Chapter 13 - It’s not good to slack on the job!!
After Antonio woke up, his lunch is long gone into Marc's stomach. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes is the concerned look of his friend Genno.
"Are you okay Antonio? You shouldn't get so worked up all the time, we are almost at an age where we can be called old men!" Genno tried to lecture Antonio a little.
"Are you getting delusional Genno, we are already old men, look my hair is fucking gone and your hair has turned gray. If we are not old, then I'm still a teenager!" Antonio said with a grumpy mood while feeling his bald head, missing his hair.
"Ughh!" That hurt Genno's knightly pride right where it hurts the most.
*zZzZzZz…*
A snoring sound then took over the usually busy place, and Antonio looked at where the sound came from, and what he saw made his blood boil again after remembering what happened before. Marc fell asleep with the basket on his stomach while snoring with a satisfied face that especially pissed Antonio off again as it was his lunched he's satisfied with.
"I don't believe I can't set this brat straight after 1 week. You. You will keep an eye on this little devil at all times while you work beside him." Antonio's pride kicked in, and he pointed and ordered Rofta to keep an eye on Marc so he won't begin throwing stones again.
Rofta's expression was ugly after hearing that though, he knows how difficult this task is so he tried to bargain "Old ma- Sir I think it's a better idea to just fire him. It's not worth it trying to correct him."
"No, I will work him to death here!! And you are his friend right? If you slack on this task I will make you pay for his damages of what's left of my lovely pavement, got it?" Antonio threatened Rofta.
After taking a deep breath, Rofta had one question that decided if he should run away "Does that mean I will still get paid?"
"Genno said you needed money for a sword right? So if you help me keep that little dandelion in check I will even add a little extra to your pay. We got a deal?" Antonio proposed a good deal that will help them both greatly.
"Deal!" Rofta and Antonio shared hands to seal the deal before the serious conversation was broken by snoring.
*zZzZzZzZ…*
"This is a heaven-sent opportunity," exclaimed Antonio before he sneaked close to Marc where he slept with an open mouth and a bubble out of his nose that is increasing and decreasing depending on his breath. Antonio lifted his fist before he punched Marc right at the eye that's not a black eye, yet.
*Baam*
"Aaargh, it hurts!!" Marc immediately woke up and rolled around in pain. When it subdued a little, he stood up and looked at Antonio who had a smug smile on his face. He couldn't wait to see Marc getting angry.
With narrow black eyes, Marc said with a puzzled tone while scratching his head in confusion "Since when did Santa get bald?"
Antonio didn't know who this Santa is, but when he saw Marc not getting angry, he lifted and shook him in frustration like a mad man once again.
…
The next day Marc and Rofta could be seen lifting stones on their backs down the mountain, and water up the mountain to make it easier to cut the stones. Marc still had black eyes, but not so bad anymore, though they were pretty much lifeless compared to his normally lively eyes.
This morning he was told he has to pay off his own damages so he won't get any pay for working here.
"This is no fun at all…" Marc thought before putting a stone down, intending to send it flying with a slap again. Though he missed the stone because Rofta had already used his Inverted World Magic to change Marc's sense of direction.
"What are you doing Bigfoot!?" Marc got angry after being hindered and confronted Rofta.
"I'm just saying this once. You are not taking this money from me this time!! So you are not allowed to send ANY stones flying, got it?" Rofta was adamant about getting this money so he can buy that sword he wanted.
"Tch, party pooper!!" Marc stopped trying to send the stone flying and was about to take the stone on his back again and continue the work, but an idea suddenly hit him.
Why not just let the stone roll down the mountain?
Before Rofta found out what Marc intended, he had already pushed the stone down the mountain with force.
"You idiot!!" Exclaimed Rofta when he saw the stone rolling by him with speed too fast for him to stop.
…
"Ahahaha seems like I already broke the brat!! I just had to take his pay!!" Celebrated Antonio at the bottom of the mountain with Genno who just got off his guarding shift.
Genno just touched his long beard and thought "Is that really the case? I don't think Marc young-in is the type to break that easily…" but he didn't bother with voicing out his thoughts.
"Don't think so much Genno, can't you hear how peaceful it is?" Antonio took his hand to his ear to listen to the lovely sound of men working.
"Get out of the way!! Stones are rolling down the mountain" yelled a worker ruining the atmosphere.
"Run!!" More workers began running away in panic.
"What the heck is happening now!?" Yelled Antonio while looking up the mountain where stones began rolling down one after another.
"Shit, not this again!! What is that giant kid even doing? I told him to stop that little devil if he was about to do something stupid like this…" Antonio cursed and blamed Rofta for not keeping an eye on Marc.
Then he once again began using his Stone Magic to grow out multiple hands to stop the incoming stones, though this time it was easier for him as Rofta is working hard to stop Marc at the top of the mountain.
…
"Hehe, you can't stop all of them." Marc grinned at Rofta who's trying to change Marc's direction of rolling the stones, but Marc suddenly began rolling stones in multiple directions making it hard for Rofta to concentrate. This is the first time he's using his magic to 'protect' something other than himself, thus his reaction speed lowered greatly making holes for Marc to make use of.
"Fuck, I hope that geezer doesn't deduct this from my pay!!" Cursed Rofta in his head.
"Bring it on!!" Rofta's competitive spirit ignited with Marc's taunt.
After a little while, Marc could see Rofta slowly getting better at stopping his stones, so he decided to use his own Paw magic.
*Pa…!!!*
*Pa…!!!*
*Pa…!!!*
*Pa…!!!*
Marc once again began slapping stones left and right. Most of them bounced right down the mountain because the speed was too fast for Rofta to change the direction of each of them. Right now he can only change the direction of his little domain in one direction at a time, meaning if Marc rolled stones both forward and backward, it wouldn't change a thing if he reversed his sense of direction. Forward would be backward and backward forward, that's the same thing…
…
Marc was walking down the mountain while hauling an exhausted Rofta behind him in his collar. After having 'moved' all the stones down the mountain he has to notify Antonio that they are done right?
Though for some reason Antonio was laying on the ground while breathing heavily like Rofta.
"Boss, it's not good to slack on the job!!" Marc said with a serious face while looking down at Antonio.
"I'm seriously…thinking…about….firing…you already!!" Antonio said in between his racked breathing.
"Seriously!?" Marc exclaimed with a happy expression. Happy that he finally can stop working for free.
"Yes…but I was only thinking it…I'm not giving up….yet" Antonio once again said with racked breathing but has a glint of determination in his eyes.
"Ah man, here I thought I was fired..." Marc said with a disappointed look.
…
After all the workers have left the stone site, even Marc and Rofta. Only Antonio and Genno was left and can be seen drinking alcohol, though Antonio had a grumpy face while drinking.
"Are you still thinking about little Marc young-in?" Asked Genno after tasting a cup of alcohol.
"Yes, I'm going to set that brat straight. What the hell has his family been teaching him?"
…
*Sneeze*
Marc's grandfather sneezed in heaven and thought "Somebody must be cursing me or Marc's doing something stupid again…"
"What's wrong? Are you getting sick? That should not be possible here in heaven!" Asked an old lady who's actually Marc's grandmother.
"I'm afraid that little devil is making trouble again…" Grandfather said with a frown on his face.
"Don't call him devil, he's a little angel…" Grandmother corrected.
"Pfft angel? Every time you weren't around he turned into a little devil who wouldn't stop making trouble!" Marc's grandfather wasn't convinced at all.
"It must be because someone provoked him, our little Marc wouldn't make unnecessary trouble! He's a good boy who always helped me without being asked." Marc's grandmother continued to protect Marc's 'innocence'.
Marc's grandfather shook his head and said "I'm not saying he's a bad kid, it's only that he's a handful. Listen at one time he did…" And the old pair began talking about Marc in heaven.
…
After listening to Antonio, Genno honestly said "I think you have been going at it the wrong way with little Marc young-in!"
"What do you mean? If you have a plan I'm all ears." Antonio instantly turned fully sober after hearing that.
"Listen you should…." And Genno began voicing out his thoughts about Marc.
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(A/N: I'm not sure if the part where Rofta is struggling with his magic is good enough. Let me hear your thoughts…)
(A/M: A real fight will soon start, so it will be a little more 'serious'…Or maybe not. Let's just see how it turns out.)
(Words: 1691)