"Beowulf! I challenge you to a duel!" The words Kareena let out after a long moment of reflection.

It is unbelievable. Unbelievable that she would go to these lengths to block me from advancing. Let me check some things.

"And what kind of duel would be that?" I wave a hand at the girls to let me handle it. Helen was about to jump up from the couch. Even now she is nervously sitting on an edge.

"A duel to the death, of course!" She puffs her chest with lots of confidence.

"You are going to sacrifice either the Guild Master or a recognized Hero at a time when - and I quote - an SS rank dungeon sprung up a little more than a day of travel from this town?"

"You, a hero?" She scoffs. "You are nothing but some charlatan, a villager with delusions of grandeur."

If there is a silver lining in all of this is that I realize I am no sadist. Seeing her in this state does not make me want to tease her more. It makes me disgusted. And I just got an idea. Instead of prolonging this further, I'll just end it as fast as possible. It will probably be painful, but if she thinks I am not the real deal, then there is a chance.

"Right. I give in. Under a few conditions I am explaining right away, I accept your challenge." It is time to spring yet another Earth faerie tale to life. "You have to accept and abide by all these conditions to the letter, or I won't step in the duel ring. Without any complains. If you don't accept these conditions, then you are to stop blocking me from ascending. Did you understand, Guild Master Kareena the {Heartseeker Blade}."

"What are these conditions?"

I need to confirm something first. "Marcy, is there a way to make a binding contract with magic?" She shakes her head negatively. "Then it will have to be a public one. Call in all the guild staff. All the receptionists including Soren and Alisha. Close the guild for the day if you have to. I don't care."

"It is late already. Is it ok if we leave the barmaids out of this?" I nod at her. She then calls all the staff, and a few minutes later the room is cramped. I can see Soren's curled tail brushing against the roof at the back.

I announce to everyone in the room, and face Kareena again. "The conditions I am disclosing here are to be followed to the letter, and will be made known to everyone. If you fail to abide by them, I will be very angry and might have even to kill a lot of guild staff. I don't want it. I might earn some weird title."

"Are you threatening us?"

"Listen to yourself. You just challenged me to a death duel, I don't think you would mind getting killed. But I will change the stakes a bit. I will bet my life on this duel, but I won't kill or maim you, or even lift a finger against any of the staff present in this room. The first rule is just that: I cannot kill or maim you. If I do it is my loss. Someone please take note," One of the receptionists that looks like a library girl takes one vellum and a pen out. She begins to write everything down. We wait for her to finish before continuing.

"What do you get if you win?"

"One treasure from this guild, according to my own criteria. I know what I want." I give her a rude look. One that men give to a woman when they have second intentions. I have no lust for her, but I need her to buy my bluff.

She crosses her arms to protect her body. "Wha-what do you intend to do, you villain?!" Finally a chink in her armor. She bit her tongue and blushed. There are some muffled laughs in the audience.

Helen is fidgeting. I hope she is not having some weird idea. Or that she blows my scam. Turning away from the crowd, I wink at Marcy and nudge my chin at Helen. Marcy hurriedly grabs Helen's hand and makes some hand signal.

"Your body is not my goal. Second rule: I get to one pick at something really valuable that is inside this building right now if I win. No questions asked."

"I agree to that." Kareena nods, her defiant demeanor back.

"Third rule: The duel will begin tomorrow at dusk, and will continue until tomorrow at dawn. The duel only ends if I am unable to move when the sun bathes the entire duel ring with its light. No matter what happens and in what condition I am, if I am alive when it happens I win.

Fourth rule: We are dueling in the 'Green Knight Style'. Instead of exchanging blows back and forth, we attack each othern once each turn. they take twenty minutes each. There is an hourglass to measure it, I believe." She looks at a receptionist, she nods.

"Fifth rule: Between turns I can eat all I want. The guild is to bring enough grilled meat to meet my needs. And I mean a lot. I don't care the kind of meat. If it is edible, I can eat it."

"Sixth rule: You have to give a careful explanation of each skill, spell or technique you will use before you do. Full disclosure. You also have to shout out loud all the skills, spells and techniques' names."

She smiles. "I agree to that. But I must request that I be given the first strike." She accepted the role of Gawain too easy.

"Seventh rule: I will use the job-changing crystal once before the duel even without changing ranks."

"But only right before the duel starts. " I nod in agreement of her condition. She is surprised. "You do realize that any stat of a 2nd tier job will be less than the stats on your current villager job, right?"

"I don't care.And now the final rule: Even if I lose, the points and ranks will be granted to me and my party. Even posthumously. And there will be no persecution or prejudice against these two girls in any case. If you agree to all this, you got a duel tomorrow night."

"I agree to all your rules. Tomorrow, my worries end."

"Miss scribe back there, did you get everything in that fancy vellum of yours?" She averts my eyes, but nods. "Can I get everyone in the room to sign the vellum as witnesses to our agreement?"

Everyone take turns to sign the scroll. Marcy and Helen sign after the guild staff, followed by Kareena and me.

"Do you want a copy?" The scribe asks me.

"No. I trust all of you to keep your word. With the SS ranked dungeon at your doorstep, I don't think you want a rampaging hero in the town. This is enough insurance for me." At the mention of the dungeon, everyone shivers. Oh, it was secret, wasn't it. Tehe. Silly me, leaking secrets like this. "Helen, Marcy, I think Zarr is lonely down there, shall we go?"

The girls nod and we leave Kareena's office. I grab Helen's hand once we are outside and whisper in her ear.

"Helen, I want to tell that you are the only woman for me. I had to play like that with Kareena to get her guard down. As long as she double-guesses me I have an advantage."

She tightens her grip and asks me "What are you intending to do?"

"I'll beat her at her own game. The way we set the rules, there is no way I can lose." I even took my skill's cooldown into account. "Where are we sleeping tonight?" I think they didn't mention sleeping arrangements yet because they are just going to Helen's parents' place.

"Do you want to rent an inn room for you?" Helen is dismayed at the proposal. Her eyes skitter back and forth trying to read my intentions.

"It will be cramped the four of us in your parent's place, right? I was thinking of getting a nice place for all of us. Where there is a good inn around here?"

"Can I at least zintroduce you to my mother?"

In the end we went to Helen's parents before looking for an inn. It is already night, and the main source of noise are the several taverns dotting the town.

"Oh, welcome back, my daughter." Helen's mom gives her a big hug. I can't help but take a good look at her. It says that you should know your mother-in-law well, because your wife is becoming just like her when she gets old. "Who is this handsome boy back there?" Is she talking about me? I straighten my back, but she goes for Zahariel. "Oh, he is so cute!"

Helen and Marcy enter the house, I stay at the porch with the bags. "Sister! We are back!" She shouts toward the stairs.

There is a man's voice coming from upstairs. "Oh, Helen my daughter, you are back!" I swallow dry. This is the fabled 'meet the doting father' moment. The dread of every boy and most girls.

A man in the early fourties appears at the top of the stairs, and he quickly gives Helen a big hug. The rats scuttle out of the robes for fear of being crushed. Helen's dad has a well trimmed beard and a light brown hair. His build is toned but slim, like a kung-fu fighter. After a minute he lets go of Helen and greets Marcy.

"Father, I have someone to introduce to you..." Helen tries but is cut off.

"Who is this beautiful boy? Marcy is he related to you?" Marcy waves her hand in negation.

Helen tries again "No, he is our newest travel companion. Zarr, these are my father Azelinus and my mother Hildegard. But I want to..."

"Helen!" A handsome college jock climbs down the stairs and brushes Helen's hair. This should be her brother, Bertramus.

Marcy looks at me and laughs at my despair. I bet she predicted all this. Azelinus picks Zahariel and spins him around. I bet he wanted a grandson this bad.

Hildegard approaches me. "Thank you for your services, lad. Bertramus, please pick the girl's luggage here. Here is some coin for you." She hands me five copper coins. Quite a payment for a town porter. Why did I take the coins???

Bertramus comes and takes some backpacks. He is strong, there are almost a hundred pounds in those bags together.

"Can everyone stop please!" Helen loses it and yells. "Mother, father, brother... This man here is not a porter. He is my fiancé Beowulf."

I smile and wave at them. Amusement, anger and curiosity meet me back.

Time to meet the parents. Hold a second, fiancé?