Chapter 47 - An Honorable… Conversation?

<p>I sit up in a flash, clamping my mouth shut. 'What the fuck was that??'<br/><br/> Instead of the same repeating dream again and again, I was stuck in space, staring at the moon. It sat staring back at me, until it split open, revealing a dark hole, and I felt myself begin to be sucked in by it.<br/><br/> 'No, not you too,' I wanted to cry out, but nothing could escape my throat. I watched helplessly as I passed into the moon, and then…<br/><br/> Wide awake.<br/><br/> "Well, I just won't use that new move then. Fucker," I sighed.<br/><br/> As I put my head into my hands and breathed, a presence that I was slowly becoming used to appeared in my head. <br/><br/> 'You always have such interesting dreams,' Alyphia notes.<br/><br/> "Thanks for telling me," I sigh, standing up and getting dressed. It's a bit embarrassing to do so in front of a Saint, but I wasn't wearing anything except my underwear anyway. <br/><br/> 'You know, I had similar dreams about Luzieni, though they were not so… dark,' she continues. 'Just be careful not to get consumed. I may be a Saint, but I cannot bring your mind back if it is lost.'<br/><br/> "Yeah, yeah, I know," I reply, checking the mirror to ensure my armor is equipped properly. "I'll be careful."<br/><br/> 'I will be watching, and rooting for my disciple,' she giggles.<br/><br/> My right arm tingles for a moment, as if someone is holding onto it, before the feeling, and her presence, disappears. <br/><br/> "Always so pleasant chatting with you," I say sarcastically, heading to my door. "Nearly time to wing it."<br/><br/> Checking I had everything, I open the door to—<br/><br/> "Hey!" Lynsel says, leaning above the door. 'Fucking giant man,' I think as I stare up at him. <br/><br/> "How'd ya sleep?"<br/><br/> "Uh, good, I guess. What are you doing here?"<br/><br/> He scratches his head. "Eniyala already left ta prepare for her fight, since it starts in half an hour."<br/><br/> That meant I only had an hour for the match.<br/><br/> "Shit, I slept in that late? You couldn't have, like, knocked on the door or something?"<br/><br/> "Ah, I didn't think of that," he says, looking blankly at me.<br/><br/> "Of course you didn't, buddy," I sigh. "I gotta head out. See you after the match?"<br/><br/> The pupp— I mean our party member nods vigorously, bounding off to go wait for Eniyala's match to start. I take a deep breath, leaving my room and walking down the stairs. I look at the menu posted above the bar, but they don't really serve anything small here. I walk out with a grumble from my stomach, looking for a snack to eat before my match. 20 minutes later, I settled on a candied apple from one of the stalls, demolishing it in a few more minutes. As I eat, I scroll through my Manaphone, looking through some of the other matches. Of course, I didn't recognize any of the names, but I would research more about them later… As long as I could win this fight.<br/><br/> "Shit, Ezio," I mutter, looking up his name. But, no results. "Fuck. Is there really nothing?"<br/><br/> In a wave of curiosity, I search up 'Liwuukay,' and immediately several results showed up on the MainLine (web browser). <br/><br/> "…Shit."<br/><br/> There were detailed articles, and even a few videos, of the fights I had been in so far. It was clear I was quickly garnering attention from defeating two big names; this was putting me at one hell of a disadvantage. <br/><br/> I open my Statscreen to double check my stats, and I was surprised to see the Level Up animation play. I hadn't checked the screen since the fight with Roderrick, which was two days ago.<br/><br/> "Huh. That's helpful, I guess," I wonder as I check out my Free Stat total.<br/><br/>[Free Stats: 10]<br/><br/> Staring at my Stats, I decide to hold off on distributing any more. Apparently my Stat total was way above where it was supposed to be anyway, so it was better to save the points until I needed them. I was certain I could survive an extra three seconds in a fight for them to kick in.<br/><br/> Plus, it would make me more unpredictable, helping my shoddy style to hold up against experienced fighters.<br/><br/> I take a deep breath, checking the time. "Guess I should head to stadium four," I mutter, trekking over to the closest of the four large buildings.<br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/> Ezio had only heard rumors around the street of his next opponent. It was only natural; apparently, he had beaten someone from not only the Plaineti family, but also the Prospect family before the tournament. He didn't know why the spectacle had been arranged, but it was possible the man was doing so in order to garner more attention.<br/><br/> 'No matter,' Ezio thinks to himself as he meditates in his waiting room. 'The results will still be the same.'<br/><br/> No matter how much he heard about the strength in his opponent, he had preserved his honor and respected his opponent's privacy, so he didn't know the type of fighter he was going up against. He knew there was no information on him just yet; though this fight would likely change that.<br/><br/> 'Focus on now,' he reminds himself, exhaling slowly and standing. As he does, the knock on the door he was expecting comes. <br/><br/> "Come in."<br/><br/> The door swings open, and a woman with black shades, a black suit, and a tightly pulled back black ponytail peeks her head in. "It's time," she says simply, and Ezio bows, his face suddenly flushed.<br/><br/> "Of course, my fair lady!" He shouts, still bowing his head low. The lady stares blankly at him for a second before shrugging and leaving, and Ezio rights himself with a confident smile. "Nailed it."<br/><br/> As he begins walking to the entrance to the arena to wait to be called out, he ponders his soon to be enemy, at least in the arena. 'Maybe he will have good taste,' he thinks to himself, thinking once again of the wonderful lady who had appeared at his door.<br/><br/> He makes it to the illusory wall to see a scrawny white-haired boy leaning against the side wall, scrolling on a purple Manaphone. Ezio stiffly sticks out his hand to shake. "I hope to have a fair match."<br/><br/> The boy looks up nonchalantly. "Oh, sure, yeah," he says, his slanted amber eyes locking onto the man's hand. He sideways high fives it, then backhands it, before lightly punching his knuckles. 'No, it's more of a light bump,' Ezio notes, alarmed.<br/><br/> "Did you just curse me?!"<br/><br/> The boy gives him an extremely confused look. "The hell? No, it's just a handshake, man."<br/><br/> Ezio didn't know what this handshake was, or what a hell was for that matter, but shakes it off. "It must be a cultural thing. Where are you from?"<br/><br/> "The Un— uhhh, a distant land called Barnia."<br/><br/> "Barnia?"<br/><br/> The boy nods hurriedly. "Yes, it's even got a talking bobcat. Pretty cool stuff."<br/><br/> Ezio turns back to the one-way illusory wall, trying to disregard the weirdness of his opponent. 'He knows Beastpeople are a common race, right?'<br/><br/> Soon, they are called out, and face off against one another as the countdown begins. The kid stands casually, his hands empty and hanging loosely by his sides. 'Is he a brawler?' Ezio wonders, taking his ready stance — feet shoulder width, with his right slightly ahead of his left, knees slightly bent, and his left hand resting on the hilt of his blade. The crowd counts down along with the beautiful, but loud announcer and the fight begins.<br/><br/> "Before we begin, may I ask for your taste in women?" Ezio immediately asks.<br/><br/> Liwuukay stares blankly at him for a moment. "Well, I don't have a type, really. As long as they're a good person and can joke, I could be attracted to anyone."<br/><br/> Ezio nods deeply, as if the topic was incredibly serious. "I see. Are there any no gos for you, looks or personality wise?"<br/><br/> Liwuukay scratches his chin thoughtfully. "Obviously, if they're a self-obsessed asshole, that's an easy no. Looks wise, I really don't have a preference. I do like a good set of legs, I guess? Hmmm… Oh, but if you don't bathe enough, I'll be too busy trying not to puke to learn anything about them."<br/><br/> The crowd had fallen into a shocked stupor at the current turn of events, filling the stadium with silence aside from the amplified voices of the two's conversation. But, Ezio was becoming too invested in it to care.<br/><br/> "Interesting. One last question. Do you care if she has been with other men?"<br/><br/> The boy gives him a judgemental look. "What kind of immature ass question is that? We're all people; not all of our past experiences define us."<br/><br/> The wannabe samurai lifts his arms up, palms facing the sky. "How profound! You deserve my utmost respect, my dear colleague. You have my promise that I shall go all out! My, what wisdom beyond your years! Let us commence our fateful battle!"</p>