Love, Luck and Life
By David Hays
In the year 537, upon the soil of the continent of Magvell, history is being rewritten by the hands of a young man. It was in the city of Laus, where he was leisurely taking a stroll, his long red hair idly flowing in the wind, drawing the eye of many females. He had an odd secret, despite being a simple sellsword, he kept his true upbringing secret as the prince of the country Jehenna, a small desert empire to the south east. No one knew this, only did he know, and for that, he was thankful. Now, let us turn our eyes upon the story of this young man, by the name of Joshua, and his story among the people of Magvell, and a hidden threat among the shadows.
It was around midday, when Joshua was strolling through the cobblestone streets of Laus, his sword, dubbed 'Killing Edge' happily bouncing in it's sheathe at his side. His perpetual smirk, a trademark of his, upon his lips, he gazed upon the town arena that was soon before him. " Luck makes some men saints, and some men sinners..But that's just life, inn't? " He spoke to no one in particular, drawing forth a chuckle from his throat. Luck, chance, and all that falls within those boundaries always excited Joshua, as he could not resist a good gamble if the chance had shown itself. He tilted his hat in his trademark fashion: tilted just so it covered his left eye. No one understood how that would help him in a sword fight, but it did. Several minutes had passed and Joshua had walked into the reception area of the arena.
" Oi, you, pretty boy.. " Came a voice off to the side, eagerness to cause trouble being carried in the man's voice. " Ya' look a bit dolled up fer the city t' be playin' wit' the big boys. " He mocked, laughing openly at the prince's red hair.
Joshua simply smirked, " And you look a bit stupid to be playing with the big boys, ya' big oaf. " He shot back, glancing over at the man, as if this was an occurance that happened multiple times daily.
The two had stood there, staring at each other, before the larger man spoke up, " Save it fer the arena, pretty boy..I'm takin' you down there.. " He walked over to Joshua, shoving him forward, signing himself, and forcing the other he had brought forward to sign up as well. " 'M a kind oaf, mind y'...So...I'll go easy on you so I won't mess up that hair a' yours. " This phrase alone got the entire score of people within the arena to howl in laughter, slapping thighs, and mugs of ale against the countertops.
Joshua simply shook his head, his smirk wiped clean off his face. " Don't let that ego swell your weight even more. " He said in return fire, walking into the arena to start the fight.
Off in the distance stood an unlikely patron, a rather shy young woman, just stood there in shock at seeing how calmly the prince had took that. She had never even seen someone do that without throwing punches, or swinging blades. She blinked multiple times and hurried off to catch a good seat at the arena, as she was, for whatever reason, eager to see how well the odd red haired man would fight against such a..large and muscly man. ' Honestly, I hope this doesn't get out of hand...Someone could get hurt.. 'She had thought, which was ironic given how everybody gets hurt at some point during these arena fights. ' Which gets me wondering...How much did they bet on the fight..? '
" And now, all you battle-crazed onlookers, the arena's first fight will now began! " Suddenly announced the arena crier, eliciting a series of ear-splitting yelling and cheering. " You are all in for a treat, today! Five time champion Joshua 'the Killing Edge' returns to take on the brawn of the Bargo Bandits, Gonzales! " He continued, a series of still more cheers erupting from the stands. " Let's see just how edgy the enigmatic red-haired wonder can hold his own against such a monster of a man like Gonzales.. "
With those words being said, Gonzales and Joshua stepped forward to face each other in the center of the arena. Josh drew Killing Edge and crouched down low, his sword arm pulled back, his opposite arm out, two fingers touching the blunt end just before the tip of the blade, eyes locked upon Gonzales, waiting for any sign of movement. Gonzales in turn held his axe in his starting position, crouched slightly, like a panther poised for a strike at a moment's notice, his axe held behind him for one strong overhead strike.
" Ready, pretty boy? 'M gonna bust that pretty face up real good..Ain't no one gonna wanna take a look at y' after this.. " Gonzales mocked and grinned, showing an array of poorly cared for teeth, many were missing, most were hardly even stumps.
Joshua rolled his eyes, " One ugly sunnuvagun in Laus is enough..So I'm gonna keep that at you...If I decide to let luck determine if you live or not..It'll all be over with one swing of my sword, if Lady Luck is smiling upon me today.. " He spoke in return, letting out a breath filled with his pent up tension and dislike.
The crier announced, " For today's fight...It's to the death! Anything goes! Good luck to the both of you, and may the best man win! " He spread his arms, the crowd letting out another deafening cheer.
The young woman from before let out a small noise, shuddering slightly. This fight was to the death, she had heard. So much for hope.
The prince of Jehenna smirked and nodded, attempting to prompt an attack out of Gonzales.
Scowling, Gonzales let out a war cry, running forward and jumping up and bringing the axe down, a rush of air following after the swing.
Joshua had leapt back, Killing Edge poised behind him, before he suddenly brought the sword forward, two illusion copies suddenly next to him, in that same position, before all three disappeared, suddenly appearing as one infront of a highly confused Gonzales, as Joshua brought Killing Edge down in a diagonal slash across his chest, sending a torrent of blood as Joshua leapt back again, holding his blade at his side. " Luck makes some men saints, and some men sinners..Funny, inn't, Gonzales..? " He smirked and sheathed Killing Edge.
" And...And...The victory goes to Joshua! Wow, what a display of speed! In all my years I have never witnessed such a display of swordsmanship like this! " The crier shouted, the crowd going wild from the chain of events that had happened.
Joshua smirked and left the arena, collecting his prize money, and leaving, counting the sum of gold he had made. " ...Five-thousand gold..? Heh...Quite the haul.. " He chuckled and looked about, seeing a young woman running towards him.
The female had caught up with him, " You...You...Actually...Won..!.. " She said inbetween breaths.
" Woah, woah woah...Slow down and catch your breath, girlie.. " He said softly, a bit surprised he had been stopped like this. " Honestly...If you're pushing yourself just to do this, you could've just asked around for me, took your time and... " He idly trailed off, finally taking in the one before him. Blonde hair, just past shoulder length, slightly curly at the tips. Her eyes were a soft shade of blue, as if they were the sky themselves. She had been wearing a cleric's outfit, and was carrying a healing stave. How ironic that was, seeing a Sister witnissing borderline murder in the name of entertainment, that alone brought a smile to Joshua's face.
" ...Uhm...Let me just ask for forgiveness in so rudely stopping you when you were enjoying what you have made in that...Barbaric arena. " She bowed and went to leave, only to be stopped with a hand upon her shoulder.
Joshua moved his hand and shook his head, " You took the time to find me, and I respect that, Sister. " He offered her a smile, gesturing to the nearby fountain in the courtyard. " Perhaps you will be lucky enough to find what you have been meaning to find in this so called 'enigmatic red-haired wonder'. " He said his title blandly and sarcastically, eliciting himself a hearty laugh, and a small giggle from the cleric that was standing before him.
The two had relocated to the said fountain, starting over with their formal introductions. Joshua stated his name, and that he was a simple sellsword with a taste for chance and luck, as he had been known to jump chances to try his luck constantly, as if he lived and breathed it, even if he was in the midst of a skirmish he was bought out for. The cleric then introduced herself.
" My name is Natascha..It is nice to meet you, Joshua. " She began, setting the healing stave in her lap, politely folding her hands over the top of it as she continued, " Though I do not understand...Why kill that man? Even if he is..well...Was a bandit, he could have sought redemption in the eyes of the gods, you know. "
Joshua rolled his eyes and shook his head, " If I had taken the chance and went easy on Gonzales, he would have lopped my head clean off and hold it up for all to see. That enough drove me to the point of needing to either wound him beyond physical repair, or end it quickly to keep myself from getting harmed and or killed. " He stated, a hint of steel in his voice. He disliked bandits as a norm; they pillaged at will, stole women, kill children, and they raise too much hell to even think about seeing redemption. " Let me put it this way, many people already hunt Gonzales as a norm, but if I had died, and..Due to my slightly unwanted reputation here, " He said with a sigh, he disliked the attention he got. Which is why he was thankful no one but him, himself, and he knew he was the prince of Jehenna in this country, but he still continued, " The entire town would have been in uproar and would have executed Gonzales on the spot, so I played my hand, took a chance, and harnessed luck to kill him myself so no one else had to risk their lives and luck to do so. "
Natascha blinked slightly. 'He sure has a way with words..and..not to mention he looks a lot better than most men I see here..' She thought, causing her cheeks to warm. She made a small noise and shook her head, regaining her composure, " But since you did...I guess it is a good thing you did..What you did under cover of the arena, where people are so adrenaline high they could care less if they saw death or someone getting beaten into the ground... " She shuddered at her own words as they came forth, but for whatever reason she felt calm and confident in saying what she wanted around this man. Was it perhaps his skill that made her feel safe?
" You have to cross the line just to remember where it lays.. " He muttered slightly, adjusting his hat back to where it covered his left eye again. " Such is life, innit? " He added as an afterthought, taking out a coin and flicking it up, catching it, and repeating the process. He gave a small yawn and glanced at the horizon, watching the sun slowly set against the fields beyond Laus's city limits. " You should be heading home, Natascha..It's gonna be dark soon and all sorts of God knows whats are going to be running amock..Now before you ask, let me answer. The inn is nearby so I don't have to worry about that for a while. " He said reassuringly, flashing her a smile as he did so.
The cleric flushed lightly, " I am perfectly capable of protecting myself at night, I assure you that, Joshua. " She said with dignity, frowning slightly at his condescending phrase, " I'm not like most women. " She added, hoping he'd stop with his teasing. " Honestly..Do you tease every woman you meet like this? I can not lie, it is a bit..interesting, to see a man who will actually be modest with a woman he just met, unlike most I see who attempt to flirt with everything that moves.. " She shook her head and stood up, " Oh well. God makes some men saints and some men sinners, right..? " She said in mock imitation of Joshua, giving him a sweet smile and a giggle.
Joshua rolled his eyes, " Mhm. That he does...Anyways, you got places to be? Might as well get going then, huh? You'll know where to find me. Either in the arena or here at this fountain. " He shrugged and waved an idle, yet emphasizing hand.
Natascha pursed her lips, " Oh, fine..I'd prefer meeting back here at around noon then be at that barbarous den of murderers.. " She shuddered and looked around a bit, " That being said...I'll see you tomorrow. " She nodded quickly and hurried off to get back home before night falls upon Laus. As she walked she looked back to see Joshua smiling at her before he turned away and walked towards the nearby tavern. When Natascha had gotten home, she had changed into her night gown, her thoughts constantly, and albeit annoyingly, trained upon Joshua. She just shook her head, ridding herself of his image, But..The red locks of his hair gently caressing his lower back. It was all so...Alluring to her. Her cheeks flushed slightly, " No no no.. I am not going to drown myself in such idle thoughts before sleep.. " She told herself, leaning on the windowsill to watch the dying minutes of the sunset.