Awakening #4

Arthur steps back once, dodging a right hook with a hair's width to spare. The older boy threw a punch his way without warning, and he reacted accordingly.

"You! dare dodge me!?"

"Only an idiot would sit still and take an obvious swing." Arthur retorted, gripping the loaded Kruger rifle. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"Liam Stone!" The older boy yelled. "I don't take disrespect from proles like you!"

"Proles? what kind of unknown derogatory slang is that?" Arthur raised a curious eyebrow. "Now that's just hurtful, you wound me~" he sneers.

"Bastard!" Liam growled, charging his other hand for a left hook.

Arthur stepped back another step, narrowly dodging his strike again. Liam dashed forward, putting his hands together like a club, and swinging it downward with a lot of strength.

Swish!

Arthur's hair swayed with the force created by the attack. "Whoa~ that was close."

"Do you seriously think you can just run away!?" 

"Ugh, he's so damn persistent," Arthur said as stopped dashing backward, and leaned forward; crouching down low and dodging by swaying side to side, unmoving. 

"How is he dodging me?! Without moving at that!?" Liam seethed, his veins protruding from his forehead. "He's toying with me!!"

"You brought this on yourself!" 

Arthur flinched at the magic power gathering violently around Liam. "M-Magic?! this guy is crazy!"

Liam stood still on his spot, his legs tense, the muscles bulging from the contraction of his abdominal muscles. "Stone Family's Magic Art: [ Stonewall ]!!"

"Shit..." Arthur cursed, dashing backward even further into the firing field. "Magic Arts, huh?"

Magic is an intangible force of nature, every being is capable of using it; however, the application of magic would entirely be up to the user. Magic cast outside the body is a Spell, magic used internally is a Skill, and physical techniques are called arts-- however, another category exists, which lies in between an art and a spell, the Magic Art.

Liam's skin turned grew like dust and rock, and it turned rigid and calloused. He grinned savagely as he marched towards Arthur, his feet dragging sand as he entered the sandy perimeter

"Magic Arts-- what a pain." Arthur sighed. "A magic art that casts a defensive layer of the earth around the body of the caster."

"Are you scared?! You should be! Nothing you do will be able to hurt me!" Liam roared proudly, pounding his chest with his rock-textured arms.

"Perhaps he's right. As I am right now, I can't fight him head-on without revealing my skills." Arthur bit his inner cheek in frustration. "Status."

[ Arthur Haile / Level 2 / 1st-Circle Magic Warrior / Fire and Earth Specialist ]

[ Strength: 18 ]

[ Agility: 18 ]

[ Vitality: 18 ]

[ Defense; 18 ]

[ Magic: 18 ]

"Well, not much has changed since the last time I checked. Well, I'm screwed..."

Arthur weighed his options after taking in his surroundings. "This... is not ideal," he said. "I'm cornered with my back behind the wall. His friends are blocking my exit and a crowd has started to form... is fighting my only option?

[ Quest Objective Available! ]

"A quest?!" Arthur gasped. "I can receive quests?! Quest Objectives, or specific requirements, are needed for the player to move on to the next episodes. However, in the game, each level had a time limit --about two hours or so, for realism-- and at the end of the level, rewards are administered based on your performance."

Arthur looked back, remembering a few key word-phrases. "View [ Quest Objectives ]"

[ Quest: Win against Liam Stone's assault. ] 

[ Clear Condition: Defeat Liam Stone by means necessary ]

[ Clear Condition Rewards: Unlock the Fame stat, +1 Fame, +50 level Exp ]

[ Sub-Clear condition: Survive until the guards arrive ]

[ Sub-Clear Condition Penalty: Unlock the Fame stat, -1 fame, -50 level Exp ] 

"The penalties for not clearing a mission were harsh-- I completely forgot about those." Arthur grinned, throwing away the rifle, the only visible solution to his problem. "But the rewards are too good to pass up."

Liam was confused by this, only for a conclusion to arrive in his mind. "Are you perhaps surrendering!? That's no use! I'll never let you off the hook!"

Arthur straightened his posture and fixed his face, which held a very feral, greedy grin. "The rewards outweigh the risks! And don't forget about the grading system!"

The grading system, or the extra rewards system. At the end of each level, your performance will be graded based on your performance and a plethora of other factors. If your grade is exemplary, then the rewards will be too.

Liam watched as Arthur reached into his pocket to take out a cigarette tin. "He's going to fight me? How naive. I'm a second-year! He's nothing but a greenhorn!"

Putting the cigarette in between his lips, Arthur snapped his fingers, summoning a small flame in his right palm, about the size of a baseball.

Snap!

"I can summon a small flame now. It used to be a small spark-- I guess this means I really got stronger." 

Liam slammed his fists together. "You prepare yourself! I'm going to kill you!"

"An empty threat, how boorish."  Arthur grinned, pouring more magic into the flame, greatly increasing its intensity and height. "Aside from lighting a fire or condensing magic power into a small explosion-- I haven't learned any spells, so why not give it a go?"

The tall scarlet flame started to flicker in his palm.

"What is he trying to do?" Liam pondered, clenching his fists. 

Arthur slowly exhaled a long puff of smoke as he clenched his fist close, visibly smothering the flame. He extended his fist outward and closed his eyes.

"Visualise a magic circle..."

He opened his palm, and in the middle of it, was a magic circle the size of a small plate. Liam staggered, immediately halting. 

"A spell?!"

A small updraft started to form below his feet, making his hair sway slightly upwards, and Arthur opened his eyes. 

The circle dissipated, and in return, a small orb of concentrated fire burned in its place. The older boy couldn't help but grin to himself.

"That's the difference between half-baked knowledge and true experience!" Liam huffed, resuing his advance. "I knew something was different with that magic circle, it was lacking a few key aspects. The chant was missing too."

Arthur observed the burning orb with pride in his handiwork. "Not bad," he said, turning his attention from it to Liam Stone. "This is one of the two spells that I know so far, it's just a basic [ Fire Light ] spell, but it'll do."

"Are you really planning to beat me with a useless, non-combat spell?"

Arthur scoffed at his fruitless efforts in trying to irritate him. "A hammer can't chop down a tree, but it can topple the tree if You hit it hard enough." He said, grabbing hold of the floating orb.

Arthur assumed a pitcher's stance, turning his body sidewards, with his pointing toward the side and his arms apart at his sides. In his palm was the floating orb, being crushed and condensed into the size of a baseball.

The unstable flames settled and burned while flowing count-clockwise, like a whirlpool, concentrating its power inward instead of outward. Placing Arthur's middle finger along where the bottom seam of the baseball would be, he positioned his thumb on the back seam.

"You better grit your teeth!"

Lifting left his knee, Arthur leaned forward while charging his right arm back. His foot slammed on the sandy floor, kicking up dust. His right arm catapulted, throwing the ball with incredible speed.

"He threw it!?" Liam gasped, bringing up his arms to protect his head. 

The small orb soared in a straight line, capturing the crowd's attention by leaving a faint stream of light. 

"Whoa! so fast!" 

But any other thought was interrupted by the loud explosion.

BOOM!

The crowd held their breath at the result since the large explosion kicked up a large amount of sand in every direction. Arthur stood straight, taking a puff out of his cigarette, patiently waiting for the dust to settle. When it did, however, many gasped even louder.

The cloud dissipated, revealing Liam wounded on his right leg. His right thigh's defense was breached, destroying the earthen layer, and visibly scorching the skin underneath.

"I- It curved!?" He thought, his thigh ringing with pain. "I know what I saw... it went straight, then it curved downward, aiming for my leg."

Arthur watched his injured leg trickle with blood. "I thought I had enough power to blow his leg out of commission-- his defensive capabilities are nothing to laugh at. That was my most destructive attack, yet he's still standing."

"You have my respect, Liam Stone, was it?" he asked.

Liam frowned. "S-Shut up."

Arthur shrugged, shaking his shoulders. "I guess it's not all bad, I breached his defenses with that attack. I guess I should finish this."

Arthur just watched him, not saying a word, his cigarette in his hand. With a smirk on his face, he just motioned with the lit cigarette. The lit vice was held in between his index and middle finger, and his fingers curled back repeatedly in a taunt.

Arthur watched the older boy collect himself, unmoving from his spot. "I guess he won't retaliate and is going to wait for an opening. Smart move, but not smart enough."

Arthur aimed the cigarette like a want, pointing it at Liam's broken leg. "Time's up."

"[ Stone Bullet ] [ Fire Light ]"