"Oh really? Ya wanna' test that theory?" I had mocked her accent. It sounded pretty decent too, if I say so myself.
"Bring it on, city boy!"
We headed to the back and she tossed me a wooden sword. I flipped it backwards and got in my combat stance. She, to my surprise, used a bow. She grabbed one and the practice arrows, which had a rubber tip on it, and raised the bow and loaded it, taking aim.
"You ready?" I asked.
"When you are," she replied.
I started running at her. She released the arrow and it was sent flying at me. It nearly made contact, but I was just able to dodge it. I could feel the rubber tip graze my cheek. Before I could recover, she had already shot another arrow.
CRAP!
I swung my sword and it made contact with the arrow and was sent flying away.
How did I…?
She looked as surprised as I felt, but that quickly changed as she went to shoot another arrow. However, I had used that moment of shock and was already running at her by then and was only a yard away from her. I got ready to swing and when I closed the distance, I did just that.
The sword made contact with nothing. Ellie had dodged and grabbed my wrist and began twisting it, flipped me over her shoulder from the momentum, and as I hit the ground back first, she loaded an arrow into her bow and took aim at my head.
"Boom, yer dead," she grinned.
"Close range hand to hand combat?" I asked bewildered.
"Well yeah. What? Do ya think archers are only good fer shootin'? We learn some hand to hand combat jus' in case we get closed in on like that."
"Dang. That's pretty cool." And I wasn't lying. That was the last thing I expected to happen.
"Flattery won't get ya anywhere with me."
"I'm not trying t-"
"Oh, don't ya lie now," she winked at me. "I know jus' what yer tryna' do." I sighed exasperatedly at her statement.
I really wasn't flirting or trying to flatter her, I was simply complimenting her.
Now, she was pretty, I'll give her that. "I'm sure you do," I waved her impudence off dismissively.
"Still flirting, I see," Caz spoke out of nowhere, causing us both to jump. Apparently, he saw the whole thing. Fight and all.
"How many times do I—"
"Only a joke," Caz smirked.
Tsk, these people.
"Here, your weapon's done. And I must say, it turned out quite nice." He handed me the sword.
The blade was mostly black, with a red design running up the middle until it reached the tip. The blade itself was about 16 inches long and the sword itself was light, almost as if it had no weight.
The hilt was black and the sword had a guard that was closed around the base of a blade, like a flower yet to bloom. It was made out of Lintanium Ore, which is the cause of its lightness.
"Thanks." I took the blade and sheathed it on my back with the scabbard. I didn't seem it, but I was overjoyed at having a real sword for myself.
"Of course. But now for payme-" before he could finish, I pulled out the bag the old man gave me and gave him a rather large sum, around 800 gold coins. Their eyes opened wide in shock, like they had never seen that much money.
"What? Is that not enough?" I asked this but knew very well it was more than enough. If I had been anyone else, they would have known it was sarcasm, but I wasn't good at expressing emotions on my face or in my voice, so I sounded serious.
"N-No. It's not that, it's the opposite. This is WAY more than what you owe."
"What did I owe?"
"250 gold."
"Oh... Well, consider the extra gold as a thanks."
Damnit, I can't take money back! That'd look uncool!
"Fer what?" Ellie finally got out of her shocked state and spoke.
"The recommendations, the training, the personally made sword out of rare ore. Need I go on?"
"T-Thank you. This can help us stay in business for another two months!"
"I hope so," I spoke as I began walking off. "I plan to come back again in a short time, be sure to expect me." I opened the door but before I stepped out Ellie called out to me.
"Wait, ya never told us yer name!" I turned my head so that I just saw her.
"The name's Kichirou. Kichirou Saiyaku." At that I left the shop and headed to the plains where I planned to go fight monsters to increase my level a fair amount before joining the adventurer's guild. After all, I don't want to go in as a level 5. I had leveled up twice with that spare with Ellie.
Meanwhile, Ellie couldn't stop starring at the door where Kichirou had just left.
"Did his cool act set your heart aflutter, my little LieLie," her dad had called her by her nickname that she's hated since she was a kid. But the reaction he got wasn't the usual rebel, what he got was a flustered daughter.
"W-W-Wha! No! Pa, it'll take a lot more than that ta impress me." She said this, yet her voice and face, which was red as a tomato, betrayed her.
"Looks like my daughter has finally fallen in love!" He yelled as he got excited. "And I approve!"
"PA!" Her face got even redder.
"I bet you can't wait till he comes back. I bet you're counting the seconds."
"PA!!" She started beating her fists on his chest, to which he laughed at.