Silence brewed over the village. Even the birds seized their chirping. When everything went quiet, the only thing audible was the dripping blood, in a warm crimson pool that formed around the muscular man's body.
Lir, at a steady pace, approached Tilly's mother, who was on her knees next to King Charaka's lifeless mass. A trembling sensation of uneasiness overcame her body. Tears would build up in the sockets and not flow down her cheeks. Even though he died in front of her, she didn't pity him and refused to cry.
Although she didn't fear Lir or the mysterious power he exhibited, it still shook the woman to her core. As soon as he touched her, she flinched. A strange shiver went down her spine that forced her to push him back. "S-Stay away from me…!"
"I-I..."
Dejected, Lir looked at his hands and then turned his gaze to the inanimate body of the Nomad King. His knees weakened, giving him a flat fall to the dirty ground. He felt the piercing gazes around him picking his brain. None of the villagers said anything, but he could hear their thoughts.
The first thought he picked up from the gazes was that of Tilly's mother, which was full of worry when he looked at him with the ever-loving and kind brown eyes. "Lir...!"
"Lir did that?"
"Is that really him?"
Tilly's father felt the tension that surrounded them and, saying nothing, he got up and kneeled next to Lir. He wrapped his hands around the shaking young man and smiled. "Thank you… Thank you for helping my wife!"
This has always been a man of few words, but whenever he spoke, sincerity would pour out. His kind gesture elevated the young man's spirit and lifted the worries from the villagers, including his wife's.
Their rejoice didn't last for long when a voice startled them. The Nomad King Charaka spat a mouthful of blood and got into a cross-legged position. "You brat… You are a King…!"
His crew celebrated whilst the villagers revealed the horror in their eyes. Their tears dried and their voices muffled as soon as they saw him stand. His wound slowly closed and a grin appeared on his face.
Lir unconsciously shielded Tilly's parents. He stood in front of them and extended his hands, signaling the foe in front of him they were off limits. Unfazed, the Nomad King took a step in Lir's direction.
The ground shook when he planted his foot on the ground. Upon lifting it, the print hissed and steam poured out. With his wound completely healed, Charaka cracked his knuckles, which sounded like tree trunks breaking.
He stood in front of Lir and smirked. "What kind of King are you? You are too scrawny…!"
He flexed his body and in that dead silence, one could hear the muscles tense and bulge while blood ran through them. Lir kept staring at the enormous enemy in front of him and couldn't help but wonder. 'This King candidate thing is too random…'
The young man brought his hand in front of his chest and opened his palm. Charaka took a step back by instinct. The last time he underestimated him, he ended up with a hole in his chest. Lir chuckled. "May I have my pebble back? It's precious!"
A question coming from the back made the young man have an internal chuckle. Probably one of Charaka's thugs whispered, as it was barely audible, but Lir picked it up. "Why did you throw it then?"
The Nomad King looked at him, confused. He turned to his crew, and they shook their heads as they didn't know what he was talking about or what he meant. He then turned to Lir, who no longer does he appear to be frightened of him. Charaka sneers at him with confidence. "A stone… You mean a stone, right?"
Lir chuckled and nodded with a smile. "Yeap!"
He pointed at his chest and then somewhere on the ground, like he was telling him to pick it up and bring it to him.
The young man had a glint in his blue eyes that captivated the villagers and stroke a sense of uncertainty in Charaka and his crew. An uneasy feeling grew in their gut and they didn't know why it was happening. They knew for sure that they have won since Charaka healed, but Lir's expression didn't let them relax.
While they were trying to make up their minds, Lir thought back to when he first talked with Merlin. She gave him some basic instructions and information. [Starting next week, you will get notified of simple quests where, upon completing them, you will receive 100 EXP. When you pass that threshold, automatically you will exchange the EXP with 2 Skill Points to use however you see fit.]
When Merlin finished with her explanation, Lir replied. "Hey, uhm… Merlin! Since 100 EXP grant me 2 Skill Points, is it possible to exchange that 50 EXP for one?"
The growling of Charaka forced the confident looking Lir back. He stared at him as focused as he could be. He didn't let the cheering of his enemy's crew distract him. 'The first week of quests starts tomorrow so he should have the same status as I. With that extra skill point I put on detection…'
Charaka charged at Lir with a punch, pumping boiling blood. Lir remained still and unfazed. Before it reached his face, a shing sound ran cold through their veins as the Nomad King's hand flew off, spinning and spraying blood.
Lir smirked at the sight as he kept his eyes glued to the confused Charaka, who was trying to make sense of what took place. 'Although faintly, I could sense this person moving in the shadows. I guess my little antic gave them the time they needed…!"
The young man walked a few steps and stood in front of the bleeding, burly man. He didn't have to explain himself, but it felt like a thing to do. "My pebble was a test, and it bought some time. I wanted to know what our King bodies are capable of, but I didn't want to try it on myself. Since you announced you were a King, I thought; hey, that's a good chance to experiment... so thanks…!"
Charaka's face turned pale in disbelief. "From back then…"
He wanted to rip Lir in half, but he didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence when the cold steel of a blade severed his body from the neck.
Long crimson hair fluttered before Lir's eyes, like a river of blood. When he saw the glinting green eyes made his heart pound violently.
Her trembling, icy voice made Charaka's crew fall off their horses. Her stare shot daggers at them, making them flinch. "Last week, you rummaged and burnt my village. Today I got my revenge. Stick around if you want more!"
They fumbled on one another, got on their horses, and ran without looking back. The young woman wiped the blood off her blade and sheathed it back in place. She looked around at the frightened villagers and sighed in relief. It came a moment though she gasped, and that is when they locked eyes with Lir. "You…"