Dorian and Elric took off to the library after checking out their outfits. The journey was quiet. Silence just felt right, enjoying the fresh morning air while taking the stroll.
The day was warm, everything felt especially nice, the sun was smiling, the birds singing, laughter was heard from every corner from other people having fun, it was as if the earth was in a good mood.
The two good news of Dorian getting awakened and being bestowed was an addition. With this Dorian could live a comfortable life as a noble.
"Ehem"
"Hellooo" a voice echoed from an alley at the side "Good thing you came to me today, hope you haven't forgotten our last encounter, because for some reason I can't, maybe it's because the empty slots in my mouth won't let me." The dark figure slowly came out from the alley with four more at his back. It was Ralph.
Elric and Dorian were mildly shocked by their sudden approach, anyone could tell their intentions; it was written clear as day.
"It seems you have a thing for alleys, very soon you will have a thing for losing your teeth in alleys" Elric commented.
"You have a big mouth."
"With a set of complete teeth, oh sorry I forgot, how much did the tooth fairy pay you, you deserve a little compensation" Elric mocked.
"I like the enthusiasm, this is basically a 5 V 1, but I know you aren't scared. So why don't you bring your big boy pants and come into the alley huh."
"You are still a coward huh, alright I'll come, and correction it's not a 5 V 1. It's a 2 V 5." Elric responded, he was feeling really confident and his smirk gave that away.
"Um are you sure this is a good idea,"
Dorian asked, he didn't share Elric's positivity at the moment. They were 5 and we 2, plus he knew Elric was stronger than all of the opponents but not all together, and he was basically useless in this situation, he was more of a subtraction than addition.
"Of course not," he answered like if it were meant to make Dorian feel any better "but we Vaelthrones never back down from a fight, that's our number 1 rule"
"Right" Dorian shouted as he slapped both of his cheeks to muster courage.
"Ready when you are" Ralph said as he walked backwards deeper into the alley. Elric picked up the closest plank, it was about the same size as a sword but longer and it was too thick it could barely fit in his hands but he wasn't in a situation to be picky.
"Don't attack until I say so" Elric instructed. Immediately, he opened his aura gates. He charged at them immediately with the intention of striking one of the boys who had already started shooting rock bullets at him;
This was going to be a lot harder Elric thought, all of them might have been awakened and none of them held any weapons so they were all mages. The alley was cramped, making it hard to move or dodge. He swiftly left the floor and started running on the wall for better mobility but a fireball was shot at him.
He couldn't run on the wall for long because he recently learnt the technique. There was no other option he couldn't keep running, they controlled his movements with their spells. So he just had to try his luck with an unexpected swing. He jumped from the wall for a big strike but all of them were able to dodge his attack but fortunately the tides had changed to his favor. He was there. He had landed directly in their middle, and this froze them.
He used all his might to hit the fireball caster on his ear and could quickly bend, turn and uppercut the rock bullet user's chin as they just stood there, he had spent too much time.
"One of the other three must have recovered from the shock so I have to get away now," he thought. But one of them was open so he wanted to quickly strike and escape, the fastest route was to use his heel to uppercut his groin (all is fair in game and war) because he was behind him but his heel couldn't stretch that far, he missed by a mile and immediately thought how that was a stupid idea.
He decided to escape and he was about to jump but unfortunately Ralph had already been given more than enough time. Elric felt a surge of sharp pain at his back, right above his waist, like if he had been hit with a mallet. The force of the blow was able to push him upwards a little.
"Sometimes pay attention would you? You might get hurt" so Ralph said as he punched Elric. Ralph was a crystal mage and had the ability to coat his fists and forearms with diamonds, making his blows very painful. The impact almost left Elric paralyzed, in fact he couldn't move at that second because he targeted his lumbar region.
"Watch what happens to your brother, don't worry it wouldn't compare to what we will do to you. But look on the bright side we know a priest nearby" He looked at his other two boys still with him and made them coat their fists with diamonds too. Elric was still able to crawl, he knew if he lay down there things would get bad so he started crawling towards his stick, he stretched his hand and was able to get a grip but Ralph stomped on his hand.
"Ah ah ah, bad boy, picking up sticks to hit your friends you are a naughty little rascal, now now we can't spare you, we have to spank you a little so you behave next time" And then the brutality began, they threw blows at every part of his body tossing him around, punching and kicking him senselessly. He felt pain all around his body, his head, stomach, chest, arms, shoulders, lap, everywhere. The pain stung, he could feel his bones breaking every instant, Dorian could do nothing but look in terror.
"Stop it, Stop it please!" Dorian shouted and the two others stopped because it was getting out of line, they themselves were terrified how Elric was still conscious, how his eyes were still open – though they were a little lifeless, his mouth was drooling with blood and saliva, some of his skin torn from the crystal's rough edges plus a few broken bones which tore through his muscles.
"Why did you stop, huh" Ralph shouted but they couldn't respond "I said why did you stop"
"It's getting a bit over the top, he has learnt his lesson let's go home" one mumbled. Ralph punched his jaw and the other boy's too. But unlike Elric who had already endured over a hundred hits, the boys went unconscious.
"Useless bastards" he shouted "Intense, intense." he laughed "I'm just getting started. Watch you peasant" he pointed at Dorian "Look at me, look at the power of a true noble, we are not of the same footing"
"Now," Elric said with his last strength, he fell unconscious after this, he couldn't endure anymore.
"Huh" Ralph exclaimed "Oh, I see, was that your pathetic cry for help, look Dorian he needs you come and save the day, Dorian please come to his rescue he has suffered enough please save him" he mocked "oh, that's right, I forgot, you are weak, disgusting, a peasant and an orphan, know your place, your mere existence is a mistake to all of humanity"
"Please leave him alone" Dorian begged on his knees "Leave him, come and beat me, do whatever you want, just please leave him" he couldn't do anything he thought, what could his Electric power do, it was too weak to... wait electricity an idea flashed in his mind "Please leave him"
"Beg me"
"Please" Dorian shouted
"Louder"
"Please" he screamed
"Gosh, keep it down, someone can hear you we don't want that do we, oh and before you get a smart idea to shout for help I have two guards at both ends, if anyone sees them they will think what is happening is an official business so unfortunately, no one is coming to save you" he laughed "You see, I am smart, always ten steps ahead, I am special and you, nothing" he proclaimed "If you want me to answer your plea answer my question, what are you"
"A peasant" he mumbled
"Louder" he ordered
"A peasant" he screamed
"I'm tired of that answer be more creative don't repeat yourself, what are you"
"Worthless"
"What else"
"Useless"
"More"
"An orphan"
"Keep it coming"
"Disgusting"
"Go on"
"Pathetic"
"Louder, I want to hear you"
"I am a peasant, useless and worthless, I came to this life unfortunate, I came as less, as an animal, my parents were worthless so were their parents and their parents before, we are just bunches of unimportant trash who does the world no good by existing. There I said it so please come and attack me, beat me, do with this commoner whatever you please, just please I'm begging you leave him alone please" Dorian shouted
Saying that hurt, each and every word felt like a stab, he cried, he cried so bitterly, Elric was not meant to go through this and only he was.
Ralph laughed so loud, he felt on top of the world, he always loved power, making commoners bow, beg, cry, feel inferior was bliss for him. In his mind nobles and commoners were different and he had to show those peasants how not to cross the line. "With pleasure, it's not everyday someone begs you to beat them, but one more thing"
He struck Elric in his cheek, he wanted a payback for his teeth and sure enough they came flying, one, two, three four, five, five teeth came out he counted, almost twice his own.
"God you are a mess" he spat on his face out of disgust. He looked at Dorian and walked towards him placing his hand on his cheek, like if he were talking to his son "Sorry, I had to pay for my teeth, anyway I'm tired of talking, HA" he laughed loudly "who am I kidding? I have time for one more lecture, though I have taught this lesson several times before."
"I am special, you see your brother over there he is special too that is why he could put up a fight but I'm just simply better, I'm smarter, you will never get it, your only mistake in this world is being born into insignificance, and I pity your kind, truly I do, but it is already written in heaven, our roles"
"I am not insignificant".
"huh"
"I am not insignificant and I am not an orphan, I have a mom. I am not a peasant. I am a Vaelthrone"
"Oh, you still got some fight in..."
"I am Dorian, Second son of the house of Vaelthrone, knight to Elric Vaelthrone, I am Dorian Vaelthrone." He shouted and placed his hand on Ralph's crystal hand and zapped it with every single ounce of Electricity he had. The current moved from his arms and circulated to every part of his body. Ralph screamed as he got electrocuted inside out, it was so bad that his clothes started melting on his skin, which was frying, he smelt like a roasted rabbit, his frame got devastatingly leaner like a malnourished old man, no more like a mummy. Dorian managed to make himself stop so he wouldn't kill him but Dorian wasn't done; his rage was filled to the max, his animosity scaled off the roof. He collected the plank Elric used and whipped Ralph's nose as hard as he could.
"How does it feel now huh?" He shouted as he continued striking different parts of his face. "How does it feel to be on the other end?" Ralph had long been unconscious but Dorian didn't give a damn. "How does it feel for you to know pain. [hit] You think you are special right [hit], here is a special treatment [hit] for a very special boy [hit]. Look what you did to Elric [hit], look at his face [hit], YOU BEAT HIM FOR YOUR OWN EGO RIGHT [hit], I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD DO YOU HEAR ME"
"Hey boy" a voice sounded from the alley but Dorian didn't care, he continued playing the instrument called Ralph's face and by now it was disfigured, significantly worse than Elric, you could see different types of pus coming out of his nose each with a distinct color, the amount of teeth left firm in his mouth wasn't up to six, some had flown out, but had already been swallowed, his skull went in and his nose now had three holes. But Dorian wasn't done yet. Until the guards came.
Dorian got interrupted with a kick. Two middle aged men with the Ralph family logo on their armor came.
"Take the young master to a priest now," the other squire grabbed Ralph and ran immediately "and as for you, you are going to pay." he took the plank and broke it into two.
"You have to learn some discipline" He hit Dorian's stomach. Dorian's eyes rolled as the impact was so great he couldn't scream he opened his mouth to shout but nothing could come out only large gasps of air and drools of saliva. He walked closer to Dorian to continue beating him but something happened, something was wrong with his view, his eyes weren't locked on Dorian anymore, he had a 360° rotating view of the alley then suddenly he could only stare at the floor. His head had fallen off.