“Joshua, just call me Ron, remember? And to answer the question, I had a decent night’s sleep,” I explain with a smile.
“Oh, right, I’m sorry si- I mean Ron,” Joshua stutters as he stumbles through his words. The two of us fall into a laughing fit.
“So, where is Rose?” I ask as I look around the room.
“Out there,” Joshua answers, pointing to a window in the room. I look out of the window to see Rose standing in a garden. Her hair blows in the wind as she bathes in the morning sun. The flowers in her hair open up to the sunlight as she expresses her seemingly endless joy. “A beautiful sight isn’t it?” Joshua whispers in my ear.
“Yeah, she sure- oh damnit Joshua!” I exclaim as my face turns red.
“What? It isn’t a beautiful sight?” Joshua teases.
“W-Well I didn’t say that,” I mumble as I return to my meal. “So, did King Terashi say anything regarding The Wise Ones?” I ask.
“Yes, he said we can meet them today after this meal,” Joshua explains as he finishes the last of his meal.
“Can you take us to the garden?” I ask the girl.
“S-Sure. R-Right this way, sirs,” the girl quietly responds. The girl leads us down a flight of stairs. Once we reach the bottom we are suddenly in the garden.
“Good morning Rose!” I call out.
“Oh, hey, Ron!” Rose exclaims as she runs over to us.
“Ron wants to meet the Wise Men of Old,” Joshua explains.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Rose exclaims brightly.
“Could you lead us to where the Wise Men of Old are?” I ask the servant girl.
“Of course, sir,” she responds.
“I don’t think I have your name yet,” I point out to the girl as we travel down into the busy streets of Malros.
“Oh, b-but a master has no need for the servant’s name, as the servant also doesn’t need the master’s name,” the girl explains.
“Well, my name is Ron Amar! Now that you know my name, I think that it’s only fair if I know your name,” I gently respond.
“Eh? W-well my name is B-Bethany... sir,” the girl complies in almost a whisper. At this I reach to shake her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Bethany. But, please, drop the ‘sir.’ Just call me Ron,” I tell her.
“He sure is an interesting leader, isn’t he?” Joshua asks Bethany.
“Oh, um, yes... yes he is,” Bethany agrees.
“No wonder Ron had so much respect from his men,” Joshua comments.
“What do you mean?” Bethany asks.
“Well, Ron was a leader of his own unit back in his world of Amaria. He told me that it was a long time ago,” Joshua explains.
“Wow, Ron’s amazing,” Bethany mutters to herself.
“Who are those people?”
“Is that a human? Didn’t realize they still existed.”
“What’s a treant doing out of the forest?”
“Look! One of them’s a fire demon!” Voices mutter in the crowds.
“Um R-Ron, I think those people were talking bad about you and your friends,” Bethany whispers.
“No worries! I’m used to it! And besides, I’d be a little scared too if I saw three uncommon races walking through town at once,” I assure her.
“Same here!” Rose remarks.
“If it’s fine with Ron, then it’s fine with me,” Joshua agrees, “but it would be nice if all the guards would stop glaring at me.”
I burst into laughter. “Well I wouldn’t want to be marked by the guards either, but it’s not like they are expected to ignore a demon, friendly or evil!” I joke through more laughter.
Rose suddenly embraces Bethany. “Besides, what’s a cute girl like you got to worry about?” Rose remarks as she pinches Bethany’s now blushing cheeks.
“W-W-What do you mean?” Bethany says, blushing at the attention.
“I’m saying that you are cute, Bethany!” Rose repeats as she continues to pinch the still blushing cheeks of Bethany.
“These people... these are the nicest people I’ve ever met!” Bethany thinks to herself, and a bright smile forms on her face as she tears up a little.
“You look happy. What’s up?” Rose asks with a smile.
“Oh, it’s just that you people are so nice I can’t help but smile!”
“Well, I think it’s time for a proper introduction!” I encourage.
“O-Oh of course! M-my name is Bethany!” Bethany exclaims.
“Well, my name’s Rose!”
“My name is Joshua.”
“And mine’s Ron! Pleased to meet you, Bethany!”
“So, anyways, are we close to the Wise Men of Old?” I ask Bethany.
“Oh, right, we are coming up to their home now,” Bethany reveals. We stop in front of a dome-shaped building.
“They live here?” I ask.
“Yes, The Wise Men of Old are very secretive. Very few people know them personally. Furthermore, they rarely speak to people at all,” Bethany explains.
“Mmm, I wonder what kind of people these wise men are?” I think to myself.
Atop the dome, out of view, a familiar figure sits back and laughs. “Oh boy, I wonder how I’m going to explain myself to Ron,” Tink thinks to himself. A big smile spread across his face.
Chapter Twelve
The Demon Arena
After the fight in the prison, David and his cellmates are brought back to their cell. “Those bastards! Messing with David’s mind like that!” Adoa yells in frustration.
“They are going to make us fight soon,” Nikud reminds the group.
“We should focus on protecting David! He shouldn’t have to fight if he doesn’t need to.”
“Agreed.”
“Hold on! I’m fine, really,” David argues in protest.
“I admit you are stronger than me, David, but I agree with Nikud on this one. The demons want you to fight, and use that power again,” Adoa points out.
“Don’t worry, David! We aren’t here because we’re weak, you know!” Hamon declares.
At this the door opens. The Warden stands at the doorway. A smile can be seen on his demented face. “So, are you ready for your first Arena fight?”
The Warden brings the group to a battle room. “Unlike that *cough* bloodbath, you will be allowed to use weapons and Exdrift. We will provide the weapons,” The Warden explains as he waves his shadowy hand at a rack filled with many different weapons. As the group surveys the weapons of choice, the Warden continues his explanation. “You will compete against another group of four. However, only one person from each group fights at a time. How you decide to fight is up to your group. For example, one person could fight all four opposing teammates, one at a time. Of course, you can also choose to have one teammate fight one person, so that each teammate fights once. Your first fight begins in an hour--prepare yourselves,” the Warden states as he leaves the room.
“Obviously David won’t fight!” Nikud cuts in to say.
“But if I don’t fight, one of you will have to fight at least two people!” David argues in protest.
“Don’t worry about us, David,” Hamon remarks.
“Yeah, we’ve fought on an actual battlefield, you know,” Adoa brags.
The group goes to choose weapons. Hamon grabs multiple knives. Adoa chooses a war-hammer. Nikud doesn’t grab a weapon, saying that her claws would be enough. David also doesn’t grab a weapon, since everyone is assuring him that he won’t even need to fight. The Warden comes back to lead the group to another battlefield. Unlike the other one, this battlefield is full of demons, spectators cheering on the soon-to-be fights. “It’s like a damn sports event!” David says in disgust.
“Alrighty then!” a demon shouts to the audience. “Who’s read
y to see some blood fly!?” A cheer echoes throughout the crowd. The arena itself shakes from the bloodthirsty cheers.
“I’ll go first,” Nikud suggests.
“Are you sure?” Adoa and Hamon ask.
“I know the most about the Arena, so watch and learn how it works for now,” Nikud commands. She stalks out to the field, her cat-like eyes locked onto the enemy she is about to fight.
“Looks like we’ll get a felion vs. a reption for the first fight,” the demon announcer shouts, his gnarly tongue flying in the air.
“Place your bets, folks!” a demon in the crowd yells as Nikud and the reption enter the field.
Both Nikud and the Reption say nothing, knowing only one will walk away from this fight. As soon as the signal was given, both combatants rush towards each other, Nikud with her deadly claws and the reption with a sharp longsword.
The Reption starts the fight, swinging his sword at Nikud’s side. Nikud deflects the blade easily with her claws, counterattacking by scratching the reption’s face. The reption jumps back for a split second, before charging once again at Nikud. Nikud ducks to dodge the attack, the sword barely touching her fur. The reption continues to swing at Nikud, but Nikud easily dodges every attack.
“Wow--her movements--it’s like she’s dancing,” David thinks in awe.
The reption suddenly goes for a reckless attack. Nikud spins in the air to dodge the attack. This time, however, the reption leaves himself wide open. Nikud takes the chance, pouncing onto her now defenseless opponent. All it takes after that are a few quick claw strikes.
“Looks like the felion takes the first battle,” the announcer shouts. The crowd erupts in a mix of cheers and boos. Nikud just ignores them, walking back to David and the others.
“Wow, that fighting style sure is something,” David compliments.
“Well, thank you, but this isn’t over yet,” Nikud warns.
“I’ll take the fourth one, so you two take one each. Think you two elves can handle it?” Nikud asks Hamon and Adoa.
“Awe, this is nothing!” Hamon brags, his hands in a relaxed position above his head.
“Hamon! I’ve told you to never underestimate the enemy!” Adoa remarks in a stern tone.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything stupid,” Hamon mumbles.
“I’ll go first,” Adoa declares.
“Will you be ok without me?” Hamon teases.
“Come on, it’s your older brother we’re talking about here,” Adoa states, thumbs up with a smile. Adoa walks out to the field.
“All right! Looks like the next match will be an elf vs a reption!” the announcer shouts. Adoa gets his hammer ready.
“Wow, that hammer looks insanely heavy, yet he easily wields it,” David marvels.
“Yup, that’s Adoa for you. He’s pretty strong for an elf,” Hamon brags as if he’s contributing to the fight. Adoa is the first to charge. He swings his hammer at the reption, which can only block Adoa’s attack with his shield. The reption tries to swing at Adoa with his sword, but Adoa blocks the blow with his hammer’s pole. Adoa counterattacks by kicking the reption’s shield. The force of Adoa’s blow sends the reption flying back a few feet. Instinctively, the reption is forced to put his hands behind his back to stop his fall. This leaves him wide open. Adoa takes this chance, bringing his hammer down upon the reption. Cheers come from the crowd as Adoa crushes his beaten foe.
“He was a worthy opponent,” Adoa mumbles as he returns to the group.
“Oh, come on, Adoa! That reption was leagues below you!” Hamon argues.
“Again, Hamon, never underestimate your enemy!” Adoa reminds him.
“Whatever, I guess I’m next,” Hamon mumbles.
“He actually has a serious face on for once,” David ponders to himself as he looks at Hamon.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Hamon!” Adoa yells with a half mad, half concerned look on his face.
“Don’t worry, I got this,” Hamon declares with a smile, his confidence knowing no bounds.
“The third match will be another elf vs. reption fight!” the announcer says as Hamon and a reption walk to the field.
“Why, hello there!” Hamon cheerfully calls out.
“You’re awfully happy for someone whose about to die!” the reption taunts back.
The reption wastes no time, charging toward Hamon. Instead of a weapon, the reption uses fire nature. His punch is dodged by Hamon, though the force of the attack forms a small hole in the ground. Flames erupt from the reption’s fist.
“What was that?!” David shouts.
“Mmm, so that reption can use Exdrift, huh?” Adoa says to himself.
“Exdrift?” David asks.
“Yes, in this world people can harness something called nature. In the reption’s case it’s fire nature. That demon known as the Doctor activated your shadow nature,” Nikud explains.
“So what type of nature do you have that helped me with controlling my shadow nature, Nikud?”
“Oh, us felions don’t actually use a nature. Our Exdrift abilities are bestowed upon us by the Beast of the Forest.”
“Um...”
“Don’t over think all this. I don’t have time to explain every detail.”
“Well, all right. To simplify everything down, I’ve basically gained immense power?” David realizes, looking at his hands.
“Woah, David, take it easy. Sure, you used it before, but that was through rage, which the demons want you to use,” Nikud warns.
“Oh, ok, I get it. That’s why you don’t want me to fight yet. So, I can learn to control it and make it my own,” David realizes.
“Exactly,” Nikud agrees, whispering to herself, “And besides, I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“Mmm? Did you say something, Nikud?” David asks.
“N-No nothing,” Nikud demurs.
“Well, ok then,” David mumbles as he turns to watch Hamon’s fight. Hamon is running around the arena, dodging all of the reption’s attacks. “Oh crap! Hamon looks like he’s struggling!” David comments.
Adoa just lets out a sigh. “Are you kidding me? I told him to take this seriously!” he groans.
“Hold still!” the reption yells in frustration, unable to land a hit on Hamon. Suddenly the swift elf spinsaround. He runs his knife through the reption’s shoulder before continuing to run. “Aw, you are one slippery little bastard!” the reption yells, stopping to hold his fresh wound.
“Finally, you stopped!” Hamon says, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“But what are you gonna do now!” the reption taunts, removing Hamon’s knife from his shoulder. “You no longer have a wea-” The reption’s sentence is cut off, due to the knife in his throat.
“Who said I only had one knife,” Hamon remarks. He starts to juggle multiple knives with easy. The crowd lets out a loud cheer.
“I knew that elf was something!”
“That little trick!”
“He got lucky, that’s all!” Hamon walks back to the group, still tossing and catching a knife as he goes.
“Amazing accuracy as always, Hamon!” Adoa cheers as he gives Hamon a fist pump.
“That’s some accuracy you got there, small elf,” Nikud blankly states.
“S-small?!” Hamon mumbles, curling up into a ball. The little elf starts mumbling gibberish to himself. Adoa bursts into laughter.
“Aw, come on, Hamon! You looked so happy just a second ago!”
“Aw, I didn’t know the cool little elf had a soft spot,” Nikud also teases.
“C-Come on... I’m not that small, right?” Hamon asks in almost a whisper.
“Don’t worry, Hamon, you’re still a cutie pie to me!” Nikud continues to tease as she pats Hamon on the head.
“A-Adoa! H-Help me...” Hamon beg
s. Unfortunately for Hamon, Adoa is too busy laughing.
“All right, let Hamon go,” David remarks. In response Nikud just gives David a sassy look.
“Someone jealous?” Nikud responds with a smile.
“You just need to fight the final match is all,” David points out with a calm look.
“Mmm, I guess you’re right,” Nikud remarks as she releases Hamon before walking onto the field.
“OH BOY! Looks like the cat wants some more!” a demon from the crowd shouts.
“Let’s see who’s the better of the two warrior factions, felion or cadon!” the announcer shouts.
“What!?” Nikud yells in shock as she turns to her opponent. Standing before her is a fox like creature.
“Well, well, well,” the fox like creature chants, “It seems the hunt has come to me!”
Chapter Thirteen
The Wise Men of Old
“Wait here while I go ask permission to enter,” Bethany tells us as she enters the building. After a few minutes she returns.
“Well, what did they say?” Joshua asks.
“Well, it seems that they only want Ron to come in, alone,” Bethany replies.
“What? Why?” Rose asks.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know,” Bethany explains.
“I guess it can’t be helped then,” I mumble with a shrug as I walk toward the building. I slowly open the door. A loud creak erupts from the old hinges. Closing the door behind me, I look around. It seems as though I’m in a hallway. The entire atmosphere is dim, as if light would rather stay away from this place. “Well, seems the Wise Men of Old are into creepy things, huh? Eh, I can dig it,” I muse. I start to walk, calling out hello every so often. At the end of the hall I come into a circular room, lit with faint candles.
“Welcome, Ron Amar,” a voice mutters.
“Who said that?” I call out.
“We are the Wise Men of Old,” a cloaked figure adds. The men had seemingly appeared out of nowhere from the darkness.
“Well, hello, um, Wise Ones,” I venture. “How did you know my name?”
“Well, duh, we are called the Wise Ones,” Tink replies as he suddenly appears in front of me. His dirtied, long hair falls down upon his shoulders as he lands, as if he leaped from under the floor. Of course, he has that same big smile spread across his face.
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