The quest Trevor had taken on turned into an almost all-day affair, but he didn’t mind it at all. While he could have used the rooftops to get around faster, the young man decided to stay down with the crowds and see the city. Whenever something caught his attention, whether it was the sights, sounds, or smells, he stopped to investigate.

Trevor spent some of his time looking at monuments of people around the city, getting to know a small portion of its history. Sometimes he would go for nearly a mile without seeing any, and other times he would see them after every major intersection. He could tell that Eskretet was a city that was proud of its history, though not all of it. Some pedestals were empty with no plaque to tell what was once there. He assumed they were from before the liberation, and there was a reason for their removal.

Musicians were set up on a lot of street corners playing a plethora of different types of music. Trevor heard a lot of styles similar to those from Earth with a heavy lean towards classical and jazz, the latter of which surprised him. Many of them had signs up indicating that they would be at the same spot for the Festival of Golden Lights, and he tried to do his best to memorize the positions his favorites were in, though with the city being as big as it was he only hoped he would remember where to visit.

The smells hit him the hardest, however. Almost every restaurant was packed with people, and a few even had lines outside. Whenever Trevor picked one out that smelled delicious but had a relatively small line, he stopped to see what they were selling. From pies to steaks to stews, even if he was full he grabbed what they had and set them in the temporal section of his dimensional pocket for later. He wasn’t expecting to go through all the food before they left, but Rashie would enjoy anything he brought home.

By the time Trevor finished with his quest, the sun was getting very close to the horizon. There were lights all over every street, and those floating lights were covering more of the city now than just the park, so he wasn’t worried about finding his way back. There was no missing the castle, after all.

[[Quest complete! You’ve set up flashy joy explosives in warehouses all across the city!

Klar was right about one thing, you sure can do a lot of work very quickly. Tomorrow, several people will be coming out to grab these fireworks and light up the night sky during the festival. Thousands, tens of thousands of people will be there to witness something that you, personally, helped set up. Your reward is that warm feeling you’re getting in your chest right now.

Also, a fancy lunch at Matteo’s and traditional minotauran outfit for your date, the latter of which has been added to your inventory. I hope you like flashy colors!

Also also, level Up! You have gained one (1) stat point. It has been added to your bank, which has two (2) stat points left.

You are currently level 8 and, fair warning, the next level up will take three quests to complete.]]

Trevor smiled at the Quest Master’s screen, not perturbed in the slightest that the next level took more effort to reach, and focused on the sections mentioning his date. He could absolutely handle flashy colors.

“Add a point to Stamina, please and thank you,” he requested. After all that walking, his legs were jelly. Not feeling bad, but they would definitely hurt tomorrow. Especially after the temporary buff from his Vigor Bottle ran out.

[[Stat increase complete. Stamina is now 3, 4 with the Vigor Bottle buff. You still have one (1) banked points remaining to be used at your leisure.]]

“That’s some good stuff,” Trevor sighed appreciatively as some of the weariness left his muscles the moment he got the message. Having one in the tank meant that he could spend it on Speed, start working on getting that up to 3, but right now he was feeling alright with where he was.

Not wanting to get lost on their date, Trevor asked around about the restaurant. As it turned out, Matteo’s was right around the corner from one of the park’s bridges near the front entrance of the castle. There was no way he could get inside to scope it out as he didn’t have a reservation, but that was fine by him. Just knowing its location was enough.

As he stepped onto the bridge that would lead him to the castle doors, Trevor noticed two teardrops of light fall into the forest from the halo. He could hear cheering coming from the general area where they dropped, and decided to investigate.

The closer he got, the more he could make out. Some people were chanting the name of Sir Aelius, which Trevor recognized as the knight who was guarding the passage that led to the castle from outside of the walls. Steel clashing with steel reached his ears, and he could faintly pick out a second name being screamed, though it wasn't nearly as popular. Lady Adabelle.

His heart raced as he picked up speed. Trevor had known that Adabelle was looking forward to conducting duels, but he hadn’t been sure where or when. Apparently the answer had been in the park and right now. Pushing through the crowds on the street didn’t seem like it was going to get him there quickly, so he left the path and went looking amongst the trees for a thinner patch of people.

When he finally found one, he excused himself and went to the front of the crowd to see the event. Just as he had expected, Adabelle and Sir Aelius were locked in combat. She wielded her plain straight sword while the knight held a claymore in his hands. They were armor-clad, and both glowed with a light similar to the halo’s, although his was much brighter than hers.

Enamored, Trevor watched as they fought at speeds faster than he could keep up with. He hadn’t known that Sir Aelius was a Summoned, but after this there was no doubt in his mind. The knight would block with his claymore while Adabelle flashed around the street, dodging attacks and going in for quick strikes. The young man frowned as he tried his best to keep a bead on Adabelle. She looked injured, though she showed no signs of it affecting her.

“Quest Master, would a Speed increase mean that I can see this better?” Trevor asked. “If it does, add my last point for me.”

[[It sure does! It also deals with your perception during fast movement so you don't run into walls unless you really, really want to. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Stat increase complete. Speed is now 2. Your bank is empty.]]

Focusing on the fight, Trevor noticed that it did become easier to see. Not by a lot, but enough that Adabelle’s quick movements could be seen in more than just blurs. The way she moved was graceful, and it was only enhanced by the seemingly boorish way Sir Aelius swung his sword. Not that the knight didn’t have a lot of power or skill behind those swings, but he just wasn’t landing any hits.

Eventually, speed beat out power, and Sir Aelius was kneeling before Adabelle with her sword against his head. She tapped him gently, and the light surrounding them disappeared. The knight’s movement immediately reverted back to that of a normal human, but Trevor wasn’t watching that. His eyes were on her.

Adabelle helped Sir Aelius to his feet as half of the crowd cheered and those who made bets passed off coins to the winners. As they bowed to each other, the knight left with his squire in tow, and she began scanning the crowd. She opened her mouth, about to announce something, when her eyes caught Trevor’s. He gave her a small wave.

Her face lit up, and he saw that she was breathing heavily from exertion. Adabelle held up a finger before sheathing her sword, which he now noticed had no blood on it despite the fight, and made her announcement.

“I am now done for the evening,” she loudly told the crowd. “If I am to duel again, it will be the day after the festival, but I make no promises.”

The crowd groaned, but did not protest too heavily, and began parting. Adabelle walked over to Trevor, hiding a grimace on her face, and smiled brightly once she stopped in front of him. Some of the bystanders congratulated her before they left, but soon the two were alone.

“I’m going to need a favor,” she said, her voice taking on a breathy quality from both pain and exhaustion.

“Yeah, anything,” Trevor said immediately.

“Will you offer me your arm? On my right side, but don’t make it obvious,” Adabelle requested. “I need to keep up appearances.”

Trevor didn’t hesitate to step onto the street and look around. The people were leaving in both directions now that their entertainment was done. “I didn’t know Sir Aelius was Summoned. His stats must be pretty high,” he remarked casually. Turning around, he offered her his arm. “Would you like an escort back to the castle?”

“Of course, Mister Trevor,” she said, her eyes sparkling in the light. Adabelle took his arm in hers, and for a moment he wished she wasn’t wearing armor. A second later, he really wished she wasn’t wearing armor. She began leaning heavily on him, though in a way that made it seem like they were moving normally. “And Sir Aelius is not, it’s just another function of the castle’s halo.”

As they started walking, Trevor put on a smile but he was becoming more worried about her with every step. “Do you need a healing potion?” he asked her softly. “I’ve got one in my inventory.”

“Once we’re back in the suites,” she whispered back. “I have to keep up appearances. I have a reputation.”

“I’d rather my friends not be in pain for reputation, but I’ll drop it for now.” Sighing, Trevor looked up at the halo. “What does it do in regards to duels?”

“The halo makes sure that no one dies when one is invoked, and if one of the participants is a Summoned then it makes sure the playing field is even,” she explained, following his gaze. “He was brought up to my level and stats for the duration of the fight. That’s one of the reasons why duels are so popular here.”

“Because they’re not only safe, but it’s the best way to become a Summoned without actually being a Summoned?” Trevor asked.

“Exactly,” she answered with a nod. Her breath was coming back, which was good, though she still clung to him. “I am happy to oblige, so long as I don’t have anything else to do. I have been fighting here for hours.”

“Hours? Well, no wonder you’re tired.”

“I could have fought for a few hours more,” she insisted.

“Oh, really? My bad, I didn’t mean to disturb you with my presence,” Trevor said. “Next time I’ll watch from a tree or something so I don't interrupt.”

Adabelle playfully slapped him on the arm as they walked through the large castle doors. The guards paid them no mind, and only those who had been around for the fight continued to watch the two walk arm in arm. Trevor suddenly felt very anxious at all the eyes on him, but stood up straighter. If not for his own image, then for hers.

“I’m glad you came,” she said. “So don’t you hide from me unless you’ve done something wrong.”

“Me? Do something wrong?” Trevor asked. “Never. I’m a paragon of all things polite and just, after all.”

“Of course you are, Mister Trevor,” Adabelle laughed.

They made their way into the elevator and Trevor closed the door behind them. Adabelle released a sigh of relief and winced as she pulled away from him. She stretched her leg now that no one else was watching, and he grimaced when he noticed the cuts and dents in her armor. The halo might have stopped deaths, but it clearly didn’t stop injuries. “Are you actually okay?”

“Yes, I just fought harder than I thought I was going to,” she claimed as she pulled the lever that would send them higher into the castle. “Unlike the last couple of years, there actually were one or two prodigies that showed up when they heard that I was going to be accepting all challengers.”

“Will you at least drink the health potion now?” he asked.

“Not until we’re back in our room,” she replied. “Who knows who we’ll meet in the halls.”

“Can you just let me take care of you, lady?” Trevor pleaded. “It’s not like they’ll know.”

Adabelle opened her mouth to argue, but stopped when she saw the look on his face. She began pouting for a moment, which was a far cry from the fierceness that he had seen on the battlefield, before sighing. “Hurry, then.”

Offering her his open palm, he retrieved the health potion from inside his inventory and quickly uncorked the vial for her. She looked up, seeing that they were coming up on their floor, and downed it. A red glow emanated from her body as the magic flowed through her. Wincing, she stood up straighter and stretched her leg again.

“There, all better,” she said, handing him the vial back. “I’ll give you one of my spares once we’re in the suite.”

Taking it from her, he put it in his inventory. “Since you had a challenge, does that mean you had fun?”

Adabelle glanced at Trevor and gave him a positively radiant smile. “Yes, I did,” she said. “Thank you.”

“Thank me?” he asked, bemused. “For?”

“Taking care of me, Trevor,” she said, taking his arm in both of hers. The platform stopped before dropping a few inches onto the floor they needed to be on. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Any time, lady, any time,” Trevor said, smiling as they left the elevator. She carefully rested her head on his shoulder, making sure she didn’t skewer his face. That wasn’t one of the things he had thought about when he asked her on a date, but he found he wasn't worried as they walked down the hall.