The Bartender Skirmish – An Observer Up Close

I am but a cloud, posing as a bartender.

And wars are definitely an interesting form of entertainment.

Swords clashed against swords. Magic nullified other magic. The adventurers fought with such a fervor to protect their town. On the other side, the… beastmen? people? whatever they’re called toyed with their enemy, keeping them alive. It reminded me of a stage play I saw a couple millenia ago, back when the Eternal War finally came to an end.

And me? I was sitting atop the town walls, watching the battle play out. If I had to guess, this was caused by that so-called Adventurer God. Scanning around, I could see her fighting her teammates in the back. They kept yelling at each other, providing a bit of humor to the playground.

If this was her fault, very well done! Sure, town life was interesting and all, but it was basically the same day in and day out. I was starting to get bored of the perceived monotony. A good skirmish always spiced things up! Better yet, no one died! I didn’t really care either way honestly, but people supposedly felt guilty in those situations. Why? No idea. The only thing on my mind was the lack of food and drinks. Oh, and also a comfy chair.

Is that Brennan over there? It is! Brennan and the other A-rank were hacking and slashing one another, a few scenes of dialogue inserted between. I had completely forgotten about him, but wow was he strong, at least for a person. That A-rank definitely had more mana than him, yet Brennan, wielding a shaker like a dagger, blocked every attack with ease. His bearing was a bit like that blasted chairman, but I couldn’t deny how effective it was.

Now, what else is there to see? Hmm–?!?

A beam of white light sharply fell from the sky above, blinding me for a brief moment. It came down somewhere around the so-called god. Actually, that beam seemed oddly familiar… Wait. Wasn’t that the same light that destroyed my sandcastle?!?

SHINK!

“Hmm?” I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It began as a pinch, slowly turning into a numbing throb. The taste of iron filled my mouth as red droplets dribbled out of my nose and mouth. I looked down, only to see a blade piercing through my heart. “How interesting,” I managed to sputter out.

“Die, you damn monster,” a girl whispered in my ear. It was that so-called Adventurer God. While I couldn’t see the expression on her face, I imagined it to be a mix of glee and seriousness. It was rather cute.

“And you think this will kill me?” I asked in gasping breaths, genuinely curious as to what she thought. This was a first, after all, so I had no idea what would happen.

“I just punctured your heart. You die as soon as I remove my sword. This world doesn’t need monsters who can destroy the world.”

“Haha,” I couldn’t help but laugh. Did she seriously not understand? Or were humans this stupid? There were plenty of beings that had the power to obliterate a planet like this one. The reason we didn’t was because we couldn’t. We were all restricted in one form or another by -----------------------. Oh? I wonder why I couldn’t say their name.

“What’s so funny? You know you’re dying,” the so-called Adventurer God said. Right, forgot about her.

“And? It’s just funny.” The sword didn’t hurt all too much, and the iron taste was oddly appealing. Of course, she was right, this body was dying, but who cared? I certainly didn’t.

“Ugh. I don’t even want to deal with you anymore.” In one fluid motion, she pulled the sword from my back and kicked the body off the castle walls. “Goodbye, monster. And thank you for your power.”

They said your life flashed before your eyes as you died. Whoever said that lied. All I saw was the creeping darkness engulfing my vision as my limbs flopped around. A dull thud echoed in my mind as the body hit the gravely path beneath.

And then my consciousness faded away.