Chapter 25: Vendetta
"This is the first time I have been this high"
"I don't feel that excitement"
"Well, you have flown once don't you?"
"Perhaps."
"Thanks for today. Now, can we stop being here? I don't have good cold resistance"
"I am bored as well."
I blow the whistle to signal the wyvern we are riding. It is returning to the site. A wyvern can go as long as a day. But many races can't withstand the cold in the air for a long time, so usually, people only ride this thing for four to five hours at max.
"It has been a good ride, here is the pay. Keep the change" I give the caretaker few gold coins.
"Hope to see you back" He guides the creature back to the stable.
The weight of those gold coins should be around the price of a nugget of mythril here.
"Go back after this break or go to the arena for the thrill?" Alira tugs my cloak
"I haven't seen a death duel for ages."
"I heard that a captain had challenged his general to death for his position. If either is proven to be weak, they are going to meet Lamento anyway."
"Strength and honor are something unchanged for drake. What can I say besides that?" I shrug
****
"I bet that Joril the Chopper will win this fight"
"I bet Tharol the Basher"
"Joril"
"Tharol"
…
The thrill of the fight seems rowdy heh?
Joril the Chopper is the general and Tharol the Basher is the captain. Both from what I heard in the tavern are two hardened veteran on the battlefield. They are not afraid of the enemy, they make the enemy fear them. The reason why Tharol the Basher challenged Joril the Chopper was disagreement in distribution of spoils of war. Some say that Tharol deserves more because he saves the most men while some say Joril deserves more because he stalls enough time to hold an important point. From my perspective, I don't think fighting over such petty spoils of war is worth it. After all, I heard an important rumor that Tharol and Joril are fighting over a girl who only accepts the stronger one. Duel to death for love seems to be a logical reason despite it sounds irrational.
Drakes usually care more about their honor to the point that they rather fight over material distribution than love. Because love after all to them is something that should be settled without violence and through complicated judgement from families' sides and then if it is not settled through non violence methods well, they are going to be publicly announced for fighting such petty reasons. And many drakes rather die than live in that disgrace.
I feel drake's society is more about honor than simply blind love heh?
I hate this kind of society
****
Crowds are here, raising claws and yamping throughout the arena.
I take a 5th row seat with Alira. The ground is currently clean.
From that left side, I see Joril is being called out and the right side is Tharol.
Joril is wearing no armor for the sake of honorbound and only wielding his halberd. It is sharp and its blade looks like half an apple leaf. His eyes are bright green, his claws are jagged like his weapon and his wings are tattered.
Tharol is also wearing no armor and wielding his shield and a club. A round shield is not fitting for a drake to block the attack but rather it is perfect for thrashing forward to the enemy. His club is a metal blunt club that is easy to be wielded with one hand. His eyes glow gold, his claws look glossy and he has only one wing and it is intact.
This fight surely looks thrilling but my bet was on Joril, since from what I look, Tharol is the one who has no advantage. The older a drake is, the more reckless he is. While other races' elders tend to be passive, drake elders are among the one who cause fear on the battlefield not only through experience but also their berserk.
If one who can exploit this berserker weakness, he is the one who might be able to take down a drake lord. Since once in berserk, pain is nothing, combine with the wisdom of age, elder drake is a hard to take down opponent similar to a drake lord
Once the trumpet is blown, both rush attacking.
Joril uses his halberd as his advantage, while trying to find an opening to chop down Tharol. Tharol is trying to close the distance to fight against the polearm weapon.
By using his shoulder to stop the movement of the halberd, Tharol bashes his shield right on the elder's jaw.
The elder counters back with a kick and the young get slashed by the halberd on his shoulder. Drake scales are quite hard to be slashed but with a jagged halberd like that, Tharol is bleeding. Joril spits his tooth on the ground, looks at his opponent with a sense of joy and rushes with his halberd point first.
Tharol feints the attack and manages to land a hit on Joril's back. The elder stops his momentum suddenly and spins around to slash the shield. After taking the impact, it seems the young's hand is broken, he can't move his hand. Other hand is holding the club well, Tharol yamps out and charges head on.
Slam.
With just a sweep, Joril makes Tharol fall.
And a fountain of blood is splashed.
Joril takes the head of the loser and carefully puts it down on the ground nicely. Drakes are known for respecting a strong opponent by putting his head on the ground after a battle, no matter how bloody the battle is.
Joril raises his halberd up and yamps.
The crowd cheers.
****
After that bloody arena, I can feel that a soul is still lingering around. Perhaps, Tharol is still having hatred against his superior.
I hope he will forget that eventually, since that battle is fair and square.
Unlike my cases, my head was lopped off, my body got shot in the back and my body got eaten alive while witnessing the fate of my comrades.
"
"The answer was before the battle."
"So my guess is that experience determines the whole thing right?"
"One thing you know less is the fact that the older a drake is, the more reckless he is" I point up
"I guess things work differently for a drake"
****
While loading up some goods from the drakes, I notice a strange bloodlust. It is not aiming for me but rather someone else. Someone who is nearby should get it by now. Not Alira, then who?
It doesn't matter anymore. This is not my business. What has been done here is already done.
"Mister, don't you want to..."
"No, we don't need to care about the victim. He is already done for. If you dare to act something up, that murder is going after you."
"But..."
"No means no. It is not a simple matter between two people, it is a complicated matter of politics and you are gonna be a pawn if you dare to intervene."
"Fine. It can't be changed anyway"
"Good. Let's leave"
As we leave, I hear in the distance a metal bang.
Luckily, my fame of being
And a cry and then the silent. I can sense it in the air. A stench of a murder.
I am just rather a witness than someone who can intervene. Who died there was a son of the lord of Ashima. Because I noticed that under his cloak is a crest of Ashima's arbiter. It should belong to either a lord's son or his relative.
That assassin was relieved that I didn't notice him. If he was aiming for me, his soul would be dead before it could leave his body.
****
At the gate, two guards stop me and search for that assassin. The truth is that the assassin wouldn't fit my wagon since my wagon is full and he is an oversized saurian. I noticed the sound of his feet is too heavy for a normal saurian but too light for the smallest adult drake I knew, not to mention that saurians can only jump for a thrust kill since they don't have strong arms
"Let me tell you a thing about that assassin. An oversized saurian who carries a wind bell on his spear." I whisper
"We get it, thanks for your information." He signals the others for me to pass through
****
"How did you know that he is an oversized saurian?"
"Sound"
"???" She is dumbfounded
"Foot steps and air vibration never lie"
"I guess I have more things to learn huh?"
"A vendetta. That is what he was after"
"How so?"
"If the bloodlust is heavy to the point that many people notice and don't dare to react, that thing back there could easily slay a troll or two with a single strike. That kid back there didn't get intimidated but couldn't hold well"
"That is why bystanders don't even dare to fight against but why soldiers want to capture him back there?"
"A drake lord must be someone who is the strongest and the most fearless. These two factors make others respect and they are willing to sacrifice for the lord"
"How strong is a lord?"
"He should be able to fight head on against the king and not lose in a short moment. But rather, standing strong long enough for the king's approval"
"How long is that?"
"A drop of melted candle is average. The longest that I know should be a part of night candle"
"That long?"
"Yes, for me was half of that record"