Azulaphael waved a hand and rose to her feet, moving to the drink cabinet.  “Someone snap the boy out of it.  He’s day-dreaming now.” Ser Meartin lurched forward in his seat, his arm already cocking back as if to execute a vicious slap to the face.  The slight, but immediate shake of Commandant Levenstone’s head...Read More

A blue flag shot up from the judge’s booth, followed almost immediately by four more.  The judges finally regained their senses from the initial shock of it all and pronounced Terync as the victor. A shrill whistle sounded, signaling the end of the match, and the sound seemed to be the spark that ignited the...Read More

The judges didn’t call the bout for several heartbeats. For a moment, silence seemed to blanket the entire arena and it was so hushed that it seemed every member of the audience was holding their breath. For a moment, Terync wondered if he had erred… if he had, in fact, been hit by a thrown...Read More

It was clear to anyone with any sense of combat experience that going hand-to-hand against an opponent with missile weapons is the only way to victory but engaging from a ranged position is a tricky endeavor.  Any direct movement to engage would result in a clear target of opportunity from a ranged attacker, and even...Read More

As the final step to his insane tactic, he reared his lone axe back, as if to throw, and with his other arm he pointed at Lewis as if calling his shot.  The whooping and hollering were deafening, but the overall effect was not quite what Terync wanted.  Instead of becoming more fearful of the...Read More

The heavy wooden axe slammed against Terync’s thigh, eliciting a shout of pain and a resulting hobble.  Four sharp whistles sounded almost immediately and Terync swore under his breath, pulling four of his five remaining missile weapons out and tossing them to the side of the ring. With only a single weapon left against Lewis’s...Read More

Terync knew that Wiedermon was good, but he hadn’t been aware that he was that good.  The fact that he could not accurately measure his opponent’s ability was certainly a clear indication of his own inexperience. “It must have been luck then.  Maybe a blind rage from the pain shocked me out of my stupor...Read More

Terync swallowed hard and looked up at the four faces staring intently at him, in expectation.  The two knights, each looking at him as if knowing what he was currently going through, one with a look of sad reflectiveness and the other with a look of wistfulness.  The Lady Azulaphael’s face seemed more concerned than...Read More

Terync looked at the two knights for a moment, checking to see if this was an honest request or if this was some kind of odd joke being played on him.  Neither’s face revealed anything that said he was being made fun of, so he figured he would humor her. “The semifinal match was against...Read More

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Azulaphael,” Terync said, his throat still burning a bit from the alcohol. “Lady,” Ser Meartin snarled, sloshing some of the liquid out of his cup.  “You’ll damn well call her a lady.” “Despite her lack of official status,” the Commandant cut in gruffly, “we still tend to...Read More