EeDechi walked out of the fighting ground in the center of the arena, her body caked in dust, like she'd just swam back from a desert. Stella rushed over and hugged her. "Captain, we were scared half to death."
EeDechi ruffled her hair and pushed her away with one hand. "Have some faith in me. Who's my next opponent?"
"Today we've got two semifinal matches to decide the finalists. This afternoon it's Brain Unglaus versus Rhodes Rupert," Sean said. "Once they pick a winner, that'll be your opponent for the final showdown the day after tomorrow."
Barrett looked at EeDechi and asked gravely, "Have you really thought this through? Do you truly want to become the Warrior Captain? It's an honor, but it's also a chain around your neck. The Warrior Captain has to swear an oath to protect the king and the royal family for life—no freedom at all."
Stella and Sean got it too: even if Brain Unglaus and Rhodes Rupert ganged up on her, they wouldn't stand a chance against the captain. That meant, on strength alone, EeDechi becoming the Warrior Captain was a done deal.
EeDechi paused, then said, "This... I hadn't really thought about that... Let's talk it over at home later. I need to grab a bath first and scrub off all this dirt."
Barrett let out a soft sigh. "Adventurers don't have homes."
...
In the Warrior Captain selection finals that had the whole nation watching, EeDechi's exploits had already set the entire capital buzzing.
Whether in the backstreets and alleys, in the taverns, or in the pillow talk of ordinary folks after a roll in the hay, everyone was chattering about EeDechi—this dark horse that had burst onto the scene out of nowhere.
Schroeve (Slam) and Brain were the hottest favorites in the race for the Warrior Captain, with everyone expecting these sworn enemies to clash in their fated showdown. But out of nowhere, an unknown orichalcum adventurer popped up and took down Slam.
People were buzzing about how EeDechi got totally pinned down at first, hacked at like crazy by Slam until she was on the ropes, then pulled out a giant sword for a last-ditch comeback and dropped him with just two swings.
Plenty of weapon merchants and blacksmiths had already sniffed out EeDechi's address and showed up begging for a peek at her giant sword, but Barrett stepped in each time and politely turned them away.
Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, plus those wild plot twists nobody saw coming, are the kind of hot topics that never go out of style. The bards in the taverns had already slapped EeDechi with a nickname: "Black Disruptor."
Tales about the "Black Disruptor," whether secondhand gossip or total fabrications, were spreading like wildfire from those bards' big mouths—they could brag all day without paying a dime for it.
As per the usual trope in every hackneyed story, behind every brave warrior stands a soft and dependable partner of the opposite sex.
Some folks claimed the "Black Disruptor" had three teammates under her wing, and she was extra chummy with the older male adventurer in the bunch.
Others shot back that the "Black Disruptor" was way too badass to go for some dried-up old hunk—she had to be playing footsie with the young archer on her team.
Others chimed in that the "Black Disruptor" was oozing badassery— no way she'd let a guy pin her down. She must be into the cleric girl on her team. When the "Black Disruptor" stepped off the fighting ground, hundreds of eyes saw that pretty female cleric rush over and hug her tight.
The rumors and gossip eventually snowballed into the most ridiculous version: the "Black Disruptor" played for both teams, and her whole squad was her personal harem...
...
Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock! The pounding on the door wouldn't let up. Someone outside was yelling at the top of their lungs, "Esteemed Black Disruptor, I'm not here to buy your sword—I just want a glimpse of your giant sword. Name your price, I'll pay anything..."
Inside, Barrett, EeDechi, Sean, and Stella sat facing each other, holding a meeting. EeDechi scowled and said, "Why do these people all think I won because of the sword? Don't they know that in a fight, the most important thing isn't the gear—it's the fighter's own skills! And what's this 'Black Disruptor' crap?"
"You got pummeled hard before you drew your sword—the before-and-after was just too stark," Barrett replied.
Sean looked at EeDechi. "Captain, do you really want to become the Warrior Captain?"
Even though the final match was still two hours away, his tone was dead certain, like EeDechi had it in the bag.
The afternoon before last, the other semifinal wrapped up, and the winner was no surprise: Brain Unglaus. That meant in the finals, EeDechi would face off against Brain.
All three adventurers had seen it—EeDechi versus Brain was like an adult smacking down a five-year-old kid, total domination.
EeDechi cradled her head in her hands and sighed, "Of course I don't want to be some damn Warrior Captain. I've got my own quest to finish. What do I do?"
"What do you mean, what do you do?" Barrett couldn't help but worry about EeDechi's smarts. "Just throw the fight."
"Hey!" EeDechi slapped the table, thrilled. "That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that? I can lose to Brain on purpose!"
Sean and Stella were struck speechless. Pulling tricks was the most basic skill for an adventurer—had to admit, their captain wasn't exactly cut out for the job.