Sabatsday, 6th of Aprillia, 470th year of the 5th Era
The sky’s horizon had been reddened by the bronze afternoon sun, setting to the far West and with that darkness was slowly but surely enveloping itself upon Goria. It was due to that that the courtyard to the King's Great Hall was lightened up by numerous lanterns and torches, giving it a subtle golden glow.
The usually empty and flat courtyard now had a semblance of the bustling of a town as numerous people had gathered to witness the duel that would be taking place for public spectacle. Near the courtyard, several makeshift stands from wagons had been erected by some of the villagers who were selling food and beverages to the spectators while lots of the children - especially the younger boys of the village - were keenly excited to witness an actual duel as many of them even brought their toy wooden swords to play along. As always, the village musicians had been invited to provide for entertainment throughout the course of the event.
On opposite sides of the courtyards were erected makeshift platforms acting as audience seats for the particular clans represented during the duel with chairs placed upon them for the seating of the elders of the clan. On the western stands were seated the members of the Hutabaru clan, with Lord Sabam Hutabaru sat upon a chair next to his son and heir, the village Jeweler, Tuan Hamoraon Tondinta Hutabaru. The Hutabaru were considered among the richest of the Halak Clans in all the Halaklands and it could be seen from the choice of apparel from their men and women, wearing intricately designed Ulos cloths with fabrics laced with silk designs and fine fabric shirts. Their women in particular adorned themselves with priceless gold jewelry and ornaments with gold hairpins and other likewise accessories adorning their neatly braided hair.
Across from the Hutabaru stands, in stark contrast to them, was Mateus' Sigompul clan. Sat at the head of their formation was the Elder Lord Hagogoan Sigompul and his eldest son and heir, Tuan Ronggur. The Sigompul were hardy farmers and fierce warriors and the apparel worn by their male members made that apparent with all of them bearing arms in their stands including even some of their womenfolk. Sabres and spears were among their favourite weapons of choice but not a few among them were also armed with arquebuses.
On the side directly In front of the Grand Hall of the King were seated King Parhal and his family, the Royal Clan of Sigumogo, as well as the other noble clans of Goria. Across from the Royal stands of the King were the stands of Helena's Sinatua clan as the side that was being ‘fought over'. Lady Helena was dressed incredibly well for the occasion and the makeup she wore accentuated her already natural beauty that could rival even the praised beauties of Serena and Safira.
Josias had arrived at the courtyard shortly after the stands started being filled along with his father and friends after their training session. His father had taken a seat on the right side of his grandfather, King Parhal, while he himself took the left side. The old King smiled as he saw Josias seat himself next to him before holding his hand with a proud smile on his face.
“What's the matter, Ompung?” Josias asked the old King with a curious expression.
“I see… you're already at the brink of your next advancement… this is brilliant…” King Parhal smiled as he affectionately ruffled Josias' hair “You are my pride and joy… It makes me proud, grandson…”
“I am your grandson, and I would do everything to prove myself worthy of being your heir…” Josias said as he bowed, the smile on his face betraying the great sense of pride at being acknowledged by his hero and grandfather.
“Even without all that… you are still… my beloved grandchild.” King Parhal continued before he turned his attention back to the courtyard.
“How come you never said any of those nice things to me growing up!” Parulian feigned annoyance at the King's praising of his son “It was always, ‘train harder…’, ‘Is that all you're worth?’, ‘Don’t cry.’ Pfft!!”
“Silence, you fool…” Without warning, King Parhal had slapped Parulian on the back of his head “You're my son… he's my grandson… It's different. Get your own grandson to dote on…”
“Yeah, son. Hurry up and get me grandchildren!” Parulian chuckled as he gave a nudge to his son.
Josias could only shake his head at his elder's antics before he too focused his attention back towards the courtyard. At both ends of the courtyard that had been quickly and temporarily converted into a dueling ring, Sadrach and Sigompul had already stood at the opposite edges of the courtyard, each armed only with a real sabre and equipped with only the traditional Ulos headwear and undergarment wrapped below their waists while their upper bodies were only adorned by an unbuttoned vest, exposing their toned and muscled abdomens.
As the two were getting prepared for the fight, sizing each other up in their minds, Mardomu had gotten up from his seat next to Elder Marasi and went to the center of the stage. He took the role of the referee for the duel and explained the rules regarding the fight. The fight was to be held for five rounds, each round ending on the first drawing of blood with the winner being the one who remained unharmed. After each round, a five to ten minute break will commence for the fighters to be healed and then the match will continue for a best of five. Aura was allowed to be used with only direct cuts to vital areas like the head, neck, and groin being disallowed.
After explaining the rules, Mardomu had invited Timotheus to lead the people in prayer for the protection of the fighters in the duel as well as for all forms of grudges and thoughts of anger and revenge be abated regardless of the result of the duel. Some of the missionaries were apprehensive towards such a blood sport but after a few deliberations by the more senior clergy and elders of the village, the duel was finally allowed to be held so long as it wasn't lethal and no lasting damage be occured and that the two participants would agree to embrace each other after the match as a show of brotherhood.
With the prayers finished, Mardomu gave the motion for both warriors to ready their guard as they both approached each other with their sabres at the ready. Mardomu held both warriors’ hands that were equipped with their sabres and brought them close enough that the blades of their weapons were now in contact. As the two young warriors stared at each other fiercely, the air grew silent as the sound of the drums and sarune quieted down. After a good few seconds of silence, Mardomu let go of the two warriors' hands and bellowed out, “Begin!!”, and with that, the match started as the drummers picked up their sticks and banged away in accompaniment to the duel.
***
As the air quieted down, Sadrach closed his eyes for but a moment to settle down his raging mind and racing heart. Everyone including himself knew that regardless of the result of the match, the elders had already agreed to his betrothal to lady Helena. His father had been ecstatic to learn that his son was willing to settle down and court the Lady Helena, but when he heard that the betrothal was to be fought for with a duel against the eldest grandchild of the Sigompul, it should be said that he was less than pleased especially considering he knew of the grudge Mateus held against Sadrach. Regardless, the elders had discussed amongst themselves and assented to the duel, but even with a fixed result, Sadrach could not afford to accept a loss against Mateus which would cost him both his honor and pride as a warrior.
But things weren't always that easy. Sadrach admitted to himself that Mateus was indeed a formidable opponent and perhaps even stronger than himself, but in real matches, strength was barely the sole deciding factor. Long had he been relegated to the side as just a pretty face, a jeweler’s and merchant's heir, built for trade and song, not for battle. But despite that, he didn't want others to judge him based solely on the wealth of his clan nor from his looks due to his foreign origins. Just because he had talent in the finer arts and trade, that didn't mean he didn't have pride as a warrior.
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The day he had awoken his aura on his thirteenth birthday was one of the happiest moments of his life. His father - who had stopped growing as a warrior at the third star - was absolutely ecstatic to discover his son had such talent to awaken the power at such a young age and spared no expense to have him trained. And it was apparent that his father's shrewd investment in him wasn't without merit. At fifteen he had unlocked his first star while only two years after that he had ascended to become a second star and was now on his way to earn his third star, but what very much shocked him to discover only recently was that he had awakened a mana-circle within himself. It was during his stay at the hospital where he was cared for by the sweet Lady Helena did he discover an inmate talent like this one. He had wanted to inform his father, but due to some considerations and his own reluctance to have his father spend even more resources on him, he had refrained from doing so and chose to keep it a secret while he trained his circles separately, taking instruction from the young Priest-Mage Timotheus. The only other person to know of his talent was his grandaunt Ester. She had sensed his talent during the day that the issue of this duel was brought up and she had offered to train him as well. But one of the conditions for that was for him to not lose the duel which only incentivised him further to win and beat Mateus.
It was a difficult situation for him to be in. Though he was brimming with the spirit to fight and win, he never liked the fact that Mateus had such a personal grudge towards him. What frustrated him even more was that he knew that Mateus didn't know any better and had the wrong idea but to Sadrach's own convictions, he was tied from really telling Mateus the truth. But regardless, he had told himself that were he to win, Mateus deserves to know what he knew.
With all these thoughts raging about in his mind, Sadrach finally drew a deep breath before exhaling to calm himself and focus his mind as he could feel the beat of the drums slowing and the music quieted down. Finally, as his sabre now touched Mateus', he opened his eyes and gazed at his opponent fiercely, not willing to underestimate the larger scarred man. And then, with the signal given by Mardomu and the beat of the drums starting once more, the clash of sabres had started in earnest.
Neither Sadrach nor Mateus missed a beat as they started clashing their sabres intensely right from the get go. There wasn't even an attempt to conserve their aura or energy for the first match as the two just went straight into a fierce melee, their sabres as if dancing with each other as they clashed and sparks of fire could be seen emerging due to the clash of the metal blades infused with their auras. The glowing trails of aura left by their sword strikes and swings painted the air around them like paint strokes upon a white canvas.
Sadrach was sweating profusely as he weaved his head and torso around, masterfully evading most of the incoming strikes that Mateus was aiming towards his area while also taking opportunities to land strikes of his own upon his opponent. Though the larger Mateus wasn't as agile as he was, Sadrach felt like he was striking against a hard boulder each time his attacks were blocked or parried, a clear indicator of the difference in strength.
As the blows kept being traded and the fight got more intense, the beating of the drums grew louder, fiercer, and faster. The fierce roaring and cheering of the crowd accompanied the drum beats as the fight went on. Despite the loud atmosphere, Sadrach couldn't help but drown out the sound of the cheers into the back of his mind as he refocused himself into his attacks.
After a few more close bouts, Sadrach finally drew his sabre for what looked like a quick slash to the chest before immediately pivoting to the side to catch Mateus' unguarded arms with his feint.
“Rarrghh!!!” Sadrach shouted as he struck towards Mateus' arm but the larger man - though eyes widened for a second before they sharpened once more - turned sideways before launching himself towards Sadrach.
Sadrach's saber managed to slash Mateus' arm and create a gnash on it but a stinging feeling on his abdomen broke through his adrenaline as he realised he had been slashed as well.
“Sae ma! (Finish!)” Mardomu bellowed out as he quickly got between the two warriors with his hands raised indicating that the round was over. The priests and village healers immediately rushed into the courtyard and began placing their hands over the young men’s injuries to stop their bleeding. The crowds were cheering for their respective champions but none of the cheers seemed to be of much affect towards the warriors.
Sadrach spat on the ground as he grunted in pain as he saw the blood gushing out of his lower left abdomen. The injury was painful, without a doubt, but what annoyed him far more was the fact that he knew Mateus had managed to land this blow on him earlier than he did and to a spot far more vital than what he managed to land on his arm. As a priest and some nurses came towards him, Sadrach laid himself down on a bench as he allowed the healers to do their work on him. The warmth he was feeling over his abdomen as a priest put his golden glowing hand over the injury was an indication that the process was working. It took but a few moments for the bleeding to be completely stopped and the wound to be closed practically perfectly without even the slightest trace of a scar. Soon after that, one of the nurses came over with a cup filled with a special tea that was said to have an effect on the production of blood to help recover the minor blood loss.
Finally, after the time of the first round’s break had ended, Mardomu had returned to the center of the courtyard and made an announcement. Sadrach and Mateus too had walked up next to Mardomu and after a few moments, Mardomu had raised Mateus’ hand. “The first round goes to the young warrior of the Sigompul!” Mardomu bellowed out as the announcement was greeted by the Sigompuls with cheers and the clanging of their sabers and spears with some even shooting off their arquebuses into the air. The Hutabaru were in turn rather incensed with Lord Hamoraon even standing up and yelling complaints at what they viewed was an unfair ruling.
Sadrach could only give Mateus a deadly glance before he walked back towards his position as he cracked a few joints. His mind was racing as the situation was turning into an advantage for his opponent. This was simply something that won’t do and as Sadrach walked over to his original position, he was mulling over what best to do next.
After a few moments of silence as he awaited Mardomu to make the announcement for the next round to start, Sadrach merely took in a deep breath before he stared at the larger Mateus with extreme focus. Mateus merely stared back at him with a rather stoic appearance but Sadrach could see the faintest mocking grin appear on Mateus’ face. Sadrach frowned at such a provocation. It was obviously meant to bait him into attacking, and perhaps that would be a foolish move to make, but regardless of all that, after taking another deep breath, Sadrach merely gave Mateus a larger grin in return which appeared to confuse the larger man as he was the one frowning now.
When the drums started beating once again to signal the start of the next round and Mardomu raised his hand to commence, Sadrach took another deep breath before he unleashed all his available mana reserves to channel his mana to create powerful gusts of winds on his ankle and the soles of his feet in order to boost his speed by a wide margin. In what could only be described as in a blink of an eye, Sadrach had appeared in front of Mateus and quickly slashed towards the larger warrior, leaving his opponent no time at all to mount a decent counterattack. The after effects of the wind powers also managed to blow Mateus back several feet and were it not for the larger man’s own personal skill he would’ve been blown out of the courtyard or at the very least be thrown down to the ground in a groggy state.
As Mateus was about to launch a counterattack, Sadrach merely smirked at the larger man before he sheathed his sword back. Everyone of the crowds who were cheering earlier for the match to start all looked dumbfounded at what just occurred. As Sadrach pointed towards Mateus’ own abdomen he was sure that everyone had seen the nasty gash that had appeared and this time, Mateus was bleeding profusely and judging from Sadrach who lacked any new injury to his body whatsoever, the outcome of the second round was all but concluded. The second match had ended in so rapid a motion that nearly everyone was flabbergasted. None more so than Sadrach’s own immediate family who were shocked to discover that their son had inherited such a rare ability to utilise both aura and mana.
As the medical team once more made their way towards the courtyard, Sadrach finally exhaled as he slumped down from expending such a large amount of mana.
However, just as he was smiling from a result he was sure would be tilted to his favour, Sadrach could see many of the elders begin to discuss what had just happened. Soon, it didn’t take long for murmurs of discontent to be heard from the Sigompul stands until finally an elder there stood up.
“I call that a foul! He used magic in a sabre duel!!” A Sigompul warrior said as he pointed his spear towards Sadrach.
“I concur! Such an act is a disgrace to utilise magic in an honourable duel!” another voice exclaimed.
Just as the Sigompul were voicing out their discontent, the Hutabaru also stood up and started to protest in defense of Sadrach’s use of magic. Needless to say, the situation was starting to get rowdy as the courtyard was filled with jeers and boos. Mardomu had quickly ran towards King Parhal and Parulian followed by Elder Marasi as they appeared like they were discussing how best to move forward. Sadrach merely shook his head as he sat himself on the courtyard’s ground to await the ruling of the king.