The Side Character's Apprentice

THE MAIN CHARACTER

I stared intently at Master Imin for the longest, all the while hoping that he would rescind what he said. He had to reconsider. Unfortunately, I was certain Master Imin wasn't joking. He never had the strength for it. He never had the strength for anything else as well.

"Master..."

Before I could say anything else, Master Imin replied abruptly, "Lui wants you to do it. He asked for you specifically. Much to our bewilderment." That would explain why Master Krul said nothing to me even though I ran away from training.

"Oh, and he should be here any minute," he added. And from a distance, I heard a loud bang. "I guess that should be him. You know what to do."

I left Master Imin's quarters hoping that maybe some members of the corps had been dispatched to see what happened, but no one. Certainly, they weren't going to leave it all in my hands! That would be very irresponsible of them. And the only members of the corps allowed to be so are Master Imin and by proxy, myself.

"Master Krul," I beckoned. I hoped to reason with his utmost dissatisfaction with me. Of all the people in Airen, he had the least faith in me. In fact, I could safely say he had none whatsoever. Surely, if everyone was in party to this, not him.

"Master Lui says you're in charge of patrol duty. Yourself and Eric," he replied.

"But he's not even here," I moaned.

"But he will be. Until then, you're on your own."

"Why would Master Lui do this to me?" I moaned. I didn't know him personally, but for some reason, he knew me well.

"Maybe he heard of your great exploits, battling dangerous beasts in the mountains," he teased, much to everyone's amusement. Even mine.

"You know what? You're right. This is my chance to prove what an amazing member of the Corp I am. You just sit tight. Soon, the streets of Airen will be filled with songs of my praise!" I exclaimed.

I could see the worry on Master Krul's face. It certainly was the reaction I was hoping for. I went on my way to find out what exactly caused the explosion, well aware of the soldier that he sent to tail me. My plan had worked just fine. I had nothing to worry about. If it was more than I could handle, which was most things actually, then whoever was tailing me could either help or call for backup while I get to safety. Win-win for everyone. Except whatever threat awaited me.

There was a fire in the Airen's market – the same area I passed by a fight not too long ago. There was every chance that it was because of the fight. Anyone would have thought that. And anyone who did would have been dead wrong. Airen town was under attack!

"We're saved! The Corps are here!" an old woman rejoiced. But as expected, her joy quickly faded away once she saw it was me. "Oh, it's just Jayden," she scoffed.

From within the flames, a man wielding a long sword emerged. He towered above me, swinging his sword in a menacing manner, and from beneath his mask, I could sense a grin. He might have thought he looked terrifying when he left his house, and maybe he did, but I can smell an extra when I see one. He had this 'I'm just here to gauge the main character's strength' vibe about him.

"So, you're a member of the Grand Corps? I was hoping this would draw one of you out," he said.

"No, I'm not. Why would you think that?" I instinctively said.

"Well, she just called you that. And you're wearing a Corp's uniform."

"Oh. Right."  

"I have to say, I didn't expect you to be such a coward. Are all the stories just lies?" he bellowed.

"That would honestly depend on what exactly the stories are. What do you want?" I asked. I wasn't scared. Not because I thought I could hold my own, but because of my confidence in my ability to run away. If push came to shove, I knew I could escape.

"I am looking for a worthy opponent. I have battled many and they have all fallen short. Lead me to your strongest, oh cowardly one. Or are all the Corps cowards as well?"

"Yes," I said.

"No," a voice from above retorted. "He speaks for himself only."

I looked back to still see the Corp that was sent to tail me. So, who was it that spoke? Of course. The setting was the perfect grand entrance for the main character. It had to be Eric.

"Interesting," the aggressor grinned.

Eric appeared out of nowhere as every main character would. What a cliché really. The dialogue between them was worse. I have no intention of recounting it. Just imagine the most cliché dialogue between the main character and a villain that is supposed to be used to show how awesome the main character is. You get the picture, right?

The fight between Eric and the aggressor turned out to be much more interesting than I expected it to be. I thought it would be quick, but Eric struggled a bit. His opponent was skilled but not quick enough to match Eric's quick reflexes. What was more impressive was that Eric was unarmed! Before long, the frightened Airen people had formed a circle to enjoy what was the best fight they ever had the chance to watch. A fight between two skilled fighters rather than just two brutes. Eric won the fight, much to the delight of the crowd. He just got in and he already has himself a fan base. What a main character move!

The Corp who was tailing me came to seized the aggressor while Eric walked towards me, ignoring his newfound followers. "Eric," he said with an outstretched hand to me.

"I know who you are," I said without accepting his handshake.

"And I know who you are, Jayden. Master Lui's description of you was perfect. You really are an interesting character," he said as he retracted his hand.

"Did you offend him? Is that why he is punishing you with me?"

"He says there's some wisdom in cowardice. I'm here to learn first hand from the man with the most abundance of it," he teased.

"Then you, my friend, are in the right place."

If there was one thing I felt every main character should learn, it was how to be a coward.