The Kingdom of Liticea: The Sorcerer Prince

Chapter Fourteen: Nakbar Nazeen

The first round of the Tournament of Steel proved to be a slaughterhouse. few of the matches lasted more than Sir Julius' and Jon Maveric's match and out of the sixteen matches only three lasted longer than five minutes.

    "Pair the shiners up with the veterans. Helps move the match along," Lord Davey said when Tauron remarked on this anomaly. It was now the final match of the first round and up to fight was Tauron's cousin Brunos and one of Arhan Saud's sellswords.

    "Do you know the name of your champion, Mr. Saud?" Lord Dayvey asked the bountiful merchant. He had arrived not long after the first match. He and his fellow Userians were busy saying their morning prayers to their god: the Giver of Rain and Sun.

    "His name is Nakbar Nazeen, my Lord Duke," Arhan answered, "One of the finest soldiers in Useria."

    That did not sound good to Tauron. Shiners were what the people at the court of Blackfield called young men who had just received their knighthood. Like their armor, they were fresh and new and ready to be battered and beaten.

    Tauron leaned over to his Aunt who was sitting right next to him "Do you know anything of this Nakbar Nazeen, Aunt Era?"

    "Only what Mr. Saud has said. He is not from my father's lands so he is unknown to me."

    Tauron saw the same fear in her eye that Tauron felt in his gut. Userians do not get their reputation as warriors through tournaments and duels, but on the battlefield in the blood soaked sands. This man was going to tear his cousin to pieces. Tauron knew it and so did Era.

    Whether sincere or a joke, Mr. Saud wished Tauron the best of luck for his cousin.

    The two warriors took their positions on opposite sides of the pit. Brunos was wearing the same armor with the owl on his breastplate in which he had greeted Tauron, only now he wore a helmet crested with black and white feathers. The face of the helm covered the nose with a carving of a sharp beak.

    Nakbar had on him a shirt of thick leather made from the Sun Steers of Kalhera. The skin of these animals is rumored to be twice as thick as regular cattle. Along the sides, front, back and shoulders were thin metal plates that provided both protection and flexibility. His head was wrapped in a silk cloth that, according to lore wards of strikes on its own. His weapon of choice was a long, three-prong spear, whose outside tips curved outward. It was wide enough for catching swords but still thin enough to slip through one defense.

    Era was biting her finger when the trumpets blew.

    Longsword in hand, Brunos quickly approached the center, and Nakbar did the same. When they met, Brunos kept his distance, waiting for the sellsword to make the first move. And it came. Nazeen moved forward behind a flurry of thrusts. Brunos backed away, staying just out of reach and then he took the offensive. He parried the spear to his left, blocking the shaft with his left arm and swinging with his right at the Userian's head. He used a mostly blunt blade but it could still crack a man's skull if he needed it to.

    Tauron, Era, and the twins cheered. For the briefest moment it appeared that the mercenary's reputation had only been made of words. Ronnis and Rooney's squeals of joy could be heard above all the other cheers and gasps.

    The Userian's silk than appeared to work its magic as the blade just barely missed as Nakbar jolted back. He then spun backwards, taking his spear and getting back into starting position, both hands on the shaft and the tip pointed towards Brunos. The distance that the young knight fought to close was wide open again and Nakbar took the initiative.

    He thrust at the shins, hitting once with no effect against the armor. Brunos ignored and attempted to swing again, but on another thrust the spear went slightly to the outside of his right foot. Nazeen pulled it towards himself and the curved blade hooked Brunos Heflite's ankle and took the whole leg with it.