Chereads / The OP Engineer / Chapter 11 - Need for skill

Chapter 11 - Need for skill

A new day has begun, Azar woke up refreshed and actually it's the first time, till he came to this new world, that he feels relaxed. He went to the tavern of the inn, had a nice and big breakfast, then he went to the market, bought some food supplies and lastly visited Big B.

"Hey, Big B, I'm going to leave the city now."

"You leaving already?"

"Yes, the sooner the better."

"Have a nice trip boy, be aware that not all cities are like this one."

"Yea, yea, I know."

"Good. You can now forge right? Take some metal and leather, you will need them."

"Thank you and good bye."

He went to the gate, looked back, sighed and left.

* This is the real step to the journey i'll take. It's kind of sad though... I could still live a happy life here, I mean, I had a job and I could also socialize find a girl to take care off, have children, it is one of the safest places for them. But, what about my friends. What happened to them? and also... WHAT HAPPENED TO ME? what are all those? is this a dream? I will uncover it all, I want to be here, but what is here? so many things I can't explain, so many people called me ignorant... I used to know almost everything, and now I am ignorant. They don't even know basic things such as what gravity is, and they call ME ignorant. I wi..."

- Are you done yet?-

-Shut up.-

-What did you said, i g n o r a n t, kid-

-Go away, go to sleep again, stupid useless sword, without me you would be sleeping forever, in a warehouse, full of traps.-

Kenoni laughed and went silent. The trip was 3 days and 3 nights long. It was a peaceful walk and Azar was lost in his mind till a broken caravan with a man standing unharmed ,cursing and mumbling.

"Hey, you there... kind sir!"

*Saved at last minute, huh?*

"What happened?"

"Bandits... they stole my cargo."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Can you help me get it back?"

Azar checked out the situation, checked the caravan and the man himself.

"Not sure, I could be, of any help. But let me guess they run into the forest,right?

"Wow, I am amazed! Was it just a guess?"

"Of course not."

Azar stood there proud with his hands behind his back and his chest out.

"Let me guess, one more thing. There were no bandits, right?"

The man took a step back.

"So you knew! I don't remember leaving anyone alive?"

He said while he grabbed his dagger he hid in his sleeves.

"That's a bad move."

The mans foot was grabbed by a bear trap followed by a scream, then Azar took kenoni and stabbed the man at his chest.The man fell down, screaming in pain and fear.

Azar, looted the man and his caravan then put it afire and left.

*What a situation... I'm sure so many brave warriors and kind fighters was tricked and killed by that man. Even so, I missed his vital organs, he could survive. I'm also glad that he was so clumsy to leave such traces, bandits stole his cargo, and not only left him alive, they also did not necessary damage to the caravan, and never killed the horses, which they had to be terrified, but they were so calm. So, I only had to make sure of some things.*

-The bear trap, how did it ended up there?-

-i knew you were hearing, that's why I was explaining. So, when I was playing the pride man, I was making parts for the bear trap by smelting the metal Big B gave me, and then put it there, sneaky sneaky. I hid it from him with hot and cold air, it's called mirage, It was like fooling a kid.-

-I'm amazed. For an ignorant kid, you are observational.-

-Sigh... Now stop talking, i was lucky enough with him being too naive, I have to be prepared for that kind of situations.-

Azar made a small camp, in the woods. He took the leather and some iron, and made a perfect gauntlet, with some, sockets and a strange mechanism. Then he made some little ceramic bottles.

-What is this?-

-Sigh... It's a gauntlet, obviously.-

-And what about these sockets?-

-It's a secret.-

-Tsk.-

-What happened?-

-You are not fun.-

-I don't care.-

-What if you were? Maybe you would be dating Lina until the weird thing happened to you.-

-So, you know about that. Do you know what happened?-

Kenoni burst out laughing.

-What's so funny?-

-IT'S A SECRET!-

Kenoni continued laughing out her lungs.

-You... sigh... Ok, ok, if i tell you what are the sockets for would you tell me what you know?-

-Of course.-

-The sockets are obviously for those ceramic bottles but what if I put some very hot air and some very cold air in there?-

-It would... explode!-

-But, why that's not happening inside the bottle?-

-Ummmm... Is it, halved by a wall in the center?-

-It could be right, but its not. It must be exposed to the atmosphere first, and then it will explode, because in there, it's like the space.-

-I see, so when it breaks, then it will explode. But what about your hand?-

-I have put some thinking into it, so i just made the bottle smaller and protect my hand with the metal plates of the gauntlet. The weird mechanism just slides another bottle to the socket.-

-I see.-

-That said, it's late and way too dark to continue our trip. Let's sleep.-

-I see. Are you not... scared?-

-Of what, bandits? I already have put traps in the perimeter so it will be safe, don't worry, no one will steal you from me.-

-I don't mean about outsiders... I mean, you are not scared to sleep with me, i could just kill you in your dreams.-

-Then you will lose your power source, and maybe stolen by an animal, i would not suggest that. So go to sleep and shut up.-

That said, they both went to sleep. Azar was dreaming about his life before the sudden change, which reminded him...

"Hey! Hey! Kenoni, wake up!"

"Wait... How are you here?"

"What do you mean, you can come to my mind but i can't?"

"Wait... this is... your mind?"

"Obviously, how could a demonic blade have a mind?"

"True... So, why did you rudely woke me up?"

"I told you about the gauntlet, tell me about what happened to me?"

"OH, hehe... Well... I don't know. I said I would tell you what i know, and i know nothing about it."

"You little... sigh... How could I make a deal with a demon and expect her to keep it."

"Hey... That's rude, i kept it, it's not my fault that you left a window open."

"Yea,yea, thank you. Goodnight."

The following morning, when he woke up, everything was fine. So he picked up his things and left. He was just walking when he just froze

*WHY AM I ON FOOT, I LEFT NIR BACK!!!!!!*

Depressed and bored he continued his journey without Nir. The day passed quickly, with nothing interesting happening, so Azar had plenty of time to think some magic spells. He actually thought some and he wanted to test them out, and the only one he could repose on was Kenoni, so he closed his eyes and...

"Hey! HEY! ARE YOU AWAKE?"

"GOD, i hate you, give me some space, dude!"

"You were silent all day long, such a sleep fun you are. So, i want to try some new things would you mind to be the test dummy?"

"Test dummy? No way, how about a friendly fight?"

"Hmmm... Not a bad idea."

Kenoni just took out the sword from inside her chest, her sword that she was in real life. Azar hold his fists up.

"What are you doing? Disrespecting me or underestimate me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Take out your scythe!"

"I don't know how!"

"Oh! okay then. Hope you have some very good aces up your sleeves or this will be too fast."

And in that way the fight began. She dashed to Azar way to fast, Azar couldn't see her and dodged instinctively, then he immediately started casting, he started a normal fireball he fired straight to block her if she turn back immediatly, then he placed a metal bar in the ground then he run straight to Kenoni to punch her with his gauntlet.

She easily dodged it, and then strike back with a diagonal slash, which Azar dodged with a sidestep. But Kenoni didn't left him an opening striking countless times putting Azar in an only dodging situation.

At some point Azar, just blocked a strike with his metal gauntlet, Kenoni was caught of guard, but he couldn't made a blow with his glove so he just kicked her at the stomach, which made Kenoni take only a step backwards, it was fine though.

"That's a perfect line!"

He said and made a lightning from his hand to the metal bar, which was infused with fire making it a very powerless plasma but a powerful lightning. Kenoni, dodge it at the last second with a jump to the right.

Then he immediately rushed to Kenoni punching her to the face with the gauntlet, the bottle exploded and made a small explosion, which made Kenoni dizzy. But it was just sudden for her, she stand up and block the other punch with her shoulder , creating an opening for a fatal blow.

The sword stopped a few centimeters away from Azar's throat.

"Nice tricks, kid, but you still need a hundred years to reach me."

"I am, more amazed that I even landed a blow on you."

"Well, I am still holding back at you. You wanted to test something, you couldn't test it if i ended it in a matter of seconds."

"Sound right. Good fight, i tested the power of the bottle. It's enough not to kill but to make someone faint. I would also like to test the new mechanism of the glove but i had no chance."

"You still didn't got your chance? Want to go again?"

"No thanks, I am exhausted. I will get the chance an other time. I will get some sleep."

*I am so powerless, it's so irritating. I want , to explore this world, but i can't even out power a demon, inside my own head. I have to get more staff. What can i do?*

He slept before he could finish his thoughts. The sun didn't even got the chance to rise, and Azar woke up. He was exhausted but still, he didn't want to get any more sleep. He just started walking, finishing his thoughts from the day before.

*That's AWESOME, that could work. I need copper.*

-Kenoni, we must go to the next city, faster.-

-Well, there is a way, but it's a guaranteed danger.-

-I don't care, do I?-

-Okay then, go into the forest and follow the sun. That, it has not risen up yet.-

-Okay don't worry I understood the way.-

They got into the forest, it was pitch black, Azar was in full awareness, he had the assassin stance and he was walking among the trees silently and almost like he was not even there. But that wasn't enough. The hunters already knew his place. He was being followed.

He speed up, he was fast, but not fast enough. An arrow slashed the air and whistled, Azar tried to dodge it but the arrow still sliced his skin near his shoulder. There was two options, either run full speed, with the danger to crush at a tree, or turn back and fight.

He was at a disadvantageous situation. The hunters knew the place and they could possibly be able to see in the forest's darkness, they were used to its darkness so it was only logical for them.

*I must be sure about their night vision, if it's just a spell, it could mean trouble. But if they just lived in this forest for generations, that's good news.*

He stopped. An arrow passed right next to his head.

*So, that's a game for them. I'm a prey, who trespassed their territory.*

He made a turn throwing metal bars to the surrounding trees. Then he cast a fireball, the light from the fireball, made his hunters blind, then he threw another metal bar to the ground and jumped with all his strength and cast a lighting to the center metal bar. The hunters was confused.

"That's it, you're dead!"

The commander, probably shouted all the rest hunters took aim and shot arrows to him. The arrows never hit Azar, they was just circling around mid air.

-WAIT! Is this a magnetic field?-

-That's right, the arrows are made from metal for some reason. So i just created a magnetic field. And for a finishing touch.-

Azar created a gust of wind which made the circles diameter wider, then he threw a lighting, the lightning traveled through the arrows and hit the surrounding enemies. Then he run to escape from any other hunters who listened or waited to get his chance.

Azar's luck though wasn't going to last for a long time. The hunter's forest was full of traps, and Azar fell into a hole which led to a cave. The smell was weird, it was like rotten flesh together with some rotten plants.

-And now what?-

-We are going to find our way out. But first, we need to rest.-

He placed his traps and slept right to the center of the big room he found himself in.