⚖️ Noble Youth Combat Exchange — Structure
The Aldren-hosted exchange wasn't just ceremony. It was designed to rank, compare, and scout future heirs across magical and martial disciplines.
Combatants were divided by Battle Category, determined by preliminary assessments:
🛡 Battle Categories:
Category D: First-years & non-casters (basic sparring)
Category C: 4th–3rd Rate Swordsmen, 1st–2nd Circle Mages
Category B: 2nd–1st Rate Swordsmen, 3rd–4th Circle Mages
Category A: Reserved for prodigies. Rarely assigned.
Achilles, having no formal record, was placed in Category C by default.
> Convenient, he thought. Let them think I'm still ordinary.
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🧑🎓 Round 1: Standard Duel
Match: Achilles Verentis vs. Kael Dorne
Type: Mage (2nd Circle) vs. Sword (Unknown Style)
Limitations: No lethal spells, no summons, no formations
Kael Dorne was tall for his age. Confident. His House specialized in direct-cast elemental magic.
> "Don't blink, Verentis," Kael said as they entered the ring. "I'll try to make it painless."
Achilles gave a polite nod.
Inside, his System flickered awake:
> >>> Opponent Profile: Mage_Circle_2
>>> Opening Cast Detected: fire.spike.linear()
>>> Charge Time: 2.4s
>>> Trajectory: Direct
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⚔️ The Opening Exchange
Kael raised his staff. Mana flared.
> "Velnir—Ignis Dran!"
A sharp lance of flame burst forward—standard fire-spike.
Achilles shifted his weight. Nothing dramatic.
But his System moved faster than light.
> >>> Spell Detected
>>> Begin Intercept Protocol
Inject: [field.overlap.buffer]
Trigger: Micro-shield overlay, 0.6s window
Feedback: spell.fire.spike → error()
Result: Misfire
The crowd saw the spell fire—
—then shatter, mid-air, like it had hit glass they couldn't see.
Kael's eyes widened. "That was—!?"
Achilles didn't give him time.
He stepped forward. Sword drawn. Low arc swing.
> >>> Embed: fire.slash.lightweight
>>> Trigger: Exhale + downswing
>>> Output: localized burn, ~62°C
The sword passed Kael's coat—not cutting—but leaving a long black line across his outer tunic.
Silence.
The referee raised a hand.
> "Point to Verentis. Kael is marked—unable to continue."
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📊 Updated Rankings — Category C
1. Achilles Verentis — 1 Win (Flawless)
2. Mirren Yurell — 1 Win (Conjuration specialist)
3. Kael Dorne — 1 Loss (under evaluation)
4. Others — scattered draws/losses
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👁 Whispers and Warnings
"Was that anti-casting?"
"No chant? No aura?"
"How did a 3rd-rate blade block a 2nd-circle spell!?"
From the watchtower, Agent Silas frowned.
> That wasn't a block.
That was a system override.
> He's not counterspelling. He's rewriting the code mid-cast.
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📩 A New Challenger Approaches
After the match, a letter arrived at Achilles' quarters:
Sealed in violet wax. Marked with an unknown crest.
He opened it.
> "To the boy who doesn't chant—
You've made your move.
I'm next."
—A.