Chapter 13: Mario and Loid
Two days later knights belonging to the Order of Beasts galloped on their horses, making their way into the quiet village of Greenland.
"What do you think?" the first soldier asked, pulling gently on his reins. "Could Sir Adam really turn that scrawny boy into a warrior? What was his name again... yeah, Niel."
"Mario, if there is one thing I will tell you, it's that miracles really do happen," Loid replied, letting out a sharp scoff. "But for that boy? Not even a miracle could help him."
Mario looked over at Loid before bursting out into a loud laugh. "Oh man, you really cracked me up with that one!" he added, while his partner chuckled alongside him. "It doesn't matter if it's the Ex-Arc Knight, Sir Adam, training the boy. Nothing will change. He is a lost cause."
The hooves of the horses pressed deep into the muddy ground, only a few gallops away from the entrance of the village.
Mario squinted his eyes, his gaze scanning the horizon. "Hey, Loid... is it just me, or does this place seem quieter than usual?"
A sudden, cold breeze swept through the air, rustling the grass around them. Loid's jaw tightened. "Yeah, you're right. Way quieter than usual."
They came to a slow halt, pulling tightly on their reins before smoothly dismounting from their horses. Mario placed his palm flat against the pommel of his sword, his thumb ready to flick the blade free.
His eyes met Loid's. They both gave each other a brief, silent nod, instantly dropping their joking attitudes and moving forward with heavy caution.
"I don't see anyone around," Mario muttered, before stepping onto the porch and pushing open the front door of a nearby house.
Loid took a step back, his eyes scanning the empty street before turning back around. "Mario, I think it's best if we split up and search. We can meet back here at this house."
Mario glanced back at Loid, a suspicious smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Hey... Loid, don't think about running away. You ain't leaving me behind to handle this alone."
Loid came to an abrupt halt. He scoffed loudly, turning his entire body around until he stood face-to-face with his partner. "You're such a fool sometimes, you know that? Do you honestly believe King Duston will let me live if I go back to the capital without them?" He let out a soft, heavy sigh before adding, "No wonder Eleanor doesn't feel the same way about you as you do about her."
The joking atmosphere vanished instantly. Absolute silence fell between them as a prominent vein popped out on the side of Mario's forehead.
"You know, you say some unhinged stuff that I'd usually let slide," Mario whispered, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. His red eyes locked fiercely onto Loid's brown ones, entirely focused.
Without another word, they both simultaneously drew their swords, the ringing of cold steel slicing through the quiet air as they took up aggressive fighting stances against one another.
As the wind finally subsided, they moved.
A sudden, deafening clash of steel rang out through the empty streets as their blades collided, sending a brilliant shower of sparks flying in every direction. Both of their initial strikes were instantly matched and perfectly countered.
As the dust settled around them, they kept their guards raised, staring each other down as they slowly began to circle one another like predators.
Suddenly, Mario lightly kicked a spray of dirt up from the ground. The abrupt, flash movement caught Loid off guard, causing his gaze to falter away from his opponent for only a split second.
Yet, by the time his eyes locked back onto his target, the razor-sharp tip of Mario's sword was already driving straight toward his face.
Before the fatal blade could connect, Loid masterfully adjusted his weight, throwing Mario's weapon off-balance with a desperate, heavy parry from his own sword. The two blades ground fiercely against one another, screeching as sparks flew wildly between their faces.
Loid leaned into the clash, shoving his body weight forward to overpower his opponent. Reading the leverage, Mario smoothly steered his weapon downward, letting Loid's momentum slide past him and leaving the man completely wide open for a counter-strike. But Loid had already predicted the trap; anticipating the swinging blade, he ducked his head at the very last second.
In less than a heartbeat, Loid swept his foot across the dirt to take out Mario's legs—from below, Mario prepared for a fast counter-strike.
But as he shifted his weight, a brutal pang of pain shot through his chest—Loid's heavy boot had already smashed directly into his ribs, sending him tumbling backward into the dirt.
He groaned at the impact but immediately used his momentum to spring back onto his feet. He glared at his partner, his eyes burning with sharp, murderous intent.
Leaning low, Mario blitzed forward with blinding speed, a sudden burst of movement that took him right past Loid. He slid smoothly behind Loid's blind spot and wound back, preparing to unleash a full-strength swing.
"How predictable," Loid uttered coldly. He didn't panic, calmly shifting his guard to intercept the incoming rear attack.
But to his utter surprise, the impact never came. Mario's sword flew straight past the side of his head instead. Loid's eyes tracked the weapon, glued to the airborne blade in sudden confusion.
It was a trap. Before Loid could look back, Mario's boot dug deep into his stomach, the force of the kick sending him staggering backward into the dust.
They both got back up into proper form and looked at each other before walking past one another and saying, "You win."
Mario picked his sword up from the ground while Loid dusted himself off before they both gave the victory to one another.
Mario sighed loudly. "Geez, just take the victory, you stubborn fool."
Loid shook his head at the stubborn man. "Calling me stubborn, hmm."
Before they could continue to argue, the cold voice of a woman rang from behind.
"Fools down there, state your reason for coming to this village."
They looked up to see a young woman staring them down with cold, black eyes, casually holding a woven straw bucket filled with fresh fruits.
Mario breathed a long sigh of relief. "Phew..." His red eyes locked onto her black ones as he called up to her, "Geez, lady! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. Don't you have any manners?"
Sky didn't answer. She only continued to stare down at them from above, entirely unmoved by his complaint.
"Dark blue hair, and eyes as black as night..." Loid muttered softly to himself, taking in her appearance. He stepped forward, raising his voice politely. "You must be Sir Adam's third daughter, Sky, right?"
Noticing that these armed outsiders already knew exactly who she was, her gaze narrowed. "Who I am is a trivial thing," she replied coldly. "Answer my question."
Mario's brow twitched, pure annoyance flashing across his face. He leaned over, keeping his eyes glued to the rooftop. "Hey, Loid... you sure this is Sir Adam's daughter? She's got one hell of an attitude."
"You have eyes, right? You can clearly see it. The resemblance is uncanny," Loid said calmly.
Mario scoffed. "I'm not buying it. She might be an imposter or something."
Loid stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. "You can't be serious right now."
"I'm plenty serious," Mario said before getting cut off by Sky.
"Hey, old heads down there, if you don't answer my question, leave. We have enough elders in this community."
Loid sighed before reaching into his pockets. "We are with the...."
He couldn't finish his sentence as Mario chimed in. He looked at her with a visibly angered expression. "Listen up, kid. We ain't telling you nothing, got that?"
Sky's brow furrowed by his words as she remembered the events that had taken place two days ago when Niel couldn't answer her questions.
"I'm mad. I've been mad ever since that day," she pondered to herself before taking an apple from the basket.
And for the first time, a genuine smile formed on her lips as she thanked them, leaving them standing in confusion before Mario could speak up as the apple smashed into his face.
"Thank you for being my stress relief of today."
To be continued