10 Fight

"Arlen, what is it?" Desmond asked, sulking over the command.

Sonia wasn't as doubtful as Desmond, dashing towards Kai the moment Arlen had spoken. Shae backed away from the soon to erupt fight, and Desmond had to take a step forward, receiving no explanation from the captain.

Kai showed an ugly expression, a little sad, but angrier. "What is going on?" he shouted and took out the mirror shard for all to see. "Don't come close, I am warning you."

Shae gasped at the sight, but Sonia didn't stop. In the next moment, she was upon him. Kai had seen she was tall, but when her kick came, aiming at his head, she felt even taller. Kai ducked, moving to his left. The kick missed but followed his head. It had come fast, and now it was even faster. The hair on Kai's neck stood up, knowing the damage this kick would do if it were to land.

He didn't know what to do. But his body did.

His toes applied a burst of force at their tip, and his legs slid like tracing the track of a snake, slithering and undulating as if they were on the sand. The kick landed on the floor, but Kai had dodged it, shifting to his left again. Sonia was shocked. It shouldn't have missed him, she must have thought. Arlen frowned, and only Desmond's eyes shined.

Shae was overwhelmed by the happenings in front of her.

"Humph!" Sonia snorted. She spun, kicking the floor, and sent kicks after kicks at Kai. Head, legs, hands, and stomach, her slim and large legs covered all. Her loose long pants couldn't hinder her movements at all. It was just… she couldn't touch Kai.

By the width of a hair, a tiny hair, Kai dodged her kicks, sliding his legs on the floor in a slithering motion. He wasn't even controlling them, this sliding motion was encoded in his muscles and bones.

These were the steps of a snake, a creature Kai was too familiar with.

"Stand down, kid, don't make me do this," Desmond suggested, a touch of warmth in his voice. But Kai had to take the advantage now, the coming hours would depend on his performance, he knew it.

Suddenly, a heavy, nauseating feeling overtook him, making him vomit if he hadn't gulped it down back. He looked at Desmond and noticed the light golden hue churning in his brown eyes.

[Damage Taken: 9 points]

'What's this?!' Kai was struggling to bury that deep nausea inside him, but Sonia didn't wait to follow up on Desmond's assistance. She sent a roundhouse kick at Kai's chest, too fast to dodge. Shockingly, Kai didn't even try.

The kick hit right where it was intended.

[Damage Taken: 25 points]

A trace of blood trickled from Kai's mouth as he was sent flying backward. "Sonia, are you trying to kill him?" Desmond roared. What happened next left them flabbergasted, anyway.

Kai rolled on the floor, and just as he approached Shae, he jumped to his feet. Shae was still petrified from the events when Kai lunged at her, wrapping his legs around her waist, and climbing on her back. It looked like this wasn't the first time he was doing something like that. The sequence of motion was too smooth.

"Ahh!" Shae cried, finding the edge of the mirror shard digging in her throat. She was shaking. Kai felt the slight tremors in his body, but it didn't prevent him from tearing the skin over her throat to give it a touch of blood.

Kai eyed Sonia, then Desmond, and then his eyes fell on Arlen. There was anger in his eyes, yet Kai was more concerned about the wooden stick in his hand. A wand! For how long Arlen had been holding it, Kai couldn't tell. He could feel an enormous threat coming out of it, but it paled against the feeling of certain death he had felt in the inn.

"Let her go," Arlen commanded, narrowing his eyes, his hand shaking with rage. "I won't say it again."

"Huh!" Kai snickered. He saw the red bar losing its length, and the number in front of it decreasing by a full 36 points. A mixture of blood and vomit was welling up in his chest, but Kai stubbornly pushed it down the throat. "You guys attacked me for no reason, and now you think I would just let her go?"

"Arlen… Captain, the kid is right. At least tell us what is wrong with the letter." Desmond asked, giving an odd look to Kai. Arlen didn't take his eyes off Kai and threw the letter at Desmond. The middle-aged man read the letter aloud for all ears. "… may be counted as part of this mission for both of you."

"… for both of you," Arlen repeated the words. "How can the mission of two newbies differ from one another? You tell me, Desmond." They had checked Shae's proof letter before, and certainly, there weren't any such words in that. Desmond sent a questioning look at Sonia, finding her looking towards him too.

"Something's wrong, captain," Sonia said. "Desmond has noticed it too."

"What is it?" Arlen impatiently asked.

"Kid, what is your Worth?" Desmond asked, folding the proof letter. Arlen furrowed his brows at the question but didn't intervene.

"Around 20," Kai vaguely replied. The proof letter fell out of Desmond's hand, and even Sonia stumbled back. Arlen's face had gone blank, the anger vanishing off his face.

"I knew it!" Desmond cried out in elation. "It was an Elementary Ability he had used."

"Do you have an Elementary Ability?" Arlen asked, sharing a look with Desmond.

'I have two of them,' Kai thought. He had made plans to deal with this situation. But whatever was happening seemed to be heading in the same general direction. "So what if I have?"

"Well, that should explain the change in mission, captain," Sonia said, sighing at the end.

"Damn it!" Arlen tsked. "What a headache! OK, I accept your proof letter. Let her go now."

As soon as Arlen said the words, a notification appeared in front of Kai.

[

Side Mission: Hand over the Proof Letter to the Captain of Guard

Side Mission Status: Success

Side Mission Rewards: 50 Mission Credits

]

********

AN: Let me expound on what happened a bit. As I have already mentioned, Worth is an extraordinary Stat, making its every Point invaluable. Kai had planned to use it to his advantage already, but he did not know how much of it he should mention. That's why when he lied that he has 20 Worth, it shocked them. As the higher the Worth, the more privilege a Contestant gets. So, in their opinion, the System itself had changed the proof letter because of Kai's Worth. (More will be talked about it later, but for now, it should suffice to clear any doubt. Still, you can comment and ask me anything.) Enjoy!