ocean-life [1122] – Y06.022 – The Duel II
[1122] – Y06.022 – The Duel II
[1122] – Y06.022 – The Duel II
‘You must understand, Adam,’ Jarot thought as the Iyrmen shouted out their song, a song which all children of the Iyr learnt. Lanarot shouted the song, as was taught to her by her family, but even Jirot and Jarot shouted out the song, taught by their greatfather. ‘Even if you do not call me your grandfather, you must understand!’
“Through my home!” the rest of the Iyrmen replied.
“Brisk!” Jarot said alone, alternating with the rest of the Iyrmen.
“Cold!”
“Where do the hills flow?”@@@@
“Along the horiiiizon!” the children shouted, holding up their arms and swaying them lightly.
“Tall!”
“Wide!”
“I call it my home!” the old Jarot shouted, hoping Adam understood.
“I call it my home!” Jirot shouted, staring out towards the west, towards the hills that hid her home, feeling the emptiness within her heart.
“Where the wind flows.”
“Where the hills flow!” Little Jarot’s eyes darted towards the hills too, the hills which were so large, near endless. A cold shudder ran through his spine, but he continued to shout out the song, for the words of those around him filled him with courage.
“Brisk!”
“Cold!” Konarot shouted, feeling the chill enter her, the girl’s eyes glistening. Perhaps out of all the children she knew. She knew why her father stepped forward that day, just as she had stepped forward to protect Kirot and Karot when they had been born.
“Tall!” Jarot shouted, standing taller upon his wooden leg.
“Wide!” Kirot shouted, thinking of her father’s wide back as he crossed the bridge, the same kind of back she had grown up seeing thanks to her elder sister.
“I call it my home!”
“I call it my home!” Karot’s tail swayed behind him a moment before it stopped, the boy’s eyes firmly glued to his father’s back. He was used to it too, this sight.
“The path outside is treacherous!” Jarot exclaimed, the pain in his voice evident to the rest of the world.
“Brutal!” Lanarot exclaimed, far too excited.
“Bloody!” Jarot exclaimed, feeling the heat of rage fill his body.
“Where do we march?” the rest of the Iyrmen asked.
“To war!”
“To war!”
“What are we?” Jarot shouted, throwing up a fist.
“Ready for death!” the Iyrmen replied, each throwing up a fist.
“To whom does death call?”
“To all!” Nirot exclaimed from ahead of the fort, glaring at the warriors before her, those which had tried to deny them their justice. Even if she should have stayed in the fort, this time they would be unable to stop her.
“To all!” Jarot confirmed.
“I walk the treacherous path!” the Iyrmen each shouted, and even in the rare instance the Iyrmen thought of the individual, it was shouted together.
“Brutal!”
“Bloody!”
“I am ready to be called!” Jarot exclaimed.
“Death!” the Iyrmen cried.
“Death!”
“Call to me!” they all cried, most of the children not understanding the words, but feeling the joy in their hearts.
“Brisk!”
“Cold!” Jaygak lifted Kavgak up, allowing the girl to throw up her arms, for even she did not speak so promptly when it came to this song.
“I call it my home!” ‘Baktu, please!’ Jarot begged within his heart.
“I call it my home!” Jurot’s heart stirred, and it was in this moment, he understood why his grandfather had begun the prayer.
‘Hmm?’ Jaygak thought, seeing a particular figure on the field. ‘What are you doing there?’
Tanagek followed the Iyrman, while another shouted behind him.
“Cousin! You are running away?” Lanarot smirked, the girl crossing her arms, as her brother had.
“I will return with the gold,” Tanagek promised, before swiftly making his way out. ‘How cute.’
Tonagek glared at his son, who rushed up beside him, the jangling armour adding a gentle rhythm to the Great Elder’s words, informing the Aldish of the promises made. “You should remain in the fort.”
“My sword is crying,” Tanagek replied in their tongue, and then his eyes darted to Chosen.
Chosen smirked at Tanagek, in the same way Lanarot had barely a minute ago. He had given the smirk to his father until then, because the heavily armoured figure with the sword as red as blood stood beside him, so Mosen couldn’t beat his son.
“I thought you would arrive sooner,” Amokan said, his eyes teasing the Iyrman, but Tanagek ignored him. His eyes fell back, towards Jaygak, who was creeping her way along quietly onto the scene, before they darted back to the half elf, who stood so close, and yet so far away.
Adam had stood still for a long while. The pair remained alone for quite some distance, the river behind Adam’s back, with the Iyrmen and the Aldish blocking his path, while the Grand Commander had the hills of the Iyr block off his retreat.
“I did not expect the Iyr to hand you to me so easily,” James finally said, breaking the silence.
“...”
“I had thought they would have sent another. The Mad Dog? No, he is too weak. Duteous Dogek? I heard he caused a mess for the Sky Commander.”
Adam remained silent, though recalled how viciously Dogek had beaten the Grand Commander of the Order of Eagle Wing. The scene had engraved itself into each who had watched the beating, but the Grand Commander before him had not seen it, otherwise he wouldn’t have dared to speak Dogek’s name so lightly.
“Perhaps, Shaool, was it? One of the Iyr’s many Paragons? I heard she used some kind of wickedry to defeat the Platinum Shield?”
Adam’s eyes darkened beneath his visor. The half elf swallowed, feeling the heat rise within him. ‘Fucking Aldishmen. You always do that sort of thing, don’t you? You can’t accept it, so you make shit up?’
“Why are you so silent?” James asked.
“...”
“You should at least speak your last words.”
Adam inhaled deeply, and let out a long sigh. He strapped his shield onto his left arm, having already spoken the only last words he was allowed to.
‘Five rounds,’ the half elf thought.
Five rounds. That’s how many rounds he thought he needed against the Vice Commander and his apprentice. He had managed to end it cleanly at two, but five rounds, with typical luck, was about what he expected. With Phantom or Vengeance, he just needed to Critically Hit once, and he could make almost anyone regret coming against him.
Even though he wanted to torture the Grand Commander slowly and painfully, how dare he refuse the half elf’s mercy, but, if he did that, what kind of lesson would his children learn?
Vonda would be disappointed.
Did she even know?
The Iyr must have told her, right?
Should he have sent her word?
He hadn’t even written her a letter this time.
No.
She knew.
She definitely knew.
Not that Adam was duelling, but she knew the most important thing of all.
Adam reached down to the magical blade at his side. Adam drew Thunder’s Triumph. As he drew the blade, the tingling sensation filled him. The world fell silent.
James Greatwood drew Sentinel’s Rest, the Legendary Enhanced weapon passed down through the history of the Order of the Thousand Hunts.
‘Two rounds,’ Adam thought, feeling how light Thunder’s Triumph was within his hand. ‘Don’t worry, Ranya. I’ll make sure you can show off.’
Elder Peace clapped her hands, shouting out a word that was drowned out by the silence of death.
Battle Order
D20 + 1 = 13 (12)
The Grand Commander was quicker.
Sentinel’s Rest threatened to cut the half elf down. Adam had been prepared to fight, but unfortunately for both of them, a stronger force threatened to overwhelm him.
Elder Peace flinched, feeling it in the air, her eyes darting to the half elf, the old woman’s hands turning black as she prepared to kill Adam as the Rage Fever threatened to overwhelm him.
Adam's theme song is now the Iyr's war cry.