Goblinsbane Ch. 04: Underachiever

Ji-ah squeezed her way to the front of the semicircle that had surrounded the man and the elf. "Eredwal," she called out, but he seemed to ignore her. "Eredwal! Please, not in here! Remember the rules."

"Fine," Eredwal replied without taking his eyes off of the elf. "You and me. Outside. Now." He jabbed a couple of fingers against Cindahlion's breastplate. "But take off that armor, first." He then stormed past Cindahlion and made his way to the door.

As graceful as a cat, the elf moved out of the way and laughed at Eredwal's back. The crowd parted as the Goblinsbane stormed out of the registration area.

"I wonder if this place is always so exciting," Kassus said. Out of the corner of her eye, Sabine saw he had a big smile on his face. Her friend always did enjoy watching brawls. She was reminded of a schoolyard again, which, coincidentally, was where she and Kassus first met decades ago.

"Kassus, be ready for trouble," she instructed.

He nodded, his smile disappearing. "Yes, Blessed Speaker. I'm ready."

"Trouble?" Maka asked from behind them. "More trouble than what's already about to happen?"

"Fights like this can sometimes get out of control," Sabine said as the party began to follow Eredwal outside. There was a whole crowd headed outside as well, so their progress slowed to a shuffle.

"The only one who's in for any trouble is the other guy," Maka whispered. "The Goblinsbane is going to knock his block off!"

Kassus laughed. "That would be something to see!"

They made it out of the adventurers guildhall a minute later. The sky had been gray the entire day, and it had been drizzling on and off, but now the rain was starting to fall more heavily. Despite the weather, Eredwal still had a crowd following him to the training field beside the building. He stuffed the quest notices into a pocket then removed his shirt, revealing that his athletic body was as tan as his face. From his waist up, he wore nothing except the bangles that he acquired from the unusually large and powerful orc skeleton he and the party fought in the Fallen Fort of Falo Forest.

It took several minutes for an armorless Cindahlion to arrive. Another group of people followed him and joined the existing crowd. There were now at least twenty adventurers of all shapes, sizes, and specialties forming a circle on the field. Some raised the hoods of their cloaks to try to keep the rain off their heads. A couple spellcasters used magic to stay dry. Maka had an umbrella that she held up using telekinesis and shared with Sister Sabine. The rest of the audience simply ignored the rain, because it wasn't every day that they got to watch two high-level adventurers fist fight.

Sabine watched Eredwal stretch in preparation. She didn't approve of what was about to happen, but she didn't attempt to talk him out of it, for in that brief exchange between him and the elf, she could tell the animosity between them had been building up for years. She got the impression that this fight needed to happen.

Still, she was ready to intervene if the brawl got out of hand. She was also ready to heal both brawlers once they got the aggression out of their systems.

Kassus nudged her with his elbow. "Look at that, Blessed Speaker. He's a worshipper of Radain Brih." Her friend gestured toward Cindahlion, who had removed a necklace with a holy symbol from inside his shirt. Sabine squinted at it and saw that it was, indeed, a symbol of Radain Brih, the Dawn Father and the Divine Husband of Mirea the Harvest Mother. She watched him say a quick prayer before kissing the four-pointed star and then tucking it back inside of his shirt.

"He might be a Dawn Warrior," Kassus said, sounding as though he was thinking out loud. "That armor of his looked like something a Dawn Warrior would wear."

Sabine was surprised by Kassus's observation. Dawn Warriors were paladins of Radain Brih. Just like Sabine and her sisters were imbued with the divine power of Mirea, Dawn Warriors were imbued with the power of their god. She had often heard that they were heroic defenders of the innocent and paragons of virtue. If what Kassus said was true, then it would have been a shame that this particular Dawn Warrior was so arrogant, and that he had such a contentious relationship with one of her newest friends.

"You do realize that it's too late to call this off, right?" Cindahlion smiled while gesturing to the circle of people around them. "If you back out now, all these fine people will see how much of a coward you are. But if you go through with this, I'll humiliate you in other ways. Either way, it'll be cathartic for me."

Eredwal, his boots already splattered with mud, stepped to the center of the circle. He took two practice jabs at the moist air, rolled his shoulders, then assumed a martial arts stance. "Stop jibber-jabbering and square up, already, you sugary tart."

Cindahlion's smile faded. He stepped closer and assumed a martial arts stance that had a distinctly elven style to it. "I've been waiting a long time to slap some respect into you, Underachiever."

"Yeah, well, I've spent a long time without you ever crossing my mind. But once you showed up and started running your mouth, I immediately remembered how much you suck." The two of them began to circle one another.

Eredwal wasn't done with his taunts. "I'm going to kick your teeth so far down your throat, you'll be able to chew with your asshole."

There was a collective "Ooh!" from the crowd. Sabine cringed at the unpleasant imagery.

Cindahlion frowned. At that exact moment, Eredwal charged forward and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. Unfortunately for him, the paladin blocked or avoided every one. When the Goblinsbane left himself open, his opponent punched him in the ribs and then rammed his forearm into the side of his face.

Eredwal staggered back while the crowd uttered another "Ooh!", along with other sounds of excitement. Blood pooled in his mouth, so he spit it out.

"First blood goes to me, Underachiever." Cindahlion grinned. "You're welcome to try again. But try harder next time. These people deserve more than a one-sided battle."

Eredwal growled and charged once again, this time going for a tackle. Cindahlion dodged out of the way at the last moment and tripped him. Eredwal recovered quickly by rolling, turning around mid-roll, then advancing for another series of strikes. But again, the preternaturally graceful elf avoided or blocked every attack. A swift, short uppercut caused Eredwal to stumble back once more, this time on wobbly legs.

Sister Sabine abhorred senseless violence like this, yet she couldn't help but feel invested in the fight. Eredwal was her friend, and he was getting beaten up by a stranger. She felt compelled to intervene, stop the match, and heal him, but she didn't, for she knew that would do harm to his ego that a prayer of healing couldn't fix. Like it or not, this fight would have to come to a natural end.

"What are you doing, Goblinsbane?!" Kassus called out after Eredwal got kicked in the back of the knee, then punched so hard he fell face-first into the mud. "You're leaving your left side open! Hands up! Left side!" Sabine was glad to hear Kassus supporting their party mate in his own way.

Cindahlion gave Eredwal plenty of time to wipe the mud from his face and fumble back to his feet, rather than follow him to the ground to hit him while he was down. "I am thoroughly disappointed, Eredwal! This scenario has played through my mind countless times, and not once did I imagine it would be this easy to humiliate you. Not only do you quest like a rookie, you fight like one, too."

The front of the Goblinsbane's body was covered in mud. There was already a bruise on the corner of his mouth, as well as another one forming around his eye. His breaths were heavy, and when he put his hands up, they hung a little low, indicating fatigue. In contrast, his grinning opponent looked fresh and energetic, and his hair looked magnificent in spite of the rain.

To Sabine, Eredwal looked like he was getting whooped, whereas Cindahlion looked like he had just finished a cool, relaxing swim.

Eredwal made another attempt to do some damage to Cindahlion, but it was feeble. The paladin parried his strikes without much effort. And when Eredwal tried a low kick intended to knock his legs out from under him, Cindahlion leaped high into the air, somersaulted, and landed behind him. A kick to the back of Eredwal's shoulders drove him face-first into the mud again. The elf's chime-like laughter filled the air as the Goblinsbane got back up.

Sabine couldn't believe how outmatched her friend was, especially since she had seen him fight on multiple occasions. None of the speed, savagery, and tactical cleverness he used against goblinoids was on display here.

She wondered if Eredwal only knew how to fight monsters.

"I think that's enough, don't you?" Cindahlion asked. "You may yield, now."

Eredwal wiped the mud and rain from his eyes, then assumed a shaky fighting stance. "No more...talk...Cindy." He struggled to speak, for he was sucking in air as though he had nearly drowned. "Come on...and fight!"

"This isn't a fight," Cindahlion said as he approached. "This is a lesson in how you should respect your betters." His hands were up, but there was a casualness in his demeanor that indicated he didn't see his opponent as a threat.

"And that lesson is about to come to an end!" The instant the elf said 'end', he dashed forward with speed that was surprising enough to make someone in the crowd gasp.

But as fast as Cindahlion was, Eredwal finally proved that he was faster.

Cindahlion intended to end the fight with a kick to the side of the head, but Eredwal ducked. The paladin's foot struck nothing but raindrops, and his momentum caused him to spin around too quickly and nearly lose his balance. His eyes wide with surprise, Cindahlion was about to lift his hands back up to defend himself, but Eredwal delivered a stiff chop to the front of his neck before he could.

"Ack! Uck! Uck!" Clutching his neck, Cindahlion dropped to his knees.

Moving behind the kneeling elf, Eredwal spit more blood onto the ground before wiping his mouth with a ropey forearm. "Yeah, this was a lesson, all right. I learned that you're pretty good. Not great, but good.

"But I'm tired of getting my ass kicked. Get up."

Some members of the crowd cheered while others groaned in disappointment. Kassus laughed. Maka clapped, happily. Sabine only smiled a little, feeling somewhat confused but happy to see the Goblinsbane back to his usual self.

Eredwal seemed to have a lot more energy than he did mere moments ago. His hands were up, his breathing was easier, and he bounced on the balls of his feet. The man who lay in the mud, on the verge of defeat, was nowhere to be found. "C'mon, get up, I said. Let's finish this right."

Eventually, Cindahlion stopped making choking sounds and got back to his feet. Sabine could tell that he was angry, and she guessed everyone else could tell, too, because his beautiful face was pulled into a tight expression of unattractive rage.

There was no more gloating or taunting from either the man or the elf. Both of them now silent, they stood a few meters apart, each of them in their own fighting stance, and each one staring daggers into the other.

The crowd was quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were of rain pattering rooftops, puddles, or the ground, as well as the sound of Eredwal's boots squishing the mud whenever he bounced from one foot to the other. For several tense seconds, it didn't seem like either of them was willing to make the first move.

Before the waiting became awkward, Eredwal smiled a tiny smile and dashed forward. He moved so fast that Sabine's eyes could barely keep track of him, which was an experience she doubted she would ever grow used to.

Cindahlion seemed to have trouble keeping track as well, because there was a confused, frantic quality to his parries and dodges. Eredwal quickly got a jab through the paladin's defense. His knuckles connected with his jaw in a punch that was so precise, so hard it nearly dropped him. Another punch got through soon after, this one hitting the elf's gut and making him double over. Each attack, whether they were blocked or not, drove the elf backward or threatened to put him on the ground.

Eredwal sent a left hook toward Cindahlion's pretty face, but he blocked it with a forearm. The Goblinsbane then caught him off guard by grabbing the wrist of the blocking arm and yanking it down. The paladin's eyes went wide as he lost his balance, and then they squeezed shut when a knee smashed into his nose.

"Ungh!" Cindahlion's head whipped back. Water from his long, damp hair got flung into the air along with blood from his broken nose.

The crowd reacted, loudly, to the savage knee strike. Sabine watched in silence while Kassus cheered and Maka covered her mouth with her hands.

Eredwal didn't let go of Cindahlion's wrist. Instead, he yanked him toward him and followed up with a clothesline that struck his opponent high on the chest. The clothesline impacted with such force that it caused the elf to flip backward and then crash to the ground, face first.

Finally, the elf got covered in mud like the man.

The Goblinsbane took a few steps back, allowing the paladin time to recover. "Even though you were obnoxious about it, I did appreciate how you offered me a chance to yield. I'm giving you the same chance, now. Do you want to yield, or do I have to knock you out?"

Cindahlion's gaze snapped up, and his gaze locked onto Eredwal's. The Goblinsbane grunted in surprise, because the paladin's eyes were glowing with a white-gold light. The glow spread to Cindahlion's fists as he stood. Members of the audience gasped in shock or muttered in disapproval.

"Hey, now!" Eredwal exclaimed. "You aren't supposed to use magic in a fist fight!" There were mutterings of agreement from the crowd. But before anyone could do something more than complain, Cindahlion thrust a finger at Eredwal and shouted in a voice that boomed all around the training yard.

"I SWEAR on my HONOR as a DAWN WARRIOR, I will NOT be defeated by a PEON such as YOU!"

The light emanating from the paladin's eyes and fists intensified. Screaming, he ran at his opponent and threw a punch that was so swift, Eredwal could barely duck out of the way. He followed up with an overhead smash that Eredwal tried to block with both forearms, but Cindahlion was drawing upon superhuman might that couldn't be withstood. His arm smashed into Eredwal like a maul, breaking through his defense and stunning him. Another vicious strike caught the Goblinsbane right on his cheek, sending him spinning and flying. Mud splashed on some of the bystanders when he crashed near them.

The people in the crowd were unified in their outrage.

"That's not fair!"

"I can't believe it! A paladin cheating?!"

"Is he going to kill the Goblinsbane?"

"Maybe he's already dead."

Sister Sabine took a step forward to put a stop to the fight, but Kassus grabbed her upper arms, halting her.

"What are you doing, Kassus?! Unhand me!" She tried to wrench her arms away, but her bodyguard's grip was too strong.

"No, Blessed Speaker! It's too dangerous! The elf is out of control!"

Beside them, Maka was preparing a spell. But before she could cast it at the raging paladin, a trio of burly adventurers stepped into her line of sight and tried to calm things down.

"Look, Mr. Paladin, sir, I think that's enough," one of the adventurers said, approaching Cindahlion from behind. The moment he put a hand on the paladin's shoulder, he got backhanded, that single strike sending him tumbling to the ground. With a couple more quick hits, the other two adventurers got knocked down, too. Sabine now understood why Kassus stopped her, but that didn't stop her from from trying to get out of his grasp.

Eredwal was still conscious, but he was in bad shape, to say the least. Blood poured liberally from his nose and mouth, and he struggled to get back to his knees.

Cindahlion marched in front of him, grabbed his mohawk, held his head still, and pulled his glowing fist back. "This ends NOW!"

Around them, most of the adventurers stared in shock or fascination while others turned away, because it appeared as though the paladin was about to murder the Goblinsbane in cold blood.

Thankfully, it didn't come to that. The bangles on Eredwal's wrists began to vibrate. One of his hands shot up between the elf's legs and his fingers closed around his crotch. The elf doubled over, and there was a high-pitched whine that spread throughout the field. It took Sabine a few seconds to realize that the whine was coming from Cindahlion.

The men in the audience cringed. Boffi the dwarf turned away and wretched.

Eredwal, coughing, forced himself back to his feet. One of his eyes was shut, and one of his cheeks was already darkened by a black-blue bruise. Using his good eye, he stared the elf in the face.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Cindy. Cheating in a fist fight? I don't think your god would approve." He lifted the elf off the ground with only one arm. The whining sound grew higher in pitch, which caused the surrounding men folk to cringe even more.

Eredwal pulled his free hand back, closed it into a fist, and sent it crashing into Cindahlion's chest. The elf got launched back, and the crowd that was in his flight path scrambled to get out of the way. He flew out of the training field, landed on the ground, and rolled several times before settling on the side of the street, unmoving. The light that radiated from his hands faded.

Eredwal's bangles stopped vibrating. He dropped to his knees, and a few seconds later he fell, face-first, into the mud.

"Eredwal!" Maka exclaimed before rushing to him. Kassus finally released Sister Sabine, and together they rushed over, too. Meanwhile, other adventurers among the crowd ran to Cindahlion.

As the first one to get to Eredwal, Maka tried to roll him onto his back. Sabine helped to roll him over so she could get a close-up look at his condition. Although he was seriously injured, she had seen much worse.

Images of a blood-soaked battlefield invaded her thoughts, all of a sudden. Instead of hearing rainfall and the confused chatter of adventurers in the crowd, she heard men screaming in pain and panic. Instead of kneeling beside her new friend, she knelt beside an armored knight whose head had been smashed to a pulp by a flail. It took her some effort to shake these horrors of the past out of her mind so she could focus on the problems of the present. Someone needed her help and healing, and so she would provide.

Eyes closed, she placed one hand on Eredwal's forehead, one hand on his sternum, and prayed. "Mother of All, please grant me the power to heal your wounded warrior." A nourishing green radiance enveloped her hands. Without opening her eyes, she placed one palm upon Eredwal's forehead, and the other one underneath his jaw. She pictured Eredwal's injuries in her mind and imagined them healing. The healing energy spread from her fingers to his flesh, repairing the damage he sustained during the fight. That energy was augmented by how she cared for her new friend.

The Goblinsbane groaned. Soon, his labored breathing eased, and the bruise on his cheek began to fade. Sabine opened her eyes moments before he opened his. She was relieved to see that both of his eyes opened; the one that had been swollen shut had looked worrisome, but now that she was examining him with her divine senses, she could tell that there was no permanent damage.

"Thanks, Sister," Eredwal said, his voice barely a whisper. "You can take your hands off me now, before this gets weird."