Doni getting up closer, zooming onto the bright object, he squints his eyes upon the mystical material Hulk was holding onto.
He said, "This is super expensive, no?"
Shifting the gears of excitement boiling up in Hulk, he calmly asks the lady, "Are you sure about handing me this expensive Lesendine?"
The lady replies monotonously, "Indeed." With a slight nod of affirmation.
"But, my smithy is located here! You could take this to any famous smithy besides this one," he persistently said with distress hinted at his voice.
"I rather pick skills over snobbish behaviour and worse off products," she detachingly said.
"Hoh…" Doni said while rubbing his chin and grinning to her thoughtful words.
With a slow grunt, Hulk said, "I don't have the materials good enough to go with Lesendine."
Eying down, covering her mouth with the leather gloves, she silently ponders to herself on the other materials.
"Why don't you focus on something more worthwhile than good equipment." Doni suggested. However, contrasted to his mind, he felt attacked with the sudden realisation of how hypocritical his words were.
'I guess equipment matters.' Sneering at his thoughts.
"Are you perhaps a reputable Elite Knight?" She asked.
Doni felt a tinge of regret as the woman's question put him on the spot, yet his pride wouldn't let him back down. Stuck between retracting his impulsive comment and maintaining his ego, he straightened his posture, letting out a deliberate cough to compose himself. His voice dropped to a lower, more serious tone, laced with what he hoped would sound like profound wisdom.
"I am indeed someone who is within the top one hundred knights," he declared, as confidently as possible.
The woman raised an eyebrow, clear skepticism lingering in her expression. "Is that so?" she replied, her tone cool, unphased by his claim. Her piercing gaze suggested she wasn't easily fooled.
Doni forced a smile, feeling his bluff teetering. He had fallen into yet another rabbit hole of his own making.
Sweat slowly seeping out of his pores, and dripping below. Doni felt more pressure from this interaction than he ever had before even in life or death situations.
The lady walks up towards Doni, steps unwavering, looks up and said with dignity, "Why don't you have a bout with my knight."
"Your knight? The one outside?" He calmly asked.
With wide eye, she shows him another expression he had yet to see.
She then quietly said, "How do you know?"
'Oh dear. That hooded man hiding outside the window with a hilt just so happened to be her knight.'
"Well, I just sensed his presence, it's that simple. But, I don't fight unknown individuals who don't introduce themselves their rankings to me." Grinning to his own words.
'Doni. STOP! Don't say anymore stupid shit.' Internally refuting his own actions and not doing anything. He looked outside and gulped in terror. Walking through the front exposed door, uncovering his once hooded appearance, he appears with wide shoulders, a beard of wisdom, gleaming porcelain metal armour, silky copper hair and blue chilling eyes staring down directly at Doni with experience and curiosity.
"Hoh… So you don't think I am to your standards young swordsman? I am Dorolo Harmit, ranked 87th." Drawing closer to the stiff Doni, oozing the word confidence, he said, "I don't think I've seen you on the leaderboard before."
Doni's mind raced, he was searching for a way out of the unwarranted predicament.
'Her knight is in the top 100?!' He shakingly thought. Noticing he made a noticeable mistake with a curl on the edge of his lips, he straightens his posture, resets his face and clears his throat.
"You are Sir Harmit. I don't we should fight in the city with someone of your reputable status. You wouldn't want to involve citizens of this city to accidentally fall to our fight, right?
'Move on please! I'm so tired from my previous fights!' He inwardly protested.
Measuring up Doni, Harmit walks towards to his mistress, bowing, and said, "Lady Weilson, this young swordsman is currently battered and injured. I don't think it is in your best interest to test this young man as of this moment."
Observing Doni one more time, she notices that there were bandages revealed at the edge of his clothes.
Hulk then hurriedly spread his arms wide open in front of Doni saying adamantly, "Why don't we focus on your equipment and let this matter go."
Pondering at his words, Rudy Weilson asks Doni, "How about we meet at the central plaza in a three days. We can host a public battle between my knight and your esteemed self."
'It is what it is, this is my fate.' Doni confidently replies, "Alright, I agree to have a bout with Sir Harmit in three days."
"And Hulk, we shall continue our deal next time once I have my materials sorted if that is okay with you." She solemnly said.
Giving Hulk the opportunity to work on a once in a life time masterpiece, he felt indebted to her. With a light bow and smile, he said, "Yes, Lady Weilson."
Fluttering her cape, she and her knights moves out and into the bustling marketplace.
—-
"Dorolo, what you think about this unknown Elite Knight?" She casually said.
Chuckling to her words, Dorolo replies, "On the outside, he seems like a clown. But…"
Thinking back to the time he notices his gaze through the webbed and dusty window, he felt a little threatened from it.
"I think he may change how you view him." He seriously said.
"Is that so…"
"…"
"I should focus on other things besides equipment." She slowly utters these words to herself, finding the meaning behind what he had meant.
'Does he mean skills?' She thought.
—-
"DONI!" Grabbing onto his shirt and shaking him, he vented his internal frustration at his impulsive actions and words.
"You nearly got yourself killed for being so rude!"
Letting him shake his body and mind, Doni then said laughingly, "I always have a reason for these situations." Pointing up his index finger as if he was about to utter wisdom.
Stepping back, Hulk asks with a slow and deep grunt, "So what is it fool?"
"I want to make you look good. If I were to show her slight disrespect and make myself look credible in front of this rusty dusty smithy. You could get her to think that you make equipment for Elite Knights! Think about it." Crossing his arms, closing his eyes, Doni nods in pride.
Hammering his head, Doni yelps in pain.
"I don't want you to do that for me. What if you get yourself killed for doing such stupid things. Ahh…" He strides up and down in frustration.
"I finally got to see my daughter's friend alive and well. Do you want my daughter to see your grave by the time she returns from the ACADEMY?!" He shouted, making Doni cover his ears.
"Why don't we talk about your daughter and what she does in the academy?" Doni said laughingly.
"Your going to bring ruin to my family and yourself! Don't you understand what ego does to someone?!" Hulk said. Throwing a tantrum, he then grabs a wooden stool and was about to shove it at Doni's face.
Doni questions himself and his actions. When he heard the word family, he fell into deep thought.
Slapping himself, with his face of determination, he said, "I will win. And I shall honour your name Hulk." Hulk hearing these words, he walks back to his smithy and laughs.