Caroline

I peeked over volume 3 of the Alarian and I series in my hands, watching my mother pour tea for my pompous half-sister. I know that it must be the most shameful moment of her life. But she must do it with a smile, for they have Robert under lock and key for absurd crimes! Human trafficking?! I couldn't believe Vanessa's tales of curses and sacrifices. But my mother showed no doubt when she should have had thousands! My mother's eyes tell me to forfeit. To stay silent. Give up? I wished I could throw the table onto the library floor. This is the woman who ruined our family! How dare she prostrate herself to this bastard?! But my mother glared, and I tried to behave. I held down my rage.

I peeked above my book at the Fake duchess who took what should have been mine. Her beautiful dress of capital-made caught my eye. Embroidery could have taken weeks to sew. I strained to think negatively, but I cannot help it. She looked like she belonged.

The duchess giggled. "Do I have dirt on my face?"

I quickly hid my embarrassed face in shame in the engrossing book, and my sister laughed heartily. How funny indeed that the shy one has become me.

"I have been meaning to ask, what of Timothy's absence?"

"That troubled child…!"

"Gosh! Are you still mad? He's a grown adult, mother! He fought honourably in the northern war!"

"Without our permission! As the heir of Grandi, it is sheer recklessness and stupidity."

"But he survived," I said. "Received top honours from the prince himself."

"Yes, he survived, but many Young boys like him didn't. Do you know how many sleepless nights I had worrying he would be next to the corpse they sent back…" My mother looked away, hiding her tears from her mortal enemy.

Vanessa sipped her tea. "So, he left again, I figure."

"He left to be an adventurer!" I dropped my book in excitement. "In his goodbye Letter, he talked of visiting the harsh jungles and savannahs of the southern lands!"

"To do what?! To die of some strange monster or disease!?"

There she goes again. I understand missing her favourite son. But this is the reason he left. Keeping him caged, making every decision for him, would surely make any young body want to flee. But she couldn't comprehend. To her, Timothy's departure only brought problems. If Timothy were acting as a proper heir, he wouldn't let Robert get in this situation.

"You can't fault a man wanting to follow in his father's footsteps." Said Vanessa, resting her head on her wrist as she read her book. "When father became the mercenary legend, do you think he stayed home among piles of papers, managing an enormous guild?"

"..." My mother mused, fidgety with her full teacup.

"Grandi was built on strength. Its clients must believe in its strength to protect their assets to ensure business goes on. But power built on one man's reputation is too easy to topple. And Brother Timothy knew that to pursue fame, he must go beyond the horizon and leave his place to a less capable brother." Vanessa closed her book, handing it to a servant. "Or me."

My mother tensed up. "If only we weren't in a rush to kick me out. I could have stopped this before it went out of control." Vanessa enjoyed her sweet scented tea as my mother sat silent. "But do not be mistaken. Sending me away. Selling on Wolfburn's orders was the best thing to happen to me." Vanessa reached out to my mother's trembling hand. "Thank you. Sincerely…" I loathed that she genuinely seemed to be sincere. The woman had my brother completely under her thumb, but I feel absorbed in her. Her confidence overflowed. Like a torrid river, I was swept by her.

Strawberry-scented tea rippled on the table. And again, tea shock, spilling out of our cups. A servant rushed to Vanessa, and she smiled, getting out of her chair with haste. "Ladies, Mind coming with me?"

Mother and I nervously glanced at each other. "What is going on?"

"Nothing bad, hehe. Seems his Grace has provided early entertainment for us. Let's hurry before it ends!"

****

Breathing harder than I have ever breathed, we finally reach the training area. A small audience that had collected parted at the sight of the Duchess. Each bowed before her, smiling at her surprised appearance. She's well-liked despite her origin in the gossip. A spot near the edge of a fit pit opened for us, and I leaned on a rail, panting. Vanessa ordered a sofa for us three to sit and rest my pained calves. An explosion of clashing metal brought the tired mind into awareness, and I squealed like my mother's favourite pigs.

"What in the hell is going-!"

Vanessa pointed down into the fighting pit where dust and wind swirled. A sword glinted light from its mirror shine, and the dust settled. Two warriors laughed together. A man of supreme beauty whipped a giant sword, and the air trembled. The grace of a dancer. Shirtless, from his large, intimidating yet enticing body. Another man. Shorter, flimsy at first sight, muscles developed from years of training showed under his tight buttoned shirt. The sword master cut an eight in the air, letting his cane sword burn with blue light.

"Well, ladies," Vanessa said, drinking her tea, which had been brought to her. "Who are you betting on? His Grace or my father Sebastian Hodge."

"20 gold on his grace," said Countess Trak to a mischievous-looking servant as she unfortunately arrived with her rough-looking guard by his side. The ideal noble almost salivated over the railing.

"Bet as she bets", Vanessa leaned to whisper. "That gambling addict has a good eye for this."

"I don't think this will be a hard match to bet on," I said in an admittedly obnoxious way. I heard the duke survived against one of the pantheon." Vanessa's gaze fell to me. "Do you not know how strong your father is?"

"Strong…? Maybe in his heyday. But such a heyday had passed more than twenty years ago. Now he is just an old man who always sits at his desk." I can't think of him as a fighter, even now, as he bore a sword that was hidden in his prized cane. He was always the smartest man in the room. Never the one to punch his way out of problems.

Vannessa chuckled in a teasing way. Like she was telling me that I was being foolish again. I spun to my mother for reprieve, but got coldness.

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"Look down, Caroline," my mother said firmly. "Today you will learn how great a man your father is."

Tarion.

I smiled as my sword still rang from a blocking single slash. "Hahaha! Amazing! What else can I expect from a sword master?"

"Your defeat, Your grace", Hodge pointed his cane sword at me, and the burning steel edge flared with blue flame.

"Such a beautiful flame…" I exhaled puffs of mana essence from my lungs, and my sword was wrapped in smoky white qi. Stable and calm, unlike my in-laws' mana blade, I took a stance of the greystone greatsword arts: Iron Door. Sword low, its point almost kissing the dusty ground, I am relaxed. No danger, no fight to the death, just a spar.

"Thank you for the birthday gift," I said, enjoying the feel of the sword grip again. It was much more satisfying to hold in real life.

"No, I should thank you for giving me the opportunity. Not everyone gets to personally assess the abilities of a rookie of notoriety."

"Rookie…hahaha!" I turned on Lifesight. I saw a mana field tight to his skin. Such unbelievable control. "I guess I really am! Going then 'swordmaster' assess me!"

Sebastian spread his feet, preparing for an obvious lunge. I waited with qi simmering.

"Ends when one is maimed or unconscious or surrendered," Mr Hodge said with seriousness deepening his voice.

My smile widened. "Or dead. Still the Iron mercenary inside the wrinkled body. I slammed my chest Let's fucking start already!"

A bent neck moved my head away from death. A line of blood spatter from my nose to my right ear. Real pain! Still in Iron Door form, I changed levels, dropping down to escape decaption. I slash low with my greatsword at Hodge's left shin. Fuck! Hodge's cane slashed down too fast to get away with a cut, and I decided to flash step.

"You really did learn their techniques." Mana pulsed from Hodge's boots, pushed him toward me, and sword crashed into sword. "I thought you would have more pride in our ways" Stupid strength forced my blade down, but I utilised the momentum to divert his blade to spin and strike with a qi-charged roundhouse. Honed reflexes made Hodge jump aside and slash my kicking left leg. I pulled the leg back, lunged rashly as the sword master. Hodge parried my greatsword to my left; however, a twist grip turned the sword outward, cutting at Mr. hodge from above. With little power, it was easily flicked away. Stomach open. I planted my feet, twisting my body for a power slash. I felt my sword's weight. Now. From my left, I slice the air, leaving a vacuum in my wake. The audience cheered at a man spinning above my blade. Life sight saw Mr Hodge's mana field elongate from his sword tip, and I leaned back in reaction. I am learning. Skinny Mana blades stabbed and jabbed as the sword master spun. About to land. I rushed forward, divesting the ground under my boots. My body split the atmosphere apart. My sweat and blood were swept away by the wind. Iron door secure in my grip, I was elated. Like my childhood self has taken over my body. Trading blows with a nine-circle was as fun as I had always dreamed. I was learning decades of experience in less than five minutes. Each attack calculated, each strike meant death. And still I knew this fucker was taking it easy.

Caroline

I couldn't see a damn thing! Two supernatural beings scurry around faster than any arrow, and their swords cut through the air even faster. Even with a plugged ear, their attack gave me headaches. My mother and sister watched calmly as the mayhem continued below.

"Vanessa, is it usually like this?"

"Nah," She showed me a Scary grin. "It gets bloodier." Vanessa saw someone behind me and smiled warmly. "As Beiye can attest."

A gorgeous liuen woman with jaw-dropping beauty walked through the crowd. She curtsied in a black dress low to my sister. "Such is true," her strange accent mixed well with osberg dialect. "In my arena, brown sand becomes red every week." Surrounded by lower to mid nobles, everyone seemed to know who she was but dared not say a thing. Could she be someone rich? Someone famous? The duke's mistress?

A pinch scared me. "Pay attention. Young lady! Watch your father!"

Tarion

I chose a thrust. My blade glowed gold, and I repelled it up. An audience wooed watching a hodge cane sword bounce away.

"Pride? I wouldn't be alive if I had such a flimsy reason for pride. I take pride in my countrymen, the land my countrymen till. Not outdated techniques that are used by old men stuck in their ways."

Although shock showed on Sebastian's and he held to his weapon, I saw a little smile under his moustache. He rubbed his shoulder. "Assessment over. It begins."

Five mana slices flew. Sound shocked my blade, and all were sliced. With a calm mind, I spread my consciousness wide. Resonating with all that was near. The wind before me, the dust under me. The heat with the blazers, the water in the air. With a flash step, I eluded even more bright crescent cuts, letting them explode behind me. A flash step again, and Mr Hodge is before me. My sword fell heavy on metal, bending a guarding swordmaster's knee. A wave of my power destroyed the area, but the Hodge withstood. Sword sparking as it grated against my sword, the shorter man delved close. A powerful trust to my chest pushed me back while I blocked it. I twist my handle to block a low cut to my knee and my arm. Each attack became stronger each time. Parrying his cane around to my left, a kick to his ribbed bounced off a thick shield. From low, a slash from me was avoided with a step back. I maintained momentum but thrust with my great sword, but struck nothing.

I let go of my prize blade. Bright Light emits as Sebastian Mana Sliced to heaven, nearly destroying the Fighting Area's shield by the stone ceiling

"Phew… It takes some time to warm these old muscles." A shattered cane's pieces fell on the training ground floor.

"Incredible…" Sebastian said, staring at his Broken weapon and then he threw It away without a second thought. In an empty hand, a sword of Pure mana crystallised. It's been a while since I felt goosebumps like these.

Mr Hodge Rockets forth with mana jetting from his back and boots. My blade caught a mana sword swinging hard and fast from my right. Stupendous strength shoved me metres to the arena wall. I dipped under a devastating mana blast that broke the mana shield protecting the audience. A stab upward grazed Sebastian's chin. I hit a swordguard, forcing my sword down on his jumping away from the destruction my weapon made. A mana tether of mine pulled his leg, but was cut off in an instant. However, it was enough to catch him and unleash a flurry of strikes. Left hand behind back, he parried all away. High, low, middle, my long weapon couldn't pass his tight guard. I sliced faster, struck harder. Choose my sword path wiser. I feinted low and struck up with qi. Seeing an Unstable swordmaster, with pommel on hand and all my power, I drilled my greatsword at Sebastian's head. Evading with ease, Sebastian slipped close with charged mana ready to end my life.

A calm mind resonated.

Wind exploded from my greatsword's edge, chopping down on Sebastian's right shoulder.

As my sword hit the ground, a sly ninth Circle escaped with a mark of red on his expensive shirt. Enhanced sense heard a naive daughter shriek for her father.

The Grandi manager shrugged his uninjured shoulder. "Don't mind her. I spoiled her too much; I hid too much of the world from her. I hope from this she will learn well."

"Acting like a good father now?" That made Sebastian twitch.

"Never mind that, Mr Hodge. So, how am I doing? Good for Rookie!?"

With two fingers, Sebastian touched his injuries. "No… not yet." With Lifesight, I saw his mana field expand. Thousands of mana swords form within. All pointed in my direction. Crystal Armour formed on the ageing warrior like centurion armour.

Ohh…shit… Always poking the bear….

I pulled my consciousness inward. I feel myself getting lighter. Qi hugged me like a warm blanket as the Sword of Osberg flared with white flame.

50 to Senses. 30 to agility. 20 to Intelligence. 20 Strength.

One lonely circle spun around my qi-infused heart.

To be continued.

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