Astrid paused and then rolled her eyes,
"A disappointing maneuver," she said.
"It worked, did it not?"
"Well, I guess it did," Astrid said and with a glow, the cut on her arm mended as she clicked her tongue, "Well played."
"Thank you," Evian said while feeling a sting from the wound to his side caused by Astrid's blade.
"I'm not convinced and I am not impressed. I expected an epic battle at the end of which, against all odds, you'd manage to cut me."
"'Against all odds'?" Evian asked with his brows raised, "You make it sound like I hardly had a chance."
"You hardly did," Astrid said, "You must have felt it. You must have felt how outclassed you were every step of the way. Your use of the Spear is sloppy and you don't possess nearly enough comprehension to contend with and defeat a Swordmaster even if they were in the same Order of Strength as you— As I just was."
Evian's brows furrowed but he said nothing so Astrid continued,
"You appeared like you didn't know what you wanted to be.
You weren't sure if you wanted to be a close combat fighter or someone who keeps their distance like an Arcanist. If I were to guess, I'd assume you've been trying to achieve success in both.
It's doable but will not come easy. For one, if you wish to fight with distance between you and your opponent, you need a wider arsenal of Spells. In a battle, the same move, same attack, same spell, makes you boring and predictable. As someone who is constantly at the risk of getting hunted down by Arcanists, you can't afford to have that problem."
"So I assume you will have no part in 'hunting me down'?" Evian let out.
Astrid waved him off,
"Well, what good would that do me? Wraiths are considered deplorable but I'd rather leave the exorcism of your kind to the Arcanists who care.
Speaking of which, there are many at this Fort, and should they catch a whiff of what you are, they could react most viciously. I won't help you if that should happen so I advise that you tread lightly."
"Thank you for the warning," Evian said gently.
He had so far been very attentive to her words. Apart from the recent call for caution, her other instructions and tips had been truthful and helpful. The problem was, when it came to his battle prowess, things were not so simple;
Evian needed a lot of Soul Points to purchase spells from the Decadent Store and if he did so, especially for spells that would eventually become useless, he wouldn't have enough to increase his Level of Decadence.
As for his use of the Spear, he needed years of practice or a fortuitous breakthrough in comprehension to even approach the level of sword mastery Astrid had showcased.
Astrid's next words pulled Evian out of his thoughts,
"As I promised, I'll have no say regarding your relationship with my Mother and will not scorn it for now. You might have ended the duel with trickery..."
"If they remain inactive, I will take it as a sign of weakness on their part and we will exploit it by seizing the initiative. When we strike, we will do so to put a definite end to their I'll-advised attempt to storm our borders."
"On your will, Commander!" Lieutenant Zane said with a bow that every other Knight on the Battlements went along with.
***
Knight Rolan guided Evian and the others to where they would receive their stations and it did not take long for a ragtag group of Knights to be assigned to their existing squad of six.
In the few hours they had been there, Evian had learned a lot about the Western Fort. It was a massive structure not only meant to house border/lookout Knights but also served as an anchor for the protective barrier that surrounded the Verlice Kingdom.
The Western Fort was only one of many fortresses built around the Kingdom's boundary to keep it safe and it just so happened to have been chosen by the enemy as their first point of attack. Should they manage to damage the Fort enough, a crack in the barrier will be formed which would allow the enemy to storm the Kingdom's grounds proper.
Arcanists had been enlisted to specifically keep the barrier running apart from the ranged support they provided.
Evian and the others were assigned quarters decked with bunks with the only privacy afforded being the demarcation between male and female quarters as well a separation between quartets for Arcanists and Quarters for Knights as the firmer had requested separation so their 'Spirituality' did not get muddled.
"Pretentious assholes," Gryon mumbled under his breath when the information had been revealed.
The others agreed.
Captains had their own quarters which although small and dingy, did afford them privacy, and once he decided he did not like the lack of privacy that the bunked rooms provided, Evian left and was currently in Zayda's quarters lying on her bed, his shirt opened while she lay her naked body on him.
Evian's hand went from her back to her asscheeks. Apart from having amorous relations, Zayda had insisted Evian fill her in on the events that had occurred in the trapped space and since they were no longer in the presence of strangers, Evian did so.
"The nerve!" Zayda let out and she tried to angrily raise herself only to stop when Evian, with a cajoling trail down her spine, caused her to melt in his arms and lay back onto his body.
"It's not a big deal," Evian said quietly.
It truly wasn't and he had a feeling Zayda was only being passionate because of her pre-existing prejudice towards the Martial Temple's Golden Child.
Zayda resisted his seductive trail as hard as she could but eventually gave up as she let out a sigh and inched upward so she could capture Evian's lips.
When they separated, she smiled lightly,
"I have a war meeting to attend soon," she said.
"How long do you have?" Evian asked.
"Half an hour," Zayda said and Evian grinned,
"Excellent!"
Zayda adjusted herself until her legs were at his sides. She raised herself to provide room for her hand to travel through and then she reached down, grabbed Evian's erect rod, and directed it towards her expectant pussy.
With a groan against each other's lips, the lovers rejoiced at the joining of parts and it did not take long for Zayda to start rocking forward and back during which she raised herself and presented her naked breasts for Evian to grab and knead to his incredible delight.