"And she said she'd make you her ward? Right, and Lola is gonna confess to me tomorrow. Actually, she's totally into me, so..."
Lori and Andel were playing keep-it-up with the giant goldfish's eyeball. Simply put, they didn't believe The Boy's story. Can you blame them? It was a little too far-fetched.
"Tch, I don't even know why I told you guys. You're too jealous to ever believe it, anyway, Lori."
"Hey—!"
"Don't worry, I believe you. She probably saw how special you are or whatever and thought she could tame you into a good dog for the king. She's totally wrong, though," Andel balanced the eyeball on his toes. "I don't think you're suited for the knight-life. They're too uptight; you'd better be a wizard instead!"
Andel kicked the eyeball right into Lori's face.
"Hey! Gross! And what's your obsession with wizards, anyway?"
"I don't know... all knights are good for is fighting. Wizards can do whatever they wanna do with their magic, not just hit things."
"Yeah, but doesn't a knight beat a wizard in a fight?"
"Obviously not. How could a normal person beat magic?"
"Knights are cooler. They don't have to rely on magic or intelligence or creativity like a fruitcake or something," The Boy chimed in.
"You two meatheads won't understand..." Andel sighed. "I just wish a wizard would appear."
A clap sounded through the air. "Wish granted!"
The three boys jumped, getting into 'battle' stances. In the middle of them was an incredibly tall man holding a large wooden staff and dressed in the instantly recognizable robes of—
"A wizard!?" the three shouted.
"That's right! I'm a wizard! And you guys are?"
"We don't have to answer your—"
"The demon child gang. What here brings you?" The Boy asked with confidence.
"That's how wizards speak, right?" The Boy thought...
"Hmmm... demon children? But you don't look like demons," the wizard said.
"Obviously not! It's just the name of our gang."
"Oh, really? Am I in the middle of a stick up, then?"
The boys looked to each other, then back at the wizard man.
"No, not at all. You just surprised us," Andel stepped forwards.
"Sorry about that, I heard you guys talking about wizards and I couldn't help but step in! I'm looking for... ahem, let me check my map. Right, Morrintown? Is that this place?"
"That's right! But what's a wizard like yourself doing all the way out here?" Andel pried.
"Wizard duties, naturally."
"Can you show us magic?" The Boy asked.
"I sure can!" he said.
He stuffed his hand inside his robes and threw smoke into the air.
"Whoa, he really disappeared!" Lori laughed as the smoke dissipated.
"Thanks for the help, boys!" The three of them looked to the voice and saw the wizard running up the path to the town. "And make sure to get home before your mothers are upset!"
The three stood still for a second before Andel fell onto his back.
"What... what are the chances? I just met a knight and a wizard in the same day... I should just die now. Nothing else will come close to today."
"That guy was definitely not a wizard..." Lori said.
"Wow! That was awesome!" Soren said.
"...What the hell? How long have you been there?" Lori asked, turning to Soren.
"Huh? I've been here the whole time, though?"
"I'm chasing after that guy!" The Boy shouted, breaking into a sprint.
"Wait, hold on! Dinner's almost—forget it."
The sun was setting but the town was still bustling with excitement from the earlier show. To everyone's surprise, every single person that signed up for recruitment was accepted. It had never happened before, and it got the people talking about less... exciting things.
"War, I say. That's why they're dragging that knight around, too. I wager the king's finally gone and done it and declared war with the south. I—"
"Hey!" The Boy cut him off.
"...Yes?"
"Did you see a funny looking man pass by? I think he was a wizard."
"Ha! There ain't no wizard 'round here boy. If there was, I think we'd know."
"Eugh, forget it, ugly man. You're useless. How about you, pretty lady?"
"That's my father you're talking about, you damn brat!"
The lady slapped The Boy, and he ran away to continue looking for the wizard.
"How could such a strange looking person disappear so easily? Unless he's using magic to disguise himself...! That's it!"
The Boy approached every person he came across and asked them. It wasn't the most efficient method, I'll say.
"Hey, are you a wizard?"
"No."
"How about you?"
"Leave me alone!"
"Are you a wizard?"
"Do I look like a wizard? I'm a pathetic, short, fat, balding freak!"
"Uh, okay..."
The Boy wandered around for a while longer before giving up. He sat against an alleyway and stared at the sky.
"Lookie here, if it isn't demon boy!"
The Boy looked back at the street and saw three older boys standing there, blocking the alley. The three of them hung around Ronnie, a tall beefy young man that held a deep grudge towards The Boy.
He was the only son of the town's small merchant guild. His daddy practically owned the town's trade, so Ronnie could act like a rich, spoiled, thug without any consequences. No one dared mess with him. Besides The Boy, of course.
"How about we give him a beating and bring back one of his teeth for Ronnie?"
"...The hell, man? That's sick. We don't gotta steal his teeth or nothing, let's just beat him up like normal."
The three boys surrounded The Boy, and before they could make the first move, he grabbed a rotting plank from the ground and smashed it across the first boy's face.
"My nose! He broke my nose!" he screamed, falling onto his ass.
"Why don't you three leave me alone? Don't you already know I'm undefeated?" he grinned.
In his moment of arrogance, the second boy's fist slammed into his face, causing blood to come pouring from his nose. Stunned, the third took advantage, grabbing his arms and holding them above his head.
The second punched The Boy in the stomach over and over again.
"Undefeated, sure! By other little brats! You made the mistake of stealing from Ronnie, asshole!" the one with a broken nose screamed, kicking him in the face.
"GRRAAAAAHHHH!" The Boy roared, flipping himself around the one that was holding him and wrapping his legs around his neck.
"Gah—let me go! Get him off me! I can't... breathe..."
The third boy collapsed, blue-faced. The one with a broken nose kicked The Boy in the back of the head, causing him to roll around in the dirt. He pocketed a rock and looked up at the two remaining.
"I'm undefeated!" The Boy shouted, charging at the one with a broken nose. He slipped the rock into his hand and slammed it into the boy's temple, causing him to pass out and spasm on the floor.
"Huff... huh? You don't want to fight me, too?" The Boy asked the final one.
"Naw... I think I'll just... leave..." he said, scratching his head. "These two were really annoying anyways."
The Boy looked around for a second, then bolted. He didn't stop until he was far enough away from the scene that he felt safe.
"If I get caught fighting again, they might actually hold a public execution..."
He started heading back for the stable. It was now dark, and he was completely demoralized.
"This was useless... and now I'm hungry. And bleeding. But he didn't answer the question...!"
"Answer what question?" the wizard asked.
The Boy yelped, accidentally throwing a punch at the man. It missed, and instead he tripped and fell into the dirt.
"Wow... I'm scared for my life," the wizard said sarcastically.
"Answer! Who wins: a wizard or a knight?"
"...That's why you've been looking all around town for an hour?" he laughed. "You even got all roughed up."
"Yes! I need to know! Wait, have you been watching this whole time...?"
"Pfft. Well, it's wizards 100%," he said, giving a thumbs up.
"But, the lady knight said—"
"Stop right there. Whatever a knight told you was a lie. Knights are notorious for their inflated egos, trust me. I don't know of a single knight who could hope to beat me."
"...Really?"
"That's right. Why, you're interested in becoming a wizard?"
"What!? No! I'm not a fruitcake! I'm becoming a knight. I'll be the first knight to be stronger than all the wizards and prove you don't need colorful magic and stuff to be strong!"
"Oh."
"And I'm not even convinced you're really a wizard. Why don't you cast some real magic?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"Not really..."
"It'd blow your mind. You wouldn't be able to handle it."
"...Die!" The Boy shouted, sucker-punching him in the stomach.
The wizard knelt over in pain, and The Boy ran away back to the stable.
"What the hell...?"