56 Hotel Fight
Sully gave signs of life inside the magic backpack. The egg wobbled a little, but no cracks appeared. It was not yet time for it to be born.
Arthur wanted a faster means of transportation to get to the island. Maybe Sully could be the transport he needed, but how long would it take to hatch?
A week? Months? Years? How could Arthur know? No way would he rely on his luck for something like that.
He looked up at the stars, worried if he would see his friends again. Arthur sighed and returned to the hotel where he was staying.
Although it was still night, the streets were as busy as they were during the day. Every day, new people came to visit, excited about the upcoming tournament.
Arthur did not mind them, but minded his own business and returned to the hotel. When he got there, he noticed a few fighters in the hallways giving him threatening looks.
Perhaps this was their way of scaring the competition? Arthur did not care at all and just ignored them.
They were annoyed, but what could they do? Fighting was not allowed in the hotel. To think they would have the strength to win against Arthur. It was impossible.
Back in his room, Arthur lay down, looked at the roof, and thought about his options. Perhaps he would have to travel for two months to get there if there was no other way.
“First, I have to kidnap Runo, then I will think about it,” Arthur thought. With these thoughts in his mind, he went to sleep.
The sun had barely risen, and the city was already blooming with life. Arthur missed the days when he could stay in peace without so many people around him.
Arthur walked down the stairs and picked up a free meal for the restaurant, a perk for the fighters in the tournament. Then he went to the dock to wait for Kai.
He did not know exactly when Kai would arrive, but it would certainly be early in the morning, unless something had happened on the trip.
Through the crowded streets, it took Arthur longer to reach the harbor, but he eventually made it. There was a huge line of ships there. He looked around for a few minutes, searching for his ship. Arthur could not find it.
A feeling of apprehension rose in him, but soon a familiar voice sounded in his ears, turning his apprehension into peace.
“Captain!” said Kai.
“Where is our ship?”
“Well, I tried to put it nearby, but it seems that the participants in the tournament are entitled to better spots, so I had to park our ship a little farther away.”
“There’s such a thing? This world is getting crazier and crazier.”
“I know, right? Anyway, how are things going?”
“We have a lot to talk about.”
~~~~
“So it turns out that your friends are no longer here, and now the tournament has no meaning. Now that it has no meaning, we will kidnap Runo in this crowded city, which is surely full of guards, get all the information we need from him, and deliver him to the Pirate Guild? And after that we will go in search of your friends who are on an island to which it will take us two months by ship?” said Kai.
“That’s exactly what I am saying, yes.”
“Finally, something exciting to do. I mean the kidnapping part. I do not feel like wasting that much time again inside a ship.”
“I know. I wish I had other ways to get there.”
Arthur explained everything to Kai and the rest of the crew. He already had a task for them, which was to find Runo.
“After he sent us to the hotel, I have never seen him. So we have to find all the clues about him, okay?” said Arthur.
Everyone nodded, and he added another important piece of information.
“We will meet every day at midnight in our ship. Do you understand? You are not to be seen with me or near the hotel where only the fighters are, because that might alert someone who knows Runo.”
Everyone understood. The crew was still a bit tired from the trip, so they all took the opportunity to eat at a restaurant and rest a bit before starting the search.
When Arthur returned to the hotel afterwards, there were already some people waiting for him in front of it.
He had seen them before. They were participating in the tournament, just like him. From the looks of it, these people were looking for trouble.
“Well, well, well, look who’s here. The fearless country fighter. I bet you are only that brave at the hotel, right? ‘Cause you know we can not beat you up there. So what can you do outside?”
The first man to speak was wearing full leather armor. He was tall, muscular, and had a huge club on his back, like a barbarian.
He was not alone. Two other men stood next to him, and both looked more like wizards.
Arthur took a good look at them and found no threat at all. These guys were not even level 20 and were full of shit.
“Really? Then why do not you show me how powerful you are? If I cripple the three of you, then we will have less competition.”
“How dare you talk to me like that? Eat this, motherfucker.”
The big man reached for his mace and cast a spell that strengthened his legs and doubled their muscles. He leapt at Arthur with bloody eyes, intent on reducing him to a pulp.
“Die!” he roared.
A huge club flew at Arthur, and when it almost hit him in the head, he stopped.
“What?”
Arthur had stopped the club with only his left hand. He looked coldly at the man and said, “Now it’s my turn, asshole.”
A blow hit the man’s mouth, and you could see some white dots flying. Those were his teeth.
“You two are next.”