The next few days passed like that.
I managed to figure out the effects of my sword.
It enhances any mana fuelled spell, by what amount I'm yet to discern.
It's also wicked sharp, able to cut through steel without much resistance and even disperse low level spells.
It can act as a catalyst to increase the rate at which I absorb ambient mana.
That is one useful blade.
I can only imagine what the other will be like once I 'unlock' it.
That's the only thing on my mind as we make our way to the mana enriched training room we were promised.
"So I've heard tomorrow will be your first day teaching." Director Cynthia comments.
"Yeah try not to mess that up will ya?" I add.
"Should you really be talking to a professor like that?" Arthur replies cheekily.
"Oh my apologies, was I supposed to add 'sire' at the end?" I ask, sarcasm practically dripping from my words.
The director chuckles at our antics before asking Arthur, "Did you have enough time to prepare some material?"
"Considering I just got discharged from the hospital yesterday, probably not. But I'll be able to work things out."
"What he means to say is that he'll wing it."
"Yeah, I'll wing it." Arthur confirms.
"How's Tess doing with her assimilation so far? Any issues on that?"
"You can always go see her yourself if you're that worried about her." The director adds with a smirk.
Now you're speaking my language.
"Yeah why don't you check up on your girlfriend yourself Arthur."
He gives me a death glare, "She is not my girlfriend!"
"Whatever lets you sleep at night."
"Grr..." I hear him grind his teeth.
Messing with them is so fun.
"What about you and Kathyln huh, brother of mine?"
"What about her?" I ask with a perfect poker face.
Yeah I'm not falling for that one Arthur.
"Am I to believe there is something ongoing between you and the princess?" Director asks with a raised eyebrow.
"No, there is nothing between us."
"For now." Arthur adds
"Yea-You want me to torture you about Tess for the rest of your life?"
"You were gonna do that either way."
"Touché."
All the while the Director has an amused smile on her face.
"So is there something between you two?" Arthur whispers to me.
"Piss off." I grumble.
"Come on, you can tell me."
"And provide you ammunition against my teasing? How about no?"
"So you do like her."
"...I fell right into that didn't I?"
"That you did."
"You stay quiet or I'll have Zeke haunt you in your sleep." I warn.
Hey don't pull me into your argument!
Play along will ya?
...Fine
"If you want to invoke the wrath of Sylvie, go ahead." He says, while Sylvie looks at him confused.
"Alright enough! Time to get this show on the road!" Gideon interrupted me before I could come up with a counter argument.
"I didn't think you'd be so enthusiastic about this Professor Gideon, considering how much you complained about wasting your valuable free time." Director Cynthia spoke.
"I've taken it as a challenge to dumbfound the two little prodigies, and I think this will do just about this."
I raise an eyebrow.
Unless you manage to invent something that modern earth couldn't, you aren't surprising us Gideon.
"I merely asked for some sturdy artifacts to serve as a training dummy for them."
"We could always fight each other." I add.
"Yeah well, you're a conjurer and he's a augmenter." Gideon added.
"What does that have to do anything with this?"
"Because Augmenters fight in close range while augmenters fire spells from a distance." He elaborated.
"You'll find me one peculiar conjurer then Gideon."
"Yeah I heard about your little fight against Geist."
"So you must know I'm more than capable of being a training partner for Arthur." I say.
"Are you? Judging from what I've heard you won't pose much of a challenge to him."
"Did you seriously think I gave it my all against Geist?"
"You didn't?"
"Say what I'll give you a demonstration once we're inside, that is if you aren't too busy Director."
"If this will be anything like your spar with Nathan Ambers, I'd rather put my duties on hold to see what you are capable of."
I widen my eyes, "You saw that?"
She gives me an amused smile, "How could I miss it when you both were flaring your mana much."
"Should've known you would have found out about it so soon."
"Enough of this, Let's enter the room.
Saying the room was mystifying wouldn't do it justice.
Four pillars held a crystalline ceiling, and trees dotted the land.
A waterfall existed on one side with a fountain near it.
"Wow...Impressive room."
"I'm gonna have to agree with you there Arthur."
"Look at my artifact, not the room dammit!" Gideon pointed towards said artifact furiously.
The artifact, was a robot.
One with 4 arms.
And it had some mana in it.
"There seems to be quite a bit of mana fluctuations radiating from this...what is this thing?" Director Goodsky asked.
"How kind of you to ask Director Goodsky," Gideon began, "Capable of adjusting its runes and mana barrier output to withstand spells from initiate and even mid-tier silver mages, this is the latest and greatest edition of my Training Operator and Blast Inductor."
"Otherwise known as T.O.B.I!" He finishes with a flourish.
"I've currently set its base specs to level 5, which translates roughly to that of a dark orange core mana beast." He adds.
"So you're saying that right now, that dummy is about as strong as a yellow core human then." Arthur asks rhetorically as he takes off his seal.
"Tobi has a solid malagorite iron body," Gideon brags.
"So while the attacks he'll produce are on that level his overall durability is even high-"He is interrupted as Arthur steps forward and punches right through Tobi with a fist augmented in blue fire.
As he pulls his fist out tobi falls down with a thud.
"What did poor tobi ever do to you?" I comment.
"Not my fault that tobi's that weak, I expected some resistance." He retorts.
"And you ended up destroying our training dummy," I point out.
"...is the offer for our spar still valid?" He asks.
I grin at this, "That offer is always on."
"Say, Director," I call gathering her attention, "Can we go all out in here without others noticing us?"
"Yes, I do believe no one outside the room, bar white core mages, will be able to sense the mana fluctuations here." She replies.
"Alright then," I say taking off my own seal.
"So what are the rules?" Arthur asks as we step away from the two adults.
"Anything other than Integrate Phase is fair game, and of course no killing."
"What about maiming?"
"I'll be able to heal anything as long as it's not too bad, like a dismembered limb."
He looks at me skeptically, "What does that mean?"
"It means I have a new nacht art," I answer him, before summoning Solaris.
He looks at my sword for a bit, confused on its appearance.
But before he can ask anything I interrupt.
"Enough stalling, lets begin."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Authors Note
Yeah, their spar came earlier than expected didn't it?
And yes I am that evil to leave you all on such a cliffhanger.
You have to wait till Wednesday for next chapter.
In the meanwhile, about the poll.
While some of you did vote for dual elemency, most did vote for a Fire/Wind/Earth tri affinity.
I'm gonna keep the poll for 2 more days before deciding.
So vote before its too late.
By the way things are looking I'll probably be giving him earth attribute soon.
Anyways that's it for todays chapter.
See you on Wednesday.