The Grand Catastrophe

…

Pandora was truly ecstatic. This was truly hilarious. The difference in views between Jircniv and the Slaine Theocarcy people was like looking at night and day. It was truly funny. It was so funny, that she nearly broke character to laugh out loud.

She didn’t, of course. That would be bad. Her mother wouldn’t get to fight a one-v-one if that happened. Why her mother was obsessed with the adventuring life, she had barely any idea. Though, in all likelihood, it was for a plan that she herself couldn’t comprehend. In the end, her mother got what she wanted.

“So, Jircniv, how have you been?” she asked, and the man blinked at her dumbly for a second with a stressed smile on his face.

“I have been well. May I ask why you are here on this fine day?” he asked, his face contorting as he said so.

“Well, I was simply wondering if you’d like my idea or not,” she said and leaned forward with the largest smile that her mother’s face could make, it wasn’t a large one, “the Adventurer’s Guild, what do you think about it?”

“Well,” he started, “It’s good for growing powerful people that the nation itself can use for defence and such related things. Though, I imagine you have a different view on it?”

“It’s the most lackluster thing I’ve ever seen,” she said simply.

Before Jircniv could respond, a sound came from the arena. The crashing of metal on metal as the Martial Lord struck at her mother in the guise Calvaria. The blow landed on the flat of her right sword. The blow was deflected of course, and she tilted her body to the side.

…

“Greetings, I am Calvaria of the Sorceress’s Kingdom Of Nazarick, and you are?” she asked the War Troll.

It was a simple introduction, and she hoped she got the feeling of a mutual warrior spirit with it. The Martial Lord nodded and spoke in turn. His voice was deep and gravely.

“I am Go Gin, The Martial Lord of this arena,” He sounded out, and bowed.

Calvaria did so as well. When she stood back up to full height, she noticed that Go Gin had taken some steps back. She then did so as well, assuming that this was the minimum length of engagement in the fights.

After a beat or two of waiting, the announcer sounded off the start of the one-v-one, and the two of them dashed for each other. He was fast, though he was slower than she had expected. His stats must have been more geared towards attack power, than agility.

He slashed down with his massive club, and she darted off to the side, and slashed with her left sword. He only just dodged out of the way, sensing the utter and total danger that she was. He rushed in again.

The crashing of metal on metal as the Martial Lord struck at Momonga in the guise Calvaria. The blow landed on the flat of her right sword. The blow was deflected of course, and she tilted her body to the side.

She stabbed forth with her left sword, and the tip of her blade penetrated into his gut. The Martial Lord pulled himself forward as he basically gutted himself. It was only after he swung in with his unarmed hand, that he noticed he wasn’t healing.

Calvaria dodged to the right and swung both of her swords to the side. This tore open the Martial Lord’s armor, and a little bit of his stomach. He roared in response, and jumped up and slammed down his club.

She rolled under the blow, and sent a stab with her left sword forward again. He twisted his body so his armor took the blunt of the blow and the point deflected off as best as it could. Still, the metal was cut deeply.

He chanted out a martial art she didn’t quite catch, and spun in place as his flesh finally started healing once more. Calvaria scowled under her helm, and parried the blow with her sword, and slashed out at his hand. He pulled back his hand, and swept up with his club, nearly catching her in the chest.

Then he did punch her in the chest, and she flew into the dirt far behind her. She could feel the crowds eyes on her, and she sighed. She was mainly here to just show how powerful the adventurers of her nation were. This was becoming a bit embarrassing to her, to be caught so easily in battle like that.

Calvartia sighed again, and stood up brought up her swords in an X as the club was brought down and cut in half by her defence. The War Troll reard back, shocked at this, and Calvaria darted into the fight again. He pulled back, and kicked the ground to through up dust.

She could see through the dust of course. Yet, she didn’t really want to stop the fight just yet. As he backed off toward that walls, a made came hovering in from the announcer area, and dropped in another weapon for the troll. He nodded his head in thanks, and rushed forward again.

She smiled and threw her sword, adding a flick to her wrist so it spun, and it stabbed him in the shoulder as he pulled it up to defend from a facial attack. She smiled under her helm again, starting to genuinely get into the fight.

Then he spoke. He asked her something that she hadn’t expected. She tilted her head in response.

“Yes, this is a fight! What else do you have, what other power can you show me!?” Go Gin asked, and she obliged.

…

Pandora in the guise of her mother was now rather happy. Her mother was happy, so she was happy. The fight had been going on for not but a minute or two, and she already had The Martial Lord on the backfoot.

“How’d she cut the club, my lady?” Fluder asked the undead, and Pandora looked at the man.

“Oh, that’s simple. Her swords are sharp, and she is strong. While normally, even if the swords were the sharpest in the world, if she didn’t have the power then the swords wouldn’t do so. Yet because the swords are strong, and she is strong, she can do so,” she answered in a very wordy way, as Fluder would expect her to respond in.

He nodded his head, happy at his question being answered. Jircniv simply watched, on the edge of his seat metaphorically and literally. He was hoping that The Martial Lord would win, yet as her mother planted her feet on the man’s chest, and hovered the tips of her swords over his eyes, he gave in and surrendered.

She then saw her mother shift her weight, and The Martial Lord could be seen speaking, at least to someone with as good of sight as her. She quirked up a brow at this, and leaned forward as her mother stepped off the man and spoke for all to hear:

…

“Are you not entertained!?”

There was silence, that was all that met her. Calvaria sighed in her mind as she raised both her swords up, and planted them in the dirt beneath her feet. She yelled out another line that might work.

“I have come here to fight The Martial Lord. I have come here to see the power of the people here. Yet, I find that only he is my equal. Power, that is what you lack. Power, that is something that I have, that my nation has,” she said for all to hear, and the now silent and waiting people wondered where this was going.

“My Queen, my Goddess, plans for strength, she grows and seeds strength. When I came to the Adventurer’s Guild, I found very little in the ways that it promised,” she lead into.

“It mislead me, it mislead you. Yet, My Queen and leader has plans for people that wish for strength. She wishes, and is currently, planning to integrate the Adventurer’s Guild into her nation. She wants you to grow, she wants you to adventure and find new things. So come one and all, come and grow. Come and be reborn!” she finished, and many in the crowds now cheered her name.

…