(The Duel)
As the Count had informed Ridley the previous day, the sun had set and risen again. Ridley, driven by his unwavering loyalty to his Master, Paul, woke up early as his Master's ring drew power to it. When the wearer was entirely drained of their potential, the ring recharged the wearer quickly, as his Master’s ring drew power from it. This process, though demanding, was a testament to Ridley's unwavering dedication and obedience to his Master.
They found themselves in a spacious room, an annex to the house that had been added some time ago by his Master, Paul. This room, known as the Matrix room, a sanctuary of past magical experiments, was a testament to Paul's mastery and the wonders of their world. Now fully recharged, the Master informed Ridley that it was time to return the ring. Having bound the ring to himself the moment he put it on, Ridley had to use a spell he had learned from the Master to remove it. He uttered the spell words as expected, and a brilliant light filled the room. Such was the norm when dealing with powerful magic.
The ring slid from his finger, and he took it off and handed it back to his Master. In its way, this was a statement to Paul about how good a person Ridley was. He could have kept the ring, and as powerful as Paul, his Master, was, he could have been an absolute handful. But Ridley was not one to be swayed by power. He was a good student, was quick to study, and followed instructions well. His Master placed the ring on his finger, and there was another powerful flash of light.
The Master looked at his student, Paul. Paul was dressed in his tan-colored robe, while Paul’s was golden. The master smiled playfully at Ridley and then began to explain. He said, “This room I added to the house some time ago is soundproof, fire resistant, and heavily reinforced. Both in the way it was constructed and augmented with magical reinforcement. I call it my Matrix room, as today we will get into the basics of magical combat.”
Ridley asked, “What if I accidentally unleash something damaging to you, Master? Or free something dangerous to others. Some of that stuff in those books and scrolls is nasty. It is an intriguing prospect, yet we command such power with what you have shown me. The thought of the potential consequences weighed heavily on Ridley's mind, adding a layer of tension to their training session.
His Master was patient and said plainly, “You are not going to hurt me at this stage while I have this ring on. If something is summoned that tries to leave, it will find this room extremely well shielded, which works in both ways to danger. We would easily send it to whence it came. Several points: you need to get down, Ridley.”
The prospect of this exhilarated Ridley. He told the Master, “Yes, Master, I am all ears to your instruction. I trust you, and you know much better than I do.” Still, it was nerve-jarring to know what would happen. Being about to unleash such forces, he had learned a great deal. There was theory in all the learning processes, and then there was application. He had learned much theory and how to do this or that. To do it was different.
The Master began, “Point one, and no Star Wars movie jokes, it is crucial, above all else, to keep one’s self-centered. Concentration, above all else, is critical. If something goes awry, you get knocked off balance somehow. Getting angry or losing control will lead to a loss every time. It will also put one in a dangerous position of possibly drawing too much power and casting something that could be lethal or devastating to a man. We maintain the greater good above all else. You cannot do so without remaining in control. Understand?”
Ridley said to his Master, “Yes, Master.”
His Master continued, “Second point, like the first awareness. It is kind of like they train police officers to do when you are dealing with an opponent. You only want to use enough force and take action to gain the upper hand and subdue your opponent. You treat every fight as a must-win scenario, but those of this house do not kill unless out of self-defense. Or in the defense of other’s lives only when there is no other way. It must be for the greater good of everyone, Ridley. Understand?”
Ridley was as attentive as any his Master had dealt with and focused on what he had told him. After a moment, he replied, “I understand, Master.”
Ridley’s heart was pounding. This sounded intense. Ridley Johnson was not naturally violent and did not enjoy fighting. He did not find the prospect of it thrilling or something he would ever want to do. He and Paul had discussed this many times. In this position he was preparing for, that would not always be an option. The master's use of police officers in his example was very apt. They were, for this and a great deal of the surrounding region, the authority in this world. If they were not on point, someone could do something terrible and harm many people with minimal effort.
His Master continued, “Now, my apprentice to the mechanics of dualling another mage or some magical creature. This is common sense, on the point that you must win, no matter what you face. You cannot stay in the fight if something takes you down quickly. Your first action is to place potent mystical shielding around your immediate self. Many who skip this step rarely live to regret it. Some you may run across think they can get you with a quick casted spell, basically a sucker punch. Two responses to this are mystical shielding or deflection of their attack. You still with me?”
Ridley said, “Yes, Master. Shielding and deflection of fast attacks, then shielding.”
Ridley was beginning to sweat. This sounded as if it could get very intense quickly. He ran through the points again in his head so far: being centered and focused, aware, and self-controlled, then mystical shielding first or deflection of quick cast or stored magic. Above all, you must win but only use enough force to overpower your opponent. He trembled a little and did the breathing his Master had taught him.
His Master continued, “Another police officer example, as they are the largest group in everyday society that must deal with violence the most frequently. He asked do you have any friends who are police officers or have taken any martial arts?”
Ridley said, “No, Master, fighting is not my big thing, but if I must, I will. I understand that engagement outside this practice room is necessary for us. It is not a subtle point, Master.”
His Master nodded his head, “Good, Ridley. It is astounding how much confrontation is psychological rather than raw power. If an opponent perceives you as weak, it is a much harder fight. It is a different ballgame if they think you mean business and the means to back it up. When they train police officers in the academies, they go to. They teach a concept called the use of force matrix. In simple terminology, it means you begin with a minimal amount of force to get the job done. If your opponent resists forcefully, you return that in kind with just a tad more. It is an increasing scale that starts with minimal and, heaven forbid, tops out at lethal force.”
Ridley considered this. It would get intense, and the Master might get rough with him here sometimes. It's better than encountering it out in the world and not walking away from it. He scratched the back of his head; it was his nervous habit when the pressure was on.
The Master was not done. “I know the local constable in the area, Officer Conners. You will meet him. Good, man, but we have discussed this at length. This is just an example from the police world to get the ideal. When Chuck goes to arrest someone, you ask them to come along peacefully, and many will. If they don’t walk to the car, you walk them there. If they hit you or try to run, next for him is to use a taser on them. If that fails and they become even more combative, you use mace on them, the pepper spray. If they still resist, use a baton and show them why they should. Do you understand the progression?”
Ridley said, “Yes, Master, from lowest to highest, I am guessing when they capitulate, you stop?”
Paul Rogers loved this young man, “Exactly, Ridley, so now it’s time for dueling. As Renault slumbers in our basement, he has the perfect thing, which he always says. Experience is the best teacher, and there is nothing better. Center yourself, and let’s go.”
Ridley closed his eyes and focused on all the energy sources he could draw from mystically. There were so many, he slightly grinned. He could even cheat a bit if he liked. The vampire had let him draw from him, and even in slumber, it was a vast reservoir of mystical energies. Ridley could use that, but then again, so could his Master. The air around him was full of moisture and air molecules, vibrating. There was potential static energy all over the place. The scientific community had been kind enough to flood the atmosphere with multiple signals. Cellular signals, satellite broadcasting, if it was energy, he could use it.
“Are you ready, Ridley?”
“Yes, Master?”
His Master said, “On three. One, two, three, begin.”
Ridley pulled every energy from around him and quickly erected a mystical shield around himself. His Master was faster at it and was already summoning static electricity to form a ball of electricity between his hands in front of him. Of course, he was going to project it at him. Ridley prepared to deflect it and return in kind with some mystical lighting. His Master projected the ball of static discharge at him, and Ridley took his right hand and angled his mystical shielding, and it deflected harmlessly away.
The apprentice began to chant to summon the mystical lighting. It might seem cold to people outside today, but even twenty-degree air had great energy. He felt for and sensed a spot out in the clear outside where nothing—wildlife, plant life, anything—would be harmed and began drawing it. Now, he projected an arc of solid blue lightning at Paul.
His shielding held, and he chanted quickly, reached his hands into it, and deflected it with a twist. Back at his apprentice, it collided with his shielding and danced all over the outside. The room looked like one was in the middle of a thunderstorm. Ridley quickly thought, now I am just attacking myself. Dirty pool but intelligent, he chanted quickly, reached out, and directed what was being deflected onto his back.
His Master was ready and returned it, and the apprentices’ shielding collapsed. Ridley got a bit of a jolt, knocking him down onto a padded floor. His Master quickly stopped the flow of electricity and began clapping his hands as he ran over to help Ridley up.
He stood over him and offered his hand, “Ridley, you are going to become one of the best mystical duelists ever. For a first attempt, that was so very good!” He pulled him to his feet and looked at him admiringly. The time Ridley, who was not ringed, had stood up to him was a lifetime in arcane dueling. The air smelled strongly of ozone, which had heated up quite a bit here.
Ridley grinned as he was pulled up and said, “One day, Master, it is going to be me helping you up.” The static discharge lightly raised his nice brown hair on its fringes.
His Master said, “I shall look forward to that day. Takeaways from that, or just overwhelmed?”
Ridley said, “Never get into a deflection battle with someone more powerful or of equal strength to you with direct spells. They can deflect twice, and you can only do it once.”
Paul leaned in and kissed him. He was very gentle about it, and to Ridley, it was lovely. They kissed for several minutes, and eventually, Paul pulled away from him.
The Master said, “You are exactly right. The introduction to mystical dueling is complete for now. There will be much more of that. I have another special room in this house that takes us two to make magical. Can you guess what arcane vault I am talking about?”
Ridley said, “I sure hope it’s the bedroom Master.”
The Master said, “Let’s go.”
They went into the bedroom kissing, and their robes and underwear were easy to remove. Paul pushed Ridley onto the bed and lay beside him, and they continued kissing. They continued to kiss, and he ran his hands all over his apprentice's body. He pulled from his mouth and began to lick downwards and was just about to reach his left nipple.
He said quietly, “You have such a nice body. How did I get so lucky to have you darken my door?” He began to lick on the nipple and then put his mouth around it and licked it, sucking on it. He had some time now to discover that Ridley was sensitive to them. He liked it, and the magical Master enjoyed doing it. Making Ridley feel good was a kind of magic of its own. He was always adept with magic and was aroused by his apprentice's reaction.
Ridley said, “That feels good, Master. Oh, does it.”
He did this for a while, and Ridley was involuntarily squirming and moaning. He and his apprentice had both been well-endowed, so he reached a hand up and began to rub on Ridley’s dick. He momentarily moved his skillful hand down and started playing with his balls. He casts a spell of passion that his apprentice did not shield himself from. This was just a little different magic that all human beings could use. You didn’t need years of study and practice to perfect it.
Since people existed, this magic has existed and enjoyed. So, as long as they did, there would be people. It was one of the magical abilities that made life worth living. He moved up the bed on his back and put his head on Ridley’s pillow. It smelled like his hair and was a different sort of magical attack. He didn’t know if he could prevail in the dual. His apprentice was powerful.
He reached and got Ridley’s head and very gently pushed him down towards his erect dick. He said, “We don’t need them to cast, but look at my magic wand. What do you think of it?”
Ridley was licking down his abdomen towards it. He paused and lifted his lovely eyes, “I think it is wonderful, Master.” Then, “My, what a lovely big wand you have.” Ridley took Paul’s into his mouth. There was not a smell of ozone this time, yet you could not prove by either of them energy was not being cast. It was a heat between them, and Ridley was very good at his work. The dutiful apprentice whom Paul was crazy about. What was not to like? If there was a flaw, he could not detect it.
As he did this, Ridley reached onto the nightstand and retrieved some lubricant. Now his Master knew he was going to lose this duel. That's not the case here. They were both going to win at this one. His apprentice pulled from him, took some of the lubricant, and put some in the palm of his hand. He concentrated and warmed some waste heat into the house, warming the lubricant.
Such elementary casting did not require any wording by adepts in the arts. He took his hand, put it on his Master’s hardness, and spread it out well. The Master could see what form of attack was coming; the problem was that it was not an actual attack.
His handsome apprentice got up on his knees beside him, took some of the warmed lube, and rubbed it on his backside. He looked right at his Master as he did so; there was no defense against such a thing. He straddled his Master’s abdomen and eased back, taking a hand and took Paul’s hardness and aligned it perfectly.
He began to ease back against it, and slowly, it began to slide inside of him, and Ridley eased down it. He stayed that way for a minute, just looking at his Master. Paul got the lube, grinned, and squeezed a little into his hand. He did a simple move of energy himself, but he pulled just a bit of the cold from outside. It would be stimulating when he applied it.
The Master got it how he liked it, grabbed Ridley’s hardness, and very suddenly applied it. This was a little cool to his apprentice but not terribly, making him arch his back. He grinned down at his Master.
He said, “Dirty pool again, Master.”
Ridley began to slide up and down on him, and the Master began to slide his hand up and down on Ridley’s lubricated dick. Now, they both worked together again. It took two to cast this spell. It required no special ritual, no elaborate setup—just two willing people who cared for one another.
The Master said, “You just about have me. I can’t hold out much longer.”
The apprentice worked at it, “It’s okay, I cannot either.’
Paul moaned wildly, and Ridley went all the way down on him. Then, it was his apprentice’s turn to begin moaning. He began to ejaculate his seed all over Paul’s abdomen. When they were both finished, Ridley got up. He went to the bathroom, got a towel, and dampened it with warm water.
He returned in short order and cleaned his Master’s abdomen. Then he used an unused part of it to clean his dick off gently.
His Master said, “I believe a shower and then some dinner may be in order. You game?”
His apprentice said, “Is that a real question? A hot shower would be great. After all that casting, I feel like a bottomless hole of hunger. “
They showered together and were in no hurry. Then they went downstairs, and Paul said he would take care of dinner. He was a fisherman of the first order. He had a freezer full of fresh fish he had caught, including several varieties. So, he was busy frying some up, making hushpuppies, slaw, and baked potatoes.
It was getting dark, and Renault De Car le Maine appeared. It startled Ridley, who had been sitting on the sofa reading an ancient text and using a powerful MacBook for assistance. One second, the vampire was nowhere around. The next, he was sitting in Paul’s usual seat; he could move so fast the human eye could not detect it. Ridley jumped a little bit from being startled.
Char Le Maine asked, “Should I be stereotypical and say good evening? How about we forego that? I will say hello to you, young Ridley.”
The apprentice said, “Hello, Char Le Maine. Did you rest well today?”
The vampire answered him while looking at the MacBook, “I see you have one of those infernal contraptions.”
Paul had told Ridley that Count Renault De Char Le Maine was a small fan of technology. He had told his apprentice that vampires, especially older ones, did not adapt well to technological changes. They had just come from such an older time, and it would have been like taking a laser printer to the ancient Greeks. Arguably, for their time, a very enlightened civilization, it would have startled most of them.
In short order, Paul and Ridley sat in the living room with the vampire, eating the food. Ridley had to admit that the frozen fish that had been caught fresh was delicious. Everything was so they talked as they ate.
Char Le Maine said, “The smells from all of that are magnifique. It makes me miss the days. Oh, what feasts we used to have? But, no more, I think, he was looking at Ridley.”
The apprentice realized what for, “I will see to your nourishment after I am finished, Char Le Maine.”
He could swear the vampire's eyes were twinkling. “Thank you, my young friend. Time erases much of it, but not all. Please take your time and enjoy your meal.”
He put his nose in the air, and you could tell he was assessing it. “Ah, someone has moved a significant amount of magic in my slumber. Shielding? Dueling, perhaps?” He looked to Paul and said, “Then the unmistakable odor of, ah, rapports sexuals m.? Yes?”
Paul swallowed his mouthful of food, “Uhm, well, surely you recall being human a fraction, Renault?”
Char Le Maine said, “Oh, my old friend, there was a time I was regarded as a fiend of the Quarter.” He turned, looking at Ridley, “Who could blame you, Mon Ami’, such a beauty?”
Ridley blushed. He was not used to being regarded as a beauty. It was a compliment, however, and from his culture and time, it would be considered quite a compliment. Still, the apprentice blushed deeply. He finished the last of his fish and sat back, satisfied.
Paul asked Char Le Maine, “Renault, do you not have a companion now? That is atypical for you, my friend.” Paul recalled always having one, sometimes two, humans in his company. He had rarely encountered him when this was not the case.
Char Le Maine looked sour for a moment. “My last, you remember him, Paul, the young man, a beauty like this, David Cantrell. He was determined I would turn him. He had only lived your life for twenty-three years, so I hesitated to let him savor it some more. Alas, he took that hard. When I had to depart suddenly on matters, he fell to drugs. Ah, Mon Dieu! He was found in a house of low respect with a needle in his arm. So, now I mourn I made a mistake there.”
Paul said, “I am sorry, Renault drugs claim so many now. The governmental authorities, well, when the Drug Czar of the DEA gets on TV and makes statements such as, we lost the drug war before we started to fight it. It is a shame.”
Char Le Maine said, “Ah, I have grown to love this place, but it is sometimes confusing, Mon Ami’. So, very powerful but has been here barely half as long than we were at war with those British. That is warfare, one hundred and sixteen years. No respite and so much death, neither willing to yield. I think this Drug Czar is not much. Yes?”
Ridley knew he could speak anytime, “If you are looking for inspiration, Washington D.C. is not the best place to look for it.”
His Master grinned at him, “Not only beauty but wise beyond his age and smart. We will need his wisdom and smarts tomorrow night. The starlight square dances down on Villanova Creek. We are going to confront my cousin. He will be much less likely to want to fight with a crowd present and must be placed in check. I am not as young as I was once, but hardly ready for the side I was on last night.”
Ridley rose and went to Char Le Maine. He got down on one knee and offered his upturned wrist. The vampire smelled it carefully and said, “Ah, amour, this one is drunk with it. Thank you.”
Again, he never felt Char Le Main’s bite. He drew just a tiny bit more this time. He tasted of himself naturally, as did Paul and the food he had just consumed. Ridley also felt very calm. Another thing the Vampire effect had was an anxiolytic one; it kept those they were feeding on docile, so it was not violent. No throats ripped out, struggling. It was rather pleasant to Ridley.
He went to the couch and barely made it. He was about to fall asleep. The last memory he had of the day was Paul carrying him up to the bedroom. He nodded out and then became aware he was undressed and under the warm covers of the bed. Tomorrow could get lively for him, but he needed to rest and regain strength.
