188 - Duel

Suyin considered the woman standing across from her. Lady Ember Moore, recent recruit of Vanguard—now there was an introduction to raise eyebrows.

The knight was quite tall, doubly so since she was dressed in full plate armor, with her thick metal boots adding another inch or two. Gems of all colors decorated both her armor and sword, a show of wealth that threatened to tip over from ostentation into outright garishness. The ruby on her pommel looked fat enough to trade for a castle. 

Had Suyin seen the woman on the street, she might have assumed her some gilded noble’s daughter. Most adventurers knew the sort—the baby-faced bronze-ranker venturing out from their estate to playact the next great warrior of their age, half their family’s wealth draped over their shoulders. But for Lady Ember to have been accepted into Vanguard, there must be substance behind the show.

More attention-grabbing were her eyes. Volcanic. A deep orange that evoked the sensation of standing over a pool of lava. There was arrogance there too, in that gaze. A self-assuredness so complete it could only have been fostered from birth, then reinforced every minute of her life. Her sharp cheekbones would make a duchess weep in envy. She didn’t look a day over nineteen years of age.

And that’s the most interesting part, Suyin thought. Levels slowed aging but didn’t reverse it. She herself was a prodigy benefiting from an unparalleled apprenticeship bonus, yet it would be a number of years until she passed the threshold of Titled where real preservation began. So it’s unlikely that she’s as young as she looks.

There were plenty of explanations. Perhaps Lady Ember wore an illusion; perhaps she had a deceptively youthful complexion; perhaps some other factor explained the discrepancy. After all of Suyin’s misconceptions regarding Lady Vianora, she was hesitant to make assumptions about strangers.

But it’s curious, to say the least.

“Begin!”

As the match overseer called out the start to their duel, neither combatant moved. They continued appraising each other.

“Suyin Vey,” Lady Ember said. “That name does not belong to any human Titled, so far as I know.”

Suyin paused. She assumed I had a Title? “Alas,” she responded, “this humble disciple would not dare to claim that she’s reached such exalted standing.”

“And yet my instincts whisper that I’ve found an interesting opponent.”

“You flatter me.” Suyin drew her sword, metal ringing in its scabbard. She pointed the blade toward Lady Ember and adopted a loose stance. “My instincts are not whispering so much as they’re shouting from the rooftops. This disciple gets the feeling she has met her match.” 

Lady Ember lifted her chin, visibly taking enjoyment in the praise. Suyin almost raised an eyebrow.

“Some would call that a self-defeating attitude,” the woman said.

“Some would call it realism.”

“It takes arrogance to rise. To know what you could become and pursue that better self.”

“It takes discretion, too.”

Lady Ember laughed. Finally, she pulled her blade from its sheath to join Suyin’s. The woman’s sword was massive and forged from dark metal. Suyin knew a masterwork weapon when she saw one; her heart skipped a beat as she ran her eyes across its length. She didn’t have quite the same obsession with craftsmanship as Master did, but she enjoyed admiring new weapons as much as any other student of a Sword Saint.

Lady Ember caught her looking, and her tone turned distinctly smug. “I can tell yours is well made too. Come show me how you use it; we’ve delayed our audience for too long.”

Suyin bowed her head in agreement, keeping her eyes on the woman. “I’ll oblige to the best of my ability.”

She dashed forward. There was a proper way to go about fighting an unknown opponent. To begin, she needed to probe—to identify the caliber of the fighter across from her. Though it seemed likely Lady Ember was Titled, Suyin knew nothing for certain. She didn’t want to cut someone in half by accident.

Besides, a good duel was worth savoring.

Her opponent’s huge blade easily caught Suyin’s own and redirected it. The noble twisted out of the way, seeming unhurried in the movement, then grabbed the hilt of her sword with both hands—no doubt the proper way to wield the weapon. Lightning-fast, Ember returned her own two-handed exploratory strike. 

Rather than dodging, Suyin deflected as well, wanting to get a feel for Ember’s strength—and was instantly shocked by the impact that rattled her entire frame. Her boots skidded against the stone floor of the arena as she was pushed backward from the glancing blow.

She regained the solidity of her stance within a moment, but she didn’t rush back in. I didn’t even meet the attack head-on. She’s strong. Very strong. Suyin had mixed feelings on the instant confirmation that her opponent must be Titled.

Lady Ember didn’t allow Suyin to contemplate; she pursued. Suyin barely got her sword up in time. It felt like her shoulders were nearly torn out of their sockets a second time as steel clashed. Pushing off, Suyin recovered and slipped to the left. She feinted twice in a row and dipped her blade for a gap in the woman’s armor. The strike met air, but at least her opponent retreated. 

A smile played on Lady Ember’s lips. “Whoever trained you was skilled. I can tell already.”

“It feels condescending to be on the receiving end of that for once,” Suyin said wryly, thinking about all the times she’d politely voiced something similar.

Lady Ember laughed, and hadn’t finished doing so before she launched forward again. Orange eyes blazed with excitement, and her massive sword crashed downward in an overhead cleave. No catching that. Suyin dodged, though she escaped with far less distance to spare than she’d prefer.

The noblewoman had apparently taken Suyin’s measure in the first exchange, because it was with a calibrated speed that strikes began falling onto her from every direction—only ever allowing a hairbreadth of clearance before the next came. Suyin was more than accustomed to fighting an opponent stronger than herself, though always the same one: her master. A new style that felt so overwhelming was a first.

Nevertheless, the distance between their respective strengths didn’t intimidate her. She met the onslaught with razor focus, gliding between stances and retaliating where she could. Perhaps she couldn’t win… but she didn’t discount the possibility either. A Title wasn’t an insurmountable obstacle, not if Lady Ember sat low in that final tier. The woman might be stronger and faster than her, but a fight was not determined by such factors alone.

Silver on Dark Water flowed into Crescent Rising, and the world seemed to sing in that way that told her the threshold had been crossed—that her blade had found the deeper rhythm it had been reaching for. She activated the weapon art: [Moon Takes the Tide]. 

Suyin’s blade began drinking the force of Ember’s heavy blows, the impacts growing softer with every successive clash. More and more energy thrummed through the weapon, and wisps of moonlight trailed along its path as her attacks came faster. Ember narrowed her eyes but arrogantly allowed momentum to build, unbothered by the clear weapon art on display.

The exchange reached its natural conclusion, and Suyin spun and slashed out one final time, releasing the absorbed energy. An arc of brilliant light swept outward from her blade to cut toward her opponent.

Ember backhanded it. Her gauntlet effortlessly deflected the luminous crescent, and white radiance carved a deep groove along the reinforced stone of the arena’s floor, slamming to a stop with a cascade of sparks when it hit the enchanted barrier.

Almost within the same instant, Ember stepped forward and kicked Suyin in the stomach, too fast for her to respond. Suyin blasted backward, smashing into the arena’s shields with enough force to steal her breath and leave her crashing onto the floor.

“You’re good,” Lady Ember said. Even as Suyin struggled to get to her feet, she took pride in how the woman’s eyebrows had risen. “Who taught you?”

“Who taught you?” she countered. The words came out sharp. It was hard to keep her tone polite with a ringing head—especially when one of her better weapon arts had been completely negated. Swatted away like a buzzing insect. Titled really are monsters. She was used to thinking that about her master, but not anyone else.

Lady Ember pursed her lips. “My father, mostly.”

A vague response deserved one in return. “In that case, my answer is the same: ‘My father, mostly.’”

To Suyin’s amusement, the woman almost looked offended—a perfect picture of a haughty noble’s daughter not getting what she wanted. 

Suyin changed the topic. “You aren’t using your full style against me.”

Lady Ember’s indignant expression melted away as fast as it had arrived. She tilted her head, intrigued. “What do you mean?”

“There are no gaps in your movements, of course. Your swordsmanship is clean. Beautiful. But the way you’re chaining them together… your stance, the choice of techniques. You’re leaving yourself openings that you don’t capitalize on. Opportunities to sneak in spells, if I had to guess. You’re a mage, aren’t you?”

Ember appraised her quietly. “That’s a lot to deduce in the middle of a fight, particularly one you were losing.”

Suyin fought the instinct to bristle. She was obviously the underdog; why take offense? 

“Am I wrong?” she asked.

“I didn’t say that. But whatever skills I may or may not have, I intend to use only my sword in this tournament.”

“The boot to the chest tells me that’s not the complete truth.”

Ember blinked, then laughed. “I meant metaphorically. But yes, you seem the sort to genuinely use only the sword. A purist. I can see why. Your technique is phenomenal for a human.”

Suyin stared. “…for a human?” She scanned for pointed ears, horns, or any other foreign trait.

Lady Ember grew flustered. “T-that is to say, normally such things are honed over centuries or millennia.”

“Millennia?” Even high-Titled humans didn’t live for that long. Master himself didn’t have thousands of years under his belt.

“We should be fighting,” the noblewoman said hastily. “We tarry at the expense of others.”

Before Suyin could respond, a huge two-handed blade crashed down toward her again. Her puzzled curiosity vanished as survival instincts took over.

Together, they clashed. Suyin wasn’t the only one to grow absorbed in the fight; she saw battle fervor in those bright orange eyes to match her own. Though the most exciting battles would be those held between equals, that didn’t mean Suyin had nothing to offer.

As they danced, she discarded the notion that Lady Ember was low-Titled, within range of a miraculous victory. It was clearly not the case. 

Is there no path to success, then?

Not conventionally, but perhaps…

An idea struck her, and she knew instantly that Master would approve. She almost abandoned the plan right then and there.

Suyin pulled back, panting, with black hair clinging to her forehead. Her opponent’s grin mirrored her own. “As honored as this disciple is to face someone of such skill,” she said with a slight bow, “we will need to cede the arena shortly. We both know you could win whenever you choose. So perhaps I can propose something to make this more interesting.”

Lady Ember considered her. “I’m listening.”

“Neither of us will struggle to qualify. The outcome of this match is meaningless. But this humble disciple is not so humble as she insists—she wants a way to win. Let us make a wager.”

“A wager,” Ember repeated slowly. “Of what sort?”

“You’ve taken my measure, and I fought you in earnest. But of course, I haven’t shown you everything I’m capable of.” 

Nor most of what she was, for that matter, as the Titled could no doubt claim as well. They’d fought predominantly with simple bladework.

“Hmph. So you say. Your proposition?” 

“Attack me once, at range, with any skill, technique, or ability you desire. If I can block it, I win. If I dodge, deflect, or fail to utterly suppress whatever you choose—then the wager is yours.”

A pause. Eyes narrowed. “This relies rather heavily on the fact that I need to avoid killing you.”

Suyin’s pride once again prickled, but she pushed the reaction away. “As I said, you’ve taken my measure, and there are healers on standby. I’m a hardy sort. I won’t die.”

Lady Ember worked her jaw in slow deliberation. “Why ranged?”

“To give me time to react.”

“You clearly have a trick up your sleeve.” 

Suyin smiled. “That’s a given.”

Ember mulled over the situation for a few moments more. “Wagers pay out on both ends,” she finally said.

“That they do.”

“I want the name of your master. You’re unusually skilled for your age.”

Suyin hesitated. Master Faleryn hadn’t come to Meridian under some seal of secrecy; they were maintaining anonymity for convenience’s sake. Once he advanced into the final matches of the tournament, he would reveal himself. It wasn’t that big of a deal if one person knew beforehand.

So she mostly feigned her reluctance to make the information seem more valuable.

“All right,” Suyin said. “But to indulge your curiosity alone. It’s not something I want spreading around.”

Suyin could tell she’d won. Lady Ember seemed twice as interested by the request for secrecy. 

“Very well,” the noble said.

“You agree to the wager?”

“I do.”

Suyin walked to the far side of the arena, choosing her positioning deliberately. She knows there’s a trick, but she’s thinking about it wrong, I’m sure of that, Suyin thought with a mischievous sort of excitement. The truth was, as much as she disapproved of Master Faleryn’s behavior, she couldn’t help but be her father’s daughter in some ways. And one of his lessons had been this: ‘victory over fair play.’

She wanted to win, but against someone so much stronger than her, it would take underhandedness to prevail despite the odds. She had devised a plan to make that happen—one that played on her opponent’s weaknesses, namely the air of unwavering arrogance, the unshakable certainty in haughty orange eyes. The woman across from Suyin could not conceive of a carefully chosen attack being ‘absorbed entirely’ by someone so many levels beneath her. The mere suggestion—the implied insult—offended her pride and therefore made her more reckless.

Also, to be blunt, the woman didn’t seem like someone who scrutinized her circumstances closely.

Lady Ember was probably right that Suyin couldn’t stop whatever she had planned. But that didn’t matter.

Ember took her place on the other side of the ring. Suyin raised her sword and adopted an expression of pure focus. She struggled not to let her amusement show. What a farce. This is probably beneath a Sword Saint. Thankfully, she had a long way to go before earning that title.

“I’ll aim at your stomach,” Lady Ember warned. “You’re going to need a healer after this.”

“Any injuries I suffer will be a poignant rebuke for my hubris. Ours are not paths for the coddled.”

“In that, we agree,” Ember said thoughtfully. “Lessons are learned best when delivered harsh. Nevertheless, I apologize in advance. I enjoyed our clash.”

Suyin didn’t respond, her gaze sharpening on the blade that her opponent readied. Crackling blue energy gathered around the metal, reminiscent of lightning, and a spike of concern shot through Suyin. Her plan did rely on her having some amount of time to react, and lightning was… pretty fast. 

Ember slashed forward.

Suyin, having been hyper-alert in preparation, responded instantly—which almost wasn’t quick enough. 

She ducked.

The burst of energy fried the air overhead, so violent that her teeth ached inside her skull.

The blast slammed into the barrier shielding the grounds. The magical construct absorbed Lady Ember’s attack, its enormous surface shimmering as it strained to stay intact… then shattered as it was overwhelmed. It dumped the excess upward—such enchantments were built to fail safely.

She stood, dusted her trousers off, and faced the gawking noblewoman with a smile.

“Oh, my. Tragically, it seems I lost our wager,” Suyin told the Titled knight. “But not the fight, I think.” She glanced at the front of the arena, toward the overseer.

“Lady Ember Moore,” the man stammered out, disbelieving. “Disqualified for… for breaching the arena ward. Failure of restraint. Winner: Suyin Vey!”

Suyin turned back to her opponent. She bowed deeply. “Good fight, honored sister.”