Amelia's challenge

Ares looked at Xavier with a confused expression. He frowned hard and firmed the grip on his battle-axe.

"That girl is calling me? Why?" He asked, feeling sick just to think of her. He didn't like the look in her eyes. It made him want to puke.

"She didn't tell me why... And I couldn't even ask her. I mean, she was so scary and all... I was frightened when she approached me with that scary and arrogant look of hers. I felt lower than a cockroach," Xavier began to mutter to him, fidgeting his fingers nonstop.

Ares just kept standing in the same place while narrowing his eyes at him and shaking his head.

'This freaking coward... I should step on these glasses and force him to work out with me...'

Ares hated weakness more than anything else. He repudiated it with all his might. He lost everything he loved because of weakness. When he saw someone in their comfort zone without trying to improve their power, he got restless.

'In this world where my efforts may not be enough in the future, giving less than my all in everything I do should be a sin.' That was his motto ever since he began his brief training as a trainee.

'Well, anyway, his cowardice isn't something to be rambling about now. I need to punch the face of an aleatory girl. I bet that she wants to take another fight with me. Unfortunately for them, I am not out of shape anymore and, even though everyone here can defeat me, I will be able to rip one or two limbs off before it happens.'

With a bit of fear in his heart, but maintaining his head high and confidence in his eyes, Ares followed Xavier where he wanted to bring him.

Once Ares realized where they were going, he tilted his head to the side.

"Are we going to the cafeteria? Why?" He walked hastily to get beside Xavier.

"That's because she is waiting for you there, duh! I thought that it was obvious."

Ares shook his head, narrowing his eyes to the building of the cafeteria.

"No. I am not saying it out of dumbness, you know? I am just wondering why she chose this exact place to bother me. There must be something that she prepared for our arrival."

Xavier gulped once he heard that and regretted even more to have ever turned Ares' comrade.

They both arrived at the cafeteria and walked past the entrance door. The cafeteria had its lights turned off at that hour of the day, just the sunlight was illuminating that place. It was very silent inside there, and the tables were more crowded than normal (probably to open space to the cleaning personnel to take care of it more efficiently).

Once they did as such, someone closed the door behind them and locked it.

Xavier turned immediately and was going to give a kick on the door or cast some spell, but Ares held him by his collar, never shifting his gaze from the person that he was staring at.

"It's a pleasure to see that you didn't delay to come here, Ares Stormray. I am Amelia Orchidfield, the successor of Thomas Orchidfield and image of my deceased mother, Susan Orchidfield. I came from the provinces of the north, in which I won't mention to not extend myself too much," a girl with blond long hair tied in a ponytail and purplish eyes said, placing her hand on her chest.

There were other two ladies standing beside her, like guards. Anyone could clearly see that there was a hierarchic relationship between them. The person that closed the door should be a girl as well.

"That's a hella long introduction, lady," Ares commented with annoyance.

Amelia didn't even flinch with his provocations. Instead, she just crossed her legs and continued to stare at him with critical eyes.

"To think that you are the boy that could handle I, Ray, and Arwin at the same time, even if for brief seconds... I am quite disappointed that I didn't knock you out in the first blow."

Ares closed his fist tightly. The arm that he used to defend her kick was still quite achy. Her blows weren't something that he was willing to take head-on in the future.

"Anyway," Ares changed the subject, trying to be as brief as possible, "I am busy with my things right now. I don't have plenty of time to train, so I need to do it quickly.

"Worry not, my comrade," she gave him a sweet smile as she unsheathed her rapier quickly. "I will be your training partner."

Ares needed to give a step back right after she did as such.

Xavier looked at him with a flabbergasted expression, not knowing why he had such a reaction. It wasn't usual for him.

Then, everything was clear once he saw that Ares' cheek was bleeding.

"Behind me, Xavier," Ares said with a serious voice. "This girl is crazy fast with that rapier. I don't know how things will go here."

Amelia was still sweetly smiling as she unsheathed another rapier, this time slowlier than before and making a whipping movement with her wrist. Ares and Xavier saw that the Rapier indeed could scratch them at that distance, and the whip movement was just perfect to create the illusion of not being attacked.

"That's called martial arts, my comrade," she winked at him. "I bet that this type of thing isn't of your knowledge."

Ares shook his head.

"Yes. I don't know any, but I don't need these fancy tricks to have a good fight!" Ares held his battle-axe tightly with both hands and took a fighting stance.

Without uttering a single word about it, both had accepted that challenge.

'Damn it... She is a dual-wielder and fights with rapiers. It would be difficult to fight against her wielding a short blade, even; but for a battle-axe of one edge... it seems almost impossible, in my opinion. Just, what Ares has in mind right now?' Xavier thought, biting his lips.