Three: Trial and Error - Part One

Chapter Three: Trial and Error-Part One
Written by Fire070

Authors note: There is a fight scene here, nothing epic, but it leads up to the showdown (a.k.a epicly epic fight scene)in a couple of chapters.
Criticism is welcome, Raisins are not.



Back in the present, Fire stared into the window, looking at nothing in particular, then a loud crash was heard at his door, soon followed by the loud third of his door crashing. "Hello, Seth." Fire, more irritated than startled, calmly said. "Can I help you?" "Yes, you can." You better have a reason for coming here, you kicked down my door, Fire thought. Then again, this persons as stoic as Nathan, or even more so, considering what happened last week.

"Give it back to me NOW and maybe ill kill you mercifully." Seth, showing a rare flash of anger ,yelled. "Give what back??", Fire innocently questioned. Seth continued his rant. "What do you mean what? You’re the only one who would take it, so just give it up before I fillet you like jakes fish!" "I haven’t stolen anything of your possession!" Fire countered, heavily offended that he was of accused of such a thing... "Then explain THIS that I found in my sword case last night" said Seth, producing a small tablet of stone roughly the size of a brick, but thin as a sword edge with runes carved on it. "That’s my key tablet!" Fire said, astounded. "It unlocks most doors and chests. I've been wondering where that was." "Oh, don’t give me that sad excuse for a sentence, Fire." By this time, Seth had half a mind to blow Fire and his room to oblivion, but he knew otherwise.

Fire, finally getting over the initial shock of being accused of theft, was gradually gaining his battle composure. He knew if this situation gets more out of hand than it
was, he would be in danger of losing not only his room, but his life as well. "Look, Seth, lets just talk this over-" "Talk this over? TALK...THIS...OVER?!" Seth violently cut in mid- sentence." Do you think I’m some sort of idiot who would fall for some second-rate diplomat's negotiations?" This remark made Fire surge with anger, giving him a half mind to draw a time rune and behead or at least maim him during the time lag. "Seth." Fire started out slow but gradually gained momentum "Calm down and rethink your accusation. I will also ask you to leave my room. Though I cannot command you due to your rank, I will not stand for some person kicking my door down and accusing me of theft! If you want to settle this before a court trial or on the field of honorable combat, I would be more than happy to! But this...no. Leave now, Seth." Seth was astonished to see a show of defiance, from anyone, let alone Fire. But a duel... now that was a promising proposition. He needed to vent off his fighting instinct, or else he'll have to trap his soul in his mind to have it painfully reconditioned. "A duel? I accept. Winner gets to get the item. Loser dies." Fire quickly mulled the conditions over. "Agreed. Now leave me in peace."

An hour later, Fire, clad in his best armor, a powerful claymore, and several hidden throwing knives met Seth clad in similar armor, an improved soul scythe and a
Short sword met on the grounds past the drawbridge of Requiem Castle, bordering the nearby forest, filled with Requiem tunnels and passageways. These tunnels were used an many a war with lesser clans, both to evacuate civilians out of the city, and as a reserve base, if ever Castle Requiem went under siege.

Little that Seth knew, the item he was looking for, was in one of those numerous catacombs which is part of the Requiem Underground.

Electric blue eyes met enigmatic silver, each one sizing the other up mentally. They were going to waist precious time and energy on petty words; the time for those had long since past. Fire started the battle, raising his hood and hurling his throwing knife directly at Seth’s heart. But Seth was faster. He spun his scythe with peerless timing, making the knife glance off the scythes blade. He then flung the scythe in the air, aimed his hand on Fire, muttered a short spell, and fired a wave of Cipher energy, condensed into sound, right at Fire. Fire countered by quickly drawing a few runes, which Seth characterized as of the light element.

A blinding flash of light, an earsplitting sound. "How..." Seth started, then he remembered. "I forgot. Light travels faster than sound. You’ve gotten better, Fire. Let’s see how you do hand to hand." Then, wasting no time, he stowed his scythe and aimed a slash on the weak spots of Fire's armor. Fires response was a fluid unsheathing of the claymore on his back, and an equally fluid block. Fire drew a few runes behind his back and unleashed an Air spell which sent Seth reeling backwards. Another set of runes, and Fire conjured up boulders and fired them at Seth. Seth waved his sword, and to Fires total surprise, charged straight towards the boulders. Before Fire could comprehend what was happening, Seth opened a portal to the Cipher Dimension and sucked the rocks in, like a vacuum sucks in dust. Then Seth started slicing and hacking at Fire from above, behind, in front. Fire desperately countered with his claymore, trying to bide time so he could finish his spell. Another bright flash of light, and crystal spikes four feet long were continuously jutting out from the earth quickly rushing to Seth, like so many tiny shining wooden stakes rising to burn witches or perhaps to impale someone. Seth jumped high in the air, summoned his scythe, and threw it at the spikes. The scythes followed the path of the spikes backwards toward Fire, cutting down all the spikes in its path, making them look more like tree stumps than small wooden stakes.