Chapter 433: Watchful Eyes
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 433: Watchful Eyes
Watchful Eyes
Malday morning, Moira appeared in the gymnasium alongside her students. This was a new development; previously, she had only been present during afternoons when the fire acolytes practised together with the mageknights.
She brought four staves with her, all of them adorned by a ruby, and Martel understood the reason for her appearance. Usually, they practised ordinary staff fighting during this lesson, using no magic other than empowerment. Now, it was time to combine it with using the magical staves for channelling their spells.
Curiously, Reynard was not present at all. It seemed he was happy to leave Moira in charge for this lesson. Martel was unsure if he preferred this; as much as he loathed the Master of War, at least he left the acolytes alone as long as they put up a token effort during the bell.
"Pair up. Edward, you're with Harriet." Moira distributed the weapons and Martel took position opposite William. "Closer. Couple of paces apart," their teacher instructed them. All of the students took a step forward, approaching their respective opponent. "Alright. You're within striking distance of each other. Up to you whether you use the staff for physical attacks or spellcasting. What matters is that you continue until your opponent is on the ground and disarmed. First one to lose gets detention tomorrow night."
A few groans could be heard, even if the threat was expected. Martel did not feel worried; he outclassed his fellow students whether in fire magic or empowerment. In an even fight, one against one, he should win, as long as he kept his wits about him. Even if William was a decent hand with empowerment magic; he might have made a good mageknight had circumstances been different.
"What are you waiting for? Fight!"N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
The students obeyed the command. It seemed that William figured he stood a better chance against Martel when pitting physical magic rather than fire; he quickly lashed out, using his staff as a blunt weapon.
Fortunately, the fighting pit of The Broken Crown had prepared Martel better than the Lyceum trained its fire acolytes. He did not even need his shield to block any attacks, using simple parries instead. He could look for an opening to strike back, but he wanted to seize the opportunity to try something new.
Magic rushed from his hands through the silver lines laid into the haft, reaching the ruby. A blast of fire shot out from the top of the staff. At this close range, Martel could not miss, and his fire bolt struck William in the chest.
The acolyte stumbled backwards, swinging his staff as a desperate defence to hold Martel at bay. It might have worked if he intended a physical attack, but instead, he channelled another spell. With enough force, it might end the duel.
***
The Golden Goose was busy every evening; the arrival of the acting troupe had made this a certainty. It was impossible to find a table near the stage unless you arrived well in advance of any performance. Martel and his friends had seen tonight's play, however, and they accepted seats further away, content with drink and discussions of today's class.
"I still feel it is unfair for you to use air magic," Maximilian complained. "You are a fire acolyte! Nobody told me to expect such underhanded methods."
"The issue was not Martel's hand, but your leg," Eleanor reminded him with a serene smile.
"How would you know? You were not present," the other mageknight growled.
"Once I saw the two of you pair up, I made sure to watch," she replied. "I suspected it would be worth my attention."
Martel raised his tankard and pushed it against hers in acknowledgement of the remark. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he felt somebody watching him; as he turned his head, he did not see anything, however.
Suspicion welled up in him, though he stayed calm. They had a good table against the wall, leaving Martel's back protected. And he sat in the company of two other wizards; it would be an act of madness to try anything.
"Martel? Something amiss?"
He turned his attention back to his friends to find Eleanor's brown eyes looking at him. "Not at all. Just wondering when they'll put on a new performance." He nodded towards the stage in the other end of the big common room.
"Next fiveday. I already asked," she told him with a smile. "I had a feeling you would be keen to know."
Martel reciprocated her expression, pushing away thoughts of spying eyes in the crowd. Plenty of people who had an interest in him, half the Nine Lords among them. Let them watch if they wanted; he would not let it spoil his evening. He raised his mug again. "Cheers to that."
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 433: Watchful Eyes
Watchful Eyes
Malday morning, Moira appeared in the gymnasium alongside her students. This was a new development; previously, she had only been present during afternoons when the fire acolytes practised together with the mageknights.
She brought four staves with her, all of them adorned by a ruby, and Martel understood the reason for her appearance. Usually, they practised ordinary staff fighting during this lesson, using no magic other than empowerment. Now, it was time to combine it with using the magical staves for channelling their spells.
Curiously, Reynard was not present at all. It seemed he was happy to leave Moira in charge for this lesson. Martel was unsure if he preferred this; as much as he loathed the Master of War, at least he left the acolytes alone as long as they put up a token effort during the bell.
"Pair up. Edward, you're with Harriet." Moira distributed the weapons and Martel took position opposite William. "Closer. Couple of paces apart," their teacher instructed them. All of the students took a step forward, approaching their respective opponent. "Alright. You're within striking distance of each other. Up to you whether you use the staff for physical attacks or spellcasting. What matters is that you continue until your opponent is on the ground and disarmed. First one to lose gets detention tomorrow night."
A few groans could be heard, even if the threat was expected. Martel did not feel worried; he outclassed his fellow students whether in fire magic or empowerment. In an even fight, one against one, he should win, as long as he kept his wits about him. Even if William was a decent hand with empowerment magic; he might have made a good mageknight had circumstances been different.
"What are you waiting for? Fight!"N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
The students obeyed the command. It seemed that William figured he stood a better chance against Martel when pitting physical magic rather than fire; he quickly lashed out, using his staff as a blunt weapon.
Fortunately, the fighting pit of The Broken Crown had prepared Martel better than the Lyceum trained its fire acolytes. He did not even need his shield to block any attacks, using simple parries instead. He could look for an opening to strike back, but he wanted to seize the opportunity to try something new.
Magic rushed from his hands through the silver lines laid into the haft, reaching the ruby. A blast of fire shot out from the top of the staff. At this close range, Martel could not miss, and his fire bolt struck William in the chest.
The acolyte stumbled backwards, swinging his staff as a desperate defence to hold Martel at bay. It might have worked if he intended a physical attack, but instead, he channelled another spell. With enough force, it might end the duel.
***
The Golden Goose was busy every evening; the arrival of the acting troupe had made this a certainty. It was impossible to find a table near the stage unless you arrived well in advance of any performance. Martel and his friends had seen tonight's play, however, and they accepted seats further away, content with drink and discussions of today's class.
"I still feel it is unfair for you to use air magic," Maximilian complained. "You are a fire acolyte! Nobody told me to expect such underhanded methods."
"The issue was not Martel's hand, but your leg," Eleanor reminded him with a serene smile.
"How would you know? You were not present," the other mageknight growled.
"Once I saw the two of you pair up, I made sure to watch," she replied. "I suspected it would be worth my attention."
Martel raised his tankard and pushed it against hers in acknowledgement of the remark. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he felt somebody watching him; as he turned his head, he did not see anything, however.
Suspicion welled up in him, though he stayed calm. They had a good table against the wall, leaving Martel's back protected. And he sat in the company of two other wizards; it would be an act of madness to try anything.
"Martel? Something amiss?"
He turned his attention back to his friends to find Eleanor's brown eyes looking at him. "Not at all. Just wondering when they'll put on a new performance." He nodded towards the stage in the other end of the big common room.
"Next fiveday. I already asked," she told him with a smile. "I had a feeling you would be keen to know."
Martel reciprocated her expression, pushing away thoughts of spying eyes in the crowd. Plenty of people who had an interest in him, half the Nine Lords among them. Let them watch if they wanted; he would not let it spoil his evening. He raised his mug again. "Cheers to that."
Chapter 433: Watchful EyesWatchful EyesMalday morning, Moira appeared in the gymnasium alongside her students. This was a new development; previously, she had only been present during afternoons when the fire acolytes practised together with the mageknights.She brought four staves with her, all of them adorned by a ruby, and Martel understood the reason for her appearance. Usually, they practised ordinary staff fighting during this lesson, using no magic other than empowerment. Now, it was time to combine it with using the magical staves for channelling their spells.Curiously, Reynard was not present at all. It seemed he was happy to leave Moira in charge for this lesson. Martel was unsure if he preferred this; as much as he loathed the Master of War, at least he left the acolytes alone as long as they put up a token effort during the bell."Pair up. Edward, you're with Harriet." Moira distributed the weapons and Martel took position opposite William. "Closer. Couple of paces apart," their teacher instructed them. All of the students took a step forward, approaching their respective opponent. "Alright. You're within striking distance of each other. Up to you whether you use the staff for physical attacks or spellcasting. What matters is that you continue until your opponent is on the ground and disarmed. First one to lose gets detention tomorrow night."A few groans could be heard, even if the threat was expected. Martel did not feel worried; he outclassed his fellow students whether in fire magic or empowerment. In an even fight, one against one, he should win, as long as he kept his wits about him. Even if William was a decent hand with empowerment magic; he might have made a good mageknight had circumstances been different."What are you waiting for? Fight!"N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.The students obeyed the command. It seemed that William figured he stood a better chance against Martel when pitting physical magic rather than fire; he quickly lashed out, using his staff as a blunt weapon.Fortunately, the fighting pit of The Broken Crown had prepared Martel better than the Lyceum trained its fire acolytes. He did not even need his shield to block any attacks, using simple parries instead. He could look for an opening to strike back, but he wanted to seize the opportunity to try something new.Magic rushed from his hands through the silver lines laid into the haft, reaching the ruby. A blast of fire shot out from the top of the staff. At this close range, Martel could not miss, and his fire bolt struck William in the chest.The acolyte stumbled backwards, swinging his staff as a desperate defence to hold Martel at bay. It might have worked if he intended a physical attack, but instead, he channelled another spell. With enough force, it might end the duel.***The Golden Goose was busy every evening; the arrival of the acting troupe had made this a certainty. It was impossible to find a table near the stage unless you arrived well in advance of any performance. Martel and his friends had seen tonight's play, however, and they accepted seats further away, content with drink and discussions of today's class."I still feel it is unfair for you to use air magic," Maximilian complained. "You are a fire acolyte! Nobody told me to expect such underhanded methods.""The issue was not Martel's hand, but your leg," Eleanor reminded him with a serene smile."How would you know? You were not present," the other mageknight growled."Once I saw the two of you pair up, I made sure to watch," she replied. "I suspected it would be worth my attention."Martel raised his tankard and pushed it against hers in acknowledgement of the remark. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he felt somebody watching him; as he turned his head, he did not see anything, however.Suspicion welled up in him, though he stayed calm. They had a good table against the wall, leaving Martel's back protected. And he sat in the company of two other wizards; it would be an act of madness to try anything."Martel? Something amiss?"He turned his attention back to his friends to find Eleanor's brown eyes looking at him. "Not at all. Just wondering when they'll put on a new performance." He nodded towards the stage in the other end of the big common room."Next fiveday. I already asked," she told him with a smile. "I had a feeling you would be keen to know."Martel reciprocated her expression, pushing away thoughts of spying eyes in the crowd. Plenty of people who had an interest in him, half the Nine Lords among them. Let them watch if they wanted; he would not let it spoil his evening. He raised his mug again. "Cheers to that."
