Chapter 200: Aurum Aegis

 

  Tauri Katag walked across the track’s starting line and surveyed the runners, “Since we have a visitor, we’ll take it easy today. I want only five laps from all of you.”

  The runners nodded and muttered their agreements. Kithina and Freya sent angry glares at each other. Without Freya’s agility spells, Kithina had an actual chance at beating her in a race. So far they had kept about an even score.

  Poppy glanced over at Sylvie. “Good luck,” she whispered.

  “Thanks, you too!” Sylvie turned to her left and grinned at the blue goblin hybrid, “Good luck!”

  Stryg ignored her and kept his eyes forward. He didn’t have the patience to talk to some giddy vampire.

  Sylvie frowned a bit. She cleared her throat and muttered to herself, “Why thanks Sylvie, good luck, to you too! I look forward to our afternoon run. So do I! It’s really cool meeting another hybrid like you, Stryg! Wow, I was thinking the same thing, Sylvie!”

  Stryg did his best to ignore the strange girl and her stupid voices. Why was she trying to act all friendly with him? They didn’t know each other and he thought he made it clear he wasn’t interested in getting to know her.

  Tauri finished inspecting the runners and stepped outside the track. She took a deep breath and yelled, “Begin!”

  Stryg dashed ahead of the class with ease. The farther he got from his class the better. He wasn’t in the mood to talk with anyone, he didn’t even want to be here. The class didn’t provide him with anything of note.

  The only reason he took this class was because it was required. In terms of physical condition, he was more fit than any of his classmates. Most of these kids were aristocrats who hadn’t lifted a single finger for work their entire lives. The few that did exercise outside of what was required, like Callum, still wouldn’t be able to keep up with his own training regiment. Well, except for Kegrog and Clyp-

  ...It didn’t matter. Stryg had to take the class and that was that. The sooner he finished here, the quicker he could get back to what really mattered, magic training. 

  “Hey, you’re pretty fast!” Sylvie yelled.

  The bright voice broke him out of his thoughts. Stryg looked up and stared at the stupidly tall hybrid in shock.

  Sylvie ran next to him, her giant strides matching pace with his several shorter steps. Stryg didn’t understand. Most students were taller than him and none of them even came close to matching his speed. Sure, none of them were 7 ft vampire hybrids, but still! Kegrog was almost as tall and he was over two dozen paces away, struggling to stay in front of the other students.

  “Do you run often?” Sylvie asked.

  Stryg hissed at her and quickened his pace. He ran past her and focused on the track in front of him. The sooner he finished this race, the quicker he could get out of here.

  “I personally like to run every morning at sunrise. Helps get the blood flowing, you know what I mean?” Sylvie said nonchalantly.

  Stryg looked up at her, confused. She ran next to him, her long limbs moving in a smooth symmetrical flow.

  Stryg frowned. How was this happy-go-lucky vampire actually keeping up with him!?

  Sylvie glanced behind her, “Huh, it looks like everyone is falling behind. Not much for competition, huh?”

  He needed to get away from this girl. Stryg gritted his teeth and pushed himself harder. 

  “Oh, I see! A race! Let’s do it!” Sylvie smiled and chased after him.

  The ground shook behind him as her heavy footsteps slammed the ground behind him. Stryg didn’t bother looking behind, he could practically feel her breathing down his back.

  “Argh!” He screamed in frustration.

  He kicked the ground and ran faster and faster. The other students slowed down and simply watched as Stryg and Sylvie ran past them, lap after lap.

  As they reached the end of the final lap, Stryg caught the sound of Sylvie’s mutterings over the winds blowing past.

  “Not yet, not yet, NOT YET!!!” Sylvie’s voice grew louder and louder.

  She scrunched her face and twisted her lips. Her scarlet eyes were alight with excitement. With a final burst of energy, she sprinted past Stryg and crossed the finish line.

  “Woo-hoo!” Sylvie threw her hands up in the air.

  Stryg staggered to a halt. Had he just lost?

  “I can’t believe it, the newbie just beat Stryg,” Freya said with wide eyes.

  “After more than two years….” Kithina mumbled.

  “YES! Finally!” Tauri screamed. “Ahem, I mean, well done, everyone.”

  “Congratulations, Sylvie,” Callum smiled.

  “Thanks,” Sylvie grinned.

  Her olive skin was flushed and her forehead was covered, but no one could deny that she seemed more energetic than any of them.

  “So, is that speed natural, or were you taking some potions on the side,” Freya placed a finger to her chin.

  “Freya,” Callum frowned.

  “What? It’s an honest question,” she said innocently.

  Sylvie crouched down and met Freya face to face. She smiled wide, “I don’t mind the question, really. Lots of my speed is natural, I’m a dire, so I’m physically larger and stronger than any of you. But I’ve also trained a lot to get faster and stronger.”

  “Great, now can you get out of my face? I’m not really much a fan of condescending assholes who crouch down to talk to a dwarf like we’re some stupid children,” Freya said coldly.

  Sylvie blinked, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.”

  “Sure, you didn’t,” Kithina rolled her eyes.

  “For once, we agree,” said Freya.

  “No, really. I didn’t realize… I’m sorry,” Sylvie bowed her head.

  “Come on, cut her some slack, you two,” said Callum.

  Stryg watched the exchange from afar. It finally made sense. He didn’t like Sylvie from the first moment he laid eyes on her. Now he knew why. She was a bloody dire like the warlord Marek. 

  Kegrog walked up to Stryg and patted his back, “2nd place isn’t so bad. Trust me, I know.”

  “I don’t need your sympathies,” Stryg slapped the red hand away and walked off the track.

  Tauri clapped her hands, “Okay, everyone! Gather up! Time for some friendly sparring!”

~~~

  Tauri’s students stood on the grassy field around a dirt rectangle with white painted boundary lines.

  Tauri spoke clearly, “Most of you know how our sparring works, but for our transfer students, I’ll explain again. The rules are simple. One-on-one hand-to-hand combat, no magic. Each hit you land on your opponent counts as 1 point. The first to 3 points wins. If you're pushed out of bounds you lose. No hits to the face or groin and no maiming. Oh and no biting or scratching either. Am I missing something…? Hm, I don’t think so… Okay, that’s it. Does everyone understand the rules?”

  “Understood,” said the class collectively.

  “Great. As per usual, Stryg came late to class today,” Tauri grumbled. “So, he has no choice but to go first.”

  Stryg walked into the dirt rectangle and waited with closed eyes in quiet meditation.

  “Do we have any volunteers to spar against Stryg?” Tauri asked.

  A young man raised his hand, but another classmate slapped his hand down. Everyone else suddenly gained an interest in the ground or sky, none of them met Tauri’s gaze.

  “I see,” Tauri sighed. “I guess I’ll pick one of you randomly.”

  “I’ll spar against him!” Sylvie raised her hand.

  “Sylvie, no!” Poppy whispered, panicked.

  “What? It’s fine. I’ve sparred countless times, I know how it feels to not be picked. It sucks,” Sylvie said sympathetically.

  Callum coughed conspicuously, “Um, Sylvie, that’s not why people aren’t volunteering.”

  “I gotta agree with this, you shouldn't do this, dire girl,” Freya admitted.

  “Hm? I don’t get it,” Sylvie tilted her head.

  “Sylvie, do you want to spar, yes or no? It’s fine if you don’t,” said Tauri.

  “No, I’ll spar,” Sylvie walked over to the dirt rectangle.

  Stryg opened his eyes and twitched. Of course, he would be faced with this annoying vampire.

  “Are both competitors ready?” asked Tauri.

  “Go easy on me, yeah?” Sylvie winked.

  “...Do you know what the purpose of sparring is?” asked Stryg quietly.

  “Hm?” mumbled Sylvie.

  “Begin!” Tauri yelled.

  Stryg took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles. “The purpose of sparring is to prepare for actual battle.”

  “Right…?” Sylvie nodded.

  “Do you think your enemy will go easy on you in an actual battle?”

  Stryg didn’t wait for an answer. He dashed at her, intent on getting past her long reach. Sylvie shifted her stand and kicked in a low sweep. Stryg jumped over and aimed his fist at her stomach. Sylvie didn’t hesitate, she dropped to the ground and dodged his attack.

  She pulled her other leg back and kicked up. Stryg gasped in pain as her foot slammed into his side and sent him flying up. He crashed a few paces away. He sucked in his breath and pushed himself up to a crouched position.

  “One point for Sylvie,” Tauri announced.

  “You’re right, Stryg, we shouldn’t hesitate,” Sylvie said quietly.

  Her scarlet eyes grew cold, bereft of their usual warmth, “I’m sorry, this is going to hurt.”

  “I’m counting on it,” Stryg snarled.

  He dashed at her and stayed low to the ground, making himself as small a target as he could. Sylvie dug her foot into the ground and kicked the dirt up at Stryg’s face. He flinched and covered his eyes. Sylvie used the momentum of her kick, and raised her leg up high, and struck down with a high kick at his head.

  Stryg opened his arms wide and shifted his feet. Her foot smashed into his left shoulder with a painful bash. 

  “Another point for Sylvie!” Tauri called out.

  Stryg opened his lilac eyes, his pupils were thin as blades.

  He smiled viciously, “Gotcha.”

  His left hand grabbed Sylvie’s ankle. She tried jumping back, but he held tight. Stryg raised his right hand. His muscles bulged as they flexed tightly. He smashed down on her shin with all the strength he could muster.

  Small bronze spheres of light flared to life, condensed above Sylvie’s shin, and blocked Stryg’s attack. He released her ankle and jumped back in surprise. The bronze spheres dissipated and faded away. The students looked at Sylvie in shock.

  “What the fuck was that!” Stryg growled.

  “Ah, shit, sorry. I forgot about this,” Sylvie winced.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Tauri narrowed her eyes.

  Sylvie reached underneath the collar of her blouse and pulled out a necklace. A golden medallion hung from a silver chain. Several thick golden discs comprised the outer body of the medallion. Each ring held hundreds of tiny, almost invisible, arcane sigils. At the center of the medallion sat a perfect spherical brown magestone encased in golden wiring, rising from the edges.

  Freya shot to her feet, “No way, is that an actual a-”

  “Aegis. I had my suspicions when I saw the bronze light, but still. I can’t believe I’m seeing an aurum aegis,” said Tauri.

  “Yeah, sorry, I forgot to take it off before the match,” Sylvie hung her head in shame.

  Poppy raised her hand, “I’m sorry, but can someone enlighten us on what’s so special about that necklace?” 

  Tauri nodded, “Of course. This is a great teaching moment. So, listen up everyone, and look closely at the necklace in Sylvie’s hand, you’ll probably never see one of its like again.”

  Sylvie’s face grew red with all the attention. She fidgeted and tried not to look at anyone.

  Tauri pointed at the necklace, “That talisman is considered one of the greatest enchantment accomplishments in all the Ten Null Realms. We call them aegises.”

  “So, what do they do exactly?” Kithina asked.

  “They protect their user from any form of damage through the use of incredibly complex enchantments. So long as the aegis’ magestone has brown mana, it will continue to shield its user. The defense spell activates on its own, even while the user is asleep, something unheard of in almost any enchanted object.”

  “Isn’t an aegis more powerful than ward spells then?” Callum frowned.

  Tauri shook her head, “In some regards, sure. An aegis’ magical shield is very powerful, but it still has a limit. A powerful enough attack can still break the shield. Whereas a red mage could hypothetically create an even more powerful ward. Also, wards aren’t always used as a shield, they are more versatile than an aegis’s shield.”

  “And an aegis can only protect its owner,” Sylvie added quietly.

  Tauri nodded, “Yes. Nonetheless, I think you can all agree on the incredible capabilities of an aegis.”

  “You mentioned aegises using brown mana. Do they only require brown mana to work?” Kegrog asked.

  “Yes,” said Tauri.

  “So, why haven’t we heard of these before? They sound like everyone should have one?” Poppy asked.

  “Idiot, which part of this sounds easy to make?” Freya shook her head.

  Poppy’s face grew beet red. “S-sorry,” she stammered.

  “Hey, don’t insult my friend,” Sylvie frowned.

  Tauri cleared her throat loudly, “To answer your question, Poppy, only a brown arch-mage could ever hope to craft an aegis. And even then, the resources to make one are incredibly rare and scarce. Not to mention the incredible amount of knowledge in the arcane language one would need to craft an aegis, is, well, unobtainable at this point.”

  Tauri glanced at Sylvie, “Like many powerful enchanted artifacts, all aegis are very old, nor are they created equally. My father, Lord Krall Katag, owns a simple cuprum aegis, and it’s priceless. He wouldn’t sell it for a mountain of gold. So how did you come across a powerful aurum aegis?”

  “Ancient family heirloom. My parents wanted to keep me safe, from everything,” Sylvie sighed.

  “And who is your family, exactly?”

  “Oh, you know, just some small family in Frost Rim. No one of importance,” Sylvie shrugged.

  Tauri raised an eyebrow, “Try me.”

  “Eh…” Sylvie swallowed.

  “So, the aegis protects its owner from any attack?” Stryg spoke up.

  “Huh, ah, yes. Sorry, I should have taken it off before we fought. I forgot,” Sylvie bowed her head.

  Stryg raised his hand, a torrent of orange flame shot out and engulfed Sylvie. She yelped in surprise and covered her face. Tiny bronze spheres of light wrapped around her body and shielded her from the flames.

  Stryg didn’t release the flame spell and instead poured more fire over Sylvie’s body as he walked up to her. When he reached her side, he released the spell. The flames and bronze shield faded instantly. 

  Sylvie opened her eyes in a mixture of surprise and irritation, “What was that fo-”

  Stryg grabbed her by the hips, heaved her up and above him, and flung her. Sylvie flew through the air and crashed into the grass with a painful cough.

  “So grabbing you and falling don’t count as attacks,” Stryg nodded. “Good to know.”

  “Stryg! The rules state you can’t use magic,” Tauri crossed her arms.

  “She first broke that rule the moment she walked in with that aegis.”

  “Dammit, he’s right,” Tauri sighed. “Fine, I’ll let this one go. Sylvie, you're out of bounds, you lose.”

  Stryg nodded and walked away from the class without another word.

  Sylvie pushed herself up with a grimace, “Damn, I lost.”

  “Don’t worry, no one’s beaten Stryg in a spar since his 1st year and even then it was only once, the rest were ties at best,” Callum said sympathetically.

  “Who beat him? I’d like to get some pointers,” Sylvie dusted off her pants.

  “The same person who tied with him in all those spars,” Freya said.

  “And who might that be?” asked Sylvie.

  “None of your business,” Kithina said curtly.

  Sylvie wrinkled her brow, “Huh?”

  “Sooo, you wanna join us for dinner after class?” asked Callum.

  Sylvie smiled, “Yeah, that sounds nice.”