The dust finally began settling and a beholden winner was undoubtedly decided. Toga stood with his foot on Harrows back. His hands were pulling on Harrows arms from behind, creating an impossible lock to get out of.
The people looked on in astonishment. Harrow actually lost? The man who never loses a match of pure physical strength, just lost to a brat from the Skylands? It wouldn't be abnormal if he at least would have resorted to using his spirit powers, but true to his word, he didn't use any of it.
"You're one impressive squirt ya know that?" Harrow said. He smirked having felt no regret. "I admit my defeat… you win kid,"
Toga let him go smirking the entire time. "Glad you're the straightforward type. If you were any more stubborn, I might have run out of ideas to pin you down,"
Harrow chuckled. "Stop it kid. You don't have to save me any face. Your determination won the match. And it won me over,"
All the witnesses looked astonished. They glanced at each other before looking at them again. "Boss, are you sure he didn't use any spirit energy? Maybe even his fire Artes?" They asked.
"Enough of that! The lad won fair and square. And he did it on his terms," Harrow wrinkled his brow at them. "What kind of man would I be if I decided to run foul?"
"You know what, you're alright old man," Toga patted him on the back. "I hope this square's any animosity we may have had with each other,"
Harrow gave him a skeptical look, scrunching his face up. "Boy! You really believed I held that much animosity towards you? I just wanted to fight you personally. That so much to ask?"
Toga blinked. So this whole tough guy thing was all an act? Just swell.
"Come on back to my dojo and let's talk about it, before you start getting swarmed by the village," Harrow said.
The town started gossiping with each other as the two left. Toga felt proud of himself after that one. To think, that he would be able to gain their trust through determination like this. Toga couldn't wait until he told Ryuma. He never believed opponents like this is what you'd find in the lower world. What else did they have to offer?
Now that they were in the dojo, Toga sat on his knees in front of Harrow. He was pulling a mission without having to spill any blood. How many priests can say they did that?
"I'm so glad you decided to trust The Order. I promise we won't let you down. We're here to help," Toga said.
"Whoa. Slow it down boy. I said we trust you. Ain't no way we trust in The Order. It's you we trust in," Harrow said, narrowing his eyes. "It just so happens that you're part of them. Doesn't mean we like them,"
"Are you kidding me? The point of all this was to mend our relationships," Toga said.
"And you thought a fight between us would do that? Look boy. You're clearly new in the order and you don't know how things work down here. So let me spell it out for you. Everybody down here is only here because we've had enough of The Order," Harrow said.
"I understand that…" Toga said.
"I'm saying that because you don't understand it. You only know the half of it. What I'm trying to tell you is that it isn't just us. Most everybody in Loil region has had enough of The Order. We're the only ones who decided to do something about it," Harrow said.
"Everybody… surely you don't mean,"
"I do!" Harrow let it sink into Toga about who he was talking about. "That includes the people of Fahragon. That city you must have passed on the way over here. Did they look at you like a hero going to eliminate bandits for them?"
Toga thought back to the day he was in Fahragon. Indeed, he knew something was off about them. Here he was, the next shining star out to complete a mission to better their lives, and most of them only praised him as if it were an obligation. Now that he thought about it, they weren't looking at him with admiration. That was fear…
They wanted to avoid him.
"If that's the case, why is Fahragon considered the most loyal capital amongst the four regions if it's citizens don't trust the very people that protect them," Toga asked.
"There are many reasons for that to be the case. Some believe these heavy taxes levied upon us is a worthy price to pay. Others simply believe that there's no other way of life. Then there's those that benefit as the middleman in between. In any case, we're not rebellious, because we still have shit to lose. And I'm talking about the ones out there. Those of us down here… well,"
Toga thought about it. He's seen many people down here, but he hardly seen full-fledged families. Course there were some here and there, but for the most part, these were people who'd had enough of the surface. They wanted to start a new life.
"And it seems that they won't even let the collected rift-raft be. They're determined to levy taxes on us, so long as we're living. If they can't, they'll just invent a reason to exterminate us on some bullshit that we're bandits,"
Toga's eyes widened. Is that how The Order really does things? He was told his whole life that they were there to protect. Was that a lie?
If he'd become a sentinel, he'd never had found this out.
"If that's the case, why did you let me, and my partner come down here where you and your family were at? Aren't you aware of how dangerous it would have been if we came here to kill you?" Toga asked.
"I'm well aware of how dangerous it was. We didn't let you do anything," Harrow smiled. It was a sad smile, one of acceptance. "The truth is, if you had wanted, you and your partner could have easily slaughtered your way in here, and we wouldn't have been able to stop you. We all came down here being fully prepared to die. Matter of fact, it was inevitable,"
Toga looked downwards. Were the people down here pushed up against a wall that badly? To the point of already accepting their deaths before it even came.
"If that's the case, then how about using me?" Toga said.
Harrow blinked. "What do you mean lad?"
"I'm the shining spirit for the Red Dogs. My standing with the Skylands is higher than your average priest. If I claim you guys to be good guys to the public, then wouldn't it be harder for them to commit genocide?" Toga asked.
Harrow thought about it. "Ya know what, that just might work," He crossed his arms. "The one thing the order cares about is their public image. If you proclaim loudly and to everyone that we're nobody to fear, then any massacre they commit would contradict too much. Harrow looked at him smiling. "Boy, you're a political genius,"
"Huhhh?" Toga asked. He's never been called that one before. He rubbed his nose with a conceited smug.
It was then that Trisha Valech came running towards the two. Toga tilted his head sideways at the necklace she was wearing. It was made of shining silver and glistened from the few light sources down here. The design at the bottom were of two small contraptions crisscrossing each other in an 'X.' There was a handle that looked like it was for gripping. A chamber in front of it, and a barrel resting at the top.
{Is that a weapon?} Toga wondered.
If so, it was absurd looking.
"Trisha put that damn thing away. It'll cause us nothing but trouble for us!" Harrow barked.
Upon sensing something was off. Trisha Stuck the necklace inside her cleavage. She didn't expect anybody to be in here.
Toga blinked, confused at what the problem was. To him it was just a necklace. Did it mean something? The sense of urgency in his voice implied so.
Toga decided it was best to forget something like that. Whatever secrets they kept had nothing to do with him. So long as they agreed to his idea.
"Well, whatever. I think I've said all I need to say on the matter. If it pleases you, I can station some priest here to defend against the demons," Toga offered. He couldn't imagine having to live defenseless just for freedom.
"No need! we can do fine on our own," Harrow replied.
That was even more confusing. Toga narrowed his eyes at Harrow. Sure he understood that the man doesn't trust the priest, but to be realistic, this place is more vulnerable to demons if they had no defense against them. Why have that risk?
Toga cupped his hands. "Very well. I'll collect my partner and we shall be on our way,"