Keep the action going

A single bowl of mushroom soup, picked fresh fruits, some leftovers from the evening meal, tea specifically made by a witch, how sweet it was! Such a succulent meal that was supposed to be in his stomach lay in front of him, all ruined and seeping through the soil. Under certain circumstances, the delicious meal was swept away and the ground got the luck to try it first and then ate it whole.

Stephan joined his two hands praying for the death of his food. It was good while it lasted. His intent was to pursue a heavenly meal that he worked on making using only the best ingredients he picked. He was confident in how it would taste. Since the others didn't participate in making it, they didn't have big portions but now, the big portion that was his lied on the floor. All alone! Abandoned!

Nevertheless, an annoying hand decided it was the perfect moment to brush off the plate and let the ground have his portion. His feelings were entangled with sorrow and sadness for his lost meal to a point he wanted to cry and anger because the dark-skinned hand had the audacity to rob him of the only time he got to enjoy his day.

"Is this where you've been hiding, stupid mage?" Olivia smirked at the sight of spilt food in front of her. She was happy because she got to ruin one of his favorite moments in his day. Who told him to push her to teach him something she didn't want to? Even if he had a witch to protect him, it wouldn't be enough to stop her. Anyone could die when training. "You have subjected me to great grief when you ditched me for food. Furthermore, why must you constantly ruin my plans?"

Stephan got on his knees, completely ignoring her words. His hands started digging a hole in the ground determined.

"What are you doing?" Olivia continued. "Didn't you hear what I said? Pick up your wooden sword and follow me."

Stephan shot her with a glare that made her step back a few feet and stumble. He showed a disappointed and angry expression. Apparently, touching his food was a no-no and she had to keep that in her mind.

"Don't you see what I am doing?" he smiled bitterly. "I am burying my food. You just committed a crime. You should get on your knew and pray for it to rest in peace."

"No, did you just…"

"Do it," he yelled. "Food is important. Do you know how much effort I spent in making it and you just had to ruin my life's work? Stop being such a disrespectful brat and kneel down. My food needs to pass on peacefully and not burying it is a sacrilege."

With a raised eyebrow, she knelt opposite him. It was one of his rare moments that his aura was murderous. He dug like a dog, quickly as if he knew how to do it. The thought sent a smirk to her face. She only knelt to not attract Soprana's fiery eyes. He was using her the best way he could; she gotta compliment him for that. She wasn't ready to die for her mission yet.

"We need to work on your skills, don't you know that? Wasn't it you who said that someone needed to practice his fencing?"

"You are enjoying this," he glared. "You are certainly enjoying this. Should I ask her to roast you? It would be a fun show to watch."

"Are you trying to scare me?" she let out a nervous laugh.

"Obviously not. I am just giving you a reason to live. Unlike you, I have the knowledge of swords in my mind. I just have to practice my dexterity, agility and strength. In other words, I need to build muscles. However, with my current condition, I don't think it's possible. I am simply not wasting time in wasted matters. Once this test is done, I will practice diligently. No one knows patience better than me. Do you know how much time I dedicated to Legend of the Past to finish it?"

He was definitely creepy. With his wide eyes staring at her like she was a villain and his talking mouth with a grin that didn't leave, he was definitely creepy. While he was digging, she started making her way out. She would return later when he calmed down. Touching his food was a mistake.

'Now, I will retreat gently while he is focusing on burying his delicate damsel who died.'

She stopped when he spoke, frozen by how he grabbed the soil mixed with food and started burying it. He touched it as if it was the skin of a beautiful woman that needed loving. For a moment, she thought he was a lost cause, that he was insane and somehow, it brought back a memory. She had met Aurora in the past and wanted to be her disciple but she refused. She wanted to know what he had in him that she accepted him. Once she got wind of the master she wanted to take a disciple, she couldn't help but run to him.

"By the way," Stephan started. "Why are you going away? We need to keep up the acting. Aren't you here for something, so keep the action going on," this time, he looked at her with a serious expression. He was just joking a moment ago. Teasing her seemed fun and a great way to fill his time, he smiled. "You don't want those three elves to know why you are here, right?"

"What do you mean?" she seriously didn't know what he was talking about. Her only mission was to get rid of the intruders, especially those who were a threat to the king's plan.

"C'mon. I thought you would clever. Do you see those three elves?" she nodded. "Do you know why I am keeping them close? Obviously, you don't know since your face says it all. They are the ones sent by the Elven King. You need to keep your eyes on them, not me."

"Wait," the heat rose to her ears; they turned red from embarrassment. "Don't tell me all that I did was pointless? I didn't know they were the ones I need to kill. Thank you for telling me!" she gave him a thumb-up. "What do you gain from telling me?"

"I will leave it to you to guess."

He smiled widely.

Obviously, it was to keep everyone keeping watch on the other. The elves were keeping watch on Stephan and the witch, looking for an opening. The witch kept an eye on everyone to protect Stephan because of the piece of information she wanted from him and Olivia would be keeping her eyes on the elves, shifting her attention to the others.