“I am amazed you came over here with all of the time you are spending with Mother” Samuel said. “If you want to be a duelist you can't spend your time running around and ruining your diet and training. I don’t see you as often as I should for someone who lives here.”
“Mother has me another room in her house” Glen replied. “I still train everyday with my staff.”
“Yeah but you don’t have anyone to spar with” Samuel said.
“Mother sends all kinds of people to fight with me” Glen said. “I am still out of your school, I think she just wants me to stay with her as one of her children.”
“Well I am still taking half” Samuel grumped.
“I know” Glen replied. “And I have five people here that are going to bet on me, six if you include my father. He is going to meet me here after the fight. Can you bet a few coins on me?”
“Pit no” Samuel replied. “You are gripping that staff like you are trying to menace a virgin with your cock and you look like you are barely standing.”
“I am filled with too much energy I need to release” Glen said. “I was supposed to have a customer after the duels until you told me a few days ago I will be fighting in the Grand Arena. I had to take her on earlier than we both wanted and she paid for her servant to have a go as a birthday present. How did you manage to get me a fight at the Grand Arena anyway?”
“Rupert left me” Samuel said and spat in disgust. “One of the bigger houses took him away after he won that last fight against the Conquest. Tripled what he was making and even agreed to take Wilson with him. I was supposed to have a decent fighter ready, one of the Onslaught was supposed to fight a school from across the Kingdom but with this unease they didn’t make it. Since I was being paid to have a fighter ready to go just in case, you are the best I can throw out there. The guy you are fighting is a big ugly brute that uses a club. Watch yourself kid, not too many people get out of a fight with him without some broken bones. He has lost twice though but that was from much faster fighters with quick swords. In both matches the judges thought the others delivered a deadly strike before they were bashed by that club. One of those men don’t fight anymore after getting his shoulder broken and the other didn’t have a broken arm but it swelled up like a filled water bladder and took him a few months to go back to normal. He doesn’t wear any armor but with that club he doesn’t need it. I don’t know what his real name is but the Onslaught call him the Breaker. I think he will run through a couple of your strikes, this guy is a monster.”
“So I have to stay away from him then” Glen said. “I just need to fight in a hurry, this energy is eating me up.”
“Well you are the first fight to get the crowd in the mood” Samuel said. “The Breaker is a good midlevel fighter that Onslaught thinks is ready for the next stage. All you have to do is give him a good match and don’t get killed in there.”
Glen nodded and could barely hold it together as he got to the arena. He had six gold coins in his pocket and he was going to bet them all on himself. Samuel had said he was a fool for doing so, duelist were allowed to bet on themselves and would keep one hundred percent of the profit. When Glen was finally standing across from his opponent he could barely stand and it felt like the energy was ripping him apart from the inside. When the signal was given to go Glen crossed the arena quickly and everything felt like a dream.
Glen felt like everyone was moving slightly slower than they should have, the movement was quicker than someone could move underwater but not as fast as it should be. Glen though was moving quickly and gave his opponent a stinging slap across the outer thigh with his staff. Glen could feel the staff bend around the man’s leg and was surprised it didn’t break, The Breaker stood there with his giant black beard and gave a mad grunt as he swung hard with his club. Glen was already out of the way but rushed in after the club passed by to deliver another slap in the same area with his staff. The Breaker stumbled this time and charged Glen, Glen stayed away from him and delivered stinging slap after stinging slap to the big meaty leg. The Breaker eventually switched his stance, Glen just switched his grip and went after the other leg as he danced around. The Breaker was frustrated, Glen would dart in and go for his legs then dart out before he could strike. Glen eventually started going after the Breakers arms just to have a good target to hit. The Breaker had just backed up for the first time when Glen saw the leg was open and struck, his staff snapped in two as the Breaker fell to one knee then looked up and smiled at Glen as the Breaker picked up the broken half.
“Now let's see what you got you dancing little shit” the Breaker growled as he stood up.
Glen darted in and kicked the man hard in the thigh and ducked under then rolled away from the club strike. The Breaker screamed in anger and turned after him, Glen could see he was having trouble putting pressure on those legs as he twirled around a broken piece of his staff. The energy was still flowing through him but not as blinding as it was before, the Breaker seemed like he was speeding up but Glen knew he was still faster as he ran in and hit the Breaker full across the face with the broken piece. The move surprised the Breaker whose head snapped back. The Breaker reached out blindly and Glen thought it was luck that the man reached out and snatched his broken piece of staff. Glen let it go and moved backwards as the Breaker tossed that piece into the crowd which was quickly followed by the next piece. The crowd was going wild as Glen settled into his fighting position. The Breaker moved on him but was going far slower than he had been, when he swung his club Glen noticed he had trouble putting pressure on his back leg to generate force. Glen stayed outside of his range for the most part, he only ran in to deliver a kick to the thigh and stayed circling. The Breaker timed Glen’s movement and absorbed a kick but trapped Glen’s leg. Glen spun in the air and used the trapped leg as leverage as his other leg spun and hit the Breaker in the back of the head. The man stumbled as Glen got himself free and kicked the big man hard in the back of the thigh. When the Breaker went down this time Glen was all over him with kicks and punches, the big man tried covering up his head but Glen was going after everything. A horn finally sounded and the match ended with the Breaker down on one knee trying to defend himself.
Glen could hear his father screaming, the man boasted loudly that the staff user was his son and waved at Glen. Glen acknowledged him and could see Elaine, Gloria, Hilla and Anna had made it, the four women who first fell under whatever Fae charms he had. He would talk to his father about his Fae charms eventually, for now he would let it go since it would raise other questions. His father would want to know when did he start sleeping with women. If David knew Glen was one of Mother’s children he would make him move back home immediately. Jessica Harlens was there, her husband Grigory was as well but he was busy talking to his sons whom Glen didn’t like. Glen smiled when he thought about her two sons, Gregory and Ernest were always nasty to him but they could have been following Tavin’s lead. Glen wondered what they would have thought if they knew that Glen knew what their mother tasted like. That their mother had gripped his manhood and had come very close to tasting him or doing other things in the carriage. Glen didn’t wave at them but waved at the crowd as he was quickly led off.
“Kid you went in there like lighting” Samuel said. “Even I winced every time you hit him, those were some big ass thighs to soak up that kind of punishment. But you lost your damn weapon, hopefully you can see why steel is just better. But we can talk about that later, you slowed down a bit later on but was still way too fast that brute. What’s even better is that twenty gold in total was bet on you. I wish I had made the bet myself.”
“Well six of it was mine” Glen replied.
“And nine of it was your fathers” Samuel replied. “A couple of others bet a gold a piece, that is way too much money to bet on a beginning match. I did ask though and I doubt I should be surprised they were all women.”
“Well they gave us odds” Glen replied. “It wasn’t a win or lose like most of the othe
r matches. Ten to one odds, the man who took the bets wondered why people were betting so heavily on me.”
“Don’t feel bad for him” Samuel said. “Many people bet for a sure thing and clean the house out all the time. Only reason the Grand Arena would take all of those bets is if they had a decent amount bet on the Breaker. Sixty gold is an outrageous amount of money for someone like you to have. Especially not this early in the game. You have even more coming to you since the house takes their cut and then gives us our own cut from that. The six coppers I am paying you for the fight seems like nothing now. At least I know I have a mid level fighter on my hands. Well maybe.”
“Maybe” Glen asked insulted.
“Styles make fights” Samuel said. “The fact that some kid came in here and put down the Breaker is going to get around. What happens when there are a bunch of heavy and sharpened thigh guards? If you use a staff again then people will know exactly what you are about and how to stop you from chopping down the legs. There could be a fighter like Baberin that just knows how to fight staff wielders. Never believe your hype, keep training and keep training and keep training until you are at the top tier, then guess what I will tell you to do?”
“Keep training” Glen said.
“Pit right that is what I would tell you” Samuel replied. “Mother is taking up too much of your time but I cannot argue with results. What all has she been doing for you?”
“I am supposed to stay indoors” Glen said. “Almost everything is brought to me, good food and good clothes. She makes everyone exercise and study random things. The food we eat is high quality but the others describe it as bland.”
“Wondered how she kept her people looking so good” Samuel said. “Regular exercise, good food and you only leave when she lets you so you can't mess anything up. Why do you think the food is good but the others do not?”
“I don’t eat flesh” Glen replied. “Turns my stomach. Well maybe I should correct that statement.”
“I am sure I don’t want to know what you are talking about” Samuel replied. “Your father is supposed to be coming to the school.”
“He hasn’t seen or talked to me in two weeks” Glen said. “I told Mother that he would not be happy if he found out about our relationship so I am going to be here. By the way, one more fight and I get the small room.”
“What does it matter if you are never here?” Samuel asked.
“You could come over to Mother’s to train me” Glen said. “I don’t think she would turn you down.”
“Mother is possessive of her so called children” Samuel replied. “You are a bunch of high priced uppity whores. None of you are ever seen out when you are not working.”
“That isn’t true” Glen said. “In a few days Mother is letting us all go out together to attend some kind of send off or something.”
“You mean the Mage sendoff?” Samuel asked. “Aren’t you lot supposed to be knowledgeable. Isn’t your father a mage? How do you not know this?”
“I haven't spoken to father” Glen replied. “Where are they going?”
“To war with the Salsian Empire” Samuel said. “The Salsians want more slaves or land or something. Right now they are sending mages based on some kind of point system or something. I know a lot from this area are going, maybe your father can tell you more about it.”
Glen grabbed his money and marveled at all the gold. He had a small fortune and if he could double it he would have enough gold coin to buy his own commission in the army. When Glen got to the Tavern dueling school his father was there waiting for him with open arms. After hugging him, his father opened up a big sack of coin, took out nine pieces and gave the rest to Glen who looked overwhelmed.
“Don’t put all of that in the bank” David warned. “If this war gets real bad they are going to start holding on to gold to pay for things. Bury that somewhere you feel is safe and only go after it when you really need it. I know you only get paid a few coppers here a week. Hopefully though with a performance like that, it will change. You were giving it to that guy, he had nowhere to run and just soaked up blows like a sponge thrown into a river.”
“Father what is this send off?” Glen asked immediately changing the subject.
“O-O-O-O-O-O-Oh!” his father laughed and gave a big smile. “Something that doesn’t concern me at all. You see every time the king needs a mage not on his payroll to help look into something I went. I went to boost our status, I knew people hated you and I knew life was not what Martha wanted. I got points for doing all of that, one point here, one point there. In this area everyone assumed I would take the jobs if I could and got lazy, it was nice to get out with you so we can relax and maybe things at home could settle down. The king asked for all male mages over eighteen and under sixty to come join the fight. Anyone with over fifty points could stay at home until the next big call up which will be females under fifty points and males under a hundred points. Mages could sell off their points for money if they wanted. Guess how many of these arses have enough points to stay at home?”
“Twenty, maybe?” Glen guessed.
“Me” David smiled. “And I have four hundred and sixty seven points. You should have seen how much ass kissing was being done to Martha who has fifty two points. Only reason she had those is because people expected her to fill in since she was taking care of the Fae. Poor bastards ran to her in droves once they found out how many points I had, some thought I should just give it to them for free. Since I have yet to say two nice words to Martha since you left they quickly found out that she wasn’t the person they needed to talk to. I sent them away without seeing anyone of them, those that cornered me somewhere heard that I needed to stay home to take care of my Fae bastard and that I wish them the best of luck. Pissed them all off, they have been looking for a way to get back me. Those that have stores refuse to sell me or anyone in my home anything. I am not worried since they will be gone soon and there are plenty of other stores around. I don’t even plan on going, I am going to relax in my home and wait for the next big call up. In a few months you will turn seventeen, Tavin will be eighteen and that piece of shit will be in the next call up. Martha has taken to having Darla try and talk to me. It is not working for her though, I love your sister but she is her mother’s daughter and I am done with putting up with Martha. I am going out of my way to be nasty to her when she wants anything and it feels great. After all of those years of taking her shit she knows what it is like to worry about her son. The mages want this big send off and have even gotten the non-magical involved. I know I would not be wanted at such an event and I don’t plan on seeing it happen. When Martha and Tavin leave I am moving you right back into our home.”
“I feel bad for them father but I am happy at the same time” Glen said conflicted. War meant death, those who survived would not have an easy life. The Salsians were known for taking slaves, they would have plenty for a mage slave to do, mages captured could expect to be abused in the worst way possible. The things his mother went through were horrible, she never talked about it and Glen always wondered why. The more Glen thought about it the more he realized his mother could have left at any time. Glen remembered she could fly, even if her wings were cut off in a week or two they grew back. Even without wings his mother was swift of feet, she could have been violated by his father once then sucked the vitality right out of him. His father would have been left tired and vulnerable and his mother could have just walked away if she wanted.
“You have a lot going on in there” David said.
“It is nothing” Glen replied. “So did you like watching me?”
“It was the best thing I have ever seen other than meeting you and Darla for the first time” David said. “I am going to keep my nine gold coins and bet them again on you, whatever I win is yours. You already have enough to pay for your commission if that is what you still want. I think if you wait a bit on it the price will go down a lot.”
“I am glad to see you are well father” Glen repl
ied. “You have been stressed for so long. Dealing with me, Tavin, Darla and Ms. Martha could not have been easy.”
“You made everything easy” David replied. “The others were difficult. I have been the whipping boy for so long it feels good to finally have the whip and say what is on my mind.”
CHAPTER 5
Glen felt weird being out with everyone, Katherine who had lost her flower three days ago, Darius who missed Cyrus greatly after he left, Ruby and all the others. Mother and Joyce were not around, neither were the big mounds of flesh that did the protection. They were just a big group of finely dressed young people, Glen thought they looked more like Lords and Ladies instead of a bunch of whores. The atmosphere was festive, there were big dances going on all over the city and Mother had given them enough money to get into an exclusive building called the Gesh that was normally membership only. Today though they excepted cold hard coin to get into the place to make money, with the mages on their way out the building’s owner would likely start losing money. Currently there were plenty of mages Glen recognized around, they gave him and the people he was with odd looks as Mother’s children settled into their seats.
“This is nice” Katherine said as she let out a big smile. “I was here yesterday with my permanent but it is different being with people my own age.”
“This IS nice” Glen said putting focus on the middle word. “I have never hung out with anyone my own age either. It was always me and my father.”
“Is your father here?” Ruby asked looking around.
“No” Glen said as a slight groan escaped his lips. “But my stepmother is and she is looking this way.”
“Really?” Ruby said as she sat closer to Glen and kissed his neck. Katherine laughed and placed her hand in his lap and nibbled on the opposite ear.
“Stop it you two” Glen giggled as he could feel himself heating up. “Ughh, now my sister is coming over here, just great.”
The Fae Mage Page 5