RavensDagger

  Chapter Two Hundred and hree - Blitzkrieg

  The st of the people we had to fight was Malter Roggen, the only human irio and, acc to Insight, someone who had the Frozen Batterer css.

  The height differeween Amaryllis and Malter was kind of obvious. Malter was a tallish human, and Amaryllis was maybe a tiny bit taller than average firl harpy. That meant that Malter had a good head of height over her

  Not that Amaryllis seemed to care. She stood at the end of the arena, oozing such a powerful aura of malice that I could feel it despite being behind a window. Was that what killing i felt like? I thought it was just a thing in cartoons.

  “I bet he’s nervous now,” Awen said.

  Malter did look a pinfortable. He was level 14, the lowest levelled person on the opposite team, and the only one equal to Amaryllis. He had light armour on, a padded outfit with a sort of hardened leather carapace atop it. He was armed, but he kept fiddling with his strange on.

  “What is that thing?” I asked.

  “It’s a meteor hammer,” Awen said. “The Ostri like to use those. They be pretty dangerous, but usually if you’re using one, you need a lot of spaanoeuvre, so you 't stick close to your allies.”

  “Alright,” I said. Hopefully Amaryllis would be able to ter it properly.

  The referee stepped bato the ring and g both Amaryllis and Malter before he started his usual spiel. He must have said those exact same lines hundreds of times by now. It was impressive that he still put so muergy into it. Though maybe there was a Referee skill out there?

  He had Amaryllis and Malter each repeat his instrus before finally pulling out a handkerchief and raising it above his head.

  Amaryllis brought her knife around so that it was before her and she crouched into more of a fighter’s stance.

  Malter shifted as well, his meteor hammer was a lump at the end of a thick ribbon. He gave it some sck, then automatically started to spin it around.

  The handkerchief dropped.

  I held my breath as it fluttered through the air, gently making its way down until...

  The arena exploded with sound and light as Amaryllis fired a spell across the space between her and Malter.

  There was no dodging something that fast, even if the air around Malter seemed to fill with icy crystals. He grunted and stumbled back as Amaryllis’ electrical discharge wracked his body.

  Still, he mao get his arm moving to spin his hammer around some more. His free hand, still holding onto the coil of rope for his on, rose, aarted to form a sort of hexagonal shield in the air, like a giant h snowfke.

  Amaryllis didn’t sit idle though. She jogged around the edge of the arena, a careful spiral that would bring her around to Malter’s position soon enough. He had to turn to keep his shield interposed between them.

  As she circled him Amaryllis fired three more quick spells. Little zaps of magic that shrough the air. Malter hopped on the spot to avoid ohat went for his exposed feet, another missed him entirely, and the st tested the strength of his shield. It held, though it steamed from the heat where the magic hit.

  Then Malter started to dance. He spun, arm shifting out, and the twirling ball at the end of the ribbon he held flung itself out and came around in a big loop.

  Amaryllis paused her run to let it swing by her. She eyed it, eyes narrowed as the hammer came back around in a deceptively slow arc.

  Malter shifted a leg out, caught the ribbon behind the hammer, then spun and kicked. The hammer flew out in a straight path, right towards Amaryllis.

  The distance was great enough that Amaryllis was able to duck out of the way, but it was a close thing.

  Unfortunately for Malter, it left him open, and his on required a specific set of motions to reset itself.

  Amaryllis started to fling little zappy spells at him. Nothing that would take him out on their own, but enough of them that he had to move fast to dud weave so that they’d miss. His shield came around and took a few hits, but it was just small enough that some part of Malter was always stig out.

  Amaryllis started jogging again, one hand flinging lightning towards Malter, the other... trailing dowo her, just over the sand.

  “Oh!” Awen said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I just caught on to what she’s doing,” Awen said.

  I gnced back at the fight. Malter and Amaryllis were now cirg around each other. Soon, they’ll have traded pces from where they started the fight. “I don’t see it,” I said.

  “She’s herding him.”

  I watched a bit more as Malter finally reached the spot where Amaryllis had been earlier. He utting up a det fight now that he’d gotteo Amaryllis’ style of fighting. His on afforded him ge, and judging by the heavy thumps that sounded out when it hit the ground, it hit hard too.

  Amaryllis was using the fact that he had to shield himself from her stant barrage of little spells to make dodging easier. After all, he couldly go all-out while als so hard to keep safe.

  And then it happened. Amaryllis grihe sort of grin she only deployed when she’d caught someofooted. Her free hand rose up, and theurned her talons down and tensed.

  Malter stumbled out of nowhere, feet pnting themselves onto the ground even as he scurried to his hammer around his arm. He tilted back, foot kig out to hit the back of his shield hard enough that I winced. Judging by the fused and pained look that crossed his face, he wasn’t supposed to do that.

  I think Malter realized just how much trouble he was in, because he suddenly threw caution to the wind. He flung his hammer out with a grunt, and where it flew, the air filled with shimmering fog.

  Amaryllis jumped to the side and the hammer sailed past where she was to impact the wall behind her. A huge burst of icy spikes exploded out of the wall, almost skewering my friend from behind.

  I gasped, hands c my mouth. That had been close!

  Amaryllis seemed to think so too because she raised her hand, and for a moment I was able to make out the wires she held. They trailed along the ground all the way over to where Malter was.

  He saw them too and started to cw at his legs and sides, but it was too te.

  Amaryllis smiled, and the air, even in the room we were in, started to smell like ozone.

  There was a great big bang and a bright light. For a moment I swore I saw the outline of Malter’s skeleton before I had to blink away from the light. Sand was kicked up around the mage, and his hammer’s ribbon trailed to the ground.

  Then Malter flopped to the floor, pletely out of the fight.

  I held my breath for just a moment as a medic sylph, the same one who had helped me, ran out to Malter and checked on him. The man sat up soon enough, looking rather groggy, but alive.

  He was fine, which meant... “Woo! Well done Amaryllis!” I cheered.

  Awen and I slipped out of the room in a quick sprint. Awen stopped before Amaryllis and shook her talons with a big smile on.

  I, being less reserved, tackled Amaryllis off her feet with a flying hug. “You won!”

  “Get off me, you gy bun,” Amaryllis protested. “People are watg you know!”

  I ughed, squeezed her extra tight, then hopped to my feet and helped her back up so that I could give her a sed, standing hug. Awen joined in that one, despite Amaryllis’ tinued protests that it would make her look improper or whatever.

  The referee cleared his throat, and we backed off a bit. A medic came to chearyllis, but she’d been unscathed through the entire fight, so she was given a bill of health.

  I didn’t quite know what to expect then, but I didn’t have to worry much.

  Augustus stepped into the arena and carefully directed my friends and I to stand on one side while a team of sylph swept in. A big carpet was unrolled across the ground while another swept up the sand with a spell.

  Caprica desded, apanied by a couple of guards who stood watch by the doorway, and soohree meraries we’d fought were standing at attention across from us.

  Then Francistered the arena.

  Judging by the way he gnced up at the crowd, he was very aware of all the eyes taking us in. I had the impression that to some people, this was the best part of the show.

  Francisco was directed to stand in front of his team, and Amaryllis took a half step forward as well. There was only a metre between them. A very tense one.

  “Fighters, spectators, noble lords and dies,” Augustus said with his most boisterous voice. “We have gathered here to watch a duel, decred between the noble houses of Hawk and Albatross over the right of participation in the uping Iional Summit. This duel is now plete.”

  There was a long pause and I only just mao catch myself before I cpped.

  “Lord Hawk, do you cede your loss, as witnessed?” Augustus asked.

  Francisco’s nose rht up and he gred across to Amaryllis. Still, the pressure must have beey hard on him. “I suppose it was a well-fought duel. I think it’s tradition in these parts to shake talons when two oppos meet honourably.”

  Augustus nodded, but slowly. “Yes. Though that is the choice of the victor.”

  Amaryllis huffed, a very mighty and powerful huff that carried much pride with it. “I won’t shake the talon of a bully, nor the talon of a coward. To shake with someone who has demonstrated that he is both would abase me and my family.”

  “A coward?” Francisapped.

  Oh, things were going off-script. Augustus seemed ready to step in, and I was sure that he’d be able to calm everyone down. He had to have some public speaking skills of some sort. But then Caprica reached out and very subtly touched his side, and the speaker kept mum.

  “You would call me a coward?” Francisapped. “You’re the one who’s terrified of a little scuffle.”

  “A war is not a scuffle,” Amaryllis shot back. “And I think I’ve proven amply that I’m not afraid to put my cws where my beak is. You, oher hand, are proving to not only be a coward and a bully, but an idiot too. I think it’s well-known that I have little tolerance for birds who repce their brains with festering worms.”

  Francisco choked for a moment, his face turning red and his feathers puffing out.

  “I ought to gut you for insulting me so.”

  “Do you want another duel?” Amaryllis asked. “Will you actually participate yourself this time? Or will you cower behind the baore hired goons?”

  “I-I don’t o prove myself to you.”

  “Oh, shut up Francis,” Amaryllis said. “Yiving our entire race a poor name when you put your idio such public dispy.”

  Augustus cleared his throat. “It is the opinion, as witnessed, of the The Calcifer Spood Memorial Arena, that the victoes to Lady Amaryllis Albatross!”

  Now the g started for real, though it was the demure, careful cp of proper people.

  I didn’t bother with that, those nobles could use a bit more enthusiasm, so I cpped loud and hard, and then I tossed in a few whoops food measure. Judging by the barely restrained smile on Caprica’s face, I was doing just fine.

  ***

  RavensDagger

  Are You Eained?

  Victory!

  Some of my stories are on TopWebFi!-amon Bun-Stray Cat Strut-Lever A-Dead Tired-Heart of DorknessVoting makes Broccoli smile!

  The following books are avaible as paperbacks (and as Ebooks) on Amazon. Oh, and there’s an awesome audiobook for amon Bun Volume One and Two, and also Love Crafted!

  (The images are links!)

  All proceeds go to funding my addi to buying art paying for food, rent, and other ies!

  Thank you so much for all your support everyone! And thank you extra hard for allowio do this for a living; I’ll do my best to keep you eained!