“I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL OF THE BLADES, FOR THE RIGHT TO RULE OVER THE RETHAVOK!”
Photeianos stood proudly in the middle of the room, branded in golden armour and studded with glistening gems. In one hand he held a long, golden sword. In the other he held a golden pistol, ready to fire.
His appearance though was met in two distinct ways. The first and most obvious way was that most of the room didn’t really seem to notice or care. The majority of Rethans in the room were guards who were simply standing in silence. In fact, the only real reactions were from the handful of Generals and one single Captain.
“I thought we executed you?” Retvik, the lone Captain asked. Normally Retvik wouldn’t have been present, but as he was the sibling of the High General, he was occasionally allowed to listen in, even if he could not participate in General meetings. “Did we not execute you after you tried to have former High General Elkay killed?”
The three Generals, the ones who had reacted at lease, all grunted. One of them was High General Rethais, who Photeianos was clearly speaking to. The others were Vice General Lepidas, Rethais’s second in command, and General Somnenion, one of the members of the Circle, the main Rethan ruling party. They had been waiting for other Generals to arrive when Photeianos had intruded with his own legion of soldiers.
“You traitor, what are you doing here?” Rethais hissed, reaching for his own sword. Most Rethans carried fold-able gunstaffs, but, being the High General, Rethais traditionally carried a sword and a dagger as well. “And how did you survive being executed? Soldiers, could you please arrest this deluded fool?”
To Rethias’s surprise though, the room stood still. That was when he noticed that someone else was present. Someone… no, something… that wasn’t a Rethan. Stepping out from the shadows behind Photeianos was a terrifyingly dark, golden-armoured being with gargantuan antlers and an extra pair of arms.
“Dear Rethais, I do believe that you have a challenge that you must accept…” Kenon, the God of the Void, the Antimaker and Lord of Shadows, growled as he stepped forward, towering both Photeianos and all the Rethans present. “So, will you face my humble servant or not?”
The High General sighed, revealing his own blade. “We are Rethavok, we are supposed to elect our leaders, not mess with silly ancient rituals or tie ourselves to gods who wish to take away our autonomy. Which, I assume, is why you are here, Voidborn?”
Whether Kenon was bothered by this rather feisty mortal’s words or not, none of them could tell. “Rethais Rethianos, I am giving you a peaceful option here. Defeat my servant and you can keep your position, as long as you remain loyal to me.”
“What if the Rethavok do not want to be loyal to you?”
The Voidlord gestured around the room. There was a sly smile underneath his golden mask. “They do not seem to mind. Now, will you accept Photeianos’s challenge or will you forfeit your right as leader of the Rethavok?”
Rethais tutted, not really sure what to do. He and the three other, still somewhat sane and awake Rethans all knew that arguing with a deity was a bad idea. With another sigh, Rethais raised his blade, meeting it with Photeianos’s ridiculous golden sword.
“Fine. Photeianos, I accept your challenge.”
“Very well. May the best Rethan win!”
Photeianos grinned wildly, attempting to make the first attack. Rethais though calmly stepped out of his reach, then slipped to one side, cleanly making a cut through Photeianos’s golden armour. Photeianos’s second attack also failed miserably, with Rethais again deftly dodging his strike and countering with a delicate slice across Photeianos’s arm.
“Hey! You were supposed to be bad at this!” the challenger gasped, withdrawing and clearing some space for himself. “I have been practicing ever since-”
“Ever since what, Photeianos? Since you lost in an election fairly to Elkay and myself? Since you lost your trial?”
Yet again, Photeianos tried to attack, but Rethais had managed to escape harm and retaliate with yet another drawing of Photeianos’s blood, this time a small cut on his jaw.
“Yes, since then! But I will not let you win!”
“Then fight better…” Rethais grunted, landing further blows, slicing off some of Photeianos’s golden armour and leaving a long, shallow wound across his stomach.
Photeianos growled, hiding his pain. “I WILL win! One way or another!” Suddenly, the challenger pulled his gun, firing five shots. Rethais did his best to move out of the way, watching in horror as two of the bullets embedded themselves in the wall, two embedded themselves in two nearby guards and one…
“You… You shot me…” Rethais stuttered, clutching his side. “YOU SHOT ME!”
“Yes, I did. Because your time is up. You will lead the Rethavok no further.”
“You shot me… It is a challenge of blades, not bullets!” Rethais repeated himself. “You… You cannot win by cheating…”
Photeianos straightened himself out, smiling. “I can if I have a deity on my side…” Photeianos turned to the Voidlord. “I have won, have I not?”
“Not while I draw breath!” Rethais roared, charging forward and forcing his blade through Photeianos’s stomach. In rapid succession, Rethais continued to stab at Photeianos, slicing through his unarmoured parts. Within moments, Photeianos collapsed on the floor in several pieces, the light having left his eyes.
With Photeianos out of the way, Rethais turned to the Voidlord, snarling. “I have defeated your champion, now I humbly request that you leave us be.”
Kenon though simply laughed. “Oh Rethais, you have left yourself weak. After all, I can now challenge you myself. I challenge you to another duel of the blades, little, feeble Rethan. I challenge you to the right to rule.”
Before Rethais could react, the Voidlord summoned a dark spear, pierced it through Rethais’s stomach then retracted it, laughing as he did so. Kenon then leaned down to Rethais, whispering in his ear.
“I admire your courage, little one. But you are simply too… autonomous for my liking. Do not fret though, I will lead the Rethavok to greatness once more. Say hello to the Lord of Death for me…”
Without warning, a wall of flame appeared between Rethais and the Voidlord. With a snarl, Kenon stumbled backwards, not sure where this sudden explosion of heat had come from. But as the smoke cleared, Kenon realised that both Rethais and the lone, non-mind-controlled captain had disappeared.
“Oh well…” Kenon smiled to himself, picking up the blood-soaked sword that had been left behind. “The poor little fool can go and die elsewhere. There is nothing anyone, Rethan or otherwise, can do to stop me now…”