Closed A Duel Diverted [Kavala]

[Vypec]

3rd of Summer, 516 A.V. The Zhongjie Warren Vypec had let his patrol lead him here, to the ever bustling throngs of the Zhongjie Warren, a bazaar whose tall neighbors gave it shelter from most of the winter’s cold breath. He assumed the place would be packed, as anyone who was out and about on such a day would seek it’s protection from the weather. He was dressed with his cloak pulled tight around him, hood up to fight the cold. His long braided mohawk hung over one shoulder. At his hip rested the cold hilt of his gladius and his Lakan was hidden at the small of his back. As he walked his way between the brightly colored tents, stalls, and merchants, the occasional shop-keeper would shout his wares at him. But Vypec paid them no mind. He could not afford to be distracted from his duties. But there was quite an assortment of distractions arrayed against the casual passerby. Furs from Avanthal, alcohol and herbs from Kenash, various glassworks all the way from Wind Reach. And though the merchants were mostly Akalak, like him, the majority of the customers were very diverse. It was certainly an assortment of Kuvan and those sailors and adventurers whose ships were wintering in Riverfall this year. Crash! The disturbance was barely heard over the sounds of the bazaar. Vypec let his hand fall on the hilt of his blade instinctually. The Akalak quickened his steps as he moved towards the sound. He felt his heart skip a beat when he heard the shouting. It was a different kind of shout than the merchants, full of anger. When he rounded the corner of a jewelry merchant’s stall he founda man and a woman, humans, both dressed outlandishly and both staring menacingly at the other. The man clutched a hatchet in his hands and the woman a pair of vicious looking daggers. He observed their body language had an aura of hostility that a child could see. They were apparently the source of the disturbance. Sure enough, a crowd had begun to form. Merchants and patrons alike were awaiting with baited breath what would happen next. “Stop! Stop this at once!” Vypec shouted before he realized what he was doing. He had to take charge before it came to blows. He stepped out into the impromptu dueling ring that the crowd had allowed these two combatants and threw back his hood. “You are breaking the third law of the city, not to mention the first.” He boomed, his thick purple hand closing a vice grip around the hilt of his gladius as if to punctuate his sentence. Subtle, Vypec. Vypal said, amused. Shut up. “I’m sure we can find a peaceful solution to whatever the problem is.” Vypec continued as the two turned their cold eyes upon him. “Maybe in the next life!” The woman said, and she lunged at the hatchet wielding man. People scattered back whilst Vypec dove forward. He yanked her off the man with both hands and threw her. It was not difficult, she was a slight woman and he a well fed Akalak. The man made to lunge after her, but Vypec landed a clumsy punch to his gut and he doubled over. By the time he shoved the man back to gain some distance, the woman was up and on the attack again. Though neither of them had explicitly tried to harm him, Vypec felt vulnerable trying to break up an armed fight with his fists. He drew his gladius with a metallic hiss and turned to face the woman. As he raised his blade to keep her at bay he hoped someone would handle the now struggling man behind him. In training with Vyanods and Dremandos, he had been pitched against multiple enemies, but he had never needed to fight in earnest against two. He was worried about what would happen if both turned their anger on him. Vypec still hoped to calm the situation down and figure out what had happened.