Rembran and Andros dance in the mud
Chapter 5 - Part 2 (Voyage of the Dawn Breaker)
"No, I said no maighean would ever lay hands on me!" the woman screeched as she quivered in hatred. "I will tear you apart,"
She took a half-step and screamed again as she could not advance. "You are a craven beast," she yelled as she was held by a silver chain that ran from a silver anklet to a wooden stake that suddenly appeared in the ground.
The barbarian grunted his approval as the woman futilely tugged on the chain. "It will be just you and me, as it should be," he stated as he circled Rembran.
The woman sank to her knees as she watched two men circle each other. "You're going to die, little one," she grinned as the barbarian stamped his foot on the ground, summoning an earth elemental behind the magaidh, and advanced on him.
Hearing the heavy footsteps behind him, Rembran glanced over his shoulder for a split second, shaking his head as he pulled his arming sword and pointed it over his left shoulder. "Dealanach," he uttered. The flat of his blade flashed, and the woman screamed in pain as her ankle chain echoed the flash, and she raised her hand. Her eyes widened as she found herself pointing at the earth elemental.
"No!" she screamed as a lightning bolt flew from her finger and hit the elemental, shattering it into shards.
The barbarian arched a brow, “Using her against me is dishonorable.”
"And using an elemental to attack from behind, isn't?" Rembran inquired with a shrug.
"You might be right," the barbarian admitted, glancing at the chained female. "Am I allowed to help her?" He asked, then followed up by answering himself. "If she were strong enough, she'd free herself." He turned back to Rembran and launched his spear toward the spell sword, only to have Rembran deftly block the strike with the edge of his shield. With a grunt, the barbarian pulled the spear back and circled the magaidh, looking for weaknesses in his defense. When he struck again, trying to spear Rembran in the gut, the magaidh rebuffed him and met his gaze with a smirk.
"You mock me," the barbarian accused Rembrandt. "Is this the way you fight, spell-sword?"
Rembrandt didn't bother with a reply as he circled to the left, his eyes judging his enemy. When he saw the elemental's shadow directly behind him, he whispered, "Cruth sgàile," and grinned as a shadowed hand locked around the barbarian's ankle.
When the barbarian felt the cold, he growled and glared at Rembran. "I'm going to cut you open from top to bottom and leave your body a husk." He promised as he yanked his foot from the shadow.
"Bring it, big boy." Rembran taunted as he assumed his ready position, with his feet shoulder length apart, his left foot forward, the shield angled forward, and the arming sword raised at shoulder level, with the tip pointed slightly down.
"You'll eat those words, boy," Andros grunted as he fell into a guard position similar to the magaidh.
The two watched each other for a long moment, neither wanting to make the first move. Come on, make a move, Rembran thought as he moved the shield slightly off-center, trying to bait the barbarian.
Andros narrowed his eyes at the blatant trap, muttered under his breath, and reluctantly drew back his arm, only to snap the spear into the opening. When Rembran quickly blocked the strike, Andros growled as Rembran's blow forced his arm out to the side. Rather than let go of the spear, the barbarian accepted the push. He was hard-pressed to block the parry from the magaidh.
From where she was bound, Ixa watched as the two men fell into a graceful dance of thrusts, blocks, ripostes, and counter moves, resulting in shallow cuts that turned the mud red. Her eyes widened as the young magaidh methodically wore her partner down. We were so wrong about him. He's talented. She gasped as the spell-sword locked Andros' spear up, then, with a flick of his wrist, removed it from the barbarian’s hands and sent it flying off to one side.
When Andros dove after the spear, Rembran deftly followed and counted coupe by sheathing his sword and tapping the barbarian on the right shoulder. Feeling the touch, Andros picked up his spear and rose. Turning to face the spell sword, he leaned against the retrieved spear. "I believe a real barbarian would say you won," he reluctantly admitted. He gazed at Rembran, then bowed his head, "You have defeated me, and I will serve as bidden."
Rembran acknowledged the capitulation with a nod and turned to where the woman was bound. He walked over to her and looked down at her.
Under the intensity of his gaze, she looked down, even as she unconsciously straightened up and presented her body to him. "Maighstir," she whispered, admitting her defeat. She froze, not breathing, as she timidly looked up and found him examining her. "Would you please free me?" She inquired as she slowly extended her left foot. She nuzzled into his palm when he hooked his fingers under her chin. "Please, Maighstir," she implored, lifting her foot off the ground. She gasped as he reached down and brushed his fingers across the silver links. As the last link faded, she returned to her knees. "Thank you, Maighstir," she pressed her lips to the palm of his hand. "How may I serve you, Maighstir?"
Before Rembran could respond, Rhyslin appeared on the field behind him. The spell-sword softly caressed Ixa's right cheek and flashed her a grin as he turned and arched a brow.
At his side, Andros knelt on one knee. "Mac Draoidheachd."
Rhyslin leaned against his staff. “What drove the two of you to attempt to kill us?”
The Auburn-haired air elemental shifted slightly to look at Rhyslin. "Before we answer that, might we make a request?" When she nodded, she reached up and rested her hand on Rembran's leg. After gathering her courage, she spoke, "Could you make Magaidh Rembran the permanent liaison?"
“Possibly,” Rhyslin commented. “Is there a reason?”
Ixa glanced over to her partner, his concern mirroring hers. “He fought fairly and won without torturing us.”
Rhyslin blinked, not expecting that. That doesn't sound good. “I need an explanation.”
Ixa leaned into Rembran, resting her cheek against his knee. She was silent as she relived the last time she had worked with Meron. "Maighstir Meron beat us into submission." She shivered, "The last time, he used a whip and lashed me until Andros surrendered." She curled as close to the spell sword as she could. "I know we swore to serve you, but I won't let Meron touch me again."
Rhyslin nodded, "For now, Rembran will be the liaison. When Meron regains consciousness, I'll question him and make my decision." He turned to the spell sword. "It's time to teach you how to pilot the ship."
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