Denial

"Train you?"

She nodded.

.

.

.

"Don't want to."

"I'll pay you. 100-" she expected him not to accept from the get-go, but did not thought he won't even let her finish her sentence.

"Still no."

"Not enough? 2-"

"At the moment at least, I don't want to teach anyone anything besides martial arts. I only have one requirement, and that is to not have talent for fighting hand to hand, something that you have."

Edna, hearing Ertex's words, froze. Was this guy crazy? When everybody was searching for talents, he just wanted the complete opposite? And why would he train only martial arts?

"... This makes no sense!"

"It does for me. Let's take a car as an exemple. Someone wants to gift someone else a car, but has to choose between a brand new known name car that just was launched, and a car of the same brand but older, with flat tires, broken windows, faulty headlights and other bad things. Most people will choose the new one, right?"

Edna just reluctantly nodded, not fully understanding what he's trying to say.

"But what if you take the battered one? What if you change the tires, repair the windows, work on it's engine, change the color, maybe even add a spoiler? There's a slim chance, but maybe, just maybe, at the end of it all, that ugly and unusable car could just become better than the new one. That's exactly what I want."

"I want to train someone that just doesn't know how to even punch. Someone that just isn't made for martial arts. I already know the heights a talented one can reach, that's boring. I want to see my capabilities in training someone that couldn't fight to save his life."

This was the first time Edna heard something like that. Why would you go through all of this when you could just skip tons of steps? Weird. In her eyes, he was just weird. But odly intriguing.

"... Why just martial arts?"

"That's what I like. Sure, this may be cool too.." he said as a small fireball appeared above them. "... But punching someone in the stomach feels way better."

Edna couldn't do anything but nod. She forgot that things never got the way she wanted.

"You're my employer, so don't start having suicidal thoughts or something. Why don't you ask her to train you?" he asked, pointing towards Arga.

Edna looked at her. Right! Arga! She may not be on Ertex's level, but she still got to level 17 from the first trial. She's undoubtedly strong. Seeing her eyes once again sparkling with hope, how could Arga refuse?

Seeing Arga nodding, Edna felt for the first time in 2 months a tinge of happiness.

"See? Nothing to worry about... Now that'll be 5,000 since she-"

"Fuck you!"

"Jeez, how rude..."

.

.

.

"Right, I've been wanting to ask you something." Ertex suddenly said after they left the downtown.

"What?" Edna asked.

"Have you been acknowledged?"

She didn't respond right away, seemingly in thoughts.

"... Yeah."

"Why are still here, then?" he had an idea but wanted to hear her say it.

"I'm... searching for someone."

"So I guess the reason you were with those guys was because of that?"

"Yeah. They are... They were the strongest around this place, and I thought that with their help, I could find who I've been looking for. But they weren't good people..."

"Well, aren't you in luck? I'm exactly that good person you need! What happened?"

Edna choosed to tell him,him being the last hope she had. She even remembered something.

[LCK - 30? - 999? - (C? - EX?)]

Her luck grew after Ertex helped her, so that's gotta mean something.

"Almost 2 months ago, I... lost my mother."

'Shocking..' he thought.

"We just were placed here and finished a trial. We were tired, so we went straight to bed since in the next day we had in plan to enter another one. But when I woke up... she was gone. I couldn't find her anywhere. Not then, not since then."

"How do you know she's still in this place?"

"I... don't know. I just feel like she still is there."

Ertex nodded.

"Alright. The price varies. It depends on how fast you want her back, who I have to fight to bring her back and other things."

.

.

.

As always. Straight to the point.

"I don't care. I'll give you everything I have if I'll see her today!"

[Coins: 127,379]

'Not bad at all!'

After seeing how much she has, he stopped.

"Alright! You go with her." he talked with Arga as he turned around.

"Are you... searching already? I didn't even tell you her name or how she looks like!"

"Yep. Don't worry, I'll know. Don't spend any money!" were his last words as he left them.

"Is he always like that?" Edna looked weirdly at his distancing frame and asked Arga.

"Yeah. You'll get used to it eventually." she responded, continuing to walk.

.

.

.

Night has fallen. In that time, Ertex looked at every single player that was in this town.

He knew he won't find Edna's mother that easily, but hoped to at least get a hint. The problem was that everyone here was weak. Too weak to kidnap someone and not be heard by anyone in the same room. Everyone had similar stats with someone that just survived the first trial.

There were many possibilities, but he couldn't understand something.

'Why only take her when Edna also was vulnerable?'

Even if whoever kidnapped her did it just to use her, why wouldn't they take Edna too since she was also looking good?

Maybe she wasn't kidnapped per se. Maybe she just was controlled? If that was the case, that meant that she had something that Edna didn't. Intelligence? Power? Talent? Again, just allure?

Ertex didn't know at the moment. He'll find out when he finds her, but he needs to find her first.

'So... If I wanted to control a milf that had a talented daughter, what will I make her do?'

.

.

.

'Why would I control her in the first place?'

Questions. But no answers. Or far too many.

He walked and walked until he felt something. He didn't know what it was, but something simply... was.

He didn't see anything, but he felt something. It didn't make sense, though. He could see anything.

Maybe there was nothing to be seen? That's not possible.

Not being someone that is cautious, he went straight in that place, the scenary immediately changing.

It was way darker there. A stone path and a small old house was all there was. No trees, no bushes, no flowers, no humans.

Following the path, Ertex reached the house that was made of stones. It wasn't very well maintained, with the roof almost collapsing. He checked the door, finding out that it's unlocked.

Entering he saw... a staircase. And that's it. The house was empty, with not even a chair to sit on.

He climbed the stairs. Upstairs, there were three doors, all opened. He looked through all of them, not seeing anything. This house was indeed empty.

As he turned around, he saw the first door closed. He wasn't the one who did it.

He opened it, but there was still nothing. He looked at the other doors, seeing them all closed.

The second room still had nothing in it.

In the third room, however, there was something. A picture. Picking it up, he saw a man.

.

.

.

He didn't like that.

He knew that man.

Leaving the room, he saw the same picture in the other rooms too. That made him laugh.

"It seems that someone is playing with me."

"No no, darling. 'Playing' is the wrong word. I'm helping you!"

A woman's voice was heard, suddenly appearing in front of Ertex. He could see she had glowing eyes.

"..."

"This could have been scarier if you weren't that hot, you know?"

[Name: Adarlett Mary (Amped)]

"I look way better!"

"Intriguing. Too bad you are not here, huh? How about you let me take her back and I'll met you in person some other time?"

"I've been waiting to see you for years and you want to leave already? How heartless!"

"Too many people that I have no memories of know me."

The woman nodded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Of course! You are a Kleiss! Who wouldn't know you?"

"Who are you?"

"Can't tell you!"

"Who is him, then?" he asked, showing the picture.

"Can't tell either!"

"..."

"Then how are you helping me?"

"Well, now you know for sure he exists. Plus, deep down, you already know the answer, don't you?"

Ertex's smile slowly dissappeared.

.

.

.

For the first time in 5 years he felt his heart bumping quickly for a reason other than fighting.

"..."

"He isn't."

"..."

The woman looked at him with pity, no trace of the previous playfulness.

" I don't like being the bearer of bad news, but I'll be if anyone else doesn't want to. It's better earlier that later. I'm sorry, Ertex. I truly am." she said as she cupped his face.

"Please, please don't do anything crazy. Not now, at least."

He rolled his eyes, taking her hands off his face.

"What do you think I'll do? Kill myself? I'm better than that."

The woman smiled.

"I know, I know."

.

.

.

"I had something else prepared, but I think it's not the moment now. Hurry up though, will you? I'm waiting for you, you know? Many are." she said as the glow in Mary's eyes disappeared, falling unconcious.

Ertex caught her before hitting the ground.

The silence reappeared.

Silence, darkness and his thoughts.

What a healthy combination.

.

.

.

With Mary on his shoulder, he arrived in front of the hotel he slept last night. He guessed that's where he'll find Edna and Arga.

Entering the room, he saw them on the bed, talking. As soon as she heard the door, Edna looked towards it.

When she saw her mother on his shoulder, tears immediately began falling as she rushed towards him. Ertex placed Mary in Edna's arms.

"I-is she alright?"

"Yeah. She's just unconscious."

"T-thank you.." she began crying harder, hugging her mother. Ertex only nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow to get my money." he said as he was about to leave.

Arga, who was smiling seeing Edna happy, lost her smile immediately. She grabbed his hand just as he was about to exit.

"Where are you going? Are you alright? What -?" she asked him numerous questions, but he shook her arm off.

"I'm fine. I just kinda don't want to see anyone right now."

Arga looked at him leaving with sadness in her eyes.

.

.

.

Ertex rented another room, throwing himself on the bed.

No one else was there.

He was in the bed.

Alone.

Going to sleep.