The Banquet's Final Confrontation! [Part 3]

(Mark Nicholson)

A series of loud crashes caught my attention from behind, but I had things to accomplish here on this terrace. Something was going down with the banquet hall, and I will soon know what, but first, I wanted to make sure that I got into Vanya's head. Since it was obvious that a fight was going down inside of the building, Arch Captain Silvers became more jumpy than she was before.

"I wonder just how much information that we are both lacking. I just got here today, but I am surprised that an individual of your status is in the dark…no I probably have more information than you do."

"What are you saying? If you know something, then say it.", Vanya growls.

"Things are not what they always seem, Arch Captain. When the one in command is suddenly shelved, then it is natural to be skeptical of the reason. Though it appears that you do not share that same skepticism. You must be the soldier that the upper echelon desires the most."

"What right do you have to say any of that? If you were only here for less than a day like you claim, then you know nothing."

It had been commonplace for the woman to threaten me with her blade, but for the last few minutes, she hasn't. After my display, I believe Vanya had become accustomed to the fact that I could heal from the damage that she could inflict onto me. It was a blessing for me and an avid deterrence for her.

That allowed me to spend the past few minutes talking in circles in an attempt to shift her attention away from me and onto the conspiracy of Lady Ana and Claire. At one point, it appeared to be working, but it was moments like this that I was unsure.

It was hard to gauge what kind of thoughts ran through her mind. Her expression was completely unreadable to me now, but I had my own theories. My ears flickered around like dishes when another crash transpired inside of the building.

This one was different from the previous crashes. It sounded as if someone had released water from a dam, but that couldn't be. Vanya's face had become more obvious as a frown appeared on her face following that.

I had suspected that the woman had enhanced hearing or echo hearing as they called it here. From what Claire mentioned earlier when we were in the tunnel, certain elves were born with the trait. I had begun noticing a pattern with those who shared it. Watching those long pointy ears wiggle around as she detected sounds, I deduced that elves that possessed long, pointy ears like hers, such as Claire and Mr. Bonner also had a high chance of having the skill.

It put us at a disadvantage, but there was an advantage that I did have over them. A distinct smell of burning material wrinkled my nose. It appeared that the wind had been carrying it from the open end of the terrace. The breeze had been blowing for a while, but nonetheless, it caught me off guard.

"You smell tha-"

Before I could ask my question, the Arch Captain snapped around instantly. I assume that the scent had been thick enough on the wind that she was capable of detecting it now. Her head would turn to me for a brief moment, and I could see her narrow her eyes.

I watched her actions carefully, but there was so much to see. Without a moment of hesitation, I watched the back of the Arch Captain jump the railing of the terrace and disappear into the darkness. Frankly, that action threw me for a loop to the point I rushed over to look over the railing.

The woman landed directly on her feet, and despite wearing a dress, she looked extremely graceful. I had my doubts that I would even walk away unharmed if I attempted that jump, but the Arch Captain didn't share those reservations. She merely did it, and once landed, she disappeared from my sight. The speed of this woman was ridiculous.

"Tch- Hahaha! So you held back your true speed?," I scoffed.

Considering how fast she had moved then, I am now under the understanding that I could not have matched her tonight. If she wanted to, then she could likely have defeated me. Not easily, but still defeating her would have been more difficult than I imagined. We likely wouldn't have made it to the gate today if Q hadn't caught her off guard.

Speaking of the man. Those crashes from earlier sounded similar to his attacks. Turning to face the entrance of the building, I made my way into it. I didn't want to alert anyone of my presence, so I merely took my time.

Even in the previous world, I had the uncanny ability to silence my steps. Perhaps it was due to the fact that despite my size, people seem to be unaware of my arrival at times.

Either they chose to ignore my presence or I was secretly a ninja, the reason matters little to me.

If many of my previous traits had carried over, then perhaps this skill had done so as well. I suppose that I will have to test it right now. No time is better than the present, after all.

Utilizing the doorknob on the entrance of the terrace, I was able to enter the building properly. The first thing that came to my attention was the distinct lack of people in the room compared to when I previously left. I had been gone for at least half an hour, so the scent of alcohol didn't overwhelm my nose when I entered.

The second thing that came to my attention was the medium-sized group of individuals that formed a crowd around something. The formation reminded me of those times back in high school when a fight had broken out in the hallways.

Although there was a difference from the present and in the past. There was not even a peep from the crowd, and only one individual shouting at the time. With my enhanced hearing, there was little difficulty in distinguishing who the speaker was. That voice had become quite memorable.

"Tch- This is why she believes that she can take charge of my men, brother. I am the one that is in charge here. This is my event, and those were my men. Those were my guests, and this was to celebrate our achievement. And-"

Without any of them noticing, I found myself smirking from ear to ear.

'Oh dear Percival. You presented me with an opportunity of a lifetime.'

As I approached the collective from behind, I placed my hand onto the shoulder of the smaller elven noble. My palm was positioned upwards, and I delivered my words with the utmost of mockery,

"Do you feel in charge?"

My words threw the elf into confusion, and when I commanded my tail to wrap around his waist, he collapsed onto the floor. The face that the man made was worth the attempt. One could have sworn that his heart was going to jump out of his chest at that very moment. With him out of the way, I took the moment to replace him in the formation that they had formed.

My eyes briefly lay on Claire, and the woman could hardly contain her own surprise. Yet, unlike Percival, she remained composed and dignified as one might expect someone of her status to be. There was a time that I imagined that portraying myself as a weak and meek foxkin would be the greater play, but after my conversation with both Q and Vanya, I am of a different opinion. I am no fox demi-human.

That much was obvious, and I knew that, but still, I allowed myself to fall into the guidelines that this world was shaping for me.

To craft a narrative so fantastical that I shape the world around us. That is my goal. The first step on that path would be to cast myself in a role that I know that I am more fitting to play. My tail began to sway out of instinct, showcasing how pleased I was at this moment. All eyes were on me at the moment like I was the star of the show.

Entering my comfort zone, my left arm found its home behind my back, and its partner hand began straightening the unruly hairs in my goatee.

"You! How did you?! Where did you come from?!", Percival exclaimed, scrambling to his feet.

From what I understood about Percival, he was an extremely proud man. So much so that I imagined that Arch Capatin Dawn over there must have stepped on his toes in some manner. His right index finger found its way in my direction as the elf attempted to claw back some of his confidence and authority. I felt the desire to challenge him, and I had no reason not to act on that desire.

"You are quite the heartless asshole, Percival, you know what? A pathetic one at that.", I responded.

My condescending laughter triggered a deepened frown on the face of the elf.

Since I was lacking context of the situation when he returned to feet, I looked around to my fellows for a hint.Catching eyes with Q and with his own, he walked me through the key players of the event that I missed. The bald, tan guy with the weird mustache…the small, dark-haired elf… Arch Captain Dawn. I began to piece together a scenario in my mind with the key figures, and it led to this very moment right here.

During my assessment, I had begun to notice some unfamiliar faces as well. Most were not notable really, but one stood out. This older man. The moment we locked eyes, every follicle hair on my body stood on end. A chill ran down my spin almost out of instinct. I was so blindsided and bewildered by the event that I had to do a double take.

'Who the fuck is that man?! He triggers my Kitsune instincts to the max.'

The warming sensation that occupied the usage of my strength flared up without my command, but I remained in my position. I merely held my ground, but I could sense it from him. Without a shadow of doubt, the old, scarred man is the most dangerous creature that we have met thus far. I'd throw hands with the Lynx twice over before I engage in combat with that man.

"Tch- Finally found your words, Demi-human? You think you can speak to me in that way just because you're Clarice's pet?", Percival growls.

His words caught me off guard at first, but I soon recovered and began stepping towards the shorter man.

"What are you even talking about? Pet? My guy, I am the strongest demi-human here."

That is because I was the only present demi-human, but my point couldn't be refuted. It didn't take long for those in attendance to pick up on that obvious fact.

"The strongest demi-human here? Is that supposed to be an accomplishment? Being the shiniest blade of grass does not make you impressive."

"Can you say the same?"

"What do you mean?", Percival asks.

"Can you say that you are the strongest elf here? Are you stronger than your brother? Do you have strength to best that old man over there? What about…um." I began snapping my fingers dramatically after pointing towards the various people mentioned while I spoke. "What about the Arch Captain Elsa? Can you beat her?"

My questions seemed to have thrown the elven noble on the back foot. He struggled to respond right away and I attacked that weakness right away. I knew he wouldn't be bold enough to declare himself mightier than all of those people in attendance. Not only would he be disrespecting them all, but it was blatantly not true.

"As a member of the noble and honorable fox demi-humans, I am not a pet. In fact, I am the baddest fox demi-human in this world. I stand at the very pinnacle of the food chain. In layman terms, I'm nothing short of a foxkin god."

Those words caused a sudden break in Percival's mood. The man began cracking in laughter, and the laughter was quite infectious. It spread from Percival to the two men that Q noted and finally to the guards there. Some of the lingering spectators felt comfortable to join in, and even the elven woman that sat with Mordred joined in as well. They mocked and ridiculed me from my words under the booms of their laughter.

Though there were some individuals that took my proclamation as deathly serious, and I took note of them. The older, fearsome man merely stared at me. His expression was completely unreadable and the same could be said about Mordred.

Upon entering the banquet, Mordred had attempted to become a bit more personalized with me. He was intent on utilizing my first name instead of the fake last name. Just as the older man, Mordred was watching my every movement and listening to my every word with care. Unlike his younger brother, Mordred seemed to take me as seriously as Arch Captain Vanya.

"A God? How humorous! You are quite the deluded individual if you believe yourself to be divine.", Percival says, wiping his tears away.

What I said wasn't that funny. It didn't require laughter to the point tears came out of his eyes. While he did so, I would move towards the location of my two friends with both of my hands behind my back. There were two of Percival's guards standing next to them, but I simply ignored them.

I placed my back between the two of us, and locked eyes with Bonner, then Q. We each came to the same conclusion. It was time for us to leave now. It was then Percival began laughing again, and the sound of his laughter began to piss me off. It was to the point that I glanced over my shoulder and said,

"You can say whatever you want, but a coward like yourself could never understand me in the slightest."

Those words abruptly stopped Percival's laughter right in its tracks. A notable wrinkle appeared on his normally refined face, and that brought a smile to my own. He really thinks that he could trash talk me?

"A coward? Me? Miss Clarice… Control your pet before you need another one."

"You should watch yourself, Brother. You are acting out once more. You may address her servant in that manner, but she is off limits as well.", Mordred says, scolding his younger brother.

I was wondering when the man would step in. He had been worryingly quiet, but it appeared that he allowed his brother to act with impunity. Though now I know where his priorities were. Percival could step on those beneath him, but those of higher status are relatively off limits. That is when big brother reprimands him.

"It is fine, Master Mordred. My subordinate has likely gotten himself into a barrel of elixir tonight. I wouldn't blame him considering how delicious it was.", Claire said. "Perhaps, we should get him home before he sneaks anymore."

My eyes narrowed when she said that, but I took no offense. Claire was reaching in any way to explain my sudden personality shift to Mordred. She was likely just as surprised as the rest.

"Well gentlemen, I guess we will be leaving then.", I said to my comrades.

"Let's get out of here before I bash those fuckers skull in.", Q responds.

Although I didn't know what exactly happened, I could tell that Q was extremely pissed off underneath the surface. He was hiding it well, but I could notice the heavy breathing associated with his attempts to calm himself down

Bonner had grown indifferent to the whole ordeal. He was an easy person to read. His hands were tucked into his pockets and waiting for the moment when he could leave. So when Claire suggested that we should head home, Bonner was the first of us to make his way towards her.

Though he only made it halfway before the short, elven male with the bob stood in his way. He was accompanied by the taller, bald man as well.

Both forming a wall with their bodies. It was an action that garnered Percival's approval. The once angered man now wore a mischievous smile on his face. His arms were crossed across his chest.

"Sorry, Miss Clarice, but your men will have to come with us for a bit. They caused a lot of damage to our building, so I know think they are a threat to-"

Before Percival could finish, a true holy shit moment had transpired. The sound of the air whipped up and in an instant, Q traveled to Percival's men. His target was clear as day. So when the groan of the bald man filled the airwaves, I wasn't too surprised. Q's clenched fist landed square against the chin of his target and soon he soared far across the room. He had literally sent that man flying over the crowd and he landed on the table that stood atop the stage where Mordred and his elites' had once sat.

There was something that caught me off guard completely. When that man landed it sounded as if he was blasted with an explosion. I didn't think he'd get up from that, but somehow he did. He was struggling to do so though. Watching a sloth climb a tree would be an accurate way to describe his descent from the rubble.

"Ya damn, Bastard! How'd you like that?! Shit ain't sweet when you're the one getting sneaked, huh?", Q proclaims, clenching his other fist.

The act surprised the two instigating elves and Percival went into a panic. He gestured towards his guards and in that moment, their swords went up. Even Esta Dawn had begun pointing her blade towards us as well.

"W-what are you waiting for? Seize them!", Percival orders.

The guards began encircling us to Claire's dismay. It looks like it was necessary to throw hands. It was thanks to Q's loss of self control that prompted them to act in a more aggressive manner, but I didn't blame too much. Perhaps, I shouldn't have agitated Percival that much.

"I guess we're doing this now.", I say to my comrades.

There were at least seven guards, including Esta. I think we could take the regular guards, but Esta would be more difficult. Things will be even worse if that other man decides to get involved. As the circle grew tighter around us like a noose, two words were spoken, and then their actions ceased.

"Stand down."

Those words belonged to Mordred and they were firm. As such, all of the guards that encircled us followed his orders with no hesitation. This act infuriated his younger brother.

"Brother..They-"

"There is a proper way of handling such matters, Percival, you know that.", Mordred retorts.

For the first time since arriving, Mordred began to move across the shattered, and debris covered floor. His slender figure steeped in front of the guards, and he stared into my eyes.

"You three have caused a lot of trouble tonight. You have attacked a hero of Theoscryan. An esteemed warrior of the House of Blois. Your words, and actions have disrespected my younger brother. As his elder brother, I must request that leave, but that is not all."

As Mordred spoke, that scent from earlier had returned. It blasted my nostrils and in that moment, my hairs stood up. It was strange, and it just triggered suddenly. I didn't pick it up earlier when we arrived, which made me question whether or not I had imagined it in the garden, but now there was no doubt. I watched as the man unbuttoned his collar and removed his tie. He had quite the serious look in his eyes.

Once it had been removed, Mordred tossed in my direction. The action was unexpected, so it managed to hit my chest before I caught it. That action caused a shift in the mood of the area. Many of the people were now murmuring, and the Arch Captain was completely surprised.

Even Claire's refined face was painted with shades of shock, and the older man's expression cracked with intrigue. There was no person more pure in emotion than the elation that Percival felt.

Since we were not from this world, the action confused me at first, but I soon deduced the meaning of the gesture.

"The House of Blois challenges the three of you to a duel."