The Duel
Fiora crossed the bridge with measured steps until only about ten feet separated herself from the cloaked creature in front of her. Purple three-fingered hands held a glowing lantern and six blue lights gazed upon her from under a lighter purple hood.
"Who are you?", she demanded to know before she would start their deadly duel. "My name is Jax.", answered a deep voice dulled by the mask on its face. "No house to my name." Fiora was certain she heard a mocking undertone, but she was too experienced to respond to something like that. "Jax without House, you have defeated 16 demacian men in duel, yet I cannot say it was honorable. You gave no reason other than insult. Therefor I shall challenge you to an honorable duel to reclaim the honor of Demacia."
The creature tilted its hooded head slightly to the side before assuming a dueling stance. "I don't care about demacian honor nor your perceived damage to my own honor. None of your warriors were strong enough to defeat me, my honor is untouched." Again, Fiora heard a mocking undertone, but she also felt the sobriety in its words. It seemed to measure honor differently though, purely based on skill in fight and not by manners and etiquette.
"As you are seemingly not accustomed with our code of honor of Demacia, I shall …" Jax lifted his lantern and laughed. "I'm very well accustomed to your code of honor, Fiora of House Laurent. And I don't care a bit about it. You have some fighters that could compare to my skill, or at least come close. You might be one of those. But as long as none have bested me in combat, your code of honor is less valuable than the code of battle." His voice had lost its mocking undertone, he had become serious. "If you insist on that, let me teach you, Jax of no house."
Fiora changed into a perfect duelist's stance, one so refined Jax couldn't remember seeing it with such form. He swirled his lantern around before squatting down and extending one hand. His three fingers spread apart while his other hand held the lantern behind his back, ready to strike. The two fighters slowly circled each other, taking steps in perfect unison. They measured each other, but neither could find any weakness. Jax smiled under his mask and after moments that were of immeasurable length, he struck first.
He jumped forward and smashed his lantern in an overhead strike towards Fiora's head. It was a blunt strike but filled with strength harnessed for centuries. Yet the rapier of his opponent simply swiped it to the side, so it barely missed her shoulder. Her riposte came swift, her weapon drawing a circle and piercing towards his heart. The speed and precision impressed him, but he had already swirled around, and the tip merely pierced his cloak. He used his momentum and threw a strike in a long arch, forcing her to take a step back. His lantern spun over his head and another strike from above arched towards Fiora.
This time she deflected it to the other side and adjusted her counter a bit to the right, but Jax had changed grip on his lantern and its haft blocked the rapier. Their battle raged on like this, Jax' in circling, flowing movements while Fiora deflected him with the precision of a grand duelist. The men watching gasped in awe of this display of swordsmanship, as they were unable to follow the blades. They could only see the afterimages of the burning lantern and the light glazing of Fiora's dancing rapier.
Yet the pair barely moved across the bridge. Their entire fight was restricted to a circle of about 10 feet in which awaited death for anyone who would enter it. Neither of them looked like they would yield, though.
Jax slammed the rapier to the side again and took a few steps back so Fiora couldn't immediately press him again. His breathing had become a bit heavy in their intense exchange of blows, but he had not received a wound nor had he inflicted one. He bowed his head slightly towards his opponent to acknowledge her prowess and she returned the nod in kind. He could see sweat running down her chin and smiled under his mask.
Instead of using his lantern like a mace like he had before he copied her stance and held it out in front of him. He had learned this style ages ago, but he was still confident he could best her. Fiora raised an eyebrow but accepted this invitation to a duel like the fencers of old. They aligned themselves with the bridge, so they had linear space and Fiora swept her blade through the air in an x-shape. "Whoever steps off the bridge first shall be defeated.", she determined and Jax nodded. "I agree to your condition.", he accepted formally, and they locked eyes.
This time Fiora took the first step and launched a lunge at Jax. Her rapier moved with inhuman speed and Jax was barely able to react. The tip of the blade scratched over the side of his mask, barely missing his eyes. He immediately realized that he had entered a far more dangerous fight than he had anticipated. He felt a real threat, something that he hadn't felt in a long time. And the feeling invigorated him. Another strike flashed towards his shoulder, but this time he deflected it and countered with a swift strike towards Fiora's hip. She turned around bit was just too slow. One of the outer spikes scratched her skin, drawing a drop of blood.
She drew a sharp breath of air and changed to a defensive stance. "You are exceptional.", she said and slowly moved her blade in circles in front of her. "I had enough time to learn.", he answered and thrusted his lantern forward. She easily deflected it and they observed one another again. "I know your name, Jax. But who are you?", Fiora asked again.
Jax swung his lantern in an arch towards her, forcing her back a few feet. "What does it matter to you, Fiora? You wouldn't understand what I told you anyway." His past was longer than humanity remembered, reaching back to ancient Icathia. All but forgotten by almost everyone. "You are most likely a fighter even superior to me. That is reason aplenty to seek your knowledge and know your tale.", she answered and feint a thrust to his shoulder. In the last second, she switched her aim and pierced through his thigh, but her rapier barely penetrated his leg. She pulled it back and dodged his riposte.
"If this was anything else but a duel in honor, I assume I would be superior to you.", he replied without any pride. "But I am impressed by your skill. You are the first being I encountered in a long time that can withstand me. And I will honor that blood has been drawn equally." He gave up his fighting stance and stood upright, his lantern placed at his side.
"By the rules of the Kohari, I declare this duel a draw!", he shouted and slammed the butt of the lantern to the ground. The flame in its head fizzed, like it agreed. Fiora looked at him confused, but slowly lowered her rapier. "What does this mean?", she asked.
"The ancient code of the Kohari determines that a duel can be declared a draw if blood has been drawn by both sides. The superior duelist shall weigh the pride of a win against the shame of a loss and if he sees fit, he can end the duel in a draw. Thus, he himself gains knowledge about himself while his opponent does not suffer the consequences of a loss. Duel in the times of old ended in death or serious injury and therefore were seen as last choice among the Kohari. They were too valuable fighters to throw away their lives."
Fiora slowly sheathed her rapier and nodded. "I accept this decision, for now. But be assured, the real determination of superiority is still outstanding.", she said. "But for now, I offer you the hospitality of House Laurent and in extension that of the kingdom of Demacia. And I request that you accompany me to our estate to have some conversation about your skills." Jax could see the hunger in her eyes to expand her knowledge about the art of fighting and remembered his own youth. He was a grandmaster at arms today, but he hadn't always been as highly trained as now. Far back he had sought the guidance of masters better than himself and in the end succeeded them. Maybe it was time for him to guide the first of a new order of Kohari, just like he had set out to do.
"I'll accompany you, Fiora of House Laurent. And if you proof yourself worthy outside of combat as much as you have during it, I may teach you in its ancient ways."
A few hours later Fiora and Jax sat in a small dining hall. The elongated table between them was filled with delicacies from Runeterra, yet neither of them had taken any of it yet. This, too, was a measurement of their wills. "Please, take what meets your taste.", Fiora broke the silence and took one of the large raptor eggs that had been boiled and seasoned. She had switched into more comfortable clothing and had taken a bath while Jax was still wearing his dusty cloak. "Thank you for the invitation and the meal.", Jax answered and grabbed some meat he didn't know. But it didn't matter, his journeys had hardened his taste.
Fiora was watching Jax closely, but he only lifted his Mask so his mouth could be reached. She could barely make out a broad purple chin, yet that in itself felt strange to her. He belonged to a species that was unknown to Fiora and judging by the behavior of the servants to them as well. "Jax, was it? I have never seen the likes of you, may I ask where your origin lays?", she asked as politely as she could. As a proud demacian woman this question would usually be beneath her as any other heritage than demacian didn't matter much to her, but his prowess in combat made her curious. She knew that other nations had formidable fighters, the Hand of Noxus Darius for example. But none have ever been so skilled like the one on the other side of the table.
"To know my origin is to know tragedy.", Jax answers midbite and raises his head. "You don't know what lays in the past and you aren't worth the time it'd take to tell it. Not yet." He talks so blunt that it was an insult, one that Fiora wouldn't forget easily. "Watch your tongue. You are a guest, but do not overstretch that privilege.", she answered with a hint of anger in her voice. "As skilled as you may be, you wouldn't leave here alive."
Jax put the piece of meat back onto his plate and looked at her. Silence spread through the room for a few heartbeats before he started to laugh. It was a dark, rasping sound like he hadn't laughed for a while. As suddenly as he had started, he stopped and took the knife that he hadn't used to this point. "I could fight everyone in this building and come out with but a few scratches. Do not overestimate our fight, that was a duel following rules. A fight for live and death would be over far more quickly, to your expense.", he answered with such menace that Fiora recoiled. His posture suddenly reminded her of a predator ready to pounce on its prey.
The glow of his mask had changed to a dark purple too, but it slowly faded to the light blue it displayed before. "Don't overstep your worth, Fiora of House Laurent. Unless you have proven to me that you are worth sharing secrets of old with you, do not ask about them."
The rest of the meal passed in silence. Fiora was brooding over his insulting yet strangely appropriate demeanor while Jax enjoyed the food on the table and didn't care for much else. After about half an hour he put aside the cutlery and stood up. "The food was tasty, thank you for it. But now I'd like to rest." Fiora nodded and clapped her hands. The door behind Jax was opened and a servant entered the room. "Please follow me."
Fiora found Jax watching over the training grounds behind the estate, studying the guardsmen in their daily drill. All of them were great warriors, yet Fiora was aware that none of them would survive for longer than a heartbeat against either her or him.
"My guard, picked from the best fighters of Demacia.", she said anyway, willing to take a fight over their qualification. He turned his head towards her but didn't answer at first. Only after what she assumed was a thorough examination of her faith in those men did he open his mouth. "They are well trained for mortal men. Yet they lack experience from true war. Brutal, cruel combat. Live or death, no rules. That is something you Demacians forget, you always have."
"What are you talking about? All of my men have fought at the frontlines against Noxus! They have seen death; they have felt sorrow and grief. There may not be an all-out war between our countries with two massive armies, but that doesn't make the combat any more forgiving.", Fiora answered, confused by his statement. "Which enemy would be crueler than the Noxian empire?"
Jax again stood in silence for some heartbeats before he carefully spoke again. "Fiora of House Laurent, the war between Demacia and Noxus is fought with conventional weapons, warriors with sword and shield, horse and lance. Some mages on the side of Noxus, surely, but they are weak now. They don't have the might to destroy entire cities, lay waste to swaths of land. Or summon horrors from other dimensions like the mages of old could. It is not their fault, the magic of Runeterra has weakened and is fading, yet it makes war easier. You are missing enchanted warriors that stood tall above mortal men wielding enchanted weapons that could slice entire rows of men in half with the flick of a wrist…" He stopped talking and seemingly lost himself in his memories.
"I have heard that mages had more potent abilities back in the past, but you sound like have witnessed it.", Fiora said with a curious tone. "But that was millennia ago. You would be older than many civilizations now. You can't tell me that."
He shook his head. "I have roots deep in the past and heard many detailed stories, void of the exaggerations that bards put in for the effect. And my journeys have led me around far and wide. I have seen secrets not many living beings know anymore." He looked back to the warriors training and seemed to decide something. "Spar with me again, Fiora of House Laurent. I have to check something.
Fiora hesitantly agreed, uncomfortable to fight against an opponent she knew she wouldn't beat in front of her men, but she couldn't let her pride frighten her. Thus, she followed him to the large court and drew her rapier. As soon as the guardsmen saw it, they stopped their own training. It was extraordinary to see Fiora at the training grounds and it had never happened that she drew her blade. They formed a loose ring around the opponents and silence fell. Fiora had taken a perfect duelists stance while Jax was rotating his lantern around his body.
Fiora couldn't make out a pattern at first but soon she realized that every sequence followed certain movements, but sequences could be chained together randomly. As soon as she was certain of this observation, she lounged at him and attempted to poke right through his defense. But it never happened. He changed the direction of the lantern mid-sequence and slammed it right at her face. She could only see the light change from red to a bright blue and ripped her blade up, but the force of the strike through her back and the blue light burned in her eyes.
As the blue light faded Fiora didn't stand in the ring anymore but atop a building watching out over a wasteland. Dark purple energy pulsed through giant distorted pillars and arches, giving birth to demons from the deepest nightmares. She recognized that she witnessed monsters of the Void being spawned, but she couldn't figure out why. Her gaze tried to follow all the monstrosities that entered this realm, but it was to many. But then she saw a bright light at the edge of this field of horror and suddenly she stood next to it. She saw purple beings fighting against the void-borns, killing them with magic and their bare hands. The light she saw came from a lantern that was held high amidst the fight.
Its bearer seemed of unrivaled skill, slaying the monsters with a sword in his right and the lantern in his left, screaming to the others. But they slowly lost their ground until further back an army engulfed in golden light emerged from the desert. Only with that golden light did the void get stopped, but the army vanished as it collided with the void, too. In the end, only the lantern stood anymore, and a lone figure emerged from the ruin. The figure took up the lantern and wrapped itself in tattered clothes before leaving the ruined landscape.
Fiora woke up with a scream. Her mind was racing, trying to process what she had just seen. For this reason, it took her a few minutes to realize that she was in her chambers, laying on her bed and that Jax was sitting across the room. "What did you do to me?!", she screamed at him, furious and scared. "I showed you a glimpse of the past and of what is to come.", he answered calm, but without the unending confidence he had before. "And I tested the strength of your mind, You were knocked out for a full day, something I have not seen before. It usually takes a week or longer for those who saw to awake, and none are able to form a sentence right away. The void is too difficult to process for normal humans."
Fiora was still breathing heavy so she sat up straight and concentrated on her breathing until it had calmed down. Only then did she open her eyes again and looked at the thing in front of her. "I have seen those born from the void already. Cho'Gath, Rek'Sai and the others. But that what I saw … It was more, so much more. And so different." She couldn't find the words to describe it and Jax nodded in acknowledgement. "I know what you want to say but can't. The true horror of the void can't be described with words, one has to see it with their own eyes."
He stood up and walked over to her bed. "This lantern is one of the last artifacts of Icathia, and even though what you saw was not how it truly happened, it gives you enough material to understand the grave threat the Void brings. As you have seen void-born monsters you should know it even better." Fiora nodded and opened her mouth, but she couldn't bring herself to ask the burning question.
"Yes, I was there. I witnessed the ruin of Icathia, the first time the void was summoned. The last and gravest mistake of my people that only I bare nowadays. But I am searching for warriors capable of reforming the Kohari and build a guard for the day the Void truly returns. All of the void-borns are working towards that goal and need to be stopped."
Fiora looked up to him in shock and confusion but regained her composure soon. "Jax, if you know all of this, you have to the Institute. Only they have the might to archive such a goal.", she said but he shook his head. "What I have heard about the Institute doesn't sounds like they are truly interested in saving Runeterra. They are based in politics and politics are never capable of putting aside differences towards a great goal.", he answered and tapped his lantern.
"This thing is capable of it, but it alone will not be enough. But recently, big things have been on the move again. Ancient gods have risen from their graves, have been awoken from their slumber or chose to participate in our mortal world again. The times are changing again and I wish to take this chance. Will you join me?"
Fiora shook her head. "I can't just join any cult. What you offer may be genuine, but I know nothing more than a vision. If what you say is true, we are in great danger, but I will have to see it with my own eyes. Give me time to talk to those who know more than me and follow your own path, I am sure we will meet again once we both have gathered more information."
Jax growled but accepted her words. "You are wise, Fiora of House Laurent. I will take your word and search those who have been reborn. And I will see that Institute of yours. Maybe it can be of use after all." He nodded as farewell and left Fiora in her bed, facing questions about her purpose in Demacia.