EA Chapter 30 - Tournament Victory

Yifang’s office was a large oblong chamber with stark white walls and spotlessly clean hard wood floors. The furnishings consisted mainly of a large desk, and rounded bookshelves which covered the walls. Luna had glanced at them in passing, seeing if there were any titles that looked particularly unique.

Hanging on one wall was a rather large and ornate wooden clock with a sculpture of a dragon on top. As the gears turned, and the hands ticked, the wings of the dragon moved back and forth in a steady fanning pattern.

Yifang had said nothing, initially, quietly staring at Luna with burning intensity. Doubtless he expected her to fret or fidget. Instead she sat with perfect posture, a calm look on her face, her hands folded in her lap. She had stared down all manner of monsters and abominations without blinking, and she would not falter here.

“Are you... out of your mind, Cadet?” he eventually asked.

Luna tilted her head, her expression innocent. “Sir?”

“Biting another student in the middle of a tournament bout!”

“There are no rules against that, sir.” She had studied the tournament rules extensively. In truth they were rather lax about what was specifically not allowed. Really, anything non-lethal was fine.

“Pulling someone’s arm from the socket?”

“There are no rules against that, sir.”

Yifang narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m sure you think yourself rather clever.”

“I believe my cleverness is reflected by my grades, sir.” Which, last she checked, sat in the upper percentile of the class.

“Something may be allowed, but that does not make it right.”

“All due respect, grandmaster, but I was under the impression we were learning to be warriors. We are being trained to fight emotionless and merciless monsters, where we must be equally merciless to best them. I don’t see why we need to be too constrained by morality.”

“This is not a debate on ethics, Cadet,” Yifang hissed.

“Would we be having it at all if my opponent hadn’t been a prince?”

The older man’s face didn’t change, his posture ramrod straight, but there was something in his eye. A twitch if fury and disdain. “I assure you, being snide will not do you any favours at present.”

Luna held her tongue. Inwardly she imagined Yifang dangling neck-first on a rope until his face turned purple.

“I will not say you are without skill, or potential. In fact, both of these are rather impressive for a cadet in her first year. I was told you are one of the rare few who can command the Way of the Cosmos, and your repertoire of shown spells confirms that. Trained well, you could be a great asset. But if you cannot be regarded as a reliable ally, you have no place in the Elthremian army, power be damned.”

Luna nodded. Now she was imagining Yifang on a breaking wheel, limbs shattering one by one under the head of a hammer. But, for as annoyed as she was, she knew she had to play by the rules. The resources of the Citadel were too valuable to lose access to.

“Apologies, sir,” she said, managing to sound as sincere as she could muster. “May I ask... that power that Aryn used against me. What was it?”

“You do not need to know,” he said, leaning back into the varnished wood of his chair.

“With... all due respect, I could tell that that power would kill me. It would be nice to have some context,” Luna said.

He regarded her quietly, settling his slim fingers on the surface of his desk. “All you need know Cadet, is that the higher caste of the kingdom possess abilities uncommon to the rest of us. And those powers are so inherently dangerous that they are never to be exercised in a training environment. Prince Oathsworn shall be disciplined for this. And you... shall be disciplined for your own excessive force.”

“Of course, sir,” Luna said, imagining his blood pooling beneath an iron maiden. Well, it was just another puzzle to study. No doubt she could find something in the library. Or grill Kane for information.

“You will be on latrine duty for the next two months. By the end of which, ideally, you will have learned a degree of humility and respect,” Yifang said. “However, I am not devoid of sense of mercy. The skill and power you showcased puts you at a notch above a Tin rank.”

Luna watched as he rose from his chair. He made for a nearby cabinet and spent a few moments rummaging through a drawer until he pulled out a long pin of brass. He offered it to her, and Luna quickly slid it on to replace the original pin she bore.

“My thanks, sir.”

“It is uncommon for a new recruit to rise in rank so early in their first year. But your aptitude and potential are clearly uncommon.” Yifang fixed her with another hard look. “Do not assume that this is enough to offset your punishment. Dismissed.”

“Of course, sir.” Luna left, sparing a moment’s thought to the idea of burning Yifang at the stake.

Despite everything, her bout with Aryn was counted as a victory. And for her next two fights in the tournament, her opponents surrendered in advance. Not only had Luna’s displayed power made them too concerned to fight her, they had been further terrified by seeing the lengths she would go to for a victory.

Syri won her second fight, and then her third, but ultimately lost the final round of the paladins bracket after a prolonged duel. And Romula, despite her best efforts, went down in her third bout.

In the end, the Red Hawks had gone from coming in last place in their prior competitions to ranking among the highest in the Cadet’s Tournament. And already rumour and chatter were spreading through the whole Citadel about the mysterious girl who had fought a prince head-on and won. And nobody knew, or thought to consider, that a handful of sick cadets during the tournament had fallen ill as a result of her poisoning spree. Luna got off scott free for that.

When Luna walked the halls, the cadets looked at her with a newfound mix of fear and respect, now well aware of what she was capable of.

It was a start, she thought.