Sometimes he’d mumble about strange things I didn’t understand, but a ruler is too busy to deal with such things. I put it to his childish nonsense, yet he never let go of them. Such a shame… he was a master at every craft. He could have been the next ruler… to take my place and manage this while I went looking for God without the weight of the world on my shoulders. Ah… such sadness, such bitterness…
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A gentle breeze blew through the plaza, circling around the arena. Léandro’s long hair abided as it danced with gentle movements. His eyes locked unto his opponent, analyzing everything he could before the organiser gave the go-ahead. A man of about thirty years of age covered in scars and wounds. He wore tattered, repaired clothing, which made him look as poor as a beggar. Though the sword tied to his waist said otherwise.
It wasn’t decorated by anything, save for a red string wrapped around the shaft. It had no seat either, leaving the blade exposed. However, the quality of the blade spoke of its fine craftsmanship, which Kai easily deduced to be from the dwarves. Doesn’t look like it was crafted by a master, but not by any beginner either. He quickly evaluated it but did not do much for it. No, the one Kai wanted to know more about was Léandro. The bow strapped to his back remained unmoving, but his right hand fell onto the hilt of his sword.
“Forehest” The man said, strands of black hair falling down his face. He also placed his hand on the hilt, then slowly pulled it out with the patience and precision of a master.
“Léandro,” he said, also pulling out the sword from its sheath. Both of them held it in a similar stance, both with similar determination in their eyes. Yet, Léandro clearly had less experience, as he faltered slightly.
The organizer gave the god, and the two approached with gradual, soft steps. Luckily the arena was big enough for them to walk in circles as they looked each other up and down.
Eventually, Léandro whispered a spell under his breath and acted before it cast fully. He stabbed straight at Forhest’s throat with a never-before-seen ruthlessness in this tournament. The crowd let out silent gasps of anticipation and wild dreams. A tinge of shock passed by Kai, but he wasn’t as surprised as the rest of the crowd. Of course, he wouldn’t hesitate, this bastard tried to shoot me.
Despite his outward appearance and young age, Léandro already killed people before. Though killing someone in this kind of match is kind of overdoing it, isn't it? Regardless, Kai watched the fight with anticipation, both in learning how good Léandro was and also excited to see an old-face fight.
Forehest dodged the strike and aimed a slash at Léandro’s neck, which he ducked, then swiped at his feed. Forehest didn’t fall for the boy’s trick and immediately turned his swing around, this time aiming with the hilt at the back of Léandro’s neck.
With a swift roll, Léandro stood back on his feet and did a turn-around slash which Forehest countered with a vertical slash. Léandro almost lost grip of his sword, but gathered himself and threw a kick at the middle-aged man. However, that didn’t play out in his favor as the man grabbed Léandro’s foot and twisted it. As a result, the boy fell, his sword clattering to the ground.
Forehest went for a finishing blow with a slash at the hands, a ruthless expression decorating his face. Yet before he could reach the midway point, a bow materialized in Léandro’s hand alongside an arrow. He quickly pulled back the string and aimed the trembling bow at the man. He scoffed and sidestepped as the arrow shot toward his head, giving up on the attack.
Léandro took the opportunity to grab his sword and step back, aiming another arrow at the man. The string vibrated violently, his muscles contracting under the strain of pulling it back.
Contrary to all expectations, though, the man didn’t move. Instead, he too murmured under his breath, his feet shining with a soft light. Léandro bit his lower lip, and, with the arrow aimed at the man, he let go.
It whistled through the air, parsing the distance like it was nothing and immediately arriving before the man. However, the same moment Léandro’s fingers lessened their grip on the arrow, and so did the man step to the side. He dodged it with ease and instantly rushed Léandro, giving him barely any time to pick up the sword.
“Kid, today I will show you what it means to know fear,” Forehest yelled with a raspy voice as he imbued his sword with mana. Léandro didn’t back down though. Despite his silence, the furious look in his eyes spoke a thousand words, and he sent mana into his own weapon. A thin layer of magic separated the blades, meaning no sparks flew about.
Forehest clearly had the advantage in this position, as he used his entire weight to push down on Léandro’s sword while the boy could only rely on himself to push. Both of their bodies glowed with the soft light of magic at the same time, and the struggle turned more intense. However, as Léandro bit his lower lip, he gained a sudden burst of energy that helped him rise to his feet.
The man took a step backward but didn’t relent in his attacks. Instead, as his anger grew fiercer, so did his slashes. His still refined technique became deadlier, using feints and sudden changes to catch Léandro off guard.
However, while the boy’s technique lacked refinement, it more than made up for it with ruthlessness. Light freshly cut wounds decorated his clothes and body, and a few sets of marks appeared on his armor each time he hit back. From Kai’s perspective, Léandro tried really hard to get hurt. Yet he understood why. If he kept dodging he would run out of stamina before he could land a hit on the old timer. At the same time if he doesn’t attack the end result would be the same.
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He is dodging the attacks that would be fatal and letting the ones that barely wound him pass. At the same time he is hitting back… what an outrageous way of fighting.
Kai couldn’t deny that it worked, though. As Léandro took hits, Forehest also did the same. Yet despite having the upper hand, his injuries were more grievous. Significantly more blood than Léandro dripped down his clothes and onto the ground. Fatigue manifested on his face, with drops of sweat cooling down his blazing skin. In comparison, Léandro looked much calmer and less exhausted.
A bright light took Kai by surprise, and he diverted his gaze for the brief moment it appeared. Once he looked back at the fight, it was already over. Forehest lay on the ground with Léandro’s bow aimed straight at his throat. “I-I give up!” He yelled, terrified of the very real threat before him.
After hearing that, the boy let loose of the arrow, and Farehest’s eyes closed shut. The arrow whistled past his ear and embedded itself mere centimeters away from his head.
“What the fuck just happened?” One of the people in the crowd broke the silence, as confused as Kai.
“Did that guy just… what?”
“I think he used magic?”
“Well, no shit but we couldn’t see anything!”
“Boo! Cheater! What sort of win is this?!”
However, neither Léandro nor the organizer paid these people any attention. “Léandro won, the semi-finals will take part in about an hour. Please get ready, and don’t forget to place your bets, everyone!”
Kai followed Léandro’s figure leaving the arena and for a moment he really felt like going to talk to him. However, he held himself as if by a leash. Speaking of… where’s Onyx? He looked around but the Obborik had all but vanished from where he was. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he tried calling out to him, like all the other times he did before.
A spark ignited within his mind as he sensed the Obborik’s thoughts, and a light chuckle danced upon his lips. Going after food at this time? He… he’s going to steal something, isn’t he?
Alas, he couldn’t stop him, nor did he care to. After all, if anyone in this city could give Onyx trouble it would be something Kai would run away from. He decided to sit down and analyze his next opponents.
Looking over the area and noticing that none of them left made him feel somewhat at ease. Besides Léandro and himself, there were two others.
Han, the middle-aged swordsman whose full power remained a mystery to Kai. Then there was Miho, the blonde-haired swordsman whose bodily strength and magic intrigued him. Kai couldn’t help but wonder how the next fights would be picked. Drawing lots or manually assigned? Well, he had one hour to figure it out.
It passed by quickly though, and before he even knew it, the organizer’s voice rang out throughout the plaza.
“Alright then, Han, Miho, Ichor, and Léandro please approach the arena. Your fights have been designated.” They didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately approached the combat area. A crowd followed them, waiting in anticipation, some with paper tickets in their hands. Kai paid them no attention, obvious that they had bet again.
“We decided who will fight who this time around. We tried to make it as fair as possible. So the first fight will be Léandro and Han, then Ichor and Miho. I trust there are no objections?”
None of the contestants protested anymore than shrugging their shoulders. Though Han and Miho looked at Léandro and Kai with deep apprehension. The latter two didn’t even notice them, as both of them were caught in their own thoughts.
“Good, let’s start then. The first two please step up and give us a good show, will ye?”He walked to the side after saying that and keenly invited Léandro and Han with his gaze.
However, as soon as the go was given, Léandro rushed Han with the ferocity of a Lion. He pinned the man to the ground with a perfectly aimed kick then held him at arrow point in less time than it takes to blink. “I give up…” The man’s shaky voice barely resounded through the silent plaza. Almost immediately after, a couple of sighs of annoyed defeat rang through. They were drowned soon after by even more cheerful yells. Kai couldn’t help but scoff at the crowd, though if he weren’t competing he’d have bet too.
The organizer didn’t even have time to sit down and enjoy the show before it ended. Clutching a piece of paper, he shot a disgusting glare at Han before throwing it away. “Well… that was fast. In this case, let us have our last two fighters of this round climb up on stage!” He also grumbled something under his breath, but Kai couldn’t hear it properly.
A fighting spirit rose up inside him as he jumped over the artifically made wall and immediately pulled out his sword. That guy thinks he’s so strong… I’ll show him then!
Kai’s body shone with a few body enchantment spells as he clutched the hilt of his blade, then immediately rushed Miho as soon as he was given the go. His figure turned into a blur and before Miho could react properly, the silver sword pressed against his neck. Kai caught Léandro’s widened pupils with the corner of his eyes, and a faint smirk colored his lips.
“I give up!” he yelled almost as soon as he realized the situation, then fell to his knees when Kai pulled away his sword.
The crowd burst into a mixture of elation and depression, their feelings not even having the time to rest after Léandro’s fight. A vein popped into the organizer’s veins as he hastily hid away another piece of paper.
“W-well then… it seems like we have our winner already!” He said as he jumped onto the stage. “Since it took way less time than expected, we can start the final fight in half an hour? If our contestants agree to it?”
Both Kai and Léandro nodded gently, the former sheathing his sword and smirking behind his mask. I can’t wait to fight you, man. I’ll have my payback!
The half-hour passed by quickly. Kai felt almost tempted to place a bet himself, seeing the crowd grumble and theorize about who would win. In the end, though, he didn’t. He needed money, but not to that extent. Especially when I have no idea if I’ll actually win…
As the sun began to set, Léandro stepped onto the stage, followed by Kai. The organizer didn’t need to say anything anymore, so he laid back and watched from a distance.
The two boys stood opposite one another, analyzing each other as closely as they could. The atmosphere tensed up as the orange hue of the evening dusk fell upon them. The rightful prince of the Vampire Kingdom, hidden behind a fox mask and a cloak, facing against the price of the Kingdom of Aravia. If either of them knew each other’s identities there was no telling what could happen. Right now, though, they were just two boys with different goals competing with their swords.