The week after Orisian fought Luna passed fairly quickly, with Orisian watching over the chosen recruits and learning a few new tricks from the memories he had of the fight.
Morning Pen had come by to inform him that his armor was ready, and after he ensured the recruits were exhausting themselves, asked Pen to keep an eye on them and made his way to the blacksmith.
It wasn't long before he heard a hammer pounding on metal, and the blissful heat that emenated from a forge warmed his body. Stepping into the blacksmith's work area, he waited until Emerald Dagger was finished before he spoke up.
"I hear my armor is ready."
"In the back, got yer name on it. Just don't touch anythin else."
Moving through the rooms he had been in before, he went to where he expected the back was, and found a gleaming plate metal breastplate emblazoned with a full moon with perfectly crafted shoulder guards. Beside it, there were heavy looking plate chausses. Directly in front of them was a sign that read 'Orisian'.
Orisian's eyes glazed over at the beauty of it. Quickly moving toward his new equipment, he tried them on, and found that the chausses were a perfect fit, while the breastplate needed a little positioning. He had to admit however, the shoulder guards seemed to balance off the breastplate, which has made it only a little worse than his old plate mail.
Making his way out back to the forge, he found Emerald Dagger hammering on another blade. Deciding it would be better to challenge him when they were equally armed and armored, he began his way back to Pen's house.
After putting his armor up in Pen's closet and putting on some new clothes, he went back to the forge to find Emerald Dagger still hammering on a blade. This one, however seemed much longer. Once he was finished, Orisian decided to speak.
"Excuse me, but I have been asked to best you in honorable combat. I would request that you accept, or decline, and cease treating Morning Pen as an outcast."
"The 'ell kinda language are you speaking?"
"I would like to duel you."
Emerald Dagger stared at Orisian for a long moment, a blank expression on his face.
"I suppose there'll be terms?"
"Aye. If I am victorious, then you will start treating Morning Pen with respect. If you win, then I will help you around the forge whenever I have free time."
"Does it look like I need help boy?"
"No, but it doesn't look like you don't need help."
"Very well then. What weapons we usin?"
"Whatever you choose. I will use my hands."
"Ha Ha! Ya stupid boy? I'll kill ya before ya even know the duels begun."
"Then I guess you have nothing to fear."
"So it would seem. Alright, then I'll use a blade. A short one, to give ya a chance."
"A dagger?"
"Aye, boy. A dagger."
They were both positioned in a small closed in space that closely resembled an empty closet in the back of Emerald's shop. Emerald Dagger was holding a perfectly made dagger, with embedded crystals in it's blade, behind him. His feet were constantly moving, and his eyes were locked on Orisian.
"The crystals have magic in 'em. Ya better back down."
"That is not an option. No amount of 'magic', or anything else will make me retreat now."
"Then I'm going to make you run. Yer pathetic sense of 'honor' will be proven false.
Orisian looked at him for a short time, rage flashing on his face.
"You insult a Kingsman here, boy. To do that is to ask the executioner to use the dull blade."
"Aye. And while the executioner is using a dull blade, I'm using a sharpened one. I'm tellin ya this for your own safety; yer not gonna survive this."
"Then so be it. The challenged are always the first to strike."
"Bad choice boy."
Orisian was in a defensive stance, his fists raised, but not too much that it blocks his view. Still, he barely saw any movement before he felt a burning sensation in his arms, steadily growing in intensity.
"Yer move boy."
That was all Orisian needed. Launching his fist forward in a feint, striking the air just in front of his opponent's face, he got an image of how fast Emerald Dagger really was. Not exceptionally quick, but still faster than anyone else he's seen here, save for the princess. Striking with his other arm, he got a solid hit on his opponent's lower chest, and the sound of cracking ribs filled his ears.
Emerald Dagger let out a growl of rage and tried to strike, but Orisian had already tackled him, forcing him against the wall. With his speed useless, Dagger didn't have much of a chance at trying to overpower Orisian, which was made obvious when Orisian began pummeling him, the sound of ribs breaking over and over.
Once Orisian was sure his enemy was in too much pain to fight back, he pushed himself off and struck his opponent's jaw, the sound of more bone breaking filling the small space they were fighting in. Grabbing his opponent by his shirt, he slammed Dagger against the wall, and grabbing his opponent's head, slammed his skull against the wall. A sickening crack made its way to Orisian's ears.
Not wanting to kill Emerald Dagger, he figured it was time to end this. Grabbing Dagger's arms, Orisian put one foot on his opponent's back, and began the process of mutilating his opponent. He was deliberately slow, letting the sound of bone being dislocated and pulled apart echo through the small room. After a while of this, Emerald Dagger gave up.
"Goddamnit boy, I yield!"
Releasing his hold on his opponent, Orisian watched as Emerald Dagger's arms went limp, and he himself fell against the wall. Emerald Dagger seemed to be a bit out of breath when he spoke.
"Fuckin 'ell boy, jus kill me why don't ya? Fine. I'll give the evil lass the respect she deserves. But, I reckon ya also want to know why I treated her as such. Don't ya?"
"I'm not interested in your conflict, and she didn't ask me to find out."
"Too fuckin bad. I'm telling ya... Anyway."
"Then hurry."
"Right. Ya know what changelings are, don't ya?"
"Aye."
"Well, she's one of em. Found out when she wanted some metal for one o her... 'Projects'. Our dear Princess Luna was speakin to her. Saw her change with my own eyes. Think she was tryin ta persuade the dear princess to give Night Force a chance at love. Haha. Bit ironic, isn't it?"
"So she is a changeling. She isn't hostile. What does it matter?"
"Bah. I'm not lettin a bloody changeling feed off a me. I'll be dead before that happens."
"But she said you saved her life. Surely she owes you a debt?"
"I wouldn't trust a changeling. Probably wanted ta get... Luna lovin Night Force fer her own plans. Listen boy, I'll stop treating her like the dirty changeling she is. But I'm not gonna start treatin her nice."
"That is better than nothing I suppose. Very well then. Do you need help getting to a doctor?"
"Fuck off. You've done enough. I will give you one last word of advice though. Watch yer back around her. Hell, I don't even know if it is a her."
Orisian had made his way back to the training grounds, but his arms had begun to feel like his own blood was rebelling against him. It felt like something was blocking the flow of his blood, and like hellfire was coursing through him. But it only felt like that where there were 3 short, shallow scratches. Three on both arms, perfectly mirroring eachother. And both giving a perfect description of hell.
He found Morning Pen still watching over the recruits, and writing down something on a piece of paper.
"I'm back. How has the training gone?"
"Oh. Umm... I don't know. I honestly have no idea what you would say is good or bad, but they've all been going at it like this since you left."
"Good. You can leave now. And Emerald Dagger will cease treating you with disrespect."
"AWESOME! Does that mean you actually fought him? And won?"
"Aye."
"Really? You don't look like you have any wounds."
"Actually, I recieved some minor wounds on my arms, but they're nothing."
"Actually, they might be something. Let me see them."
Orisian raised his arms to give her a good view of the scratches, and she ran her hands gently along the wounds, which caused the pain to be magnified.
"You should really get Luna to help you with those."
"They are nothing."
"No, they burn. And they're going to stop the blood flow in your arms. I know, because he used that dagger to save me. He told me that those gems in the blade were extremely rare, and usually had a magical quality to them, even without any unicorn doing anything to them. No one knows how they're magic, but he found a way harness it without causing damage to the user."
"I see. Very well, I'll see if I can find Princess Luna. I'd be grateful if you would continue to watch over the recruits."
"Of course. Take all the time you need, I'm actually getting some information out of this."
"I would also ask to speak with you in private when I get back."
"Okay... What for?"
"I found out why Emerald Dagger stopped liking you."
"Really? It's not bad is it?"
"Not... Necessarily, no."
"Then why in private?"
"I have some questions I would like to ask."
"Oh... Okay then. Well, see you when?"
"When I am finished with getting these wounds inspected. Farewell, until then."
"Right. Bye."
Orisian had found his way back to the main throne room, and saw Princess Celestia speaking with a few others. One earth, one unicorn, and one pegasus. He decided it would be best to wait until they were finished, but made his way towards them when Celestia noticed him, and called him over.
Giving a short bow before he spoke, he noticed the others were looking at him with growing suspicion. Orisian nodded to Princess Celestia as he began speaking.
"Princess Celestia. I would like to speak with Princess Luna."
"I apologize, but Princess Luna sleeps during the day. Twilight is currently in the Canterlot library, if you wish to speak with her."
"Has she made any progress on finding Remor?"
"I apologize, but I do not believe so."
"Ah.
"But, she could always make a breakthrough. She is a very bright student."
"Very well. Where is the library?"
"A guard may take you. Just ask one."
"Many thanks, princess."
"If I may ask you, what did you wish to see Luna for?"
"Morning Pen deemed it necessary that I get some minor wounds looked at."
"May I see them?"
Orisian raised his arms to show Celestia, and upon seeing them she asked a guard over and told him to give her three guests whatever food and drink they wanted. After they were gone, she told Orisian to follow her and they made their way out to the training grounds, and into a doctor's tent set up there. Inside were a few recruits who had either gotten broken bones, sprains, or torn muscles during their training, all of which got up and stood at attention when they saw the princess enter. The doctor was currently out.
Celestia moved to a table set up, and started organizing a few bottles and instruments. She picked out a container labeled "soothing ointment", and moved back to Orisian, asking him to raise his arms. He complied, stating he still thought that they were insignificant.
Celestia's horn began to glow as she applied the ointment, and Orisian's arms immediately began to feel normal again.
After a few seconds of this, she stopped, and went back to the table, exchanging her current container for a bottle labeled "liquid bandages". Moving back to Orisian, she gave him the bottle.
"Apply this to the scratches each day for three weeks. Come back here and get more if you run out."
"Thank you princess, but what is all this for?"
"I'm assuming you got these wounds from Emerald Dagger, yes?"
"Aye."
"His dagger has gems embedding in it's blade. I'm sure no one knows how he has done it, but he has harnessed those gems and used them as a powerful advantage. They cause the blade to burn whatever it touches, often fatal to living beings if left untreated correctly, and scorching inanimate things to turn black. Along with that, the gems give significant advantages to the user."
"And what are those advantages?"
Celestia had begun to walk out of the tent and back to the castle, with Orisian in tow.
"Well, you may have noticed he was faster than you would have thought. The gems increase the user's speed. It has its disadvantage, however. The gems emenate the speed in an aura, so any body part farther away isn't as effected as much. You probably noticed that, yes?"
"Aye, I did."
Orisian remembered how quick Dagger had struck him, and then how slow he was when he tried to dodge Orisian's feint.
"Well, apart from that, they also increase the user's eyesight and reaction speed. I doubt anyone knows how, as we've only figured out the good parts of the gems when Emerald Dagger mastered them."
"I see. And now there are more studying them, I assume?"
"Well, no. They are still dangerous to the touch, and a unicorn's magic can be horribly affected by the gem's own magic, so we don't have a way to study them."
"Ah."
"Well, I've wasted enough of your time. I've got to get back to my guests, and no doubt you have things you need to do as well."
"Farewell for now then, princess."
Celestia continued to walk towards the castle, while Orisian turned and headed back for Morning Pen.