The Holy Lands - Selena’s castle - evening

Breath in, breath out. My body is a conduit for my Source to flow through, like a stream flowing through a tranquil forest. I have to let it flow around my body. No interruptions can be made, I must focus on controlling it, regulate the flow and volume, and have it calmly flow around my body. If my concentration wanes, then. . .

“Open your eyes,” Selena instructs me. Opening my eyes, I see a big bug right in front of me. Its nasty squirming makes me instantly jump back. “That’s the fifth time you lost focus!”

Damn, she's right, my hold over my Source has been released. I sigh to myself in frustration. A cold sweat rolls down my face. I get up from the ground, dusting myself off.

“Sorry, I was anticipating what you would do, but I’m not too good with big bugs.”

“No excuses, you must strive to control yourself when you face unsuspecting things and situations.”

It frustrates me that she’s right, so I can’t put up any excuses.

“Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry for the result. I’m ready to start over again!”

“No, I think you’ve done enough for today..”

“Really?”

I am a bit exhausted, but I can keep going. Then again, she might just tell me to just get a rest anyway. Maybe it’s for the best. I still am new to this, so I should listen to Teacher Selena. Speaking of teacher, she takes a seat on a table out here in the courtyard. I follow suit.

“So, how did I do today?”

“Let's review: You’re now able to control the Volume of your Source, however, your Flow control isn’t there yet. We’ll have to work on it if you wish to proceed further with training.”

“I-I see, I’ll strive to do my best!”

“Come child, no need to be so rigid.”

“Sorry, I guess I just don’t want to leave a bad impression.”

“Worry not, you haven’t given me a reason to. Your friend, however. . .”

“Again, I am sorry about any rudeness he’s shown you,” I bow as I apologize.

“He honestly lacks manners on how to treat a lady. The insolent boy had the gall to carry me out of a ball. Honestly, the nerve. . .However, he isn’t a fool, I’ll give him that. He was able to recognize his weakness.”

“Weakness?”

What does she mean by his weakness? Teacher Selena gently claps her hands, dragging me out of my thoughts.

“That’s it for the day, I’ll be sending you back to your encampment for today.”

“Okay, thank you for teaching me again, teacher Selena.”

“Heed no mind, but I do have to say, it’s quite delightful. I thought we would get nowhere at first, but you’ve proven me wrong. Though it might take a bit longer for you to master your flow, so I recommend at least exercising your control with your Source. Try to walk while controlling your Source, then read a book to build your focus.”

“Okay!”

“Do you have any other questions before I send you back?”

Hmm, I don’t think I have any questions for her. Wait, there has been something on my mind for a while, but I never got around to asking about it.

“I do have a question: why is Proxy not training his Source?”

“Yes, about that. . .” She places her thumb in between her lips. “That boy doesn’t seem to be emitting that much Source from himself, and it isn’t because he hasn’t found his trigger, it’s just due to the fact he has little to none whatsoever, to the point where you wouldn’t be able to sense it..”

“Is that bad?”

“In an objective manner: no. All humans emit Source, whether it is a large or small portion.”

“I see. So this means he won’t be able to use it?”

“Afraid so.”

Shame, it probably would have bolstered our strength. Still, it doesn’t seem like he cares, so I won’t complain in place. for him.

“Without any other questions, I’ll be sending you back now.”

“Okay, thank you for the training session, I can’t wait to train with you tomorrow, teacher!”

“Child, there’s no need to be so stiff.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll try to loosen up.”

Damnit, I feel a bit embarrassed with how uptight I’m acting, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to offend her in any way. After all, she’s giving me a shot at teaching me, I have to prove I’m worthy of her time.

“I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, take care, child.”

She snaps her fingers, and like that, I’m back in the camp within the blink of an eye. I’m in a spot where nobody could see me suddenly appearing out of thin air. I’m easily able to just walk into camp without anyone noticing I was gone. Of course, I don’t have to keep it a secret, but teleporting in a more obscure area is convenient for me. Now, I should go find Nunnalé. So far, she’s nowhere to be seen, and come to think of it, neither is Proxy. I know he was still here before I left. Oh well, I might as well, go practice my flow. First, I activate my Source, now, all I need to do is just walk while raising the amount of Source that flows around me. It was kind of hard at first, but I sort of got it down, though, I still need to be careful, if I lose focus while I bring it out, it’ll just leak out. As I move along, I see two people approaching from the camp exit/entrance. As they come closer I’m able to recognize them as Proxy and Nunnalé.

“Yo, Richard,” Proxy greets me as he swings his arm around my neck.

Nunnalé comes to a full stop, giving me a curt bow. “Master Richard, welcome back from training,”

“Thanks. So where did you two go off to?”

“Laundry, but that got put on the back burner.”

“Why?”

“Well. . .”

A few moments later

“. . .A bounty hunter attacked you!?” Marie’s voice reverbs throughout the camp.

After Proxy told me about what happened, we went to tell Marie what is happening.

“Yeah, dude said he’s been tracking me down for a while now. Not only that, but it’s a bounty from the king.”

“Are you serious!?” Marie smacks her hands against her face, letting out a frustrated groan. “Just when things are getting off the ground, this happens!”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll figure a way to deal with this,” Proxy assures her.

“It’s not so simple, the only way to deal with it is for you to just let them capture you.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. I’m gonna deal with this guy, simple.”

“How, do you know where he is?”

“Umm, no, but--”

“Do you have any idea when he might attack?”

“N-no, but--”

“Even if you beat him, what are you going to do about the bounty on you?”

“Well. . .”

“There’s nothing to do about this, all we can do is just hope we aren’t compromised. You didn’t let him follow you here?”

“Course not, we made sure to watch out for any tails.”

We haven’t gotten to what Proxy’s assailant looks like. Assessing who our opponent is the most important thing.

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“Proxy, what did the bounty hunter look like?”

“He was wearing a ragged black cape around his body with a beaten-up black hat. I think he said his name was. . .Willy.”

Marie clutches her face with both hands “Shit, shit! This is bad!” She slams her fist against the rock table. Okay, that has got to hurt, a lot. “Damnit, why him of all people, just why!?”

“Who is this Willy?” Nunnalé questions.

“An infamous bounty hunter that’s revered by anyone outside the kingdom, hell, even in the bounty hunter circle he inhabits. Anyone who’s under his gaze is as good as dead. He hunts them down, regardless of how well hidden they are. He’s also a merciless hunter who’ll stop at nothing to kill his targets.”

“Seriously, I got the weirdo on my ass? Well shit.”

This is not good, this is extremely bad! He must be wanted for what happened the other night. Wait, is he the only one though? “Proxy, did he mention another bounty?”

“Hmm, did he. . .? Hang on, he did.”

I was about to ask who, but I think he would’ve brought it up if he knew who it was. But if he got a bounty made by the king after the ball, then does that mean either me or Alexander has a bounty as well? The king did see me and Alexander. Maybe I’m jumping the gun, but I should bring it up just in case.

“Guys, I think the king might have issued a bounty on Me, or Alexander.”

“The hell!? Are you sure?” Marie asks me to confirm.

“I can’t confirm this, but it’s safe to say that it might be the case.”

“In that case, Proxy, Richard, you two need to stay here.”

“Sure about that? He might just come here to get us.”

“I know, but what else can we do? Until we can figure what to do, you two need to stay here. Any objections?” Proxy and I keep quiet. “So it’s decided, Richard, Proxy, the two of you are gonna stay here until we figure something out.”

Marie moves past us with her arms crossed.

"Everyone!" she shouts, bringing everyone's attention to her. "We're going to have to tighten security around here! Anyone who isn't undergoing training or performing any duties, pick up a weapon from inventory and start to keep guard outside the camp. We may have an enemy coming after us, so if you see anything or anyone suspicious, report it to your allies and then to me! Also, don't go out by yourself, stick where you can see each other. That is all!”

Most of the men immediately head into the weapons tent.

"Okay, I'm going to go find out what I can in the Kingdom, you two stay here, got it?"

"Yes," Proxy and I agree.

“You got it, Proxy?”

“Why single me out?”

“I’m just messing with you. . .Sort of,” Marie whispers the last part of her sentence.

“I heard that!”

Marie faces us as she walks backward. “Nunnalé, you’re in charge of them, take care of them while I’m gone!”

“Understood!”

Marie leaves the camp with those words.

“Master Richard, let’s hide you in your tent. I will also be keeping watch of you and providing you the necessary needs to survive inside your tent.”

“Nunnalé, you don’t have to go that far.”

“I insist. If someone is after your life, then I would like it if you were to remain hidden from the view of anyone.”

“What about me,” Proxy asks.

“I recommend you do the same.”

“Hey, I thought you were going to tell me that it’s not your problem?”

“My master instructed me to look out for you out of concern for your well-being.”

“Nunnalé, you don’t need to list the reason!”

“I am sorry Master, I shall learn to stay my tongue.”

“No, it’s fine, I shouldn’t get embarrassed about something like that.”

“So you were concerned for me, I didn’t know you were embarrassed to admit it, too.”

“You sound stupid!”

“Come on, nothing to be embarrassed about. We besties gotta lookout, right?”

“I knew you would haze me like this!”

“Come on man, I’m only joking around. Come on, don’t make a pouty face.”

“I’m not!”

God, why does he have to make a big deal out of this? Ugh, I’m probably overreacting, so who am I to talk to? But speaking of talk, we should probably get on with our current problem.

“So, we have a bounty hunter after us. Never thought I’d be able to say something so ridiculous.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of a pain to have a guy like that chase after me.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I can handle it.”

“Worry not, Master Richard, if he were to appear now I would be able to eliminate him without wasting a single moment since you’re close.”

“Looks like our sugar junkie is gearing to go.”

“Let’s ease up on the killing.”

“Very well, I shall not kill, but we must assert his skills.”

“I agree, Proxy, can you fill us in on how the fight went?”

“Hmm, if I had to describe the fight, I’d say. . .A desperate struggle to survive.”

“He was that tough?”

“Yeah, first of all, he tried to get the drop on me by throwing a sword at me. Even when it missed he followed up by sneaking up on me.”

“So he formulated a plan before engaging you? Interesting.”

“. . .He used knives on me, and he seemed to have more than two. He took out two bigger weapons on his body.”

“He keeps multiple weapons on his person?”

“Most likely, but back to his prowess in planning. He was able to pull off a retreat in my presence,” Nunnalé adds.

“Was it because I wasn’t there?”

“Possibly, but even then he escaped me in mere seconds of him dropping a smokescreen. I still should’ve been able to see him running away.”

This Willy guy is clearly not one to charge into a fight blindly. He went in with a way to end Proxy’s life without revealing himself, and even when it failed he used it as a distraction to sneak upon him. And him having a smoke bomb on him meant he was ready to run if he needed to. This bounty hunter is probably a lot more dangerous than we’re coming to understand so far.

“Master Richard, if I’m being honest, we should steer clear of this man.”

“I agree, we should avoid him if possible. What about you Proxy?”

“Hmm. . .I think that’s a bad idea.”

“But why?”

“Because he’ll come to us eventually.”

“How do you know?”

“Think about it, how did he find me in the middle of nowhere?”

“That’s. . .actually a good question.”

“He said he only found me just today, but I don’t think that’s it. He found me when I was away from the camp, by myself?”

Yeah, he’s right. It lines up too perfectly. Wait, don’t tell me!

“. . .He knows where we are,” I answer the question in awe of our enemy knowing where we are.

“I think so,” Proxy agrees.

“Crap, then that means we aren’t safe here. What are we going to do?”

“Fight him, simple.”

“Are you serious, you do realize that we are talking about someone that could’ve killed you if Nunnalé didn’t appear, right?”

“I know, but I won’t run. I never run from a fight. This is no different.”

“So what do you plan on doing?”

“Easy, going to sleep.”

“Seriously!?”

“What, there’s nothing else to do, besides, he’ll come to me. So, I’m going to bed. Hey, why don’t we bunk with each other?”

“Why?”

“It just sounds fun.”

It’s not like I can argue against it without saying “we’re not little kids", but I feel as if he would dismiss it. Besides, I guess it sounds like fun.

"Sure, I'm in."

"Alright, I'll be heading to your tent. I'll meet you there!"

Proxy runs over to my tent with a pep in his step.

"Master Richard, I will also be sleeping with you."

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why is it not?"

"Well, I just think you sleeping in the same tent with me and Proxy would be a bad idea."

"I don't understand?"

"It would be weird if we did."

"But with the threat towards your life looming I cannot allow you to be on your own."

"But I'll be with Proxy."

"I fear he won't be enough to protect you. I can't rely on him to protect you from such a threat. So I must insist."

Nunnalé isn't giving me much of a choice, she'll keep pressing until she gets her way.

"Okay, you can stay near me tonight, but we have to set some ground rules, okay?"

"I understand."

Geez, Nunnalé is quite the handful at times, or maybe most of the time, but I know she means well. Though, I kind of don't know how to react to her calling Proxy out like that. On one hand, he is good in a fight, but on the other, these aren't your average opponents. So maybe it is for the best she sticks with the both of us tonight. That way, we'll both be safe. Still, though, I don’t think it’s odd to say that Proxy is weak. After all, I always thought he was always strong.

…

Richard and Nunnalé walk past me without them knowing I’m hidden from their view of them. I was going to drag them over to the tent so we can play some cards, but as I approached them, I heard them talking about Willy, and about me. It pisses me off how dismissive Nunnalé was towards me. I mean, who the hell does she think she is!? Damnit!

Anti-bandit army camp - Richard's tent - midnight

"Master Richard. . .Wake up."

A voice is waking me from my sleep. My eyelids take a few seconds to slowly open to see Nunnalé facing down at me. A low grumble escapes me.

"What is it Nunnalé?" I finish with a yawn. I grab my glasses from the corner of the tent.

"Proxy left the tent as quietly as he could."

“Why?"

"I do not understand the reason for such an action. Should we follow him?"

"Yeah, let's go."

We crawl out of the tent to see Proxy coming from his tent. He heads out of the camp with a sword in hand. We follow closely behind while keeping our distance from him. After a while, we arrive at an obscure area near the camp. He’s standing in front of a wooden dummy. He takes out his sword and gets into a stance.

"Ha!"

He hits the dummy. His sword is stuck in the side of the dummy. He immediately pulls it out and tries again, and again, and again, and again. He repeats the strike until he gives up. Soon after, he gets down on his hands and starts doing push-ups.

"Those strikes weren't strong enough to cut the dummy in half with one strike."

"I see, so he's practicing his sword skills?"

"It appears so."

I have never seen Proxy practice anything before. He never seemed to put much effort into anything before. When I asked him how he practiced his athletics, he simply said: "I haven't, it just clicked when I tried it." So I thought he wouldn't put effort into things, even the training with Alexander. But here he is. He made it to 50 under a minute, yet he continues with the push-ups.

"Why is he training," I mutter to myself.

"Did you say something, master Richard?"

"N-nothing, nothing at all. Come, let's keep watch on him. I don't want anyone sneaking upon him while he practices."

"Understood."

For the rest of his training session, we keep an eye on him. He worked up more than a sweat. For the rest of it, he continued to practice his sword swings on the dummy.