“Damn”, the man muttered to himself, doing his best to reassemble the broken figure beneath his fingers while the audience peering down the sheer cliff grumbled their disapproving comments. He failed to restore the girl’s figure manually, seeing as how one must be educated in their patient’s anatomy to properly heal them from wounds this grave, but he found that simply pushing a magical current through stimulated her natural regenerative process.

He focused, reabsorbing the magical energy that spilled out of the girl before pushing it back in. Having very little prior interactions with other individuals, he had no idea how much energy would normally be required for someone to naturally recover from the brink of death… it seemed to be quite a lot, though. In fact, it felt like her stores were now overflowing--even tearing in some areas, forcing him to direct the magical flow in an unnatural direction to stop it from leaking too much.

“Hey!” a voice shrieked from above, filled with enough malice and confusion to fuel an entire lynch mob. The man ignored this, since the speaker appeared to be fairly weak and far away.

However, the hoard of bloodthirsty onlookers above seemed to grow more restless in response to the voice, which was unsettling. He didn’t really want any more of a confrontation, just to heal this poor girl enough that she could be safely carried elsewhere to rest. It really is taking a long time, but there isn’t much that can be done about it.

Several moments passed, and the shouting became louder. Other voices joined in as well, though no one came down to make a scene, fortunately enough. The strange man didn’t know exactly when to stop, but decided the condemned girl would survive once all of her limbs reattached and the bleeding stopped... which seems to take quite a bit of time and energy.

“Boy.” came the deep, powerful addressal from just behind the man.

Turning around, the rescuer locked eyes with a being whose muscles rippled as they tumbled over each other to produce powerful movements. The large arm brought an accusing finger to bear against him, though the man attached to it was so large that it barely moved forward from its normal resting place. The other burly hand gripped a strange whip, its length lined or possibly composed of curved blads and joints. As if that wasn’t enough, the weapon glowed faintly from the magic that had been imbued within it, making it quite formidable if used properly.

“I’m not a ‘boy’, but is there something I can help you with?” The smaller man spoke firmly, uncertain of how much magical energy his opponent might be hiding but decided not to back down.

“Yes.” Came the reply, equally deep and intimidating as before, “You’ve interrupted the process of divine justice, and I must formally ask that you submit.”

The first man paused his treatment, healing the girl enough that she most likely wouldn’t die, then stood so he could face the second man with a more defensive stance. “Um… no. Thanks for asking, though.”

The larger of the two sighed and shook his head, “You understand that I am an Enforcer, do you not? I have license as well as fair reason to kill you right here and now. I take no pleasure in slaughtering the weak and enfeebled…” he paused a moment, turning the bladed whip over in his hand as if to study it, “...and I won’t enjoy figuring out what group you’re affiliated with or what that group would want with a-” The giant features twisted in disgust, “With a ghoul of all things.” He turned back to the other man (who came up to this monster of a human’s knee), releasing an overwhelmingly hostile aura, “Though I can promise that your compliance will result in a merciful punishment. The church is always searching for new information on antagonistic organizations.”

The first man paused, adopting a confused expression in response to the other man’s words. “You seem pretty well-spoken for someone who acts as the ‘mindless muscle’ of the church.” He seemingly forgot his position and took a thoughtful pose, glancing back and forth between some intangible thought and the mountain of muscle before him, “What’s your name?”

The larger man seemed uncertain whether the comment on his occupation and qualifications was more of a compliment or insult, but gave a cautious smile nonetheless, “Well, I am known as Daun the Honorable to some, but you may just call me Daun.” The warrior’s voice quieted slightly when speaking his original title, causing the individual across from him to smile warmly.

“Well, ‘Daun the Honorable’,” came the reply in a teasing voice, “my name is Eris.”

Daun’s cautious smile became a grin, “Thank you for your time, Eris. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can not put off my job any longer.” Eris’s warm smile sharpened to one that showed his determination as he noticed his opponent’s arm pull back in preparation of his first strike.

The young man summoned a bit of spare magical energy, though he was still drained from healing the girl a few moments earlier. Daun was clearly respected as a warrior, and his stance reflected a great deal of control over his massive frame, but he was still difficult to measure up due to his almost untraceable level of magic. It likely meant he had some way of hiding his abilities… unless he also knew the secret to this world… if so, that would prove to be incredibly troublesome. Of course, that is unlikely since he still carries some magical energy inside of himself.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Eris clenched his fists, coating them in a compressed magic field then diluted his brain with the raw energy to heighten his senses as well as reaction time. He had to be conservative to avoid exhaustion or he would’ve protected the rest of his body as well. It’s never a good idea to underestimate a skilled opponent… obviously.

Daun made the first move, swinging his arm around with enough speed that the whip straightened out completely, causing it to cut through the air like a very long sword. Eris took a step back, easily dodging the attack, but remaining cautious since the magic imbued in the weapon could mean this was a feint.

However, nothing followed.

Daun paused, then changed his stance to one that allowed him greater range of movement. “Body enhancing magic, huh? Impressive.” The warrior eyed Eris, clearly trying to measure him up to avoid making the same mistake twice. “You’ve done a good job hiding the magic you use. I’ve never seen someone who could completely mask their aura.”

Eris didn’t respond, but simply continued smiling and analysing his opponent.

Daun took another strike, this time stomping on the tip of his blade-whip and kicking it forward, causing it to dart straight towards Eris. The smaller man easily side-stepped it, then bent backwards as the blades along the weapon’s length extended to make it wider--an effective attack for more well-rounded fighters who tend to save their energy by making small movements.

The blades retracted, so Eris reached up and grabbed the whip before straightening, jerking it out of Daun’s grip and tossing it to the side in one swift motion. The massive man froze, shocked at what just occurred while the smaller one remained cautious, still uncertain if this was some kind of trick. Regardless of his reputation or their first impressions, the thought that a member of the church would fight fairly or be this weak was difficult to swallow.

Although, Eris reminded himself, he had never really fought with anyone outside of his training, and only knew about the Enforcers’ strength through rumors. Could it be that he overestimated them?

Daun seemed to snap out of his daze, summoning forth his magic in preparation of another attack, then dashing at Eris without hesitation. The younger man considered dodging, but that would risk collateral damage to the ghoul girl directly behind him. While it was slightly dirty, his opponent was most certainly playing to his strengths by removing Eris’s speed from the equation. Daun must be desperate.

The hulking human lept several dozen feet up, then used magic to kick off the air and rocket straight down at his target.

The defender drew one foot back, realizing he will be forced to take this head-on. Eris bent his knees, then pulled his right fist back in preparation of his first direct assault. He coated the rest of his right arm, chest, and the leg that had been placed behind him in a magical armor, then pulled it around with significant force until it collided with Daun’s arm, which he had put up as a shield.

(crunch)

Daun’s arm warped and his momentum shattered. Eris’s attack sent him tumbling across the severely warped terrain, through several mounds of shattered cages, and slamming into the delicate underside of the deceased dragon… which tore enough to drench the honorable warrior in a river of black blood.

“Huh.” Eris said, shocked at the effectiveness of his own attack.

After a hesitant grimace, he sheepishly turned around, slid one arm behind the unconscious girl’s back and another under her knees before lifting her up. He then carried her over to the gory soup Daun sat in, barely holding on to consciousness and cradling his thoroughly destroyed arm and waiting for death.

Eris was finally able to stand eye-to-eye with the fallen giant, whose defeated but determined gaze watched the victor’s movements closely.

Eris’s expression remained serious… for about ten seconds, when a brilliant smile radiated from his otherwise imposing demeanor. “I like you. Want to come with me?”

Daun’s eyes widened, and his once tense jaw slackened with shock, “Wha-? Come with you?”

“Mhm.”

“W-where are you going?”

“Up.”

“What will you do?”

Eris’s smile grew, and the joy he felt was now written with every movement he made, “I’m going to break stuff.” Daun drew a painful breath, shifting to a slightly more upright position then returning his attention urgently towards the little man holding a ghoul, “What is it that you’re going to break?”

The young Eris looked up at the frustrated crowd above, who were now shouting and throwing stones that fell short of their targets. His eyes then turn up to look at the massive bridge oppressing Slumton. “Anything that tries to stop me.”

“Then…” Daun trailed off, closing his eyes and bowing his head slightly, “you and I will remain enemies. That land was given to the bloodlines that were blessed by God, and abandoning my duties as an Enforcer… as unpleasant as they might be… to go against His will and the will of the church would be dishonorable.”

Eris shrugged, “That is your decision to make.” He then turned and started to walk away from his fallen opponent before coming to a halt.

“Daun.”

The warrior looked up, realizing that Eris had begun to leave without ending his life, “Don’t give up fighting just because you can’t win. If you really believe that your duties as an Enforcer are important, then the next time we meet, you will have moved up and become stronger.” Eris turned his head, revealing yet another grin, “Because as long as I’m alive and free, there will be someone that you need to stop--and don’t think I won’t become stronger, because I’ll be kickin’ ass all the way to the top.”

“Ah…” Daun suddenly found himself speechless as Eris turned and casually strolled off with a condemned ghoul in his arms, entirely unscathed.

Then, he thought to himself, I’ll become stronger at any cost.