68 Honor and Cowardice

This spear-wielder was tall, leveraging both the extra length of his arms and the weapon itself to assert a sphere of death around him. Jacob had seen the man fight a couple of rounds prior. He was a warrior, easily a rival to one of the students from Relentless. It wouldn't be all that surprising to learn if the man had graduated from one of the colleges or if he were a current student of Dauntless Blade College.

For that reason, Jacob maintained his stance on hiding his spatha, a weapon that he had grown surprisingly attached to, considering he had picked it up just a few days ago. It helped that the longsword was similar in size to the spatha, even if it was a bit longer. Knowing that to attack the man was likely suicide, Jacob circled him, taunting him.

Fortunately, for a defensive warrior, the spearman had a short fuse. The tip of the spear lashed out like a viper, threatening to slip under Jacob's longsword. Unlike Jacob's other opponents, this man looked as if he wanted to kill him. Jacob responded in kind, flying forward with his full force. Changing the tempo of battle was a reliable strategy, and his unexpected counterattack gave the spearman pause.

Utilizing the opening he had just created, Jacob attempted to slash at the man's right side. Recovering from his confusion, the spearman leaped backwards, sacrificing his attack for the safety his reach offered him. Jacob cursed, losing the element of surprise. He wouldn't be able to regain it all that easily, he knew.

Opting for caution, he circled his opponent once more. The taunts weren't effective; the larger man feared Jacob's unpredictability. It was a game of cat and mouse, though, and the crowd was tiring. Fearful that the organizers of this tournament would call an end to the bout without a victor, Jacob launched an attack.

His blade was kept close to his body in an effort to provide some kind of defense to parry the spear. The spearman extended his spear, hoping that Jacob would impale himself. He side-stepped the fatal attack with a furious shout. The unwritten rules of honor had dictated that neither opponent attempt to kill each other: merely draw first blood.

The spearman broke that code. Jacob's adrenaline fueled his legs, accelerating him to even greater speeds. Before he knew it, he was next to the spearman, noses almost touching. He hugged the man, bringing his right hand around his body. "Surrender," Jacob whispered, his sword hanging precariously above the man's back. Wide-eyed, the spearman acceded to his demands.

There were two kinds of people that Jacob detested above all others. Tyrants and the honorless. Satisfied with his victory, Jacob returned to the outside of the ring amid shocked expressions from the gathered spectators. Very few, if any, had bet on his victory. Apparently, the spearman had been the previous year's finalist in this miniature tournament. Would the former champion prove to be a challenge?

Jacob hoped not. He needed all the energy he could conserve to win the Autumn Tournament the next day. Having extra high-quality armor, though, was a prize worth fighting for. He progressed through the tournament, disappointed in the lack of quality of his fights. The fortune teller had disappeared after his duel with the spearman, much to Jacob's surprise. Why had she come in the first place?

The champion was a hammer wielder. It'd have been a fortunate pick against a fully armored individual, but not many of Steelshade's more impoverished fighters had the capital to have such armor. Having won the prior tournament, he had enough money to buy plate armor made of steel. There wasn't a point in the armor that was more heavily defended than the area Jacob's wyrm scales covered, but it made it almost ridiculous for Jacob to manage to get first blood. The hammer-user similarly had trouble with a blunt weapon.

It was an unimpressive fight. Jacob kept attacking, dodging the lethargic hammer as he did so, hoping that one of his flurry would poke through the plate armor's weaknesses at the joints. Eventually, his blade sank into the armor, blood dripping off of it as Jacob pulled it back. By now, the audience had learned to bet on Jacob's fights, so they weren't as furious as those first few rounds when they lost large sums of money.

Ten golds trickled into his leather pouch. A lucky byproduct of this event was that everyone around here knew not to mess with Jacob. Any pickpocket would find their lives forfeit, for Jacob was thoroughly peeved at the lack of honor he found in his opponents. Wearing plate armor to a fight such as this was cowardice to the maximum extent. It wasn't fair, and Jacob was happy to have taught the hammer-wielder a well-deserved lesson.

With a flourish and bow, Jacob disappeared into the crowds, walking as fast as he could to reach the armorsmith he had used when he first entered Steelshade. It was a bit of a walk from where he currently was, but it led him slightly closer to Relentless anyway. Might as well order equipment now when there was a slight hope of having it before the Fourth left for Kingsrest.

The shop was closed, the armorsmith locking the door as Jacob arrived. Based on the man's smile, he was eager to participate in the night's festivities. Jacob didn't blame him, but he needed to spend his money. There wouldn't be an opportunity to do so at Kingsrest.

"Armorsmith, sir," Jacob called, appearing from the darkness. Not many people strolled about near here; the celebrations were elsewhere.

"Yes?" the broad-shouldered smith turned. As Jacob approached, a hint of recognition showed in the man's eyes. "Aren't you the kid that sold me the wyrm scales?"

Jacob was happy the smith still remembered him. "That would be me. I'm glad you remember! I happen to have come into a great amount of wealth, and I want to buy some more custom armor. The military's pretty stingy with their equipment, if you catch my drift," Jacob motioned towards the leather that covered the rest of his limbs.

The armorsmith stopped locking the door, a pensive expression coming over him. "If you promise to be quick about it, I'll see what I can do. When do you need the armor by?"

"Thursday night."

"You're asking for a rushed order, so you'll be restricted in what you can buy. Is that okay? They're typically more expensive," the man said, suspicious now of Jacob's wealth. Jacob responded by flashing a gold coin.

"It'll be fine."