The First Mage

Noises of metal striking metal echoed through the forest as Emeryn and Berla engaged in a fierce battle on the clearing north of the camp. Emeryn twirled her dagger with deftness and grace, her movements fluid and precise as she dodged Berla’s attacks. It was a sight to behold, given Berla’s own lightning-fast movements. Both repeatedly closed the distance between them, delivering flurries of blows that were barely evaded. The two women appeared evenly matched, and it seemed that neither was gaining the upper hand.

Emeryn felt her heart racing as she parried yet another strike from Berla’s dagger. Impressed by her speed and technique, Emeryn couldn’t help but laugh in excitement, returning the strike in kind. Never before had her agility been matched. For a moment, it seemed like she might gain the advantage, but Berla’s quick reflexes and precision allowed her to find an opening. With a deft movement, she landed a strike that sent Emeryn stumbling backwards. However, this only added to her excitement, and she retaliated immediately.

Standing on the sidelines, Grym and Reurig watched the battle with interest, mesmerized by the women’s dance-like movements. All-out sparring matches like these had been a rare sight in Alarna, where violence between humans was frowned upon by the administration, even in simulated form. The two men glanced at each other knowingly, appreciative of being able to enjoy such an artful display of their craft.

As the duelists continued to exchange blows, Reurig analyzed Emeryn’s performance. For a girl with little real world combat experience, her ability was praiseworthy. “She should definitely be able to handle a cat five on her own.”

“Mhm,” Grym huffed, nodding in affirmation. “And maybe a six... They’re getting faster by the minute, aren’t they?”

Watching closely, the women’s rapid-fire exchanges were beginning to blur, and it became more difficult to follow every twist and turn.

Reurig’s eyes were fixed on the fight, his brows furrowed in concentration. “So you noticed it as well. I wasn’t sure,” Reurig mused. “Berla seemed to gain speed during the fight with Arax as well. Do you think they’re approaching that barrier?”

Grym nodded, his gaze never leaving the women as they continued their lightning-fast sparring. “Maybe,” he said courtly, his voice low and thoughtful. “I can hardly believe how fast they are.”

Category six beasts—also called mini bears by Miles—were so fast that the naked eye couldn’t follow their movements. No Fighter had ever been able to catch up with them, but Berla and Emeryn appeared to come dangerously close.

“And I’m pretty sure Berla isn’t even giving it her all yet,” Reurig said.

“She does seem relaxed. But the new girl hasn’t noticed.”

Reurig couldn’t help but smile as he observed the sheer joy on Emeryn’s face, despite the intensity of the fight. “No, but she is having fun.”

They continued to watch as another spectator approached them from behind, attracted by the ruckus. “Whoa? What’s going on here?” Aelene asked, interrupting their reverie.

Reurig glanced at her casually, seeing her confusion over the scene unfolding before her. “Hey, morning. Miles found the first guild member.”

“A member? Huh.” Aelene’s eyes were transfixed on Emeryn, pushing back her opponent. “But... Why is she fighting Berla?”

“It’s another rule he came up with earlier,” Reurig explained. “Apparently, young Emeryn over there is a little reckless, so members will now be tested and assigned a rank, to be able to determine what kinds of jobs you can give them without endangering their lives.”

Aelene’s expression softened as she began to understand the rationale behind this battle. “I see. That seems like a good idea. Is she doing well?” she asked, her eyes flickering between the two fighters.

“Very well. She finished a round with Grym already, and he would clear her for handling wolves and luxes. But against Berla, she’s really starting to show what she can do,” Reurig replied, his admiration for the newcomer evident in his voice.

“It does look impressive...” Aelene murmured.

Suddenly, her expression shifted, and she squinted her eyes in concentration. Sensing her unease, Reurig turned his head to face her. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m not sure... I think something is different about Berla’s aura,” she said, her voice tinged with curiosity.

“How so?” Reurig asked, intrigued.

“Usually, it’s so faint I can barely even see it, but right now it seems very pronounced,” she mumbled. “But, I’m probably imagining it,” she added, quickly dismissing her observation.

“Hm... You should probably tell Miles though, just in case,” Reurig said thoughtfully.

“You think? Alright, I will when I see him. Speaking of which, where is everyone? The camp was entirely empty.”

“Bren and Taul are on patrol, and Miles wanted to test some new script in preparation for the moderators. The others tagged along.”

Conflicting emotions welled up within Aelene. “I’m not sure how to feel about everyone leaving me behind like that...” She preferred to be left alone, but this still felt weird.

Reurig laughed lightly. “That’s what you get for telling Hayla you only want peace and quiet. She’ll keep you far away from everything to keep you on her side,” he teased.

Aelene frowned. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind though.”

“You’ll probably have to tell her. She doesn’t strike me as someone who is good at guessing people’s feelings.”

“No... she definitely isn’t,” Aelene said, smiling awkwardly.

As they continued to chat, they also paid close attention to the sparring match. While Berla was still going strong, they noticed Emeryn showing signs of slowing, evading some strikes only by a hair’s breadth. Instead of matching Emeryn though, as Berla appeared to have done the majority of the fight, she seemed to give it one last push. She whirled around the new girl nimbly, putting unknown pressure on the young Fighter.

“That’s it,” Grym announced, sensing the fight coming to an end.

Reurig nodded.

Emeryn was pressed more and more, until she was no longer able to evade Berla’s attacks and was forced to absorb them. But she didn’t yield. Her stoic resolve pushed her to keep going. When Berla prepared to deliver a kick to Emeryn’s left side, she braced herself for impact, while simultaneously planning her follow up attack, to catch Berla off guard right after.

Engrossed in the fight, Emeryn was taken entirely by surprise when Berla’s magic leg did not make contact, but passed straight through her body instead. As she stood frozen in confusion for only a fraction of a second, Berla spun back around. The sudden feeling of cold steel against Emeryn’s throat signaled the end of the match.

Panting heavily, Emeryn’s face lit up with an elated smile as she collapsed to the ground. “That was so awesome!” she exclaimed, looking up at her senior with undisguised admiration.

Berla took a deep breath to steady herself before sheathing her dagger and gazing down at Emeryn. Seeing the girl’s delight brought a smile to Berla’s lips as well. “Mhm. It was fun. I got a little carried away there,” she admitted.

The sounds of battle were replaced by light applause from Reurig as he approached the two with Grym and Aelene in tow. “Nice performance you two,” he said.

Emeryn beamed at the praise, but her joy was mixed with a hint of apprehension. “Tell me I don’t have to fight you too,” she joked, sprawling on the ground in exhaustion.

“No, I think we’ve seen what you’re capable of,” Reurig chuckled. “I believe we don’t have to worry about you.”

Grym grunted in agreement, and Emeryn raised her arm in victory, breathing a weak “Yay~”.

The group stood in silence for a moment, uncertain about what was supposed to come next. Finally, Reurig whispered, “It feels like this is supposed to be an important moment, doesn’t it?”

His words were met with solemn nods from the others.

Berla looked at Emeryn, who was still catching her breath, a proud smile on her face. “It is a little awkward to test her without knowing what to do next,” she said. “I guess we should go back for now?”

Reurig shrugged. “As good a plan as any I suppose.” He took a step towards Emeryn, clearing his throat before offering his hand to help her up. “Congratulations,” he said with a warm smile. “We’ll forward the results to Miles, and he’ll discuss anything further with you.”

“Gotcha!” Emeryn said as she grabbed his hand. She used it to hoist herself up, almost toppling over in the process. “Hah... My legs are weak,” she chuckled awkwardly.

The group began making their way back to camp, Grym, Berla, and Emeryn leading the way. Following them, Aelene looked around, taking in the sights and sounds of nature surrounding them. The rustling leaves and chirping birds provided a harmonious backdrop to the journey through the forest. As she watched the clear, blue sky disappear behind the tree tops, a sense of unease came over her.

“This doesn’t feel real,” she noted.

Reurig, walking next to Aelene, glanced at her. “Hm?”

Aelene hesitated, trying to put her thoughts into words. “How should I say... This situation is way too relaxed if you consider that there’s supposed to be an actual battle today.” Facing forward, she saw Emeryn and Berla happily reviewing their match, seemingly without a care in the world. “But I don’t worry either—like at all. Miles’ calmness seems infectious...”

“Ah. Yeah, he does have that effect on people,” Reurig said in understanding. “It’s rather pleasing though, isn’t it?”

Aelene glanced back at him, a slight frown playing on her face. “Honestly, I find it rather confusing whenever I think about it. He doesn’t have a real reason to be this carefree... He said so himself. It’s all theoretical. What are we doing then, readily going along with it?”

Reurig walked on in silence, unsure how to respond.

“Hayla told me about that rumor,” Aelene said after a moment. “About him being able to charm people. That would explain a lot, wouldn’t it? Maybe it’s not exactly like that, and maybe he’s not doing it consciously, but something is going on.”

The atmosphere seemed to grow heavy as she brought forth her ideas. Reurig recognized why the thought of Miles potentially affecting them disconcerted Aelene, though he wasn’t as worried about it.

“I understand where you’re coming from, but I’ve been with him for several months, and he has never given me a single reason to doubt him. I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Miles is just... Miles. He has a way of making everything seem less daunting.”

“But it doesn’t feel right to be this calm!” Aelene exclaimed, frustrated. The complaint shot out of her almost involuntarily, but her cursing her own relaxedness made Reurig chuckle, easing the tension.

His laughing briefly irritated her, but she soon joined in, letting out an amused huff herself. For a moment, they walked in silence, the tension from before dissipating entirely as they glanced at each other.

“Okay, maybe I worry too much about not worrying enough,” she sighed. “But I will keep an eye on this.”

Reurig nodded, a small smile on his lips.

They arrived back at the campsite, where the rest of the group was already waiting. As Aelene’s eyes fell on Miles, she felt a renewed sense of calm wash over her.

Miles greeted them with anticipation. “How did it go?”

“All good,” Berla replied. “What about you?”

A devilish grin spread across his face. “Same.”

As they began discussing the plan for the day, Aelene found herself fully immersed in the moment. Standing with their companions, she welcomed the feeling of even the idea of worries fading away like mist in the sun.

Yes, everything is fine, she thought to herself as she followed after the others.