Mike walked in the dormitory with a sigh. It had already been a long night, and his had barely even started.
Anna, as per usual, was sitting in a lounge chair in the foyer, staring airily off into the distance. At his arrival, she gave him a slow, steady nod before resuming her activity, whatever that might be.
[If her eyes were closed, I could swear she was passed out. Then again, she always seems to be awake, regardless of the time. Maybe she sleeps with her eyes open?]
The rest of his group was in their section of the building. They had apparently spent most of the day in the training yard, honing their skills in preparation for what was to come.
Lily on the other hand, had holed herself up in her room, working on some project that had most of the serving staff worried about another relocation once she burned the place down.
Brenden and the others were gathered in the study/men's bedroom and were currently in the middle of discussing combat strategies. Although this mostly involved Brenden shooting down Sera's outlandish ideas while Tal watched, occasionally chiming in with the assistance of a small chalkboard she had scrounged up somewhere.
"And then Tal uses Air Magic to throw you in to the middle of the stunned enemy formation and you go to work. I call it the Descent of Furry Death." Sera was explaining with enthusiasm.
"That's racist, and no." Was Brenden's stony faced reply.
"Oh come on! It would be the perfect way to deal with massed infantry."
The beastman held up a hand, cutting her short. "First, I'd probably be skewered by some well-placed spears even before landing. Second, I think you severely overestimate my ability to deal with hundreds of veteran soldiers."
Sera waved off his complaints dismissively. "I've seen you practice. I'm sure you'd be fine."
Tal held up her chalkboard, which read. "There are a lot of strong people in the world. We all need to be careful."
Mike took a seat at the main desk, while conjuring a clay cup full of chilled water with a combination of Air, Earth, and Water Magic. He settled in to listen in on the debate, and took a drink, almost immediately regretting it. The water was essentially 100% pure, and therefore had no taste. With the Minor Creation perk of his Earth Magic, he thought he might be able to make a few simple minerals to enhance the flavor, but after considering it for a few moments, he wondered how far he could go.
He was in the middle of trying to remember the chemical formula for glucose when a question was directed at him.
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked, momentarily distracted.
Sera sighed, "I said that if we needed someone to spearhead an attack on a massed formation, someone like Brenden would be perfect. In his wolf form, he's strong and fast enough to even fight you on relatively even terms. I'm sure the Tennundians don't have anyone that could compare. Don't you think?"
Mike remembered his 'spar' under the Wyrport Adventurer's Guild. It felt like ancient history, but had taken place only a few weeks ago. He compared his memories of the beastman then with what he'd seen recently. While Brenden certainly was a potent combatant in his own right, he'd struggle in a fight against a truly strong enemy. Mike doubted he could hold his own against someone like one of the Eternal Blades, let alone a Tier 4 powerhouse like Brutus.
Suddenly the idea of his friends taking part in the coming fight didn't quite sit well with him. He knew that they were mostly following along with his decisions, and would probably have no motivation to protect this country without his direct involvement. If one of them was seriously injured or killed just because he wanted to play soldier…..
"The world is a vast place filled with people who are capable of all sorts of things. Since I've come to the capital, I've already come across warriors capable of surpassing me in several areas, despite my many inherent advantages. Gambling Brenden's life on the assumption that the enemy has no one of a similar caliber seems like a foolhardy notion to me." Mike replied quietly.
Silence descended on the room, as each of them digested his words. He saw Sera look ashamed, an thought he caught flash of irritation in Brenden's features. The sudden tension gnawed on him, so he sighed and spoke once more. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be harsh, but you need to understand. This is war, it will be dangerous for everyone. People will die. I just don't want that to happen to any of you."
Looking down at her hands, Sera apologized. "I get it. I wasn't taking it seriously. I'm sorry, everyone."
The group lapsed into silence once more.
[Great, now I feel like a mood killer.]
Knowing he needed something to change the subject, Mike concentrated on the cup of water in his hand. Deciding that he might as well be a little reckless, he came up with an impromptu chant to help him in his experiment. "Memories abound in the swirling depths of thine energizing brew. Bring forth the effervescent elixir to slake my undying thirst. [Create Cola]"
There was a brief flash of light as excess mana was burned off during the creation process, but the contents of the cup took on a dark brown color. With a feeling of triumph, Mike noticed the bubbles forming along the rim. He excitedly took a drink, savoring the intense sweetness he had tasted since his reincarnation. It wasn't quite the same, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Ahhhh. That hit the spot." He sighed, quickly noticing the interest his actions had inspired.
"What you got there?" Sera asked with a suspicious squint. "Something good?"
"An old favorite of mine. I was able to recreate it with magic. Want to try some?" He asked while repeating the process for each of them.
The group looked at suspiciously at the dark brown, bubbly fluid. "This looks a bit odd. What kind of magic to you use to make it?" Brenden asked.
"Technically, it's an application of Mud Magic with a bit of Air thrown in." Chuckling at their souring faces, he continued. "Try it. I promise it tastes nothing like mud."
The beastman went first, taking a big swig from his cup. "What the hell is with this sweetness? It's like someone distilled fruit juice down to its base elements then added bubbles."
"Tasty." Was Tal's written reply.
"Not bad, although it seems a little intense. Were we supposed to cut it with water to reduce its potency?" Sera asked curiously, probably drawing from her knowledge of proper noble etiquette when it came to certain kinds of alcoholic beverages.
Mike laughed. "Nah, it's meant to be served with food. If I ever get my pizza summoning spell to work, then we'll really be in business."
With the mood lightened, they started talking about the events of the day, and Mike showed off his book purchases. This immediately caught the attention of Tal, who asked to look through the spellbooks. He obliged, although it left him with some questions.
He knew she made use of Elemental Magic through the use of contracted spirits, somehow. However, the chants she used were somehow different from the ones he'd been learning. He would have to ask about it sometime when she wasn't distracted.
Sera took an interest in the hunting guide, and curled up into one of the lavish armchairs to read it. From the looks of it, the evening was shaping up to be a quiet one.
"You got a minute?" Brenden asked quietly, before nodding his head towards the door.
[Spoke too soon, I suppose.]
"Sure." Mike followed him outside, and along one of the campus paths towards the Martial Arts Department. Something in his friend's demeanor told him that this wasn't going to be another late night heart to heart conversation.
"So, what's on your mind, Brenden?"
The beastman glanced back. "Well, I heard about your duel, and it got me thinking."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. From the sounds of it, you fought on par with one of the Eternal Blades without relying on magic, and the only time you had any problems was when your opponent used his aura." Brenden answered while looking forward. "I was interested in seeing just how far you'd progressed since the last time we fought. I want to know how much farther I'd fallen behind."
For a few moments, there was only the sound of their boots crunching along the gravel pathway.
Brenden spoke again soon after. "You know, when I first saw the elves that were chasing us, for a moment, I was sure we were done for. I'd heard stories about the Eternal Blades, how they were virtually unbeatable when they got in close. How they could move and fight with such incredible speed that normal warriors helpless before them. Then the captain started speaking about the comrade you had defeated, and it became clear to me that not only had you beaten one of these legendary warriors in single combat, but that you did it in such a manner that you actually offended their pride."
Mike wasn't quite sure how to reply. He knew Brenden saw himself as his rival, but with everything going on lately, he had really thought about it much.
The beastman rounded on him, something like desperation written on his face. "Tell me truthfully, Mike, did you hold back during your duel?"
"I…did. There were too many observers. I didn't want to reveal my full strength in front of them."
"Hahaha." Brenden started laughing darkly. "Of course you had the option of keeping some of your cards hidden. Of course you had the leisure to chose the level of power you wanted to reveal." He turned and continued walking. "Come on. We're nearly there."
Mike followed him to the secluded training yard, already sensing that this situation wasn't going to end well. He took up his place across from his friend, and made a last ditch effort to steer the course of events away from the coming confrontation.
"We don't have to do this, Brenden."
The beastman shook his head with gritted. "No, I need to know. You've been avoiding this for weeks, but I can't wait anymore." He drew his sword, and took his stance.
Resigning himself, Mike rubbed the back of his head. "What do you want from me?"
"I want you to fight me without holding back!" Came the growled response.
"Is that really what you want?" Mike asked sadly.
"Yes! Show me!" Brenden yelled as he shifted into his atavistic werewolf form and launched himself into an attack.
[Fine.]
Mike raised a hand and reached out with his will.