Of all the things the Udwi expected from the Samurai, he didn’t expect them to go silent at such a question. They leaned in closer to the fire, before leaning back and staring up at the sky. Then, they turned towards him and then cocked their head.
“I’m not sure I quite understand.”
“What? What don’t you understand about my question?”
“Why do you need to know what I plan to do from here on out. I can’t see why my decisions for the future have any kind of importance at this point in time.”
“It isn’t that they’re important, it’s more or less me wondering what you plan to do from here on out,” he explained, “Or rather, what you have in mind for your next step. You mentioned the people you met before, right? Got any ideas of what you’re going to do with them later?”
“Hm.” They appeared stumped as their eyes turned back to the burning flames and just stared, before sighing. “Not sure. I do have a bone to pick with the brat for their disrespectful nature, but that could come later. While she would have healed by now, her superior would still be wounded. Going back to that village will be worthless, there is nothing there worthwhile.”
“Surely there has to be something,” he pressured, “Come now, you cannot mean to tell me there was nothing that was usable there.”
They seemed to pause at that and looked up to the sky. They seemed to stare upwards before nodding and looking back at the Udwi, shaking their head.
“No, there really wasn’t. Nothing at all.”
“Nothing? Seriously? There wasn’t anything at all? Weapons, food, whatever?”
“I have all the tools I need on me at this time,” the Samurai patted their bow and weapons, “Food is hunted and I would rather not have to share. Besides, there weren’t any worthy battles there. Those villagers were even weaker than the monsters that roam the land and those homes were pitiful at best. Thus, nothing at all.”
Of course the blood-lusted freak would focus directly on having a good battle. As curious as he was over this warrior’s history and their overfixation on having a good battle, that was not something he wanted to delve into. So, he focused on the brat that they mentioned earlier.
“The brat? What about them?”
“What did she do that made you dislike her so much? Must have been something quite bad, no?”
“She was disrespectful in more ways than one. She was my younger self and yet constantly tried to act like we were on the same plane of existence. Despite the fact she was nothing more than a coward and so weak that she needed another woman to guard her, she constantly tried to pretend to be a warrior and someone who stood on the same stage as you and me. Seeing that was something intolerable and I had to hold my hand before I could pummel that little brat to nothing more than paste.”
And considering what the Udwi had seen them do, that wasn’t some random threat. That was a definite act that they could and would carry out without fail and he had to admit, that was quite a scary idea to put into someone’s head.
Though, none of that really did answer his previous question.
“So you plan to do something to them in the future, no?”
They went silent once more. He was starting to see a trend here, so he coughed and waved his hand.
“Ah, forget it. If you don’t have anything in mind then don’t bother trying to find something to say. I’m sure you’ll find something out.”
“No, it is not that.” The Samurai shook their head, before drumming their fingers on their leg, “It is that I am not sure of which path to take.”
“Path? So you do have something planned for the future then.”
“It is less that and more so a look into what options I have.” With that, they stuck out four fingers towards the Udwi.
“I could continue onwards on my own like I have been doing thus far.” They said as one finger started to come down, “Bypassing and ignoring everything in my path to reach the tower and have the worthy fight that I yearn for. The fact the Usurper is the one who was able to kill a god tells me that such a battle would give me the glory I truly crave. Possibly, the one achievement I need in life to prove that I am the ultimate weapon.”
Oh that was not an option the Udwi wanted them to take. After all, that was what he was doing and he did not want to have another competitor. Worse comes to worse, they’d probably be able to find some of those random worthy opponents they keep on ranting about and get the pearl of divinity, allowing them to become even more of a monster than they were now.
Something he absolutely could not afford.
“That doesn’t sound like the best idea. Didn’t you get bored most of the time and ended up screwing around because you couldn’t stick to the target? I have a feeling that while that option may sound optimal, for someone like you, it will only prove to be nothing more than a hindrance and I highly doubt you’d be able to continue onwards without getting all hissy looking for a worthy battle.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The Samurai gave him an absolute stink eye, which was quite the achievement as they did not put any of their emotions into that stare. That being said, they didn’t throw an argument back, so he continued.
“Then that means you should table that idea. Don’t toss it, but put it far down in the list. Maybe your other choices would make more sense.”
“Well, the other one I had in mind would be to simply explore these lands and try to find something worthwhile.”
“Does that involve you fighting every single monster you come across and hoping they’ll be a good battle?”
They sucked in their breath. Without a single reply, they lowered another finger and looked away for a brief moment. They seemed to close their eyes, before looking back at him with what seemed to be a glint of resolve.
“The other option is for me to accompany you and for us to go forwards to the tower together.”
Absolutely not. No way. That wasn’t happening if he could help it, no way at all. He was more than certain that even humoring that kind of request would result in nothing more than tears and pain. Even if he felt lonely from time to time, he certainly did not want to have to collaborate with this musclehead that couldn’t do anything besides constantly pursue fights over and over again.
For one, that would slow him down immensely. For two, he’d have to focus on corralling this beast to correct itself on route instead of having the capacity to focus on his own moves and making sure he was making good ground. Lastly, he didn’t want to share his obtained knowledge with the Samurai.
He needed every single advantage to continue onwards. He wasn’t going to allow anyone to catch up, not if he could help it.
“I’m not looking for a companion at this time.”
“Are you certain?” They asked as they leaned in closer to him, “I can swear that I will be a good partner. I am well versed in the arts of all forms of warcraft. I am a master of all weapon styles and I am far more than capable of supporting myself in all necessities. Cooking, maintenance, it doesn’t matter. I am capable of ensuring that I can continuously move forward as a warrior in all circumstances.”
“And I’m not disputing that.” The Udwi nodded, “But the problem is that I don’t want a partner. I am a solo act, nothing to it.”
“Are you sure? I can tell you right now that I would be far more than capable of taking down any enemy that could possibly distract you.”
“That’s exactly my problem. I don’t want to have to be bogged down by you constantly picking fights.”
“You say that, but everything thus far has picked a fight with you.” Before he could shoot back, they jabbed a finger at the forest. “You had to deal with that giant monster that I was told to take on. Then, you ran into a giant horde of monsters. Last but not least, you were trailed and attacked by that strange monster. You’re a magnet for strong opponents and thus it would be better to have someone watch your back.”
“Did you happen to forget or ignore the fact you were one of the people that tried to kill me?”
“That proves my point more,” they agreed, “If I am by your side, then I will without a doubt get a chance to have some worthy battles.”
Of course that was the whole reason. That was by far the dumbest excuse to join up with someone. And of course, that was exactly the reason he refused their request.
“If you want to be a companion, join up with that brat and their mentor. They seem like they’ll have a lot of chances for battles, you know.”
“But they’re weak.”
“Then you’ll have even more chances to have some battles.” The Udwi shot back, “I thought the whole point of you doing all this was to get into a bunch of fights?”
“I want fights that will challenge me, not bore me to death.”
“I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by whatever they get involved with.” He shrugged, “Besides, if you have more people, then it’s highly possible that you’d have to deal with far deadlier enemies. The more warriors crowded in one area, the bigger the temptation to send a greater force to crush such an alliance.”
They looked at him for a brief while, before turning slowly to the fire. Then, they sighed.
“I can see the benefits of such an action. However, I still don’t want to deal with that brat. Their disrespect continues to bring me more and more displeasure the longer I think about it.”
“Then lecture her, teach her how she is supposed to give respect.” He closed his eyes, “Kids are disrespectful at times because they simply do not know better. You have the chance to discipline her and get her to see the error of her ways. Besides, perhaps you can train her and get her to become stronger. Maybe then she’ll be a worthy opponent and more than enough to get you to finally be relieved with whatever you’ve been dealing with.”
“That…”
“Also, wasn’t she the one that told you about the monster I vanquished? Perhaps she’ll be a magnet for trouble as well. Who knows, maybe you’ll fight a monster so strong it’ll shake the earth or something like that.”
And just like that, the Samurai perked up and seemed fully interested. They nodded furiously at that, before getting up.
“Then perhaps I should head back then. I do recall that they had some kind of special meals available. Maybe I should take the time to enjoy whatever they could offer and see if the trip was truly worth it.”
“Sounds good to me. Then will you be on your way?”
“Hrm…” They seemed to ponder on that, before shaking their head. “No, not yet. I think I’ll take the time to rest up before I head out once more. The day has been quite long and I would rather travel with a full stomach and a good reserve of energy.”
Nothing to argue against there. While he would have liked them to have left by now, he would have to wait on that.
“So you’ll probably be hunting for food then?”
“Indeed.” They nodded as they got their bow ready, “I will go and collect some beasts for us to enjoy.”
“I wish you luck with your hunt.”
With that, the Samurai headed off, leaving the Udwi by himself. He sat there by the firepit, before sighing and letting himself go lax on his seat.
As much as he should be moving onwards to get away, he couldn’t be bothered right now. He had to deal with several fights in a row, that confrontation with the Usurper, and having to talk to this musclehead of a person.
Thus, it was fine if he lounged around for a little while. He could afford to take a break now.