Alicia Le’roux, The Blood Duellist
East Watch Tower-Queen’s Lake
When the Half-orc stepped away from Alicia, she thought it was the beginning of an elaborate feint or a clever ruse. As such, she didn’t follow up her desire to be the aggressor. She was quicker, he hit harder. The battle had already proven that often enough, so she didn’t want to make herself a slave to his combat manoeuvres.
Yet there were no combat manoeuvres. The Half-orc simply retreated back to the side of Dirge, who seemed to answer this recalled soldier with a crunching blow to the beetle that made even Alicia’s nose curl up in a light grimace. The sound alone was painful; the blow was most certainly fatal. She’d lose no sleep over a sneak who panicked upon being caught: he was clearly not as interesting as his appearance first indicated.
Dirge on the other hand, remained interesting and seemed to develop more so every second. The feel of his mental voice, asking her to retreat, was a new piece of intrigue that made the Alicia desire to fight the Orc more and more. Yet he was right in one regard, she wouldn’t win. The fight with the Half-orc had indicated that the sun would prove enough of an oppressor that she’d likely lose to Dirge, even without the fact that she’d have to keep one eye on the Half-orc.
Alicia took half a step back, before sheathing the rapier in its scabbard once more. She rested her hand on the blade’s pommel, before looking at the assailants from a distance. “I will honour your request, Dirge. Perhaps you should train your soldiers better, they were unable to beat a single member of this ‘atrocious member’ and either lost their lives or half of their stunning good looks.” She grinned at the bleeding half-orc, tempting him to besmirch Dirge’s honour and charge at Alicia. She doubted she’d best Dirge in the daylight, but this one was a fight she was sure she would have won: had the clock not been stopped. She had drawn first blood, after all.
Sadly though, the Half-orc was a well-trained dog. He did nothing more than grumble at Alicia’s cutting words, unflinching next to the Orc. Knowing that her efforts would be futile, she offered a delicate bow to Dirge, tensed and poised, yet as graceful as the dancer. “I hope to meet you again Dirge, perhaps under different circumstances.”
Turning her back on the two orcs and leaving the Eastern Watch Tower, Alicia pondered where to go. She had a few options, although none of them were immediately more delectable than the idea of seeing the Queens that this rabble had banded under. Would she be smitten by the pair that ended gods and rebirthed a nation? There was only one way to find out…
Alicia began to run towards the smoking lake, intent on at least standing out after the shoddy showing at the tower. She had disappointed herself, more than anything, and would see that the Queens be safe and at least as attractive as the rumours said.