To Rule In Shadow

"You're a tough one lad, no doubt about it. I can see while the Bureau was content to let you roam freely, but don't think for a second that I'm done with just that much." The practitioner replied with a grin of his own.

[Still seems to be confident. Is he bluffing, or does he really think he can still win? In either case, it's time I put an end to all this.] Adrian thought while marshalling his will. The Hall was quick to respond to his mental demands, but he kept his guard up. At the moment, he didn't have any other choice but to depend on the entity.

He let the smile fall from his face, a subtle indication to his opponent that the nature of the conflict had changed. As an experienced duelist, he assumed that Gavin would notice the difference and act accordingly. With any luck, Adrian could scare out whatever trump card the man kept in reserve.

With a thought, he allowed his influence to spread across the dueling ring's floor. To observer's it must have seemed like his shadow had grown to massive proportions in a heartbeat. Some of those with quicker eyes might have noticed that the shape definitely did not belong to a human.

He attempted to have the practitioner enveloped in a wave of pure darkness, but he responded quickly, diving into a roll that nearly forced him out of the arena. As Gavin got to his feat, he was moving to fight back when the rest of Adiran's attack took form.

A sliver of shadow, almost too thin to be visible, was already whipping through the air. Before the practitioner had a chance to do anything at all, it slid through him at the c.h.e.s.t level.

For a moment everyone in the room held their collective breaths. Those members of the audience with the capacity to understand what was going on were watching with something approaching dread as their chosen champion looked down to examine the damage.

At first, it seemed like the attack had missed through some strange fluke, but soon a faint red line appeared on the man's torso. Blood began to ooze out of the wound as he slowly toppled backwards in two pieces.

The crowd burst into gasps of horror and revulsion. Adrian even heard a few calls of 'murderer' and 'killer' over the general clamor.

[Hmm...this is troubling. I had not intended on killing him. Wasn't the dueling circle designed to prevent this exact thing?]

He glanced over at the place the ghostly figure that was serving as the moderator had last vanished. If the opponent was dead, surely it should emerge to announce the victor. However, there was no sign of it. Looking back to the corpse, he noticed that it was beginning to disintegrate into glowing mist. While this might have been a feature of the circle, he found that hard to believe, since there was a much simpler reason.

[I see...it was a feint.]

The ground to his left suddenly erupted, as a completely unharmed Gavin emerged from the concrete, a wickedly barbed red spear leading the way. Had he not come to his sudden realization, Adrian might have been impaled on the deadly looking implement. As it was, the attack still came faster than he anticipated, meaning he had to take desperate action to respond.

With the spear only a few dozen centimeters from burying itself in his c.h.e.s.t, he only had enough time to speak a single word.

"Pavuk."

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However, he didn't have the time or inclination to think about that, as he was too busy processing what he was now witnessing.

A man dressed in an old-fashioned suit and a grinning mask was now standing between him and Adrian. When and how he appeared was something of a mystery to Gavin, but based on the lack of response from the judge, he was evidently some kind of summoned creature or minion.

[I may have to revise my estimation of the lad. He is most definitely some kind of practitioner, though I have no idea what school or philosophy he belongs to. I also don't like the look of that summon. Humanoid types are fairly rare, and there are only a few that have the ability to block that spear. If he has that kind of background, this could be a problem.]

Figuring that it couldn't hurt to fish for information while working out some kind of comeback strategy, he yelled with some humor in his voice, "So you've been holding out on me, lad. And here I thought I was the only summoner in this ring."

"One doesn't reveal all of their cards until they are sure they can win. Someone of your calibre understands, surely."

[Good. He's feeling chatty.]

"Aye, lad. You're right about that, though I admit I'm a bit impressed. Never seen a summon like your friend over there, and that's saying something. Don't mean to brag, but I'm something of an expert on these kinds of things."

"I would be surprised if you've ever encountered something like Pavuk. Let's just say he's not a traditional summon by any stretch of the imagination." The younger man replied with an enigmatic smile.

[And what is that supposed to mean?]

"My Lord," The masked figure spoke suddenly, "I sense a disturbance. I suspect the venue is in danger."

Adrian frowned. "Tell me the spec-"

The rest of his words were cut off by an explosion that rocked the building, causing the lights to flicker and trails of dust to fall from the ceiling. The audience responded quickly, bursting into the kind of panicked action that was common in times of disaster. After a second detonation, this time much closer, even the most diehard of Gavin's fans were scrambling for the doors.

He glanced over at his opponent and yelled, "It seems like we will have to put this confrontation on hold. There's something serious going on, and I need to be elsewhere."

"So you are running away the second a convenient excuse comes up. I'm a little disappointed, but I guess this is just how the Order does things." The youth shot back mockingly.

"Are you mad?! We could be under attack, or in the middle of some kind of natural disaster. If we don't evacuate soon, we will risk being buried under tons of concrete!"

Adrian nodded, "Well, that does seem to be the case. What of it?"

Gavin stared at him for a few seconds, unable to fully comprehend the level of arrogance contained within that statement. "What of it? What of it?! You will die! That's what!"

Another explosion shook the building, spurring the few members of the audience that still remained to even further heights of panic.

The youth smiled. "Now, now. We both know that something as simple as a collapsing building wouldn't be enough to cause any lasting harm to either of us."

Feeling a cold and sinking sensation in his gut, Gavin asked. "Alright, lad. What do you want?"

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"Well, it seems to me that if you want to leave, there will need to be some resolution to the duel. Isn't that right?" Adrian asked. Judging from the practitioner's slightly pale face, he guessed that he'd hit the mark.

He glanced around at the remaining spectators and noted that Abby and Cornelius had already vanished, much as he expected. In fact the only one that wasn't actively running for the door was Gavin's second, who was still standing in his assigned location, although beads of cold sweat were beginning to pour down his face.

[While it's a bit disappointing to see them abandon me so easily, this does make things simpler. Besides, I can use this as a bargaining chip in the future.]

"You're not wrong." Gavin spat, clearly becoming agitated. "The circle will not allow us to leave until one of us is declared a victor, or if we both agree to call it a draw. Which is what I suggest we do now."

"I refuse."

Gavin's fingers formed into grasping claws as his face became a mask of fury. However, after a few seconds it passed and he regained his usual composure. "That's a foolish choice, lad. I've been doing this for centuries, and I can promise you that I'm only getting started. Unless you've got something pretty impressive in reserve, we could be at this for hours. Truth be told, I'm not sure who'd win in the end, but I don't see it ending any time soon. If we don't call this duel a draw, we will at least be trapped here."

Adrian calmly looked him in the eye and said. "I refuse."

"YOU F.U.C.K.I.N.G RAT BASTARD! DO YOU WANT TO DIE!" Gavin screamed in rage, facing turning an ungly shade of red.

"Listen, the longer we argue about this, the more likely that we will get stuck here, so let me start by explaining a few things. Truthfully, I'm not really a member of the Bureau, though I was using their influence to get in here."

A fuming Gavin shot him a dirty look. "I kind of figured that out when they abandoned you without a second thought. They may not have the best reputation, but they aren't heartless scoundrels who'd leave their own to die without even trying to save them. Still, even if you are only an acquaintance, to leave like that is just plain cowardly."

For a moment, Adrian was at a loss for words. It seemed that Gavin was legitimately angered by his erstwhile allies' behavior.

[I had an inkling after talking with him, but I guess he really is an honorable sort. I didn't think that kind of person could make it in politics nowadays, but it seems he's a bit old-fashioned...hmph...I can use this.]

"Pavuk, you may return." He murmured quietly.

"Yes, My Lord." The creature replied with a bow, before vanishing into his shadow once more.

He faced Gavin again. "I'm an independent contractor of sorts, here on my own business. The Bureau was kind enough to get me an invitation in exchange for a promise to not cause too much trouble. Of course, I never said anything about challenging someone to a duel. Based on their reactions, I guess they didn't consider it a possibility."

"Cut to the chase, lad. What do you really want?"

"You see, my original purpose here was to extract a favor of sorts from one of the Order's higher ups. To make a long story short, in exchange for complying with my request, this individual wanted me to humble a certain famous duelist. I was to defeat him in his area of expertise in order to discredit him among his supporters as a means of influencing the coming election."

Gavin went still, head bowed slightly so that his eyes were hidden behind his bangs. In a gruff, quiet voice that was heavy with malice, he asked. "Who was it? Horatio? Xia? Tarn? That bastard Romanov? Who sold me out?"

"I'm afraid that would be a violation of my client's privacy, but I suspect that a little digging will get you the answer you want. I made no effort to keep my activities here a secret. In any event, I'm sure you can understand my position. A smart and experienced man like yourself must be well aware of what I'm getting at, so let me ask you something, Gavin Maldris."

Adrian paused to give the man a confident grin. "Would you like to make a deal?"