Sometime later, probably more than a couple of hours, right in time for lunch, they reached the port, or one of the many that donned the capital. In front of them, with its rough appearance, and even rougher looking signboard, there was The Warrior’s Rest, with its manly and completely adverse to the authorities clientele. Were it not for the beautiful sea, with its harmonious waves that danced on the crystalline floor, or the magnificent ships anchored in the bay, with their colourful sails that were fluttering in the wind full of saltiness, that tavern would have looked even more intimidating than it actually was.

But then again, perhaps it was just his mind that was playing him tricks. After all, the local customers, which were for the most part sailors with tattooed and sun kissed skin that perfectly matched their appearances, didn’t seem like they were tense. Not at all. The merry laughs that were coming from them as they were seating in some time worn tables, which were either full of smoking hot food or gigantic mugs of delicious, frosty, frothy beer, donned the whole place in such a merry atmosphere that Nyle doubted they had even come to the right place.

Nyle exhaled sharply. Of course they were relaxed. They weren’t the ones that were risking their necks by just being there. Unlike them, they weren’t welcome inside that damned tavern. Just thinking about it was making him nervous.

“…Dammit.” said Nyle, looking at the signboard that depicted…a warrior? He wasn’t sure about what that distorted, broken, and faded away signboard was supposed to represent. Even the name of it, which was once painted in bright red letters as far as he could tell, had started to chip away. Were it not for his past…endeavours, he would have for sure had difficulties finding it among the vast port where it was. Not that he would have been sorry about it. Truthfully, he didn’t like that place. Or better, he didn’t want to deal with the owners. They…weren’t exactly on friendly terms.

“So, this where you wanted to go…” said Avron, who was completely oblivious to how nervous and tense Nyle was. “Did we really have to hurry?”

“…First of all, I did not want to came here. My face should be enough of a proof of that. Second, the sooner we get this over with, the better. This place isn’t what you expect it to be.”

“Why? We have every right to be here?”

“That might be the case. But they certainly don’t care.”

“They? Who? Who are you talking about?”

Nyle shrugged. “The owners.”

Recognition made Avron’s eyes lit up. “Ohhh. Right. Now I remember. Still, they can’t hinder us. The law clearly states that-”

Just as Nyle was on the verge of cursing out loud, an iron pan, small and battered, flew right beside his legs, missing him just barely. He didn’t even need to turn around to know who the hell had the courage and stupidity to attempt something like that. That just had to be Edwin.

“You damned asshole!” screamed the man who was coming out as a fury from the front door.

Oooh yes. That was indeed Edwin. Just what he needed to brighten his day, right? Shit…

“Didn’t I clearly tell you and your damned friends to stay the fuck away from my tavern? It seems the message didn’t get across dumb asses. Ohhh. You don’t have to worry. I can repeat myself as many times as needed. But this time, I won’t be going easy on you. With types like you, it’s best to be heavy handed.”

Some of the sailors turned around their heads, relaxed and intrigued by what was going on. Others instead blatantly ignored them to favour a good meal after all the time they had spent at sea. If Nyle thought that was going to prevent Edwin from attacking them, than he was deadly wrong.

“…Hi, Edwin.” said Nyle turning around. “Must we really do this?”

The man smirked, revealing a missing tooth from the upper arch. “Oh yes. Yes, we must.”

“Are you sure? If I remember correctly, last time you’ve got your ass handed to you…”

“Bullshit!” he screamed. “That was just because you assholes don’t play fair. Last time it took five of you to bring me down and arrest me. This time, I’ll bring you down.”

It seemed there was no way of avoiding the fight, so Nyle quickly began preparing, already foreseeing what he could only have described as a shitty afternoon. By unclipping the clips that were leaving it in place, he hastily removed the cape he was wearing. While it might have provided some cover against the elements, in a fight it was most likely only going to be a bother. He couldn’t exchange precise punches, kicks, and whatnot with that cape flattering around.

“Stay out of it.” said Nyle. In that moment he noticed how the rookie was mimicking his every moment, as if he wanted to participate in the fight. Well, that was simply not going to happen. Period.

“What? No way! If that fucker wants a fight, then damn it he’ll get one. I’ll make sure to knock him out!”

“I order you-”

“Sorry You can berate me later for this if you want; but I won’t back down.”

Nyle cursed clenching his fist tight. Why did everybody try their best to anger him? Just, why dammit?!

“Ah! Two against one?” thundered Edwin. On his neck there was a faded scar, barely visible, that made his appearance even more intimidating. “Not that I expected any different. You Civil Order dogs are all the same.”

Ahhh. So that was his tactic…

Unlike his brutish appearance and tough demeanour that made most people think he was just a thug, Edwin was much smarter than what he looked like. At least on combat expertise. With him being a veteran, and a highly decorated one at that, from what Nyle had read on his file, luck wasn’t enough to win that much medals. An out of the ordinary acumen was necessary to achieve all that.

That’s why Nyle was sort of confused by such an obvious approach. If Edwin was so smart, by now, after all their past scuffles, he surely must have known that he would never fall for a such a blatant provoc-

The lighting speed figure that came running down past Nyle’s side made him reaffirm his belief that working alone was always going to be the best approach, no matter how difficult and dangerous the situation might be. That way he wouldn’t have to deal with idiot like Avron, who had evidently way too much naivety in him. Couldn’t he see that was exactly what that bastard was aiming for all along? How could Avron fall for such a cheap trick?

Fuck it.

Nyle cursed out loud. There went out of window the only chance he had to plan ahead. He couldn’t, in good conscience, leave Avron to his fate and let him reap what he rightfully deserved. It was something that tempted him, however. To see that rookie finally get some sense knocked into him, by none other than a devastating hook? That would have been the highlight of the day. Ahhh, if only…

After cracking his knuckles to alleviate the building tension, Nyle hastily advanced towards Edwin, trying to stop the fight before that stupid rookie got his head cracked open. While that was obviously an exaggeration (maybe not even too much), he still remembered the last time he had been forced to fight him, all those years. He still carried with him the scar, small and exactly above his left eyebrow, that the bastard had caused with a devastating hook that had made him tint the floor red by how much blood had spurted out.

Exactly in that moment, as if recalling that memory could have caused the situation to replicate itself, Avron was hit right in the temple. As his head turned from the devastating impact, Nyle saw his body suddenly tilt towards the side, his legs completely unstable. In a fraction of a second, that strangely felt like an eternity, Avron fell to the cold and dusty floor with a loud thump. Cheers came from the spectators, who were clearly enjoying the show.

Nyle grimaced. Yeah. No way he was getting up from that. All that eagerness to fight…and for what? To get himself knocked out cold in seconds? Well, such a good job he did at that. If it wasn’t for the couple of good assessed punches he managed to hit him with, he would have been completely useless.

Now Nyle was left alone and without a plan. Great.

“There we go.” said Edwin, cleaning the small trail of blood that was coming out the corner of his mouth like nothing had happened. “That takes care of the mosquito. New let’s taste the main dish…”

Nyle slowed down, until he eventually came down to a halt just a few paces away from each other.

Edwin’s body was covered in an aura that emitted bad intentions and promised a tiring fight that was going to be exhausting; and, if Nyle didn’t remain focused and ready to hit back, a hell of beating.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The tavern owner spit out the small amount of blood that had not dripped down his lip, smiling menacingly at Nyle, who was analysing his body for any weaknesses he could exploit. Most people would have avoided such dishonest tactics, calling them garbage. To Nyle, those same people were the garbage.

How could they have such a narrow mind? Did they think that people were supposed to fight as the knights did? Did they think that fights were honourable things? Ah! If they were happy live inside their own delusions, then they could do it freely. He didn’t care. But he wasn’t going to comply to such blatant bullshit. Coming out alive of any fight. That was the only important thing. A sentiment they both seemed to share.

By taking a wide stance, with his feet slightly further apart, Edwin readied himself to throw some power punches. Now that came at the cost of a reduced mobility and balance. Not that he cared. He only needed to land one punch to end it all.

Nyle instead opted for a crushing stance, making defence his priority. At least for now. If he tried to fight that brick house immediately head on, he would have lost in record time. And he certainly didn’t want to taste the dusty terrain they were standing on.

As Nyle bent his knees, slightly arching his back forward, the tavern owner slowly advanced with heavy and confident step. Everyone, from novice to experienced, understood that he didn’t think possible to lose one on one. The smirk that was constantly plastered on that mug face, right under those brown eyes that exuded malicious intent, was sooo irritating that Nyle had some troubles keeping calm. But he had to. Especially now that-

A right hook, so powerful that even the customers seated nearby were impressed by it, interrupted his thinking. The hissing sound he heard when he crouched down, avoiding it right at the last moment, was such a foreshadow of what the next minute were going to look like that inevitably some shivers ran down his spine.

Instinctively, Nyle took a few steps back, wanting to reorganize but always maintaining his stance. If he took one of those right in the wrong spot, like the chin or the liver, he had no doubt he would go down like a tree that has been cut down from his anchorage. He had to t-

Before he had the chance to come up with…well, anything, Edwin raced the short distance that he had just put between them, and by placing his feet at the correct position to skilfully pivot his weight, threw another right hook.

Or at least that was what Nyle thought.

Just as he crouched down to avoid the punch, that he was sure as hell was coming, realization it him hard when he didn’t hear the whistle he heard before. That was a feint! Of course! How did he fall for something so simple?!

Fortunately, all the experiences he had accumulated in the past, made him perceive just in time where the real punch was coming from. Nyle upped his defence at the last moment, for a devastating left uppercut hit him right on the forearm, making his bones painfully rattle. To buy some time, Nyle unleashed a knee to the man’s side, who brushed it off like he barely felt it, showing him back.

The sheer force behind that push almost made him topple over. However, Nyle managed to recover his footing and balance just right before he was going to hit some object on the floor.

As the firsts of the many exchanges that were ahead of them came to an end, they shared a look that exuded emotional intensity. Both men were under a sort of glass bell, and their focus was solely fixated on the fight ahead of them. Even the marry cheers that were coming from the patrons, who clearly found all that very entertaining, fell on deaf ears. Only victory and sheer will were on their minds.

Edwin charged at him full force, ready to end the fight immediately. Nyle, on the other hand, remained right where he was, maintaining a nimble stance. A plan, crude and simple, perhaps even way too simple for a man like him, had formed on his mind in that brief moment.

There was no way in hell he was going to beat that fucker in raw power. It just was outright impossible. Nyle was certainly not small in stature. Not in the least. Truthfully, he was even taller than most people. But being tall, in a fight situation, was always going to be a double-edged blade. While he had the upper hand, as reach was concerned, he certainly wasn’t built like that man, who truthfully resembled more a bull than a man. But, if that was the situation he was in, than, as is his old instructors had instilled in him since days gone, there was only one thing to do: tire him out. According to them, it was just a matter of time.

Well, with the years of experience he had now on his shoulders, Nyle could tell them who wrong they were. After all, it was simpler said than done.

After all, another hit on his forearm and he would have lost his ability to parry with it.

Edwin eventually reached him, attacking once again. This time, instead of a single, devastating blow like before, he launched himself into a combination. Thanks to his posture, and other minor factors, Nyle evaded all them, crunching and slithering away as they were coming down him. Edwin didn’t let himself be discouraged by any of that, and repeated time and time again those punches, casually grazing Nyle a couple of times, drawing blood from his flesh.

Both men were now sweaty and bloodied. Their foreheads, full of salty drops of sweat, were glinting as the sun rays where cascading down on them. However, between the two, Edwin was clearly the one who looked more tired. His breaths were begging to become shorter and more desperate as the fight was dragged on and on. Nyle smiled. It seemed his plan was working after all.

Ready to switch up his tactic, Nyle discarded the defensive stance he had maintained till that point, and assumed a hybrid form that was a mix between the orthodox stance and the wide one. Then he launched himself into an attack, ready to finally get some well-deserved revenge.

But Edwin wasn’t going down that easily. Not in the least.

Even if he didn’t know how far Edwin could reach in his bag of experiences, Nyle immediately understood that things weren’t going to be so simple. To beat a man like that, who’s conviction of being the strongest was only overshadowed by the pure disdain and utter dislike of the authorities, or to better explain, what they all represented, he had to rely on every little trick and advantage he knew.

For the first time since the fight had begun, Edwin lashed out with a kick, aiming for Nyle’s left knee. Nyle would have liked to avoid it. But he didn’t. First, he saw an opening in that seemingly impenetrable defence that he just had to exploit. Second, even if wanted to, it was just too late. So he ignored all that and lashed out with a right hook to the ribs. Fate saw to it that they struck almost at the same time.

Both of them paused for a moment, wincing at the painful rashes they were going through in that moment. Then Nyle attacked once again, fainting another punch to the weekend ribs.

Edwin, perhaps tired and completely different from the confident demeanour he had displayed till then, fell for that cheap trick, leaving his liver exposed. Nyle didn’t have to think twice about it to hit with a well-placed knee that would have finally put an end to it. However, that plan came crashing down very soon when Edwin grabbed him as he was falling down.

“Ah…ah…I…finally…got you…” said Edwin smirking.

Now the fight transitioned from standing to ground combat. Immediately, before Nyle had the time to process what the hell had just happened, Edwin hit him right in the guts with a deadly right-handed punch. The burning sensation and nausea that manifested right after that created such an ill feeling that Nyle was right on the verge of throwing up. Thankfully, that wasn’t his first fist fight. So he simply gulped it all down, no matter how disgusting that felt, and hit that damned bastard with a devastating headbutt that was for surely going to hurt. He was going to make sure of that.

By the sheer impact his head was subjected to, he certainly made sure. His head was ringing like they had hit him with a hammer. Ohhh, he was certainly going to feel that later on.

Just as Edwin was slowly regaining some sense back into him, Nyle perceived some movement near him. As curiosity got the better of him even in the sorry state he was, he turned around, trying his very best from stopping the madding ringing that was in his ears, or the blurry vision that was distorting his perception. That revealed to be a mistake. Edwin attacked him, trying to trap him into a tight grip. Still dazed, Nyle struggled to breath. He kicked, punched, tried to hit him in any way possible. But that man didn’t give any sign of giving up. It seemed he had fucked up this time around.

However, when all hope seemed lost, the tight arm around his neck slowly began to loosen up. Nyle inhaled sharply, filling his lungs with air no matter who much it burned. He was disoriented, with tears around the edges of his eyes. What was going on?

He didn’t know for sure. However, what he was sure of, was how madding was that whole situation. Avron, who had just regained back his senses, had gotten up and after a short ran, had literally launched himself over them, crushing them down with all his weight and force accumulated during the short run. A chaos of punches, kicks, holds, and everything in between raised such a fuss that even the quietest of customers began to cheer. A thing that, in retrospect, might have caused the fight to stop.

There, exactly in that moment, an iron skillet flew over their heads, hitting the ground in such a smash that they immediately stopped. This was not the way anyone had thought the fight would go, but it had now come to an end. And the man responsible for that was standing right over them, his eyes a fury-

Oh, shit. That was another problem. A problem maybe even bigger than Edwin.

“YOU BUNCH OF ASSHOLES!” thundered that man, who was small in stature but was gigantic in presence.

Nyle, even after the beating he had just received, couldn’t help but laugh.

“’Fuck you’re laughing at?!” said the man in his booming voice. “Has a screw gotten loose in that head of yours?”

“Maybe. Maybe…”

“Fucking madman. Anyway…” the man turned his head towards Edwin. “You! How many fucking times have I told you to cease with all that fighting?!” A punch, which seemed to hold even more destructive power than the one of his brother, was thrown right at the wooden door frame, which rattled as if wanting to came off the iron nails that anchored it to walls. It was even a miracle how that punch didn’t leave a dent in it. “Damn you, you stupid fuck!”

“…But…brother, they-” tried to say Edwin. However, his brother would have none of it. It was a wonder how such a man, who always appeared as an epitome of strength and indomitable will, was now being overpowered by that smaller man.

“Shut the fuck up, you damned idiot! Now get up and get inside before I lose my damned mind.”

The lid of the previously thrown pan, which had remained in the hands of the man who was evidently the cook, or who performed duties in that field of expertise, was then launched towards Edwin. As if he had perfect aim, that metal lid hit his brother right in the head, making a loud metal screech rattle Nyle’s eardrums. He winced. Absurd as it might have sounded, he almost preferred having to deal with the Edwin’s punches than that man’s rage. At least those were only going to hurt his body, unlike his brother constant ramblings.

Those were so exhausting and mental draining that Nyle had needed a couple of day of rest after the last one he had been subject to, all those months ago. That man just knew how to be a bother without even raising a finger, if he wished to. Not that he wasn’t capable of fighting. Nyle could still clearly remember how he had knocked out a much bigger opponent with a devastating blow to the chin. Everyone knew not stir trouble inside that tavern, or they’ll have to pay the price for it. Especially with Edwin’s brother.

“What are you waiting for? Get up already!” said the man, whose brown short hair was perfectly matched with his beard. A pair of lively, angry eyes, peered at them, judging them negatively. And how could he not? Nyle understood that it was their fault if he was so angry to begin with. They were being a bother to the him and his precious customers. He also guessed that he would have reacted in the same way were he in his place.

The merry laughs of the patrons however seemed to picture a different picture than that. But Edwin’s brother didn’t seem to care. His mind was set and he was not going to hear anything different. So they all got up and went inside, already picturing a way to mend their wounds.

The fight, without any clear victor, had come to an end.