To Rule In Shadow

After a few minutes, the guard returned with a well-dressed man that looked to be in his mid-thirties. Based on Adrian's estimation, the dark blue suit he was wearing was both individually tailored, and made of the finest materials. Even if he didn't know anything about the practitioner's background, his attire and the way he carried himself told Adrian that he was a man of power and wealth. With curly brown hair that nearly reached his shoulders, and a finely-trimmed beard, Gavin evidently knew how to play up his earthy charm to soften the edges created by his otherwise carefully selected appearance. The end result was a man that could just as easily command a boardroom as charm the regulars in a small town pub.

Gavin stepped forward with an ingratiating smile and a hand outstretched. "Good to meet you. I take it you're the Bureau chap who wanted a duel?"

Adrian returned the smile in kind and shook the man's hand. "That's right. I'm Adrian. P.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you."

"Likewise. The name's Gavin Maldris, but call me Gavin or Gav for short. Now, I unfortunately don't have a lot of time right now," The practitioner replied with an exaggerated expression of fatigue. "The Order keeps me pretty busy at events like these. So, let's walk and talk while we head to the dueling ring. On our way, perhaps you can explain why you wanted to duel me in the first place."

Without waiting for a reply, the practitioner started walking, a few aides trailing behind him.

As Adrian fell into step beside Gavin, he explained. "I've heard that you are undefeated so far, and I was interested in testing my skills against you."

"Ah, so you're up for the challenge, then. Got to test your manhood and all that. I get that, but I got to ask, have you been in many duels before? No offense, but I haven't heard of you before."

[You will.]

"This will be my first after entering the Underworld." He replied with a straight face. It was technically true after all.

Gavin gave him a stare of disbelief, and then laughed. "You got some balls on ya, that's for sure. Let me offer you some friendly advice. Until you've established yourself, it might be better to avoid challenging senior practitioners to duels. While I don't particularly mind, being the good-natured fellow I am, most of the other members of the Order might take it a bit personally, if you get my meaning."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't plan on making a habit of this in the future. If you prefer, you can think of this as a one-time, friendly exhibition match between representatives of our respective organizations. A sort of cultural exchange though show dueling, if you will."

The practitioner laughed again. "You're an odd one, aren't ya? Alright, I'll play your game, but don't think for a second that this being a 'friendly' duel means you get out of putting up your ante."

Adrian had assumed that wagers would come into play somehow. Based on what he'd seen of the Order and the way they managed things, he figured that in this kind of duel, where no one's honor was at stake, something of monetary value would need to be substituted.

With a placating smile, he said, "I had no intention of trying to weasel out of it, but I have to admit that I'm new at all this. Perhaps you could explain what sort of ante would be most appropriate in this particular circ.u.mstance."

Gavin's eyes momentarily took on a sharp, calculating look before returning to his normal genial expression. If Adrian hadn't been looking for it, he would have missed it. "Well, lad, that's a bit of a loaded question. Ordinarily, an ante is something that holds value, although not necessarily monetary value. Assuming your opponent is amendable, practically anything can be put forward. For an exhibition match, as you put it, I'm thinking that something a bit more...symbolic is in order. How does five years of life sound?"

"Hm, that seems a bit much." Adrian replied, making sure to seem somewhat hesitant. They had just passed through another set of double doors leading into a room that resembled a lecture hall. Tiered stadium seating descended towards a large platform made of solid concrete. On the floor of the stage, seemingly carved into it, was a large circle surrounded by occult markings and runes.

"Really? For most practitioners, that would hardly be worth the effort. Tell you what, since I'm a good sport, I'll knock it down to two years. What do you say?"

Once again playing the indecisive type, Adrian paused as if seriously considering it. "Out of curiosity, how would the winner collect his earnings?"

"It's a simple matter, really." Gavin replied reassuringly. "The Order has a device that handles it. You'll hardly feel a thing."

[That hardly answers my question, but pressing any more would be out of character.]

"I see…"

"So, two years. What do you say?" The practitioner asked, extending his hand. "Do we have a bet?"

Pretending to harden his resolve, Adrian nodded and grasped the hand. "Alright, you're on."

Gavin broke into a bright grin, one that carried just a hint of condescension. "Excellent! Then, let's get started. I don't suppose you've got a second with you?" He asked while climbing up a set of stone steps leading up to the platform.

"My colleagues should be here any minute." Adrian replied while following after. Glancing around at the symbols on the floor, he felt compelled to ask. "So this is the dueling ring, right?"

"That it is. The Order's been using this conference center for years, so we decided to put one of these in specifically for our annual gatherings. It's got the standard barrier and life preserving enchantments, stuff that you've probably seen in the Bureau's training halls. It will activate automatically once we get started." Gavin explained while walking over to stand in a smaller circle within the dueling ring.

Taking his cue, Adrian moved to stand in the one located at the opposite side of the platform. Once he'd done so, the markings surrounding the circle started to glow faintly. Suddenly a transparent blue arm rose from the circle's edge, swiftly followed by the head and shoulders of a ghostly looking figure that vaguely resembled a man wearing clothes from centuries ago.

Floating a half meter off of the ground, the creature surveyed the pair and asked in a dry, mournful voice. "Dost thou d.e.s.i.r.e to compete in the ring of honor?"

"Hey Lex," Gavin called cheerfully to the ghost. "Me and the lad over there will be having a duel with ante. We're still waiting on his second to show up, though, so it might be a minute."

The figure nodded gravely. "Inform me when thy preparations are complete." He then slowly faded from sight.

Perhaps noting Adrian's curious gaze, Gavin explained. "Forgot to mention, we have a spirit bound to the circle to serve as a ref. Now, before you go thinking it's cruel, you should know that old Lex over there was a fairly famous serial killer back in the day. Managed to get on the bad side of one of the Order's senior members at the time. I won't really go into the specifics, but let's just say he's serving out the duration of his seven consecutive life sentences doing odd jobs for the Order."

Adrian gave the man a nod to acknowledge the insight, before turning to regard the audience seating. It seemed that word had gotten out about the duel, as a fairly large crowd was starting to filter in. Among them, he quickly noted Cornelius and Abby, who were making a beeline for the stage, quickly moving to stand behind him, just outside of the circle.

The old practitioner gave him a level look, and stated in a low voice that only carried a hint of anger, "I see you've chosen to break your end of the bargain."

Chuckling, Adrian shook his head and whispered back. "If you recall, I agreed to not do anything to adversely affect the Bureau's reputation. The results of this duel will more than likely enhance it, if anything."

Cornelius grimaced. "You may be strong enough to decimate uninitiated humans, but there is a world of difference between gang members and the most accomplished duelist living duelist in the Order. Even our branch chief would have a difficult time taking him on alone. Do you truly expect to win?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't sure."

"Alright lad, are you about done discussing?" Gavin yelled from his side of the platform. "I don't have all day."

"I'm ready." Adrian shot back, silencing any further complaints from the Bureau members by turning around to face his opponent.

"Alright." Gavin called back while handing the jacket of his suit over to his assistant. "Then let's get this started. Lex, we're ready!"

The ghost faded back into existence and once more scanned the pair. "Very well. The rules of thy contest are simple. The duel will continue until one of thee has taken a fatal wound or announced thy surrender. Attacks on the soul are forbidden. All other methods remain valid. Dost thou need further instruction?"

"That will do it, Lex." The practitioner answered, having rolled the sleeves of his shirt up. He was now holding a small sprig of mistletoe in one hand.

"Very well. Then I declare this duel has begun!" The ghost announced before once more fading from existence. The crowd, which at this point had swollen to the point of practically filling the room, roared in excitement. Adrian heard quite a few screamed comments supporting his opponent, more than a few of which contained derogatory statements about the Bureau.

[Seems that my erstwhile allies aren't too popular around here. Makes sense, I suppose. No one likes someone else telling them what they can and cannot do.]

"You ready, lad?" Gavin asked. "Even if you are a novice, I have no intention of holding back."

Adrian fixed him with a confident smile. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

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[He doesn't have the aura of a true practitioner, so some kind of Knacked? Odd choice for the Bureau, but I suppose they can't even turn down someone like him considering their situation.] Gavin thought to himself as he surreptitiously started his summoning ritual. It had been a long time since any of his opponents had waited for him to make the first move, and he fully intended to enjoy it. After all, only a fool would give a summoner time to make his preparations. Just more evidence that the youth in front of him was a complete amateur.

After exchanging a little banter, he finished his first ritual and brought forth an Oak Lesidhe in the center of the dueling ring.

Erupting from the ground like a geyser, the massive tree man swiftly grew to the height of five meters, its gnarled wooden hands reaching out towards the novice, even as they continued to grow.

Summoning a Lesidhe was one of Gavin's favorite opening moves, since it simultaneously put pressure on his opponent with it's massive size and strength, and provided him cover and time to set up his next ritual. Even if the other side managed to kill the creature, it's large body would continue to limit their actions, and provide raw materials that Gavin could make use of later on in the duel.

His view of Adrian was obscured by his summoned creature, so he took a few steps to his right to both avoid blind counterattacks and keep his opponent in sight. Ordinarily, he would be staying on the move, trying to keep his enemy guessing about where the next attack would come from, but he hardly felt the need to do so now. After all, the kid hadn't even moved from the starting circle. He just seemed to be patiently waiting for the Lesidhe to reach him.

If not for the smile on Adrian's face, Gavin might have thought the kid was frozen in terror. However, he'd been in this game long enough to recognize confidence when he saw it.

[Let's see what yo-]

Gavin's thoughts were interrupted as the lights in the room seemed to flicker for a moment, bringing with it an unnatural chill that caused his breath to mist in front of his face. There was a flash of motion in the air in front of Adrian, accompanied by a roar of pain from the Lesidhe. The arm that was reaching towards the kid fell to the ground, severed at the elbow joint.

As the tree man reeled back in agony, its remaining hand clutching at the wound, Adrian took his first step forward. Almost as if to accompany the motion, another flash cut through the air and the Lesidhe's roar ceased, causing the room to descend into silence.

"An interesting start." The youth commented drily as the tree man fell into two bisected halves, giving Gavin a much more detailed look at the creature's anatomy than he'd like. "What else do you have?"

"Not bad at all, lad, but I'm just getting warmed up." Gavin shot back, as he finished his ritual. "Let's see how you handle this."