I couldn't help but stare, mouth agape at what I saw in the backroom of the assessors' office. While the display out front was impressive, it was nothing compared to what I was seeing. Magic weapons of more varieties than I thought existed, magical jewelry that glowed with every color imaginable, and even some I have never seen before. Objects of form and function I couldn't even guess at, where light and space seemed to flow like fluid around them.
The thing that really caught my attention was how big the room was. It was bigger than the building that housed it. My brain dug through every single explanation it could find and was found wanting.
The sharp-toothed woman grinned at my expression of awe.
"Never been back here before, huh? I forgot you were a first-year student. Dungeoneering program, too, so you likely wouldn't ever get a good glimpse of the place. This is the Assessing Floor, where we take all magic items brought in from the dungeon, figure out what it is, what it does, and what it’s worth. That last part is usually the most important, but the other stuff is pretty cool too, not gonna lie to yah." She snickered to herself as she led me through the labyrinth.
"Where are all the other assessors?" I asked, finally able to muster my ability to speak again.
"They come in later. We usually don't open this early, but I did so at the request of the Headmaster. Walther seemed really keen to get you your stuff as early as possible." She shrugged. "When everyone else gets here, it turns into a bit of a madhouse, and having stray students in the way makes things... difficult, let us say. When one thinks about it too hard, this place is probably more dangerous than most dungeons."
"How is it-" I started to say before she cut me off.
"Listen, kiddo, I really don't have the time or energy this morning to explain. I've only had six cups of coffee and that is not nearly enough to play tour guide to a realm of nebulous causality and magical feedback loops that could scramble the brain of a dragon before it had time to fart. So, if'n you please, let's continue." She frowned at me, a look that unsettled me more than her toothy grin.
She led me into a small side room, which was much more subdued than I expected. It was nothing more than a plain table with the items I had found in the dungeon, a small book, and two chairs. The walls were a plain gray, and nothing adorned them but dirt in the corners.
There they were. The treasures I found in the dungeon. I knew they had been planted by the headmaster, or whoever he sent to do it. Despite that, I still felt pride in recovering them. While the items themselves were planted, the effort was genuine. That was enough to assuage any sense of guilt I felt. Besides, it was for a good cause. Rearranging the face of a pompous Knight. And what better cause was there, at the end of the day?
Two gauntlets, four magic rings, a dagger, a circlet, and a new sword, all cleaned up and arranged in front of me. It took all I had to keep from literally vibrating with excitement at the treasures before me.
The shark-toothed woman sat down across from me and grinned that scary grin again, but I didn't even remotely care anymore. I wanted my toys! So to speak, anyway.
"Ok, so you have a pretty decent haul here. Definitely nothing out of the ordinary from the Corridor Dungeons," She winked at me. "Gauntlets of Strength, all four rings are mana batteries, the dagger is a Shield Piercer, the circlet has a darkvision and anti-blinding spell on it, and the sword.... The sword is really cool."
"Cool? Cool, how?" I asked. I wasn't fond of the vagueness but also excited at what she meant.
"I mean, literally cool. Watch." She held it up, and with a whispered word I couldn't quite hear, and the runes upon it glowed. The glow spread, and the blade turned to a light blue color, and began to emit a deep, wintry cold from it. She tapped the tip to the floor, and it immediately gained a sheen of ice.
"Ice Moon Bastard Sword. I hope you know your swords, and didn't think I was insulting its parentage." She snickered as she deactivated the spell upon it.
"Of course, I know my swords. I don't usually use bastard swords, but they're similar enough to my arming sword. The extra grip will help me get a bit more strength in it, since I imagine this duel is going to limit my magic usage." I took the blade and felt its weight again. It felt right, even if it was a bit different than what I was used to.
"I guess you hadn't heard. Ooof, this is unfortunate." She rubbed the back of her head with a grimace.
"Heard what?" My attention suddenly snapped to; all thoughts of my new toys were completely knocked out of my mind.
"Yeah, it's a no-holds-barred fight. Magic, martial arts, sword play, the whole range. The only rule is no killing. I thought you had been told; it should have been in the duel letter." She shrugged.
I knew damn well it hadn't been in there, but like an idiot I had thrown it away. They kept trying to throw wrenches at me. First the organized event, and now the fact that they hadn't told me all the rules. It wasn't technically illegal, but it was unethical at best.
Unethical was par for the course for knights, I should have expected.
"No matter. That frees up some options for me. What's next, they're going to allow a party to fight with each of us?" I snarled, unable to hide my feelings on the matter.
She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Thankfully, no. Still one-on-one. Be honest with me, kid. Do you think you have a chance? Knight Cavendish is an idiot, even amongst the Obsidian Gauntlet, but he's tough and he fights dirty."
"Good. I like a dirty fight too," I grinned as I stood. "I may not win, but by the gods I'm going to make him work for my defeat!"
She slapped her knee and laughed. "I like you, kid! You're crazy! I like crazy! If you ever need help with magical items, especially to grind dirt in a knight's face, you look up ol Danica! Danica is me, by the way, I just realized I never introduced myself."
She held out her hand, and I took it.
"It's good to meet you, Danica. And I hope you'll cheer me on when I wreck his stupid face!" I beamed at her.
"Oh, I got money on this one, kiddo. You bet I'll be there!"
That was two people who had money on this fight. Surely, they bet on me. Right? Of course. I'm Alta Marchesi!
I stood alone in a room attached to the gym hall that was dedicated to testing newly acquired equipment. It was large and had a thick layer of overlapping enchantments to keep any wayward explosions and other effects from damaging any other students on the other side of the walls. The spells were so strong and dense that I could feel their mana hum in my teeth, which was not a feeling I was used to. How had I never noticed all this mana before? Probably more enchantments to stifle it. There was a lot about magic that I hadn't fully learned yet. More to look forward to over the next few years.
I checked all my usual gear. The breastplate, armored boots, and the like. I was satisfied and got ready to add the new elements.
I kept my armor selection pretty light, despite the fact that I knew that it left me exposed in some areas. I did this for several reasons. I liked the mobility of my outfit, and it kept me from getting too hot. A lot of dungeons were stuffy and warm for some reason beyond me, and I hated sweating, even though I seemed to do it an awful lot.
The other reason was that I liked how it looked. Sure, a skirt, thigh-highs and garters seemed ridiculous from a practical sense. That said, dungeoneering was a business, and part of business was looking good, and as far as I was concerned, I looked damn good! The colors worked well with my naturally red hair, and the armor with the slight golden trim added a nice accent. I liked to think it gave me an air of confidence and noble bearing.
I didn't go overboard like I had seen some adventurers do. What they wore barely counted as clothes, much less armor. I'm pretty sure more than a few adventurers get in trouble with authorities for violating decency laws, but that was none of my business. If they wanted to look sexy, and they could back it up with their skills, who was I to judge?
Me, that's who. And I was judging. Adventurers should not be synonymous with fashion disaster!
Enough of that, I thought, as I started adding the new parts of my kit. I had extra scabbards, straps, and buckles to deal with, and I didn't want to embarrass myself before the duel tomorrow.
I had equipped all the new gear, which was a bit tricky, as rings and gauntlets didn't mix terribly well, but Danica had been able to modify them so I could still use them together. The rings, being mana batteries, were going to be a big help. Mana batteries served to top up your mana levels without having to go through the process of mana potions or the usual exercises that magic users had to go through to try to top up. When your mana reservoir is lowered, the rings fill in. The downside was that when they were empty, they shattered. It was likely I wouldn't get to use these for all that long.
I also wasn't used to the circlet, and having a hoop of metal, even magical, was a new feeling. I wasn't sure I'd need it, but the anti-blinding spell was useful. It could stop effects from flash spells, magical darkness, and more. In a fight against a person with a reputation for dirty tricks, it was better safe than sorry.
The dagger was an emergency weapon. I had been told it was a Shield Piercer, which meant it was designed to punch through magical protections. That would explain what happened when I stabbed the construct crystal in the dungeon. I wasn't skilled in two weapon fighting, which was a shame, but I needed a hand free for spells. If it came down to it though, the dagger would make for a fantastic backup.
The gauntlets were called Gauntlets of Strength. They had the ability to make whatever I was wielding feel lighter, my punches and swings hit harder. Which was exactly what I needed. The bastard sword, the Ice Moon, was a bit heftier than I was used to, even though it still felt perfectly comfortable. Even the littlest bit of weight could add up in a long enough fight, and the gauntlets would help with that.
I ran through my forms a few times to get used to the changes in the weight of everything I had equipped, which got more and more comfortable as I went.
It was time to test the sword's magic.
I waved at the room attendant who was only halfway paying attention on the other side of the doorway to the room. He gave a thumbs up, and before me, a magical construct came into being.
It had a similar build to the knight whose arm I had broken, and whose pride I had more than a little bruised. I grinned at the chance to really let off some steam.
I said the words that Danica had taught me to activate Ice Moon. "Einfreiren." I didn't know the language, but it held a sort of power I couldn't deny. I felt the sword awakening, its inherent power mingling with my own mana supply, as the runes glowed and spread their cold blue shine to the rest of the blade.
I charged the construct, feeling my blade connect against its raised shield, which immediately became encased in thick enchanted ice, causing its weight to shift enough that its stance was thrown off. I then jabbed at its feet, binding it to the ground, before I backed off. The sword's blue light faded, and I felt its power go back to sleep.
Good to know. I had a short window to use its powers. Many magical weapons could only do so much before their power was expended, and it was standard that while they mixed. I could likely pour power from the mana battery rings into it, but I wasn't entirely sure. Better not test that out on a tool with limited uses before it crumbles on me.
I sheathed the sword and drew the dagger. I needed to know exactly what I was working with here.
"Could you activate a magic shield on the construct, please?" I called out.
"You got it, lady." The attendant called out, and in a moment the construct shimmered with a sphere of colorless light. A magic shield was pretty basic defensive magic, but it could make a fight tricky. It was a common spell for sword mages, but I had no idea if Knight Cavendish was one or not. It was a safe bet he was, given that no restrictions on spells were given for the duel.
I lunged forward and jabbed the shield with as much strength as I could manage. I felt the magic of the gauntlet kick a little more force into the attack, and then I felt the magic of the dagger kicking it, piercing the shield, and then shattering it. That could prove handy.
I was more than happy with my treasures. I could do this! I could win! I would be victorious!