Since i'm here,why not.

Chapter 11

The cold breeze swept through the night as Clay and Rick stood facing each other, ready to battle. A small crowd of adventurers and onlookers gathered around, their breaths visible in the crisp air. This was not just any duel; it was an opportunity for Charlie to gauge Clay's abilities.

"Heh, you'll regret stepping in like that," Rick sneered, drawing his dagger. His eyes glinted with arrogance.

"You too. You'll regret ever badmouthing the village," Clay replied, her voice steadying as she focused. Her eyes locked onto Rick, showing no trace of fear.

"You sure talk big for a small woman," Rick taunted, flashing a grin that showed his overconfidence.

Neither moved, the tension between them thickening the air. Silence reigned for a moment, broken only by the crackling of leaves as a gust of wind rustled through the trees.

Then, without warning, Clay lunged at Rick with lightning speed. Rick reacted quickly, swinging his dagger downward to intercept her. But Clay had anticipated his move. She pivoted gracefully, dashing past him and ending up behind him. Rick spun around to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. His eyes darted around in panic, and then came the blow. A powerful strike to his chin sent him reeling backward, blood trickling from his nose and mouth.

"That's a clever move... she got behind him and ducked so low before delivering an upward strike," Charlie thought, impressed by Clay's quick thinking and agility.

"Damn, that hurt like hell... How did she do that? Did she turn invisible or something?" Rick wondered as he steadied himself, preparing for another round.

With a furious roar, Rick leaped at Clay, raining down a flurry of slashes. Yet, each of his attacks was deftly dodged by Clay, her movements fluid and precise. The frustration on Rick's face grew with each missed strike. Desperate to regain control, he took a step back to reassess his approach.

"Oi, woman! Don’t just dodge... come and attack me! Aren't we having a fight here?" Rick shouted, his voice raw with frustration.

"Huh? What’s this? Losing your cool already? Oh… since when were you ever cool, anyway?" Clay retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"You stupid whore!" Rick spat, his anger boiling over.

"Oh god, he's lost control already," Charlie thought, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

Rick, now seething, coated himself in mana, his dagger glowing with a fierce light. In an instant, he vanished from sight, reappearing behind Clay. He launched a series of rapid slashes. This time, Clay barely managed to react, spinning around just in time to block his attacks. But the force of Rick's assault broke her posture, causing her to stumble.

"Did you think you could beat me with speed?" Rick sneered, seeing the struggle on Clay's face.

“Hmmm, instant movement… handy, but also predictable,” Charlie observed, her analytical mind dissecting the fight.

Claire, known as Clay, found herself on the defensive. Rick's relentless attack pushed her to her limits. She blocked and dodged his strikes, each narrowly missing her. Rick, spotting an opening at last, launched a decisive slash. But his blade cut through thin air as Clay sidestepped and delivered a powerful blow to his stomach. The impact sent Rick crashing to the ground, writhing in pain. His mana coating faded as he clutched his abdomen.

“Don’t think you're the only one who knows magic,” Clay said, her voice cold and steady as she approached Rick.

"As I expected… it’s easy to predict. These instant movement users always appear behind their opponents. They forget that people will adapt,” Charlie thought, sighing at the predictable turn of events.

“What did you do?” Rick gasped, his voice trembling.

“I infused my sword with mana and struck you with the hilt,” Clay explained, her expression unyielding.

“That doesn’t make sense. How did you know when to attack?” Rick asked, bewildered and defeated.

"That's for you to figure out. I'm not kind enough to explain it to a simple-minded jerk," Clay said, sheathing her sword with a decisive snap.

Rick lost consciousness, and his adventurer friends rushed to his side. They carefully lifted him, carrying him back to their camp. Clay watched them go, a twinge of guilt piercing her heart as she saw the worry on their faces. They didn’t retaliate, accepting the outcome of the fight.

"That was some impressive skill you displayed there," Charlie said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Well, it's the result of hard training," Clay replied modestly, her breathing still steadying after the intense confrontation.

"You think so? Well, anyway, it was a great fight, if I say so myself," Charlie added, giving Clay a nod of approval.

As the camp settled back into an uneasy silence, Clay glanced at the dark forest and thought to herself that the night wasn’t over yet. She and Charlie sat down by the bonfire again.

"I'm glad that ended well," Charlie said, adding more wood to the fire.

"Yeah, me too. Though, I'm still mad. He badmouthed the village, and even as an outsider, I couldn't accept that," Clay replied, giving it some thought.

"Thank you for standing up for the village," Charlie said, smiling.

"He said he wanted to defeat Mr. Reggy? He couldn't even beat me. Unbelievable," Clay scoffed, feeling like Rick had insulted someone she deeply respected and admired.

Not long after, Rick's friends approached them. Clay quickly stood up, ready to draw her sword, but the group apologized for Rick’s behavior. One of them explained that Rick wanted revenge for his older brother, who had once served in the army under Reggy's command.

Ten years ago, during a bandit subjugation mission, everything was going smoothly until they were ambushed on the way back to camp with prisoners. Surrounded by heavily armed bandits, Rick’s older brother was killed in the chaos as they fought to escape. Ever since, Rick had been consumed by the desire for revenge and blamed Reggy for his brother’s death.

"Well, we warned him," one of Rick's friends admitted.

"He just refused to listen. So, we played along, hoping he'd learn his lesson eventually," another man explained.

"Is that why you were all acting that way?" Charlie asked, puzzled.

"This doesn’t make sense," Clay added. "When are you going to be serious with him? Your behavior is only fueling his desire for revenge."

The group fell silent, unable to respond.

"Clay's right," Charlie said, backing her up. "What if he’d gotten himself killed, or worse, harmed someone else? Did any of you think about the consequences?"

Rick's friends exchanged uneasy glances, realizing the gravity of the situation. Charlie sighed and came to a decision.

"At dawn, you and Rick are going back to the village. Understood?" she ordered, her tone firm.

They nodded in agreement and excused themselves to their tent. Charlie then reassigned the night watch, excluding Rick and his group from the rotations.

As the campfire burned low and the night deepened, the weight of the recent events settled heavily on everyone’s mind. Charlie remained alert, her eyes on the dark horizon, while Clay stayed quietly by her side, still processing the confrontation.

The long night eventually gave way to the faint glow of dawn.