“I don’t think damsel in distress is something that describes you,” Luke mutters, looking away from Nyx. “If anything, I saved the bar and the lives of those drunks by making the challenge.”
“Most of the bar would still be standing and I would not have killed them,” Nyx declares, the sound of large gears echoing throughout the small room. “I would have simply hurt them. A lot.”
The wooden door in front of them begins to rise into the stone ceiling and bright sunlight seeps into the dim chamber. Luke and Nyx walk out as their opponents appear on the far side of the arena. The pair slowly moves toward the center of the arena while staring up at the packed seats. Spectators of every age and race can be seen cheering and pointing as the fighters make their entrance. Bowmen patrol the wide space separating the first row of spectators from the arena railing in order to prevent anyone from jumping into the fight. The amount of people in the stands surprises Luke considering the challenge was not made too long ago. He is so stunned by the surroundings that he almost misses a familiar face high above the arena floor. The retired adventurer Daniel Skyblade is calmly standing in a glass balcony. This balcony is connected to the arena by four stone arches that suspend it high above the center of the fighting area.
“At least, I know the judge. I got to spar with him at the academy when he visited Selenia,” Luke says, his body relaxing slightly. “There seems to be a big turn out for a challenge made less than two hours ago.”
“They followed the guards like vultures. You can tell that a challenge has been made when you see several guards going to the arena with people who are not shackled. This place is reserved for our yearly games to celebrate the fall harvest, so it’s usually empty,” Nyx absent-mindedly explains. She suddenly realizes that she is still acting as if she is giving a tour. She turns to Luke and tries to hide her anxiety, but her voice retains its panicky edge. “We have to make a plan. Non-magical combat strategy has never been my forte. Do you have any ideas?” She looks over at the five goons and shudders when their leader waggles his tongue at her.
“You get him when the real fight starts. They think that you aren’t a threat without magic, so use that to your advantage. Do not play nice,” Luke suggests. His face becomes a sudden mask of determination and confidence. “They are probably expecting me to be in the first fight of this challenge. None of them stepped up to a one-on-one fight in the bar except for the half-orc. I expect that to happen again. That is good because it means I can take him down first and they lose their strongman. I don’t know what the others are capable of, so a full plan would be a waste of time.”
“Better than I expected, but still not that comforting,” Nyx hisses while rubbing at the magic negation ring.
A booming voice echoes over the roaring crowd. “Everyone! Please keep your voices to whispers until the challenge begins! I, Daniel Skyblade, have the honor of presiding over this event. By the founding laws of Gaia, I will judge this challenge to the best of my ability. I will use fairness and compassion to all those below me. My honor will be marred for eternity if I should fail in my duties. We shall begin by introducing the challenged who have refused to give their names when asked. They give no explanation as to why they wish for anonymity. This is their choice and their disrespect toward tradition has been noted. Due to this refusal, the guards will be conducting an investigation into the challenged if they lose. Sorry, guys. If you want to keep secrets then do not be surprised when people get curious. It seems you will have more to lose in this fight than you previously thought. I would remind all of you that backing out at this point will be seen as a sign of surrender.”
“Screw you, Skyblade!” the dwarf hollers from far below the balcony. An arrow skims his beard and slams into the ground between his toes. The projectile disappears a few seconds after impact and the dwarf stumbles back. The crowd erupts in laughter at the terrified loudmouth.
With a charming smile Lord Skyblade continues, “Let us ignore those who cannot even begin to fathom the concept of respect. Our challengers are much more interesting. I can hear that many of you have recognized one of them. I present to you Lady Nyx, the top apprentice of Rainbow Tower. Many of us have seen her on errands or heard tales of her power. Today we hope to see if she is capable without her magic, but that question might have to go unanswered. Her partner is a recent graduate of the esteemed Hamilton Military Academy. I have had the honor of fighting by his side and know that his confidence is well earned. It’s my great honor to make the first arena introduction of Luke Callindor. Let us begin the challenge. The rules state that we will begin with a single competitor from each side. Once one of you falls, the rest of you can enter the fight. I remind all involved that all weapons and magic are illegal. Using either during the challenge will result in disqualification and arrest. Begin!”
The crowd goes silent at the mention of Luke’s name, which is broken when the expected awe-filled murmur worms its way through the arena. Luke ignores them before moving a few feet ahead of Nyx. He can see the half-orc walking forward with a line of drool dribbling down his square-like chin. A grin crosses Luke’s face as he slides his left foot forward and turns his right foot to the side. He extends his left arm forward and gently puts his right hand on his hip. Some people in the audience laugh at the odd-looking stance.
“I crush you!” the half-orc bellows. He beats his chest and clears his nose in Luke’s direction. Luke nimbly steps out of the way of the incoming gunk as the half-orc charges. He can barely hide his disappointment in the feeble distraction as he holds his ground.
The crowd roars as the half-orc’s fist comes within inches of Luke’s head. A flash of motion deflects the attack and sends the fist sailing past its target. Luke begins sidestepping while pushing the burly, outstretched arm with his left forearm away from him. A gasp of shock fills the crowd as Luke’s right arm lances forward and connects with a palm strike to the half-orc’s bulbous jaw. Teeth shatter and fly out of the brute’s mouth as he stumbles backwards. He manages to catch himself by flailing his arms and grabbing the collar of Luke’s shirt.
“Not that easy,” the half-orc proudly grunts. He is about to yank Luke into a bear hug when the forest tracker effortlessly slips out of his shirt. The last thing the half-orc sees is Luke charge at him and slide between his legs. He can feel Luke grab the back of his knees an instant before a solid impact at the base of his skull sends him crashing to the ground. The half-orc collapses on his face with Luke standing on the back of his head.
“I really hope he wasn’t the strongest of you guys,” Luke taunts, rubbing at his scar in an attempt to intimidate them. “One flipping double-heel kick to the top of his spine and he’s out like a baby.”
“Never doubted you for a second, Luke,” Nyx says, diving shoulder first into the man who grabbed her in the bar. Spit flies out of his mouth as she takes him down and begins repeatedly punching him in the ribs and kneeing him in the gut. The dwarf tackles Nyx before Luke can get to her and tries to strangle her. Luke is about to jump in when a swift kick from behind takes his legs out and a quick fist connects with his stomach.
“Nice scar, kid. Make it yourself?” the half-elf asks, slapping his human friend on the shoulder.
“Hellfire Elf if you must know. Now, get out of my way,” Luke growls with a hungry grin.
“I can’t do that. This is a fight and she is involved. You brought her into this and now she has to suffer,” the sneering half-elf says. “I wonder if you would have done this if you were with your little girlfriend from the academy.”
“What are you talking about?” Luke asks, flipping to his feet.
“Go help the others with the girl. I want to have some fun with the Callindor,” the half-elf demands. His friend grins as he goes to join the fight with Nyx. She has already kicked the dwarf in the groin and gone back to repeatedly slamming the head of her first opponent against the ground. Nyx is about to knock him out when she feels a kick to the back of her head.
L
uke makes a move to get to her and is forced to block a flurry of kicks from the sneering half-elf. He glares at the other fighter, as the sounds of Nyx cursing and punching continues. Luke takes some comfort in the fact that he can see the three thugs are having a hard time holding her down without getting hurt. A high-pitched yelp of pain from one of the humans gets a roar of applause and laughter from the crowd.
“I’ve heard of you and your recent adventure. A friend of mine was at the academy when it happened. He also told me some interesting information about your personal life. I barely believed it until I did some scrying of my own,” says the half-elf, who continues throwing easily blocked strikes at Luke. “So, how is Kira Grasdon? Sexually, I mean.”
“Don’t go there,” Luke warns him. “You won’t like what I do to you.”
The half-elf continues stopping Luke from getting to Nyx. “I’m not scared of you, child. Besides, it’s obvious that you were looking for an easy first time. A rich brat in a warrior school makes for a nice target. It probably helped that she is nothing more than an ambitious girl who would see you as an object of potential fame. The wife of a Callindor would increase the amount of times she is mentioned in high society. You two probably duped each other into believing it was love instead of her fame hunting and your lust. Now, you find yourself away from her and wounded because you no longer have her warm body to sleep with.”
Luke struggles to hold back your temper. “You’re trying to get me angry, so I stop using any form of technique. You want me to get sloppy.”
“I speak what I think. Your reaction is not my concern,” the half-elf states.
“That’s a shame,” Luke sighs, a sudden air of calm coming over him. “My reaction should be your biggest concern.”
Luke makes another move toward Nyx. The half-elf attacks with another flurry of kicks. Instead of blocking them, Luke lets all of the kicks hit him before he slowly turns toward his opponent and flashes a crazed smile. The half-elf goes a little pale as the angry eyes of the forest tracker bore into him. He tries for another kick to Luke’s head, which is caught with one hand and used to flip the half-elf onto his stomach. No matter how hard the half-elf yanks at his leg, Luke refuses to let go.
“You’re all speed and no power. Not even enough to break a rib. I’m done with you and your friends,” Luke snaps, violently twisting and shattering the half-elf’s ankle. He flips the half-elf into the air before letting go of the leg. As the half-elf lands, Luke hits him with a solid punch to the chin. The impact spins the half-elf back into the air where Luke grabs him by the face and slams him into the ground. A gurgled cough is the only noise that the half-elf is able to make.
“Are you angry because we’re beating on this wench? She’s nothing more than a high class whore from what we’ve seen,” the dwarf taunts as Luke turns to them. Everyone cheers as Nyx uses both of her legs to launch the man who is beating on her. The three goons look at the angry forest tracker on one side of them and the seething rage of the caster getting to her feet next to them. Both half-elves have their fists clenched and sadistic grins on their faces.
“Would it help if we apologized?” the dwarf whimpers. Luke and Nyx dive into the remaining fighters like a pair of starving wolves. The dwarf is the first to drop as he gets a knee to his kidney from Nyx and flying axe-kick to the top of his head from Luke. One of the humans tries to run past them. He finds himself airborne and helpless after a sliding sweep from Luke. He is brutally finished off by Nyx grabbing his legs and slamming him back first into the waking half-orc.
“I surrender!” the group’s leader cries. He is on his knees and staring up at the furious half-elves with tears in his eyes. They ignore his whimpering as they knock him out with simultaneous punches to his face. The impact knocks him off his knees and sends him rolling a few feet away. They can see him start to get up until he looks over at them and drops back to the ground.
“You’re pretty good for a caster,” Luke admits as the crowd applauds.
Nyx blushes at the deafening applause. “I hate to admit it, but I think the two of us make a good team when we aren’t arguing.”
“Friends?” Luke asks, extending his hand toward her.
“I believe that has been implied. Now, we have a ship to catch. Let’s get our gear and run before we get in-” Nyx starts. She stops as soon as Luke catches a hurled dagger an inch from her eye. She looks over her shoulder to see the half-elf on his feet
“We’ll meet again,” the half-elf swears. With a hazy shimmer, he changes to a cobalt-skinned elf with glowing green eyes. The chaos elf turns to run, but he feels his dagger sink into the back of his knee. A billowing wind fills the air with dirt as he turns to see Nyx’s fury visibly rise.
“Good-bye!” Nyx whispers. A pair of fireballs blast out of her hands and spiral out at the chaos elf. He can’t even scream as the flames engulf his body. The audience is silent while the remains of the chaos elf burn to ashes.
“One fireball would have been enough,” Luke says, staring at the caster.
“No fun in that. Let’s go before anything else happens,” Nyx insists, taking Luke by the hand and running to where their gear is stored.
Far above the arena, Daniel Skyblade stares down in shock. The sound of wind swept robes catches his attention, but he doesn’t bother to face his visitor. The mysterious figure is cloaked and hidden by complex illusions, so looking at him would be pointless. Daniel is sure the sound he heard was simply a way to subtly get his attention.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Daniel says as he watches the guards lead the losing fighters away. “Those two are incredibly powerful and we are letting them travel together like they are average adventurers. Luke adapts to combat situations and learns skills faster than anyone I have ever met. At least, when he pays attention. He is almost perfect when working alone or when he is teamed up with other people. Nyx is an untested caster who can use magic when wearing an anti-magic ring. I don’t even think she noticed when it melted off her finger during her casting. This is the power that they wield and we are simply sending them away from our guidance and protection. We are making them open targets to all who would want their power or fear their existence. Just look at what happened here. The chaos elves are already making moves toward them without taking precautions. It’s a bad sign when the masters of stealth attack in the middle of a packed arena.”
“This is what the gods want. We are not the ones to question it. The chaos elf who died was a novice who was supposed to gauge their abilities. That is why he talked those fools into starting up with them at the bar. It escalated beyond his plan, but he held on,” says the stranger, his voice a deep, clear echo in Daniel’s head. “Yet, he let his emotions get the better of him when Luke took him down so easily. His wounded pride made him reckless, which betrays his lack of experience. We should not take this peon’s actions as those expected by his queen. What we just saw was a fatal mistake of a novice. Do not dwell on this, Lord Skyblade. I must go and attend to some things. I thank your city for giving me the opportunity to watch this. Do not worry. They will be fine without the guidance of others.”
“I was afraid that you would say that,” Daniel sighs.
*****
The seaport is dark as the four moons vanish behind the clouds. The area is usually quiet at this time of night unless a late supply ship is docking. On this night, it is the sound of a ship preparing for a voyage that breaks the silence. Fifteen sailors are busy working on a tall and narrow sailing ship with an archer figurehead sculpted into the bowsprit. The sailors try very hard to be quiet due to the covert nature of their trip, but their captain is not as thoughtful. His stern voice continually ruptures the night air as he yells his orders and gets his ship in order. He stands at the wheel in a white shirt and simple pants while his crew quickly carries out his commands. Aedyn and Fritz quietly stand on the dock and watch the preparations in an attempt to keep themselves awake. Nimby is already asleep on a crate since the revitalizat
ion spell wore off.
The captain quickly becomes a subject of interest for his passengers after they get a clear look at him. A few slivers of moonlight shine off his aqua-colored skin, but they think it is nothing more than a trick of the light. Even the captain’s yellow, glowing eyes is easily passed off as an illusion of the night. Aedyn and Fritz eventually realize what he is when there is enough moonlight to show he has webbed hands and gills. While they are not entirely surprised to find that the captain is a sea elf, they are surprised to find him wearing surface clothes. Until tonight, both adventurers believed all sea elves wore skimpy clothes made of shells, scales, and eternally moist seaweed.
“Are we late?” Nyx gasps as she races down the pier with Luke behind her. She trips to a stop as soon as Cyril appears in front of her. Unfortunately, Luke is not paying attention and bumps into Nyx and starts to tumble off the pier. He flips in mid-air to catch himself on the pier’s edge. Luke can feel his feet skim the water as he swings back to his feet. Aedyn and Fritz give him a friendly round of mock applause.
Luke walks up to his friends and smacks both of them on the back. “Thanks for your help with that griffin earlier. After everything I’ve done for you guys. Either of you could have at least tried to cast something that would calm it down.”
“It’s against the law to cast magic at a griffin owned by the city,” Fritz claims with a yawn. “We had too much to do to risk getting arrested.”
“I would have healed you if you fell,” Aedyn admits. “How do you have so much energy at this time of night?”
“I’ll tell you when we get on the ship,” Luke responds.
Cyril clears his throat and everyone falls silent. “I have brought everything that Willow has packed for you, Nyx. I have already teleported your luggage onto the ship. They should be in your room by now. I trust that you are done getting into trouble.”
Legends of Windemere: 02 - Prodigy of Rainbow Tower Page 9
