“Damn right I do,” Philip said with an attempt at his father’s evil chuckle. “Now get this subhuman off me so I can kill you.” Ronin stared in dumbfounded shock at the arrogance in that tone.
“This is absolutely insane. What makes you think I would agree to a duel? Aggrieved party? You hit me; my retainer hasn’t harmed you in the slightest. If anything, I’m the aggrieved party here.” Despite the shock and the feeling of wrongness this encounter gave him, a sliver of anger was working its way into his voice. Who did this pompous fool think he was to call Brie subhuman.
“Save your breath young man,” Stanly said still chuckling. “I’ve called for one of the castle’s staff to review the footage and render judgment. They will be arriving at… ah and here they are.” Right on cue, an elegantly dressed woman arrived beside them and bowed.
“I am sorry for the delay; I received your call and have pulled up the footage in question.” With those words a holographic recreation of the incident began to play on the surface of a nearby table. It showed quite clearly that Philip had walked directly towards Ronin, but at the last moment, turned his head as if looking for someone and slammed into him without actually looking. Ronin’s tumble and Owl five’s quick action rounded out the clip.
“It seems that you are correct sir,” the woman said with a shallow bow. “The collision was indeed accidental, and the demi human clearly overreacted with potentially lethal force. The fact it is still holding the knife to your son’s neck is proof enough of that. I render the honor duel approved.” With a wave of her hand, a fifteen-foot circle of light rose up from the floor next to Ronin and Philip.
“Once you step into the circle, all bodily restrictions will be disabled. Only melee weapons and non-powered armor will be summonable from personal realms. The duel will be carried out under the honor dual codes sanctioned by the city. The loser forfeits all ship given assets upon defeat. Any and all damage inflicted upon either party by the other or any demi humans under their command outside the bounds of the circle will result in the immediate execution of the offending party. You may begin at any time.” She spoke the words with such mechanical familiarity that it was clear she’d said them more than a few times. Once she’d finished speaking, she turned and left the scene.
Ronin just stared at the flowing circle of light in complete confusion. What the heck was going on? They’d been having a conversation one second, and the next he was being challenged to a dual that he couldn’t decline. Wasn’t there supposed to be more lead up to these kinds of things? A blood feud with years of history, a woman who’s affections both parties desired? Something, anything to explain why this was happening to them.
“Best let him go Five.” Elyria said, moving slowly over to the shorter woman’s side. “If I understand correctly, you so much as nick him with that now, we’re all dead. Best to let your lord handle this in the ring. You know as well as I what he’s capable of.”
“What he’s capable of? Ha-ha,” laughed Stanly, with Philip joining in. “When Fabius asked me to do him this favor don’t you think I did my homework first? Alexander Dawson, thirty-six years old. Lived in some no name cave settlement for his entire life. Mother died when he was nine, father left to be crystalized when he was eleven. Has never learned to fight, always having his flunkies bully the other cave dwellers, has never been on even one scavenging run. Surviving only off the gifts of credits his father sends back to him. Crystalized less than a week ago for the sole purpose of allowing his father entrance to this very party… so, my dear sparrow, what can he possibly be capable of?”
“That’s right,” Philip laughed as he jumped into the circle of light. As he turned to face them, his chest was covered with a thin leather jacket and a rapier appeared in one hand and a long straight dagger appeared in the other. “While I, on the other hand, have had several years training in the art of the dual… so please, Alex, come into the ring and show me what you’re capable of.” Ronin sighed. Fabius had sent him. He wondered just what Leo had done to anger the man to this degree. Still, it looked like this was going to happen. He looked at his opponent, how strong would he be after several years of training.
“Come on White flame,” Elyria whispered at him from a foot away. “We’re starting to draw a crowd. Just get in there and let him stab you, his honor will be satisfied, and we can move on with the party.” Since Ronin couldn’t really find any fault with that logic, he shrugged and walked into the circle.
As soon as he crossed the light border into the ring, he could feel his nanites waking up and his cybernetic implants thrumming with power. He hadn’t noticed how much of his strength he was missing when he’d arrived in his hotel room, but now the difference was clear as day. Ronin flexed his hands, getting a feel for his strength again. He could sense his armor, his round shield and his mace waiting, just out of sight. Ready to be called to his hands, but he didn’t reach for them. Not yet anyway, first he’d like to try and finish this diplomatically.
“Alright Philip,” he said with a nod. “I’m ready, so come and get your honor back.” The words were scarcely out of his mouth when the rapier flashed in with a thrust that took him in the shoulder. The dual wielder gave the blade a twist, having to grunt with the effort of cutting through his enhanced muscles, before pulling the blade back out again.
“Is this really all you can do?” The man with the bull-headed mask asked with derision. “You didn’t even see that blow coming, to say nothing of dodging it. This is going to be more fun than I thought.” Ronin ground his teeth together at the pain in his shoulder. It hurt, yes, but he’d been shot with heavy Kaldarrian slugs on more than one occasion. This was nothing in comparison. He could feel the nanite machines worming their way through his bloodstream even now, working to close the wound.
“Ok,” he said holding his hands up in surrender. “You got me, you are clearly the better fighter. I apologize for my retainer’s actions and hope that moving forward we can forget this…” he couldn’t even finish speaking over the laughter that echoed in from all sides.
“Does he really not know?” He heard someone ask.
“He mustn’t, or else he wouldn’t be trying to worm his way out like a coward.” Replied a second voice.
“As if it was as simple as getting a little flesh wound to satisfy an honor dual.”
As they talked, Ronin began to get a bad feeling, but before he could act on it, Philip came darting forward again and drove the dagger into his other shoulder before twisting and pulling away again.
“Why hasn’t he put on any armor or even taken out a weapon?”
“I don’t know but if he doesn’t get on it soon, he’s likely to die without landing a single hit.”
“Excuse me sir,” he heard Elyria say. “I seem to be missing something here, could you explain to me why he can’t withdrawal after honor has been restored with first blood?” Ronin couldn’t see who she’d asked, but he heard the response clear enough.
“Because all honor duals are to the death. Loser gets erased from the ship’s memory, that’s it, the end.” Ronin’s blood ran cold at that news, as he grit his teeth against the pain of the rapier slicing under his ribs. The wound wasn’t deep enough to hit his intestines, but it stung all the same.
“A death match?” Elyria asked, as Owl five tried to move through the circle of light, only to be flung away by some invisible force. “Isn’t that a bit extreme? That man pushed R... Alex, and somehow gets to kill him for it, does this happen often around here?”
“Ha-ha you should tell your friend that there’s no getting into a circle once the dual starts… and I heard the official give the pronouncement. Stanly clearly bought her off, but in a perfectly legal way. He’s been doing shit like this to new arrivals for well over a century. It’s just your boy’s bad luck he was targeted is all.”
Ronin backed up until he hit the circle of light. It stopped him as surely as a brick wall would have. Philip only laughed and sliced him again.
“Is this really the best you can do?” He asked again as his blade tore open the flesh just above Ronin’s knee. “I knew I was going to kill you as soon as I knocked you to the ground. You didn’t even see me coming, so how could you fight back? But I didn’t think I was going to prove to the whole gathering what a coward Leo Dawson, the Lion himself, has for a son. No one is going to want to deal with him now ha-ha. In one fell swoop, I’ll collect your personal realm for my own and put your dear old dad out of business, for good.”
Ronin’s eyes narrowed at the taunt. He didn’t know what Philip meant about taking his pocket world, was that even possible? What did that woman say? All ship granted assets will be forfeited to the winner? So, if he lost… his entire world, his people, and his ability to save Markus would be taken away by this callus, laughing man? Rage boiled in his veins at the mere thought. The fact Leo had clearly told him not to embarrass him barely registering in his mind as his vision went red.
“Here, have another one to the guts…” Philip said as he pushed a few inches of the rapier’s tip into Ronin’s body, just below the sternum. His tongue failed him, and he trailed off when Ronin took a large step forward. Driving the narrow blade deep into his own body. “What the hell are you do…” before he could even finish the question, Ronin had grabbed the arm holding the rapier with his left hand. On instinct as much as anything, Philip thrust the arm holding the dagger right at Ronin’s chest.
Philip was fast, fast enough to have caught Ronin off guard with the first few strikes. Still, he hadn’t enhanced his physical body the way Ronin had and as such couldn’t match Ronin in the speed department. Snapping forward, Ronin grabbed the hand thrusting the dagger and squeezed. The cry of pain his attacker let out was gratifying in the extreme, but it was nothing compared to the whimpers that soon followed.
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“What are you doing?” Philip gasped out in shock and pain as Ronin slowly twisted the hand holding the knife back towards its wielder’s neck. “Hey, let’s talk about this, ok? I cut you pretty good right, honor was clearly satisfied. We can call it quits and go our separate ways, ok.” His body bucked wildly as he tried to free himself from Ronin’s iron grip. Sadly, his normal human body wasn’t a match for Ronin’s cybernetically enhanced strength.
When thinking back on this moment later that evening, Ronin would think about why he moved so slowly. He didn’t think he was doing it out of cruelty, or the thrill he got while listening to Philip and his father beg him to stop. He guessed it was because he wanted to save the people in his pocket world. Years later, when he thought about this moment, Philip’s face was overlayed with a skinny, malnourished goblin woman’s and it would make him sick… Right now, though, all Ronin saw was red. As he moved the dagger up into Philip’s jaw.
At first, he thrashed around, begging Ronin to stop. After more than half a minute had passed, he was forced to stop begging because the dagger had speared his tongue. Another half minute passed as he pushed the blade upwards and Philip tilted his head back as far as it would go, until he was supporting the man’s entire weight with his arms, and still he pushed.
Ronin spent three whole minutes pushing that dagger into his enemy’s brain. Only stopping when his opponent went limp. Then, the circle, along with Philip’s body and all Ronin’s own injuries disappeared, as if they’d never been there at all.
“What have you done?” Screamed a hysterical Stanly, who rushed Ronin the second the light barrier died. Owl five darted forward, but Leo Dawson got there first. Putting his own body between Stanly’s headlong charge and Ronin, who was only now blinking his way back to conscious thought.
“Be careful Stanly,” Leo growled. His voice bestial in the now silent hall. “If you go over there and touch my son, after honor has been satisfied… he just might challenge you to a dual… on second thought, go ahead.” With the words, he took a step back and to the side, motioning the dead Philip’s father to go ahead. He didn’t have to think about his choice for long, with a curse he turned and fled the ballroom.
“Are you ok, my lord?” Owl five asked, running one hand over his body, checking for the wounds he’d suffered while simultaneously scanning the crowd, still holding the butter knife. “That was unnecessary my lord. As your property, it would have been well within your rights to have me kill him in your stead.” Ronin only smiled at her from behind his mask, knowing her words came from a place of concern for him.
“I’m fine,” he said once she’d satisfied herself, he wasn’t injured. “Thank you for your concern, Brie, it means a lot… but you are no one’s property.” He didn’t actually see her blush since she wasn’t showing any skin at all in this outfit. Still, he could almost feel it in the way she stepped away from him, as if he might burn her if she touched him.
“As touching as this is,” Elyria said moving over to his side. “I think we should move away for a while, before…” she stopped speaking when a glowing orb appeared in front of Ronin throbbing a dull white color. “What’s that thing?” She asked, voice a whisper. Ronin only shrugged, not knowing either.
“It’s your spoils from the battle.” Leo said, walking over. “You earned everything Philip had when you killed him in an honor dual… but the girl is right, we need to get out of here for a while so the crowd can settle down. Come on, I have a few people I would like to introduce you too anyway. Just touch the orb to absorb it, you can deal with it later.” without another word, or even a look back, he turned and strode away.
Ronin and his two escorts glanced at each other in question for a few moments. Before they shrugged, not knowing what else to do, Ronin reached out and lightly touched the orb. It flashed brightly and disappeared. He felt as much as saw the notification blinking in his interface, but he ignored it for now as he jogged after Leo. Elyria, and Brie in tow.
* * *
The next two hours passed in a blur. Quite literally in some cases. Between the post-fight anxiety clouding his mind and the obscuring mists that blanketed the hall, Ronin caught very little of what transpired. Leo was making his rounds, explaining as he moved who was who. Some of the people he pointed out were friends, on those occasions he stopped for a brief chat and to introduce his ‘son’ to them. Those encounters were the exception to the rule, however. The vast majority of the people he pointed out were enemies.
“That’s Aurex,” he said at one point, nodding his head at a man in a black martial arts gi. It was glistening in the faint light as he moved, thanks to the thousands of tiny scales that covered the whole piece. Combined with the black dragon mask he wore; he looked rather eye catching. “He’s Fabius’s firstborn son and the one who entered the competition with him. Don’t let the peacocking he’s doing with that ridiculous outfit fool you. He’s the real power behind the pair.” Ronin nodded his head, still half lost in his thoughts and only paying periphery attention.
“Are you paying attention, boy?” Leo asked him with a growl, leading the group to an empty table and seating himself. “I mean it, he’s not someone you want to mess with. Don’t go getting a big head because you beat that brat of Stanly’s. If Aurex had been the one to place that challenge, you’d be dead before you had the chance to get your head in the game.” He emphasized his point by jabbing two fingers towards Ronin’s chest. A move that elicited a flinch from Owl five, but no one commented on it. She’d been on edge since the dual.
“It’s not that,” Ronin said. "I’m just distracted. At first it was because of the fight and getting dragged here from my prebattle planning… but now, now I’ve remembered what the time dilation in my pocket world allowed me to forget.” He idly picked up a cracker covered with orange gelatinous balls from the tray Owl five had thoughtfully brought along with them and bit into it as he spoke. The flavor made him wince, but he finished the cracker in its entirety before he continued speaking.
“The reason I was so set on conquering the undercity in the first place. You see, when A… when someone from my cave was ready to crystallize, they stole everything they could from everyone. Including our oxygen tanks and pumps and a crystallin tree seed I had managed to collect that very day… anyway, they planned on selling it all when they got to the crystallization tower. Along with their flunkies as slaves to get a good start on their life up here. Though I suppose you already knew all that.” He said with a wave of his hand at Leo, who stiffened but remained silent.
“Well, Markus. He, well he didn’t actually raise me, but he was there for me after my… when I was growing up. Anyway, he tried to stop them. Because, without our oxygen tanks and masks, or anything worth trading to get new ones our whole community is going to die. Well… the guy, had one of his goons shoot Markus for getting in the way. I had only just gotten there and couldn’t stop them, though I made sure they couldn’t do it again…” He stopped, realizing too late that he was telling Leo that he’d helped kill his son. The man only motioned for him to continue his story however, as he summoned his ever-present glass of wine. So, having needed to get the story off his chest for months now, Ronin carried on,
“When the teleportation pad activated, I was the only one on it who was still alive. Though that guy did a number on me with my oxygen tank. Broke my fingers, hands, arms, jaw, and I don’t even know what else before Markus shot him. When we arrived at the crystallization tower, I was too messed up to speak and was on my way to death’s door. Thankfully, the guard was too lazy to write up the proper paperwork and just sent me through as the person who was supposed to crystalize that day.” He picked up another cracker, having forgotten how awful they tasted, as lost in his story as he was.
“When I got into my hotel room, I was so out of it I didn’t even know what was real anymore. I’d made it to the ship. A dream for so many living and dying on that toxic planet… but I’d almost died doing it. The guard said something about turning my world into an adventure paradise and I just ran with it. Blew all my credits on the first day, before realizing that real life isn’t anything like stories. Half my team died in the first battle we were in… and when I went to take a break, I got a call from Penny.” His voice broke on the words, and he gratefully accepted a glass from Owl five before he continued.
“She said Markus was dying. Only had at most two days to live. He needed crystallization if he was going to make it… but I’d spent all my money on a stupid fantasy world. That had already killed two of my people… So, I cranked the time dilation up as far as I could afford and set about trying to make the credits Markus needed… yet, somehow, I forgot in the months I spent there, that today is the second day. I don’t even know if he is still alive or not, and I’m stuck at this party, unable to do anything to help him.” He finished his story, feeling hollower and more worn out than at any time since that first day in this new life.
“Interesting,” Leo said leaning back in his chair. “And you said that Markus is on death’s door?” He queried, stroking his golden rings again.
“Yea, I tried to get a message off to him while you were showing us around, but the only way to do that is to go through the guard. Who didn’t pick up.” Ronin admitted, slouching down in his chair. He did his best to ignore the sighs of the women who’d been listening to his story, and the slight motion of Elyria’s hand. He didn’t know what she’d planned to do, but she’d thought better of it and put her hand back down.
“I see.” Leo said, tossing the rest of his wine back and standing up. “Excuse me for a moment, I need to make a call.” Without another word, he strode away into the obscuring mists.
“We should kill that man,” Brie said in a quiet hiss after he’d left. “He has no respect at all, after a story like that he just walked away.”
“I don’t know,” Elyria said in a thoughtful tone. “He seemed really agitated while the White flame was talking, let’s just wait and see what happens.” She’d grabbed a wine glass of her own from a passing waiter and was taking minuscule sips every so often as she looked around. “This really is a wonderful place. If only my husband were here to see it…” that sentence was followed by a much larger sip from her wine glass.
“Gentlemen, ladies, and, well everyone else.” A voice echoed throughout the dome, which had brightened up a little bit near the center of the dancing area. “We are about to begin the contest in honor of my last-born son’s crystallization. I am so happy to have so many fathers and their sons come out to join us in the celebration. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor my son’s arrival than this.” Ronin’s eyes were drawn to the now brightly lit dance floor, where several dancers appeared.
“In honor of the occasion, I’ve brought several specimens from my own personal realm out to entertain you all this evening. Please, come. Enjoy the show, when the dance is over, we’ll get to the competition.” Ronin never did see the figure who’d been speaking, but once the dance began, he scarcely cared.
There were thirty dancers on the floor, made up of fifteen couples. One half of each pair was a masculine figure of a tree. Ronin didn’t know how a tree could look masculine, but they did. Ten feet tall and thick limbed, their bark was a silver grey, and their branches had sparce golden leaves. They bent and twisted, moving around the dance floor on exposed roots that somehow functioned like feet. Despite how fascinating the tree dancers were, however, nearly every pair of eyes were focused on their partners.
Beautiful, green skinned women, with brown bark patterning all over their exposed skin. Which, thanks to their being clothed with no more than five of the golden leaves a piece, was a lot of exposed skin. Their hair was thick, falling down to their knees and growing small leaves. Ronin was reminded of a weeping willow’s branches as they swayed about. Their movements weren’t quick, but they flowed so smoothly as they dipped around, between, above and below the swaying branches of their partners that Ronin couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
“It can’t be,” Elyria said in an awed whisper. “They went extinct many eras ago, before our people left for the stars.”