Chapter 12: Cornered

After strolling through all the stalls of this market, not only I found exotic food but also the fact that people here are too polite in an unnatural way. They appoint me as mister instead of young lad and big bro. I bought some rations of dried soup,which is a local specialty, some bags of tea and lastly the thing that I don't know what to say. It looks like a jar with dissolved eyeballs with greenish liquid. Since it is also a consumable, I might as well buy it to satisfy my curiosity.

I pack my goods on my wagon. I guess I need to take a stroll around. Perhaps, arena.

****

Today, the arena seems crowded.

"LADIIIIIIES AND GENTLEMEEEEEEN. ARE YOU READYYYY FOR SOME THRILLS?," The commentator moves around and clenches his fist ", SAY WITH ME: YES !YES! YES"

"YES! YES! YES!" The crowds' yamp shakes the arena

"TODAY'S MATCH WE ARE GONNA SEE A DWARVEEEN WARRIOOORR AND A DRAAAKE GUAAAAAARD"

Hmmm, let's see, let's see.

A dwarf and a drake. How will they fight? How will they last?

The dwarf is wearing a chainmail, wielding an axe with his shield. On his head is a red bandana. He looks quite young, about 50 years old.

The drake is wearing full armor, wielding a halberd with his two hands and a fist-load on his right hand. He looks like a true warrior on battlefield

Both yamp at each other to intimidate. They quickly dash.

Clang

Blades collide with each other. They back out.

The drake rushes and raises his halberd high, to cut the dwarf in half.

Thump

The dwarf bashes the halberd side way with his shield.

The drake holds his ground.

Intriguing, Intriguing, Intriguing.

After being knocked sideways, drake usually tumbles and the dwarf can bash another one on drake's head.

This case, he makes a good stance. Blade in front, eyes on the opponent. Good grips too.

The dwarf doesn't seem surprised. He charges head on.

Swoosh clang.

The drake blocks the axe with his fist-load and his halberd's tip is five cintomases to the dwarf's eye. He can thrust but the drake stops.

"It is over midget. I won this round" the drake grins

"Ye' fogh' fai and square. Naut a single complain' " The dwarf drops his weapons

The crowd raises their hand

"GOOD FIGHT! GOOD FIGHT! GOOD FIGHT!" as they repeatedly raise up and down their hand

Fair and square are things that both races of strength value.

I feel like someone is having a murderous intent on me. Perhaps, I will be back to this arena at night.

I accept their challenge by glaring them back. Four on one.

****

Tonight is half moon. I wonder

How strong are they when we are gonna start to fight in this arena without spectators?

4 hooded figures appear in front of me while I am standing on the arena platform.

"FOUR ON ONE OR ONE ON ONE. YOUR CHOICE. I AM RIGHT HERE." I shout while waving my dagger.

"Well, how arrogant is this man there" Tallest figure stomps

"Calm down! He is provoking you" Widest figure raises his hand to stop tallest figure

Other two seem silent. One of them is as tall as an elf and the other is human perhaps.

Doesn't matter if they are strong or weak. Knocking them cold and then interrogating.

I point at the tallest one with my dagger.

He suddenly rushes me.

I dodge the attack but he is not a kind of fool that will rush into the wall.

Apparently, he is a drake fighter. He is wielding a spear and wearing body armor.

"So, you missed me. What a shame that a drake couldn't take down a fragile human like me" I wave my dagger to provoke his anger

"You are dead to me now" He then rushes again

Initially, I slightly move to make him feel that I am gonna dodge but I crouch down as soon as he swipes his spear.

Then I lunge my fist to his face. He is dazed. He stumbles back. I grab his spear then knock him down with it. He falls like a big tree after being hacked.

I am holding a drake's spear. 5 mase tall, 2 more times than a human's spear. It looks kind of unbalanced when a human holds a giant spear with one hand vertically.

"How can a mere human not only be able to defeat Arwelon but also be able to hold that spear" Widest figure points at me with his finger

"So Arwelon was that weak drake over there?" I point at the knocked out drake

"That is it. ALL OF YOU, BEAT THIS MAN TO PULP!" Widest figure pulls out an axe and rushes toward me.

The other two do the same.

Swoosh

The sandstorm appears. They catch sand in their eyes. They are stunned for a moment.

Thump Bonk Thack

They are knocked by my staff.

Ai yai yai yai

Luckily, I bought some length of ropes to tie them up this afternoon.

I carried four of them at once into nearby wood where no one can see me

Also for caution, I gagged them with the ropes. But for the drake, I gagged him by locking down his jaws

****

When they wake up, they look at me with terror in their face.

I pull my dagger out.

I grab my black powder bag out, holding it on my hand.

"You know, if I cut open your wound then pour this on, it will feel like rubbing salt into your wound. Then burning this stuff, this is how dwarven hunters treat their wound. It causes quite painful experience for a short time," I smirk menacingly ",But this is too easy to overcome for a veteran warrior who gets wounds daily. The thing that we need the most to live is air right? So I am going to put a noose on each of your neck. And you must run as fast as I run. If you are slow, you will die. Too fast ahead, you will die too. If you can survive the run til dawn, I will let you live"

So I put a noose on each of their necks. I set free their feet while holding the end of their life line.

"Ready? Here we go" As I dash quickly ahead

Four of them seem to catch my speed.

I am going to run faster.

As I expected, the dwarf tumbles and he is getting dragged. Since he is gagged, I can't hear his choking line and now, he is dead.

The remaining three are trying to run for their life. Being leashed like a dog is both humiliating and also frightening. You will never know when the master will stop and let you catch your breath or suddenly stop and you choke yourself.

"Now, let's go back quickly shall we?" I suddenly stop and yank the ropes back. I change my direction back to where we started.

The elf and the drake are quick to adapt the sudden direction change. But the human there, his neck is broken.

I repeat the process until dawn and the only survivor is the drake.

He seems to be furious about what I have done.

Running with him is like running with a dog. I am the master and he is the dog. He is being leashed and I am the one who controls the leash.

"As soon as I un-gag you, tell me the name that hired you to kill me. If you yamp me, your head will be fed for dogs," I put my dagger near his eye ",So please kindly say the name or death awaits you"

I un-gag him.

"He is Silved Rethennori. He paid us 200 gold coins for your head" The drake glares me

"200 gold coins is 2000000 Quinks for my life"

"To us, we could have splitted 500000 Quinks and lived the rest of our lives without working. How foolish of us to underestimate a monster like you."

"Who is this Silved Rethennori?"

"He is a son of Nomed Rethennori, a fearless captain of Undying Mask"

"Alright, I will let you live but," As I suddenly cut his right arm off ", A punishment for trying to murder me and a present for surviving the run. Dare to threaten me, your head will be food for dogs"

The drake yells painfully. I walk away from the scene.

Maybe I shouldn't spare that kid alive to cause so many troubles.

Another question is how can he get that much money for my head?

Perhaps, a request that makes fireflies go to fire then he reaps the harvest afterward.

Maybe he is nearby to observe the show.

Maybe he is waiting for reports and expecting me to get heavily wounded.

****

I am ready to go to those elves.

I hope that they will like these kinds of goods.

Nothing beats the silent on the trip.

No one dares to rob me this time due to rumors about a roaming mad merchant.