Lambert fucked up. He watched Eskel's expression turn from neutral to stormy, not all at once but slowly like dark thunderclouds crawling over a jagged horizon. "I didn't mean that," Lambert said quickly, as if he could outrun the coming torrent.
Eskel rose, hands flat on the table as he stared Lambert down. There was a growing static in the air around him, chaos fluttering like the wings of bats. It made Lambert's head hurt, he'd never been magically gifted like Geralt much less Eskel, and too much Chaos in the air could make him feel hungover.
"You meant it," Eskel said, his voice the rolling thunder from the dark cloud that were rapidly overtaking them both.
"It was a fucking joke you humourless bastard!" Lambert snapped, scrambling backwards and nearly tripping over a crooked bench. Before he could get any further Eskel raised one hand as fast as lightening. Lambert tensed, waiting for an Aard or Yrden, perhaps even an Axii. Instead Eskel cast Quen and a golden bubble popped into existence around him.
Lambert was stunned into silence at first. Quen was one of the first signs they learned as initiates, but the hardest to master. For one it often had to be anchored to you or something you were touching. Lambert could cast Quen around himself and anyone he physically touched. Stronger users, like Geralt, could make the Quen explode or apply it as a thin, nearly invisible veneer around them.
Eskel, it seemed, could project it. Lambert tried to push through the shield and found it immovable. He kicked it and swore as he stubbed his toe. Lambert tried to draw one of his swords but found the bubble was neither tall enough or wide enough to pull his blade from the scabbard. Casting Aard or Igni would backfire spectacularly. He wasn't that dumb.
"Just going to keep me here all night?" He yelled at Eskel, his form shimmering and golden outside the shield. "Real fucking mature, you rancid cock!". Lambert tried to ram his shoulder into the shield but it didn't so much as shudder with the impact. Lambert, however, felt a bit dazed.
"You can't keep this up forever!" Lambert yelled again.
"I don't have to," Eskel said, his expression was calm once more. He had his hand up and fingers displayed in a held Quen, pointing at Lambert. He wasn't just casting it he was maintaining it, using constant Chaos to feed the shield. It made it strong but it also meant even Eskel had to run out of energy sooner rather than later.
He looked awfully smug, though. At least from what Lambert could see. "You're a fucking coward! Afraid of a little brawl? Come on, it's not like either of us can get any uglier!"
Eskel snorted and shook his head, not rising to the bait.
Lambert took a deep breath, it was getting warm in the bubble. He felt like...like he wasn't getting enough oxygen... It hit him all at once. The bubble was impermeable. Completely. There was no fresh air coming in. "Oh you son of a bitch!" Lambert exploded and threw himself around in the bubble, gasping for breath as each inhale became less and less satisfying. Eskel wouldn't kill him but he sure knew how to make a man suffer for a slip of the tongue.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Lambert gasped, falling to his knees as the world rushed up to meet him. All at once fresh air, fresh cool air, flooded into his lungs with the next gasp. Lambert collapsed and rolled onto his back, heaving for each breath like he'd just run the Killer.
"Now was that so hard?" Eskel asked as he sat back down and picked up his hand of Gwent cards. "It's your turn, by the way?"
"Was that a little harsh?" Geralt asked dispassionately from the head of the table.
Lambert wheezed and crawled back up to sit across from Eskel, fervently avoiding his gaze from behind his own hand of cards.
"I don't know, Lambert, was it too harsh?" Eskel asked it with a tone that implied genuine concern, but his eyes betrayed him. He was laughing at him, the bastard.
Lambert shook his head instead of saying anything, conserving all his precious air. After all, it could have been much worse. Eskel could have kicked him out of his bed for the rest of the Winter.
