The Lightning Mage

19 | The Solo Duel, Part I

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The soft aroma of freshly baked cookies and ground coffee filled the entire apartment.

At the dining table, Lyn was sipping her fifth cup of coffee while Irene was munching on chocolate chip cookies, as they both skimmed through the list of commission requests that they had received throughout the week. This task used to be easily done by Lyn within an hour, but now, even with both Lyn and Irene on the task, it would still take the entire day. Success and popularity did come with a price.

In the kitchen, Cydney was making her second batch of cookies. Ever since Lyn had brought her over to the apartment, the petite woman had become addicted to the kitchen. She had been coming over almost every day, making endless batches of food and dessert. She even developed a skill where she transmuted her new wristwatch into a handy whisk that whipped at a speed Lyn could never reach physically.

Lyn was more than happy to have Cydney over at the apartment so often. Irene, on the other hand, was initially upset with Lyn's constant flirting with Cydney, but with the unlimited amount of free food and baked goods she got to consume, she had no complaints either.

As Irene took another bite of her cookie, Lyn suddenly spat out her coffee right into her face.

"Ew, what the fuck, Lyn?" Irene screamed while wiping her face.

Lyn was still choking and hitting on her chest. Blood drained from her face as she stared at the message in front of her.

"Someone... someone just gave me... fifty- fifty thousand... dollars..."

"Huh?" Irene frowned. "For a commission?"

"No, for a duel," Lyn said, casting a nervous glance at Cydney. "They... want to fight Cinna. They'll give us another fifty thousand if Cinna says yes, and then another fifty thousand if she wins."

"So, a- a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in total?" Irene repeated incredulously. "For one duel?"

"If Cinna agrees, and then wins, yes."

The both of them turned to stare at Cydney, who gaped back in horror.

"Lyn, I- I told you, I don't want to participate in any of that..."

"I know, Cinna, and I've never advertised it or anything, trust me. But this guy's a challenger, who's just doing it for pride. There are people like that out there; they're solo questers or fighters who go around challenging people for fun. I bet he's just messaging everyone in the top hundreds to challenge them or something."

Cydney sighed. Lowering her head, she went back to piping her cookies.

Lyn stood up and continued frantically, "Cinna, if you're worried about newspapers publishing about you or something, don't be. This guy is not interested in getting any media attention too. He's actually asking for a private duel. Nobody else would be involved other than us and him and his manager."

"Which solo quester is this rich?" Irene mumbled to herself. "Who could it be..."

"Would you do it, Cinna?" Lyn pressed on.

Cydney's lips pursed into a thin line. "You really want me to do it, don't you?"

A pang of guilt slapped Lyn in the face. "No, no, you don't have to if you don't want to. It's just... it's just a really, really good deal, Cinna. A hundred thousand dollars just to fight someone, and then even more if you win, which I'm sure you will. There's nothing to lose here."

"Isn't it a little too good to be true? What if it's a scam?"

"I don't know, I- I can't see how it can be one when I literally received fifty thousand dollars. And- And we'll all go with you to make sure it's done safely and properly, I promise."

"I don't know, Lyn..."

"Cyd," Irene chimed in as well, "this money is more than enough for a downpayment for a really nice house in Boston. I think you should do it too."

"Downpayment?" Cydney blinked. "What's that?"

"Something I've been saving for to move out, away from this stinko." Irene nodded her head towards Lyn.

Lyn scowled. "Hey, you wanted us to be roommates!"

Shutting Lyn up with her middle finger, Irene continued, "And even if you don't want a house, you can put the money in your retirement account. That plus the usual amount we've been earning from commissions, I'm sure you can retire early and very comfortably. You'd be set for life, Cyd."

"Retire?" Cydney was still unimpressed. "Why would I want that, I'm only twenty-six."

"Twenty-six?" Irene scanned her in surprise. "Wait, you're older than us? Lyn, Cyd is older than us, did you know that?"

Lyn did not care about Cydney's age at all; she was too preoccupied with trying to convince Cydney into this duel. "I know a lot of reporters too, Cinna, so if I see someone from the newspaper or anything, I'll cancel the whole thing. I promise you, nobody else would know about this. The duel won't be publicized anywhere, and everything will be private and quiet. What do you think, Cinna?"

There was a long and uncomfortable pause, before Cydney muttered, "Yeah, sure."

She let out one last sigh as she returned to her baking task, her brows furrowed and her lips puffed out.

Despite Cydney's sulking, Lyn's heart soared in excitement. She had always wanted to see Cydney kick some dude's ass and get recognized as one of the best fighters in the world. Grinning, she rushed behind Cydney.

"You'll do so great, Cinna, don't worry," she gushed, wrapping her arms around Cydney's waist and giving her a tight squeeze from the back.

The dark-haired woman let out a soft shriek.

"Lyn, you're distracting me!" Pointing to a cookie with an uneven shape, she chided, "You're eating the ugly ones."

"Of course, I'll eat anything you make, my Cinnamon Pie." Lyn bent down and pressed her face into Cydney's smooth, chubby cheeks.

A burst of giggles escaped Cydney's throat. "Get off!" she complained, although she was making zero effort in pushing Lyn away.

But Lyn was still pulled away by Irene, who had marched to her side and yanked her by her braid.

"Let her bake, damn it," Irene snapped. "Jesus Christ, the things I have to put up with to eat some snacks around here."

"Make them yourself then, asshole!"

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A/N: Short chapter, but I really love this scene. Here's an art of the baking scene, drawn by @/EllieOfFrell on Instagram. Do check her art out!