Just in the distance beyond some low green hills was Vika Village. Nally sighed a breath of relief as she placed her map down. The sun was all but setting, and the air gave off a cool breeze. Had they taken any longer, they’d be stuck in the cold again for another night.

“We are here!” she smiled. “Get ready for a nice warm bed, a cup of cocoa and some yummy scones!”

“Finally,” Hitto sighed. “I still can’t believe you forgot to bring tents, let alone sleeping bags.”

Slightly embarrassed, Nally clasped her hands together and gave a little bow. “Sorry! At least we’ll be warm for tonight. I’ll also check with the merchants for any of those stuff before we leave tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good!”

As they made their way to the entrance, Hitto couldn’t help but notice the many people gathered around a sign to the left. He instantly pointed at the crowd and ushered for Nally to follow him. The group was extremely loud, with gasps, boos, and rambling, ruining the late-day silence.

“What do you think they're doing?” Nally asked.

“I don’t know,” he responded. “But I'm curious.”

They approached one man by the outskirts of the group. He was with three others sharing a laugh and some drinks.

“Hey,” Hitto began. “What’s going on here?”

“Huh?” the man giggled with a rosy face and mouth filled with froth. “Kids? I’m enjoyin’ some pints wit the boys! Yer want some?”

“No,” Nally jumped in. “We were just wondering what's going on.”

“We bettin’ O’course! Bettin’!” Just then, the crowd began to holler hysterically. “OH!”

He instantly turned around and joined in on the yelling.

“Betting on what though?” Nally sighed. “I’m kind of intrigued, but I don’t want to go through all those bodies just to find out. We should start looking for the inn instead.”

“Just wait here then. I’ll go check and be right back!”

Before Nally could respond, Hitto took off and weaselled his way through the mob. Instantly, it was hot, smelly, and way too loud. People seemed to be completely lost in their drinks with no care in the world.

“Number twenty-two! Number twenty-two! Please step forward. It is your turn~!”

“YES! NUMBER TWENTY-TWO!”

“It’s payday boys! I’m telling you, he’s taking down that duo! He’s never lost a fight!”

Taking down? Hitto smiled. So, they’re definitely betting on fights.

Eventually, he reached the forefront of the gathering, where a gap revealed a small pit ring containing four individuals. Positioned at the center was the 'ringleader,' who wore a black suit complemented by white gloves. Clutched in his hands was a wooden sign bearing the number twenty-two in white paint.

To his right was a single man wearing a smug expression. He waved eagerly at the crowd while flashing a circular number twenty-two card at them. Then, he dashed it onto the ground and readjusted his collar. “It's time for me to win!”

“YES!” the crowd hollered. “Show those outsiders whose boss!”

His opponents were on the opposite side—one behemoth of a man and a boy who looked to be in his late teens. The bigger of the two was a giant with tanned caramel skin and long red hair neatly tied up in a ponytail. He wore traditional tribal armour—a skirt made of iron with straps forming an ‘X’ across his bare torso paired with spartan-style boots. What made him even more intimidating, however, was the giant warhammer attached to his back.

The other person was slender in frame with fair skin and well-kept black hair. Despite the sun all but setting, his emerald-green eyes could be seen shining with determination. He wore classic knight attire – a chainmail set adorned with a green vest. Completing his outfit was an elegant rapier in his hand that he pointed at number twenty-two.

“Alright then, everyone!” the ringleader smiled. “Let the fight begin!”

Just like that, number twenty-two charged towards his opponents. He met the fists of the spartan as the two exchanged an intense brawl. Number twenty-two was getting the upper hand on his foe, dodging each blow and landing some solid punches. The crowd roared with anticipation and excitement.

Lurking around the perimeter was the slender-looking knight. He danced around the two before suddenly charging in with speed and precision. Just as his blade was about to reach, the spartan pulled back, allowing his ally a clean strike on their opponent.

The move was calculated, almost rehearsed. Number twenty-two took a staggering step back. “That’s not fair!” he wailed. “Either you both come at me at the same time or one at a time.”

“You guys were the ones who said the two of us should fight together,” the rapier holder chuckled. “We are doing exactly that, nothing less, nothing more.”

“This is why I can’t stand Warrior Examination Candidates,” he hissed. “You lot will regret coming to our town and taking us lightly!”

Examination? Hitto mused. So those two are also competing with me and Nally.

“There you are!” a voice called from behind, yanking Hitto by the collar. “I was looking for you!”

He was dragged back through the crowd by a dishevelled Nally. “Gross. I never want to be that close to people again!” She turned to face him with a frown. “And you! You were taking way too long!”

“My bad,” he chuckled. “I got to see what was going on, though. They were betting on fights.”

“Cool,” she sighed. “Let’s start making our way to the inn before it's all booked out.”

 

---

 

The duo made their way through the bustling small town of Vika. Despite it already being late, the town was still alive. Merchants were busy selling their goods. Kids were out running on the cobblestone streets, and the occasional couple walked by, sharing embraces.

“You think people think we’re together?” Nally teased.

“Shut up,” Hitto shot, flushing red. “And technically, we are together, just not in that way.”

“What way?” she laughed. “I was only thinking about us being a travelling party. What were you thinking?”

“Nothing!” he stammered. “Isn't that the inn?”

Just ahead, the warm glow of a quaint inn could be seen. Unfortunately, sprawling from its entrance was a long line of people. Nally quickly grabbed Hitto's hand as the two rushed to join the line.

“Don’t do that again!” the boy shot.

“What?” she questioned.

“Grabbing my hand without permission!”

Nally rolled her eyes. “Oh c’mon, now is not the time for that!”

After a rather long wait in the line, it was finally their turn. They approached the innkeeper at the receptionist's desk, who had a rather tired look on her face. “Sorry, we just gave out our last room. You’ll have to find somewhere else to sleep.”

Nally quickly rustled through her bag and pulled out her coin pouch. “Could you not find a way? Please, we don’t want to sleep outside again.”

“I can’t,” the woman sighed while getting up. “I have to inform the rest of the line. Good luck to the two of you.”

She walked past in a rather lethargic manner and exited the inn.

“What do we do now?” Hitto questioned.

Nally put her hands on her hips and rapidly tapped her foot. Then, her mouth gaped open. “We can look for a stable! I saw some on our way over here.”

“Sounds good!”

The two took off down the streets again back towards the entrance they came through. In the distance was the stable Nally had mentioned. They quickly found a worker who was outside sweeping the area.

“You think we could sleep here?” Nally asked. “Just the two of us. We will pay you for your troubles as well.”

“Of course!” he smiled. “Can’t have a beauty like you sleepin’ out here. My father’s been lettin’ travellers like you lot sleep in the pig stables for the past few days. I think it's cuz of an event happenin’ in the capital.”

“It is,” Hitto responded. “The Warriors Examination.”

“Right!” he snapped his fingers. “Thas the one! Make yerselves comfortable inside! We can settle the pay tomorrow!”

The two entered the stable and were greeted by a grotesque smell and chattering adventurers. It was a small space, yet more than thirty people had made their homes on the haystacks.

“Seems like other people had the same idea,” Hitto laughed.

“Not funny!” Nally pouted while plugging her nose and looking around. The only spots she could see were the ones directly next to the pigs. “I’m paying someone to move so we can get a better spot.”

“You can do that for yourself,” Hitto smiled smugly. “I can handle a bit of smell.”

“Suit yourself,” Nally laughed while shrugging.

She made her way over to a single male adventurer, and the two exchanged some words. After a little while, Nally pulled out her coin pouch and gave him a single coin. Just one? Hitto chuckled. If it were me, I would’ve asked for more.

Nally got herself comfortable and gave the crimson-eyed boy a thumbs up. He chuckled in response and made his way over to the pigs. Instantly, the smell was unbearable, and he was regretting his decision. But it was too late now to turn back and ask Nally for a spot. His pride wouldn’t let him.

Let’s fight through it, then!

He nestled into the hay and closed his eyes – which quickly opened with some force. The stench was just too strong. It can't be ignored. A mixture of piss, manure, pigs, and gruel filled the air with a violent wrath.

He instantly shot up and plugged his nose with the hay before bolting out of the stable. He took some time to breathe in heavy gulps of the fresh night air before letting out a deep sigh.

Unbearable! He thought. Never again.

Now outside, he looked around for a bit before deciding to take a walk. The sun was now fully set on Vika, with stars dotting the navy blue sky. Hitto took a moment to appreciate the atmosphere as he made his way through the empty streets. It's hard to believe that not too long ago, these roads were filled with people.

Just then, he heard the sound of metal clanging, which instantly piqued his interest. Though feint, it got louder and louder as he made his way over towards the source. The sound led him towards the exit of town around some thick bustles of shrubs that were surrounded by trees.

The sound was now full-blown and resonated through his ears with force. It was the sound of exchanging blows. Hitto peered through the bushes excitedly and was greeted by exactly what he was expecting. A battle.

It was the two from earlier – the large spartan and the smaller slender knight. They both stood an equal distance away from each other, with the smaller of the two panting for air. He pointed his rapier at the imposing behemoth. “Rurah, again.”

The spartan gave a light nod as he positioned his warhammer outward at around chest height. “Alright, but be careful, Ned. I can’t always hold back when I do this.”

He closed his eyes, breathed in heavily and began rotating in a circular motion. The rotation began very slowly before getting faster and faster with each passing second. Soon, the wind began to pick up around them as a tornado formed with the spartan at its core. Within another few seconds, currents of electricity began to form and jolt from the tornado as the slender boy clutched his rapier and gritted his teeth.

“What the hell?” Hitto yelled, stepping into the open.

Instantly, the tornado subsided, and the two turned to face him with the rapier wielder pointing his blade at the crimson-eyed boy. “Who are you?”

“Hitto,” he responded. “A fellow Warrior Examinee Candidate.”

“Really?” Ned frowned. “What family?”

“Family?”

“If you can't answer, then you’re not a candidate but just a regular examinee taker.”

“W-Wait,” Hitto stammered. “Alfonso?”

“Alfonso…” Ned replied, shooting a dirty expression at the boy. “He’s not old enough to have a kid your age.”

“He gave me and my friend a letter of recommendation, so I think I am a candidate.”

“You’re not,” the rapier wielder sighed. “Candidates are people who have family within the association – anyways, that doesn’t matter. What do you want?”

“To fight,” Hitto smiled. “I want to see what I’ll be coming up against.”

Ned gave a soft chuckle. “Sure you want to fight after spying on us, nice.”

“So, is that a no?” Hitto poked. “Too scared?”

“No, bring it. You look younger than me, so I’ll teach you a lesson.”

Instantly, he charged towards the former logger with immense speed. Hitto barely had enough time to pull out his axe and parry away the first strike. Then, the rapier holder launched a flurry of jabs at him that scraped at his skin.

Hitto took a step back and felt the wound. It was light. He then charged back in towards his foe, who now had his eyes closed. A smirk graced his face as he readied his axe to swing down.

“Release!” Ned shouted. “Wind Incantation 3!”

A circular green diagram with incomprehensible words appeared above the two of them. Unfazed, Hitto continued his charge forward as an unprecedented amount of ghastly razor winds slammed into him from above. He gasped as he felt his flesh tear as weight akin to ten elephants dropped onto him, completely levelling the ground.

Ned had just about moved out of the diagram's radius before the attack had landed. He crossed his arms and smiled proudly – turning around to face the spartan. “You see that Rurah? I told you we have nothing to worry about - ”

“Behind you!”

Before he could even react, the spartan had driven past him with extreme speed. Clutched in his large fist was the head of the boy Ned had thought was all but defeated. His body rag-dolled in the air as Rurah continued his charge towards a tree on the opposite end. He then slammed the axe wielder into it, completely destroying the tree before dusting off his hands as he walked back towards Ned.

“What the hell happened?” the rapier holder yelled. “Why did you do that? I already defeated him!”

“You didn’t,” Rurah replied. “And he almost killed you.”

“What?”

“It was for a brief moment, but somehow, he managed to get right back up and was about to strike you with his axe from behind. If I wasn’t in release mode, you would’ve died. You need to be more careful with who you’re picking fights with.”

The duo then walked over towards the boy, who was completely knocked out. “Looks like he’s still alive,” Rurah sighed. “Thank goodness. But for good measures.” He picked up the axe and snapped it in two. “This needs to be rendered useless.”

He then threw it onto the ground and ushered for Ned to follow him. “C’mon now, let's head back to the inn.”