***The Upper sector of the Outskirts of 'Eclipse of the Ocean', Chingford's Academy, Duel Arena..
*GONG*....*GONG*....*GONG*....
The gongs were rung loudly three times with a club with the air vibrating as an aftermath of the shockwaves created.
Around the ground level of the battle Arena were doors, four doors in an north, south, east and east pole arrangement as each pair doors faces each other in silence.
*SQUEAK!..*
One of the pair of doors facing each other opens up to a shadowy space as one person walks out of it with another fully geared up person person trailing out of the door opposite. They seemed to be walking towards each other with the tension rising with each step they took but they both stop their movements as soon as they were both fully in the sandy duelling circle where only one of them would leave alive.
The Challenger and the guilty.
The two seemingly sworn enemies were now separated by only a distance of five meters with nothing but their will power holding them back from bloodshed. The crowds of the entire arena becomes silent as everybody focuses their attention of the duo who also have their attention on each other.
The female who is deemed as the guilty is current wearing a very high class armour that has a aira that suggests it's Craftmanship is more than a little close to reaching the first rank which obviously is something she shouldn't be able to afford. A quiver hangs on her back filled with arrows that looked deadly even just by their feathery ends and her enquipped wooden long bow looked sleek, light and deadly with reflective sharp dagger-like blades at both ends.
A sword that's just one and half feet long remains sheathed on her back and a dagger rests by her boot.
Her helmet is made of a Black metal carved to protect everything but her eyes which is protected by a separate netty frame. She came to a battle ready for warband anyone and everyone can see very clearly just how much she values her life.
The Challenger on the other hand is geared up in a simple brown armour weaved from leather and wood. With a circular tough wooden shield in his left hand, a common short but heavy sword in his other hand a cowboy's lasso by his waist and a knife tucked by his boot.
Their gears bothe stood out like a sore thumb but one clearly completely outclassed the other in all aspects hence causing the majority of the crowd who already knows the story between the duo to be at the edge of their feet.
The Ctowd attention is soon shifted from the tense duo as a bearded Man in Martial master robes steps out from a third door with a calm gaze and an imposing bearing as he scans through the crowd.
"GREETINGS MASTER..", The entire crowd says as they get off their seats and cup their hands in unison.
The greetinv of a over five hundred students in a circular Arena(Build like A football stadium) resounds like thunder as they all kept their hands cupped in respect.
They didn't know the man's name, Rank and most of them didn't know who he is but they all know much better than to be disrespectful to a Martial master.
With a small nod, the Master signals everyone back on their seats which they immediately take in unison and then the master begins to talk with his powerful voice oddly amplified throughout the Arena.
"Today we have on our hands a Death duel between Challenger -Tio Nadan- and Defender -Montana Winslet-. The Grand masters have declared this duel official after confirming the story behind this challenge to be true and this story goes as forth..
"The defendant was engaged to to the Challenger's brother who sent her to the Academy with his life savings only for her to break up with him as soon as she became close to sensing mana. This news killed his brother from heartbreak which in turn killed his mother from even more heartbreak. Being the only one left in the family, she wanted him eliminated in order to sell his family's only small house so she could afford the next tuition fees since she didn't breakthrough and sense mana the last year as she had expected. She almost succeeded with her plans but she suddenly gave up as soon as she had a better option up the ladder. The Challenger later found out that his mother died only because of the cruel words the defendant had told her at his dead brother's and her former fiancé's funeral and so he's willing to bet his life for revenge".
Navi digests the entire story for the first time while fully understanding the reason the other guy is so determined on the death duel despite the slim odds,.. He is brave and is using his courage when it matters the most.
Bravery is doing something you know is illogical for the right reasons but guess what,.. foolishness also has the same definition and this is exactly why it is hard to judge.
If he wins then people would smile at him as brave yet a little hot-headed but if he loses then the world would still also see him as brave but mostly foolish.
The two people locked in this death duel looked straight at each other during the speech and one could feel the anger rising in the Challenger during the grand speech.
"Do you both have any last words to say to yourselves?..", The Master calmly ask to the Challenger and the guilty as per the routine so he can officially kick off the duel.
A tense few seconds goes in silence between both parties and then, she speaks.
"Reconsider this duel Nadan, I consider this warning to you nothing but mercy.", The woman boldly speaks much to the obvious anger of the rowdy crowd who flares up at her words.
To them she is the villain in this episode yet the few smart one knows very well that if she is the one that comes out of the duel alive then she wouldn't be the villain anymore but rather the winner.
Navi calmly watches all of this in full calm as he is completely aware of reality. He wants the wronged guy to win and despite the odds, in his opinion.. the other guy has not even a single reason to lose.
His family's honour is on the line, his mother's honour. He would have no face to show to her even in the after life if he falls at this level so the only option is winning and taking her life as a trophy!.
Anything else in his opinion is just bullshit!.
"Please ring the bell master, my blade thirsts for her blood..", Nadan says with anger, grit and a very necessary calm in every word as he gets into a fighting posture.
Hearing his response, Montana Winslet holds her bow right and tight as she take out an arrow from her quiver.
Hearing the exchange between the duo, no more words were further needed. The Martial Master gives a calm and mature nod of his head and then speaks.
"Under the supervision of myself as a martial master, I now declare this death duel between Challenger Tio Nadan and Defender Montana Winslet to begin".
*GONG*..
A deep gong sound shakes through the air after the master's words as a sudden rush if tension drives the rowdy crowd crowd to the edges of their seats with their attention glued on the two main characters of the Arena.
As soon as the Gong rings, Montana Winslet tugs against the tough string of her bow with the feathers of her set arrow between her finger but she didn't aim nor fire at the other party yet. Nathan had his wooden shied in front of him defensively and his sword is held professionally by his side.
He didn't at all let anger cloud his judgement as he keeps his stance while only making small movements left and right with his eyes on his one and only enemy thus making him look like a gladiator prepared for the battle of a lifetime.
The tension balloons through the air and almost everybody felt like they were somehow part of this battle. The stake couldn't be higher as its their lives on the line and the sound of the GONG made every odds of withdraw impossible.
Who is going to make the first move?!..
*PUI*,.. An arrow tears through the air towards Nathan who immediately rolls to the side and pushes himself back up before charging wildly at Montana before she gets can re-string another arrow.
The battle finally truly begins with breaths held and reactions boiling through the crowd..
Nathan comes charging at Motana, his shield in one hand, his sword raised I his other hand and nothing but Montana's blood on his calm yet bloodlust filled mind but despite his quick charge after her arrow release, Montana is anything but a sitting duck. She has finally sensed mana two days ago and so her senses has become sharper, her mind clearer, her instincts better and finally,.. her body lighter.
She could already guess even before she has shot her arrow that he would come charging at her and so she did not to try to re-string another arrow in fluster,.. She's a martial disciple after all.
She takes another arrow out from her sheath but instead of trying to restring it into her bow, she did something completely unexpected. She runs!.
But not to widen the distance from Nathan like most archers would do, instead.. she suddenly runs explosive towards the charging Nathan when he is just about six feet away from her.
Nathan gets a bit flustered for her actions and this slows down his movements a bit but he is also a martial disciple as he reacts with speed and timing while changing the direction of his momentum as he swings his blade towards her stomach and bow with a C-curve.
Montana rolls past his side and under his blade with Nathan's blood somehow on the tip of her arrow after the roll. She pushes her body around with a superhuman speed and coordination as she restrings her now bloody arrow and with a from grasp on her bow, she pulls back with Nathan's bare back now facing her and then, she shoots!.
*PUI*!!!..
She sees her arrow tremble then flying straight at Nathan's back as it escapes the trembling strings of her bow while her mind hopes it hits home but not all wishes are granted as Nathan reacts on time. He makes sharp turn around while slapping the arrow away with his wooden shield.
He stumbles a bit backwards from the push force and lack of the right posture but at the end he remains standing with Montana's now distant figure the only thing in his eyes.
On his thigh lies a thin cut wound with trails of blood pouring out. He can feel the harsh sting from his new wound, Rage clouds his mind for a second as he starts gripping his swords handle tighter.
Montana also has her eyes on Jim as her fingers slowly grab the feathery end of another arrow in her quiver, she slowly brings the arrow out with Nathan's figure also the only thing in her cold eyes.
This fight is anything but over.