Rise of Winter, Week 3, Day 7

[Quick Fight]

And Freddie was off and ready to go.

It was easy, at first, to land a jab here and a jab there because, despite the tightness in her body caused by the poison, she was still able to utilize her Skills to move smoothly. And the knight wasn’t holding up his guard.

A fresh grin spread across Freddie’s face.

He was letting her land her punches, unphased. He thought that was all she had.

It was with a feral animosity that she picked up her speed, pushing harder on the ground as she launched forward and threw another punch. He was still wide open. He didn’t even bother to dodge.

Freddie went straight for his kidney. And as her fist landed with extreme prejudice, Freddie took in the way the knight’s eyes widened in recognition. The way he moved his arm to guard. The way he was too slow. And she savored the way it made her feel. Her fist sinking into soft flesh, the way she pressed into a bone with the edge of her forearm. It was just as she remembered it.

Invigorating.

She stepped back from the knight, whose face was scrunched in pain. She shook her arms out with a smile.

“Sorry, I forgot to pull my punch.”

Her eyes flicked to the other knight on the sidelines. His mouth was slightly open, but his eyes were wide. Freddie winked at him. Meanwhile, the knight she’d hit was bent over and grasping his side. Turning back to him, she didn’t huff, but it was a near thing.

Standing back up, the knight’s cheeks were tinted pink.

Freddie knew, then, that landing punches would grow more difficult—and she was right. After [Bright as a Flickering Flame]’s aura broke, the knight was no longer calmed by her presence, no longer inclined to hold back. Briefly, Freddie wondered if it was an underhanded thing to do.

There is no right and wrong in a fight. Everything is fair game. She decided. Every advantage needs to be utilized—every chance to win taken. Because what else will I do when my freedom is threatened? When it’s my life? Practice is meant to prepare you. In a real fight, there are no rules.

Freddie felt her mind fall away as she went back on the offense. She threw a punch just to be met with a solid guard. A hook met with a dodge. A kick thrown and deflected.

[Running]

She empowered her legs, trying to find a gap in the knight’s guard. After several more test strikes, she upped her Strength, bit by bit, careful to moderate it so that she was within the realm of an Uncommon Class.

It was as she hit a third of her Strength that she began to overwhelm him. First, it was a too-heavy push. Then it was a too-strong uppercut. Finally, it was another hook that broke through his guard, landing a firm hit on his abdomen. Freddie heard the knight gasp in pain, but she ignored it.

And then there was a kick aimed for her shin.

Stepping back, Freddie leaned into the foreshadows of [Quick Fight], letting the Skill integrate into her mind fully. The kick didn’t land, but it was a close thing. The knight stumbled as his leg overextended, and Freddie snapped out her arm to grab his leg. Then, she shoved, and the man toppled backward.

It was a cheap shot, but I deserved it. And it didn’t even land. Freddie thought to herself.

“You went in too strong,” Freddie supplied, holding out her hand to help him up.

The knight just looked a mix of frustrated and bewildered.

“With the kick—you forgot to bend your knee too, and so it overextended and let me grip it.” She continued, still holding out her hand. “If you try that in the future, moderate how much force you put into it so that you can snap back your leg.”

After another moment of bewildered silence, the knight grunted and stood up without taking Freddie’s hand. But his face had lost some of its harsh edges.

“Lady Fredericka,” he said calmly, “That wasn’t very sporting.”

Freddie shrugged, “Sorry, but—”

The knight cut her off, “I apologize. I shouldn’t have aimed so low.”

Now, it was Freddie’s turn to be bewildered.

“Excuse me?”

“I apologize. It was underhanded to go for your weak leg.”

Freddie blinked, then realized what he was talking about. She still had a mild limp from the poison. It had begun diminishing because she used [Running] to empower her legs, but it was still there. She’d simply continued on pretending it wasn’t. Freddie tilted her head.

“It’s not like it’s weakened. It’s just a mild injury. Besides–” Freddie smiled at the knight–” all’s fair in love and war, yeah? And what is a spar if not a war game?”

He looked displeased by the implication.

“My Lady, a knight ought to be chivalrous.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Freddie scoffed, “Are you for real? I specifically asked you to spar with me! You didn’t even try to hit me until that kick! And it was underhanded—but who cares? I wasn’t sporting either. I punched your kidney!”

The more she spoke, the more frustrated Freddie became with the very thought that the Knights of the Void wouldn’t be willing to take a shot offered to them if they found the execution of it distasteful.

That’s how you die! She shouted internally.

“Are you saying I should apologize?” Freddie demanded.

“Of course not, Lady Fredericka—” the knight backpedaled, his hands flailing in the air, “I would never presume to—”

“Oh, shut up,” Freddie snapped, irritated. “It doesn’t really matter.”

Turning on her heel, she stomped back toward Tiltham’s office, calling over her shoulder, “Thanks for the pointers, I guess.”

When she got back to the office, Tiltham was already looking at Freddie.

“I see you aren’t pleased.” She said.

Freddie huffed, “I’ll just wait here.”

“Very well, it’ll take me a bit longer. Take a seat.”

Freddie did, swinging her legs off the chair across from Tiltham’s desk. It wound up taking the knight captain another half an hour before she put down her pen. In the meantime, she’d barely sent Freddie a cursory glance —and Freddie spent the time in thought. Mostly thinking the same thing in different variations.

That knight was young enough that he’s probably never seen real combat. He doesn’t know what it means to get a limb ripped off and have to be reattached. Arbitrary rules of chivalry have no place on the battlefield, where it’s life or death. He doesn’t understand that death is a permanent affair that lurks around every corner—whether it man or beast. Chivalry only matters if you’ve got the power to withstand the repercussions.

“Lady Fredericka,” Tiltham said, pulling Freddie out of her head, “I am ready.”

Freddie got up immediately, “Good, let’s head for Grandfather's office.”

Tiltham gathered several small stacks of papers into a leather folder and stood up. She was not in her usual full armor, instead she was in a set of black leather armor with a silver insignia of a star.

It reminded Freddie of the starless night sky. How did they come up with a star if there are no stars in the sky? Is it meant to be a mote of mana? They still call it a star, though. But Freddie was more preoccupied with following Tiltham than she was thinking about the origins of symbols in this new world, so the train of thought evaporated as Tiltham lead Freddie back through the manor.

“Tilly, you miss me yet?” Freddie chirped once they were out of the barracks.

Tiltham refrained from answering, and Freddie huffed a laugh, “Fair enough, but I missed you. So don’t hide away from me forever.”

The knight's eyes reached the sky, but Freddie wasn’t watching. Instead, she was busy lighting a fire.

[Fire Conjuration+Fire Manipulation]

A bright crimson flame melted the snow as it fell around Freddie, causing a bubble of humidity to surround her as she walked. It mattered not to the girl. She’d gladly sweat the day away if it meant she was never cold.

“You’re getting better at that,” Tiltham commented, giving the flame a side-eye.

“I’m trying to moderate how much mana I feed it. My biggest problem is that a little mana goes a long way. I want to feed it more than necessary—and that had me nearly burning off my eyebrows.”

“An atrocity.” Tiltham delivered the line in her usual droll voice, but Freddie took the words for what they were: a joke.

“Tilly, did you just joke?” Freddie mimed a gasp.

“Please, my Lady, call me Tiltham,” was the only response Freddie got before they entered the manor, and Freddie dropped her flames.

As the fire evaporated into nothingness, Tiltham held open the door, waving Freddie inside. With a chill encroaching on her already, Freddie wasted no time hustling into the building.

The rest of the walk was filled with Freddie chattering, from complaining about the cold to saying ‘Tilly’ in as many sentences as she could make it fit. Tiltham seemed to be ignoring her for most of it.

Arriving at her grandfather’s office was a formal affair, with Tiltham announcing herself to the guards.

“Void Captain of the 1st Contingent, Inez Tiltham, is here to speak with the Duke of Nemo, Commander of the Void.”

Tiltham’s face gave nothing away when Freddie slid her gaze to the woman, but she did mouth to herself, “Tiltham is your last name?”

The guards then turned to Freddie, who waved her hand and said, “Tell him Freddie is here too.”

They nodded, and one of them slid their hand into a bit of the wall that apparently was not a wall at all and opened a door. The guard disappeared behind said door, and when it closed, it melded back into the pattern of the wallpaper.

“Why are we doing this? I can just walk in.” Freddie complained.

“Because I am not the Duke’s heir, nor am I one of his beloved grandchildren.”

Freddie blinked, “Fair enough, I guess.”

They didn’t have to wait long, within a minute, the main doors were opening and the Duke of Nemo was smiling down at Freddie.

“Little star, you’ve never waited before?” He asked questioningly.

Freddie shook her head and looked to Tiltham, who cleared her throat, “My Liege, I come bearing a report of a failed excursion. Is Lord Bridian here as well?”

“Fortunately, yes, you’ve caught us just in time.” The Duke of Nemo was eyeing his granddaughter questioningly but led them back into his office without issue.

Freddie followed by her grandfather’s side, but Tiltham stayed several paces behind. Within the Duke’s office were three people: Bridian, Freddie’s father, and two aides that Freddie recognized but could not name. She nodded at the aides and waved at her father.

As the Duke settled in behind his desk, Bridian directed Freddie to sit beside him. The Duke sat behind his massive desk, and Freddie and her father sat off to the side in plush armchairs.

Tiltham was already kneeling down, “I greet my Liege and Lord, Duke Frederick Nemo.”

“Stand, Captain Tiltham, and enlighten me as to why you are briefing me with my granddaughter in tow.” The Duke’s voice was hard, which caused Freddie to smile.

Standing, TIltham nodded sharply, “Of course, my Lord. Lady Fredericka aided a squire of the Void, young Argon, in his time of need. She saved his life, and when she came to me with questions, my honor dictated that I answer them. She requested to be present for the briefing on the incident.”

The Duke looked to Freddie, who shifted uncomfortably under his assessing gaze, “Very well. I will not undermine your sense of duty by saying it was the wrong choice. Tell me exactly what happened, start to finish.”

“Of course, sire,” TIltham said, her voice back to the same monotone she often used with Freddie, “It all began with a report from one of our Void Knights, Sir Yllwood. We received his report identifying an issue at the southwest edge of the basin near the town of Kral. They had found a corrupted mana source. Upon further investigation, it was evolved.”

The Duke’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward.

“Sir Yllwood then sent a follow-up report that was received post-mortem. He confirmed our fears.”

“It can’t be…” The Duke trailed off.

“Yes, it is a Dungeon.” Tiltham finished for him.