High Artificer, Ch 8: Duel

Sam walked out the entrance of his workshop and back into the academy proper. 

The gate opened onto the central oval of the academy, an area filled with grass and some ancient but well-kept trees. All the other main halls also opened onto the same area. Everyone passing through from one to another could see the new gate he’d created.

People were already gathering to stare at the hall, so he looked over his shoulder to see what it looked like. What had been a solid grey arch of stone with a double door at the center that was closed by a silver bar, was now a silver-white gate with fluted pillars at the side, all of made of astral stone that held a current of essence inside. 

To the faculty, it no doubt seemed like a mix of aura and mana, but if they were wise, they might realize the truth. He didn’t mind if they did. He was leaving open hints. 

Even without being able to see essence, the gate hummed with a crystalline force, as if starlight had been embedded inside. It was the nature of the stone and part of the enchantments. 

Astral stone drew on ambient energy to maintain itself and would regenerate if damaged. Little short of a Sixth Evolution being would be able to scratch it.

The gate had a sense of weight and gravitas as it stretched up to the edge of the old hall roof above, far larger than the one that had been there before. The doors were ten feet across and the pillars on the side were each six feet wide, about twice the size of the old one.

The outer appearance of the rest of the hall was the same, a massive grey building stretching away from the courtyard, but in reality only an inch of the exterior stone remained. He had completely destroyed the old training hall except for that thin veneer that was now adhered to his enchantments.

Below that was the reinforced dimensional wall of the realm he’d created, one that was actively bending space to keep itself here and in contact with the rest of the realm closer to the sun. That wall was something that even Sixth Evolution beings would have a hard time breaking. 

It was almost as dense as the dimensional walls defending Aster Fall. 

If they managed it, the realm wall would stop twisting space and disappear. Then the remaining stone would fall inward and the hall would disintegrate, leaving nothing behind except a pile of dust. 

There was no longer anything inside. The interior of the hall was just an empty space his realm was temporarily occupying. If someone was capable of finding his realm’s location, then his real defenses would activate.

A few of the faculty had already gathered, frowning at the new look as they tried to figure out what had happened. It was one of the main halls, so it was hard to ignore the change. They saw it as soon as they walked across the oval. 

Beyond the new gate, the building’s dimensional signature was completely different. It had been quiet and dusty before, but anyone with a powerful aura could see through to the interior. Now, the inside was blocked.

He could have made it seem like the old hall, but he felt like announcing it was better. It would stir up more attention, which was what he wanted for his artificing classes.

Their attention turned to him as he walked out of the building, their brows furrowed. He stopped a little in front of the hall and nodded to them.

“You’ve all come to see the new Hall of Artifice and Enchanting?” he asked calmly.  “You have good timing. I just finished working on it.”

“Working on it?” one of the faculty muttered, looking at Sam and then at the gate. “That’s the old training hall. No one’s been allowed to use it for years. It’s a symbol of the old academy years when things were smaller. What happened?”

“How did you get approval to change it?” another professor asked with a frown. “The trustees like that old hall. Apparently some of the High Nine trained there in their youth. The headmaster hasn’t let anyone touch it in years. I tried to hold classes there once, but I was rejected.”

“I asked about borrowing it once for a class demonstration and the headmaster hit me with a lightning bolt,” one of them agreed. “It was useless.”

“Well, it wasn’t useful before,” another one said, “so I’m glad to see it doing something, but it’s strange we didn’t hear about it. That’s a major change. And why Artificing and Enchanting?”

He paused as he peered at Sam, looking him up and down as if there was a hidden answer there.

“Before you, we didn’t even have an Artifice department...” he continued. “This seems like too much to give a brand new professor. And you went and changed it already. It looks completely different now! Was that approved? If not, I’m not sure you can handle the fallout.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Sam said with a chuckle. He had to agree that the new gate was very eye-catching. “The headmaster will approve the changes.” 

Then he added another part to his words silently. 

If he knows what’s good for him.

“I’m going to find the headmaster and ask about this,” one of the faculty said indignantly, shaking his head. “I can’t imagine the trustees will be happy. This is too much. I’ve spent a hundred years looking at those gates and never even got to go inside!”

The Lifeweaver tossed his hands into the air and then stomped away, heading toward the main administration building.

“I’m heading to the dueling field,” Sam said with a chuckle. “If anyone would like to find out why Artificing and Enchanting got this hall, feel free to come along. I’ll be happy to give you a demonstration and then a tour afterward.”

His voice flowed across the courtyard, easily heard by everyone. 

There were hundreds of people present now, all of them having stopped in their tracks as they saw the gates and the crowd that was already there. Most of them were students, both ones from previous years and new ones who looked lost. 

They all gave the building curious looks.

“That goes for the students as well,” he added, drawing their attention. “Come and see why Artificing is a worthy class to take.”

He didn’t mind a bit of advertising, and since he had agreed to teach, he might as well round up some students when they were right here. The tactic seemed to work, since their attention became more focused and some of them turned toward the dueling field.

He ignored the rest of the questions as he pulled out his faculty medallion and checked the information in it. 

It doubled as a communication device and was linked into the academy’s main enchantments, where all the public schedules and events were recorded, along with things like class assignments and student rosters.

It didn’t take long to find the record of the duels he was supposed to fight. He raised his eye at the number.

There were eleven of them. 

The first one was Jasperi, followed by three more Winged Furies who were probably allies she’d drummed up, since they had issued their challenges right after her.

Then there was Harsen, the Dragon Spirit who was at the table when he snagged the scholarship medallion for Rolen.

The other six were unfamiliar and even as he watched, another one pinged in his awareness, bringing the total to 12.

He wasn’t sure if they were upset about the hall, the scholarship he’d taken, or if they just wanted to test the new professor, but it made him laugh.

He didn’t have to accept the challenges, but he did, sending confirmations to all of them. He booked them all for today, within the same two-hour block.

He wasn’t bothered by it as he scanned the area to locate Rolen and Altey. 

He found them a moment later in the academy’s main building, talking to a few other students about class options. It looked like they’d signed up for most of their classes, but there were still a couple spots to fill, so they were looking for advice.

He sent them a message through the school enchantments to direct them to the dueling field, and he watched as their medallions pinged to alert them to its arrival. 

He frowned at the medallion in his hand and then a few silver runes spun around it, forming an intricate web before he tucked it away again. The Titan Star on his hand flickered as it absorbed a copy of the enchantment.

In the future, he wouldn’t need to hold the medallion to use it.

Rolen looked a bit better rested than he had the day before and his tattered clothes had been replaced by new student robes, which was a strong improvement. With a bit more food and rest, the hollows in his cheeks would fill in.

While he’d been busy the night before, he’d had an avatar arrange an apartment for Rolen not far from the school, one that was much nicer than the student rooms the academy had to offer. 

Then he’d enchanted it with some basic protections that would keep anyone from bothering the boy.

His family had offered to host Rolen on the island, but Sam felt like it was better for him to have his own place. If he wanted to spend half or more of his time there, Sam wasn’t going to stop him.

Independence was good, but it would be beneficial for him to be around a family again.

Rolen knew that Altey was Sam’s sister now, but he had been asked not to spread it around. It helped him understand why Sam had picked him and what sort of backing Altey had at the academy. 

It was a small risk if rumors got out, but based on his character, it wouldn’t be an issue. 

Rolen was already aware of the benefit of going unnoticed and he knew how much Sam had changed his life by giving him the scholarship. 

He would keep the secret until he died if necessary.

Having a backer also gave him the confidence he needed to try his best. He knew that someone would be there to make sure things were fair.

Sam watched as the two of them jumped slightly at the ping from their medallions and then they had a quick exchange before they separated from the other students and headed toward the dueling field. Some of the students they’d been talking to followed them, once they found out what was going on.

He gave everyone a wave as he headed there himself.

The dueling field was on a flat stone courtyard behind the main administration hall, easily visible from the windows in that building. It was crisscrossed with arenas of different types, but the structures could change at the whim of the user, turning into everything from old fashioned circles and fencing lanes to more elaborate aerial platforms, obstacle courses, or fortress walls.

When he arrived, a large crowd had already gathered. 

There were more than a hundred faculty members, a couple of whom were fighting on the field to settle some disagreement, and three times that of students who had gathered to see what their professors could do,  but people were only lightly paying attention to them. 

As soon as they saw him, a ripple went across the area as heads turned. He recognized some of them and he had records on the rest from the faculty medallion, so he spent a moment putting faces with names as he walked forward.

From the whispers Sam picked up, word had spread that something interesting would be happening today as the academy’s newest faculty member showed up. 

Most of them knew that he had been challenged by multiple professors. Now they were all intensely curious as they watched him arrive. They were obviously hoping that something dramatic would take place today.

He saw no reason to disappoint them. A smile tugged at his lips as he waved to the crowd. 

Instead of walking toward the viewing area, which was where he’d told Altey and Rolen to go, he headed straight down to the field. 

The faculty fighting each other on the dueling field quickly noticed the disturbance and separated. As he drew closer, people pointed him out, filling the area with whispers and exchanged bets.

“I hear there are a few duels today?” he asked, feeling amused as he stopped at the edge of the crowd. “It looks like I’m right on time.”

“Human!” Jasperi shouted as she stepped forward from where she’d been waiting on the side of the field. “It’s time to teach you how the academy works.”

She walked forward onto the end of the field opposite Sam, and the faculty already on the field abandoned it as they saw her there. Three Winged Furies he wasn’t familiar with, but who were some of the lesser known faculty, were behind her. He scanned their levels. 

Jasperi was the highest at level 465, while the other three ranged from 412 to 452. 

“Your emotional support, I assume?” he raised an eyebrow as he glanced at her and then them. “Do you always bring them to your duels or is today special?”

The rules clearly stated that duels were supposed to be one on one, so he was openly mocking her. He was already tired of her, so he didn’t even try to be polite.

“They are my seconds!” Jasperi snapped, her wings flaring to the sides as her expression turned red. “Not that trash like you would know anything about proper dueling etiquette!”

“Seconds are only allowed to observe from the sidelines,” Harsen called out from the edge of the field as he walked toward Sam’s side. He looked amused at Sam’s words. 

“They can only enter the field if someone tries to interfere with the duel or the combatants break a rule. Their help must be targeted specifically to eliminate that interference and no more. They are not allowed to fight on behalf of the primary duelist.”

“They weren’t going to fight for me!” Jasperi growled as she drew her wings back. She bared her teeth at Sam, showing him small fangs. “They are only here to make sure the human isn’t planning to cheat!”

“Get them off the field, Jasperi,” Harsen growled. “They don’t belong there.”

“It’s fine,” Sam said as he gave Jasperi an amused look. Then he glanced at her supporters. “We haven’t met, but I think they were the next three duels anyway. I’ll just deal with them all at once.”

“Your arrogance knows no limits, human!” Jasperi snapped at him. “I alone am enough to deal with you!”

“Enough nonsense,” Sam said, shaking his head. Then he raised his voice so the entire crowd could hear. “We have made a bet. When I win, Jasperi will work for me for a year and stop causing me trouble. That means doing her best to support everything I do.”

“When I win,” Jasperi hissed, her voice carrying as well, “he is forbidden from taking any private students. That scholarship student he stole a spot for will be thrown out of the academy. He doesn’t deserve it. The spot is forfeit. I’ll request the regents reissue the scholarship to where it belongs. It’s not too late yet.”

The crowd murmured, their expressions a mix between frowns and narrowed eyes as they looked between Sam and Jasperi. 

There was a wave of dissatisfaction at her words, but it was mixed. Some of them were unhappy that Sam had seized the scholarship, while others were indifferent. A few, like Harsen, just chuckled. 

Those were the most pragmatic of the bunch.

“The scholarships haven’t been fair for thousands of years,” Sam said, unbothered by the accusation. “You’d already stolen it and your people bribed you to give it to them. I corrected that and gave it to someone who deserved it more.”

His voice took on a warning tone as he looked out at the crowd.

“If anyone has an issue with that, you will take it up with me. Anyone who bothers my student will have the same fate as Jasperi. Watch and learn why my new Artificing and Enchanting class has taken over the old training hall.”

The words made the crowd stir again. This time, more were unhappy since he’d threatened them, but the number of approving looks also increased. The lines were being drawn and fewer were sitting on the fence.

“There’s no point in talking any more,” Sam said as he looked at Jasperi, his patience disappearing. “Nor are you worth more of my time. Let’s begin.”

“Step back!” Jasperi snapped at her three followers, who withdrew to the sidelines. As soon as they were gone, she turned back to him, her hands on the daggers at her waist.

“The duel begins!” she agreed.

With that, a chime sounded from the field as the enchantments recognized that both parties were willing. There was no elaborate set up for this duel, just plain stone beneath their feet.

Jasperi launched herself forward, surrounded by a blaze of red and white flames. Her wings shot out to the sides, but they had a narrow angle like a diving hawk. Her daggers led the way, glowing with the same flames.

Sam could have slapped her out of the air and ended it there, but he was here to show off artificing, so he simply disappeared in a flicker of silver flames. He reappeared on the far side of the field and raised his hand.

A silver gate formed in the air above him. It was fifty feet tall and a hundred feet wide, towering over the field below like a gate to another world.

Shining silver streaks shot out of the gate, appearing in the air like beams of starlight. Gasps of surprise came from the crowd as they saw them, but the forms were moving so quickly that it was hard to distinguish if they were meteors or something else.

There were ten of them in all.

Jasperi was on the other end of the field and eight of the silver streaks headed straight toward her. The other two slammed into the ground near Sam, bracketing him like guards.

As those two forms stabilized, the towering forms of two defensive golems became visible. They were twelve feet tall with shoulders that were half that wide, and they were fashioned out of gleaming silver metal and ice. Runes burned along the surface of their engraved armor, glowing like ethereal flames,

In one hand, they held a massive silver shield, while in the other, they had a long halberd. 

A translucent silver field spread out from them and covered the area around Sam. It was a mix of dimensional lock and a defensive barrier. Silver stars burned in its depth as his Blessing of Silver Stars augmented it, enhancing its strength by a dozen times.

Astral Defense Golems. Designation: Shield Wall. Level 525.

Sam tweaked their Analyze information before anyone could see it, hiding the direct reference to him as a Titan, which was normally part of the description of their creator, but he left the rest.

If he were at his full height, these golems would have looked like ants next to him, but since he was pretending to be a human professor, they were nearly twice his height. He was only seven feet tall and looked like he was standing between two giants. 

This was one of the golems’ most compact forms. They were thirty feet tall in their standard presentation.

Across the field, the other eight streaks of light resolved into the shape of ferocious silver eagles. 

Like the defensive golems, they were forged from astral ice and metal, but each feather was individually distinct, overlapping like plates of armor. Runes burned on every feather, dozens of them so small they looked like leaping flames together, and looped in intricate paths across their chest and beaks. 

Their eyes blazed with a brilliant silver flame as they shot toward Jasperi. 

Astral Assault Golems. Designation: Silver Eagles. Level 525. 

Each of them was twelve feet across, half of their real size, but in this confined area they looked enormous. He had to make them slow down so the crowd could see what happened, since the dueling field was far from large enough for them to really display their speed. 

By the time Jasperi realized Sam was gone and tried to turn around, the eagles were already there. 

Silver rays of light flared out from their wings, distorting the space around her to prevent her from teleporting away. Then blades of astral light rose up from the edge of their wings and sliced toward her.

It was a storm of power as sixteen blades flew across the space, each of them twenty feet across. They overlapped from different angles, leaving gaps less than a foot wide.

Jasperi barely turned around in time to see them arrive and before she could even try to escape, the space around her was locked down.

All she could do was defend as the blades closed in. 

She had some courage and her red and white aura intensified. She twisted her body, trying to find the smallest gap between the astral blades as she struck at the ones she couldn’t dodge, but as her daggers met the light, they shuddered in her hands, humming with a high-pitched wail as the metal screamed.

The daggers flared, their enchantments protesting as the blades struck them, but the astral blades sliced straight through them in an explosion of power. The backlash struck Jasperi, making her face twist in pain, but she had no chance to evade.

Just as the blades were half an inch from her and were about to slice her into pieces, Sam snapped his fingers. The sound rang out across the field like a crystal gong.

The astral blades dissolved into starlight as their energy disappeared into his domain. He had complete control over his own energy within it, including his golems. 

The eagles shot past Jasperi’s head, moving so swiftly they were barely visible. The wind of their passing battered her, sending her rolling across the ground until the last assault golem swooped down, its claws opening wide.

It seized her in its talons and turned, its wings cutting a tight arc as it shot back toward Sam.

Then it opened them again, throwing Jasperi to the ground.

The two shield golems stepped forward, their halberds slicing down in a giant cross as they slammed into the ground on either side of her, leaving her frozen at Sam’s feet.

The field was silent as the spectators stood frozen, their breaths locked within their chests.

Except for the single teleport and then snapping his fingers, Sam hadn’t even moved during the fight.

The eagles arced through the air as they turned and headed back his way, and then they landed on the field, folding their wings around them as they became still. They looked like glowing silver statues. Runes still burned across their feathers, part of the radiance of the astral cores that were hidden in the center of their chests.

Sam didn’t bother looking down at Jasperi. He could see her clearly in his domain and she wasn’t going anywhere. Instead he looked out at the crowd.

As he raised his hand, they flinched. It was like a wave receding as they pulled back from the field.  But he only snapped his fingers again.

Up to now, he’d hid his fake status, but now it became visible to everyone with the ability to see.

Sam Hastern. Human. Level 577. High Artificer of the Elements-Lord of Silver Stars.

He silently added another line, one that appeared an instant later.

Head of Artificing and Enchanting. Archaios Academy.

He looked at the crowd calmly. His voice was quiet, but it rang across the silent field like a hammer striking an anvil.

“Next.”