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Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight — You've Gotta Right to Your Fights

Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight — You've Gotta Right to Your Fights I was expecting it to take a few hours to set up an arena and have someone send an invitation to Francisco. My expectations didn’t account for Caprica being really good at leveraging her princess-ness to get others to do the work for us.A few guards and messengers were dispatched across the city, zipping away on fleet wings to prepare things for our savagery.We, in the meantime, finished our tea. It was a very nice flowery tea that tasted a bit like green tea, but significantly sweeter. “I can’t believe you’re going to be in a duel,” Gabrielle said. She was right on the edge of her seat, feet swinging with barely restrained energy under the table. “That’s so cool!”“It’s less amusing when the person you have to fight is as loathsome as Fransisco,” Amaryllis said.“You don’t like him?” Gabrielle asked.Amaryllis sniffed. “I dare say few people do.”That was a bit mean, but I didn’t think I’d be changing Amaryllis’ way of seeing people between then and the time the duel started.“What did he do?” Gabrielle asked. She was genuinely curious, and only stopped leaning forwards when Orange decided that Gabrielle-being the centre of attention at the moment-had the nicest lap to sit upon.“He’s an uncouth, poorly educated, rude fool who likes sticking his beak where no one wants it stuck,” Amaryllis said.“He’s her ex-fiance,” I whispered across the table. “They don’t get along.”Gabrielle raised the hand that wasn’t petting Orange to her mouth to stifle a gasp. “An arranged marriage.”“Deranged, more like,” Amaryllis muttered.“We’re quite fortunate in that regard,” Caprica said. “While I suppose father could technically arrange something, I don’t think he’d dare.”“The king wouldn’t dare arrange a marriage?” Awen asked.Caprica grinned and Gabrielle giggled. “Mother would skin him. Besides, father broke with tradition when he married mother.”“How’s that?” I asked.“She was a paladin. A non-noble paladin. Better than a commoner, in the eyes of the nobility, but not by much,” Caprica said.Gabrielle nodded, entirely enthusiastic. “They married for love; it’s super romantic. Apparently father tried really hard to impress her by becoming a good fighter, and she just kept beating him in every spar. Mother’s very proud of her win record against him, and father’s face turns very red whenever she starts talking about it.”“That’s really cute,” I said.Caprica chuckled. “I suppose it is. In any case, I think if father tried to arrange a marriage for any one of his children he’d have to deal with an entire cohort of angry princesses and a very irate queen.”A maid slid into the room and bowed next to Caprica to whisper something into her ear. She nodded, then patted down the front of her pants as she stood. “I think it’s time for us to get going. There’s a carriage waiting for us out front.”“Already?” I asked.“It would be best to arrive early, I think,” Caprica said. “That way you can have more time to inspect the grounds and perhaps stretch before you have to exert yourselves.”We gathered up our things and headed out of the greenhouse. The cold outside stung at my face for a moment. I wasn’t expecting it to get colder while we were inside. The temperature around Goldenalden seemed to vary a lot, but it was always hovering between cool and chilly. It probably had something to do with the altitude and all the mountains around us messing with the wind.We boarded a nice carriage, Gabrielle, Orange and Caprica to one side, my friends and I on the other. Then we were off.“The Calcifer Spood Memorial Arena isn’t far from here,” Caprica said. “It’s not the most prestigious location for a duel, but it’s a respectable one. The arena is open at all reasonable hours, and there are quite a few young nobles who hang around either to watch others fight, or to spar.”“Is duelling a big thing?” I asked.“More or less? It’s one of the less civilised ways of resolving a conflict, but with stringent rules in place and healers on site, it’s uncommon for someone to die, and it is a much faster way to resolve some petty arguments than any legal proceedings.”“Also, it’s more fun,” Gabrielle gushed. “I imagine a lot of dashing lords go there to fight for their honour when they are insulted, or if a lady they’re fond of has been insulted.”Caprica rolled her eyes. “Yes, I suppose there’s that. Bastion always said that it was less about honour and more about hormones and shortsightedness. I never spent any time around duelling clubs or the like.”“I think the situation is similar in the Harpy Mountains,” Amaryllis said. “It’s a way for younger lords to blow off steam, impress each other, and not cause a ruckus in less-appropriate venues.”It didn’t take long before the carriage rattled to a stop, and a sylph guardsman opened the door for us.There were a lot more guards around than when Caprica headed out. Was it because there were two princesses out at the same time, or was it because Gabrielle was different? I had the impression that she didn’t leave the house as much.When Gabrielle sniffled, a maid sylph was instantly by her side, wrapping a thick woolly shawl over her shoulders.The Calcifer Spood Memorial Arena was a grand building. It squatted amidst buildings that rose above it, an impressively broad edifice of sculpted, weather-worn stone, whose wide entrance beckoned anyone to enter and beat people up.There were other carriages around, but mostly the sylph around the arena seemed to be on foot. They were noble lords and ladies, young ones mostly. They were also all staring our way.“We’re the centre of attention.” I said.“That’s hardly something unusual for you,” Amaryllis said.“I’m not an attention-seeker... am I?” I asked.Amaryllis huffed, but she did bump into my shoulder as if to say she was just joking. “It’s likely the carriage. And maybe they recognize the princesses.”“The crest does lack some subtlety,” Caprica said with a tilt of her head towards the carriage. There was a big crest on the door that I hadn’t really paid much attention to.The two or three squads of guards were likely not helping much either.We started into the building. The entranceway didn’t have a door, instead it was a wide opening under an arch. A large brazier sat just within, crackling with fire that warmed us up as we approached.I glanced over my shoulder as we moved in, and couldn’t help but notice all the whispering from the people outside. A number of nobles were moving from restaurants and shops across the street towards the arena. There was a growing sense of excitement filling the air, as if everyone suddenly expected something grand to happen.A sylph stood on the other side of the brazier, looking as though he were trying very hard to not look as though he’d just run over in a hurry. He bowed at the waist. “Princess Caprica, Princess Gabrielle, and of course your lovely companions. My name is Augustus Spood. I welcome you to my grandfather’s arena. Anything you desire, I shall do my best to provide for you.”You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.Caprica bowed back, a much shallower bow, but one that had the sylph standing straighter. “Hello, Lord Spood. I was hoping I could borrow one of your arenas? My companions here were issued a challenge, and we intend to see it through.”“I would be honoured,” he said. “We have one of the safest arenas in all of Goldenalden, as you likely well know. I can assure that we will keep your friends healthy and hale, regardless of the outcome of any spar or duel. Did you wish to use one of the smaller, more private arenas? I can have the area cleared of everyone but the judge and medical staff.”Caprica glanced our way. “How certain are you of being able to defeat Hawk?”“Very,” Amaryllis said. “He might have a decent class, but he has no real experience, and I suspect we at the very least match his level, if we don’t surpass it outright.”Caprica nodded as she turned back to Augustus Spood. “In that case, having more witnesses wouldn’t go amiss.”“We can certainly arrange that,” Lord Spood said with a genial smile. “Might I have the details of this duel?”They spoke quietly as we started to make our way down one of the corridors that seemed to bisect the building, then up a wide staircase. Soon we were crossing spaces where we could see little arenas below. Sand-filled squares with a row or two of seats far above, none bigger than a wrestling ring.I didn’t pay much attention to the conversation, instead turning my focus inwards. I was about to get into a fight. It didn’t feel like it would be a very challenging one, but... still. I asked Mister Menu to display my skills, just in case.

Name

Broccoli Bunch

Race

Bun (Riftwalker)

First Class

Cinnamon Bun Bun

First Class Level

Second Class

Wonderlander

Second Class Level

Age

Health

150

Stamina

155

Mana

145

Resilience

Flexibility

Magic

Skills

Rank

Cinnamon Bun Bun Skills

Cleaning

S — 04%

Way of the Mystic Bun

D — 100%

Gardening

D — 37%

Adorable

D — 100%

Dancing

D — 100%

Wonderlander Skills

Tea Making

C — 03%

Mad Millinery

D — 89%

Proportion Distortion

D — 14%

General Skills

Insight

C — 97%

Makeshift Weapon Proficiency

C — 17%

Archeology

D — 00%

Friendmaking

C — 75%

Matchmaking

D — 64%

Hugging Proficiency

E — 48%

Captaining

E — 49%

Cinnamon Bun Bun Skill Points

Wonderlander Skill Points

General Skill Points

First Class Skill Slots

Second Class Skill Slots

General Skill Slots

I had improved a little bit, but it felt like it wasn’t all that much. There was a natural slow-down as my skills took longer to improve, of course, but also I hadn’t done any real focused practice in a while. At the rate I was going, it was going to take a long time before I hit any big milestone again.I still had some free skill-slots for my General Skills too. Those weren’t, surprisingly, filling up with random skills. I’d have to ask Amaryllis to see if that was normal or not. I really, really had to find a chivalry-based skill so that I could turn Adorable into Dork Knight.“This is the main arena, ladies,” Augustus Spood said with a grand gesture to the side.The main arena was about the size of a badminton court, with a floor covered in fine sand, and lit by hanging chandeliers filled with glowing crystals that filled the room with blue and yellow and orange light.Three rows of seats circled the room about a metre off the ground, with a shimmering barrier between the crowds and the floor. Likely that was in case some spell went off and flew towards the witnesses.“I suspect this will do just fine,” Caprica said. “Lord Spood, do you have a way to inform people of an upcoming... small event? Ah, and a place where my companions can be filled in on the rules of a proper gentleperson’s duel?”“Certainly,” he said. Then he glanced past our group and guards and to the end of the corridor.We followed his gaze.I hadn’t expected Francisco to show up so soon. Did he know we’d be here?For that matter, I didn’t expect him to show up with new friends. Two sylphs and a human, all in nice but well-worn armour, and all looking very much out of place amongst so many nobles.I had a sinking feeling in my tummy as I saw the grin Francisco wore.

* * *

Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine — Say Hello to My Little Friends

Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine — Say Hello to My Little Friends “Who are your friends?” Amaryllis asked. She was eyeing the three new figures a step behind Francisco and his two buddies.The human walked with a bit of a hunch, hands in his pockets. The sylph to his left had his head up high, as if daring anyone to look down on him, and the other sylph was glancing all over the place, as if he was expecting something to jump out from the shadows at any moment.“Hello, lady Amaryllis,” Francisco said with dripping meanness in his tone. “It seems that you really have forgotten every last aspect of decorum and behaviour. Did no one ever teach you to greet people when you meet them?”“People, yes,” Amaryllis. “So will you answer the question?”The harpy’s face reddened at the cheeks and his feathers puffed out, just a little, before he gathered himself. “These three new friends of mine are some very kind fellows I met at a tavern. They heard of my plight, having to fight someone of your repute, and bravely decided to step up so that I might avoid soiling my feathers in your presence.”“You mean to say that you were too cowardly to fight me and my friends head on, so you hired three mercenaries to fight in your place?” Amaryllis asked.I glanced back at Caprica and Augustus. “Can he do that?” I whispered.Augustus Spood bowed his head. “If the gentleman, ah, wishes to have someone fight in his stead, then he can elect someone to do so. It isn’t entirely uncommon. It’s more often than not used by a lady of the court who doesn’t have skills as a fighter. She might employ a champion to fight in her stead. On occasion an older noble, past their prime, might also elect a champion. Usually these would be a member of their family, but there are no laws against merely hiring an outsider.”“But a young fighter designating a champion in their stead is seen as cowardice,” Caprica said. “Or at least as very distasteful.”Augustus stepped up, placing himself between Amaryllis and Francisco. “Greetings everyone,” he said with practiced geniality. “My name is Augustus, I’ll be the person in charge of today’s duel. Lord Hawk, from what I overheard, you will be having these three gentlemen fighting in your stead?”“Yes, yes I will,” Francisco said. “What about you, Amaryllis, will you be fighting yourself? You always did like to brag and strut with your chest puffed out. Or maybe you’ll send someone else in? That little sylph girl behind you, maybe?” he chuckled, and his friends joined in.I followed his gaze and saw that Gabrielle was blinking back at him, completely confused.Augustus cleared his throat. He was still smiling, but there was a vein visible along the line of his neck. “Lord Hawk, I believe I speak for every sylph when I say that if you could avoid involving her royal highness in your affairs, it would be appreciated.”“Ah,” Francisco said. I think he noticed all the guards nearby, many of whom were giving him looks and decided to backpedal. “A pleasure to meet you, your highness, please forgive my earlier impertinence. The presence of this barbarian brings out the worst in me.”“Um,” Gabrielle hesitated before dropping into a quick, shallow curtsy. “It’s fine? I wasn’t really paying you much attention. I’m really just here to see my sister’s friends fight.”“Your sister’s friends?” Francisco mused. “Ah, perhaps after our bout I will remain here to observe that fight.”“But.. but that’s the fight you were supposed to be in?” Gabrielle asked.I eyed Gabrielle. She sounded innocent. A bit too innocent.“Right, big sister Caprica?” Gabrielle asked. She blinked at Caprica with big, wet eyes, and I could imagine her lower lip trembling even if it wasn’t.Gabrielle was a very tricky little sister, it seemed.“That’s right, Gabi,” Caprica said. “We’re here to watch Lady Amaryllis, Lady Bristlecone, and Captain Bunch put up a good fight.”“On that note,” Augustus said. “Lady Amaryllis, did you intend to fight yourself?”“We have some royal guardsmen here who I am certain would be honoured to be your champions,” Caprica added. “We even have a paladin or two. Some are in their fourth tier.”Francisco was looking a bit pale.“I appreciate the gesture,” Amaryllis said. “But I am no coward. I intend to win based on my own merits. As for my companions, they can decide for themselves. Besides, if we use the sylph military to win this battle, then anyone at the summit could turn around and accuse us of being supported directly by Sylphfree. It would discredit us.”I glanced over to the three guys we’d have to fight.Jacob Hayer, Bladesinger, level 15That was the sylph who had been looking all over the place earlier. Now his attention was mostly split between staring at the back of Francisco’s head and the two princesses.Malter Roggen, Frozen Batterer, level 14That was the human. He was staring past everyone, looking like he was entirely bored with everything.Next to him, the last of the sylph mercenaries looked pretty darned conflicted. I had the impression he just didn’t want to be there anymore, but he didn’t have a choice about it.Flein Bocking, Hardened, level 16All three were a few levels above my friends and I, and that was just what I could see from their primary classes. It was possible that all three had a second class that was at max level. I’d have to see if Amaryllis could tell me more about them.I snapped my attention back on the conversation as Augustus called someone over from the sides, a young aide who moved over to the mercenaries and started to guide them away. Meanwhile, Augustus turned towards my friends and I. “Please, allow me to escort you to the preparation area.”I waved Caprica and Gabrielle good-bye, the younger of the two giving us a quick wave in return as she called out, “Good luck!”“Have any of you participated in this sort of duel before?” Augustus asked as we headed down a corridor, then through a side-door and down a flight of stairs. The decorations stopped at the door, and everything became a lot more functional and austere.This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.He glanced back and took in our shaking heads.“Well then, let me explain the basics. In order to keep things somewhat fair the fights-all one-on-one competitions of prowess-will be chosen based on drawn lots. The fight will start when the arena glows red. The moment the arena glows red again, you must stop.”“Glows red?” Awen asked.He nodded. “You’ll understand when you see it. The referee will demonstrate in either case. There are enchantments that light up if anyone in their vicinity is gravely injured, knocked unconscious, or otherwise incapacitated. The referee should be treated as a god of their domain. What they say is sacrosanct and should not be defied.”“Ah, alright,” I said. This was starting to sound pretty serious.“The weapons you pick must be chosen from our armoury. These will be enchanted to make them non-lethal. That does not mean that they cannot cause harm, only that they will blunt any great impact, and will not pierce or cut into flesh the way a normal weapon would,” Augustus said.The stairs ended, and we started down a long corridor that ended at a sharp angle. Augustus pointed to a door to our left before he opened it. He didn’t step in though. “This is the waiting room. You can see the arena through that glass there. There are barriers in place to prevent magics from harming the room, and the rest of the arena as well.”“The weapons are all enchanted not to hurt people, right? What about magic?” I asked. I didn’t really have much in terms of offensive magic, but Awen had her glass magic, and Amaryllis had electricity and puppeteering and probably a few other magical tricks hidden away in her sleeves too.Augustus sighed. “Unfortunately, stopping someone from using magic isn’t as simple as blunting a weapon. We ask that anyone fighting a duel keep in mind that there’s no honour in killing an opponent in this arena. If we see that a mage is going too far, there are enchantments in place that can disrupt the flow of mana. We leave those off until they are absolutely needed, though.”“Alright,” I said.Augustus nodded. “The referee will go over the rules again before the duel starts, don’t worry.”“Thanks, Mister Augustus,” Awen said. “You’re very kind.”“Merely doing my job, Lady Bristlecone,” he said. We continued down the corridor, around the bend, and stopped before a door that was closed. It had a small light bulb-like thing above it that was currently off. Reaching up, Augustus flicked a switch next to the door and the light started to glow a magical blueish hue. “And this is the armoury. Take whatever you need. There are pieces of armour at the back as well. I will be waiting out here for your return.”“Thanks,” I said.The room was well lit, a few hanging lanterns casting an orange-yellow glow across rows of racks and shelves laden with hundreds of weapons. The next room over, past an archway in the room we were in, had armour on dummies and on more shelves. Enough to equip three dozen warriors and then some.“Whoa,” I said as I reached over and picked up a sword larger than I was. Or I tried to. It was way, way too heavy.At least the edges on it weren’t sharpened. I couldn’t imagine that helping too much if someone took a swing at me with it, though.“Alright,” Amaryllis said. “We... don’t exactly have an advantageous situation here. Three opponents with abilities we can only guess at, all above our levels, and on an even playing field.”“It’s going to be a tough fight,” I said. “But we’ll do our best, right?”“Awa, we don’t need to do our best,” Awen said. “We need to win. This is important, Broccoli. We need, um, strategy more than we need optimism, I think.”“Oh, right.”Awen turned to Amaryllis. “What’s our strategy?”Amaryllis rolled her eyes. “Of course. With great intelligence comes great responsibility.” I chose not to comment. “Let’s see. The Frozen Batterer is likely an ice mage. His armour was lighter than most front-line combatant sorts. If I’m against him, I’ll try to overwhelm him. Ice magic tends to be slow to act. Awen... I’m afraid you’re not in the best position in any fight here.”“I need equipment, and time,” Awen said. “I’m not really much of a fighter at all, really.”“You’re great,” I said.She shook her head. “I’m a mechanic first. It’s okay not to be good at fighting, I think. You don’t need to worry about me though, I have a few tricks that might work.” She reached over to one of the racks, then pulled a heavy shield from it.“Right,” Amaryllis said. “The Bladesinger is a somewhat common sylph class. High mobility, focused on swords. He’s going to be fast, and he’s going to have a lot of tricks. Keep your distance and pelt him with magic. Broccoli, I’m sure you could manage to keep away and fling some fire at him.”“Uh, alright,” I said.“The last is a mystery, and the highest levelled opponent we have to face. I’d guess he’s more of a defensive expert, but I can’t say for certain. Just... try to hit hard.”Amaryllis glanced around, then nodded to herself before moving to a wall-mounted rack covered in knives and daggers and other short pointy things.I looked around myself. There were so many weapons, but I didn’t have a knack for any of them. I slid over to the next side, and grinned at a wall covered in helmets. I swept one right off the topmost rack. A big gladiator’s helmet, with a metal lion’s face on the front, and it had a furry ruff on the top and back, with a few holes that my ears could poke through.That didn’t leave me with any weapons though.That was, until I spotted something in the corner. “Perfect!”“What’s perf— oh please, Broccoli, no.”“Broccoli yes!” I said.When we left the room, all kitted out, Augustus was waiting for us, as promised. He stared at the weapon I had slung over a shoulder, and the dustpan I held in my other hand. “Captain, is that our broom?”

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