Chapter 73: Lady Clarke

Darius shifted on the pillow beneath him, grimacing slightly. 'Glad I grabbed this. Borg's a solid mount but hardly comfortable.' His eyes trailed upwards to Yakul arcing across the sky. 'Once I break through, I need to explore a chaotic mana region. That’s where the real Mana-beasts are.'

Glancing down at the Immortal Beast Codex strapped to his arm, Darius envisioned the variety of beasts it could someday contain. His thoughts flicked to Kahoon, left back at the stables. 'Can’t pass him the Celestial Beast Soul Mantra. He’s not even fit to fight, let alone devour his enemies...'

As the landscape whirled by, Darius let his mind roam among the myriad cultivation techniques he'd encountered, soaking in the vibrant life of the mana-rich human lands, amplified by the peak of summer.

Ahead, Percy perched atop Sabre, his expression tight, his mood having dipped since their split from Lady Clarke.

Catching the shift, Marcus called out over the rumble of their mounts, "She's a fine woman to aim for, son! But she won't know you exist if you don't speak up!"

Percy sighed and ran a hand along Sabre's neck, murmuring, "I'm just a bug to her."

Marcus watched his son mutter to himself, exhaling deeply, 'Might be you've aimed too high, son.'

From behind, Darius chuckled, "A man shouldn't shy from a woman! If you're after Lady Clarke, just tell her you want her. She'll either kill you or take you to bed. Either way, you'd be more of a man than you are now!"

Marcus burst into laughter at Darius's blunt words. Percy straightened, his cheeks coloring, "Don't talk about Lady Clarke like she's some harlot! And what do you know about women, anyway?! I’d like to see you say that to a woman!"

Darius and Marcus kept laughing, the humor lost on Percy, who muttered to himself, opting to keep his retorts private.

As their teasing and laughter continued, Percy's hesitant voice cut through, "Am I wrong, or isn't it still mid-day? Why's the sun setting already?"

Realizing the light was indeed dimming, Darius scanned their surroundings and then, peering behind them, declared, "We have a problem!"

Both Marcus and Percy followed his gaze, their expressions turning to shock. Marcus swore, "Damn that bloodthirsty woman! She must have caught wind of our fight the moment she got back!"

Percy barely concealed a grin, "What do we do now?!"

"Her approach will dictate our next move! If she demands a duel right away, there's no talking her down! Let's hope she's here to talk first!" Marcus said, pulling Yakul's reins to halt and pivoting towards Lady Clarke.

Above them, Sabre executed wide, lazy circles, then folded her wings and descended swiftly, landing beside the Winter-Elk with a soft thud and a defiant roar.

Borg, meanwhile, pounded the ground, skidding and tearing up chunks of earth as he abruptly halted. "Lucky I was ready for that! Next time, ease up on the brakes," Darius admonished, flicking Borg's armored head as they trotted up to join Marcus and Percy.

All three men dismounted. Marcus, with authority in his voice, turned to Yakul and Borg. "Do not attack. You two can't help if this turns into a fight."

Yakul's eyes flickered with piercing blue light, his antlers shaking defiantly as he scraped his hoof against the ground. Borg mirrored the defiance, rearing up and slamming down hard enough to make the earth quake.

"Enough!" Marcus thundered, his aura flaring. "Obey me—do not engage in battle unless I command it!"

The eyes of both Yakul and Borg briefly glowed red, then they calmed, stepping back and settling into submission.

After whispering to Sabre, the Panther nuzzled Percy's chest before stepping back to join the other beasts.

"Let me handle the talking," Marcus instructed firmly. "If she challenges you to a duel, just refuse. I doubt she'll attack outright, but if she does, get on Yakul and head back to the city with Percy. I'll cover your retreat."

Standing calmly, Darius's aged features appeared regal against the breeze that tousled his white beard and hair, "no need. If she turns violent, I have a plan."

A soft drumming began beneath their feet, the sky darkening further as the cloud front rolled in.

"A plan?... Darius, you can't fight her. I've dueled with her before—when we first met. She pushed me to a draw, and that was fifty years ago, and in that time I've only aged."

The drumming escalated into a deep rumble, the sky above splitting with a flash of lightning followed by a roar of thunder.

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"She's here," Percy interjected, tension lacing his brow.

Now clearly visible, Titan's massive form surged forward, his metallic scales crackling with arcs of purple electricity. A large yellow aura blazed from his enormous back. "Kinneman!" Clarke's voice boomed across the sky, dripping with excitement and rage.

"Well, I don't think she's here to ask questions," Darius chuckled, eyeing the advancing storm. "Rumors can really turn ugly, huh?"

Marcus shot Darius a look, his irritation plain. "Just let me handle this, and remember, run when I sa—Clarke! What brings you rushing to see me again? You know I'm happily married, though I do have an eligible son th—"

"Quiet, you old fool! I'm not here for you." Her words sliced through the air as Titan skidded to a halt, Lady Clarke leaping from the beast's back and landing in a billowing cloud of dust. "I'm here for the other old man."

As the dust cleared, Lady Clarke stood with a giant war-hammer in hand, its head aimed straight at Darius. "I challenge you to a duel."

Stepping forward, his brow furrowed and aura flaring, Marcus began, "Lady Clarke! He's merely an iron knight, how can you..."

"It's okay," Darius interrupted, stepping ahead with his hands clasped behind his back. "I'll accept..."

"But Feng! You don't have..."

"Only if you agree to two conditions," Darius cut in, a confident smile playing across his face.

Eyes sparkling with anticipation, Lady Clarke slammed her war-hammer to her chest. "Say them."

While Percy gawked and Marcus rubbed his forehead in disbelief, Darius moved closer to Lady Clarke. "First, you must swear a blood oath to never speak of our duel or anything you learn about me to anyone, for as long as you live, no matter the outcome."

Lady Clarke furrowed her brows and took a step forward. "And the second?"

Closing the distance until they were eye to eye, Darius's smile widened. "If you lose the duel, you will become my loyal servant for the rest of your life."

Her face flushing with anger, Clarke shouted, "How dare you! If you have any honor, you—"

"If you aren't confident you can defeat me, just say so. Do not waste our time," Darius retorted disdainfully. Turning, he walked back towards Borg as he touched his brooch, igniting his fake tier 3 aura. "Let's go, we've delayed enough with this foolish woman."

"Stop!" Suddenly, the ground trembled. Turning back, Darius saw Lady Clarke's hammer embedded in the earth, her face red and veins in her neck bulging. "I...Filipina Clarke..."

"Phht..." Darius stifled a laugh at the mention of her name. "Sorry, do continue."

Taking a deep, calming breath, Clarke continued, "swear a blood oath that I will never divulge what transpires here today, or anything I learn about the man known as Feng. I further swear that if I lose in a duel to Feng, I will serve him loyally as his knight for the rest of my life."

The air around them seemed to pulse with the power of her vow, the mana humming in response. Darius nodded approvingly. "Good, good! Now that that's settled, give me a few minutes to set up an array."

Lady Clarke hoisted her hammer, frowning in annoyance. "What for? Are you trying to cheat me?!"

Darius paused, his killing intent stirred, as his gaze fixed intently on Clarke. "Calm down. It's merely a sealing array to prevent outsiders from detecting our fight."

Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the intensity of Darius's intent, and then she looked towards Marcus.

"You can trust him," Marcus interjected firmly, grasping Percy's shoulder. "I vouch for that." Leading Percy away, he motioned for the mounts to follow. "Let's give them some space."

Lady Clarke now stood alone in the field beside Titan, lifting her hammer with resolve. She slammed its shaft into the ground, declaring, "Seal!" The hammer, as tall as Clarke herself at a staggering two and a quarter meters, featured a broad, double-headed block of glowing metal that began to pulse with light.

Beside her, Titan's scales matched the hammer's rhythm, pulsing until he began to disintegrate into balls of light that were drawn into it. As the last mote was absorbed, the hammer instantly sank into the ground, leaving a crater in its wake.

Now on the sidelines, Marcus grasped the gravity of Clarke's actions and instructed, "Wait here." With that, he quickly vanished, leaving Percy and the beasts behind.

Far off in the distance, Darius was etching runes into the ground in various areas, crafting a vast arena for their duel, when Marcus reappeared beside him. "You need to avoid her hammer at all costs."

"Strangely obvious advice, Marcus, but noted," Darius chuckled, not pausing in his intricate work.

"You don't understand, her hammer is a Primordial Artifact. She can freely control its weight, and it has the bizarre ability to absorb and mimic the properties of any beast she has tamed...and she just absorbed Titan."

Darius paused, turning to glance towards Clarke. Realizing she stood alone, he noted, "So now she's an earth knight wielding lightning. Seems I really should keep an eye on that hammer. Thanks for the heads-up."

Frowning, Marcus lowered his voice, "I hope you know what you're doing. This seems like suicide to me. But, good luck." With that, Marcus vanished, rushing back to Percy to watch the duel unfold.

Darius eyed Clarke and her hammer for a moment longer, then sighed internally, 'No...this is the best way to handle her. Otherwise, she's the type to likely never let this go.' Returning his focus, he completed the rune and moved on to the next.

Clarke watched Darius with predatory intensity, shifting her stance and beginning to drum her fingers along her weapon. "I really don't see the point of all this!" she shouted, her earth mana flaring as her manaforged armor manifested. "Stop dela..."

"Shut the fuck up!"

Darius's sudden outburst stunned Marcus, Percy, and Clarke into momentary silence.

Standing in front of a large tree, Darius furiously scuffed the ground with his boot, muttering, "Stupid, loud, distracting..." He knelt down and resumed carving the rune, his brows knotted in frustration.

Exchanging a glance, Marcus and Clarke both burst into laughter. Percy, looking bewildered, watched Lady Clarke with a sigh.

"It's good to have some bravado when facing your death!" Clarke boomed, her comment cutting off Marcus's laughter.

"Huh?" Darius paused his carving, glancing over at Clarke in the distance. "Death?! I thought this was just a duel?!"

"It is!" Clarke's laughter continued, her smile wide as her yellow eyes sparkled intensely. "For a man with such a mouth, and for disrespecting me the way you have, isn't it only fair for this to be a duel to the death? And to ask me to be your servant for life, you had to be prepared to die...right?!" Her laughter abruptly ceased.

"Well, I guess I can't argue with that," Darius muttered, frowning briefly before shrugging. "Changes nothing!" He resumed etching the final rune.

Percy turned to his father, then back to Darius, a trace of despair in his voice. "He's gonna die, you know that, right?"

Sighing deeply, Marcus straightened up, his voice resolute. "This is his choice. We must believe in him. And if these are indeed his final moments, we must bear witness."

Percy felt a prickling sensation on his skin, his face growing warm with a mix of emotions. 'Why are they so different from me? Why am I like this?' Casting his gaze downward momentarily, he then clenched his fists and lifted his eyes, watching Darius with renewed intensity.

Standing and putting his hands on his hips with a smile, "finished." Brushing his hands off, he began walking towards Lady Clarke, "I've heard about you Filipina, I'd say your one of the cities heroes the way people talk about you."

A vein along Clarke's forehead started to protrude, slowly snaking from her temple to her eye.

"So I've been looking forward to meeting you in a way. Too bad it had to be under these circumstances," Darius touched the Brooch of the Star-Baron, his form shifting back to his true body.

Clarke's eyes widened as the old man before her transformed into a teenage boy with messy black hair and bright azure eyes. The sudden change caught her off guard, bringing an uncharacteristic blush to her cheeks. She quickly coughed, "Who are you? Wait...a dud?!" Her shoulders sagged in confusion. "What the fuck is going on?"

"My name is Darius, son of Lord Jarek and Lady Amara." He slammed his foot down and bellowed, "Conceal!"

Instantly, a giant circle of archaic runes flared around him, filling with brilliant white light. The runes extended lines of symbols toward each marker Darius had previously set. Everyone watched in awe as each rune ignited and shot a beam of light skyward, forming a barrier that seemed to stretch into the heavens. Once the barrier was complete, it solidified with the loud chime of a bell, then slowly faded from view.

"You have sworn your oath Lady Clarke. Prepare yourself." Darius stood firm, locking eyes with Lady Clarke.

Clarke's expression morphed rapidly— pleasure, annoyance, disbelief, and finally, brutal excitement— before she exploded in a roar, slamming her hammer into the ground, "Tell me boy! Before I kill you! Who are you?!" Her eyes burning yellow as she grinned wickedly.

Darius returned the smile, shifting smoothly into a fighting stance. As he extended his leg back, he channeled all 62 Cauldrons of Force into his stance, slamming his back foot down. The force sent the earth erupting behind him, forming a small jagged hill. "I am the Grand Elder of the Ling Xu Sect...the Glutton of Penglai...I am the first of my path, the Origin." Power surged through his meridians as he cycled his Arcane Talisman Technique to its peak, the light from Darius’s crystal skeleton shining brightly, captivating everyone present, "I am the last son of the house of Valdene! And I am the first Arcane Cultivator!"