Chương 38: "Face me with honor!"

Ch 38: "Face me with honor!"

Borin sneered, his grip tightening around Zhen's hand. When Zhen's expression didn't change, the langren released him with a flick.

"Pit. Ten minutes." Borin turned and stalked away. Jatrix grabbed Zhen's elbow and steered him toward the compound buildings.

"What are you thinking? Never mind. You're going to need a war hammer. Armory's this way." They walked quickly across the training ground. Jatrix's ears kept flicking toward Zhen, and she radiated frustration.

"Borin's an ass," Jatrix said.

"Unfortunately he's also the most talented fighter in the scouts." Zhen glanced up at her.

"But not better than someone like Gaarch, right?"

"I'm not even sure Gaarch could beat him. The only reason Borin is still a Stone-Arm and not an officer is that he doesn't care about anything other than fighting." She paused.

"Well, that and hating on anyone who isn't langren." She opened a door carved into the cavern wall that opened onto a vast armory. Weapon racks lined the wall with spears, daos, war hammers and more filling the space.

"Picking a fight with him was about as stupid as it gets." She lowered her voice.

"Hopefully, whichever technique you learned in the Ordeal will mean you don't get too badly hurt. My advice is to take a hit and then go down as quickly as possible. Don't risk your life. We've got more important things to do." Jatrix led him deeper into the armory. A broad-shouldered Mane-Guard with iron-grey fur looked up from where he was cleaning a rack of spears. He glanced at Zhen with mild confusion but focused on Jatrix.

"Scout Captain Jatrix. I've been sent word that the scouts have an urgent mission."

"We do, sir." Jatrix gestured at Zhen.

"But we also need to get the human a war hammer, fast. He's got a Ring Brawl with Borin in ten minutes." The Mane-Guard's eyes widened. He turned his full attention onto Zhen and looked him up and down with a wince.

"Borin?" He shook his head.

"Come on." He led them into a side chamber where war hammers and a number of other weapons hung from pegs on the walls. Everything there was of a higher quality than the weapons in the main room. They varied in size, but they were all still built for langren proportions. The Mane-Guard put his hands on his hips and looked around the collection with a frown.

"This isn't going to be easy. I don't have much that someone as scrawny as you can handle. We don't keep children's war hammers here. Would a dagger work?" Zhen ignored the jab and scanned the room, his years at the forge meant he could quickly judge the quality of the weapons on offer. Most were functional and well-maintained, but none were exceptional. The war hammer that Hagra had created for him in the Ordeal had spoiled ordinary weapons for him. Then his eye caught something hanging on the far wall.

The war hammer gleamed even in the dim light. The head was perfectly proportioned, with a vicious spike at one end, and the steel had been folded with patterns that Zhen could tell were made by a master smith. The haft showed intricate carving beneath leather bindings that had been meticulously oiled.

"Can I look at that one?" The Mane-Guard followed his gaze, then looked back at Zhen with naked skepticism.

"Really?"

"Yes." The Mane-Guard moved to the wall, lifting the weapon from its pegs with both hands. He carried it over and held it out.

"You have a good eye. This used to be Clan Matriarch Kylane's. She had it commissioned from Shiyong before he rose to become what he is now." He looked at Zhen closely.

"Most of the time this wouldn't be an option, but my orders are clear that there are no restrictions for this mission." Zhen took it from him and ran his fingers over the head. The Eye showed him it had very few flaws, but he could see that for himself. In fact, the flaws it did have seemed to have come from extended heavy use and rather than during its creation. There was quality in every aspect of the forging, and he was sure he couldn't have done as well himself. The only problem was the handle.

Built for a langren's height, it was too long for him. Zhen turned, spotting a battle axe mounted on the nearby wall. He set the war hammer on the ground, walked over, and lifted the axe.

"Wait, what are you…" Zhen swung the axe down in a smooth motion. The blade bit through the war hammer's haft with a sharp crack, sending around two feet of the handle clattering across the stone floor. The Mane-Guard's mouth fell open. His ears shot back.

"You just... that's the Matriarch's..." Zhen knelt, unwrapping the leather bindings from the severed piece. He transferred the leather to the newly shortened handle, rewrapping it with the same pattern but adjusted for the new length. He stood and gave the modified war hammer a couple of test swings. The weapon sang through the air but the balance was off. When he had time, he would need to reshape the handle to fix it, but for now, it was acceptable.

"Thank you." The Mane-Guard stood frozen, his expression somewhere between horror and disbelief. His mouth worked soundlessly. Zhen turned to Jatrix who had picked up a war hammer of her own and was clearly trying not to laugh. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Well. We should probably get to this pit." Jatrix led Zhen through a wide tunnel. Ahead of them there were small groups of langren heading in the same direction, their voices raised in excited rumbles. Another group emerged from a side passage, joining the flow toward the pits. Jatrix's ears flattened against her skull.

"Word must have got around." Zhen glanced up at her.

"Borin gave me the impression that Ring Brawls were a regular thing."

"Not even slightly. They aren't training fights. They're used to settle matters of honor. That's rare." She paused as they entered a wider corridor.

"While killing's considered crass, it's not forbidden. Permanent injuries happen all the time." The corridor opened into a large circular chamber carved into the rock. Banked stone seating rose in tiers around a flat fighting area perhaps sixty feet across. Crystals embedded in the walls cast a harsh light across the space. Borin stood at the center of the pit, stripped to the waist. The langren's muscles bunched and shifted beneath his grey fur as he rolled his shoulders.

He stood even taller than Gaarch, and was far more muscular. The war hammer in his hands made Zhen's modified weapon look like a toy, the head alone had to weigh fifty pounds. The seating was already full, packed with langren warriors. More langren filed in, filling the aisles. Zhen had reached the bottom step and stepped onto the pit floor when a voice cracked across the pit.

"What are you thinking?" Mane-Guard Sill pushed her way through the crowd, her fur bristling.

"We're on a tight deadline to leave on a mission." She stopped at the pit's edge, her amber eyes sweeping the assembled warriors.

"The human had no idea what he was agreeing to in a Ring Brawl. This fight is cancelled." She turned, gesturing sharply at the exits.

"Everyone leave. Now. Get back to…"

"The excitement was audible even from my office." Gaarch's voice rolled through the chamber and every langren in the room snapped to attention, their fists pressed to chests in salute. The War Leader entered through the main tunnel in his crimson armor. He moved unhurriedly as he looked around the chamber and his eye landed on Sill.

"Mane-Guard. Report." Sill stepped forward, her posture rigid.

"War Leader. There has been a misunderstanding. The human agreed to a Ring Brawl with Borin without understanding what that means. I'm just clearing up the mess." Gaarch looked over to where Zhen and Borin stood at opposite sides of the pit.

"Are you sure you want to risk this?" Zhen opened his mouth.

"I mean…."

"I wasn't asking you." Gaarch's attention was on Borin. The Stone-Arm's ears flicked back for a moment, his grip shifting on his war hammer's haft.

"Of course." Gaarch studied him for another long moment, then turned back to Sill.

"Normally I would agree with you." He walked toward the seating, his boots striking the stone with measured thuds.

"But I'll allow this one. You officiate." He stopped at the edge of the pit, looking over at Zhen.

"Don't take too long. If you're going to get to Veinwalker lands in two days, you need to get going." With that Gaarch climbed the steps into the stands. A Stone-Arm scrambled up from a seat in the front row, offering it with a hasty salute. The War Leader settled onto the stone bench, and crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. Across the pit, Borin rolled his neck until something popped. He lifted his war hammer, and let it rest on his shoulder. In turn Zhen adjusted his grip on Kylane's modified weapon.

He met Borin's gaze and waited. Sill walked to the center of the pit, her jaw tight. She gestured sharply at two marks carved into the stone floor around twenty feet apart.

"Take your positions." Borin moved to his mark, planting his feet shoulder-width apart. Zhen walked over to stand on the mark opposite him. Sill stepped back to the edge of the pit. The Eye showed Zhen the thin stream of qi that flowed from her into grooves carved beneath the pit floor and a formation activated. A glowing white circle appeared a couple of feet in from the edge of the pit.

"The rules are simple." Sill's voice carried across the chamber.

"Whoever leaves the ring first, whether forced out or by their own choice, loses." She thrust her arm through the white light. The entire circle flashed red for an instant before returning to white.

"Otherwise, as this is a Ring Brawl, there are no other rules." Her gaze swept between them.

"Unnecessary killing, however, will be dealt with appropriately." She raised her hand then dropped it.

"Begin." Borin's lips pulled back from his fangs. A low, rumbling growl built in his chest, rising in volume until it filled the pit. A translucent wolf's head materialized in the air between them, its jaws gaping wide. The spectral form lunged forward and plunged directly into Zhen's chest. It disappeared and Zhen stood motionless. Scattered muttering rippled through the assembled langren. Someone laughed in a short, uncertain bark.

"Is that it? One use of Growl and it's all over? That was disappointing." Borin's voice fillled the pit and his sneer returned, wider now.

"But what would you expect from a human?" His laugh was nasty and sharp. He hefted his war hammer, rolling it across his shoulders before letting it drop into a two-handed grip.

"Ah well. Maybe we can have a little fun before this is over." From the corner of his eye, Zhen saw Sill shift forward, her hand rising. But Gaarch made a sharp cutting gesture, and she froze. Borin turned back and crossed the pit floor with slow, deliberate steps. He stopped in front of Zhen, and Zhen followed him with his eyes but otherwise didn't move. Borin lined up his hammer with Zhen's chest, and swung. The war hammer whistled through empty air as Zhen took a single step to the right.

Borin stumbled forward, his momentum not facing any resistance. The crowd fell silent. Borin caught himself and whirled around. His eyes found Zhen standing relaxed, and waiting. The langren's ears pinned flat against his skull. His lips curled back.

"How did you do that?" Without waiting for an answer, Borin attacked. The massive war hammer arched through the air in rapid, controlled sweeps. Zhen dodged them all. Between strikes, Borin gathered qi for another Growl then stepped back to deliver it. The translucent wolf head formed and disappeared into Zhen's chest. As he had done so many times in the Ordeal, Zhen used the Eye to see the flows of qi in Borin' meridians that heralded Growl of the Crushing Maw.

He moved his own qi in the counter pattern and the technique dissipated harmlessly. Zhen activated Stalker's Prowl, qi flowing into his legs. As his presence blurred in and out, Borin's brutal strikes passed harmlessly through the places where Zhen had been moments before. To the watching crowd, Borin's movements were, no doubt, a terrifying example of an elite langren warrior at the peak of his powers.

Before the Ordeal, Zhen would have been overcome in moments, even with the benefit of the Eye and Shuo's training. But that's not who he was anymore. The Eye, combined with the experience he had gained in the Ordeal, showed him Borin's overextended strikes, his predictable footwork, and, most damningly, his increasingly slow recovery. In Zhen's mind the warrior's form was riddled with weaknesses. Compared to what Zhen had faced against Gaarch and Hagra, Borin was nothing.

The larger warrior pressed harder, combining techniques now. Earthen Citadel walls erupted from the floor to box Zhen in, but he used Stalker's Prowl the whole time to move between them before the walls fully formed. After a few minutes of this Borin let out a frustrated roar"Face me with honor!" His shout roar echoed off the cavern walls.

"Stop dancing around like a coward!" Zhen paused mid-step and raised an eyebrow. Borin's next swing came fast, a diagonal cut meant to crush Zhen's shoulders, ribs, and hips. Zhen didn't flinch. Instead, he slammed his intent downward. Earth-attuned qi surged through his widened meridians and into the ground beneath his feet. A thick stone wall erupted upward, and Borin's war hammer slammed into its surface. It didn't even crack. Borin pulled back and swung again. The same result.

He shifted angles, putting his full strength behind each blow. Overhead strikes, horizontal cuts, brutal two-handed slams, each one met either another Earthen Citadel wall or Zhen's war hammer, casually raised in a block. The crowd had gone completely silent. The only sound was the echo of the clashing war hammers. Borin's attacks grew wilder. His form deteriorated as raw power replaced technique, and his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Two full minutes passed.

Then Zhen used Stalker's Prowl to glide backward, putting space between him and Borin. He lowered his war hammer slightly and met Borin's wild-eyed gaze. He spoke for the first time.

"My turn."