Crownless Consort-Chapter 32 - : Duel of Factions

Artemis lashed forward with the full heft of his arm, the air curling around his blade as it tried desperately to resist his strength. Sparks flew through the air, and Lieger's sword was sent flying to the side, his attendant throwing him another one without missing a beat in his stride, continuing to parry and deflect every blow levied his way.

What kind of price is this? I ask him for a favour, and he wishes that one of us draws the other's blood? What is the meaning of this? Is this one of the oddities that has been mentioned to me? Or is it something else? Artemis's mind raced as he tilted his head, dodging the spearing-point of Lieger's strike.

Their blades clashed wildly as they fought. Artemis had been lent one by Lieger, it was only fair. He had not yet lost it, he had remained on the offensive for the entirety of their bout.

Xerandes watched as the two bouted from the sidelines, smiling sheepishly.

It seems I forgot to warn his Grace about the price Lieger demands for anything asked of him... for something like this, Lieger wishes to test the mettle of his Grace... ever since his time with the Hunt, he has loved to duel. Even when we had cornered a suspect, he would give them the opportunity to escape... as long as they won the duel.

He let out a heavy sigh. He hadn't withheld such crucial information on purpose. It was just that he had never expected to be brought along on the journey simply because of hos former affiliations. It had been so long in the past that Xerandes had already forgotten much about his past comrades, from which Lieger was only one of many. But there was a key point of Lieger's duels that had remained in his mind even to that point.

They never did win...

Artemis lurched forward, thrusting the point of his blade towards Lieger's shoulder. He countered by drawing it away with his own sword's edge, sparks singeing the skin of his cheek as the metal sung out into the air. The particular steel that was used to forge the blades of Nobility were harder than most common steels, made from the toughest steel blooms from the harshest iron found within the Blackbaast's soil.

Such a metal was wrought with cause to spark and ring, like it was more of a performance than a fight to first blood. It was musical, it was showy, no sign of violence in their dance.

But it was surely violent. They both intended to harm the other.

"You're holding back, aren't you?"

"Are the swings of my blade not hefty enough? Should I use more strength?" Artemis replied casually, as if it wasn't an issue.

Lieger shook his hand worried as he laughed in an exasperated fashion. "No, I'm afraid that if you use any more strength, it might tear my arm clean off... I mean to say that it feels like you're... too confident. You must be withholding something."

Artemis had already gathered that this was a means of testing him. For some reason, it felt as if Lieger hadn't measured him up to be worthy of his friendship.

Like his father, my ass...

He had already decided to lessen the extent of August's detriment by any means. He would not be a burden to his lover. For the longest time, ever since he had signed the Spirit Contract with Lark at the behest of his teacher, he had considered the secret of its true nature a threat to his family. But now, he had the backing of the most powerful family in the Blackbaast. If he continued to present himself as feeble and weak as he had done when acting as a recluse, he would only be a detriment to the Lunastre House.

It was imperative that from that moment forth, he acted with the full of his abilities, if only to demonstrate that despite his origins, hid faction, his curse, he was not to be underestimated.

"You want me to fight at full strength?"

"I do."

Artemis smirked. "Don't regret it."

He raised a hand towards his eyepatch instinctively, lifting it. The empty space underneath shimmered wildly as an illusory iris burst forwards from within, swirling like a stormy grey sky. At the same time, a terrifying obsidian-metallic half-mask in the shape of a wolf overtook his face. Seeing this, Lieger took a step back, raising his blade in a defensive manner. His expression was filled with shock.

He grinned, stepping back into an idle position as his mind began to race. Your Grace... perhaps I was wrong. Now I can understand why his Grace chose to marry you. I was skeptical of this idea of 'love' he proclaimed. You're... quite the man, Lord.

It was the same for the others observing the duel. Attendants, Cercival and Xerandes, had widened eyes. The Archknight Kafka, although used to shows of strength using Spirits, had never witnessed such a sight.

Kafka blinked once, and then another time, just to see whether or not she was seeing it correctly.

There was a figure standing behind Artemis! It was like a thick shadow descending from the sky, capsizing around Artemis's towering figure like a cloak. It had the head of a black wolf, like the fur that he wore around his shoulder, and its eyes glowed a bright, stormy grey. This Spirit... it was Demonic in nature.

She had learnt about this during her time at the Academy. While Spirits that were usually contracted by Seers, Archknights in training, were usually Minor or Major Spirits, those being which derived from the natural essence of the world, Demonic Spirits were different in their entirety. They were the remnant Wills of the ancestors of the Blackbaast- they were beings of immensely powerful origin!

To think that his Grace was such a person... I feel like I underestimated him. But why keep such a thing secret? If it was known that he had control over such a power, he could have definitely raised his Family's status!

To Kafka, this was a natural thought. Of course she would have used such a thing for her own status. She was already operating from a deficit. But she simply didn't have the necessary knowledge as applied to the political Noble landscape to understand why Artemis had made such a decision, even secluding himself from others to keep it all the more hidden.

"Do you concede?" Artemis spoke plainly, throwing his blade to the side as he took a step forward.

Despite the sheer pressure that Artemis's presence posed, Lieger remained standing, although his body seemed to tremble slightly. "No. Let's continue."

"As you wish." Artemis pounced forward, throwing himself headfirst towards Lieger. At the same time, the Spirit's Aura washed over him, cloaking him in a blanket of shadow that resembled a massive Black Wolf. Terrifying claws as sharp as blades, and teeth as pointed as the crags of the cavern ceiling lurched towards Lieger. He swung his blade forward instinctively in order to try and relieve the pressure of the attack, but it was deflected by matter of the Spirit's fortitude. His blade was simply weaker...

Artemis spun around, slashing forward with his clawed hand that had grown five times in size.

Lieger's eyes widened, realising he couldn't avoid it. He couldn't deflect, he couldn't dodge-!

Suddenly, a flash of silver shot forward, Artemis's strike stopped in its tracks. A man had appeared in front of Lieger, raising his blade as he blocked the fierce blow of the Black Wolf!

Lieger, exasperated and shocked by the sudden fear, let out a heavy breath as he laughed wildly. "Colin, you didn't really have to interfere... I believe his Grace would have stopped short of killing me!"

"But not short of causing you harm." Colin grunted, his grasp on his blade wavering as he tried desperately to withstand the sheer strength of Artemis's blow. "I think the bout has been settled... could I humbly ask that you release the Spirit Bond, your grace?"

The Black Wolf growled fiercely, sending a shiver down the spines of the spectators. The man dressed in silver amour who had appeared, Colin, simply continued to stare down Artemis as he held his blade up in defense of Lieger.

Slowly, the black aura began to dissipate, wisping away into the air behind Artemis as he stared back at Colin, holding the weight of the knight blade in his bare palm. Blood trickled down his arm from his hand, dropping onto the ground bit by bit.

Artemis smiled genially, retracting his hand as he pulled out a handkerchief, holding it to his palm. "You're an interesting one, Mr. Knight."

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He glanced over towards Lieger in the next instant, his brows creasing as he spoke sternly. "Let's talk more, my Lord. It's time you treat me with your most generous considerations. I think I've done more than enough to 'prove' my competence to you. Let's discuss terms."

Lieger slowly stood up from where he had stumbled back with the assistance of his Knight, Colin.

"Yes, I think that much is in order. Come, let's sit once more. It seems we should talk without wearing these masks of pleasantries. Let's deal as our fathers have dealt before us."