I stood with a sharp blade in my hand, facing my father. The training hall in my family's mansion was packed full with people who wanted to watch the match; men, women, soldiers, even my sister - and she wasn't cheering me on.
I remembered how it had got to this. I had asked my father that I wished to go on out adventuring and he took it as me issuing a challenge to fight him, said if I defeated him I would be granted permission.
Why I accepted the challenge though was another thing. Just short of me declaring that it was absurd - seeing as he was awful strong - and it was a mismatch, a dark red screen popped up in my field of vision.
New quest received: Defeat your father in a duel and prove your worth to him.
Rewards: +5 skill points, New skill
I mean, just looking at the rewards, it was way too good to just pass up, right? But how in the heavens I was going to defeat him would be the biggest problem.
See, my father wasn't like other average, normal fathers. He was effing strong - that's how he became a Baronet, and at such a young age too. A Baronet is a title that cannot be inherited, which means his father wasn't one. A man has to work from scratch by joining the king's army and distinguishing hisself. This would make him a knight. Then, by making hisself well known even among the Knights, he would get a title - a Baronet.
For some people, the Knights are also sort of a title, but I don't really see them as that. But that's not the point. The point is my dad is stronger than an average knight. And he wants me to beat that? I'm screwed.
"We need a referee for the match, any volunteers?" Father called out.
"Here." A soft voice replied. Turning my head, I was amazed to see it was dear ol' Leanna - my sister. Why would she choose to ref the match if she didn't want to mess with me? I mean, we weren't on bad terms, but it's not like we were on good terms either. This was just like her perfect chance to curry favour.
"Don't worry. She won't cheat, right dear?" Seeing the look on my face, my father appeared to have understood my thoughts. Leanna nodded her head in affirmation. "Not that she'll need to, anyway."
Father gave a cheeky smile at me as he continued, "Fret not chap, I'll go easy on you, seeing as you're fragile and all. Beat me at half my strength and you win."
This got me all jolly. But even though he would use half his strength, it was still a long shot: just one I could manage to take. "Yessir!" I cried, clearly feeling motivated about it.
"That's the spirit. Now dear, are you gonna leave us standing here all day? The folk want to see a match, they do." Father berated Leanna to get things on the way. She immediately walked to the center of the both of us and shouted to us.
"The rules are simple. It is not a death match. The winner would be the first to make the other party submit, or the first to push the other party outside of the fighting ring. There will not be a use of fatal moves. Using fatal moves means a loss on the user's part. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Yes."
"Begin!" As soon as she said this, Father swiftly moved at me from the front, bearing his blade down at me. I wasn't moved though, or mord like I couldn't move. But I could think! Yes, think. Dauntless, think!
'Aha! All I needed to do was push him out of the ring, right? There is no need for all this hullabaloo. I just need my strength. System, can you make calculations?'
Error. Question cannot be answered.
'Crap! Seriously? No matter, I'll just meet him head on and hope my strength is enough.' All of this thoughts happened in my mind in less than a second, and at the end of it, my father was already bearing down on me.
He hacked the sword at my side with a force that I felt moving air. Steadying my mind, I moved my blade to block his. Both swords met with a 'clang' sound, and soon after, I staggered backwards, falling down to my ass. My sword, on the other hand, had already made it's way to the other side of the fighting ring. There was definitely no way I could match him in strength. Worst of all, this was just half his strength - if he even used up to half.
However, I did not despair. I needed to find another way to win this match. I quickly stood up from my position, only to meet a sword pointed right by the side of my neck. Any rash movements, and I would be gone. Luckily, this was not a deathmatch.
Seeing this scene, Leanna announced out loud to the crowd, "The Patriarch wins the match!"
I sat back down, looking dejected. My plan had failed and I had lost. Miserably. All it had taken was just a single strike. I had lost to a single strike! This was power, actual power. And it was what I aimed for, not the scraps I was getting. I would get this power no matter what!
A wide arc slowly drew across my face as a nice grin was plastered onto it. My father noticed this and offered me his hand to help raise me up. "You okay, son?"
"Perfect." I took his hand and was pulled up with no effort whatsoever. At this moment, I had started to look up to him as someone really strong. But I would get there, and hopefully soon. "I will win against you one day, you'll see. But right now, in order for that to happen, I must leave for the guild. Do you understand this, Father?"
"I do. However, you need to understand just how dangerous it is in the outside world. You could get killed without even knowing it. Do you understand this, son?"
"I do. Does that mean I get to go?"
"Of course not. Unless... on one condition. I will assign soldiers to follow you. They will be your companions and will protect you. Plus, you must return every two months to assure me you are still alive. Else, I will send a party out. And you know I will."
"Yes. Thank you, Father."
"Ka Ka Ka Ka. There is also a condition this time around. We must have another duel. This time, no weapons. Just a brawl."
"Oh gods. How did I not see this coming?"