Ray was unnerved by Shouta's show of strength and resistance. He looked on with horror as Alicia's blade dug into his flesh to no effect. His mind raced, trying to come up with some explanation. [I]This is impossible! It he not actually pushing? No, he's even sawing with the blade. Is it an illusion? A trick, it must be a trick?[/i] But it was not. Ray reached for his drink to settle him down, spilling a bit as his hand shook. The closest he could come to explaining it were the tales the crew told on his uncle's ship. They spoke of steel-skinned devils whose flesh was the color of unpolished iron, who couldn't be scratched by blades or gunfire, who would wade through warzones and emerge unscathed. Ray had put it down to tall tales to frighten the young passenger and ignored them. [i]They couldn't be true. His skin is pink and fleshy, but why doesn't it tear?[/i] Then his stomach sank as the Rookie Judge's skin darkened to a metallic sheen.

His horror erupted into full-blown terror as the blade snapped in two. It was a sensation Ray hadn't felt for ten years, during his first duel. He was 14 at the time, his opponent 3 years his senior: Hugh Scarthane. The had gotten into a petty argument, something about one bumping into one another and, both being hotheaded and willful youths, refused to apologize. Ray was startled when Hugh slapped him with his glove, but was incensed enough to accept the challenge. It was only after Ray's blood had cooled that he realized he had agreed to duel one of the most sanguinary, deadliest shots in Lendria. He had no hope of apologizing, since Hugh was unforgiving and had more than once simply shot unarmed men who refused to fight or beg. That fear nearly paralyzed him, but he pushed through it and practiced his shooting for the next two weeks while Hugh did nothing but brag and mock and taunt. 

The duel was over in half a second from when they took their ten paces. They fired simultaneously. Ray took a lead ball to the shoulder, Hugh took his to the eye, though by luck or skill he did not know. The first man Raymond Skalter killed was dead before he hit the ground. The duel was legal, so no murder charges could be filed. However, the Scarthanes from then on always treated the Skalters with a cold, curt manner, never fully forgiving them. Hugh Scarthane was the first man Ray had killed, but he wasn't the last. By the time Ray had left Lendria, 18 men had perished from his blade or shot: 11 in duels, 5 in self-defense in an unexpected brawl, but only one murder....

Ray had begun to calm once he realized that Shouta was just like Hugh: a challenge to overcome, a duel where your life and honor were on the line, only on a far greater scale than Hugh ever was or could have hoped to be. Ray smiled, his pirate pride, though youthful, had begun to flare. [i]While the Rookie Judge looks down on our accomplishments in scorn, we will prepare, practice and improve so that one day, either by luck or chance, we can prove that we are his betters. [/i]

So when Shouta asked for the captain's sword, Ray stepped forward. He offered his rapier to the Captain once again. “I swore my life to you on this sword. It is, for all intents and purposes, your sword. My life will still be yours, regardless of what happens to it. And don't worry, I'd rather have this blade break again rather than you lose an arm.” He smiled to emphasize his sincerity, but his face hardened once he turned to meet Shouta's gaze. He looked long and hard into his opponent's eyes before nodding slightly, conceding to Shouta's judgement... for now.