Ever since Hugo lost and gone into hiding without a trace,The kingdom of Balduria made many administrative changes including the 10 gate system,this system was proposed by the king ot prevent immediate access to the capital of Erula,making it much more difficult for enemies and allies alike to traverse from the outskirts to the capital but the risk of fast passage into the heart of the kingdom was too dangerous to pass up.
The 10 gate system had stone walls walls with only 1 entrance and exit,they were guarded by the most powerful warriors in each of the 10 battalions',each cherry picked by Hugo himself before his exilement.These elite soldiers were known as the lieutenants or more commonly known by the people as 'The strongest under the stars.'
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Hugo's exilement time was up,deciding it was the opportune time to strike and reclaim his position he began his journey back to his Kingdom. Walking to the outskirts of the kingdom he sees that two things blocked his path: a large stone gate and a very familiar man in flamboyant flower robes sleeping on a stool leaning against the wall;Sepko Hugo's 10th lieutenant in the army and his nickname by Hugo was 'laziest subordinate'.
Hugo and his loud steps awake the sleepy man,"Huh...Oh Gener-" the man stops himself and yawns before speaking,"Sorry,sleep brain very disruptive to thinking. I suppose you should now be called 'Sir Hugo' right?" The man gets up from the stool with a hand on his stubbly chin he speaks,"I assume you want to pass?" Hugo head bangs violently to signal a yes.
"Unfortunately,I can't let you through so easy. King's rule:No exiles to pass without a fight." Hugo's soft eyes slightly harden at the words as he gripped his hilt. Sepko doing the same unlatching his beautifully metallic staff from his back and grips it with both hands,Both men stare eye to eye:soul to soul before suddenly both of them blitz each other with the wind whipping around them as the drew closer.
*CLANK!*
Then Sepko realised,Hugo didn't have a blade it was the very hilt of his claymore 'Thorn' from 4 years ago no cleanly cut off to make a bladeless sword,no it couldn't even be called that it was just a hilt Sepko jumps back in confusion staring at the weapon confused but this gave Hugo an advantage as he closed the distance in 3 seconds.
Flipping the hilt into a reverse grip and letting its flat pommel face his opponent's skull in a technique known as,'Ocelot's pommel' a very unorthodox striking technique known for its fast boxing jab-like attack usually to knock opponents unconscious works best with a flat conical one on Hugo's sword.
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Seeing this Sepko tilts his staff and blocks the attack and intentionally gets in a weapon hold with him,"Well Sir Hugo...This is quite the turn of events,I thought you would get a new sword.Keeping the old one's hilt,that is so...Unique."
Sepko then whips the staff to Hugo's side striking sliding him a solid 3 meters away the strike was going definitely leave a bruise,Hugo only breathed sharply instead of a grunt.A more calculated face shows as he rushes Sepko attacking him with the pommel yet Sepko kept blocking but eventually an opening came.
Seizing the opportunity Hugo grabbed the staff as it was descending to his head with one hand and pommel strikes his opponent in the liver,"Gah!" Sepko then pushes Hugo back.Standing tall before suddenly collapsing to his knees,"Damn liver.What are you waiting for finish the duel."
Hugo shakes his head and puts out a hand for him to hold and stand up."What,are you not going to kil-" Hugo shakes his head and picks him off the ground and dusts his shoulders off. Raising his hilt he points to the gate,"You want me to open it?" Hugo nods.The gears moved in Sepko's head.
He was spared to open the door or it was Hugo's goodwill.Whatever the reason was Sepko agrees walking to the door he pulls out a very cubical looking key and inserts it into the lock.Opening the gate for him to pass through,"Beware Zinc has gotten a lot more..." A pause in words followed by a face of despair shines on the flamboyant man's face,"More unhinged." The name scares Hugo to a degree a memory of a room of defeated soldiers. A pair of bright green eyes in the darkness flashed in his eyes.
Zinc was the name given to a unhinged girl with a mood shift more unpredictable like the flow of a river,by night a violent blood thirsty gremlin with an urge to get into fights including her own comrades,"If I get executed for treason I'll haunt you and watch you sleep or misplace your items I dunno-but point stands don't get me executed for me not fighting to the tooth and nail." The thought was a dead rat was deeply shoved into his brain making a he makes mental note of it as Hugo as he goes through the gate.
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"Man I suck at brewing." Sepko spoke looking at the mess that was in a pot that he called tea,It had a metric ton of herbs,mints,Cinnamon,spices and every known seasoning known to man.
A a short girl with wild hair stood on a stool looking very nervous at the concoction and the consequences that may occur from anyone drinking overthinking it a bit much,"Oh please this is going to cure his nasal infection for good,besides General wrote he wanted it super minty so we're giving him what he wants and surplus."
3 hours later,
Hugo sat in the royal library reading nose runny and face sick and basically dead as Sepko and the girl approach,Sepko carrying the disgrace of tea-making in a pot,"Captain we made the tea you requested!" The girl looked tense as Hugo stopped reading his book as Sepko poured a steel cup of this brew,It looked nothing like tea it looked like liquid mercury with a copper tint. A minty semi-spicy smell so strong it could kill a fly.
Hugo takes a sip of it the girl flinches thinking he would get angry,but Hugo for the first time in a long time flashed a forced smile and gives a thumbs up and gestures for them to leave.The two of them walk out,"Told you! Didn't I?It worked out." Hugo then sensing they were gone he runs to the window and spits it out onto the nearby plants,his face was disgusted even more dead than usual.