"Get that kid!" A burly man growled from his humiliating position on the ground. His trousers lay at his feet, exposing his brightly colored underwear for the world to see.
Several more men chased after a small boy who dodged and leapt out of the way nimbly each time the pursuers lunged to grab him.
"Ha! You can't catch me, suckers! Eat my dust!" The boy sped up even more, widening he gap between him and his pursuers.
"Gah! I swear on the King's Throne, I'll get you for this, you little runt!" The burly man from earlier swore as he picked himself up from the ground while making himself decent.
The boy kept on running until he reached the slum area of the little town. He weaved through some winding corners until he approached a small worn-out tent that stood in a lonely corner. He opened the tent a tiny bit and peeped in before stepping inside.
There, an old man was seated at the corner of the tent, weaving a small straw mat. Similar mats were piled up in another corner of the tent, gathering dust.
"Keegan?" The man turned back to take a look at the child who just stepped into the tent.
"It's me! I got something for ya!" Keegan grinned so widely, the old man thought his cheeks would split.
"Don't tell me..."
"I got it from that fat geezer's stall!"
The old man palmed his face and shook before letting out a low sigh. "I've told you before, Keegan; Don't st-"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't steal from others who work for their meals. I remember, gramps! Stealing is also a work of its own!" Keegan interrupted the man, shooting him another shit-eating grin.
"Number one - Don't call me gramps, call me-"
"Yeah, yeah. I remember. 'Call me Iianu'." Keegan added air quotes as he spoke and rolled his eyes.
The old man glared fiercely at Keegan before lunging at him and grabbing his ear between his fingers.
"Number two! Do not interrupt me as I speak!" The old man twisted Keegan's ear as he spoke.
"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! Let me go!" Keegan squealed as he tried to pry off the old man's hand off his ear. Surprisingly, despite how old the man looked, he was quite strong! In fact, the term 'quite strong' didn't cut it. As he was, this elder could probably trash the five men who were chasing him down earlier, and get away without a scratch!
After teaching Keegan a lesson, the elder finally let go of his ear. Keegan ran across the tent in a flash, whimpering like a kicked dog.
"I told you not to mess with me or I'll teach you a lesson, kid. You just don't learn, do you?" The old man sighed and shook his head again before going back to weaving his mat. Keegan watched him warily for a moment before darting out of the tent in a flash. He ran for a couple of minutes to distance himself properly from the tent before slowing to a walk.
He kicked a small pebble along the path as he walked, muttering to himself.
"Why must he always pull my ear? It hurts like hell. I mean, he could tie me up or something, but does he have to pull my ear?" Keegan winced as he rubbed his sore earlobe.
As he walked along the lonely dirt path, time passed and he soon found himself back in the city districts. After looking around for a bit, he finally confirmed where he was.
"I'm close to that fat geezer's stall again." Keegan whispered to himself and cursed. Just as he turned to flee down the street, he heard a very familiar voice cry out.
"There he is! Thief! Thief!" The fat stall owner yelled at the top of his voice while chasing after him. His bulging belly shook and bounced with each step he took forward. Keegan spun on his heels and took off in the other direction. He turned around to examine the number of people who were chasing him. All the people that were chasing him were the same as those from earlier in the afternoon, except for one.
A dashing young man that was a few years older than Keegan was among the group. His blond hair was cut neatly, framing his fair, baby face. Color drained from Keegan's face when he saw him.
Dreyfus, one of the most promising Knight Candidates of his set. He stood out for various reasons among his peers in the Hopsinian Knight Academy.
The first was above average mastery over his Mana Channels.
In order to make use of even the most basic applications of Spellcraft, one had to possess Mana Channels through which the magic power will flow through and manifest. Better mastery over mana channels meant a greater efficiency of spells.
The second reason was his amazing application of Spellcraft.
Usually, when someone was learning Spellcraft, one would choose a flashy application, such as Fire mastery, Water mastery, Wind mastery, and other masteries that would make one look cool. Dreyfus completely eschewed all the normal routes and decided to pursue a mastery in gravity.
At first, mastery over gravity would sound cool and amazing, but one had to know the dangers of trying to gain a mastery in gravity Spellcraft. This mastery required a strong enough body, and an even stronger will. One wrong move could result in the spell backfiring.
Normally, when a spell backfires when using water, wind, or fire, the most you could get is wet, burnt, a strong draft, or something not too severe, but when a gravity spell backfires, it is almost always likely for the spell caster to die, or forever become a cripple.
The third reason why he stood out, not just in the Knight Academy, but also in the city was because of his attitude.
Mr. Goody Two Shoes. Always being a good guy, helping children with whatever they need, helping old people, running errands for stall owners who don't trust their neighbors enough not to steal their stuff while they're away. It didn't take long for Dreyfus to become a mini celebrity among the locals.
It was because of these reasons why Keegan absolutely dreaded Dreyfus. The Knight-to-be was the exact opposite of him! He was a trouble maker, a rascal, a lazy ass bad boy, and he just had to run into the resident hero of the city!
While Keegan was cursing and swearing in his head, Dreyfus activated one of the easier spells he knew. A golden glow covered his body as he began to speed up. The men running by him noticed this and instinctively slowed down while watching in awe.
"Woo!"
"Get him, Drey! Get that delinquent!"
"Show him the strength of our Star Knight!"
With a slightly inflated ego, Dreyfus rushed at Keegan, ready to tackle him as soon as he got close enough. Just as he lunged at Keegan to tackle him, the younger boy abruptly disappeared from view.
"Ha! How does that dirt taste, Star Knight?" Keegan laughed from the top of a stall. The stall owner who was watching everything unfolding got a fright when he suddenly heard a voice from above him.
Everyone looked at Keegan with wide eyes, slightly horrified.
"No way..."
"The brat knows Spellcraft?"
"Dreyfus couldn't catch him?"
Under everyone's amazed gazes, Keegan waved and disappeared from everyone's view once again.
As he left, the confused Dreyfus got up from the ground, wiping the dirt from his face. He looked left and right, looking for where Keegan ran off to, before feeling a weight on his shoulder. He turned to meet the gaze of the fat man who had named Keegan was the thief who stole his foodstuff.
"It's alright, son. You'll get it next time." The man nodded solemnly.
The others who had formed a ring around them nodded solemnly as well. Dreyfus just shot them a dumbfounded look before turning back to where Keegan had disappeared with a profound look on his face.
***
"The Dreaded Blade has been getting more and more active in the Southern Seas lately. It's not too safe for travel anymore."
"Ah, that hoodlum. I've heard of their taking over Fort Anthony. It's a shame really."
"Yes, but if they are active in the Southern Seas, then that means they won't be here to mess up the festival!"
"Cheers!"
Several overdressed noble class people spoke together in a group as they sipped wine from their wine cups. Stewards moved around, weaving through the crowd with trays of snacks and drinks in their hands.
The high class nobles laughed and chattered some more about some random topics, their words occasionally drifting back to the topic of Dreaded Blade.
~Ding Ding~
The distinct sound of metal on a glass cup resounded through the hall. The king and his wife stepped forward, presenting themselves to the crowd of people.
Everyone bowed and the king waved his hand.
"Everyone! Welcome to the Moonlight Festival's Banquet!" His voice echoed throughout the large hall. The people present all clapped, regardless of if their territories were close to the Hopsinian capital or not.
King Benedict Elroy smiled amicably. After giving a short speech to honor each of the guests who had come to attend the Moonlight Festival's Banquet.
The Moonlight Festival was a mystical occurrence that only happened once a decade. It signified the period when the moon was at the peak of its cycle. The festival only lasted for two days, but that was because its effects only lasted that long. When the moon was at its peak, it allowed for easier spell casting, smoother mana channels, and more powerful spells.
Just before the king could continue speaking, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the hall. They all looked up as one and saw Keegan jumping into the hall through the broken window.
The pirate swung from chandelier to chandelier with ease. With a midair spin, he landed on the ground effortlessly by the position the king was. The king was taken aback for a moment before regaining his composure.
The Star Knights who were guarding the king rushed forward to attack Keegan.
"I'm not here to fight you, Elroy. I just want to borrow something." Keegan spoke while still under the assault of three Star Knights. At that moment, the large double doors to the hall room swept open. Three sharp gusts of wind shot in, confusing everyone in my room before slipping between then and heading behind the king.
"Ah-!" The shrill scream of a girl was head and the dark gusts of wind came back with a girl entangled with dark green roots. She struggled and tossed, trying to break free, but it was all for naught.
"If you'll excuse me, I'll just be taking the princess and I'll be on my way. The lowest price to win her back is 40,000 gold coins. If you don't want an increase in price, then you better behave." Keegan waved before disappearing into the darkness like a phantom shadow, leaving everyone in the ballroom empty minded.
***
Keegan appeared by the dock of the city, intending to steal a boat to make it back to his main fleet. Just then, a soft gush of wind blew from behind Keegan.
"What is it pretty boy? You can't just come all this way to peep on me. Are you seriously thinking of catching me?"
"Not at all, Dreaded Blade. I have come to offer my services as one of your crew." Dreyfus replied honestly.
"What? A knight wanting to become a pirate? That's impossible!"
"Not impossible, just rare."
"And why would I let you in?" Keegan furrowed his brows.
"Let me tell you a story." Dreyfus began, taking a seat on a barrel beside Keegan. "When I was a child, my family was saved by a Star Knight. Ever since then, I've always admired Knights because of that. And because of that Star Knight, I've always wanted to become a knight."
"Uh-huh. And what does that have to do with me?" Keegan looked doubtful.
"I've always admired strength. At first, I thought being a knight would give me strength, but when you think of it, you are more powerful than a knight. If I could learn from you, I would forever be in your debt."