[Flashback] One Final Duel (Solo)

by **Carsten** on October 31st, 2011, 8:40 pm

Timestamp: 78th of Summer, 507 AV

Carsten was heading back to the Librum, after spending the night drinking with Diego on his ship. He had acquired a half-filled keg with ale from his return from Syliras, and together with his First Mate, Flamingo, they had emptied it. Carsten drank less than both of them, he had never quite fancied ale, but he knew how to be polite, and had drunk enough to feel dizzy as he walked back. The dock was dark, and the only other people were other drunken sailors. His walk was steadier than all of them, and the sound of his leather boots against the wet and dirty wooden planks was almost soothing.

Then he heard a cough to his left, against a small building squeezed between two larger. “I remember you…,” he said, and Carsten stopped and turned. A man was sitting up against the small building, his head was too small for his very large body, and his voice was raw but soft. In his right hand, he had a small waterskin, but Carsten doubted it contained water. He did not have a left arm. “I remember you, from last year. From my tournament.” He rasped, and his eyes were alight, as if remembering everything. Then Carsten remembered. “First Mate Enar… What happened?” he said, but Enar seemed almost taken aback by the cold, gruffness of his voice. He looked pathetic, his face was dirty and his clothing was even dirtier. He took another swing of the waterskin, some ale was running down his face, cleaning away some dirt, revealing in the moonlight his tan skin. “After my tournament… The captain was not happy. We were in fights all the time after we set out, often publicly on the deck.” He sounded sad, as if he was hiding something, something that he could have avoided. “One day, he decides to cut off my arm. I don’t know why, no one knows why. The crew rose up, threw the captain and his supporters overboard. But it was too late for my arm.” He said even sadder.

Carsten was thinking over the story, but he did not know what to say. “I am sorry.” Was all he could think of. “Don’t be!” Enar said and waved his arm. “It is not your fault that I can no longer sail. That I have nothing to live for.” He said, and a sob escaped him and he took another swing of the wineskin. Then he simply dropped it, and got up. He went up to Carsten, and looked him straight in the eyes. His breath confirmed Carsten’s suspicions that it was not water in the waterskin, but he only focused on his eyes. He saw that he was not as broken as he appeared, pride and strength were still in those eyes. “You are a duelist. Let us fight once more, to the death. Don’t let me die in the gutter like this!” he said, his entire body told Carsten he was serious. “That would be murder.” He said, trying to calm Enar down while attempting to think clearly, which was difficult while intoxicated. Enar said nothing, but only looked at Carsten, pleading with him. “But I may have an idea.” He said, and walked back towards Diego’s ship.

by **Carsten** on November 2nd, 2011, 8:55 pm

Carsten was walking back to Diego’s ship, his thoughts were racing. What would Diego do? Was Diego even sober enough to think? Carsten had some difficulties again, but he had managed to keep his minds clear while being drunk on far stronger drugs than watered out ale. He remembered little of his Purjin Trials, the details were hazy, but he remembered the drugs, the fights, the cuts, how could he not? A look at his back or hands would remind him of the dark room, but the memories were not unpleasant. They reminded him that suffering is a normal part of life, they reminded him of the time he had weakened the chains that were irrational emotion and feelings. He was not so foolish as to think that he had cut the chains completely, the Purjin Trials were always just the start. He was young, in fact, he had almost a whole life ahead of him now.

These thoughts were going through his head when he entered Diego’s cabin. Flamingo was lying a corner, snoring, while Diego himself was re-arranging the cabin. The cabin was not large, but Diego had managed to fit a small book case in it, a table that worked as both table and desk, and a bed for himself. ”You’re back?” he asked in slurry speech, clearly surprised at seeing Carsten again so soon. He gestured at the two available chairs in the cabin, and they sat down while Carsten told him what had happened.

”Set out at daylight, and I will fight him on the deck. It will not be murder, it will be a fair duel on a ship, where the rules are set by the captain. I will fight him to the death. I wish to grant him a death worthy of a fine duelist and seaman as Enar is.” he ended, looking at Diego, who appeared remarkably sober, unlike his First Mate. Carsten realized he should not be surprised, this man could probably steer a ship out of a storm while drunk. The kind of people that could do this had always fascinated Carsten, had they merely built up an intolerance, or was it something more? The thoughts ended when Diego interrupted him after a moment of thinking: “Yes, he was indeed a fine sailor, no one deserves to die in the gutter, especially not fine men. Bastard of a captain deserved what he got.” He spat. “Aye! I will do it. But this sounds like a fine business opportunity,” he flashed a grin. ”A small amount of money to watch a duel to the death? Not many of those anymore.” He looked hopefully over to Carsten, who did not hesitate to respond. ”No. I will grant Enar an end, but I will not make it entertainment for drunken sailors.” he said, and looked straight into Diego’s eyes, who nodded. He seemed disappointed, but Carsten believed he understood.

The sun was rising when the ship set out, although not far, from the Docks. On the ship was Flamingo, Diego, Enar, Carsten, and three midshipmen. Carsten watched Enar in silence, as tears ran down his face while watching the sunrise, their eyes locked for a moment, and Carsten saw gratitude.

by **Carsten** on November 2nd, 2011, 9:59 pm

They stood opposite each other on the deck. The rest of the crew had gathered in one end of the ship, they were all silent. The two duelists faced each other, and Carsten drew his rapier. Enar, now no longer a cowering animal but a proud duelist, repeated the movement. He only had one arm, that would loosen his balance, but Carsten knew he was physically stronger, so he suspected it would be a tough and equal fight. This man had been offered one, final fight, and Carsten knew he would not go down without fighting it until its bitter end.

Enar started by advancing, the rapier was held outwards, he was ready. Carsten wasted no time, and moved quickly forward, attacking his weapon, not the body. He planned to win through superior balance and footwork; in fact, it could be summed up with one word: Superior technique. Their blades clashed again, and again. Carsten moved around, but Enar followed him. He did not seem very diminished by his lack of a left arm, but it was early in the duel as well. Carsten disengaged, and moved a few steps back. Enar seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to remain on the defensive. It was curious, but Carsten used the moment to fleche him. Moving one foot in front of the other, while stretching his body as much forward as he could, he tried to stab him, but Enar parried and tried to riposte, counter-attack. Carsten had, however, regained his position, and parried easily. This time he attacked with a basic attack, and their blades clashed again, but after Enar’s riposte, he attacked himself. A vicious stab towards Carsten’s midsection was barely evaded, and only through his footwork did he manage to avoid being hit. But now he had initiative, and thought he had a clear way to Enar’s back, but Enar was faster than he thought. It took only a second before he faced him again, and their blades were clashing.

No other sound could be heard, other than the sound of steel against steel. The duel had switched to a slower style, what Carsten often thought of as a stalemate. The two would circle each other, or just face off, before one would fleche and they would engage in a vicious and very up-close duel for only a few seconds, and then they would disengage. This was watched from the other sailors, and on the Docks, a few had gathered, seeing something going on onboard Diego’s ship. Those with normal eyesight could see the fight, but few details. Diego and his crew watched with even greater interest as the two duelists threw themselves at each other, and even the birds seemed quiet.

Carsten noticed none of this; he was too focused on the duel. He had managed to get around Enar once again, and was now going to punch him in the back to make him fall down, but his opponent’s speed caught him off guard again. Enar whirled around, and only by throwing himself backwards, and landing on his back, did Carsten avoid his blade. Enar moved forward, trying to stab Carsten while he was down, but he was quick as well. Carsten was quickly up, and he feinted, an attack. He shot out his arm, trying to stab Enar, which made him get in a defensive position, but half-way through the attack, Carsten pulled his arm back, and walked a few steps back. He needed to think clearly, he had to calculate the man’s speed better, but the fall had hurt his back. Carsten Severed himself. The feeling was still strange, but he was getting more used to it. He needed pause for a while, to reach out and feel it. He could not describe it with words; it was simply something that he did, like an instinct. The strange feeling was a comfort nonetheless, the pain in his back felt duller, and his mind felt clearer.

Carsten opened his eyes, and looked at Enar. The former First Mate was coming towards him, and Carsten readied himself.. Sweat was running down both bodies, but the duel had just started.

by **Carsten** on November 3rd, 2011, 4:19 pm

Carsten met Enar’s blade with his own, twisting his wrist to deflect the weapon from his face, before swinging it towards Enar’s unguarded left side, but Enar simply kicked him in the shins, making Carsten fall down again. He stabbed straight up towards Enar, and was dangerously close, close enough that he had to retreat a few steps. As he regained his breath, Carsten realized that Enar was beating him. He gave it no more thought, only attacking. Moving one foot ahead of the other and bending forward, he forced Enar to retreat, while Carsten completed the fleche by continuing to move past him and avoiding the riposte. Carsten quickly turned and moved closer, lunging forward with an attack. His attack was parried, but he kept on pressing Enar. Another attack was parried, and then another. This time Carsten managed to press Enar back, but he suddenly broke off and retreated. Enar wasted no time and lunged at him, just when a wave lifted the ship. Carsten had his feet well planted and remained upright, but Enar had been in the middle of an attack and fell on the deck on his stomach. Then the ship was brought down, and Enar managed to get on his feet again.

Their blades connected as they moved around, several times once again. The duel was calming down, but it lasted only for a moment. Carsten advanced once again, but just as he was doing that, he apelled, stomping his front foot on the deck. The gesture seemed to surprise Enar, and for Carsten it was the first time he had tried it the move in an important duel. He knew Diego would be grinning, after all, he had taught it to him. Carsten used the opening of Enar’s defences to properly lunge this time. He attacked, and the ruined defensive posture of Enar did not manage to parry. His blade was instead caught in Carsten’s hilt, and when he tried to evade the lunge, the blade broke clean in two. The duel seemed to have stopped, Carsten flung the piece of the broken blade that was caught in his hilt away, and Enar dropped to his knees, preparing for the killing blow.

In Carsten’s mind, thoughts were racing. He had technically defeated him, but had he really? He had disarmed him by chance, the duel was far from over. No, he could not win this way. Carsten dropped the rapier in his hand in front of Enar. ”No. You are not defeated yet.” he said, and walked to Diego. Without a word, a cutlass was given to Carsten, who swung it around to test it. It was better for cutting, but still straight enough for a lunge. Maybe with this blade he had the power to properly disarm Enar. As he was getting ready for a continued duel, he noticed a few fishermen and sailors had taken small boats out to watch the duel properly. He paid them no heed, and got ready in his initial position; his body was pointing towards the sea, and his face at Enar who looked surprised, confused, happy, honoured, humble. So many emotions in his face, Carsten could barely read them all. Then Carsten attacked.

by **Carsten** on November 6th, 2011, 12:06 am

Carsten came at Enar with what seemed like a thrust, but just before he attacked, he turned his wrist to make it a cut. Enar barely managed to twist around to meet the swing, which gave Carsten momentum to attack one more time. He lifted the cutlass and swung down, but it was met easily by Enar. Their blades slammed together several times, both of them moving back and forth. Enar had gone from a fiery dedication to win, to a beaten man, back to becoming a real man. Still, he was not the same as in the start of the duel. It could be fatigue, but Carsten somehow doubted it. Something was changed, like he just wanted it to be over. As they both retreated to catch their breaths, Carsten changed his mind and lunged for Enar. The sudden change of tactic caught him off-guard, and Carsten’s blade would have connected if Enar had a left arm. Instead he riposted and forced Carsten to evade, while parrying two quick attacks. The old seadog was not beaten yet.

Enar seemed to want to remain on the defensive, a decision which pleased Carsten. He had always preferred using the cutlass aggressively, to use his superior options to wear them down. He still preferred the rapier, it fitted his style better, the cutlass had a more dangerous cut, but it was harder to utilize using his normal style.

His plan seemed to do well, Enar was forced back one step, and then another. Their blades connected with a large clash several times. The sweat was running down Carsten’s back, and he had started to feel tired, but he did not have time for that. He easily ignored the feeling; he was after all still Severed. Once again their blades connected, but this time they locked. Carsten moved up close, the cutlass and rapier pressed hard against each other. Carsten looked into Enar’s eyes, he was sneering. At least there was life there now, and not resignation. Carsten had thought the rapier might break, but it was clearly more durable than he thought, or he was weaker than he thought. Still, the metal was shaking, and Enar immediately retreated when he noticed it. That gave Carsten momentum, and he lunged at his opponent. Their blades clashed together, but a wrist-roll surprised Carsten and sent him back a step to avoid being stabbed in the stomach.

Taking a deep breath, he attacked again, but Enar recognized his move and saw that he was feinting. Using the opportunity, he attacked himself, which brought Carsten on the defensive quicker than he could manage. Having no other option, he let himself fall on the deck, and rolled away from Enar’s stab. He got up, and felt the ship being lifted from a wave. Wasting no time, he lunged, using the momentum from the ship that was lowering itself. Enar had not properly noticed what Carsten was doing, and when the attack was harder and more vicious than he thought, his swordarm was sent away. Just when Carsten was going to bury the cutlass in his neck, did Enar kick him in the shins. Carsten fell on his knees; even his Severed body could not absorb all the pain.

Enar seemed to hesitate, not certain what he would do. He was the one that should die, but now he had the opportunity to win. That hesitation became his end though, for Carsten was back on his feet faster than anticipated. Two quick attacks and parries, and Carsten were through his defences. The cutlass cut through him on his left flank, breaching the rib cage and slicing up the internal organs.

The former First Mate of “The Ramming Boar” fell on the deck, blood gushing out of him as Carsten pulled the cutlass out. Then he looked up at Carsten, and the look in his eyes shocked even the cold and stoic Ano Cultist. He saw gratitude.

by **Carsten** on November 6th, 2011, 12:59 am

”What a battle, Carsten.” Diego said as he walked down to him. The sailors and fishermen in the smaller boats around them were returning to the Docks, but Carsten was just looking at the body of Enar. ”How do you bury men at sea, Diego?” he asked, without moving his eyes. ”We swathe them in some cloth and sink them into the ocean.” he said, and moved up next to him. No more words needed to be said, as Flamingo had already acquired a piece of white cloth.

The three men swathed Enar in it, but before they had even finished it, it was red from the blood still seeping out of him, but none of them cared. Lifting the body, the three men walked ceremonially to the other side of the deck, and dropped the body into the ocean. With a splash it went down, leaving a small trail of blood in the water. As Diego and the others returned to the ship to steer it into dock, Carsten remained watching the blood in the water as it slowly disappeared. It had been a good duel, and he felt how tired he really was. His muscles were aching, and he could feel the pain in his shins still. The kick had been hard and painful.

As the ship returned to dock, Carsten sat down on the deck with closed eyes. He tried to go through the duel in his mind, as he always did. It was all still there, and after every duel he had he analyzed it, to improve himself for the next duel. Could he have ended it earlier? Yes. He could have killed him when the rapier broke. Why didn’t he do it? It was the reasonable thing to do, he had won, after all. His damned sentimentality and sense of honour could have ended up costing him his life. He had spent his entire life purging his mind of emotions, yet he could not kill a man after defeating him? He had to pray, to meditate, to figure it out. But not now, now he had to return to the Librum.

As he walked off the ship, Diego came to say goodbye. ”It was a good duel.” was all he said, and they shook hands. ”That it was, Diego.” Carsten replied. ”That it was...” he repeated, but it was more to himself than Diego. Then he walked back to the Librum.

The sky was clear, the sun shining, Zeltiva was going about its day, but few knew that that day a man had died, and that a certain duelist and Ano Cultist would never be the same man again.

-Finished-

by **Paragon** on January 6th, 2012, 1:34 am

Carsten :

Great thread, I loved all the detail in combat, the fencing moves e.t.c You asked about your writing - apart from the odd grammar error, it was very good. It flowed really well, and I could picture each scene in my head with ease - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.