[YF] Chapter 255: Duel

The flames visibly avoided Jeriece’s cone of negative pressure. They were not as fast as her, and often fell victim to the void before they could retreat, revealing its effectiveness. With how fast she flew through the hall, she could start clearing out the flames, but considering how little she truly knew about her opponent’s form, she felt it more appropriate to confine the flames before trying to extinguish it.

This wasn’t a duel to the death, after all.

So Jeriece skimmed the walls, keeping just far enough away that the trailing pressure wouldn’t rip apart the ranked stone walls. The blaze willingly backed away from her path. The áed couldn’t react to her speed, so she gave up all the space along the walls.

With those white flames unable to even get close, Jeriece had placed herself in an optimal position. She could strike at the áed, while the young woman’s fire couldn’t retaliate.

Not that she wouldn’t be ready. This inferno would be enough to compete with as many Beiths as she wanted, but that didn’t mean she had nothing more to show. She wouldn’t have bothered with the spear if she was the type to be satisfied with a single approach.

The thought of that spear had Jeriece’s head snapping toward the wall where she’d tossed it aside at the beginning of their duel. Gone. As she turned her gaze head on again, she found the glistening sharp tip of that beautiful weapon parting the storm of fire.

For the longest moment, she just stared at it as it shot towards her with decently impressive speed. A trail of flames held the entire shaft, leaving only the blade unobscured as it cleared the rest of the blaze. She could avoid the weapon. A turn of her wings and she could slide around the blade and continue as she had. But that would go against the spirit of the duel.

Like the áed before her… around her, she had her methods of survival. She could spend all day avoiding strikes like this. Yet the purpose for this duel was to test each other’s strengths. The Mercenary Order had made it clear they wanted to learn these áed’s strengths, and the áed were surely doing the same. Not meeting her head on would be an insult.

It helped that Jeriece had grown excited. Not often did she get the chance to fight such an interesting opponent

So, ready to see whether this spear was just a tool to the young woman or an actual weapon in her grip, Jeriece adjusted her near uncontrollable lance to intercept. She watched intently as the blade pierced the cone of negative pressure. That the spear hadn’t been ripped apart by the forces involved was validation of its craftsmanship. Especially one that was without the glow of inscriptions. Now it was up to the wielder to use that weapon with skill worthy of it.

Jeriece pivoted her lance to push the spear out of the way. Ignoring the horrid sound of screeching that arose from the clash, she found with great disappointment, that the blade moved almost too easily under her motions. She was used to deflecting the blades of far stronger mercenaries, or the massive claws of the Upper Elevation beasts. It was like the áed had about as much weight behind that weapon as one of Jeriece’s kin.

The Inner Circle volan angled the blade just below her left wing, so that she could slide past while sweeping the gripping blaze from the shaft and disarming the áed once more. She was so assure of herself, that when the pain swept her arm, she yanked it to her side in an instant, which immediately sent her lance out of control and her own flight spiralling.

In the millisecond she had before impacting the wall, Jeriece did everything she could to regain her grip on the spinning weapon, but it was for nought. The lance slipped, and she couldn’t reach it before it crashed through the wall. She snapped her wings wide, trying to halt her momentum, but she wasn’t slowing fast enough.

Her eyes dropped to her pain seared arm, where she found her wingsuit in burnt tatters. Her fur hadn’t avoided damage either, and she could see the red burn marks along her skin where the fur was gone completely.

With only one wing, she could not stop and barrelled through the hole her weapon had ripped through the wall.

Readjusting to the one wing, she kept herself from impacting the earth only barely, and pulled in to follow her weapon where it had pierced through a dozen metres of stone and two dark corridors. It was still buzzing and carving through the earth — now below anything carved or crafted — but it was slowing down.

What was that? She had been expecting the possibility of a hotter flame, but there had been nothing strange until the spear passed her by.

Jeriece landed and pulled her lance back into her control before the inscriptions completely deactivated. She pat at the white flames burning at the frayed fibres of her wingsuit, but she was certain it was no white fire that scorched her arm. There was something more. Something she hadn’t noticed.

As she rose with her lance and turned, she found the áed standing at the entrance to the long, fresh tunnel. The young woman was back to her original form, with that spear held out ahead of her. Looking close, she could see the air shimmering at the tip of the blade. Jeriece had missed it through the distortion her own weapon created, but there was an invisible flame burning out from the spear’s head.

There were no inscriptions beyond those decorative patters, but it was clear the áed’s weapon was no lesser than that of a Riparian. A beautiful effect to enhance her kind’s natural strength.

Jeriece had lost this duel. It had ended quick, like most, but if the young woman before her was up for more, she would love to continue. Maybe she’d even teach the áed how to take advantage of her minimal weight when controlling her spear.

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I had begun this fight frustrated. Not only had I been disarmed immediately — an embarrassment before so many witnesses — but my opponent freely insulted my elders because of my failures.

If not for those very elders standing to the side, my reaction might have been taken as an attack against the pact nation leaders. I doubt the unenhanced amongst them can handle the head I can output. But the grand elders kept them cool and oblivious to the true heat washing through the room.

But, as the fight drew on — even when the volan brought out that strange effect of her weapon that painfully swallowed my flames in no small amount — I found myself calming down. It became clear pretty quick that my opponent realised her mistake early on, and began treating the duel with proper seriousness.

That calmness soon turned to satisfaction, as my strike landed against my tiny opponent, who clearly hadn’t seen me recollect my weapon while she’d been busy corralling me into a contained region. My spear had been casually brushed aside — and I realise now that I should have been adding weight to my flames and igniting microbursts to keep strength behind my weapon — but the invisible flames channelled through the shaft’s core had struck where the blade hadn’t.

At that point, I had been too content with my achievement to deny the continuation of the duel. My impatience and stress hadn’t even crossed my mind. After so long worrying about the impending Armageddon, a simple, friendly duel without stakes was a relief I didn’t know I needed. I’d been so wound up, that when faced with an output that didn’t pose a threat to those I care for, I found myself enjoying the exertion immensely.

An hour ago, I would have hurried myself to push through the duels quickly, so we can get to the facing the things of vital import. But for five minutes, the Inner Circle mercenary, Jeriece and I simply clashed weapons while my and her leaders watched on.

The hole we’d torn through the ranked stone wall lingered in our minds, leaving us to tone down our fights so that Imiha wouldn’t show such a horrified expression again. I won’t tell her, but I found no small amount of amusement when I’d seen her speechless, wide-eyed stare. She’d been stuck like that for a full minute.

At a certain point, we’d been rushed out of the makeshift duelling arena so that Ildri could fight one of the mages. I was surprised Śuri didn’t want to take the lead, but considering how excited both Iri and Ildri seemed at the prospect, maybe I shouldn’t have been.

As they fought, Jeriece decided to take it upon herself to tutor me in how she wields her own weapon. Much of the skill isn’t transferable, especially considering she relies heavily on rapid, instantaneous adjustments to get around guards that only her reaction speed can support, but her esoteric tips on how to approach some of the different mage types was certainly interesting.

I take the time to glance at the pact nation leaders every now and then. They are surprised that the intense, dark blue flames is common amongst the grand elders, as it is clearly beyond the invisible flames that knocked one of their elite out of her flight. What I find most interesting, is that they have shown clear relief that not all áed have reached the threshold of binding as I have. I’m not sure whether to take it as a compliment of my own achievement, or with suspicion that they might be considering attacking us.

Regardless, I don’t regret at all joining this duel. Because of it, I realise the need to take a step back and calm myself. I’ll do nothing but get myself killed or make a mistake that results in worse consequences if I leave my flames constantly churning with stress and frustration.

As the third duel comes to its conclusion — both combatants clearly not touching their full ability — the leaders are finally convinced of our competence. Some of the individually strong amongst them, like the Vanguard Champion, seem disappointed the battles didn’t reach beyond, but after the hole we punctured through what was supposed to be a protective wall, there’s a reason they couldn’t go further.

Really makes you think how Meja’s elite, pre-Pact, ranked next to those cultivated by the current Mercenary Order.

“Well, I think we’ve all seen enough to know they are an impressive force on their own,” the skinny dohrni which was one of the leaders of the Mercenary Order says. “Now, how willing are we to leave them to defend our lands while our Inner Circle strike the Empire?”

His question immediately stirs up murmurs of discontent, as if none had actually considered what was being planned. One of them raises their voice. “Could we not send them as the attacking squadron?” they ask, gesturing to my elders.

The skinny dohrni is quick to respond. “And give up the any hope Henosis will take the bait? The Empire is not so stupid. They will take the opportunity to strike should we send our own elite in what seems like a desperate ploy, but outsiders? They know enough about our Inner Circle that they’ll know we’ve left our main force back home even if we send a few mercs with them.”

The hum of disapproval continues, but nobody raises their voice in opposition.

Vanguard’s Champion claps his muscular hands and speaks. His powerful voice not needing to yell to be heard over the chatter. “It’s settled then. I will gather the Inner Circle and we’ll be on our way immediately.” He turns to my elders. “I would appreciate if one of yours joined us. We will need the defence against those bombs if they are as deadly as you say.”

Śuri nods. “I will. Direct my kin where you will. Yalun will act as intermediary between them and myself if need be.” He inclines his head my way. “And give Solvei what she needs to chase down solutions to the Anatla.”

“Done,” the skinny dohrni says, and with a motion of his tentacle, Jeriece disappears from my side. I discover her having reappeared besides the Order leader. “Now for the rest of us… we shall not be leaving. We have reason to believe that amongst the people here, there are moles. If any of you even attempt to leave, Jeriece here will drive her lance through your heads. You’ve all seen just how effective she can be.”

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