Chapter Text
The traps were empty.
Jude sighed, his stomach growled in complaint. He stared down at the last of his pitfall traps. An animal had finally sprung one of his traps, yet Jude had missed the most crucial point of the trap – making the pit deep enough so the animal could not escape out of it. The rest of his traps either did not work or were not triggered. He looked mournfully at the moon in the sky. Here he was, in the dead of the night, in the middle of nowhere, hungry and very tired.
Jude chewed his lips. There was a forest nearby, perhaps he could spend the rest of the night there instead of being out in the open, hidden away from the monsters that came out at night. Speaking of which, Jude drew his sword reluctantly as he spotted an undead zombie spawning from the ground.
As the zombie lumbered over, Jude held out his shield and his sword. It’s just one, Jude assured himself. I can handle it. Jude swung, knocking the zombie backwards, it took a few more swings before it dissolved into dust. A loud groan startled Jude. Jude slashed wildly as he was nearly ambushed by another zombie.
Jude grimaced. This zombie took even longer for Jude to turn it into dust. He was absolutely terrible at fighting. He looked towards the forest and noticed a few red-eyed spiders scuttling in the shadows, their eyes glowing in the darkness. Nope. Not there either. Jude readied his sword for another fight. To his surprise, Jude heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn – the red eyes disappeared. Jude paused, uncertain.
“Uh, hello, anyone there?” Jude called out.
A figure emerged from the forest. The first thing that struck Jude was his eyes. Light green, alert and curious, yet they were bloodshot and puffy – as though he had been crying. He had a slender build, long blonde hair sweeping loosely over his shoulders, clothed in a black cloak. He drew closer, holding his sword loosely by his side.
“Hello, traveller,” the swordsman said, his voice was soft and strangely pleasant. “What are you doing by yourself in the wilderness?”
“I was getting food,” Jude gestured at the failed trap. “It didn’t work.”
The swordsman looked puzzled. “A hole?”
“It’s a trap,” Jude said defensively. “A pitfall trap. It caught something all right, only the hole I dug wasn’t deep enough.”
The swordsman made a tactful noise in response. “It’s late. I have some food,” he offered. “I’m heading back into town, if you would like to come along.”
Jude couldn’t believe his luck. “Oh, thank you, err-”
“Sharpness,” the swordsman shook Jude’s hand.
“Thank you, Sharpness. I’m Jude.”
“Pleasure,” Sharpness said. He was carrying a bulky pouch at the side of his hip. He reached into the pouch and offered Jude… a single, red apple. His eyebrows creased together. “Oh, I didn’t bring any more.”
“It’s okay, really,” Jude said. “I’ll eat in town.”
“We’ll spilt it,” Sharpness insisted, drawing out a small blade and slicing the fruit into halves. “Here.”
They went through the plains in silence. Jude finished his fruit in record time while Sharpness was taking small bites, he didn’t seem to have an appetite and his eyes were distant.
“Where are you heading to?” Sharpness asked.
“Nowhere in particular,” Jude admitted. “I travel to wherever I feel like going. You can just drop me off at your town, and I’ll figure it out from there. Which town are we going to?”
“Strength,” Sharpness replied. “It’s a bit of a walk to reach.”
“Oh, I have heard of it,” Jude said. “There is a tradition of duelling to settle disputes, even minor ones.”
“That’s right,” Sharpness nodded. “You might like it. Everyone is a good fighter there. We must be. There’s a lot of tournaments. You might even witness a few, if you stay a while.”
Jude raised an eyebrow. Sharpness didn’t sound very enthusiastic about it. “You don’t enjoy fighting?”
“I do,” Sharpness said tonelessly. “I just don’t enjoy fighting weaker opponents.” There was an edge of bitterness in his voice.
“Well,” Jude scratched his neck. “I’m an awful fighter, so I’ll probably be an easy target there.”
Sharpness shook his head. “We don’t fight travellers unless they are the ones who challenge us first. It’s quite safe,” his face darkened, “mostly.”
Jude decided not to ask any further.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
By the time they reached the town, it was daybreak. The sun was starting to peek out from the horizon. Jude couldn’t wait to get some good food and rest – sleep cycle be damned. Strength was a small town. Jude didn’t expect there to be many villagers and swordsmen milling around so early in the morning. Were they just visiting Strength?
The town was surrounded by steel grey walls, the town entrance led directly to a semi-circle of stores, followed by the housing districts behind. A colosseum stood at the most inner part of town. There was a certain tension in the air as Sharpness and Jude entered the town. It was as if the entire town was holding its breath.
Sharpness had grown quiet as they were approaching the town. He looked grim as he stood at the town entrance, as though he was attending a funeral.
“There’s an inn just a street down,” Sharpness spoke at last. “Tell the owner, Tai, I sent you. He should give you a fair rate on the room.” He was starting to look queasy.
“Are you feeling all right?” Jude probed.
Sharpness startled. “It’s nothing. Nice to meet you, Jude. Enjoy your stay.”
Jude headed down the street. He turned back and noticed Sharpness was staring at the colosseum in the distance. Maybe he didn’t like all that bloodshed? Jude shrugged and headed into the inn.
The first thing that hit him was the extremely strong smell of citrus and liquor. Jude almost gagged. The inn was dimly lit, a staircase going up to the second floor beside the front door. There was a faint rhythmic thumping of a jukebox. The inn was empty aside from a bartender stacking coins on the counter and another young man sitting at the bar. Both of them looked barely out of their teens.
“Hello,” Jude greeted. “I’m looking for Tai?”
“That’s me,” the bartender said cheerfully. “How can I help you?” Tai squinted at Jude. “You’re not drunk,” he poured out a shot. “Here, on the house.”
“Uhhh, no thanks,” Jude declined. “Aren’t you a little young to be working with alcohol?”
Tai scowled. “I look young, but I assure you, I’m old enough to drink and fight.”
“If he doesn’t want it, I do,” the young man, sitting at the bar, reached over.
Tai snatched up the glass and downed it in a single gulp. “You are too young for it, N00b.”
N00b shot Tai a disbelieving look. “We’re the same age!”
Jude cleared his throat. “I need a room.”
“Too late, pal,” Tai told Jude. “We’re fully booked today.”
“Sharpness sent me.”
N00b snorted. “That’s what they all say.”
“What?” Jude stared. “We met near a forest, right next to the plains. Sharpness offered to bring me into town.”
N00b grimaced, even Tai looked slightly uncomfortable.
“Ah, did Sharpness look… drunk to you? Or was he sober?” Tai asked.
“Sober?”
“Is that a question or an answer?"
“Sharpness is sober,” Jude paused. “But he did look kind of… ill.”
N00b shook his head. “Poor Sharpness.”
“Why?” Jude asked, alarmed. “Is he dying?”
“Definitely not,” Tai told him. “He’s never lost.”
“Lost?”
Tai and N00b exchanged glances. N00b slid out of his seat and disappeared out into the street. Tai reached under the counter and tossed Jude a set of keys. “Here, for your room, my friend. We will talk about how much it costs later. You don’t know what’s happening today, do you?”
“No?”
Tai smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “Let’s go take a look for ourselves.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The colosseum was grand. It towered over the entire town with its shadow. It was made with solid stone, interlaced with darker slabs and dark spruce wood panelling. Most of the town had shown up, and while there was chatter, there was also a sense of foreboding lingering in the air.
Tai had talked his way into getting good seats for Jude and himself. Jude noticed that most of the attendees were travellers from elsewhere, while most of the townsfolk were congregating near the back of the stands.
“How did you find Sharp last night?” Tai asked.
“I was in the wilderness during nighttime and there were mobs everywhere, Sharpness was coming out of the forest and saw me, and he offered to bring me to Strength,” Jude hesitated. “Are we watching Sharpness fight someone? I thought people here duel to settle disputes or for fun.”
“Well, yes, Sharp is fighting today. And yes, we usually fight for fun,” Tai said. “You should see how many times N00b and I spar. But that’s not the point. Sharp is really, really good with a sword. Best there is, so far, anyway.”
“So… people challenge him?”
“In a way. We used to have swordsmen from Unstable and Lifesteal coming over just to fight Sharp. The problem is that Sharp’s teammate died during a fight a few months ago and there is an opening to be his new teammate.”
“Oh, so it’s a duel to see who matches his skill?”
“Uh, yes,” Tai shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “But, if you lose, you die.”
Jude stared.
“No one could be worth such a risk,” Jude scoffed. “Only an idiot would try to win a duel to the death just to be his teammate.”
Tai shrugged his shoulders. “We had a few casualties.”
“So who’s the idiot that challenge Sharpness?” Jude asked.
Tai gestured downwards to the open ground. “It’s about to start.”
There was a loud clacking of gears as the gates opened. Sharpness was wearing armour, his sword sheathed by his side, his hair was neatly braided. He walked out and the crowd begun to cheer. His expression was hard to read. Jude noticed he was not holding a shield. His opponent was a rather tall, lanky man, dressed entirely in white, even his armour pieces were stained to match. A shield was strapped on his arm and a sword held ready in his other hand.
Opposite from where Jude and Tai were sitting, there was a man standing at the viewing stand, holding a white flag and a red flag crossed in front of his chest.
“That’s Spongs,” Tai pointed across to him. “He looks after all the duels that happens in Strength. Make sure they are fair and all.”
“Saparata,” Spongs’s voice boomed out across the entire colosseum. “Do you declare that you’re a willing challenger?”
Saparata looked over at Sharpness. “I do.”
“Sharpness,” Spongs called out. “Do you declare that you will fight to the best of your ability?”
Sharpness’s lips drew into a thin line. He nodded his head curtly.
Spongs waved the flags dramatically in the air. “Let the duel begin!”
Jude barely registered the faint blur as Sharpness leapt forward in a burst of surprising speed. Even without a shield, he parried Saparata’s slashes with ease and attacked viciously, his blade was relentless. Saparata’s white clothing was rapidly turning into a vivid shade of red. Jude had never seen someone fight so intently before. Sharpness’s eyes were cold and devoid of emotion, his face grim. He seemed to want to kill Saparata as quickly as possible. Only the ringing of blades could be heard, with several thuds of metal against wood whenever Saparata was lucky enough to block Sharpness’s attacks.
It was over before Jude knew it.
Spongs raised a red flag and there was applause.
The crowd murmured and started to disperse through the gates to leave. Sharpness stood over Saparata’s lifeless body, his sword dripping crimson into the grass. He looked absolutely miserable. Tai had left halfway through the duel, but Jude did not even notice. He had been fixated on Sharpness throughout the entire fight. He had never seen anyone move the way Sharpness did – the speed, the skill and the deadliness – Jude would have been sliced to shreds.
Jude left the viewing area and went down into the fighting arena. Sharpness had disappeared, but Saparata laid motionless on the grass. Villagers were making their way over, bringing a stretcher and sheets of white cloth to take Saparata away. Saparata’s eyes were open, staring into the distance, filled with awe and something indescribable.
“Forgive me,” Jude said softly. “I did not realise what a prize he is.”