The Oathsworn Read online

  "Fisher for sure; I can't argue with stats like that!" Hunter replied with a smile.

  Arend cautiously slipped by. A heavy hand on his shoulder made him jump. "Sorry, I'll need to see an I.D." The bouncer said, holding out his hand.

  "It's okay Francis, he's with me." Hunter said as he turned back around.

  The bouncer sighed. "Friend or not any new visitors need to prove they're in a Guild." Francis said as he pulled Arend back past the gate.

  A large shower of sparks burst suddenly from the large plasma at the far wall. There were cries of outrage as it was the only T.V on the floor. "Damn it!" A young man yelled as he stormed up the stairs. A waiter walked up and said a few quick words. The young man sighed and announced to the floor. "I'm sorry, but there's no way we can get it fixed before the tournament."

  "Things will get violent if we don't get it working." Francis said, uncertain if he should start crowd control.

  Arend gave Hunter a wide grin. Hunter was confused at first, but then grinned back. "What's with you two?" Francis asked.

  With a twirl, Arend pulled his L-tool from his bag, along with a screwdriver. "I'll make that T.V work better than when it came out of the box in less than three minutes." Arend said as he walked past Francis.

  Francis looked at Hunter as Arend passed him. "It's unlike you to make a new friend." He commented.

  Arend pushed through a group almost ready to hit each other on his way to the T.V. Arend grabbed a chair as he passed and hopped up to reach the back of the giant plasma T.V. In a matter of seconds, he had the back off and was messing with the wires. The floor looked at him with confused looks. As he replaced the final wire, the T.V burst into life, the image clear and sharp. Arend was drowned in cheers as he worked his way back to Hunter.

  "It was a pleasure, I'll be going now!" Arend said with a bow as he turned to the stairs.

  Francis' large arm grabbed him and brought him in for a noogie. "You're not going anywhere!" He exclaimed.

  "I take it I can stay?" Arend asked from under his arm.

  Francis pushed him forward. "Just don't start anything you can't handle!" Francis called as Hunter and Arend walked to their table. It was at the far right and a group of four people were already sitting there.

  A good looking young man with short blonde hair that faded to a longer white; He was wearing a dark blue track suit. A woman that seemed older than she looked with a great rack and long red hair pushed behind her shoulders. She was wearing a doctor's coat of all things. A younger woman who was sat closer to Arend was wearing a short blue skirt and a light blue tank top. Her aqua blue hair flowed well past her shoulders.

  A blue cat-face bag was at her waist. Arend noticed she had a large number of rings hung on a necklace dangling half hidden in her shirt. The final member of the group was a young man what was younger than the one in the track suit. His orange hair casually floated around in an untamed mess. He had an odd pair of shorts that had a longer front and a skintight back below his knee, creating little flaps. A hole was cut at the back of the knee.

  His jacket was a light blue that darkened to a jet black at the sleeves. Four belts were at the end of each arm muscle. What made him seem even stranger was that his right eye was the same orange as his hair, but his left was a darkish blue that matched the shoulders of his jacket. Hunter introduced them. In order they were; Nate, Janese, Kronth, and Kyrel.

  "Guys, this is Arend." Hunter said, patting Arend on the back.

  "Ahoy hoy!" Kyrel exclaimed, raising a welcoming hand.

  'And like that, any hope he'll be a normal person flies out the window.' Arend thought, trying to fake a smile.

  "So Hunter, you still going for Fisher?" Nate asked. Hunter nodded.

  Kronth reached around Arend and poked Hunter's headphones. "I see you got them fixed." She said when he glanced at her. He nodded, pointing to Arend. She raised her eyebrows in his direction.

  "You fixed them?" She asked.

  There was something about her purple eyes Arend found enchanting.

  Arend nodded. "You know, he's never seen without them. If he was willing to let you fix them, you must be good." Kyrel said as he pushed between Kronth and Arend.

  Arend scooted away from him a little. "Not really. He probably just noticed it on his way here." Arend replied.

  A waitress walked up. "Would any of you care to make some bets?" She asked, holding up a tablet.

  "Twenty five on the first person with the letter N in their name!" Kyrel exclaimed.

  Kronth leaned behind him and whispered to Arend. "He's gone through the entire alphabet at least three times, and tried the total number of letters in their name. He's never won." Kronth said with a half smile.

  The waitress took his money and tapped a few things into the tablet. A piece of paper printed out the bottom. She handed it to him. "Twenty five on Zanmeter Xter. Anyone else?" She asked.

  "Ten on Fisher." Hunter said as he handed her a single bill.

  "Thirty five on Lucifer." Jenifer said as the waitress handed Hunter another slip of paper.

  Kronth glanced over to Arend as Jenifer got hers. "Can I see their stats?" Arend asked.

  "Okay…" The waitress said as she handed him the tablet.

  Arend did a quick search and a short list of contestants popped up. Arend scrolled, no one popping up who's worth a second glance. He stopped when he recognized one of their faces. The last one on the list, Alexander Soum. Arend knew it had to have been him. He looked at a more detailed summary. A smile popped up on his face when he looked at the minute details of his Korvan and Exo-Suits.

  "Six hundred and fifty on Alexander Soum." Arend said as he passed the money and tablet back to the waitress.

  "S-six hundred and fifty?" She stammered.

  "Fifty from me as well." Kronth said, with a smile in Arend' direction.

  "So seven hundred on Alexander Soum." The waitress said as she passed the slips back to Arend and Kronth. The waitress shook her head as she left to store the money.

  "Are you sure you should be betting so high?" Kyrel asked.

  "That man once saved my life, besides, he's capable of a level three overheat." Arend replied.

  "Only three?" Kyrel asked.

  "Only three?!" Arend snapped. "The explosion that leveled my old shop was considered a level one!"

  "Calm down!" Jenifer exclaimed.

  "What Scale are you using?" Hunter asked.

  "Larson's." Arend replied grumpily.

  "WHAT?!" They cried in unison.

  "Larson's is meant for people Ranked past G!" Kronth exclaimed.

  "You're telling us you survived a Level one explosion on Larson's scale?" Hunter demanded.

  "What's with you people?" Arend asked.

  "Let me put it this way," Nate began. "Heartson's scale is based off the amount of energy used up or released. A level one is like a sharp punch from a professional boxer. With Larson's however, it's measured in the amount of weight it can push. A ton to level ratio, so a level three is equal to three tons of weight that can be moved. At least you aren't using Exson's; a level is the square mileage of area affected. A level one on that scale would destroy over half the city." Nate explained.

  He frowned. "Why would someone G ranked be after you anyway?" He asked.

  "It was an explosion involving Korvan fusion. A complete accident and I survived thanks to my artificial Axis heart. Any other one and I would be dead." Arend replied.

  "Really?" Jenifer asked as she pulled out a pair of glasses.

  She put them on and stared hard at Arend for over a minute, her finder on one of the arms.

  "Um…" Arend said.

  She pulled them off and put them back into her pocket. "I've never seen an artificial heart do what it has to him, but it's defiantly Axis." Jenifer said.

  Even knowing that, she didn't seem to treat him any differently. Arend smiled at that fact. There was a loud crash. A tall man with a large coat draped on his shoulders and no shirt was standing up
, a spilt drink on his lap.

  "Watch it bitch!" He yelled at the waitress.

  Hunter and the others glared silently over at him. A waiter scurried over.

  "I'm sorry sir; we'll have this cleaned up soon!" He said nervously.

  The man stepped on the glass on the floor and lifted the waiter by the collar. "That's not going to be enough." He growled as he brought his fist back.

  "Drop him." Arend said as he walked forward. The waiter glanced at Arend with a terrified look.

  The man looked over to him. He dropped the waiter and walked to meet Arend. His boots stepped with heavy thuds as he walked over. The waitress ran up to the waiter.

  "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" He demanded.

  "As long as I'm here, I'm not going to let you hurt anybody. But it doesn't matter does it? You still obeyed." Arend replied with a snarky grin.

  The man brought down a heavy fist on Arend' face in reply, knocking him to the floor. "Chh. He didn't even use his powers." He said as he turned back to the waiter.

  Arend spoke. "Powers?" Arend asked as he struggled to his feet. He raised his bleeding head and looked the man straight in the eye. "My only power is my fists." Arend said as he raised his fists.

  "Eh?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "So why not come over here and get a feel for true 'power'?" Arend asked.

  The man cracked his knuckles, sparks flashing around his shoulders. "I'll just have to show you a bit of divine punishment." He said as he ran forward.

  Taking a tight right hook, the man aimed for Arend' head. Arend dropped down, driving a fist as hard as he could into the man's stomach. The man flew back a good six feet. Arend got a sharp shock in reply.

  "That's some impressive strength for a civilian." Kyrel commented.

  The man quickly got back to his feet. "Too bad without a proper Exo-suit he won't last long." Nate said bluntly.

  The man charged at Arend again, this time fully cloaked in electricity. "You're not going to survive this one!" He yelled.

  Arend ran at him. He grabbed a chair as he passed a table and used it to pin the man to the ground as he vaulted over him. Arend brought his leg down on the chair and shattered it into the man.

  "Rubber soles." Arend said smugly as he tapped his shoes.

  "They aren't made of anything else." Nate said, unamused.

  The man was now crackling with energy. The T.V flickered as he interfered with the signal. "I'm not pulling any more punches." The man said as he pulled off his coat.

  A pair of circular pads were attached to either shoulder. They distributed the electricity through a network of cables that ran across his chest and arms. Dashing forward with incredible speed, he prepared to punch Arend. With speed that far surpassed the man's, Hunter caught his punch with a single hand. He was unfazed by the electricity that was flowing into his body.

  The man backed up with a look of surprise. "It's Hunter Wasteland!" people in the crowd whispered.

  "Why is he helping?" Another asked.

  "You should know that using that level of power on a civilian is against the rules." Hunter said as he tightened his grip.

  The man fell to his knees. "Stop! You're going to break my hand!" He screamed with tears in his eyes. Hunter tightened it further.

  It came to the point when his bones began snapping when Nate stepped it. "Enough Hunter." Nate growled.

  Hunter released the man's hand. He ran out of the bar, holding his hand and leaving his coat behind. The two walked silently back to their table. Arend followed a good distance back.

  Jenifer began treating Arend' wounds. "Ow! Watch it will ya?!" Arend exclaimed.

  "I wasn't the one who charged into something they can't handle." Jenifer replied.

  "I have my reasons." Arend grumbled.

  "Reasons or not, you shouldn't confront people like that." Kyrel chided as he drunk something dark red.

  "Look who's talking." Kronth muttered.

  The tension between Nate and Hunter was palpable.

  The waitress from before came running up, She was very excited. "I take it you weren't watching the tournament?" She asked Arend.

  "That would be a no." Arend said as Jenifer wrapped his head.

  "Well…" She said slowly. "Alexander was given a technical victory while you were busy." She handed a silver and gold card to Arend.

  "What's this?" Arend asked.

  "How much exactly did he win?" Kyrel asked.

  "The judges decided that in order to protect people, they gave Alexander the trophy, but not any of the extra prizes, and due to how our betting is run, it is worth as if he won every fight he would have participated in. You have over three hundred thousand in credits." The waitress said with a smile.

  Arend was gaping, mouth wide open. Kyrel was frozen mid drink, Jenifer was half tying Arend' bandages. Slowly, a smile crept onto Arend' face. Growing ever larger, he began to laugh.

  "Hehehe...Hahahaha…Gwahahahahahaha! What did I tell you Hunter!?" Arend exclaimed, smacking Hunter on the back. "I told you I would clean you out!"

  Still laughing, he turned to the waitress. "Do you think I could use it for a few more bets?" Arend asked, holding up the card.

  The look on her face was only surpassed by the other's reactions.

  "Enough!" Nate cried with a horrified look. "There comes a point when you're practically cheating and they won't pay any of your rewards!"

  "Fine then! I'll just us it to buy my own place." Arend replied grumpily.

  "I said Credits, not Ere." The waitress said with a frown.

  "Oh…" Nate said. Instantly, the group calmed down, except for Arend.

  "What's the difference?" Arend asked.

  "You have 3,900 Ere worth of credits." The waitress replied before turning to Kronth and handing her a black card.

  "Oh…" Arend said, disheartened.

  "Don't worry about it that much!" Kyrel said cheerfully. "You won thirty times what she did"

  "That's because I bet thirty times what she did." Arend replied.

  "Did the money really mean that much to you?" Kronth asked.

  "Let me put it this way; I'm nineteen years old, living in the back of my uncle's shop with nowhere else to go. That money would have gone to getting my own place and setting up my own kind of shop. House hold repairs get really boring really quickly." Arend replied.

  The group glanced around at each other.

  "That money I bet was from the last six months. In a single job, Hunter doubled the amount I had previously." He continued.

  "The answer to your problems is simple." The waitress said.

  Arend blinked. "If Hunter is the one with the money, then why not do what he does?" She suggested.

  "Yeah!" Kyrel exclaimed. "You should join our Guild!"

  "You can't really argue with that can you…" Nate said.

  "I'm sure Rucher has a few extra Exo-suits lying around, and Jacob can make anything Arend needs." Jenifer said.

  "So what do you think Hunter?" Kronth asked.

  Arend could see Hunter's eyes over the top of his sunglasses. "I don't see why not." Hunter said after a long pause.

  "Well then Arend, how about it? Care to party, fight, and live with us?" Kyrel asked excitedly.

  Arend gave him a reassuring smile. "Alrighty then, I'll need a few hours to pack and finish my work though." Arend replied as he chugged the remaining liquid in Kyrel's glass.

  "Let's go now!" Kyrel said, dragging Arend by the arm behind him.

  "See you there!" Kyrel called back as they left.

  "That guy has a hell of a challenge ahead of him." Nate said as he ordered more drinks.

  "Something about him doesn't sit well with me." Hunter said.

  "You were the one who brought him." Kronth retorted.

  "I didn't notice it till he started to fight, I don't care who you are; you just don't shrug off a punch like that and stand up." Hunter replied.

  "What I learned shortly afterwards
will make this easier to understand." Jenifer began. "Not only is his artificial heart 100% Adamtinium, his head was healing as I put on those bandages."

  "WHAT?" Nate said, jaw dropping.

  "There's no doubt about it, Arend might be the guinea pig of a new age Axis experiment. Old habits like that die hard." Jenifer said.