Capítulo 66: Sportsmanship
"Let the second match begin!!" The host's voice resounded around the large stadium and was closely followed by the sound of the eager cheering of the audience.
Shockingly, it was the anxious and nervous looking Jared who charged forth first, barging forward like a rocket, his each step shaking the ground.
"Looks like his physical strength is quite frightening." Lexa couldn't help but be surprised. The only other Magician she could compare this boy to was Uncle Kil, though the boys strength was obviously not on the same level.
On the other side of the arena, Seph Farhawk looked on at the quickly incoming attacker with a calm exterior. Narrowing his eyes, he began to chant a spell that was quickly completed.
Five flaming sparks appeared around his body, lighting up and taking on the form of five birds before they shot off towards his opponent. A simple but effective move.
Not daring to underestimate these small flames coming at him at great velocity, Jared was forced to slow down his pace as he moved to manoeuvre around the fiery birds. Chanting a spell of his own, solid rocks began to slither like liquid as it formed around his two fists, taking on the shape of a sturdy pair of gloves.
Seph had already begun chanting his next spell amidst all this, and he had just finished it as Jared was getting closer and closer in range. This spell was much larger than the previous one, and when released, orange flames lit up behind his back and jutted outwards as they began to coalesce around his two arms until eventually taking on the shape of fiery wings!
Jared's eyes flashed knowingly when he saw this but he didn't react otherwise, not holding back in throwing a strong right fist towards Seph Farhawk's direction, the power of earth empowering his fist and an azure glow pulsing around it, signalling the further empowerment of aura.
This was a punch not to be taken lightly!
With arms crossed, the fiery wings enveloping Seph's arms combined as they changed form, turning into a sort of barrier.
Lexa was shocked as she actually knew of this spell somewhat, only that it was in a different form. The barrier form of these fiery wings was rather similar to one of the spells available in her own Crimson Iris bangle, the Crimson Glaze spell, which would coat the user in a burning hot barrier. The only difference here was that Seph's version only covered his arms, but at the same time, is was only one feature of this ongoing spell of his; so it couldn't be said to be weaker than her Crimson Iris Bangle's Crimson Glaze spell.
Both sides having activated their individual moves, the only thing left was for the two to clash!
Bang!
Jared's fist made contact with the fiery wing's barrier and the sound emitted due to the clash resounded throughout the large stadium. At first appearance, the clash seemed to be a draw as neither side seemed to get one over the other. While Seph's barrier was still standing strong, Jared's rock empowered fists were also in perfect shape. However, after several seconds of Jared trying to break through this barrier with brute strength alone, people looked in surprise as Jared suddenly leapt backwards as he cried out in pain.
The heat of the barrier had passed through the rock covering his fist, burning his skin.
"Seems like I can't get through those damned wings of yours with my usual methods..." Jared grumbled. Now that he was fully concentrated on the battle, it seemed his nerves were long gone.
"As to be expected by the Magical Art created by the head of the Farhawk family, the Inferno Hawk Arts is truly a magnificent sight!" The host praised.
"I thought his Magical Art looked different from the one used by Chris Farhawk. It would seem this Seph Farhawk has been learning the Art personally crafted by his father." Lexa was quite impressed with this Inferno Hawk Arts so far and looked forward to what else it had up its sleeve. She was also interested to see how Jared Lolan would break or manoeuvre around those flaming wings of Seph's.
After a deep breath, Jared's eyes narrowed in concentration and he began to chant his next spell. Seph didn't react at all, simply holding a martial pose, those flaming wings flickering in a melodious rhythm, looking threatening and majestic in contrast to his small form.
On completion of his spell, the rocks covering Jared's two fists suddenly went through a drastic transformation as it slowly mutated into a dark metallic form. It not only changed into the more solid metal material, but enlarged greatly until they were double the width of his arms in diameter. They also held several runes which lit up in an azure glow. The dark metallic gloves gave off a large "clang" as he touched fists. The weight and strength of these metallic gloves could only be imagined.
"Lets see how these work!" Jared Lolan shot forward once more, his right fist wound back in preparation for its powerful release.
Bang!
In repeat of the scene from before, Jared's fist met the solid frame of the fiery wing's barrier. But in contrast to that time, a noticeable crack appeared in Seph's wings. Noticing this, Jared didn't hold back the grin forming his lips, not letting up on his strength for a second. Seph meanwhile showed off a strong front, but his arms were shaking as he held off the strength of this punch which felt like a 2 ton boulder crashing down upon him.
The destruction of his spell was inevitable at this rate, so he transformed those fiery wings into their normal state without hesitation. With no barrier holding him back anymore, Jared's fist proceeded forth, threatening to strike Seph straight in his face!
Click!
Seph clicked his fingers, quickly forming a spark of fire which assaulted Jared's eyes. This attack would do nothing to damage him, but it was successful in its goal. Blinding him!
With his opponent unable to see him, thus not being able to redirect his punch accurately, Seph quickly acted when he had the chance. With lithe footsteps, he manoeuvred under the incoming punch of his opponent and with his left arm, directly struck Jared in the side of his stomach with the fiery wing, which seemed to sharpen at its edge, causing a cut to form on Jared's body.
Jared let out a guttural cry as he felt the sharp pain of being cut piled with the aching pain of burning surrounding it. Forcing his eyes open, he used aura to quickly revive his sight so that he could act against Seph immediately.
With surprisingly supple movement, Jared sent his left fist careening down towards his opponents crouched form as Seph attempted to pass him by.
Unfortunately, his punch was too late and Seph was already behind him leaping to create some distance, his punch only blasting apart the ground below with the force of his strike. Understanding the abilities of his opponent, Jared knew if he let Seph recover, he was truly doomed. He couldn't let him escape so easily!
'No time to cast a spell, can only push myself to the limits!' Clenching his teeth, Jared spun his body, sending his right fist swinging backwards with built up momentum. The fist was just seconds from striking the fleeing Seph when he shockingly vanished!
The grin that was forming on Jared's lips as his fist got closer and closer was instantly doused in cold water. He instantly knew what had happened, that fleeing Seph was only an illusion created by magic!
'But I didn't hear him chanting... A chant-less illusion... How formidable...' Jared could only sigh in defeat. In the end, his loss was his own fault. If he had not been so caught up in other matters and paid more attention, he could have easily figured out the other party was but an illusion through various methods. It was only that he had never heard of Seph practising illusion magic. Though he should have known that most Magician's study a bunch of miscellaneous spells, only to be brought out at the right occasions.
"T-the victor of the second preliminary match is Seph Farhawk!!" The unprepared host's voice announced the end of the battle.
In the audience, while they had a better view of the last several seconds, they still also found it difficult to follow what had just exactly happened, as it had all happened to quickly.
In the arena, Seph had been holding his inflamed arms hovering over the back of Jared's neck. Time hadn't stopped as he had stopped his momentum himself. With his victory announced, he lowered his arms, the flaming wings dissipating in the meanwhile.
It was only at this time did the audience suddenly erupt into applause and shouts of congratulations, with Andria joining in too.
"Andria's a little sad the big pup lost, but hawk boy was pretty okay, for a Farhawk." Andria clapped her hands in rhythm with the audience.
"Now the big guy will really faint if he heard you calling him "big pup"..." The side of lexa's feline mouth twitched.
Back in the arena. Surprisingly, Seph was breathing a little heavily.
"D-did you use up a lot of aura on that c-chant-less spell?" Jared asked as turned to face him. He had begun to shake nervously once more now that the match was over. He could constantly feel the thousands of gazes on him, making him incredibly anxious and nervous.
"Yeah... It took a lot out of me... More than I thought it would..." Seph's voice was a little croaky, seemingly due to how little he talks. But it was soft and humble.
Just as the two were talking, Seph suddenly stumbles, nearly falling to the floor if he were not caught in Jared's hands. Slinging his arm around his side, he crouched down to match his height.
"W-we're both pretty beat up, why d-don't we help each other out." Jared gave him a bright smile.
Looking at that expression for several seconds, Seph eventually hummed and nodded in agreement. Holding each other up, the two stumbled out of the arena to the cheers of the audience. Behind them, the host praised their sportsmanship.
It had become quite late in the day when the semi-finals of the Hawk Academy Youth Tournament finally came to an end. In the end, one of the biggest topics besides the excitement of who will win in the finals, was a topic comparing the two Farhawk brother's. Both in their abilities and personalities...
Needless to say, Chris and Caesar's hatred for the main branch of the Farhawk family didn't improve this night...
Capítulo 67: Andria's Studies
Walking through the busy streets of the city, the setting sun cast a dull glow through the land, allowing Andria and Lexa to bask in its soft warmth for a little longer.
As they got closer to the Golden Cloud Inn to settle for the night, Andria was beginning to let out consecutive yawns and tiredness could be seen in her drooping eyelids. Lexa snuggled into her, trying to pass her some warmth.
"Young Miss, would you like to be carried the rest of the way?" One of the Wilderwolf soldier's offered.
Andria stopped her feet and tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment before humming a nod. She couldn't hold out much longer. Still holding Lexa in her hands, the Wilderwolf soldier gently lifted her up, resting her comfortably in his hands. Her tiredness seemed to take over her quickly, and she nuzzled her head into the man's neck as her eyes closed.
The man carrying her smiled warmly. Their Young Miss was so cute!
The surrounding Wilderwolf soldier's looked at the one carrying their Young Miss with narrowed and jealous eyes. They all wished they could have been the one to offer to carry the Young Miss first!
They could only hold back their jealousy though and begrudgingly follow behind them as they continued on their way to the Golden Cloud Inn. They did not want to wake her up after all.
Lexa rolled her eyes at their antics. Weren't these people battle hardened warriors, shouldn't they be cold and emotionless?
It would seem even soldier's succumb to cuteness.
'Maybe this is a tactic I could use in the future...' Lexa mused in all seriousness.
★★★
By the time they returned to the Golden Cloud Inn, Andria was already fully asleep, so the man carrying her simply took her to her room and tucked her into bed. Lexa was locked in her arms the whole time, and gave the man a thankful "meow~" before he left.
Tucked comfortably in Andria's arms, Lexa found sleep beckoning her quickly as well. It took only a few minutes before she finally fell into a peaceful slumber...
★★★
Morning of the next day, Lexa awoke to the feeling of something pushing into her side and the sound of a mumbled voice which her half-awake state couldn't make out.
"Wake up little fang!" Andria pouted. "If you don't wake up, Andria will call you little fang forever!"
"Oh, is it morning already?..." Lexa yawned as she shot up instantly. She didn't have the energy to bicker, only following the girl's whims begrudgingly.
Andria was sitting on the edge of the bed and was now stroking her fur. Unable to take it any longer, Lexa complained. "Will you stop that, go pet a teddy bear to cuddle or something."
"Your a cat, you're made to be petted!" Andria quickly objected.
"I'm a Magical Beast."
"A cat Magical Beast is still cat."
Lexa quickly realised that there was no winning and simply let the girl have her way with her fur. She had to admit it was a little soothing, and her morning grumpiness began to ease.
It was at this moment that the door to the room was opened, drawing the two's attention. Entering the room was Andria's Nanny, Drew. She was noticeably dressed in a conservative dress and was sporting a neat pair of glasses, giving her an overall working middle-aged woman look. In one of her hands was a series of papers and in the other was a brush pen and ink pot. She looked like a strict teacher.
When Andria fist saw Nanny Drew, she immediately shouted out "Nanny!" with a wide smile, except when her eyes noticed those items held in her hands and her appearance, that wide smile suddenly froze, quickly replaced with one of horror.
"No, Andria wants to go to the Tournament Finals today!" Andria immediately protested.
Lexa looked on confused. 'What's going on?'
"Nuh huh, I've let you have several days of free time, its time you get back to your studies." Nanny Drew was not fazed by her cries, simply walking into the room and placing the items in her hands on a convenient desk in the room. Pulling the chair out, Nanny Drew patted it as she beckoned Andria forward.
Lexa looked on amused as Andria shuffled off the bed and slumped into the chair, pouting all the while. Finding herself also interested in these studies of hers, the kitten followed closely behind her, leaping lithely upon the desk to take a look.
Lexa watched on as Andria began working through the first sheet of paper. Though Lexa couldn't understand a word written on it, from the brief conversations from Andria and the Nanny, she garnered that it was a test of her literacy.
Lexa was pretty surprised as the words written on the page were not little, especially as a test for a four year old child. Though she couldn't read, she could tell this much from her vague knowledge.
Two hours passed as Lexa watched Andria work, completing one piece of paper after the other. The Nanny at her side observed and helped every now and then, but mostly left her to her own devices. Only reading over her answers once she was done with a page.
It was now evening and Lexa had transitioned from watching Andria too lying down, cultivating in the meanwhile. She still felt that her breakthrough was so close, but also so far at the same time, with no improvement made as of yet. She could only consistently put in the effort. But she had been a little too lax as of late, getting distracted from the several changes in her life.
"Wah." Andria suddenly cried out in frustration, a pout forming on her face as she had grown stuck on a question for the last few minutes. "Andria could have been watching the finals right now."
"Complaining isn't going to get this finished." Nanny Drew stated simply, her expression showing that she was unmoved by her grumblings.
Andria sniffled and got back to work.
"Don't worry, I'll only be having you studying today and tomorrow. We'll be leaving in two days time." Nanny Drew comforted. She knew that studying was not the funnest activity for such a young lass. Only, it was necessary for nobles to have a high education, lest they be looked down upon by other nobles and commoners alike.
"Ah, Daddy will finish work soon?!" Andria was incredibly happy, she has not had the chance to play with her Daddy much since she came to Skyview City as he had been working the whole time. "Oh, but we're leaving in two days?..."
"Sadly. We can't have your father gone too long from the capital, being that he's the only Wilderwolf left in the Kingdom." Nanny Drew explained.
"But Andria is here!" Andria was confused.
"Cute, but not what I meant. Your father needs to return to his post as the Head of the Falcio military. You, Young Miss, are way to young to take on such responsibilities." Nanny Drew giggled as she poked Andria's nose, to the girl's displeasure.
"That hurts." Andria rubbed the point of her nose. Her cute reaction garnered a laugh out of the Nanny, and Lexa let out a giggle too before returning her concentration to her cultivation.
★★★
Two days passed by rather peacefully with Andria spending most of her time inside, studying hard on several different topics. The topics ranged from mundane things like Literacy, History, Math to topics on the basics of magic, the elements and other interesting topics relating to magic. Lexa took several breaks out of her cultivation process to concentrate on the teaching of the Nanny, before eventually joining in the lesson truly.
Nanny Drew was very welcoming to the new student, as the little kitten was much more cooperative than her true student. Andria liked it too, as it meant Nanny Drew's attention wasn't always on her, freeing her from several nagging rants out of the frustrated woman. Nanny Drew noticed this but could only sigh. She was only thankful that whenever her lessons had anything to do with Magic, the girl's rebellious personality would instantly crumble into one of deep interest. If only she could be like that with the other subjects.
At least the kitten seemed interested in literacy and the like, though she could only teach her the basics, such as the alphabet and a few words due her being illiterate. Nanny Drew was quite surprised at her quick learning speed however. By the end of the two days, she had learned more than a few dozen words that she could string into the most basic of sentences and she had memorised the alphabet completely.
'It would seem her physical appearance isn't a good reflection of her proper maturity.' Nanny Drew noted down internally.
On the morning when the two days had passed, Alexander finally returned from his work and he awoke Andria and Lexa early so they could prepare to set off; They were finally heading off to the Capital of Falcio, Falcon City.
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