Chapter 8: A Challenge

A Challenge

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Three days. He gave himself three days.

Adal is hoping for a few things in that time. He started practicing and experimenting with his magic and he's hoping that, in three days, he would be able to manipulate it into doing something different. It doesn't matter what. Just something different. Just so he knows it can be done.

The second thing he's hoping for is that the Bears will lower their guard again if they can't find him. When Riva revealed that Sko seems to be a favored servant and the mistress of one of the seniors, he thought it might prove troublesome. In addition to the attacks he launched on the guards, kidnapping Sko may result in a large manhunt in the wasteland.

Neither of those things happened.

In those three days, he couldn't manipulate his magic in any significant way. He wanted to create a large ball and hold it in the air like Roccoco did, but couldn't change his energy ball's shape in any way. He wanted to control the speed of it so that he could perhaps throw faster or slower as needed. He wanted to be able to change its direction mid-flight in case he misses. He couldn't do anything.

As for the fear of a manhunt, nothing appeared. Each day, Adal watch the horizon and even came closer to Swaying Forest a few times. No manhunt or even a small patrol appeared. After the second day, even Sko seems to have lost her defiance and become subdued. When Riva mocks whether she no longer thinks Bear will send a squad to rescue her, she merely tells her to shut up. When there is still no sign of anyone coming on the third day, Adal acknowledges that the Bears have given up on Sko.

After the three days were up, he decided waiting any longer will not change things. He waits until it is late afternoon then sneaks back into Swaying Forest even against Riva's protests.

As he had hoped, the patrols have died down greatly. Most areas had only one guard patrolling and they hardly paid attention. Some are outright sleeping. He avoids attacking them just to avoid any mishaps. He reaches the outskirts of the village just as it starts getting dark. This is as he planned. Less villagers and easier to hide.

He circles around the village until he is some distance from the Bear family estate. It is fortunate that their land is so massive and located a distance away from the main village area. It makes it easier to avoid being seen.

Adal does what he does a lot of. Sit and waits patiently for victims.

He had told Riva that he wanted to kill Roccoco, but over the three days, he lost his nerve. The fight during the competition may have been won by him, but it also showed just how immense of an improvement Roccoco had. Trying to take him on may prove dangerous. Instead, he would prefer to take one of the younger Bears.

Sko asked him what he will do after he does so. Of course, she could not know. The answer is kill again. The plan is to devour them and increase his own power. The same plan he's been following since he was a child.

It is a massively risky move. The Bears are powerful and full of Earth grade members. He might be able to take one or two if he's lucky, but they will overwhelm him. Plus what if he encounters Goro again? He would lose.

He has an inkling of how to handle it. It's the same thing he did as a weak child. Sabotage, subterfuge, and general trickery. Attack, devour, and then flee. Basically, pick them off one by one.

It is likely that things won't go completely as planned, but it never does. He still has to try unless he intends to remain in the wasteland forever. So he waits.

He knew it would be a long wait, but he had no idea how long. Night turned into day and he had to hide himself deeper in the forest. Day turned back into night which then turned into day again. His meager provisions run out despite him barely eating and he becomes agitated.

That damn servant, Sko, told him the Bears regularly take walks. So far, the only walks he seen most of them take is inside their estate. He has seen virtually every member of the Bear family and their servant already. He even seen Goro a few times – the sight of the man makes his heart jump with fear.

Sko had been right about him. He takes walks through the middle of town during the high of the day. He is fearless. It actually makes Adal respect and fear him even more. The man seems untouchable.

He saw several tantalizing members of Bear. He saw several young children who would be easy victims. He saw a few other members who he recalls as being close combat types which should make them easy targets, but he's a little nervous too. What if they have hidden range attacks?

At the end of the third night when Adal thinks about giving up and returning back to the wasteland, he finally sees some Bears leave the estate. Two of them, in fact. Curiously, they use the back way instead of the way other members and servants normally used. The back way merely leads to the forest. It looks like they're going in.

That is to Adal's advantage. He quickly moves to catch up.

It is an hour – at his slow pace – before he finally catches up to them and his body stiffens. One of the Bears is none other than Roccoco. The other is a young woman only a little older than him. Adal could only partially hear them, but he reads their lips and catches the word 'cousin'. That means nothing. Roccoco must have numerous cousins. He has no idea who she is.

This is a complete waste, though. If she is actually older, then chance is good she might be as strong as Roccoco or even stronger. Just Roccoco alone is enough to give Adal pause. Both of them together is too much risk.

They stop at a random clearing and Adal stops some distance behind them taking cover from a large tree. He will wait for them to go back the way they came then make his exit back to the wasteland.

The two of them remained and spoke for an hour. They chat, laugh, and Roccoco even shows off his magic, though she didn't follow suit. It isn't until it is fairly dark and Adal's back is aching from remaining so stiff that they begin walking back. On the way, they actually move very close to Adal. He could hear them clearly.

"-doesn't matter. Your uncle is very powerful. You'll find a great husband and you can help the Bear family that way."

"That is true, Lord Roccoco, but…you just don't understand. It feels nice to not have to depend on guards. You can go anywhere with no fear because who would dare attack you? I need guards because I'm just a helpless woman."

"You are a Bear. No one would attack you simply-"

Their voices started fading but Adal's heart is pounding. Is he understanding her correctly? Is that why she didn't show off her magic earlier? Because she doesn't have any real capability? Is she one of the Bears who tested as only a Common grade?

It's a huge risk. An unreasonable risk. Adal wanted to take it. He has to be sure of his attack, though. He forms two energy balls. One in each hand. Then he rushes out.

They hear him coming and Adal is force to jump forward. The first ball hits Roccoco directly in the chest. That was a move of desperation. He could have killed Roccoco and made devouring him impossible. Luckily, the ensuing shout of pain tells him he survived. Roccoco is spilling a lot of blood from the mouth, though.

The second ball is aimed at his legs earning another scream of pain. The Bear girl finally gathers her wits and screams loudly. Adal forms another ball and throws it at her feet. The explosion knocks her backwards and she is silent.

That was multiple screams. Someone may have heard. Adal has to be quick. He devours Roccoco with relish.

Afterwards, though, something feels wrong. The energy he feels surging through him is overwhelming. It initially clouds his mind and makes it hard to think. As if it was too much energy all at once. After, though, his energy evens out and seems ready to burst out of his body. His mind is extremely sharp and his mental synapses are firing at an unbelievable rate. He feels like he could take on anyone.

Roccoco is his first Earth grade devour. Is this what devouring an Earth grade feels like?

The sound of shouting alerts him and he knows he has to go on the move. He wanted to destroy Roccoco's body but is forced to just throw it into the forest. Using an energy ball may give away his location more than it already did.

He picks up the unconscious Bear girl, who is fortunately lighter than Sko, and starts his retreat. For hours, he hears the sound of footsteps on his trail, but he moves at an angle until they eventually disappear. When he reaches the wasteland, he knew it would be at least another hour or two before he gets to the cave as he came out at a far away area. It doesn't matter, though. Despite having to carry the girl the whole time, Adal does not feel tired at all.

Riva is sitting quietly in the cave frying fish over a fire wondering where the hell Adal is. It's been three days since he left. How long does he plan to stake out in the village? They're running out of food again. Feeding two people is hard. She originally wanted Sko to help her, but later decided against it realizing she may overpower her and try to escape.

Some time later, she feels a great sense of relief when she hears footsteps coming right into the cave. Adal appears breathless carrying another woman that he drops onto the floor.

Sko screams. "That's Lady Bluflow! That's Lord Goro's daughter! You dare kidnap his daughter? Do you not value your life?"

"Shut up!" Riva shouts at her. She looks at the girl named Bluflow. "I admit it does make me a bit nervous. I still have nightmares about the day that guy lost it at you. Now you kidnap his daughter."

"That's not all I did. I killed Roccoco." Sko screams again. Even Riva's eyes widen in surprise. "I only took her because she was with Roccoco at the time I attacked. Luckily, I don't think she is Earth grade."

"Is she?" Riva asks Sko. She sneers and shakes her head. "So she isn't. Not that it matters. This is a great insult to Goro Bear. He will not take this lightly." She looks concerned. "Could…could he decide to go into the wasteland over this?"

"Of course he will!" Sko snaps at her. "Lord Goro dotes on his children. Lady Bluflow was actually being setup for a good political marriage for the Bear family. He wanted her to form a marriage alliance with a very notable family in the north. He's not going to let this go."

"Then it's good I have her as a hostage."

Adal says that with more confidence than he actually has. Goro genuinely frightens him…but, simultaneously, the man really intrigues him. After his devour of Roccoco and the power he felt surging through him, he begins to wonder what it'd be like to devour Goro. What would that feel like?

It's absurd, though. The power difference is too great. Had he realize the girl he kidnapped is his daughter, he might have decided against the attack altogether. Sko is making it sound worse and worse too.

It's too late to change that now, though. He may have provoked Goro. So should he hide forever and become lifelong fugitives or…

"Riva, we have to come up with an idea." She looks at him blandly. "How do I kill Goro?"

She looks at him like he is an idiot. "Seriously? My idea is that we start running further. He is a Sky grade. You are as capable of beating him as I am capable of beating Roccoco."

"Well, we have to find a way."

"Why is running not possible?"

"The Bear family is well connected. We might be on the run forever. Beside, I'm not certain we can even escape far. There were guards on my tail as I made my escape. There may be a manhunt tonight."

"Oh lord." She mutters. "She…she will be our only means of safety. If they really are going to go through that much effort, then surely they won't hurt her in the process?"

"That will still just put us on the defense constantly. We have to kill him."

"We can't, Adal! He's too strong!"

He clenches his teeth. "I think I have a way to do it." Riva's and Sko's eyes widen. "I just need to find a way to weaken him first."

"You are mad." Riva declares. "Do you not know incredibly powerful Sky grades are? I've never seen them in action but Roccoco described the few times he was lucky enough to see to me. Sky grades are so immensely powerful that weapons are almost completely useless against them. In fact, even most magic is useless. They can swat away magic attacks like they were flies."

Adal listens to her intrigued. "Is that so?"

"Yes, that is so. They are vastly stronger than Earth grades. Sko, back me up here."

Sko is annoyed. "If he wishes to commit suicide, that is his choice. It is universally known that Earth grades can't compare to Sky grades, though. Sky grades help hold up the entire country."

Riva nods. "Right. Do you get it, Adal? They're a world of difference. You could be strong enough to crush Roccoco with a pinky but a Sky grade would still be capable of annihilating you in the blink of an eye."

He already knew all of this. He never saw Sky grades before but stories of them are passed around the village. The feats attributed to them sound more like fantasy than reality. In the short time he saw Goro Bear, though, he realizes those stories he heard are real.

However, he has a weapon that he is positive no one else has. He can devour. His ability also lets him heal and steal power.

"You two have no faith in me at all. I can do it." He insists. "I know I can. I just need to weaken him. Either help me – both of you – or face death."

Sko is outraged. "Why would he kill me? I'm a Bear servant!"

"Because you're worth less as a hostage than his daughter. Once she is secured, he will annihilate everyone else just to ensure I can't escape. That includes you." Riva hisses at her. "Even if he decides to save you, I'll kill you myself just to make sure you don't make it."

"You evil whore!"

"Start thinking! What information can help us?"

Sko is angry. "What do you want to know? I'm just a servant. I don't know how to defeat any Sky grade."

"His weaknesses." Riva says. "Does he have any?"

"If he does, I do not know of it. The only thing I can even think of is water. He's a fire type so he must be naturally weak to water."

"That only works well up to Earth grade." Riva says. "Even then, it only mildly decreases their strength. Unless you're an equal level of strength, it's not much of a weakness. Goro Bear can probably easily defeat Adal even if he is a water type."

Adal swallows. "What if…what if there is a lot of water involved? A lot of water?"

"I don't see what difference it makes." Sko snaps at him.

"How well do fire attacks work in water? Riva, you know some fire types, right? Can they do anything if, say, their hands are submerged in water?"

"I know someone who actually tried that before. She couldn't do a thing. Any attempt she made just resulted in steam and boiling water. Goro Bear is an entirely different matter, though. Doing the same thing, he would probably turn an entire tub of water into steam."

The sound of an explosion interrupts their talk. Adal tells the terrified women to stay there as he crawls out. He peek his head around the entrance to the cave and waits. A few minutes later, another explosion occurs and he sees a bright fire in the distance.

He can't see the source of it, but the immense explosion gives him a strong hint. He returns inside the cave.

"I think Goro is in the wasteland."

"He's here?" Riva shouts. "Does that mean there are people outside searching for us?"

"There might be, but I saw no one. His power is just so immense that we can hear it even from a far off distance. I think he's miles away. Any guards or Bear members he brought with him are probably there too."

Adal bites his lips. "This is a wild guess, but he may be close to where I exited into the wasteland or even further off. He doesn't realize where our cave is."

Riva breathes in relief. "That's good. What is he attacking out there then?"

"Probably anything and everything. He might thinks we're close and is attacking random areas hoping to force us out. He'll be frustrated in time. The wasteland is huge and he has no idea what direction we're in. If he was willing to really attack everything in all the areas surrounding Swaying Forest, it would take him weeks."

"This is his daughter!" Sko says. "He may very well be willing."

"No, this is good." Riva says. "Even if he is willing, the sheer amount of time makes it impossible for him. Even if he gets close to us, we can just run into the forest, then exit out into an area that he already attacked."

"The forest are probably filled with people helping him search."

"With what men? Even if every single person in the village is helping, they still couldn't cover enough of the forest to block us from maneuvering out of sight. It's simply too large. There's also no way he can get the entire village to do it for all the time it'll take."

She smirks. "I bet Goro is pretty frustrated."

"You can laugh now, but I bet you'll be crying in fear when he arrives."

"Let me remind you in that case that you'll likely be dying too. I'm not going to let you make it out alive."

Sko glares at her, but remains silent knowing she is right. She looks down at the still unconscious girl.

"Why is she still not waking? You brute! How much did you harm her? Do you not know how to treat women?"

He doesn't know.

"I knocked her out using an energy attack. Most other people don't pass out for long."

"She is not a soldier, you fool. She is not even Earth grade. She is a Common grade and is as strong as a regular person. You could have seriously injured her if you used magic."

"Is she really injured that badly?"

Sko moves over and carefully examines the girl. "She has bruises, but I don't see serious injuries. She needs a doctor to check on her."

Riva snorts. "Unless you happen to be one, she's not getting any."

"We have to take her back to the village. The Bear family has a very talented doctor inside the estate."

"Are you stupid?" Riva sneers. "Obviously, we're not taking her back. If you care so much, treat her well now. If she falls ill, then prepare for her death."

"Wretch! Whore!"

"Your delicate lady still needs to be looked after. Try feeding her some fish and give her some water."

Riva grabs one of the fish that's finished cooking and eats voraciously. Sko bites her tongue and does as suggested. She grabs a stick of fish, breaks off pieces, and tries to feed it to the unconscious girl. She also massages water down her throat and wipes at her sweaty forehead.

Adal grabs a fish too. The two women weren't of much help but they did help him form an idea on how to proceed. It's an idea he's unsure of, but it's all he has. Now he just has to think about how to implement it. Outside, the explosions still continue but Riva notes it is slowing down.

In the morning, Adal and Riva is woken by Sko's shouting.

"Untie me! Untie me! Lady Bluflow is awake!"

It is true. The girl is blinking hazily whispering for water. Sko's proximity to her must have allowed her to hear and it woke her up, but she couldn't help because Riva tied her up out of fear that she'd try to run.

Riva removes her bindings and Sko quickly attends to Bluflow. The girl drinks greedily coughing. It is enough to revive some energy in her and she looks over at Adal and Riva. Her look turns hateful.

"You." She points to Adal. "You are the reason my father is so tensed."

Oh, so Goro isn't as unaffected as he makes it looks.

"You are also the reason my family is having so much trouble with the villagers and why the seniors in my family are so angry. You have caused my family a great deal of problems."

"I'm glad to see I'm so recognizable." He jokes.

She didn't find it funny. "Don't think so highly of yourself. I don't recognize you at all. I just know who you are because who else would attack Roccoco, kidnap me, then take me to the wasteland? Besides, I also recognize the whore next to you and I know she's yours."

"Apparently, I'm famous too." Riva says blandly.

Bluflow looks around. "What happened to my cousin Roccoco? Where is he?"

"You got knocked out after I threw an energy ball at you." Adal says. "So you don't know this. I killed Roccoco."

"So in addition to the other crimes you've committed, you now murdered my cousin too."

"What crimes has he committed?" Riva shoots back. "He won a match against your cousin. Your family got all humiliated and tried to attack us, especially your father. Adal just defended himself. Now I hear you're persecuting our families. You also burned my house down."

"That happened because you seriously injured Roccoco. How could we have let that go? His father is influential. He was a rising star. We couldn't let you hurt him and go after that."

Bluflow sighs. "It's a shame, really. My entire family had meetings about it and we're all baffled as to how you're so strong, but had you come to us, we would have inducted you into our family. You could have been a Bear instead of a vagrant living out here in the wasteland."

"I don't intend to remain a vagrant forever." Adal says. "I will get back into the village."

She gives him a disbelieving look. This talk has been informative so far. He's a little surprised to hear that despite his notoriety, his face is not completely known to all the Bears.

"Adal." Her voice turns authoritative. "Perhaps you don't realize, but I am Bluflow Bear. My father is Goro Bear. A Sky grade and one of the foundations of power within Bear. He is the man who grievously injured you and can very easily kill you. Do you think he will let this go? Do you not see what kind of mistake you've made? Bring me home, turn yourself in, and we will go easy on you."

Riva snorts. "I hate this arrogant attitude of you Bears so much. First off, little girl, your father will not let us go regardless of whether we return you or not. Your father almost killed Adal just because he won a stupid match against that fool, Roccoco. After all this, he will most definitely kill us. We can get out of this and you're the ticket to doing so. You are our hostage."

"A hostage? Preposterous. Ignorant. You obviously don't know the abilities of a Sky grade. Not surprisingly as you're just commoners." She says plainly. "Sky grades can move with unbelievable speeds. Even if you decide to keep me by your side at all hours of the day, which is impossible, my father can literally just snatch me out of your hands before you even blink. I watched him moved like that many times."

Riva's eyes grow concerned. Adal listens carefully.

"Maybe you think you can force him to stand still so you can kill him. Are you aware that even if you hit him in the face at point blank range with a magic attack or slash at his eyes with a sword, he would come away without a scratch? He's completely impossible to harm by the likes of you."

"What is his weakness?" Adal asks.

Bluflow looks at him in contempt. "Even if he has one, I would not tell you. However, he doesn't. He's the same as anyone else. His weakness is only based on what can possibly be done to him. When you're so strong that weapons and magic is useless against you, what weaknesses can you have?"

There is silence as they sit contemplating this. After a few minutes, Riva turns to Adal.

"What did I tell you? This is hopeless. Our best bet is to run as far away as possible."

"I'm glad you see reason." Bluflow says. "Leave now and you'll make good time. I will walk home on my own."

"You're mistaken, princess. If we're running, I intend to take you and Sko with us."

"What? For what purpose?"

"In case we meet your father along the way. Fast or not, I rather take my chances with you as a hostage than without you."

"You evil whore!"

Riva loses her humor. "You and Sko keep calling me that and it annoys me. Keep doing so and I'll sell you both to passing bandits. Then we'll be sister whores."

"You'll do that even if you need me as a hostage?" Bluflow says mockingly. "It's usually not a good idea to give away or harm your hostages."

"I don't intend to give you away. If I sell you, you'll still be alive and still come back to me. Just a little more used. Just think of it as training for when your family sells you off to some other family in a marriage alliance."

Bluflow's eyes flashes and she seethes silently. Riva sits back satisfied with her verbal victory.

Adal, seeing that the argument finished, goes to peek outside. Nothing. No guards. No Goro. He returns to the cave with a nervous heart. What he must do next is not something most men can do easily, nonetheless someone his age.

"Bluflow." He calls. "Are you certain your dad has no weaknesses at all? It doesn't have to be physical. Anything would help."

"To hell with you!" She shouts. "Did you seriously think I would help you?"

Riva hisses at her. "You will if you want to keep your dog face free of scars. Considering how ugly you are already, that would make life just so much worse for you, won't it?"

Bluflow is a fairly homely girl. Her strong traits are her connections and her lineage, not her attractiveness. She knows this too, so is fairly sensitive about her face. Riva's words make her seethe even more.

"Riva, let me handle this." Adal clears his throat. "Bluflow, you want to help me. Trust me."

"Why in the world would I want to help you?"

"Because I'm going to challenge him to a fight."

All the women are stunned into silence. A moment later, both Riva and Sko are shouting at him both calling him various words denigrating his intellect. Bluflow's eyes become confused, then thoughtful. Adal raises a finger shushing Riva and Sko.

"You…want to challenge my father? A Sky grade? To a one on one fight?"

"Yes."

"You are mad. You must be mad."

"I am. So will you help me?"

"Forget it. I know what will happen to me when my father kills you."

"Nothing will. You'll be safe."

"What do you mean?"

"She will not!" Riva declares. "I will kill her myself if I have to."

"You will not. If I die, you would run immediately. Not killing them would save you time and effort plus you wouldn't want Goro to hold a grudge against you and give chase. By letting her be found, Goro will ignore you as he already got me. So will the Bear family."

"Adal." Riva holds back her anger. "What are you trying to do?"

"Convince Bluflow to help me. You've trusted me before, Riva. Trust me now."

"Those were calculated risks. Trusting you to win against a Sky grade is a whole different matter!"

"I won't change my mind, though. You'll just have to leave it to fate."

"You're leaving me to die!"

Riva grows angrier, but Sko and Bluflow fall silent. Sko is seeing the advantage in letting him continue and Bluflow is contemplating what to say.

"How will you challenge my father?"

"One on one. He will come to an area of my choice alone. There, we will fight and settle our differences."

"Mad. Just utterly mad."

"I am. Help me."

She didn't need much time to decide. "His weakness is water. He is a fire type."

"I got many burns from our fight. I knew that already. Plus if he is as strong as you say, water may not make that much of a difference to him anyway."

"Well, what are you expecting from me then?"

"Tell me something else. Is there any particular area on his body that he has trouble with? Does he have some kind of illness? Did anyone ever give him trouble in a fight? If so, how?"

"Ridiculous. My father isn't that old and is perfectly healthy. As for fights, I have only ever personally seen him in two. I have heard of four other fights he's been in. Of the two I've seen, it was a complete dominance. One forfeited and he won the other in seconds. Of the four, I heard only one gave him any real problems and the reason being that he was also fighting against another Sky grade. He won anyway."

Adal sighs. This just keeps getting harder. He knows Bluflow isn't lying, though. She absolutely wants him to go against her father. Beside, she said it with such pride that it's almost bragging. She wants others to know how strong her family, especially her father, is.

"In short, your father has no real weaknesses and basically never lost a fight." Adal summarizes.

"Do you finally see your foolishness now?" Riva asks. "Goro is virtually undefeatable. You have no advantages against him whatsoever."

"But I do."

"What?" Bluflow cries. "What advantages do you have against my father?"

"I have more experience than him. I bet I've been in more fights than him."

She laughs. "You mean those bandits I hear you've been fighting? I can assure you that a thousand of those are no match for my father."

"My magic type is also special. I have none. That means I have no weaknesses."

"I heard of that. Do you think that's special? It's rarer, but there are still many people like you. It's true that you have no type weaknesses, but you have no type strengths either. You're just nothing."

"Are you trying to convince me to NOT fight your dad?"

"You wanted the truth, so I gave it to you. I think you're mad enough to still want to fight anyway."

He purses his lips. "I will. I will try to use his type weakness anyway and I have more fighting experience than him. I have a real chance. I will prepare the challenge now."

Adal will actually try to use water, but he has doubts in how well it'll work considering everything he heard. He has real faith in his experience, though. He has grown tougher and much more efficient over the years. He can handle himself in a fight.

However, neither of those will be what the fight hinges on. The entire fight, he knows, will hinge on his devouring ability.

Riva looks angry, but also resigned. "Since you intend on being a damn fool, I'll help write it for you."

So they work on it together. They make a formal challenge to Goro Bear and Adal informs Riva that the location is to be a large fishing pond a few miles from the wasteland and far from their cave.

Riva makes sure to note down that Goro must come alone. If Adal sees anyone else, he will give a signal to her and she will kill Bluflow instantly. The mentioned girl protested, but Riva merely shouts back that her father should come alone then.

Adal says that he will not allow her to come to harm, so Goro will come alone. He didn't voice the concern on his mind that, for all he knows, Goro might decide to give up on Bluflow in return for his death.

Over the years of attacking people, he met a lot of parents. He sometimes comes across bandit fathers and mothers; they would instantly abandon their kids to try to escape. One memorable woman he met even attempted to use her daughter as a shield against him.

Of course, bandits are bandits…but he met normal people who weren't exactly highly protective of their children either. He just hopes Sko's word about him being a doting father is true.

As the writing continues, both Sko and Bluflow even pitched in though only to help make the challenge more formal. The latter mocks Riva's lack of education much to her aggravation.

Upon it being finished, Adal carefully folds the paper and stash it to the side.

"How will you get the challenge to him?" Sko asks curiously.

Adal swallows. Riva is going to blow her top when he tells her how he intends to get the challenge to the Bear family.

The next day, Adal proceeds with his plan to get the challenge to the Bears. He does so by plainly walking into the village.

Everyone who sees him stops what they're doing immediately and stares. There are Bear servants he passes who let out shrieks and runs to their masters' estate. No doubt to inform them.

When he passes the marketplace, the entire place just stops dead and everything falls silent. He never heard the market this quiet before.

Just as he passes it, he is surrounded by guards and members from the Bear family who demands he stops and turns himself in. He loudly informs them that he's going right into the Bear estate to meet Goro.

His answer stuns them into silence. From then on, they follow at a distance behind him.

When he enters the estate, there are shrieks and yells with the servants running to hide and the men preparing to attack. As they see the guards and other members following behind him, though, they grow curious and follow behind too.

Thus he enters the main hall of the Bear family estate with seemingly an army of people behind him. There, the senior leaders of Bear are standing waiting for him. Goro is also there looking grimly at him.

One of the senior leaders – a man named Pall – steps forward. Bear has no patriarch, but the senior leaders have a designated 'mediator' who is meant to mediate arguments, sets meeting agendas, and, most relevantly, represent them to visitors. Pall, a well positioned nobleman, had the honor of taking that position.

"Adal. Son of the hunter Roko. Have you come to turn yourself in?"

"No. I came to issue a challenge."

There are a lot of murmurs. Pall raises a hand for silence.

"A challenge? You came to challenge someone here? I would think it is Roccoco but, of course, you murdered him already." He says this with a pointed glare. "So who are you looking to challenge? Perhaps you wish to kill another one of our members?"

"Yes, I do. I wish to challenge a member of your family in a fight to the death."

"Who?"

"Goro Bear."

There is a massive cacophony of murmuring. The leaders are all so stunned by this answer that they are left speechless. Eventually, one of the men returns to normal and nudges Pall to continue. He shushes the murmuring people.

"Let me see if I understand this. You've been hiding all this time, murdering our guards and people, and just being a nuisance only to waltz back into town…and challenge Lord Goro to a fight to the death? Am I understanding that?"

"You are correct. I have a paper of challenge here."

Pall gestures for one of the guards to take the paper from Adal. He opens it and reads it silently.

"A challenge with Goro Bear in a random spot of the forest. If he does not come alone, you will kill Bluflow. That is not very kind of you."

"Excuse me, sir, but I have little choice but to do it."

"And what happens to Bluflow if you are defeated?"

"She will probably come back to you on her own once I am dead. The paper does not mention it, but I have your servant Sko too, so she will be accompanied by her. I am the only reason why Bluflow can't come now. If I'm dead, she'll be instantly free."

"How so? How are you holding her now?"

"With assistance from Riva. She is holding them upon my orders. I told her that if I were to die, she must flee immediately making good time. She must also let Bluflow and Sko go so as to not earn your resentment. All you have to do is not chase her and your family will be alright."

"I...see." Pall looks at the other leaders who slowly nod to him. "Well, I have no issue with this challenge and am willing to sanction it under the condition that you publicly announce the challenge so as to not make it look like we unjustly killed you should you lose. Of course, it also helps you remain in good standing should you win and kill Lord Goro."

There is a great amount of snickering at that line. Pall shushes the gathered people and turns to Goro.

"This is now in Lord Goro's hands. Lord Goro, do you accept Adal's challenge?"

Goro looks immensely amused by the entire situation. He steps forward deliberately slow.

"I do not know what all the fuss is. Is this revenge for what happened at the competition? My boy, if you wanted that, you could have come challenge me at any time. There was no need for all this skullduggery. I would have gladly accepted. Happily."

There is a cheer around the estate, but Goro silence it with a hand. "I know the where, but when? As far as I'm concerned, the sooner, the better."

"I agree. How about tonight just shortly after the sun go down? We'll meet at the challenge spot and fight there."

"Perfect. I accept."

"Remember. Come alone or your daughter will die."

"Do not worry. I will be completely alone. After all, we want to make sure it is a fair fight." More snickering. "If that is all, you are free to go and I will see you tonight."

Adal nods and he leaves with no one stopping him. They follow behind him, though, and there are multiple whispers of 'madness', 'fool', and 'dead', though. Some of those whispers may have been the voice inside his own head. If there is ever a time when he may really die, tonight will certainly be it.

Outside the estate, nearly the entire village is gathered and staring at him silently. Good. This makes things easier.

"Everyone! I am announcing now that I came to the Bear family estate to issue a challenge. Tonight, I challenged Goro Bear to a fight to the death! He has accepted and we will be fighting. That is all."

The villagers break into a loud murmuring and there are similar words he heard before. 'Mad', 'idiot', 'death wish'. Apparently, everyone already knows the outcome to this battle. Adal will say this. If nothing else, at least he will be remembered forever as the guy who raised hell then walked into town to issue a suicide challenge.

He walks forward and, as before, they open up a path for to walk through. Now it is time for him to prepare for the fight of his life.