Feeling uneasy about Armis's careless remark, both Arian and Lyco brushed it off, returning their glares to each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Suddenly, as Lyco stared straight at Arian, Arian vanished into thin air. In an instant, Arian reappeared right in front of Lyco, who remained still, locking eyes with Arian.
Arian's packed fist was just inches away from Lyco's face, but before it could land, a pillar of rock erupted from the ground beneath Arian, striking him hard on the chin and propelling him into the air. As Lyco jumped back, finally taking a fighting stance, he saw Arian regaining his composure and floating above in the air, using his air-wielding abilities.
Arian gritted his teeth, glaring furiously at Lyco with a bruised chin. Lyco mocked him with a smile that mirrored Arian's earlier arrogance.
"You brat, I guess you forgot what we do to disrespectful children in our family!!!" Arian yelled before lunging at Lyco with incredible speed.
Arian slung a blast of air at Lyco, who jumped away and manipulated rock from the ground, using it as a platform to rise to Arian's level and fight him in the air. Seeing Lyco charging at him, Arian charged back, blinded with rage and oblivious to the trap Lyco had set. As Arian approached, Lyco suddenly turned sideways, leaving Arian suspended and confused in mid-air.
Arian turned his puzzled gaze toward Lyco, but it took him too long to notice the numerous small rock pillars rising from the ground. The rock pillars collectively slammed into Arian's suspended body, almost piercing through him and delivering unbearable pain, akin to being pricked by countless needles, all within a fraction of a second.
As Arian fell to the ground with a slam, Lyco landed near him, mocking Arian's bruised state and pointing out his weakness.
"You were always too self-centered, never noticing your surroundings. You should be more vigilant, you know, being a king raider and all. Anyway, I won, so you remember our deal, right? Come on now, follow me."
As Lyco turned to leave, ushering the battered Arian to follow, Alan watched in shock when Arian tried to shoot an air blast at Lyco from behind, yelling, "Not so fast, you little brat!"
Before Arian could launch his attack, another wave of shock swept through the atmosphere. Armis lunged at Arian with incredible speed, swiftly kicking him in the face and instantly incapacitating him. Armis yelled, "I said fight like men!"
As Armis prepared to deliver a following punch to the falling Arian's face, his fist was swiftly countered by a much thicker hand. King Raider Bretren had intervened, his large fist enveloping Armis's.
With a powerful shove, Bretren effortlessly pushed Armis away. Angered by the intrusion, Armis lunged back, determined not to be deterred. Both of them stood face to face, their towering heights making the confrontation even more intense. They glared into each other's eyes as Bretren broke the tension, threatening Armis for his behavior.
"I think that's enough from you, boy. Cease the arrogance if you want to keep walking on these legs."
"Oh really? Sweet threat, old man. I'd love to see you act on it." Without missing a beat, Armis shot back with equal intensity, his voice clashing with Bretren's grumbling.
Alan intervened as the situation escalated in the wrong direction, with Aurelia following him, attempting to separate the two giants.
"Armis…" Alan called out, but Armis remained unresponsive, his glare fixed on Bretren. "Armis!! Armis!!!! Back the fuck away!!!"
Frustrated by Armis's arrogant and childish behavior, Alan's tone tightened, sharp with threat. But Armis remained unfazed, nearly about to engage in combat with Bretren when Master Roartad appeared behind him and called out, "Bretren, the meeting is starting. The Commander requires all of our presence." Upon her command, Bretren, without even blinking, averted his eyes from Armis's glare. He lifted the unconscious Arian onto his shoulder and began following King Raider Roartad, who shot a glare at Armis before leading Bretren away from the group.
"What the hell is wrong with you, man?!" Lyco lashed out at Armis for his uncalled-for brutality against his brother. "Did you want to kill him?! I don't need your help, man. Please stay out of my family affairs."
"Lyco, stop being rude to Armis! He saved you from your brother's backstabbing b—"
"Yeah... don't need a lecture on logic from you, meatbags."
Aurelia began to defend Armis from Lyco's outburst, but Lyco cut her off with a sharp retort. He grabbed Poduria's hand and stormed off towards the farm, pounding his feet on the ground to express his anger over Armis's behavior.
Armis stood tall, unfazed by Lyco's outburst, and turned back only when he saw Bretren and Roartad disappear through the threshold. Nonchalantly, he began walking towards the farm behind Lyco and Poduria, as though he had done nothing wrong, with Aurelia following closely behind like a puppy.
As Armis moved away, Alan attempted to say something to stop him, but Armis's arrogance and indifference towards him silenced him.
Relecta approached Alan, who wore a look of surprise and confusion at Armis's completely changed behavior, still unable to comprehend the strange feeling. She tried to comfort him, easing his nerves as she took his hand and gently nudged him towards the farm along with the group.
"So, you are the groom? You look rather old, don't you?" A man scrutinized Alan with a magnifying gaze, assessing his withered state.
After witnessing the creepy and weird duel outside, the group entered the massive mansion adjacent to the Favua farm. They passed through castle-like gates and strode through hallways adorned with family paintings and portraits, presumably of Poduria's relatives. Alan and the rest of the group were led to an expansive common hall, where they took their seats on chairs set for them.
Poduria's massive family, numbering at least twenty people, filled the room. Among them was her petite mother, draped in a simple yet prestigious overall, with beautiful jewels adorning her neck and ears. Despite the wrinkles on her face, she still retained the charm of her youth. Beside her stood the tall and towering Father of Poduria, draped in a beautiful yet classy white overall that reached down to his brown heavy shoes.
His face was adorned with a thick mustache, and he wore a big straw hat atop his head, likely to shield his skin from the sunlight while working on the farm.
Surrounding the couple were Poduria's six sisters and four brothers, including Roba and Hoba. While her sisters resembled Poduria and her mother in height and features, all the men were towering giants similar to her father. Gathered together with some other relatives and farm workers around the group,
Poduria's father gazed down at Alan and asked, while looking at Poduria, if Alan was her betrothed. He completely ignored Lyco's irritated and present gaze, along with Poduria, who retorted instantly, "Be serious, Father!!!"
"Yeah, that's my beau!!!" Following Poduria's retort, Relecta pulled Alan into her protective embrace, adding more weight to Poduria's statement.
Surprised by Relecta's display, Alan turned his gaze towards Poduria's father, who had backed away from Alan upon Poduria's retort but was still teasing his daughter. Poduria's Father then glanced at Armis, who was smiling suggestively at Poduria's sisters, while Aurelia glared at him enviously.
"Now, dear, don't tell me you're going to marry that giant orc, are you?" Poduria's father teased.
Upon hearing the insult, Armis leaned back in his chair and shot back a mocking retort with a side-eyed glare, causing Poduria's brothers to growl at him. "Yeah?!! Pot's calling the kettle black?…"
"No!! Father!! And Armis, cut it out!!!" Poduria's anger and frustration reached a peak as she glared and growled at both her father and Armis. She nudged Lyco forward in front of her family, clearing the misunderstanding in a tight voice.
"And here!!! He is your son-in-law."
At her sudden nudge and presentation, Lyco could only greet her family with an anxious, feigned smile. Poduria's father and mother, along with almost all of her family, responded with cringing gazes and furrowed brows, which made Lyco even more anxious. He coped by mimicking their expressions, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Well, he is... rather... small, don't you think?" Poduria's mother responded with a cringing gaze, her disappointment evident in her tone, not even attempting to hide her dropped expectations.
"Can he even keep you safe? You know we are farmers, right?!!! We have to deal with danger as soon as we get up in the morning." Poduria's father began adding insults to Lyco's anxious injury, criticizing Lyco in front of everyone.
"Look at his tiny little hands, how is he supposed to fight for you?!! That tiny body couldn't even crush an ant. And you want me to believe, he can protect yo—"
"He Can!!!! Brother Lyco!!! Is a Fierce Warrior!!!!" Roba and Hoba, coming forth from the family, cut off Poduria's father's insults on Lyco, eager to save his dignity.
"What are you two on about!!?" Poduria's father asked, getting angry at Roba and Hoba for interrupting him. Undeterred, they began to elaborate on their remarks in their signature comical way, all the while picking up Lyco on their shoulders like a king.
"Brother Lyco is brave."
"He is a warrior!!"
"He defeated his own brother!!!"
"Who challenged him for sis's love."
"Oh yeah thrashed him."
"Outwitted him."
"Like a hero!!!"
"Just like a hero."
Expressions of surprise and awe spread across Poduria's family like wildfire. They stood still in amazement, watching Roba and Hoba, who never gave anyone much respect, hold Lyco high up on their shoulders as though he was a great savior.
Lyco's anxiety faded away, transferring to Poduria's father, who looked at Poduria with shock-filled eyes as he asked with a mild stutter, "Is this true?!!! Dear?!! This boy earned your hand?!!"
"Yes!!!!" Watching her family disrespecting her lover and friends, Poduria's anger finally erupted as she yelled at her father, panting out her frustration, "Yes he did, not once, not only today, but every time, at every damn chance he got!!!!"
Poduria's anger silenced the commotion of her family around her. The tension crackled in the air as Poduria continued to vent her frustration on her parents, tears of disappointment and sadness welling up in her eyes, breaking her voice,
"I was so happy when I met him the first time. Without any gain, he was the first person who helped me in my whole life. Before that, all of you, just like everyone in Pompeii, only talked to me when you needed something. Lyco was the only person who gave me the attention I needed, that I always wanted, and asked for nothing in return. So when he proposed to me, it was the best day of my life. I was so happy and wanted to share it all with you people. Despite our differences, I thought you all would be happy in my happiness. And I even believed it for a moment when I sent you the letter and came here, seeing you all preparing for celebration, but…"
Lyco looked at Poduria, almost welling up in tears himself, feeling helpless as he watched Poduria wipe her tears, unable to comfort her. Poduria's tears continued to fall as she poured out her emotions, her voice filled with anger and hurt.
"But when we finally arrived here, YOU ALL SHOWED YOUR TRUE COLORS!!" Poduria's words were sharp as she glared at everyone in the room, her frustration boiling over. "You didn't even come to greet us!!! You sent these two!!! And when you finally met him, all you did was insult Lyco rudely from the start!!!! I was a fool to believe that all of you would be happy for me. And why would you be? Huh? I'm nothing but a nonexistent middle child to you, who only comes into existence whenever someone needs something from her!!!! I HATE YOU!!! I HATE YOU ALL!!!"
Poduria's frustration echoed through the now silent room as she stormed away, her heavy footsteps echoing against the walls. Gripping her hair in frustration, tears streamed down her cheeks, her emotions pouring out in thick waves. Alan, Relecta, Armis, Aurelia, Poduria's family, and Lyco stood in helpless silence, watching her retreat.
Lyco attempted to step down from Roba's shoulder, but a glance from Alan and the gesture from Relecta and Aurelia's hands stopped him in his tracks. They shared a silent understanding, knowing that Poduria needed their support. Relecta and Aurelia moved to follow Poduria, their hearts heavy with concern for their troubled friend.
Alan's gaze shifted to Poduria's father, who stood with a noticeable shift in his demeanor. No longer proud or arrogant, his eyes reflected despair and helplessness as he watched his daughter leave.
The weight of Poduria's emotions settled heavily upon him, leaving him grappling with his own feelings of inadequacy and regret. Poduria's mother stepped forward, embracing her husband tightly, sharing in his distress as they grappled with the realization of the pain they had caused their daughter. Slowly, the other members of the family dispersed into the house, leaving behind only three of Poduria's sisters, who were shamelessly flirting with the equally arrogant Armis.
Alan clenched his teeth in frustration at Armis's casual and uncaring behavior in such a tense situation. Just as he was about to speak up, a loud grumble emanated from his stomach, interrupting his thoughts.
Alan felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him as Roba and Hoba noticed the rumble of hunger emanating from his stomach. They gently lowered Lyco to the floor, who wore an expression of indescribable sadness on his face. Alan approached Lyco, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, trying to uplift his spirits. With a humbling smile, Alan tried to reassure Lyco, "Don't worry, she's strong, just like you. I'm sure she'll be fine, and Relecta and Aurelia are there for her—"
—-grumbllleeeeee——
Before Alan could finish his words, another loud grumble erupted from his stomach, causing him to pause and smile sheepishly at Lyco. Lyco returned the smile with a small, understanding nod. Then, in their typical comedic fashion, Roba and Hoba chimed in.
"So, you guys," Roba started.
"Wanna grab a bite?" Hoba finished with a grin.