Ch. 12 Third wheel

After a whole year of living life on the run, I thought I was in peak shape. I thought that nothing that a human can do could possibly be above my abilities. I kept my workouts frequent, my diet as good as I could given the situation, and I didn't ignore sleep.

Even so, the training I went through to join the rebels was living hell. I was progressing fast, and the difficulty was progressing even faster.

Is he making it hard for me on purpose?

Every day I would train from sunrise until sunset. Besides that, I would just sit in bed, unable to move. If you can consider a mattress on the ground a bed.

Mori invited me a couple of times to sleep in her bed, but I would come back so dirty after training that I was ashamed to go near her even after a shower. That, and I would get really weird looks whenever I went to visit her in the hut on the other side of the village.

...

However much I look around, this doesn't look like what I would call a village...

While the huts looked like the real deal, what was inside was pretty modern. That weird thing that looked like marble was also present here, but there was not a lot of it.

Apparently, it had been decoded by people who had enough authority over it. It seems Mori was not the first one of her kind to go out of The Hub.

Even besides that marble, technology was still pretty advanced. I would compare it to what we had 20,000 years ago. Of course, by the standards of The Hub, it can be called pre-historic.

That being said, the weapons were the real deal, everything seemed extremely futuristic. Everything was based on energy instead of projectiles.

"This is more like the future I had in my mind."

I couldn't help but say that when I finally got to touch one of those weapons.

There were not a lot of fights, in the 3 or 4 months I had stayed there, we were only attacked by soldiers from The Hub once, but that made me understand that the threat was real.

They were indoctrinated to the bone. I found that out when I took a hostage against what the other rebels said. They just spewed some nonsense about the "God that brought them harmony" and then pulled out a gun from I didn't even understand where just to shoot himself instead of aiming at me.

Talk about blind loyalty.

...

It was on the night of the only day I had off that month that I finally decided to take Mori up on the offer. But I didn't get far.

A young kid just stood in front of me on the street with their hands spread out.

Kid: "Leave the chief's wife alone!"

I was so confused at first that I just looked at the kid.

"I think you are misunderstanding. I am going to hang out with Mori."

Kid: "I said leave Mori alone! She is the wife of Kellan!"

"Huh."

I was aware that I should analyze the situation before trusting a little kid, but my mind just went blank. I knew I should keep calm, but I couldn't.

I ran past the little kid, their screams were nothing but background noise at this point.

Before I knew it, I was already inside Mori's room.

She just looked at me with a confused look, yet she still transformed it to her usual kind smile in the end.

"What is this about marriage?"

That smile quickly perished.

Mori: "I...I don't know. Kellan keeps telling everyone that I am to be his wife. I swear I didn't agree to anything."

"I know you didn't. I don't doubt that."

So this is why he kept torturing me with that training. It was not to see me suffer as much as it was to keep me away from her. What does he even think he can accomplish like that? Peer pressure her into a marriage? What did I even get us into?

"What is the word around? When is the marriage?"

Mori: "I don't know."

Maybe he is just lying to himself. Maybe this won't spiral out of control.

?: "Tomorrow."

I recognized that voice in an instant. Looking back at him, I could feel my blood boiling.

Kellan: "And also from tomorrow, you will continue your journey and join whatever resistance group is close to your parents. This is an order."

I barely managed to keep my cool in that moment. But I was one step away from bringing the rage of the whole village upon myself.

"And since when did I start listening to you?"

Kellan: "Don't make me say it again. This is an order from your chief. The chief of this village."

"I see what you mean. I guess this village will have to get used to a new chief sooner than I thought."

Kellan: "Is this a threat I am hearing?"

"Far from it. It was inevitable. I felt like I wanted this village for some time now. You just hurried the process with your stupid choices."

There was no need for anyone to say it clearly. This was a challenge for the leading position.

Kellan: "Hm. So be it. The wedding tomorrow will take place right after your punishment. I will have you sit on your knees while I walk home with what you think is your woman."

Never has there been a moment when I knew better than now what I want.

Tomorrow is the day I take her back.

...

We were about 30 seconds into our fight when I realized I was on the losing side.

Physically, Kellan wasn't stronger than me, but he was decades above me when it came to fighting experience. I understood quickly that I had to keep my distance and look for an opening. One grab and it would have been over for me.

Even so, he has more reach. How on Earth is he gonna leave an opening big enough for me to reach him?

The fighting style was as old as it gets. Two dudes just duking it out, with minimal clothing, in the dirt. The only difference was that we both had a piece of marble that we could use. Kellan could only draw his if I drew mine.

The plan is probably to make it seem like I have a slight advantage by being allowed to draw first, but I know that once he gets a weapon, it is over for me.

Still, after five minutes of going back and forth and getting more hits landed on me than I could land on him, I decided that it was all or nothing. I thought that maybe the time spent with Mori taught me enough about how to control this weapon better than Kellan.

That was also a mistake. The only thing I could create was a stick. Kellan did the same, but he knew how to change its size mid-fight. I was only able to do it when taking a step back, thus letting the enemy know what my next move would be.

Just as I thought, this is even worse.

Not seeing any way of winning, I decided to go for the most erratic attack plan. It was all or nothing.

I screamed and rushed to him with a bat. He tried to hit me with one edge of the stick, probably thinking I had gone mad. I ducked.

Soon after, my fist was heading for his chin. This uppercut was part of the plan I had.

If it hits, I win. If not, on to the last bet.

He dodged and pushed me with his knee.

I lifted my hand and grabbed the marble that I had left up in the air right before ducking. At the same time, his stick was heading for my face.

I knew I was faster, but his range of motion was shorter. The winner would be the one who hits first. That was the only way to have him leave himself open.

I can't say which would have hit first, because his stick suddenly shrunk and did not reach me.

After getting hit over the head, Kellan just fell unconscious at my feet.

Haha, of course she wouldn't just stay put.

I looked at Mori and felt ashamed. I had been so focused on saving the princess that I forgot one thing.

This princess was stronger than me.

She wasn't planning on leaving me in the first place. Why did I ever think I was alone in this fight?