Today was the day Thork and the gang escaped from their life in these slums.
I lazily keep a ball suspended in the air, pretending that I was keeping it afloat through the force of my breath. I pucker my lips and blow up into the ball the air mixed in with a little tetsu. To say I was bored was quite the understatement. However, despite this, a nervous anticipation filled my chest. The rest of the gang had already left, and I was the only one left at the safe house.
The ball drops to the ground, bounces once, then it comes to a standstill.
An immutable silence had come over the house. I sit down on the ground cross legged, simply basking in the various feelings simmering in my body. My eyes closed, my senses completely dulled to my surroundings, only focused on myself.
After a while, I nod my head in acceptance. Yes, this is the choice I've made.
I take out and put on a large cloak with a hood that covered my face in a shadow to prevent being recognized. Then I pause and promptly take off the hood.
I had gotten used to the rotten scent that hung over this area to the point where I could no longer smell it. I had gotten used to living frugally, eating as little as I needed to. I had gotten used to resting on the uncomfortable stone floor, with Thork's snoring constantly waking me up. A faint smile passed my lips as I stepped outside the door. Thank you Thork, you gave me something I never had.
A piece of paper suddenly flies across the street, landing right next to my feet. I instantly knew what it was, A bounty of 40 Doons placed on my head, a strikingly similar portrait of my face. Honestly, you are a really really good liar. Maybe the second best I've ever known.
I harden my resolve, my tetsu begins to stir up, raging throughout my body in a matter of milliseconds. This time, however, instead of turning my tetsu into air, it turns into fire.
Slight vibrations from under my feet, my battle instincts honed to the extreme telling me that I'm in danger. I jump up high into the air as dozens of blades suddenly pierce the dirt ground from below my feet. Even as I jumped, they continue flying into the air as if they had a mind of their own. What is this? Telepathic control? I don't think I've ever read about this. Wait, could this possible be the blood—
No time to think about that! There was no way I could avoid them in midair like this, switching to air to blow them away would take too long, and there was no way I could melt that many swords so quickly. These were the thought process going through my head in the half second hanging in the air. I throw my fingers out, my palm already facing towards the swords as a rush of heat flies through my fingertips. Each sword bounces off me, leaving only bruises as I concentrate all the heat I could muster to make the sharp edges of each blade soft and malleable like clay.
I then switch my tetsu to air and blow the swords far away into the sky. Far enough to hopefully break their remote control. I clench my teeth together from the pain, the swords weren't able to cut me, however they were sent with enough force to cause considerable damage.
As I land, I cross my palms and hold them out in both side of my body. A well known defensive stance as crossing your arms made it easier to hold your arms closer to your body. Making myself as small as possible, two men appear from behind some decrepit wooden walls and charge at me with terrifying speeds. Both of them was wearing a strangely dull turquoise metal armor, almost as if it was made out of stone. One of them were holding a sword also made of the same material. The other wore metal gauntlets with that material, their entire bodies had been covered head to two with it.
This is my 3rd fight since coming to this world, I'll be damned if I haven't already gotten used to your speeds. I begin the transition of switching my tetsu from air to fire. However, at the same time a dam of tetsu gathers in both of my hands. Normally, it would be extremely difficult to focus on two different types of tetsu at once. However, during the transition period there is a brief moment where both forms of tetsu will occupy ones body. The dam forming on my two palms break, two giant bubbles of superheated air come bursting through my hands. Giant currents of air roar through the streets, burning up everything within a 30 meter radius and then gradually dissipating. The two men are lifted off their feet and are thrown backwards, their suits catching on fire.
That should be enough to kill both of them, I relax momentarily; however, immediately tense up as I see both of them getting back on their feet while still burning. The field had become a burning wasteland. A massive updraft as fills the area as the hot air rises, propelling smoke into the sky.
I had checked with Thork beforehand to see if there was anyone else living here besides us, and he said that there wasn't, so there shouldn't be any bystanders that would of gotten caught up in the attack. But now what? My fire had been rendered effectively useless by the material these two men were wearing, my wind had proven to be successful in restricting their movements, but wouldn't cause any actual damage.
"How did you guys know where I was going to come out?" I shouted, fully aware that Thork was the one who ratted me out.
"What's the point of telling a soon to be dead man this fact?" The man holding the gauntlets shouted through his visor. The voice was unfamiliar, quite youngish, maybe around my age.
"Don't underestimate him Rainel; there are many things we don't know about his power, and to answer your question, we cannot say who told us. If we somehow lose, there's a chance you may go after that person for revenge."
"That's understandable, thank you anyways." It's bought me enough time to think of something.
The Tetsu in my body begins to flow and ebb like a river. I was very unfamiliar with the tetsu of water, and my affinity for it wasn't particularly great. However, there was one thing I could do with it, and it was one thing I could do well. I curl up my fist as an ever increasing ball of water hidden from their eyesight grows denser and denser.
"So have you made your decision yet hero? We could avoid fighting all-together if you've decided to join our side."
"What!? He's killed thirteen of our people! There's no forgiveness for a person like him." The knight wearing gauntlets known as Rainel objected.
"That was not the hero. I know you weren't there for it, but an assassin from Oliviand infiltrated the palace around the same time the hero appeared. "
"Are you ever going to ask me for my name?" I suddenly interjected. Being constantly called "the hero" felt off-putting.
"I have no intention of learning your name unless you've decided to join our side. What you've done is still despicable and not easily forgiven. You will still have some apologizing to do and punishment to go through."
"And that's one of the reason I despise you guys." I mutter. The ball of water had reached its limit, I could no longer compact it any further. I slowly switch back into fire, concentrating to prevent the ball of water from bursting.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I have a very strong argument for joining Oliviand right now." I said with a semi-taunting cocky grin.
"I see, that's quite unfortunate." Hanafin said before closing the visor on his mask.
Rainel approaches me first. A giant cloud of steam bursts from my hands just as he takes his first step, making it impossible for anyone except for me to see anywhere. I quickly switch to wind, effortlessly side-stepping Rainel's approach while simultaneously throwing my fist at his visor.
"Weak!" Rainel ducks the fist easily and pivots around his foot turning him around for a counterattack. However, he is instantly met with a heavy kick to the stomach as he turns around.
"Wha-" He staggers under the blow; however, recovers just as fast. I had moved at unexpectedly high speeds, much higher than what I was ordinarily physically capable of. I blend back into the steam, making sure that I could see him but he couldn't see me. A painful sting resonated through my foot, my body wasn't capable of hitting so hard, it probably did more damage to me than to that knight. I had accelerated my foot's momentum with wind, but it didn't cause the damage I was hoping for.
Come on, think! What can I do against these two knights? I hold my hand out. If I make a wind blade will it be strong enough to cut through that metal? I scrunch my eyebrows in focus as millions of tiny individual currents begin coalescing around my hand.
An iron fist suddenly rockets towards my face, I blast the oncoming fist with wind in an attempt to stop it, but it breaks through my defenses and I get hurled towards the ground.
A warm liquid begins trickling down my forehead. Shit, my head is going split open if we continue at this rate; I fight through the pain and quickly get back on my feet.
"On guard!" From behind me came the flash of a sword threatening to run me through, as I barely managed to dodge it, however, I clutch my sides as deep gash forms on the flank of my body, blood seeping into my shirt. Only one thought was running through my head right now.
Escape. I couldn't use my fire because they were being protected by some strange fire-resistant material, my blunt attacks weren't strong enough to cause any actual damage, and the wind sword is going to take too long to bring up, the mist was still up, I've gotta take advantage of that to run away.
I gather all the Tetsu I could muster into my hands. Interlocking my thumbs, a raging ocean of wind bursts forth from my hands, immediately dispersing the mist, tearing down all the structures in its path, the wooden debris piles up onto the city wall trapping the knights underneath.
Without wasting a second for them to recover, I turn tail and blast through the streets at incredible speeds. I subconsciously thank myself for deciding to learn the wind energy all those years ago and fly through the streets, zipping past people turning their heads. I didn't expect the wooden rubble to keep those two contained for very long, I need to move fast.
I take a turn right as I come across a 4-way intersection, where am I right now? I take a peek at my surroundings, the buildings aren't as decrepit and broken-down as the ones in the 5th district, I'm guessing I've made it to the 4th district at this point. I whip my head around with a crazed look in my eyes, blood dripping off my face. People quickly turn their eyes away from me as I meet their gazes, a couple hurry away. Not sure if they recognize me or not, but I must not look very good right now.
I look around for a moment then spring off the ground with an updraft, aiming for the rooftops. Once I'm up there I should have the advantage with—
"Gotcha." A shadow suddenly flies down from the rooftop. It's too late for me to react. A flash of metal, the sun reflecting off the flat of the blade, before it spirals straight into my temple
My neck recoils backwards, my eyes glaze over. I fall back down to the ground limp and bang the back of my head on the ground once more as I landed. It was like a knife got driven straight through my temple and was left there.
I lay on the ground, my vision hazy, and my mind delirious from the pain, barely able to form a coherent thought.
"Sorry kid, if it were up to me, I would have let you wander around the city a little longer, but the princess was desperate to capture you." I could hear a foggy voice through my stupor.
"Nice job Crux, we can finally make this scumbag serve justice and execute him in public." A second voice appeared from behind.
"Don't be so hasty Rainel, he's not on our side, but he's not totally against it. I believe he'll inevitably choose to fight for us later down the line."
"Now how would you know that? You're not telling us something?"
"No, I believe I've told you everything, you're just too much of a brat to comprehend it."
"Oh really? Can you come a little closer and repeat that?"
"Guys! Relax, we aren't even going to be the ones who get to decide his fate." A third voice came.
Shreds of consciousness gradually began returning to my body. I have to get out of here.
"Oi, he's starting to move again." One of them said.
A hand gripped the back of my chin and neck.
"To tell you the truth, a certain former high ranking officer came by the castle yesterday, he told us the general time and location you were going to appear outside. He did a pretty bad thing in the past, but hey, at least he allowed us to catch you. Now, go to sleep."
I immediately lose consciousness after hearing that. My mental finally breaking and letting me go.
From the beginning, it should of been obvious to me that Thork did not care for anyone except himself and his comrades. I should have been more suspicious from the start and rejected his offer, but I was desperate to get more information on the state of the war. However, what's done is done. Those 40 doons are now in Thork's hands; he did this to secure him and his group a better life, and that's alright with me.
After all, someone like me doesn't deserve any better. Like many things, it's simply a matter of good versus evil.