Just Before The Fight

Saturday passes quickly and on Sunday I am back in the Metorium. Surprisingly, other than a strange look Keldin doesn't trouble me. Still, I can tell by his expression that he expects to win the fight tomorrow. He is in for a shock. After classes I head to the B.L.D, the restaurant I usually eat in. There I find Lathia and Drew already at a table. I go to their table and after greeting them, place my order.

Drew looks more tired and sullen than usual. Throughout this week he has slowly been becoming more grumpy and he constantly looks tired. This is so unlike his usual cheery self that it has me worried, but for some reason, I don't say anything. I just hope he improves soon. As we eat, we talk, but Drew rarely speaks so it's more like a conversation between me and Lathia. After eating we leave the restaurant and Lathia suggests going to the training center, as she wants to practice a skill she just learned. I agree. I have nothing better to do and I would like to see the skill she is practicing so I agree. In the training center Drew mumbles something about training on his own and leaves us alone.

"What's up with him? He looks down."

Lathia sighs as she leads me to a room. "He's pushing himself too hard, trying to force himself into becoming a Wranth. I've tried telling him to slow down but he just won't listen."

I am quiet for a moment. "Is it really that important to become a Wranth quickly?"

"Well not really, but to Drew it is. Something happened to him some years ago and ever since then he's vowed to become one of the most powerful Laen ever. Also, the rest of the Five have become Wranths except him so he's really beating himself up."

"What happened to him?"

"He doesn't like others knowing about it, so if you want to know, you'll have to ask him."

I nod and say nothing else about that. "Who are the Five?"

"The five most talented Laens of our generation. At least that's what they say. Drew, PM, the Ice King, Seth, and Ten Punch Man."

The five most talented Laens of this generation. I had no idea Drew had a reputation like this. The only time I have seen him fight was when the Minotaur attacked me and he didn't seem too special then. In fact, David was the one who impressed me most during that fight with the way he fought the Minotaur with his chains. I don't say anything else and just keep quiet as I watch Lathia train. Time passes and soon I have to go, I say goodbye to Lathia and head to the bookshop. In the bookshop I don't clean up as I usually do, instead, I just do my best to pay attention as Hugo teaches me the trick he used previously to clean up the bookshop. Once he is done, I head on home.

At home, I put what I just learned from Hugo. The method he taught me takes time to set up but once done it can be used practically forever. It starts with me drawing some noers with my Uua on almost everything in my room while everything is cleaned up and arranged, once done whenever I mess up the room I can just activate the noers and everything will return to their positions when the room was arranged while depleting the Uua supporting the noers on them. A simple spell later will replenish the Uua making it so that it can be used for extremely long periods as long as I am careful and potentially even forever.

It takes me around an hour to complete the initial setup, and then a few more minutes for me to mess everything up. Once I am done, I stand back and look at my room. Then I raise up my hand and snap my fingers, activating the noer he taught me. Immediately stuff begins to fly around as my clothes organize themselves, along with books, shoes, and other things. My bed makes itself up and dust flies from all around the room, gathering itself into a tight ball. Soon it is done and my room is looking brand new. I smile in satisfaction as I look around my room. I use telekinesis to pick up the dust ball and put it in a plastic wrapper before heading out of my room to throw it in a waste basket.

From now on, cleaning up my room can be done with the snap of my fingers. After dinner, I head back to my room to practice. Starting as usual with one of the Tryer Circulation Techniques. When I am done with that I pick up the Basic Noer Studies textbook and begin reading. I finish late that night and after tidying up, go to sleep.

When I wake up the next morning, the first thing on my mind is my fight with Keldin. It seems strange but I can't help but feel excited at the thought of it. I quickly do my chores, with the easiest part being cleaning my room when I just had to snap my fingers. I clean up myself and have breakfast quickly before waiting. When it is time I leave the house.

In the bookshop Drew and the rest are already there, probably waiting for me. "Good morning," I say as I walk into the store. When he looks at me Drew has a strange expression on his face which leads me to believe something is wrong.

"Did you agree to fight Keldin?" he asks suddenly.

I am shocked for a moment. How did he know about our fight? "Yes," I say slowly, nodding. "How'd you know?"

He sighs, almost disappointed. "Why on earth would you do that?"

"He's an idiot," one of the twins says.

At that moment I begin to feel strangely guilty. I explain what to Drew what went on between Keldin and me last week. He doesn't seem too surprised by the time I am done.

"That prick really doesn't want to change," Lathia says suddenly. I look at her, a bit confused. She sounds like she knows him personally. Drew notices the look on my face.

"Look, Keldin's a douche and we know that better than anyone. When he first came last year he liked to act like he owned the place and challenged everyone from Student to Protector, PM had to teach him a lesson to get him to stop, but now it looks like it only stopped him from challenging those stronger than him. Still, you shouldn't have accepted his challenge."

I shrug. "I was just tired of him and wanted him to stop annoying him. How did you guys find out?"

"He spread the news that he would be fighting you in the Arena this afternoon."

"He what?" I ask shocked. I had expected the fight to just be between the two of us, but he let everyone know, and to make it worse he said it would take place in the Arena. Just imagining that many people watching me fight is terrifying.

"I would have told you not to fight him but it's too late. No matter what happens, I can assure you that nothing good will come out of the fight today."

"I can still call off the fight," I say.

"If you do everyone will just think of you as a coward. It may not seem like much but trust me when I say your reputation really matters." Lathia says.

"It's getting late," Drew says. "Let go."

We go to the Metorium and go our separate ways. Before we separate Drew tells me he will come to watch my fight later on. On my way to the ATC I notice the unusual amount of attention people are paying me. I act like I don't notice it, but I do and it scares me for some reason. By the time I get to the ATC I am dreading the coming fight, but at the same time, I feel like strangling Keldin. This is all his fault.

I see him ahead of me, standing alone, and walk towards him. "You told everyone about our fight," I say, my voice calm yet containing traces of anger.

He smiles at me. "Of course. My reward for winning will be your humiliation. I can't humiliate you if no one knows about it. What? You wanna back out." I glare at him, murder in my eyes, then turn around and walk away. He wants to humiliate me? Well, he has another thing coming.