INNER WELL

"I... want to be the strongest."
"Oh, you do?"
"One day, I will be the stronget person in all of Rune-Midgard!"
"Yes, I bet you will make a fine warrior someday."
"I will be the one to lead the most powerful guild and the one destroy other guilds' emperiums!"
"That's quite an ambition. Now, son... if you want to achieve that, you must promise mom one thing."
"What's that?"
"It is... that you finish your dinner and go straight to bed. Okay?"
"Okay, mom."
"'I... want to be the strongest.' Young Roku sounds so much like you... darling."
END.

CHAPTER 3 - VALIANCE: THE STRUGGLE

For a while, which seemed like a whole eon, Roku waited in the soundless blackout. He didn't know what to think anymore. Everything that happened was too crazy to believe.

Finally, a slightly distorted voice roared in the dark room. It sounded like that girl acolyte's.

"Are you ready?" She asked.
Roku didn't know what to answer.

"R-ready? For what?"

"Oh, you'll see. Now... setting gate open and... there. Good luck, Proprius!" Then it ended.

All at once, lights with the same intensity as the ones before bursted into life all over Roku. His eyes, being used to the darkness, strained to see the things around him: the same uniformity of color. Except this room had a large opening gate on one side, and a higher ceiling.

Roku's eyes concentrated on the strange-looking gate that stood so menacingly over him. It was still opening like some unknown force was slowly pushing it. The high-pitched screeching it made hurt his ears.

The gate had grayish pillars, which were engraved with many strange shapes. It made a massive arch right on top. The thick bars told him that it didn't want anything in... nor out. He unknowingly wondered what lay beyond it.

The noisy screeching halted. Then, he heard an odd grunting past the gate.

Then Roku felt there was an immensely dangerous monster in there and it was colossal.

He heard big footsteps. For a while, the stomping slightly shook the floor around him. After each gut-sinking stomp, Roku felt like he was about to faint. Why did these things happen to him? What was the reason of it all?

The big monster finally revealed itself to him. Roku felt his heart drop to his feet.

The girl's voice returned. "Proprius, meet the Baphomet. Baphomet, meet Proprius. Now, if you two would kindly fight to the death... that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much."

Baphomet? He was going to fight the Baphomet? This was too extreme.

It brandished its scythe for a second then took a strike downward at Roku. Impending doom enveloped him. He had no chance. Baphomet was too strong. It was all going to end with this strike. Just one was enough to end Roku.

But He wasn't the kind of person to die without any sign of defense.
Roku closed his eyes and quickly unsheathed his two-hand sword.

The ear-splitting sound of metal hitting metal echoed around the room. "It's over. He snapped my sword in half and drove his scythe right through me. I'm dead," He thought.
Roku felt an intense vibration on his sword. "What's this shaking?"
He opened his eyes.
He saw that was warding off Baphomet's mighty assault.

Baphomet angrily tried pressing in the attack but Roku denied any signs of weakening. Exerting more effort, he redirected the swing of Baphomet's scthye to the right.

Roku was confused and awfully muddled by the situation. He could only guess why he had become so powerful.
He had a thought of exactly what to do but he still felt like running for his life. This was the Baphomet. What difference would one defense make? Though, he knew better than any other amateur swordsman. Roku had to think up of something. He wasn't just going to blindly run around.

Roku looked up at Baphomet. The huge, threatening hooves, large arms that still gripped the crooked, wooden handle of a scythe, the big majestic horns that curled up over its head, and black eyes showed nothing but the desire to kill all hung over him like an unreleased guillotine.

As he tried circling the huge monster, Roku tightened the grip on his two-hand sword. He didn't know why he did this. He didn't even feel confident in at least facing the Baphomet. Some strange force just seemed to compel him to put up even the tiniest hint of reaction.
Baphomet made the first move.

It swiftly raised its scythe and made another downward strike. Roku saw this coming.
He managed a quick, large step to the left and just as the scythe split the ground to his right, Roku shot forward. "Aid me..." He muttered to his sword and threw a big number of lightning-fast slashes at Baphomet's bulky legs.
It bellowed in pain. Roku was dumbfounded. He hurt the Baphomet? How could he have? His skills weren't enough.

It flung a fast strike at Roku. He wasn't quick enough to evade it. As the crescent-like weapon drew closer, He only handled a desperate, yet clumsy block with his two-hand sword. Another clang of metal on metal resounded around the room.

CRACK.

A small moment of silence fleeted by before the sound of shattering metal came. Then innumerable tiny clinkings of metallic shards were heard. Blood trickled down to the cold floor.

Roku took a moment to realize what had just happened.
Then it came to him. As he held up the strangely lighter sword, he saw that Baphomet's big scythe, which went through his right shoulder, had cut through it. The millions of pieces of Roku's broken sword were scattered all over the floor around him.

He suddenly felt the severe throbbing of pain in his right shoulder. He looked down at the horrid wound Baphomet had made. It was splashed with a large dripping patch of blood.
"Of course... It had to end sometime." Roku thought. "He's the Baphomet and I... am nothing but a normal swordsman."

Baphomet quickly and forcefully released its scythe from Roku's shoulder. Roku was slightly pulled forward. It positioned its weapon above its head for one last time. The scythe grazed the ceiling.

"It is over. I have done what I could." He said to himself. "Everything that happened to me today will stay a mystery..."

The monster's weapon threw the last attack. The scythe crashed downward.

"Death... feels very painful... and heavy. Why? Why doesn't everything fade away? I don't feel any lighter. I still feel... strong. Like I can still... fight."

Roku realized that he could still move his body. He wasn't feeling weak at all even after Baphomet's scythe had pierced his shoulder.

The weapon made another sharp thud on the ground.

Baphomet pulled up its scythe. There was a stunning silence.

Then Roku suddenly appeared on Baphomet's broad shoulder.
He raised his halved sword and attempted a downward thrust at the monster's head.

Still, Baphomet was faster. Roku was hit with its rock-hard fist. He flew a distance away.

A last thud ended the battle. Roku was knocked out on the floor near the large gate. His blood made a small pool on the shiny silver floor.

"Its not about how much you deserve difficulty and pain. Its about how much you want to take the chance to win."

CHAPTER 3 - VALIANCE: THE STRUGGLE
END.