“You don’t need money” David said. “You are my son and you know magic.”
“Who would hire a low powered mage like me?” Glen asked. “Everything I can do is something anyone can do with the right tools or skill. So what I can set a fire, so can anyone with a flint. I can make a small rock fly around, even a normal child can just throw it. Mages like me end up just a little better off than normal unskilled people.”
“You have a sharp mind Glen” David said. “You could do numbers or become a scribe.”
“And I still will be able to later on” Glen said. “But that is far in the future Da, right now I don’t want to make your life any more complicated than it already is. I want to fight at this school, surprise some of the better schools and make my name. I don’t mind working for a little money at first, if things get too rough I will ask for help. I think though I will be fine, I am supposed to leave tomorrow.”
“You have made up your mind on this?” David asked then raised a finger before Glen could speak. “Keep in mind that me and Martha are through no matter the outcome of this.”
“I have Da” Glen said. “I think I stand a good chance of winning a fair number of battles, I am young but I am also quick and I hit hard.”
“What about armor though Glen” David asked. “I never see you put on the one I bought you.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it Da” Glen said. “But something about metal makes me a little uneasy, it’s like I cannot flow the way I want to. My style of fighting though doesn’t really call for armor, I dance in and out and leave a lot of false openings and all of my strikes can be made into double and triple moves. If I ever get seriously injured or scared I will try to come up with something else.”
“Wood” David said. “The Fae had wooden breastplates, don’t know how they made them though. Maybe they have an aversion to metal as well.”
“Who knows” Glen said. “Eating utensils do not bother me as much, maybe I am just used to fighting without anything and the armor is something I have to get used to.”
“Well I want to see this school” David said. “Go gather your things, I want to see this place for myself as well as the training you will receive. I have never skimped on your education, I don’t want it to start now.”
“I have likely had better teachers than they have there” Glen replied. “They train each other, that is the reason most of the other schools pick on them for a fight. The school keeps half of everything, only rule is that everyone must fight once a week if there is a fight for them.”
“I still want to see this place” David said.
CHAPTER 2
Glen took a deep breath as he looked around his room, it was a far cry from what he had at his father’s house. Nine other men shared this area, all of them slept on grass stuffed mattresses and his father was not happy yesterday when he stopped by. The other duelist here were just men looking for quick money and a place to stay. A lot of them had no skills and liked drink way too much, the place smelled like a tavern Glen thought, not that he had visited all that many with his father. The Tavern was a perfect name for this place, no wonder these were the people picked on when others needed a fight. Glen stepped through the sleeping men until he got to the door, other men were already outside training. These other men did not live at the school, they had normal jobs and used the school for extra money or for bragging rights for being a duelist. These men took things more seriously and in the mornings and their off days Samuel, the head of the school said they could be found here training.
“You already up rich boy?” Samuel asked. Samuel was a washed up old fighter that saved just enough to get a Dueling school license. Samuel did not know much about Glen or his parents, even when his father visited David had nothing on that identified him as a mage. Samuel called him rich boy because of the quality of his clothes and the fact Glen showed up with an expensive chest to hold all of his belongings. Glen’s chest was currently sitting in the armory since the small school had no other place to leave it that would be secure.
“The fight is in two days, I need the training” Glen replied.
“The fight is tomorrow” Samuel said as he puffed on his pipe. “I am not going to throw your green ass in there this soon kid. I still gotta see what you can do and the fights have been set already.”
“I can fight” Glen said as he waved his staff around.
“Who the hell fights hard steel with a practice weapon?” Samuel asked. “You don’t even have steel caps on the end of it. Pit, even iron or bronze could take a decent bite out of a weapon like that. Why don’t you grab a sword and let some of these other boys show you what’s what.”
“Gotta hit me first” Glen smiled as he liked bantering with the old fighter. “I was trained by a staff master, in, out, in, out. My Da said I move like the water.”
“Of course your Da would say that boy, he is your Da” Samuel said. “Why don’t you try whatever you are going to do against Wilson over there. He is a little older than you and has been training here for a few weeks with his older brother. He won't hurt you too bad but your weapon will most likely take a beating from the dulled blades I have here.”
“You want me to warm the pretty boy up a bit?” Wilson said as he walked over. “I aint never fought a staff user before.”
“They are like pikemen, just far less dangerous” Samuel said. “They are dangerous if they can keep you at a distance, the key is to run in and get inside of their range. You will take a few blows to get there though.”
“And what about me?” Glen said looking at Samuel.
“You just need to keep him on the end of your staff” Samuel said. “Or just pick up another damn weapon.”
Glen shook his head as he got into a fighting stance. He was a little taller than Wilson and had him by a few pounds as well. Wilson was not pudgy though and had a slightly crooked nose that let Glen know the boy was no stranger to a fight. Wilson at first had a short sword but traded it for a long sword, Glen could tell Wilson must have been worried about his reach and wanted all the help he could get. Samuel gave the signal and Glen gave Wilson a few test jabs with the staff, it was a basic maneuver, one jab towards the throat followed by one towards the groin. Glen was too far away to have a chance at landing either blow but wanted to make sure Wilson didn’t try to rush him at the start. While missing the target, the first blow would have landed easily, Wilson would have barely gotten out of the way if Glen was a little closer. Glen repeated the maneuver as he moved a little closer except he went for the groin first then the throat, Wilson looked like he had just seen a bear up close as he hurried backed away out of range. Neither shot landed but Glen knew it wasn’t because Wilson knew he was out of range, Wilson was just a novice. Glen pressed the attack now, he gave a feint with the staff and purposely went to high and to the right, directly over Wilson’s shoulder. Wilson ducked to Glen’s left in a hurry and failed to see the leg sweep which put him on the ground with the staff at his throat.
“You know a lil bit rich boy, I’ll give you that” Samuel said as Glen helped Wilson up. “But Wilson is still a little green and he didn’t use the weapon he is best with.”
“Wouldn’t have mattered” Wilson said. “I wanted to run in but he left no openings.”
“Let's see him do that with me” Rupert said. Rupert was Wilson’s older brother and had sunk most of his money into dueling equipment. All of it was second, third or fourth hand but he finally put enough together for a mix matched set of armor. Rupert was the school’s best fighter and had won eight matches and only had three losses. Rupert was a little smaller than Wilson but was in better shape, it was obvious he always exercised and the scars on his face and knuckles let Glen know he also wasn’t afraid of a fight. “My brother has no armor, in a duel the guy you fight might. Your staff won't do much against it and a shield.”
Glen got ready as Rupert put on his helm and picked up his shield and short sword. As soon as Samuel gave the signal Rupert charge
d leading shield first. Jabs wouldn’t work on him Glen thought as Rupert hid behind the shield. Glen would need sweeping attacks and other things to get around the shield. Glen grabbed onto the outer portion of the shield away from Rupert’s sword hand and pulled, Rupert spun a little but fought to maintain his position. Glen executed a low roundhouse leg sweep which went under the shield and caught Rupert by surprise. Rupert hid behind his shield as he tried getting up, Glen struck the shield multiple times with staff jabs and stomped on it a few times to keep Rupert down. Rupert struggled for a bit as Glen stayed on him, Glen figured he could have started aiming for knees, knuckles or whatever else he could find but knew his man was already in a difficult position. Armor was heavy, fighting in armor was slow and sapped endurance and strength quickly. Glen knew if he kept at it his opponent would eventually get tired or desperate and make a mistake.
“That’s time” Samuel said. “Rupert once you got knocked on your ass the fight was over with. I told you not to rely too much on your armor. I want you to practice getting the pit up once you get knocked down. You need a lot more practice in that get up before you wear all of the pieces. You have made a little name for yourself and I doubt you would get a first timer in there to fight you again. The man you are fighting tomorrow just got out of the army and is probably in as good of shape as you are. Your technique of wearing down your opponent won't work with him.”
“What about my guy?” Wilson asked.
“He is three and one” Samuel said. “He lost to your brother two months ago. You part timers don’t have to fight every week like the rest so you may not remember him. Skinny kid with a rapier, had no way to get around the shield your brother has.”
“Just grab one of the practice ones” Rupert said getting up. “That is what I did and I just stayed behind it. As for you rich boy, nice leg sweep. I never saw it coming, I need to improve on my defense, that is my normal game.”
“Defense?” Glen asked.
“Defense wins matches” Rupert said. “Hustle and defense does. Those fancy men with the two blades may be nice to look at but they don’t do well when they are up against someone with good defense.”
“Defense doesn’t pay though, does it?” Samuel said. “The people want to get their money’s worth, they want to see two men go at it until one falls. That’s what gets people watching and betting their money.”
“I make a decent amount here Samuel” Rupert said.
“Only because of your opponent” Samuel said. “People pay money to see their favorite fighter and as the less popular one you get twenty five percent of the take and I take half of that. If you were more popular we both would be going home with more money. The Conquest though are not bringing out their famous fighters to go up against us, they just want their boys to get some work in. Other than you Rupert I think the rest of you might get carried a few minutes so their boys can get some work in.”
“I am going to do like Rupert and outlast them” Wilson said.
“Well good luck kid” Samuel said. “As for you rich boy I will let the Conquest know I have a new house fighter that hasn’t had a match yet. Maybe one of their sparrers need a little warming up and some extra cash.”
“Sparrers?” Glen said confused.
“Yeah, sparrers” Samuel replied. “The bigger schools have men whose job it is to mimic a future opponent. They are decently skilled but they just aren’t elite and never will be. It is a nice and steady pay day but none of those men will ever make it to the big time. I was a sparrer in the later stages of my career before I saved enough for this place. I recommend it to everyone, just know though some of those fancy fighters don’t take it easy on you.”
“Are you going to get any here?” Glen asked.
“Pit no kid” Samuel laughed. “I am barely making what I was when I was a sparrer. This place looks like a shithole but it is an expensive shithole. To really get this place off the ground I need about a hundred gold coins. A new and bigger school brings better fighters. Betters fighters will bring more money and allow me to get better equipment and sparrers. Now let me see everything you can do with that staff, Wilson will give you a little work for now until the others get up.”
Glen sparred with Wilson for most of the morning, he was just too fast and too slippery for him. Glen never struck Wilson hard and instead gave him a light tap to signal a strike and spent most of his time on defense. Wilson tried catching him but always left himself open to attack, when Wilson tried staying on defense he was a little bit better but had a harder time seeing Glen, let alone hit him. When the others came out they were far worse, most had been in their cups and were nursing hangovers, they were slow to react and not much of a challenge. Samuel screamed at them and eventually Glen found it easier to just practice his moves by himself the rest of the morning, he had a flow to his moves and sparring with anyone other than Rupert was pointless. It was filled with him holding back and moving slow enough to give them a chance at hitting him. The morning part timers left to go to their real jobs, Rupert had told Glen that they could always use another man hauling stone but Glen declined like every other full time member. Glen wanted to train while the rest of them probably saw it easier to get beat up once a week and live it up with that small money.
“I need to send a message to my Da” Glen said. “I want him here for my first fight.”
“I don’t know if I have you a fight yet rich boy” Samuel said. “And this aint a big place we are fighting in. We are going to The Conquest and fighting in their place. It is a lot nicer than this but I don’t know if your Da would be comfortable there.”
“My Da is comfortable anywhere” Glen replied.
“I don’t think you are hearing me kid” Samuel said. “A bunch of whores, drug sellers, smugglers and people looking for those things will be there. The Conquest is having their real fight earlier on in the day against The Forbidden in a proper place. We are going to be the after party, the entertainment. The matches will still count and everything but that is the type of place people get robbed. Do your old man a favor and don’t say anything, wait until two weeks when I have to send three of you to get slaughtered by the Onslaught. It might not be pretty though but at least his life won't be in danger.”
“If you say so” Glen replied. “I just want the fight to hurry up and start.”
“Easy, Easy” Samuel said. “That is just the jitters, they can lose a fight for you. Why don’t you find a decent meal to eat. You have been working hard today and may need a break.”
“No one wants that swill” Baberin said as he wiped his brow. “If you got any money I can show you what you really need boy, some meat and cheap pussy.”
“That shit aint good for you before a fight” Samuel snapped. “You need fighter’s food. Something that will fill you up without packing on a bunch of fat.”
“Well you eat it then old man” Baberin said. “I am up too damn early and working too damn hard. I need a break and some real food.”
Glen watched Baberin and the rest leave, they had woken up late, did just a little sparring and were ready to go out and party again. They were not real duelists which was what everyone else probably knew too. Glen knew men like them were the reason that Samuel didn’t charge a fee to enter the school or monthly rent but instead took it out of their pay.
“Don’t worry about them fools kid” Samuel said. “They are in it for the money. You though have a little potential. So here is how it is going to work, we will go to their place and their handlers will pick out the people they want their folks to warm up with. You will get a chance to mingle with the folks there and the ale and wine is free. They want you good and drunk to get the shit kicked out of you. The whores there are high class so don’t think the little money you get will have you between their legs. They are there to work and don’t fuck with busted broke fighters like I have. After the fight we will all come back here, well some of us. Some of my duelists will go out looking for trouble. If they just gave half a damn
they could get the closet and wouldn’t have to go nowhere.”
“You are going to give them a closet?” Glen asked.
“I call it a closet because that is what it is” Samuel said. “I made a closet into a small room complete with a raised cotton stuffed mattress. No wardrobe though, all your clothes have to go under the bed. I told those idiots first one with three wins in a row gets it, whenever they lose they move back into the room with everyone else.”
“I want that room” Glen said. “The room I am in stinks bad, real bad.”
“Well then win some fights and get me some money” Samuel said.
~
“What is your name?” said a woman who was wearing a fur stole and had a bunch of jewelry on. She was older, older than Glen’s Da and had her gray hair down and curled.
“Glen Ma’am” Glen said as the woman looked him up and down and smiled.
“Oh, a duelist with manners” the older woman laughed. “You can call me mother, all of my workers do. How much are you getting paid to fight Glen?”
“I don’t know yet” Glen said truthfully.
“Well, whatever it is I can give you a lot more” Mother said. “And the work isn’t that hard once you get used to it. It is definitely safer than this.”
“I want to be a duelist though” Glen replied. “I want to join the army when I get of age.”
“Of age?” Mother asked. “You are still younger than eighteen?”
“I am” Glen admitted. “But I am good with my staff. I don’t know who I am dueling but I think I will do okay. Even if I lose I will be able to learn something.”
“Oh there are things I could teach you” Mother said as she slid her hand down the side of Glen’s face. “There are plenty things a big one like you could learn.”
“Mother leave my duelist alone” Samuel grumped. “This is a meet and greet, not recruitment. Besides this kid already comes from money, he doesn’t need to be one of your whores.”
The Fae Mage Page 2
