We made our way outside, Liandra seeming a lot more at ease as we entered what was essentially a giant backyard. From the front, you would have never noticed that this was back here. As I looked around, I noticed at least a dozen others back here doing exactly what we came here to do.
To the right was a little fenced in dueling circle where two men were currently training with one another using wooden swords. Both men still had various cuts, scrapes, and bruises on their bodies, which told me they were definitely serious about improving. They had a crowd of at least 6 people wayching and cheering them on, with a couple of women definitely rooting harder than the others for their respective man. Probably their women, if I had to guess.
To the left there was a shooting range of some sort, where 2 women and 3 men were aiming and firing their bows at wooden circular targets, as well as human shaped ones also made of the same wood, which actually seemed pretty sturdy. The woman at the far left, from what I could tell, was definitely the best one out of the bunch, as all of her arrows stuck into her circular target, directly in the middle where bullseyes were drawn on them. A couple of the arrows were actually imbeded inside of other arrows, the one underneath perfectly split down the middle.
To the back back directly in front of us was where I saw people testing their magic. There was currently 1 man, and 2 women casting various spells of fire, water, and lightning respectively at circular training targets set at the end of the range. They had to be at least 50 feet away, and they appeared to be circular metallic sheets that seemed pretty sturdy, and my eyes caught a faint magical barrier on the outside of them as well. That was super neat.
The woman shooting the water was very interesting to me, as I had not seen anyone use that type of magic since coming to this world. The woman even had ocean blue hair, which was definitely a sight to see. It looked nice, though. I wondered if it was natural, or if it was related to her class or something. I was too curious to not see for myself.
[Name: Elise Cromwell]
[Age: 29]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Water Sorceress (B+)]
[Designation: Solo Adventurer, "The Water's Blade."
Very interesting, and very impressive. Not just a Water Mage either, and I assumed this was an evolution of that very class. Her name was also very apt, as currently, she was shooting crescent blades of water at her target, where they slammed into it with surprising force. I nodded in appreciation before I moved on. It was cool, but not what I was here for.
There were also various other smaller areas outside. A place where people practiced hand to hand combat on what were pretty much punching bags, as well as each other, and a place where a few people were doing similar practice, but with various other weapon types, like hammers, maces, and axes.
"This is really cool." I said, and that made Liandra chuckle, but Clarissa just nodded alongside me.
"This is where everyone comes to just relax and test out their strength, skills, weapons, and magic in a safe place. People do get hurt sometimes, as you can see from the gentlemen fighting, but it's all good natured. We also have staff standing by that can heal for any truly bad injuries. A few of these people are regulars, and they are the good ones. I think you'll get along well with them. The wooden targets are strengthened by high ranked reinforcement magic, and the magical targets are made from a heavily reinforced steel, that are then enchanted with magical barriers to prevent them from being damaged. Try as they might, not one person had ever been able to even crack the barrier, let alone the steel itself. Not even that Delvin fellow..." She said, her tone dripping with acid at having the speak his name.
I totally get it. Even thinking about him made me want to beat the shit out of him all over again. Still, that pile of shit aside, this was all really neat. I both wanted to, and did not want to be the first person to break their magical targets. I had broken enough of the Guild's shit as it was, so I would try my best not to. Instinctively, I knew how to limit my power down to certain ranks. I would have leveled an entire area just by punching someone otherwise, and my fists have been meeting a lot more faces as of late. It's kinda like how I had SSS+ agility, but I wasn't always moving that fast. I was sure that would be a huge fucking problem if I did.
Despite that however, for some reason, when it came to my magic, it was a little more difficult, and I didn't know why. When I touched the Analysis Orb in the Guild, I thought I used a pretty small amount of mana, and I had shattered the thing almost immediately. Other times it seemed okay, but then on other occasions, it was a bit too much. It was almost like my magic followed a different rule for power scaling than the Framework suggested. I would just have to be careful. At any rate, I could just use my manipulation skill to protect people with my barriers if I had to. Practice makes perfect, and all that.
"Thank you for the explanation, Liandra. You've been a real help, and I appreciate it." I said, quickly summoning a few gold coins, and hold my hand out to her.
Her eyes widened, and she put her hands up.
"Oh! No, I couldn't possibly..." She said, but I just smiled at her.
"Please. You've earned a break. Just take it." I said, and Clarissa chuckled lightly as she smiled at the woman.
"He won't take no for answer. Plus, he's good for it. Trust me." She said.
Liandra tentatively reached out with a trembling hand, moisture gathering in her eyes I gently placed the coins in her hand. She looked down at them, a few tears falling to the ground, before she looked back up with the best smile I'd seen from her all day. She bowed to me.
"Thank you..." She said softly, her words a little thick with her emotions.
"You're welcome." I said, and I reached over and patted her shoulder, "And please, don't bow to me."
She straightened, wiped at her eyes, and gave me another smile.
"I am so happy that someone like you has joined the Guild. I should get back to the front desk, but please, if you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to find me." She said, and I nodded and gave her smile.
"Don't let us keep you. Thank you, Liandra." I said, and with one last smile, she practically skipped away back inside.
"You're so sweet." Clarissa said, rubbing her cheek against my arm, and I chuckled.
"She's had it rough. She deserves something nice." I said, and that made her smile as she looked at me with adoration in her magnificent sapphire eyes.
She nuzzled my arm again, making me smile, before she asked, "So... what should we do first?"
I looked around, as she did bring up a good point. There was a lot more to do here than just firing magic at targets, and while that sounded fun, I couldn't deny that other things sounded pretty fun too. Just as I was trying to decide, a voice spoke up before I could.
"You two look more like you're going out to a fancy dinner rather than being here to train." A man said, and I turned to face a man who was approaching us from where I saw the men training with their swords earlier. I think he was actually one of the dudes that was in the ring, given the scrapes and bruises on his body, and the fact that there was no one currently in the ring anymore.
The man had short brown hair, brown eyes, and a small layer of facial hair on his face. He wasn't currently wearing a shirt, and while he was pretty toned, I didn't feel bad in thinking that my physique was much more impressive, and I didn't even have to do anything to get this way. I was big at over 6 feet tall, but I wasn't muscular to the point that it hindered my movements. That being said, I was pretty damn jacked. So to me, this dude was just... average. I simply smiled at him.
"I mean, we will be later. No better way to work up an appetite, right?" I asked, and the man chuckled.
"Can't argue with that. I am feeling pretty hungry myself after that. Still, don't want to see your clothes get dirty." He said, and I just smiled at him. By this point, a few other people had stopped to listen to the byplay, and I even heard a few people whispering amongst themselves.
"Trust me, we'll be fine. Won't get even a single spec of dirt on our clothes." I said, and the man just chuckled again, and shook his head.
"Suit yourself." He said, but as he got closer, his face looked thoughtful, "You look familiar... where have I-"
"Holy hells!" A woman by the circle said loudly, and that caused everyone around her, as well as myself, Clarissa, and this guy to look at her, "It's him! He's the guy who killed Delvin!"
The silence that followed that statement was a little awkward, and that was compounded by the fact that I could feel that now everyone had their gazes on me. The dude in front of me now had wide eyes, and the look he gave me almost made me chuckle. I should've expected to have become well known after doing that, but I wasn't really thinking about it at the time. I just wanted him and his party to get what was coming to them.
"I thought you looked familiar!" One man near the circle said as he gaped at me, "Delvin hit you with his strongest attacks, and it did nothing to you."
All I could do was shrug.
"Wasn't so tough." I said, and a few of them just looked at me like I was crazy. Okay, so he was, but for me, he wasn't.
"Maybe we should have picked an indoor room," Clarissa said, but then she added, "Although, this is kind of amusing."
"It is, although I was really hoping to just come here and shoot some magic around with you." I muttered, now feeling a little annoyed at the stares we kept receiving, and then louder I said, "I'm just here to have some fun with my date. Please, just go back to what you were doing."
Surprisingly, a few did just that, turning away almost immediately. There probably was some fear there, as they probably figured anyone that could take out Delvin as easily as I did was not one to upset. However, just as I was thinking that, I noticed the woman that was casting lightning magic was walking towards us, and I did not appreciate the lascivious smirk on her lips that was being directed at me. Inside, she seemed okay, but there was a strange murk to her soul that I couldn't place. Not a bad person, but not very great either. Despite that, I did have to admit, she wasn't bad looking with her blonde hair, green eyes, and fairly impressive chest. Still not someone I was interested in at all.
"Hey there." She said, and her voice made Clarissa tense against me.
"Hi..." I said cautiously, and now some of the people around us were focusing on us again.
"Wow. I heard you were a good looking guy, but no one did you justice. Your hair and your eyes... very nice." She said, and now I just felt uncomfortable and annoyed again.
"That's great." I said, looking at her with indifference, "I'm not interested."
She paused at my words, looking a little shocked. Maybe she thought she could use her decent looks and large chest to get my attention, but I currently had all the attention I could ever want. After a moment, she school her features, and the smile returned.
"Oh don't be like that. Don't you like having fun?" She asked me, and before I could reply, Clarissa spoke first.
"He said he's not interested, so could you please just leave us alone? We're trying to enjoy our day together." She said, squeezing my arm a bit tighter.
The woman got an annoyed look on her face at Clarissa's words, and scrunched up her nose.
"I'm talking, little girl, so keep quiet. A man like this clearly should be with a real woman, and not some flat little..." She said, but that was about as far as she got before her legs began wobbling, and she struggled to remain upright as sweat began beading on her skin.
The reason? She pissed me the fuck off, and my anger began to flow out of me in an oppressive aura.
"Don't you fucking dare speak to my woman like that." I said in a low growl, my cold glare locked on her now wide and fear filled eyes, "She's more of a woman than you could ever hope to be, and I sure as hell would never be interested in some rude and egotistical bitch like you."
My words came out in a harsh tone, and the air around us distorted as I spoke. The woman began to back away now, her eyes beginning to water. The shock on the other people's faces would have been funny if I wasn't so damn pissed off. Clarissa was a fucking gorgeous woman, and no one would insult her like that. And this stupid bitch did it with me right here. I felt a tug on my mind, and I begrudgingly pushed it aside for the moment. Cici would just have to understand.
"I... I..." The woman said, but she seemed incapable of speech as she trembled.
"You have exactly 5 seconds to get the fuck out of my sight." I said, my voice rumbling with my anger.
The woman was stupid, but apparently she wasn't that stupid, as the second I lessoned my aura so she could move, she bolted towards the exit faster than she looked like she could move. And it wasn't just her, either. Over half of the people in the training area either jogged towards the exit, or very quickly walked the hell away. Most of the archers stayed, but pretty much everyone in the training circle left minus a few, and only a couple of people that were training with their fists and blunt weapons stayed. The fire mage booked it as well, his eyes wide as he sprinted past me.
"Eli?" Clarissa asked me, and I turned to look at her, her eyes wide but her face conveying concern.
I shook my head to dispel some more of the anger, and instead focused on her beautiful eyes.
"I'm sorry, Clarissa. I didn't mean to scare you or anything... but I won't let anyone talk to you like that." I said, and her eyes softened, and her bright smile returned.
"Scared? Eli, that was... really cool." She said, her words making blink, "I've seen you in action, remember? Plus, that girl sucked. And... I kinda liked that... you getting that way over me."
Her words brought a smile to my lips, and I brought my hand to her hair, and began to gently stroke it, the softness helping to calm my mind further. Then, I chuckled.
"She really did suck, didn't she?" I asked, and Clarissa nodded as she let out a cute little laugh of her own, "I meant what I said, Clarissa. As long as you are with me, you're my woman, and I'll fight off anyone for you."
She responded by blushing furiously, but my words seemed to have made her incredibly happy. After a moment of her just hugging my arm tighter, she giggle.
"At least it's a lot less packed now. Come on. I kinda feel like shooting some ice shards at something now." She said, a bit of bite in her cute voice at the end, and I chuckled.
"Let's do it." I said, and just let her drag me along towards the magic target range.
As I did, I finally accepted that pull in my mind that was Cici reaching out to me. I felt bad for delaying her, but I also wanted to be here for Clarissa in my entirety. She was becoming even more important to me a lot faster than I thought possible. My dear kitten was just worried about me, and I'd always be grateful for her support.
"Darling... what happened now?"