The duelist

The next morning, Trisphyra was so excited that she opened the door to her room before Guprix even got the chance to knock. He was surprised to see her up and about when she normally preferred to sleep in.

As she smiled with excitement she said, "Good morning, Master. I'm ready!"

He chuckled at the sight, "Not yet, my dear." He handed her a leather chestpiece. It looked like armor. Trisphyra wasn't sure what he meant by this.

"I- I promise I'll just watch from a distance."

"Put it on." He gestured with his hand, "We can't be too careful."

Being the impatient teacher that he was, he began to help before she even got started. He tightened the straps, making sure everything fitted the way it was supposed to. His overbearing nature broke her confidence once more. She felt how she sank back into herself.

"Is this enchanted?" She asked.

"It'll certainly take the sting of any attack that may get a bit too close." He answered without taking his eyes off from what he was doing.

She swallowed nervously, "Do accidents like that happen often?"

"Occasionally."

"I see. Guess I'm happy to have this then." Her hands felt the rough leather around her torso. She could clearly feel a magical property to it.

"Thank you, Master." She smiled.

Guprix snapped his fingers and ushered her onward. She skipped after him. He was thinking of a thousand ways he could take advantage of this opportunity. Frankly he wasn't comfortable with the situation. With a teacher like Ailluin, a large group of eager students could get swept along . He feared Trisphyra might do the same. He wasn't even sure who the General had assigned for this lesson. Depending on the commander the soldiers could get riled up as well. He glanced at his pupil, who seemed to have no thoughts of the dangers.

"Do you remember the shield spell?" He asked her.

She stopped skipping and tried to sound confident, "Yes, Master."

"And the blade ward?"

"Yes, Master."

He sighed in relief, "Good."

A few students bumped into them as they ran past. They all immediately bowed, "Sorry, Master Lombard."

They ran away before he could even respond. Normally he would be annoyed but understood their excitement as he saw where they were heading; the lower grounds, where the lesson was going to take place.

"What students have been picked for this lesson?"

He glanced at Trisphyra when she asked. The girl was smart. She knew he'd never allow her to be picked.

"A group from Mr. Shara's own class."

"I don't think I know much of Master Shara."

"He's a renowned duelist, skilled with evocation spells. He has won many tournaments around the world."

"That sounds amazing." Trisphyra was impressed, "What of the soldiers?"

"What of them?"

"Well… can they beat a spellcaster?"

"Of course. Magic might be a powerful tool but it makes many mages vulnerable to melee attacks."

There was a silence before she gathered up the courage to ask, "Have you battled a lot of soldiers, Master?"

"Sadly, yes."

"Did you find it… difficult?"

"Sometimes. A skilled warrior knows how to move around spellcasters."

"But you beat them all?"

"Almost."

She wanted to ask more but got distracted by the loud sound of a waterfall. As they approached the large spiral staircase, the huge body of water appeared in sight. Trisphyra had never been this far down before. If this was just the beginning she couldn't wait to see what the rest of the lower grounds looked like. Many other mage students were walking down as well as many interested spectators.

Sounds of clashing steel and grunting soldiers filled her ears. As they came out, her eyes were met with the sight of the large rugged structures and vast amount of people. It was too much to keep track of. She was so caught up she didn't notice a thick tree root sticking out of the ground and fell on all fours.

"Trisphyra! Are you alright?" Guprix asked.

She didn't answer. Her gaze was fixed on the ground. She'd felt something. The second her palms touched the soft grass it had felt like a surge of energy had rushed through her. If only for a second. The sensation felt familiar. Like that time she touched Aldertrunk.

"Trisphyra!" Guprix exclaimed.

She looked up. Taken out of her trance, "I-I'm fine. I just tripped."

"Look where you walk, child. We're not in the refined quarters of the upper levels anymore."

"I will." She smiled shyly.

They walked through the different encampments. A lot of the soldiers towered over them in height. Trisphyra couldn't help but to smile at them, which in return gave them a confused expression on their faces.

"Rían." A voice spoke in her head. She froze.

Guprix looked puzzled at her, "What's wrong? Does something hurt?"

She recalled every time she'd mentioned the forest to her Master. How he'd dismissed her suspicions and called her delusional. She wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"No. There's just so many new sounds around me. It's a bit overwhelming." She scoffed.

"Let's get going then." He dragged her along.

The voice kept speaking to her, "Rían. Ithil. Shariándi."

'Shut up!' She thought to herself.

Guprix led them to an open field. Way on the other end of it stood the treeline to Elandorr.

The voice spoke again, "Trisphyra."

She understood then where it came from. Her eyes scanned the forest for any sight of a large golden eye but couldn't see any movement aside from the leaves dancing in the wind.

Many had started to gather for the lesson and Guprix looked around to Ailluin and whichever Commander was going to lend his or her hand. He spotted them in a small open tent. He was pleased to see Zark, the devil-kin commander beside the mage.

"Stay here. I'm going to speak with Shara real quick." He left her in a rush. Trisphyra kept staring at the forest. What was that voice? Why was she the only one hearing it?

'I hear you.' She responded in her head, 'What do you want?'

It answered in a sharp tone, "Rach!"

She didn't understand the language, nor did she have any idea what kind of a language it was. Who could she possibly ask? Perhaps she had to find out for herself.

"You seem troubled, my lady." A soldier walked up to her. He was a tall high-elf. Shoulder-length blonde hair and hazel eyes. He wore what she could only imagine to be training attire, no heavy plate but similar leather armor like the one she was wearing.

"I'm not troubled at all, sir." She answered kindly.

"You sure? You look lost." He pushed on.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"I've never seen a pretty moon elf like you down here before."

She didn't even know how to respond to such a comment but started to feel more uncomfortable the more he inspected her.

"Perhaps after you've seen me train, we could hang out together?"

In desperation, she began looking for Guprix amongst the crowd of people, "I'm not allowed to hang out-"

He grabbed her arm, "Why? Am I that ugly?"

"It's not that. Let go of me, please."

"Ahem!" A familiar voice broke through. Both of the elves turned to him.

"Helon!" A smile spread across her face and Helon returned the favor. He was wearing the same outfit as his comrade, only he was bare chested, his firm muscles put on display. As he turned to the high-elf his expression hardened.

"You heard the lady, Erolith. Let her go."

With a yank she pulled herself free and skittered over to him, hiding behind his back.'

"You good?" He whispered.

"I'm fine."

Erolith tried to seem indifferent, "You can have her, Krisric. Too skinny for me anyway."

Helon simply stared him down and the high-elf walked away, throwing his arms in the air.

"I'm not that skinny." She pouted and crossed her arms. Helon turned to her, "I'm sorry your first introduction to the lower grounds had to be with the biggest asshole in this world."

"He was very unpleasant."

"Don't mind him. You're beautiful."

She looked up at him, "You think I'm beautiful?"

Her big eyes almost broke him. He felt his cheeks heat up. In an effort to play it cool, he chuckled, "Of course, any blind person cou- Don't you think so?" He choked on his words.

Trisphyra looked at him for a second. Could she tell how nervous he got suddenly? Then she broke away, "I've never thought of myself as… beautiful. You're the first person to say so."

Hearing the word made her see herself in a new light. She looked down at her arms. Were they beautiful too? If Helon thought so then it must be true. A warm sensation grew inside her. She looked at him, "I think you're beautiful too."

He grinned, "Stop it. You're killing me."

"It's true."

"Two seconds ago it didn't seem like you knew what beauty was."

He instantly regretted what he said. Trisphyra stared at him with a blank expression.

"I'm sorry. That was wrong of me to say." He shook his head, "It's just… It's hard to hear it. I've been bullied most of my life for the way I look, so I-" He had to turn his back to her. It was a difficult thing to admit. Although he acted like words didn't get to him, it wasn't always true. Hearing the word 'beautiful' from someone like Trisphyra, someone he clearly adored, it struck something.

He felt her soft hand against his back.

"If you like, I could say it more often." She spoke softly.

He turned his head. Her blue eyes, so honest and affectionate. It sent a tingle down his spine.

"I'd like that very much." As his body turned to face her, the hand that rested on his back now gently caressed his waist and then to his stomach. She looked at the point where her fingers lingered. It was fascinating. His dark skin made it look like he's so cold but in reality he was warm. An urge grew to explore more. She peeked up at him. He stared at her deeply. Lips parted. She had never seen him like this before.

"Trisphyra…" He muttered, struggling to find words.

She leaned in closer, "Yes?"

"Rach."

Her whole body tensed. She looked towards the woods of Elandorr once more. Helon grabbed her hand on his stomach, "What is it?"

She kept staying still. Listening for it.

"Do you hear something?"

"Hear what?"

"A voice. I've been hearing it over and over since I got down here."

He listened with her for a second, "I can't hear anything."

"I'm telling, I hear a voice and it's coming from the forest." She sighed in frustration.

"I believe you, it's just… Can you tell what it's saying?"

"I don't know. It says my name and 'Shariandi' something. Then it keeps saying 'Rach'. Does that mean anything to you?"

Helon shook his head. Trisphyra ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

"Tell you what." He stroked her forearm with his thumb, "How about after we're done with this, I'll go see if I can find something out in the library. I have some time to kill."

She smiled, "Could you do that?"

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, "Anything for you, my lady."

"Sir Krisric." Guprix approached with a stern look on his face, not amused by what he just saw. Helon straightened up, "Master Lombard."

"Good luck on today's lesson. I expect to be entertained." He grabbed Trisphyra by the shoulders and pulled her with him, "I've found spot for us to sit and observe."

She kept looking after Helon. She didn't want to walk away. He smiled, trying to comfort her from afar.

"Be careful, okay?" She pleaded.

"Don't worry about me."

Guprix guided her through the small crowd. The students were dividing themselves into two groups; the soldiers and the mages. A shared feeling of excitement soared in the air. There were small, wooden platforms standing 20 ft above the training area. A spiral staircase at the end of the camp gave them access to it. The terrace was small but enough for a few people to walk alongside each other. They sat down on a bench placed so they had a perfect view over the field.

"Why are these platforms built so high up?" She asked her Master.

"To avoid any distractions and injuries. Up here, we won't be in their way and they won't accidentally hit us."

"So how's this going to work?"

"I talked to Shara and Commander Zark. They're going to practice basic defense maneuvers to start with and then move on to one-on-one duals."

"Immediately?"

"These are senior students, Trisphyra. They're not new to any of this."

She leaned closer to the railing to get a better look at them all. She recognized a few of the faces in blue cloaks. They had been in Vehéres' class. On the opposite side of them stood the soldiers. Compared to the mages their outfits were more tight fitted, but still wearing the same blue colors. She could see Helon among them. He truly stood out. His long black hair and his dusty, dark skin was hard to miss, and those piercing golden eyes, she couldn't get enough of them.

From where he sat, Guprix could see her staring.

"The two of you seem to have grown rather close." He noted.

Trisphyra stiffened and looked at him. She felt embarrassed for some reason and sat back down beside her Master.

"He's been very kind to me."

He rolled his eyes, "He better, but don't get swept away by all the Krisric nonsense. Focus on yourself, dear."

"Do you know him well, Master?"

"I knew his father, Hecrosi. An ambitious student with a talent for swordplay. He was quite the charmer as well. I see a lot of him in Helon."

"So… Krisric is a famous family?"

"Oh, yes! The Krisric bloodline goes back for almost a thousand years. Almost all of them are known for their skills in battle… and they often died doing so." He noticed how his stories didn't discourage her, "Enough about that now. Focus on learning something from this now."

"Rach! Ithil!"

She heard the voice again and felt herself get more annoyed. Guprix didn't fail to notice, "What is it, Trisphyra?"

It was too much to hold back. She turned to him, "What does 'Rach' mean, Master?"

His mouth twitched, "Where did you hear that?"

She tried to think of a good explanation, "I don't know. It's just been popping into my mind recently. What is it?"

"I suppose we haven't studied any of that. Maybe it's time." He pondered.

"What?"

"It's old elvish, dear. It means 'danger'."

"Danger?" She looked out across the treeline of the forest. It seemed so calm and quiet. What was wrong?

"Alright, students. Listen up!" Teacher Shara stepped out on the field and everyone turned silent. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Ailluin Shara, one of the five head mages of Arathorn. I've been a teacher here for almost 50 years. Before that, I roamed Emteria on events and festivals as a dualist."

The crowd awed and whistled. Even Trisphyra applauded. Guprix smirked. Ailluin really had a way with people. His tanned skin, white hair and elven tattoo on his face could make anyone curious. The teacher bowed apologetically, "There, there. It's not meant as a boast."

The devil-kin spoke next, "And I'm Commander Zark. I'm no dualist, but I know my way around with a sword. So far it's proven sufficient enough that I'm not dead."

"It's easy to get snowed in on your own skill set." Ailluin continued, "But any skilled battleist knows the importance of understanding your enemy."

The two teachers took a stand on each side of the training field. Ailluin removed his cape, "In today's lesson we're going to give you the tools to fight an opponent who's the opposite of you. To get you all encouraged, the commander and I agreed to do a little demonstration."

His face tattoo and eyes began to glow in a blue light. The commander spread his wings and summoned a sword from his hand. The people around cheered in excitement.

"And this is why I wanted us up here." Guprix muttered.

The two teachers circled each other. Both waited for the other to make a move.

Ailluin raised his fist, summoning giant icicles above his giant opponent. He knocked them away with his wings and lunged towards him. His giant sword smashed the ground, dust and gravel burst in every direction. The elf had just been able to roll out of the way. As he came back on his feet he casted his next spell. A dark sphere surrounded the commander. Ailluin was quick to act, casting a huge magical force towards it. Zark came crashing out of it. He'd been hit. With a large thud he landed on the ground.

The mage took in the sound of the crowd, raising his arms victoriously. However, the battle wasn't over. The commander stood up, smirking. Ailluin watched, he knew General Ismastis had chosen Zark for a reason. The stories of the commander hadn't escaped his ears. His large claw-like finger pointed at him. The ground crackled around the elf and huge, deep red flames surrounded him. Distracted by the pain caused by the heat, he failed to see the sword swinging for him. It sent him flying to the other end of the training field.

Zark looked after him, expecting to see some sort of injury on the elf. To his disappointment, Ailluin had cast stone skin on himself, preventing any big wounds from appearing. However, the fire had done a number on the mage. He was breathing heavily, but still smiling.

Fire spells, which was his specialty, were more or less useless against an opponent like Zark. Due to their heritage, devil-kin's are resistant to fire. The General had definitely picked the right choice. He'd have to get out of his comfort zone.

"Can't let you beat me like this, commander." He taunted.

With a series of movements, he summoned dark clouds above Zark, who waited patiently to make his next move. Ailluin's eyes glowed stronger as he uttered the word, "Loss!"

Large ice balls fell from the clouds. Hard and heavy, they hit the commander several times. They made an icy surface on the ground, causing him to fall. The elf shoved his palms down on the ground, and the ice grew all over Zark's body. It was thick and he couldn't pull free quickly enough. Ailluin sprinted forward, slided down on his knees towards the commander. He got to him just as he grabbed hold of his sword and pulled out a tiny dagger from his belt, pressing it against the devil-kin's throat. Everything froze. The mage could feel the tip of Zark's sword against his ribs. They both began to laugh and helped each other on their feet. With the snap of a finger, the mage made all the ice and injuries disappear. The students cheered once again. He bowed but the commander stood tall. He didn't bother with such nonsense.

The elf stretched his back, "So, could anyone see what the two of us were trying to do?"

"Kill each other?" A student cracked a joke. Some laughed.

"I suppose I was looking for a more specific answer."

"You were looking for blindspots." Helon answered.

The teacher pointed towards him, "Exactly. Finding a blindspot and breaking the root of your opponent is key to winning. Now, as a spellcaster, I naturally had the ranged advantage. Commander Zark knew he had to somehow break my focus in order to get close enough, which he did really well. In order to retaliate, I had to somehow overpower him so that he couldn't charge. I knew fire was no good so ice was the next best thing in this situation."

Zark continued, "So, soldiers, what is your greatest disadvantage when facing a spellcaster?"

"Distance and magic projectiles." Someone answered.

"Indeed. Can we have one from each class come over here, please?"

The soldiers fought amongst themselves to get to their commander first. None was surprised that it was Helon who came out victorious, not even Zark. He grabbed the elf's shoulder, "Now, when the mage cast a spell towards you-"

"I got this, commander." He interrupted.

The instructor raised an eyebrow, "Do you?"

"Yeah." He smirked, "I've done this before."

Zark simply sighed and stepped aside, "I hope you can walk the talk, Krisric."

Helon looked to the opposite end of the crowd. Master Shara had pulled out a young human man. Tanned with dark brown hair reaching down to his shoulders. The Master was giving him instructions on what to do. With Helon's elven hearing he understood that the student was going to throw a spell at him. The man listened to his teacher intently. Helon felt excited. He'd never got to try something like this before. It had been a very long time.

Her eyes on him were hard to miss. As Helon looked up, he smiled gently at Trisphyra. She watched with admiration. Her hands clenched together.

"Alright, are we ready?" Ailluin asked Zark.

The commander shrugged, "We'll see."

He wasn't sure how to interpret the answer but went with it, "Okay, students. On my go! One. Two. Three!"

The mage lunged forward, casting three firebolts. Helon recalled the words he learned all those years ago and whispered them to himself. With the snap of his fingers he created a forcefield in front of him. The bolts immediately disappeared as they passed through, leaving him unscathed. Helon could see the surprise in the students' eyes. He resisted the urge to use it to his advantage, remembering the words from the general, and looked to Zark.

The commander didn't say anything. He suspected he knew where the elf learned that spell.

Up on the spectator seat, Trisphyra was shocked. Did Helon know magic? It looked very familiar to the shield spell that Guprix had taught her. She could hear her Master chuckling behind her, "Of course! Smart lad."

"Wha-" She was about to ask what he was on about but went silent as she heard to voice from the woods once more. Only this time it sounded more desperate, "Rach! Grest!"

She couldn't take it any longer and stood up from her seat. Her eyes scanned the treeline. Someone was crying out to her. Someone needed her, but why?

"Trisphyra?" Guprix watched her. She suddenly bolted down the stairs. He rushed to his feet and ran after her, "Trisphyra!"

His words were mere mumbles in her ears compared to the loud voice yelling to her from the woods. Ignoring everything around her, she rushed past the crowd of students, past the guards and out on the open training field. Everyone watched in confusion. Only Guprix, Ailluin and Helon ran after her.

The voice suddenly cried, "STOP!"

She froze. The others caught up. Guprix breathed heavily and grabbed her arm, "What are you doing?!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" She exclaimed and pulled free. Her instinct told her to keep walking towards the forest. Another hand grabbed her. She recognized his soft touch and stopped.

"What is it? What do you hear?" Helon asked her.

"Hear what?" Guprix asked.

"Someone… Something… Is in pain. I hear them cry."

"I don't understand. Who is?"

Ailluin stepped forward, squinting his eyes as he inspected the forest, "I think we have our answer right there, sir." He pointed. All of them looked closer. A gray tall figure stepped out from the trees. Standing 13 ft tall, fur covered its entire body.

"It's a lycan."

"Impossible." Guprix shook his head.

"It's not alone either."

From all around the tree line, wolves as big as horses emerged. Helon counted up to 30 of them. They were direwolves.

"They must be here for her." Ailluin looked at Trisphyra.

"Me?" She didn't understand. The voice who had spoken had been so soft. The energy she sensed from the lycan was too aggressive. It couldn't have been the source. However, she admitted there was something about it. A connection.

"Get her out of here, straight away." Guprix looked to Helon.

"Yes, sir." Helon took her hand, "Come on."

"No!" She tried to pull free but he was too strong. "They're here for me! You have to show me!" She pleaded to Guprix.

Her Master simply smiled, "I will, child. Not now."

"Soldiers!" Zark, who'd now spotted the enemy, took charge, "Formation!"

The two mages looked at the lycan. The creature was very calm which was unusual.

"How did this go by unnoticed?" Ailluin asked.

"Sadly, it isn't the first time, but I'm sure Master Ibarin is being notified of this as we speak."

"You think we can stall?"

"We have to."

"Lycans are difficult to subdue."

"We have some of the world's greatest warriors and mages in this very building. We'll stall."

As the lycan saw Trisphyra run away, it began to snarl. It lowered itself to all fours and howled loudly. The direwolves responded in unison, and so they charged.