I don't want to deal with a Snowwind noble if it is possible. I have heard things about them, you see. Things that would leave me very wary of them. After the seven temples incident, you could say that all of them are after my head. (Which doesn't really help ease things.)
That is why I have been sitting in the guest house so meekly till now. If any of us were to roam about the Frozen Peak, we would be killed. The only thing preventing them from killing our group is the Commander and the man that I am about to meet.
It doesn't help that the man in charge of my security is also the strongest noble in the place. Even now, I can feel the sweat pour down my neck. Jacob Starfall has a violent reputation. He is very likely to kill me if I do the wrong thing today. (That too in a single strike.)
The only reason that I have agreed to this meeting is that the Commander is stronger than the noble. He will be able to kill Jacob in a single strike as well (according to Trevor). Fear of that is the main thing keeping me safe. Well, Jacob is also not strong enough to handle the ramifications of my death. Still, you cannot see the Hexmountain from here. To rely on its protection would be stupid. (What is the use of revenge if it still means I am dead.)
Sitting here in the office of Jacob Starfall, I can't stop myself from feeling anxiety. There is nothing here that is actually preventing the man from killing me. I focus on my mana sense, trying to look for any traces of the man. I seriously don't want to be caught off guard again.
In an attempt to distract myself, I look at his room. The difference between the
Commander's room and this man's room is quite stark. It is much larger, for one thing. It is at least three to four times the size of the Commander's.
Looking at this room. This is the type of room that I would have expected the Commander to have. Gaudy, flashy and massive. Everything in the room has been designed to showcase the owner's achievements. (These trophies are all placed only to intimidate.) Of these trophies, I only recognize the teeth of a drakon. (All the other creatures must be just as strong, though.)
As I am busy looking at the many things in the room, Jacob enters the range of my mana sense. He is fast. So fast that I am almost unable to react to his entrance. Even as I begin my bow, I catch a very solid glimpse of the man.
He does not look particularly impressive. He is a noble, of course. He wears the signature beast furs worn by the nobles here. If you were to place him in a group and tell me to find him, I might not be able to do so. Still, there is an edge to this man. Something that tells me that this is not a man that I should be messing with.
"I greet you, Young Master Jacob," I say, bowing down appropriately.
This time, I have practiced the greeting very diligently. I am quite fond of my head remaining exactly where it is. I swear, even a local can't have done it as well. (To those that don't know, let me record this. The young master of a power is the prime candidate trained by that power to replace its head.)
"It has taken you long enough to come here, Guard," he replies. "You were supposed to come greet me when you reached here. You would be wary not to break rules like that with my brethren. They tend to take this seriously. Thankfully, I am quite lenient."
"We wished to meet you. It was the first thing that we wanted to do after coming here, Young Master Jacob," I reply, throwing the problem to the Commander. "We did not know how the Commander would take it. We also did not know if you would like to meet us after the seven temples incident."
As I speak this, I can see the expression of the man flicker for a second. The mention of the Commander causes this man to flare up in anger. The instant that he makes this Expression, though, it disappears. It is so brief that in a few minutes, I will be personally doubting whether this had even happened.
"Regardless, with what business have you come here? I do hope that it is something important. Otherwise, you are wasting all of our time," The man replies.
"I would like to visit the markets of the Frozen Peak," I declare. I can't shake the feeling that I am being too direct. Trevor has warned me to be clear with the other party. You don't want to be cryptic with these nobles, it seems. They can waste a lot of time with pretty nothings.
"We have reason to worry for your safety," says the noble. "Your people have managed to provoke everybody here, Guard. With the Seven Temples incident, right now, it is not particularly safe for you to roam inside the Frozen Peak. We cannot protect you against all the noble factions in this place."
"I am not saying you need to allow us all, just me. It is vital that I go to the market." I request the man. "Maybe we can come to a deal regarding it. After all, I am a formation mage. I could build something that would make it worth the risk. (There is a decent chance he might ask for a advanced formation, by the way.)"
"If you were to die in the city, it would cause too much damage to my reputation," he replies. "I specifically had to take responsibility for your protection, Guard. In the fort,
your death is more costly than anything that you will be able to offer to me."
"It is quite important that I have to enter the marketplace, Young Master. I will be honest, I need to fix my airship. That is going to require quite a few materials. For this, I will need to visit your markets. Unless I do this, we shall not have a working airship, and that is something that neither of us can afford," I reply. "What should I do to be allowed outside?"
"Since you are being so honest, I will be frank with you, Captain. I have no interest in whether you die or not. If anything, I prefer you dead at the moment," he replies. "You and your people are nothing but distractions at a time when we should be focused. My only problem is that my reputation is linked to your safety. Figure out a method of breaking that link, and I will give you whatever permission that you need."
I finally got the man where I need him to be. Well, I must say that Trevor certainly knows what he is doing. Everything is going as he planned. I am starting to see why my master recommended me to take him. Well, enough getting distracted. Now comes the most vital part.
"I guess my solution will work out perfectly then," I speak before I can be interrupted. "What I propose is quite simple. I want to challenge your best soldier to a duel. Your champion can pick the date and the time. I have heard doing this will allow you to wash your hands of the task of our protection."
"I must say that your scholars have been doing their research. I didn't expect you to know that. (Though it was Trevor who told me this plan.) Do you understand what you are proposing, though?" He asks as he folds his arms across his chest. "A duel is a pretty serious matter in the north. A duel's results will not be forgotten easily. You win, and you will insult the entirety of the Starfall family. If you win, I will suffer the consequences. I will have to answer to the family head. Still, it is true that you dying then will not harm my reputation. That is, if you win. If you lose, things will be even worse for you. Your own guards will be looking for ways to kill you. No noble will be willing to work with a man who lost against another noble. I won't allow you to the markets."
"Yes, I am sure of this, Young master," I reply. "I have thought this through."
"Still, I don't see how this benefits me," he replies. "You win, and I have to answer for this failure. You lose, and I gain nothing. Why should I support such a duel?"
"How about this, I will follow your directive for the remainder of my stay here if I were to lose," I reply, "As long as it does not actively damage the Black Mountain and its interests, I will follow it. (The Head Office is not going to like this.) This I can and am willing to swear on the guarantee of the Formation Corps."
As I say this, I can see the man thinking in front of me. There is still so much that can go wrong here. The man might not know about the guarantee. (I mean, they are not allowed to trade with the Formation Corps.) He might suspect a trap from the commander. (That is not possible.) He might be in a bad mood for no reason.
"It certainly will be enough. Fine, I accept this duel of yours, but there is one thing that I have to make clear before that," he replies. "Win or lose, you have insulted me here. There are consequences to that."
As he speaks, the world suddenly constricts around me. There is no movement of mana in the environment and yet there is a weight crushing me. Thankfully, I am sitting in the chair, or I am sure that I would have already fallen to the ground.
"Well, you certainly are more resilient than the fools that they usually send to this place," he says. "I guess it should be expected considering your pedigree. Let's see till where you will be able...."
As he speaks, the pressure on me intensifies. It is like a constricting python. I can feel my breathe becoming harder to take with each passing moment. I think that I am on the ground, though I can't feel anything at the moment.
And still, the pressure grows. Within a few moments, I am sure that my lungs have flattened into pancakes. (Like the rest of my body had.) The pain has become unbearable, like the man is removing my nerves out of me and is using it as a lute.
Finally, even the pain disappears, and all that is left is a void. (one which I remember vaguely like a bad dream.) Like a nightmare, I feel a sense of terror well up in my throat. I can feel a distinct sense of something or someone on my neck, staring down at me. It is taking me all of my will not to attack it. (I had not come here to start a war, you know.)
(The pain was so great that even my log came out half coherent. I had to later rework all of it to make it more coherent. It is a weird feeling to touch already recorded thoughts and change them in this manner.)
It took an eternity for the pressure to disappear. It started slowly, with feeling returning to me first. By now, I am ready to even welcome the pain. (Anything but that void again.) Slowly, even the pain disappears as the pressure lessens. Finally, the pressure disappears as well. I realise that I did fall on the ground. Even now, I am in a kneeling position, bowing to the man.
"Well, I am surprised that you managed to hold so well, Guard. Most at your level die within a few moments, squashed to a pulp," He speaks, his voice echoing in my head. "Be thankful that I might need you in the future. You shall fight my soldier tomorrow at noon. You can leave now."
After this, I honestly do not even remember how I made my way back to the guest room. I remember it like a haze. Well, at the very least, I made my way back to the room. For a few moments there, I was sure I was going to die.