Black Magus

After we were properly beaten on by the mages, Grandmaster Vilignin instructed us to add some blood to the healing potions distributed to us by her subordinates and take some time to mend ourselves before we broke for lunch. Meanwhile, she gathered her troops around the arena's entrance with the other bigwigs to discuss the next stages of the assessment.

Or, that's what I could gather from my position, at least.

Despite my fragility as a half-drow, my extensive training with Grandpa Lich gave me an otherworldly pain tolerance. That, alongside my necrotic healing, made me hard to kill as it was; though with the handicap I was given, I was unable to continue the assessment once my legs and arms had been broken. Still, I was certain that I scored well above the average, what with my not crying out in pain. So I took it for what it was.

Once healed, I joined the others in making our way to the guest caldera. As one would expect, they were all too eager to ask each other about their performances thus far. And naturally, that included the Princess asking me. While I was pleasantly pleased with my performance, I held off on answering her, as my mind was focused on more important matters. Particularly, on the void that opened up within my stomach. The fact that I could smell the food from outside the great hall made it much worse. The sweet smells of fresh fruit were strangely the most mouth-watering to me, at first. Followed by traces of almost every kind of mushroom, steamed vegetable, and the unmistakable smell of roasted meat mixing with hints of ales and meads. The smells only intensified as I drew closer to the threshold and after crossing it, I nearly sprinted to the table.

It was the same environment and a slight variation of the menu we had on our first arrival, sure. But with my appetite, I may as well have been in heaven. In addition to the aforementioned dishes, my eyes bulged after seeing the platters of steaming crabs and lobster, grilled eel, and nearly a dozen types of fish being carted out by the butlers and maids, all in the monstrously large or in some cases gigantic portions that the ambient mana attributed to the aquatic life of Maru. All coupled with an assortment of rice and bread and a few soups neatly arranged on the tables.

"What do you think the next phase will be?" Lucia asked Toril as they sat down with their plates.

I neither listened to nor ignored their hypotheses as I satiated myself in the most civil manner I could afford to. Quite begrudgingly, I might add. All I wanted to do at that moment was to stuff my face to my heart's delight, but with the royals, nobles, and hundreds of other highly esteemed individuals frolicking about the place, I had to continue this royal facade for just a little bit longer.

But oh, was I tired of it.

More than anything, I couldn't wait to put this part of my new existence behind me. The life of a royal child had its perks, to be sure, but the cons of such a lifestyle were becoming too much for me to bear. It had only been said twice, that I was expected to act a certain way or speak in a specific manner. I've had to tip-toe on eggshells when all I ever wanted to do was stomp across the Mortal Plane as I pleased, allowing my brain to soak up whatever data-filled waters my mind came across. I wanted to do what I failed to do in my first life: destroy the culture; or at least remove my people- all people, from it. And now that I could practically see the start line, my patience was growing thin.

"What do you think, Amun?" The princess nudged my elbow. "And don't ignore me this time."

Sneering inside, I quickly recalled the conversation while I set my fork down. "I think Lucia and Jaimess are both right." I sighed. "They'll ask for demonstrations in both elemental manipulation and in our greater affinities. Perhaps even mana manipulation as well. On top of that, I'm sure they'll hit us with a few spells to test our magical defense. The real question is, what will the combat assessment consist of?" I grinned. "Will we be fighting each other or the mages? And what will be the rules?"

"Don't you mean dueling, Your Grace?" Lucia subtly shook her head in confusion.

"No." I snorted. "Considering what we've already been through, it'd be safe to assume we'll be fighting to the brink of death."

"They wouldn't." The princess gasped in disbelief. "Surely they'd use a golem or an undead of some sort."

"A golem, perhaps." I shrugged. Then gestured to my vassals. "But me and mine won't be fighting any undead today. We've warred against the Necro Army for four years. And my Great Grandfather's heart can't handle losing another giant."

"I heard about that." The Princess nodded into her meal. "Still, the Necro Army was handicapped when fighting you. They weren't using magic."

"The point still stands." I laughed. "I can permanently end my Great Grandfather's undead. And he's too selfish to willingly lose more."

Again, Roheisa nodded her head in acknowledgment of what I said. Only, this time, she seemed to think aloud. As she began rapidly murmuring to her food. "I could understand your point if they have us doing light sparring sessions or duels, as that would be the intensity allowed from using healing potions as insurance. But, our bodies can only drink so many potions before we run out of energy." She leaned into her food a bit more. "Seeing as how they have a shortage of witches, to do anything more would require a powerful healing spell. Or a sacrifice. The only exceptions are if the caster or conduit is undead or was immortal in some other way, or if they possessed light magic. And there's only one family in existence in possession of light magic."

'Make that two.' I grinned to myself before saying. "Aren't you forgetting something, Princess?"

She stopped mid-bite and turned to look at me with curiously wide eyes.

"My Great Grandfather is a living lich. And I happen to possess the same sorcery."

"Yes." She nodded again, rolled her eyes, and took a large bite of pasta. Then slowly worked to chew through and swallow the food before contemptuously saying. "A living lich with no absolutely no will to heal others. And you are a necrotic practitioner who can only heal by stealing life from others. So tell me, Amun." She snarkily turned me. "Have you stolen enough life to heal the lot of us?"

"I have, actually," I smirked. To which she nearly dropped her fork and looked at me with her mouth agape.

"I was the Tower's executioner for four years, Princess." I coldly snorted. "I have hundreds of souls stored inside me, all used for different things. But mostly aegis or burning souls." I shrugged, paused, and took a moment to focus on the starfield of souls orbiting my void core. "That said." I turned my focus back to her. "I'm not altruistic enough to work as a healer, and neither is my great Grandfather, apparently. That doesn't stop them from using my Great-Grandfather as a conduit, however. Or some other type of undead. At least in theory."

"In theory." She echoed.

Regardless, I knew full well that with my electromagnetic affinity, I was capable of using light in addition to all other wavelengths of the spectrum. Though I was hesitant about bringing it out in the open. The last thing I needed right now was for people to begin thinking I was divine. That was to come later. Still, that meant that I'd be able to use proper healing magic with no restrictions; which in turn, made it a priority to learn.

That aside, I was still unsure if I wanted to become a living lich or not. Living for centuries or even eons was always an interesting concept and becoming undead would yield many benefits, but there were also the benefits of living that I had to consider. Which was solely food and drugs. As much of a chore as it was, eating was something I thoroughly enjoyed. Doubly so in this universe. As far as drugs... well, altering the perception is often the only way to find a new perspective, the one needed to find the path to wisdom. As such, even though I often saw Grandpa Lich enjoying the pleasantries of life, I developed a contingency for that very possibility.

I just needed the infrastructure to test my theory.

After placing that on the back burner, I couldn't help but begin to think that Telin gave me a few too many 'cheats' for this life. Even then, however, I couldn't remain confident that I was the strongest creature in this universe- that vibrant bubble he cradled in his palm. The strongest in Maru, quite possibly but among the natives only. In the entirety of the Mortal Plane, most definitely not.

***

"Hey."

A familiarly raspy, androgynous voice called about an hour after dismissing myself from lunch.

"Sergeant Velasco," I said, not even opening my eyes.

"Take your ring off. It's time for the next phase." She monotonously stated.

"Alright." I pulled myself upright with a groan, then proceeded to follow the Staff Sergeant into the courtyard towards the eastern coast.

She fancied my eye a bit, I had to admit.

While my 'type' was indeed someone of Amazonian stature like the Grandmaster, Velasco was surely attractive in her own right. Her voice had a ruggedness in it that inexplicably drew me in. More so, she was clearly a woman who could take care of herself, the most attractive quality one could have, in my eyes. But alas, there was a conflict of interest. Ambiguously gray as they were, I still had morals and principles. So I would have definitely judged her if she were to try and pursue me in an environment such as this. Such unprofessional acts were always red flags.

"Grand Duke Amun of the House of Cole." Velasco suddenly commented, almost to herself. "The exceptionally talented and self-trained, half-elf heir of the Odissian Empire. It seems your name can't stay out of people's mouths." She paused to peer over her shoulder with a curious gaze. "Care to tell me why?"

I could only give an amiable shrug and say. "See for yourself."

"I fully intend to." She smirked. "Just don't hold back."

"I'm not the type to hold back." I grinned in turn. "Especially when I'm having fun."

With that exchange, we entered the arena and diverted. Her, to the railings above with the other mages; and me, to the line of testees waiting impatiently by the entrance.

The place had been extensively modified during our relatively short absence. Instead of the tiled pit we'd been on before, repeating rows of high walls had been erected along the long axis to create a foundation for a rather complicated web of catwalks placed above. In essence, it was a sort of outdoor shooting range that used the eastern ocean as a backdrop.

With our arrival, Law moved from the cluster mages to peer over the railing toward us. Looking around, it was evident that the others migrated here as a group, leaving Velasco to fetch me. Still, no one seemed to be bothered. As the officers continued chatting away behind the Mage until he began to speak.

"Before we begin," Law said. "I must make a few points known. The first and foremost is the nature of the second phase. Within this arena, you will undergo four tests. To do that, you will be needing these." He began pacing along the railing while a few lower-ranked soldiers began pushing around a cart filled with vials of subtly glowing blue liquid. Recognizing it for what it was, I snatched a bottle from the cart to immediately drink it in its entirety and set it back on the trolley before it passed out of reach.

"I see that many of you recognize the potions distributed to you." Law smiled knowingly. "Nevertheless, I will explain its effect. This brew is known as a Mana Recovery Potion, and will temporarily unbind the restrictions of your mana pores. Allowing you all to take these next assessments without the risk of mana exhaustion. A side effect of this potion, however, is that your pores will be permanently made wider after wearing off. An unforeseen aftereffect that only makes the brew more popular."

After waiting a few moments to ensure everyone drank their portions, Law resumed the lecture by gesturing to the iron dummies below him. "The first assessment is a demonstration of your skills in elemental manipulation." He then paused to gesture behind him. "Followed by a combat engagement against one of my Sergeants. After that, you will give a demonstration of the offensive and defensive capabilities of each of your magical affinities. Moreover, the assessment will be concluded with an engagement against an opponent that will give each of you a chance to fully showcase your abilities. Furthermore, each of these tests will have conditions placed on both you and your opponents, and you all will be put at more risk than some of you have ever been through in your lives.

"The second point. Is that." The Magi pointed towards the end of the arena. To a half-dome and protruded from a small cave sitting beside the entrance.

With vertical, matte obsidian bars barring off the cave and the sun shining in at an off-angle, deep shadows were cast into the depths of a particularly voluminous cell that I was sure couldn't be seen through by normal means. Naturally, however, I could see the figure inside as clear as day.

It was a man. One with far paler skin than I'd normally see in the colorless pocket of darkness, a ghostly white color. He was chained to the walls of his cell with only a few bucketfuls of a dark, viscous liquid to keep him company. What was more interesting, however, was that he didn't seem frightened or even angry at his situation. He simply stared through the roof of his cell to where Grandpa Lich sat and stared at me in equal measure. Almost as if he were fascinated or like he'd seen something grand or awe-inspiring for the first time in his life.

"That is a vampire spawn arrested in Epethia. For our benefit, he's been provisioned with several buckets of pig's blood. Enough to satiate him, but not of a quality high enough to empower him." Law stated before moving his gesture to a separate pocket of mages. "There, we have fourteen healers on standby. Though they are not witches, they will be able to siphon energy from the vampire to heal your injuries at a moment's notice. With that in mind." He turned back to us with a grin thrown along the lines of the Grandmasters. "We expect each of you to hold nothing back during these tests, regardless of who stands before you, give it your all.

"But, try not to kill my sergeants." He seemed to chuckle at his comment before giving us a moment to absorb the information and allow our proctors to make their way down to us.

"At this time, pair with your proctors and await their instructions." The Magi ordered.

We did as ordered and arranged ourselves in our relatively spacious shooting halls to face the iron dummies placed before us.

"Attack the dummy at full power on my mark," Velasco shouted from above. "We'll start with fire. You have five seconds to prepare. Get ready!" At her words, I began gathering the largest field of mana I'd ever taken hold of and began condensing it in my palm, then repeated the process. Over and over again as she counted. "Three… two… one… mark!"

Thrusting my fist forward, I created a small spark which then ignited the mana flooding around it, then allowed nature to do the rest. For the most part, at least. I still pinched and pulled on the fire to condense it in the most efficient way possible. But without air added to the equation, it appeared more like a rocket engine in the final seconds of its burn: a huge plume of fire.

"Next, air!" Velasco yelled once the Emperor reformed the dummy. "Get ready!"

Again, I began gathering absurdly large fields of ambient mana and compressed them to the nth degree while she counted down. And on her mark, I forced the pressurized air through a convergent-divergent nozzle. As a result, the air compressed and subsequently spiked in temperature as it was shoved into the throat, resulting in the molecules accelerating and being pushed forth by their own sound waves up to Mach one; and then beyond as the force of decompression pushed the air to supersonic speeds. Thus resulting in a wind tunnel or jet engine ripping the iron dummy from its housing, sending it hurtling across the ocean like skipped stone, chased by a horrendous screech of wind.

"Next, Earth!" Velasco unsteadily shouted. "Ready!"

To prepare, I lowered my center of gravity and grabbed hold of six pockets of mana on the ground around me. At her mark, I pulled the six small boulders from the ground and started 'throwing' them at the dummy in quick succession. As each one hit, I pulled it in an arc back to me and looped it back around to strike the dummy again and again as if I were juggling. The boulders naturally broke apart more and more with each subsequent impact until I was left with a looping cloud of dust and sand that steadily pitter-pattered on the dummy's iron skin until Velasco ordered me to halt.

My weakest by far. But by no means measly.

"Lastly, Water!" Came the call. "Ready!"

Like last time, I concentrated on a few ambiguous regions of ambient mana and waited for her mark to condensate the vapor lingering in the air into three orbs of water. I made a water jet out of the first and sent a high-pressure stream across the dummy's chest, noticeably scarring it but doing no real damage. Continuing before the session could be called, I began stilling the water in the second orb and exciting the fluid in the remaining one. Causing the former to freeze and the latter to boil as the seconds passed. Having no real control over the changed phases, however, I could do no more than shower the dummy with some compressed steam and hurl the chunk of ice at it.

An anti-climactic feat for sure, but the intent was to display my mastery of the elements. And I doubted even our proctors knew how to manipulate dust, ice, and mist.

"Outstanding displays!" Law began a round of applause from his perch above. "After a short intermission, we will begin your engagements in alphabetical order. Starting with Abulot Uplos, versus Staff-Sergeant Yolanda Tubbs."