"Too scared boy?"
Rey scanned the swordsmen around the room.
There was the buff-looking man in front of him, he sure looked tough but that was just about it. There was a woman in the far corner, she didn't have a sword but Rey could tell she used one. It doesn't look like she's here to fight though. There was another woman, loud and boisterous, all talk but no bite. A hooded man with the longest sword in the room, too boring of a battle. A woman with twin swords. A man with a scar . . . . so on and so on.
They were all about the same level. Not bad, but not good as well. Just strong enough to get by.
Rey sighed.
Boring.
They all looked boring.
He expected this, but it still annoyed him anyway.
Rey would never know that these swordsmen were already plenty strong for the average human. That they were already able to take down enemies similar to Rey. Probably not as efficient or as fast, but nonetheless the same.
Rey was just so used to seeing Leon fight that now, no other swordsman looked as strong or as exciting.
And though he may be biased, he isn't wrong. Leon was already above average in strength and speed as a human. As Leon would say, it's because of his character settings. It is a given that he'll be strong for absolutely no reason other than the fact that he is the best friend of the protagonist. No one seems to question it, not even the protagonist himself. Leon wasn't complaining, he already knew 100% that somehow, in some way, he was going to be strong anyway.
He wasn't wrong.
Glancing around the room once more, Rey said, "Anyone will do,"
The crowd burst into laughter.
Rey was not amused. He was sure that the crowd would sooner die by laughter than his own hands.
"Where's your sword?!" one yelled, "How're you gonna fight with no sword?!"
Oh.
Yeah.
Rey forgot.
Other than Everlasting Light, he didn't have any other sword. There was no need for a mage to carry a sword. Everlasting Light was the only exception.
He doubts he can go buy one now.
Maybe he'll just make something up. Or maybe he can just borrow one of their swords. Even a dull one will do.
Just as Rey was about to open his mouth and ask for a sword, a taunting voice cut in.
"Hey, blondie! Ready to watch your boyfriend lose?"
Immediately, Rey glared.
All thoughts and composure went away.
Though you couldn't see his face through the shadows of the hood, you can feel it in the air. The room seems to darken, an ominous aura slowly growing. And as much as it was cold already, the air seemed to have dropped a couple more degrees.
A small handful seem to notice the change and immediately minded their own business. The bored hostess even bothered to glance up for once.
"OH! There it is!" the same person taunted.
Rey tightened his grip around Leon's wrist, calming himself down.
He wasn't so angry to the point where his eyes glowed red. He was just annoyed. Irritated.
Lately, for some reason, it irks him when people try to talk to Leon. He knew that Leon won't talk back nor would he even bother to look at anyone, but it infuriates him that people dare to speak to him.
It's funny, cause Rey doesn't care if they look at Leon or if they even talk about Leon. He doesn't even care if people speak to him to talk about Leon. It's only when they try to communicate directly to Leon themselves, that is what really annoys him.
How dare people try to talk to Leon?!
How dare they try when Leon still hasn't even spoken to him yet?!
With one last squeeze of Leon's wrist, he relaxed, breathing out a small sigh.
"Looks like I got him!" the same taunting person laughed and turned towards Rey, "Lemme guess, blondie left your sword at home?"
Rey glanced at Leon.
He was still the same as ever, dead inside.
Rey rustled the blond hair, 'He must be tired,'
Leon naps many times a day, enough naps that Rey can tell when it's time for another one. It hasn't even been that long since they left the inn. Rey hoped these frequent naps don't harm Leon in the future.
He continued to ruffle the hair, watching as Leon's eyelids slowly drooped down.
It was then that Rey just remembered something.
"Yea, you better look at him one last time-"
Rey pointed at the person speaking, making them shut up pretty quickly. From what he gathered around the room, this person who irritated him, who baited death, must be the one called Simon.
Simon was a tall, lanky man with a saber on his waist. He definitely wasn't the strongest in the room, but Rey had to thank him for helping him remember something.
"You," Rey declared, "I'll fight you,"
That seemed to rile up the crowd. People began cheering and shouting, even making bets on who was going to win.
"Ref!" Rey called, getting the host's attention.
"Hmm?" The host, the referee of the match, lazily hummed.
"Explain the rules to me,"
Everyone laughed once more, ridiculing how he doesn't even know the rules of obtaining an Adventurer's Pass.
"You win, you pass. You lose, you don't," the host answered.
"Let's change it," Rey muttered in a low voice, "Let's make it more interesting. If I win, not only do I get a pass, but he loses his,"
That seemed to catch everyone's attention and they all grew quiet. Now, only whispers and chuckles filled the room. Many eyes watched with interest and others nonbelieving. It wouldn't be the first time that someone altered the rules to their own benefit, but things always ended badly whenever this happened.
The crowd, specifically Simon, did make Rey a little upset by bringing Leon into this. So, there should be some sort of punishment for the loser. Besides, it wasn't even a bad punishment. If anything, Simon should be happy that Rey didn't ask for a fight to the death instead.
Simon laughed, "Did I hurt your feelings or something-"
"-Yeah," Rey replied instantly with a straight face, "You did,"
". . . ."
He walked up to Rey, "Alright, I'll agree to your deal. But if I win . . . "
The man took a look at Rey, observing him closely, trying to see if there was anything valuable he can take. An Adventurer's Pass was a pretty big deal. It took Simon years of training and picking the right opponent to get one. It was a lot of hard work and he can't just lose it to a newbie who barely even knows the rules.
Then his eyes landed on the wrist that Rey held, 'Hmm . . . I'm not really interested in boys though . . .' he thought as he observed Leon. From afar, this person looked pretty timid despite his nice build. But now that he was looking up close, there really wasn't anything in this person at all. All he saw was emptiness. The eyes were dull. The skin, pale like death. Not a single speck of life.
Immediately, Simon was harshly shoved backward.
He smirked, "Well, okay. If I win, you give me your little boyfriend,"
Rey nodded, agreeing to the terms. He didn't like the idea of gambling with a life. But in this situation, where the winner was quite obvious, he agreed.
"You need a sword," the referee said as she tiredly came out from behind the counter, "to obtain a pass under the classification of a swordsman, you need to fight with a sword,"
'Inventory, open,' Rey reached into his inventory, an invisible space in the air, and took out a sword.
Remember when Rey said he had to thank Simon. It was precisely because of this.
Leon was a master of the sword. His prized possessions were the many swords that he owned. They were of the highest quality, the best of the best. He owned a total of twenty-seven swords. And when they were all left abandoned at the cliff of The Lost, Rey had collected them and put them in his inventory.
Rey had forgotten that he, in fact, did have many swords he could use. As such, he had to thank Simon for reminding him.
The sword he picked was long and elegant, yet gaudy at the same time. The hilt was plastered in gold and gems that reached toward the blade of the sword. The handle was just as intricate, engraved with beautiful swirls yet still comfortable to hold. As much as it was stunning, if you looked closely enough, you can still see the scratch marks and tattiness from how much the sword has been used throughout the years.
'In exchange for my gloves,' Rey thought as he gazed at Leon, 'I'll be using your sword,'
It was a pretty bad deal.
Leon would scream if he knew that Rey did this.
But there was no one to yell at him now.
This sword was one that Leon had used in many past battles. It was the one he used when fighting to protect Rey when Evelyn died, it was the one he used when he saved Rey from slavery, and it was the one he used when he fought in the battle with Val Valtine. Despite how many swords Leon possessed, Rey knew that this was Leon's favorite.
He wondered if Leon still thought the same.
The crowd stared in awe at the sword. Never have they seen anything like it. It was absolutely beautiful and terrifying.
Now Simon was regretting his decision. He should have bet for the sword instead!
"I'm ready," Rey said.
The referee nodded. Then, with a small chant and a wave of her hand, the tables and chairs began to move, creating room for a makeshift arena.
The crowd began backing away, making room for the battle to start. And as much as Rey hated it, he had to let Leon go. He sat Leon at a near table, away from everyone else.
"Just wait a couple more minutes," Rey said as he pat Leon's head, "Then I'll take you to sleep,"
He then stood up and went back to the arena.
Rey and Simon stood many feet away from each other, not yet unsheathing their sword.
"Hey!" Simon called, "How 'bout I take the sword instead of the blondie? Better, huh? You get to keep your boyfriend,"
Rey eyed him indifferently, "If you win, you can take both,"
Simon cheered, "Alright!"
The referee raised her arm, not to start the fight, but to yawn. She then walked back a couple steps and sat in a makeshift chair, slouching with one hand on her cheek.
"No magic, no spells, no cheating, no killing," She waved her hand in a shooing motion, "Go on, start whenever,"
As if on cue, Simon made the first move. He dashed forward, quickly swinging his saber.
Rey easily dodged and twisted out of the way. Then, he brought Leon's sword up, examining it, checking the hilt and the blade. It was really pretty, but it was too much for Rey's eyes.
Simon attacked again, a strike breaking through the air.
CLING!
Rey countered the attack with a swing of the sword.
'It's light,' he thought.
Simon attacked again with another swing.
Rey blocked it once more, 'It's sturdy,'
With this clash of swords, Rey struck forward, pushing Simon to the edge of the arena.
The crowd was silent as they watch the scene. The hooded man has successfully evaded three of Simon's strikes as if it was nothing. And in just one push, Simon was already at the edge of the arena. Now, the guy just seems to be swinging and flipping the sword around as if it was his first time using it. The crowd didn't know whether or not this newbie was actually experienced or if he was truly a beginner.
With a huff, Simon stood up to his feet and glared at Rey with fiery anger, 'That sword is mine,'
And with a last swing, Rey felt that he had a good enough feel for the sword now. He looked at Simon with a nonchalant expression.
"I'm ready now,"
"Too scared boy?"
Rey scanned the swordsmen around the room.
There was the buff-looking man in front of him, he sure looked tough but that was just about it. There was a woman in the far corner, she didn't have a sword but Rey could tell she used one. It doesn't look like she's here to fight though. There was another woman, loud and boisterous, all talk but no bite. A hooded man with the longest sword in the room, too boring of a battle. A woman with twin swords. A man with a scar . . . . so on and so on.
They were all about the same level. Not bad, but not good as well. Just strong enough to get by.
Rey sighed.
Boring.
They all looked boring.
He expected this, but it still annoyed him anyway.
Rey would never know that these swordsmen were already plenty strong for the average human. That they were already able to take down enemies similar to Rey. Probably not as efficient or as fast, but nonetheless the same.
Rey was just so used to seeing Leon fight that now, no other swordsman looked as strong or as exciting.
And though he may be biased, he isn't wrong. Leon was already above average in strength and speed as a human. As Leon would say, it's because of his character settings. It is a given that he'll be strong for absolutely no reason other than the fact that he is the best friend of the protagonist. No one seems to question it, not even the protagonist himself. Leon wasn't complaining, he already knew 100% that somehow, in some way, he was going to be strong anyway.
He wasn't wrong.
Glancing around the room once more, Rey said, "Anyone will do,"
The crowd burst into laughter.
Rey was not amused. He was sure that the crowd would sooner die by laughter than his own hands.
"Where's your sword?!" one yelled, "How're you gonna fight with no sword?!"
Oh.
Yeah.
Rey forgot.
Other than Everlasting Light, he didn't have any other sword. There was no need for a mage to carry a sword. Everlasting Light was the only exception.
He doubts he can go buy one now.
Maybe he'll just make something up. Or maybe he can just borrow one of their swords. Even a dull one will do.
Just as Rey was about to open his mouth and ask for a sword, a taunting voice cut in.
"Hey, blondie! Ready to watch your boyfriend lose?"
Immediately, Rey glared.
All thoughts and composure went away.
Though you couldn't see his face through the shadows of the hood, you can feel it in the air. The room seems to darken, an ominous aura slowly growing. And as much as it was cold already, the air seemed to have dropped a couple more degrees.
A small handful seem to notice the change and immediately minded their own business. The bored hostess even bothered to glance up for once.
"OH! There it is!" the same person taunted.
Rey tightened his grip around Leon's wrist, calming himself down.
He wasn't so angry to the point where his eyes glowed red. He was just annoyed. Irritated.
Lately, for some reason, it irks him when people try to talk to Leon. He knew that Leon won't talk back nor would he even bother to look at anyone, but it infuriates him that people dare to speak to him.
It's funny, cause Rey doesn't care if they look at Leon or if they even talk about Leon. He doesn't even care if people speak to him to talk about Leon. It's only when they try to communicate directly to Leon themselves, that is what really annoys him.
How dare people try to talk to Leon?!
How dare they try when Leon still hasn't even spoken to him yet?!
With one last squeeze of Leon's wrist, he relaxed, breathing out a small sigh.
"Looks like I got him!" the same taunting person laughed and turned towards Rey, "Lemme guess, blondie left your sword at home?"
Rey glanced at Leon.
He was still the same as ever, dead inside.
Rey rustled the blond hair, 'He must be tired,'
Leon naps many times a day, enough naps that Rey can tell when it's time for another one. It hasn't even been that long since they left the inn. Rey hoped these frequent naps don't harm Leon in the future.
He continued to ruffle the hair, watching as Leon's eyelids slowly drooped down.
It was then that Rey just remembered something.
"Yea, you better look at him one last time-"
Rey pointed at the person speaking, making them shut up pretty quickly. From what he gathered around the room, this person who irritated him, who baited death, must be the one called Simon.
Simon was a tall, lanky man with a saber on his waist. He definitely wasn't the strongest in the room, but Rey had to thank him for helping him remember something.
"You," Rey declared, "I'll fight you,"
That seemed to rile up the crowd. People began cheering and shouting, even making bets on who was going to win.
"Ref!" Rey called, getting the host's attention.
"Hmm?" The host, the referee of the match, lazily hummed.
"Explain the rules to me,"
Everyone laughed once more, ridiculing how he doesn't even know the rules of obtaining an Adventurer's Pass.
"You win, you pass. You lose, you don't," the host answered.
"Let's change it," Rey muttered in a low voice, "Let's make it more interesting. If I win, not only do I get a pass, but he loses his,"
That seemed to catch everyone's attention and they all grew quiet. Now, only whispers and chuckles filled the room. Many eyes watched with interest and others nonbelieving. It wouldn't be the first time that someone altered the rules to their own benefit, but things always ended badly whenever this happened.
The crowd, specifically Simon, did make Rey a little upset by bringing Leon into this. So, there should be some sort of punishment for the loser. Besides, it wasn't even a bad punishment. If anything, Simon should be happy that Rey didn't ask for a fight to the death instead.
Simon laughed, "Did I hurt your feelings or something-"
"-Yeah," Rey replied instantly with a straight face, "You did,"
". . . ."
He walked up to Rey, "Alright, I'll agree to your deal. But if I win . . . "
The man took a look at Rey, observing him closely, trying to see if there was anything valuable he can take. An Adventurer's Pass was a pretty big deal. It took Simon years of training and picking the right opponent to get one. It was a lot of hard work and he can't just lose it to a newbie who barely even knows the rules.
Then his eyes landed on the wrist that Rey held, 'Hmm . . . I'm not really interested in boys though . . .' he thought as he observed Leon. From afar, this person looked pretty timid despite his nice build. But now that he was looking up close, there really wasn't anything in this person at all. All he saw was emptiness. The eyes were dull. The skin, pale like death. Not a single speck of life.
Immediately, Simon was harshly shoved backward.
He smirked, "Well, okay. If I win, you give me your little boyfriend,"
Rey nodded, agreeing to the terms. He didn't like the idea of gambling with a life. But in this situation, where the winner was quite obvious, he agreed.
"You need a sword," the referee said as she tiredly came out from behind the counter, "to obtain a pass under the classification of a swordsman, you need to fight with a sword,"
'Inventory, open,' Rey reached into his inventory, an invisible space in the air, and took out a sword.
Remember when Rey said he had to thank Simon. It was precisely because of this.
Leon was a master of the sword. His prized possessions were the many swords that he owned. They were of the highest quality, the best of the best. He owned a total of twenty-seven swords. And when they were all left abandoned at the cliff of The Lost, Rey had collected them and put them in his inventory.
Rey had forgotten that he, in fact, did have many swords he could use. As such, he had to thank Simon for reminding him.
The sword he picked was long and elegant, yet gaudy at the same time. The hilt was plastered in gold and gems that reached toward the blade of the sword. The handle was just as intricate, engraved with beautiful swirls yet still comfortable to hold. As much as it was stunning, if you looked closely enough, you can still see the scratch marks and tattiness from how much the sword has been used throughout the years.
'In exchange for my gloves,' Rey thought as he gazed at Leon, 'I'll be using your sword,'
It was a pretty bad deal.
Leon would scream if he knew that Rey did this.
But there was no one to yell at him now.
This sword was one that Leon had used in many past battles. It was the one he used when fighting to protect Rey when Evelyn died, it was the one he used when he saved Rey from slavery, and it was the one he used when he fought in the battle with Val Valtine. Despite how many swords Leon possessed, Rey knew that this was Leon's favorite.
He wondered if Leon still thought the same.
The crowd stared in awe at the sword. Never have they seen anything like it. It was absolutely beautiful and terrifying.
Now Simon was regretting his decision. He should have bet for the sword instead!
"I'm ready," Rey said.
The referee nodded. Then, with a small chant and a wave of her hand, the tables and chairs began to move, creating room for a makeshift arena.
The crowd began backing away, making room for the battle to start. And as much as Rey hated it, he had to let Leon go. He sat Leon at a near table, away from everyone else.
"Just wait a couple more minutes," Rey said as he pat Leon's head, "Then I'll take you to sleep,"
He then stood up and went back to the arena.
Rey and Simon stood many feet away from each other, not yet unsheathing their sword.
"Hey!" Simon called, "How 'bout I take the sword instead of the blondie? Better, huh? You get to keep your boyfriend,"
Rey eyed him indifferently, "If you win, you can take both,"
Simon cheered, "Alright!"
The referee raised her arm, not to start the fight, but to yawn. She then walked back a couple steps and sat in a makeshift chair, slouching with one hand on her cheek.
"No magic, no spells, no cheating, no killing," She waved her hand in a shooing motion, "Go on, start whenever,"
As if on cue, Simon made the first move. He dashed forward, quickly swinging his saber.
Rey easily dodged and twisted out of the way. Then, he brought Leon's sword up, examining it, checking the hilt and the blade. It was really pretty, but it was too much for Rey's eyes.
Simon attacked again, a strike breaking through the air.
CLING!
Rey countered the attack with a swing of the sword.
'It's light,' he thought.
Simon attacked again with another swing.
Rey blocked it once more, 'It's sturdy,'
With this clash of swords, Rey struck forward, pushing Simon to the edge of the arena.
The crowd was silent as they watch the scene. The hooded man has successfully evaded three of Simon's strikes as if it was nothing. And in just one push, Simon was already at the edge of the arena. Now, the guy just seems to be swinging and flipping the sword around as if it was his first time using it. The crowd didn't know whether or not this newbie was actually experienced or if he was truly a beginner.
With a huff, Simon stood up to his feet and glared at Rey with fiery anger, 'That sword is mine,'
And with a last swing, Rey felt that he had a good enough feel for the sword now. He looked at Simon with a nonchalant expression.
"I'm ready now,"
