After we were properly beaten on by the mages, Grandmaster Vilignin instructed us to add some blood to the superior healing potions distributed to us by her subordinates and take some time to mend ourselves before we broke for lunch. Meanwhile, she gathered her troops around the entrance of the arena with the other bigwigs to discuss the next stages of the assessment.
Or, that's what I could gather from my position halfway across the arena, at least.
Despite my fragility as a half-drow, my extensive training with my grandfather gave me an outstanding tolerance for pain. That, alongside my necromantic healing, made me hard to kill as it was; though with the handicap I was given, I was unable to continue the assessment once my legs and arms had been broken. Still, I was certain that I scored well above the average, so I took it for what it was.
Once healed, I joined the others in making our way to the guest caldera. As one would expect, they were all too eager to ask each other about their performances thus far. And naturally, that included the Princess asking me.
While I was pleasantly pleased with my performance, I held off on answering her, as my mind was focused on more important matters.
Particularly, on the void that opened up within my stomach.
The fact that I could smell the food from outside the dining hall made it worse. The sweet smells of fresh fruit were strangely the most mouth-watering to me, at first. Followed by traces of almost every kind of steamed vegetable and the unmistakable smell of smoked meat mixing with hints of ales and meads.
The smells only intensified as I drew closer to the threshold and after crossing it, I nearly sprinted to the table. It was the same environment and a slight variation of the menu we had on our first arrival, sure. But with my appetite, I may as well have been in heaven.
In addition to the aforementioned dishes, my eyes bulged after seeing the platters of steaming crabs and lobster, grilled eel, and nearly a dozen types of fish being carted out by the servants, all in the monstrously large or in some cases gigantic portions that the ambient mana attributed to the aquatic life of Maru. All coupled with an assortment of rice and breads and a few soups that were neatly arranged on the tables.
"What do you think the next phase will be?" Lucia asked Toril as they sat down with their plates.
I neither listened to nor ignored their hypotheses as I satiated myself in the most civil manner I could afford to
Quite begrudgingly, I might add.
All I wanted to do at that moment was to stuff my face to my heart's delight, but with the royals, nobles, and the hundreds of other highly esteemed individuals flocking about the place, I had to continue this royal facade for just a little bit longer.
But I was tired of it.
More than anything, I couldn't wait to put this part of my new existence behind me. The life of a royal child had its perks, but the cons of such a lifestyle were becoming too much for me to bear. Though it had never been said, I had always been expected to act a certain way or speak in a specific manner. I've had to walk on eggshells when all I ever wanted to do was roam the Mortal Plane as I pleased while learning as much as I could about these worlds and magic.
I wanted to do what I failed to do in my first life; to make an empire better than any found in either the Sol or Tiatus Systems. And now that I could practically see the start line, my patience was growing thin.
"What do you think, Amun?" The princess nudged my elbow. "And don't ignore me this time."
Sneering inside, I quickly recalled the conversation while I set my fork down. "I think Lucia and Jaimess are both right." I sighed. "They'll ask for demonstrations in both elemental manipulation and in our greater affinities. On top of that, I'm sure they'll hit us with a few spells to test our magical defense. The real question is, what will the combat assessment consist of?" I grinned. "Will we be fighting each other, or the mages? And what will be the rules?"
"Don't you mean dueling, Your Grace?" Lucia subtly shook her head in confusion.
"No." I snorted. "Considering what we've already been through, it'd be safe to assume we'll be fighting until we're on the brink of death."
"They wouldn't." The princess gasped in disbelief. "Surely they'd use a golem or an undead of some sort."
"A golem, maybe." I shrugged. Then gestured to my vassals. "But, I and mine won't be fighting any undead today. We've defeated the Necro Army once before. And my Grandfather's heart can't take him losing again."
"I heard about that." The Princess nodded into her meal. "Still, the Necro Army was handicapped when fighting you. They weren't using magic."
"The point still stands." I laughed. "I can permanently end my grandfather's undead. And he's too selfish to willingly lose more."
Again, Roheisa nodded her head in acknowledgment of what I said. Only, this time, she seemed to think aloud. As she began rapidly muttering to her food. "I could understand your point if they have us doing light sparring sessions or duels, as that would be the intensity allowed from using healing potions as insurance. But, our bodies can only drink so many potions before we run out of energy." She leaned into her food a bit more. "To do anything more would require powerful healing magic. Or a sacrifice. The only exceptions are if the caster or conduit is undead or was immortal in some other way, or if they possessed light magic. And there's only one family in existence in possession of light magic."
'Make that two.' I grinned to myself before saying. "Aren't you forgetting something, Princess?"
She stopped mid-bite and turned to look at me with curiously wide eyes.
"My grandfather is a lich." I grinned. "And I happen to possess death magic."
"Yes." She nodded again, rolled her eyes, and took a large bite of pasta. Then slowly worked to chew through and swallow the food before contemptuously saying. "A lich with no will to heal others. And you are a death practitioner who can only heal by stealing life from others. So tell me, Amun." She snarkily turned me. "Have you stolen enough life to heal the lot of us?"
"I have, actually," I smirked. To which she nearly dropped her fork and looked at me with her mouth agape.
"I was the Tower's executioner for four years, Princess." I coldly snorted. "I have hundreds of souls stored inside me, all used for different things. But mostly aegis or rage souls." I shrugged, paused, and took a moment to focus on the starfield souls and spirits orbiting my void core. "That said." I turned my focus back to her. "I'm not altruistic enough to work as a healer, and neither is my grandfather."
Regardless, I knew full well that with my electromagnetic affinity I was capable of using light magic in addition to all other wavelengths of the spectrum. Though I was hesitant about bringing it out in the open.
On top of that, I was still unsure if I wanted to become a lich or not. Living for centuries or even eons was always an interesting concept and becoming undead would yield many benefits, but there were also the benefits of living that I had to consider. Which was solely food. As much of a chore as it was, eating was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Especially in this world. As such, the contingency for that issue was one of the first spells I designed for my new core.
I just needed a living creature to test it on.
Still, that meant that I'd be able to use proper healing magic with no restrictions; which in turn, made it a priority to learn.
After acknowledging that however, I couldn't help but begin to think that Telin gave me a few too many cheats for this life. Even then, however, I couldn't remain confident that I was the strongest creature in this world. In Maru, possibly. But in the entirety of the Mortal Plane, most definitely not.
With the princess now silenced and my belly nearly satiated, I forced down the food left on my plate before excusing myself from the table to relocate to the courtyard to lounge about the shade for the hour or so we had left until the elemental assessment.
***
"Hey."
A familiar raspy, feminine voice called out.
"Sergeant Velasco," I said, not even opening my eyes.
"Take your ring off. It's time for the next phase." She monotonously stated.
"Alright." I pulled myself upright with a groan, then proceeded to follow the Staff Sergeant into the courtyard towards the eastern coast.
She fancied my eye a bit, I had to admit.
While my 'type' was indeed someone of Amazonian stature like the Grandmaster, Velasco was surely attractive in her own right. And her voice had a ruggedness in it that inexplicably drew me in. More so, she was clearly a woman who could take care of herself. All traits that I loved. But alas, I was too young; at least in the physical sense. Ambiguously gray as they were, I still had morals. So I would have definitely judged her if she were to try and pursue me. Even if I were of age, in an environment such as this, it would've been seen as unprofessional.
"Amun of Odissi." Velasco suddenly commented, almost to herself. "The exceptionally talented and self-trained, half-elf heir of the Cole house. It seems your name can't stay out of people's mouths." She paused to peer over her shoulder with a curious gaze. "Care to tell me why?"
I could only give an amiable shrug and say. "See for yourself."
"I fully intend to." She smirked. "Just don't hold back."
"I'm not the type to." I grinned in turn. "Especially when I'm having fun."
With that exchange, we entered the arena and diverted. Her, to the railings above with the other mages; and me, to the line of testees waiting impatiently by the entrance.
The place had been extensively modified during our relatively short absence. Instead of the tiled platform we'd been in before, repeating rows of high walls had been erected along the long axis. Creating a foundation for a rather complicated web of catwalks placed above. In essence, it was a sort of outdoor shooting range that used the eastern ocean as a backdrop.
With our arrival, Law moved from the cluster mages to peer over the railing toward us.
Looking around, it was evident that the others migrated here as a group, leaving Velasco to fetch me. Still, no one seemed to be bothered. As the officers continued chatting away behind the Mage until he began to speak.
"Before we begin," Law said. "I must make a few points known. The first and foremost is the nature of the second phase. Within this arena, you will undergo four tests. To do that, you will be needing these." He began pacing along the railing while a few lower-ranked soldiers began pushing around a cart filled with vials of subtly glowing blue liquid. Recognizing it for what it was, I snatched a bottle from the cart to immediately drink it in its entirety and set it back on the trolley before it passed out of reach.
"I see that many of you recognize the potions distributed to you." Law smiled knowingly. "Nevertheless, I will explain its effect. This brew is known as a Mana Recovery Potion, and will temporarily unbind the restrictions of your mana pores. Allowing you all to take these next assessments without risk of mana exhaustion. A side effect of this potion, however, is that your pores will be permanently made wider after wearing off. An unforeseen aftereffect that only makes the brew more popular.
After waiting a few moments to ensure everyone drank their portions, Law resumed the lecture by gesturing to the iron dummies below him. "The first assessment is a demonstration of your skills in elemental manipulation." He then paused to gesture behind him. "Followed by a match against one of my Sergeants in unarmed combat. From there, you will give a demonstration of the offensive and defensive capabilities of each of your magical affinities. Moreover, the assessment will be concluded with live combat practice against an opponent that will give each of you a chance to fully showcase each of your abilities. Furthermore, each of these tests will have conditions placed on both you and your opponents, and you all will be put at more risk than some of you have ever been through in your lives.
"The second point. Is that." The Magi pointed towards the end of the arena. To a half-dome and protruded from a small cave sitting beside the entrance.
With vertical, matte obsidian bars barring off the cave and the sun shining in at an off-angle, deep shadows were cast into the depths of a particularly voluminous cell that I was sure couldn't be seen through by normal means.
Naturally, however, I could see the figure inside as clear as day.
It was a man. One with far paler skin than I'd normally see in the colorless pocket of darkness, a ghostly white color. Chained to the walls of his cell with only a few bucketfuls of a dark, viscous liquid to keep him company.
What was more interesting was that he didn't seem frightened or even angry at his situation. He simply stared through the roof of his cell to where my Grandfather sat and at me in equal measure as if he were fascinated or like he'd seen something grand or awe-inspiring for the first time in his life.
"That is a lesser vampire that was arrested in Epethia. For our benefit, he's been provisioned with several buckets of pig's blood. Enough to satiate him, but not of a quality high enough to empower him." Law stated before moving his gesture to a separate pocket of mages. "There, we have fourteen healers on standby. Ready to heal you of any injuries you may succumb to at a moment's notice. With that in mind." He turned back to us with a grin along the lines of the Grandmaster's. "We expect each of you to hold nothing back during these tests, regardless of who stands before you. Give it your all.
"But, try not to kill my sergeants." He seemed to chuckle at his comment before giving us a moment to absorb the information and allow our proctors to make their way down to us.
"At this time, pair with your proctors and await their instructions." The Magi ordered.
We did as ordered and arranged ourselves in our relatively spacious shooting halls to face the iron dummies placed before us.
"Attack the dummy at full power on my mark," Velasco shouted from above. "We'll start with fire. You have five seconds to prepare. Get ready!"
At her words, I began gathering the largest fields of mana I'd ever taken hold of and began condensing them in my palm. Over and over again as she counted.
"Three… two… one… mark!"
Thrusting my fist forward, I created a small spark which then ignited the mana flooding around it, then began cascading and condensing air behind it. Transforming the energy into a horizontal pillar of white fire that enveloped the iron dummy in an instant. Rapidly tinting its shade a red hue that grew brighter and brighter with each passing second until it melted into a glowing pile of slag.
"Next, air!" Velasco yelled once the Emperor reformed the dummy. "Get ready!"
Again, I began gathering absurdly large fields of ambient mana and compressed them to the nth degree while she counted down. And on her mark, I forced the already pressurized air through a convergent-divergent nozzle.
As a result, the air was forcibly compressed and subsequently spiked in temperature before it passed through the expanding end of the nozzle. Uncompressing and shaping the air and thus accelerating to supersonic speeds. And like a jet engine had been placed inside the arena, a horrendous screech pierced the air just as the iron dummy was ripped from its footing and sent hurtling across the ocean without a hint of resistance.
"Next, Earth!" Velasco unsteadily shouted. "Ready!"
To prepare, I lowered my center of gravity and grabbed hold of six pockets of mana on the ground around me. At her mark, I pulled the six small boulders from the ground and started throwing them at the dummy in quick succession. As each one hit, I pulled it in an arc back to me and looped it around back at the dummy over and over again as if I were juggling. The boulders naturally broke apart more and more with each subsequent impact until I was left with a looping cloud of dust and sand that steadily pitter-pattered on the dummy's iron skin until Velasco ordered me to halt.
My weakest by far. But by no means measly.
"Lastly, Water!" Came the call. "Ready!"
Like last time, I concentrated on a few ambiguous regions of ambient mana and waited for her mark to condensate the vapor lingering in the air into three orbs of water. I compressed the first and sent a high-pressure stream across the dummy's chest, noticeably scarring it but doing no real damage.
Continuing before the session could be called, I began stilling the water in the second orb and exciting the one in the remaining one. Causing the former to freeze and the latter to boil as the seconds passed. Having no real control over the changed phases, however, I could do no more than shower the dummy with some compressed steam and hurl the chunk of ice at it.
An anti-climactic feat for sure, but the intent was to display my mastery of the elements. And I doubted even the mages knew how to manipulate dust, ice, and mist.
"Outstanding displays!" Law began a round of applause from his perch above. "After a short intermission, we will begin your duels in alphabetical order. Starting with Abulot Uplos, versus Staff-Sergeant Yolanda Tubbs."