Chapter 25: Change

The next morning everyone was there except Rhody. I got up on the tallest tree to see if he was anywhere. I saw him by a river so I just went over to where he was. Once I arrived I noticed his eyes were crazed and partially sad.

     "Hey are you ok? You don't look so good." I said to him. 

     "I feel like I'm going insane. I didn't tell you before, but I've been having these nightmares. It was worse or felt worse after seeing what you had with that blonde back in my shack. People spend forever trying to find what you have so don't lose it." He told me. I had a feeling that he was going to add 'like me' in that sentence.

     "How did you know that we were together?" I asked him. I don't think I mentioned it to him or maybe I forgot.

     "I could tell just by how you look at each other. Shelby and I would look at each other like that all the time. I feel that today something will happen. I will probably die so I was glad to see you two happy. I want you to live your life to the fullest with her. I'll go to where I fight Shelby and I'll see what happens." Rhody said. He stood up and went to where Shelby apparently was. I went to get Dean, Chloe, Sophia, and George. The only awake was Chloe and she convinced me to leave them asleep while we went on ahead. Despite putting us at a disadvantage, we went toward the place where we heard fighting once more. There was a lot of wind in this specific area. Were they even going serious before?

     "You like my new sword? I stole it from an idiot who didn't know how to use it. I can finally kill you and rule over all the system users!" Shelby yelled. Part of me can't believe that they were going to marry each other. Rhody was bleeding heavily while Shelby was barely injured at all. She caught sight of us while she was going to go in for the kill.

     "Oh I see you brought some friends. Well I can't kill them, but I can make it so they can't ever oppose me ever." She said with a crazed look as she appeared behind me. I couldn't react in time while Chloe did. The sword made contact with a barrier she made in time.

     "That look it's one of anger for trying to hurt your loved one. I guess I'll kill you first." Shelby rushes towards Chloe getting ready to attack her spine. I managed to block her attack just barely with my sword. We got ready to fight as she did the same.

     "Use skill: Alchemist Property Change." Chloe slammed her hands on the ground as she changed the ground beneath Shelby to quicksand. She was stuck ready to be hit by me.

     "Use skill: Fang of the Red Viper." I was about to pierce her with my sword until Rhody took it for her in the stomach. He fell down, I assumed that the poison attribute activated for the skill since it was a 95% chance of activating. 

     "Rhody why did you take the attack for her?" I asked him. He gave me a big grin.

     "I still love her despite everything. She hasn't done anything wrong, but plot and steal that sword. Like I said people spend their whole lives trying to find what I had so I don't want to lose it." He says as he falls. Chloe quickly starts to heal him from the poison and injuries. 

     "HAHAHAHAH you idiot! This could have ended just like that. I'm going to rule over all the system users no matter what." She yells while laughing. She reminded me of me before I became friends and got together with Chloe. She removes herself from the quicksand as she starts to fight me again. I punch her straight in the face which makes her stumble.

     "You're the idiot! Rhody loves you and whether I think you deserve it or not. He sincerely wants to bring you back to how you used to be. People spend their whole lives to find what you have. I would never forsake what you had because I know how it feels to have no one like that. He believes that the person he loves still has good in her despite everything you've done to him." We continue fighting exchanging blows. She tried to attack Rhody and Chloe, but failed when I blocked it with my sword once more. The battle went on like this for forever or at least it seemed like it. Soon enough she tired herself out and stumbled. 

     "My body and mind betray me. You're right about probably not deserving it, but despite everything I do still love him. You have beaten me both physically and psychologically. I want to be with him still deep down. Please if he allows me to." She sounded sincere so I let my guard down as she did too.

     "Of course I want to live together with you. It's all I ever wanted since the start. I love you Shelby." They returned back to the shack where everyone was still asleep. I poured water on George while Chloe woke up Sophia and Dean.

     "Hey Rhody there's still the problem with the food you stole so what do you plan to do?" George asked him.

     "Well I plan to work off in exchange for everything I stole if they'll allow me and maybe they'll pay me a bit for my services." He said. The next day he did as he said and surprisingly people of the town agreed and everything worked out oddly like a fairy tail. We got paid and headed back home to which I found that Xavier was waiting for a fight. He challenged me for my spot to which I obliged.

     "Use skill: Conqueror style- Basic Horizontal Slash." He lost after that and was hardly a warm up.