Children Of Infinity (IC)

[Charmera]

As the duel raged on in the small park in the center of the minute Gladian town, there was someone on an otherwise empty area on a nearby hill overlooking the park, sitting on one of the many benches laid out for the comfort of any visitors and reading a book on an electronic device.

Unfortunately for her, another girl then arrived, casually removing the device from the other's hands and then looking at it with a blank expression.

"What are you doing all the way over here, Jun? There's more interesting stuff happening down there, right in front of your nose." Elsis said to her younger sister with nonchalance, depositing the artifact next to her on the bench after ascertaining that, indeed, it was some boring book like so many others that her sister seemed to enjoy. "I mean I get that you like this kind of stuff but honestly, you keep burying your head in these and you won't make any new friends or learn any of the stuff that really matters." The older girl said, figuring that now that they were back on good terms, she could bully Juna a little. In her mind, it was a far better alternative to treading lightly or awkwardly trying to find a topic of conversation, as this felt far more normal and helped her feel like everything was just like the old times.

Naturally, though, she had no desire to do much more than poke at her sister, and so, after that, Elsis simply ran a hand through her coral red hair as she glanced at the fight. "You do have to admit that now that you're here, with nobody labelling you an undesirable or calling you four-eyes or anything like that, you have much better chances of making a friend. Don't you think you should take them?" She said afterwards, this time with genuine concern.

"You'll have plenty of time to read, anyway. The teachers are probably going to put us through a lot of that." The braveblood said with a pointed grimace, clearly displeased with the idea, as she leaned on the metallic fence that had been put in place to keep any little children from falling and rolling down the hill. With a mildly bored expression, she observed the fight taking place below.

"What the duel?" Juna asked, she shrugged. "if I wanted to see two people brain each other because one call the other a rude name then I would have stayed back home." She paused, adjusting her glasses. "I suppose you do make a logical point. But how could I resist such a nice reading area? Nice, beautiful, quiet until you showed up." She lifted her book, shaking it like it would draw her sisters attention. Something about advanced something or other. It didn't really matter to anyone but Juna. "And this is actually a "new" one. Never got to read it back home. Our parents seem to have a lot of books for people who hate them." She pointed out, using new in the sense she hadn't read it. "You'll probably end up reading it at some point."

"Also, mind not going into detail about any of the "four eyes" stuff around the Fangless. It's pretty embarrassing." She sighed, "Again, for people who hate books they seem to know a lot of colorful insults. Jamak especially. That boy had a mouth on him..."

"Speaking of friends... Since we're talking. How are you getting along on that front?" She asked. "Anyone you could introduce me too?" She them made a wry smile. "Any "cute boys"?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Elsis snickered, grinning widely as she heard the comment about the reading spot picked by her sister being nice and quiet until she arrived. Truth be told, she took this as a compliment, as she did not at all mind being considered someone who took away the calm and unleashed the storm. Tranquility was not something particularly desirable as far as she was concerned, even if there was nothing inherently wrong with it either. Hearing Juna talk about their parents, though, the braveblood's grin was diminished, though it remained on her face. "Well, they secured the family's status, or at least, dad did. I figure he gets to have whatever he wants in his house, even if it's something bizarre like that" She said. She had been about to remark that perhaps they regretted having said books lying around the house, but bit her tongue just in time. She did not intend any harm but even then she was not stupid enough to believe that the comment would go by unnoticed, and the last thing she wanted was to spark another argument with her dear sister.

Regarding her comment about home, the girl with coral red hair didn't say anything. She didn't think that what Juna said was a bad thing, necessarily, but it was certainly true, so she saw no need to say anything more. Juna's next questions, however, left her taken aback for a moment.

"Well, well, that's an unusual question for you, isn't it sis?" Elsis replied, making the same kind of smile that her sister had on her face at the moment. If a bystander had been there to look at them he would have seen the similarities between them with ease. "Who would have thought? But anyway, I have to say that there's no one too interesting in my group, on that front. Aside from me, there's six other students and only three are boys. One's the lanky runner, I'm sure you've seen him, he had a lot of work yesterday, going from the cave to the hotel and back again. The other two are less gaunt but they're nothing to look at, frankly." She concluded with a shrug, before looking in her sister's direction. "What about you? Seen anyone attractive in your group? Anyone you fancy?" She asked. She already knew a few people in Juna's group by sight at least, but she was curious about what her sister thought of them.

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Rache

Her defense gets desperate enough that she actually attempts to counter-attack but if there is one thing I specialize in when fighting with blades it is stopping a counter-attack and turning it against an opponent. So after some dodging I take advantage of the gap and get in several blows and strike a final blow completely disabling her shield. "That is done. Now I just need to draw blood." My blade moves quickly trying to find weak points in her defense and I push for trying to get a blow in at her neck which, thanks to her armor, is probably the region safest to strike without injuring her too much. She is desperately managing to deflect my attacks though but now it is more of a waiting game. The commander has chosen to sally forth but that has allowed the besiegers to fight their way in. I would much rather not hurt her too much, it would be best that way so resentment or hatred won't grow too much so I aim for causing the least amount of damage but enough to draw blood. Even if she seems to be a nepotist there is no point in making enemies. "Itlya Olvanic mita Polanov" I say continuing my chant. Though her desperation is growing as apparent as possible so I know this is a race against the clock.

Kristina

"I do agree that most when cornered will fight their hardest." I say calmly and I am about to continue to answer her question in the same way but I feel my mind fade away from rationality and replaced by something else despite my attempts to resist it. I close my eyes musing over the girl's question, tuning out all arguments. "Oh you mean souls dedicated in battle prayer?" I ask in a different, almost childish, tone, I try to come up with a total count giving up I slightly shrug. "I don't know off the top of my head an exact number but I can I have dedicated several score of souls to Aradain in the prayer known as battle. My prayer is normally very heartfelt and serious so I often lose count of the souls I dedicate in His name. Others are good at keeping count but not me. I just get in a faithful mood and nearly black out." My mouth twitches in an innocent smile. "Prayer is normally good no? We each have our own forms of prayer and devotion after all. So, while mine is called abnormal by some, battle is easily one of the most honest and heartfelt forms of prayer. Though my partners who serve on the other side of my blade when in prayer don't always seem to get it. They do afterwards when they go to meet Aradain at the height of prayer though they never come back from that height since they are content with the height they have reached and do not want to return." There is still a look of innocence in my face I can tell. "At least that is what I have been told."

[Ularn]

An explosion of light declared the collapse of Kyrissa's and she just barely countered a follow-up sword-slash from Rache that would have decapitated her had she been even a little slower. She smashed his sword aside and followed-through with a shoulder charge that knocked him back as she triumphantly bellowed the final words of her spell.
"Upma O xomm sineop!"
Fire. In an instant the arena became an inferno. Flames gushed forth from about Kyrissa and rushed across the slick grass right up to the mossy stone slabs at its perimeter where it broke against a barrier of white light as shields both magical and technological which had been woven into the arena's construction fought to contain the destructive energies within. The shields rose with the flame to encase the two combatants in a dome of white and red light and for a moment the low light of dawn became the midday sun.
The fire broke and Kyr stood in the middle of a scorched circle. Rache was gone. She had only a second to realise it before the ground seemed to leave her feet and she stumbled.
And then blinding pain slashed across her left shoulder.

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Rache

While not intending to do too much damage the way she moves in attempting to avoid my attempts to nick her on the neck does endanger her much more then it should so while I try to change tactics she manages to push me back but it doesn't interrupt my spell she manages to finish at the same time I do. "Mita Ulvanic Nikta Rulan Motus" and I simply teleport us both, me first then her a few seconds after so we are several yards in the air and she is two feet behind me with her back facing me. Though my teleportation isn't the normal kind but I feel though no damage should have been done to her or me due to how simple this one was. "Fire." The word sends alarms through my mind though when I see her spell. But I dismiss it through willpower and whisper as I strike while we fall. "It is done." I strike at her left should making the blow go diagonally down her back drawing the blood I seek as we both fall to the ground, I try not to make the blow too deep. "A farce has ended and all has been forgiven." I say simply holding Solace at my side as I look at the marshals waiting for them to declare a winner.

[Ularn]

Kyrissa's sword toppled from her hand and she fell to her knees. Her shoulder was on fire. Everything was on fire. The ground rushed up to meet her in slow motion and charred stalks of grass greeted her helmet's impact with a faint, dry crunch.
She tried so move her hand but something was wrong. It felt instead like her shoulder blade was flopping around wrongly.
She realised she was screaming, a single endless wail into the dry cracked earth, as blood bubbled up out of the gash in her armour. Black and glistening liquid over the black and glistening surface.

[Saleon]

Kal gave out a slight sigh, the spiral of fire only served to cover Rache. It was a last ditch, but it merely followed the course of battle. He pressed his hand on his knee, lifting hinself up to his feet. "it was a good last resort," he mumbled to gin, "I wished it would've gone better."

Kal could see the blood on her shoulder from afar. The Crimson seemed so brutal, but that was the nature of a duel and a casualty both duelists come to be prepared for. His fingers clenched Gin and ran toward Kyr, rushing to assist her.. He'd fought a duel three times, and only one did he lose. The pain. he knew it. Of course, this was a deeper wound. "medic!" he shouted.

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Rache

"Damn it all!" I yell in my head As I lightly land on the ground in a fashion that shows my experience at doing this. I am not the hardest hitter but she must be frailer then I imagined if this caused such a deep wound. "One moment!" I yell the person yelling for a medic, her second if I believe so. I hold my hand out over her. "Ilta falens talvit mjina olphina Orpha ralean roltanvic deuct minnere Talvitsoka Prinde. Flesh turned to wounds turned back into flesh and seal her wounds. Aradain grant my hands the ability to be those of a healer and not a murderer." I then mutter a few words in a foreign tongue under my breath and my hand glows green causing her wounds to seal up somewhat, maybe about half way, but her wound is even deeper than I thought or maybe I am more tired then I seem since normally this wouldn't be too hard. Instead I change tactics and mutter the spell again but with a different intention after my hand glows green again. "I'm doubtful you will listen to me but please don't move too much, I have at least healed some of the damage, probably about half. But for some reason I can't heal it all, this duel took much more out of me than I thought with teleporting you, so I have used a different spell to dilute the pain and accelerate blood clotting so the pain should be lessened."

[Charmera]

Elsis snickered, grinning widely as she heard the comment about the reading spot picked by her sister being nice and quiet until she arrived. Truth be told, she took this as a compliment, as she did not at all mind being considered someone who took away the calm and unleashed the storm. Tranquility was not something particularly desirable as far as she was concerned, even if there was nothing inherently wrong with it either. Hearing Juna talk about their parents, though, the braveblood's grin was diminished, though it remained on her face. "Well, they secured the family's status, or at least, dad did. I figure he gets to have whatever he wants in his house, even if it's something bizarre like that" She said. She had been about to remark that perhaps they regretted having said books lying around the house, but bit her tongue just in time. She did not intend any harm but even then she was not stupid enough to believe that the comment would go by unnoticed, and the last thing she wanted was to spark another argument with her dear sister.

Regarding her comment about home, the girl with coral red hair didn't say anything. She didn't think that what Juna said was a bad thing, necessarily, but it was certainly true, so she saw no need to say anything more. Juna's next questions, however, left her taken aback for a moment.

"Well, well, that's an unusual question for you, isn't it sis?" Elsis replied, making the same kind of smile that her sister had on her face at the moment. If a bystander had been there to look at them he would have seen the similarities between them with ease. "Who would have thought? But anyway, I have to say that there's no one too interesting in my group, on that front. Aside from me, there's six other students and only three are boys. One's the lanky runner, I'm sure you've seen him, he had a lot of work yesterday, going from the cave to the hotel and back again. The other two are less gaunt but they're nothing to look at, frankly." She concluded with a shrug, before looking in her sister's direction. "What about you? Seen anyone attractive in your group? Anyone you fancy?" She asked. She already knew a few people in Juna's group by sight at least, but she was curious about what her sister thought of them.

"I suppose." Replied Juna. She dind't want to spark up an argument, so she kept snide comments about her parents to herself. Elsis may have accepted her to an extent, but her parents had done no such thing. Even with that considered it wouldn't be fair to argue with Elsis over this, especially not with things going so well. 'Heck, he probably regrets leaving those books lying around now." She replied with a chuckle. The self deprecation didn't sting as much when covered in humour, but Juna still felt a pang at her soul admitting it. She knew full well that her parents hated her, but saying it so casually made it feel more real. More factual. Juna had no idea of the irony of her statement either.

She giggled slightly, unable to hold it in, when they continued down the line of conversation, which Juna had started half in jest but now was considered who in her group fit that bill. "Well the Aspirant Arcander is pretty good looking." She commented off handily. "There are quite a few boys, though quite a few of them are already taken. There is the one dueling now too..." She paused. Then her smile wavered slightly. "Not that I would have a chance with them even if they weren't."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Rache would feel a hand lightly tapping his shoulder, and if he were to turn around he would notice one of his two guides, Arcander, standing there with a serious expression on his face, apparently paying far more attention to the wounded Kyrissa lying on the ground than he was to the victor of the duel, his bright amber eyes and his snowy hair failing to preserve his usual appearance of serene happiness as his stern gaze flickered from the agonizing form of one of her charges to the crouching figure of the other. "Why don't you step back and let me handle this?" The tall aspirant asked in a tone of voice that made it clear that he was not actually asking, despite the structure of the sentence he spoke indicating otherwise. Subtly and carefully, but also with the force necessary, he grabbed the student's shoulder and shoved him away from Kyrissa. Afterwards, he knelt down beside Kyrissa, clasping his hands in front of himself and closing his eyes as he began casting. However, aside from the obvious superficial differences of language between his chant and Rache's, there were also subtler ones. Words flowed more freely, casually blending into one another and weaving a complex spell in a time far shorter than it took the recruit to finish. When the spell was over, a wave of white ethereal energy streamed into the Amazlan's shoulder, turning everything back to the way it had been before Rache's blade dug into it, and increasing the anesthetic effect of Rache's spell.

After his spell had caused the desired effect, Arcander waited for several seconds before addressing the recruit. "Kyr, are you feeling better?" He asked, his tone of voice significantly softer than it had been when he had spoken to Rache, concern now evident in his words.

---

"The fields of honor and all of the witnesses here gathered have witnessed the fulfilment of the conditions of this duel. Rache Azrael Olderen is the victor. The debt that sparked this conflict has been satisfied." Spoke the aspirant with crimson hair, Aressa, as she observed the results of the duel. One wounded recruit, to whom Arcander was already tending; a crowd that had used an ancient tradition to feed their frivolous thirst for entertainment, and an antagonism that she could only hope would not fester and turn into hatred through the time they were meant to spend together at the Academy.

Once she was done speaking, she subtly but firmly gestured for the crowds around the arena to dissipate, which they seemed fairly willing to do, as their entertainment was over. Then, she walked over to Rache, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The purpose of this duel was to satisfy a debt of honor, as is the case with any such battle. But I would say that it would not be out of place to ask." She said, before looking at him in the eye. "Are you satisfied?"

---

Elsis chuckled as she heard Juna's assessment of her male classmates. "You mean the tall guy with white hair? Why, your tastes are different from how I imagined they would be." She commented, a tad surprised but also very amused. She had expected her sister to like booky types with glasses, people who were similar to her, while the white-haired aspirant seemed a lot different from that image. He certainly wasn't a hulking, aggressive type either, though, and she had to admit that her sister wasn't off-key with her comment, so she figured it wasn't all that strange. At Juna's next comment, however, Elsis frowned for a moment, but then simply pushed herself off the wooden railing and sat down on the bench, next to Juna.

"Don't say that, sis. If there's one thing you are besides nerdy, that would be beautiful. Even with those silly glasses you wear all the time." She said, smiling encouragingly at the slightly younger girl, despite her remark. "Besides, if you'll let me tell you a secret, of all the things that my parents would say about you when I was around them, not once did they say that you weren't good-looking." She continued. "Honestly, if I were a boy, and not related to you of course, I'd totally date you." She chuckled. It was true, though. In her mind, her little sister had always been beautiful, strange as it may sound. Often, she would find herself jealous of her looks, though she'd never admit such a thing to anyone.

[Pyrade]

Akkina
Akkina smirked, watching the end of the duel with amusement. She folded her arms and leaned against the tree once more.
"Well, look at that. The blood-craving murderer won. What does that say for your apostolic laws?"
She mused aloud. Directing the comment to all the lawful around her. As she listened to Kristina speaking about her 'prayer' Akkina's eyes grew darker. The innocence with which this girl spoke gave Akkina a small twinge of anger, or was it frustration towards the girls naïvety.
"Battle is not a prayer."
She said with a hardened voice. She felt her hand resting on the hilt of one of her whips but quickly removed it, knowing how easy it was for her to lose herself to a fight.
She shot a disdainful glare at Kristina before she shook her head,
"Now, seeing as we're done trying to kill each other for saying things. Perhaps we should return to our studies? Unless of course you plan to cram more of your religious zealotism down my throat? That's always fun."
She said with a falsely cheerful smile which held a certain terse, bristling annoyance.

Orion
Orion leapt up when he saw the blow. He stepped forwards as she fell, waiting quietly as the final verdict on the battle was given. He dashed forward to where the injured Kyrissa was being healed by Arcander and crouched down a little bit away from her.
"That was quite an injury for a duel to first blood. . . "
He murmured partly to Arcander and partly to the injured Kyrissa. He looked to Arcander gratefully,
"Good thing we have an experienced mender on hand."
He said warmly and sat back, crossing his legs as he waited for the spell to take full effect. He felt some annoyance towards the outcome of the battle, but it had transpired. And now he felt Kyrissa would need some support in the collateral. He turned to Kal and sighed,
"An unfortunate outcome yes?"
He asked with regret.

[Ularn]

"It was," Gin agreed with Kal'kul as the young knight sprinted over the scorched field to where Kyrissa lay prone on her chest. In fact, the sword kept his true thoughts to himself. Gin knew the spell Kyr had been wearing.
It was an incredibly intricate piece of pyromancy, which was why it had taken so long to cast. Most of the simpler pyromancy spells gave the game away early as the caster crafted a fireball in their offhand. The fireball served as a focus but it also warned an opponent about whatever was about to come their way. Casting while hiding the flame was possible but difficult and it became more difficult as the spell scaled in power. The spell Kyr had unleashed in the final moment of the duel had been extremely powerful. It ought to have rended the shield of anything in the arena, killed anything with a weak or no shield. Gin was still uncertain as to how Olderen had evaded it - maybe something to do with that backhanded teleportation spell.
The thing was, that spell was no last-ditch effort. It had been calculated to destroy Olderen's full shield from the first syllable. Had Kyr dealt her opponent even a single sword stroke before completing the incantation there was a chance she could have killed the boy and inflicted serious burns at the very least. Yet she had planned to use it from the beginning, which meant either this had been part of a seriously misjudged strategy involving totally defensive swordsmanship, or Kyr had set out to kill her opponent, and for all her rage, Gin could not believe she wanted to kill her opponent.
So why had she adopted such a doomed strategy?
The sword feared he already knew exactly why but if Mathel had not figured it out there was no reason to tell him.
They reached her at the same time as Brightshield and Gin approved of the Aspirant pulling Olderen away. The wretch had done enough today; his ministrations could go to the same pit as his beliefs. Gin observed the rend in Kyr's armour as the energy-scorched and tattered skin of Kyr's back knitted itself together once more beneath Brightshield's hands. Her shoulder blade seemed to shift beneath her skin as the two severed halves of the bone fused together. There was no scar; only flecks of ash resting on the surface of the new skin - remnants of the flesh Olderen's sword had burned to charcoal - and the natural bronze of Kyr's undyed pigmentation. Her tattoo was ruined as well.
Fortunately Kyr knew none of this yet; at Brightshield's touch she had embraced unconconsciousness.

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Kristina

I tilt my head when I am told battle is not prayer. "It is too prayer. After all prayer is expressing love for something so if you kill something in the name of something else doesn't that show how much you love it? Therefore battle where you kill in the name of God is the most heartfelt version of prayer for it expresses love in the deepest sense. After all what's more valuable then a life or a soul? So it is just salvation and worship in the most holy sense." After the spells to conclude the duel finish and the duel ends my face darkens and I wake up from my childish mind all forms of innocence gone and replaced with my usual blank slate, if not a bit more angry. "That spell was meant to kill him." The thought roars in my mind. She attempted to murder a Platoon-Knight-Commander, and not just any commander, my commander who did so much to save me, who I had served with for years. If she had succeeded in killing him I would have had to challenged her to a duel to the death on the spot, everyone else in the Platoon would have done the same. The more I think about it the angrier I get, which shocks me since I haven't felt this kind of anger in years but I manage to keep my voice calm. "Attempted murder of a fellow knight eh? How savage." The thought then goes through my head. "But that is to be expected of outsiders who do value lives of others because they can always be replaced. It is to be expected with that philosophy to not care if you kill your opponent in a duel to the first blood." I shake my head ridding myself of xenophobic sentiments. Represent the Order. Represent the Order. I just content myself with staring at Rache assessing his reaction to things. Even I can feel the dislike that the others are giving him through looks and I am not remotely perspective. I want to approach but all I can do is stare and curl my hands into fists. I am here in defiance of his wishes after all so I can't just go up to him can I?

Rache

I am shoved aside but I don't care. I have done what I can and have done what kindness I could give. That is my duty. That is what I am required to do. For now I am just glad this farce has ended and life can resume normalcy. In spite of the hate or distrust I get in looks or that I sense I am confident, or at least non-caring. I have donned the Black of my Order as compared to the brown or red which means endurance is a necessity, I donned it because of the endurance of this war's demands. When the marshal comes up to me and asks if I am satisfied I close my eyes in thought. "Satisfaction? I should feel it. I won after all. But in the end I just lament the fact this was the inevitable conclusion. Had she actually fought instead of just relying on one spell and her defenses I would have felt it. For now all I feel like was that I had ganged up on a woman and she was just trying to defend herself and fought in desperation to stop a monster trying to kill her. So in the end I guess I don't but this conclusion is the conclusion we have reached and I accept it."

[Mortelatuzia]

Elysia watched the frighteningly beautiful display of magic unfold, hoping desperately that her peers would temper themselves and not kill the other. She sighed in relief when the battle finally came to a close. At this point she had enough of the bickering between her two classmates so she turned around and bowed her head to the black haired girl as a sign of respect before she departs. She turned and did the same for the red haired woman, albeit less sincerely. Without any words she walked toward the middle of the field, smiling at the man who was her superior for mending the wound. She walked up to the champion and lightly bowed her head. She spoke in a soft, sincere tone serviced with a genuinely bright smile.

"Congratulations on your victory, mister." She glanced at the mark left on the competitor's shoulder and then back to the victor with a smile. "And... thank you." With those words she bowed her head again and start off in the opposite direction of where she was. She walked into the crowd, who were now dispersing with the end of the duel. Her golden hair shone like a beacon in the crowd, disabling any hope of being lost. And be lost is exactly what she intended to do.

[Saleon]

Orion He turned to Kal and sighed, "An unfortunate outcome yes?" He asked with regret.

"indeed" he said responding to Orion "The results were unfortunate, but good, yes, to have a mender on hand"

Kal walked forward and patted Rache on the back, something seemingly uncharacteristic. He was not one to hold a grudge over a duel. The outcome, to him, never meant anything over the original argument which started it. It merely defended each other's honor, rather than the honor of anyone who may have been implicated. He had negative outlooks on rache, but not something that changed because of the duel. From here on, they were allies, grievances aside. "good fight, well timed teleport," he said while passing on by. He would have returned Gin, but Kyr was unconscious, and Gin promised a good talk worth having. He pulled past the battlefield, and moved through the subsequent arches of the arena. The whole arena was in shambles, and the arches were no different. Moss had latched on the rock structures. The other different thing about it was that despite the arches were not connected by a wall. In fact there was no wall, the only thing separating the fighting arena and the peanut gallery was a clear line where the stone stopped and dirt continued. The arches seemed more symbollic than anything.

As soon as he was a decent ways away, Kal sat by himself with Gin. He shoved the sword in the ground, carefully trying to not damage it. With the sword beside him, Kal started to crisscross his legs. Hhe placed on arm on his knee and then looked forwards at the blue sky. "so talking weapon, gin-sensei," he said, "its time you answer my question: Why does she hold so much pride in her family?"

[Ularn]

Gin's power lines glowed steadily for a moment as though simulating deep thought before the faintly metallic voice hummed a question in response to Kal'kul's question. "How much did your old order teach you about the Crimson Purge, Master Mathel?"

[Charmera]

Elsis chuckled as she heard Juna's assessment of her male classmates. "You mean the tall guy with white hair? Why, your tastes are different from how I imagined they would be." She commented, a tad surprised but also very amused. She had expected her sister to like booky types with glasses, people who were similar to her, while the white-haired aspirant seemed a lot different from that image. He certainly wasn't a hulking, aggressive type either, though, and she had to admit that her sister wasn't off-key with her comment, so she figured it wasn't all that strange. At Juna's next comment, however, Elsis frowned for a moment, but then simply pushed herself off the wooden railing and sat down on the bench, next to Juna.

"Don't say that, sis. If there's one thing you are besides nerdy, that would be beautiful. Even with those silly glasses you wear all the time." She said, smiling encouragingly at the slightly younger girl, despite her remark. "Besides, if you'll let me tell you a secret, of all the things that my parents would say about you when I was around them, not once did they say that you weren't good-looking." She continued. "Honestly, if I were a boy, and not related to you of course, I'd totally date you." She chuckled. It was true, though. In her mind, her little sister had always been beautiful, strange as it may sound. Often, she would find herself jealous of her looks, though she'd never admit such a thing to anyone.

Juna suddenly blushed, sort of shrinking down as she heard the compliment. She would usually berate her sister for making a comment about her glasses, which were actually prescribed to her by a legendary physician. (One of the few people Juna had liked, though that's a different story.) She might have also picked on the fact that she was just called nerdy, but right now she was faced with the compliment she never quite got but still managed to be phased by. She never quite got it because she never saw herself a beautiful, and the amount of people that hated her seemed to reduce the likelyhood of this.

"Well to be fair just because my parents complained about it doesn't make it true. The reverse CERTAINLY is not. At least I'm not going to let it be." She determined, pressing her glasses to her face and holding her head up higher, but still blushing slightly. "Though... Thanks. Even if you're just saying it to make me feel better, I appreciate that." She spoke. Then smiled. "You're an awesome sister."

She then paused, thinking for a moment. Then got up. "Tell you what. I'll introduce you to the group. Then you can appraise them yourself."

[Esternial]

Ritz winced at the sudden torrent of fire engulfing the two combatants, averting her eyes when she finally saw Kyrissa land on the ground, shoulder heavily wounded. Clenching her teeth she unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach. She knew the risks of losing a duel. Her instinct urged her to jump to Kyrissa's aid, even though she hardly knew her, but

Though she had paid attention to the duel, Ritz spent most of the duel's duration listening to the bystanders, especially the new ones. She had already spent several months with the other students, so she knew their nature by now, but the newcomers she did not. Kristina's rhetoric was hard to listen to, partly because of its contents and partly because of the way she explained it. Her phrasing was odd - strangely bloated. Almost posh. She seemed firmly fixed in her own set of beliefs, yet seemed to struggle when she had to explain them to a critical mind like Akkina. Akkina, who responded with snark and derision, traits which Ritz found inherently repulsive. There were no feelings of dislike towards the - relatively - new student, but in the back of her mind she made a mental note that chances of them getting along were not quite favourable.

Her gaze passed over the crowd. She had not yet seen any of the Ayendors. In fact, quite a few of their old group seemed to have left, some without even so much as a goodbye. There were many new faces, faces she didn't recognise. Names she only vaguely knew - she was never good with names. For a moment, Ritz felt alone in the crowd of people that came to watch the duel. She cast one last gaze at Rache. There was no triumph in his pose. He did not look, and probably didn't feel like, a victor. Then she left the crowd and walked out onto the grassy fields, and it felt liberating. She could breathe freely once more, no longer restrained in a mass of people.

With no rush in her stride, Ritz traced back her steps to the rock she pulverised several moments before the duel started - or at least tried to pulverise. The cracks were still there, travelling outward in a chaotic pattern from the source of impact. Just by looking at it she felt her hand pulse with a faint, lingering pain, but the fractured stone meant progress - and progress, no matter how little, was still good.

[Saleon]

Gin's power lines glowed steadily for a moment as though simulating deep thought before the faintly metallic voice hummed a question in response to Kal'kul's question. "How much did your old order teach you about the Crimson Purge, Master Mathel?"

Kal scoffed at the questoon, not from the severoty, but from his only known answer. "I don't think I Have A Good idea," He said, "Lest you consider the Crimson Purge to represent the brutality of the Phantom Blade. The rage of two families as they showcase the twisted nature of the Go- yeah... They had a weird way of depicting the Phantom Blade." He looked at the glowing circuits of the energy blade. Kyr's weapon wad odd in principle. It did not have the workings of any blade he had seen. He couldn't surmise why, but it looked beyond the blades of today, or behind... "I can say I don't have the real history, as I've already found out. Why do you think I left the heretics," he denoted, "and my parents... best start from the beginning. Of the extermination of the Crimson Lance, and why it was started."

[Ularn]

Gin pulsed in acknowledgement. "Fair enough," he remarked, "I asked only because the full story is frequently glossed over even within the Phantom Blade. It is a centuries-spanning tale of love, war, sacrifice and revenge but some of the details are regarded as a little bit distasteful and left out of the mainstream accounts. If you want to read up on it, Charwyn Owenbor of the Order of Rememberers probably wrote the most balanced and definitive version in his Crimson Chronicles. You can find it in the Academy library. I cannot say I care for what the Order of the Chalice has become, but as scholars and historians they truly were unrivalled.
With that introduction, the sword began its tale, "The story goes back over four-thousand years, Master Mathel, back before I was ever forged. The Kerembors were a fairly new, mostly unknown family and the Phantom Blade was struggling with escalating hostilities from the Scarlet Lance. However the Lawless' use of proxy forces made it impossible to tie any serious act of war directly to them and establish a casus belli for war. Everyone knew what was going on but nothing could be done about it. The Aurex needed a solution to the Scarlet Lance's aggression and the usual tools were unavailable to him.
"The history books will say how young Inus Kerembor, a junior knight from an unknown family, volunteered to slay Ankh Matteiu - the Scarlet Lance's Primarch, who was a renowned warrior. Everyone expected the hotheaded young man had set himself on a suicide mission. He entered Lawless space in a disguise, duelled with Matteiu, killed him and took his spear, my brother Nehregar. The books are more reluctant to mention how Inus got Matteiu to challenge him to the duel by seducing the Primarch's courtesan. She conceived a child and when it was born Inus revealed himself and declared the child was his own. For Matteiu, humiliated, a duel to the death was the only possible response. Fortunately he did not know Inus' reputation as a duellist, which was significant even for a man of his modest name and years.
"With Matteiu dead, Inus fled back to Lawful space with his new wife and child, where they lived together happily for half a decade, gaining some prominence within the Phantom Blade, until he was assassinated by the Scarlet Lance.
"Inus' sister Iatanja was head of the family at the time, and the proudest and most determined person I have ever known. She immediately vowed revenge, calling the entire Kerembor clan to war against the Scarlet Lance, beginning the Crimson Purge. But the Kerembor name had only existed for around a thousand years at this time and numbered only a little over a dozen, even with the addition of Inus' wife and child. The Scarlet Lance were not a large order but they still outnumbered the Kerembors at least three-hundred to one. Although the Aurex offered Iatanja soldiers from the Phantom Blade proper in recognition of Inus' sacrifice, Iatanja straight-up refused any assistance, believing honour could only be satisfied if the family avenged her brother's murder alone," Gin paused his story and chuckled, "A great-uncle who took on one of the Known Universe's greatest spearmen and a great-grandmother who brought fifteen knights to war against five-thousand because of honour. You might now be starting to realise where Kyrissa gets her stubbornness from, Master Mathel, but I wonder if you happen to have any notion about how Iatanja went about winning such a monumentally one-sided conflict?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Arcander noticed, with some concern, that Kyrissa was not responding to his call; in fact, she was no longer even screaming at the moment. Frowning, he rolled her over with utmost care, his movements slow but firm, and then, after laying her back down carefully, he observed her, feeling immensely relieved when he saw the gentle falling and rising of her chest, noticeable even through the Amazlan armor that she wore, and only now, after his concerns were put to rest, he noticed that he had been holding his breath. Softly, he exhaled and then inhaled once again, regulating his vital functions.

Truth be told, he almost chuckled. Seeing things from a cold and logical point of view, he had no reason to feel such concern. His spell had worked perfectly, and even if there had been something wrong with Kyrissa apart from the shoulder injury, it would also have been healed through his magic. The only way his spell would not have sufficed would be if the fiery recruit had been dead, in which case no spell would be powerful enough to bring her back except perhaps one of the miracles worked by the legendary King of all Wizards, Mael, but on the other hand there was no reason (again, from a purely rational point of view) to believe that this was the case. Kyrissa was a hardy young woman and the shoulder hit, while not something that could be passed off as nothing, was the only injury she had received during the duel, it was simply unreasonable to think that it would have been enough to kill her.

"And yet..." Arcander said to himself as he exhaled, actually chuckling this time. He could think of all these things now and maintain a cold and distant point of view while analyzing them, but moments ago, there was a very powerful force preventing him from doing so, something quite strong acting within his psyche. The fear that was shared by every citizen of the Order of the Viridian Flame who was truly a Viridian at heart, and especially those who were either members or related to the Knight-Menders: the fear of failing to save a person in need, and what's more, an important person, a recruit that was placed under his care by the Silver Hand Academy. Fear was, after all, an irrational thing.

He smiled back at Elysia as she walked past him, and then turned towards Orion, quite glad that his efforts were appreciated, even if, in retrospect, it hadn't been particularly difficult to mend Kyrissa's shoulder; it was mostly the tension he had felt that made him feel a little bit tired. "You can count on me. But even if you couldn't, I'm sure there's a medic or two stationed around here. The Academy doesn't like leaving these things to chance." He explained.

Afterwards, he stood up and looked around. "Anyway, I would say it's time to take this lady to a place she can rest. Do any of you honorable gentlemen present wish to bring her along, or am I going to have to carry the unconscious person again, like I did yesterday?" He asked with a slightly sarcastic smile.

---

Aressa nodded at Rache after he had finished speaking; she could perfectly understand where he stood and why he did not feel satisfied after achieving a victory in the duel, as she couldn't say that she wouldn't feel the same way if she had been in his place, and she did not blame him for the actions that had led up to this conclusion, though she still found the events that had just transpired to be regrettable. She could agree that defending the honor of oneself and one's Order was a very important thing, but a duel was an event that was not to be taken lightly, and she could not help feeling that her recruits had done exactly that. However, they did not seem to react well when they were told as much, and in any case they had already been chastised more than enough for their actions, so she felt there was no need to speak of it anymore. She only hoped that the two students would learn to get along with each other after their spirits had been calmed by the duel.

"This is the kind of conclusion that occurs when the reason for the duel is not such that it would justify anything that may occur during it, and when that is the case, I would say it would be better not to seek a duel at all. However, I will say no more." She said solemnly, and then, her expression seemed to soften up just a little. "In any case, nothing major happened, thanks to Arc over there. You fought well, Olderen, as the others have already told you." She said as she patted him on the shoulder, referring to the compliments he had received from Elysia and Mathel.

---

Elsis broke out into laughter this time, finding Juna's first comment to be thoroughly humorous. She had not intended to make her believe that whatever their parents did complain about in regards to her was actually true, even though her words could certainly be taken to mean that. But either way, even though such an aversion stemmed from a very serious matter, it was a bit humorous to see how she rejected anything that their parents said.

She stopped laughing naturally, and at her next comment, her smile was all but gone. She, too, got up, and looked back at the arena just in time to see the duel coming to an explosive conclusion. The spell that Kyrissa had used was quite flashy, and it was also fire magic, which was always a plus as Elsis was rather fond of that subtype of Energy Magic, and so, it was disappointing to see that it was the other combatant who claimed victory. Still, she didn't give much importance to whoever won and lost. In the end, all that mattered to her about that specific duel was that it had been entertaining.

"Juna, I've already met them. I was there with them when you and the other newbies found us in the cavern, remember? I fought the heathen warriors alongside them, I'd say I'm at least a little well acquainted with them already." The girl with coral red hair said to her younger sister, before shrugging her shoulders. "But, ah, I guess it doesn't matter much if you want to make it more formal, though you sure seem enthusiastic about the idea of having me oogle some of your groupmates." She said with another chuckle. "And don't think for a moment that I'm just saying that you're beautiful because I pity you or want you to make feel better. I'm not going to lie about something like that. You're hot and you should accept it." She stated firmly, before following Juna towards the group, looking around.

As she cast her glance around, however, there was a flash of recognition in her face, as she noticed a familiar-looking girl with short red hair and a very peculiar and specific tattoo on her arm. Elsis frowned very slightly as she continued trailing behind Juna. "Is that...?"

[Pyrade]

Orion
Orion chuckled as Arcander replied and nodded,
"They do tend to be on the safe side. Although you can never have too many medics."
He said, acknowledging Kal with a second nod as he continued speaking to Gin. Orion shrugged when Arcander asked if anyone was going to carry the unconscious girl or if he would have to do the honours.
"Guess I could. Doubt she ways more than a sack of Bardac."
He replied and looked at her awkwardly. Most of the time one carried an unconscious person with a lift, but in this case it might be uncomfortable for her to be hoisted up onto his shoulders and tossed around. Instead he lifted her shoulders with one arm and her knees with the other in a semblance of carrying which didn't end with her tumbling to the ground. She was indeed lighter than a sack of flammable rocks used in the forges on Telcaron. Orion looked to Arcander with his new luggage,
"So, where shall we take her? Is there an infirmary or shall we just take her to her room?"

Akkina
Akkina rolled her eyes as Kristina denied what she said and let the subject drop. She knew the kind of person that believed such things. Their naïve nature made them dangerous to their squad mates.
"So killing is not okay in that situation? Maybe she's praying."
Akkina shot snidely at Kristina. She watched the happenings in the dueling area. The fiery blast had been impressive, but Akkina found it to be a tactless use of the versatile medium. Although, now, the group around Kyr was beginning to disperse and Akkina watched as the odd Redemit who didn't wear a weapon at his side lifted up Kyrissa.
"Looks like the shows over. As entertaining as your pitiful duels are, I shall be fetching breakfast now."
She replied, memories of her Ejikanshi being relived with a fervent enjoyment that brought an odd smirk to her lips. As she set off for the main resort buildings she spotted a pair of students she hadn't noticed during the fight. Her brow furrowed as she slowed to a halt. They looked uncannily familiar. In fact, she recalled the one from not too far back. Elsis, a friend from the Valiant Fang, and a fellow fighter in those days. She walked towards the pair brusquely, tilting her head as she grew nearer.
"Elsis? You're here too?!"
She asked with a pleasant smile. This one she trusted, and of her ability in combat she was sure. She looked to Juna as well as a slightly nervous look took hold of her eyes.
"Juna as well! It is good to see you two, I think you both outdid me in that last tournament."
She said light-heartedly, adding waspishly in her mind,
As if the instructors would ever allow a heretic passed round 4. . .
"How is this place treating you though? I find them overly entangled in technicalities. But I guess it keeps them sane to some extent."
She said with a shrug, the tattoos on her right arm showing briefly as her sleeve lifted.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Arcander nodded and smiled appreciatively at Orion, glad that he was willing to take her along. Truth be told, it was not something that would tire him too much, considering how he had carried Aressa, who he suspected must have weighed at least a bit more than Kyrissa (though he would never say it to her face, even if it was for a perfectly valid reason like muscle mass), through a distance that he judged was a bit longer than the trip from the arena back to the Ocean Gazer. However, even then, it was certainly pleasant to see that Kyr's fellow students were concerned about her well-being and willing to lend a hand when she needed it. Even Rache seemed to feel regretful, as if he had done more damage than intended, and while some might have seen that as an insult, he saw it as a trait characteristic of a good person in Rache, something that pleased him. Of course, Orion was already proven to be a fairly charitative and abnegated young man to begin with, so perhaps the gesture didn't mean as much, coming from him, but still.

The truth was that he didn't want any rumors springing up, what with hauling girls around so often.

"The room will do. I do believe there is a very advanced medical bay in the Ocean Gazer in case of an accident, or an attack, or an apocalyptic pandemic." Arcander said, chuckling, wishing that it was a joke, though in truth the hotel's owner really was that paranoid. "But my spell should have taken care of anything that might be ailing Kyr, like the obvious sliced shoulder, so, there should be nothing wrong with her anymore. She'll be better off if we just take her back to her room and leave her alone for the rest of the day, let her sleep it off, so to speak." He said, before motioning for the younger student of the planet of Telcaron to follow him, beginning the relatively short walk back to the hotel.

---

As she was led by her younger sister towards her group, Elsis decided to sneak another glance at the oddly familiar redhead she had seen earlier, only to notice that she was quickly approaching and practically next to her at that point. The girl soon gave her greeting, and at this point it was impossible for the braveblood not to realize who this was. Akkina, a 'refugee' from a Lawless Order who was taken in by the Order of the Valiant Fang, an insufferably sarcastic young woman whom she had fought against in countless occasions, and one of her dearest friends from Cathedral Dumea.

"Good to see you here, dragon-arm." The girl with coral red hair said with a slightly sardonic but mostly genuine smile, never one to miss the chance to tease Akkina about her tattoo. She chuckled as she noticed the nervous look that the ex-heretic girl gave her sister, having always found it amusing how she seemed to avoid Juna like the plague when it was at all possible. "Of course we outdid you. It was only natural." She added, quite proud of her performance during the tournament and also quite proud of how far her sister had been, even if the last match was something that she would much rather forget.

At the question about the Academy, she simply shrugged. "There's good teachers, there's good fights, but I think they focus a bit much on the theory and I've never been too much of a fan of books, unlike Jun here." She said, poking Juna's cheek with her index finger to illustrate her point, before grinning mischievously and placing an overly friendly arm around Akkina. "Say, we were just talking about boys, so, do you have anything to say about that?"

[Saleon]

"Inus' sister Iatanja was head of the family at the time, and the proudest and most determined person I have ever known. She immediately vowed revenge, calling the entire Kerembor clan to war against the Scarlet Lance, beginning the Crimson Purge. But the Kerembor name had only existed for around a thousand years at this time and numbered only a little over a dozen, even with the addition of Inus' wife and child. The Scarlet Lance were not a large order but they still outnumbered the Kerembors at least three-hundred to one. Although the Aurex offered Iatanja soldiers from the Phantom Blade proper in recognition of Inus' sacrifice, Iatanja straight-up refused any assistance, believing honour could only be satisfied if the family avenged her brother's murder alone," Gin paused his story and chuckled, "A great-uncle who took on one of the Known Universe's greatest spearmen and a great-grandmother who brought fifteen knights to war against five-thousand because of honour. You might now be starting to realise where Kyrissa gets her stubbornness from, Master Mathel, but I wonder if you happen to have any notion about how Iatanja went about winning such a monumentally one-sided conflict?"

Kal took the time to relax, the story was not as dull as the Ashtalian Order made it, but it was a long story. He placed his back backward. His head rested on his arms as he stared into the deep sky he saw a simple peace if not for a second. This helped him think it through, and think what may have happened. "I can give a number of possible solutions," he contemplated, "She either made a bull-headed attack for their general, hoping to end the war quick, or she used more trick and subterfuge then you let on. Of course, each have their problems. I don''t presume to know how a fledgeling family, or a military strategist would take a conflict."

[Pyrade]

Orion
Orion nodded and followed the older Aspirant as they headed off towards Kyrissa's room.
"Surely that's a bit . . . Much? This place seems fairly peaceful apart from the odd bunch of dragon cultists."
He replied regarding the mention of the well-equipped infirmary. He glanced down at the red skinned girl briefly, checking that she was still relatively okay and silently hoping she didn't wake up until she was no longer in his arms. The questions he may have to answer in such a situation were at the very least a lot of effort he didn't have.
"What do the teachers have planned for today?"
He asked Arcander, realising the day had only just begun.

Akkina
Akkina chuckled as Elsis made her wise-crack about her tattoos. She was quite grateful that they joked about the heretical markings instead of ousting her for them. She struggled to stem the tide of retorts and refutations that rose once Elsis assured that they would of course have done better than her.
There are no excuses, only outcomes.
She thought to herself as she nodded curtly, allowing her gaze to drop briefly. She chuckled slightly as Elsis prodded Juna,
"Well, the things books reveal to those who are able to commune with them are often quite potent. Although I do prefer these darlings of mine."
She said, patting her whips with a smirk. She flinched slightly as Elsis placed an arm around her neck, even though she had mentally prepared for a choke hold, stifling the reflex was not as easy as it seemed.
"The males? What of them?"
Akkina asked, momentarily bewildered,
"They seem to have some skills. Rache, the fellow dueling today, is far too zealous in his faith for my liking."
She replied with a disdainful roll of her eyes. She actually missed the Valiant Fang, they had faith, yes, but they also believed in strength. This seemed to be something altogether more preachy in Akkina's eyes, although that might have just been Kristina.
"Although, I must say, the woman that was looking for Rache is more than a little near-sighted. She sees battle as a prayer, and killing as praise. And that Kyrissa that was fighting has more ink than me, it looks good."
She said with a smirk and a sardonic chuckle. Before she nudged Elsis and looked at Juna,
"I take it she's been barraging you with such questions as well Juna? What has caused this interest in males Elsis?"
She said with a mischievous smirk.
"Is the great Elsis of the Valiant Fang hunting for prey she doesn't intend to slay?"
She said with a raised eyebrow as she slipped out from under Elsis' arm, shifting to stand next to Juna unknowingly.