Things he expected and things he wanted.
Javindar was convinced Prince Vleda would use his manpower and his superior fleet to get his revenge. While the Grommers had superior numbers, the Khanians could simply arrange themselves into a line formation and pummel them from afar. He could well imagine the Khanians sweep them away with a great wind or to blast them out of sight with their exotic weaponry. From what the crew of the Golden Eagle told him, they could destroy a ship form a thousand feet, using most likely fire belchers from the Dragon Kingdoms, and the Grommers spoke of some sort of weather magic they possessed that could blow a fleet away with.
All this Bey Javindar expected from the Khanian Prince, a brutal battle in where the enemy had all the advantages and his only hope was to bait him closer. At best, he could use Vleda's pride against him, hoping to lure him into a more hand to hand affair, but a Khanian's sense of honor was certainly different from any civilized peoples. Even if somehow the Golden Eagle and the Grommers' flotilla managed to defeat the Khanian Kaylons the cost would be high. While sacrificing men was not uncommon, he needed them…all of them, even the Khanians for the great battle to come.
Javindar hoped to use himself as a lightning rod for the Vleda's boundless rage and thirst for revenge, appeal to his barbarian's pride. Limit the battle to just flag ship on flag ship, or maybe even man to man.
*CLANG CLANG CLINK*
As Javindar blocked the furious barrage of blows unleashed upon him by the Khanian Prince, he quickly had second thoughts of his desired battle.
Vleda's started with a wide overhead swing with his saber which Javindar quickly blocked with his Khanda. The shark tooth blade easily snagged the saber, and a quick flick turned it away. The Bey then positioned himself for a counter swipe, but Vleda's speed was too much. A quick twirl and jab with a slightly bent dagger and a parry was all Javindar could manage before hopping back.
As Javindar shuffled back to reassess his position, Vleda rushed forward again with both blades. The Bey saw his chance and lunged forward with his Khanda, hoping to skewer his opponent with his momentum, but quickly realized it was a feint. Vleda hopped back from the shark tooth blade and did some strange spinning kick that caught him in the chest. Javindar didn't expect this and fell back painfully, but he kept enough of his wits about to him to lash out a Vleda. The barbarian Prince easily turned aside the attack with his saber before slicing at Javindar's side with his dagger. It probably would have skewered him save that the Bey fell to the planks and barely manage to roll away.
While bruised and embarrassed, he suffered little damage save for a few cuts and some shattered teeth off his Khanda.
"Hah, the mighty Bey of Ghata. Slayer of Demons, Hero of Vinraj, rolling on the planks like some…some… ship scrubbing person…"
"…deck hand…" corrected Aurumgar behind him. Javindar could hear the Khanians watching from the fore and aft castles laugh and jeer at him, even as he detected some snickers from his own men as well.
The Bey of Ghata grew red as he rolled onto his feet and sized up his opponent. Vleda appeared unfazed, while Javindar was sweating profusely from the effort. Though he considered himself in good physical fitness, the barbarian Prince was simply just faster and stronger than him, and those kicking skills of his were certainly not to be underestimated again. Was he being enhanced by Aurum, or Aurumgar, or whatever the dragon or want to be dragon called himself. Javindar glanced back at Nahbob, as his servant shook his head as if reading his thoughts, confirming no signs of enchantment had been used.
"You're pretty good," complimented Javindar as he sized up his opponent. "I thought you more of an archer than a duelist though," he added to delay the fight to recover his breath.
Vleda laughed. "I gave up honing my skill with the bow after my so called 'victory'. I occasionally entertain myself with archery against peasants, but any real competition leaves a sour taste in my mouth after our last contest. If I win, people would say I cheated, if I lost I am the object of derision. I took up the saber and kukri instead, to better spill your blood up close. "
"All this training for me, I'm flattered," snickered Javindar. The Bey got out one or two chuckles before Vleda bolted towards him again.
Instead of attempting to counter attack or to parry Vleda's storm of blades, Javindar tried something unconventional. He threw his Khanda towards Vleda's midsection. The Khanian Prince easily sidestepped the clumsy attack, but Javindar was upon him with his scimitar.
Though he preferred his Khanda over the curved blade, he had grown accustomed to it over the past few weeks, and was rewarded for his unconventional attack by catching Vleda by surprise.
With his scimitar drawn in a flash, Javindar struck Vleda in the flank as he dodged the Khanda. The blade bit deep into his side, and would have killed him except for the brigandine he wore. It was heavier armor than Javindar would ever wear, hampering ones movements, but Vleda's suit did not seem to hamper him at all. Was it magic or some extreme armor curing method unknown to Vinraji smiths?
Javindar never got an answer as Vleda ignored the wound and swung at him with both blades. The Bey dodged the dagger, but the saber whistled past him, catching him slightly in the throat.
Javindar felt a splash of warmth wash down his neck. He expected it to be a fatal blow, but he was still standing on his feet. Ignoring the unknown severity of his own wound, he grabbed Vleda's outstretched arm with his free hand before he could retract it, and yanked down and pulled.
It was just a tug, but it caught the Khanian off balance. The barbarians weren't the only ones to train in unarmed combat. Though he was too close to take advantage of the stumble with his scimitar, he was able to swiftly kick Vleda to the side, hopefully sending him tumbling into the ocean.
Instead of an easy end, Vleda recovered his balance almost instantaneously, bringing a collective gasp of 'sighs' and 'oohs' from the Ghatians and Khanians watching. The barbarian Prince planted his feet right at the edge of the planks connecting the two Kaylons, before doing an impossible forward flip towards Javindar.
The Bey could not believe his eyes, but would not falter. Quickly surmising that Vleda could not change direction mid flip, Javindar ran towards Vleda, and shoulder checked him before he landed.
*CRASH*
Vleda fell into a pile of storage crates and ropes. He was on his back, and attempted to flip to his feet, but Javindar mercilessly kicked him down. The Bey then swatted the Khanian's saber away with his scimitar and held his blade menacingly over his opponent's face.
"Yield, and I might…"
Javindar didn't finish his terms before Vleda stabbed his kukri into his leg. The Khanian's awkward position did not generate enough power to stab through his bronze leg guards hidden under his silk pantaloons though, but it was enough to stagger him. Javindar didn't give his foe time to recover for another swing, as he swung his scimitar directly down, stabbing Vleda's dagger hand, piercing his gauntlet and pinning it into the deck.
"Enough. I've bested you," declared Javindar panting, clearly exhausted from this fight." Can we talk now?"
Defiant till the end, Vleda spat at the Bey as he struggled with his pinned hand. He was clearly more weakened than Javindar though as his spittle fell far from the target. "Never. Kill me if you must, but Aurumgar will simply use his death magic to bring me back from the grave. I'll rise a hundred times if I must till I defeat you."
Javindar had a rudimentary knowledge of the 'death magics' that Vleda referred to, and knew that they were not only expensive and in some cases unreliable, but returned the deceased back in a weaker form than before. Nahbob tried to explain to him once, but he paid his servant no heed at the time. He wasn't sure if it was some holy limitation or a physical one but had his doubts Vleda could return 'a hundred' times. Regardless, Javindar could ill afford an enemy that would hound him at every turn. Even if Vleda was too weak to fight, he still had the backing of one of the largest and fiercest armies in the world. He would prefer to fight the coming Asura apocalypse with the Khanians on his side rather than at his heels.
As Javindar stared down at the struggling Vleda, he debated what to do. The old Prince would simply chop this rival's head off and cast it to the sharks. He would not only expect, but welcome any political and military reprisals the Khanians would surely raise against him.
But that was the old Prince. He had changed since leaving Vinraj. From falling in love with the impudent Whelp, who turned out to be his future bride anyways, to failing the Baroness Stille despite his pledges of protection, and being bested by an evil greater than even his martial skill could challenge, Javindar felt humility for the first time in his life. While he was humbled after his defeat at the great archery competition, he didn't quite learn the value of humility. He simply rose above such base feelings and earned back his honor in the field of battle. In the end he was simply doing more of the same. This was different. This was no simple battle he could fight with blade and arrow, even though his opponent had been stabbed before him.
"I ..I do not wish to be your enemy Vleda," bowed Javindar, almost choking on the words. "There are greater forces in play here than our rivalry. How, can I make this right between you and I."
Vleda at first looked confused, as if he could comprehend the words the Bey just said, then he looked stunned when he realized he wasn't imagining it, finally he looked livid at such a ridiculous suggestion.
"Peace between you and I? ABSURD! You first stole my honor, then you stole my father's victory, now you steal my scroll? You expect I , Prince Vleda of the Black Horde to make peace with thieves? Hah!"
Javindar was about to remind Vleda to take a proper tone, especially with one the held his life in his hands. While he was sure that Aurum could bring him back from death, it might be minus a hand, and a few choice parts if Javindar had anything to say about it. Despite his anger and contempt he had for his fallen foe, Javindar took a deep breath and repeated his plea. "How can I make this right?"
Vleda eyed him suspiciously, further confused at why his goad did not work and why he wasn't dead at Javindar's feet. The two nobles eyed each other intently for several minutes until something caught the corner of Javindar's eyes.
A plume of smoke, violet in color rose from an island off in the distance. The clouds above began to react violent with the smoke, flashing lightning, hail, and even balls of fire in its wrath. Javindar yanked his scimitar out of Vleda's hand when he saw large stone megalith's outlined by the smoke.
"Look at that. That's what the scrolls have in store for us. If I am guessing correctly, that's the Asura's scroll at work. It's tearing apart the barriers that keep the underworld from our world. You can guess what will happen next. Armies of Asura like the ones we fought outside the holy temple. Maybe the Grommers can defeat them, most likely they'll be overwhelmed, swallowed by their endless tide. That's what will befall Vinraj if I do not enlist your aid," said Javindar as he offered his hand to the fallen Khanian.
Vleda looked at the baleful column of violet smoke, and then to Aurumgar. The old man in yellow confirmed Javindar's statement with a grim nod. Reluctantly he took Javindar's hand as he was hauled up, still nursing his piercing hand.
"I will aid you but my price is high. My terms are the following, a statement by you confirming that no foul play was done at the great archery contest. An agreement to a duel at a future date and in a public place, and finally the return of my scroll."
Javindar almost laughed at the first two demands, but nodded gamely to them. The third however was non-negotiable. "No, the scrolls are to be delivered to the Holy Sampada, after she is done with them yours can be returned, but somehow I suspect that they will be destroyed or sealed away below the Holy Temple."
"Unacceptable. That is Khanian property. We plundered it fairly centuries ago. It will be seen as weakness if I did nothing after you stole my scroll."
Javindar was about to correct him on so many things. First he didn't steal the scroll, and secondly he did not need to reveal the state of the scroll to his men. He was about to voice his opinion when Nahbob rudely interrupted.
"Pardon me your highnesses," bowed Nahbob tentatively. "If I recall, the Khanian custom regarding theft, particularly in the return of assets if the purloined items are not available to be returned, is that a proxy maybe used. Perhaps the Bey can give you some other ancient scroll from the Ghata treasury in compensation, or some other magical weapon or armor if you like."
Vleda shook his head. "You place mere utilitarian value on the scroll. It is more than just a talking scroll that whispers crazy thoughts in your head, it is a work of art. You Ghatians with your so called high ideals do not understand the meaning of art like us Khanians. To you it is just another monetary item to display and lord over people who do not possess it, another trapping of your decadent castes. My people view art as something to meditate on, something to inspire and sustain our souls between battles."
Javindar took offence at the way he belittled Ghatian culture. He was about to challenge Vleda on his views, be it on a verbal or a physical confrontation when suddenly an idea possessed him.
"Nahbob, retrieve the painting I had commissioned."
Nahbob looked confused but bowed as he scurried away.
"Painting?" asked Vleda.
"Aye, considering your animosity towards me, it's something I believe you can find value in."