A tapping noise sounded throughout the room. Increasing in length and frequency would not simply stop. Salim couldn’t sleep as the disorienting noise filled his head.

Sliding out of bed in a dizzy spell Salim walked awkwardly around the room trying to find the source of the noise.

He did not find anything however as the noise continued louder now. Salim’s mind was so muddled he simply just had to turn the noise off. Shuffling out of the door Salim banged his way down to the tavern.

There he found the source of the noise, a person in a clock, the only person in the room beside Salim.

Salim finally began to wake up now that the ticking faded away as the figure turned around. It took a while however for Salim to recognize the person with his eyes due to his sleeping brain.

It was Rolen, one of the people that had been seeded to win to the qualifiers. He had caused them to fail which when he realized Salim was immediately on guard.

Rolen motioned Salim to sit down at the table with a wave and Salim hesitantly complied. Well, Rolen hadn’t tried to kill him so he hopefully wasn’t on his way to eliminate Salim so he could play Rolen’s game for now.

Seeing as Salim sat down Rolen was the first one to speak, “Now that you are here I can give you my message.” Salim raised an eyebrow, “The people who have employed me want me to tell you ‘we are willing to pardon you if you work for us.”

With that Rolen began to stand up ready to leave. However, Salim had a hundred questions he wanted to ask Rolen and Salim grabbed onto Rolen’s arm.

The reaction was immediate as Rolen jerked back drawing his blade and facing Salim. Salim simply told him, “I still have quite a few questions I want to ask.”

Rolen scoffed at Salim’s show of dominance before replying, “I don’t have to answer anything to an unskilled bastard like you.”

Now it may have been due to the fact that Salim had been woken up early in the morning or that Rolen had denied his request but that pissed Salim off. Normally Salim would never have thought like that but something was up in today's air.

Drawing his knife Salim faced off against Rolen neither moving in the bar. Salim’s had twitched suddenly causing him to look slightly down and Rolen to charge forward.

With a quick slash, Rolen cut through the air that had recently occupied Salim’s head before kicking backward nailing Salim in the chest causing Salim to slam through some tables before getting back up.

Activating Challenge, Energy Creation, and Infused Empowerment to boost his power up to the next level. Thinking of something Salim channeled the energy specifically through his eyes willing increased perception.

The world began to slow around him as his eyes adjusted to the speed at which he could move. Suddenly Rolen didn’t look so intimidating only moving at half the speed he had been before.

Sprinting quickly up to Rolen, Salim reared his fist back before slamming it into his face. Rolen rocked backward unsettled by his now broken nose as Salim began to take the advantage.

Sprinting up to Rolen’s bent over body Salim jumped up on top of him aiming to break his spine. Slamming down on Rolen’s back while going incredible speeds caused Rolen to slam into the ground with a thump of armor and a thwack of flesh.

Ridiculously Rolen was beginning to get back up looking only slightly winded. Salim decided to charge again only to be met with a feeling of intense vertigo. Bent over Salim tried to regain his balance as Rolen stalked forward.

Rolen grabbed Salim by the throat before dropping his sword and slamming Salim in the liver.

Immediately Salim felt an intense feeling of pain as he attempted to keel over with Rolen restricting his windpipe. Holding his knife he swung down on the hand holding him only to miss somehow only hitting the air.

Oxygen fading as it had been a good five minutes of Rolen choking Salim before he passed out.

Consciousness flowed back to Salim as he found himself in a large open room large roman looking columns throughout the whole place.

He was on a carpet that seemed to go from the entrance of this place to a throne...

On the throne sat a man who wore luscious robes and was surrounded by women. Simply the ideal imagery for extravagant.

Looking closer around the company of the man Salim realized that not all of them were simple servant girls. He could see a few that had almost hidden blades somehow concealed so well on such a small amount of clothing it was incredible. If he ever wanted to be a stripper he would ask them how they did it.

“So you are the one that caused so much trouble in the qualification rounds am I correct in that assumption?” Along bored drawling voice of the man on the throne came out. Alright, Salim time to play it thick.

Salim responded with confidence, “I am.” There was simply no way he could convince the man otherwise.

The man on the throne seemed to like that respond as he smiled and waved becoming Salim forward. Salim watched his own movements just as much as the man on the throne. He did not want to botch anything up from his movements.

Salim walked forward keeping his head slightly down to show reverence. Some might wonder why he cowed to someone demanding him respect them. Well, Salim simply found messing with incredibly pompous people extremely entertaining. Beating them at their own game was Salim’s determined specialty.

With a flourishing bow that was bordering on mocking Salim bowed before the man when he reached him. When his head down Salim smiled widely looking incredibly unhinged. While Salim wasn’t sure he liked the idea of being kidnapped this was going to be the most fun thing he had done in a while.

The man on the throne smiled apparently pleased by Salim’s theatrical bow. “I heard you were a bit resistant to being taken… and now you bow so easily to me?” The man asked Salim.

That was a bit of information that Salim did not realize. So Rolen had intentionally provoked that fight. Salim wasn’t even sure why he decided to fight anyway it was a pretty obvious taunt. Maybe, Rolen, had mind controlled him or whatever he does, yea to keep his dignity Salim would pronounce to the end of his days he had been brainwashed into that fight.

“Well sir, I was provoked into a fight by the fine man that you sent to retrieve me I had no idea that I was going to see you,” Salim said reverently, however, Salim had no clue who the fuck this guy was. Hopefully, he would flaunt his power and say it or something.

The man laughed jovially “ahh that does seem like something Rolen would do… You made him fail his job and I simply cannot pay people who do not accomplish their tasks.”

“In other words, I am the ruler of this town Bularm, and I have an offer I know you won’t refuse.”