-Author
The next morning, the air was fresh, and the smell of trees and dew filled the air.
Crimzo leaned against a tree, arms crossed behind his head, completely at ease. That was until a messenger rode up, handing him a sealed letter after he saw him and got off. He raised an eyebrow, sat up, and tore it open. His eyes scanned the page before widening as the whole team gathers around him.
He let out a low whistle. "Well, damn… We got our location."
He flipped to another part of the letter, then grinned even wider. "And we got big salaries."
His sister peeked over his shoulder and gasped. "Crimzo, you're rich now!"
Crimzo laughed, looking at her. "Absolutely, and I am not giving you a single penny."
She looked at him with an innocent. "You evil."
Roy and Andrew exchanged glances. "They must have sent the professor our letters too." Andrew said.
Sophia nodded. "For sure. And mine probably made it to my house."
Lauren crossed her arms. "Yeah, same. Not that it matters. I don't need to go home." She looked around. "I already have everything I need."
Andrew turned to Sophia. "Do you want to go to your home before heading to the base?"
Sophia hesitated. "Yeah… I should."
"Then I'll come with you if you want," Andrew said casually. "No reason for you to travel alone, it's dangerous."
Sophia blinked at him before glancing away. "I have no problem. Surely that if you want to…"
Andrew just smiled. "Yeah. I do."
Sophia turned so that her face was opposite Andrew's and smiled lightly, then said, "Then let's go so we can go and come back today, my house is in Karyo city."
Meanwhile, Roy turned to Crimzo with a sharp look. "I was watching you during the last fight. You had a lot of gaps in close-range combat."
Crimzo groaned. "Oh no, here we go."
Roy ignored him. "You need to fix that. Spar with me after the breakfast."
Crimzo sighed but nodded. "Fine, fine. But if I beat you because of your injuries, then that your own problem."
Roy didn't answer.
After a moment...
Andrew and Sophia rode side by side, the road stretching long ahead of them.
Andrew glanced at her and grinned. "I'm glad I came with you. Riding alone is boring."
Sophia, without missing a beat, tilted her head slightly and teased, "Yes, sure, I definitely wanted a huge and tall man to come with me."
Andrew blinked before realizing that she was mocking Rose's words.
He burst out laughing. "Wait… Sophia..." He paused then said, "Are you jealous?"
Sophia tensed slightly. "No."
Andrew raised an eyebrow, still smirking.
"That's sweet," he said simply.
Sophia's grip on the reins tightened slightly, and she quickly changed the subject. "So... What do you think of Crimzo's mom food, it's delicious?"
Andrew laughed at her obvious attempt, but he let it slide.
"Yeah, I really liked it," he said.
Sophia glanced at him; her red eyes gleaming with something playful. "You have to taste my cooking. I make delicious food too. When we get there, I'll cook for us."
Andrew was surprised. "Oh? For real?!"
She nodded, waiting for his reaction.
Andrew chuckled. "Well well. I'm really excited for that!"
He meant it, and it's not only because of the food, but because he saw something shifting in her.
She wasn't just the quiet, reserved Sophia who sits with the group. Here, with him, she was different. More open and playful. And for some reason, that made him happier than he expected.
Meanwhile...
In the back of Crimzo house, a yard where Roy and Crimzo stood. While Lauren watching with interest.
Crimzo cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, Roy. Let's see what you got."
Roy remained calm, adjusting his stance slightly. "Come."
Crimzo moved first. He was fast, faster than most, but to Roy, his movements were full of openings. The second Crimzo threw a punch, Roy sidestepped effortlessly, barely moving more than necessary.
Before Crimzo could recover, Roy flicked his wrist, tapping his opponent's exposed ribs with the back of his hand.
"Gap," Roy said simply.
Crimzo clenched his teeth and came again, this time feinting left before striking from the right. Roy blocked it with ease, shifting his weight at the perfect moment.
"Too predictable," Roy noted, stepping in and tapping Crimzo's shoulder lightly. "You telegraph your moves. I can see them before you even throw them."
Crimzo gritted his teeth but nodded. "Alright, alright. Again."
The fight continued, but the outcome didn't change atfirst. Crimzo couldn't land a single hit. Every attack was either dodged or blocked with an almost lazy precision.
Roy kept his voice steady as he corrected him. "You're relying too much on momentum instead of balance. That's why you can't adjust fast enough when I counter."
Crimzo groaned. "You make this look way too easy."
Roy didn't answer. He simply stood there, waiting.
Crimzo attacked him with a fake punch, Roy saw it and didn't move, he threw a punch to his stomach, Crimzo fully took it and then kicked his injured arm without thinking, Roy blocked it but the pain was clear on his face.
Crimzo jumped back, his hand on his stomach from the punch, trying to gasp for air, then looked at Roy with a worried look. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to aim for your injured hand."
Roy gave him a serious look as he rolled his shoulder. "No, you did the perfect thing. It's totally my fault, you as my enemy should look at the weakness and go for it, while for me, I should take care of myself, that's how the battlefield is."
Crimzo exhaled exhausted and stepped back, raising a hand. "Alright, I get it. And I will work on my self, give me a break."
Roy gave a slight nod, showing no real reaction.
But before he could turn away, Lauren stepped forward. "What about me?"
Roy raised an eyebrow. "You want to fight?"
Lauren smirked. "YES!?"
Crimzo threw up his hands. "Alright, now I have to see this."
Roy motioned for Lauren to step forward.
Lauren slowly stepped forward and looked at him. "Is your arm okay?"
Roy put his hand on it. "Don't worry about it, attack me as you usually do with an enemy."
Lauren lunged hard and her movements were very smooth; this was the first time Roy had seen her movements.
She started the fight with a light kick to his head, but Roy easily dodged it, only to be surprised when she jumped up and turned her body aiming another kick with the heel of her foot, it was hard to dodge so he had to block it, Lauren continued with quick strikes forcing Roy to retreat.
Roy's gaze sharpened.
She struck at his ribs, and Roy blocked with one arm, shifting slightly to absorb the impact.
Lauren didn't stop. She followed up with another attack, this time toward his neck. Roy barely moved his head as he raised his forearm, catching the strike inches before it could land.
"Not bad," he muttered with a light smile.
Lauren grinned, her energy rising. She launched quick attacks, her hands moving in rapid succession. Strike, feint, kick.
Roy barely blocked every single one.
Her foot shot toward his legs, aiming to sweep him, but he stepped back just in time. Roy replied with a low kick, aiming to unbalance her, but Lauren flipped in the air, controlled, and before landing she countered with a sharp kick, her body was so flexible.
Roy raised his arm just in time, catching her attack before it could hit his neck.
Lauren's eyes lit up. "You're really so strong! I can fight freely."
She pressed forward, testing Roy defences, throwing quick, well-placed strikes combined with her agile footwork. Every time he dodged or blocked, she adjusted, getting sharper, faster.
Roy noticed. She wasn't just attacking there, she was learning and adapting, and he knew that he's in a problem there.
But she still had gaps.
"You're leaving your head open when you go for high attacks," he pointed out, deflecting her next strike. "And your..."
Finally, Lauren managed to kick him in his stomach with all her force.
She expected him to stagger.
He didn't move. He grabbed her leg, fast...
Lauren froze for half a second. "Wait… you felt that, right?"
Roy didn't answer. Instead, with no wasted movement.
Before she could react, he twisted slightly and swept her other leg out from under her with his low kick, taking her down in an instant.
Lauren hit the ground with a small gasp.
Roy took a step back, offering his hand. "You're good. But you're leaving your head open. Against a real and strong opponent, that's the difference between winning and losing."
Lauren blinked up at him before finally huffing a laugh. She grabbed his hand and let him pull her up. "Alright, fine. Teach me more."
Roy simply nodded. "Next time. But in the meantime, focus on getting stronger, and by that, I mean physically stronger, you have great speed but it's useless without enough strength, if you had the strength there, you would kill me."
Lauren raised her hand and said enthusiastically, "Yes, sir."
The others chuckled, Crimzo shaking his head. "Damn, Lauren, you almost had him."
Lauren smirked, rubbing the back of her head. "Almost isn't enough." She rolled her shoulders. "But next time, I win."
Roy glanced at her. "I would be happy with that..."