As Artmiss stood at the center of the clearing, everyone else retreated, including Zolast, stumbling as he faked exhaustion. I gestured for Mahruss to go and help.
Surprisingly, before he could do so, the young duke actually supported Zolast, and I didn't need to see people's shocked gazes to know that it was some kind of important political declaration. Though, the young duke seemed unaware of it, paying attention to the potential battle that was about to happen.
The baron appeared dissatisfied with this development. His declaration might be due to his artificial anger, but it wasn't said anger that made him pick a certain path. He chose to declare a blood duel despite the other, more troubling political implications because he was confident of his victory.
Zolast had ruined his plans … for the second time.
We were lucky that Zolast was already the strongest person here — with the possible exception of me, but even that was very situational — or we would have to plan a detailed escort schedule just to keep him safe from assassins.
Of course, while the baron was frustrated and annoyed, his feelings were nothing compared to what the traitor knight appeared to be feeling. Without the mysterious injury he had been planning to rely on, he clearly didn't have quite as much confidence.
But he had already agreed to fight. He glanced at the baron, hoping for mercy. "Use this," the baron said as he pulled his sword. "It's a family heirloom, and much stronger than the weapon that old knight is using. With this, you'll be victorious," he declared. But as he passed that, he also hit him with a concentrated blast of Charisma to boost his courage further.
His stiff expression made it clear that he wasn't expecting Derkan to be victorious — a detail that the traitor missed as he received his artificial courage boost — but he didn't make a move to stop the battle either.
While I examined that, Mahruss helped Zolast back to my side, and the young duke back with his soldiers. "Once declared, he can't take back a blood duel," Zolast explained.
"And, a traitor with outdated information is hardly an asset worth protecting at great cost," I added, Zolast nodded, about to focus on the battle … then he tensed. I felt a tug at our connection, one that alerted me that someone dangerous was watching us.
But, it was simply a warning about an observer, and not a call to action, so I didn't give any outward signs of his warning and did my best to look like I focused on the fight that was about to start, with both knights facing each other with their swords drawn, waiting for the signal.
Based on their agreement, the young duke threw a dagger into the air … and the moment it hit the ground, both knights burst into action. Their swords were covered with a blue glow as they rushed forward, meeting in the middle.
It was a glorious sight. Their swords danced in a confusing pattern that left me momentarily dizzy as I tried to memorize every single detail of their movement.
And, failed.
A part of it was about the complicated nature of their movement. Based on my talks with Zolast, I knew there were four ranks to skills — at least, based on what he knew, which might not be the limit.
Skills without any qualifier, which were also known as basic, advanced, expert, and master.
That was only a qualifier that included what he termed as Dead skills, which was unlike my own Archery of Destruction which worked based on completely different principles and direct connection with the divine patrons.
Of course, the complicated nature of their attacks wasn't the only thing that was making my task difficult. I was also struggling as I was looking for the observer Zolast warned me about … which was hard to do while I had to look like I was impressed with the fight itself.
It took a minute for me to notice a slight shimmer at one of the rooftops, which I subtly gestured to Zolast while acting like I was asking a question about the fight. And, once the location was determined, Zolast cast a very subtle spell.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"It's Bertnam," Zolast whispered. That was all he said, clearly not wanting to talk even under magical protection. I decided to let him take the lead on that issue. He was the one familiar with his old subordinate, after all.
I still kept some of my attention on that shimmer to see if he would move, trying to get a better sense of his invisibility trick .. but luckily, it seemed that whenever he shuffled in his place, the amount of shimmers he displayed increased. It must have been a complicated Ability or spell to maintain.
However, most of my attention shifted back to the duel, trying to understand the principles of their engagement.
From the way they used their skills, I was sure that I was watching two users of master skills dancing around each other. Artmiss with a master skill wasn't surprising. His attitude showed that he had been a loyal knight for a long while, and he was probably rewarded by Kryll's father.
The traitor having one was a bit more interesting, but from the way he was using it, I could see that it was a relatively new acquisition. Of course, that recency was very hard to be noticed by the way he was delivering the individual attacks, or even the smoothness with which he was able to connect his attacks.
But it was apparent due to his poor strategic decision-making.
For all the deadly alacrity they were swinging their swords around with, their fight reminded me of a boxing match, constantly attacking, defending, and counter-attacking in an effort to slowly whittle away at their opponent. But, Derkan was clearly an amateur when it came to the strategic aspects, constantly preferring the direct, flashier attacks while Artmiss focused on a more consistent strategy.
Even with my superior stats, I couldn't have fought against them. For once, there was no doubt about the stability of their mana glow, which I would have trouble maintaining for longer than a few seconds.
Then, there was the way they moved. Their reflexes were perfect, reacting to each other's blows with no delay. I could see that their stats, at least Strength and Agility, were somewhat comparable to mine in terms of effect, but the skill they wielded their blade with was not something I could make up for easily.
Of course, even watching them, I wasn't tempted to focus on searching for Expert or Master skills.
Their duel was amazing … but they were fighting in a duel, the type of engagement that worked best for skills.
If I was fighting such a duel, that would have meant I had already failed greatly. What kind of self-respecting criminal boss would just go out and duel his enemies?
No, I would much rather have that as a weakness than deal with a constant infusion of unfamiliar reflexes whenever I tried to use a different strategy during a fight.
And, even if the worst happened and I had to fight against them directly, I should be able to make a showing with a combination of Speed and Concealment. And, if the worst happened and that wasn't an option, I still had my Charisma attacks and my developing magical tricks.
If the worst happened, I could still just dump some more stat points to Strength and act out directly.
Just like boxing, it didn't matter how skilled someone was when facing someone several weight classes above them. As long as the stronger opponent had decent skills, they would be able to push back.
That was doubly true for me, with my higher stats giving me advantages in movement as well as explosive power.
Still, even as I made that assessment, I didn't forget that neither Artmiss nor the young traitor was the peak of what this world was offering. They were strong and significant, but ultimately, still weak enough to be disposable pawns.
Leveling was important.
As the fight reached the ten-minute mark, Derkan was already showing signs of exhaustion, about to collapse. Some of his wounds started to stick around, signaling that he was out of Health, and the glow surrounding his sword was flickering as well.
The victory didn't come freely for Artmiss as well. His armor was damaged in several areas, but the absence of blood was noticeable.
However, when he was about to be slain, the baron made a small gesture … and a flicker of mana moved from his hand to the sword. It was a very subtle flicker, but it wasn't insignificant enough to avoid Zolast's notice.
Whether he noticed the very subtle presence of red mana, however, was a different issue. But, I had a feeling that he had not. Even with my Perception, I would have missed it without the subtle sense of resonance with my troublesome skill.
Still, I didn't interrupt the battle. It wasn't like I could just come out and blame a noble for being a cultist.
Instead, I watched the effects carefully. At first glance, it felt just like an activation key. The sword suddenly exploded with a blue glow, and it radiated back to its wielder, empowering him. The increase in performance was significant enough that, had he used it from the beginning, it might have made a difference.
Yet, under the circumstances, it barely allowed Derkan to deliver a stab on Artmiss' shoulder. And, in response, Artmiss decapitated him.
"A fitting end to all traitors," Artmiss declared as he flicked his sword, then looked at the baron, no doubt using that as a threat.
Around me, I could hear people grumbling about how the baron had made such a stupid mistake by not activating the secret magical ability of his sword, and losing something as important as a blood duel as a result.
However, after noticing the flicker of destruction mana, I didn't share their beliefs … especially since I didn't miss the smug smile that flashed on his face the moment Derkan managed to deliver that stab.
Interesting ploy, sneaky enough for me to respect.
Too bad that his trick had already marked him as my enemy.