Chapter 5; The path to glory leads...

Royal Courtyard
Valia, Mainland
Wendas,66th of Summerset
POV: Eridan

A volley of laughter escaped behind me as I flourished my wand once more. Before me stood three of the Valiant's most elite battle mages. They each held a staff, and wore robes of varying shapes, sizes and colors. One wore a turban, the other a cowl, and the last no hat at all. And they all stood in a triangular formation, brandishing their hands at me.

"Prepared to begin, Lord Ampora?" Asked the announcer. I turned toward and smirked. This was going to be too easy. The minimal powers I had been allowed on earth has quadrupled here. I could actually control arcane magic with or without the wand, making me quite powerful.

"To your left, the finest battle mages we have ever seen. They're powers may not be as honed as a Wizards, but they are still yet to be matched! Presenting... THE TRIUM!" Yelled the announcer to the crowd surrounding the courtyard. A loud clapping began.

"...And to your right. The mysterious Alterian. The most legendary warrior of his race, a force of which we've never seen before! Master of wandcraft, I present to you... LORD AMPORA!" The crowd exploded into applause. I felt my heart do a backflip. These people honored me, and it felt GOOD.

"The rules of today's match; there will be no fatal spells or elemental strikes. Wounding must be kept to a minimum. Your opponent must give way, in order to be announced the winner. READY? BEGIN!" The announcer quickly ran out of the ring.

I spun my wand in my hand. This was a wizard duel, so each person takes a turn casting a spell. I went first, then the Trium. I quickly thought up a plan. I started by creating a invisible arcane shield around myself, guarding from immediate attacks. They went as well, doing something similar.

My turn again. I waved my wand up, the jolted it forward.
"Sikil dë Wista!" Dagger of air.

A torrent of energy racked the mages, revealing a ice like shield, the shape of a triangle. It held, and disappeared after my attack had finished. One of the Trium walked forward. The one named Othion.

Othion spun his staff up, and smashed in down, striking the floor. A solid line o jagged rocks ripped through the ground and struck at me. In a frantic attempt to defend myself, I spun my wand down, creating a purple shield. The shield did not hold, shattering and sending me into a wall. My vision swayed, and I felt as though I was going to faint. That strike had been devastating. So much for a calm start. I held my head up, and anger ran through my veins. Such a rage I had felt several times before. I would smite these three down, one by one.

I reached for my wand, and realized it had flown to the middle of the ring. Retrieving it would cost me my turn, and possibly my chances for glory. An attack like that would knock me out, I knew it. They could win as of right now.

I had to use magic without the wand. I had never done so before, but I was the only chance I had. Time to strike!

"Urya-nahta dë tarhé, haiyasse œr talantas!" Fiery blaze of the depths, divide them!

I expected flame, but I got a purple bolt of a lightning like substance. It hit Othion dead on, freezing him in place. The other two watched in horror as the purple substance grew, creating a barrier between the two mages. I had used chaos magic.

The second Mage, named Parvion, shot a bolt of lightning at the purple substance, to no avail. The third Mage, Hulben, attempted to strike at me with a fireball, but missed. How amusing.

I didn't even need to utter a word to execute my next attack. The purple substance struck both mages at once, freezing them. The wall I had created retracted into my hand, bringing my wand with it. Whatever I had summoned, it was powerful, and useful.

"That's it! The match is over! The Trium have been defeated! By use of the chaospawn, LORD AMPORA HAS TAKEN VICTORY!" The entire audience roared their approval at the announcement. My victory would be remembered. I was the master Battle Mage of the Valiant now.

Lord Wrathsin, the plump old ruler of the valiant, was clapping and laughing, beckoning to me. I walked slowly, bowing to those I could. These people actually liked me. It was wonderful.

One of the nobles got up from his seat. "Eridan! By the gods, what a battle! Superb use of that chaospawn. I didn't know you could use chaos magic as well! Did you, your majesty?"

Lord Wrathsin gave the noble a knowing look. "Lord Ampora is much more than he appears. His powers where greater than all three of those mages."

A female noble raised her glass. "By the Aether! He could take on a fully trained wizard! To Lord Ampora, who may have won us this war!"

With much a bustle, they all drank. I sat down, drinking some wine myself. So this is what it felt like to be a lord. I could live here. This lifestyle suited me. Much better than earth, and more entertaining than home. I laughed and drank as they did. These were my people. My equals.

"Hear, hear! I have heard of the battle you face against the Unsung. May we cleanse this land of all who would put themselves above the people!" I stopped, for dramatic effect. "...they believe they are gods? We shall show them the truth of their mortality! I promise you all, I shall bring the fight to these naysayers. With the power given to me by his Highness, I shall gather a force and storm Angair itself!"

Another noble, Arnor by name, raised his glass. "I shall go with you! You arrived nigh a fortnight ago, and already proved your faith and worth! You are more than worthy to carry our banner into battle, and it would be unfitting for you to go into combat with an inadequate army! Together our forces shall strike fear into the hearts of the enemy! We shall sail west, toward Angair, and pass through their blockade unnoticed, using the arcane. The Mystics will not intervene. Then we shall capture Silverwind, find your brethren, and return glorious!"

The table exploded into cheers. It was amazing, truly. But upon mention of the others, I could not help but feel a pang of wonder. Where were they? Is Fefiri safe? Are any of them safe? And what are they doing right now?

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