The King's Gamma (#Wattys2024)

Forty Five

The man was practically exuding the essence of excitement, his eyes on me with a waiting gleam.

"This will be the second round then. Are you certain?"

"Yes!"

The second round would be a test of weapon's mastery.

I stood upright, stepping back, allowing for him to get up and get his axe he had set aside. He looked at me for a long moment before he frowned at my weapon less hands.

"Where is your weapon, little horns?"

I gave him a slight smile, allowing the weapons to move out of the space pocket where I stored them, a large and heavy silver staff appeared in my hands, causing him to frown more.

"Why are you using such a blunt thing?

I continued to smile back, the rest of the weapons slowly appearing mid-air. Swords, double-sided axes, spears, maces and war hammers appeared, floating and waiting.

"You were curious as to how I was the champion of this country, right?"

I eyed the crowd of strangers who eyed me in turn.

I swung the staff around, eyeing the king before me over the top. 

"Take this staff. It's a non-descript weapon, really. If I were to attach you, swinging down with enough power..." I did just as I explained, bringing the staff down with a bang, watching with satisfaction as the marbled floor cracked. "You will feel a blunt hit to your body. Depending on the strength I exert, I may bruise you, or I may break your bones. If I turn it and hit you with the end instead, the hit will still be blunt. If you were to manage to break my staff..." I bent my hands, the metal straining, screaming at the force before it snapped. "I would have two staffs to attack you with. The thing is, it will be broken, but I will be able to continue fighting."

The surrounding weapons started moving, and the king eyed me with something that was engrained in the very genes of every living being. Fear of the unknown. And I was the unknown.

"What happens when a sword is not cared for? When an axe has chopped one too many times? They become blunt. When the hilt is broken, will you hold the blade instead?"

I smirked as I allowed the weapons to return.

"In this sense you can think of me the same way. You may break me, but I will only come back at you twice as hard." I forced the two halves back together, watching my opponent as the staff returned to a whole, the broken pieces reforging into one another. I sighed, turning away from him and jumping down from the raised platform. "I need to..."

"MY LOVELY DARLING! WHERE ARE YOU?"

I cringed, knowing my own face displayed absolute horror at the sound of the voice.

I grabbed onto the nearest body and placed it before me, peeking around it to see the massive man land in the middle of the raised platform.

"You've decided to visit again," Marcellus stated, his smile wide as he took in the appearance of the burly man before us all.

"Where is my darling, Celli?"

"She's to be wed. You've missed your chance, Ansel."

"Ansel who?" I heard the voice rumbling from within the body before me.

"Ah, you may know him as Ansel the destroyer, or Ansel the Mountain King." Marcellus' eyes landed on me and I frowned at him. "Celestia destroyed his entire clan. And this idiot thinks she professed her love in this way."

"Why else would a magnificent woman like her rip into my clan the way she did? To show me her interest, of course! Everyone knows Ansel would never accept a weak woman, so she devised that plan to steal my heart. Where is my Celli? I came baring betrothal gifts!"