The Copper Prince's Champion

[Elisabeth Black]

Turning her head around at the sound of her name, she smiled as she saw him. He wasn’t alone either. Nimue trailed a bit behind him and came to stand next to her. Giving Balthazar a questioning look, she quickly figured out his game. The night before, he had said Nimue wouldn’t tell him what she wanted, and she had suggested that maybe she could try to talk to the ghost. To be fair, Elisabeth knew nothing about ghosts, but she was willing to try. “Hello! Good to see you…and you as well, Nimue.” She gave the ghost a warm smile, sincere in her desire to connect with her. Turning her attention back to him, shrugged a bit and grinned. “Totrail was a training trial…or at least training morning. Lore wanted to work a bit on my sword work before he left for a few trials. Lots of footwork drills and cutting patterns. I went to the Institute later in the trial but nothing exciting today. Usually, there is something blowing up or somewhere being evacuated but everyone behaved themselves totrial.”

Elisabeth knew his fight would be coming up quickly, so she did some last bit checks. “Any headaches? Healed up okay from last night? Eyes okay?” She knew, from past experiences with him, that he tended to have an assortment of injuries of mundane and not-so-mundane natures, so it was always good to check.

Glancing in the ring, she arched her eyebrow at the size of Balthazar’s opponent. One quick look at Nimue’s face told her the ghost was happily anticipating the fight. Elisabeth had fought next to Varlum, but it was hard to tell, size-wise, how this Ithecal compared. Balthazar had pointed out some of the things the ghost liked to do so maybe if she could show Nimue that she was interested in them too, perhaps they would find common ground. “I can’t tell if that Ithecal is bigger than Varlum, one of my sparring partners at Storm’s Edge, but he looks really tough. He’ll give you a good fight.”

Watching Balthazar enter the pit, Elisabeth gave him a grin and called out,” Be careful…” He always insisted he was, but she couldn’t help herself so she simply made a joke out of it.

Once he stepped away, she focused her attention on Nimue. Stepping up to the railing, she laid her arms on it and looked about the room. “So Nimue, when you are looking for someone to possess, what are you looking for? Is it simply a matter of drunkenness or is there more to it?" Common ground. That’s what they needed to find. For Elisabeth to have any chance of forming any connection with Nimue, she needed more information.

[Balthazar Black]

29 Vhalar 720

Nimue did not seem to give Elisabeth much of a response when she said that it was good to see her. Nimue didn't disagree but she also didn't think it was particularly good. It was good that Balthazar had not been eliminated and that had afforded her another night in the tavern. It was not good that she had to spend the night conversing.

"Footwork is important, few people are dangerous on their back." Balthazar pointed out with a little humor in his tone before he moved towards the pit he would have to fight in. Her trial sounded more enjoyable to Balthazar than the one before because it included a little sword training. He was still fairly knew with a sword but he learned fast. Quacia had been a trial by fire but in the spirit of complete transparency, he didn't use the sword as much as magic in Quacia. Not many slashes, but a lot of stone throwing... and lightning... and fire. Fire had been surprisingly slow to work on the creep but it worked. Walsh called Balthazar into the pit for his match and the mage nodded to him before looking at Elisabeth again. She'd asked a quick series of questions so he gave a quick series of answers. "No headaches, all healed, eyes golden, I'll be back in a moment-"

"No you won't." Nimue interjected, causing Balthazar to give her a betrayed look. Nimue smirked and pointed to the pit where the ithecal was standing and Balthazar grumbled something to himself. Elisabeth was right about the size but Balthazar wasn't quite sure how large Varlum was. "Don't you remember him? I'd say... five bits."

"A few moments then." He decided before going into the pit for his match, leaving the girls to talk to each other. Balthazar slowly approached the center of the ring where the ithecal nearly twice his size stood with his hands balled into fists. "Hello there." Balthazar said to the large ithecal with no name that he knew. It was probably rude that Balthazar did not know the man's name after two fights, but it didn't seem to matter or really come up.

"This'll be different than last time." The ithecal said as the signal to begin the fight was given. The ithecal lashed out with a wild swing immediately and Balthazar ducked under him, coming out behind his opponent only to be tripped with the ithecal's tail. Balthazar stumbled and fell into a roll which he managed to emerge from back on his feet.

"Not if that is your best." Balthazar taunted before launching his own attack.

~~~ ~~~ With Nimue ~~~ ~~~

While Balthazar began his fight in the pit, Nimue watched silently. She'd have been silent the whole time if not for Elisabeth eventually prying. Nimue cast a glance with her golden eyes towards Elisabeth after a few trills to let the question hang in the air, then she looked back at the fight without answering. It might have seemed like Nimue wasn't going to answer, judging by the focus she was paying Elisabeth, but eventually a soft voice did respond. "It's not about how drunk they are, it's about how drunk they can become." Nimue gained joy from drinking in the bodies of others to simulate what it was like. She didn't want the after-effects, just the drinking. "But you also want to pick someone who has had a little already. It makes them easier to take over."

[Elisabeth Black]

The young woman didn’t feel offense when Nimue didn’t respond. Balthazar had given her a bit of insight into the world of ghosts so she was better prepared this time around to see if she could get anywhere with the ghost.

They had a routine now – Elisabeth and Balthazar. There was their spot. She would ask him if he was ok. He’d say yes. A little more talking and into the ring he would go. Nimue was usually already off having her fun so it was a bit of a different story that night. Watching him interact with the ghost was enlightening and gave her a bit of information she didn’t have previously.

Her eyes followed him into the ring, sighing softly. It wasn’t going to be an easy fight, but she had faith in his abilities. She felt a certain amount of investment in the outcome now that they had spent time together. Quality time from what she could remember – especially the first night of the tournament. Memories came in fits and spurts but there had been a lot of talking, a lot of alcohol, maybe some travel plans, something about Lore and a walk home. Upon waking the next morning, she had found herself in bed – the correct bed- dressed in her clothing from the evening before. And a really bad headache. She assumed he had been the one to put her there and for that, she was grateful.

Elisabeth’s concern for the evening – or at least the immediate future – was the ghost.

Her interest in Nimue was a bit complex. As a curious creature, she simply wanted knowledge. This was her very first ghost. It was interesting from that perspective…but at the same time, it was obvious that Nimue and Balthazar had a relationship, and they were important to each other. From that perspective, Elisabeth truly wanted to befriend the ghost and see if she could help her in any way as well. It was possible that she couldn’t…but it never hurt to try.

Nimue’s answer didn’t come quickly…or easily it seemed, but it did arrive all the same. What she said…was interesting to the young woman. “So…if you could pick anyone in the room, who would your target be?” Grinning at Nimue, she looked every inch the girl that possibly might be interested in a bit of mischief. Glancing about, she tried to figure out who the ghost might pick before she gave her answer. Apparently, they already needed to be drinking to be considered…and capable of consuming large amounts of alcohol.

[Balthazar Black]

29 Vhalar 720

~~~ ~~~ In The Pit~~~ ~~~

Balthazar and the massive thiussum exchanged blows quickly in the ring but it was clear that Balthazar was the faster of the two. The ithecal was striking with hooking blows and Balthazar had developed an incredibly effective counter for it. As the strike came in he blocked with one arm and struck with the other using impressive speed to overwhelm the larger opponent. "You're hitting harder than last time." The ithecal grunted as Balthazar right fist struck his midsection.

"You," Balthazar blocked a hook with his right arm and drove his left into the ithecal's chest, "too!" Balthazar dipped back for a moment to dodge another wide swipe and then he drop kicked the ithecal, knocking it to the ground and shaking the building just a little. Balthazar rolled and came back up onto his feet quickly while the ithecal seemed to need a moment. Balthazar moved quickly, leaping onto the ithecal's back and wrapping an arm around his neck. The ithecal began to rise to his feet and Balthazar squeezed his neck as tightly as he could. He hadn't been strong enough last time but he had been practicing.

There was no question that the ithecal could not breathe. However Balthazar found the ithecal was still surprisingly mobile without air for the few trills it took to rise and fall onto his back. This time Balthazar was smart enough to let go and so he narrowly avoided being crushed. While the ithecal gasped, desperately filling his massive lungs with air again, Balthazar went back on the attack.

~~~ ~~~ With Nimue ~~~ ~~~

"I don't know, he told me not to do it tonight so I didn't waste time looking." Nimue responded quickly when Elisabeth asked who Nimue would possess if given the choice. However when Elisabeth asked, it seemed that Nimue began looking around for someone. However she saw Balthazar on the back of the ithecal again and she laughed. "Idiot. He did that last time and it didn't work." Nimue brought her fingers to her lips and whistled as if trying to encourage Balthazar. He whistle came out eerily similar to the sound of a flute shifting through a dozen notes quickly- a sign of how she had died. "Get off his back! He is going to crush you!" Nimue shouted into the ring before turning back to Elisabeth with a shrug.

"I don't know, maybe him." She gestured to a man a few feet away from them, trading nels with others while they placed moment by moment bets on the fight transpiring in the ring. "Mostly to steal his nels though. He doesn't look the type to put up a fight." But she'd been wrong before. A few times... but what was another attempt against an infinite lifespan as a ghost? Nimue did not try it though. Instead she seemed to think something mischievous and she looked at Elisabeth. The woman wanted to talk to her? Alright. "Maybe you. It'd be nice not to be in a man for a change and you're not... the worst."

[Elisabeth Black]

Well, that was news to her. Huh. Balthazar must have seen a least a small glimmer of hope in her idea to try and bond a bit with Nimue to have asked the ghost to spend some time with her. That, to her, was huge…that he was trusting her to at least try.

Her attention turned to the ring where he was now on top of the Ithecal. Arching an eyebrow gently as Nimue yelled at him, Elisabeth gave a soft laugh. “That will never work…why is he doing that?” She hadn’t been present for the first fight with the Ithecal so she didn’t know the history…but something occurred her right then. Nimue had a close relationship with Balthazar. Maybe she could bond with her but using him as the subject? After all, he was the common link. Turning to give the ghost a thoughtful look, she gave something of an explanation. “I told Balthazar I don’t know anything about ghosts. You are the first one I’ve ever talked to. He told me about your relationship and the dagger. That’s probably the reason he wanted you to talk to me. I’m sorry I ruined your fun…I just really wanted to know more about you since you are important to him.” Elisabeth was using a bit of sliding logic and tiny misrepresentations but it all made sense in her mind.

When their talk turned to the subject of possession, she glanced at the person Nimue pointed out. Seemed appropriate. But when the ghost mentioned possessing Elisabeth, she laughed and shook her head. “First ghost. I don’t think I’m ready for that…but if a woman is who you are looking for…” She turned and pointed out a woman not far from them who had definitely had a bit to drink. Talking loudly and not paying any mind to the fight, she was trying to woo several of the men in her immediate vicinity to buy drinks for her. Nodding in her direction so Nimue would know who she was talking about, she tuned back to her, arching her eyebrow. “How about that one? I’ll even tell Balthazar it was my idea…”

[Balthazar Black]

29 Vhalar 720

~~~ ~~~ In The Pit~~~ ~~~

Balthazar struck hard with a kick to the ithecal's ribcage sending a deafening thud rippling through the air. The big lizard fell over onto his side and Balthazar quickly mounted him again by pressing his knee onto the big man's chest. He pushed down with his knee, pinning the ithecal to the ground before delivering a series of hard blows to his snout. The ithecal's arm swung up trying to bat the little mage aside but Balthazar sensed it coming and reacted quickly, jabbing the ithecal on the inside of the elbow to weaken and stop his arm. Then the other big scaly fist came and Balthazar disabled it with a similar jab. He had his opponent pinned and was striking everything with scales that came after him. The crowd began to chant, anticipating the end of the match when suddenly the ithecal surged upwards, pushing Balthazar off him with sheer strength.

The mage toppled to the side, his balance disrupted, and the ithecal rolled onto all fours before scrambling up to his feet. Balthazar regained his footing and ran at the ithecal who turned and swung blindly at the mage. Balthazar ducked and came out behind the ithecal who swung his tail bluntly at the mage. The tail clipped Balthazar but it was not nearly enough to stop his oncoming assault. Balthazar drove his hands into the back of the thiussum like he was holding a hammer and knocked the thiussum forward- but not off his feet. He kept striking, this time reaching out with his leg and hooking it around the thiussum's. Balthazar yanked his opponent's leg out from beneath him and the ithecal tumbled into the ground again. This time he did not seem to rise quite as quickly and when he did, Balthazar kicked him in the head. The ithecal didn't rise again after that.

Balthazar knelt down and checked to see that his opponent was still breathing and after a few trills he got the evidence he needed. "Maybe Chrien will smile on you next time." Balthazar grunted as he rose from the unconscious ithecal's body. He raised his hands victoriously and let himself enjoy the cheering of the crowd for a few trills before he stumbled away from it. He moved towards Elisabeth but Walsh intercepted him before he could reach the girls.

~~~ ~~~ With Nimue ~~~ ~~~

It was hard to tell exactly what had changed when Elisabeth mentioned that Nimue was the first ghost she'd met but something did. Balthazar should have told Elisabeth that Nimue did not like talking about being a ghost explicitly. Balthazar did not understand it but while Nimue seemed to enjoy using her abilities, she did not like discussing the condition of being dead. However Elisabeth was smart to keep Balthazar in the conversation. Nimue would have grown bored of discussing Elisabeth's time at the institute and Nimue had vested interest in Balthazar. Yet Nimue didn't seem to like the word relationship. Nimue had loved someone once and that was the only relationship she thought she had. That love had turned to betrayal. She did not care for Balthazar. She told herself that as often as she could whether or not it was true. She cared about the protection he provided. He made her feel safe and that was not something a ghost often was able to feel.

"Most ghosts wouldn't want to talk... or they'd talk too much." Nimue said with a small shrug while she thought back to what the Beneath was like. It was a strange place and the dead you found were not often friendly. Nimue enjoyed that Balthazar kept her dagger in interesting places so she could explore the best of the living world. The Beneath... she wouldn't wish that on any of the living. It was a lonely place and when it wasn't lonely, it was dangerous. "Not that I really want to talk either. What's the point?" Then Elisabeth suggested a different woman for Nimue to possess and the ghost shook her head. "I think not. She is too... loose. I like a little challenge."

[Elisabeth Black]

Elisabeth’s eyes followed Balthazar’s final movements in the ring, smiling as he claimed victory. She anticipated his return, but someone got to him first. Obviously, she had seen the man before considering the tournament was over several nights but was unsure why he was talking to Balthazar.

Keeping her eyes on him, she heard what Nimue said. Elisabeth was unaware she had made some miscalculations with her so all she could do is continue with her current plan. She was trying to focus on things that the ghost might find interesting but for some reason, she was having issues with that line of thinking. She had shied away from every conversation topic the young woman could think of that might build something of a bridge. But then Nimue stated that she really had no desire to talk and Elisabeth’s mind went blank.

How do you talk to someone that really doesn’t want to talk to you?

The answer, at least for Elisabeth, was just dropping the matter and focusing on Balthazar. She couldn’t force Nimue to talk to her and she didn’t want to make her do something she didn’t want to do. Returning her gaze to Balthazar, she arched her eyebrow a bit, curious as to what was holding him up. Without even meaning to, she let the words slip out loud, betraying a bit of annoyance. “What is going on now? I wonder what’s so important…”

She hadn’t forgotten about the ghost, nor given up. But it seemed as though if they were going to connect, it was going to have to happen on its own without Elisabeth’s well-meaning interference.

[Balthazar Black]

29 Vhalar 720

Whatever conversation transpired between Balthazar and Walsh happened quickly because before very long the mage was back on his way to the duo. Nimue seemed to have appreciated the silence that Elisabeth gave her after she expressed her disinterest in talking. It wasn't so much that Nimue could not be coaxed into talking, it was just that you had to find the right topic and more often than not you had to wait for her to ask you a question. Balthazar had learned rather early on that it was easier to respond to her input than it was to advise her. Nimue seemed to have her mind made up about a great many things and death had only cemented her beliefs. Why she didn't easily speak of them, Balthazar did not really know. It didn't matter to him though. He enjoyed the silence at times just as much as Nimue did.

"Sorry, Walsh wanted to get to know me." Balthazar said, unconsciously avoiding the topic of what the two of them had been talking about. He did not mention it, because it was nothing important. It was fair to say that Walsh was a fan of the attention Balthazar brought to The Copper Prince but it was hard to figure out if Walsh was a fan of Balthazar or not. Regardless, the mage had agreed to spend the night at The Copper Prince, drinking with Walsh. That didn't mean he couldn't speak to Elisabeth a little bit first. "Well wants to, he wants to have a longer chat."

"That's great, look, your friend is... alright." Nimue said with a small jab to Balthazar's arm. "I'm going to go look for something to syphon now." Balthazar nodded and Nimue seemed to vanish. She was pretty good at crossing back into the Beneath but that was not what she'd done and Balthazar knew it because he could still feel her moving around him. She went away, off towards the bar in her less visible state. She was looking for somewhere more private to cross into the Beneath again and he knew it.

"So how was talking to a ghost? Brief, I imagine."

[Elisabeth Black]

Elisabeth nodded at his inquiry “Brief…and I need a drink…”

Arc 720, 31 Vhalar

It was the final night for the Copper Prince’s Tournament. Elisabeth had been there for all the other nights so it stood to reason that she would be there for the last. At the very least, she needed to thank Balthazar for teaching her so much about unarmed combat. And the drinks.

This night, she didn’t go to the normal meeting spot. Instead, she wandered around the main room, watching people. The young woman didn’t know what she was looking for really – just distraction. It was something of a return to what she had been doing before she met Balthazar. Instead of watching people, she had been watching him. They had drunk together and learned things about each other. It had been fun, but it was the last night of the tournament. All good things had to come to an end.

The room was crowded so Elisabeth simply allowed the movement to guide her around. There was no conscious thought about where she was moving. If she saw something interesting, she followed it. If she found something not so interesting, she turned around.

There were a few familiar faces she nodded to as she passed. One couldn’t spend as many breaks someplace as she had over the previous four trials and not become acquainted with a few people. Elisabeth had to admit that she’d miss the Copper Prince and some of the people there. She could always come back but it wouldn’t be the same. Something about the energy of the brawling ring made her feel…different. It was like sword training although she usually didn’t have an audience when she was doing that.

Whatever it was, she would miss it.

[Balthazar Black]

31 Vhalar 720

It was the final night of The Copper Prince's Tournament and everyone in the immediate area around the tavern knew it. They either knew it because they were there or they knew it because they could hear the rowdy crowd that had gathered for the finale. Elisabeth had plenty of people to see wandering the main room. Enough to make moving around a little annoying. Strangely enough, Balthazar was nowhere in sight. He was late. Very late. He was considering not showing up. Nimue wasn't around her anchor. Something about tonight was different and Balthazar didn't know what it was. Nimue was... far away. She'd given him no warning and he considered leaving to find her but he didn't go. Still, he wasn't there and the crowd was getting anxious. His opponent had arrived, a Lotharro man named Halfdan who had torn through his other matches with a remarkable tenacity and endurance. Everyone thought he would be the one to beat the man with the white hair. In fairness, the Lotharro's natural endurance gave him an edge that would probably put him on par with Balthazar's reforged endurance. Halfdan had boldly dedicated the blood he would spill that night to the Immortal Famula and a few in the crowd cheered while a few in the crowd stared confused.

The Copper Prince staff were working hard to keep all the lanterns lighting the tavern alive while the rowdy crowd waited for the white haired mage to arrive. Walsh looked nervous after a while. If Balthazar didn't show up, there would be no final fight. If there was no fight, he stood to lose a lot of the publicity from the tournament. No one wanted it to end because one of the fighters didn't show. Fortunately, Balthazar arrived.

His arrival began with an uproar outside the tavern as the audience members who recognized him began to call out to the approaching mage. Balthazar did not seem overly ecstatic to be there as he had been the nights before. The crowd parted like the sea making way for a defier and Balthazar walked in with his head down wearing a nice black outfit. Well 'nice.' He was wearing his usual poorly mended black shirt, black pants, and for the first time, no boots. Members of the crowd hollered to him and clapped him on the back as he moved through the crowd to the usual spot where he did not find Elisabeth.

First Nimue, now the new woman.

Well, he couldn't have expected her to spend ever night there. Balthazar set his weapons down in his spot and removed his shirt to avoid getting blood on it. Walsh swept over to Balthazar before he could look around for Elisabeth and ushered the fighter into the ring on the 31st night of Vhalar. None of them knew the significance of the night but it was time to fight. Balthazar and Halfdan faced each other in the pit and battle to be The Copper Prince's Champion began.

Halfdan charged in with fast and strong jabs at Balthazar who countered with parries to knock Halfdan's strikes away from his body. They were both fast and strong but Halfdan seemed like he was gaining ground. One punch slipped through and hit Balthazar's shoulder. Another hit his jaw and knocked him off balance. Halfdan pushed in and Balthazar found himself on the retreat. Halfdan was throwing punches harder than the mage could endure forever. Every block was beginning to hurt, the strain of multiple trials of combat on the body of the mage. He couldn't stay on the defensive forever but he was distracted by concern and sadness. He wasn't quite in the fight, so he just kept blocking.