Aetherios System: Whirlwind

The air in the waiting room was rather pleasant given the cooling ward along far wall. Outside, the sound of the crowd rose and fell as various fights were started and ended, the voices of thousands echoing through the many feet of stone and steel until finally dampened, albeit slightly, by the glpyh lines set into the other walls and door.

Inside Alex sat on the bench with his elbows resting on his knees, while Holly paced a well-worn line across the floor in front of him.

“Talbon Norric,” she said, reading from the thin slate they had been handed by lady Xhiu. “Talbon Norric, Disciple of the Jade Tiger Martial Sect.” She pinched her nose and breathed deeply. “He has the Light element. Ranked third in his class of Adepts for the sect. Rumored to have trained under two separate Magus Tier tutors.”

“Sounds like a lovely person,” Alex muttered with a smile.

Seeing her worry for him was charming, and warmed his heart in a way his constitution just couldn’t. Alex had missed the feeling of having someone care about him like this. He almost forgot what it was like to have a relationship after fighting near certain death from the moment they had been transported to Aetherios.

Holly ignored him to continue her assessment of his upcoming opponent. “He uses a three-segment spear, which means he can break range at will to adept to counterattack, even when he is in mid-strike. And the Light affinity gives him easy access to augmentor spells, guaranteeing quick acceleration, improved reflexes, and minor regeneration.”

“So… faster, stronger, and harder to hit,” Alex said dryly. “I understand.”

She shot him a look. “You do realize your physical stats won’t mean much if he keeps that Light aura active. You’ll be fighting someone who can move like the chimera wind queen did, and think twice as fast.”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “I get it Holly. But going against opponents of this caliber, it’s not something new to us. So, I’m not too worried.” He frowned looking up at the ceiling.“Granted, I can’t show too much,” he said after a moment. “It’s still too early in the tournament for that. If I pull out everything now, the real monsters will be prepared for me later.”

“Alex…” Holly stopped pacing. “What I’m saying is… You might not have that choice.”

He glanced over. She wasn’t angry. Everything in her expression told him that she was just concerned. The kind of concern one would have for a partner about to ship off to war. Again, something both of them was already used to, but even then, it never got easier.

“I’m not using [Demon Asura Style],” he said flatly. “Even if they all know I have it and can easily look up the martial style in old texts. They don’t know the full extent of my Martial Skills, nor which paths I have access to, or how many. I’m keeping it that way as long as I can.”

“Fine,” she said with an exaggerated huff. “But what about your Wyrm-Heart? Or [Vita-Surge Cloak]?”

Alex exhaled as he thought it over. “Wyrm-heart is out. It’ll paint a target on me the size of the whole damn arena if they know I can use Draconic Energy, even if Wyrm-Heart can’t be activated without an external trigger. Knowing those things will let them play around that fact. So that leaves the Cloak… and my other spells.”

“So, no Descending Demon Fist, or Wyrm-Heart,” she murmured. “Those are your trump cards.”

He nodded. “And if I use either, I’ll have nothing left to surprise anyone with later.”

“So what will you use? Just your spells?”

“Items,” Alex said after a beat. “Along with my spells. I have a few tricks that I’ve cooked up.”

Holly frowned but didn’t argue any further, surely knowing she wouldn’t convince him otherwise no matter how much she tried to. She just sat down beside him, elbows on her knees now too, mirroring his posture. For a moment they said nothing, only the warmth of their bodies and their slow breathing filling the silence.

Then the door opened.

Master Sionnadel swept in casually, her feet kissing the floor just briefly before moving on to the nest step. Alex found himself standing in her presence without even thinking about it. The door swung closed behind her as she stared down at him, even with him being nearly a half foot taller than her.

He hadn’t expected such a person appearance from her. He assumed she was mostly detached from the whole pupil and master dynamic, but he might have been wrong.

“I can hear your indecision from the hallway,” she said. “Are you not ready? Do I need to beat you into the ground an extra time for good measure?”

Alex straightened. “Just strategy talk.”

“Strategy,” she said with a faint smile. “That’s one word for it. I told you that thinking too much was your bad habit.”

She glanced once at the two of them, her eyes bright with that almost supernatural clarity. “You’re worried about exposure. Which is good, for right now. I want you to get to the Double Elimination brackets without revealing your martial style at all.”

Alex grimaced. “So that’s an order, no on the Demon Asura?”

“A firm no,” she said. “It’s too soon.”

“And my gathering technique?” he asked, already feeling like he knew her answer.

She smiled knowingly. “If you value your life, don’t activate it mid-combat. You may think that using a gathering technique while fighting is just rather rare. You’d be wrong. As I said, its impossible to do for everyone else, its simply to complicated a process. If you show everyone that you can do something like that even while in pitched battle, it’ll shake up things even more than your Martial Style, or your constitution. They will assume you can use a full gathering, despite it being only a lesser version. Being able to regain a constant stream of aether… its something everyone would kill for, even Magi, even some Sages.”

Alex groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “So… what’s my win condition here?”

“The same thing that has always carried you,” she said simply. “Your talent and actual combat experience. Most of the ‘prodigies’ here have spent their lives cultivating their talent, but they haven’t faced actual life or death combat. Pampering and raising scions is too expensive to allow them to just die by sheer accident. Talent and experience, you’ve got both.”

She took a step closer and, without asking, reached for the weapon tucked at his waist. The band of silver and obsidian metal looked far deadlier in her hand than his own, even without it being active.

“Ah,” she said, turning it in her hand. “You received my gift. I thought this would be the best way to alleviate your issue with picking a weapon.”

She pressed a finger to the runes along the side. The weapon lit up and unfolded into a dagger, pure aether coalescing into hard blade.

Then, with a flick of her wrist, the shape began to shift, from dagger to longsword, sword to spear, spear to katar, then to a wide, curved scythe before folding back down again. Each transition was smooth as a trickling stream of water, a multitude of weapons contained within a single continuous blow. There was no way he could use it with such proficiency.

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Alex couldn’t help but grin. “I admit, still working out the whole changing weapon thing. Need to get used to it with my combat instincts, too.”

Sionna handed it back to him. “The Demon Asura fought with anything, blades, fists, staff, even the bones of their enemies. They were not masters of any weapon, they were masters of death and bloodshed. Remember that when using this. Unpredictability kills faster than any expert sword.”

He nodded slowly. “So you’re saying—”

“I’m saying,” she interrupted, “that after your first fight, Talbon will come expecting a straightforward brawler with clever gadgets. If you catch him unaware, that’s your fastest line to victory.” She handed the item back to him and he quickly tucked it back at his waist.

“Now go, Worldstrider. The Empress is watching, and the number one person you want to impress, is her.”

The door closed behind her as she glided back out of the room before he could reply.

Finally, Holly nudged him with her shoulder. “You heard her. Don’t die.”

“I’ll do my best,” he said. His heart still thumped aggressively in his chest as he thought about the fight ahead. He wanted a challenge, he wanted that rush. The noise outside swelled again, the crowd roaring, and the announcer calling names.

“Time’s up,” Holly said.

Alex adjusted his robes, checked his bracers, and stepped toward the door.

When he opened it, the light of the arena spilled in like fire.

His next battle waited.

***

The platform vibrated under Alex’s feet as he stepped forward, taking him high into the air.

The arena’s new set-up unfolded in his sight, there were four platforms out this time, instead of dozens. It looked like they wanted more of a spectacle for that rounds of battles. More eyes trained on their actions.

“Next bout: Worldstrider Alexander Pierce versus Talbon Norric of the Jade Tiger Sect.”

The platform locked into place with a thunk. A hot wind brushed Alex’s hair from so high up, carrying the smell of sulfur from the caldera deep below. Across from him, his opponent stood glaring at him, his own blonde hair ruffling in the brisk breeze.

Talbon had broad shoulders, and lean muscle sculpted by years of perfect diet and training. His green and gold martial robes glittered beneath the sunlight, and the head of the spear clutched in his hand reflect into Alex’s eyes, almost perfectly.

Alex grimaced at the man who gave a small bow that looked respectful.

“Worldstrider Pierce,” his voice carried easily. “It’s an honor. I’ve heard much about your talents, especially your work with enchantments.”

Alex dipped his head slightly in return, smirking. “And I’ve heard you’ve already achieved the Third Light Cycle of your Martial Style before the age of thirty. Guess we’re both overachievers.”

Talbon’s lips quirked. “Your scan showed a Tier Three Martial Art as well. As a fellow Adept at that level, I appreciate that’s no small feat. I hope to see it.”

Alex adjusted his stance and raised his hands to prepare. “Can’t be showing my hand too early. You’ll have to force it out of me.”

“I see,” Talbon said more coldy. “Then I’ll do my best.”

The announcer’s voice echoed overhead, “Begin!”

The platform flared to life beneath them, a blazing gold, and the barrier appeared around them.

Talbon moved first, a straight advance that showed pure offensive agression. Alex went forward to meet partway, fist snapping out, backed by brutal strength. Their impact cracked the air, small ripples of aether shooting around them.

As always, Alex’s speed was monstrous, his physical stats far more comparable to arcane beasts than a human mage. He slipped past Talbon’s guard and landed two quick punches, one to the ribs, another to the jaw. Talbon staggered back from the hits, sliding several feet before he regained control of himself.

“You truly are a beast in human form,” Talbon called, his tone still even despite the bruise already forming on his face. “To think your body alone would be so strong.”

He inhaled slowly, settling into a new stance. Alex saw through his [Aether Sight] as the man’s aether began to move in a pattern, filling his body with power.

Then the light came.

It started as a faint glow under Taeron’s skin, veins of golden-white energy threading across his arms and neck. His aura thickened until it the faint sound of static rose and fell with every breath he took. Alex watched as Taeron’s aether began to cycle in looping flows through his body, building momentum with each pass. Every loop compressed the energy tighter, faster, until—

Fwoosh!

The ground cracked where Talbon had stood.

Alex barely saw him before the segmented spear snapped at him, each segment linked by chains of light energy. The weapon extended in a blur, whistling through the air before Talbon even reach melee range.

The first strike aimed straight for Alex’s face.