“Greetings, citizens of Thalis and guests! I, Verixia, will be your announcer, as usual, and today we’re here to watch yet another duel. Interestingly—curiously, you might even say—both fighters are related to the previous duel that took place barely a few weeks back; this time, it is the father of Lord Sev that will soon be stepping in the ring. The once-lord and warrior Tevarius, who many of you know for one reason or another, had recently had his noble title stripped, deservedly so if I may say so myself,” she said, putting some distinctive stink in her tone before she continued on a cheerier note. “The ex-lord will be facing off against our guest Henry, the kraken who just handedly won the C-rank tournament! But while our guest has shockingly jumped nearly fifty levels since last we saw him, will that be enough? I would remind you, dear spectators, that untitled-Tevarius is level 48 in B-rank. Will Henry be able to close the gap? And I’m sure some of you are wondering why this duel is happening.”

  Verixia let the question hang in there, and as Henry peered around the crowd, easily picking up the faces and expressions of the spectators, he quickly noticed how subdued they were. A few folks seemed puzzled, but plenty had hard stares, while a few seemed just around for the show.

  “Well, let me tell you tell you what lord Tevarius has done, and let me tell wh—” Suddenly, Verixia’s voice cut off and the clamor rose from the crowd, but within a couple of seconds, the voice rang out once more. “Apologies, everyone. It seems our governing council would rather I stick to the matter at hand. But I’m sure many of you are aware of what has happened. Suffice it to say, citizen Tevarius severely slighted our guest, and Henry requested the duel directly from Lord Zerathstra. So without further ado, let the contestant enter the ring and get the show started. I remind you, dear citizens and guests, this duel might turn graphic, and we invite you to step away if you are squeamish. You have been warned.”

  Henry was first to enter the ring, levitating over the sandy soil of the square space. He was nervous, of course, but he was also pleasantly surprised, and not just from the reactions of the crowd. Ever since he and Maurice had climbed the trees, he’d gotten many nods and shoulder taps. It seemed that what had taken place between him and the man had widely circulated, and it even seemed to have caused some tension, considering the faces and frowns he was seeing.

  And the censorship, I guess.

  Keeping himself aloft seamlessly with Telekinesis, Henry hovered on his side of the ring and checked his stats on last time. He’d ended up rounding off Constitution and Perception with his earned points, then had shoved the rest in Dexterity. The stat’s effect had always felt mild to him, but now that he was watching his body and movement much more closely, he could notice the boost effect. It just made his movements and precision much easier. Considering the importance of Evershifting Strike in his arsenal, it was time to get better at using the tools he had at his disposal.

  Strength: 64

  Constitution: 90

  Spirit: 80

  Perception: 44

  Dexterity: 46

  Unassigned: 0

  Boos began to ring out of the crowd, and Henry looked up to see a red-faced, glaring man enter the ring from the other side. Their eyes met, and Henry held the stare as he felt the murderous, roiling rage mixed with shame waft off his soon-to-be kraken-handled opponent.

  [Human (B) - Lvl ??]

  The aura of the man felt like a blade dipped in blood. Sharp. Like a spear pointed at Henry’s throat. It felt slightly restrictive, like the man’s presence was trying to smother his own, but unlike Zerathstra’s, it just felt annoying. And not just to himself.

  The aura was affecting all of his Aspects, somehow. Well, affecting was a strong word. It was more accurate to say it was resonating with them. He felt them, those parts of his soul rise and push back, and he let them. But while a few were subtle in their nature, he had to admit, a couple were pretty distinct.

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  ***

  High above the ring, in a mostly hidden loge-like perch, Arisia adjusted her glasses and leaned forward as she saw the tell-tall fluctuations of aura push out of Henry. It was disorganized and very much raw, but she could see it, disturbing and coloring the mana around him. It was a complete jumble that seemed to have been brought to the surface because of Tevarius’s much more refined aura, but there was no denying that even though the results were still crude, it was amply enough to push the veteran’s own.

  Hunger and Fury, she thought. Her fingers twitched to take notes, but she had to watch. She had to see for herself the progress her student had made over the last week, and prepare for what came next. Still, the fury she was sensing was contagious, and she couldn’t help the thought that floated in her mind once more.

  What a waste of time.

  It had been a struggle not to find Tevarius herself and stomp on his neck for what he’d done. He’d cost her a week of training, and seeing the young man—no, kraken—display such a potent aura while the Aspects weren’t even at B-rank was simultaneously a kick in the shin and amazing news. On one hand, he really did have the potential to reach higher than many A-ranks she’d encountered. But it also meant that she was going to need to really tailor the next lessons to get her point across.

  He’s going to need to be careful if he intends any more Aspect fusions, lest he weaken them.

  She couldn’t allow him to fall into that trap. An Aspect that was too undefined or vague wouldn’t be enough to push to A-rank. Then again, he already had two that were pretty damn defined for their levels.

  Arisia bit the tip of her thumb as she considered the two. Fury and Hunger. There was potential there. But danger as well, but… she could…

  She frowned. He thoughts trailed off as she noticed a third one. A third Aspect. Maybe just as pronounced, but hidden. A drive behind the hunger. A keen, enraged mind behind the fury. Arisia felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. The third aura felt like eyes. Yellow eyes in dark, murky waters. Different minds. All watching. Thinking. Plotting.

  “He’s getting there. Don’t you think?”

  The voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. She glared at the ape standing next to her, then her eyes drifted to his arm before she turned back to the two combatants as they stared each other down. “He is. How is your arm?”

  The ape flopped down next to her on his own chair. “As good as new. Didn’t think it’d take this long to get rid of the rot, but here we are.”

  “Nasty stuff,” she mumbled. “Did you keep a sample?”

  “No?”

  Arisia clicked her tongue. “We could have worked on developing something to counter it.”

  “And you could have died if the smallest drop of it touched you. It would have spread out in your soul in seconds. Then to your shop, the tree, the city. Should I go on?”

  Arisia grumbled but she didn’t contest. Instead, she changed the subject. “The lords are not happy.”

  “They don’t have to be,” he said, right before she heard the sound of a crunch.

  Apple, likely, she thought. The duel was to start at any moment. Verixia was still talking, for some reason. “You’re getting involved. And you basically told them that their status—which is one of the only few things they seemed to value from the old world—can be taken away at any time. A piece of their lineage and history.”

  “That sounds… dramatic. But it had to be done. Tevarius attacked my guest. Well, he tried to attack my guest’s guest, but that’s basically the same.”

  Arisia tilted her head as she noticed Henry slowly start to push the Fury’s effect on his aura to the foreground, and it didn’t look like it was happening unconsciously. Then she recalled she’d been in the middle of another matter and answered. “I’m not disagreeing, I’m just saying you might need to go slower. Everyone in Thalis knows your word is law, but they’re not used to you intervening as much. They don’t know what to do with themselves now that you’re stepping back into the politics of it all.”

  “I’m not stepping in. Who said I’m stepping in?”

  Arisia could feel his gaze on the side of her face, but she didn’t turn. “You did by stripping his title and forcing him to accept the duel. Not that I believe he would have refused, but it clearly was not an option. I’m not disagreeing with this, mind you. I would have done worse. I’m just saying to be careful not to destabilize the governing body you established. Sure, the bureaucracy can be annoying, but the ones running the ins and outs of Thalis are decent. And while they agree with you that Tevarius overstepped and should be punished, you went over their heads and did their jobs for them.”

  “Okay, okay. I get it. Let them do their job and all that. Is Verixia going to call the duel or what?”

  Arisia wrenched her eyes away from the ring and stared at the ape. “She’s waiting for you to give her the signal. We all are waiting. For you.”

  Zerathstra stared back at her for a moment, then his eyes drifted to the side before he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as a pulse of mana spread through the stadium.

  She kept staring at the side of his face as he stubbornly kept his eyes on the ring.

  “It is time!” called out the announcer. “The duel starts in 3… 2… 1… Fight!”

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