Chương 62: 1.3.18 - Fallic's Misunderstanding

"But you got to make it worth my while." I took out a gold coin and slapped it on the table. That seemed to have put Fallic off as he took a step back. He probably also wasted his hard earned money on booze and visiting that Rising place that Randell and Waldo seemed so fond of.

"But — but I'm already issuing an Adventurer's Duel!" he countered.

"Bla bla, I don't know what that means. I only want cold hard ca— coin" I said as I showed him a coin shape by connecting my middle finger and my thumb.

"Adventurer's Duel is when you stake your guild contribution points on the duel" Waldo leaned over to whisper in my ear. Ah right, I should have asked but I did not want to look stupid.

"Well unless you're too afraid that you'll lose. Maybe you're just all talk" I goaded Fallic further. I was determined to wipe the floor with his face and also lighten his coin pouch.

"I — I just don't have as much coin at the moment. But I'll stake this pair of daggers." He slapped the pair of daggers on the bandolier across his chest. They looked new compared to the pair I saw him carry in our mission to Saltmere.

"I'll take your daggers then." I said with a smile. All this while, the patrons of the tavern were slowly chanting 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' in the background. Typical behavior you would expect from this crowd.

"You've not won yet. I'll see you at noon at the clearing beside the wagon." Fallic said as he stomped off. Haeken tossed a few coins at their table and got up to follow him.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Damian?" Annie asked with a worried look on her face.

"Eh, what's the harm? You should be flattered. Two hot blooded young men fighting for your attention" Randell teased, which caused Annie to blush. I had no idea what Randell was talking about. That prick seemed to have a problem with me and I just wanted to crush him.

"You have a dangerous look on your face Damian. You know you're not allowed to kill him, right? That will cause you to be disqualified from the guild and be blacklisted. I don't know how you'll knock him out without accidentally killing him with those lightning spells of yours" Waldo explained. The sun was right over our heads as we stood at the clearing near the wagon yard. We kept enough distance so that there would not be collateral damage.

The clearing was usually used by the merchants to let their plodders graze but the animals had been locked away securely today due to our presence. Fallic had apparently registered the duel this morning at the guild hall, and Sennika was standing to the side with an annoyed look on her face.

"Let me repeat the rules since you have pulled the guild into this. The duel will end at first blood, when your opponent is incapacitated, or when your opponent yields. No lethal or fatal blows are allowed. Any blows that kill your opponent or permanently cripple them are not allowed. Even if they are unintentional, you'll be disqualified from the guild and henceforth be blacklisted." Sennika said.

"Do I have acknowledgement from both of you?" Sennika confirmed.

"Yes" we both said at the same time.

"May the best mage win. You may begin" Sennika said and stepped back. Fallic immediately fired off a Wind Blade straight at me while also releasing several in different directions, using the same strategy he had used during my Steel rank assessment. I just dodged to the side and fired a Lightning Bolt aimed at his legs. To make sure that I did not accidentally kill him, I could not aim for his body or head and could only settle for one of his limbs. Unfortunately, that also made it a lot easier for him to dodge.

Though I could see that the cracking sound from my spell at such close proximity still caused him to wince. Not only did I have to aim for his legs, I also had to reduce the intensity of the spell to the lowest level as I was not sure how much punishment a Yellow cored human could take. We had exchanged a few salvos of spells when I suddenly had an idea. I closed the distance, so that he was within the range of my Lightning Manipulation spell.

Though it made it harder to dodge, I had full confidence in my Electrolocation to catch any Wind Blades coming from the back. Right after dodging one of his frontal spells, I released a bolt of lightning and simultaneously created a magnetic field near his daggers to yank at them. It caused him to lose his balance slightly and while he still tried to dodge, my spell clipped his legs, which caused him to falter a little. At this moment I rushed towards him. I could see Fallic panic and fire a Wind Blade right at me.

I fired my Lightning Bolt at the Wind Blade, which caused an explosion and kicked up the dust on the ground. I used that opportunity to slip behind him and quickly locked my arms across his neck and shoulder to put him in a sleeper hold. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. While Fallic's body was also strengthened by his Yellow core, he was no match for me with my Nature's Constitution and Myocyte Compaction soul mutation.

I felt him struggle and claw at my arms for a few seconds before his body went slack. I then loosened my hold to slowly let him down. When the dust cleared, Sennika saw me kneeling over Fallic's body and quickly rushed over. She had a worried look initially but when she confirmed that Fallic was still breathing, her expression visibly relaxed.

"I just put him to sleep." I stepped back once Sennika was checking over Fallic. Haeken came over as well and uncorked a vial that roused him up. He woke up startled, about to fire off spells when Haeken put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's over Fallic" Haeken said. Fallic had a downcast expression on his face, and while I might have been triggered and was annoyed when he first issued the challenge, I genuinely felt bad for the guy. It almost made it seem like I was the bully. Recalling what Randell said last night, I figured Fallic probably had a crush on Annie and was jealous that a newcomer like me got to join the party and be friends with her. Hoping to clear the air between us, I decided to explain.

"Look man, I'm not interested in Annie that way. My — circumstances mean that I can't even get into a relationship with a woman currently." I could not tell him that I was only 9 years old physically even though I was more than 150 cm tall.

"I hope we can put things behind us." I tried to say with a smile.

"Keep your daggers, it doesn't even cover the wager anyway." I said, not wanting to put the guy down further. I was sure they were not even worth a full gold coin but they were new. For some reason that escaped me, Fallic's expression turned to one of horror with every sentence I spoke.

"No, no, no. I can't. I don't think my body can handle it." Fallic quickly got up and removed his bandolier with the two daggers and threw it on the floor. He quickly rushed off after that.

"What's with that boy? Anyway thanks Damian for going easy on him" Haeken said before rushing off after him. I could hear Waldo and Randell sniggering behind me, though I was not sure exactly why. Annie had a downcast look for some reason. Fallic POV The Wind Blade exploded in Fallic's face, kicking up the dust between him and his opponent. Cursed goblin! The air is too rough to sense anything.

He felt something rush past him and before he knew it, two arms slipped around him, clamping him tight against what felt like a sturdy body. He tried to pull the arms apart and when he could not slip his fingers in at all, he tried to form a spell in his hand. Before he could even form the first rune, he blacked out. He was suddenly awoken by a strong pungent smell. Thinking that he might still be under attack, he tried to form the Wind Blade spell he was thinking about.

Before he could react however, a familiar hand pressed him down on his shoulder. That was when he heard Haeken's voice.

"It's over Fallic." Fallic could not believe that he had been beaten so fast, it was not even a close match. The new Steel rank had obviously been holding back during the assessment for some reason. That was when he recalled the weird yanking sensation that he felt before he failed to dodge the lightning spell that stole his mobility. He must have cheated, maybe someone in the crowd was helping him! Before Fallic could start throwing accusations around again, Damian walked up to him.

"Look man, I'm not interested in Annie that way. My — circumstances mean that I can't even get into a relationship with a woman currently." Not interested in Annie that way? Wait, I remember he was from High Moor. I've heard that some of the clans there practiced exotic rituals. Does he want to do some experimentation with her? Fallic gasped internally. Is that why he held me from behind just now? To feel if my body was fit for his rituals?

"I hope we can put things behind us." Put things behind us? Wait, there have been rumors in town that he's been trying to buy weirdly shaped things. Is he talking about those? Do the exotic rituals involve inserting those objects from behind? Fallic's pelvic muscle contracted at that thought.

"Keep your daggers, it doesn't even cover the wager anyway." He doesn't want my daggers? Does he want to use my body for the ritual instead of Annie now? Is that why he's mentioning putting in things behind us? Fallic's face paled at that thought. No, I'm not — I can't — I don't think I'm ready for such an experience. I'm sorry Annie, I can't save you~ Fallic quickly removed his daggers and threw them on the ground.

"No, no, no. I can't. I don't think my body can handle it." Fallic ran away and hoped that Damian would not bring the matter up again — Fallic would steer clear of him in the future. Aldric POV"Thank you for the tea Guild Master, you didn't have to." Aldric placed the cup of tea on the table after taking a sip.

"Urgency doesn't mean we do away with common courtesy. I assume you have good news to share" Daresh said as he leaned back in his usual office chair, the wood creaking as it strained from years of use.

"Yes indeed. The irrefutable evidence I brought before my Lord Father has finally convinced him that we need to take action now. On that front, he has agreed to send the manor's soldiers as part of the subjugation force. The Earth Mages with sensing spells would work with the guild to locate all the nest entrances. We'll also cover the mission expenses from our house treasury." Aldric shared.

"That's good to hear, and the matter with the potentially Blue cored queen?" Daresh leaned forward and placed both his elbows on the table. This was perhaps the most crucial matter that would determine the success of the subjugation mission.

"I've sent a letter to House Pyrelin. Sir Roderic is a distant maternal cousin of mine. We're on good terms and unless he's been called by the crown, he should be willing to help" Aldric explained.

"That's good, that's good. I thought for a minute I would have to risk my old bones to try and take down the queen by myself. Bahahaha" Daresh joked.

"Your combat prowess will certainly be a good addition but someone will need to guard the town against less savory characters, especially when the defenses are weakened during the raid." Aldric said. Daresh just nodded solemnly. The bandits harassing the merchants around Hollow's Reach definitely would consider raiding the town should most of the guards leave on the mission.

"Leave the coordination and preparation to us. That's the least we can do. We'll coordinate with the adventurers and make sure the preparations are done before Sir Roderic arrives." Daresh said.

"That's all I can ask for, Guild Master." Aldric said as he got up to leave. He just hoped that his cousin would make it in time.