Seika sighed as he strolled down the main street of Baska, his stance far more relaxed than it had been in quite some time. He had come to Baska along with Hitomi after their excursion in Astera had lead them to the discovery of a tome being used by yet another mysterious group that had ties to the cult that was dispatched around Orchidia. Thankfully, from the pieces of the tome that they had deciphered, the groups own ambitions had essentially killed off most of them, but there was definitely a larger cause somewhere else that was funding or propagating these groups. Normally Seika would've jumped on this clue train easily, but Hitomi had finally asked for a break from the madness, something that Seika didn't mind granting since he too had technically been working nonstop for the past three years.

And thus, here he was. In relatively casual clothing, enjoying his day alongside Hitomi. Baska wasn't his first choice for a vacation locale, but Astera obviously carried baggage, and going to Oak would've been like skipping the vacation all together. Thankfully however, the weather was clear and sunny, and apparently the town was alive with festivities due to the Great Rock Tournament happening now. Seika himself thought about entering for the hell of it, but with Hitomi with him, he restrained his more violent tendencies to the missions that they were on.

Turning to face the woman he question, he gave her a small smile as he observed the many stalls they walked past, "See anything you'd want to try?" They had been walking for awhile, so he was hoping that by now she would've found something she had wanted to do.

292/2500

A clear blue sky, sounds of children laughing and people filling the streets, delectable scents wafting in the air, music playing, and a sense of calm settling over this land. It all seemed too picturesque, almost too good to be true and truthful the whispering voice in the back of her mind kept telling it her it was. Hitomi could not enjoy herself, although she put on a smile and she seemed relaxed as her arm linked around Seika’s much bigger one, she was in no way in a relaxed state. Her nerves felt electrified as everyone around her seemed to be a threat whether they knew it or not, she had to control herself not to hit anyone that accidentally bumped into her and this caused her to hold on to Seika much tighter than she intended to and walk to him still. She didn’t want to be here, it was too much noise, too many smells, too many people. Relaxing was the last thing Hitomi was doing and it upset her. Baska was the only place in the west that was suitable for the vacation she asked for. Oak was too much of a gamble as her guild, Eternal Nightmare, was stationed there and she didn’t want to give Seika a reason to work and she couldn't choose between her guild and him, not now anyway. It was something that weighed heavy on her mind as she was no longer a Rune Knight member but one hundred percent a criminal. It was a wonder why Seika didn’t just lock her up and try to convince her to come back to the Rune Knights. She had only left because she felt a heavy burden on her with the leaving of Shchiro and a feeling of what she thought was longing for Odin. It wasn’t Eternal Nightmare as a guild she wanted to be with, no she just wanted to be closer to Odin, and now she wasn’t even sure that was the case. Time had forced them apart and she wasn’t upset with that. That time had given her much to learn and think about, and it caused her to grow into her own person. Hitomi never cared about the goals of the Rune Knights but she had made far more connections with them than she did while she was with Eternal Nightmare. On the other hand, she had the freedom that she could never know working as a Knight. At some point, she would have to choose and that was something else she didn’t want to think about. As the two walked her mind really decided to dump all these thoughts into her head, one after the other it only led to more things that made her more uncomfortable and on edge. She needed a release or a nap she didn’t quite know just yet. Her hope was that something around here would calm her nerves but that was a fat chance. Hitomi was left so deep in her thoughts that she almost didn’t hear the sound of Seika’s voice speaking to her. It might have been the only thing to anchor her down and pull her back into reality.

Snapping her face towards him she smiled. He asked her a question that she couldn’t readily answer as she was not paying attention to anything around her. “ Oh. Uhh..” Taking a look at her surroundings she spotted many different things. From clothing to food, and entertainment there were a bunch of things to pick from. Hitomi remembered not eating for a while so she decided to narrow things down by only looking at the food stalls. There were a lot of good choices but a stall that was selling “ Street Corn “ called to her louder than the rest. This tournaments’ festival was the reason for all these stalls and events happening so she was for once maybe a little thankful for it. Easily accessible food that was ready in less than a minute was always fascinating to Hitomi. Having to wait for something either good or bad to eat in such a small amount of time was a wonder on the brain. Pointing in the direction of the street corn she led them to it. A line had already formed so they took their place in it. The savory scent wafted into her brain which caused her mouth to water. She had never tried street corn before so she was excited to see what it was about. Most of her food choices included lots of food instead of just one thing but considering she was out and about it seemed appropriate not to eat a whole meal and instead enjoy some snacks.

The line moved slowly but the two eventually got to the front of it where she would order the very basic street corn with everything that came with it, but in a cup rather than on a cob. Hitomi was a neat freak by nature and wasn’t very fond of getting her hands dirty when it came to food, something she avoided a lot. Once they had gotten their food she would lead them away to a clear table to sit and eat. Her silence throughout was louder than any sound around them and she tried to hide it but she just couldn’t force herself to speak. As she sat down to tuck into the food a small boy ran up to her with a flyer in hand. The flyer had an open invitation to the tournament on it. Apparently due to winning a vote team fights were happening and they needed more people to enter. It paid well even if one didn’t win and even though they were supposed to be on vacation Hitomi wanted to let off some steam. The little boy asked if they could fight on his behalf because his brother was the current champion and because of that he was never home. Apparently, no one else would take this boy up on his offer so Hitomi nodded to do so. It was a good excuse to enter and she looked at Seika with pleading eyes to join her.

1043

It seemed that Hitomi had drifted off somewhere mentally during their trek down the main street. He idly wondered if something was wrong beyond the fact that Baska was obviously not where she wanted to be for a vacation. He felt for her, he truly did if he were honest. Like before, he would have preferred to not be in Baska but they had no where else to go in such a short time frame. Returning from his thoughts, he could see that Hitomi had finally noticed that he had said something to him, or rather at least vocalized her indecision of it all of the choices before her. He could feel her smaller body fidget against him as she really pondered her options before he was finally drug along for a short bit before they stopped in line for a stall that would lead to them getting some sort of concotion called street corn. Shrugging in acceptance, he would stand in line with her, allowing her to return to her thoughts. The surrounding celebrations and rowdiness was something that Seika couldn't find himself getting caught up in. It was all just... too loud if he were completely honest. But it was a beautiful celebration of life under the warmth of Sol's rays so he wasn't arguing too much about it.

Eventually the two were granted their food, Seika paying for the both of them with some of his mission pay even if it wasn't necessary. The cup of... food was presented in a rather interesting way with it literally being a cup of corn that was covered in some mixture of sauce and seasonings. It at least smelled edible which was nice. Taking a seat next to Hitomi and digging his spoon into the corn, he'd scoop some out and place it into his mouth, eyebrows raising at the various strong flavors that struck him almost instantly before he began to almost shovel the rest of it inside at a moderate pace. So consumed with the food that he missed the young lad handing out flyers for some sort of event. It took a glance at Hitomi for Seika to even acknowledge that the boy was even making a case for the two of them to join in the festivities. Frowning at the thought, he'd turn to face the lad and actually hear him out this time. The young goon seemed to glow up at the thought that someone would actually hear him out. Long story short, the boy's brother was currently the champion but that also meant that he did a lot of traveling. Odd but forgivable, but regardless Seika could see from the rather cute corn covered look on Hitomi's face that she was at least moderately interested in such an event. Cocking an eyebrow at this, he'd actually sigh and nod along. He didn't quite get the appeal of it from her point of view, but anything that made her happy, made him happy. Thus he accepted the request before patting the bench the two were sitting at. Venturing to get more details before they were thrust dick first into a new situation, the two were essentially debriefed on the fact that they were essentially supposed to just win. There wasn't much else too it beyond that. Well that was fairly simple. Inquiring about the use of weapons, the two were told that they could be killing would be frowned upon, but it wasn't illegal. Yet another simple yet easy enough request.

Taking all of this information in stride, Seika would finish up his food before waiting for Hitomi to also finish. Gathering himself up, Seika would stretch out before heading towards the location of the tournament, already certain that Hitomi was somewhere behind him. He'd keep his hands to his sides for ease of access to Hitomi but the trek through the village was rather simple. They'd finally arrive at the large rock formation and be ushered towards the front where the rest of the combatants were located. Looking over the assorted fighters left Seika with little to look forward too. Many of them were local fighters and farmers, some were actually traveling brawlers and retired or visiting mages. Out of all of them though, Seika could see that he and Hitomi were the literal ones to beat. This was going to be literally be a breeze.

1,040/2500

Golden pieces of corn with flecks of crimson and ivory seasonings sprinkled into her cup. It looked divine probably seventh on the top ten nicest looking foods she's ever seen. Hitomi felt her mouth salivate as the rich scent of sweet with a hint of spice wafted into her nostrils aided by the winds. Scooping corn on her small spoon she guided the food into her mouth, making sure not to drop a single kernel. The boy spoke and she hardly listened as she chewed her food, savoring each bite as if it were her last. The sweet corn, hints of spicy, and the creamy sauce, with the extra added crunchy texture, made her sad that she was devouring it all. By the time she finished her corn, the boy had finished talking. Cleaning her mouth she followed Seika's lead, standing up and stretching she quickly grabbed his hand and walked closely next to him. The walk there she stayed silent, still in thought until they arrived at the rock formation. So many people had shown up and she was kind of excited about it. Most of the fighting they did together was to stay alive, it was nice to be able to relax for a change. Looking around she held tight to Seika's hand, her amethyst hues searching for a changing area of sorts. She couldn't very well go into a fight dressed in a sun dress, she would get it dirty or worse.

This should be fun. Maybe we can blow off a little steam but first I need to find somewhere to get changed and I need a change of clothes so I'll be right back.

Letting go of Seika's hand, Hitomi went out in search of some clothes. With all the booths set up it wasn't hard. One such booth was selling all sorts of clothes from dresses to sneakers. Walking up to that booth Hitomi looked around quickly and found some sneakers, a pair of dark green shorts, and a dark green shirt to match. Buying the items she made her way back to the tournament grounds and into a dressing room. While she changed she did stretches in between each piece of clothing she put on, it would have been a shame if she pulled something. Actually, it would be really bad if she pulled anything at all in the middle of a fight. The thought of it caused her to really get a good stretch in before going back out and finding her way to Seika. Once she was with Seika, almost immediately a crack of lightning streaked through the sky and darkened it with thick clouds. A booming of thunder sent a jolt through her and rain poured down from the sky. Most people ran for cover but not everyone. Hitomi assumed the tournament would be over but an announcement was made that it shall go on, rain, sleet, or shine it would commence.

This is going to be a cakewalk. We should go get cake after this

1,562

Seika would blink at Hitomi's statement of needing a change of clothing. He hadn't even considered that his partner would not prefer fighting in an actual sundress. How inconsiderate of him. Nodding at her statement, he watched her go, that lithe little body swaying through the crowds. It always amazed him that the woman he spent so much time with had chose him out of all of those in the group that they had started out with, but he was grateful for her patronage. It had made so many things that they had encountered since then, that much easier to deal with. He never really got insecure about her however, it wasn't that he never worried that she would tire of him or find someone new, but rather, he had a feeling that just as she shone brilliantly for him, he was the brightest thing in her orbit. There was no reason to worry about someone else catching her eye because he was all that she could see. All of this meant that Seika had to work twice as hard as others to maintain such a position however. A woman like Hitomi didn't settle for minor characters or weak men. She was drawn to intrigue and power, and a bit of sass if she was completely honest with herself. While Seika wasn't the most verbose of partners, he could gab with the best of them if given the chance.

Grinning to himself, he'd wait patiently for Hitomi to return, his fingers clenching in anticipation. It had been... so long since he had fought normal human opponents. Not cultists, not eldritch monsters, not other mages. Just normal people. He debated using his own two hands for this, just to make it fun, but he was certain there was probably a few ringers in the mix to keep things interesting. He actually wondered if someone would try to take him out for the shits and giggles of it all. The Contract on his head had recently hit an amount that would be considered valuable to most individuals, and life changing for others. It placed a certain amount of danger on his head and shoulders and unfortunately that meant that that level of danger had also been passed on to the Hitomi. While he knew the woman could take care of herself fairly easily, he still worried that his sins would one day lead to the woman he had learned to love being harmed because of him. It was a very pragmatic yet unfounded fear, especially since she always went out of her way to defend him, but he just couldn't bare the thought of eventually causing someone to target her to get to him.

His thoughts were brought back to the present as the sky began to grow darker and darker before a torrent of rain, wind and lightning began to assault the Rock that the tournament was taking place on. Shouts of surprise and anger sounded out all around him as many of the spectators began to flee back to their homes to either take shelter or get some sort of protection from the weather. Seika on the other hand stood firm against it all even as Hitomi returned to his side. Glancing over at her, he couldn't help but stare as the water did her figure in those clothes several favors. If only they weren't out in public and about to beat the shit out of several normies he'd go for it. But alas, priorities.

Stepping forward, he'd start to head to the stage since he and Hitomi's name had been called for the doubles matches. It was something of an exhibition match before the main ordeal. Even with the inclement weather there was still far too many contestants that were in the event and thus needed to be weeded out. They were pitted against four or so other pairs, the groups all staring and gauging each others relative strength. It was something that Seika considered rather weak of them all and merely mentioned for Hitomi to stay back for this one. He was feeling particularly juiced up for this event and needed to blow some energy on something, and so when the bell sounded and the chaos began well, he went to work.

---

A heavy thud sounded out as the impact of Seika's fist met the solid bone and cartilage of the man's face. Nothing else could be heard as several bodies and figures either laid about or stood around the giant of a man and his victim, the impact sounding out over the sound of the rain or the hushed tones of the crowd. No one could believe that a Royal Knight could be so brutal but Seika didn't care about any of that. It wasn't personal when he treated people like this. Honestly it was more so business and stress relief. It was cathartic to rearrange someones face and tear apart their bodies with little effort. This was the problem with having mages live alongside the common populace, the people just tended to fold like origami.

Finally holding the man up by his lapels, Seika would look up from where he was knelt over the dying man's body. Staring into the faces of all of those who stood around him. He dared them to move, to enact what little brave plan they had left in their flimsy spines. He could see the gears turning, but he knew there was nothing truly there. They were tin men, all show with no interior. A mere flash of his aura was enough to shatter their resolve, grown men dropping to their knees like knock kneed babies. It was something that only proved Seika's point. These people were helpless, mere bacteria that existed on the backs of ants. They couldn't fathom the monsters that existed above their plain of existence. And unfortunately they couldn't even poison those above them, even with millions of them, because they were so insignificant. It was... disappointing.

2061/2500

With the help of the rain, Hitomi would slick her positively pink tresses into a tight bun. Ponytails were notorious for being the downfall of most fighters with long hair, but a bun was a lot harder to grab and abuse. The calling of both their names signified that it was time to start and let Seika lead, Hitomi would be only steps behind him as they went into the arena. It seemed they had to cull out a few of the other teams, as the weather didn't scare enough of them off. This did not bother Hitomi at all and in fact, she was excited to brawl for once. For most of her life, she had chosen to be a long-range fighter, relying on her magic and the abilities of Kusanagi. Hitomi was never confident in her hand-to-hand fighting skills and she was ok with that seeing as how no one could be perfect at anything. Alas even though that last statement was true she couldn't possibly avoid hand-to0-hand forever. She knew just enough of the basics that she could protect herself and had enough strength that she didn't need to fight too hard to put down her opponents here today. Since she would be working hand in hand with Seika she would also not have to worry about her back not being protected so that made the fight that much easier. Yes, she was pumped and ready to go as the two stood in the arena, the rest of the contestants sizing them up. Her eyes were already on one team who didn't look too confident as they had their backs towards each other in an attempt to cover their blind spots it looked like from her point of view.

The rain hardly let up as the first bell of the tournament rang out, signifying that they all could start fighting. Stepping forward, Hitomi would stop as Seika told her to stay back A small pout appeared on her face as she stood behind Seika. You'd think a man who was a literal avatar of the sun wouldn't want to steal the spotlight. Folding her arms she would listen to his request only because she loved him and respected his wants and wishes, something she never thought she would be able to do after expelling Asmodeus from her. Watching from a few feet away from the sheer brutality of a punch that landed on a man's face who flew too close to the sun, Hitomi caught herself flinching at the aftermath. Though the two had been fighting many monsters over the years it had been a long time since she saw him fight another human. How they broke so easily under his hand was a shock to her system and she understood why they fought so hard against the encroaching darkness that loomed over the world. Everyone had seen what he had done and it caused a good portion of them to back down and forfeit.

Had she been in the shoes of those who'd left she wouldn't have felt bad for leaving the tournament but some still stood firm, probably thinking their numbers would save them. Though she was asked to stay back Hitomi could not avoid combat as she felt a presence a bit too close to her coming from behind which caused her to throw an elbow back. Whoever it was, they ran right into the force at which she had thrown her elbow and she felt something break as her elbow continued to go deeper into what she could assume was that person's face. Quickly though she turned around and kicked the person in the stomach, taking advantage of their weakened position. The force of her kick knocked the person back into someone else, taking them both out. She was glad they decided to attack her, now her blood was pumping and the remaining peopled either got dropped like flies or left on their own accord, the event could truly start now.

2,245

It was the sounds of fighting behind him that got him to stand up from his position over the broken bodies of the competitors. Seika was almost certain he had taken care of those who would try to harm Hitomi, but he wasn't perfect. It was definitely a site to behold. He knew the woman was strong, but to watch her move so fluidly through those who thought she was a mere damsel was... beautiful. It wasn't often that Seika got to admire this side to Hitomi's beauty. As demure as she was conniving, the woman who had gone out of her way to speak to him when they first met was as enigmatic as they could come. Some days she seemed to want no part of the world that he had inadvertently dragged her into, and yet, some days she fought just as hard, if not harder to stop those who would end all of this with a snap of the finger. Seika had spent many days racking his brain to figure out how she worked but eventually just gave up when he realized it didn't matter. She had stuck with him all this time. Even after leaving for Eternal Nightmare, even after they split ways for Desierto and Joya. She had still stuck with him.

His thoughts were interrupted as the horn finally called for the fights to end. It seemed that they had thinned it enough that only the strong and the brave were left. Which really just meant him and Hitomi and one other group of relatively tough looking gentlemen. They likely had been fighting on the other side of the rock and hadn't seen the collective ass beating that Seika and Hitomi had dished out. Ah well, meant the client was getting more of what they paid for.

Knuckles cracking, Seika approached the two with Hitomi at his side likely. He made sure to grace his light with his smile and presence, ensuring her that he saw and appreciated all that she did. He felt bad now for telling her to stay back during the first round and honestly couldn't wait to bash these fools with her by his side. With the sound of the bell, Seika would step in with a quick sway to the left, making sure to move in the direction opposite of Hitomi so that he didn't run into her and accidentally knock them both over, before striking out at his opponent with a quick jab. The strike was resoundingly rebuffed but that wasn't the point. Taking the man's open stance after the parry as the free lunch it was, Seika would surge forward wrapping the man's torso up in a heavy bear hug and trapping his left arm down at his side and his right arm up above his head. Shifting his hips suddenly, the massive mountain of chocolate that was Seika would send the grown man crashing down into the ground head and arm first. A sick crunch could be heard as bones that weren't meant to impact the ground definitely interacted with a hard surface that gave less give than his body did.

Stepping back from his handiwork, Seika could only feel that the man was likely dead, his slumped form was bent in such a way that his neck was definitely broken. Ah well, mission accomplished as he looked over at Hitomi to see she had also finished her fight. It was time to go collect their money and enjoy the rest of their day.

Exit.

2500+

With the two of them moving on to the final round, Hitomi would return the smile that Seika had blessed her with. Her excitement at the knowledge that he had noticed her sent her face into a blossom of red, her previously ivory skin now as pink as a rose petal. She couldn't hide it though she wished she could due to the nature of where they were, it was so embarrassing. He really turned her into some love-struck girl and she was disgusted with herself over it even if she liked it. As the two approached the last opponents Hitomi made the distance between her and Seika, letting him take the man of the duo while she taunted the female towards the other side. While the men fought Hitomi waited for the woman to make a move against her, and without fail she did. The taunt worked and not only was she able to divide the two she caused the woman to get angry and rush at her. Now as stated before Hitomi was not well versed in the art of hand-to-hand combat but she knew enough to get by. The woman who had charged at her, on the other hand, might have known much more than she did but as soon as she got in range of Hitomi she'd find out the hard way that it was better to fight without being run by emotion.

Once the girl got in range of Hitomi with her fist cocked back, Hitomi would wait for the right moment before ducking low under the throw of the punch and spearing the woman's midsection. Because she was so close there wasn't much force but the momentum of the girl's punch and the sudden shift of balance caused the girl to fall back and allow Hitomi to mount the female. Now in the best position, she did what she did best and wailed on the girl until she could no longer move under her. This won them the competition and got them paid, a job well done indeed.

2500+
exit