Chapter 26: I Challenge You!
It was a brand-new day. After many rough nights, today I felt refreshed.
It had rained last night, so the smells of the forest were amplified. Thankfully, the weather was nicer in the morning, so one could enjoy the outdoors without getting soaked. And enjoy the outdoors we did – Sunbeam and I, that is.
We were currently in the courtyard, a place I had passed through before, but never had the chance to properly appreciate. It was obvious that whoever built it, had put a lot of effort and care into it. The ground was a mosaic of sorts, made of natural and man-made blocks. Stone bricks and cobblestone had been sporadically placed in the midst of the grass, along with stone buttons that were meant to look like pebbles.
In the center of the courtyard was a square fountain made of stone bricks, and smooth stone slabs. Its four corners were illuminated by iron lanterns. The structure was surrounded by two circles on the ground. The inner one was made of clay bricks, while the outer one was made of stone bricks.
The sounds of nature, combined with the plethora of flower patches – most of which had tulips, made for a delicate, tranquil atmosphere. Sunbeam and I were in the middle of playing catch. She got bored after a while, so to circumvent that, she opted to toss me the stick from different positions, and at faster rates.
Even though I initially felt a little weird doing what was essentially babysitting, I...strangely warmed up to it. If my days were going to be like this from now on, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad-
"Hey!"
Of course. I turned my head to where the call originated from. The vindicator himself had emerged from the entrance and was walking toward us at a brisk pace. He wasn't carrying an axe this time around, and yet Sunbeam still hid behind me.
'What does this clown want now?'
"I challenge you to a duel. Today, at sunset. On the ring. You'd better be there."
"Vin!" another voice called. "For crying out loud, don't- Oh, you guys aren't fighting?" Matilda asked from the entrance, a mixture of surprise and disbelief painting her voice.
"Of course not! I wouldn't attack him again! Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Ah, do you want me to answer that-" the witch asked with a sly grin, but was cut short.
"Shut up. We're settling this like men!" Vincent exclaimed while lightly punching his chest a couple times.
"Just don't do anything stupid, alright? Boss' orders are for your safety, too. Don't you remember what happened last time?" the witch warned after a sigh.
I had heard enough.
"I accept your challenge."
He grinned madly.
"Good call. Don't chicken out, you hear!? I'll prove I'm the strongest one around!"
'Does he really have to yell so loudly?'
He finally got out my sight, and Sunbeam left her cover. Having witnessed this...event, Matilda slowly approached me.
"You know, I've grown a little desensitized to Vincent's antics over time, but now that I've been put in charge, I kind of have to know the full story. Mind telling me what happened?"
So, Eva had put Matilda in charge of her operations while she was absent... I suppose that would explain the witch's curiosity. I gave her a basic description of the exchange, and her eyes - which I then noticed had a subtle glow to them, dimmed.
"I see... Yeah, he does this sometimes with new recruits, but it's been quite a while since last time, so we forgot to warn you."
"Ah, glad I could count on you," I stated dryly.
"Hey, dear customer, if you're unsatisfied with our services, don't worry; we have a money-back guarantee!" she offered with a wide, yet slightly condescending smile and a light bow, before resuming.
'Wow, thanks.'
"On a more serious note, should you and Vincent actually fight, we highly advise you to not harm him too much. That's a policy we have regarding duels, that's been in effect ever since the previous one."
"That sounds like a policy that should have been implemented since the beginning."
"Perhaps, but despite his claims, Vincent has never hurt anybody...too badly..." she added under her breath. "Anyhow, the last time this happened, he kind of took it too far. You see, his previous opponent was our boss herself."
It's not that I had been uninterested in what she was saying until then, but that reveal piqued my curiosity.
"What happened then?"
"To put it plainly, he lost so hard that measures had to be taken that would ensure nothing of that scale would repeat. So now, duels are less battles, and more friendly spars. Of course, the same rules apply to him, too, but you're far more negotiable, I think."
I leaned back against the fountain's wall and asked a question in an incredulous tone.
"Well, how am I supposed to go about this, then? I can't be friendly when someone swings an axe at my face."
"You're asking me? I have full faith you'll figure something out, dear~" her voice trailed, and I was left alone with the allay. In retrospect, the only reason I accepted the challenge in the first place was so that I could bring that lunatic down a notch, but how was I even going to do that now?
...
I stared into Sunbeam's snow-white eyes as ideas were being born and shot down in my mind, until an epiphany instilled itself in me.
'This could work...'
…
We were now standing near the border of the snowy fields. This is where I'd do the main bulk of my workload. Brandishing a shovel, I began sweeping away snow, revealing the dark green grass that was concealed underneath.
The temperature wasn't quite as cold as the last time I passed through here, but had still put my leather clothes on, just in case. There were very few clouds in the sky today, so the sun's rays could rain down freely from overhead. It wasn't very windy, either, which made my job just a little easier.
As I kept shoveling away, I noticed the strange silence that had consumed the area. Sunbeam was strangely quiet. She was looking around idly, probably out of boredom. I felt kind of bad... Thanks to the unexpected change in schedule, it would seem that we wouldn't be able to spend quality time together.
...
Well, maybe not necessarily...
Though not exciting at all, I molded some snow into a snowball, which I proceeded to give to the allay. I felt it was safe to assume that Sunbeam was mentally younger than I was, so she'd probably have the imagination to do something with it. I looked at her curious gaze, as she was probably thinking of ways to use it.
With some time, she flew to the dropped snow I had missed while shoveling. Ordinarily, the snow would get sucked into my inventory automatically, like any other dropped item would when I approached it, but it seemed that I had missed some. In any case, Sunbeam happily scooped some snow in her arms and threw it at me.
In the end, the snow did end up in my possession, but not before hitting me in the face. While I was cleaning myself up, I heard Sunbeam giggling. I lifted my head to look at her, as she was floating a few blocks away from me, holding a snowball in her hand.
She threw it at me, but I ducked before it could hit me. She threw another, but I hopped to the left, causing her to miss. The game was on. I fought back, but the impish challenger avoided my shots in the most show-off manner, twirling and weaving through them.
"Hee-hee!"
Her accuracy was impressive, too, but I kept dodging. At one point, she faked me out by pretending to shoot a snowball one way, only to actually shoot it in the direction I jumped towards. Needless to say, she found her target.
A part of me found this to be good training for my upcoming fight. And yet, another, bigger part of me, knew that the duel wasn't what mattered. I found myself smiling. Genuinely and honestly. How long had it been since the last time that happened? Having fun like this...?
"Ah!"
I had launched one more snowball, and it landed on Sunbeam, who fell to the snowy ground with a poof. After a couple seconds, however, I realized that she wasn't getting up. I tensed up and ran to where she had fallen.
"Sunbeam!"
There was a small pile of snow that stood out from the rest of its surroundings. It was shaking in place. As fast as I could, I dug away at the snow, and there she was, her wings flapping weakly.
*Achoo*
I scooped her up in my arms and felt her shivering and trembling. Worry began to swell inside me. I hadn't thought that snow fight through... I racked my brain trying to come up with a way to warm her up.
In the end, I chose to hold a torch relatively near her, as she was resting in my other arm. It should serve as a campfire for her, considering her size, which was around half a block. We left the snow biome behind, having collected a sufficient amount of snow blocks, but I wasn't feeling satisfied with my training. I'd have to compensate for that in the afternoon...
A glance at the tiny being in my arms told me she was tired. Allays in general look rather fragile, so seeing one I felt oddly attached to look so vulnerable, made a strange feeling resonate within me. Getting Sunbeam to safety would have to take priority over any stupid duel.
...
Sunset, at last.
A time of day that caused me to feel conflicted, generally. On one hand, the sight of the setting sun is a rather beautiful one. The sky always becomes that much more colorful during that time. On the other hand, it's a telltale sign of imminent monster spawning.
Tonight was a special case, however. Most rooms of the mansion were empty, as the vast majority of illagers had gathered in the ring room. I scanned the room carefully, trying to get a feel for the space.
The ring, which was in the center of the room, had a floor made of smooth stone slabs, and its circumference was marked with dark oak fences. On one side of the room was a ladder that led to the second level which was an overhead loft that circled around the ring and was mostly reserved for the viewers.
I glanced at the audience. A few of them seemed nervous for what was about to ensue, but others were rowdier, clearly looking forward to the action. Sunbeam, who was next to me, seemed especially apprehensive. At least she was warmer now than she was back in the snowy plains, so I wouldn't have to worry about her.
That stray thought guided my attention back to my aching muscles. Perhaps I had overdone it with the training a bit. I had taken inspiration from the advice Eva had given me in the beginning of yesterday's trip, and I trained the whole afternoon to get a technique down. At least I succeeded with that.
Matilda walked up to me.
"So, how are you feeling, hero? Think you'll be okay?"
"I guess," I shrugged in response.
"Delightful. You remember what we talked about, right?"
"Right."
"Cool. Good luck, now; our challenger is coming up."
As if on que, Vincent strolled through the entrance, as though he owned the place. A handful of illagers in the audience cheered with excitement, whistling and blowing kisses. Others had less vocal reactions, simply getting pumped.
"Kept ya waiting, folks?" the vindicator asked aloud.
"You certainly did!" I spoke up. "You're late. I don't have all day to spare on this nonsense."
"Woah, someone's feeling eager to get his ass kicked. Don't worry about a thing, pal; Vinnie here will happily deliver."
'What a nuisance...'
Vincent climbed up into the ring, and I followed. We stood in opposite corners from each other. Seeing the people above us made me feel a little anxious momentarily, but I doused that thought before it could flare up. After a few moments, Matilda, who was apparently going to be the announcer, gathered everyone's attentions, speaking from atop the loft. Sunbeam left my side and flew up to her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here to witness the duel between Vincent, our resident vindicator, and Steve, the human newcomer. This match is under the supervision of our captain, and I, Matilda, our leader's chief assistant. Thus, it is legitimate and official." The witch spoke in a far more serious tone than what I was used to. She continued in a similar manner.
"The duel will end once either fighter concedes, is unable to battle further, or reaches critical state. Now that the boring formalities are out of the way, what weapons will you two choose?"
Vincent raised his trademark axe above his head.
"You all know what weapon I'm gonna use!"
I raised my weapons of choice in a similar manner - which served as a reminder of the stiffness of my arm muscles. Understandably, the display of my arsenal was met with surprise and whispers.
"A shield and a few snow blocks are my weapons of choice."
Even from where I was standing, I could see the confusion painted on the audience's faces, though it was milder in Matilda's case. Vincent, who had leaned back against the fence, stood upright.
"Well, I'll be. You're even crazier than I am! I've gotta hand it to you; you have guts. Not for long, though! For I, Vincent, will spill them all over the floor! Ha!"
"Smooth," some illager complimented.
"The winner of this match shall be deemed the strongest fighter among our ranks – barring our leader, of course. Are you two ready?" Matilda asked inquisitively. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, making sure I was as calm as possible.
"Let the duel...begin!"
As though I were a condemned criminal, Vincent lunged at me. The lightning-fast motion, in combination with my sore arm, almost made me raise the shield too late, so the match could've ended right then. Miraculously, I made it just in time.
The impact still made my arm go numb, but at least it didn't kill me. This way, I also managed to cut his momentum, as intended. Vincent followed with a horizontal swing, which I dodged by jumping backwards. The less I'd rely on blocking, the better.
Another swing came my way, a vertical one this time. It sliced through the air with a whistle. I evaded it by jumping to the side, but even so, I got a good reminder of the power hidden behind the blows. Whether it was due to the weapon or its wielder, I couldn't tell.
This back and forth of Vincent attacking and me dodging continued with little deviation. The axe was heavy, so changing targets and direction mid-swing wasn't something my opponent could reliably pull off. So, if I could stay focused, this would be manageable.
"What the hell is your problem, man? This is a duel, not a dance-off! Fight me!"
After putting enough distance between us, I figured it was about time I utilized my ultimate technique!
"Fine, then! Take this; the fruits of my training!" I yelled.
He wasn't prepared for the monstrosity I unleashed upon him.
"Are you making fun of me!?"
I had placed a snow block on the ring's surface, which Vincent proceeded to use as a platform. I had but a fraction of a moment to block his attack again, but my left arm was basically killing me at this point. Regardless, the battle waged on.
I continued to place down blocks of snow in a seemingly random manner. A fleeting glance at my opponent's eyes showed a fury of the most unfiltered degree. It was clear that he was focusing exclusively on me, paying little to no mind to his surroundings.
A fact that led him to his downfall!
He struck again, and this time, the head of his axe lodged itself deep into my shield. It soon became apparent that it had gotten completely stuck. He struggled to free his weapon, pulling with both hands. As fast as I could, I placed down a few more blocks, with the last one being between us, which I had placed right after I slid my forearm off the shield's leather straps. Just like that the duel was over.
Trapped in a pile of snow that he couldn't break through, Vincent could no longer battle. I was left panting. My heartbeat was booming in my ears. I couldn't tell what the roar of the audience was; was it cheering? Or maybe booing?
It wouldn't be until I regained my composure that I realized the true nature of the situation. Matilda had declared the end of the match, and it seemed like half of the audience was pleased with the result, whereas the other half cried foul play. Vincent joined in on the outcry.
"You didn't win jack squat, idiot! You cheated!" His loyal fans agreed.
"Cheated? How?"
"You are not allowed to use blocks! I can't break them! It's completely unfair to me!"
To be honest, I didn't particularly care about the result. I was just happy the ordeal was over and done with. However, seeing how my opponent was dissatisfied, I wouldn't be surprised if he were to challenge me again. I needed to make sure that would have no chance of happening.
"So, what are you saying? That things would be fair if I weren't allowed to use some of my abilities?"
"Yes! That's what I just friggin' said! Duels must be held on equal footing!" the angry snow pile replied.
"So, in other words, the only way this would be fair is if I handicapped myself?"
"Look, man, I can't do everything you do! This was-" he went on to say, but I cut him off.
"That's something you should've thought of before you challenged me. Here's the truth you need to learn, Vincent; a battle between you and I, would never be fair to you, because we are not equals. I'm stronger and more capable than you. You're putting so much effort to break blocks that I can destroy with ease. Keep that in mind before messing with me again."
I turned to address the viewers.
"Does anyone else want to challenge me, or can I finally leave?"
Total silence.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, with that out of the way, we can officially declare Steve as the winner!" Matilda stepped in. "Thank you for joining us. Have a good night!"
The illagers departed at differing paces. Some bolted out of the door, while others lingered for a moment, looking at the aftermath of the fight. In the meantime, I called for Sunbeam to come to my side again, as Matilda climbed down the ladder.
"Let me out of here, you bastard!" Vincent threatened emptily. I stroked my beard as though I were a philosopher with too much time on his hands. It was truly a shame he couldn't see it.
"I'll think about it."
The allay was smiling again, a sight that made me feel relief, especially after what happened earlier. I couldn't resist patting her head. She flashed me a grin, which made me acknowledge just how white her small teeth were. They were almost as white as her eyes.
"Thanks for listening to me, dear. I didn't expect such cooperation," the witch commented, breaking my concentration.
"No problem. So long as I don't get into another situation like this, at least."
Matilda waved her hand dismissively.
"I wouldn't worry about that. In fact, you may have overdone it a bit."
"How so?"
"Well," she started with a smirk. "Maybe my dear comrades will hesitate to work with you now..."
"Well, I'm not going to harm anyone, so long as they leave me be. I don't like being forced to fight."
I saw a mischievous glint in the witch's eyes, which highlighted the glow of her eyes.
"Interesting..."
All of a sudden, Sunbeam's eyes widened, and she flew to the entrance of the ring room. Initially, I was left wondering what caused this, but my wondering was answered almost immediately, as Eva stepped in. She had returned from her expedition safely.
That said, she seemed rather tired, as evident by her red eyes, unkempt hair, and slightly slouched posture. Even so, she gave Sunbeam a hug, and turned to us.
"Would you care to explain to me what the 'duel' I've been hearing, is all about, Matilda?"
Her tone indicated a fatigue that could very well flare up to irritation, or even anger, depending on the answer she'd get. Matilda filled her in on the details, while Vincent remained silent, surprisingly enough.
Once she got her answer, Eva pinched the bridge of her nose, and addressed me with a groan.
"Look, you handled the situation as well you could, but I can't have you encasing my troops in blocks. Release him."
I averted my gaze and responded with, "How can I be sure he won't attack me the moment he gets freed?"
"I won't!" Vincent barked. "What's the point!?"
"Do it," Eva commanded harshly.
That was it. I glared at her.
"Listen here, Eva, Alex, or whatever your name is. You don't get to talk to me like that. I'm not some lackey you can boss around."
Her lips straightened into a thin line.
"Steve, do not test me. I don't have the energy for this."
I clenched my fists.
"That is not my problem."
She took a deep breath.
"I'm not asking for anything too unreasonable here. Just the simple act of releasing my troops will suffice. Is that so hard a concept to grasp?"
I could just feel was getting close to my breaking point.
"For crying out loud! This isn't about what you're asking; it's the way! This whole day has been nothing but me defending myself from this maniac you keep around. As if that's not enough, now I have you yelling at me, as if I'm some subhuman filth!"
"I-"
"No, Eva! These last few days have been the most excruciating I have ever lived! Your lapdogs would probably try to kill me if they could, and being around you is like walking on eggshells, constantly on the lookout for what will anger you next! Not to mention that if it weren't for you, I would be living happily in my home! Why would I want to waste my time with such horrid people!?"
"..."
I felt a tug on my waist. Looking down, I saw that Sunbeam was pulling my tunic. With a pleading look in her eyes, she shook her head. I took a look around, past my tunnel vision. Matilda had taken a step back and was too focused on inspecting her robe. Eva on the other hand, looked...empty.
I knew I was in the right, but...did I really take it too far?
With a groan, I shattered the snow blocks, and the vindicator slowly stepped out of his frozen cage. He glared at me. Much like the previous times, there was anger in it. And something else, too, hiding behind his blue eyes. Hurt, is the impression I got. I glared back at him.
"..."
"..."
He left without a word. Only I, Sunbeam, and the illager higher-ups remained.
"...Before...Before I dismiss you two, Steve, did you...spend any time with Sunbeam? I'd...understand if you...didn't," Eva asked at an awfully slow pace. I gave her the basic rundown of our activities, without omitting anything. She turned to the allay for confirmation, to which she responded with a slow nod.
"A fighter and a babysitter? You're the whole package, huh?" Matilda teased with a smirk, which I proceeded to ignore. I appreciated her attempt at brightening the mood, but it didn't feel right.
"Alright...good job, you two..."
Eva departed, and Sunbeam tagged along with her, after giving me a small wave. In the meantime, I had returned my attention to the snowy arena. I began to clean up the battlefield, until Matilda cut through the silence. I was quite sleepy, so her words stung in my ears, even though her voice wasn't actually loud.
"Hey, so, I'm running short on mushrooms. I was planning to go on a little trip to the forest tomorrow to pick some. Would you be so kind as to accompany me, sweety?" she fluttered her eyelids.
"No thanks, I've got better things to do," I said, as I kept shoveling.
"I understand...I suppose I'll keep all the secrets concerning us, Cornelia, and all that jazz to myself...Juicy secrets that could be invaluable in filling the blanks in your mind...Yep...all that good stuff...All to myself. I totally respect your decision, though."
"You're bluffing..."
"My, such perceptiveness! I've been caught...Now my plan of world domination, which definitely involved you going to the forest with me to pick mushrooms, has been foiled..."
Suffice to say, I wasn't entertained by her theatrics.
"Oh, come on! I could easily go on my own; I'd just like the company. Boss is busy, and Vin won't be in the mood, I can already tell... After all, did you forget? We're teammates!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...I can prove to you that I am not your enemy."
"...Fine."