The Dragon's Judgment

The denizens of Brightmoor stood in the stands of the crumbling arena, staring down at Itsuki with a mixture of horror and dismay. 

He stood in the arena, armed with just enough clothing to appear modest. Brown pants, a brown shirt, and a cloak that he had requested. It wasn't much, but he took whatever they would give him that seemed like it could be advantageous. All they had armed him with for weaponry was a dagger. 

He took a deep breath, feeling as prepared as he could be. Since the death of that one guard, Yuna had managed to sneak him several more books and scrolls with his food. She wasn't as talkative or friendly after witnessing his brutality, but she still wore a kind expression. Itsuki was saddened by the change, but understood it. She had almost wound up in a lot of trouble on his behalf, and it was risky to get any closer to a man who may or may not be about to die. 

"Alright, then, shall we begin?"

Itsuki turned towards the voice's direction. Above, a group of three elders - the Brightmoor Council - sat and watched the events unfold. Beneath them, coming through the gate, was none other than the Knight-Commander Damon. His ornate sword drawn and his shield and plate armor newly polished.

"How's that fair?" Itsuki asked, taking a step back. "I get a dagger and you get...all of that?"

"The prisoner asked for a trial by combat, and so shall he receive," one of the elders replied from above, clearly excited to have outsmarted the system. "By the decree of the Brightmoor Council, we authorize this trial to begin!"

Without hesitation, Damon rocketed towards Itsuki - his speed terrifying given the armor that he wore. Based on his stance, Itsuki could tell where the first strike was going to come from. He dodged out of the way, but only barely as Damon's sword came down with the intent to slice him from collarbone to pelvis. Damon then began to rotate around, intending to use his momentum to spin and kick him in the ribs. Itsuki saw the tactic clearly - his mind catching every detail- but he only managed to bring his arms in the way before the kick slammed into him and sent him sprawling away. 

Itsuki quickly worked to get back to his feet - wheezing as he tried to shake off the wind being knocked from him. His confidence had been high due to the guard from the other night, but he knew exactly what was happening. His mind may have absorbed the information, but his body was not at all prepared for this. The Knight-Commander may have been a pompous and cruel man, but he was incredibly well-trained. 

For a few minutes, this farce carried on. Itsuki's perception and mind were keeping him mostly safe, but the repeated slicing of skin and fracturing of bone was piling up quickly. His mind was prepared for the pain, but his body was struggling to fight it. Before long, he was barely able to stand on two feet. 

"The execution would've been cleaner, you know?" Damon spoke, clearly now acting for entertainment. "We can be merciful when we choose to be. Instead, however, you opted to ambush one of the guards and take his life unprovoked."

A complete lie, but Itsuki knew there was no point in arguing. He had to come up with a plan and now. With the exception of Yuna, who masked her sorrow as best she could, everyone else was eager to see the prisoner tormented. At this point, however, that excitement had begun to die down. He expected Damon to amuse the crowd for a couple more minutes, before deciding to land a lethal blow. There was no choice - his body had no juice left. If he was going to win, it was now or never. 

Drawing his dagger with his right hand, he yelled out and charged towards Damon. 

"Oh, how cute! The final stand," Damon chuckled. "Fine, let's see it then."

Damon, in his predictable pompous attitude, threw out a stab towards Itsuki's torso. It was non-vital, albeit painful, but he was convinced Itsuki would manage to narrowly avoid it given his performance thus far. 

Itsuki did no such thing. The sword pierced into his body, startling Damon and sending an unimaginable amount of pain through his system. He fought for consciousness - thinking about Shin, Amane, and even Yuna. 

"I...won't...lose to you!"

Itsuki, fully on autopilot and half-conscious, ripped off his cloak and threw it into Damon's face. Damon reacted quickly, swiping it away with his free hand just in time to see Itsuki's right hand rapidly approaching. As a trained soldier, his body would react on its own when there was no time to think. Knowing that Itsuki's right hand held the dagger, he instinctively caught it at the wrist with his remaining free hand. 

But the dagger was not there. 

Instead, the dagger pierced into his neck - a small opening between the helmet and breastplate meant to provide mobility. Itsuki had memorized the armor's design, though, and knew exactly where it was vulnerable. As he had anticipated from his studies, Damon's body would start reacting instinctively with all of his training, leaving him little room to assess and act the way he should have. 

It was now or never. 

"Go to hell!" Itsuki roared as he drove the dagger in deeper and deeper.

In this moment, somewhere between permanent death and absolute focus, Itsuki felt a sensation that could only be described as 'approval'. The insignia on his chest erupted with light through his shirt, and golden fire bathed their bodies as if being channeled in through their physical contact. Screams and shrieks left Damon's mouth, while only silence remained for Itsuki. The flames burned Damon alive within his armor, and they forced closed the wound in Itsuki's torso. 

In Itsuki's mind, he was experiencing vivid memories that appeared to belong to the Knight-Commander. Battle tactics, training regiments, geographical information, and even his cruel desires. He absorbed it all as the flames eventually came to an abrupt halt. Damon's sword had been vaporized, the wound it left all but gone. Also in cinders was Damon's body and armor - it collapsed to the ground lifeless as the stadium was overcome by silence. 

With his injuries seemingly healed within the golden flames, Itsuki's mind slowly came back to the present. He took in the scene around him. Horrified expressions of all varieties existed on the townsfolk. The most terrified of them all, however, seem to be those of the Council. Having seen Damon's memories, he had an idea of the truth. 

The Council and people here at long since forsaken the gods they believed abandoned them. They turned to war and pillaging as their primary means of survival, using the ruins of this once-grand city as a means to keep them safe and difficult to invade. Having nothing but survival and pleasure in their minds, they allowed their savage and animalistic ways to overtake them. 

Now, they had seen one of the gods act in front of them, acknowledging them for the first time in decades. Itsuki may not have done anything willingly, but it sent a clear message. The actions of this town are now to be judged for their actions. 

"The trial by combat has concluded!" one of the elders spoke up. "As is tradition, the prisoner is free to leave Brightmoor with his freedom intact! Now, let us mourn the loss of Knight-Commander Damon and..."

"Not so fast!"

The elders tensed up, like a cat caught stalking its prey. They weren't weaseling their way out of this that easily. Things were now in Itsuki's hands, and he had been boiling to rampage since he got here. 

Instead, however, Itsuki took a deep breath. Animalistic impulses is what brought this settlement down in the first place. He was supposed to act in accordance with Wisdom, and that meant not losing his cool. He thought through the options at-hand. There was a whole world out beyond these ruins, and he had just obtained some very interesting new information from Damon's memories. He needed to act intelligently if he were to make the most of this. 

"If you intend to see your settlement spared, then listen closely!" Itsuki called out, mustering all the confidence and bravado he could. "I have some requests before I leave this town, and if you intend to survive, you will heed them!"