We had teleported to a bolt hole near the elf capitol this morning and were now exploring the city. Badb rode with me through the ground as we looked that the activity above us. Skirting around the warded areas for now just getting the lay of the land.
Like all elven cities it was a collection of houses that grew naturally from the massive trees of their grove. Nature magic wielding two and three shard mages guided the growth of the city but it still took decades for a home to grow. Once there had been a few true mages among the elves could do it in a few weeks but those days were long gone. Now the homes had become family homes where multiple generations of the long lived elves lived. Each slowly building a new space for them when they gained adulthood.
The market was another place of interest, shops were again passed from generation to generation. The market stalls were another story though. Every month the market boss, normally at least three shard merchant, would hold an auction allowing people to bid on stall space for the next month. What was used as money for these auctions? Nothing so mundane as coin, bids were only taken in beast cores. This was part of the way they insured every elf was a warrior, they had to be to hold the stall they won.
Duals were common with the winner taking everything from the looser. The culture was absolutely might makes right, if you could take it than it was meant to be yours. Even the kings throne could be taken if they could defeat the king. That meant I had to be particularly careful with my approach, getting bogged down in martial combat didn’t interest me nor did the elven throne. Then again, maybe this would be an opportunity to flex my abilities a bit.
I did have my blades and hadn’t tested them yet, maybe teaching a few lessons would be worth it. This wasn’t just for my own enjoyment it would also ensure that whatever deal I ended up with the threat of my blades could be used to insure it. The training I had received hadn’t been done gently, in the end to pass I had to fight through multiple opponents in one go. What would happen if a half elf took on the elite of the elven capitol?
I couldn’t just walk into the palace though, this needed to be public. Not just that, it needed to be in the most public place possible. That meant waiting until the arena opened. It once a month the arena was open to all challenges for rule, if I remembered right I would have to fight my way first into the nobility. First as a staring at Baron, all the way up to Duke there it would leave the commanding general and finally the king. It would be seven duels in a day. Thankfully I had two weeks to train before the arena opened.
“Do you think that’s wise?” Badb asked curiously
“I don’t see another way to make it clear that a war won’t be tolerated.” Shrugging off his concerns.
“And none of this is motivated by your personal grudges?”
“Maybe some, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.” I laughed, “besides if I can’t defeat seven masters in training than we’ll have to find another way.”
“That’s acceptable, I don’t worry about your magic over powering them but fighting a two hundred year old monster who’s fought with blades doesn’t have the same promised outcome.” Badb was defiantly warning me about my path.
“You haven’t seen the training chamber yet.” My voice had a shake to it as I spoke, remembering the number of deaths and dismemberments I had endured. All to rise again and start all over, learning to deal with the pain was part of the training chamber.
Those weeks had not only tested and trained my martial prowess but my mental fortitude. Training me to endure wounds that would cripple most warriors so I could fight on and I was going to volunteer for more. It did make me wonder about my motivation a bit more, was I doing this for ego or pride?
“True I haven’t.” Badb acknowledged, “but neither have I seen another realm, still I recognize their threat.”
“Let’s head back, see how I do training than we can decide?” I wasn’t looking forward to it but that was what I needed to do first. He didn’t like it but went along with the first part, heading back to the bolt hole. When we got back I checked out the training chamber. A bit shocked at what I found there.
“Celestial Elven Duel Sword and Staff Training room- time dilation x 100, pain setting 100%, death setting:instant revival.”
“That’s new.” I commented with some fear in my voice.
“What is?” Badb asked.
“Celestial level training, the one I used before was master level. I didn’t know they went higher, it does train both staff and blades though. It also has a bigger time dilation.” I was already stripping off most of my gear, knowing there was no need for anything other than basic clothes and my weapons. “You going to be alright for a couple of weeks?”
“That would be almost four years?!” Badb squawked in shock.
“Just short, thought I plan on coming out a few days early to recover.” There was a nonchalance in my tone that seemed to scare Badb.
“You do know that most people loose there minds through excessive time dilation?”
“It didn’t bother me before.”
“Before?!”
“That’s been all of my training to some degree, I think they were x 40 though.”
“You know that’s insane right?! Especially with the pain set at full.” Badb almost sounded panicked.
“They’ve all been that way.” I shrugged not knowing what else to say.
“That’s insane!” Was all he could say, a mental shake of his headed added to the surprise in his voice.
“It is what it is.” Was my only answer as I walked through the door activating the chamber. There was a brief flash of magic that swallowed me and I appeared standing on the flat top of a mountain.
Across from me stood an elf dressed in the light armor of his kind. Soft leather tanned and dyed black and red with the gold trim of a celestial denoting his rank. His long hair drifted around him as he waited for me to approach. His face was stern, not malicious but not happy either. I found myself dressed the same as him but my armor was a lighter shade with no gold trim, the armor of a master.
“A master half elf.” He commented, not with the sneer I was used to more a surprise with just a touch of appreciation.
“I’m sorry but I’m not sure how to address your rank?” I admitted honestly. “Celestial seems awkward.”
“Grand master is the appropriate address, but as this is a simulation you may simply call me Master Reya.”
“Master Reya I am Syn.” I bowed formally to the man.
“Very well, show me what you know.” Was all he said, his blades filling his hands.
No more conversation was needed, my rings filled my hands with two and a half feet of slightly curved mithril. I moved, flashing forward slashing down with the right blade hiding the thrust from the left. The master twisted so little it was barely noticeable but the thrust slipped by without touching him. His blade met my slash with a simple flick of his wrist sending it out of line. Before I could recover his blade flashed and the familiar perspective of my head watching my body as it fell to the ground took me. A second later I stood again, opposite the man.
“Not bad but to telegraphed, again.” He commanded and I did as instructed.
This repeated in one form or another of gruesome death for the six months before I managed to move past the first move. Time passed, every death taking slightly longer and longer. My growth seemed to come in leaps, one day I was dead in two moves than six then fifteen. I could feel my muscles change as we worked, learning to move smooth as they transitioned from one movement to another. My body learning to react without thinking, fighting on an instinctual level more and more. At the end of three years our fights lasted for days both of us being cut, stabbed and slashed as we danced. Blood painting the ground but always ending with my death.
Six months later we stood across from each other again, my blood dripped to the ground from a deep cut along my thigh. A faint smile traced his lips for a second before slowly his head fell forward followed by his toppling body. I had beat him for the first time. This particular bout had taken three days, seventy two hours of constant combat to achieve this one victory.
Slowly his body reformed, fully restored and clean. As the magic brought him back my own wounds closed and the blood disappeared. When we both stood opposite one another again, clean and healthy he finally spoke.
“You have learned all I have to offer and earned the right to wear the gold.” He bowed slightly to me. “You’ll find a ring waiting for you out of this training room, it will have the blades and armor of a celestial master inside. Wear them with pride Grand Master Syn.”
“Thank you for the training.” I bowed deeply to the man, even as he faded to nothing and the magic pulled me back to normal time.
I managed to make it to a bed before my body collapsed, the stress of training, multiple deaths and time dilation taking there toll. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, the last thing I saw was a new ring sitting on the table beside the bed. My last thought? Master level in the staff was plenty, I didn’t need to go back for more training.
I woke up with just one day left before the arena opened for challenges and I was hungry. The training chamber somehow kept me from starving but it couldn’t trick my mind into not wanting food. Badb appeared as I finished cooking a massive dragon steak with all the trimmings.
“You don’t seem insane, except for the amount of food you’re eating.” He cackled.
“If I am would I be able to tell?” I asked curiously between mouthfuls of steak laughing.
“That’s fair, and I have no interest in testing you. How did it go?”
“Finished, new blades and armor. Forgot that was a thing.” I was still talking between bites. “Should be interesting when I show up, I do want to modify the armor though, add a hood and mask.”
“Disguise? That seems a bit excessive.”
“Would rather be some devil they fear than a man they can rebel against.”
“I suppose that does make sense, unless you want to be a king.”
“Nope! Not even a vague possibility.” I stayed ending that debate before it could even get started.
“Than how will you get them to agree?”
“Ideally? I’ll defeat but not kill the king, just get him to agree.” I shrugged before explaining why. “That way it doesn’t create a power vacuum.”
“That would be best, but do you honestly think it possible.” The doubt was obvious in his voice.
“Dare to dream.” Laughing as I kept eating. “Find out tomorrow, after I eat I have to check out the new gear and see if I can modify it.”
When I finally finished my food I took out the ring I had taken from beside the bed. It was a simple looking black ring, there were only three slots in it but the magic creating it was powerful. It had to contain the items with in and seal to prevent anyone from accessing them. It also had the ability to dress and arm its owner at a thought.
I had already taken off my other blades, so when I infused this new ring with my will I felt the bond click into place. This was different than normal magic ring, I couldn’t tell this was a soul bond. This ring would only allow me to use it. Once it was done bonding, with a simple flex of my will the new armor covered me in a blink. It was a deep black, so dark it looked like the light was absorbed into it. The gold trim was subtle, when I studied it closely it made sense. The trim was solid gold thread sewn in rune formations so tightly that it look like trim unless you really studied it.
As my will explored the magic I began to understand it more and more. It took about ten minutes to fully grasp the patterns but after that with a simple flow of my mind the hood and mask appeared covering my head. The magic creating exactly what I was after, a deep black mask trimmed in feathers, the appearance of half bird half man. A tengu peered back in the reflection as I studied my new look. Band cackled madly when he saw it.
“A nod to my partner.” I grinned behind the mask, its magic allowing all of my sense to pass though it unimpeded.
“Finally you’re not so ugly!”
“I have never been ugly and if you think your definition of beauty applies to my kind we need to have a long talk my friend.” I laughed back at the mad bird than with a thought the eye switched to look like blood red gems making Badb suddenly stop laughing.
“Ohhhhh.” He leaned forward toward the mask.
“You can’t take them.” I said knowing what was going through his mind. We both shared a laugh but the greedy glint in Badb’s eyes warmed me not to leave the mask unattended.
Next I stared with the rings, I had to bind to them as I did the armor. While they did that I dismissed the armor back to the ring, it was comfortable but not something I wanted to wear while lounging around. When the binding finished I flicked my will into them and the blades appeared in my hands and my breath caught.
Each one was clean and sharp, they kept with the black color theme but they sparkled almost like they were made of the void itself. I knew the metal was an alloy of mithril, orichalcum and star iron but had no clue how that was done. I was no smith but knew enough to know that this art was lost hundreds of years ago. I had heard of it, like every child who dreamt of finding legendary blades but to actually be holding them? Even Badb gasped at their appearance.
“Void steel.” I said in a whisper.
“I’ve seen it before but never so meticulously crafted.” Badb spoke reverently. “Those are perfect blades.”
Perfect blades was an archaic term used to describe perfect weapons before time made them into legends. I only knew what he meant from the history books I had studied, it didn’t make it any easier to believe I was holding them. They almost thrummed with potential power, the secret of void steel that made them so sought after was they could be used to channel shard magic. True some mithril blades could as well but not with the power or precision of these.
With a quick flick of my mind the blades disappeared back into the ring. Now that they were bound I could summon the armor and blades with a thought and they appeared just as quickly. I was prepared for what would come tomorrow, I had a feeling it would cause a stir across the elven lands.