'Things are getting better.' He rubbed the tip of his nose and thought. 'I just need more time.'
Al Casendra was elated with his discovery. He looked at the flying beast over his with a large smile on his face. He walked toward the military training ground to check on his men.
"You, coward why don't you battle me?" A furious exhilarating yell came from a young woman.
She stood at the center of a circle; her eyes darting from one person to another with a conniving smile on her face. Many bruises were on her face and body— a trace of blood hanged at the corner of her lips.
There are close to two hundred people on the training field, staring at the lady with various conflicting expressions on their faces.
"That's enough. You've made your stand." A man in his late thirties said with a stern expression.
"Tami, you don't have what it takes to order me around," Damie smirked, staring at Tami straight in the eyes.
Hmm?
The group rolled their eyes and stared at Damie and Tami.
A showdown is going to happen. This going to be fun.
They stared intently at the two anticipating the showdown. Tami furrowed and looked at Damie with disdain. He was a rank 9 novice mage. How can she compare to me? He thought arrogantly. 'I think these people are looking down on me. It's high time I show them who the boss is.'
He step into the circle looking straight into Damie eyes; the tight uniform couldn't constrict the bulging muscle. If not for the strong elasticity of the cloth. It'd torn into pieces. Hence, when the crowd saw Tami taking the challenge, the crowd burst into gossip.
"Who do you think would win between both of them."
"Are you blind, don't you know it, Tami? How can Damie a rank 5 novice fire mage compared to a rank 9 earth mage."
"You can't say that. Nothing is set in stone. Besides, in this fight magic is disallowed."
Creak!
The sound of dry leaves echoed from their behind with light footsteps. Their ear packed and some of the crowd turned their head. Immediately, they widened their eyes— they opened their mouth to talk but closed them slowly and nodded. They turn back to the fight with wild grins plastered on their faces.
"I'm going to crush your bone and make you cry for mercy," Tami said with an evil smile.
"Enough of the bravado. Come show me how you're going make me cry for mercy." Damie snorted.
Without further ado, the two rushed toward each other with a menacing gaze. This is not just a common brawl between the two, but to decide the leader of the camp. Though no one has raised their voice, it was already happening in the shadow.
Bang!
A silhouette stumbled back a couple of steps and a red liquid flew out of its mouth. Of course, it was Damie. She held her chest, gasping for air. Blood rushed to her face. She stared at Tami for a moment and straightened her back.
"Do you understand the difference? Accept your defeat." Tami clicked his tongue and snorted.
Hahaha!
"With that bit of strength, you want me to surrender." Damie's bloodshot eyes stared at Tami like a fool.
"You're weaker than I presume." A maniac expression appeared on her face before she dashed toward Tami unrestrained.
The next couple of actions surprised the soldier to their core. Damie was covered in bruises and blood, gushing out from her mouth and nose. While Tami was a little better with a couple of bruises on his face with slight traces of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.
"Is this still the normal duel?" A voice asked absentmindedly.
"I-I don't think so— this life and death."
Tami and Damie strangled each other throats with a pallid faces. Veins protrude on their faces while they continue to roll on the mud floor. Now, the fight has to turn into a battle of attrition.
Gasping!
The two were gasping for air. Yet, no one let go of each other. The crowd looked at the battle in a daze. Are they perhaps enemies in the shadow, trying to settle their differences through this fight? The crowd wondered.
Pa! Pa!
Two loud sounds came from the back of the crowd and immediately they turned their head. And behold, a young man in a blue overflowing robe looked at the crowd with an expressionless gaze. No one knew when he arrived at the high podium except for a few.
At once, Tami and Damie relinquish their hold on each other and scramble to stand up. Their breath was uneven. They tried to straighten their back while taking a military stand taught to them by Al Casendra.
On the board to Al Casendra right. He picked the writer and wrote on the board.
"I see you have enough strength to fight?"
Seeing this, the crowd swallow the lumps in their throat and glared at the two for the course of event. The two didn't dare look at the dangerous gaze directed at them. Their eyes fixed on Al Casendra in panic. What would be our punishment?
'If I'd known the prince is coming. I won't have fight with this idiot.' Tami said regretfully in his mind.
'Why did this muddlehead have to challenge me when the prince is coming— ah! I shouldn't have challenged the idiot.' Damie sighed.
"But I like your endurance and battle will." Al Casendra wrote in the next line.
What!
The soldiers rolled their eyes and couldn't believe what they saw on the board. Is this really the cold ruthless prince. Under the brutal training of Al Casendra, the group had undergone some heart-wrenching exercise that they never for once thought was possible . Many wanted to quit, but the thought of offending the prince force them to endure the torture.
"All of you barely pass the test. But for now, I will make do of you. If anyone slack. Them, he will be chased out of the military." Al Casendra added on the board.
"Now, there will be two teams and a leader will be selected for each team."
*****
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