Chapter 321: Ready?

A trickle of water woke up Ned from his quiet stupor. It was then followed by a voice whispering behind him.

"Just go." The voice said.

Ned rolled only to realize that he was sleeping against a plank of woods that leads to a ship in the distance.

"This..." Ned said but his voice was not echoing or giving off the sound. "A dream?" His voice echoed inside his head. "This better be a dream and not the Plain."

Ned stood. Before him was himself in a shining and knightly armor that covers his body. The him stood with his back facing himself, he held the complete peace of the Butterfly. He's got long and silver hair that brushes his shoulders. Like the one he had before O'rriadt was dominated by the ghouls.

"O'rriadt?" Ned said and spun and understood that his dream this time was back at O'rriadt.

"Just go." The Ned inside his dream said.

Before him was Toni with Kiki'dora daggers she held. She got the wavy raven black hair that Ned could not forget. It was silky as to how her dagger reflects the sunlight.

"But..." Toni said. Her voice was cracking along with tears lingering at the tip of her rounded eyes.

"I'll be fine, Toni." The Ned of his dream wrapped Toni over her shoulders and without flinching, he kissed Toni by her lips.

"I would never do that..." Ned said but what came out of his mouth was a gush of wind that made the Ned in his dream flinched.

Ned in shining armor push Toni gently and whispered something that made her wiped her tears, turn around, and ran toward the ship.

In the ship, in the far distance, Ned was able to recognize Coco held by Naari and Xi with the iron bow he gave slung behind his back.

Naari's curly hair waved as she pointed something behind Ned with the shining armor.

Plat Armor Ned spun and draw the complete Butterfly and glared at Ned.

"Go back to where you came from!" Ned cried as though chanting a spell. With his left hand forming an orb of fire, Ned of the dream shoot Ned with Fireball.

Surprised, Ned produced the broken Butterfly and tried to deflect the Fireball his former self conjured.

As soon as the Fireball touched the surface of the broken Butterfly, it exploded and thrown Ned with his back crushing the barrels and wooden planks, and ended ramming a wall of a building.

Ned's vision blur looking at the port of O'rriadt.

"Fuck it hurts," Ned hissed and taps his left shoulder to extinguish the fire left by the spell. "What now? Fighting myself with Plat Armor on? Are you kidding me?"

Ned with Plat Armor appeared before him with the Butterfly ready to stab. "You demon dare to destroy my hometown?"

Ned tilted his head to evade the Butterfly and scrambled with his feet to escape the range of his former self.

"I look cool with the Plat Armor on." Ned dared to smile which prompted his former self to sequence another attack. "But a little shaggy."

"What are you smiling, you evil!" Plat Armor Ned vanished from his spot.

Ned duck and spun to swept the feet of himself that appeared behind him. "Dare to sneak behind me. I am you!" This time his voice was a growl.

Plat Armor Ned rolled midair before he crashes himself on the ground. He then kicks Ned in an awkward position that flung himself away from Ned. The kick was proven effective as Ned was hit on his chest, feeling pain as though he was hit with an explosion.

"ICE you there?" Ned said that came out to be another growl.

Ned shook his head. "Of course she wasn't here." Ned brandished the broken Butterfly which made the Plat Armor Ned scowled in mockery. His silver eyebrows knitted as he conjures another spell.

Plat Armor Ned conjured Egneous as big as himself.

"Shit!" Ned conjured Egneous as well.

Wooden planks were ripped out of their places in addition to the cobblestones cracking as both Egneous hovered midair.

A boom resounded followed by the surrounding brightly lit of crimson.

"Ned!" Toni's voice hung within Ned's thought.

"Ned."

Warm breath brushed Ned's face. This time it was real as he opens his eyes looking at Su'aya. Her lips were as close as Ned could almost feel.

"Su'aya?"

Hearing Ned's voice startled Su'aya that she instantly pulled herself (her face) away from Ned.

"Y-you... I... Who's Toni?" Startled perhaps shocked to see Ned wide eyes open, Su'aya flushed red over her face and covered her mouth.

What was she doing with me sleeping? Ned thought and tried to get up.

Doing so made his body ached. Ned was a traitor to his body. Ever since leaving the Hive, he was so stressed that he was not sure anymore of when was the last time he had a refreshing rest.

Toni? Ned thought with his eyes staring at the ceiling of his room.

"Toni is..." Ned has to find the right word to describe Toni. She was a friend that recognized him for his worth, and Ned could hardly remember her anymore. Without him dreaming of her, he could barely recognize her face. Ned cursed inwardly: what kind of a friend am I.

"Toni is a friend," Ned said and hissed bitterly to himself.

Su'aya went silent for a moment before showing a smile. She then dipped her hands to grab a towel inside a wooden bowl. Looking at the bowl Ned immediately registered an aroma whiffing in the room. Refreshing his thoughts and the pain he felt.

Ned closed his eyes. Judging from the amount of food in his stomach he was out for nearly three hours. And all that time Su'aya was with him. Ned opened his eyes and stared at the yellow-haired staff of the Pint. Perhaps she was mending Ned for too long that dark circles appeared underneath her big and rounded eyes.

"Thank you, Su'aya." Ned does not need to think twice to thank her. He was fortunate enough that she was with him all this time.

Su'aya nodded and said, "I tried to clean—we. Yes, we tried to clean you off of your clothes but no matter how we tried it won't come off."

Good grief, Ned thought. If not for the Silk Road he was wearing, he would be naked by now in front of a girl. Not that Ned dislikes it, but he was here to fulfill his goal with his Master and he made sure that he would not be persuaded. That line of thought transitioned Ned of him (by him the Plat Armor Ned) kissing Toni. Ned shook his head and stared at Su'aya once again. Thanking her wasn't enough but Ned needed some privacy.

Meeting Ned's eyes made Su'aya blink and retracted her gaze from him knowing what the awkward silence was all about. "When your done and had enough sleep, meet us at the Pint tomorrow."

Su'aya then grabbed the wooden bowl and the warm cloth and exited herself from Ned's room.

Ned waited for the footsteps to leave. But making sure that no one was trying to listen or peek in his room he used the skill Detect. The skill showed him nothing that resembles life.

Feeling safe, Ned focused and released the Silk Road off of him and folded them beside him. Giving him a refreshing feeling for the time being. He then sat near the edge of the bed and immediately smelled meat.

Ned reached for the roasted meat over the table beside him and thanked Su'aya inwardly for the care she showed to him.

Guess being here wasn't that bad, he thought and took a mouthful of the roasted meat. "ICE show me."

His command prompted his system to display his current status.

Ned was down to a hundred mana which regenerates over time as long as he got the sleep. And sleep helped him to recover more than half of his energy. Now with no worry about the food, he smiled. Free energy, free food, he thought. He does not want to be so shameless, but free is what he needed now.

"I'll make sure to pay her back," Ned said under his mouthful breath.

Eating the roasted meat made him feel full. But the pain from both the events inside the Plain and the spars he went over releases a feeling of agony inside him. Life in the day was much different from life in the night. Just like Earth, people considered nighttime a rest. Like his body wired to be tired in the evening, Ned throws himself back to the bed.

Toni's fading image lingers in his thoughts. With the time unknown to him he fell asleep.

The moment he fell asleep and the time of him waking up, Toni's face still lingers in his thoughts.

"I wonder how are they doing?" Ned said under his morning breath.

Ned went down the Pint after he does what's necessary to feel human.

There, gazes went scanning at him. Master Claire behind the wooden bar, piping a smoke and a jug he held. Lady Githa was with him with a smile. The twins sat at the center table, and before them was Teklavit together with Hunter Quentin sitting beside him.

"Sit down." Wasn't a plea but a command. Master Claire blew smoke and gestured for Ned to sit on the empty chair next to the twins.

Silence made Ned's walk to the chair an awkward one as the gazes were at him.

"What now?"

Pretty sure Ned does not belong to the group. He came alone in the Bogblot region unknown if he would meet someone to his liking. But in the end, Ned has Katolin, and now Su'aya was showing interest in him. Not just them, but Teklavit's glare was assuring Ned that their battle has yet to end. But what confused Ned the most was Hunter Quentin. His eyes were like a puppy-like he wanted something from Ned.

Another thing that caught Ned's attention the moment he came downstairs were the twins and their outfits: black and white dresses with silver padding that runs to cover their breasts. Their yellow dyed hair was tied in a bun on both sides. Leather straps wrap their waist like a belt and hands under their legs. Perhaps it was their job as hostesses of the Pint that a red ribbon was tied over their head that was looking like a circlet.

"Twins and the new kid were ready, Ned." Master Claire continued, tapping the smoke off of ashes.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"For what?"

"By tradition," Master Claire said with grey smoke escaping the gaps of his teeth. "Today's the day the Hunter Exam will start."