(Three Days Later)
I've been loosening up for the past three days, sparring with Aya, Ellie, my father, and some soldiers. Arthur never joined in, but he watched a couple of times, I think he wants to get to white core pretty badly.
In these sparring matches, I didn't use any magic, only reinforcing my body with mana, but that didn't matter, I was still on a whole other level, even above Aya, though, our match was the closest, because of her illusions, and her speed as a white core. She was a Lance, so it made sense, my blood magic is what makes me different.
I was in the sparring room at the moment, waiting for Aya to arrive, I was given permission to use my full power, I was no longer in any pain, my body wasn't tight or sore, it was time to go.
Rahdeas should be back tomorrow, or even possibly today, we'll tell him our plan, and then head out when I am cleared for the field, which I should be already. I couldn't wait to go to Ashber, it's going to be so fun.
I wanted Arthur to spar with me today, since I was going to be using my elemental powers, but he said no, even though he said he would the other day. I helped him absorb the mana in Uto's horn every day, and when I wasn't, he was either in the council room, or absorbing the horn's mana on his own.
"Veer." Aya said, walking into the room, I turned, and by her side was someone I didn't expect but could sense. "I hope you don't mind, I brought Mica along with me."
"Mica is happy to see the Little Lance." The dwarve said to me as they approached. "Mica is also happy to spar against you."
Oh, I was about to fight two Lances, this should be interesting. "It's good to see you too, Lance Mica." I faced Aya. "So, I'm fighting both of you?"
She smiled at me. "I know you want a challenge, so I brought Mica with me."
"Mica got here yesterday." I knew that, but I didn't see her at all. A stone hammer formed in her hand, and she held it on her shoulder. "Mica is ready to beat up the Little Lance." I didn't like the name Little Lance, even if it's true.
"We'll take it easy on you." Aya said, pulling her sword out of her mana ring. "Also, be cautious, don't hurt yourself today at all, and don't hurt us."
"I won't." I took a couple steps backward, activating "Blood Oath" and conjured an ice blade in my right hand. I wasn't going to fight them with my blood sword, it wouldn't be a fair fight, I mean, it's already not a fair fight, I have blood magic. "Let's begin."
Mica shot at me first, swinging the hammer at my head, I had to remember she had gravity magic, but she may not use it, I don't know how seriously they are taking this. The hammer missed my head by a mile, it felt so slow coming at me.
Aya's blade came at my face, I moved to the side, brought up a wall of wind into her gut, but she managed to dodge the attack. Stones were sent at me, I conjured a wall of ice, and on impact as the ice was shattering, created an illusion of where I was standing, and then made myself invisible.
They crashed through the illusion with their blades, then froze and examined the room, trying to sense where I was, but I made sure they could do that by disrupting their mana cores, and then charging them.
First, Mica's hammer crumbled to pieces onto the ground, and she had a puzzled look on her face. "Not fair!" I surrounded myself with wind mana, and instead of sending my sword at her, I decided to send a powerful kick into the dwarve's stomach, sending her flying across the room.
Aya was in shock, and started to project an illusion as her magic came back to her. "I should have never taught you illusion magic." Aya told me, still trying to figure out where I was. "The invisibility spell doesn't even work on you." She was right, I could sense her blood, so there was no hiding from me.
"You're right!" I said, revealing myself. "I'll make it fair for you two." Mica came walking back over to us, hand on her chest. "I'm sorry, Mica."
"Mica was no expecting that." For a Lance, I know we aren't going all out here, these two truly couldn't keep up with me, Aya could slightly, but Mica relies too much on her magic, whereas Aya is a gifted swordsman.
Another hammer formed in her hand, and then suddenly, I began to float off the ground, it was her gravity magic, luckily, that doesn't work on me. I disrupted her core, causing both the hammer and gravity spell to cancel out.
I landed on the ground, shot myself at Aya, and our blades crashed together. I drove her backwards with a severe amount of force, she spun off my blade, tried to kick me in the head, but I ducked under her foot, and let it go past my head.
I spun around, dodged a stone fist that Mica was sending at my head, shot wind out of my feet, launching me into the air, conjured a massive amount of blue fire, and sent it at the two of them.
Aya quickly dodged the attack, Mica, instead of dodging, brought up a stone wall, something I could have got rid of, but didn't, for her safety. I landed back on the ground, not wanting to fight in the air.
I spun my ice sword in my hand, enjoying the feel of battle, knowing this wasn't a serious match. Aya's sword came at my head, I dodged the attack, spun as Mica's hammer came down on me.
As her hammer slammed into the ground, I appeared behind her, and shot a small ball of ice at her back, knocking her forward.
I summoned a wall of blue fire around me to block the approaching figure of Aya, and as she got close to it, shot the fire outward, she dodged the attack, weaving through the air, arriving next to me.
I ducked, and then swept her feet out from under her, the Lance landed on her ass, and I held my ice blade on her shoulder.
"Haha." She laughed as she looked up at me, I smiled as Mica came at me, I pulled my sword away from Aya, and spun towards Mica.
I reached up, grabbed her wrist as she began to swing the hammer at me, holding it in the air, smiled at the Lance around my height, and then threw her over my shoulder, using mana to reinforce my body.
Her body landed on the ground, somewhat near Aya who was watching after I swept her feet out. "I think I'm okay to go back out into the field." I told them, reaching a handout for Aya to take.
"I would agree." Aya took my hand and got to her feet. "I knew you would be ready." I reached my hand out to Mica.
She took it. "Mica Approves." I helped her up, and the three of us stood there. "Mica has a question."
I turned to the Lance. "What is Mica's question?" Aya put her sword back into her mana ring while we spoke.
"How would you judge our strength, knowing we didn't go all out, to a Retainer or Scythe since you fight both of them?" Mica actually had a good question; however, it was one that might hurt them, knowing just how weak they were.
"Umm, well, to be honest, none of us can compete with a Scythe, Arthur and I survived because of my blood magic, we could take one down if we were together though." This was true I believed, if I focused on removing their magic at the right times, we could take one down.
"What about a Retainer? Could one of us take on one?" Aya spoke up, truthfully, I didn't know, I think it depended on location and timing.
"Possibly, it would be close." I told her, Arthur did take down Jagrette at silver core, but he had Sylvie, and even at silver core, could compete with a Lance. "I think it depends on the situation."
"Mica needs to get stronger." Too bad she can't, we need aether to remove the limiters on the Lances, and no one has that power. I released my ice sword, not needing it anymore since we were done.
I turned toward the entrance of the training hall; I could sense someone coming. "Mica, we all have to get stronger." Aya told her. "Is there something wrong Veer?"
"No." I said, and Elder Virion walked into the training hall. "Gramps." I waved my hand as he approached us.
"Virion." He said as he got closer to us.
"Commander." Both Aya and Mica bowed to him as he stopped five yards from us.
"Lance Aya, how was he?" Elder Virion asked her, he must be here to see if I am ready to go, since we should be heading out soon.
"He's ready." Aya said, talking more seriously now, she was only her nice and funny self when I was around, probably cause I was a kid. "Took us both down within moments."
"That's great to hear." He sent me a smile and rubbed the hair on his chin. "Lance Mica, thank you for joining in as well."
"Mica was happy for the opportunity." Honestly, she may be the weakest Lance, it was Alea, but, well, never mind, Mica relies a lot on her magic, so with my blood ability to disrupt mana, it makes it easy to defeat her.
"It pleases to hear that you are better, I didn't know if you would be ready for this next mission with all the bones you broke." Elder Virion examined me. "But it looks like your blood healing is just that strong."
"Yep, all good, ready to fight another Scythe." I was smiling now, happy to be completely cleared. "Was Arthur in the council room?" I thought he was in his room absorbing mana, but I sensed him across the castle.
"Yes, he was, we were discussing the mission, I'll inform Aya and you on what we discussed later if that is, okay?" Elder Virion asked us, and I nodded my head. "Good, I just wanted to check up on you, make sure we are all set, I believe, if you want to see Arthur, he was making his way to the kitchen to get food."
I turned to Aya. "Would you want to go to the kitchen with me? We can discuss how we want to handle a Scythe if there is one." I didn't feel like asking Mica, she wasn't coming with us.
"Unfortunately, I need Lance Aya." Elder Virion said. "Aya, my son just arrived, and would like to see you."
"Of course, Commander." That's sad, but we still have time to plan a strategy out. "Sorry, Veer."
"It's fine." I shrugged. "I'll see everyone later in the council room?"
"Yes, we have another meeting." Elder Virion said, I usually went to all the meetings, some of the times I couldn't because I was rehabbing. "I expect Arthur and you to be there."
"We will be there." I assured him. "See ya." I turned toward the exit and made my way out while they stayed behind and talked some more.
I'm not that hungry, but I could spend some time with Arthur and Sylvie, most of the time I spent with him was helping him absorb mana, so we didn't really talk that much.
I did inform him of the powers of the Retainers I knew about, at least some of them, I wasn't completely sure about each one's capabilities.
"General Virion." A guard said as he bowed to me, I nodded my head at him as I walked past.
So far, my knowledge of future events hasn't helped us, we lost to Cadell, so let's hope this next battle goes our way.