LUKE KUHN
I looked myself over in the mirror once more my face still looking grim because of my father's folly.
'I look like I've been forced to swallow goblin shit.' I thought.
Unlike my face however my clothing looked decent, stiff dark grey trousers and a white martial tunic emblazoned with the grey dire wolf of my house.
I have won seven duels in a row thus far. Well against squires and farm boys but who could blame me? I am not the one choosing every opponent I face.
'Well accept for this one!'
I thought today would be the day I proved myself as a knight worthy of respect but my peers still whisper behind my back calling me the salat of my house. And its all because my reputation is so paltry that no knight has challenged me yet.
'You should've not compared yourself to the likes of the Lionhearts and the Thyestes.' I thought remembering how Atreus had defeated ten young nobles of worth in a row before he renounced his right of challenge his cousin Alexander proved himself to be quite capable as well but none performed better than the Lionheart twins.
"Fuck it." I said moving out of my family's rented changing room.
'I refuse to be an after thought I'll challenge anyone including Cyrus fucking Lionheart just to prove that the name Luke Kuhn should not be forgotten.'
My shoulders carve a path down to the low challengers floors not the middle floor were my fellow nobles are gossiping with their friends and sycophants no I go toward the bottom because that's were I belong.
I stand amongst bastards, commoners and teenage sell swords who want make a name for themselves by beating snot-nosed nobles. The bottom challengers floor smells of sweat and piss not like the high box for retainers and the middle box for young nobles.
I sigh as I push through the crowd to make my entrance I don't have to worry about being challenged by any of these lot they saw what I could do but they are quite...
"Watch were you're going you silver-haired cunt." A tall brown-haired girl says to when I accidently shouldered her while on my way to the entrance to arena.
'What a bitch!'
As I hear the loud cheers of the people who are clearly to happy to see young nobles bleed I inwardly groaned and then I winced as I used my hand to shield myself from the afternoon sun.
'How do these Easterners handle this amount of heat? not to mention the gory raze.'
"Making his way toward the arena with seven victories and zero losses ladies and gentleman Luke Kuhn." The announcer said in a booming but uninterested voice. The crowd applauses with little interest some of them are distracted by different topics such as the final bout for this joke of a tournament which is rumored to be a battle between Ha Eunbin and either Alexander or Atreus Thyestes.
I stand silent in the middle of the arena surrounded by hundreds of thousands or maybe millions who could not care about my skills as a knight.
But then they all begin to stand and cheer as a girl dressed in pink martial robes saunters forward a smile on her pretty face the announcer as if mimicking a Herald announces her as...
"Ladies and gentle men I would like to introduce the great daughter of the Yeonies empire scion of the great house Ha, daughter of the great and honorable Lord Ha Eunhyun niece of the white sword devil himself and the star of the courts of Mithra." The blasted took a breath before bellowing.
"Ha!! the savage tiger Eunbin!!"
The crowd roars in complete excitement as if they are ready to see me being put in the ground. As if my defeat will excite them. I feel cold despite the smothering sun I can feel my father's disapproving gaze its as if he is saying 'see you're not like your brothers just shut up and play your role as the house's producer!! of heir's.'
I greeted my teeth and took out my blade it gleamed a pale silver like all castle forged blades do.
I have never been the first option ever neither have I ever been the second or third option I am the always the last option whether it be in my father's eyes in the eyes of all these "good" people of Pangea hell even this girl said that she agreed to wed me just to get excess to my family's swordsmanship the fourth son the last born with no way advance beyond knighthood landless without his father or brothers but...
'It all ends today all will remember the name Luke Kuhn!!'
I take my stance as the announcer is about to start the bout.
Our house's swordsmanship like our sigil is based on the Agean dire wolf thus every stance is named after either the fang or claws.
I prefer fang stance.
My blade is pointed forward with both of my hands on the hilt my right foot is forward while my left is back. to me it does not matter which foot is backward or forward due to me being ambidextrous.
Eunbin on the other hand takes a more traditional stance which seems to favor her left leg her blade is forward toward me unlike mine which is lifted so that the hilt is near my face in an high-guard position.
She shifts to one foot to the other then she charges me with reckless abandon.
I am taken aback for a spell but I steady myself and in order to get a tune for the mana around me.
Then I saw it a pink flash of light just behind me I spun deflecting a blow that was meant for my head in the midst of my opponents confusion I struck but she moved inhumanly quick with pink light buzzing across her body.
"You're quick." She says with a wry smile.
I say nothing as I changed stances putting my left foot forward this time instead of pooting both my hands on the hilt of my sword I put my left hand to my back in Persainian style and swish my blade upward and downward my face cold.
Eunbin smirked and charged once more this time she faints low and swapped high intending to strike me at the shoulder I twisted burly stumbling out of the way as she attacked relentlessly sending set after set to wear me down.
'This wench! she's trying to break my stance.....' I though with dawning realization.
I rolled off one of her violent strikes sweating profusely I try to resettle myself but its no use.
My stance finally breaks.
As she backhands my blade and advances on me, her blade raised ready to be pointed toward my neck her lips moved as is if to say the words 'surrender you fought well'.
I breathed in and out as then the world turned grey everyone and everything seemed to move slower accept for the monsters at the high box of course.
I raised my right hand which was swirling with azure winds I raised my left which swirled with pale grey lightning the two elements popped and crackled across my body giving me unparalleled speed and precision well at least amongst seven star mages.
Then I moved so fast and precise that the poor Yeonies girl looked like she was struck by thunder my fist buried itself on her stomach causing her to stumble back nearly dropping her blade in the process. I kept the pressure up however as I rushed forward without any fear I throw repped fire punches. The lightning enhancing my eyes via the now magically enhanced electric signals of my brain telling me of all of Eunbin's movements before she even makes them.
As she struggles to keep pace I hear the crowd of sycophants murmur about different things such as 'how this is impossible?' or 'how this should not be happening!'.
'Were is your zealotry now "good" people of Pangea.' I though laughing as I trip my opponent move pass her to retrieve my blade.
'She's been fighting defensively thus far so I have nothing to worry about. Oh Raon you fool I will avenge you even though I don't want to and ah.. father I hope you are chiking on your own spit by now hopefully it kills you if the lord is just.'
"I'm not done yet!!" Eunbin said from behind me.
I turned and my blade in my hands.
"Oh, but you are." I said my voice even.
She smirked dangerously.
'Oh, but she is pretty.'
"I have more tricks up my sleeve." She said dusting of her robe and taking her usual stance once more.
'With my blade in hand I could with this fight in an instance.' I thought amused at her confidents.
I took on fang stance ready to end the duel. Then violet lightning fire started appearing across Eunbin body the purple flames danced across her blade and well every were....
A shiver ran up my spine. I had seen different colored flames of course due to the sheer diversity of magic in the worlds however purple flames were rare and were said to be wielded by some southern demi-god then again I did read that fact from a book.
'What she? Some sort of scion of some ancient demi-god?'
No!! stop it all the great families claim some sort of relation to a lesser deity from the age of divinity. However I no we of house Kuhn are different we the descendance of Eddard the great we know our roots it maters not if this girl is a demi-god or is the descendent of one.
Eunbin breathed in and out violet fire coalescing on her blade she shifted slightly I blinked then she was right in front of me blade raised high ready to strike. I moved out of the way burly then I saw that the sleeves of my tunics had been burned from the elbow and I glanced to see something red trickling from that area and to my horror violet ambers were dancing across my forearm and wrist.
I used my wind magic to remove the flames only to realize that instead of dousing the ambers my magic only served to fan them!
"What the fuck is this." I growled softly.
The girl in pink raised her eyebrows as if she were innocent.
"I used cold winds to douse your ambers." I said showing her my now flaming forearm which surprisingly didn't hurt or burn whatsoever. "So, why didn't my spell gory work?" My voice had lost its cool for some reason when I spoke.
'I did not miscalculate. Sir Edward had taught me how to make my wind magic cool or warm ever since I was a squire green as grass.'
Eunbin however that annoying girl simply smirked and rushed at me her sword blazing wing purple flames with tempest wolf still active I rushed to meet only to use a gale of wind to lip above and fall?
'What?'
Impossible my timing was perfect she could have not have struck me at the last moment I rolled and glanced about only to find that the girl's back was toward me.
I shot a torrent of wind and lightning toward her which moved awfully slow.
Eunbin turned towards me and almost dodged the entirety of my attack as she fell on one knee clutching her side I could not help but watch my attack dissolve into nothingness in the distance and I swear I could see violet flames dancing across my spell.
"You purple fire." I say standing up.
"Does not burn like normal flames but instead it devours your opponents mana that's why....." I say raising my hand which was alive with flames enough to warm a group of five.
"This gory flame grew when I used my wind magic on it and it will continue to grow as I continue to fight am right?"
She laughed her voice sounding raspy.
"Tatiana was right you're really smart Luke that girl she was always right wasn't she?"
My eyes narrowed.
"You guessed everything right accept for one thing."
She said raising a finger.
"Which is?"
"The fact that you haven't considered how my flames effect me."
She said placing a hand on her chest.
"Why would that matter?" I asked.
'We're fighting.' I added in inwardly.
She sighed and looked at me as if I were a fool.
"Tatiana was right about the fact that you lacked....maturity as well it seems."
I sighed annoyed at being treated like simpleton.
"Enough of this I have your measures this will be over soon." I say my voice back to its familiar tone.
"On that we agree on sweat salat boy." She said smirking.
I do not take the bate as I glance at my blade with regret and then we charged each other both of us sharing the same world were all the colors we knew were violet, pinks, blues and greys the only sound we know is that of metal upon metal I do not even here the crowds their moths flap with spittle coming out their mouths.
We are both sweating and bleeding from different parts of our bodies as we prepared our final attacks.
Eunbin murmurs something in a tongue I don't know some sort of prayer most likely.
As she combined both her blossoming light which is her family's troditional magic and the strange mana devouring flame into one single spell the combination is clumsy but its still quite powerful with the rate her sword is cracking.
I take my own stance with and lightning mixing well together upon my blade.
Eunbin charged blossoming light buzzing from her entire body with her pink robes and her blade blazing with violet fire she looks like a beautiful hero from one of the myths of old. However that does not matter as I raise my blade to meet hers only for it to shatter into pieces.
'Just as I planned.'
My lightning and wind magic hold the pieces of the blade together to create a jagged monstrosity of metal that looked to be like a snake than a blade my shattered snake blade wrapped itself around Eunbin's thin waist in an instant and only using little bit of strength I launch her behind me toward the shield wall of mana protecting the onlookers.
As I hear the sound of her crushing against the shield wall.
I possessed by the thrill of battle I cocked my head back and howled as I finally register the crowds gasps then violent cheers assaulted my ears as the announcer practically screamed.
"Luke tempest wolf Kuhn!! Put the tigress down he put her down!!"