Chapter 106
Ajimal The Great
The Second Grand Duel (Part 1)
Ajimal sat in resplendent glory on his throne, it was still cracked, but none dared make notice of the slight imperfection. Instead, the crack had been accentuated, as if to show that Ajimal accepted not only the flaws in the chair, but also within himself. This was of course a lie, anyone who knew Ajimal, truly knew him, knew that the imperfection ate at him. Everyone knew that he felt somehow lessened by the throne, as if he was somehow denied reaching his true potential.
Worse he had seemingly hit a wall with his development. He had come back from a dragon hunt in the great Jungle Basin where he had been awarded blessings by the gods for each of his kills, until he was no longer given such a blessing. His attributes, all of them were seemingly capped at a +50. Meaning only one Attribute had managed to reach the sixty-point threshold and that attribute was not the one that he himself had wished for. While Strength was a vital attribute, it also spoke of limited growth. For Ajimal war was a means to an end, not the end in and of itself. As such Strength was great in that it meant he was both capable of withstanding more devastating attacks and delivering equally devastating attacks in return. Yet he noticed that the Attribute that had reached the threshold for an Echelon evolution played a key role in the way he was able to evolve. Thus, when he hit the third evolution, his only real option was the Elemental Body option, one that focused on Strength of the body to make him that much better. That was why he worked so hard to improve his Power Attribute in the years and time between his first transformation.
Through his diligence and hard work, he had been granted the second lightning affinity he felt like he was truly capable. He was the new template of the Azani, one that could be improved upon and one who would give his children the best starting position going forward. Though he couldn’t be flippant with his new status, he wanted his children and children’s children to rule the world when he was done. That was why he wanted to be particular with whom he selected as a potential mate. He wanted women who themselves already had an echelon blessing, either earned by themselves or from their family lineage. That way his blessings would merge with his partner’s blessings. That was partly what drew him to the Null Excavator in the first place, Aren I believe was her name. He mused to himself as he pondered about legacies.
He was so bored with conquering, that he had devolved into thinking about his future legacies. About creating an army of children that were so advanced and blessed by the heavens that only a fool would dare deny their legitimacy. That was part of what part of what he had been focusing on. With the excavator, he had seen in her a spark of power that was wholly unique to her. One that showed she was a lineage herself. It was clear that she herself was not of the third echelon, her overall attributes were too low. But she still glowed with an internal strength that hinted at something.
Ajimal pondered for a time. After seeing the excavator, he wondered if there were more. So, he set about exploring the countryside and cities that he had conquered, looking for people with that spark. None had that spark, in fact to Ajimal’s eyes most people seemed dull, as if they were mere shadows waiting to be consumed by the light. In this case Ajimal was the light, he was the light that showed the way ahead, and the light that burned away the darkness that drew too close.
“My Lord!” A panicked voice chimed in cutting Ajimal away from his darker thoughts.
“What is it?” Ajimal asked, due to how bored he was he figured he would at least give the man a chance to explain himself before striking him down for his impertinence.
“There is a warrior who is striking down our western garrison. When we managed to set up a parlay with him…” The courier trailed off as if not knowing how to explain this next part.
Seeing the look of fear come over the man’s face, Ajimal relaxed. He had planned on killing the courier or maybe just making an example of someone who didn’t follow proper protocol, but this was good. At the sound of it the opposing forces had finally found a warrior worth fielding against him. One who could bring the whole western garrison to a stand-still.
“Go on. I will not hurt you.” Ajimal said, a faint smile lifting the corners of his lips as he sat up.
Seeing the look, the courier visibly tensed for a second, until Ajimal’s body visibly relaxed once sitting up. “Well, you see he wishes to challenge you to a trial of Judgment by the Gods?” The courier visibly stumbled over the last part as if he was trying to remember verbatim words that made little to no sense. This was fine as the statement didn’t translate well into the Azani tongue.
Hearing this Ajimal gave a gesture for the courier to continue.
“Tha..that is all my lord.” He said meekly.
“What of the Western General…” Ajimal paused, trying to remember who was out that way now. With so many battlefronts going on he had to spread his forces thin, then the name came to him. “General Albitol.”
Hearing the name, a sour look came over the courier’s face. Just from looking at his face, it was clear that what was to come next would not be pleasant.
“He died, your majesty. That was when we decided to parley for terms. He gave us two weeks to get you this message and for you to respond before he and I quote ‘levels the power of the Great One against these lands.’” The courier said, again there was clearly a translation error as the words were not crisp.
“He is not a Sidherthan, I take it?” Ajimal asked.
“No, my lord. He appears to be a high wood elf, and he carries with him a large silver spear.” The Courier stated.
Hearing this Ajimal nodded in understanding.
“You have done well. Tell me where this man is now?” Ajimal asked, as the thrill and lust for battle surged through him. Just thinking about the fight caused his electrical nature to glow, illuminating both his eyes and the room around him.
“He is at the new western front, in Greendale, just east of…” He trailed off before continuing, “the now abandoned settlement of Abberty Village.”
Ajimal nodded, yes, the haunted village. Ajimal stood up and gestured for his attendants to come to him. He would dress for battle and fight this high wood elf, then he would take a detour and see what was so strange about this Abberty village. Rather than be disappointed Ajimal felt alive, well and truly alive.
“You have done well in informing me. Tell me of the two weeks, how much time has passed?” Ajimal asked as he was already getting dressed. Even with most of his body being covered in the Azani shaman battle robes by his attendants Ajimal could still see the courier out of the corner of his eye. Upon hearing the question, the courier visibly got disturbed as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.
“Well, you see my lord. It took a little over a week. The horses in the west are not that fast and it was a long road to get here…”
Ajimal cut him off with a sharp snap of his open hand. “How long do I have left?”
“Five days my lord.” With that the courier dropped to his knees, his head pressed against the floor.
Nine days? It too him nine days to get such valuable information to me? Ajimal thought this, then realized that nine days from the furthest western garrison to here was a good pace, especially as there were no trains or mass transit like blimps that had been set up down that way. Also, Azani traditionally feared traveling in the blimps, something about people able to generate lightning not wanting to go up in vehicles that appeared to mostly be electrical conduits.
Taking a deep breath to collect himself, Ajimal paused, then looked at the man. “You have done well to inform me. If this man was truly so great as to take down General Albitol, then he is one I should face alone.” With that Ajimal turned to one of his attendants that was dressing him.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Tell Khanion that he is to run things in my place. Inform him of the situation and that I have gone to personally take care of this problem.” Then he turned back to look at the courier who looked both exhausted, and frightened.
“As for this courier.” A slight pause as he watched the courier visibly tremble. It was a small pleasure, but one he afforded himself now and then. “Reward him with all the food he can eat and a nice place to rest. He has earned the reprieve.”
Hearing that, the courier collapsed with clear relief on his face. Seeing the reaction, Ajimal smiled to himself as he finished his preparations, then grabbed his sword which was quickly fastened to his waist by deft hands. Then he exited the building that had been confiscated to serve as his temporary command post.
Upon leaving the tent he saw a horse that was frothing at the mouth and looked like it had nearly been whipped to death. Seeing the horse, Ajimal felt bad for both the horse and the rider who feared for his life so much that he nearly killed a creature just to get here that much faster.
I really need to advance the way we travel. Ajimal thought to himself, before he mentally shrugged looked up to the sky and with a quick circulation of mana throughout his body he took off at incredible speed. The essence of lightning quickly filled his body as he managed to circulate his mana twice as fast.
With a blur he was up in the air. Then with the next he was streaking across the sky heading west.
***
The Western Garrison of Greendale was tense upon his arrival. Everyone sat from the walls watching as one man with a spear sat in a meditation pose staring at the post even with his eyes closed. The entire scene was a bit too bizarre, but such was the way of the world. Looking to the warrior in the field it was clear that he too had the spark of life, better still he had a spark of his own and himself was clearly well into the second echelon if not nearing the third.
Ajimal paused looking at the figure for a second before wondering just how far off the warrior was from reaching the third echelon. Seeing the disparity of power between himself and the unknown warrior, Ajimal felt confident in fighting this enemy combatant.
Ajimal landed within the garrison, spoke with the acting commander a Lieutenant that had apparently been field promoted to Captain after he parlayed long enough to get a two-week reprieve from the warrior’s relentless assault. Looking at how few soldiers were still in the garrison it was clear that the warrior had been thorough.
“Very well. I will see this warrior.” Ajimal said, gesturing for the gate to be opened.
“My Lord, do you wish for us to join you?” The field promoted captain asked.
“No, there will be no need.” Ajimal said.
Hearing that the captain’s face visibly paled. It was clear the captain was conflicted, as if Ajimal had himself said that the captain was unworthy to follow him into combat. While he wasn’t, he didn’t want to come across that way.
“You seem to misunderstand the situation. He is going to challenge me to a Judgment of the Gods, right?” Ajmial asked.
The captain nodded.
“Well, his terms will likely be something along the lines of if he wins then we are forced to withdraw our forces and flee the fields never to return, right?”
Hearing that the captain nodded, “yes he said those exact words.”
Ajimal nodded, while it would have been nice to know this before his arrival. It was clear that some things might have been lost in the message’s delivery to him. No matter. Ajimal thought as he realized the courier likely had a lot more on his mind than this one detail.
“Well then in that case, it won’t matter if you attend me or not. If I lose the war is over and you will be forced to leave the battlefield lest you receive the wrath of the Gods. If I win, then he will be bound by the terms of our agreement.”
By this point the gate had been opened, and Ajimal left before the captain could ask his next question.
Ajimal made sure to take long slow deliberate strides towards the meditating warrior.
“Peace be upon you.” Ajimal greeted the warrior in the traditional tongue of the wood elves. He was still rusty on high wood elven, but part of his classical training had forced him to know the tongue of every nation the Azani had ever gone to war with.
Hearing the words, the wood elven warrior looked up with surprise. “You speak the tongue of the forest?”
Ajimal almost quipped that he spoke the language of all whom he and his ancestors had conquered but opted to keep it civil instead. Ajimal just smiled and nodded, “yes, though it has been a while since I last had a chance to speak with a native speaker. So, I apologize if I come across as crude.”
Fortunately, it seemed that Ajimal himself hadn’t missed a lesson as the warrior before him looked truly impressed by the eloquent words and formal tone being used to convey his meaning.
By this point the warrior rose to his feet to look Ajimal in the eyes. Their eyes met for a moment; a spark of electricity flashed in Ajimal’s eyes as he tried to gain a better insight into the full capabilities of the warrior before him. It was clear that the warrior likely had the Attributes to break into the third echelon, but something clearly kept himself out of that echelon. There was a stark contrast between those bone to a powerful lineage, and those who managed to unlock their own lineage. This warrior, while powerful was clearly of the former. The spark he held was dull, as if passed on multiple times to light candles not quite as capable as the first.
“Are you the leader of the Azani?” The warrior asked.
“Oh, sorry, where are my manners. I am the leader of these warriors you see behind me. I am Ajimal Grandson of the Great Conquerer, heir to the throne, and worshiper of the one true God.” Ajimal said as he clasped his hands together and gave a crisp bow.
“I am Ghane Everheart, high wood elven warrior, warrior for the Great Forest Spirit. I have come to stop your advancement.” Ghane said, as he too clasped his hands together and gave an imperious bow.
Then once he raised from his bow Ghane continued. “I wish to challenge you to a Judgment of the Gods. Should I win, you will cease your advancement, go back to your homeland, and never raise a banner of war again.”
Hearing the full terms, Ajimal’s right eyebrow shot up with amusement. He asked for so much, though truthfully, he could have asked for more. These are the starting terms. Ajimal had investigated the known records of such duels after the defeat of his sister. The warrior could also ask for the changing of worship of deities, and other sanctions to be placed against Ajimal and his forces. Truthfully the terms given were not that bad, especially because there was no doubt in his mind that he would win this duel easily.
“Very well then. My terms are that you will join me as my new General, to replace the general you slew to get my attention. Serve me for a period of seven years, loyally and faithfully, carrying out every order I give you to your utmost. Do this and not only will you be welcomed as my general, but I will then show you how to break through to the third echelon of power and force your first transformation.” Ajimal said, as he stared at the warrior.
Hearing the terms, the warrior’s eyes grew wide. “You don’t wish to end a battle early? To take over the lands that I represent the army of?”
Ajimal shook his head, “No. Most people are like shadows, dull and lifeless to gaze upon. Very few burns with an intensity that is worthy of drawing attention to. You have that spark that I so desperately need.”
Hearing this and seeing the ravenous look of hunger in Ajimal’s eyes Ghane buckled for a moment, before composing himself. “Very well then. Since I am one with this spark that you speak of, let’s make the battle interesting. During the battle you will be unable to fly. Instead, you must meet me on the ground like a peer.”
Hearing this, Ajimal laughed a deep bellowing laugh that sounded like thunder over the hills. Finally, after a few moments he of laughter he composed himself. “Very well then. Should there be any other handicaps to help you achieve your victory?”
Ghane shook his head.
“Fine then I too wish to make a change to the conditions then. In addition to the seven years of service, you are to be wed to my second sister. Know that any children born of this union will be Azani and taken in to be taught of our ways.”
Hearing this Ghane’s mouth opened wide in confusion for a moment before he closed it quickly. Such a comment only led fuel to the fire that such a man was despicable, who would offer the lives of others so freely? Especially one’s own sisters. Such acts were beyond barbaric and needed to be cut off at the root. While Ghane still had feelings for Octavia, he knew they were not reciprocated. The idea of a wife was simultaneously horrific and welcoming, but he quickly dismissed the thought, realizing such points would only distract from the battle that was to come.
“Very well I accept your counter terms. I will begin the ritual now.” Ghane said, before pausing for a moment. When he began to speak next, he did so while simultaneously channeling Power into his words. This was the process needed to summon a God to watch their terms and battle.
“This is a judgment of the heavens.” The more Ghane spoke, the more a crisp light-blue energy began to shoot up overhead. At first it looked like a small shield given form, but soon formed into a blue eye that had a green iris to gaze upon the two combatants. At the formation of the eye of the gods, Ghane then continued with the ritualistic words.
“We are two combatants from two different armies have been called forth to settle a war that would otherwise cost thousands of lives in the process. We call upon the binding laws of the old world to oversee our trial. To see that both contestants fight with honor and true intent. That their vows of wager be heard by the gods and held as sacrosanct. I, Ghane Everheart representing myself challenge Ajimal the Butcher of the Azani tribe to full combat. The terms of the battle are that Ajimal will have to fight the entirety of the battle from the ground. During the battle should I prove to be the victor Ajimal and every member of his forces will leave the lands they have conquered and go back to their homeland. Should I lose, I will be a servant to Ajimal for a period of no less than seven years and will be forced to marry his sister. All children born of this union will be raised as Azani by Ajimal’s people.” Ghane said the last part with a slight note of apprehension, to have a high wood elf, even a half breed raised by the immortal enemies would be a huge loss of face. Then again simply losing this battle would also be a huge loss of face. As such Ghane swore to himself that he would either remain victorious or die here on this field. With that mental vow made the green iris swiveled from Ghane to Ajimal and then back, before nodding.
“We have heard the terms for Peace and Accept this Duel to facilitate Peace among the lands.” A Booming voice called out loud enough for all to hear. The lines of fate that bound the two combatants solidified, and then disappeared. While they still had a physical weight to them that Ghane and Ajimal could still feel if they focused, the sensation mostly disappeared. This was a blessing from the Gods to remind the combatants that they fought for more than just themselves, but for an entire army as well. Then before they could get too lost in the new sensations that bound them, if only for this moment the booming voice spoke again.
“Begin!”