CHAPTER 00007
As he continued to call out, still attempting to lure the tyrannical mayor out to fight him, Okiji picked up on citizens watching him from the buildings around him. This didn't dampen his spirit, though, as he continued to request Hubok's revelation, growing more vigorous each time.
One after another, the people began to look outside their windows, clearly intrigued by the mysterious man's bold ambition.
"Hubok!" he shouted. "Show yourself! You've already proven your cowardice as a leader if you refuse to come out of hiding!"
Though Okiji failed to notice it, from the top window of a building behind him, a man looked out from the shadowed room he stood in, watching Okiji's extremely expressive performance below. He watched for a bit, watching the triumphant demands turn to weak begs for the revelation of this 'Hubok' he kept speaking of. Eventually, having grown bored, the man decided to take matters into his own hands, and finally satisfy the wild adventurer with the fight he so craved.
Okiji stopped his yelling almost immediately when the man emerged from the building. It was obvious by his dress that he was the man the adventurer was searching for. As opposed to the dreary rags worn by the rest of the villagers, the man wore an impressive amount of armor, jewelry, and luxury brands (despite his short stature).
"Are you the one they call Hubok?" Okiji asked, raising one of his swords in question.
The man removed the cape he wore on his back, letting it drop to the ground. From his belt, he pulled two small yet jagged daggers and spun them into his hands. "Depends. Why don't you tell me your name first?"
"My name is Imino Okiji. I am merely a traveler. However, when I spoke with some of the citizens of this fine village, they seemed quite dissatisfied with you." From the surrounding buildings, he heard outcries from other citizens.
"That's totally false! We love Mayor Hubok! He will lead us into a new age of prosperity!" Those must've been the moles that he planted in the village's population. The ones that the woman he had spoke to earlier talked about. Okiji could already tell he hated this guy. However, that didn't stop him from continuing on with his lecture of arrogance.
"Clearly they're not dissatisfied. I mean, you just heard from one of this town's citizens that I am the next great leader of this village! Now, do you have anything else you wanted to bring to attention, or are you done? I have a very cramped schedule as an administrative figure, you know."
Okiji cringed at every word spoken. "Alright. I think I've heard enough. Come fight me like the strong leader you claim to be."
"Dueling with a traveler? Do you know the kind of reputation this town would get?! I mean, it's just outlandish to think that—"
Figuring he could've gone on for hours, Okiji took the first blow, dashing the butt of his blade into Hubok's stomach with an immense force that threw him back into a building across the street. He went flying, smashing against the brick wall when it stopped him.
He collapsed to the ground, not expecting the attack. However, he rose quickly, thanks to the sheer amount of armor he had been wearing. Though he had dropped his daggers near where Okiji now stood, he quickly dashed over to retrieve them, before resetting the sizeable distance between them.
They now stood, both armed, facing each other. Okiji knew his window was short, and attempted to make another strike, but he was too slow, and soon found himself right up against Hubok, without ever having moved.
The worst thing though, was that he was impaled in his hip by both of Hubok's daggers.