"Oh by the way Naren. Try to avoid shaman."
A young woman with blonde hair and a black ribbon, sat by a fire in the dead of night. A battle axe by her side. She sat on a log, a large piece of tentacle skewer by a stick hovering over the fire.
In front of her was a little boy wearing a crimson scarf too large for his small frame. He was in the middle of kicking a tree repeatedly. Various deep grooves already imbedded from months of repetitive movement. The boy practiced a simple movement.
A low kick, then a mid kick, then a high kick. All one right after another.
"Shaman? Why?"
"Well at least until you're a fourth class shaman at least."
The classes were simple to understand. Alice had lectured Naren various times on them. Once a preliminary shaman passes their trial, they are acknowledged by the government as a fourth class shaman. Then through various feats they can eventually make their way up to a first class shaman. Well, as simple as it sounds, only about 10% of all shaman are second class. Less than 1% in the first.
Naren threw another series of kicks. Low, mid, high.
"Alice, why?"
"Hmm maybe until you're a third class to be safe."
A rock pelted Alice in the face. Despite the dead on attack, it didn't leave a mark, not to say it wasn't aggravating.
"What the!"
The blonde woman took Naren by the neck, putting him in a chokehold.
"You're getting cheeky now aren't you."
The little boy repeatedly tapping her arm.
"Question...Answer."
She let him go, but not before flicking him hard on the forehead.
"You're cursed dimwit."
Naren held his forehead in pain, golden eyes glimmering.
"You're automatically labeled as a kill on site. On the same level as a first class feint."
Alice looked at the deep divots etched into the tree. Thinking once more.
"Then again, there's a very good reason for that."
—————————————
PRESENT DAY.
The previous tension within the throne room had long since dissipated. In its place however, lingered a palpable bloodlust. All coming from the one man that could instantaneously kill all the privates at will.
The Lieutenant vanished into a blur.
Naren's eyes darted around, trying to pinpoint where he would go. Left. Right. Behind. Above?
Below.
An arm reached from below Naren's shadow, pulling him into a pitch black void. It was the same feeling from Thera. When he first ended up on this ship.
There was nothing to see, nothing to analyze. What could he possibly do?
just as he was in thought, suddenly the shadows around him vanished and he returned to the throne room, exactly where he was.
The room was slightly dimmer, but other than that nothing else changed. Only a couple seconds had passed, if that.
A punch came from Naren's left, hitting him square in the face.
Pushed back, Naren put his guard up once more. Protecting his face.
Then another punch came. This time at his side. Once again, too fast to dodge.
Pushed back again, Naren lowered his guard slightly. He looked around the room, there had to be some kind of hint for how the lieutenant was moving. Some gimmick just like his own.
Another punch, from behind this time. However, Naren heard it before hand this time. Though muffled, a couple steps right before the strike.
Naren pivoted off his left foot. Throwing his heel behind him with full momentum.
His heel connected with the Lieutenants fists, they ricocheted off each other. For a brief moment the Lieutenant was shocked.
Using this brief moment, Naren used the moment to swing his body back around for a high kick.
The Lieutenant didn't bother guarding. He grabbed Naren's foot as it made contact with his neck. Tightening his grip, he pulled on Naren's leg, and flung him at the throne.
Naren picked himself up, wiping the blood from his nose.
"So much for handicap, huh?"
The Lieutenant took a step forward, ready to attack.
"Attention!"
A coarse voice enunciated from the castle walls.
"The crown will appear in the throne room in three."
"two."
"one."
Right on top of Naren, a crown had appeared from thin air. It flowed down, making itself comfortable right on top of Naren's head.
"Well well, what're the chances."
A smirk crept up on Naren's face.
"Take the Lieutenant as far away from me as possible."
The castle walls shook momentarily. Then stopped. Nothing happened.
Naren tilted his head.
"Take the Lieutenant away."
Nothing.
"Get rid of the glasses guy!"
Nothing.
"What the hell?"
Naren's hand reached on top of his head, where the crown was just a moment before. He kept grabbing around, but nothing was sitting there anymore.
His face paled. Eyes widened.
Right next to Iris, a tall athletic man had appeared. He was handsome, with dirty blonde hair and one gouged out eye. Atop his head sat a perfectly golden crown.
"Take the Lieutenant and the crimson scarf kid to a separate room."
Naren turned his gaze to the man a second to late. Barely able to read the name on his tag. "Jax."
"I don't even know you—"
The castle shuddered. Walls twisting and turning, the room molding itself around the king's wishes. Suddenly the Lieutenant and Naren were gone.
"Well that should be an easy ten points."
Jax counted the current privates in the room one by one. One, two, three, four...seven. He finished counting, taking the crown off his head and throwing it behind him.
"Looks like this should be another easy thirty-five points."
Jax turned towards Iris.
Instantly her glow vanished. Returning darkness to the whole room. As soon as it did however, a sharp scream from Iris rang out. One of primal fear. Followed by falling, something rolling, and several footsteps.
Instantly, the light returned. Iris was now sprawled on the floor several feet away. Shivering in fear. The group of privates that attacked Naren were also near her, their gaze focused on Jax now.
Now that an enemy of his caliber had appeared, there was no room for previous squabbles. They all readied their weapons for what was to come.
Iris quivered on the ground behind them. Her eyes reflected pure terror. She had heard the story. Everyone her age had.
A prodigy was adopted by a lord. He was molded into a monster. But his spite was too great a burden, he was cast aside. His anger grew into craze, he went on a massacre burning dozens of people to death.
There was a rumor that that crazy devil was on his way to atlas. Iris couldn't believe it until she spotted Jax on the day they left the harbor.
A man with a missing eye and short scruffy hair. It was definitely him.
"You...You're Musashi's flaw."