The junkyard sat at the far edge of Briarholt. Tons of metals, old gears, and scrapped machines piled up like small hills scattered across the ground. At the foot of one of the largest heaps of scrap, Edrei, Reena, and Pin gathered. To them it was more than just a junkyard. It was their hideout.
Pin sat on an old trash can flipped upside down, wobbling slightly each time he shifted his weight.
"Seriously? You beat the baron's sons?" Pin asked, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Beat? It's not even close," Reena remarked, arms crossed as she leaned her back against a pile of scrap. "Edrei wrecked them."
"So how in the world, Edrei?" Pin pressed.
Edrei sat on a large rusted piece of metal, elbows resting on his knees. "I have told Reena a hundred times, I really don't know."
"Hmm…" Pin rubbed his chin. Then his face lit up.
"Ahah!" Pin raised a finger. "It's the boots! Unknowingly, father might have bought magical boots."
Reena kicked the trash can with a loud clang; her younger brother flinched.
"Be serious, Pin!" she barked.
"I am," Pin shot back. "That's the only possible explanation." He drummed his heels against the side of the can and looked at Edrei. "Anything new except for the boots?"
Edrei gazed at the sky, deep in thought. "Wait… actually, yesterday, after the nobles beat me, I found a metal. When I touched it, I felt a surge of energy pressing inside me. This morning, when I woke up, I felt… different."
He lowered his head and pointed at his face, "See? The swelling and the cuts are gone."
"And I felt a strange tug."
"A strange tug?" Pin echoed.
Edrei nodded. "I can't explain it, but it felt like… like something was pulling me toward the alleys."
"Have you told father yet?" Reena asked.
Edrei shook his head.
"One thing I'm sure of," Reena said, "those three nobles won't let this go."
"You're dead!" Pin remarked.
Reena kicked the trash can again, harder this time, that the can flipped over, sending Pin tumbling into a pile of scrap.
"I think we should go home," Reena told Edrei. "We should tell father. This might escalate more. He'll know what to do."
The three of them left the junkyard. Reena and Pin exchanged opinions on what to do. Edrei on the other hand, walked quietly, eyes steady on his steps. His mind was racing over why he had suddenly gained these strange abilities.
He witnessed people got arrested in their alleys before; the baron had dozens of strong sentinels at his disposal. So why am I not afraid at all? He thought. Well… I am afraid. But not of them. I'm afraid of what I can do now.
Just then, Edrei's heart pounded.
It was the same sensation.
The same familiar tug he felt that morning before he rescued Reena from the three nobles.
Edrei ran.
"Hey, Edrei!" Pin shouted, seeing Edrei dart away.
Pin and Reena exchanged glances and ran after him.
His cousins quickly faded behind him as he turned through different alleys. The tug—he was quite sure—the tug was pulling him towards home.
And so, after the final bend, he saw it.
People of their neighborhood gathered around, and just in front of their door, he saw Orren. He was being arrested by the sentinels. With them were the three nobles and their father—the baron himself, Baron Fahcrud.
Edrei stopped a few meters away from them, far enough for everyone to see.
Bretz was the first one to spot him. "There! Father, there's the commoner who beat us!" pointing hysterically at Edrei.
Baron Fahcrud turned, gazing at Edrei.
"You! Commoner," he shouted at Edrei. "Come here."
Edrei walked towards the Baron. "Baron…"
"Shut up!" the Baron cut him short. "I am not asking you to speak."
The baron looked at him from head to toe, sizing him up, then shifted his gaze to his three sons. "This boy, beat the three of you?"
The three young nobles nodded.
Ish crossed his arms. "Father, you don't understand, he suddenly—"
"Shut up!" the baron cut the eldest noble. "I am not asking you to explain either."
The baron turned his gaze back to Edrei. "My sons told me that you are strong. I can sense it, but not strong enough."
"Baron Fahc-rud," Edrei said bowing, "You may arrest me, my uncle has nothing to do with the incident."
The baron's face turned red. "It's Fah-rud! You pronounce it Fah-rud! You insolent commoner!" His voice cracked, veins bulging on his forehead. "And lord—you address me as lord!"
"My apologies, lord Fah-rud." Edrei bowed again.
The baron gave Edrei a stiff nod, regaining his composure. "Where did you learn your combat skills?" the Baron asked.
Edrei shook his head. "I didn't learn any, lord Fah-rud."
"My sons told me they beat you many times. But you suddenly defeated them." The baron's eyes narrowed. "That only means you were holding back your strength before."
"I know it for a fact," he said, raising his voice, then turned toward the people gathered around, letting them hear what he was about to say. "I am a warrior. I was a knight before I became a baron. So I know a warrior when I see one."
"I want to challenge you to a fight," the baron said.
The alley was suddenly filled with whispers and murmurs.
"If you defeat me. I will let you and your uncle go."
More murmurs followed, louder this time.
The baron raised his arm, motioning for the spectators to be silent, and the murmurs turned into a hush.
He turned his head to the sentinels. "No matter what happens, no one is to intervene. Understood?"
The sentinels nodded.
Baron Fahcrud looked at Edrei, then tapped his stomach twice.
"Go ahead, hit me," he said, nodding his head for Edrei to strike.
"My lord…" Edrei said hesitantly.
"I'm giving you a free shot," the baron said proudly, spreading his arms wide, leaving himself open.
"What's wrong? Afraid I'll counter you before you land a strike?" the baron remarked with a laugh.
Then he took Edrei's hand, curled it into a fist, and pressed it against his belly.
"Come on," he nodded. "Your best shot here." He spread his arms again, grinning proudly.
Edrei gave the baron a single nod.
Then came a thud as he snapped a jab into the baron's stomach.
The crowd erupted in applause, impressed at how the baron absorbed the punch.
Suddenly the baron's body flinched into a hunch.
Edrei looked at the baron's face.
Baron Fahcrud's eyes were popping out.
The baron dropped to his knees, hands slowly reaching to his stomach, then a puff—he puffed and puffed, trying to gasp for air that wouldn't come.
His cheeks blew in and out like a frog.
The crowd was quiet, but some were pressing their hands over their mouths, shoulders shaking, trying to hold back a laugh. From the far back came a snort. That did it. A chain reaction of restrained chuckles rippled across the crowd.
Even the three nobles and the sentinels seemed to be holding theirs.
"Hah!" Baron Fahcrud suddenly barked, and the crowd fell silent.
The baron stood slowly, still clearly reeling from the pain.
"I got…" he gasped for air. "You… all."
Baron Fahcrud forced himself into a smile.
"I… I… got…"
"Tricked. I got you all tricked." he finally managed a straight sentence, his breathing recovering, though his stomach still ached.
"I will admit. You got some talent, kid," he told Edrei.
"But like I said, you're not strong enough. I'll give you a week to train. Then we'll have our match."
The baron took a step, his face twisted in pain, but still holding a smile.
He motioned for his sons and the sentinels to follow, walking awkwardly, clutching his belly like a pregnant woman.
"Is that good news or not?" came a male voice behind Edrei, once the baron and his company were far enough away.
It was Pin. He and Reena stood at Edrei's back.
"Obvious enough, it's a lie," Reena said. "They won't wait a week. And the match is not happening."
"Tell me what all this commotion is about," Orren butted in.
Edrei put his arm on Orren's shoulder. "Let's go, Uncle. I'll tell you everything inside."
* * *
A loud roar rang inside the manor house.
Baron Fahcrud slammed both fists onto the table, rattling the dishes.
"That brat—I'll tear his body into pieces!"
"So… you'll fight him in a match?" Bretz asked.
The baron swung without looking, smacking Bretz on the head.
"Are you stupid?" Baron Fahcrud said. "That single punch felt like it had crushed my intestine."
"Then how are you going to tear his body apart?" Voyl asked.
Voyl's head snapped sideways as the baron struck him too.
"Are you even listening? The kid is strong. Stronger than me. Stronger than you three put together."
"The sentinels. He won't stand a chance when we send all our sentinels."
"And then—" the baron's eyes sparked with anger, "we will make him suffer."