Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Tales of an Argonian Prince ❯ Search for the Magic Sword ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The sun shone brightly on the cliff face, highlighting the dotted green of the bushes that grew upon it. Its nearly shear cliff edge stood imposingly against the distant sky, blocking off fully half of the mountains that stood beyond them. It was unclear what stood at the top of this cliff, only that it had to be scaled in order for the young man that stood at the bottom to reach his objective. He smiled at the thought of a real challenge, so it was with happiness showing on his face that he took his first great leap onto the cliff face.

James was a spellsword. He wasn't a pure magician by a long shot, but he did know some powerful magic. For instance, the magic he was using now gave incredible strength to his muscles, allowing him to leap far through the air, jumping up the cliff face at tremendous speeds rather then having to slowly climb his way up. The warrior was practically flying up the wall when he caught a sound that gave him pause. He allowed his momentum to stop after carrying him safely onto a small ledge, and he listened closely for the sound he was almost afraid he'd just heard. It came again, confirming his suspicion and fear that metal on metal was sounding very near to the location the prince currently stood on.

He listened for only a few more moments before he took off once more, running horizontally across the rock to get to a better outcropping, one that looked as though it may well have been carved and worked by tools rather then a naturally occurring structure. He quickly found the source of the troubling sounds as he came across an opening in the cliff face. The Spellsword quickly cast a spell to strengthen the metal of his rune blade before he ran inside, sword drawn and ready for action.

He was hiding behind a small sheet of rock as he saw the real problem in full. A man in heavy armor and wielding a mace - a Cleric, by the look of the symbols that adorned his equipment - stood facing off against at least a dozen goblins. Sweat was beginning to form on his blonde brow as the athletic muscles resting below the blue undershirt and pants he wore to protect his from his chafing plate armor of steel and gold moved to carry him around and through his enemies. His ice blue eyes complimented the long, blonde hair that was revealed as a Goblin's club sneaked past his defense and knocked his helmet clean off, also giving the Prince a better view of the man's fair, almost delicate facial features.

That was all that James needed to see. He leapt from the cover of the place with a great battle cry, landing on the ground that was only a moment before in front of him and using the sheet of rock that had just been his cover to push off of at breakneck speeds toward the first of his victims, the one that had just given the Cleric's head a blow and was even now getting ready to follow up with a finishing blow. He passed by seeming nothing more then a blur, leaving in its wake two halves of what once was a whole goblin. Confusion hit its face as it dropped its club, its top half falling to the floor followed quickly by its crumpling legs before the light of life left its eyes.

An instant later, a blaze of fire escaped the tip of the sword James now had pointed at yet another goblin, tearing through the air in a single ray that burned a hole the size of a man's fist through its heart. It, too, fell to the ground and died. Around the time that James got around to beheading the third of his opponents, the remaining ten Goblins - and the Cleric - registered what was going on and got back to their fighting. The Cleric and the Spellsword stuck relatively close to one another, mace and sword working together to drive off the vicious attacks of the goblins that were now trying to get some sort of organized movement going against the deadly pair. However, holes invariably formed in their ranks, weaknesses that the Cleric's mace and Spellsword's blade were quick to exploit, taking a lung or cracking ribs, severing an arm or crushing a shoulder with every strike, standing back to back at times to fend off the enclosing circle of little green men.

The fight looked to be going the way the two wanted it to go. Most of the remaining ten were either dead or grievously wounded, waiting and practically begging to be finished off. It was not to last, though, for a mighty roar that James knew could only come from a Hobgoblin - those of the Goblin race who had become close to The Calamity and undergone a horrible transformation both physically and mentally - filled the cave, and the scampering, whimpering battle cries of another four dozen of the creatures could be heard filling the place as well. "This isn't good," James stated as he shoved his sword through the eye of the last of the original ten.

"No indeed," the Cleric agreed in a surprisingly high voice. "We can't sit around here for long; if they catch us, we won't be able to fend so many off."

"You have an escape plan?" James asked.

"No," the Cleric admitted.

"Then you shouldn't have gone into battle," he retorted.

"I was ambushed," the Cleric excused himself.

"You can tell me all about it later. For now, we need to escape."

"Agreed. Where?"

"Follow me," the Argonian prompted, and he lead the way back out of the cave to the cliff edge he had entered the cavern from.

"Brilliant," the Cleric stated. "We'll just jump off the cliff. That'll throw them off!"

"You're just full of great ideas!" James retaliated, answering the Cleric's biting sarcasm with his own. "We're going to climb, you idiot."

"Are you serious!?" the holy man exclaimed. "Nobody can climb this kind of shear rock face!"

"Climb on my back," the prince prompted. "I'll carry you if you can't make the climb yourself."

"You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding," the Cleric begged, though he knew far better then to ask such a foolish question. The yelping of goblins behind them quickly changed the Cleric's mind, however, deciding that this plan was better then the ones he wasn't coming up with at the time. And then they were off, flying as far as the Cleric could tell, leaving the ledge far behind as the pair jetted toward the top of the cliff.

At the speeds James was able to take them, they reached the top in practically no time. James knelt lower to the ground, allowing the surprisingly light cleric to remove himself from his position on the Spellsword's back. He rose to his full height, much taller then the Cleric was, and began walking off toward the center of the cliff, where a ruby tower was supposed to be standing.

"Wait!" the Cleric bade him, taking a few steps toward him before stumbling. James was there to catch him and help him lay on his back.

"Are you all right?" James asked.

"I'll be fine," the Cleric insisted. "I just got hit in the shoulder by one of their spears. I'll be fine before long."

"Are you sure?" the Argonian Prince asked. "I know a bit about medicine. Maybe I could take a look at it?"

"No, no, it's fine," the Cleric said, but already his voice was becoming slighter and slighter. "I just need... to rest....." He said no more, for he slipped off into sleep.

James knew that was bullshit. He started to work immediately, rolling the man on his back and undoing the straps to his breastplate and removing it over his head. Next, he took the undershirt from his slender back. He could see an area where the spear tip had pierced all the way through the shoulder. Thankfully, it looked like the hit had only gotten some of the muscle, leaving the man's bone structure in tact. He nodded as he reached within the small bag he kept at his side. This wound was purely physical, and while he couldn't fully treat it as a white magic user might have been able to, he could at least stop the bleeding and prevent infection. He knew herbs well enough to do such a thing. He placed the ingredients in a mortar and began grinding them into a paste before removing some bandages from the same pouch. He applied some of the paste directly to the man's wound before covering it with the bandage. The paste served to keep the bandage in place as well as the Prince turned the man on his back once more to take care of the worst of the wound, but when he did so he dropped the mortar and the bandage. "What the-" the Prince nearly shouted as he looked to the chest. "A woman!?"

***She woke up many hours later, eyelids blinking as the orbs beneath them adjusted once more to the light. It wasn't the light of the sun, she noticed, but rather that of a nearby campfire in the midst of a dark night. She just lay there for a few more moments, remembering what she had just been through before daring to begin moving. She looked up at the man she had just gone through battle and injury with, supporting her weight on her good left shoulder. It was only then that she noticed that her armor was missing - and her shirt. "What the hell?" she asked, sitting straight up and covering her chest, which she noticed was wrapped in bandages.

"You're awake," James obviously commented, turning from his night watch and back to her. "Sorry about removing your armor and shirt. I thought you were a man," he stated.

"Men receive far more respect then women," she explained, shrugging off any embarrassment she felt. "It's the way the world works right now. By disguising myself as a man, I'm able to make my words carry a bit more weight in the ears of commoners. Maybe someday that'll change?" She had to smile at that thought.

"Perhaps," James agreed. "It will be an interesting thing to see. Perhaps when it happens, the gentle sex will be able to knock some sense into ours?" The woman had to look up at him curiously then. Not many men were willing to admit that most men made little sense. "But we're getting off topic," James stated. "I don't believe you gave me a name to call you by." He smirked and added, "Unless you'd like me to call you 'Hey, girl.'"

"Mallory," the woman answered him. "Mallory of Wilmot. And what name should I call you by?"

"I am James. You wouldn't believe me if I told you where I come from."

"Try me," Mallory dared him.

"Of Castle Argion," James said, "The last of the Argonians and legitimate heir to the Argonian throne."

"Holy hell," Mallory gasped, gawking at the person she'd taken for a simple spellsword. "You're telling the truth!"

"You..." James started suspiciously. "You believe me?" he asked.

"I'm a Cleric," she stated. "The Lord Protector granted me two separate powers. First is the strength and agility of a warrior. Second is the ability to see into the hearts of men to discern any ill intentions they have. I see no deceit in your words, which means they can be only truth."

"I see," James stated, the last piece of the puzzle finally clicking into place.

"So," Mallory continued, standing for the first time since the fight, "Where are we?" She knew they weren't in the same place any longer because they were surrounded by trees now when only rock lay beneath her back before. Add to that fact that she'd just been laying under a bedroll and the question was complete.

"Goblins are creatures of darkness," James explained. "When daylight is about, they like to stay underground in favor of their light-sensitive eyes. However, when nightfall comes, they have no qualms about venturing out of their caves and onto the surface. We just killed a dozen or more goblins, and their commander - clearly a Hobgoblin - knows it. They'll be searching for us. I had to move you before nightfall came or they would have caught you sleeping, and I don't want to fight that number alone while protecting an unconscious ally at the same time."

"I see," Mallory replied simply. "What's for dinner?" she asked, again with a smirk on her face.

"I made-" The cracking of a twig quickly changed his mind. "We don't have time for dinner. Get your gear back on." He offered no further explanation, but simply drew his sword and sped off into the darkness. Mallory knew better then to ask questions. This person obviously knew what he was doing; if he told her to put her weapon and armor on, it was because she would need it very soon. As she finished donning her full plate armor(Minus the helmet, of course) and heavy mace once again, James re-entered the clearing, throwing a goblin corpse with a single slash across its throat at her feet. "Scouts," he stated. "Five of them. I got four, but one of them escaped. We have to move now, the enemy will know that we're here before long."

The two broke camp fully and headed into the woods at a good pace, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the goblins that either were or would soon be pursuing them through the forest. The air was tense enough about them to cut it with a rusty butter knife. Feeling discomforted by the feeling, Mallory broke the silence. "So," she started, "What brings the Prince of Argion out to the mountains of Cerenia?"

"I was taken from my homeland very soon after my birth and raised at an academy of Spellswords here in Cerenia," James explained. "That's how I survived Nicodemus attack. My old master told me that there is a powerful magic sword around here that I'm thinking to recover for myself. I'll need all the help I can get if I'm going to take my country back, after all."

"Oh?" Mallory asked. "That's interesting. Sounds really heavy."

"It is," James responded.

"So what is this sword called?" she asked.

"Nobody knows," James replied. "It only reveals itself to somebody who is able to prove worthy of being its master. So far, in the thousand years since its creation, nobody has been able to do such a thing."

"Then what makes you think you'll be able to make it happen?"

"Ambition," James told her, "And hope. Who knows? I just might get lucky. Besides, it's my best chance for victory and revenge."

"Then where is this sword of yours?"

"It's in a tower of rubies that should be near here. I've followed all the clues and tracked down its final location to this mountain specifically."

"A tower of rubies?" Mallory echoed. "Sounds valuable."

"The rubies are as nothing when compared to the sword within," James assured her. "I just need to think of what I can do after I get the sword."

"I hail from the town of Wilmot," Mallory told him. "It's a small town in Vallork. You can return there with me, if you like."

"What brought a Cleric of Vallork all the way to the mountains of Cerenia?" James asked, a playful echo of her earlier question.

"A pilgrimage to the Crystal Palace," Mallory answered. "I finished it and started making my way back home, but I learned of the goblins in these mountains soon after. I'm a warrior cleric; it's my duty to help calm the chaos and strife in this age because of it. I thought some lowly goblins would be as good a start as any."

"You just didn't expect there to be so many," James finished for her, to which the girl only nodded. "And then we had our chance meeting, and the story goes on from there."

"As a believer in the Lord Protector, I know that true coincidences are rare," Mallory stated. "I don't think we met on accident." Now it was James' turn to regard her strangely.

"An interesting opinion," he stated. "I'd like to discuss that more fully when we have the time."

"It seems to me that we have plenty of time right no-"

"Watch out!" James shouted as he drew his sword, tacking his traveling companion to the ground. An arrow flew overhead. "Goblins," he stated. "Keep heading in this direction. I'll slow them down here and meet you at the ruby tower."

"But-" Mallory started.

"Go!" James ordered, and he was off into the deeper part of the forest before she could protest again.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she near-whispered before getting to her feet and using her augmented physical abilities to run as fast as she could, just as the prince had instructed her. She stumbled and tripped several times, and she ran for so long that she could hardly remember when she had started. Then, she saw it, a tall tower of stone decorated generously with rubies. "This is it," she stated, and she ran in its front door, slamming it shut. She closed her eyes in the darkness, propping her back up against the wall and heaving a great sigh of relief before she allowed herself to rest.

***

James encountered the group only a few minutes after he had sent Mallory off toward the Ruby Tower. It could sense good and evil; it would let her in and destroy any of the creatures that tried to follow her inside. Meanwhile, he could take care of the enemies that were trying to kill them without another presence holding him back. The goblin advanced raiding party he came across was about a score in number. He knew well that there were far more of them then that, and so he knew that these were only a test to measure the enemy's strength. Well, he'd just have to show them exactly who they were dealing with. He smiled as he stalked in, slicing the arrows that the two advance guards loosed toward him. He cried out a great battle roar as he closed the distance between them, knocking the bow of one aside as he fired, causing him to take his ally between the eyes. His own neck was severed soon after by a simple reverse slash, and the prince was on his way toward the main group before they knew that their advance guard was gone.

The first of their number fell to a simple slash as the man came on, seemingly out of nowhere, in the enemy's face almost in the same instant they saw him. Before they had time to register his presence and attack, he had severed the arm and neck of a second goblin and chopped a third in half about the middle. As the enemies drew their weapons, he pierced a fourth through the middle, severing his spine and the major blood vessel that runs through the gut. He spun around his falling form and parried the oncoming blades of two more, ducking under a third attack and kicking out with his right leg to knock one opponent to the ground as he slashed the back of a sixth's legs, sending it howling to the ground. He leapt into the air afterward, allowing two thrusting spears and a slashing sword to pass under him as his spinning arms cut through the skull of victims number seven and eight.

He chanted as he came back down toward the ground, kicking to the side with both legs to knock the approaching opponents away from him. He landed in a kneeling position, thrusting his sword into the ground as it began glowing red. A separate plume of fire sprouted out of the earth to engulf each of the enemies who had just a moment before been ready to kill him, hot enough to cause their flesh to melt off of them in just a few moments. Howls of painful death surrounded the spellsword as he rose, shook the blood from his rune blade, placed it back in its scabbard and looked to the forest around him. The enemy would be coming soon, and in greater numbers. If he knew goblins - and he hoped his studies had made him familiar enough with their tactics - a secondary wave would be coming soon, followed by the third and final attack wave. He had a chance now to prepare the battlefield exactly as he wanted it. This next fight would indeed be great fun...

***

The Hobgoblin was favored among Malekius' servants. As proof of that, he was a hobgoblin. With the strength of a god behind him, there was no way he was going to lose to a human or two. Therefore, when his scouts returned to tell him that the entire advance raiding party had been destroyed, he was quick to dismiss that fact - it was expected, after all - and sent the second wave out immediately so as not to leave his enemy time to recover. Meanwhile, he had taken the third, final and largest attack wave to the scene of the battle. What he found there was disturbing. Only seven of his men appeared to have any sword wounds on them at all; the rest appeared to have had the flesh burned completely off of them. "Majik," he spat. "Thisum' gonna be majik. Bringum' up de' Shaman." He still had a wicked smile on his face as he continued his advance well behind the second wave. This was going to be an interesting fight.

***

James was standing out in the open, just waiting for the goblins to come at him. He had set the entire battlefield up exactly the way he wanted it. The goblins would not last long in their second-wave attack. He could sense many things simply by hearing and smelling what was going on around him. It was therefore no surprise when the yelps of two goblins sounded behind him along with the ruffling of trees; two of his traps had been sprung. They were followed by yelps as the most potent part of his trap took effect. The falling of logs sounded soon after, as did the twanging of taught trees coming back upright. Squishing and splurging sounds came from a closer location, and the yells and painful howls of those falling into his pit traps came soon after.

He smiled as the chaotic sounds of panic predictably followed, the troops falling into disarray after the traps designed to decimate their command structure worked like clockwork. The fear-stricken goblins ran straight from one trap into another, sending them fleeing from the dangers in a path that James had predicted and produced before hand, thinning the substantially greater numbers of their ranks. He smiled as the first of them came into the clearing, and he easily glided over to it to cut it down, leaving it to bleed to death on the ground with no throat. The second ran into the clearing soon after and was taken down from a distance by a blast of magical force that cut his body apart like a blade. The third, fourth and fifth came on together, so James launched a wave of fire from his blade to consume them. And finally, the largest group - one of five - came into the clearing. Thinking they at last had the positioning and greater numbers needed to take down the enemy, the came on furiously at them. James could only smile. He put his blade to the front of his face, its edge bisecting the view of his eye as he placed his left hand on the hand guard. He gave a few muttering and watched as a more enormous version of the weapon appeared in front of him, made entirely of scorching flames. He smirked and gave his sword a single wave as his enemies stopped to reconsider their course of action. By the time they'd made their decision, however, they were covered in the deadly flames of the powerful spellsword's magic.

"That's enough for now," James said, not caring if he'd gotten them all or not. He'd gotten enough, and he was fairly certain that there were some traps left over to take down a few more, or else begin stunting the numbers of the third attack wave before they could get going. Similar traps wouldn't work again, not after he'd just used them a few seconds ago, so James wouldn't try it. The next battle would be a straight fight, and James intended to be ready for it. He had to get that sword!

He traveled through the woods for nearly a full hour before the first of his pursuers caught up with him, engaging him in a minor skirmish. That fact let him know that the enemy had split off into smaller groups to come and search for him, a fact that he had anticipated from a Hobgoblin. He dispatched them quickly with a combination of swordsmanship and magic before continuing on his way.

Finally, he came to it: the tower of rubies. He would be safe in there, if he could only get in without incident. He blasted straight for it, knowing that another attack group was hot on his heels. He didn't look back at the sound of a great explosion, knowing that it was most likely just the tower's defenses acting to protect the treasure of goodness that was to be found inside. He threw the door open as he arrived and slammed it behind him, his momentum carrying him a few steps before he fell back on his rump. "Hey," a feminine voice greeted him.

"Hello, Mallory," James managed through his semi-heavy breaths.

"I'm glad you're okay," she told him, helping him to his feet.

"No worse for the wear," James agreed. "Now, let's go get that sword." He turned around and placed a hand on Mallory's shoulder, guiding her into the darkness. He blinked a few times as the place suddenly lit up, the torches along the walls bursting into flames as if on their own. James smiled as he walked down the halls, heading for the winding staircase that would lead him to the top of the tower, or so he assumed, and his intended prize.

***The Hobgoblin was most displeased. There was some sort of magic that was preventing his men from approaching the tower in which the one who had become his nemesis just fled into. Even now, his Shaman - tribal sorcerers of the savage races - were working on a way to get the barriers down, but so far they hadn't come up with the first spell to work on it. He was growing impatient. And in his impatience, he did perhaps the one thing he should never have thought to do. He confronted the head Shaman. "What you for to be why!?" he demanded, a nonsensical question to any regular person, but one that made perfect sense to the barbaric Goblins.

"We's be tryin to for gettin' it!" the Shaman protested. "This'm bein' super wow big!"

"You's gonna gets it good," the Hobgoblin instructed them, "Or you's me gonna make be grrr." And the Shaman knew for sure that his life was on the line.

***

James was there, in front of the ultimate goal of this journey. He was standing face to face with the magical sword whose name was unknown to men. Said to be the greatest among the ancient swords of power, this blade had the potential to double, perhaps even triple the warrior's ability if only he could master it. That was a worry for later, though. Right now, he just had to make sure it didn't eat him alive. He approached the pedestal slowly, carefully, hoping that he would be all right. He noticed Mallory approaching beside him and decided that he didn't mind. He'd need some emotional support for this one; if he screwed up, his life would be over.

And then, as if to mock that sentiment, Mallory's advance was suddenly, abruptly stopped. A wall of invisible force seemed to appear out of nowhere, allowing James to pass through it, but causing Mallory to bounce off of it. "Are you okay?" James asked, but he found that he couldn't pass back through to check.

The young Cleric knew she couldn't follow him through, so she simply placed her hand on the invisible wall. "Be careful in there," she bade him.

"I will," James promised. He stood looking for a few more moments before turning around and approaching the pedestal. He expected the sword to rise out of it, or perhaps for the pedestal to part and reveal it, but he found that nothing was happening and was quite confused by the fact. He looked it over, wondering if perhaps some sort of hidden message was to be found on it. Still, he found nothing. Finally, he dared to touch the pedestal. His vision suddenly went white, and he wasn't sure what was going on for quite some time. When he got his orientation back, he saw that the room had been transformed. "Or perhaps I've been transported?" he mused.

"That is correct," a voice told him, but he couldn't place its location.

"Whose there?" he asked, reaching for his sword. But then he noticed that it was gone, and he had no defense.

"Why do you need me?" the voice asked.

"What?" James demanded. "Who are you? What is this place? Where is Mallory?"

"Your friend is fine," the voice promised. "I have done nothing, save to you, who have touched my pedestal."

"You're the tower?" James assumed, still trying to get a grip for what was happening.

"That is not correct," the voice responded.

"The sword then," he assumed once more.

"Why do you need me?" was its cryptic response.

"For the defeat of evil and retaking of my homeland."

"And for revenge," the sword finished, giving James a bit of pause. "Your mind is revealed," the sword stated, and the next thing he knew, James was back in the tower. He found a sword at his side and drew it, finding that his old sword was still there. So it hadn't come to him... but it hadn't killed him either. What did that mean? He could only guess.

"James?" Mallory asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," James admitted. He looked over to her, suddenly curious. "What did you see?" he asked.

"What? Nothing happened, you just touched the pedestal."

"I... What?" He sighed, held up a hand and shook his head. "I understand. Come on, I think somebody's waiting for us." He began walking down to the base of the tower; it seemed that there was another test he would need to pass before the sword would let him have it.

***"It be go poof!" the Shaman shouted.

"What?" the Hobgoblin demanded.

"It be go poof! You come! You watch!" The shaman scurried off as fast as his stubby legs would carry him, rushing out to the field between the forests and the tower. At that, the hobgoblin smiled. He gave a great howl of rage, unsheathing his jagged-edged sword and pointing it toward the tower, the call for his men to charge the field. And so they did.

***

James didn't like it when he left the tower to find what must have been over a hundred little green men headed straight toward the tower. This was certainly the largest group that had come at him thus far. He was only one man, not an army, and he had trouble seeing how he was going to fight all of them off without the sword. "Perhaps this is my test?" he wondered. "Stay here, Mallory. I'll handle this."

"Are you stupid?" came the woman's response. James looked over at that to find her mace already drawn. "We're in this one together. How could I, a warrior cleric, just sit back and watch as you get yourself sliced to pieces?"

James smiled and looked back across the field. "Then let's do this thing," he bade her, seeing that there was no way he was keeping her safe and out of this one. Besides, she had a point. Killing goblins was the job she had taken on when she came here; it wasn't likely that she would be sitting out now that the goblin killing was about to commence. He nodded to her once, and then the pair charged the field as well.

He didn't know why, but as he approached, James saw surprise on the faces of the goblins. Surely they had expected him to charge at them. Perhaps there was something behind him? Or perhaps they hadn't been expecting the cleric? He didn't know. Quite frankly, he didn't care. He used that to his greatest advantage, quickly conjuring another blade of flame and wiping out several of them with a single sweep of his sword. He dove into the enemy ranks soon afterward, cutting through them in as small a combat as he could engage them in at a time, trying to force his way through the Goblin hoard and to their leader, the Hobgoblin. Again, he couldn't discern why, but he found that he was having an unsettling easy time with it, for the Goblins seemed concerned with something other then James. Again, he didn't concern himself with it, but pushed on toward the Hobgoblin.

And finally, he was there. It was James and the Hobgoblin, both with swords drawn, facing each other in single combat amid the chaos. He didn't know why the goblins weren't coming for him, simply allowing the Spellsword and the Hobgoblin to hack at each other, but he didn't question it right now. He simply waded in toward him, sword cutting an X-like pattern before him. The Hobgoblin deftly parried both strikes with a reversed X-patterned slash, reversing exactly the angles at which James came in. He actually moved in for his own strike then, thrusting his jagged-edged sword toward James' middle. The rune blade came down, sweeping the strike out wide and immediately reversing its momentum to sweep in, slashing toward the Hobgoblin's chest. It leapt back, dodging the attack and separating the two combatants from this round of combat.

Round two began shortly after, this time with the Hobgoblin dancing in to meet the blade of his Argonian opponent. Metal clanged against metal as parry after parry was exchanged in so furiously swift an exchange of blades that it seemed impossible for two mortal beings to be producing it. The Hobgoblin once again tried to break the combat by leaping high into the air, but James followed him with a thrust of his legs. The two gave a furiously twisting exchange in midair, neither having drawn blood from their opponent yet. They landed no more then ten feet away, and the Hobgoblin immediately turned and began to charge in. James answered by bringing his sword up and pointing it at the hobgoblin, trying to channel a line of fire through it.

Nothing happened.

"Gyaa!" James shouted as he was forced to roll forward and through the legs of the approaching hobgoblin.

'You must not use your magic,' a familiar voice instructed him.

"I see..." James muttered, but he had no time to reflect on that thought. He was thrust back into the thick of it, parrying and dodging attacks, giving his own twisting and dancing attack in return. Neither of the two was gaining any ground, and so it came to the attention of James that the battle had to be ended quickly. At the next break in the combat, he looked to his opponent, speaking simply so that he would understand. "Passes," he suggested through heavy breaths.

The Hobgoblin thought about that for a while, likewise breathing heavily. He had never faced an enemy like this before; the humans he'd killed in his life had mostly been soft-bellied newcomers to battle. Not this one, though. He clearly knew the sword, and knew it well enough to know what passes even were. He would respect this one's wishes, then, and he would give his worthy opponent the chance to die in the most honorable of duels. "Passes," he agreed, likewise speaking simply so that the human would understand.

And so it was decided. Both of them looked to the other, their swords tightly gripped in both hands. And then they were running at each other, leaping into the air barely five feet from one another. As they passed each other, they exchanged several blows with their blades, twisting in mid-air and trying to catch the other off guard. Then, they landed, their momentum forcing them to slide across the ground for a few feet before they ran at each other again, leapt through the air when they came close and skidded to a stop all over again. This was the most formalized, swiftest form of dueling in all of Bilovea, taught to all manner of highly skilled people from the most well-trained of duelists to the most savage barbarians.

And it was finally ended in the seventh pass, James' rune blade flashing out alongside the Hobgoblin's jagged blade. Both felt the impact as their blades hit their opponent, and both felt the sting from a sword cutting through them. They held their ground this time as they skidded to a halt, wondering who had at last won the duel. The answer came as the hobgoblin's top half fell from his waist, hitting the ground as the great general sighed his last breath of life. James chuckled as he lifted his left arm, seeing the line of red that had appeared on his side. He would have to take care of that...

The gravity of the situation hit him then. Mallory! She was still in the fray, fighting the goblin armies that may or may not have known their leader was dead. "Mallo-" he shouted out as he turned to look for her, but the sight that he saw dispelled that fear. Men made entirely from the rubies that had just a moment ago been in the tower were standing amid a field of goblin corpses, the victorious Mallory among them. "That was quite a show," the Cleric stated with a smirk. "You all right?"

"I'll be fine," James assured her. "Just a flesh wound." He looked to the ruby-men, and a smile came to his face as well. "Made some new friends, have you?" he asked.

"Yep. They're especially great for conversation," Mallory played along, drawing a chuckle from the Spellsword.

"I think we're done here," James stated.

"But- the sword!" Mallory protested.

"It spoke to me," James told her, "And it did not kill me. However, it did not come to me either." He looked to the now ruby-stripped tower with a smile and a salute. "The master doesn't choose the sword in this case. Rather, the sword chooses the master," he explained. "If I'm lacking in some way, I just need to try harder to-" and there he was cut off, thrust head-first back into the realm of blinding white that he had seen before.

"I have made my decision," the sword stated.

"Have you?" James asked, his eyes still trying to adjust to the light.

"I will travel with you, for in doing so it is clear that the cause of good will be served."
"I thought you would be able to tell that in our first meeting," James said, asking for an explanation. None was fourth coming, save that the bright white disappeared, and James soon found himself back on his home plane. A brilliantly colored sword floated in the air before him, its blade seeming to be of fine silver, its hand guard embedded with rubies, its grip made up entirely of the precious gem. Tentatively, James grasped the hilt of the sword, watching it as he did so. He felt a sudden loss of weight at his left side. As he looked down, he saw his old sword and its sheath gone, replaced instead by a brilliant scabbard to hold the magical weapon in his hands now. As he looked back to the blade, he saw that its sides now had runes upon them, glowing as bright a red as the rubies upon it. The one problem with it was that the blade was incredibly short, little longer then a dagger.

Only after he had examined the sword did James notice that the jewel-men that he had just before been standing among had disappeared. Perhaps the sword had always known it was going to help him after all, and this test was one that he needed to see rather then an evaluation by the sword. "Very well," he commented, putting the short blade in its short scabbard.

"You mean to tell me that this is your majestic magical sword?" Mallory asked skeptically.

"That's right," James stated. "Now I just have to learn how to use it."

"I see," Mallory said dryly, skepticism still in her voice.

"Back to Vallork?" James asked.

"Back to Vallork," Mallory agreed. They were, after all, both wounded and in need of shelter. Besides, this trip would give them a chance to get to know one another better. Judging just by what had happened today, the girl was fairly sure that she was in for one hell of an adventure.

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All right! That's chapter 2. Please join us in Tales of an Argonian Prince, where things are going to start getting complicated! More main characters are going to be introduced as Prince James sets out to make a name for himself in the land of Vallork! It's all coming up in Chapter 3: The Circle of Colored Fears! Don't miss it!