Defeat

The sound of falling stone and debris sparked to life. Dust scattered through the air into a cloud of muddy brown. A moment of uncertain silence drifted through the town of Initium. The only thing that could be heard were tiny pieces of broken stones rolling across the ground after Avic had crashed into the tavern.

Scared that Avic had died in the collision, Eliisabet dashed towards the fallen tavern, into the cloud of dust. She inhaled the muddy air, coughing as she frantically searched for the smallest sign of Avic.

"Avic..! Avic! Where are you?!" She screamed desperately.

Catching sight of subtle movement to her left, Eliisabet focused her eyes through the cloud of dust to see the silhouette of Avic's figure.

"Avic, you're there! Hold on!" She shouted, dashing over to him.

Quickly, Eliisabet proceeded to move a few slabs of stone and wood that was blocking her reach. Surprisingly, not only was Avic still alive, but he was also conscious. He groaned softly in pain, bleeding from his mouth, head, and arms. His clothes were badly torn and the spot in his stomach where he had been hit by Bolton's Lightning Spear had been burnt, leaving a gaping hole in his shirt.

"Oh my gosh! You're still alive! I'm so glad!" Cried Eliisabet with tears in her eyes.

"Hurry up and move, child. He needs to see a doctor," suddenly said Amon from behind.

"Mister Amon! He's badly hurt! Is he going to make it?"

Just then, before Amon could give a response, Avic spoke.

"I... I'm not... I'm not done yet..." He muttered, trying to pick himself up.

"Avic! Stop! You can't defeat him! Especially not like this!" Deterred Eliisabet.

"I don't care... This is such a pain in the ass... I... I can't let myself... lose to him... Not until I... find out who he is..!"

Avic immediately began coughing in pain. As much as he was trying to force himself up, his body was far too damaged to do so. The electrical shock from Bolton's attack had left his legs numb. It was a miracle that he was still even alive.

"Come, Eliisabet. Help me carry him," prompted Amon.

Quickly, the two picked up Avic before slumping his arms across their shoulders. A few seconds later, they moved out into the open street to see Bolton waiting for them. He stood in the middle of the road with his arms folded and a stern look across his face.

"What do you want? Haven't you done enough damage already!?" Cursed Eliisabet.

Bolton didn't answer immediately. Instead, he moved a little closer to them, all while staring down at Avic. This was when something quite shocking happened.

Avic pulled his arms from around Eliisabet's and Amon's shoulders, forcing himself to stand with his own two feet. His arms swung lifelessly before him and he breathed heavily, signifying that he was in pain. His feet trembled as if he was just learning to walk and blood pitter-pattered from the side of his head to the ground.

"Avic, what are you doing?! Just stop already! Please!" Begged Eliisabet.

"I said... I'm not done yet... I'm not going to lose like this..!"

A look of disgust quickly crawled over Bolton's face as soon as he saw this. This was when he moved forward and delivered a painful punch to Avic's gut, forcing him to the ground in agony. Eliisabet and Amon quickly rushed to his side in worry to help him back up.

"This is why I said that you're a hypocrite, kid!" Began Bolton. "Just look at you! It's been 10 long years since your parents have died and what have you done? Sitting around in your own filth for 24hrs a day?! You say you want to get your family back and that you'll find a way to bring them back but what have you done to make that dream a reality?! Talk without hard work is empty!"

Avic looked up at Bolton in shock, squinting away the blood in his eyes. Bolton's words were piercing his heart like a spear.

"You're truly pathetic. As undeserving as you are of this information, I'll simply say that someone who knows you sent me here to check on you. But I didn't expect you to be this pathetic, kid. You're a slob who's all talk and nothing more."

"You're wrong..." Answered Avic weakly. "I put my life on the line... for that information... I gave everything... I had to defeat you..! How can you say that I'm a hypocrite when I tried so hard?!"

"Tsk! You still don't get it, do you? Let's say I gave you the information you wanted. What would you do with it? Would you use it to draw closer to your goal or do you just want to know to make yourself feel better? Tell me, kid."

"I'd use it to draw closer to my goal..!"

Bolton frowned, "You say you would but is that really the truth?"

"Of course, it is..!"

"Then if that's the case, why is it that even after 10 years, you're still here in this town working at a tavern? Why haven't you tried to gain intel by venturing outside of your comfort zone? Why haven't you even moved an inch closer to your goal after 10 whole years?!"

Avic's eyes widened with shock. As much as he wanted to deny it, Bolton's words had a weight behind them that he couldn't ignore.

"Do you want me to tell you why you haven't moved any closer to achieving your goals, Avic? It's because you only tell yourself you're going to achieve your goal of bringing back your family. Telling yourself that you're going to do something and doing it are two different things entirely. It's about time you realized that! And until you do, nothing will change!"

Avic hung his head in frustration. He gritted his teeth and scratched the ground with his fingers. It was the last thing he wanted to admit but Bolton was right. The guilt of finally having someone reveal the truth to him was far worse than the physical agony he was currently experiencing. For 10 years, he had only lied to himself. Despite preaching about bringing his parents back, he had never once placed any effort into making it a reality. It was as if he had secretly given up and was only lying to himself to feel a sense of hope. Bolton couldn't be any more right. He was truly pathetic.

"If you're okay with living the rest of your life as a lazy slob then knock yourself out. But I've lost all interest in you, kid. To imagine that I traveled 2000 miles from Sortitus only to witness such a disappointment. If Sor were to see you like this, I can't imagine how she'd react."

Bolton then picked up his longsword that was leaned up against a wall not too far away. He then sheathed it across his back before looking back at Avic one last time.

"I'm leaving this pathetic town. There's nothing left for me to do here. If this is the best you got kid, then you won't make it very far. Laziness is a curse."

Finally, Bolton turned and walked away before disappearing down the streets of Initium. Not only had Avic lost the fight but he had also lost his will. Bolton had defeated him in more ways than one.