Diamantine (Weapons and Wielders Book 2)

by Andrew Rowe

  “But she must be a lot weaker than her grandfather, right?” Reika asked.

  “No. With the resources of the imperial family, she has likely already neared the peak of human capabilities. She will be Emerald-level in some or all of her attunements.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “That sounds extremely dangerous. Just how powerful is she?”

  Iron gestured back to the pool. “Watch and see.”

  I turned back to the pool to watch and listen.

  Crown Princess Edria Song silenced the cheering of the crowd with an upraised hand. “My opponents today fight for a rare opportunity. I will permit the opponent that challenges me the most to take a ‘bye’ for any round of the tournament they choose, aside from the finals. In addition, they may take tea with me after this match concludes. I will be the sole judge of who qualifies for these advantages, and I may choose to reward more than one challenger if I deem them worthy. I will be the sole target for all of the challengers. They may not attack each other.”

  More cheering, then the crown princess continued. “My opponents may use any strategy they wish, and may verbally surrender at any time. They will be removed from the match if rendered unconscious or knocked off the stage into the water below.”

  From my angle, I couldn’t see the water around the stage, but I took her word for it being there. I also marveled at her confidence — she hadn’t even talked about what would happen if she was defeated. She didn’t seem to acknowledge it as even being a possibility.

  It's probably staged, I considered. Especially if they picked her opponents ahead of time.

 

  Maybe, but if they have a talented enough illusionist in there, they could make things look very convincing.

 

  I grudgingly admitted that Dawn had a point. They did seem to have a culture focused on martial prowess. I’d still keep my eyes open for any tells that the match was faked, but I’d have to consider the possibility that the princess was just extraordinarily confident in her abilities.

  If she had multiple Emerald-level attunements, that made a degree of sense. I wasn’t as familiar with attunement levels and their scarcity at that point, but even I knew that Emerald was the highest known level, and that having multiple Emerald-level attunements was extraordinary.

  “I now have the honor of introducing my own opponents.” The crown princess turned toward the first corner of the hexagon, gesturing toward a tiny woman standing in the corner. “First, from Caelford, we have Forgemaster Kamaria Clarent, heir of House Clarent. Kamaria has just returned from leading a successful expedition into the deadly Fire Temple in the Unclaimed Lands.”

  That last line caught my attention. The Fire Temple was one of the six Elemental Temples, which supposedly were where the Six Sacred Swords were originally forged. Going through one of the temples was an impressive feat, supposedly more difficult than what I’d managed when I’d made my way to the Spirit Gateway Crystal.

  Kamaria Clarent’s appearance didn’t look particularly imposing, but I knew how deceptive that could be. She was barely five feet tall, with pitch black skin and short, close-cropped hair. She wore thick, almost comically large glasses. She carried two curved swords, both of which she held in a reverse grip. She wore a heavily padded shirt — a type of gambeson, maybe, but I couldn’t tell — but no other obvious armor or adornment.

  The crown princess turned to her next opponent, a woman in all white garb and hair carrying a long, tube-like weapon I didn’t initially recognize. She also had a pair of hatchets on her belt. “Next is Mikasa Kotetsu, a talented East Edrian Conjurer. While this is her first tournament, she is a veteran climber, having reached the thirtieth floor of the Phoenix Spire.”

  I heard a murmur from the crowd in response. At the time, I didn’t realize just how impressive of a feat that was.

  The crown princess turned to her third opponent, a young man dressed in crimson suit, complete with a tailcoat and a matching feathered cap. He wore a long, thin sword on his hip with a bright orange crystal on the pommel. He grinned brightly at the princess and bowed theatrically before she spoke. The princess froze for a moment, and I thought I saw one of her eyes twitch. “…Next, we have Alexander Theas, Duelist of the House Theas of Valia. He boasts two attunements, Shaper and Swordmaster.”

  There were fewer cheers in response to that, but those that came were extremely enthusiastic. Presumably, the Valian visitors were happy to see their country represented. The Edrian locals didn’t seem quite as impressed.

  I was interested in him for a couple reasons. First, House Theas was a famous noble house back in my homeland, too. Looking at Alexander, I could see perhaps a bit of resemblance to Nakane Theas, but not much. Second, the crystal on the pommel of his sword implied that it was probably a magical sword, and I liked magic swords. I was curious what it was capable of.

 

  I rolled my eyes at Dawn’s remark, not bothering to reply.

  As Alexander spun to blow kisses into crowd, the princess turned toward her next opponent. He was thin, almost to the point of emaciated, and carried a metal-shafted spear that reminded me of the Heartlance. His hair was long and black, but with hints of grey at the temples. “Fourth, we have Zhang Yun, famed Shieldbreaker and professional duelist. He also bears a mark from an ancient crystal in the Unclaimed Lands, which grants him rare and powerful abilities. His arena record is unmatched across the entire continent.”

  Strange. I’m surprised they’re openly admitting those crystals exist. Figured Selys’ faithful wouldn’t want people knowing about other sources of magic.

 

  Zhang Yun gave the princess the slightest hint of a nod, but didn’t even bother to turn to look at the crowd.

  The princess turned toward the man waiting at the next entrance, her lips twisting into a grin as her opponent stepped forward.

  The crowd hushed as they focused on him. He was a broad-built man wearing pitch black armor covered with a frankly impractical number of spikes. He rested his hands against the shaft of a massive two-handed axe. “Next, I pleased to bring to you Oskar Klein, Emerald-level Legionnaire and pride of the Edrian armed forces. He also bears a weaker Sentinel attunement. Oskar is a veteran of this tournament, reaching the semi-finals last year.”

  Oskar silently raised a hand to the audience, drawing a cacophony of cheers.

  She brought in an Emerald-level opponent? That’s chasing disaster, even by my standards. And with multiple attunements, he has to be an incredible fighter.

 

  I silently nodded at Dawn’s appraisal.

  Finally, Edria Song turned toward the last corner of the hex…which appeared to be empty.

  At first, I thought she was going to introduce an invisible opponent — a Shadow, maybe, or an Assassin — but from her frown, it seemed that was not the case.

  “Arena staff, send in my last opponent.” Edria Song’s eyes narrowed as she watched the entrance. Nothing happened, at least visibly.

  Then, after a few seconds, her hands tightened. “I have just been informed that our last opponent has been…delayed. This is quite unfortunate, as I require six opponents for this match.”

  After her seeming moment of distress, the princess smiled and turned to the audience. “Perhaps one of our tournament contestants would be willing to serve as a last-minute replacement? If so, you—”

  I stood up immediately. I was, however, not in the arena proper — and someone else took advantage of the op
portunity faster.

  There was a crimson blur as something moved from the audience, hitting the protective barrier around the arena and smashing straight through it, cracking a hole in the field.

  A small figure landed on the stage, smoke and fire rising from his body. All eyes turned toward him, including the princess.

  “Well,” she laughed, “That was quite an entrance, young man. I was planning to have someone speak to my royal guards, but this is certainly faster. Would you care to introduce yourself?”

  A teenaged boy stood in the center of ten thousand eyes, jerking a thumb toward his chest. “I’m Ari. And I’m going to win this tournament.”

  Thousands of voices cheered for him in unison.

  In our tiny waiting room, the reactions were somewhat different.

  I burst into laughter.

  “Oh, no.” Reika managed, her voice barely a whisper.

  Iron sighed, rubbed at her forehead, and stood. “I’ll be taking my leave, now.”

  I turned to her. “Where are you heading?”

  “The infirmary, to wait for my grandchild. Continue watching. Learn from his mistakes. See what Diamantine’s abilities are first-hand. And when you are done, head straight to your own match. There will be time for you to visit Ari in the infirmary later.”

  “Yes, Grandmother.” Reika replied, sighing.

  I kept laughing as I sat back down. Ari had done exactly what I would have done if I was in the audience. I wasn’t worried like the other two were. I was thrilled for him.

  Sure, he was going to get beaten to a pulp, but wasn’t that part of what made life entertaining?

  I grinned broadly as Edria Song waved Ari toward the empty corner of the hexagon. He hurried toward it, practically skipping with excitement.

  When Ari reached his corner, the crown princess spoke again. “My dear audience, I believe you have waited long enough. Challengers, are you ready?”

  There were a series of salutes and bows in acknowledgement.

  “Very well, then. Let the battle begin!”

  ***

  Within the first few heartbeats after the match started, I realized that the match wasn’t entirely staged. It didn’t have to be.

  Mikasa Kotstesu vanished in a burst of shadows.

  Oskar slammed his axe into the ground. The stone beneath the crown princess shattered in an instant, but she was already in the air, swinging to bisect a blast of lightning from Alexander Theas.

  Before the princess landed, Kamaria Clarent had hurled both of her swords in the Edria Song’s direction. The twin blades spun in mid-air like a deadly whirlwind, carrying enough force that even blocking them would have been dangerous to an ordinary opponent.

  Diamantine seemed to vibrate in the air. The approaching swords shattered like glass.

  I blinked.

  What was that?

  For once, even Dawn was silent. Uncertain.

  As the crown princess landed, Zhang Yun surged forward from his corner of the stage. He thrust his spear at the crown princess from twenty feet away, a burst of spear-shaped mana extending his weapon’s reach.

  Edria Song ignored the attack entirely. It hit the air around her, diminished, and then hit her armor without effect. “Weak. You’ll need to do better.”

  Then she swung her empty hand in his direction, and Zhang Yun flew backward across the arena, hurled by unseen force to crash into the ground.

  By the time Edria Song had completed the motion, Ari had crossed almost the entire arena to reach her. “Hi!” He never slowed as he ran toward her, pulling back a fist.

  Edria Song raised an eyebrow, then side-stepped in a blur of motion as Ari swung a fist at her. As he missed with his right hand, Ari squeezed something with his left, then hurled a handful of powder in the crown princess’ direction.

  She flickered backward, slamming the ground with a foot and producing a wall of solid crystal. The powder crashed into the wall, then detonated in a tremendous explosion, leaving a foot-wide hole in the center.

  “Hm. Unstable mana crystal essence of a variety that reacts violently with Diamantine’s power. Creative.” Edria Song gave an approving nod, then reappeared right behind Ari and slammed a hand into his back. There was a visible blast of pressure that cracked the floor of the arena beneath them on impact, then Ari crumpled to the ground.

  “Ari! Oh, no!” Reika’s leaned forward, trying to get a better look at his fallen form. He didn’t seem to be moving.

  As Reika and I watched, Edria Song raised Diamantine — then spun, her left-hand suddenly snapping shut. A moment later, I heard a deafening crack.

  Immediately thereafter, she flicked her fingers. A glint of metal flashed from her hand, rapidly crossing the arena. There was a thump as the tiny object hit an invisible target, then in a burst of shadows, Mikasa Kotetsu reappeared as she crumpled to the arena floor.

  A breath later, I processed what I’d just seen.

  Edria Song had caught a bullet fired at her from an invisible attacker, reacting before the sound of the gunfire had even reached her. Then, she’d thrown the bullet right back at the person who’d fired it. And, from the patch of blood spreading from Mikasa Kotetsu’s chest, Edria Song had hit her right in the center of mass.

  That was an absurd demonstration of speed and sensory ability. Better than I thought I could manage, in truth. With Dawn’s increase to my own speed and clarity, I might have managed to catch a single bullet in a one-on-one fight against a target I was focusing on…but with five other opponents and my back turned?

  No, I couldn’t replicate that.

  Maybe, just maybe, that could have been a planned maneuver. A part of a staged routine…

  …but did it matter?

  Upon analysis, I wasn’t sure if I could have managed that even if I’d practiced it. And given that Ari was very unlikely to be a planned part of the fight.

  …No, Edria Song was simply that fast. Impossibly fast.

  My heart beat harder as I realized that, for the first time in recent memory, I was watching a battle against an opponent that had me completely outclassed. I hadn’t encountered someone with capabilities that vastly outstripped my own since my days of training with Taer’vys Ironthorn when I’d been a teenager.

  I leaned in closer, greedily drinking in every detail of the fight.

  On a distant edge of the arena, Kamaria Clarent knelt down and put a hand on the ground. A swirling circle of symbols appeared beneath her, then chunks of stone detached from the arena floor all around her, rapidly changing in shape. Kamaria stepped forward onto two larger blocks of stone, which reshaped beneath her as the other bits of rubble converged. She stretched her arms outward, stone flowing like liquid over them, and finally I understood.

  She’s making a suit of armor.

  While turning the stone floor of the arena into armor was an impressive feat in itself, it was only the beginning of the process. As Kamaria focused, stone compacted, shimmered, and then settled into an entirely different substance.

  Kamaria charged forward, encased not in stone, but in solid iron.

  For a moment, my jaw hung agape. Even Taer’vys, the best metal sorcerer that I’d ever met, hadn’t been able to turn stone into metal. It wasn’t simply a matter of power, although that was certainly a factor; accomplishing that feat required a staggering understanding of the composition of each material.

 

  It’s probably not a complete transformation into another material — the color is a little off. Still, even a partial transformation from stone into metal is ridiculous.

  Beyond the potency of the transformation itself, the suit she’d created was both significantly taller than she was and much wider. Kamaria wasn’t just armoring herself. It was more like she’d conjured an entire golem, and now she was charging toward the crown princess inside it. As she approached, Kamaria drew back a titanic metal fist, preparing to strike.

&nb
sp; And, in case you haven’t encountered an iron golem, let me tell you: they hit really, really hard.

  Crown Princess Edria Song spun, deflecting another mana-augmented spear thrust from Zhang Yun, then turned just as Kamaria’s golem slammed a fist right into her midsection.

  The golem fist should have hurled the crown princess backward, broken and bleeding. Instead, the gigantic hand exploded on impact, fracturing into a thousand jagged metal shards.

  The crown princess was unmoved. As Kamaria reeled back, Edria Song stepped forward. I barely managed to process the movement of the princess’ sword arm. The golem surrounding Kamaria fell into halves, vertically bisected, and left Kamaria’s unarmed and unarmored form standing stunned within sword reach.

  “Uh,” Kamaria began, stepping backward as the halves of her golem fell away. “That doesn’t usually happen.”

  Edria Song cut.

  A phantasmal shield of green energy appeared in her way of her strike. Diamantine shattered the shield in an instant, but the impact slowed her swing enough for a second energy construct — a rope — to grab Kamaria around the waist and pull her backward.

  Alexander Theas held the other end of the rope, using one hand to pull Kamaria out of reach while he used the other to swing his thin sword in Edria Song’s direction. A burst of fire followed his swing, splitting into three separate projectiles as they approached the princess.

  Edria Song effortlessly sliced through the flames, shaking her head, then lunged for Kamaria again.

  Kamaria snapped her fingers. The shattered pieces of her golem rose from the ground, then flew straight toward the crown princess.

  Zhang Yun maneuvered, raising his spear and channeling energy into it. He seemed to be preparing a stronger strike for the instant the crown princess was distracted.

  The crown princess ducked the largest piece, sliced through a second and third, and then slammed her sword in the ground. As Diamantine met the arena floor, the princess spoke.