Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-Three - Blitzkrieg

The last of the people we had to fight was Malter Roggen, the only human in the trio and, according to Insight, someone who had the Frozen Batterer class.

The height difference between Amaryllis and Malter was kind of obvious. Malter was a tallish human, and Amaryllis was maybe a tiny bit taller than average for a girl harpy. That meant that Malter had a good head of height over her

Not that Amaryllis seemed to care. She stood at the end of the arena, oozing such a powerful aura of malice that I could feel it despite being behind a window. Was that what killing intent felt like? I thought it was just a thing in cartoons.

“I bet he’s nervous now,” Awen said.

Malter did look a pinch uncomfortable. He was level 14, the lowest levelled person on the opposite team, and the only one equal to Amaryllis. He had light armour on, a padded outfit with a sort of hardened leather carapace atop it. He was armed, but he kept fiddling with his strange weapon.

“What is that thing?” I asked.

“It’s a meteor hammer,” Awen said. “The Ostri like to use those. They can be pretty dangerous, but usually if you’re using one, you need a lot of space to manoeuvre, so you can't stick close to your allies.”

“Alright,” I said. Hopefully Amaryllis would be able to counter it properly.

The referee stepped back into the ring and glanced at both Amaryllis and Malter before he started his usual spiel. He must have said those exact same lines hundreds of times by now. It was impressive that he still put so much energy into it. Though maybe there was a Referee skill out there?

He had Amaryllis and Malter each repeat his instructions before finally pulling out a handkerchief and raising it above his head.

Amaryllis brought her knife around so that it was before her and she crouched into more of a fighter’s stance.

Malter shifted as well, his meteor hammer was a lump at the end of a thick ribbon. He gave it some slack, then automatically started to spin it around.

The handkerchief dropped.

I held my breath as it fluttered through the air, gently making its way down until...

The arena exploded with sound and light as Amaryllis fired a spell across the space between her and Malter.

There was no dodging something that fast, even if the air around Malter seemed to fill with icy crystals. He grunted and stumbled back as Amaryllis’ electrical discharge wracked his body.

Still, he managed to get his arm moving to spin his hammer around some more. His free hand, still holding onto the coil of rope for his weapon, rose, and he started to form a sort of hexagonal shield in the air, like a giant hovering snowflake.

Amaryllis didn’t sit idle though. She jogged around the edge of the arena, a careful spiral that would bring her around to Malter’s position soon enough. He had to turn to keep his shield interposed between them.

As she circled him Amaryllis fired three more quick spells. Little zaps of magic that snapped through the air. Malter hopped on the spot to avoid one that went for his exposed feet, another missed him entirely, and the last tested the strength of his shield. It held, though it steamed from the heat where the magic hit.

Then Malter started to dance. He spun, arm shifting out, and the twirling ball at the end of the ribbon he held flung itself out and came around in a big loop.

Amaryllis paused her run to let it swing by her. She eyed it, eyes narrowed as the hammer came back around in a deceptively slow arc.

Malter shifted a leg out, caught the ribbon behind the hammer, then spun and kicked. The hammer flew out in a straight path, right towards Amaryllis.

The distance was great enough that Amaryllis was able to duck out of the way, but it was a close thing.

Unfortunately for Malter, it left him open, and his weapon required a specific set of motions to reset itself.

Amaryllis started to fling little zappy spells at him. Nothing that would take him out on their own, but enough of them that he had to move fast to duck and weave so that they’d miss. His shield came around and took a few hits, but it was just small enough that some part of Malter was always sticking out.

Amaryllis started jogging again, one hand flinging lightning towards Malter, the other... trailing down next to her, just over the sand.

“Oh!” Awen said.

“What?” I asked.

“I just caught on to what she’s doing,” Awen said.

I glanced back at the fight. Malter and Amaryllis were now circling around each other. Soon, they’ll have traded places from where they started the fight. “I don’t see it,” I said.

“She’s herding him.”

I watched a bit more as Malter finally reached the spot where Amaryllis had been earlier. He was putting up a decent fight now that he’d gotten used to Amaryllis’ style of fighting. His weapon afforded him good range, and judging by the heavy thumps that sounded out when it hit the ground, it hit hard too.

Amaryllis was using the fact that he had to shield himself from her constant barrage of little spells to make dodging easier. After all, he couldn’t exactly go all-out while also working so hard to keep safe.

And then it happened. Amaryllis grinned the sort of grin she only deployed when she’d caught someone flatfooted. Her free hand rose up, and then she turned her talons down and tensed.

Malter stumbled out of nowhere, feet planting themselves onto the ground even as he scurried to wrap his hammer around his arm. He tilted back, foot kicking out to hit the back of his shield hard enough that I winced. Judging by the confused and pained look that crossed his face, he wasn’t supposed to do that.

I think Malter realized just how much trouble he was in, because he suddenly threw caution to the wind. He flung his hammer out with a grunt, and where it flew, the air filled with shimmering fog.

Amaryllis jumped to the side and the hammer sailed past where she was to impact the wall behind her. A huge burst of icy spikes exploded out of the wall, almost skewering my friend from behind.

I gasped, hands covering my mouth. That had been close!

Amaryllis seemed to think so too because she raised her hand, and for a moment I was able to make out the wires she held. They trailed along the ground all the way over to where Malter was.

He saw them too and started to claw at his legs and sides, but it was too late.

Amaryllis smiled, and the air, even in the room we were in, started to smell like ozone.

There was a great big bang and a bright light. For a moment I swore I saw the outline of Malter’s skeleton before I had to blink away from the light. Sand was kicked up around the mage, and his hammer’s ribbon trailed to the ground.

Then Malter flopped to the floor, completely out of the fight.

I held my breath for just a moment as a medic sylph, the same one who had helped me, ran out to Malter and checked on him. The man sat up soon enough, looking rather groggy, but alive.

He was fine, which meant... “Woo! Well done Amaryllis!” I cheered.

Awen and I slipped out of the room in a quick sprint. Awen stopped before Amaryllis and shook her talons with a big smile on.

I, being less reserved, tackled Amaryllis off her feet with a flying hug. “You won!”

“Get off me, you clingy bun,” Amaryllis protested. “People are watching you know!”

I laughed, squeezed her extra tight, then hopped to my feet and helped her back up so that I could give her a second, standing hug. Awen joined in that one, despite Amaryllis’ continued protests that it would make her look improper or whatever.

The referee cleared his throat, and we backed off a bit. A medic came to check on Amaryllis, but she’d been unscathed through the entire fight, so she was given a clean bill of health.

I didn’t quite know what to expect then, but I didn’t have to worry much.

Augustus stepped into the arena and carefully directed my friends and I to stand on one side while a team of sylph swept in. A big carpet was unrolled across the ground while another swept up the sand with a spell.

Caprica descended, accompanied by a couple of guards who stood watch by the doorway, and soon the three mercenaries we’d fought were standing at attention across from us.

Then Francisco entered the arena.

Judging by the way he glanced up at the crowd, he was very aware of all the eyes taking us in. I had the impression that to some people, this was the best part of the show.

Francisco was directed to stand in front of his team, and Amaryllis took a half step forward as well. There was only a metre between them. A very tense one.

“Fighters, spectators, noble lords and ladies,” Augustus said with his most boisterous voice. “We have gathered here to watch a duel, declared between the noble houses of Hawk and Albatross over the right of participation in the upcoming International Summit. This duel is now complete.”

There was a long pause and I only just managed to catch myself before I clapped.

“Lord Hawk, do you concede your loss, as witnessed?” Augustus asked.

Francisco’s nose rose right up and he glared across to Amaryllis. Still, the pressure must have been pretty hard on him. “I suppose it was a well-fought duel. I think it’s tradition in these parts to shake talons when two opponents meet honourably.”

Augustus nodded, but slowly. “Yes. Though that is the choice of the victor.”

Amaryllis huffed, a very mighty and powerful huff that carried much pride with it. “I won’t shake the talon of a bully, nor the talon of a coward. To shake with someone who has demonstrated that he is both would abase me and my family.”

“A coward?” Francisco snapped.

Oh, things were going off-script. Augustus seemed ready to step in, and I was sure that he’d be able to calm everyone down. He had to have some public speaking skills of some sort. But then Caprica reached out and very subtly touched his side, and the speaker kept mum.

“You would call me a coward?” Francisco snapped. “You’re the one who’s terrified of a little scuffle.”

“A war is not a scuffle,” Amaryllis shot back. “And I think I’ve proven amply that I’m not afraid to put my claws where my beak is. You, on the other hand, are proving to not only be a coward and a bully, but an idiot too. I think it’s well-known that I have little tolerance for birds who replace their brains with festering worms.”

Francisco choked for a moment, his face turning red and his feathers puffing out.

“I ought to gut you for insulting me so.”

“Do you want another duel?” Amaryllis asked. “Will you actually participate yourself this time? Or will you cower behind the back of more hired goons?”

“I-I don’t need to prove myself to you.”

“Oh, shut up Francis,” Amaryllis said. “You’re giving our entire race a poor name when you put your idiocy on such public display.”

Augustus cleared his throat. “It is the opinion, as witnessed, of the The Calcifer Spood Memorial Arena, that the victory goes to Lady Amaryllis Albatross!”

Now the clapping started for real, though it was the demure, careful clap of proper people.

I didn’t bother with that, those nobles could use a bit more enthusiasm, so I clapped loud and hard, and then I tossed in a few whoops for good measure. Judging by the barely restrained smile on Caprica’s face, I was doing just fine.

***