Duel

Taelan Fordring changed into his gear and calmly walked into Training Area One. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Instructor Havinfar activated the magic array.

Renault gripped his two-handed sword and followed him inside. He knew why the instructor had raised the protective barrier: Taelan Fordring had awakened the power of the Holy Light on his own. He could cast spells. But no one knew that Renault was a caster too—and that his month of life-and-death battles hadn't been for nothing.

The two faced each other and exchanged formal bows according to the rules. Then Instructor Havinfar, the only one remaining inside the barrier, announced the terms. Neither side could use powerful magical equipment. After all, both boys had formidable fathers and might possess some unusually potent enchanted trinkets. They could use any skills they had mastered, but neither could kill the other. The winner would be decided when one side surrendered or was unable to get back up. Havinfar reserved the right to end the duel at any time.

She cast Power Word: Shield on herself, then announced the start of the match.

By then, Jaina had already introduced herself to Bridget and Whitemane. The three girls gathered at the edge of the training ground, and the people around them obligingly made room for them to get the best view.

Bridget spoke first. "What's gotten into Renault? Why's he making such a big deal of this?"

" He just got back from the training camp, and his father scolded him again yesterday," Whitemane said. "He'd wanted Sir Mograine to watch his match today. After all, he came in first. But his father had already promised his younger brother, Dalian, he'd go to Lordaeron to see the Darkmoon Faire."

"He's been in a bad mood since this morning."

"So he takes it out on me?" Bridget said. "Do you know how he treated me just now? The bump on my head still hasn't gone down."

"He went easy on you. Didn't you see that he broke one of Finley's ribs?"

Jaina suddenly cut in. "Is he going to take all his anger out on Taelan?"

Bridget didn't much like Jaina. She'd heard that Taelan had become good friends with the princess of Dalaran and Kul Tiras. And today, she'd seen Jaina openly holding Taelan Fordring's hand.

Whitemane, on the other hand, didn't care at all. She liked playing with Taelan Fordring for no particular reason. After all, they were only a few years old. As she put it, "What's wrong with having a cute little boy around? He's easy on the eyes." She was just a fan of good looks, and Taelan Fordring had no interest in either her or Bridget.

The goddess in his heart was Little Star, Stellagosa!

When Bridget said nothing, Whitemane had to answer, "Of course he will. Those two have been at odds ever since that incident with the maid getting slapped."

"That was your fault, anyway," Bridget said bluntly. At that, Jaina's ears perked up. Was Taelan competing with Renault for Whitemane? That didn't seem likely.

"They're being so formal today. Who do you think will win?"

Perhaps it was some strange impulse that made Jaina speak up. "Taelan will win, for sure!"

Bridget suddenly felt annoyed. "I think Renault will win. After more than a month of training, he's not the same as before." She had firsthand experience: Renault had definitely mastered some powerful ability. She'd just sparred with him herself.

"Among the previous generation of Paladins, the strongest was Turalyon, leader of the expeditionary army," Whitemane said. "After him came Renault's father, Alexandros, and Taelan Fordring's father, Tirion Fordring. In our generation, it should be one of those two."

In fact, of the second generation, Taelan Fordring had access to the fewest resources. Renault would later become the first commander of the Scarlet Crusade, which made that clear. Of course, Taelan's younger age was also a factor. But as he grew up, Taelan Fordring received the most guidance of all. He had a kind, upright father and a mother who loved him.

Taelan Fordring and Renault Mograine faced one another, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Renault held back out of pride; after all, he was older than Taelan. Taelan, meanwhile, preferred to let his opponent act first and then counter. Renault had challenged him, so he must have some kind of advantage. People with strong pride tended to care a lot about what others thought of them, which made them easier to influence. Taelan, on the other hand, was mature for his age, and outsiders found it hard to sway him.

Renault's later corruption by the Dreadlord wasn't just a matter of Fel magic. Years of unfair treatment had already twisted his pride and jealousy, and that had played a part too.

So Taelan waited for Renault to reveal his trump cards first. He still had Divine Shield in reserve. Its near-invulnerability would be his final safeguard.

"Why aren't they fighting yet?" Bridget was getting impatient. She liked to get things done and never wasted time.

Jaina had spent more time with Taelan Fordring and had picked up quite a few of his catchphrases. Sensitive as she was, she'd already noticed Bridget's hostility toward her. "The wisdom of mortals! Taelan's letting his opponent make the first move so he can strike back."

Sure enough, the younger Renault lost patience first. Besides, making the first move gave him an advantage. "If you're not going to move, then I'll show you no mercy."

Taelan Fordring nodded, as if it made no difference to him. Going first meant getting to ten mana first; going second meant you could use the Coin.

Renault raised his sword, bent forward slightly, and charged. He was indeed much stronger than he'd been a month ago. His form was polished, and he'd corrected a number of bad habits. Taelan immediately raised his shield and met Renault head-on. To be fair, a three-year age gap made a significant difference. Renault was much stronger than Taelan. The impact knocked Taelan back, but he retreated nimbly, easing the strain on his body and using the movement to get through the brief daze from the Charge. Renault immediately pressed the attack, red light flaring around his hand as he unleashed Heroic Strike.

Having recovered, Taelan dodged to the left and drove his shield forward again, using Mortal Strike. Renault had already suffered from this skill once and knew it was hard to dodge, so he quickly raised his greatsword to block. The shield slammed into Renault's shield. The damage was blocked, but the stun was a magical effect and couldn't be negated. Without activating the Eye of Violet, Taelan didn't have enough mana to Charge and Shield Bash endlessly, so he had to manage his skills carefully. After stunning Renault, he immediately put some distance between them.

Renault recovered quickly, switched to Berserker Stance, then whooshed toward Taelan again. Watching from outside, Jaina immediately said, "Berserker Stance—Intercept?"

"Little girl, you seem to know your stuff," Bridget said sourly.

Jaina said nothing more. Charge was a Warrior skill usable in Battle Stance, while Intercept required Berserker Stance. It was already a supernatural ability. If Renault could use Intercept, that meant he was a caster too.

Taelan wasn't surprised when Intercept hit him, because Old Mograine was a master of combat skills. It was no surprise that Renault had learned a few abilities himself.

There was no need for balance in the real world. Heroes here were often far more terrifying than their counterparts in the game. They were all hybrid classes, so it wasn't unusual for them to master a few skills from other classes.

Seeing Renault switch stances, Taelan immediately raised his shield to block and reduce the damage that followed. This time, Renault didn't use Heroic Strike. Instead, he swung his greatsword at Taelan Fordring's legs and used Hamstring, a powerful Warrior skill that restricted an opponent's movement. Some talent must have activated, because Taelan Fordring was rooted by Improved Hamstring. His leg was bleeding too, staining one corner of his cloak red.

Renault felt a surge of delight and prepared to circle behind Taelan and land a powerful blow like Heroic Leap. Outside the barrier, Bridget said, "Hey! He got hit by Improved Hamstring too. Looks like he's about to take a nasty hit. If he doesn't want to lose, he'll have to use that annoying Holy Bolt of his." She'd clearly remembered the time she'd been blasted by Holy Bolt. Jaina immediately began to worry about Taelan.

But Taelan wasn't worried. He'd known that after being hit by Intercept, another crowd-control ability would surely follow. Without the slightest panic, he used a Paladin class ability: Blessing of Freedom!

The story continues tomorrow. I have things to do today, so I'm posting two chapters at once. I'll revise it when I get back tonight.

Thank you for reading. I hope you'll share your thoughts.

Also, I'm taking character suggestions. Characters from WoW and original characters are both welcome. For original characters, please include a character profile tag. Because of the backlog, they'll be added later.