by Ink Bamboo
Chapter 10
Taking over.
Like a cascade of dominoes falling one after another, groups mouths turned agape at the boy’s undisputable win. Not one of the observers wanted to believe a young child had been able to take down one of their gang’s leaders. Rat’s grunts and screams, however, served a grim reminder that this was their reality.
Amro stood nonchalant and unimpressed. His expressionless face enhanced his aura of arrogance, further evidenced by having his boot over Rat’s back. Their current positions looked like a mocking parody of a small stone sitting beside an imposing mountain.
It took Slyfox’s thunderous laughter to break the silence permeating the room. "Yes! That is exactly how a man is supposed to be! Facing all challenges with no cowardice, ready to face the world! I like the way you fight, boy."
The opportunity of taking in such a subordinate made him excited about his gang’s future. Unfortunately, it seemed like recruiting the boy would be a little harder than expected. None of his subordinates would be able to deal with him, nor did they possess the skill required to break his will. This was a task he had to take himself.
He stood up and signaled a middle-aged man to take Rat away from the ring. There was no use for someone who was turned into a cripple in his gang. That being said, Slyfox approached the ring himself. It was his turn to break some bones.
His decision to take the next fight for himself made surprise appear on everyone's faces. It wasn't very often that they saw their boss take the initiative to fight with someone. They could still remember the macabre results from the last time he did.
Yet, seeing the prideful boy standing atop the ring, Slyfox had no choice but to step in himself. Only by showing this newcomer a true difference in power would the hierarchy of his gang be reinforced.
With a swift move, Slyfox entered the ring. His actions were fluid and calm, calling attention to his physique’s nimbleness. He was leisurely enough to flash his subordinates a charming and devious smile as he embraced their attention. Even the flaxen hair on his head displayed an equal amount of grace as it followed his moves. The man had no qualms about behaving just as arrogantly as the child he was about to face.
Amro mentally rolled his eyes. The narcissism of the man before him could rival that of the Goddess of Love. In his opinion, attention should be used as a medium to satisfy one’s goals, not vanity.
“I take it you're my next challenger?” said Amro. “This should be easy."
How long had it been since Slyfox faced such disregard? Even as a young boy, people had treated him with respect. Nowadays, even the stuck-up nobles from the eastern side of the town treated him amicably. Only one truth held supreme everywhere in the world: strength.
It took a moment before he resumed his nonchalant expression. He reminded himself not to take the child’s words too seriously. After all, the chance to beat some respect into the boy’s bones was already his.
Thus, he took a long breath before he answered Amro with renewed control. "Indeed, I'm quite intrigued by your capabilities. Therefore, I’ve decided to be the next challenger. Of course, I don't intend to bully you. If you're afraid, I'll give you the chance to walk out now."
Amro smiled wryly. He could understand the thought processes of both saints and demons. How could he not see through Slyfox's small scheme?
“Don't worry about me,” Amro answered. “However, I seem to recall that I can take the position of whoever I beat in this challenge. Does this mean that if I defeat you, I'll take control over the whole gang?”
Gasps of surprise came about and Slyfox’s smile slipped away. Of course, he understood the implications behind Amro’s words. The frown on his face could only grow deeper as he realized that even his subordinates had caught the blatant insult.
The hoodlums felt the temperature in the room plummet by several degrees. It was one thing to act arrogantly, but another to act disrespectfully. They felt the boy was taking it too far by challenging their leader’s prestige.
Even Slyfox was finding it hard to remain calm now. No matter how much he desired a strong and capable subordinate, he wasn’t willing to have someone as treacherous as Amro in his ranks. The cons of having to control such a difficult subordinate had begun to outweigh the pros.
He started forming alternatives as new options crawled through his mind. One in particular shifted his view on the situation. There was a demand for talent. So much, in fact, that buyers from all kinds of markets would be willing to pay generously for it. The slavers’ money was as good as anybody else’s.
"That is, of course, if you win," replied Slyfox, breaking the frigid silence that had flooded the room. His words seemed to take a load off of everyone's shoulders. After all, a leader’s composure influenced the mood of his subordinates. “Still, I don’t believe you will be able to.”
Amro took a quick glance at Slyfox's body and nodded to himself in understanding. He was aware of his opponent's strength; it represented nothing but a small risk. Slyfox was someone who had tempered his body, stronger than the average man. Much like the man leading the mercenaries he had faced before, Slyfox was someone who had tempered his body enough to enter rank one.
“Regardless,” said Slyfox, “I don’t see a point in prolonging this conversation. Let me see where your confidence stems from.”
Slyfox was the first to make a move. Cordiality was nothing but foolishness in a fight, nor was it something in line with the values of the slums’ residents. He approached Amro with coordinated steps, a tinge of bloodthirst in his eyes.
“I’m different from my subordinates,” said Slyfox, throwing punches in a rhythmical, disciplined manner. “I was part of the mercenary guild, you can’t compare my moves to theirs.”
Despite Slyfox’s words, however, Amro dodged all his punches with ease. Slyfox's skills were still far behind that of the captain he had fought in Zaros’s village. Despite sharing the same rank, the man’s skills were in no way comparable to those of a systematically trained soldier. With nothing to worry, Amro began making use of the fight as an opportunity to perfect his control over Zaros’s body.
“Is that all you got?” asked Amro, taunting his opponent. “Quick feet are no way to back such a bold tongue.”
Slyfox grew frustrated with every punch that Amro dodged. The anger he felt drove him to increase the intensity of his attacks. He even tried mixing feints into them, throwing kicks while relying on his superior reach to exert pressure.
To the ignorant onlookers, however, the fight appeared to be very one-sided. Many of Slyfox’s subordinates breathed sighs of relief as the boy seemed completely unable to attack. None of them were smart enough to look at Amro's nonchalant face and the ease of his movements. The pragmatism behind his moves was considered a lack of skill by those thugs who were used to flashy footwork, violent punches, and overly complicated kicks.
Amro, however, was about to prove them wrong. He channeled a strand of mana into his feet, using it to sidestep a kick from Slyfox. Using the opening created by evading Slyfox’s move, he closed in, ready to take act on this opportunity.
With his leg still extended, Slyfox's eyes grew wide. He tried to recall his limb to move backwards. However, before he was able to do so, Amro circled his left arm around it.
“Got you.”
Having Slyfox’s leg caught in his arm, Amro used his right elbow to drop all his weight onto the leg’s femur. A very brief cracking noise reverberated across the room, weighing on everyone’s minds.
“Damn it.”
Slyfox quickly twisted his hips, using the rotational speed to kick Amro with healthy remaining leg. Alas, although his move had saved him from a second elbow drop, the damage from the first was already done.
Amro couldn’t help but frown. His last move should have cracked Slyfox’s femur. However, rather than display his pain, Slyfox had released a slight breath filled with killing intent.
Even though Amro knew he could have employed a more de
adly technique, he still decided against it. Not only was it more taxing on Zaros’s body, it also carried the risk of garnering him the hate of those around him. Taking control of the gang was his priority, not killing the man before him.
Provided that his host had been just a little stronger, the fight would have been considerably easier to settle. Alas, that was not the case. Helping him advance through the threshold of rank one was still on their ‘to-do’ list.
On the other side of the ring, Slyfox stood with a stoic face. The pain he felt in his leg was extenuating, but not enough to stop him for the moment. He had greatly underestimated the child before him. The only reason he was able to hold on right now was because of the recreational drugs he had ingested before the fight.
Something else scared him, though. For just a brief moment, he felt mana fluctuations in his last exchange with the boy. If his earlier guess was right, then he was up for a treat.
Mana was an unbridled force of nature. With great training, those at rank one were able to use it to strengthen themselves. Being from the slums, however, he wasn’t able to do anything but occasionally feel it. He lacked the training required to do more.
No, it must be my mind playing tricks on me, he thought, rationalizing his situation. I shouldn’t have mixed elf-weed with alcohol.
If the boy before him had learned how to use mana instinctively, his value was far from what he could control. Be it as a subordinate or as a slave, the future prospects of someone who managed to use mana without training were not something a rank one like him could deal with.
As the staring contest between Amro and Slyfox continued, those at the sides rubbed their eyes in disbelief. This boy had managed to injure their leader! What circumstances could have given birth to such a monster?
Alexander and his sister were drenched in cold sweat. The amount of regret they felt at trying to rob this monster rose exponentially after each of his actions tonight. Drops of fear trickled down their foreheads as they wondered how they could apologize to the small monster; the possibility of him losing was already gone from their minds.
Eventually, they witnessed as Amro broke the stand-off by rushing towards Slyfox. He expertly controlled what little mana he could put into his host’s feet to ensure he received no damage from straining his muscles.
Slyfox frowned and took a defensive pose. Provided that he could endure the pain from his leg, he was sure he could find a chance to counter-attack. An opportunity like that was his best chance at victory.
This time, however, Amro smiled deviously. When he was but a small jump away from Slyfox, he shifted into another set of footwork. It suddenly became harder for all the onlookers to predict where he was going to move.
This footwork was the legacy of an age-long warrior who had served him in the past. Even if his current body could not sustain the more complicated moves from this skill, he had no trouble using the basics of the footwork to defeat someone of Slyfox's strength.
Unable to change his stance, Slyfox raised his arms to block Amro's incoming fist. The kid carried strength disproportionate to his frame and age, so taking the blow with his body was not an option.
Yet contrary to Slyfox’s expectations, the fist never connected. Amro’s complex footwork made it seem like he would be striking him head-on, but he had decided to strike Slyfox’s back instead. Underhanded methods were not limited to those of the slums.
“Sleep well.”
Amro placed his hand on Slyfox's back and held it there as he emitted mana from within. Successive waves of nature’s essence stacked one over another, exponentially increasing the pressure exerted by such an attack.
To others, it only looked like Amro had slapped Slyfox's back, but to Slyfox, it felt like a mace of iron had crushed his spine. He fell to his knees, a mouthful of blood spurting out of his lips before his consciousness vanished into darkness. The waves of mana had stacked until he fainted, causing him to fall into a small pool of his own bodily fluids.
Amro smiled and looked at the room full of shocked people. Everyone gazed at him as if they were staring at a monster. The cute smile of his child-like face morphed into a demonic visage in their eyes. Most of them were frozen in shock, unable to do anything but stare at the surprising victor.
"We pledge our allegiance to the new boss!" Alexander and his sister fell to their knees, bowing their heads to the ground in Amro's direction. Only upon hearing their voice did everyone else wake up from their stupor.
They soon followed the teenagers' lead, kneeling in fear of the monstrous child before them. Strength reigned supreme in the slums. Thus, Amro's display of skill was enough for them to pledge their allegiance without a doubt.
With his strength, they were ready to usher in a new time of dominance and control. Even escaping the suppression of the nobles seemed like a possibility.
Amro smiled as he saw the looks of fear and awe on his new subordinates’ faces. It made his goals that much easier to accomplish.
"Who here can help me collect a few materials?" he asked. This had been his intention in coming here ever since the beginning.
Those bandits who had shared a table with Slyfox previously were the first to rush in front of him and kneel as they offered their services. This made Amro smile. It was truly good to have followers at one’s command. How long, he wondered, How long would it be before he took back control of his church?
Chapter 11
Pathfinding.
Zaros woke up in an unfamiliar room. His eyes widened when he looked around and found himself unable to recognize where he was. As far as he remembered, he went to sleep inside an empty alleyway. But now, he was somehow lying on a comfortable bed.
His thoughts grew increasingly confusing until Amro's voice clarified the situation.
“Finally awake?” asked the former god, ignoring Zaros’s confusion. “Don't worry about your quarters; I did us a favor last night.”
Pain flared through Zaros’s body as he tried to stand up and retort to Armo’s aloof comment. His bones ached and his muscles were sore enough to justify not getting out of bed for an entire day. Just what had Amro done last night?
Unfortunately, he had no way to know what Amro did with his body in his sleep. Not unless Amro told him just what had happened. For a moment, he felt wronged and slightly betrayed.
"I'm pretty sure it was well worth it both times," complained Amro, aware of Zaros’s thoughts.
Zaros was about to ask Amro to explain in more detail when he heard a knock on the door to his room, something that was followed by a female voice.
"Boss Zaros, may I come in? I brought the things you requested last night."
Zaros blinked in confusion. Boss? He was no one’s boss. Nothing made sense this morning except for one thing: Amro was to blame for everything.
This time, Amro felt wronged by Zaros finger-pointing. Did this kid not understand his efforts to simplify their lives? Feeling a bit petty, he made a mental note to increase the amount of training he had planned for his host in the future.
That being said, there was a more pressing situation for both of them. Amro had to quickly remind Zaros to deal with their visitor. “Don't leave her waiting, child, let her in.”
We will have a serious talk later, Zaros thought. After a few seconds where he calmed himself down, he decided to answer the girl waiting outside.
"Please, come in."
A young girl, one who was only a few years older than Zaros, walked inside. She was the teenager who had tried to rob Amro the night before. Of course, Zaros had no way of knowing this.
Her brown hair swayed from side to side as her arms carried the items requested by Amro the night before. Seeing Zaros’s gaze land on her, she couldn't help but blush. Zaros was still in bed so she couldn’t help but misunderstand the situation.
Zaros continued to stare at the girl. She felt somehow familiar, but he had no idea why. It took a few seconds of staring at the books, maps, and bags on her hands before he fin
ally snapped out of his daze.
"Please leave those on the ground," he said. Realizing he was still inside his bed, he quickly removed his covers and helped her with the baggage.
Afraid to insult her fearsome boss, the girl decided to place the things on the ground like he had ordered her to. After she was done, she stood there, waiting for a new command. Without an order instructing her to do so, she wouldn’t dare leave the room. The scene from the night before was still fresh in her mind.
What does she want now?
Zaros looked at her, clueless as to what was going inside the girl’s mind. His face was filled with curiosity and innocence. Yet in the girl's eyes, this seemed like nothing but a ploy devised by a hungry wolf.
Sensing the weird and tense air around them, Amro decided to intervene. He wondered whether he should teach the boy about social cues later on as well.
"Boy, instruct her to leave. For now, we need some time to settle some matters of our own," Amro instructed.
"Thanks, you may leave for now. I'll call you if I need anything else," Zaros said to the girl, following Amro’s advise. His voice was filled with gentleness, causing the girl to feel confused by his behavior.
The girl quickly bowed and left. For a brief moment, she felt the boy in front of her was a different person from the one she knew. He had been humble and polite, a big contrast to his arrogant and domineering behavior on the night before. Did her boss have a severe case of split personality disorder, or was he one of those playboys who acted domineering in other men’s presence, hiding their subservient side for only women to see?
“What a strange girl,” murmured Zaros.
As she closed the door, he sat down and shuffled through all the items on the ground. He could see books, maps, posters, and even some strange ingredients. Needless to say, Zaros was confused about what the purpose behind such items could be.