Rematch

  Bao stands up from his spot against the tree and turns to grab his spear laid beside him.

  His movement is interrupted by Keyon, “What do you think you’re doing? I gave you a weapon, didn’t I? You’ll never have ideal conditions when trying to protect someone and you’ll need to make do with what you have. Besides, weren’t you just saying how much you’re against magic?”

  Keyon has a point and Bao knows it. His spear is gaining a reputation for its potent magic. Even if he doesn’t know how to use it, he can’t deny there have been plenty of instances where it came in handy. His and is frozen reaching out to grab the spear, he doesn’t want to leave his weapon behind. As much as Bao hates to admit it, it was nice to receive all the attention in Tab. It allowed him to learn more about himself, and about his late brother.

  “Magic is Magic right? Death magic, healing magic, it’s all the same. That’s how you see it, right?” Keyon snaps Bao from his thoughts.

  Bao tightens his grip on the wooden pole Kain had thrown his way. He turns away from his spear, leaving it behind, and following Keyon away from the camp; despite their emotions, they both still have the sensibility not to let their fight disrupt Kain while he is preparing their meal. The spear is a family heirloom that he isn’t going to simply abandon. Even so, right now Bao feels as though he needs to prove something to himself without it.

  Surely magic isn’t as necessary as everyone makes it out to be.

  He thinks back to his fight with princess Claudia. Overwhelming fire magic.

  Maybe it’s needed to fend off other magic users, but I learned from Fos that magic is extremely rare.

  Bao grows more frustrated the more he thinks about it,

  Having magic gives you special privileges to walk over others. Being a different human means it’s alright for others to mistreat you. In this world there are so many exceptions to treating people with the decency they deserve. If this is what it means to use magic in Tab, then I’d rather abandon it all together.

  The two of them arrive in a small clearing not far from the camp. There isn’t a lot of room, but it’s enough for a light scrap. Keyon is holding his wooden weapon behind his back, using it to help him stretch. When he’s ready, he holds out his weapon, pointing it directly at Bao.

  “I’m getting tired of your attitude. Are you ready? Maybe this will help clear your head.”

  He charges at Bao who rushes to meet him in response. Their two weapons clash and a dull Thud echoes around them. The wooden blows are heavy as every clash is used to vent the fighters’ frustrations. They dance around each other vying for a superior position and study each other's footwork.

  Both men are using their preferred weapons styles, but Bao believes he has the advantage. He reasons that his is specialization solely in these kinds of two-handed weapons is enough for him to be victorious. This may be true, but Keyon is trained in anti-personnel combat. Bao quickly realizes that if he lets his guard down, Keyon will try to trip or disarm him making for a quick defeat afterwards. For Keyon this is a valid tactic as a guard. Fending off multiple people often requires distracting one or more enemies while focusing down one single target. For Bao however, this feels annoying and cheap. Even if Keyon has been unsuccessful so far, a few failed attempts at this is all it takes for Bao to begin losing what little patience he has left. An amused smile creeps across Keyon’s face each time he tries for one of these tactics.

  With the frustrations mounting and eager to make an effective hit, Bao takes a chance and lunges with a strike from overhead. His speed, force, and position are perfect as expected, but his timing is off. Keyon has ample time to react. He blocks the blow easily and the two of them lock their weapons together in a tight bind trying to force the other off balance.

  Through gritted teeth Keyon strikes a conversation, “Why do you hate Jun so much? He’s honestly just trying to help.”

  The two of them break out of their bind and jump back to collect themselves.

  “Why are you bringing that up right now? I thought it was obvious. Jun uses the bodies of Zultanites in his magic. It’s clearly wrong,” Bao charges again, “I’m disgusted that you could call someone like that your friend at all!”

  The impact of their weapons ring through the forest, interrupting an otherwise tranquil forest.

  “Alright, so you don’t agree with my choice of friends. I can live with that. But he’s here specifically for you to learn magic. You had no issues with that in Tab, so why are you suddenly so opposed to the idea? It’s not just Jun either. She might not show it, but you’re being disrespectful to Maria who started this whole thing. The longer you go on like this, the more she beats herself up over it.”

  This is the root of Bao’s frustration, and it’s made worse because no one, not Keyon or Maria seems to understand.

  “Life and death are supposed to be held sacred. But ever since leaving home, I’ve seen that neither are treated with any kind of respect in Tab.”

  Bao unleashes a barrage of wild strikes against his opponent.

  “Entire races of humans are cast aside! Children are born and raised in slavery! No one bats an eye at any of this! Even when their lives are over, they aren’t even allowed to rest. Their bodies have more worth in pieces than when they were alive!” again, Bao attempts a decisive and powerful strike, “This entire system is rotten to its core!”

  Keyon doesn’t even need to block this time. He avoids the wild strike completely and counters with an unforgiving blow to the Bao’s side. Stinging pain in his arm drops Bao to a knee. Waiting for him to recover, Keyon relaxes his stance.

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  “Before I joined the ranks in Tab, I was a slave too,” Keyon leans on his weapon now planted into the ground, waiting for Bao to catch his breath, “my circumstances were different from Katz and Letz, and definitely different from Kikka’s, but I understand their world much more than you do,” he takes a deep breath before letting out a long sigh, “I agree. This system isn’t fair, and it isn’t right. But magic has nothing to do with any of that.”

  Bao looks up at his friend, confused and still catching his breath.

  “When why?”

  “I was sold into slavery after my father disappeared. He had a lot of enemies and very few friends. Not only was I sold to settle his debts, but I was also used as a target for others to vent their frustrations of him. I eventually left that situation and entered the larger slave market as an unassuming slave when I was purchased in Tab. My life has been challenging, but I haven’t given up yet. I have the tools to make my own life, and the lives of others much better. But I have to use them. I can’t change the entire world, but I can improve the lives of the people around me. That is what I focus on.”

  Keyon shakes his head in frustration and his tones changes, “Bao, you’re so focused on the entire system that you aren’t thinking about what you need to do right now for the people closest to you. Kikka, Katz, and Letz. You’re serious about your convictions, but if you don’t start taking your obligations to them seriously, you’re going to get them killed.”

  How dare you!

  Anger swells up in Bao as the accusations instill a new fear within him.

  He stands up again, ready to continue where they left off, “It sounds like you’ve already given up. Don’t tell me how to protect those kids when you would’ve abandoned them the moment we entered the capitol.”

  Keyon ignores Bao’s comments and resumes a fighting stance, “Bao, I have a better understanding of where you’re coming from now, but you’re misguided. I intent to set you straight,” a new intensity fills his eyes, “are you ready to finish this?”

  Keyon lunges forward at Bao, nearly jumping on top of him. Now it’s his turn to be on the offensive.

  “If you want to protect anyone, you’ll need to use all the tools available to you. Let me show you what that means,” Keyon slides the wooden pole back in his grip, Bao recognizes he is going for a thrust.

  “Kari!”

  Bao has heard that name, but before he has a chance to remember where, Keyon’s strike moves like lightning and strikes Boa dead center in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, and dropping him to the ground. He remembers now. Kari is the god of wind. Fighters like Keyon use this magic to speed their attacks. Keyon struck him without fully committing to the blow. If this was a real fight, Bao might not be getting up from that.

  The fight isn’t over yet though, and after a quick moment on the ground, Bao staggers to his feet ready to start again. Keyon is waiting for him. This time, he doesn’t give him a chance to collect himself but charges again calling out a different name this time.

  “Sol.”

  The god of light. Bao’s eyes are blinded by a brief and intense flash of light. Before his vision returns, he is again, knocked to the ground. This time, by a blow to the shoulder. He recovers and stands up again. His body is beginning to ache, but he’s determined not to be made a fool of. His opponent is breathing heavier than before and his stance is a little too relaxed. This might be a bait, but he decides to go for it anyway. With a carefully aimed thrust, he hopes to return the favor from the first hit.

  “Mithra.”

  The strike isn’t dodged or blocked, and it moves quickly to hit its mark. The blow lands, albeit much earlier than it should. Boa’s weapon hits an invisible force, like a stone wall, just before finding Keyon. The premature strike throws him off balance and Keyon moves in for another strike. He doesn't appear to be blocked by this wall. This time, Bao blocks the strike, saving him more pain but, still being off balance, it doesn’t prevent him from falling over again.

  The two fighters repeat this process several more times. Each time, Keyon introduces new magic and a new way to circumvent Bao’s conventional fighting techniques. It’s no secret though that Keyon uses a lot of energy doing this. In truth, he can’t effectively use weapons and magic simultaneously in real combat. When a life-or-death situation when magic is necessary, such as the situation at the ancient library, he has to rely on his knuckle dusters. In a fight like this where there are no real stakes, he wants to leave an impression on his na?ve opponent. With both sides tired and out of breath, they prepare for a final exchange.

  “As you can see, being a skilled fighter won’t always be enough. Magic is unpredictable and using it when you can can be the difference between life and death. Death for yourself, or death for others,” Keyon’s words have a hint of vitriol, “Bao, if you won’t learn magic, then you’re a liability to Maria, and that is something I won’t tolerate!”

  As expected, the next word out of his mouth is the names of a god.

  “Jokla!”

  With that simple utterance, Bao becomes petrified by a sudden chill throughout his body. He expected something, maybe fire like Claudia, but this was on another level. The freeze only lasted a few moments, but it was enough time for Keyon to rush into him and smash the side of the pole across his stomach. Bao is lifted off his feet and throw back by the force. As much as he would like to argue otherwise, this fight is over.

  Laying on the ground and disoriented from the strike, Bao hears his opponent fall to the ground only a short distance from where he landed the final hit. Keyon was not hit a single time, but his greatest strength is his greatest weakness, and he too is out of the fight. Even after they both regain their stamina, neither one speaks up. Both gathering their thoughts and waiting for the other. The uproar from their shouting and clashing weapons feels like a dream with the intensity of their fight having already faded into the forest and overtaken by the present moment’s tranquility. Keyon speaks first.

  “My weakness is easy to exploit. We need someone like you who can fight and use magic.”

  “If you really feel that way then wouldn’t you have been better enlisting someone already trained in both?”

  The Half-Elf chuckles, “Believe it or not, but that’s a tall order to fill. Most people with magical talent would rather not get their hands dirty. Finding someone who is a trained fighter before their magical talent is discovered like you were is unusual.”

  Bao stands up from his crash site. It’s damp just like the rest of the forest right now, and he brushes off what he can. Looking at Keyon, he sees his friend is resting in a warm ray of sun that has found its way through the trees.

  “I’m sorry Keyon. I know you want me to be the person to help you, I wish I could. But right now, I can’t work with Jun, and I can’t focus on magic right now.”

  Waiting for a response, Bao starts to wonder if Keyon has fallen asleep in grass.

  “Jun was the first person to accept me for who I was when I first came to Tab,” he doesn’t even open his eyes, “even master Fos, who you’ve seen is so infatuated by my abilities didn’t care about me until those abilities were discovered. I came to Tab when I had nothing. I was nothing. But as a fluke, Jun and I met, and he chose to be my friend. He was a son in a wealthy and influential family, he had no reason to interact with a slave like me. Jun looks at people without judging them based on their title and status. He’s like you in that way. I know you don’t agree with his way of doing things, but he really is a good person. At least for my sake, please give him a chance.”

  His words are moving but not enough to persuade his friend. Bao shakes his head in defeat and offers a final concession, if only out of a sense of obligation.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Thank you,” a content smile rests on his face, “I’ve decided I won’t force you to part ways with us, and I can’t force you to learn magic, but please try to at least get along with everyone, OK?”

  “Sure, I feel bad about my outburst this morning anyway. I can at least keep from causing any more trouble like that. I’m heading back. What about you?”

  “I’ll catch up to you. I’d like to rest here a little longer.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  Confused, the Sosun heads back to camp leaving the Half-Elf to his perplexing meditation.