Alan dragged Gabriel's heavy body along the street while panting heavily as he himself was out of energy and didn't know before he could also faint and collapse. he stood strong and gathered all of his energy and morale to make it to the hospital.
*Ding* *Ding*
A notification alarm went off in Alan's head as he opened it via his thought.
[User has defeated lvl 4 user]
[Rewards: 4 Attribute points, One random skill, +500 experience]
[User has leveled up!]
[Rewards: 2 Attribute points, One Random Skill]
[ Rush: Rush is a skill used in long combats when you are at a disadvantage and need to get close to your opponent. It basically boosts the user's speed stats and for a brief moment gives them a thrust of energy to quickly gain ground between the opponent.]
[Lunarflow: A martial art style that focuses on fluid movements and balance, inspired by the phases of the moon, and can mimic them as well, and on each phase, different combat skills are required for maximum efficiency, you can unlock skills related to this style when it evolves.]
"Hmm so the system gives me rewards for beating someone above my level," thought Alan.
He was dramatically amazed by the rewards the system had provided him with and was eager to master them in battle but before he could excite himself more his body gave up and he collapsed to the ground just a few meters away from the hospital.
But luckily the patrolling guards were able to find them and transport them to the hospital to patch them up.
(The next day)
Alan had woken up real quick because he received the lowest amount of damage in the battle. He looked around the room to see Gabriel who was beside him sleeping like a baby puffed in a blanket.
Alan looked at him with a warm smile and a few tears in his eyes as he was reminded of someone close to him in the past. His little flashback was interrupted when Barry entered the room with a couple of bandages around his body.
"Yo I heard you had to counter some people when returning, are you hurt?" questioned Barry.
"Nah, I'm all good thanks to my friend here who came to protect me at just the right time" replied Alan while elbowing Gabriel to wake him up and meet Barry.
Gabriel woke up from his little nap and rubbed his eyes followed by a huge yawn before actually making contact with Barry's eyes. They both stared at each other for a bit before they finally spoke.
"Gabriel... IS THAT YOU" shouted Barry.
"BROTHER, how have you been?" rejoiced Gabriel.
Gabriel had been living in a different Land for years, and Barry had almost given up hope of ever seeing him again. But then, one day, Gabriel's familiar figure emerged from the hospital bed. Barry couldn't believe his eyes and ran over to his brother, embracing him in a bear hug.
"Gabe, you're finally back!" Barry exclaimed.
"Hey, bro, good to see you too," Gabriel replied, returning the hug.
As they pulled away, Barry couldn't resist a playful jab at Gabriel's expense. "Look at you, all grown up and sophisticated. I bet you think you're too good for your old hometown now."
Gabriel grinned, knowing that Barry was teasing him. "You know me too well, big bro. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten my roots."
Barry smirked, "I'm sure you haven't forgotten how to be a pain in my ass, either."
Gabriel chuckled, "Oh, come on, I just got back. Can't we have a truce for at least a day?"
Barry shook his head, still grinning, "Sorry, Gabe, no can do. It's been too long since I've had someone to mess with."
And with that, the two brothers started playfully teasing and taunting each other, just like they used to when they were kids. Even though they hadn't seen each other in years, it felt like no time had passed at all. Alan looked at them with joy and wished to have a brother to play with or express his feelings with.
Alan stood up from his bed and politely told Barry that he was going for a walk and didn't want to interrupt them but his actual intention was something else.
he grabbed his jacket and walked a familiar path he had walked before and after some time he reached the location where it all started, The Market.
Alan wondered for a few min after finding the destroyed stall he was present in previously.
He searched through the debris for something in particular but he found no luck and was about to give up when someone appeared behind and immediately went in for a hug.
"Thank you, kid, Thank you. You saved my life or else I would have been dead" stated the salesman.
Alan looked at him with sympathy in his eyes and was feeling proud that he was some help to him.
"No problem sir, it is our duty to protect you, but what do you mean by you could have been killed weren't they after me?" questioned Alan.
"No kid the first time you met me they saw you from an unknown source and targeted me to find you. I tried to explain that I didn't know you but they wouldn't listen, but when they got to know you were heading toward the market they had me set up to engage with you so that they could ambush you" narrated the man.
Alan looked at him with surprise as he was shaken to see the courage of the man as he still alarmed Alan before the blast.
"Did you identify them?" asked Alan.
"I don't know them but I do know they were wearing black bandanas with some writing on it" replied the man.
Alan clearly knew who it was and was angered to know that they had followed him here.
"Thank you sir for the information," said Alan while leaving but he was stopped by the man when he placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Here you go my child you've earned it," said the man while handing Alan the skill book he was wanting for so long.
[Emphemeral Voyage: A time-space ability that grants the user the ability to look in the future for just a brief moment to realize his opponent's next move so that he can prepare himself. (This saps a good amount of energy) ]
"Thank you, sir, ill make the most out of this skill," said Alan while continuing his journey back to the Hospital to tell Barry about the cause of the attack while absorbing the ability book on the way.
Alan entered the hospital as the scent hit him hard. He made his way to Barry's room and unlocked it with the provided Keycard.
"YOU.....