NOLAN
These past two months have been nothing, but pure hell. Why has his life been hell? It's because ever since the Grand Magic Games, he unwillingly became a god damned celebrity and ironically, a sex symbol. No matter where he went, everyone seemed to recognize his face and he was bombarded fans wanting to speak to him and get autographs. Some were children that thought he was this super cool, mysterious badass and wanted to be just like him with Nolan telling them that they really don't. Then there were the women fans that wanted more than just an autograph and left him in a state of panic that was mistaken for shyness.
He never wanted to become famous. All he wanted to do was help his guild win the games so that they would have more clients and Nolan knew that he would become much more well known since he participated, but not to this degree. This was going to get extremely problematic in the future. At this point it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when his reputation goes beyond just Fiore, especially Caelum. In Fiore, he was regarded as a rookie mage who was a total unknown until his destructive clash with Frenzy Plant, but in Caelum he was a nameless killer with an obscenely large bounty on his head. However, the games have now placed a name on that mysterious face and he's going to have to face the consequences when the time comes.
These were the kind of thoughts that were running through his head at the moment. Nolan was sitting alone by one of the tables with a far away look in his eyes, wondering what the hell his future was going to hold. Who could he even talk to about this? Dalton? No, he's too immature? Ariel? No, she cannot know what he has done. Fleo? Maybe, but she's been avoiding him lately ever since The Games had concluded. Amaya has also been busy with other things, mainly with Joshua.
His expression molded into a scowl at the thought of Joshua. It's not that he hated him, though he really has a strong dislike towards him, but it was mainly disappointment. The man seemed like a capable mage and swordsman, but he was actually skilled only in smack talk. If only Nolan could smack some sense into him though he knew that Amaya wouldn't like that so he left him alone. Nolan already had enough enemies as it was and he did not need to make more of them in his own guild.
Nolan sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat, but he felt a jolt of pain surge through his body. "Right..." He groaned to himself. Nolan hadn't been sitting around on his bum being a lazy bastard, in fact, he had been training himself too hard. Ever since the loss to Zander and Xyster in the team rounds of The Games and the humiliation that mysterious mage Frye had brought upon him, he had been training himself to exhaustion.
He had come to a realization that he needed to evolve his fighting style. In his clash of blades against Zander, the knight had the upper hand as a superior swordsman with much more experience in battle than his younger opponent had. He could not continue as he was or else he would never become strong enough. The solution that Nolan came up with was a strange one; he needed to incorporate his skill of ballet into battle. While it seems like a ludicrous decision, it is far from it. A ballet dancer must have complete control of their body, from the top of their head to their very tip of their toes. They need flexibility, resilience, and strength that surpasses many athletes. Should Nolan apply this to his battle style, then perhaps could become even stronger.
Of course, his fighting style wasn't the only thing that evolved. When he had fought Frye alongside Grane and Sayatachi, God Force was awakened in him thanks to The Goddess, but at the time he did not realize how much support she had given him to help him maintain that form. On his own, he can barely hold the form long enough just for one powerful attack before his body gives out from the stress and stamina drain. However it's not just a physical drain, but a mental and emotional drain. The power that comes from this form brings forth a torrent emotions as if not only his body was liberated, but his emotions as well. No matter what he was not going to rely on her. He was going to succeed through his own bloody efforts even if it killed him.
However this form is completely useless. While the power was great, it's no use if it renders him into nothing more than a motionless target. No, there has to be something to this power that he was missing, but what could that be? Well, fretting about it wasn't going to help him and he certainly was not going to ask for help. The only one who knew about his training was Dalton and he made sure the little bastard kept his mouth shut.
Speaking of Dalton, where did he go?