V2 Chapter 5 The Determined Help

V7 POV

" Hikaru?.... Hiki?..... Why does it sound familiar?"

I muttered the name to myself before asking.

" Her Majesty mentioned me earlier?..... the wandering merchant that saved the Princess and gave her a tiger? Ring any bells?"

Kid gestured as he elaborated.

" Not really. .... She wasn't talking about demons so I wasn't really paying attention. I did my best to be polite though! That should have been good enough. ...."

" It wasn't enough but the Queen didn't mind..... So! What's your name?"

" Don't you know? It's Shinigami."

" That's your job title given by the ringleader in the Arena. I meant your name."

" Best stick to Shinigami, kid."

I informed him as I waved him off.

" You know I have a name I told you 2 minutes ago?"

" Doesn't matter kid. I don't work with people and this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I don't see why I should remember the name of a person I'm never going to see again."

The kid mumbles something.

" What was that kid? Not happy? Then go away or live with it."

" You will...."

You will? What?

I was about to ask him about it but he interrupted me before I could.

" Night is coming, best find a place to camp for the night. "

Ah Ha! My chance has finally shown itself! Now to wait until he falls asleep, oil my Caravan, and no more kid!

" Here's a good spot. You get a fire going. I'll find us some dinner. "

He dismounts his horse and ties it to a nearby tree.

" Yeah! Just leave it to me!"

To abandon you! Hahahaha! Can't have you taking any of my fun!! Now I don't even need to wait for him to fall asleep!

" And if you're thinking of just leaving me here. Think again. What would people say about you for abandoning a kid in the middle of nowhere? That would be very dishonorable."

He suddenly said.

" What? I was... I would never! Hahhaha..... (Whispers) Sh***."

I can't have a bad reputation! It would bring dishonor to Misaki! I sigh as I get down from my Caravan and tied my horse. There has to be some sort of loophole right?.... I thought as I took off my helmet and placed it on the ground. Maybe abandoning kids that aren't your own is ok? No, wait that's bad... Maybe it isn't your fault if the kid gets lost on his own? But that's only after you try your best to find him..... If he gets eaten? No, I would be a bad person if I don't try my best to save him...

I tried my best to think of a loophole as I gathered firewood but it all leads to a dead end. Why out of everything he had to point that out?!

I angrily threw the firework which spooked kid's horse which jump to the side and gave out an angry neigh. I sigh as I sat down on a nearby log.

Maybe if no one knows about it... it's okay? The boy would tell everyone. ... maybe just kill him? NO no no no no my pride wouldn't allow it. If I don't live by my code then what kind of life am I living?

I gave a frustrated sigh as I lit the fire.

But he followed me first! Why should I be responsible for him?!

" MISAKI! Why is life so hard!"

I shouted as I threw my dagger and the flint next to the fire I just made.

" You're a believer of Balban?"

My heart jumped right to my throat as I fell off the log I was sitting on. I calm down when I realized it was just the kid. He came back holding a couple of fish by the tails. The heavenly smell of fresh fish hits me. I can just eat you now..... I stared at the fish for a while before I noticed Unknown smiling at me. I then remembered I fell off the log and was still on the ground.

" Don't sneak up on an assassin, Kid!"

I snapped at him as I stood up and dusted myself.

" Sorry, I didn't mean to. "

He said with a chuckle as he took a seat.

" You're as jumpy as a cat. What's wrong? Can't find a loophole to abandon me?"

" For a kid, you have pretty good intuition."

I said as I took a seat next to him.

" Well, maybe I can help."

" You seriously want to help me abandon you?"

" Might as well since you already missed your only chance."

He says calmly as he skewered the fish by its mouth, removed its scales with his dagger, and started cooking it by the fire. NOOO!! You'll lose the flavor!!! Just eat it raw!! Just endure it! Just endure it! Humans don't eat raw fish. Please just endure and pretend you're human.

What was I thinking about?... Right!

Asking for his help does piss me off but it's better than bringing the kid to his death. And what did he mean I missed my only chance? I have another when he falls asleep. Yes! That's when I would take my Caravan and be on my way! Wait... what if after I abandon him, he doesn't return to the palace but instead he shows up at the village I'm headed to? Depending on the distance I put between us, he might show up right after I had my fun of killing every since demon... Then I would tell him to go home since my quest is already over! I'm a genius!

I turned to look at him and to my surprise I caught him staring at me. Waiting for my response. How long was I thinking?

" Ok fine, tell me. Oh! Wise kid!"

Unknown didn't say anything and just took off his helmet before running his hand through his blonde hair, his sharp ocean-blue eyes greeted me. That's when it hits me.... he isn't a kid. He must be around 13? Damn! I facepalmed. I have wasted my life.

" You forgot that I am the Captain of the guard and the Queen's Knight, didn't you? Now you regret calling me kid and not by my name, don't you?"

" Ok then. I'll be abandoning you now. Bye fool!"

" You never learn, do you? If you take off now, I could easily catch up to you as a did earlier. "

" Oh... Yeah. ... forgot about that....."

I said with a sigh as I sat back next to him.

" Here."

He passes me one of the fish on the sticks.

" Family secret. Go ahead try it."

I took a bite out of it and the flavors of rosemary and lemon on crispy fish skin hits me. Fish alone is a heavenly taste but this!!

" Oh! Slow down cheetah! There are tons more no need to wolf down like a starving cat."

How can I? When I am one! Wait a minute. .. these are strangely detailed puns. ... I turn to look at him about to ask about it but then he passes me another and my body wolfed it down automatically.

" That good huh?"

I nodded my head not bothering to stop eating to reply to him. I then feel his hand patting my head like a kid.

" You're not what I expected."

He said with a bright smile, his blue eyes lit up which reminded me of calm beautiful ocean waves hitting against the shore. His eyes remind me of someone. .....

" But I'm glad." He added.

" What were you expecting?" I questioned slightly curiously.

" To be honest a brute. Most Arena Champions are like that. Always looking for another fight, another one to... defeat and then there's you.... your actions are childish but your reasoning is actually quite wise."

"I'm older than I look. "

" Really? You look as if you're one year older than me. You're 19 right?"

" I am 19... Wait! You're 18? I thought you were 13."

Man! Humans age weirdly slow.....

" Seriously? You do remember I am the Queen's Knight, right?"

" How can I? When your dress as a normal Knight? And how the hell did you become the Queen's Knight at such a young age?!"

" I saved the princess from being kidnapped by the neighboring Kingdom Eclipse. They were raging war because they wanted to conquer Katusha at the time. I asked to be placed on the front lines as my reward for saving her. Through my strategies and hard work I led that army to victory where I received a golden tag."

That war finished before I was assigned to Eclipse. I thought as he shows a tag tangled with another necklace around his neck. He immediately untangles the other necklace and shoves it back behind his armor before showing me the golden tag with a number and his name. Hey! That tag is given when you join a guild. Makes it easier to identify the body.

" Please, I have one too."

I said as I showed my porcelain tag.

" You're a rank one?!"

" A what now?"

" There are 10 ranks Platinum being the highest and Porcelain being the lowest. "

" Well makes sense since I registered under the adventurer Guild a couple of weeks ago but they didn't want to give me any of the quests I wanted! So I joined the Arena at least they let me have a hard fight. "

"...You're supposed to prove your strength by doing an easy quest and then working your way up... but it does explain a lot since it's very strange for an Arena Champion to be Porcelain. They are normally ranked as rank 8 Sliver."

" Eh? Shouldn't it be gold? Like yours?"

" Gold is a rank that can only be given by the King or Queen after saving the kingdom."

" So if I saved the Kingdom a couple of times then I'll become a Platinum?"

" No... you need to save the world to become a Platinum and even then it's only given to the leader. Which is why there's only been one Platinum holder so far."

" Saki the Demon Lord Slayer! * Very creepy smile* The great Saki that ( Here is a lot of dialogue about how awesomely great Saki the Demon Lord Slayer and the millions of ways he uses to kill demons from bleeding to death to poisoning to an explosion. Then the detailed tale of how he killed the Demon Lord with the help of the Sword Maiden which was an epic battle that ended with the Demon Lord's head rolling on the ground. Then how he retired and taught others of his million ways of killing demons. He inspired so many that an entire village dedicated themselves to his teachings. One day Saki left that Village and no one saw him since. There were rumors that he was eaten by Silver a Dragon.)

(The whole time V7 spoke Hikaru sat there listening attentively and only voiced out his disbelief which encouraged V7 to continue. V7 soon ran out of things to say about Saki the Demon Lord Slayer since he only knows the tales of Saki from the age of 30 to 50 and nothing of his younger days but the tales were in full detail and even consisted of details of the War of the Gods.) ( By the time he ran out of things to say about Saki 4 hours had gone by)

" Wow! That was so epic!"

" Of course it is! If he isn't then I wouldn't dream of becoming the next Demon Lord Slayer!..... But that little tag that you hide under your armor isn't making it easier for me to remember your rank."

" *Laughs* You're right. I also have the Queen's mark on my armor."

He points at the crest of a lion with a fishtail, Merlion on the shoulder guards of his armor.

" Well, that's not very obvious. Any important mark should be above the heart."

" What does the red Cheetah standing in the position of a 7 in the middle of a white 'V' mean?"

He asks as he points at my vest.

" You're a curious kid aren't you?"

" Well, it's not every day that you get to spend the night with an Arena Champion."

He says as he takes off his armor.

" Why did you only wear that vest to the Arena fight? Even the greatest fighter wears more than a gauntlet of armor and a helmet."

" That's because they fight for gold. I fought to find someone stronger than me. The reason is what makes the differences."

" Oh."

He sits down next to me wearing a normal black singlet and his black boxers. A familiar toxically sweet smell hits me, this smells like that very rare deathly plant .... a plant that serpents love..... Isn't this the smell of a hal!!! Suddenly I was engulfed by the smell of blueberries which brought me back to reality. Rookie was holding a pouch filled with it, his arm was extended to me. Silently offer them to me. My favorite! I immediately took some.

" What about now? What's your reason for this fight?"

" To take back what's rightfully mine."

I answered as I ate the blueberries.

" Let me guess, you're fighting to get back the love of your life and your daughter?"

..... What? Don't people usually guess fame or fortune in this kind of situation? There's something very wrong with this human.

" No!.... I'm not... And I won't be able to have one in these dangerous times. Girls going missing, hordes of Goblins, and the barriers around Everburn weaken due to the overwhelming amount of dark energy. Very soon humans will turn and that's when the trouble starts."

" You're very well informed for an Arena Champion."

" My assassin job always kept me well informed. "

" That's good but I doubt it's good enough to endure a lifetime of loneliness."

He says as he lay down next to me. His head was on the log I was sitting on as he just stared at the stars in the sky. I stretched, pull my hood over my head, and joined him.

" Isn't there a bed in your Caravan?"

" Yeah but sleeping on the ground once in a while isn't so bad. It's been a long time since I have seen the stars. "

" Have you always lived on the move?"

" Not always but being an assassin comes with the lifestyle of always being on the move. That Cavaran has been my home for more than 1 year. What about you? You were a wandering merchant once."

" I wandering since I was 5 until 3 years ago when I put down roots as a Knight. "

" You been living on the move since you were 5? What were your parents? Wandering puppeteers?"

" That's what I was trying to find out...."

" Oh.... sorry... Any luck finding them?"

" I found my mother but she already has a new life..... "

" Did you find out?... How you were...."

" I was stolen away at birth by my father. I assume that he hooked up with another girl and abandoned me with her. "

" Couldn't you confirm it with the lady who took care of you?"

" She was killed before I could even ask. Which forced me to find out myself. "

Damn! I can believe I'm so insensitive! This kid has gone through hell as a life!! Separated at birth from his mother, his father abandoned him with another woman, witnessing the death of his caretaker when he was 5 forcing him to be a wandering orphan looking for his birth parents. Here I am finding any possible way I can to abandon him!!! And all he wanted was just to help me and was even willing to risk his life just to do so!! ... What kind of monster am I?

" Kid, your story may not have such a happy beginning but that doesn't define who you are. It is the rest of the story, who you choose to be. See those stars over there? See how they make the shape of bat wings? That's the symbol of the great Shizen, a hero that even the gods acknowledged."

" You mean the hero that locked the Greatest Evil in Zakheaven?"

" No, no. That's Saki the Demon Lord Slayer. Shizen was known as the Great Dragon Slayer, he did anything to keep his king and his kingdom safe. He started off, just like you, but was abandoned to be eaten by a mental dragon. I don't know what that fae saw in him, but it was almost killed from stealing him from the dragon. That fae and him spend their first couple of years on the run from that dragon. Which made everyone remember the lesson of never steal from a dragon. The people remember that saying so well that when they saw golden coins in the forest, they ran as if the dragon was after them."

He burst into laughter beside me.

" There's no way that really happened!"

" Believe me it did! Cause that guy who ran? Was my grandfather. "

" Seriously?!"

He laughs out his words unable to hold back.

" Na, just messing with you. It was the village idiot and because of that it spread the rumor of "Dragons remembering every gold coin they horde by heart."

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News With V3

This just in, Leighdal being created after the God War has just been confirmed. This rumor appeared 5 years ago after V6 stopped a tsunami from hitting Katusha from Death Man's Peak the Creek between Ralux and Leighdal. This disaster led to the discovery that Katusha used to be a sunken Kingdom that disappeared during the God's War and returned after. On that ancient map, Leighdal was nowhere to be seen. It's confirmed to be created by Givendale, after becoming the one true god.

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