CHAPTER 122 He’s a Legend

CHAPTER 122

He’s a Legend

Brownie

Brownie had a front-row seat, and even she sometimes missed the movements of the battle.

The lizardkin was as graceful as he was deadly, and her beastman spent a lot of time stepping side to side dodging blows. It looked like Rufus took a hit quite a few times, but no ice appeared on him. Instead, Rufus used one as an opportunity to use his palm to strike the lizardkin on the chest.

Brownie had seen that move in Thistlecrick. Then, it had sent Knolith flying out of the ring and granted Rufus victory. This time, however, he was barely forced to take a single step back.

The lizardkin grinned.

When Rufus dipped into a sweeping kick, Knolith jumped. When Knolith almost stabbed Rufus in the thigh, Rufus redirected the sword with a shard of ice from the ring that he had picked up while in the leg sweep. The ice shard exploded into more ice, and Rufus grimaced as the shard in his hand grew just a little bigger, covering his fingers.

“Lemonade!” a voice cried out behind her. “Get your ice-cold lemonade!”

Brownie couldn’t pull herself from the battle long enough to order a drink, instead concentrating as Knolith showed off his new set of armor. Well, at least new to her. She wondered if that was even fair .

A few seconds later, a tall glass appeared in front of her. It was handed to her by a lizardkin guard whom she’d met before. Not Sithli … Chikli?

“Thank you,” she said, though she barely blinked away from the fray long enough to take the lemonade.

“Complimentsss of Her Viciousnesss. She’s giving them out to everyone, dark blessingsss to her.” The lizardkin sat down on the bench beside her. It was the bench reserved for the actual combatants, but he didn’t seem to mind. Chikli ran his claws through his short gray mohawk and then said, “So you’re the one who has our commander general all riled up as of late?”

“If you mean we are madly in love and swooning over each other, then yes,” Brownie joked, knowing their relationship was different than that. She smiled at the slow way they’d grown together, getting closer over conversation and laughter and the journey. It might have just been a few weeks, but they’d gone so far past her desire to squish his paw beanies.

Knolith raised his sword to the sky, snow and ice and sleet summoned around the blade in a building flurry. He stuck out his free hand in time to parry a blow from Rufus.

The ice shard in Rufus’s paw didn’t encase him in ice like the direct attack from Knolith’s ice sword last time. Instead, the ice simply grew a little every time Rufus parried a blow.

He attacked twice more, trying to stop Knolith from finishing his sword arts. The ice had already crept all the way up to the beastman’s elbow. At this point, Rufus must have decided that was enough because he shouted, “[Secure].”

Knolith took a blow to the stomach where he had no armor to speak of. It must have done a number to his hit points. Brownie cheered with the crowd even as the lizardkin managed to free himself from Rufus’s hold ability. Knolith brought down his sword, still all covered with swirling magical ice, and Rufus leapt back to this side of the ring.

“Go, Rufus!” she yelled, always one to enjoy a good bout. “Go for the eyes!”

Her voice carried over everyone else’s, and Knolith looked past his opponent to stare at her with indignation. What could she say? She was a big, loud woman, and she loved a good knife fight.

Chikli laughed and drank some of his own lemonade. “I can see why he likesss you. Sithli likesss you too. And the kitchen ssstaff. And the Dark Lady. We’re all very happy for you.”

“Wow, Chikli, thank you.”

The fight resumed as Knolith took a casual swing from across the ring and shards of ice shot out from the sword. They were aimed at Rufus’s feet, and when he jumped high to clear the attack, the shot hit the ground and created a new field of ice. He adjusted midflight and landed on all fours, claws sinking into the ice to keep balance.

“So, wherever you end up, know that you can come back any time. I mean, it’s not like you’ll never come back.” Chikli scratched behind his ear. “We just hope you will. Rufusss has been a great bosss. ”

Brownie finally peeled her eyes away from the fight to raise an eyebrow at the lizardkin sitting beside her on the bench.

“Why does it sound like you think Rufus is going to lose?” she asked, quickly darting her eyes back to the fight in time to see Knolith finally land a blow to Rufus’s side with his next volley of sword-slash icicles. Her beastman immediately ripped off his tunic, the fabric freezing solid as she watched. He was shirtless now, wearing nothing but calf-length tights and a ring on a string around his throat.

Frowning down at his icy hand, he drew a deep breath and yelled , swinging his fist down and bashing his frozen hand to the ground. He must have taken damage, but he broke up another round of frosty terrain, and the ice on his arm shattered. Large chunks fell off, freeing most of his fingers and a good portion of his arm.

“Tell you what.” Chikli chuckled. “I’ll make a bet with you.”

“What’s the bet?” Brownie took a sip of her lemonade.

“If Rufusss wins, I’ll buy everyone a round of drinksss at your wedding,” the lizardkin stated.

“And if Knolith wins?” she asked.

“Then you’ve got to come watch the Winter Solstice Tourney,” he said, adding, “ And I’ll ssstill buy everyone a round at your wedding.”

“Well, that’s not a bad deal at all,” she replied as Rufus just straight up grabbed his frozen shirt and picked it up to use as a makeshift shield. Brownie was pleased to see the freeze ability was timed and no longer in effect. “Why?”

“Because the General of the East position is going to be vacant, and it’s got my name on it!” The lizardkin thumped a fist to his chest and suddenly exuded a surprising amount of bloodlust.

Rufus glanced her way and then had to throw himself back to avoid a sword to the stomach.

“And we all want Rufusss to come and watch us compete,” Chikli added, impassioned. “He’s a legend .”

Watching this fight, where half the ring had been shattered and destroyed or frozen, Brownie could see why other warriors of the Dark Enchanted Forest looked up to the beastman.

At this point, Knolith finally committed to an all-out attack. He blasted forward with his sword aimed straight for Rufus’s heart. At the last second, Rufus turned, and the sword strike hit a barrier that Brownie didn’t even know was there. The barriers in Peldeep were more obvious, with an added sheen and sparkle to let people know they were there. It was showy, and catered to the crowd.

“HOLD!” Keith’s voice echoed, silencing everyone. “The battle will begin again after I set up a new barrier. Contestants may have some lemonade while they wait, but no potions. ”

Brownie smiled up at her beastman and offered Rufus her glass as he came over to join them. He shot a curious look at Chikli but said nothing, instead taking a long drink of her lemonade and almost finishing it entirely.

“Good fighting out there,” she said. “I’m impressed.”

He laughed. “I should have listened to you and gone for the eyes.”

Brownie leaned forward, as if sharing a very important secret. “I like to make them think that they got me, and then jab ’em.” She stuck out her index and middle finger, mimicking the attack.

Rufus leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “And then Donna finishes them off?”

Brownie nodded. “Exactly.”

He handed back her lemonade and then rejoined Knolith in the ring. The lizardkin stood with his ice sword, which had reverted back to its usual blue sheen after attacking the barrier.

Henrietta lifted her hand into the air and announced, “Contestants, are you ready ?”

Both were in place.

The Dark Queen dropped her hand. “Then, FIGHT!”