Heavy lies the Crown [Open]

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Shinsou’s head tilted curiously for a moment as his opponent made his introduction, the pair standing outside the concealment of the dark boughs of the evergreen conifers and oaks. Lord Osiris? The honorific was appreciated, but unexpected. The shorter man wore an eye-catching mix of blue, white and black attire. Unlike most of the people he came to face in the Citadel, there was an intricacy wrought about the way Rehtul Orlouge dressed and spoke that definitely set him apart; everything from his robes to the garnet and sapphire rings on each hand. Doubtless, Shinsou thought to himself, a man dressed in the nobility of the family name.

“Rehtul Orlouge.” The Telgradian repeated, clicking his tongue against the inside of his cheek as the cool day’s breeze brushed against his skin. “The nephew of Sei Orlouge, if I am not mistaken? It seems the apple does not fall far from the tree.”

Osiris’s eyes had already swerved to the fore to scope out the arena that Rehtul had selected. He observed that thick foliage disguised one of nature’s cunning traps; a funnel of rock that guided a river into the mouth of the clearing. It went without saying that ninety percent of all Citadel arenas were crafted to give a home advantage, but if there was one, the Telgradian couldn’t see it yet. There was certainly nothing else immediately noticeable to be alarmed about.

“Forgive me,” He said after a moment’s pause, “I’m just trying to piece together what business a former Ixian Knight, an Orlouge no less, would have with me in a place like the Citadel. You see, we’ve never met, but I’m a student of history. I’ve read many books, and I’m aware of the significance of your bloodline and your connection with the Knights. Indeed, I hold a deep respect for the name. But, I wonder, do you fully understand the significance of mine?”

There was no need to qualify the organisation in question with a name. Only a handful of people in Corone didn’t know the Brotherhood, the organisation that had tried (and almost succeeded) in conquering Radasanth. The organisation that, since, had reformed and had actually made a contribution to the island’s economy and military presence.

An organisation that had effectively replaced the Ixian Knights in the present.

Shinsou Vaan Osiris was the first of two names on a list of Corone’s most dangerous and powerful men, but that didn’t necessarily mean that he had to intimidate this young Orlouge by actually making use of it. There could have been another reason for someone of Rehtul’s name to call him here. Seldom did anyone issue a specific challenge, out of the blue, just to fight. Was this a political move?

“Anyway,” Osiris continued with a wry wrinkle of his nose, “I’m sure we’ll get to the ‘why’s’ and ‘wherefores’ later.”

His senses started to pick up on the icy taint of magic that hung heavy over Rehtul Orlouge. It was if a chill had begun to blanket the forest now, eating away at the sanctified leaves like some corrosive acid, though the physical greenery remained untouched. The back of Shinsou’s head throbbed as if it were already under attack from the sheer force of Rehtul’s powers. The Telgradian had a feeling that there was a spellcaster in his midst, although he couldn’t tell what type of magic the young man yet subscribed to and could only tell from his eyes alone that the man appeared unarmed.

It would be foolish to assume that a mage with such a prestegious family name would ask for Osiris personally and not come prepared for him. The facts dictated the logic, and Shinsou knew that a carefully executed plan would not only help him survive the challenge, but also stand as a message to Orlouge (and whatever motivations had brought them together) that, at all times, the Telgradian would need to be taken seriously.

A deliberate and thought-through approach was needed here.

With Enpera’s power already augmenting his reactions, Shinsou deftly drew his sword across the folds of his cloak to bring it squarely across his body. In a blink of an eye, the Telgradian used his Shadowstep. The ability not only allowed him to close the distance between them, but in fact allowed him to slip past and behind the young mage at eight times his normal speed with nothing more than a high pitched boom. In his right hand, Enpera thirsted for first blood, drawn from across his chest in a sharp horizontal crescent.

[Rehtul Orlouge]

Rehtul let the man talk about why he was confused about the reason a former Ixian Knight would contact him while he concentrated his magic around his body. A cold chill radiated off him, robbing anything nearby of warmth. Beneath him, had his opponent looked closely enough, the grass began to develop a fine layer of frost. The air cracked quietly.

Suddenly, Osiris had apparently disappeared. The Orlouge didn't miss a beat, however, and jumped forward with all the force he could muster to avoid what was surely to be a fight ending attack right from the get go. His uncle, Sei Orlouge, had attempted a similar move during Rehtul's combat training while he was in the Knights. He landed on one hand and used the point of leverage to point himself toward the whistling sound of blade cutting through air behind him.

Every sense in his body was screaming at him that this man was far more dangerous than Felicity. Where she had a powerful body with a dangerous augmentation that allowed her to fight with the ferocity of a feral mountain troll, this man was something different altogether. A cold, calculated and measured mind was in control of those powers, one who had seen countless battles to the point that battle was no different than brushing his teeth in the morning.

Rehtul concentrated on the ground in front of his opponent. The frost that had gathered on the grass beneath where Rehtul once stood exploded outward and upward, three spikes all seeking the blood of the man who stood where the mage had only a few fractions of a second before.

This is what that monk meant, huh...