Kace led the way to a nearby Kitchen for some lunch, Kace was quiet the entire way and only occasionally looked at me. "What is it, Sergeant?" I asked casually as we walked into the kitchen.
Kace stopped and looked at me, Just seeing if you are really fine or if you need more time." he responded casually as he continued his way to grab some food.
I followed him mechanically as I was lost in thought, 'was I okay?' i asked myself, I felt fine enough today, the rest had done wonders for me but I was sure that's not exactly what he was asking me, "I am okay Sergeant." I said as I joined him at a nearby table.
"Are you, now? well if so Commander Harriot would like to assess your proficiency with mana after this meal, are you up for it Bruni?" he asked while watching my reaction.
"I can do some magic sergeant if you need me to, as long as it's not an all-out battle I'm sure I can manage," I smiled as I answered his question.
Kace nodded and the rest of the meal when by in silence. After lunch, he led the way to the training field that we had been gathered in all those months ago before our hunger runs. When we arrived I seen my old bunkmates already standing to the side of a fairly large training area that had Commander Harriot in it.
"Come now Bruni, we don't have all day, I want to test you to your limits if you're up for it?" she asked as we approached at a steady pace.
"Oh don't worry commander, he already agreed to a proper assessment at lunch," sergeant Kace said as we approached with a smile on his face.
I glared at the man for tricking me into this assessment, I didn't feel like going against the commander who was a fellow firemage but it looked as if I had no choice now. " I didn't sign up for this sergeant," I responded coldly as I walked into the ring that Commander Harriot was in.
The commander just smiled at my tone, "Bruni I need to see where your abilities as a mage are, so I need you to go all out in order for me to know just what you can do." she said as she positioned herself into a guard position.
Hearing the words all out made me feel a bit nostalgic, she had just tested my abilities before when I had just come into my powers, this would be a good time to see how much I had really grown in my months away. I lost myself in my thoughts as I prepared myself mentally.
The commander took advantage of my distracted state and launched a flame imbued kick towards me sending a half-crescent wave of flame at me.
I felt the fire mana stir, breaking me out of my revelations I looked at the incoming attack and held up a hand to catch the attack on my palm.
As I felt the fire touch my hand I closed my hand around it and I infused my own will inside the weak attack taking complete control of it. The crescent when solid as I injected my will inside it making it a hard Flame construct.
Commander Harriot's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the advanced technique I had used to take control of the attack. ' the boy already knows about will casting?' she asked herself as she sprang towards me hoping to surprise me before I could get my guard up. she swung her fist into my stomach but was stunned once again as her hand came into contact with something unyielding just under my shirt.
The impact wasn't even noticeable but still, her speed gave me a bit of surprise but my armor formed under my clothes rapidly as I saw her swing towards me once again, I covered my body in my usual armor as I swung the fire Crescent blade towards the Commanders incoming kick.
Commander Harriot jumped away as she sensed the extreme danger coming from Bruni's casual sword swing saving herself from a potentially terrible injury. 'This boy doesn't do half measures I guess' she thought to herself as she stepped back waiting for me to attack.
She backed off to the other side of the ring some 50 feet away, this was a good range for me to throw a fire spear I figured so I formed one in my free hand before raising it up over my shoulder and throwing it in her direction.
The spear flashed across the gap and impacted a hastily raised stone wall that Sergeant Kace had put up just in time to stop me from crippling the Commander with my fastest attack. the attack blew a large chunk out of the wall and flung debris towards the startled commander. She had never in all her years seen an attack like that one, it's sheer destructive power was immense, it wasn't even a big spear yet it had blown a wall that was made of stone apart, she didn't even want to think what would have happened to her if it had hit her without armor on.
I glared at Kace as I saw his involvement in our battle, it stocked the embers in my heart seeing him interfere in my display. Commander Harriot quickly grasped the situation seeing my irritation she smiled for sprinting towards me once again now a bit more leary as to my actual combat capabilities.
She drew her sword from her waist as she sprinted towards me and slashed towards my face forcing me to block with the crescent this time.
The attacks met and the impact of our weapons meeting pushed both of us back much to everyone's amazement, everyone watching knew the commander was a very powerful mage and swordswoman but even still a fresh mage like me was able to push her back if only momentarily.
She jumped inside my guard instantly after being pushed back, her mana focused on making her faster, and mine focused on making me stronger. I saw the blade lunging towards my shoulder and smiled as I formed a plan on how to deal with my Commander. I jumped into her lunge forcing the blade through my armor and trapping it inside my flesh as I head-butted her in the face with my armored skull.
She let go of the trapped sword and managed to deflect most of the power from my head but into her upraised hand but i still managed to surprise her much to her surprise once again.