Chapter 45: First Blood
Everyone was stunned.
Especially Levi.
Edmond and Rufus wore unreadable looks—somewhere between disbelief and frustration.
Levi couldn't touch him.
Distract low, strike high—miss.
Fast feints, overwhelming pressure, sweep the legs—miss.
Every move got turned aside. Silent Dart barely shifted his stance. One hand guided Levi's attacks away like they were dancing, the other never even left his side.
It had only been a minute, but to Levi, it felt like an hour.
'This ain't possible… how?!'
Cartridges spent, he broke into a sprint around him, wide and fast, reloading from his belt mid-run.
Skidding to a stop—click.
He threw.
Close enough that Silent Dart couldn't dodge. But he didn't need to. A palm met the knife mid-flight, attempting to knock it aside.
At that exact moment, Levi moved—and smiled.
Psst!
The blade discharged on impact. The charge burst, sending it off course—but opening the space Levi needed.
Rii-SHNK!
Crossing his arms, he bolted straight in, slashing his blade across Silent Dart's chest.
Cheng jumped back, robes split open across the front.
As the deputy landed, Levi saw it—what made that strange sound beneath the cloth.
Chainmail.
"What the hell! That should've got you! You didn't say nothin' about armor!"
Even Rufus stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger at the deputy.
"I call bullshit! That's a disqualification if I've ever seen one!"
Silent Dart just smiled.
"Then I assume you have no surprises of your own? If not, I'll gladly remove my shirt. But I recall there being only one rule: first blood."
Levi cleared his throat, blushing slightly.
"You can keep it. No need to get all technical."
Rufus backed off just as quick, acting like he hadn't said a word, casually nudging some dust with his boot.
"Shall we continue?"
The deputy's voice was calm as ever. Too calm.
It started to piss him off.
"Yeah. Let's get this over with."
Twist.Click.
Riiip!
"Ah, c'mon! Now who's gotta sew that?! Just take it off next time, ya idiot!"
Levi tossed the torn sleeve aside, his arm fully transformed now. Curved blade locked along his forearm. Fingers ending in talons. Knuckle spikes flared. Shoulder plates had shifted too—his whole arm looked like it belonged on a war machine, built for nothing but blood.
Silent Dart's eyes widened for just a second. Then his head tilted, brow tight.
"Did you have that… when you learned your scraps of my people's martial arts?"
Levi hesitated. Then, while stooping to retrieve his bowie knife, he answered.
"No. Didn't."
Jian Cheng smiled.
"I thought not. Then let's finish this. Don't you agree?"
Levi felt it—something in the man had shifted. No more playing around.
He dropped into a low stance. Focused on his Pneuma core. Let the mesh sync. His eyes lit up.
Back in his rhythm. Both blades in hand.
He was ready.
"Say when."
This time, Silent Dart moved first.
They both charged.
Levi knew.
This was it.
Just as they closed the gap, Silent Dart planted his feet. Both hands steady. Waiting.
'Now!'
Levi dumped full strength into his mesh. One pulse. No holding back.
He dropped low—skidding fast—fainting a high-speed strike.
Cheng reacted. Jumped.
Levi skidded beneath him and launched his knife just as he passed.
Cheng twisted midair—barely dodged it—
Pst-chung!
Levi's claw fired before the deputies feet hit the ground. The grappling hook flew past Cheng's face, catching the blade.
With everything he had, Levi yanked.
Cheng reached for the cable—too late.
Shhhnk!
The blade whipped back, grazing across his shoulder. Sparks flared. Metal shrieked.
'Shit! It got his armor!'
Levi's claw hissed as the knife returned to his hand, the cable retracting in a jet of vapor.
He was already thinking Rufus had to be grinning like a jackal. Fine. He'd reveal the elbow blade, and the last trick up his sleeve if he had too—he wasn't getting humiliated by this weird, smug bastard.
But Cheng didn't move.
He just stood there.
No stance. No readied fists. No attack.
Levi hesitated, suspecting a trap. He bolted forward anyway, priming the blade in his elbow, body ready to strike.
Then a voice cut in, calm and quiet.
"Enough. You have won."
"Huh?"
Levi nearly stumbled as he came to a stop.
"What—?"
He froze when Silent Dart lifted a hand. Blood stained his fingers. The cut was shallow, but real.
Silently, Cheng pulled a cloth from his robes and pressed it to his neck.
"I will honor our bet."
He unhooked the scabbard from his back and tossed it to Levi.
"I know my way out."
For some reason he couldn't quite name, Levi felt... off. Like he'd conned a man out of something important.
But then he remembered—that something was him. So he got over it.
Turning to the others, he grinned.
"Now what do you think of that, Rufus? Huh? Told you it'd—what the hell? Why do you two look like someone shit in your tea? I won, didn't I?"
Rufus and Edmond stood off to the side, both staring after Cheng like they'd seen a ghost. Not smiling. Not talking.
'Motherfuckers... Did they bet against me? I swear—'
"Hey, Cheng. Hold on."
Edmond stepped forward, yanked the saber out of the wall with one hand, then walked over to Levi. His face was unreadable.
Without a word, he grabbed the scabbard from Levi and slid the blade back in.
"Catch."
Then tossed it back to the deputy.
"Hey—!"
Levi started, but Edmond gave him a look. Shut it.
Cheng caught the sword, frowning—clearly confused. Maybe even a little embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. But this is not yours to return. He won. This no longer belongs to me."
Levi stepped forward to reclaim his prize—only to frown when Edmond blocked him.
"He doesn't use a weapon like that. Besides, he's returning it as payment."
"Payment?"
"Payment?!"
Levi and the deputy said it at the same time. Levi's voice was louder—and a hell of a lot more pissed.
"We'd like you to come by and provide lessons for Levi. Once a week. You can use the space down here. Consider the weapon as payment. Pure blacksteel... should be more than enough to cover your time."
"Son of a bitch. Who said I wanted—!"
Edmond raised his hand.
"What do you say?"
"Now God damn it, I said—!"
"I accept."
Silent Dart cut in, already strapping the saber to his back.
"Let me talk, you sons of bitches! I won fair and square!"
"Yes, you did."
Edmond turned toward him, voice steady.
"You beat him fair and square. Used a dirty trick that was completely legal. Didn't matter he treated you like a toddler swinging twigs the rest of the time—you still won."
That knocked a little wind out of Levi's chest. His jaw worked, but the words didn't come.
Edmond didn't let up.
"He was right about what he said yesterday. And today proved it. He can train you in ways me and Rufus can't. Or are you really so stubborn you can't see that?"
Levi rolled his eyes and shifted so Edmond was blocking the deputy's view. Obviously frustrated, he mouthed the words.
"My face."
Edmond caught it, shook his head.
"Levi works weekends, so Mondays sound good?"
He turned back to Jian Cheng, clearly not offering a choice.
"Mondays it is. I look forward to starting our lessons. I'll leave you all to it."
Silent Dart gave a slight bow, then turned and started toward the door.
Feeling boxed in, Levi scrambled for a last-ditch angle.
"Rufus?! You're not gonna say nothin'? You two are all the teachers I need, right?"
Rufus took a long drag from his smoke, watching the deputy walk out.
"Sorry, kid. Gotta agree with Edmond. And hell—gonna enjoy watching him slap you around once a week. Lookin' forward to it, actually."
"I hate you so much."
Levi crossed his arms, watching the mine doors close behind the deputy. That was it. He was screwed. So much for their plan—if there even was a their to begin with. He was starting to think this whole thing had been a setup.
"What the hell is goin' on?!"
Edmond and Rufus exchanged a look. Both exhaled, then started up the stairs. Edmond paused halfway and glanced back.
"You comin'?"
Levi clenched his jaw. He wanted to hit something. Anything.
"I'm stayin' here. Seems like Timmy's the only one with any damn sense around here."
He stomped over and kicked a rock, slumping down next to the dummy.
Edmond just shook his head.
He knew Levi would come around. Might take time, but he'd get there. Edmond had seen it in the fight—saw the way Levi moved, the way he reacted to Jian Cheng.
Like it or not, that man was better suited to train the boy.
Even if it pissed Edmond off to admit it.
It was for the kid's sake.
----
Levi couldn't sleep.
Tossed, turned. Laid still, tried again. Nothing worked. His thoughts kept pacing, same as his nerves.
Face buried in the pillow.
"Bounty huntin'. Workin'. Now lessons..."
He rolled onto his back, arms spread, eyes on the ceiling.
"Don't forget church…"
The words felt hollow. Mocking. His toes kept twitching, like his body knew something was off. Like he was late for something.
And he was.
He knew it. Felt it creeping for weeks now.
The calm.
Things had gotten too quiet. Too easy. He was healing, learning, building something. Getting strong. Getting close to people.
And that was the problem.
He stared at his hand. The blacksteel shining under the moonlight.
Twist.Click.
His arm shifted—plates grinding, joints snapping into place, blades extending like fangs.
He lowered a claw to his chest. Paused.
Then dragged.
Slow.
A thin line of blood opened across his skin. Not deep. Not deadly. Just enough.
Relief hit him like air to drowning lungs. The tension eased. He exhaled.
He wouldn't forget. Wouldn't let comfort make him soft. He'd come far, but it wasn't over. Not 'til the bastard who did this was dead.
And if he ever got too settled again, he'd carve another reminder.
Ripping a strip from his already-ruined shirt, he pressed it to the cut. Stared at the moon while the blood soaked into the fabric.
Sleep came fast after that.
So did the dreams.
Always the bad ones.