The First Archmage

(Gavin)

It takes about fifteen minutes after they clear the arena and I enter it for Beck to show up. He looks really, really pissed off, and has a massive Spirit Pool. I'd estimate it to be around six hundred or so.

In addition to the massive Spirit Pool, he has a glittery brown mark on his face, similar to Warren's, but smaller. It's on his right cheek, and is mostly a swirl, with a triangle on it. Like Warren's, it looks like it's a little raised in its appearance.

Sort of like the markings that covered Oberon's body, when he was showing his Zierna.

Come to think of it, I couldn't sense any Spirit at work, when he did that. What Resource was he using, then?

"Before we fight," I say in Ygdris as the gong sounds to signal the beginning of the fight, and Beck hesitates. "I want to let you know that I am here to free you. This fight is necessary, so that they can see the full might of my power."

"How do you, a human know Ygdris?" He growls.

"Your father taught it to me."

"Liar!" He snarls.

Roots form around me, yet I cannot sense the power he's using to create them. I manipulate my fire and burn them away.

They're taking a lot more power than they should, for roots.

He doesn't stop his assault there, switching as soon as he realizes that I could do that to spears in the sky that launch at me. I strike at them with Firebolt Chain, adding in extra power, and they splinter, falling to the ground in flames, then fade away.

Something about those felt really nasty.

Beck continues his assault, changing between manifesting things out of nothing and launching them at me or trying to squish me with them, and attacking me with plants. Roots, trees, branches, leaves, petals, thorns, and more.

He also adjusts his power to resist fire, and I switch to Lightning Bolt Chain, gaining the Skill for that as I do. When his strange magic becomes resistant to it, I learn Icebolt Chain, then later, Air Bolt Chain.

Whatever this other Resource is, he must be as powerful with it as I am Mana, to be able to adjust his attacks. I check his stats, and his Secondary Class gives me pause.

How long has he locked his Experience to just it, after taking it on?

SC: Nature's Scholar (II) 4

His Primary Class is Level 15, which means that as soon as he took on that Class, he locked his Experience to it, and even pushed it to the Second Tier. As a Fairy, that's beyond impressive.

Nature's Emissary.

Nature's Scholar (II): One who has learned the true power of nature, wielding the might of Aether, the stuff from which all things flow, to be one with nature.

Aether? Do all Fairies know Aether, or just Beck?

Is the Zierna something that uses Aether?

Powerful vines wrap around my legs, these ones resistant to any magic I hit them with, and Beck breathes heavily. He's probably feeling as exhausted as I am from this fight. A defensive fight is more exhausting than an offensive one, especially when the defender is doing his best not to hurt the attacker.

Now that he's stopped moving around a lot, I might be able to make this work. Sending up a prayer to Nies, I lift a hand, forcing it to stay outstretched as vines wrap around it, trying to pull it down.

New Skill!

Metal Manipulation 1: The power to manipulate not the element of stone, but of the metals within the stone

New Skill!

Chain (III) 1: Create chains through magic, these chains can be forged of any element

Chains burst from the air in front of my palm, new links forming as they zip towards Beck, who attempts to dodge. I manipulate them using Metal Manipulation, and they wrap around him, forcing him down to the ground.

He tries to break free, and I can feel some of the chains weakening, but as I suspect, he's too exhausted to fight back, now.

"My wish," he says as my chains bind him to the ground, linking to the stone, which I slowly hardened throughout our match. "Is granted."

Wish?

A giant shadow surrounds me, and I look up, staring at the meteor floating above me.

Fuck.

I'm almost completely out of Mana, and what I do have is nowhere near enough to protect me from that damn meteor. Only a few moments before it lands on me, nowhere near enough for enough Mana to restore to save me.

Blood Affinity Unlocked!

BLA Value: 159

New Skill!

Blood Smite (VII) 1: At the cost of your Blood, smite a single target – be it a person, object, or location. The greater the target or force of the smite, the greater the cost of Blood.

Thank you, Nies.

I'm actually impressed that someone could drive you into a corner like this.

I didn't want to hurt him.

I know, now save yourself, before it finishes dropping.

Forcing my other hand to break through the vines, I aim my palm at the meteor. The massive, flaming, blazing meteor dropping rapidly toward me. That thing is going to destroy a fair portion of the arena, and I doubt Beck can stop it at this point, even if he wanted to.

The cast time for Blood Smite is long, and takes me nearly twenty seconds. When it finishes, my body feels light, and I grow dizzy.

A crimson beam that appears almost liquid flows out of my hand, meeting the meteor in moments, just yards above my head.

The two collide, and the meteor explodes, turning to dust that falls down upon us. I shield my eyes with a small barrier of Mana, then slowly work my Mana into a blade, using that to cut through the vines holding me.

The chains holding Beck down fade as I run out of power, and he struggles to his feet. I straighten my tunic as I approach him, and he glares up at me.

"Your nature was done through Aether," I state, and he pales. "But your other magic – that was something else, wasn't it? The spears, walls, and such?"

He doesn't respond.

"I have a Grimoire from Tristain Lightblade," I say, and he looks shocked, but also suspicious. "Which teaches Aether. I haven't used it yet, but your Class Description told me you use it. In exchange for me bringing you home, your father is going to teach me how to use Spirit. There are several powerful Spirits that wish to contract with me, and I'd much prefer to learn from a master than figure it out myself. I could always ask Warren for help, but I'd much prefer it if he focused more on training himself than me, with how long it takes him to Level anything up or gain Experience."

When I said his brother's name, his eyes widened.

"Yes, your brother," I say. "He's one of my closest allies. I rescued him from another Coliseum, and right now, he's pretty far away, training as hard as he can to get stronger."

That might actually be the best place for him to train, since Experience is guaranteed. It might not boost his Skills, but it will definitely improve his Levels.

"Now," I say. "I'm going to touch you, to remove your collar-"

"You can't," he takes a step back. "Even Pain Resistance can't let someone free without a key, and it can't be broken."

"I can Dispel enchantments," I take a step forward, faster than he can react, and have my hand on the collar. "Dispel."

The magic in the collar fades away, and I snap the collar between two fingers, Beck looking shocked and stunned.

More than likely, shocked and stunned at the realization that, had I been serious in fighting him, he wouldn't have had a chance at winning. I could have easily escape his magic by sheer speed, and a punch at a high speed means even a weak strike would be powerful.

"How much more powerful than your father are you?" I ask.

"To combat me," he says. "He'd have to trigger his Zierna," his eyes flick up as I make my Title visible to him, then they widen again. "You… killed a dragon?"

"A baby dragon, but a dragon," I nod. "I had to forge a Tier VII Spell to defeat it. Fighting defensively, I had to use up nearly all of my Mana to protect myself."

"Had you tried to fight me," he says. "You would have been too fast for me."

"I could have ended you," I say. "With a single spell."

"Aether would have allowed me to defend myself," he shakes his head. "Aether is that which all things flow through, it is what gives it substance and existence. I could dismantle your spells with it. But… your speed is much, much greater than mine. I wouldn't be able to react quickly enough to physical attacks from you."

"My STR is even higher than my AGI," I tell him, then look up at the noble's booth. "Why don't we go up there and chat with them?"

I manipulate the air around us and fly us up to their booth, Beck barley managing to stay standing after I set us down, his shock at suddenly flying like that a bit too much. Almost completely out of Mana, now.

"I expect," I say in Jozan, and Tyler starts translating for the noble. "That the other fairies will be freed shortly as well. You have twenty-four hours. If Beck tells me that any of them are missing, or that any new injuries have appeared on any of them, I will be very, very displeased. The safety of your people means nothing to me when it comes to my allies and potential allies.

"Our nation," I look at Tyler. "Could use allies, as well as people on friendly terms with us. I am not, however, above wiping out those who would abuse or enslave our allies. My statement from earlier still stands. Does he want to be an ally of Jozan, or an enemy?"

"Our people," Tyler says. "Should not wipe out entire cities for something so small, Gavin. Wipe out a city just because they displeased us? Because they were an enemy? That would make Jozan feared, not respected.

"Nick," Tyler looks at the noble, and I smirk a little on the inside. You're doing exactly what I want, Your Majesty. "Forgive Gavin, he's a bit… strong. Some pretty bad stuff went down, and he is pretty fiercely protective of our people and our allies. Jozan is not in the habit of wiping out people who annoyed them, and I am sure there is some compromise we can come to, for their release.

"However," he sighs, looking at me for a moment, before looking at the noble again. "Gavin isn't patient, and doesn't want to leave the fairies as prisoners any longer, so pushing past the day he's granted might provoke an unwanted reaction, such as his earlier threat of wiping out the entire city after freeing them himself.

"As stated," he continues. "We can discuss something reasonable, in exchange for their freedom. We will make sure you are compensated."

Tyler looks at me.

"You still hold the Wealth, yes?" He asks in Jozan, and I nod. "If I am the King of Jozan, and this is being done to earn us allies, then we can exchange something from the Wealth, though I only know a small portion of what it holds."

"I can access a menu with all within the ring," I tell him. "I memorized what was in it awhile back, though, and can tell you what would be a fair exchange for them. However, our views on 'fair' in this case are vastly different. I do not condone the enslavement of a species simply for being that species, and am a fair less tolerant of that. I do not think there should be any price for setting free fairies who were enslaved and forced to fight simply because they were fairies. They're people, too, and they did not commit crimes, did they?"

"Please don't ever reveal you can speak their language," he says, then looks back to the noble. "Why don't we return to the manor for dinner? I'm sure that filling our stomachs will allow us time to each think on what might be considered a fair exchange."

"They're not criminals, they're fairies," I say. "They are hostage allies of our people. I am not going to allow the Wealth of Jozan to be used to free people who shouldn't have been enslaved."

"Even if it's in the interests of Jozan?" He asks.

"See if you can get him to release them for free."

Divine Quest Available!

Free the Kemmal and Slay the Ilinia

Details: The Ilinia Elvish Kingdom has enslaved the Kemmal, a small nation of cat beastborn, and heavily abuses them as a labor force. Please free them and kill the elves who would do such a thing!

Time Limit: As soon as you're able! I'll understand if you take a little while, because of your other stuff with the fairies right now, but please! Don't take too long!

Reward: We can work something out! Let me think of something!

Accept: Y/N?

Nies? I ask while Tyler speaks with the noble a bit more.

Yes?

Are you able to see my Quests and offered Quests?

I'm the Origin of All Quests, so yeah, I can. Why?

I thought you were the Origin of Blood Oaths?

That's my more common iteration. Dealing with all quests is too much work for me, so I usually ignore them. Besides, it isn't like there aren't hundreds of Divine Beings who deal with Quests. I can leave it. I'm actually the Origin of Oaths and Quests. The OQ came from me, after all.

I just got a Divine Quest offer.

You did? You did. Huh. Ultarna doesn't usually interact with people-whoa. That description. She must be desperate.

Ultarna?

A Divine Being cat beastborn. She's really cute. I invented tigers as a gift to her, some eons back. She doesn't really have a following, and her power is very, very small, and is often mistaken as just a powerful beastborn.

Will I face any sort of divine retribution for wiping out an entire nation?

A normal person would, but you won't. Shouldn't. You might, because it is genocide, but it's a Divine Being asking you, so… yeah. It'll probably mostly be an issue in the Divine Realms. You might get hit by a Rift, though, as a result of the argument.

I thought Rifts formed as a result of Divine Beings arguing had random spawn locations?

Usually, but it can also be drawn to the source of that argument, especially if the argument is powerful enough, and the target is, too.

And I guess I count as 'powerful enough' for that to happen.

Ah, so that's why Ultarna's desperate.

Huh?

That tribe makes up all but one of her followers, and part of the reason they were captured was because they were her followers. Those elves are a nasty piece of work. I'll see if I can get Ekre to defend the two of you in the Divine Realms for me, I'd much rather nap than deal with that drama.

His presence fades from my mind before I can ask if he is sanctioning me committing genocide.

The noble leads us outside and to a carriage, and we ride in it to his manor, though I can tell he isn't happy that I have Beck join us. Beck isn't happy, either, but I assure him in Ygdris that the fairies will be safe, and that their enslavers will be extra careful not to piss me off, considering that I can beat a fighter no one else can survive against.

He's still worried for his people, though, and I can understand that. I'm worried about Tyler, Kade, Michael, and Warren every time I'm away from them, and I know that my team can handle themselves.

I definitely don't have to worry about Kade anymore, though it seems Tyler, I do have reason to worry about. He's so weak right now, and would be easy to assassinate.

It might actually be better to keep him out of Jozan, for awhile – let him get stronger before returning.

Actually, the Grind Arenas might not be a bad idea. I could see how good he is with awakening his MNA, and then how good he is at learning magic and the Dekami Runic Language. If he can learn a few basic spells, and learn to fight with a weapon and martial arts, he'd be able to defend himself.

Take on a fighter Class or magic Class as his Secondary, and he'd be fine. A magical one might be better, for the boosted INT, which would help with his status as King. Most rulers, I think, take on more diplomatic and leadership Classes, as well as Actor and other such Classes, for the boosts to INT and CHA.

But with the world Tyler will live in, in Jozan, he'll need to be able to defend himself. He'll be surrounded by people he can't fully trust, and any one of them could try to kill him.

The Grind Arena is definitely a good idea for him. At least get Royal up to Heir, and have a total of two Secondary Classes.

We arrive at the manor, and once more, I find myself grateful for Acting. The manor's meant to intimidate and impress with wealth, in its design. Large, flashy, and obviously something someone at the top would live in.

We make our way inside, past the staff, and to the dining hall, where we are joined by a couple of visiting nobles. Dinner is succulent and long, then I am shown to a room for the night. I make sure Beck is roomed well, and tell him that I will make sure that, by tomorrow night, all of the fairies there are free.

"I still don't trust you," he says.

"I know you don't," I tell him. "But even if I didn't wish to learn from your father, so that I could protect those dear to me, I'd still intend on freeing you and yours, if I knew about this place and your enslavement just for being fairies. I'm not fond of people treating species differently just because they're another species. There's even a god that's given me a Quest to free her followers, and has sanctioned me committing genocide to do it."

Nies giggles in my mind, and I ask him what's up.

So I asked Ekre, it sounds like he's eating something that crunches, but isn't crunchy. I'm not sure what it is, but it sounds… interesting. To back her up in my place, and he got real mad at me, about being lazy and stuff. Then apparently, said something to her, and she defended herself, and now, the Divine are all arguing amongst each others about the whole thing. There's, like, forty of them all arguing there. Oh, I love the hidden viewers I placed throughout the Divine Realms. And I love people for inventing popcorn.

Popcorn?

An image of a bowl of fluffy, yellowish things appear in my mind.

It's delicious! Now I want cotton candy.

How can cotton be candy?