Ep. 53: The Tourney of the Successor (pt 2)

ext. tournament yard night

The twenty knights stand poised in varying battle stances. This is the calm before the storm. The instructor relishes this moment and takes the pause to survey the various competitors. The Page of Swords with his flaring nostrils and glinting katana. The Young Queen of Swords with her broad, massive buster. A MASSIVE MAN with a two-handed zweihander sword.

In the observers section, a shadow falls across the Old Queen of Swords. She turns to find Strength standing behind her, a soft shadow obscuring her face. The Old Queen appears disturbed.

OLD QUEEN OF SWORDS
Strength. I was not aware you would be present at these proceedings.

STRENGTH
(serenely)
Am I not welcome?

The Old Queen is not certain how to respond. The Sun, unblinking, replies.

THE SUN
(softly)
These are neutral grounds. I do not contest her right to be here.

STRENGTH
(to the Queen of Swords)
Do you object?

OLD QUEEN OF SWORDS
What is your interest in this?

STRENGTH
(her gaze resting on the Young Queen of Swords)
Do you really have to ask.

A pause.

STRENGTH
(to The Sun)
But I do wonder at what your interest is, Radiant One.

THE SUN
(his gaze falling on the Massive Man)
There is luminance in violence. It is where the soul shines brightest. The House of Swords understands and embraces this light. And I am but a moth to the flame.

STRENGTH
One might call you the King of Moths.

THE SUN
(a thin smile)
As you say…

The Massive Man shifts his stance, allowing his zweihander to dip down to the ground, the tip dragging in the dirt. His copper eyes narrow, aware of the gaze of the Sun. He closes them. In this moment we note the broad brow and armament choice and recognize this man to be a Young Judgment, currently in service to the House of Swords.

The Instructor takes a deep breath.

INSTRUCTOR
BEGIN!

A shrill whistle in the night. A brief pause, all the fighters apprehensive to begin. The Massive Man strikes first, swinging his zweihander in a wide arc with a deafening ferocity, the length of its blade arcing into two nearby knights, flinging them backwards.

The Young Page of Swords raises his katana and immediately charges the Young Queen of Swords. His charge is that of a freight train, steam trailing from his nostrils, his eyes flashing a fiery red. He takes an inhumanly quick swing with his blade, the tip trailing along the cheek of the Young Queen. It leaves a streak of red in its wake. The Young Queen, at first startled by the vicious advance, brings up her buster in an arc, cocking the blade overhead behind her back, her triceps coiling beneath the weight of the massive hunk of iron.

YOUNG QUEEN OF SWORDS
How many times do I have to tell you to not go easy on me?

She arcs the buster overhead in a helicopter motion and then arcs it downward in an overhead chop. The Young Page of Swords blocks the blow with a horizontal cross. Surprisingly, his thin blade holds.

YOUNG PAGE OF SWORDS
Don’t be so quick to dismiss my strength, demon.

The Young Girl grits her teeth as she strains against the guard. The green aura of air arcana activates briefly around her buster blade, pushing it past the block of the Young Page, who stumbles backwards. She allows gravity to work her buster downwards, and then in a reversal she catapults the blade upwards, scooping the Young Page off the ground tens of feet into the air, his armored body doing somersaults upon leaving the grip of the Young Queen’s iron.

The Young Queen shields her eyes and smiles as she watches the Page land with a thud outside of the ring of battle.

YOUNG QUEEN
(shouting after the Page)
You were a terrible rival!

The Young Queen turns to survey the rest of the field and is met with a startling sight- there is just one combatant left- the massive man, Young Judgment, who finishes dispatching of two knights that attempt to rush him from opposite sides. He spins his zweihander with blinding speed before flinging it hilt first into the skull of one advancing knight. He then turns and catches the spear of the opposite knight with his hand. Young Judgment brings his knee up to break the spear in half before grabbing the hapless knight be the neck. He raises the struggling knight into the air and then slams him into the ground with a deafening chokeslam.

Young Judgment turns to meet the gaze of the Young Queen. He lifts his hands- and the Young Queen motions her blade toward the grounded zweihander. Young Judgment wordlessly crosses over to the zweihander and picks it up off the ground. Their eyes lock- this will be the first of many duels in their twisted destinies…