It was a beautiful evening, perfect for a duel.
"Kellen of the house of Ke." My name had been called, my turn to take part in the initiates' duel had finally arrived after hours of waiting.
Master Osia'Phest's voice carried unusually far for such an old man, my name echoing all around the Oasis my people, the Jan'Tep drew their magic from.
It could have been a simple breath spell, or a silk spell that carried the message directly to our minds; a variety of methods for achieving the same effect probably existed.
"Coming!" I responded.
I wouldn't know though, because unlike the rest of my fellow initiates, I had yet to spark any of the bands tattooed on my forearms.
My people, the Jan'Tep, built their civilization on the existence of magic and our ability to utilize it by harnessing the power of the Oasis from the meticulously designed bands etched into our skin with special inks.
Needless to say, your status hinged directly on your ability to perform magic.
"Kellen, you don't have to do this." My friend, Panahsi, called out my name before I could step into the enclosure the pillars of the Oasis provided.
"It's fine, Pan." He was covered in bandages, his movements were slow. All results of injuries from a duel he had fought in as part of his own trial.
"No, it's not. We both know what's going to happen to you if you step in there." His voice was firm, yet filled with concern.
I turned my head and caught sight of my would be opponent, a boy by the name of Tenant.
The same Tennat, coincidentally, was responsible for the injuries of my dear friend.
"You underestimate me that much?" I said with false bravado, making my voice loud enough for the pandering Tennat to hear.
Panahsi's concern was valid. I was weak, embarrassingly so.
My magic could barely light a lamp even in proximity to the Oasis. What was I gonna do against someone who crippled one of the most talented initiates like this?
"He's right, Kellen. You don't have to do this." A voice with a softer tone pleaded on my left.
I turned, my face meeting that of the brown haired girl who had called out to me.
"It'll be over quickly, Nephenia." Prior to my declaration yesterday about wanting to face Tennat, she had never spoken to me.
Her eyes shone with concern, seemingly telling me "don't be stupid."
For a moment I faltered, for a while now I've been infatuated with this girl and that almost made me back down.
But alas, I wasn't doing this for her so I ignored her pleading eyes and strode into the Oasis.
I felt the soft sand under my feet, sand that never left the bounds of the Oasis no matter what disturbance shifted them.
"Kellen of the house of Ke. This is your last chance to back down, there is no shame in choosing your battles wisely." Osia'Phest tried to give a final warning to me, he was well aware of how weak I was.
"I'm ready." I said as I caught sight of my sister, Shalla, among the rest of the initiates. Her eyes were fixed on me in suspicion.
Our people had six fundamental magic disciplines. Breath, Ember, Sand, Silk, Iron and Blood. Each tattooed band on our arms represents them.
After reaching a certain degree of skill in a discipline, the corresponding band is 'sparked' and a mage's power improves significantly.
My sister, with her blond hair which looked way more vibrant than mine, had already sparked the bands for Breath, Iron, Blood and Ember at the young age of thirteen. Needless to say, she had a bright future as a Jan'Tep mage, the brightest of us all.
Yet here I was, close to my sixteenth birthday, the time limit for an initiate to prove their worth, yet I remained weak.
At this rate, I would fail my trials and be condemned to life among the Sha'Tep, members of the Jan'Tep who failed to awaken their magic. They were nothing more than slaves, not even treated with the bare minimum of respect humans should by the majority of the Jan'Tep.
"I think he's ready, master. Don't try to stop him." With a smile on his face, Tennat took the opportunity to mock me.
His hands were loose at his sides, a traditional stance for mages. It was much easier to form the somatic shapes needed to cast spells when your fingers were free and loosened.
My situation certainly looked bleak right now.
But I could win.
See, there was one thing I realized that nobody here probably did.
Not my fellow initiates, not our old teacher, not my freakishly talented sister.
Certainly not the beautiful blue haired man, woman…..? Person, I'll go with person, who was spectating the trials and was now currently smiling at me.
Years of being weak and observing mage's duels made me realize this crucial fact.
Magic is a scam, and I happen to be good at scams.
.
.
My interest was piqued as I gazed at the little structure these people called Oases.
Needless to say, the short time I've spent in this world has been interesting. More so because of the different cultures around and the peculiar state of the spiritual state of this world, than the paltry tricks these people call magic.
The boy smirking with obviously fake confidence was very weak, even in comparison to the already weak humans around him, but he still interested me.
"What a sad existence..." I couldn't help but mutter as I analyzed him thoroughly.
"Darn right." A rough but feminine voice agreed with me.
"Huh?" I was confused about why she was suddenly agreeing with me.
"The Jan'Tep and their fancy spells. Sad ain't it?" She had red hair and donned a frontiersman hat that made her seem like a native of the Daroman empire that lay in the north of this continent.
"Uh...sure..." I decided to agree with the weird lady. We were both strangers in this place, it was my first time in a Jan'Tep town.
I had seen the Daroman fields, the Berabesq temples, the Gitabrian cities and even the crude ruggedness of the Seven Sands. None of them compared to the haughtiness of the Jan'Tep.
"Reckon that kid is gonna die. Wanna make a bet?" The lady, who had popped a smoking reed into her mouth at some point offered to bet on the poor boy's demise.
"No, he'll be fine." I said with confidence.
"Name's Ferius Parfax. What are you called, pretty lady?" She introduced herself.
"I'm a man." I corrected.
She stopped puffing on her reed for a bit and gazed at me carefully.
"Okay...if you say so.. still want your name though."
As we spoke it seems the duel had begun, and the boy, Kellen was grimacing in pain.
I smiled as I answered the interesting woman's question.
"Call me Rimuru Tempest."
.
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