Streams of fire streaked through the air, barreling straight at the spot where Ryan stood a moment earlier.
"Are you trying to kill us?!" Ryan yelled as he ran across the field, coming to a stop behind one of the lifted platforms that were scattered about randomly. Kai peeked his head out from behind a cover a few meters away from Ryan's. Their eyes locked and they nodded, understanding flashed through their eyes.
With a guttural yell, Ryan bolted out from behind the platform, charging that the fire Mage that was throwing spells at them. Kai also raised himself above the small platform he was hiding behind, bow in hand. Mana swirled around his hand and condensed into a single point, forming an arrow made entirely of mana. The deep purple arrow of mana bubbled with power, charging itself up with the ambient mana surrounding them.
Whoosh!
The Arcane Arrow tore through the air in a flash, raising a cloud of dust in its wake. It sailed over Ryan's shoulder and toward the fire mage, drawing his attention from the charging Ryan.
A glowing orange bubble flickered into existence around the mage as the tiny crystal at the top of his wand shone with a radiant light. His fiery red hair ruffled in the air, blown around when the Arcane Arrow exploded against the magical barrier.
"You're going to have to try harder if you want to take down my shield, boys!" A deep laughter followed his declaration as mana condensed in the air around him.
"Flaming Arrow Barrage!"
Wisps of flame that swirled around the red haired mage flared, forming dense and complex patterns in the air around him. Each swirl of patterns produced a flaming orange arrow that locked onto Ryan and Kai's positions.
"Suzy!" Ryan yelled out as he continued running forward at breakneck speed, his movements carried forth by small gusts of wind. A strong gale of wind erupted from behind one of the platforms that were scattered around the field. The gale of wind condensed around Ryan, forming a protective bubble around him. Fiery arrows pelted the bubble of wind enclosing his body, making the protective shield flicker continuously, teetering on the verge of destruction.
All of a sudden, several ice blue arrows slammed against the orange barrier that protected the fire mage, dimming its bright glow. With an arched brow, the mage turned to Kai. He waved his wand once again.
"Floodgates of Hell!"
Yet another array of complex patterns appeared before the mage. With a raised palm, he poured his magical energy into the array, willing the element of fire to bend to his will. High above Kai, an array flickered into existence, spinning and surging with power.
An alarm went off in Kai's head, urging him to escape from his current position. Without wasting a beat, he dashed from behind his cover, rushing to another just as a beam of heat descended upon where he was a few moments ago. With a blooming radiance and a wave of heat, the cover of earth was gone. With a chill spreading down his backside, Kai hid behind his new cover as he committed to his next spell.
All this happened in just a few scant seconds. Thanks to the distraction provided by Kai, Ryan was able to get in range of the fire mage without being under too much pressure. His body shone with a blue glow as he stabbed forward with his sword, the light blue coating extending to the weapon.
The orange barrier wavered and flickered unsteadily as Ryan concentrated his water attributed attack in one point. Steam rose and swirled from the point of contact, obscuring the view of the two combatants.
A strong gust of wind blew forth, pushing away most of the cloud of steam. Right behind it were half a dozen frozen arrows lined to hit the same spot on the barrier. Just before they could get through what was left of the cloud of steam, a wave of heat spread out, instantly evaporating all the arrows.
"Enough! That's enough for today's session!" The red haired fire mage waved through the cloud of steam, stepping through with Ryan slung over one of his broad shoulders. Ryan just hung hopelessly with a look of annoyance drawn over his face. Kai and Suzy also stepped out from their respective shelters where they hid during the training session.
"Good work today, everyone. I can personally tell that you've all gotten better than the last time. Although I had to tone down my power, I could definitely feel the pressure. A sky class beast wouldn't stand a chance against your onslaught." He grinned at them while dropping Ryan down at his feet. The corners of his eyes crinkled, showing off his light wrinkles, his chin full of red hair bristling.
"Thanks, Royce" Kai replied as he rubbed at his mop of dark brown hair, "We've been practicing."
"You sure have! Little Ry' over here almost got through my barrier!" The bulky man slapped a hand against Ryan's back, almost tripping him over.
"Almost doesn't kill a bird, remember?" Ryan rolled his eyes.
Royce just grinned as they made their way back to the viewing zone of the training field. There, a small gathering of three people chattered among themselves, discussing what they had seen during the short battle.
"You did great, you three!" A petite girl stepped forward, taking Suzy's hands in hers with a smile. The petite girl's head of brown hair had been tied up into two pigtails that decorated each side of her head. Three tiny black dots ran the middle of her head, down to her nose. Back when she had first introduced herself to them, she referred to them as Seals. What they were actually sealing, no one knew.
"Thanks, Mayce. We've been working hard on trying to get out cohesion as a squad better." Suzy returned the smile, letting her tense shoulders relax.
"Well, if I had to say, then you guys sure have gotten better in the past two months!" Mayce's chirpy voice remained loud and sharp as she didn't bother to tone it down. The other figures in the room simply rolled their eyes at her childish behavior before turning their attention to the three young mages that ha stepped into the room.
Of the remaining two people in the room, one was Leonard, Bethany's husband who had been cursed by a Black Wyvern until the curse was broken some time back by Kai. He smiled as he watched the fluctuations that their mana cores gave off, showing how strong they had gotten with the training they had been receiving for the past two months. After offering to accept them into his little adventurer group, he didn't immediately recruit them, but instead set a standard that they had to meet in order to be able to get accepted into the group. After all, they carried the group, not the other way around.
Aside from the aged martial artist, there was one more person in the viewing room.
With winding tattoos slinking down the length of his arm, he exuded an aura of might around him. This individual was the real head of the adventurer group- Liothaire. His tattoos reached up to his chin, giving him a mysterious air that made people naturally avoid him. Not many people knew what kind of magic he used, as anyone who stood against him was usually dead before they could react.
Liothaire gazed at the three new members of their group, sizing them up openly. His dark abyss-like eyes bore holes into them with each passing second.
"I see Royce held back on you... Don't always expect your enemy to hold back. It's best to go all out from the beginning and worry about if you overdid it later. But, even still, you all did well." He closed his eyes and nodded slowly, making his head of dark hair that was tied in a pony tail bob with each nod.
"Freshen up, get some rest, wake up early tomorrow, and we'll celebrate your rite of passage into our group." He cracked a small smile as he finished speaking. His eyes cracked open just a tiny as he fixed Kai with a small stare.
'Welcome back, Lord Kasuyi.'
.....
Kai trailed along behind Ryan and Suzy, giving the couple some space as they bickered between themselves. His mind wandered as he thought of what had transpired within the past two months. A week after they had split off from the group of recruits that had chosen to join the Imperial Army, those who had chosen to stay with the Army had set off for the main planet of the Imperial Army. With their departure, Kai had to say goodbye to one of his closest friends. Although they had promised to keep in touch, who knew what could happen at any time? It was impossible to predict what would happen to each other when they split up.
A sharp movement in the periphery of his vision snapped him out of his drifting thoughts. In a dark corner between two small buildings, a robed figure was beckoning to him.
'An intruder!' He thought sharply.
"Ry-!" Kai turned around to alert his friends, only to be met with an empty street. The colors were sapped from his vision, painting everything in a gray color.
"No one can see or hear you here now." A deep voice called out from within the alley. Kai turned back to face the robed figure who was now walking through the darkness. The figure looked warped, blending with shadows and wavering as though it was a flame that would be put out at any moment. Within a few tense moments, the figure came to a stop before Kai.
"Who are you?" Kai asked with narrowed eyes fixed on the person before him. His senses told him that there was no one before him, yet this oddity remained before him.
"That's for myself to know. What you need to know is that you should surrender yourself to me without any useless struggles. If you do struggle, I can't guarantee the safety of your friends." The mysterious person replied.
Different thoughts flashed through Kai's mind rapidly as he thought of what to do. He soon came to a conclusion- to surrender. There wasn't much he could do, after all, anyone who could seal off this space right n the middle of an open area wasn't someone on his level.
"Fine. I surrender." He squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.
"Good. Let's go." The figure placed a hand on Kai's shoulder and they both vanished in a wisp of black smoke.