Realm of Monsters-Chapter 608: Gale & Blood Fang Style Part 1

Chapter 608: Gale & Blood Fang Style Part 1

There were always at least a few vampires training in the Gale manor’s training courtyard, but suddenly the place was filled with every Gale, guard, and servant that could spare a moment. They all crowded around one of the training rings, eagerly awaiting the duel that was about to unfold.

The crowd only parted around the single stone bench next to the ring where Stryg and Gian sat, giving them a perfect view of the fight.

Stryg eyed the still-growing crowd. “Word travels quick.”

“When people hear that Young Master Veres challenges Lady Gale to a duel you can best believe people will drop whatever they are doing,” said Gian.

It was odd hearing someone call Jahn young, but Stryg supposed in the eyes of a 300-year-old vampire that was exactly what Jahn was. It somehow made Stryg feel a little better about his own plight with the titans seeing him as an infant.

Gian looked excited to see the duel, as much as the rest of the crowd, albeit he withheld showing his excitement, but Stryg could still see it in the way his eyes crinkled at the edges, and his lips curled ever so slightly.

Stryg was relieved, he had worried that after the loss of his arm, Gian would fall into misery, but the elder vampire seemed fine, lively even. Since the day Stryg had first met Gian the old man had carried an air of melancholy around him, even when he seemed happy there was always something that bothered him, but ever since the night of the siege that darkness had disappeared from Gian’s expression, as if invisible shackles holding him down had finally fallen off.

Curiosity burned in Stryg, he wanted to ask him about it, but he thought it was best to ask somewhere more private. Instead, Stryg commented about the fight. “I fight Gale all the time, it’s never been this busy.”

“That’s because we’ve all seen you get trounced by Gale; it is to be expected, she is your sword instructor. But Young Master Jahn is an unknown. No one quite knows where he ranks among us.”

Stryg scoffed at the indignation but begrudgingly shrugged. “Fair.”

Gale sat in meditation at the edge of the ring, eyes closed, while Jahn perused the weapons racks, of which there were many. Finally, he settled on a particular spear that hadn’t seen much use. The shaft and spearhead were made of only steel. Such a weapon would be heavy to most, save a vampire, but Jahn picked it up without a hint of strain. He dusted the spear off and hefted its weight, giving it a quick twirl in his hand before nodding to himself. Satisfied, he walked back to the ring.

Stellan and Willow Gale parted through the crowd of onlookers and beelined to where Stryg and Gian sat. They inclined their heads in a silent ask to join them. Stryg recognized the sibling pair. He had first met them the night of the siege when they had saved his mother and him. Since then the duo were always close by. Most days they were watching over Aurelia in her comatose state or guarding Stryg when Gale was otherwise indisposed.

The sibling duo had a penchant for battles, even more so than most Gales, which was saying a lot. It seemed neither of them could be stopped from spectating either. Stryg gave a nod to their silent question and their faces lit up. Willow took a seat next to Stryg while Stellan sat next to Gian. The stone bench was now a little crowded, but Stryg didn’t mind.

“Couldn’t find somewhere else to sit?” Gian asked dryly.

“Forgive us, Uncle, we wanted a closer look,” said Stellan.

“Also, we were hoping our Ebon Prince could enlighten us a bit more about his uncle,” added Willow.

“Ah, there it is,” Gian said, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

“How skilled is lord Jahn?” asked Willow.

“Why isn’t he using a sword?” Stellan added without missing a beat.

“Goblins prefer using a spear. It gives us longer reach,” replied Stryg, happy to answer any questions about his culture.

The siblings glanced at each other, sharing a silent look, before glancing at Stryg. He recognized that look, Stryg had seen it countless times before while growing up. It didn’t matter how many times he counted himself among the goblins, people would take one look at him and think otherwise. Sure, there were similarities; the claws, slit pupils, and his pointy horizontal, albeit droopy, ears. But that was where the similarities ended. He was taller than any goblin and his skin complexion and hair reminded them more of a drow.

That familiar look had always made Stryg uncomfortable, but for the first time, instead of simply shrugging it off with anger or feigned indifference, he examined the uncomfortable feeling for what it was, thought about it, and let it go. Others might not see him as a goblin, for in truth he was not only a goblin. He was many things, a titan, a drow, a vampire, but he was also Sylvan and there was no one, not even the gods themselves who could take that from him.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ananta had accused him of not being a goblin, of not being Sylvan; he was a god who did not belong among the mortals. Deep down some part of him knew she was right and the thought terrified him, but the seed of defiance against Ananta’s words had also taken root within him and he felt assured of his newfound decision.

If he was to be a god then he would be a Sylvan god.

“My lord…?” Willow’s voice brought him back to the present.

“Hm, what was the question?” asked Stryg.

“Oh, I, well, we were just wondering how skilled Lord Jahn is?” said Willow.

“My uncle is the chieftain of the Blood Fang Tribe. He is one of our most skilled Hunters and there is no stronger Warrior among the tribe.”

“Have you ever fought him?” asked Stellan excitedly.

“Once. It was a duel, only weapons, no magic.” Not that Jahn was even a mageborn, but Stryg felt it would only be a slight to his uncle to mention it now.

“How does he compare to Lady Gale?” asked Willow.

“It wasn’t easy, but I managed to beat my uncle.” Stryg stared at Gale’s back, “I’ve never beaten her.”

Gale opened her eyes as soon as Jahn stepped onto the ring’s dusty dried dirt. She uncrossed her legs and stood up in a slow, graceful motion. “Are you sure you want to do this here?”

Jahn laughed. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I know your people value honor greatly. And it seems we’ve attracted an audience. We can always relocate the duel to somewhere more quiet.”

“Are you worried about my honor…?” He frowned. “You think I’ll lose that quickly? I can hold my own, grandmaster.”

Gale cocked an eyebrow. “You know I am a sword grandmaster yet you still challenged me?”

He shrugged. “It’s a good chance to learn from the best, there is no dishonor in losing against the best.”

“Many nobles would think otherwise.”

“Will I be exiled if I lose against you?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Will I be killed?”

“Definitely not.”

“Will my tribe suffer any punishments?”

“No.”

“Then I see no reason why I should find dishonor in our spar. Rather, it would be dishonorable if I did not stand up for my mother’s Style. The Blood Fang’s Style.” Jahn glanced at Stryg, “Your tribe’s Style.”

A fire of pride burned in Stryg’s chest at that. He beamed. Even here, amongst the greatest vampires and warriors in the Realm, the Sylvan stood unashamed.

Gale sighed to herself, she had meant no disrespect when she had claimed her family’s Style was the greatest in the Realm, it was simply fact. Clearly, she had offended lord Jahn and had stirred up this entire debacle. Uncle Gian would probably chastise her for all of this later, but for now, she would do what must be done. She raised her sword. “Are you ready?”

Jahn relaxed his shoulders and let the spear roll off his palm, barely hanging on by his fingertips. “Always.”

The Gale Sword Style was rooted in the aspect of the wind. Fast, elusive, deadly in a storm. Its five base techniques, the Nature Stances, reflected that. They were the fundamental forms that every swordbearer in the family had to master. Every other one of their techniques was based on one of the Nature Stances.

To use something more advanced on her lesser opponent would be dishonorable, so Gale resorted to the Whirlwind Stance. It was the fastest of the Five; a straight dash that formed into a barrelling attack, striking every opponent in the user’s path. While meant for multiple enemies, its speed made it simple to deal with a single opponent.

As soon as Jahn had replied ‘Always,’ life force flooded into Gale’s legs. She kicked off the ground and sprinted forward in a flash. Her sword swung out before Jahn had even moved. The spear on his fingertips suddenly spun in a wide arc and slammed into her sword with enough force to send her stumbling back.

The crowd cheered, most uncertain of what had even happened in the split moment. Gale did not share the sentiment. Her hand felt numb from the clash. Jahn hadn’t blocked her strike, he had attacked and met her sword mid-swing. She was using a basic Stance, but she was still a grandmaster. He shouldn’t have been able to even react.

Something was off. Gale ignored the crowd’s cheers and looked at Jahn, really looked at him for the first time. His posture was relaxed, the spear seemed like it could slip from his grasp at any moment, but she was quickly realizing it was a facade. The goblin’s legs were bent and his feet kept shifting ever so slightly in the dirt. He no longer seemed unprepared, rather his body looked light, as if it could be carried by the wind at any moment. She inclined her head, “Forgive me, I underestimated you.”

Jahn shrugged, hardly moving. “Have you now?”

Gale narrowed her eyes and took a different more advanced Stance, her legs crouched low.

“That technique… She’s not going to hold back?” Willow muttered, confused.

“She’s trying to overwhelm him with sheer speed and power,” Gian noted.

“But why would she even need to…?” Willow asked.

“Hey, my lord,” started Stellan uncertainly. “Didn’t you say you defeated your uncle?”

“I did…” Stryg replied.

“How exactly?” It was Gian who answered, his tone serious.

“I used Krikolm to cut the wooden shaft of his spear in half, he gave up after that,” Stryg recalled.

“So it was the weapon that made the difference? Tell me, when he fought you, did he look anything like that?” asked Gian.

Stryg stared at Jahn’s unfamiliar stance. “No…” This was different. He had never seen that stance. The look in Jahn’s gaze was nothing like the cheerful goblin he knew either. It was cold, calculating. A small thought began to form in Stryg’s mind. Tauri had once mentioned that it was Aurelia and Jahn who had saved them from the Frost Trolls and their ambush of the skolgul beasts. Stryg had assumed it was his mother, an Ebon Lady, who had dealt with the brunt of it, but what if… What if his uncle had held back when Stryg fought him?

The ground exploded in a cloud of dust underneath Gale as she disappeared in an incredible burst of speed. Jahn met her step for step. Clouds of dust exploded throughout the ring, obscuring the onlookers' sight, save for the constant storm of sparks of steel clashing against steel.