Emperor's Reckoning

The adventurers gawked their eyeballs out. Their lips went untucked. The atmosphere on the sidewalk suddenly intensified. The greenhorn they had just seen leaving had returned with one foot holding down the greatsword. The effortless of his breath, the way he crossed his arms against Frost Party was undeniably far surpassed whatever words coming out of Arf now.

Arf smiled, "Friend, what's the meaning of this?"

"I owe this guy some money, I won't pay to a dead person though," said Lyon as he shrugged.

"You owe him money?" Arf looked over to Nafail before he burst out laughing, "Hahahaha!"

The lone laughter reverberated across the city walls.

"Shut up would you, it's hurting my ears," said Lyon as he picked up a booger from his right ear.

The gasp of horror immediately overlapped the abrupt stop of Arf's hearty laughter. They couldn't believe their ears, especially Nafail. The latter even forgot how to stand up for a flash of a second.

Arf slowly darted his glance from the sky and revealed a ghastly glare toward Lyon. "Friend, what did you say?"

"It's not wise to offend the Frost Party," one adventurer shook his head.

"Are you trying to do something funny here?" said Helena as she stepped forward with her staff pointing at him.

"Hehehe, Nafail, your friend seems to have a screw loose in the head," said Arf as he made a ferocious grin.

"Friend? Don't be stupid."

"Kh?!" Arf and the rest of the party were taken back by Lyon's remark.

"Your body is big, but it seems like somewhere inside that thick skull, is a small rock instead of mushy matter," said Lyon as he sighed.

The sharp tongue left them flabbergasted, all of them, except Arf.

"Didn't you just hear what I say? I owe this guy some Adventuring Tokens, I'm not his friend, you deaf?" said Lyon as he raised one of his brows.

"Watch your tongue!" shouted Abe from the side as he pulled out his oversized shield.

"This is Arkham City, the city of the beginning, no blood shall shed here, you're lucky," said Arf.

"Please, I can flip this city if I want to," said Lyon. "But I'm lucky? Are you blind? You can't even pick up your sword, bah, those thick arms are just for shows," said Lyon as he spat to the side.

"Wow, he is not letting them off," muttered Luna.

"That's the way he is," Cecile sighed. "But perhaps only us that knows he is not joking around, he can flip this entire city down."

"Master only needs to say the word," said Graham as he smirked. "Cocky adventurers, they are there in every generation."

"You have a really high esteem, friend," said Arf as he gritted his teeth.

"What's wrong? Can you lift your sword with my foot on top of it, should I move it aside? I thought that you are a Two Stars Adventurer."

"Three Stars!" shouted Arf.

"Alright, alright, no need to yell jeez," said Lyon as he shrugged his shoulders eccentrically. "I thought that you are a Two Stars adventurer though, can't help it, your attitude and strength are both adequate for the class after all," he let out an audible smirk.

"Kh!" All four members of the Frost Party were stunned by Lyon's articulate art of insulting. They couldn't keep up with his words as their pride receives severe consecutive blows.

"You clearly out of your league here," added Lyon as a pinch of salt to their little graze. "But don't lay your hands on him, I still need to pay my debt after all."

Lyon let an extravagant sigh before he lifted up his foot.

The greatsword immediately propelled upward way beyond Arf's head. He had to take several steps back to balance himself, however, his eyes and others around the vicinity couldn't either.

"I will see you later at the tavern, Nafail," said Lyon as he turned around and waved.

"Tch!" Arf's had bloodshot in his eyes as he looked at the nonchalant walked away from the greenhorn. He had never been so humiliated in his entire life. His fuming rage blocked off his ear canals as words coming out from the members of his party turned into nothing but insults and their care glances into demeaning ones. "Gh! Get out of the way!" shouted Arf as he pushed the rest of them.

"Oh no, Arf is going to decapitate him."

"No way, his adventurer rank would be revoked if he did so."

"Would he sacrifice his blood and sweat to a greenhorn?!"

Lyon's nonchalant steps made Arf's veins bloated. The humiliation, the stares of those around him. His grip tightened as he snorted a hot breath through his nose. He took one step forward before charging with the second. The greatswords made a fiery outliner.

"What's all this commotion about?" a cold stoic voice immediately denounced Arf's intention.

"Ah, it's the official from Harp Guild!"

The man was wearing a badge in the shape of a harp in his adventuring outfit. He had a bow across his shoulders but not a quiver on his back. The man was about as old as Lyon and he had long brown hair up to a ponytail. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle and his complexion was white pale.

"Arf, what are you doing?" asked the man.

"Ah, friend Doma, I was just about to wave goodbye to my new friend here," Arf smiled before his pupils shrunk to a dot. The man that he wanted to shred nonchalantly walked away from the scene and joined his group.

"What are you talking about?" asked Doma as he furrowed his brows. "You call a lot of new people with friends, stop confusing people."

"I-I uh, sorry," Arf had his head down.

"Now then, I've heard that you have finished your quest, you are one three stars quest away from being eligible to rank up your status, then you can go ahead and venture deeper."

"Y-Yes! I and my party have just finished the quest, friend Doma," said Arf with obvious nervousness. The muscular leader couldn't show his eccentric mightiness against this fellow.

"Alright, just cash in your quest at the receptionist in the guild hall," said Doma before he darted his glance from Arf's nod toward the cloaked group at the sight. He squinted his eyes.

"They are greenhorns, friend Doma," said Arf as he crossed his arms. "However, their attitude is just trash, I think that they don't deserve to join our guild."

"Is that so?" Doma muttered.

"Keysa," Lyon called. "Didn't you say that you once ruled a guild?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, are they here in the Dark Continent?" asked Lyon. "As far as I can see, these cultivators are all adventurers."

"They are," Kesya nodded.

"What! Why didn't you say so earlier?!" said Lyon as he furrowed his brows.

"But I didn't take any Adventuring Tokens when I left," she shrugged.

Lyon sighed, he wanted to say a word, but he sighed once more.

"We could just pay a visit there, that guy from the Alchemy Union seems to be surprised that you run the Guild HQ," said Cecile.

"Oh yeah, that guy," Lyon nodded.

"What guy?" asked Luna.

"Oh right, you didn't tag along, well, it's that guy."

Luna squinted her eyes, "You forgot his name."

"I love sharp women," Lyon grinned.

"That's not important right now, that's in the past," said Kesya as she chuckled.

"The guild is the strongest under the pretext that the extend of its leader's strength was unknown," said Assid.

"Wait, you knew?" asked Lyon.

"We picked her up in her guild, master," answered Graham.

"So you guys are familiar with this place already?"

"No, if you say we have been here before, then yes, but to be familiar with every creaks and corner, we haven't, master."

"This place is that big? Also, why don't you guys visit Selena?"

"I have no idea that older sister Selena would be in the vicinity then," said Graham.

"I haven't heard of her whereabouts either, Empress Selena can be sought if she wanted to be sought, that how great she is," said Assid.

Then Lyon put his glance against Kesya who refused to have straight eye contact with him.

"You seem really suspicious," Lyon squinted his eyes. "You're not hiding anything, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Well, do you know where Selena live before you met me?"

"I uh..." Kesya played with his fingers as he pursed her lips inward. "Kind of?" she furrowed one brow as she peeked at Lyon.

"Why are you acting like that?" Lyon shrugged. "It's not like you did anything wrong."

( I just heard rumors from my adventurer lackeys, but I dismissed them because I was lazy, still am though ) thought Kesya before she raised both brows.

"Excuse me, can I bother you for a second? Are you guys new here?"

The group turned and found Doma asking them with a smile.