from Erick and gave a quick bow, saying, “Thank you for the pleasure of your company.”

“Thank you, Al.” Erick said, “That was unexpected, and thoroughly enjoyable. Though I must admit I enjoyed the company more than the blood sports.”

Al chuckled, then said, “Enjoy your time in Oceanside. I eagerly await your return.”

Erick opened his mouth, but then shut it. He said, instead, “I’ll see you later, Al, but the rains will still come. You have [Telepathy], right? You can contact me, if you wish.”

Al smiled softly, then said, “Learn lots, Erick. Talk to you later.”

And then he left. Erick watched him go, for a little while. Al turned around and waved. Erick felt his face heat, as he waved back, and went inside.

Erick did his evening routine; even washing himself off with a [Watershape]d orb of soapy water; a rarity, in Spur, while he held [Cleanse Aura] open. After that, Erick went upstairs. Kiri was awake and busy in the classroom, working on ideas for spells; Erick had told her he would help her make a Particle spell, but only if she made something that would be useful and not destructive. She was working on that. She was still in the idea phase, too.

So Erick went to bed. Ophiel curled up on the pillow beside him. It was already midnight. Jane had not checked in, so Erick bothered her with a [Telepathy]. She yelled at him; she was sleeping. Erick just laughed, happy that she was okay. He wished her a good night, and she reluctantly did the same.

Erick dreamed of black dragons, both the long kind, and the kind with tails and wings the size of their body.