With a loss on the record, Zilo bowed to the crowd before waltzing back over to his side and the prince returned to his. Both Maldrek and Luther also returned. Leo gave Zilo a high five as the bard returned and said, "That was incredible!? I didn't know you could play the flute too!?"
"I can't. That was the first time in years, last time I tried was still back at the academy."
"Well the rust doesn't show." Said Maldrek clasping Zilo's shoulder.
Maldrek turns Zilo to him as the wizard glances over his shoulder toward Luther and Kranoc's discussion. Maldrek grins and says, "Now that they know you are a bard they are likely to be more careful, but I don't think there's a single thing they could best you at."
Zilo smiles and raises an eyebrow, "You planned for this huh?"
Maldrek shrugs with a smile and says, "Let's just say that during the meeting with the tutor there and I, he thought he was in control, but he didn't do enough research."
Maldrek's face shifts and he says, "I know we have the disadvantage, but it's the only way for us to beat the prince and stay, and if you crush him completely and definitively with the court watching, then people will accept the truth over the lie that Luther comes up with."
"Dev-yous," remarks Jin with a swig from his tail flask.
Zilo lowers his head and says, "But he is still the prince, are you sure embarrassing him is a good idea? You said we need the next king to still like us."
Maldrek motions to the castle, "That was before they let me into the royal library, with the amount of magic works in there I could be done with my research in a year or two, tops. We don't need it anymore, besides what is wrong with teaching him a bit of humility."
"I like it." Says Leo with a thumbs up. A royal guard approaches the group and speaks to Zilo, "The next challenge is ready. Second, back to your spot, duelist here you are." The guard bows and offers Zilo a sheathed and decorated rapier.
Maldrek returns, and Zilo grips onto the rapier and moves it about a bit to test it's weight. The prince back in the middle of the court unsheathes his own blade and whips it through the air a bit before vertically raising it between his eyes. Zilo left his own blade, bow and pack with Aria and walks up to his mark and unsheathes his own rapier and aims it downward along parallel with his stance.
Luther shouts from the side, "The two of you will fight until one side yields or is unable to continue! Combatants ready! Set! Begin!"
The prince leaps in immediately with a lunge forcing Zilo to backpedal. As the assault comes, the prince boasts, "You may have hidden skill with music, but I've never met a man able to best me in fencing."
Zilo flicks his own flexible blade to veer away the stabs from the opponent. The bard speaks back, "True the rapier isn't my preferred blade, but I'm no novice to a fight." Zilo feints allowing the prince to overextend toward Zilo, and the bard punished this mistake with a solid kick to the gut, knocking the prince to the ground.
The prince coughs and says, "*HACK* *sputter* that move is ill- *cough* Illegal!" Zilo looks at him perplexed then looking confused shouts over to the side toward the seconds, "I didn't hear you say I can't kick! Did I mishear!?
Luther goes to shout then Maldrek cuts him off, "Nope, wasn't stated, but just stick to using the blade!" Maldrek smiles at the tutor and says, "You should be more clear. After all, he's just a commoner."
The prince stood back up, and once he assumed his stance again Zilo darted in and returned the assault that the prince gave him. The prince similarly backed up to compensate, but he managed to turn the tide after a few steps. This went back and forth for a few moves before the prince advanced in again at Zilo with a heavy stab.
Zilo lowered his blade to his hip and leaned to the side narrowly avoiding the thrust toward his face. A small scratch was left on his cheek, but Zilo's counter was far more damaging. Zilo had angled his blade up as the prince advanced and managed to plant his blade's tip precisely into the prince's forearm, then as the prince had come closer it made the sharp blade ride along the prince's arm and render his sword arm utterly useless.
As the prince's lunge ended he lost his grip and his arm fell limp, blood beginning to fall to the stone. The prince was horrified, and unable to react from shock. The crowd gasped and Zilo quickly assessed the wound before spinning on a dime and cast Mage Hand over his violin to yank it from Aria. Zilo quickly played a note and cast a Cure Serious Wounds to make the arm good as new.
Zilo spun about, throwing his violin back at Aria and kicked away the prince's blade. He raised his own blade to his eye line across his body with the point leveled perfectly to the Adam's apple of the prince.
"Do you yield?" Asked Zilo.
In a yelp the prince carefully nodded. Once again the crowd cheered and the prince retrieved his blade. As he sheathed the blade the prince inquired, "Why heal me?"
"Would have taken the second too long to use the scroll. You'd have lost to much blood and then you'd have no chance in the next rounds from fatigue. I want to win these fairly." The bard sheathed his own rapier after flicking away the blood and then threw the blade back to the guard that gave it to him.
Before long the prince and Zilo were ready for the third challenge thanks to Zilos' quick action healing the prince. Similar to the last round, it was a challenge of weapon proficiency, only this one wouldn't be against the other duelist. This challenge was much more in Zilo's ability though than swordsmanship. This was in archery.
The two men squared up and some guards set up three targets about 50 Meters away, taking up the full distance of the courtyard. The crowd came to the duelists sides to not be down range.
Luther shouted from the side, "The Archers will receive 5 chances to hit the 3 targets, allowing for only two mistakes each. First the prince shall take his shots."
The prince squared up facing the targets and steadied his arrow, his eyes flick for a moment then he loosed his arrow. He did a similar action for each and his shots all tallied a bout a foot to the left of the bulls eyes. He had needed no re-shoots.
Zilo looked about nodding and took up his mark after the guard returned with the prince's arrows. Zilo's given bow felt less robust than Harmony, but it was still serviceable and as he flicked his eyes up at a castle's flag his eyes widened and his aim adjusted.
Zilo's shots were superb. His shots landed nearly on the bulls eyes, the prince's eyes widened and he looked to him, Zilo smiled and pointed to the flag saying, "You're good, your form and aim was flawless, better than mine, but you made a mistake. You accounted for the wind."
"We are outside its natural to do so!" Shouted back the prince.
"True enough, but look around, prince." The prince looked about and in a moment he looked up to the flag. The flag was a top a tower, fluttering, but the courtyard was enclosed with the stone walls to protect it.
Zilo shrugged and said, "You fought wind that wasn't there. Guess that makes it three to nil."
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