Nightglass Duelist

Field account

The Duelist waited in the hotel mirror after the building burned. We saw him only at night: polished boots, narrow coat, face hidden behind a smooth black visor, one hand resting on a glass saber. He bowed to each scavenger who crossed the lobby. Most laughed and passed. The fourth failed to return the gesture. The mirror emptied. A line appeared across the man's pack, then his coat, then the pillar behind him, all before the blade's whisper reached us. I raised a shard and bowed into it. The Duelist turned toward my reflection, offended by the incomplete frame. We circled through broken rooms, each pane offering him a new angle, until dawn silvered the windows. With no night left inside the glass, he saluted, cut his own reflection free, and escaped carrying it like a cloak.

Observed behavior

The Duelist offers a visible courtesy before violence, though the gesture may appear only in reflection. Ignoring it permits an immediate ambush under its private code. It selects the most composed opponent, attacks through adjacent black surfaces, and retreats whenever a strike becomes untidy. Breaking mirrors creates more entrances unless the fragments are turned face down or flooded with daylight. It respects a properly witnessed surrender but punishes interference after terms are set. At sunrise its range contracts sharply; nevertheless, a carried shard can preserve enough night for one escape.