Touch of Fate

Chapter 161: Lighting Up the Ring

Kelith watched with disdain as everything played out exactly as he'd anticipated. The human Princess had been forced into allowing the trial, and now the abomination's protector was about to meet his demise. He'd sneered when the man had refused a weapon. Did he think he was worthy of fighting one of the Eternal Blades while unarmed?

He'd been upset when his protg Farin had brought the issue to his attention. While dealing with his heretical sister was certainly important, the current negotiations took precedence. If it could net him the glory of finally putting an end to the abominable tax, he be willing to let a dozen Pact Mages go free. However, the longer he thought on the matter, the more he was convinced that he could use it to his advantage.

The abomination could become a bargaining chip. With the life of a royal guest in his hands, Kelith could put a great deal of pressure on the Almirans. If the Duke wanted to avoid a very public embarrassment, he would need to follow through on some of the concessions they sought.

[Yes, this could work out quite well.]

As soon as the match had started, Turindinal had launched forward with the trademark speed of his order, sweeping forward with a killing stroke. Kelith was slightly surprised to see the move, since it suggested that the veteran elven warrior wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible. However, what happened next was even more shocking.

The youth whipped something up in his defense, meeting the elf's glaive with an audible clang, and forcing the two opponents apart. The Eternal Blade fell back into a guard position, eye's widening slightly as he took in the human's weapon.

A sword of pure darkness was clasped lightly in one hand, as he casually fell into a stance of his own. Kelith noticed that the young man's eyes had turned blue, a serene expression giving him the appearance of phenomenal confidence as he spoke. "Turindinal, was it? I'm going to apologize in advance for this. I know you probably have no real choice in who you serve, but due to circumstance, I will have destroy in once sense or another. Please bear with it."

[A Tier 2 Elemental Mage, at the very least, and skilled with the sword. Who is this man?]

The veteran elf made no reply, but a slight tightening around his eyes betrayed his feelings on the matter. Nevertheless, he did not give into his opponent's taunting, choosing to remain on the defense.

"What are you doing?" One of the elven envoys yelled. "Kill that arrogant human."

This garnered a round of angry mutters from the primarily human audience. Yet, Turindinal remained where he was. This was strange. Kelith had known the man for centuries, and he'd always been among the bravest of warriors. While a Tier 2 mage was a concern, it was nothing he hadn't seen before. Why was he acting like he was facing a dangerous opponent?

The now blue-eyed youth tilted his head slightly, "Not going on the offensive? Well, I guess it's up to me to get things started."

An invisible current of air stated to blow around the mage, picking at his clothes. He blurred forward in a graceful maneuver that was hard to follow with the naked eye. The two warriors exchanged a handful of blows before Turindinal started backing up to give himself more room to wield his longer weapon. The human was having none of it, staying close the Eternal Blade and giving him no time to reset his stance.

The pair began to increase in speed and ferocity, as the chorus of their clanging weapons seemed to blend into a singular, high-pitched tone. Even to Kelith's untrained eye, it was clear that the human had an advantage in sheer agility.

The man whipped his sword of darkness in an overhead chop that Turindinal was forced to block with the haft of his weapon, nearly falling to his knees under the sheer force of the blow. Staggered, he had little defense against the follow up strike which slammed into his ribs, sending him rolling through the dirt. Only the quality of his armor, and his elven reflexes had saved him from certain defeat.

Kelith felt his mouth fall open. How long had it been since he'd seen a human match, let alone beat, one of the elite elven warriors in a contest of speed and skill? The Eternal Blades had a reputation of near invincibility once they'd closed on their enemies, so potent wer their abilities. They embodied one of the prime tenants of combat, that speed was life.

Speed was one of the poorly understood higher attributes that existed within the system as a distillation of other lesser qualities. Each of the basic attributes seemed to have one associated with it, and centuries of experimentation had allowed the Sun Elves of Nirethial to confirm the relationship between Agility and Speed. They'd determined that enhancing on of the basic attributes, would enhance its related higher attribute, only to a much lesser extent.

Far more effective was enhancing the higher attribute directly.

It was a well-kept secret that the title of Eternal Blade granted an enhancement to Speed. This immense advantage was further compounded by a handful of skills unique to the Blade Master class. They were hard on the warrior's body, but could give them an unbeatable level of speed for brief moments.

Evidently sensing the need for just such a thing, an aura of green energy erupted around Turindinal, causing the warrior's blows to reach a level of speed unreachable by mortal fighters. In a move too fast for any of the observers to follow, the Eternal Blade launched himself forward and landed a powerful slash across the human's torso, flinging him across the ring in a spray of blood. The human rolled to a stop near the far edge, unmoving.

The audience gasped at the sight, but Kelith felt a moment of relief at the outcome. It was amazing that the human had forced Turindinal to make use of his Blade Master's Aura, even for a brief moment, but it was now clear that the outcome had never been in doubt.

Harsh laughter filled the area, as Farin started gloating. "It seems your champion has fallen, abomination. It's a shame he was so defiant in the face of his superiors. If he'd only left you to your richly deserved fate, he might have lived a while longer."

Kelith moved to rebuke his follower. There was no need for his attitude. That their warrior had proven victorious was enough. Anything further would merely serve to damage their relations with the Almirans. However, he stopped when he realized that Turindinal was still in a combat stance, eyes fixed on his fallen opponent.

[He couldn't have survived that]

The human hopped back to his feet lightly, idly exploring the new hole in his suit with his free hand. "Aw man, Sera's going to kill me for this. She specifically told me to keep this one in good condition."

[He's unharmed? But the blood. Could it have been healing magic? Regeneration? Who in the hells is this human?]

Oblivious to the shock his apparent resurrection had caused, the youth sighed dramatically. "I suppose I should stop playing around, and put an end to this."

He fixed his gaze on the Eternal Blade, and began muttering under his breath. Turindinal reacted quickly, aura once again blazing as he moved to stop the mage before his chant was completed. However, he lurched to a halt without taking a step.

The elf's lower legs were almost completely encased in hardened earth. It seemed that the dirt of the yard had flowed over his limbs at some point while the mage had him distracted. It only took a few seconds for the Eternal Blade to free himself, but by that point the human had finished his spell.

Crackling energy coursed over the man's frame, filling the air with the scent of ozone. Bolts of lighting formed arcs between his raised arm and the ground, as the hum of charging electricity resounded across the courtyard. Kelith felt his hair stand on end, and took an involuntary step back. The amount of power channeled into this spell was terrifying.

[What kind of monster is he?]

"[Lightning Field]!" The golden-eyed youth announced.

The surging energy gathered into his right hand before expanding over the entire ring. Coruscating bolts of lightning filled the circle, creating a wall of sound and light that collectively drove the audience back.

Kelith covered his eyes with an arm and staggered backwards. Screams echoed from all around him, barely audible over the sound of thunder from the nightmare of light that had erupted in the circle.

After a few seconds, the violent crackling of energy ceased, and the audience was left to squint at the changed dueling ring. Steam issued from the melted and warped earth, which had become smooth and shiny, like glass. The entire circle had been transformed by the spell, with the exception of a small patch of dirt where the mage still stood.

[This level of control....he must be at least a mid Tier 3 mage. At such an young age? How have we not heard of this man?]

---------

Mike took a deep breath and waited for the pain to disperse.

[Alright, just focus on not falling over. Can't ruin your badass appearance here. Next time, I really need to cast that spell a little farther away from myself. On the plus side, looks like I picked up a new resistance skill.....]

Once his regeneration had done its job, he opened his eyes and looked over the desolate expanse of cooling glass created by his lightning.

[Alright, that's pretty cool.]

Impressively, his opponent was still standing, although just barely from the looks of it. The once proud elven warrior was reduced to mass of burns and charred metal. His helmet had fallen off at some point, revealing a pain-wracked face. Glaive fallen to one side, the man no longer posed a threat.

He turned towards the shocked crowd, picking Andrea out of the mix. "Are we not done here, your Majesty? Must I kill this warrior?"

His rebuke seemed to startle her into action. "Champion of the accuser, are you able to continue?"

The Eternal Blade bent slightly with arm outstretched, as if trying to reach for his weapon. Unfortunately, this caused him to overbalance and collapse, falling to the ground in a boneless heap.

"It seems that he was not able to. As such, I declare the accused the victor in this Trial by Blood. The one known as Talitha Valikenateil Lorethenica, know that in light of the judgment of the Gods, you stand acquitted of the crimes leveled against you." The Princess announced, bringing an end to the fight.

Mike turned and started walking back to Tal. He had a feeling that it would be best to leave now. The surrounding nobles were giving an odd mix of looks. Most of them were clearly fearful, quickly moving to get out of his way as he left the ring, but there were a few individuals that seemed to be more....calculating.

"Ah..." Andrea tried to call out to him, but was interrupted by a cry of rage. Farin stalked across the ring, face warped in fury. "This is not over, abomination! I will have my revenge, and you will suffer as you have never suffered befo-"

A blunt knob of earth had speared forth from the ground between his legs, silencing the raging elf. As he collapsed to his knees and then to his side in the fetal position, mouth twisted into a silent scream, Mike couldn't help but snicker.

[Ah, now that was satisfying.]

He looked over at Tal, who had cast the spell. "That's rather cruel for men, you know."

"Deserved it."

"Not arguing with you on that one." He agreed, as he scanned the members of the elven group, gauging their reactions. He noticed a rather distinct lack of sympathy for Farin's plight.

[While I'm not quite done with him, its good to know I won't have to fight a war to deal with Tal's brother.] Mike thought to himself while leading Tal away.

It was going to be a busy night.