The Reaper groaned as he stirred awake, feeling a rather soft weight over his midsection. He looked down and saw Melina was across his stomach with her face hanging off the bed.

He himself was diagonal and had one arm off the bed, which was numb for some reason.

"Melina..." He called.

A groan.

"Melina..." he called again.

A louder groan.

"We gotta get up..."

She slinked her upper body across his, resting her head on his stomach.

"Are you drooling?! Get off!" The Reaper woke up completely and pushed her off his stomach and she fell back towards the headboard.

She whimpered and pulled at his sleeve, but he leaned away in disgust.

"You just lose that whole cool demeanor when you're tired, huh?" The Reaper asked in disbelief.

Melina quickly sat up and shook her head before wiping her bottom lip, spooking the Reaper.

"I don't know what you're referring to." She claimed.

"Uh huh..." The Reaper sounded as doubtful as could be.

•

After a bath in the public bathhouse on their floor, the two met back up outside their room after gathering their belongings inside.

The Reaper cracked his neck with ease, making Melina wince in concern.

"Is that healthy?"

"No clue. I feel less stiff..." the Reaper shrugged.

The two yawned and made their way to the Magic Sect, a hallway adjacent to the Market hall. There was a clear linger of Magic in the form of a rainbow mist leaking out into the Dining Hall.

"That's pretty intimidating." The Reaper commented, but didn't seem as fazed as he sounded.

"Their bunch are pretty pretentious..." Melina rolled her eyes.

The two walked in and saw a similar design to the Market hall, but their were barrier between the production/service space they occupied and the vending space they used to sell wares.

What stood out the most were the sections of the hall. The first 50 feet of the hall were all Spells, intelligence based Magic, then 50 feet of Faith Incantations, and the last being Arcane incantations.

It seems like their was prejudices amongst the mages, but they seemed to get along well enough to under one banner of the Magic Sect.

"Here goes nothing..." The Reaper took a step forward, and as soon as his foot tapped against the hall, every last mage looked down the hall and saw an overwhelming pressure.

This pressure was matched by the image of a star over the Reaper's face, burning brightly and shining down the hall, engulfing all in its light.

As the Reaper stood in confusion, that overwhelming pressure left as they became adjusted to his... Potential.

He became a great interest for every vender, and a competitor for wares and teachings mages desired.

"I feel like no matter what I do something to stand out..." the Reaper sighed. "Can't help it when it comes to guidance." Melina pat his chest with the back of her hand and walked passed him.

She immediately led him past the Intelligence Department, making many vendors sigh in disappointment.

She looked around the Faith department and hummed as she saw a few vendors advertising Fire Incantations.

Grabbing his hand, since she quickly noticed he was falling behind to watch other magics, she led him to a vendor who sat on a stool with a very calm and peaceful smile.

"Ah, my luck must be rising. I'm sure we all felt your potential and here you've come to me, dear Tarnished. How may I help you?" A man with blonde hair down to his shoulders asked.

His attire was rather regal, with rather majestic silver linings on his black uniform, his black pants tucked into grey boots and grey gloves that had white finger tips. He wore a red scarf around his neck with a golden insignia that the Reaper hadn't recognized.

The man's eyes were auburn, but seemed to shine a small tint of purple at certain angles...

"You dabble in Fire incantations, I take it?" Melina began.

"Dabble...?" The Reaper was about to start laughing but she threw her arm over his shoulder and put him in a headlock as the vendor replied.

"I know my fair share. I actually pride myself in knowing a few Bloodflame techniques! A bit more on the arcane side, but flame nonetheless." The vendor extended his hand. "The name is Dain. Follower of Lord Godrick."

"Godrick? But you assist the Tarnished meant to slay him?" Melina asked in confusion.

"Lambs to the slaughter. I simply make a buck off poor sinners who dare go against my lord." Dain shrugged, casually admitting to playing to both sides for his own benefit.

Despite hearing this, the Reaper still slunk his hand up and shook Dain's.

"I go by Reaper. While I don't intend to fight Godrick, I do have questions about a specific flame. The Black Flame." The Reaper began, still under Melina's arm.

Realizing how awkward the conversation would be in that position, she let him go.

"Black Flame, huh...? I can't say I know any of those wretched incantations. Unless, you're asking about those ingrates of the cult?" Dain asked, catching on.

"Yeah. Recently, I've quelled the commotion at Castle Morne, which just so happened to be caused by a member of the Black Flame Cult." The Reaper explained.

"Commendable, I must say! My lord has been dealing with those miscreants for far too long, so I must thank you for relieving him of that burden." Dain nodded with respect.

"I must say however, the Black Flame Cult hold no position here, unfortunately. While their is a vendor who teaches a bit of it not too far down, she unfortunately is just what you Tarnished call a... Chunibyo, I believe."

The Reaper leaned back and saw a rather short woman with crossed arms and a smug smirk, having overheard the mention of herself.

The Reaper waved but turned back to Dain with a smile, "Any idea where they show up most? I just wanna... talk."

"Well, they have small camps littered around Limgrave here and there but one that's become an issue for us is a camp on the plateau to the left of our Stormgate." Dain informed.

"Thank you so much. I'll be sure to see what I can about them." The Reaper nodded.

"Ah! Before you go, would the young maiden fancy herself in any incantations? On the house for such a surprising help to my good lord. I couldn't fathom not repaying such kindness." Dain bowed, making the Reaper nudge Melina with a smile.

Melina hummed, before recalling the Bloodflame he pride himself in.

•

The Reaper waved to Dain as they parted, and Melina held a very dense crimson flame in her left hand, dispelling it with a flick.

"So, how does it feel? Is it cool?" The Reaper asked.

"It should surely be handy. Blood loss affliction is rather strong, but your scythe has too little. This will surely help us." Melina nodded.

The Reaper kept staring, waiting for the answer he was looking for.

Melina smirked and pushed his face away gently, "it is also rather 'cool.'"

The Reaper laughed before crossing his arms, ready to seize the day. "Alright! We've got you a new incantation and the whereabouts of this cult, so let's—"

"Hold it."

The Reaper turned around and saw a tall, tall figure in steel and iron. There was no distinct feature since the armor covered all their features, and the deep echo of their voice concealed their gender as well.

Being towered over by the sudden appearance, the Knight assumed the boy would falter.

However, the Reaper glared with an irritated stare.

"We're talking here." He spat with clear disdain for the interruption, Melina only side eyeing the knights with boredom plastered on her face.

"I mean no issue. I only wish to spar. Being as green as you are, I feel it's best for you to experience the combat against another Tarnished." The Knight claimed.

"Well, I've fought one before, but he wasn't much. He seemed under an influence." The Reaper still was wary of the Knight but shared the info regardless.

"I see. Then shall you accept my offer? Guidance and advice are all I wish to offer." The Knight awaited a response patiently.

The Reaper didn't take much time to think about his response, but something bothered him. He could see and feel a faint glow coming from the armor. It was almost like there was a light inside that leaked out of the crevasses and plating.

"You're also guided by grace." The Reaper whispered.

"Indeed. One of few in comparison to those not. I've been honing my skills here and passing on knowledge as I look for a weapon suitable for my task." The Knight explained.

"I see. Then I accept. It shouldn't be of any harm," the Reaper turned to Melina. She shrugged and crossed her arms, clearly not as forgiving to such an introduction.

"I'll allow it." Melina nodded. The Reaper smiled and turned to the Knight, who held their hand over their helmet with a laugh.

•

Seeing that the newest Tarnished in years had made his way to the Battle Hall, the stands to the side of the hall made a rectangular stadium for a capacity of 800 spectators to watch.

This was a big deal since it would spell out a fraction of the potential of the Reaper, for those who hadn't heard of his exploits and Magic prowess felt by the Mages.

The whispers and murmurs of the crowd filled the hall as the Reaper and the Knight stood across each other.

If there was one thing the Reaper noticed, other Tarnished had Maidens like he, but he had not seen one of this Knight. That was until he looked over at where his own Maiden was.

Melina stood at the sidelines, where another woman did, dressed in a white garment with separate white sashes that hung low, black tights, and held a staff fit for Intelligence Magic. The hood over her face did little to hide her white bobbed hair that seemed to float elegantly.

Melina glanced just with a side eye, and cursed under her breath. 'She spells trouble...'

The Reaper and the Knight both tended up, before summoning their weapons, making everyone quiet down.

The Reaper spun his scythe at blurring speeds around his fingers, before tossing it up and catching it on his shoulder, casually staring forward.

The Knight summoned a large, powerful lance with spiral engravings on the blade, a set of dragon wings erupting from the handle. The Knight also spun around their lance before stabbing it into the floor.

The Reaper could tell that the Knight was returning his smirk since the two were clearly showing off.

Melina and the Knight's Maiden shook their heads, before darting their gaze at each other in annoyance.

"This match up seems rather disadvantageous." The white-haired woman began.

"Is that so?" Melina hummed, sarcasm laced within her words.

"A scythe against a lance? In the hands of such a small boy no less? A few quick jabs and this shall be over within moments." The Maiden said with a blank stare.

"Would thy put their runes where their mouth is?" Melina asked with her own blank stare.

"30000 Runes this is over in less than 30 seconds." The Maiden released a small smile.

Melina recalled how many spare runes they had after all their business, and smirked. "70000 my Tarnished wins within the minute."

"You cocky little whor— you have a deal." The two shook hands violently and returned to their calculative stares at their Tarnished.

The Reaper shook his head overheating this, but began to glare hearing his money was on the line.

"You and I both know what this means..." He whispered.

"Unfortunately. No hard feelings." The Knight chuckled.

The two twirled their weapons once more before locking them back in ready for a fight, the entire hall quieting within the second. The Reaper and the Knight rushed forward with blurring speeds as the two went for a slash and a jab.

With a loud clang, the two clashed and slid back having parried one another's attacks.

After gauging each other's capabilities, the two rushed at each other again.

The Reaper cleaved his scythe upward, deflected back down by the Knight's lance, and they followed up with several stabs aimed towards his gut.

Using the momentum of the deflected scythe he spun it around to block each stab as he leapt back sliding in his feet and watching as the Knight closed this distance with a heavy upward lunge.

With boldness unseen by many, the Reaper lift his leg and slammed his foot down into the lance as it closed in, planting it into the ground as it barely cut his thigh.

Stepping off and spinning backward into a slash, the Reaper watched the Knight roll to his left, cleaving the lance out of the ground and slashing it out horizontally.

The Reaper jumped back and threw his scythe out, shocking the Knight. Unwavering, the Knight simply blocked with ease, watching as the scythe began to roll away— until it disappeared.

The Reaper had appeared in close quarters after the Knight had directed their attention to the scythe, with his scythe in hand.

With a vicious slash, the Reaper landed his first hit as the Knight stumbled back, leading to a close quarters dance of heavy cleaves and slashes.

The two began to circle one another, gliding against the ground as they parried each other's blades with expertise. The Reaper dashed around and deflect a downward slash, trying his hand at a horizontal tear.

The Knight spun their lance to block with the handle, positioning it back into a series of quick stabs. The Reaper felt the lance stab his hip, but quickly blocked the next three stabs before shoving the lance away with his jagged blade.

With the time given by this parry, he summoned his second scythe with his Phantom Fury ability, and went for a cross slash.

Unfortunately, the Knight used their own ability, and twirled their lance with a sudden burst of speed and power, sending a torrent of wind upward, disrupting the Reaper's slashes and sending him skidding back.

Before he could even regain his composure a heavy boot was planted right into his stab wound, making him fly back and spit up saliva.

The Reaper dragged both scythes into the ground and used them as leverage to rush back forward and hit the Knight with a double spinning slash, circling around as they slid back to use one scythe to clip their leg.

With the Knight tripping forward, the Reaper cleaved the other scythe back, sending the Knight rolling even further forward.

The Knight slid to a halt before holding back their lance with a swirl of lightning dancing around the blade.

The Reaper let one scythe disappear and spun the last around before holding it back with a cosmic flame bursting from his own jagged blade.

The two disappeared and reappeared cleaving towards each other, but the Reaper had changed his position mid swing to lunge even faster due to his smaller weight, slashing the Knight and only receiving a cut across his chest.

The Reaper fell in his face from such an abrupt dash, but the Knight staggered to a kneel from the blow, coughing a bit from such a devastating hit of Magic Damage.

The Reaper's chest burned from the lightning, and he was exhausted beyond belief. He sat up and winced at every wound he had accumulated.

The Knight was quick to walk over as all the Tarnished and their Maidens began to discuss the bout and the rather neutral outcome.

The Knight lift the Reaper off the ground and pat his back eagerly.

"A fine display! That was enjoyable beyond belief!" The Knight claimed. The Reaper coughed at every smack to his back and smiled.

"Thanks. That was rather enlightening..." the Reaper sighed.

"Ah, it seems you know your weaknesses?" The Knight asked.

"Fast, but not overwhelmingly. It's not enough. I don't wear armor so I'm frail and can be impaired should I run out of flasks. I'd be left to rely on my Immortality..." the Reaper replied.

"My thoughts almost exactly. My only addition, is to concern yourself with one scythe in fights where your opponent is heavily armored. Despite the additional scythe, it only leaves room for more opportunities if the opponent isn't physically fazed by your attacks. I was never stunned until your clever trip up." The Knight explained.

"I see... Don't hit hard enough, not fast enough, too many openings. I'll work on it." The Reaper nodded.

"It's a matter of experience and level placement. It comes with time." The Knight pat his shoulder lightly this time, and was about to leave, but the Reaper crossed his arms.

"Not so fast. Fork it over." The Reaper gave a disappointed stare.

The Knight flinched, looking over to their Maiden and seeing Melina was pushing her over to them.

"Your Maiden has quite the mouth to be running. Rules are rules. My Tarnished lasted longer than 30 seconds." Melina continued.

The Knight sighed and shook their head, before taking off their helmet.

The Reaper was a bit shocked to see a blonde haired woman with their silky locks in a well-kept bun, with verdant eyes of admiration. She held out her hand with a laugh and he took it hesitantly due to his shock.

"It was a good fight. If you ever wish to spare again, please find me. You're always welcome." The Knight's palm flashed gold before the Runes were transferred.

"My name is Airalin. Shall we meet again, Reaper." The Knight, Airalin, nodded, before walking away.

"And I'm Blair. I'm done gambling..." The White-haired Maiden, Blair, scoffed as she followed.

The Reaper smiled and turned to Melina who crossed her arms at the income. He immediately frowned seeing she used him for monetary gain.

"Your gambling's gonna be a problem, huh?" The Reaper asked.

"Only if you make it one." Melina shrugged with a smirk.