- But look at the respected lord Arhon. There are rumors that in Nisfar mans have become so close to the barbarians that they are already becoming like them. And lord Arhon serves as the best confirmation of this. He doesn't even know that a decent nobleman should shave. Or maybe he's so stingy that he can't spend a couple of coins on a razor. Also, he never changed his clothes after arriving. I hope he at least erases it.
The young and inexperienced noble Arhon Fitz clenched his fists painfully. The verbal insult of his opponent hit the most painful place, his wallet. More precisely, not by the wallet itself, but by shame for his own poverty, in general and especially at this moment. He was embarrassed by the fact that for the second week he could not clean himself in up, although he hoped for understanding from others, since this situation was strictly forced. And the reproach about relations with barbarians turned out to be quite accurate. Traveling through Karshan, the nobleman really realized the problems of his country. Comparing the customs here – in the very center of human civilization and in his homeland, which was the northern outpost of humanity, directly in contact with inhumans, he began to understand how much this contact affected the culture of Nisfar. Moreover, the problem is not only in borrowing many barbaric customs. Everyone knows that war requires a constant influx of material resources and trained people. And Nisfar did nothing but fight. The country has enjoyed peace for perhaps a hundred years. Because of this, the aristocrats lost their privileges for centuries, since they could not provide the required results alone, and merchants, townspeople and peasants increased their influence. So now he felt that there was more difference between him and the local barons than between him and his own peasants. The distinction is cultural, legal and economic. Speaking of finances, the contrast in wealth was observed not only between him and the local aristocrats, but between him and everyone, since he was poor enough even for his homeland.
The affairs of his barony were upset because of generations of incompetent managers and peasants who did not want to work properly on his estate. Actually, he came to Karshan on the orders of his father to conclude new trade agreements, which is why he has been in an extremely nervous mood lately. His sleep and appetite even worsened. In general, aristocrats should not trade, but only those nobles who are not on the verge of ruin can afford to behave like this. Ordinary petty-bourgeois pursuits like trading have long ceased to be exotic for him. So the Arhon was nervous solely because of the illegal goods and the identities of his father's partners. The situation was unpleasant, but there was no other way to earn money.
He happened to be in Count Okret's castle by accident. On the way back from his business partners, from whom he had not achieved anything concrete, the Arhon was ambushed by bandits. Being an excellent warrior, and most importantly in an excellent armor, he easily dispersed a gang. In such battles, he put armor in the first place, not the military skills of their wearer. With equal equipment and without a horse, no one, even the most skilled warrior, will defeat five peasants with a pitchfork. He would simply be surrounded and stabbed. Of course, before he dies, he will have time to kill one, two, but no more. But in Gothic armor, even not the best fighter easily dealt with the same peasants. There were also nuances here, it was not for nothing that peasant uprisings could last for a long time and be very bloody. But, obviously, these particular bandits did not know about any nuances. They just knocked down trees in front and behind on the road, fired a couple of arrows and piled all together. It even seemed to Arhon that the robbers were no less surprised by their attack than he was. This was evidenced by the fact that the trees fell with a long delay, and his opponents also acted too unorganized. And, finally, why attack a lone man in armor at all, when much less armed and dangerous victims are constantly traveling along the highway? So, most likely, someone just got nervous and launched an attack on an unsuitable target, and the rest were forced to follow their fellas. By the way, about driving on the roads alone – this is another of the problems that suddenly arose in front of a young man. However, not so long ago he traveled not alone, but in the society of his squire. With that, not only a squire, but also a companion. To the status of a friend Jacques – his squire was far enough away. But unfortunately, Jacques had to stay with those partners in a dangerous business, as a hostage. And it's not so good that a nobleman with a thousand-year family history, even if not rich, was led by commoners from the criminal world, leaving his man hostage to them, so it also became much less comfortable to travel. And donning armor alone is hell in general. On the other hand, it was lucky that he guessed to put it on in advance, a premonition suggested that something unexpected might happen. Although, considering how often his intuition was wrong, it was more of a paranoia that had arisen in him lately. Speaking of the battle, the baron's son managed to kill four former peasants before the rest fled in different directions. Only now his horse got a few arrows and he had to finish off the animal so that it would not suffer. A huge loss for him, both in terms of money, and in terms of speed and ease of movement, because there were still many hundreds of kilometers to his native land.
And so, Count Okret de Montfort, who was traveling around his possessions, accidentally stumbled upon a man wandering along the tract and invited him to his castle. He was given a wind-up horse and sent to accompany several warriors, so that they would show him the way and help him get safely, since almost dozens of gangs of robbers have been fishing in the county recently, and it was not reasonable to move alone. The count himself did not go to his castle with the Arhon. He had to finish the detour of his possessions first. The count was planning to arrange a grand hunt, and therefore a feast, in a few weeks, and some nobles had already begun to come to his domain. A young nobleman from the northern Republic unwittingly turned out to be among them. At another time, he would have gladly agreed to take part in such an event, but now he felt somewhat embarrassed because of the unjustified delay. De Montfort planned to arrive when all the guests had gathered and the hunt was fully prepared.
The vastness of the count's possessions, the number of his troops and the quality of their weapons, as well as the luxury and security of the castle could not fail to impress. In Nisfar, most dukes are poorer than this count. There were about a hundred soldiers riding along the road with Okret, if the Arhon was not mistaken when counting. Each was supposed to have one clockwork horse, that is, about two hundred animals, plus a wagon train. All the soldiers, at the same time, wore good armor, albeit inferior to what the aristocrats wore, but still far superior to ordinary chain mail. Each soldier was given a sword, a spear and a shield. Some of them also carried bows and quivers on their horses, but judging by their number, shooting was not a common practice, and a dozen archers would not be of much use in war. In archery, quantity is more important than quality. Perhaps the bows were not intended for battles, but for hunting, because it is necessary to feed a large detachment with something. As far as the Nisfarian understood, a whole hundred soldiers would be needed for further operations to destroy the robbers. After conducting reconnaissance and detecting the camps, the soldiers will divide into small groups of ten to twenty people and arrange a simultaneous round-up. After all, if you break up these gangs one by one, then rumors will quickly spread and robbers can lie low. But the Count's military forces were not exhausted by this detachment. The garrison of his castle was no less numerous and another hundred people served in different parts of his fief. Thus, three hundred professional soldiers, perfectly equipped according to a single model, with two horses each. Already a considerable force. In addition, the baron's vassals will collect the same amount in total. But these are only professionals, and it was also possible to assemble a militia. And that's just the count. Moreover, as the Arhon learned from the soldiers who rode with him, de Montfort was an ordinary middle-class man among the counts, albeit decently rich thanks to successful conquests. But there were hundreds of counts in the empire. Huge military power, if you think about it.
The castle was no less impressive. He was standing on a medium-sized man-made island. On the one side, the island was washed by a river, and on the other, a moat was dug, which was filled with water, since it was connected to the river. It is difficult to imagine how much resources were spent on maintaining this in working order, since the island was constantly eroded by water and had to be filled with new earth and sand. On the contrary, the moat was getting smaller every now and then, so that once in a dozen years it was re-deepened. In peacetime, a suspension bridge was thrown over the moat, immediately behind which there was a barbican – a special structure for protecting the gate. Then the fortress wall is eight meters high and about four meters wide, with six towers on it. The fortress wall was built just around the perimeter of the island, so that the storming troops would not have enough space to deploy. Inside there were separate outbuildings, such as a stable, barn and kennels. But the huge castle stood out among them, like a giant among midgets. It wasn't the largest structure Arhon had ever seen. In Nisfar, the Palace of the Republic had a much larger area, as did churches in large and wealthy cities. But from the point of view, first of all, of military structures, he did not see anything like this. It was said that there were many similar fortresses guarding the border in the north of his homeland, but he had never been there. Actually, the nobleman has been living in this castle for the last two weeks. He was placed on the fifth floor of a six-story tower in a small but comfortable room. There were four such towers in total, and the main structure connecting them had two floors less.
Initially, he did not plan to stay late, but everything did not go according to plan. Although others would call it a pattern. The Arhon was still a layman in solving everyday issues, which is why he stayed for an extra two weeks with a hospitable host. He still couldn't decide whether to borrow a horse from the county, or return to his business partners, or maybe send a letter to his father. He had no money for a new horse. At least for a decent one. And he didn't want to ride on some peasant nag. Not only because of some squeamishness, but also because of security reasons. A horse is almost the main thing for a rider. With a bad horse, he would have lost a lot in combat capability, and given the dangers of the local roads, he could lose not only his combat capability, but also his life. There was one more suitable option, which he was going to use – to join a passing trade caravan, but the nearest one suitable for him, according to the assurances of the majordomo, would pass through these places in another two weeks. And everything would be fine, but how the nobleman was annoyed by one of the count's guests – the knight Guido Gipp. Previously, his insults were of a secretive nature and were often spoken behind his back, so that the Arhon did not dare to take decisive action on this issue. But now the knight expressed his insulting grin right in his face, so that the cup of patience of the northerner was overflowing.
- Apologize, Sir Guido, for your words. Otherwise, I will challenge you to a duel.
Guido immediately disliked the foreigner. Perhaps xenophobia was involved here, perhaps envy, since the Arhon had some success at the count's court, perhaps something else. It didn't matter, since Nisfarian was not going to tolerate attacks anymore. He was already thinking of insulting the offender himself, in order to then receive a challenge to a duel. But, fortunately, the knight beat him to it. So he will just take advantage of a well-provided opportunity.
- I do not intend to make any apologies to the Northerner. Let there be a duel. When should I wait for your cornerman?
Guido has been a knight for a long time. He was about forty years old, so he took part in many military companies of his overlord. He was experienced and hardy so much, as it is possible to remain hardy at forty. Over the years, he has acquired a very nasty character. If this was his only purchase, then his corpse would have been gnawed by scavengers long ago. However, along with his evil nature, he has acquired enough wisdom not to cross the path of more dangerous people than himself. In addition to wisdom, he was protected by high-ranking friends and his own fighting skills. The knight was a really strong fighter. Nevertheless, he was not sure of his victory over the Northerner. He's too young. In the opinion of an experienced warrior, the age difference would not have prevented him if they had fought in armor. Skills, strength, endurance and knowledge of dozens of tricks and feints learned on the battlefields are more important there. But in a battle without armor, reaction speed became much more important. So the victory is not impossible, but it definitely will not get easy. Even so, he was not at all afraid of a duel, since it had been his main entertainment for a dozen years. Guido has fought more than three hundred duels and lost about fifty. Such a number was accumulated due to the fact that he liked to insult young and not very nobles, and then, when the offended aristocrats challenged him to a duel, he agreed without talking. But, since the insult was not great, only of the first degree, after all, he did not offend relatives and did not affect the honor of the nobles, then the duel could only be up to the first blood. If Guido lost, he lost nothing, except that he was obliged to apologize, and if he won, he took great pleasure in humiliating his opponent.
- I'll find a cornerman right after lunch, and then I'll send you a call if you haven't changed your mind by then.
Only after these words Arhon pay attention to the other people sitting at numerous tables. They were currently having lunch in the main hall of the castle. A lot of the count's guests gathered here, waiting for his arrival from day to day. The nobleman caught a lot of glances from women and men who were nearby. The girls looked at him with interest and shyly averted their eyes when their gazes crossed. The Arhon thought that he attracted them with his appearance and general strangeness. But the older ladies did not pay so much attention to the nobleman, probably seeing his poor financial situation. The views of the young nobles seemed to express their support for him, since few of those present liked Guido. The northerner, who was not used to such attention in his homeland, tried to straighten up and seem more solid, but quickly faded away due to the absurdity of the situation. After all, he was sitting at the same table with someone whom he had just promised to challenge to a duel and it would be strange to continue the conversation on meaningless topics. So it remained to sit in awkward silence. Having finished, the nobleman went to look for his cornerman. In two weeks he met many worthy aristocrats. Perhaps the closest he got together with the son of a baron, whose possessions were adjacent to the count's territory. True, the size of the baronies and the wealth of their families differed so much that the father of his new friend Theodore Henley could have bought all the Fitz family property several times and remained a rich man. That did not prevent the two of them from communicating as equals. Undoubtedly, Theo was the worthiest candidate. Mainly because he was almost the only one. Fortunately, he gave the impression of a noble man, not only by birth, but also by spirit, which means he was worth trusting. After questioning the servants, the young man went to the garden, where, according to them, he could find Theodore. A friend was found near one of the few fountains. His future cornerman had thick shoulder-length brown hair, a slightly rustic face, with sparse gray eyes. He looked much more massive than the Arhon and physically easily surpassed him, and he was dressed in something more decent. Although right now he looked like he was not at ease. The reason for this was not known to the northerner, but he did not want to bother with questions about this.
- Hi, Theodore. – The Arhon extended his hand to his friend, which he met with an unexpectedly sluggish handshake. - I have something very important to do with you. By the way, why weren't you at lunch today? I didn't think it was in your nature to skip such plentiful and delicious meals.
- Just do not want to eat. – he answered melancholically.
- But if you were there, then you would already know that I will have a duel scheduled soon. With this impudent knight who so pestered me with his quibbles and spread false gossip. I'd like to ask you to be my cornerman.
- Why not. Tell me exactly what happened, what kind of duel you want and where I can find it.
- He insulted my appearance in the dining room in front of other people. Duel to the death, without armor on rapiers tomorrow afternoon, maybe right in this park. – The Nisfarian was thinking all the time on the way to Theodore, what exactly he should demand. He was confident enough in his own abilities, but he was not used to underestimating the enemy. On the other hand, Guido, after all, drove him so far that Fitz wished him nothing but death.
- Hmm, apparently, the dueling codes of our countries are different. In our country, this insult is not considered heavy and, therefore, a duel is possible only until the first blood.
- What about weapons and other rules?
- Just like everywhere else. You will fight with the similar rapiers, since you have chosen them. Well, or on any other identical weapon. You can choose to fight mobile or stationary, in armor or without, on horseback or on the ground. Otherwise, nothing important.
- In armor, but for the first blood will probably be strange to fight, so let's still without it. Well, I don't have my own horse. And what is a stationary duel?
- Stand opposite each other at a distance of about one and a half meters. At the signal, you start fighting. If someone moves from his place, he will be considered a loser.
- Your country has a dueling legislation richer than ours. Let's not take any chances, demand a regular mobile duel tomorrow at noon, right here. Guido is somewhere near the dining room. See you.
- See you tomorrow.
"Aren't you going to dinner, too?"
- Business, see you tomorrow. - Theodore repeated.
- Yeah, bye.
After saying goodbye, the Arhon went to the rooms allocated to him and lie down. Sleeping in the middle of the day has become a common occurrence for him lately. The fact is that the baron's son's health was not right. It seemed as if a red-hot hoop was put on his head, which at the same time shrank, squeezing his skull. This has been going on for several weeks. Even touching his head with his hands, the man felt them heat up so much that they had to be pulled away. It could not be said that this was an ordinary headache, because it hurt as if not inside the head, but precisely in the place where there was an invisible hoop. The sensations themselves were rather not painful, but irritating. The patient planned to find a healer upon arrival in his native country. With thoughts of his difficult fate, he went to bed and fell into oblivion.
The awakening was not easy. It was evening outside the window. Something nasty felt on his feet. The Arhon sat up on the bed with his feet on the ground. Sticky fear and disgust gripped his heart. All his legs were covered with vile slugs. There were so many of them that the skin was not visible at all. He almost threw up right there. Barely overcoming his feelings, he began to clean them off his limbs with his hands. Horror. Sickening horror. He barely had the willpower to finish. Getting up and leaving the room, he found his father standing in the middle of one of their villages. The fact that he somehow moved from the count's castle to his homeland was not reflected in his thoughts in any way.
- Hello, Dad. – This was also unusual for him. He usually treated his father in a more formal way.
- Hello son. Today you will learn my greatest secret. And yours, too. I'm a demon. – the man suddenly turned into a demon. Burning, with leathery wings, a large sword and twice the height of a human, dressed in strange-looking, but vaguely familiar clothes on a demon. The demon was suspiciously similar to the statue of one of the dark gods that impressed the Arhon, which he saw in one of the temples of Karshan. His clothes were exactly the same as the knight Guido's outfit today, but the arhon could not realize this.
- Have you been a demon all this time?
- Well, yes, and what did you want? Well, nothing, demonic existence is not so bad compared to how it is described. And soon you will see for yourself. After all, you're also half a demon. It's just that you couldn't show your true nature until you were twenty. But soon everything will change. – The demon stretched out his hand to his son and a cup with an oily iridescent liquid of unknown origin magically formed in it. – Drink it, it will start your transformation.
- And I can't refuse?
- You can't, drink! – Although the Arhon did not want to do this, but his lips against his will clung to the edge of the cup, his hands lifted it, tilting it, and his head tilted back. Something thick, nasty, at the same time cold and burning flowed down his throat. In the next moment, it was as if a hammer hit his stomach, and he felt that he was falling somewhere.
At the same moment, he realized himself lying on the bed in the castle. It was all a dream. Strange dreams began to occur to him simultaneously with the sensations of a hoop on his head. Maybe they were even ordinary dreams, but only for someone else. He himself had never dreamed of such a thing. The Arhon did not know whether a person was capable of seeing dreams other than his own. The sun was rising outside the window. So he must have slept at least sixteen hours. The room was stuffy. Because of his pensive state, he did not even immediately remember that he had a duel scheduled. Hastily dressed, the man ran into the yard. He saw his second Theodore at the entrance to the park and greeted him. Together they headed to the place of the future duel.
And then, the Arhon suddenly heard a voice in his head. It didn't belong to a man or a woman. He was whispering and quiet. It was also unknown from where, it is clear that only he could hear this voice. It wasn't a physical sound. "Kill Guido Gipp. He insulted you and should not live. Kill him, it's necessary." The voice repeated its idea several more times while the two friends approached the Arhon's future opponent and his cornerman. At this time, the future duelist was thinking feverishly. The voices in his head were something new. But, at the same time, something completely natural. All this was extremely suspicious and reminded of a recent dream. Or maybe a dream is just a dream? Meanwhile, he greeted the men waiting for their arrival. Guido's cornerman looked completely unremarkable and, strangely, was completely unfamiliar to Fitz. He held in his hands an open case with two identical rapiers. Now the young nobleman thought that he would prefer to fight with a dagger or a small shield in his second hand. Unfortunately, he didn't bother with this question yesterday. Every second he felt more and more excited. It was a good thing there were no spectators. Or at least he didn't see them.
- Here are your rapiers. If no one wants to apologize and cancel the duel, then you have a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the weapon.
They were given two identical blades. The Arhon swung a couple of times and got ready for a fight. It's still good that they fought until the first blood. Now he has become less confident in his abilities. The voice kept repeating about killing the opponent. It became more and more difficult to bear it. "He's a bastard, a creature, a bastard, a murderer, kill him – it will be fair." My God, how it all got the Baron's son. Headaches, dreams, voices.
- Start!
The opponents stood in racks and took a few steps towards each other, fearing to get closer further. The knight took a step to the side to check the opponent's footwork. The Northerner mirrored his movement. Three meters separated them from each other. The Arhon took a half step and struck the opponent's blade without a swing. He did not react, he knew that this blow was not dangerous. The Arhon broke the distance. Now he himself took a few steps sideways. Guido repeated the motion. Suddenly, the knight took a long step along with a lunge towards the Nisfarian's legs. He easily dodged. Fitz felt more confident. The enemy's blade wasn't fast and therefore wasn't dangerous. But he had not yet decided to attack. Reason suggested that an experienced opponent could not be so simple. At the same time, the voice kept repeating and repeating about Guido's murder. And with each passing second, the Arhon agreed with him more and more. He really insulted the baron's son and, after all, at first he was going to ask for a duel to the death anyway. Only the dueling laws of Karshan did not allow him to do this.
The knight feinted at the northerner's chest, but the Arhon again deflected Guido's blade. Only a minute has passed since the start of the fight. To win, Fitz decided to take advantage of his reaction. He took a cautious step towards his opponent. His blade with a long lunge could have already hit Guido's body, but he did not dare to attack yet. Fitz took another cautious step, only increasing the tension. When he was preparing to take another step, Guido could not stand it and made a short lunge towards the hip. But the waiting nobleman managed to deflect the blade at the last moment, take a step to be on the side of the enemy, leaving the line of attack and made a lunge. The baron's son, suddenly for everyone else, with all his strength, pierced the throat of his enemy with a rapier, so that the hilt was almost at the skin, and on the other side of the neck the bloody half of the rapier appeared. Surprised by his action, he let go of the handle. Guido stared in disbelief at the hilt of the weapon sticking out of his neck. His legs gave way and he fell to the ground. The eyes became lifeless, glazed. Blood was pouring out in jerks.
- What are you doing, idiot? The duel was before the first blood. This means that the enemy cannot be killed. Now you will be taken into custody, and when the count arrives, he will judge you for murder. -Theodore said. Another cornerman ran up to the mortally wounded man and bent down, not knowing what to do. It's impossible to survive with such a wound. The knight, of course, could not speak. He just scraped his hands on the ground, weakening over time.
- No, it won't. I didn't break the rules. A possible answer quickly occurred to him. More precisely, as he came, his voice prompted him.
- Duel to the first blood. Your opponent is dead. Don't you see a problem here?
- And what do you think, I struck a second blow? No. The duel ended immediately after the first wound I inflicted. All conditions are met.
Both cornerman were surprised by his logic. On the one hand, he was right. But on the other hand, a nobleman was killed in a duel, where there should be no deaths. It was wrong. To do so is dishonorable.
- You are under arrest, Sir Arhon. The count will decide whether you are guilty or not. He should arrive within a week. Let's go to your quarters.
But the young nobleman did not listen to the cornermans. For some reason, there was a certainty that he would definitely be acquitted. The voice also praised him: "Well done, Arhon, well done. You did everything right. The Count won't judge you. You have done justice and cleared your honor." But he wasn't interested in that either. The Arhon enjoyed the feeling of warmth that burned his body. It was the first time he felt something like this after the murder. Before killing enemies, he did not feel anything, sometimes there was disgust, sometimes pity. Only now it was completely different. A very pleasant feeling. If he had known about it beforehand, he wouldn't have waited so long. He could even now kill both cornermans. But he didn't dare to do it.
"Now you have to wait for the Count's arrival, Arhon. He will justify you, he will definitely justify you. Those bastards can't do anything to you. You will soon heal, you will live as you have never lived before."
- Voice, can you talk to me or will you only give advice?
"Of course I can talk. And my name is not the voice, but Nisht."
- Why are you talking to me, Nisht. Where did you come from in my head?
"You'll only find out in the future. In the meantime, your task is to listen to my advice."
- And what happens if I don't listen to them?
"Nothing will happen. If you don't want to, don't listen. But have you ever experienced such pleasure in your life as when killing this Gipp. And now you're just the son of a baron of the northernmost country. And if you listen to me, you can become an earl or a duke."
- Then I have a question. Is it possible to remove the headache and these stupid dreams?
"It's possible, but not now. First you need to wait for the count, and then we can do something about it."