Chapter 64: Tournament Day 1 (Part 6)

Edgar resolved in his mind to finish up their battle as soon as possible however circumstances had made that increasingly difficult. One of those circumstances was the newly grown woman before him in the remains of her much too small clothing. Not a well-experienced man he found it hard to decide where to rest his gaze which is why he wasn't able to fully dodge Aerin's heavy kick which threw him into the far wall. Aching from the pain he decided to ignore the tantalizing sight before him, regardless of what she looked like it was a child that was quickly burning through her mana as if she had an infinite amount to through around. Steadying his gaze on his opponent he used the still unmarred wall of the arena as a springboard to gain an enormous burst of speed, rushing at the blank-faced Elf before him.

Anticipating his move he saw Aerin prepare for another kick, slightly stepping back for leverage. He could do this. Seeing the blur of her thrown leg he leaned, his back nearly horizontal to the ground, as his knee's slid along the partially dried muddy ground. His head, barely missing her whiplike kick as he sprang upright behind her and delivered a solid blow to her lower back, readying another blow before he had to dodge when she swung her sword in retaliation. Quickly using her movement against her he pushed her in the direction she was already moving, causing her to overswing as he landed another blow to the same spot he'd hit her before, causing her to hiss in pain.

[Careful, thinking that stats mean everything is a big mistake little one.] - Edgar

[...] - Aerin

Edgar was exhilarated at the scale this fight had taken on, while he was slightly sobered by the fact that their time limit was quickly approaching, he couldn't help but feel his adrenaline pumping from the exciting battle he was experiencing. It carried the same feeling as when he fought against his Master all those years before, when he'd lost for the first time in his life.

Edgar was born into a common household, to a loving family. Two parents, a little sister and him, on a farm in the middle of nowheresville. These early moments of his life were peaceful, they lived in a rich farmland in-between two mountain passes, each guarded by the Baronies garrison. Their village one of many that brought their local lord his family's wealth. It was incredibly boring.

From a young age Edgar had been much more active than all the other children, getting in fights multiple times while growing up. His father, thinking he just needed an outlet for his energy, gave him more and more responsibility on the farm. Despite this extra work he quickly outgrew his village, his martial and physical strength growing to the point that farm work no longer served as the outlet his father had hoped it would be.

This went on for many years with Edgar getting in more serious fights as time went on. Until, he killed someone.

It had started as a normal day, his farm work done for the morning he'd strolled down to the village to let off some steam at the local tavern only to be stopped by the resident delinquents he most often tussled with. Now normally this wouldn't have been an issue and he would have beat one or two of them and let the rest run off but this time they'd somehow gotten ahold of a few swords. This being a isolated valley with only a single blacksmith without the skill to make weapons it was strange for a group of poor layabout's to have access to even a single weapon, let alone 10 of them.

Realizing that they meant business this time Edgar immediately leapt into action, dodging their poorly coordinated swings as he targeted the leader of this unfortunate group. Unfortunately for him one of them was more lucky than the others and a flash of steel in the corner of his eye caused him to lash out reflexively, disarming the poor fool. Also unfortunately for him this caused the sword he was holding to land on the fallen man's throat, silencing him forever.

The rest of the group, scared by the loss of one of their number, immediately ran off, leaving him alone with their dead friend.

As it turned out the leader of said group of delinquents was actually the town mayor's son and the next day a mob surrounded his family home demanding his exile. Apparently the mayor's son had demanded he be hanged but his family was well liked in the community and while he was generally looked down upon for his violent tendencies he'd never committed any major crimes before so the village settled on exile rather than a more severe punishment.

This however was more than severe enough as word spread of his "deed" and he found himself unwelcome in each of the villages he visited, many of them even chasing him off with sharp objects and rocks. It seemed he was no longer welcome in the valley, however he was also not able to leave through the gates on either side of the mountain as he'd gotten word that even the Baron's soldiers were on the lookout for him. His only option was a long-abandoned path around the mountain which would take him over one of the peaks.

[So what brings a young man like yourself through my home? Running from something?] - Old Hermit of the Peaks

Years before, when Edgar was just a child, he'd been told of a mysterious Hermit that lived on the top of the mountain, one that protected the wild things and would eat bad little children if they wasted their veggies. He'd never believed those stories as a child but before him was a myth made real, the old man before him emanating such overwhelming power that he'd never have believed he was anything other than the Hermit of those stories.

Resolving to at least go down fighting he immediately rushed forward towards the old man, only to lose on every level. It was after this battle, his pride shattered into a million pieces by his effortless defeat, that he'd been taken as his Master's apprentice. It was then that he started on the path of honor instead of that of a wild beast.

And he would save this little girl in front of him from going down that path, the one she was heading for with all the speed he had all those years before. If he hadn't been saved by his Master would he have turned out like this? Hating everyone so much that the only way he could stand it was to view everyone as inferior. He didn't know what Aerin had gone through but he felt that she was putting on a front, he didn't truly believe she thought of other races as inferior. Instead it felt more like a child that had been hurt so much that she lashed out at everyone around her in a vain attempt to protect herself. It felt, hollow.

Stepping into his opponents thrust he redirected her blade slightly to the side as he threw one last punch with all his strength, his Released state ended after he landed his attack.

[Hah! Hah! Was that enough?] - Edgar

[...why? Uuuuuh...] - Aerin

[Because I couldn't leave you like that little one... Damn...] - Edgar

[AND WE HAVE A DOUBLE KNOCK-OUT! WHAT AN EXCITING OPENING! LET'S REVIEW THE PLAYBACK TO SEE THE WINNER!] Judico