Private Tales The Point or the Pommel

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Futures spread across the periphery of Cormund's vision like the segments of a dragonfly's eyes. They threatened to push in and cloud his sight, the side effect of the panic that was setting in. Gods, she even knew his name! All he could do was take a deep breath and muster up the best semblance of confidence he could fabricate. He smiled crookedly, concern still present in his sharp Teal eyes. As stormy green met calm ocean blue, Cormund tried to imitate the invocation that had intimidated him so much.

"V-Vittoria Larrainth" (Damn his stutter) He spoke with the most solid voice he could gather.
"Yes, it is rather awful. That's why Ophir is doing it." Cormund flinched at her smile.
"No, but I don't think I've ever heard of you going easy on anyone...e-ever."

Cormund's eyes shot up and to the right, as if he were trying to recall something, but in reality he was honing in on a vision of Vittoria dragging a dagger from her right arm. Eugh, so that was her other power. He only knew about the unmaking that she was so famous for. As she scratched and dug into her left forearm, Cormund Augur knew he was wrong again. It helped him realize that she had more than one dagger on her though, probably a whole slew of them. He looked around frantically to find the other spots she could have pulled them out of but it was too late. Not like he could look into the past.

Among his searching though, he caught sight of himself with a dagger through the eye. He ducked, holding his hands onto his head and crouching down, only to find the same dagger lodged in front of him instead. She could have killed him! She very well might have if it were a different future. Cormund picked up the dagger and nodded in thanks, realizing he didn't have a weapon of his own. How...sportsmanlike.

"So, is it a ring out type of thing? Do we try to shove each other in the chasm or...uhh...just go until I-- until one of us can't go any longer?"

He turned from Vittoria to Ophir and back, hoping from some clarification from one of them.

One after the other, Vittoria had thrown ten of her knives his way, all lined up before him.

Ophir watched with a grim face, already knowing that anyone other than the D'Amour boy or the Strand Initiate would not stand a chance against the daughter of a famed First Level Dreadlord. "The chasm is to make sure I keep you apart. You go until the other hits the ground."

Vittoria smiled, the kind that never showed emotion nor teeth. It was all lips, and it did nothing to her dead yet calculating eyes. "All you need to do, Cormund, is to hit me with any of my knives. I will even stand closer for you." She took two steps, and already looked like she were a feline on the prowl, watching her prey. There was deliberate slowness to her walk, giving the other Initiate time to realise what was happening and to prepare himself.

As she can to stand three feet away from the edge, she tucked her hands behind her back, lifted her chin slightly, and regarded the other across from her. "Ten knives to hurt me. I have two left on my person, and you best have hit your target by the time I reach for the first of my two."

It was clear that Vittoria was taunting the boy. He who possessed a magic that could not truly hurt or damage her, that could not reach her where she stood. She did not know if Cormund truly could throw knives, but there were scars beneath her uniform that showed how many times she survived many knives.

 

[Cormund Augur]

Cormund could barely keep it together. He eyed the knives laid in front of him and his face simply couldn't sit still. The edges of his mouth twitched, his normally absent and far off eyes flicked between them and the nothing around them. He understood what he needed to do without question, but that was deeper down. The surface of his mind was a torrent of indecision. Was there a point to fighting? Could he fake an injury to get out of this? If he did, what would the others think?

He scanned his fellow initiates with mixed results. Pity and laughter resounded as the prominent response from the crowd. They really expected absolutely nothing from him. However...

This meant there was nothing to lose, and everything to win.

Cormund picked up a few more knives and paced his side of the makeshift arena, eyes fixed on his opponent. Part of him was afraid he would hurt her, but the thought was quickly snuffed out. If he held back even a bit, there was no doubt she'd be able to tell, and if she wasn't planning on gutting him now she certainly would after that. He held the blade of the knife, reeling it back while he paced. If he really didn't mean to pull his punches, then there was only one place to aim. Right for the heart. With that thought, Cormund put his arm in motion to set the knife on its path.

But what if she really died?

In that moment Cormund's arm twitched, and the knife's path turned uncertain.

10/11 knives left.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

The knife curved before it could strike true into her flesh. Vittoria did not move an inch, did not watch the knife as it soared towards her but that slight doubt he had costed him. It ruined what could have been a perfect throw, but that slight jolt at the start of his aim ensured the knife's trajectory skewed and fell a few feet behind the Unmaker.

Her eyes never left him.

Their classmates were quiet, daring not to make a sound in fear Vittoria would show just how strong she was. Ophir, glancing between the two, now focused his sights onto the Augur boy. He could find his target. He had a good throw on him, but even if Larrainth did not speak, there was so much about her to fear.

And what if he struck true? Would she retaliate?

"Next knife." Was the only call she gave.

 

[Cormund Augur]

Cormund winced as the knife missed its mark, expecting some sort of reprisal. When it never came, he focused back in and picked up another blade to replace the one he'd lost. In most every martial skill, Cormund was behind his classmates or just barely keeping up, but he had always been specially incentivized to do well at range. Throwing was his best, but he had limited experience against living things aside from rabbits.

The silence disturbed him more than any jeering, and Vittoria's ceaseless eye contact didn't make things better. He thought about searching his visions, but he feared taking his eyes off her for a moment. They wouldn't be much help right now anyways. Besides, he wanted to see what he could do without his foresight.

Stuffing the knives in his pocket, the doomsayer reached in and threw three of them towards center mass. One in the center and one on either side. It was a tight spread, but it still made dodging left or right unfeasible...right? Despite the uncertainty there was no hesitation behind this throw. Now all there was to see is what she would do.

Cormund maintained eye contact and took out a replacement knife to ready himself for the possible retaliation.

7/11 knives left.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

The first missed again.

The second found home in the loose sleeve at her left, tearing the silk blouse as it fell to the ground.

The third, she did not bother avoiding. Vittoria felt it pierce into her thigh but all she did to acknowledge the pain was smile. She bared her teeth at him, did not move from where she stood, and simply straightened her spine.

"A good shot. Loosen your wrist a little more and you may get a better shot." She crooned.

She was going to be a Dreadlord one day. Dreadlords could keep fighting even through many broken bones and grievous wounds, and this was not the first time she knew this pain. To get good at throwing knives, one risked many wounds, many missteps. But Vittoria nodded for Cormund to throw the next. The leg did not hurt as much, merely an irritating itch she could not scratch, but her eyes travelled down to it.

"See if you can aim for my heart."

 

[Cormund Augur]

Cormund's eyes went wide at the smile. Sure she was a Dreadlord in training, but a wound like that should at least elicit something other than that damned smile. His fear began to give way to a mix of annoyance and determination. Her taunts certainly didn't help. Still, they weren't just taunts, his wrist was a bit tense. She was genuinely paying attention and giving him real advice.

He kept his wrist loose for the next throws. As the knives began to dwindle, he felt himself getting surprisingly calmer. Normally when the pressure ramped up he found himself breaking down further, but it was the opposite here for some reason. His lips still tensed, however, and he did not find himself confident enough to speak.

It would be a complicated maneuver, but it just might work. One knife was aimed for the throat and one for the heart, the third he threw at a rock on the ground. His visions were coming in handy for once, and he foresaw the ricochet hitting the same knife, driving it further into Vittoria's leg. Whether this would come to pass was to be seen, but the knives were let loose in sequence towards her vital spots. She had gone without defending herself for far too long. This time his aim was true, and his purpose was clear.

4/11 knives left.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Well, he was a quick learner.

The knife meant for her throat never made it. It soared above her shoulder and fell short behind her, almost hitting another Initiate that lined up behind her. The second hit her chest but bounced off the leathers she wore for training purposes. It had been padded over a chest plate, but Vittoria looked down to see the tear in her leather and loosed a laugh that slipped past her lips.

A laugh that grew louder as pain increased at her leg, and his third shot hit true.

He had four knives left, and Vittoria looked up at him with a ferality most of her peers knew well. There was a flicker of something indescribable across her expression, but letting loose a breath she stood and stared down her opponent. "One more chance, Cormund. If you miss, then I am going to move to pick up all those knives and put them back... and then you can get a head start run."

She smiled, unlike anything she ever expressed before. Insanity, some might call it, but if anyone knew her, they would know that her smile was a promise.

Her leg throbbed as she shifted slightly, and Vittoria sucked in a breath through bared teeth.

 

[Cormund Augur]

Cormund received the message loud and clear. After this it would be his turn to defend, and against someone far more skilled in combat than he was. He would have to consider his next throws very carefully. It didn't help that his visions were completely unrelated to his predicament. As much as it was his curse, he needed it right now. He didn't see any other way to survive this. That smile and laugh... it felt like she was going to kill him right there.

Despite this, he wasn't as scared as he would normally be. The ferality she displayed, the determination, it was contagious to him, and he couldn't help but smile along, although his was tinged with nerves.

Doomsayer stared down Unmaker, and he threw. Both were directed towards her other leg. One to hit, and one to drive it in past the leather. If her footing was off, then its very likely her throws would be off too. If he was really lucky, then she might even fall. It was possible to win if he did this just right.

Cormund kept two knives, one in each hand, gripped by their handles. If Vittoria stayed standing then he could block as well as dodge this way. He was certainly going to need all the help he could get if he didn't have his foresight on his side right now. His smile wavered ever so slightly.

"C-come on then, let's see it"

2 knives left, and he wasn't letting them go.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She could very well dodge each of his throws, but Vittoria felt it a lesson to teach her classmates the level of strength and might they needed to be at this stage of their education and training. Yes, a job well done for him to get that other knife into her leg, which Vittoria winced through bared teeth. Her hand went to reach for it, but she could not take either knife out now.

"Quit toying around, Larrainth." Ophir made motions for her to wrap things up.

A smile full of malice lifted her lips, eyes darting from the Dreadlord running this special training session to that of Cormund's gaze.

"Want to try once more, Cormund Augur?" There was a lilt to her voice, and edge no one liked hearing. The class shifted, some backing away from Vittoria as she made to turn her back on Cormund. "Last chance, and then it is my turn." Her eyes went to those that lined up behind her. King was right there, watching her with interest. He was used to his friend's unusual ways, but he only offered her a small smile of which she returned.

The next knives Cormund would throw would not make it to their target.

Magic would cover them, wrapping them to tightly before each component came away from it's final form. Blade broke away from the handle, and the handle from the pommel. She did not need to know how close they had been from striking her, but she could feel the knives and the points where her magic made them weakest. The parts that made up her knives fell past her, missing her completely as her magic tore it off it's path towards her.

Vittoria turned slowly to catch Cormund's stare. "Do you yield?"

 

[Cormund Augur]

She had got into his head. He really did only have one chance left, and so he ventured to throw one more knife right in the middle of her seemingly undefended spine. His eyes widened for a moment before they quickly narrowed into one of his signature nervous grimaces. But he did not waver.

"I do not yield."

The young initiate held his final knife tight, keeping it close to his face as if it would shield him from what would inevitably come after that statement. The wasted knife hurt, but he couldn't go forever without seeing the unmaker's magic in action. What was its exact nature though?

He saw the dagger come apart piece by piece in the air, but its not like it disintegrated. There was something specific about where it broke off into its component parts. In case his hunch was right, he held onto his own in such a way that he still had a grip on the blade itself, presumably the strongest part of the weapon.

"I said come on."

Cormund wasn't exactly afraid of pain, but there was something else in the air. The knowledge that she could completely destroy him. It frightened him. He couldn't stop the fractured sight and sound from becoming a cacophony in his senses as his heart rate increased in anticipation. He had more visions to work with now, and saw certain futures of daggers plunging into his limbs or vitals. It was a leap of faith as to which ones were true.

1 knife.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria smiled.

"Good."

She loosed her blade so quickly, it looked as if she had not made such a move against him. It was just her skill being put on display, but the blade always struck true. No matter her target, Vittoria made for a deadly marksman. Only, her knife was aimed to pierce into a non vital area, a wound he could recover from if he did not move out of it's way. One wrong move and the knife would take his life.

 

[Cormund Augur]

The blade sunk itself into his shoulder before he even realized Vittoria threw it. He cursed himself in his head for paying too much attention to the knife in his hand rather than the knife coming at him. Then again, the thing looked like it would have sliced his jugular if he moved the wrong way. He took it out, now having two knives to work with at least.

As Cormund flitted his eyes all around, he saw only a handful of visions that were relevant. Sights of blades planting themselves in a variety of places in his body at lightning speed. It looked like most of them were aimed at non lethal areas, but a few were absolutely kill shots. Gods he really must have done it. She might just be willing to flaunt the rules this once just to cull him from the herd. He took a deep breath and remembered that he didn't have to match his reaction speed with Vittoria's. Not when he could predict.

Cormund gritted his teeth in an unidentifiable grimace, a mixing of different emotions that might be mistaken for his normal nervous face, but with something different thrown into the mix. Was it anger? Determination? Pure pain? Even Cormund didn't know, he just hoped that Ophir was a good healer.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

"Do you yield?" She called out across the distance. Vittoria scooped a knife from the grass, having missed her earlier but now a weapon to use against him.

"Wrap it up. Let's keep things moving, Larrainth. Augur." Ophir crossed his arms and looked as if he would call to yield. But no one else made a move to intervene, afraid of facing Vittoria's ire or withering stare.

Vittoria smiled, humoured by how Cormund had proven to be capable of wielding a knife, gave him one last chance. With deadly precision, she loosed the knife from her grasp and threw it at his feet, to make him dance and hasten his answer to her.

 

[Cormund Augur]

"You're not going to make me lose my nerve, Larrainth! Stop playing games and throw for real!"

Cormund's shouting betrayed his brave(ish) face. He was unraveling (the knife loosed near his feet didn't help) but determined to at least get one more chance to counter. He saw a chance in his visions. He knew what he had to do to have the semblance of catching her off guard enough to get just one real hit in, and it hinged on her having just a few less knives. Of course, that depended on her loosing them in his direction. At the very least he wanted to make her try a little bit.

"Cmon..." He whispered under his breath, glancing from Ophir to Vittoria. He hoped Ophir wouldn't call him to yield, but if he did then the young oracle wouldn't have much of a choice. He wasn't sure if Ophir pitied him or really found himself impatient at the length of their exchange. He finally looked back to Larrainth and prepared.

"You h-heard him, right? Don't go dragging this out. Throw."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Ophir watched Vittoria smile, something so sinister and capable that he watched on with bated breath.

Vittoria gripped the hilts of the daggers embedded into her legs, two blades coming away one at a time and coated with her blood. She winced, readjusted her stance and gritted her teeth so he could see her deadly determination. The pain did not register, not when she was drawing on her magic from her deep wells of power to pin Cormund with a feline smile.

It was about time she showed that she did not deter from the path so easily. His words, his attempts at taunts, was the very thing feeding the spite in her. How many of her classmates had tried this very thing once before? That was all they needed, that one moment they underestimated her honed skills and abilities.

With the loosing of a breath, Vittoria aimed for his heart.

One knife, and then the other in quick succession.

Ophir called out, but she was deaf to his commands. Her eyes remained on Cormund, her smile amused, as if to say to him 'enjoy the otherside.' but the knives did not make their target. Earth rumbled between them, shooting up large rocks found in the chasm between them and blocking the knives. After a few seconds, Ophir lowered the earth, revealing himself behind the mounds and glared at the Initiate opposite him. He defended Cormund.

"We do not kill." He spat out, watching Vittoria carefully. She did not stop smiling, but shrugged.

"I yield."

 

[Cormund Augur]

He saw it! She would throw for his throat, it was the only vision of her he could see so that had to be it. He held the knives confidently close to his jugular, but something threw him off. The smile was different than before. It was like he couldn't move. It wouldn't matter if he could, since the knife came so quick, and he could tell by the placement of her eyes that it wasn't aimed at his throat. His teeth gritted, and he cursed himself in his head. Over and over again, his thoughts flew faster than the knife. He got too overconfident, he should have yielded or given up or anything else but now he was dead. Dead and useless and he'd never be able to tell anyone anything good ever.

Tears welled up in Cormund's eyes as the wall came up and Ophir shot in front of him. He touched them, finding himself mobile again. The young Doomsayer didn't find himself crying often, so he had never really noticed it before, but his visions looked different through his tears. They molded together, forming fewer of them. A few, rather than the multitudes which he had grown accustomed to. He saw one of Vittoria, here, and the sound of it seemed to come to the forefront of the everpresent screaming. He found himself speaking in unison with her.

"You yield."

The tears dried up instantly, reflecting the dehydration that came with speaking his foresight out loud. Why did he see that? Was that a bad thing? It was for someone, it was the only reason he'd see it, but he couldn't figure out for who. His trance was interrupted by a sudden realization.

"You yield? "

He supposed she had proven her point. There was no reason to finish things out, but it certainly didn't feel like a victory. He looked around at his silent classmates. This was no victory at all. He blinked, stunned by how bizarre the whole situation was. It was all the raven haired boy could do to step his way back among the others and sit down, shaking ever so slightly.

His eyes were fixed on Vittoria, and he couldn't quite pin down how he felt. It wasn't quite fear or awe, but it certainly made him uncomfortable. He never thought he would act like that, say those things. It was like she had some strange effect on him that he couldn't explain. Eyes were on him too, looks of pity and of disbelief almost equal to his but he didn't notice much. He really needed to get better, gain control, or one day one of his own classmates could be the death of him.

For now, Cormund Augur laid down from his sitting position, and covered his face. He hoped the proctor would excuse his lack of discipline. He didn't have the energy to watch the next matchup.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Some time later, Vittoria waited for Cormund.

Unarmed, although everyone knew she had blades beneath her skin in concealment, the only threat about her was her presence outside the dining hall. She leaned against the wall to the right of the entry, standing tall as her gaze was caught on a couple of Initiates walking past and muttering in hushed tones. Word about the failed first lesson for getting one class to work together had spread, and many began to respond to such news with 'Larrainth does not play in a team.'

Other variations were said, none of which bothered her.

But as soon as Cormund appeared after dinner, she was moving to his side and giving him that empty stared smile.

"You are good with knives, Initiate Augur."

 

[Cormund Augur]

Cormund's walk of shame to the dining hall felt all too long. He'd had many failures, but none had garnered so much attention. The actual results of the match didn't matter, everyone knew he really lost, and that it wasn't even close. He dealt with his own whispers, mostly of pity. He had dealt with pity before too, just not on this scale, and it caused him to become even more furtive than usual. He did not escape Vittoria's gaze though.

He tried to pass as if he didn't notice her, but she didn't seem to care much as she walked right up next to Cormund.

"Kind words for someone who almost killed me today."

The doomsayer saw visions of slop served on his plate again, sighing and getting in line to receive mashed something yet again.

"I'd be better with them if I didn't have to deal with all this..." Cormund gestured generally to his head. "noise. Always more time on futile magic control and less time on weapons training."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria let out a laugh. It was unnaturally innocent and kind, a sound not thought to come from her organically but rather an imitation of the other girls in attendance to this Academy.

"If having your mind silenced is all you want, then that can be remedied easily." There was an edge to her expression, a cunning. She saw it clearly, but waited a moment for dramatic effect before lifting her hands before her. The sleeves to her dark coat peeled away from the dark, metal bands around each wrist. "Nullifiers. Runes meant to eliminate our connection to magic..."

Vittoria had made the Academy hesitate after the Republic was born. In a moment of the old ways, she had torn apart a couple of classmates for being weak, and not quite used to the new ways. Nullifiers were the solution to keep her in check, but they still did not trust the perfect Anirian soldier to be pacified despite her good behavior since.

"My magic seems to be potent enough that I can over time pick away at the runes and their influence. Most need only one..."

Then her next move was dislocating her thumb before pulling off a cuff. She winced as she set it back it place, and gritted her teeth. Baring it a moment before easing, Vittoria offered the cuff to Cormund. "Cannot hurt to try, hm?"

 

[Cormund Augur]

The prophesized slop plopped down on Cormund's plate, and he side-eyed Vittoria as she laughed at his plight. He made his way to a seat, taking an apple and a glass of plain water along the way.

He set himself down with his food while Vittoria explained the cuffs to him. The doomsayer let her get through her spiel as he picked through his food. He winced along with her when she dislocated and set her thumb into place, shuddering a bit at the sight.

"Most only need one, huh? Try eight. Two on each limb. Nullifiers were one of the first things the proctors tried on me, and no matter how many they layered on there wasn't so much as one prophecy silenced." Cormund shifted the mashed substance around with his fork as he spoke. "Not that they really cared, they just didn't want me to break too soon from near constant exposure to all this death in my head." He gestured to his head again, this time with his fork in hand.

Cormund Augur looked out of the large imposing windows of their grand dining hall. He really didn't owe her any conversation, but it was surprisingly easy to talk to her. Maybe it was because her motivations seemed so straightforward from the outside. He looked back to get a gauge on her expression before continuing.

"Some of them think it's because of the "omnipresence" of my visions. The damn things are always too spread out from me to be properly cut off. One thinks that it has something to do with the amount of latent magic in me, cause it'd theoretically take a lot to power my sight, but that's bunk. They just enjoy treating me like their little science project." The boy scoffed and smiled with his normal nervous tinge. He wished he had some sort of "latent power".

"Point is, I just have to live with it, and I'll be behind at most everything until I get it under wraps. Don't feel too bad though, our little sparring match gave me some new insight on my curse."

Cormund wondered if he should even tell her something like that, or if it was best he had said nothing at all. He waited to see if she bit on the subject, unsure if he was more excited to explain or scared as to what she might do with the information. Maybe he was just being paranoid, though...

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

"A simple no would have sufficed." Vittoria clicked her tongue at the ungrateful classmate. She scowled, looking down at the cuff and channeled her annoyance into the thick metal. The links used to reinforce the shape to be unyielding fell away easily under the influence of her magic, and she let the pieces drop from her hand with a loud clatter.

She was sat opposite from him, not at all interested in fixing herself a plate of whatever rubbish he decided to feed himself.

"Unfortunately for you, Augur, you could have tried to talk to Initiate Quinnick before she graduated this spring. The Academy began to give up on her too. She made it work, found the cost she needed to pay and... well, I need not tell you all the details when you most likely will wave off my help once again." Vittoria accused pointedly, giving Cormund a narrowing of her stare.

 

[Cormund Augur]

Hm? But he thought he had said...

"Oh, sorry. I said no thank you in my head but forgot to say it out loud."

He had heard about Livia Quinnick before. She was a year or two above him, a member of the Quinnick house, and apparently quite adept at finding things. He didn't know she had the same issues as him though, Cormund always assumed she was always as competent as anyone else who graduated. What exactly was Vittoria talking about? For now he put aside his excitement on showing off the new aspect of his magic that he learned.

"Wait wait, I really didn't mean to offend, I was just a bit distracted. What do you mean by the cost she needed to pay?"

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria stared at Cormund for a moment before the corners of her lips turned upwards.

"It is not clear what she did... but it is standard magical theory if one was smart enough to pay attention. Magic that acts out needs release, but often others fear such volume of power. If you stifle it, you lose control. Let it burn you, run out it's might, until you feel yourself scarping the bottom of those magical reserves."

Because that was what Vittoria had done twice in her life. To prove to the Proctors she was not to be forgotten, not to be doubted. The first time she had to break herself and she had never come back from that, leaving her the young woman she was today. The second time, it was from being caged too long after the Revolution.

One day, there would come a third time.

"You are going to need to find a safe place and give in to your magicks. See what those visions want you to see." She stared again, shrugging her shoulders after a moment of silence. "Or perhaps you are a lost cause and it would be a shame for the Dreadlords to grant you the lowest ranking level upon graduation."

 

[Cormund Augur]

Cormund stared at his water. That was certainly a method to gain control. It had crossed his mind before but he always dismissed it out of hand. Really letting go, letting his foresight run as rampant as it had when he was younger, or worse. It's not like his magic could physically harm him but...

"I could go mad. Become one of those gibbering prophets you see on street corners, screaming about the coming end of the world. More than anything I don't want to be that."

It could work though, submitting to his magic. He could become a conduit for some greater will, and in return it just might show him what he personally needed as well. Might even grant him some peace every once in a while as a reward. There might be another path, though. Cormund held up the water to his eye, between him and Vittoria across from him.

"It's also standard magical theory that said release doesn't need to come in such great volumes, if you can find the proper focus for it. I think our fight might have helped me find mine. When I look through water, the visions seem to condense. I see less but they're more accurate. Watch out for those two fighting across the room by the way, one is going to throw his mug and it'll hit you in the head in a few seconds."

When Cormund announced his vision, the water in his glass disappeared. It was not only his focus, but his cost. This new fact about his curse wasn't the end all be all though, it would take work to develop, not to mention time. With graduation approaching he didn't have much of the latter. It still might be best to go with Vittoria's method if he wanted to keep up, even despite the risk. There were two paths before him, one of control and one of submission. He would have to decide which to follow very soon.

The Doomsayer put his glass down and looked at the stone faced girl across from him. Vittoria was as impossible to read as ever.

"W-why bother helping me? I always got the impression you only cared about your own success."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

The mug did indeed careen her way, but with Cormund's warning, the barrier of magic at her back turned the porcelain into fine dust instead of striking at the back of her head. Other Initiates gasped and everyone's breath held, but Vittoria did not move to look at them.

All her unwavering attention was on the boy seated before her.

"I do care about my own success, but if I wish to be an Archon, I need challenges. The Revolution, as needed as it was still hinders our education. How can I know if I am the best when the bar is set so low because of you Initiates that cannot apply themselves?" Vittoria quirked a brow at him, as if waiting for an answer, but the girl dropped her gaze to the table space between them. "Your magic is one thing you are working on, but what about the other factors? What will you fall to if magic were erased? What are you?"

Her hand drifted to her opposite arm, pressing and dipping a finger into her flesh and pulled out a knife. Ophir had collected all twelve of her blades and offered them back to her with a warning. Do not beat down on the weak. Build them up. She already knew all of it herself, but she had not said a word.

"You already showed you are capable with a blade." The blade was long and thin, and seemed to glide between her fingers as she twirled it in sequence. She was showing off her expertise, that she knew these knives better than anyone. "But what else can you say is in your repertoire?"

Vittoria was an excellent swordsman, but not as good as King. Still, she learned from him, from others, and calculated the ways they would win a point and where she may have been subjected to a deadly cut.