Summary
The morning after the incident in the Deaf Mule, Rickkter is still mad at Murikeer for bumping into Aniris and causing him to be sprayed, and is off to blow off some steam with Kwanzaa, who had offered to teach him some eastern sword techniques. He passes by Garigan, who comments on Rickkter's scent. Rickkter nearly draws his katana, but puts it back and advises Garigan to keep on walking. He contemplates the day he can destroy Garigan's teacher, Charles Matthias, in combat.
He finds Kwanzaa outside her training house with an unfamiliar mink, both of whom had just finished a sparring match with each other. Rickkter asks who the "dame" is, which they both find very amusing, and Kwanzaa introduces her as Llyn, an experienced swordswoman who served as Kwanzaa's understudy, before her 3-month journey up north. Llyn says she was part of the first team to try to track Rickkter; she figured out he was teleporting and masking his scent. When he learns that Llyn was her second, they both moved to the practice ring, eager to spar, while Kwanzaa sits and watches.
As the two begin to spar, they discuss each other's advantages and experiences, though Rickkter is careful not to reveal his own. Suddenly, Llyn leaps forward and swiftly attacks; one attack slices an inch off 3 of Rickkter's whiskers. Rickkter quickly adjusts to match her almost supernatural speed, but every one of his attacks are parried. His sword gets caught by her armor, and suddenly Llyn almost fatally stabs him; Rickkter rolls away in time, a chunk of fur landing on the ground.
Enraged, Rickkter also begins attacking to kill her, overcoming Llyn's attacks and shattering part of her armor. Kwanzaa shouts at them to hold, and has to jump in, pull Llyn out, and disarm Rickkter herself to get him to stop.
Llyn gasps for breath and shakily sheathes her sword, while Rickkter screams that everyone keeps trying to kill him at the Keep. He storms off to find Murikeer, while Kwanzaa stays and asks Llyn if she is okay. Llyn remembers that it was like he was moving so slowly. She is relieved that she tripped and missed, and promises to be more careful. But in truth, she knows she didn't trip, and had intended to kill him, and she doesn't know why.
Characters
Main characters:
- Rickkter: A raccoon morph, a Kankoran battle mage who was sprayed yesterday by Murikeer. He still has a faint smell of skunk when he meets Kwanzaa and Llyn at the training grounds. He enters a sparring match with Llyn, and nearly gets stabbed by her. After Kwanzaa gets Llyn to stop, he storms off to look for Murikeer.
- He loses a tuft of fur from his torso during the fight.
- He wears a light shirt and light loose black leggings for his sparring. He normally wears more formal lace cuffs, as they are neater and just as comfortable, but they do not allow as much freedom of movement.
- Rickkter is delighted by Pascal's sense of humor, and the likely humiliation of Aniris in the near future.
Supporting characters:
- Kwanzaa: A shrew morph, a master swordswoman and teaching instructor, a good friend of Rickkter's and Llyn's. She was going to combat Rickkter today, but lets him fight Llyn instead. She stops Rick from skewing her, and stays with Llyn to be sure she's okay.
- Most of her students take 2 years to become competent sword fighters.
- Her blade is nicked.
- Llyn: A mink morph, a Long Scout, and Kwanzaa's understudy. She has a sparring match with Rickkter, which starts friendly until she suddenly tries to kill without knowing why.
- She gives a startled hiss when she disarms Rickkter. After her near-fatal strike, she bears a blank expression and loses her speed advantage.
- She has an Amazonian build, with small breasts and the severe lines and tone of a hardened fighter. She has wide hips and long-shanked digitigrade legs with paws. She is as tall as Rick; despite her shorter legs, she has a longer torso. She has a smooth voice
- She wears custom leather practice armor that covers her from just above the breasts down to the knees, and with a leather piece on the shank of each leg, with a downward talon behind her paws, almost to the ground. She also wears braces on her upper arms with 6-inch spikes curved to her elbows, and straight spikes on her elbows themselves. She carries a clean double-edged sword with no nicks.
- One of her arm scythes is shattered during Rickkter's onslaught.
- She is very well-known around the Keep as a lover.
- Of all of Kwanzaa's students, Llyn was the fastest learner. Instead of 2 years, she completed her training in 5 months. She had to find other instructors to further her training.
- She is faster than any opponent Rickkter has ever faced. She recognizes Rickkter's weapon as an eastern-style sword, and knows how to fight against them. She mentions a close friend who has something similar, but is a hand shorter.
Minor characters:
- Garigan: A ferret morph, Charles's pupil of the Sondeckis. Knowing both the animosity of Kankorans and Sondeckis, and the inability for Rickkter to retaliate, he mocks Rickkter when given the chance — such as after Rickkter has been humiliatedly sprayed.
- He is slender with an angular face. He wears a yellow robe — the color of his Sondeckis rank.
- He was reading as he was passing Rickkter, and mocks him for the smell. Rickkter warns him off, to which Garigan mockingly salutes him. Rickkter decides against stabbing him in the back.
Cameo:
- A bear morph, an instructor at Kwanzaa's training house, teaching a class of 15 students. He or she is stoutly built.
- A mouse morph, a student at Kwanzaa's training house, who is seen being reprimanded by the bear instructor.
Important mention:
- Murikeer: A skunk morph, a journeyman mage terrified of humans. At the Deaf Mule last night, Aniris harassed him, causing Murikeer to spray him, Rickkter, and several other patrons.
- Pascal: A porcupine morph, the Keep alchemist. Thanks to her invention, most of the skunk smell on Rickkter is gone. When she heard from Rickkter about Aniris, Pascal smiled and promised a surprise for him.
- Aniris: A fat child morph and self-styled lord. Rickkter knew he was from Lorland, and has a low opinion of him, like many at the Keep. He was the intended target of Murikeer's spray, though Rick feels Muri should have avoided him to begin with.
Referenced:
- Kayla: A skunk morph, Rickkter's girlfriend and Murikeer's friend. She told Rickkter more about Murikeer, dissuading him from attacking Murikeer for spraying him.
- Her body has soft smooth curves, unlike Llyn.
- Copernicus: A lizard morph who loves pool. He was playing with Murikeer just before the incident with Aniris. He gave Murikeer's name to Rickkter.
- Altera Loriod: A deceased male gendermorph, and lord of a region of Metamor Valley, whose reign nearly led to Metamor's ruin.
- Charles Matthias: A rat morph, secretly a Sondecki, and thus Rickkter's enemy.
- Rickkter has to avoid attacking Garigan, as it would bring upon him the wrath of the Keep.
- Rickkter figures that Charles is weak enough that he could defeat him in hand-to-hand combat; and before that, he could easily blast him with one of many spells.
- Yonson: A lemur morph, the ambassador from Marzac, a weathermonger mage. He fought a mage duel with Rickkter and nearly killed him.
- Misha: A fox morph, leader of the Long Scouts. He has a taur form, with which he fought Rickkter, which saw him getting kicked around.
- Eli: The Follower god.
Locations
- The practice fields are in the northernmost bailey, just outside an old barracks, which has been converted into Kwanzaa's training house. A double door entrance leads inside to a large training room.
- There is a large maple tree by the building, with practice gear hanging from its branches. A bench lies underneath. A rough wooden fence encloses a practice arena, in which is a small practice circle.
Chronology / Story Connections
- Rickkter comments that he has appeared as both defendent and prosecutor in the Keep's tribunals. These are probably references to A Place Where There Is No Darkness (as defendent) and Oren's Trial (as prosecutor).
- Rickkter refers to two previous battles he fought: one with the weathermonger from Marzac, and one with Misha the fox-taur. This likely refers to House of Secrets and Testing 1,2,3,4.
- Rickkter calls the weathermonger as a lemur, yet Yonson didn't begin to show changes until several days after "House of Secrets".
- "Testing 1,2,3,4" has references that suggest it takes place many days after the return from Stepping Rock. "Dangerous Games", however, takes place only a day after their return.
