It's already late in the afternoon when crowds gather around the challenge area. Theo stands close to me as if he is the guard instead of the other way around. Ami and the rest are standing a meter from us, probably because they are conscious to have the King standing so close to them.
"Now, we are witnessing a new challenger! A female warrior from the Pitchford Kingdom who is stopping over for restocking their supplies!"
"Who said that to them?" I whisper to Theo.
"Probably someone from the harbor."
"Won't they know your identity?" I ask.
"Their focus is on you, so I am hoping they won't find out about me."
I nod and shift my attention to the announcer. He looks thrilled and excited. The crowd is also getting thicker which means he will earn a couple from me. There's no problem with that though, as long as I will earn from this and Ami and I can play around tonight.
"Now, Miss Kaiya, if you will come forward so we can start already?"
I step towards him, and he turns me around so I can face the crowd. There is hooting involved and I can't help but glance at Theo. He looks annoyed, probably at the noise. When I catch his eyes, I smile and the annoyance vanishes from his face.
The gong sounds and the announcer screams a, "Start!!!"
I dash towards the gate and a gust of wind meets me. It's strong, blowing away both my hair and shirt. I grin. I can feel it. The rush that I felt when I was fighting the three snake monsters at the beach back in Pitchford. It is an exhilarating feeling, and there is no fear, only excitement.
Thankfully, it's close to dusk, so it's no longer hot. I study the mountain that I need to traverse. I look down at the abyss. There would be over a hundred meters down if I fall. I shake my head. There's no need to think about failure, I am sure it won't happen.
The first hurdle is one of the hardest parts of the challenge. It is a three meters jump from where I am towards the starting point. No ordinary human can do this, except those with magic. Fortunately, I am a she-wolf, and even without using wind magic, it will be an easy jump.
So, I prepare myself and jump into the mountain. The path around it is narrow that I need to press my body against the wall. Rather than a mountain traversal, this looks like mountain climbing instead. The wind blows upward and I ensure I am close to the wall, to avoid myself from falling over.
I should be scared in this situation, but right now, I feel invincible. I am not my normal self. I feel high in two ways. Rather than, playing it safe, my walk around the mountain is faster than I expected it to be. It is easy. In fact, I don't need to use my wind magic. My strength as a she-wolf is already enough. However, it might look as if I am using magic to bystanders to complete this second hurdle.
I am already three-fourths into the challenge when I face the third hurdle. I study it. The foothold is a few meters down, which means I will need to jump from my current area towards it. One wrong step and I will fall into the water or rocks below, depending on how I fall.
But instead of dwelling on the possibility of my failure, I look at the rocks and the small vegetation below, and I realize that they placed ropes on it. I grin. Aren't they too kind? This is why Klevon completes this without a problem. Anyone with excellent wind magic can traverse the rope upwards into the starting line as if they are walking on flat ground instead.
When the wind finishes blowing upward, I count for five seconds, then I let go of the rocky wall and allow myself to fall. Using my wind magic and the wind that's coming up again, I move myself towards the ropes and successfully grab one.
I smile as I raise myself. The physical training with General Brandon and wind magic training with Ami, Nadif, and Elroy are a big help. I am certain those four can also complete this.
Balancing myself on the swaying rope, I wait until the upward wind vanishes. When it does, I rush toward the starting line. I only pause when the wind only becomes too strong that I need to wait and let it pass unless I want to fall.
It takes a couple more minutes before I find myself closer to the starting line. It's about to get dark and I know that my remaining time is ticking to the end. More so, there is no more body of water below me. There are only rocks and ground that will meet my plunging body if I fail.
I grin. Why am I still thinking of failing when I am already too close to the finish line? So, when the wind stops again, I run along the rope. When I feel the wind again, I activate my wind magic and force myself up to the starting point. I grab onto the ground, but the wind is too strong that I skidded into the ground instead, until I stop in front of the crowd.
Wiping my clothes and my face, I stand up and meet the crowd. I smile. I feel proud that I am able to accomplish that.
"Where's my prize money?" I ask the announcer who has his mouth open at me.
Then, I see Theo coming toward me. I beam at him, and he pulls me into an embrace before kissing me full in the mouth. I giggle in between his kisses.
"We have a new achiever! Kaiya of Pitchford Kingdom!"
I push at Theo's chest. "I thought you are certain I will complete it?"
"It still feels different when you actually complete it."
"It's not that easy."
"I know," he says and wipes the sweat on my forehead. He also touches my back and I squeal at the contact. "Your back is also drenched with sweat."
The crowd disperses, but all I can think of is the high of the challenge. I am grinning at Theo like an idiot, as if I have forgotten that I am angry at him. All the while, he is smiling back at me while brushing his fingers against my face and neck.
Then an old man comes forward and says, "You cheated!"
I look at the old man, not wanting to get away from Theo's embrace. "I didn't cheat. I have wind magic and I am stronger than normal people," I say.
"Not that. You are cheating because you are NOT a new challenger. I've seen you before when I was young! You are with a Duran royalty!"
"Old man, it is not cheating," the advertiser interjects. "The important part is, she brings in the crowd and money."
The advertiser shifts his attention to me and adds, "Here's your prize."
It is in a small bag and I take it from him. Then his eyes transfer to the old man and continues, "Also, repeat challengers are welcome to try as long as they will bring in the crowd. That man is exempted though," he says, pointing at the approaching Klevon. "He no longer brings the crowd."
The old man looks curiously at me. "You didn't age much."
Werewolves don't age as fast as humans, so it is expected. And besides, Theo already told me that I am mated to another before, probably this Duran royalty that the old man is talking about. But I don't care about it. I don't feel the need to find out about my previous mate. One human royal is already too much for me to handle. Theo is enough. I don't plan to add another and besides, this Duran mate is already dead by now. It is the reason why I mated with Theo.
When Ami approaches, the advertiser pulls the old man away. Theo also takes his arms away from me.
"That's crazy! You make it look so easy!" she exclaims while holding my hand.
"The important thing is, we have the money. We can play around tonight," I respond, beaming at her.
She glances at Theo and then back at me. I understand what she means. Conspiratorially, I whisper, "Don't worry about him, he will not come with us." If he does come, I am sure it will be awkward for her.
"I heard that," Theo says. "And you are wrong, I will come with you."
"I don't need to guard you anymore. It's my off hours."
He frowns.
"Employers and employees don't normally spend the night together."
I turn my attention back to Ami. She shakes her head. "I don't think that's a good idea," she whispers back.
"What is not a good idea?" Theo asks.
"I have the money now, we can play around."
"But-" she glances back at the King.
"Theo, you should leave now. You also need to check the restocking, right?"
"But-"
I kiss him on the cheeks. "I will just play around with Ami. Don't worry about me. You don't want us to fight, right?"
He frowns, and then, he clenches his jaws. He is having a hard time accepting it. Thankfully, earlier, I've thought about a solution for his possible hesitation to allow me to leave his side.
I move closer to him, and whisper, "I will return to that inn with the fifty discount offer, so wait for me there."
He beams at my suggestive tone, and he embraces me. "Okay, I will wait for you there after I check the restocking of the supplies. Don't make me wait too long."
I nod. "Okay."
"How about another kiss?" he asks, tapping his cheeks.
I smile, and instead of one side, I kiss both of his cheeks. I even place a chaste kiss on his mouth. He brightens up at the gesture. He gives me another kiss and then, he turns away. I watch his departing form.
My smile slowly vanish. I think baiting him with sex is still the best way to make him obey. Although, I think this will only work one time. The next time I use this as my card, I doubt he will believe me.
Ami takes my hand and we walk towards the club she is talking about. When she smiles at me, all thoughts of breaking Theo's trust disappear from my mind. Besides, I will plan to return to that inn. Not tonight though. I will be there at daybreak when there's no more time for us to dabble in pleasure and intimacy.