Chapter 4: The swordman

A run-down pub wasn't his place to get an ale. But he was so tired of all the work he had done that he needed alcohol to cool him down. So he went to that pub on a planet that looked like Earth in its mid-age because it was the only place he could park his spaceship. Yet the service and the environment there aren't his favorites.

Halley sat down with Ale in his grip. Across from him was a man-like monk who appeared to be his drinking buddy. Halley couldn't get a clean seat even at the bar, so he chose to sit with a lonely customer. Now the monk won't stop asking him if he's okay.

"Are you sure you're fine? You look unwell. You know, I know a friend who has a sister that..."

"Could you stop talking for five minutes?" Halley whispered so the monk wouldn't hear him.

What bothers him is not only the monk who keeps talking about his life but also the group of bandits beside him who have no attitude toward other customers. They kept having fun on their own by bullying a little girl they took from the street.

The girl, who has cat ears and a fox face, is crying for help, yet no one would lend her a hand, not even Halley.

"Ahahhaha, you like that, don't you, girl?"

"Come on, drink the ale. We pay that for you."

"You better obey us, or a slit in your throat will get you."

"PLEASE STOP!! HELP ME!!"

Bunch of barbarians, Halley thought. The laughing of the bandits and the crying of the little girl invaded his ears and started a war. He felt his ears bleeding from the noise. His patience had run out, so he shouted.

"WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT UP!? IF YOU WANNA HAVE FUN, DO IT OUTSIDE!"

Silence flew across the bar in seconds. Even the bandits that were causing a disturbance suddenly shut down. The monk across from Halley was shocked to death, yet Halley still kept his serious face.

"Heh, playing hero, huh?"

The leader of the bandits smirked and stepped slowly toward Halley. The leader was the biggest one in the group. Yet Halley wasn't at least intimidated by his figure.

The bandit put his hand against Halley's chair and put his face close to Halley's. Halley didn't move an inch.

"You think you're tough? You dare open your mouth like that?"

"While you open your mouth and talk like a rat swallowing feces,"

"You smug bastard face, do you know who we are?"

"You guys don't have names? That's sad; no one will remember you when you die."

The bandits grabbed Halley's collar to threaten him. Halley's face still didn't budget.

"Listen here, you outcast dog. No one talks back to us. You were born like a dog; you act like a dog; you serve us like a dog; and if you dare, bare your teeth against us. We won't hesitate."

The bandit pulled out his daggers and used them to scare Halley. His friends came along to support him.

"Yeah! You heard him, dirt face!"

"Better fly away to your mama."

"If you do have a mama,"

They're all laughing at the emotionless Halley. Halley waited until their laughter faded, and then he stared into the leader's eyes.

"You called me a dog, but your face looks like a dog. Or a pig?"

The bandit was furious. Halley kept talking back against his will. He charged with his dagger, and at the same time, Halley pulled out his blade. They strike at the same time.

Suddenly, an arrow flew across the bandit's head and penetrated it until it went through.

Halley was surprised, and the other bandits were surprised. Halley's drinking buddy had already run away from sight. And the little girl who got bullied stopped crying.

They looked at the one that shot the arrow. It was a giant man, covered in capes. He only showed his arm, which was made of wood and metal. His cape was colored cream but torn and full of blood.

All the bandits took revenge on their leader, who died. They all pulled out their swords and charged at the giant man. In five seconds, those bandits were dead on the floor.

Halley was impressed. The giant man walked to the bartender to fill his drink with ale. The bartender obeyed his order out of fear. When it was finished, he gave the bartender a few crystals as payment.

One of the bandits survived the arrow and walked behind the man. He planned to give the man a surprise attack. But the giant man suddenly let out his other hand, and a giant sword suddenly formed from his hand. He sliced the bandit in half. He shocked all the customers in that pub. Then the giant sword disappeared back into his arm.

The giant man walked outside, leaving the corpses behind for the bar clerk to take care of. 

.

Halley was strolling around the forest near the inn where he stayed. He gave this planet a chance to stay since it has an extraordinary view of sunset. It's a relaxing sight which it's good for his mind.

Suddenly, the cloud covered the beautiful sunset until it started to rain. Thankfully, Halley has a hologram barrier built on top of his head to keep the rain from him. Halley continued to walk until he noticed a familiar figure from afar.

The figure was crouching in the dirt. With the cream-colored cape covering the whole body, it was intended to shield the figure from the rain. But the cape couldn't do its job and let the figure get wet.

Halley knew who that figure was—that giant swordman. He expanded his barrier to cover the giant man, and then the giant man looked up.

Halley saw the swordman's face. He has a black sclera and a white iris in his eyes. white, pale skin, and without a nose. There are many scars on his face, including one of his eyes, which was the biggest scar. Halley was neither intrigued by nor disgusted by his face. Rather, he asked,

"Wassup?"

The man didn't respond, yet Halley kept talking.

"To get out of the rain, you should find a place. That cape ain't doing nothing."

The swordman didn't respond. Instead, he stood up and left, leaving the shield and letting him get wet by the rain. Halley called him,

"Ah, hey!" but the man didn't respond.

Halley pouted and left separate ways from the swordsman.

.

.

.

It has been a week since he stayed on that planet. Taking no job or any request. All he did was travel the nature on this planet. He had to admit, the nature looks beautiful here. 

Right now, he's walking on a grass field on a sunny day. But he stopped when he heard a scream. The scream was so loud and sounded weird. It was not like someone needed help or was screaming in joy; it sounded like a beast in rage.

Halley was walking on a grass field, and he didn't see any animals or creatures in the same place as him. The scream kept going; it was like a monster struggling for his life.

Halley deepened his ears to see where the sound came from. He found out that it was not just one sound. beasts and monsters yelling as if they were in a war. But where is it?

Halley was running around, searching for the source of the scream. He even kneeled to the ground and put his ear in the dirt. But the scream didn't come from there. He was scared but also curious; he was scared that the scream would turn out to be ghosts. He put away that thought and searched for the sound again.

When Halley was on the verge of giving up, he heard the scream louder than before. He walked straight, and the sound was getting louder. Halley kept walking until he arrived at a hole, where the sound came from.

The hole was a bit bigger than his body, and there was a tiny red light coming from inside. Without any thought, Halley jumped into that hole to find out what it was. This might be getting rid of his boredom for being on this planet.

Halley survived through the long fall; what he saw was a new world. Not so great that the upstairs, even the opposite of great. That place was like hell, or maybe a demon world. The sky is red, and the ground doesn't grow any plants or animals; it is like desert ground but with black dirt.

In front of him were three hills. Each of those highlands stood three figures; the scariest one was in the middle. Those figures were watching what was under them. Halley looked down at what'd happened in the valley. It was a battlefield.

It's not even a battlefield between two sides. It was a lone man's battlefield. It almost looks like execution, Halley, thought. The screams of the monsters he heard were coming from that battlefield.

A bunch of monsters he didn't even know the names tried to kill a single man who struggled to fight them off. When he looked closer to the man, he saw familiar figures residing on him. It's when he knew that it was the swordman he saw in the pub.

Halley was surprised; the world is really small. Halley never wanted to be involved in everything unless he got paid. So Halley decided to watch that swordman fight from afar. Seeing guys fight would be awesome, Halley smirked.

But not long after he sat on the ground, a monster approached him. The monster started attacking him, and Halley was shocked. He dodged the monster and killed it in an instant. Then, other monsters came along. Why would they approach him when he has nothing to do with this world?

"Whoa, wait. I don't want to fight; I'm just going to watch."

His words were ignored. Monsters were all together going their way toward Halley, and now Halley had no choice but to fight them.

.

The fight was getting tense, and Halley just killed the ten monsters that surrounded him. He didn't know that the figure on the highlands sent him close. They used magic on Halley and carried him to the center of the battlefield. Halley was shocked at being lifted and thrown to the center.

"Whoaawoaa…..aaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

He fell on the dirt when the magic wore off. He stood up while suppressing his pain. Then he looked at the familiar man, who was staring back at him.

"Heh, hi"

"Why…you…" the man replied, but he couldn't finish the sentence when the other monster started attacking him. The swordsman dodged the monster's attack using his giant sword. He had already lifted it from his arm and was ready to use it. While he was fighting, the figure in the middle asked about Halley, who fought alongside him.

"Child, pray to Tell me, what is thy relationship to this prisoner?"

"No one; I don't even know his name."

"But how didst thou arrive here?"

"I don't know; I just got here."

"Then, child. Perchance you did seek opportunity. We may grant thy deepest wish; in return, you shalt join our cause."

 "Desire?" Halley was confused. The monsters stopped attacking him and focused on the swordsman. Now Halley has to fight between two decisions.

"THINK TWICE!!" the swordsman yelled."IF YOU PROCEED, I'LL SLAY YOU AS WELL"

Halley looked at him, bewildered. He wasn't going to agree, even though it looked tempting. What he wants to know is why those demon-like creatures ask people what they wish for, like Santa, when it's Christmas.

"I don't have anything to wish for."

"Then you shalt be offered as a sacrifice."

Whaaaatttt???? Halley chuckled in confusion. Just because he refused to take a wish, does it mean he has to die? They could have sent him back to the top; he doesn't have anything to do with them. Now he's getting an execution just like that man for trespassing.

Halley had no choice but to fight along with the swordsman, even if it meant he wouldn't get any friendship terms with him. Halley would only fight for himself. That thought suddenly stopped when the demon creature called the swordsman.

"Shadow Swordsman. We come bearing an offer."

 Surprisingly, all of the monsters stopped their attack. They leave the swordsman and Halley alone to catch a break. The demon continued to speak.

"Cease this execution forthwith. We grow weary of our inability to end your life. Instead, we extend you an invitation to join our ranks, the Demon Monarchs, and ascend as our fourth sovereign."

 Halley and the swordsman turned into silence as the demon lord continued, "you shall attain extraordinary strength, surpassing even your former might, becoming peerless in the world; your life shall endure for ages unending; and you shall wield power to lift the very foundations of the world, should it please thee."

The offer seemed amazing, but only a desperate person would agree. Halley stared at the swordsman and waited for his answer.

 "ehahahaha…..hahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHA!!!!!!"

A crazy laugh came from the swordsman. He held out a devilish smile and mocked the three demon lords.

"Why'd I want to be a daft, bloated, foul, reeking, wretched thing like you? Living with a handicap is better than joining your lot. Death don't scare me; bring your worst on!"

Halley was stunned; he was beyond impressed. Especially when he mentioned that living with a disability is better. 

 "So be it."

The demon lords pour their greatest power into the swordman. One monster intended to fight from the back when the swordsman wasn't looking. When the monster struck, the head suddenly blew off. The swordsman heard the head explosion and turned his back to face Halley. He stood there with a serious expression, aiming for the swordman.

 "You need help if you want to survive this; count me in."

The swordsman replied, "If you can endure."

Halley smirked as if he said, 'Do not underestimate me'.

He launched a missile from his arm into the line of monsters. The monsters couldn't escape from the incoming missile, and they were shattered into flesh.

Halley sprinted forward to the other monsters and began to hunt them down. The swordsman continued his fight with his giant sword and a crossbow against all the monsters in this execution.

They met in the back. The swordsman glanced at Halley from the back of his head, and Halley did the same. With a glance, they both nodded as if they had planned a strategy.

The swordsman pulled out Halley's leg. Halley pulled out his arm gun and aimed at the monsters. The swordman spun Halley while he shot every monster's head. Then he threw him into the crowd of monsters. Halley understood this and activated a shield and a bomb from his waist. He used his body as a suicide bomb, and it worked.

A big explosion came that eliminated all of the monsters on that battlefield. And Halley survived without scars.

 Just when they thought everything was over, new monsters came in. Halley and the swordsman continued fighting until they bled. Halley had a feeling that this wouldn't be over unless the swordsman died. The lords up on that hill were doing nothing but watching in satisfaction.

 Halley is already injured on his arm, neck, and head. The swordsman looked like a living corpse, with blood and scars all over his body. Halley checked the battery and the rest of the weapon he had.

Unfortunately, he only had one grenade, zero missiles, two black holes, ran out of bullets, and decreased the energy of his electricity Right then, he knew that the fight must be stopped.

Halley launched his bomb one more time; this one was the small nuclear bomb that could vanquish the entire world except the one who had it. He threw the bomb.

Then he grabbed the swordsman's arm. He activated his rocket boots and picked him up while holding his arm. The swordsman was startled; he looked at Halley with a disapproving face.

Halley knew it would be like that, so he explained, "Execution delayed; we can't fight forever."

Halley turned on the shield and flew to the top. He peered through the underworld's ceiling and made his way up to the surface.

Then he arrived at the grass field. The sun was up by the hill, indicating that it was morning when he got out. He landed on the ground and released the swordsman from his grip. The swordsman didn't say anything. He didn't even protest what Halley did. Now, the swordsman just stood there with no expression, while Halley was confused about what was wrong with him.

Then the swordsman collapsed to his knees. It startled Halley. He called him and began to offer the swordsman his hand, but the swordsman refused. Then he stood up slowly.

"You okay?" Halley asked out of concern.

"I'm well enough. I but seek a place to mend myself."

"How about I settle down under that tree while I call my spaceship?"

 "...….that suits me"

Halley's spaceship was so far away and hidden that it would be difficult to search for it by foot. Considering their condition right now, it was impossible to move an inch.

Then Halley saw a giant tree with a hole in the middle, big enough to fit two people with the one who was a giant. So they went to that place to rest.

Halley finished instructing his spaceship to come near. That way, he can heal himself and charge his fuel. Halley looked at the swordsman, who took out his bag and applied liquid to his wound. Then the wounds on his body slowly healed, from the smallest to the biggest ones.

"Damn, that's a pretty effective elixir."

"My witch readied it for me."

 "You have a witch?"

"...….."

"Hey, I didn't get your name."

"Your helping hand was appreciated; I thank you for it."

"You're welcome?"

"But you cannot peril your life for another's sake."

"I didn't mean to; I was just curious."

"Release your curiosity, young lad. Interfering in another's affairs shall bring you no good."

"So you count me off? After I helped you?"

"I fear so, for your own welfare."

The swordsman finished his healing. He stood up and began to leave the tree. Halley stopped him before he left.

"Will we meet again?"

There was silence between them until the swordsman spoke, "you seem sturdy; I think our paths shall cross once more."

"Can I at least know your name?"

The swordsman put the silence aside once again before he answered, "Vairez."

He finally knows his name. Halley responded with his name, "Halley."

The swordsman stared at Halley for a moment after he told him his name, and then he left the tree and began his journey. Halley was left alone in the tree, with injuries all over his body and his fuel level decreasing. But it didn't take long after the spaceship arrived for Halley to take a good rest there.