The Inner Odyssey

Thunderous applause erupted all around the arena, the spectators satisfied with the intensity of the first bout. Hopefully the rest would follow suit, and keep their blood racing.

Alden watched as the two Guilds left the dueling space, the hum of magic lingering in the air after their exit. He didn't need to look down to know that the cracks which had run through the ground had now been fixed, courtesy of Mana Crystals as well as Zephyr Clan Elders reinforcing and repairing the structural integrity of the stadium.

Almost in an instant, any sign of previous damage was repaired.

Usually, there was a few minutes break between each round, designed to give spectators an opportunity to relieve themselves, or purchase some food while the next combatants got ready. Here in the private viewing chamber, though, Alden speculated that it was a chance for the important figures to either make conversation between themselves, or offer their thoughts on the match which had just transpired.

…For this match, they had chosen the latter.

"Pity they couldn't shed more blood."

One voice, smooth and legato, reverberated in the silence. It wasn't too loud, lest it annoy the others present, but it was set at the right volume so that everyone in the chamber heard.

Another voice, this one colder and more feminine, added:

"They should have seen that Rage Taunt coming, even if they had only been informed of the nature of their opponents last minute. The Rime Hounds have brought shame upon our Territory."

She made a sound that seemed like a combination of her clicking her tongue and a dissatisfied sigh. Alden turned his head, noticing she wore snowy-white robes with light-blue accents, and possessed features as sharp as a crystal - beautiful, but deadly if you weren't careful.

Her eyes seemed to absorb the light, shimmering with a frosty and magical hue.

She was… Elder Crystal.

A Master belonging to the Frost Clan, and an individual very aptly named in Alden's opinion.

Controlling the subtle twitch of his lips, the Keeper's Apprentice shifted his gaze towards the source of the first voice, appraising the gentleman dressed in fine livery, with the crest of a spinning vortex sown over where his heart should be. He had neatly-trimmed hair, and a clean shaven look with smooth, elegant contours.

He was the leader of the Galeheart family, a House known for their impressive control over wind and mastery of music to produce devastating sonar waves. Strangely, they were also a little bloodthirsty, believing that the act of shedding blood was the ultimate form of artistic expression, and an opportunity to communicate directly with the soul.

Alden found the notion extremely bizarre.

But, the others seemed completely fine with it - as if it wasn't the strangest thing they had ever heard. Shaking his head, the white-haired young man thought back to the clash between the Rage Knights and the Rime Hounds.

Although brief compared to some of the fights the Tournament had seen in previous year, it was still a clash between Experts. It made the blood in Alden's body boil, the desire to reach the next rank growing the more he saw.

In his opinion, the Rime Hounds had fought valiantly. Even after succumbing to the Rage Taunt - the only real mistake they had made during the clash - they still somehow managed to find a way to come back into the tie, and if not trouble, then frustrate their opponents.

It was a bit harsh for Elder Crystal to say the Rime Hounds had brought shame upon the Territory of Ice. Alden certainly could remember a few instances over the years where there had been more shameful displays. However, he supposed the frosty Elder only cared about the end result. Which was not something Alden could fault her for.

It was just another facet of this dreadful world they called home.

Resisting the urge to sigh, Alden recalled some of the finer details of the fight, concentrating to see if he could pick apart anything that might help him advance or hone his proficiency even further. Both sides showed great adaptability, and Alden felt that was something he needed to work on, even after the versatility he exhibited during his Paladin Exam.

His mind turned towards the wave of icy fire which the archer had unleashed at the end of the bout. It was a concept or notion that Alden had just recently discovered. It being that every person's mana had a different attribute.

More specifically, Alden's mana possessed the decay-type attribute. Now, this was something almost self-explanatory - after all, the manifestation of Alden's Magic Class in the form of a dark, roiling decay was a result of his mana.

That said, it wasn't that simple. At least, when it came to Skills.

As it turned out, Alden was not restricted to using the Skills belonging to a single Element. If that were the case, he would only be able to tap into Darkness related Skills, since his power was just a variant of that. However, with this, he could use any Skill, the only difference being that the Skill would gain entropic properties.

In other words, if Alden wished to use a simple [Flame Wave], the fire would become abyssal in nature, as opposed to a regular flame, just like it had done back in the Paladin Exam. The same applied for the archer when they unleashed that stream of icy fire from their lance - although, their Magic Class could be one which allowed them to control and summon such frigid flames.

Still, the principle applied.

After making that discovery during one of his meditation sessions, Alden had asked why Alistair had not told him, or why [Apprentice]'s - most of them, at least - did not know about this. His answer had been quite straightforward.

The Expert Mage revealed attribute-type mana only started to become important once one reached the [Adept] rank, and that it was better for one to discover it naturally, rather than be told.

Alden released a turbid breath.

Suddenly, he felt more than a score of gazes converge on him.

"What do you think, esteemed Prince…?"