The Side Character's Apprentice

THE CHALLENGE

"A beast you say?" I asked, sceptically. Of course, I didn't believe a word from him. The mountains have been more of a home to me than the Corps' base and if there was anything remotely similar to beasts there, I certainly would be nowhere near it.

"Yes," Eric affirmed.

"Are you sure it wasn't from the fight earlier? You may not have noticed."

"I get it. You don't believe me. But you will. Let's just hope it's not too late then."

***

The rest of the walk was even worse than the start. Even the winds were still, to avoid breaking the silence. Possibly for fear that they would be on the end of Eric's wrath. The air around him was that intense.

Finally, we got to the base. A poor excuse for a fortress, but none had dared to invade it. Tales of the legendary Four and a Half Sages had invited many challengers, but not conquerors. All of which, however, met their match. Master Krul welcomed whoever came to challenge the Corps, and none had come close to besting him. Had the assailant from the market made it this far, he would have joined the list of Master Krul's victories. A trophy cabinet he does not display but never fails to speak about whenever he was in a good mood.

The base was divided into five sections. Four wings and a middle section. Two wings were for Master Imin and Master Krul as the other three masters didn't reside there. Master Krul trained the corps. One wing was the armoury and the other wing was an extra accommodation. The central part was the training ground. Of course, Master Krul's wing was the biggest of all the wings, bigger than all the other four combined, since all the students except for me, were his. And Master Imin's was the smallest, just the way he asked for it. There were rooms for the other three Masters should they choose to visit. And that was all there was to about the base.

I looked towards Eric who cared little of my description of the base. Was he still pissed that I didn't believe his claims?

Master Krul came out shortly to welcome him. "It's a pleasure to have you here, Eric," Master Krul said with his hand outstretched, completely ignoring me.

"The pleasure is mine, Master," Eric replied receiving Master Krul's outstretched hand with both hands. He was a lot more courteous than I imagine. I'd expect the prized student of the great Master Lui to be a snub at the very least. But just look at his warm smile. Like he was begging for everyone to like him. Of course, that smile disappeared once he turned towards me.

"Master Lui said I give this to you," Eric said as he reached for a scroll in his pockets." Master Krul took it and gave it to the corp beside him without saying a word. "You're not going to read it first?" Eric asked.

"Master Imin receives all messages from Master Lui. They're all encoded after all."

"I see."

"Master Lui is full of praise of you. I would like to see for myself. How about a spar?" Master Krul asked.

"I am not deserving of such honour," Eric humbly declined.

"Hold up, hold up, hold up. Are you trying to beat up my partner as a way to get to me? I know you dislike me, but this is taking it too far," I lamented.

Master Krul grinned. I hated whenever he did. It was a signal that he was up to no good. Once, he tried to sell me off to some slave traders. Had I not seen his grin, I would have been on their carriage under the guise of escorting them. He swears till this day that he never intended to, but I know better. To make matters worse, Master Imin wasn't upset. Not because he believed what Master Krul said. He believed that my suspicions might be correct. However, he could just not be bothered if I went missing or not.

"You know what? I've got a better idea," Master Krul exclaimed.

"Please don't. I'm having quite a day already," I said.

"How about you spar with Jayden," Master Krul said, even more excitedly than before. The more he was up to no good, the more excited he was.

"Trust me, you would learn nothing from it. I'm the worst of the pack. Anyone could defeat me."

"Well, I think it's a good idea," Eric said.

"Really? You're taking the easy way out? Why don't you challenge Ara or Krustov?"

"Win, and you get to ask me to do anything you want?" Eric said. It might have sounded like an enticing offer, but there was nothing I wanted from him.

"And if I lose?" I asked

"You tell me what you're hiding."

"Bold of you to assume such. What do I have to hide?"

"Well, for starters, the mountains are..." Eric said, but I was quick in gagging him before he could rat me out.

"Fine. I'll spar with you. Just don't hit too hard."

"I can't promise you anything."

Very quickly, an arena was formed by an excited crowd of corps that all predicted the same outcome. No one came to see a fight, only how I would lose. Surprisingly, Master Imin was out as well. He sparsely came out, much less to watch a spar. Perhaps he thought it would be between Eric and Master Krul. Even the turn up was surprising. But in truth, there was nothing to see.

Spars between corps were common. I had been involved in a few, but it had been years since my last fight. I have a stunning record of five losses with a total bout time of ten seconds! Impressive, right? Master Krul was the referee. He didn't need to be, but he relishes in my sorrows so much that he took the responsibility. Probably to prevent me from quitting as soon as it starts. My last three bouts were like that. I quitted the moment it began.

"I want a fair fight. No lethal blows, and I'll be the decider of whether one is unable to continue or not. Simply giving up won't cut it," Master Krul said, facing me the whole time.

Fight

And in an instant, all I saw was darkness.