Valtava: Dragon Sword

Chapter 7

The afternoon sun peeked through the clouds, sending a gleaming ray of light onto the Earth. Tony carefully climbed his way up the rock slope, almost losing his grip a few times as stones broke off under his feet. He had to navigate his path and change his course a few times as some areas were far too steep for him. He would occasionally look down and see the vast waters rushing below him, feeling a sense of melancholy as he climbed further and further away from the place he inhabited for the past five years. But another part of him was ambitious to find the route out and take on an adventure in the world of unknowns.

After what seemed like hours of climbing, the top of the cliff finally came into view. Tony lifted himself up to the surface, panting in deep breaths of air as he examined the view around him. The land was barren, only covered in rocks and a few trees whose branches swayed in the breeze. There was not a single person or house in sight. Unsure of which direction to take, he began walking along the land hoping to find someone who could provide some guidance.

Soon enough, Tony began to hear faint voices in the distance. He located the source to a small village ahead of him, where several cabins were surrounded by bushes and trees. Delighted, he ran to the scene and found a crowd of people standing in a circle, seemingly focused on something in the center. Tony made his way through the crowd until he could see a young man around his age dressed in a teal-blue tunic, who had his hands and feet cuffed up in chains. Despite his set-up, he seemed quite jolly and was calling for everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today I will demonstrate a show for everyone! You can all see I have my hands and feet locked up. I will now free myself from these chains without using the key."

The crowd responded with some voices in excitement and others in skepticism. Two men walked up to him and inspected the chains, seeing that they were indeed locked.

"Are you certain, lad? There is no way you can remove these chains without breaking a bone!" one of the men exclaimed.

"Just stand and watch! Don't blink an eye or else you'll miss it!" the young man answered. He cleared his throat, gestured for everyone to take a few steps back to give him enough room, then began his stunt. He bent forward onto his hands and lifted his feet into the air, then did a backflip. Everyone awwwed and ooohed as he spun in the air several times, then kicked onto a nearby tree and finally landed on the ground again. As he made contact with the ground, the cuffs around his limbs clicked open, and the chains fell onto the dirt.

"Unbelievable!" the villagers uttered, applauding and shaking their heads in disbelief. The young man rubbed the dust off his hands and gave several consecutive bows to the circle of observers. Tony was also in awe and found it an entertaining act that relieved him of the fatigue from his travels. When the young man turned to face his direction, they made eye contact and Tony suddenly felt a vague sense of familiarity. He searched his memory for where he had seen this man before. He had a comedic appearing face, with a wide grin and long eyes that shimmered in the sun. It struck him that he was the servant who had rescued him years ago when was held captive in the mansion off the coast of Essear. Tony wanted to cry out in joy, but with so many people around him, he felt it would be inappropriate and restrained himself.

"Thank you everyone! Now I will give anyone who is brave enough a chance to attempt this feat themselves!" the young man said after he finished bowing.

Everyone looked at each other, hesitant to step up. One man spoke, "So what happens if we succeed? I'm not going to risk breaking my limbs unless I have a good reason."

"The rules are simple. Those who want to try will give me five coins. If you succeed, I will give fifty coins in return."

"Fifty coins..." the villagers mumbled.