Rune Magic

3: The Devil's Diplomacy

.^^ Eliza Teagan ^^

— James —

The two women were tough, no doubt about it, and fighting them drained an alarming amount of my magic, but they couldn't defend as well as I could. They were entirely focused on offense, and when I could take their attacks and stay standing, they panicked, making taking them down much easier.

The first one to speak was an Adept Mage at best, even with the Runes, but her sword-skills were impressive, and wildly refined: more than a match for me, if she were as strong or fast as me. Her weapon was also just metal, with a powerful Rune embedded into it, but just metal nonetheless, so it was chipped and shattered in just a few clashes.

I disarmed her of the shattered sword, and then knocked her out, though it made me cringe to do so. She was intriguing, and I didn't want to make a bad first impression with this Clan.

The second was more of a challenge, because she wouldn't get within range, and my Wild Magic was being difficult, unhappy about being some-what tamed with my Ancestral Magic. This made my range limited to skin contact, unfortunately, so I resorted to throwing my sword at her.

Immature, I know, but it still looked choreographed, as the sword turned into a spear, and slammed through her left leg, freezing the appendage.

She screamed, and before I could reach her, a female Elf stepped out of thin air, and casually removed the weapon, tossing it onto the ground in front of me. "That is Enough." She murmured, and wove a Rune with her fingers, pressing it to the frozen leg. The ice melted, to my surprise, then the leg healed in front of my eyes.

A power play, no doubt, because I saw the pointed tips of her long ears turn a bit grey, after the two Runes; a sign she'd used more magic than she should have.

Then she stepped towards the rift she'd created in the first place. I had realized her intention, before she managed, so my spear was carefully placed against her throat before she completed the movement.

Then I ripped the Rift into shreds, destroying it, and smiled. "Can't have you dodging, can I, luv? My name is James Peterson-Parthenos. Yours?" I asked.

She smirked. "You're Cute, but if you don't take your spear away from my throat, I'll ram it up yer arse."

"Oh? Perhaps if you explain yourself and introduce yourselves, like civilized people, there won't be any need for me to be so wary?" I countered.

She shook her head. "The Skalds of Belfast refuse you an audience, that's all you need to know."

I hummed. "How rude. Didn't even get to introduce myself properly before they slammed the door. So what, was this a test of some sort? And I failed?"

She shook her head. "This was a warning to send you away, and we underestimated you. Next time, we won't. Don't come after us again."

"After you? I'm not after you. I'm not Hunting. I'm here to talk about a Relic I recently got in a Quest. That's all, for first meetings." I explained myself, sheathing the spear in my belt, where it turned back into a sword.

She blinked. "Your armaments say otherwise."

"I like to be prepared. I have lots of enemies, especially in this portion of the world. Now if you're done making baseless assumptions, I'd like a meeting." I said stubbornly.

She sighed, and stepped away, reaching into her back pocket, making me tense up, ready to dodge. She withdrew a piece of chalk that blazed with magic in my mind's eye, and drew a door on the ground.