"There are way more people than I thought would be here Sophia."
[They are here to support you Lark. All these people are excited to see what you can do, so don't be nervous.]
I was surprised by what had been brought together in such a short time. The first floor of the training dungeon had been cleared of other participants to ensure there were no outside interlopers, except the slimes and other level 1 weak monsters roaming the floor.
Max, Artis, and Wral had arrived. They had the latest in Protectorate armor, snakeskin that had been dyed the darker grey hues that signified they had not been invited to a Protectorate Team. Their armor of course was cleaned and polished, with nary a scratch present. It was as mint condition as the day it was issued to them, which showed an upmost care to their equipment.
By stark contrast, although my outfit was also grey, it was just the simple dragonbone plate armor set that went over his old clothes. It was the oldest generation of armor specially made, and had been a gift from the Lord Serin for becoming the Terror of Dragonkind, and although his outfit wasn't uniformly grey it had a grey stripe painted across it, signifying that I was not a member of a protectorate team. It was also dinged, scratched, and pocked. It had seen wear and tear. I was a little embarrassed by the state of my armor. I was given my ax as well, and I noticed it was dulled. I wondered how my equipment was in such a shape, and if I would be able to fight such a professionally dressed and armed team.
[Your weapons and armor have seen battle Lark. Theirs has not.] Sophia's words were wise, as usual. [Plus, there are some scouts for teams here, so you might get a chance to receive an invite.]
The Protectorate as an organization was divided into two groups. There was the general protectorate, which contained the majority of the volunteer army. This was your citizen soldiers that volunteered as members of the protectorate and kept their arms and training up at all times. They fell into an organized rank structure and were given assignments ranging from City Patrol and Embassy Guards to manning the walls and guarding Haven's specialized facilities. These generalist soldiers were not to be taken lightly, as the average Haven Grey Soldier was powerful enough to take on at least a squad of evenly leveled soldiers from any other Nation. Haven's soldiers mostly did it part time as well, so they also had businesses, jobs, and families outside of their work.
The other group were the specialized members of the Haven Protectorate. These were teams ranging in size of 10 to 30, and they all had a specialization. They were also sort of famous around Haven, as their members were idols of their people.
There was the Recon Medical Team, used for setup medical facilities in the bush as well as defend the infirm. They were the 'Witchdoctors'.
There was the high altitude freefall team which came in on fast attack ships and fell out of the sky, using the spell [slowfall] at the last minute to avoid certain death. They could strike anywhere that Haven ships could reach, and often jumped from above the clouds. These were the 'Archangels'.
There was a small team of urban rangers who specialized in stealth and long range marksmanship with specialized rifles, the 'Longshots'.
The oldest team of the protectorate was known for shock, awe, melee weapons, and collateral damage. They left destruction in their wake, so they were rarely used in peacekeeping operations, as they needed a wide berth to fight. This was the 'Rowdy Bunch'.
The Red Talons were specialized in Protection work, usually assigned to escort VIPs through enemy territory.
The infiltration team, the 'tricksters', were experts at getting in, getting what they need, and getting out before anyone was the wiser.
I remembered the stories. These stories came back to me as I looked at the crowd. There were several representatives present whom I recognized from my nighttime study sessions including Princess Sutemos, Allister the Necromancer, 'Old Wolf' Jericho, Lord Serin, his beholden the Changeling Olma, and Shurik the Mechanist Gole. There was also the Lancer Gole from our Lab. Other people I did not recognize I did overhear being addressed. There was a "King" Jeffrey who stood with Lord Serin, as well as a person wearing a red cloak and a mask depicting a white ferret.
Additionally there three members of the Protectorate in their full battle rattle. There was a member of the Witchdoctors, the red medic symbol emblazoned on their chest. There was a member of the Archangels, their armor was of the finest white and gold. And there as the Rowdy Bunch member, whose armor was dinged and dented. All of them had come on invite, as just like the summer deathmatches, this would be a battle to the death.
Then I saw Gina. She was her usual cheery self, and was waving a big sign that read, 'Go Go Lark and Sophia!'. This made me smile. These people had come to witness this battle.
When the assembled group had taken seats in the vaulted platform that had been hastily erected, Princess Sutemos had come down. She was wearing an outfit that was identical to her old regal robes that she had worn on formal occasions. I recognized them from my memories of the art the propaganda posters from my old home.
As she walked up she had a serious look on her face. "Such has been done for days past memory, we stand here to settle a feud between two Parties. By Right and By Witness, Staff Sergeant Max, Sergeant Artis, and Sergeant Wral have been challenged by Captains Lark and Sophia his Kriger Ledsager, to a fight to the death. Should Max and his team win, they will be forgiven of the thrice witnessed wrongdoings of Fornaerme, Insult from one warrior against another. Should Lark and Sophia Win, they have earned the right to demand Erstatning, or Reparations in Kind. Upon death here in this space, you will be forcibly ejected from the Training dungeon, so there are no limits to how much you fight. Do all warriors present agree to the terms?"
"I do." Max, Artis, and Wral said.
"We do" I said.
Princess Sutemos nodded. "The warriors will take ten paces away from eachother and bow. You may not touch your weapons until you hear the gunshot. Then you may begin the match. I wish all competitors the best of luck."
With that Princess Sutemos retreated to the grandstand and took her seat next to Lord Serin.
***
"Sophia, I am very nervous. There are three of them and there are two of us. They have trained together extensively, while I am just now understanding squad based tactics. What is the plan to fight them?" Lark asked me.
I noticed the reaction to his statement. Several of the people from the grandstands had perked up and looked intrigued. No doubt that a simple battle of Honor would attract so many people, especially dignitaries from the Kingdom of Thul and the Citystate Ston. They were here because Lark was a miracle, the solution to a problem that not the strongest magics could solve, the scarred damage of the mind.
[Darling Lark, I will be the swift breeze, moving and evading and striking from the shadows. You will be the strong earth, an unstoppable wave of force to fight from the front. Together we will win.]
Lark felt nervous as he bowed to his opponents. "Sophia I am not strong enough yet. My [repose] skill isn't high enough for you to move more than one or two meters. If you step away, I won't be able to control my anger."
I giggled. He was worried about the destructive force he would unleash, the havok he would wreak.
[Darling Lark, I don't want you to control your anger.]
The gunshot went off and a fireball was sent as a visible indicator. I immediately darted as fast and as far away from Lark as I could. I know his unbridled rage was the key.
As I retreated being tailed by one of the opponents, I heard as Lark roared. It was guttural. It was primal.
It was Rage.
***