Jadis watched in bemusement as Steingrimur and Runar quietly argued with each other over which of them was going to get to fight Jadis first. She honestly hadn’t expected there to be a literal line of people who wanted to test either her or their combat prowess, but apparently there was. Though, as she thought it over, it really wasn’t that surprising considering the temple she was currently visiting. Charos was the god of war and competition. It made sense that his most devout followers would be spoiling for the chance to pit themselves against a new opponent.
Jadis couldn’t overhear everything that was being said, but she could hear enough to tell that it wasn’t just about who got to go first, like Steingrimur had claimed. The short man, whose name she really should learn at some point, seemed to be acting as a voice of reason between the two taller men, basically arguing that brawling with the woman that their holy order had arrested while under custody was just plain stupid. It certainly sent a message, even if Jadis wasn’t entirely sure she was catching all the nuances.
However, the two big brutes weren’t having any of it. Both wanted to fight more than they wanted to handle anything political, and neither wanted to cede first go to the other.
“Both of you can fight her,” Noll’s growling voice called out, catching Jadis off guard. “It’ll be fairer that way.”
The bear man and the high priest both stared at Noll, their brows furrowed and their shoulders set in surprisingly similar ways. For half a second, Jadis wondered if the two were related? She quickly disregarded the idea. Just because one was a Valbjorn and the other was a half Valbjorn didn’t mean that they had any blood ties to each other.
“Are you sure?” Steingrimur asked. “I’ve seen her stats. I know she’s strong, but attributes aren’t everything.”
“They aren’t,” Noll agreed as he settled back against a far wall to watch the coming show. “You’ll need Runar.”
That pronouncement just galvanized the brazen priest in his desire to fight Jadis solo even more. Jadis could practically see the fire burning in his eyes, one that raged not just with wounded pride, but also excitement at the prospect of a challenge.
Steingrimur opened his mouth to speak, then shut it as he thought better of what he was going to say. Pointing a finger at Runar, then another at Jadis, he started walking towards a group of older priests standing to the side of the arenas.
“If we are going to fight, let’s do this properly. Get your weapons ready, Jadis. No holding back.”
Jadis had her axe and maul already, but she had yet to get a replacement for the lance that had been destroyed by the ice dragon, Vetregin. Backing out of the ring, Syd went to the weapon rack closest to Noll so she could pick out something suited to her size.
“Thanks a lot, Noll,” Syd whispered as she picked out a halberd that was a bit too small for her but would work well enough.
“You’re welcome,” the old wolf replied with perfect magnanimity.
In short order, the priests that Steingrimur had spoken to had set up a ritual ring around the training arena, something that they seemed well-practiced at. It took about five minutes to complete, but when they were done the arena had been sanctified with a powerful spell that would prevent anyone within from being knocked below ten health points. It would only work on an individual once, and it only lasted for half an hour, but it essentially worked the same way as Eir’s Protection of the D ritual. A useful spell to prevent accidents from happening when training, but apparently too costly to use all the time. For a fight between Jadis and the two bear men, though, the spell was very much worth the expense.
With the ritual completed, Jadis’ three selves stepped into the ring and squared off against the two higher-level warriors. She couldn’t deny that she was thrilled to have a chance to fight against two skilled opponents without having to worry about holding back. She was especially eager to give Runar another taste of her wrath. But fighting both the high-CLR paladin and a high priest of the god of war at the same time…
Well, Jadis hoped Noll’s confidence in her wasn’t misplaced and that she wasn’t about to embarrass herself in front of all of her companions and a growing audience of Charos knights.
“Baise les!” Kerr shouted from the sidelines, whooping and hollering as she pumped a fist in the air. “Show ‘em who has the biggest dick around here!”
With Kerr’s raucous cheering to lead them, the others surrounding the ring started joining in. All of Jadis’ companions of course started cheering for her, but to her surprise, some of the Charos priests and even a few knights were cheering for her, too. Whether that was because they didn’t like Runar and Steingrimur, or because they just liked the idea of rooting for an underdog, Jadis couldn’t tell. Either way, with the cheers of her lovers ringing in her ears, she stepped forward to face off against the two powerful warriors.
Jadis had some idea of what to expect from Runar. The Valbjorn hadn’t exhibited any outward magical effects during their fight back in Far Felsen. Maybe that was because he’d been holding back and hadn’t cast any smite spells or the like on her. Or maybe his magic was subtle and didn’t make its effects obvious. Or the bear man just didn’t have that kind of magic. That was always a possibility, Jadis supposed. She barely had any magic herself, even though her Mirror Knight class was certainly capable of casting spells. Runar could have made similar choices to her and just not gone the magical route with his classes. There was no way for her to know for sure when it came to things the brute might be hiding, but what she did know was that he was skilled with his mace, he liked to get in close to grapple with his free hand, and he wasn’t afraid to bite. Maybe not the most detailed evaluation of Runar’s capabilities, but she could say that the man’s fighting style wasn’t a complete mystery to her.
Steingrimur, on the other hand, was a complete unknown. She’d never seen the man fight, or even hold a weapon. In fact, he still wasn’t holding a weapon and was still just wearing a loose tunic and a pair of plain pants. Maybe that meant he was a bare-knuckle brawler like the short man? That seemed likely, since he hadn’t picked up any weapons while they had been waiting for the ritual to complete. However, Jadis wouldn’t put it past the half-bear man to have some kind of trick up his sleeve. Whatever the case, one thing Jadis felt safe on assuming was that Steingrimur was capable of casting spells. He was a high priest, after all. Even if his other classes were non-magical, that one certainly had to grant some kind of casting ability.
“Ready?” Steingrimur called out over the din of the cheering crowd.
“Ready,” Runar rumbled loud enough to make the ground quake.
“Ready!” all three of Jadis replied in unison.
That was all that needed to be said. In one moment, all were standing still. In the next, they moved.
Runar charged forward with a vicious roar that shook the air and reverberated inside of Jadis’ armor. With mace raised high, he closed the gap between Jay and himself, aiming straight down the center line.
Steingrimur dashed behind him, following in the bigger man’s wake, the flash of some kind of spell glowing from both of his hands.
Jay had positioned her selves so that her Jay body was in the middle, with Syd on her left and Dys on her right, with about three feet between each of them. As Runar approached, Jay raised her oversized maul to swing at him in a right-to-left sweep. At the same time, Dys feinted to the side and jabbed at Steingrimr’s head with her axe while ignoring Runar entirely. Syd, meanwhile, dashed to the left then kicked off of the ground with a single push of her powerful left leg, rocketing her self towards the high priest. Since he seemed to be acting as a spell caster, she figured that a strong double-attack should be able to disrupt the man’s spell, if not knock him out of the fight completely so that she could then put all of her focus on Runar.
Jay’s sweep attack caught Runar in the side, but rather than crumple under the blow, the Valbjorn leaned into it, letting Jay’s hammer carry him along to the side as his feet left the ground. With his free left land wrapped around the head of her metal maul, his right hand came down in an overhead swing and struck Jay’s arm in a ringing blow that made her bones shake. The counterattack was strong enough to force Jadis’ right hand to release her weapon, an opening that Runar instantly took advantage of.
Putting his feet down, the huge brute pivoted and used this weight to spin the maul around him, carrying Jay along so that she was tossed around in a spinning fulcrum. The move was so unexpected that Jay nearly lost her left-handed grip on her weapon, though she managed to hold on through a strained effort.
As Runar was countering Jay, Dys and Syd were making their attack on Steingrimur. Just before their two weapons made contact with the high priest, a black and red glow flashed around him, bright enough that it partially blinded Jadis’ two other bodies. When she was able to see again a moment later, she found that both Dys’ axe and Syd’s borrowed halberd had been blocked by a sword and shield, respectively. Only the sword and shield hadn’t existed a moment ago, and they were unlike any sword or shield Jadis had ever seen.
The spectral armaments were made of a swirling mist of red and black energy, a dark and fierce light glowing around them. The sword in Steingrimur’s left hand was a bastard sword with an upward curving guard and a pommel styled to look like a snarling bear. His shield was a kite style with rounded edges, though a single solid spike stuck out from the middle.
“Wrong target!” the high priest shouted with glee as he thrust back against the two of Jadis simultaneously.
Dys was knocked back, the axe ringing in her hands from his parrying swing. She was forced to fall back as a dark fire surged down the shaft of her weapon, burning through her gauntlets. As soon as she broke contact, the fire faded, but for the brief moment she made contact, whatever magical effect Steingrimur had on his conjured weapon made it near impossible for her to hold onto her axe.
Syd was sent flying, her leaping attack working against her as the powerful priest was able to slam his shield through her halberd and into her body. The shield bash was enough to throw her several feet away from him, her trajectory putting her right in line to smash into Jay. Jadis had no doubt that had been a deliberate move on the part of the two experienced warriors. They had probably spent considerable time training with each other since they were both high-ranking adherents of the same god. Their moves spoke of years of practice that led to an almost instinctive coordination, the kind of thing that would make them a terror on the battlefield. Against any other opponent, Jadis was certain the move would have led to a quick and devastating defeat.
But Jadis didn’t need training to instinctively coordinate with her own self.
Letting go of her hammer, Jay turned and caught Syd mid-air. In the same moment, Syd dropped the undersized halberd and grabbed hold of the shaft of Jay’s maul. Rather than tumbling in a confusion of tangled limbs like Steingrimur and Runar had no doubt hoped would happen, Jay and Syd pivoted together in perfect sync, using their combined strength to drag Runar off the ground and into a fast-spinning arc.
The high priest managed to get his shield around barely in time before Runar was slammed into him and the two were sent rolling across the ground together.
To their credit, the two men were back on their feet in an instant, the move having caught them off guard but not actually doing much damage. They were both professional fighters, some of the elites of the world. Jadis would have been disappointed if one or both had been knocked out in just the first exchange.
“I’m glad you’re going to make this interesting!” Steingrimur cried out, a fierce excitement lighting his face.
“I’m glad you aren’t as big a pussy as that shithead next to you!” Dys jeered.
“Trash,” Runar snapped, his hackles rising as he bared his huge fangs. “You won’t last a minute.”
“I won’t need to,” Syd taunted back. “You’ll be out before then anyway.”
“Enough talk!” Steingrimur shouted as he slammed his spectral sword against his shield in a call to battle. “Fight!”
That shout seemed to be part of a spell as that same flash of black and red consumed the high priest for a moment. In the next instant, a suit of armor made of the same roiling energy as his weapon was covering him completely. The armor was stylized to have the maws of snarling beasts on his pauldrons and knee guards while his helmet made him look like a mirror image of Runar.
Jadis didn’t bother with any further verbal responses. She didn’t need them. Action spoke louder than words ever could.
Since Syd already had the hammer in hand, she charged forward with it raised high to meet Steingrimur as he rushed right at her. Dys let out a bestial scream in response to Runar’s deafening roar as she met him in the middle of the arena. Jay, on the other hand, didn’t charge either man but instead ducked to the side in a forward roll.
Leaping on top of the discarded halberd, Jay grabbed the weapon and snapped the handle in half. Using the momentum of her roll to rise back up to her feet, she hurled the broken lower shaft at the high priest.
The angle of her toss was such that Steingrimur had to either block the handle with his shield and try to deflect Syd’s hammer blow with his sword or use his shield to block the hammer and let the handle hit his side. As Jadis had expected, Steingrimur let the harmless wooden shaft bounce off of his dark energy armor. That was what armor was for, after all. No need to block or dodge every minor attack when it could be easily deflected by solid plates of steel. Well, in the priest’s case it was some kind of divine spellcraft given form, but the principle was the same, Jadis was sure.
That was fine by Jadis. She hadn’t expected to cause any real damage with the attack. What Jay’s attack did do, though, was trigger Mirrored Strikes when Syd’s maul made contact with Steingrimur’s shield.
Syd had not held back. She’d put every ounce of strength she could muster into her attack. When the maul’s head hit Steingrimur’s spectral shield, the sound was like a stick of dynamite exploding. The high priest was knocked to the ground, his whole body rebounding as the impact caused the densely packed dirt to crack like a crater. His conjured shield was obliterated, the black and red energy bursting like a rotten tomato.
Steingrimur skidded back across the ground a couple of yards before he landed on his feet, an enraged roar coming from inside the snarling visage of his dark helm. His right arm was broken, his forearm bent at a right angle in the middle. With a flick of his arm and an audible cracking sound, he snapped the bone back in place as red energy flared around him, his divine spells no doubt healing him. Before another spectral shield had been conjured, he was already charging straight back at Syd.
Her Syd self would just have to handle the self-healing warrior priest for a few seconds alone. Before Steingrimur had even righted himself, Jay had already thrown herself at Runar from the side as she and her Dys self attacked the roaring Valbjorn.
It turned out that both Jadis and Runar had been wrong in their predictions. Jadis was not able to put Runar out of the fight before a minute’s time had passed, but their fight also lasted far longer than a minute as well. The two-on-one, or three-on-two depending on perspective, devolved in a rapid-fire scrum of weapons and fists swung with such speed and strength that Jadis doubted the onlookers could even properly follow everything that was happening. Jadis was in the middle of the fight and even she was having some trouble keeping track.
Jadis lost all sense of time as she focused her whole being on fighting the two formidable opponents. Their moves were powerful, precise, and exhibited a level of skill she recognized she had not yet reached. Yet she used every last point in her overwhelmingly high-attribute arsenal to not just hold her own, but actually fight back against the two. Still, for some minutes, the fight was effectively a stalemate as any damage Jadis was able to do to the two was healed by Steingrimur, while the damage they were able to do to her was minimal enough that her massive health pool could handle it.
The breaking point occurred when Jadis went for the ring-out on Steingrimur.
Tossing her axe into the air overhead, Dys tackled the priest around the waist in an attempt to toss him onto the ground. He countered by slamming his sword into her back, causing a burning pain to eat away at her dwindling health. That was fine. Jadis couldn’t let the fight drag out for minutes longer, otherwise the priest would outlast her just by the fact that he could heal injuries and she couldn’t. So instead she tanked his burning blade while Jay caught the axe and used the pointed back end to attack him.
He caught the blow with his shield, the pointed end digging deep into the conjured material. Pulling hard, Dys reared back and tossed the surprised priest into the air while Jay yanked him along with the grip of her axe. In one coordinated move, Steingrimur was thrown out of the arena, landing in a roll just outside of the ring.
Jadis had no chance to cheer her success, however, as by devoting so much attention to one opponent left her third self struggling against the other.
Runar’s mace bashed through Syd’s guard as he brought the weapon down onto her shoulder. She weathered the blow, staggering slightly under the impact, but she used the opening to sweep at his legs. However, her blow hit nothing as he leapt over the telegraphed move, then struck the same point on her armor again. This time her armor crumpled under the power of the blow and she felt her bone snap.
“Shit!” Syd screamed in pain as she desperately tried to back-pedal away from the Valbjorn before he could take advantage of her dangling arm.
Jadis tried to use her Mirrored Body’s Shifting Reflection to transfer the wound to one of her other bodies, but because her armor had been bent into her flesh her arm simply broke again as soon as she did so.
With a triumphant roar, Runar struck hard and fast, too fast for her to defend herself completely. In a moment, she was airborne as the bear man knocked her off her feet and sent her tumbling out of the ring.
Runar’s elated roar was cut short, however, as both Jay and Dys tackled him from behind. The brutish bear was crushed under hundreds of pounds of armored Nephilim as they crashed out of the ring in a pile of rage and flailing limbs.
“Get off me!” Runar shouted as he elbowed Dys.
“Stop fucking squirming and I will, idiot!” Syd cursed into his face as she struggled to keep the angered bear man from damaging her broken arm any further.
Just as the pain was starting to become too much to handle, a soothing warmth washed over Jadis, followed by another warmth that felt strangely invigorating. Looking around, she could see that both Eir and Steingrimur had approached her and both were pumping their healing magics into her bodies.
“I can’t believe you got me with that maneuver. It’s fucking kids stuff!” Steingrimur complained, though he didn’t look particularly unhappy. In fact, from the wide grin on his face, Jadis could tell he was actually rather excited. “You won’t get me with that move again.”
“Of course she got you with it, you meat sack,” Runar fumed as he finally extracted himself from the tangle of Jadis. “You never remember to guard yourself against tosses.”
“You’re one to talk,” Jay snarled at the bear. “I fucking tossed you all over Far Felsen last time.”
“Losers don’t get to talk back,” Runar snarled back at Jay. “Shut your snout and go back to fucking priestesses in the baths.”
“I’m not fucking anyone in any baths,” Jay shouted as she butted heads with the bear. “And I’m not a loser! You lost in Far Felsen, and this fight was a tie!”
“You landed outside of the ring before me,” Runar roared at her, waving his mace wildly in agitation. “You lost!”
“We landed outside of the ring at the same time!” Jay yelled and waved her own arms. “It’s a tie!”
“Dragon piss! You were out first!”
“I have three bodies! Two of them landed on top of you! You were completely out of the ring before I was!”
“That’s not how that works!” Runar raged.
“Yes, it is!”
“No, it isn’t!”
“Fine!” Jadis shouted from all three of her bodies at once as they all whirled to look at her mentor still leaning against the far wall. “Noll! Was that a tie or not!?”
Noll simply let out a huff as he slowly shook his head in exasperation.
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