Vick's Bet

"Are you guys ready?", I asked my friends while mounting Turry. "Hehe, let's go. I'd like to see the village for myself", Dawn replied. Tara and Teri were ready as well, therefore we bid farewell to my great aunt and uncle, and left towards the first village. In total, there were three villages close by. Two of them housed my family, whereas the third one… Well, uncle Aron used to live there.

Our first stop was the Yeran Village, where aunt Haily, uncle Jeff as well as Vick lived. Thanks to our Tauruses, the journey was pretty quick. "We are here, your impressions, guys?", I asked. They all voiced their opinions. Most of them concerned the wooden walls, instead of stone walls. The houses were mostly wooden too, while the roofs were either slated, or covered with what looked like dried grass and twigs.

The roads weren't paved either, only the road leading to the village was. The space available on the 'streets', was much more apparent thanks to the spacing. The main square was pretty much visible from the entrance, and a few trees, shrubs and plants grew around some areas.

"The vibe is totally different. This place seems to have frozen in time, hehe", Tara said. "We'll stay for a day. You'll have plenty of opportunity to check this place out. Anyway, let's find my family first", I replied. My great uncle tried to describe where uncle and aunt lived, but even with the smaller amount of houses, I wasn't sure where to go. We decided to ask around, since people had to know them.

"Haily and Jeff live over there, look, there's Jeff coming out of the house right now", an old man pointed towards a specific house. "Uncle!", I exclaimed, quickly thanked the stranger and rushed towards him. "Hehe, we heard you came for a visit, but we didn't expect you so soon. I'm a bit busy right now, but your aunt is inside. Go in guys, and leave your mounts over there. They should be fine", uncle replied while hugging me.

"Sure, in that case, I'll introduce my friends later. Hehe, don't come back home too late". Uncle bid us farewell, but then aunt Haily walked outside. "Come here you little. Gosh you grew up over these few years. You look like a warrior now, this determination in your eyes. Hehe, the two old fools taught you something after all", she greeted.

"I'll tell you later about that. Anyway, these are my friends. Dawn, Tara and Teri", "Hmmm, they look weak. Are you sure it's safe to travel with them?", my aunt didn't seem so enthusiastic about them though. "With all due respect, I'm not a weakling. You don't know us, or our skills. It's not polite to judge like that", Dawn replied seriously. Tara agreed, and added her own piece of mind.

"Does that mean you'd protect her with your own life?". Normally, people would hesitate, but Dawn was different. She took a step forward, "I'd give ten lives for her. She's worth more to me, than this whole village or Empire… Since we aren't welcomed here, I'll wait for you outside. You enjoy yourself".

I wasn't sure why my aunt would act like that, my family was welcoming after all. Before I got the chance to scold her, she moved very quickly and blocked Dawn's path. "I'm happy she has friends like you. Don't take it to your heart, aunt Haily just wanted to test you guys a bit. You are welcomed here, so don't sulk around and go inside", she said while hugging Dawn.

"Auntie, should we talk about that kind of stuff? It's not nice, you know", "Where's the harm? They are your real friends, if they're willing to go that far. You wouldn't want fake friends around you, right?", she replied. "I know these two for most of my life, don't assume stuff next time, please", "... Right, I might've gone over the line. Sorry, guys. I'm not mean like that. You are of course welcomed here, come in, don't be shy", she apologised.

I grabbed Dawn while urging Tara and Teri to come in as well. "Don't sulk, she's not that bad. Besides, you should get used to teasing and whatnot. Seems like this runs deep in our family, hehe", "Yea, yea. I didn't like her tone, that's all. I'm fine, you are the younger one, brat. Stop treating me like a child", Dawn whispered back.

"... I'll improve your mood with a treat, how about it? Wait here, I'll bring it", aunt proposed. A while later, she brought back something round on a plate. "Do you like sweet things? This is the cake I've made. Go on, don't be shy, grab a slice". The cake was unlike anything we tasted thus far. Besides the sweetness, there was a hint of freshness. "You added mint?", "Wow! You've noticed? Hehe, your friends seem to enjoy it as well", she replied.

My friends liked mint, especially Tara and Teri. Tara even bothered me to collect it during our travels, and sell it back in the North. Dawn was reluctant to take a slice, but once she tried, she stared at the rest with drool in the corner of her mouth. "You can have more, if you like it so much", aunt said with a smile.

"I didn't know you liked sweet things that much", "Well, to us Sh… To me, sweet tastes are the best…", she replied with a careful selection of words. My aunt wasn't an idiot, but she didn't pry. "Since my friends like it so much, could you teach me how to make it?", "Of course, Anna. I didn't know you were interested in cooking… Oh, did you find yourself a boyfriend?", my aunt replied with a grin.

"...No, I just learned from my mother. Anyway, since you can, let's do that later. Besides, where's Vick?", I asked instead. "Oh, he's out there somewhere… Probably chasing girls around. Haaah, even your uncle Norty wasn't that bold. Let me tell you, that son of mine grew up to be a scoundrel. I'd understand chasing one girl, but a few?", aunt replied a bit disappointed in her son. "He'll be back home for dinner, that's for sure. Oh, and perhaps hide Dawn from him, she's really pretty", she added with a chuckle. Dawn decided not to comment, she had a boyfriend anyway.

The conversation slowly steered towards my past adventures, my parents and brother as well as our life in general. "Mom! Why are there those weird cow-like things… Anna?", Vick returned at some point during our conversation. "Anna, Anna, who else could it be? Hehe, you grew up, Vick", I replied while hugging him. "Mom! Why didn't you tell me about Anna's visit?", he complained. 'Seems like my aunt likes to tease as well', I figured.

"Surprise, why else? Hehe, there's no dinner though. We kind of forgot ourselves and talked all the time. I'll give you some money, so take Anna and her friends for a meal. Alright?", "I can't say no to that, hehe. By the way, these are your friends… And who's this pretty lady", Vick asked while staring at Dawn. My aunt shot me a glance, as if saying 'what did I tell you?'.

"Yes, she's my friend. This is Dawn, this is Tara and her boyfriend Teri", I introduced. "Nice to meet you guys, especially you Dawn", he replied with a grin. 'What a headache…', "Anyway, let's go for a meal. I'm getting hungry myself", I said.

"So, Dawn. How old are you?", "Kid, you're way out of your league… On many levels. I have a boyfriend, and your attempts are pointless", Dawn replied. "The pretty ones always have boyfriends…", he said but then looked at me for confirmation. "Seriously? Why would she lie? Don't bother her, and to think you grew up to become some skirt chaser", I said. "Why? I find pretty girls enjoyable. Taking a look isn't a crime", he replied without a shred of guilt.

There was a tavern inside the village. They served food, and rented out rooms. Vick told us to order whatever we liked, so Dawn wasn't polite. "Heeh, how do you keep your slimline, if you eat so much?", Vick asked. "Oh, I'm just trying these out. I'll probably order more", she replied unperturbed. "Hey, Anna. Where did you get these guys from?", Vick whispered to me. "They are my friend, and they can also hear you. Hehe, all of them are stronger than you", I replied.

"What? Nah, you're pulling my leg. I'd understand you, but I'm not that weak myself. Hehe, wanna know? I reached the Outer Limits stage too… Not that long ago, but still!", he declared proudly. "Then you are weaker than us. All of us reached the Half Step already", Tara replied with a grin. Vick's face changed as he looked at us. ".It's… It's not the stage that matters! It's the skills, right the skills! I bet there's no way you'd win against me. How about it, Dawn, wanna give it a go?", he proposed.

"If that means you'll leave me alone. Sure", she accepted. "What if I win?", "I'll date you. If you lose, you'll never try to flirt with me again. Deal?", she replied. "Deal! After our dinner, we'll go outside. Once I've defeated you, hehe, we are dating. Don't back out of this, alright?", Vick exclaimed. Dawn took her sweet time, and ate her fill. She was in no rush, but that couldn't be said about Vick. He really wanted to win that bet.

"Alright, we can have our little bout outside. Don't cry to me once you lose", Dawn said. "Ha! The same back to you. Once I'm the winner, you'll go on a date with me, we'll kiss… hehe, I can't wait", Vick replied.

We stepped outside the village, where no one could obstruct them. "Draw your weapon, I'm ready", Vick said while unsheathing his sword. When Dawn took out a bow, Vick's face changed a bit. "Weren't we supposed to have a bout? Why are you taking out a bow?", he asked confused. "Hehe, that's because she's an archer. Why? Lost your confidence?", I replied instead.

"That's cheating! She obviously has a great advantage!", Vick protested. "Actually, Anna, let me borrow your sword", Dawn said, while Vick made a weird face. "What? Are you going to complain about my sword too? What sort of man are you? An archer will fight you using a sword, how shameless can you be?", I asked him while handing the sword to Dawn. "... I wasn't… Whatever, let's start!", he replied while rushing at her.

'That Vick… He's blinded by the deal, and Dawn's not weak, even without her bow'. Of course Dawn would win, otherwise, she wouldn't propose such deals. Even if Vick had an Aura, Dawn learned from me how to deal with it. She could easily use her race's trait, and win the battle.

They exchanged a few moves, but Dawn wasn't very serious. Vick didn't seem to possess an Aura yet, which of course meant he didn't have a slight chance at winning. Dawn played him to exhaustion, and Vick had to give up in the end. "I've won. Remember about our deal, a man should keep his word, right?", Dawn said with a smile.

"Yea, yea. I'll remember… You claim to be an archer, but you can handle a sword too", Vick replied, annoyed. "Me being an archer is true, but no one ever said I couldn't handle a sword. Don't underestimate your opponent, even with a different weapon. You should remember that as well", Dawn said. "Anyway, let's return. There's loads I'd like to ask you, Anna". With that taken care of, our little group returned to my aunt's house.