Rina and Ribu were eating, Iron was in the corner cleaning his shoes, he did it slowly.
"Guys, we've got a magician, we can finally leave this countryside. We're going home in a few days!" Cloe said.
"Wow, I bet she's strong!" Ribu said.
"Why? A girl!" Rina said. "Couldn't he have sent a guy?"
"I bet she'll want to change team, she looks lost!" Iron said.
"Alright guys, she has got something to say, she has a gold card!" Kim said.
They all stared at her.
"I am sure no mage in this countryside has a gold card. I having one makes me a wonder, I being the fifth best mage in the young generation of this continent makes me your superior, I want your captain to give up his role for me." She said. " I have failed to identify him. Who is he?"
"My lady, I am the humble captain, how may I help you?" Kim spoke in a humble tone.
"I demand to know your ranking on the list of ghost hunters!" She said.
"I am sorry, me and my deputy Cloe here have no rank among ghost hunters, but those two are Rina and Ribu, they are tied at second place, on the continental ghost ranking, they have no cards as they are above the average rankings of ghost hunters." Kim said." And that one is Iron, he is the leading warrior in the rankings of soldiers, he also has no golden card to flaunt or show off with, and he is content with me as his captain. Do you still want to be captain or you've had a change of mind?"
"I'll have to force my way, I'll pave my road of ascension with blood, let me have a duel with you, if you win, I'll accept to be under your command!" She said.
"Sure, let's do that, it may solve most of our problems right now!" Kim said. "There's an enhanced training ground in the city, with your gold card am sure you can book a session!"
"No, you can't fight a girl, allow me to represent you, Kim, it will tarnish your name!" Rina said.
Ariana smiled when she heard this. Rina had made a comment about her earlier, she was seeing a chance for revenge.
"I can certainly accept her to challenge you, but even when she loses, you can still stand up for yourself!" Ariana said.
"I like that mentality, if you beat her, it will prove your use to our team!" Cloe said.
Kim looked at her, he saw a sinister smile on her face.
"It would be a shame if I were so easy to annoy!" Ariana said. "Unless it is a personal attack!"
Rina was smiling, she was picturing Ariana receiving blows from her.
" Let's go in two hours!" Ariana said. "It's better for both of us!"
Kim went out to eat. Cloe was with him.
"My three brothers occupy the first three spots, and the third was Iwar, he went off the planet recently, that's why we got this girl, she's a bit cocky but she's quite good, if she can best Rina, it means she can survive any of our missions!" Kim said.
"I got a message from the ghost General, she's Azixan, and a princess, a hostage from the the last war ten years ago, she's been through a lot of pain,she can't be visited by her parents, she can't go home, she has no friends, and all her life she's been only allowed to train!" Cloe said.
"You know that you've been through all that pain?"Kim asked.
"I had a best friend who helped me feel happy, she didn't!" Cloe said. She seemed down.
"What did he say?" Kim asked.
"He said that he can't allow her freedom, and it will be unlawful for her to leave the kingdom. It'll mean a war between the two kingdoms!" Cloe said.
"I'll have to ask the king for a favor then." He said. "Let's go back, am done eating."
They went and changed into their black cloths for ghost hunters and went into the enhanced training centre. Ariana had booked it all, with all the soldiers gone, the ring was empty. It was circular with a radius of a hundred metres. There were trees, mounds and small hills, a stream and other natural occurrences.
Rina entered the arena, Ariana had entered through the opposite door, there was like two hundred metres between the two of them.
"Kim, if she beats me, I'll be at the bottom of the team!" Rina said.
The enhanced training grounds were made for such battles, those on the arena could be heard by those outside, but they couldn't hear what was said outside. Even communication talismans could not work, as a magical dome would cover the arena.
Rina had said that knowing that he couldn't refuse to do it.
Ariana summoned her magic staff, it was a few inches taller than her, she began casting. A fog started forming on the Arena. Rina who was away summoned a bow. She also cast a spell, her eyes turned red, she could see through the fog. She stealthily started moving towards Ariana. Ariana also cast a spell, her eyes started glowing, like emeralds, she had activated her stealth cancelling spell, she could see Rina. She cast fireballs at her. Rina cut the fireballs, they turned into sparks and disappeared, she continued moving to wards her opponent.
Ariana then cast more spells, she was setting up traps, she cast three fireballs in sequence, she then added a darts spell. This had a hundred darts that would fly around a victim until he fell. Rina remained composed and cut the fireballs, she then cast a shied spell, she secretly alloud three to enter the shield. She then cast a teleportation spell.
This opened a portal around her, the darts entered and reappeared behind Ariana.
Ariana seemed to have expected it, she also created the same portal, and it was Rina defending.
Rina attacked, she had drawn her bow, with a notched arrow, flying towards her opponent. She let it go, and it flew towards Ariana, Ariana had also cast a spell, it was a lightning bolt, it hit Rina the time her arrow found it's target. Rina cast a healing spell on herself, Ariana being a mage did the same but it wasn't working out, then she cast another lightning bolt. Rina defended but still got hit, as she wanted to cast a healing on herself, she was interrupted by fireballs.
After a minute of trying to heal herself, she gave up and started attacking. All out, she went for Ariana. Ariana had anticipated that so she smiled. Rina as if reading her opponent's mind cast a doppelganger spell, with her image triggering all the traps. She then leaped with her sword drawn, and covered all the distance between them. Ariana turned her staff into a spear, she attacked and fought in close combat.
"One of them may come out injured seriously." Iron said.
"Not really, if we stop them now, they'll have an enmity, and am sure you don't want them bitching around, do you?" Kim said.
"I understand your idea!" Iron said.
"It's better if she realizes that herself. It'll be a misfortune if she blames it on someone, you know the feeling of being called off from a fight you are winning!" Cloe said.
Meanwhile in the arena, the combatants were neck to neck, they were evenly matched even in close combat. They stood for a moment and faced each other.
"I want to show you that you are nothing compared to even Cloe!" Rina said. "If it's been nearly an hour and am still standing, it means you are nothing, your defeat is imminent!"
"I want to teach you a lesson, you talk a lot, you are so much interested in men, you have no dignity as a lady, you are gross!" Ariana said.
"You are petty!" Rina said. She drew her sword, her second weapon, a flying dart appeared. Ariana called of her staff, a shiny wand appeared in her hands.
"Let's be done with this!" She shouted and cast a spell, power balls from the tip of the wand flew towards Rina.
Rina waved her sword gracefully, cutting each ball into nothing, she was casting a spell, she continued defending, but her steps lead her to the mage, the mage in a bid to keep distance was retreating step by step. After a few minutes, Rina smiled. Ariana felt uneasy, she realized she was in a corner, she has been kited to a dead end.
Rina cast a shield spell, then performed two cuts. Wind blades from the cuts flew towards Ariana, who made a shield, the first wind blade cracked the shield, the second shattered it and pushed the mage off her feet. Rina spared her no time and was besides her with a sword pointing at her.
"Still cocky, aren't you!"Rina asked.
"You.. you cheated!" Ariana said. "I can't lose to a ghost hunter! Am a mage!"
"I don't care if you accept it or not, I won so it's fair if I get my prize for winning!" Rina said. She was grinning ear to ear.
"What's she talking about?" Kim asked.
"As you went out, those two bet that the winner will punch the loser ten times in the face!" Iron said.
Kim was dumbfounded for a moment, when he turned to the arena, Rina was counting her eighth punch.
"This sinister girl, she's wicked!" Kim said.
"About that, Cloe had bet twenty slaps!" Iron said. Kim turned to Cloe, she turned away, he could see that she was a little embarrassed.
"Well, consider it a welcome party!" Kim said. "Tomorrow we are going for a hunt, be prepared!"
"Yes sir!" Iron said.