The Ruby Magician

Wyn sat in the stands along with his team. The first trial for the guild tryouts, the melee tournament, was about to begin, and they wanted to find a group of seats where they could all watch clearly. The stands themselves were fairly simple - four wooden rows of increasing height were placed against each of the three walls of the training hall, providing ample room and opportunity for spectating. It was a simple but effective structure, commonly seen in jousting tournaments and festivals where entertainment warranted large crowds.

But Wyn’s mind couldn’t be any further from wanting to be entertained.

After Lucy told him about his family, a mixture of emotions surged through Wyn as though Cedric hit him with lightning. A strangely deep sense of relief that his father was dead overcame him, but so did fear. Fear about his sister being missing. Fear that the Assembly would come for his sister and her life would now be in danger. Anger was also ever present, and Wyn had trouble suppressing it. He was angry that Arabelle was alone and very likely afraid. He was angry that he hadn’t heard from her, and then that anger was directed at the Assembly and all the pieces of shit who worked for them.

Lucy. She said they needed to talk, but Wyn ignored her and moved on. No matter what she said, she was a part of them, a part of the enemy. An enemy that couldn’t be beaten down and killed like Lionel. An enemy that had reach in all corners of the country and potentially beyond.

Wyn took a deep breath to try and settle his mind. His friends surrounded him in the stands, and they gave him comfort. He immediately told them about what Lucy said and they offered words of encouragement and support. Marcy even offered to leave the city and hunt down Arabelle, to which Wyn was grateful. Lucy had said Arabelle was missing but she carried a letter from her that she wanted to personally hand to Wyn. She said that his sister tried to get a courier to send it to him but it was intercepted instead. She mentioned something about risking her own neck in order to show some good will to him by giving him the letter herself.

Wyn snatched it out of her hand and ignored her from then on. She quickly got the message and left him in peace.

He sat in the stands now, holding Arabelle’s letter while ignoring the people who were finishing setting up the combat arena. He had already read it once, but he could hardly believe what she told him. The letter was obviously from her, too, as her handwriting was unique and word choices specific, so at least he knew it wasn’t faked.

She explained that she was coming to Alestead. For him.

She also wrote that she had a specific plan to make it to the city and that he shouldn’t worry. He just laughed at that. How could he not worry? But when she mentioned she had saved up enough coins to ensure her travel was secure, he realized she was serious. And his sister was nearly as stubborn as he was. If she said she’d come to the city, she’d come. It would be an exhausting effort to try and find her, and he had to trust she found her way to him. If she didn’t show or write to him in the next week or so, well… he’d abandon everything and look for her. There wouldn’t be any family left to save at that point, anyway. And if it was caused by the Assembly, he’d tear them apart.

But, Wyn decided to be hopeful for his sister. All in all, it was an exciting thought that he could finally be with her for an extended period of time. If he was being honest with himself, he was thankful his deadbeat father was gone, too. He was an unfortunate burden and brought more detriment to their family than help. The only thing Wyn wished he could have changed was the decision to bring Arabelle with him to Alestead when he first came. The city wasn’t as bad as he thought, and there were more opportunities for work and a life than they had on their farm.

Leaving her alone with him for so long. First while at war, and again to climb. It was a mistake he hoped she’d be able to forgive.

John nudged his arm and Wyn blinked his thoughts away. “You okay?” John asked.

Wyn sighed. “I think I will be. I’m just… wrapping my head around the news is all.”

Tasha, sitting on the other side of John, leaned forward and patted Wyn’s leg. “We’re here for you. And if you don’t hear anything soon, we’ll go look for her. All of us.”

Marcy and Cedric, sitting in front of them, both turned around and offered similar gestures of encouragement. Wyn felt incredibly secure with his friends, and was thankful for them more than ever.

The crowd around them suddenly started clapping and Wyn looked up to see the current two matches had ended. Four more Climbers started walking to the makeshift stage to start the next bouts. Wyn looked around but couldn’t tell how long he was stuck in his own thoughts.

The arena for the combat tournament was simple. Two areas were made for two different matches at the same time, which Sonya had mentioned was so they could get through the trials quicker. The stage was basically just the training hall floor squared off for the combatants to have clear boundaries. The setup was that the first tier Climbers fought first, each taking one section of the arena to have their spar. Going two fights at a time helped keep the pace going smoothly. The second tier participants fought next, though they were just one match at a time. John’s theory was that it was so no guild recruiter would miss those fights, as they were better candidates for guilds than first tier Climbers.

Currently, the last two matches were about to begin before the first match of the second tier group. Which was, of course, Wyn’s trial.

The fighting group closest to their seats was between two women, a Rogue and a Fighter. The Fighter had a sword and shield like John, and the Rogue wielded a single short sword. Wyn immediately knew that Climber was going to lose. Even if that was all she fought with and was comfortable using in Alistair, she’d lose to a weapon with superior reach and a shield to block her attacks. It didn’t matter much if she was faster or had better endurance, either - if the Fighter was at least halfway decent at her equipment selection, she’d win.

For the spars, everyone had their choice of equipment to use. They could either wield a primary and secondary weapon, or a weapon and shield. Weapon racks lined the stage around them, covered in wooden training pieces. It was a traditional spar and one Wyn was familiar with.

As the match started, Wyn excused himself to get ready for his upcoming fight. Marcy and Cedric stepped away with him.

“Are you two coming to coach me?” Wyn joked as they exited the stands.

Marcy patted him on the shoulder. “I have a feeling you’ll be just fine. We came down to talk to Faye.” She pointed over to the Druid, who was seated with the rest of her own group behind the judges. She waved at them excitedly, then gestured for them to join her.

As Cedric and Marcy walked over to see their friend, Wyn returned to the match. The Fighter already scored two points over the Rogue, and one more point would net her the win. It was a simple scoring system of the first combatant to reach three points out of five won the match. Scoring a point involved a solid hit, not a glancing blow. The later rounds would probably be more in depth, but this was an easy scoring system to keep the fights moving.

To his expectation, the Fighter won the next round and the match was over. As the other sparring fight was nearing its end, Wyn felt nerves rise inside of him. He didn’t mind the spar itself, but didn’t enjoy such an audience. It was a strange feeling knowing everyone in the room was watching you, and he took some deep breaths to help calm down. He mentally told himself that it was going to be just like any other spar.

Sonya walked over to the middle of the stage and raised her arms high up into the air like before. “There’s the first round of our first tier Climbers! Please, everyone, give them a round of applause for a great performance!”

The crowd clapped and cheered for the Climbers but stopped after only a few seconds. Sonya picked up on the lackluster response. “Now we have the trials for our second tier combatants!” The crowd celebrated again, even louder than before. “Up first is Ergol, Rogue upgraded to Duelist!”

The noise picked up, with a few yells of support and cheering. Ergol walked over to the weapons rack and started to grab and test a few of the wooden pieces, deliberately stalling his choice.

Wyn stood at the edge of the stage as his heart rate immediately spiked. This was it. His class would be announced to everyone present, and they’d all be watching him compete. He felt confident in his abilities to spar, but how many seasons of experience did the other Climbers have?

He took a deep breath. It didn’t matter how experienced they were. He had several years of military training under his belt. And he’d show them his skills.

“And competing against Ergol,” Sonya continued, “is Ardwyn…” She paused, checking the small piece of paper she held closer. The effect was dramatic as the crowed hushed. “Ardwyn, Ruby Magician upgraded to… Ruby Strategist!” She quickly picked up her enthusiasm, though her voice wavered when announcing his upgraded class.

The crowd was strangely quiet except for a few claps and cheers. As Wyn grabbed a wooden spear he peeked into the crowd and saw John and Tasha were the only two who supported him. People sitting around the pair looked at them strangely, though only Tasha grew anxious and stopped. John kept right on cheering.

Wyn walked into the simple arena opposite Ergol, who watched him with furrowed brows. He held a short sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. It was a poor match up for Wyn’s spear, and he quickly devised a plan. From what he remembered around Rogues, they favored speed and agility, and it was a safe bet that a Duelist had the same build. If Wyn could keep him at a good distance, Ergol would never be able to get close enough to land a hit.

“A Red Mage?” Ergol asked with a smirk, twirling his wooden sword. “You can’t be serious.” Some of the people in the audience laughed.

Wyn tightened the grip on his spear and took a readied stance. “Serious enough to advance to the second tier.”

Ergol’s smirk vanished as he crouched low.

“Combatants ready?” Sonya asked.

Both Ergol and Wyn nodded.

“The first person to land three hits will be our winner, and you will reset your positions when I call a successful hit. So without further delay… begin!”

Ergol slowly inched forward, and Wyn took that hesitation to advance. He closed the twenty foot distance quickly, and based on Ergol’s surprised expression, the Duelist wasn’t anticipating him to move so suddenly. Wyn promptly lunged with his spear aiming for the man’s right chest.

To his credit, Errol dodged to the other side and tried to sidestep into Wyn for a counterattack. Wyn, however, anticipated the dodge and swept his spear hard behind Errol’s knee. Not expecting the move, Ergol lost his footing, and Wyn capitalized with two quick stabs into his torso. They weren’t hard hits, but he didn’t fully hold back, either.

“Hit!” Sonya yelled, raising a hand into the air.

Ergol looked like he had just been slapped in the face. Wyn quietly moved back to his section of the arena, subtly looking around at the crowd. No one was celebrating his point, and everyone either seemed to be sitting in stunned silence or whispering to their neighbor.

Readying himself for the second round, Wyn focused only on his opponent. Ergol was bouncing on the balls of his feet now, and Wyn knew he was going to rush him the moment Sonya called the round to begin.

As expected, Ergol rushed forward at the start though had to leap to the side to avoid a quick jab of Wyn’s spear. Trying to keep the Duelist at a distance and moving, Wyn kept attacking rapidly, and Ergol was forced on the defensive. He backpedaled while dodging when he could or parrying with one of his weapons. Wyn knew he would win this round, too - the man wasn’t repositioning himself well in the arena, and just reacted instead of trying to think ahead. Wyn was forcing him into the corner so he couldn’t dodge anymore, which was when he would be able to land a hit.

Fighting someone required removing their advantages. If his opponent was fast and nimble, like Ergol, Wyn’s strategy usually involved restricting their movements and limiting their chances to reposition.

Once Ergol realized he was in the corner, it was too late. He couldn’t parry all of Wyn’s strikes, and one eventually landed on his shoulder.

“Hit!” Sonya yelled again.

While the crowd murmured louder this time, Ergol growled in frustration. “How in the hells is this happening!”

Ignoring him, Wyn simply walked back to his corner. Only one more point was all that stood between him and moving on to the next round. He took a deep breath and positioned himself to start the next round.

Ergol was silently muttering to himself, pacing in a small area on his side of the arena. He kept twirling his weapons like he was out for blood.

Wyn sighed. If the man was angry, he was guaranteed to lose. Cooler heads always prevailed. It was a wonder he didn’t realize the vast disadvantage a sword had against a spear, and a short sword, at that.

Sonya called the start of the next round, and Ergol nearly launched himself at Wyn. He patiently waited for the Duelist to come to him. So far, Wyn noticed that Ergol favored attacks with his short sword, and preferred to use his dagger to parry or try for sneakier hits. Most of his strikes involved stabs to try for a longer reach to combat the disadvantage of a shorter weapon against a spear. He assumed the man was going to try and rush for a quick stab of his longer weapon, which meant he would lead with his right hand while needing to push off with his left foot for more power, speed, and length to extend his right arm.

Wyn decided to take a chance. Which he was fine with, considering he had points to spare.

As Ergol closed the distance, Wyn didn’t move. He carefully positioned his body to move at the exact time needed, and when Ergol came close, he struck out with his short sword. Unfortunately for the Duelist, he also had a bad habit of keeping his body open to attacks, as his fighting strategy involved dodging or parrying, not blocking or protecting. Taking advantage of that, Wyn decided to try and score a hit in one move. He promptly lunged to the opposite side while stabbing out towards Ergol, instantly catching him in the ribs.

Ergol flinched and threw both of his weapons down in anger. Wyn simply gave a small bow of respect after standing up. The crowd was completely silent except for a few stray claps and cheers. This time Wyn nodded to them, thanking his four teammates for their support. They were the only ones who congratulated him.

Hopefully that would change as the trials continued. Wyn had a new, personal goal - he’d change the opinions of the other Climbers and show them that a Ruby Magician was a worthy class.

*****

“You’re leader is pretty good, you know,” Faye said, popping a grape into her mouth. She lounged on a wide bench where the guild members sat. It was placed so they could all watch their potential future guild mates, and was nearly as full as the rest of the rowed seats in the training hall.

“We know,” Cedric said. “He wouldn’t be our leader if he wasn’t good. He’s proven himself time and time again.”

“True, but Ergol was also just that bad,” Marcy said. “No offense to Wyn, but he was telegraphing his attacks right from the start. He might be decent in the tower as a Duelist, but he looks like a one-trick pony. And he should’ve changed weapons immediately after seeing Wyn picked a spear.”

“I’d say a bit of both,” Faye said. “But I’m honestly shocked you two are even here! Didn’t you say at one point you wanted nothing to do with a guild?”

Cedric shrugged, though the effect was diminished with only one arm. “That was before this group. Wyn did save my life, and they stuck around even after I lost my arm. John wanted to try out so bad I couldn’t so no. Though I’m not really as invested as he is.”

“I’m still not entirely convinced, myself,” Marcy said. “I think it’s good practice, but I’m not as wild as the others about joining. Though you know that, Faye.”

Faye sighed. “Even after all of my attempts to convince you you’re still as stubborn as an ass. Yea, I got it.” She popped another grape in her mouth, winking at Marcy.

Marcy blushed, but quickly shook it off. “I know we aren’t supposed to be here, but we actually had a question that couldn’t wait. Has anyone in your guild come across a tier three living monster component? Something special, like moldable metal or a shape changing material?”

Faye paused before biting the grape she held in her hand. “That’s a very specific question. But yes, actually.”

Cedric immediately whipped his head around. “What is it? Is it hard to find? How many pieces have you been able to secure?”

“Woah, woah, woah. That’s a lot more questions! If you must know, it’s called Nimbus Smoke. I personally found one, but it was a rare drop. Not sure if anyone else in the guild found one, either.”

Cedric looked back to Marcy, hope in his eyes. She returned his look with a broad smile.

“Okay, now I have questions,” Faye said.

Cedric and Marcy quickly filled the Druid in on their meeting with Cara. She nodded slowly, following along. The crowd cheered and clapped along to the next round of sparring, and Faye was eventually informed of Cedric’s plan.

“So you want to try and reform an arm using these components,” Faye said. “That makes sense. I’d love to help, though I only have one component. And they’re worth a lot, so I’d have to get it cleared to sell. I doubt Gregory would accept me giving it away or even selling it a large discount.”

“How much are they worth?” Marcy asked.

Faye tilted her head side to side. “I believe our last estimate was around 2000 crowns each?”

Cedric spit out his drink all over his robe.

“A monster drop?” Marcy asked. “Worth that much?”

Faye shrugged. “It’s an incredibly valuable purple rarity item. So, yea, they’re worth a lot! It was from last season, though. No one’s been able to securely climb into the third tier. The second tier has been ridiculously challenging, even for us. But I might be able to ask around for two more in the coming weeks.”

Cedric slowly nodded. “If you could hold them, I’d come up with 6000 crowns. Maybe not this month, but soon.” Cedric shook his head and blinked rapidly. “What am I saying? I don’t care how expensive that is. I’ll sell my equipment if it means getting an arm again!”

“Don’t forget Cara’s extra costs, too,” Marcy said. “The rest of us will help however we can. I know Wyn would try to work it out, too.”

Cedric nodded in thanks, and Faye nudged them both. “Hey, now, I’m your friend, too. Just because I’m not in your group doesn’t mean I can’t help! In fact, I might have an idea.”

“Which is?” Marcy asked.

Faye’s smile turned wicked as she used a grape to point to each of them. “If you both promise to put as much effort into these trials as the rest of your group, I’ll convince Gregory to push the guild towards finding the materials you need and sell them to you at a reasonable price. The Twilight Blades have been looking for a new group, and I’d love it if you’d be the one to join! But only if you really try. There’s some good competition here.”

Cedric stood up from his seat. “Are you serious? All it will take is us trying harder?”

Faye popped the grape into her mouth and wordlessly nodded.

Cedric looked over at Marcy, who just kept staring at Faye. He smiled, and knew that Faye that hooked both of them. For Cedric, he had hope of a very possible means of obtaining a new arm. For Marcy, hers was a bit less difficult though equally as complicated. Being a part of the Twilight Blades meant seeing and being around Faye more. And Cedric knew his best friend desperately wanted that to happen.

Bowing to Faye, Cedric pulled Marcy from their seats and moved to leave. The trials had already started, but Cedric needed to plan.