“Is this all you got, Estralez?!” Ice King bellowed, sending a storm of Ice Spikes streaking toward Bruno, each one glinting like a death sentence in the dim light. Bruno dove to the side, narrowly avoiding one of the spikes as it grazed the wall, its sharp edge skimming past his ribs.

  His heart pounded. He wasn’t fast enough, not nearly fast enough. But he had to fight back. Focus.

  Bruno thrust out his hand, the pulse of his spirit magic wrapping around one of the ice spikes, yanking it toward him-only to be met with another dozen that sprouted from the ground like serpents. He swore under his breath as one nearly skewered him through the chest; “Dude, you're insane! How the hell am I supposed to attack? There's no one nearby and my damn crossbow’s in your office!”

  Ice King’s laugh was a cold, jagged thing; “Then find another way.”

  Before Bruno could react, Ice King shot forward, the base of a revolver gripped like a dagger, its barrel beginning to frost over. The ice crept down its length, forming a wicked Kris blade at the tip.

  “Be creative, Estralez! What will you do without your fancy toys? Die like a common man? No. You are more than that!” The blade flashed, coming within inches of Bruno’s gut.

  Bruno’s breath caught, and with a reflexive movement, he sprang backward, but not before the edge of the Kris sliced through his shirt, drawing a thin line of blood; “Then what am I supposed to do?! I'm good at blood magic and shooting stuff into other things! I can't use blood magic if the only other person is a fucking Ice Hyferion who’s stronger than me!”

  Ice King froze, his eyes narrowing. His gaze was sharp, dissecting every word; “So? Is that really all it takes to break you? Where’s that ‘indomitable human spirit’ I’ve heard so much about?” He raised a brow, disappointment etched on his face; “I guess I’ll just have to force it out of you.”

  He traced a circle in the air, and a dozen clones sprang to life, their faces distorted by the cold mist swirling around them; “I’m no illusionist, Estralez, but I know enough to make you question everything. Not everything has to be outside the box. Sometimes, the answer is right in front of you. And no, I’m not being metaphorical.”

  Bruno spun, eyes darting across the clones as they surged toward him, fists raised in unison. His mind raced-one of them had to be real. He couldn’t afford to guess wrong.

  Then he saw it: a single footprint left behind by one of the clones, barely visible on the floor. With a roar, Bruno launched himself toward the figure, hands raised to intercept-

  And then he passed right through it. His instincts screamed, and he whirled just in time to catch a punch to the face, sending him stumbling backward; “Dude! To the face?!”

  Ice King smirked as he helped Bruno to his feet; “Yes. To the face. You’re only going to get punched harder if you keep making mistakes like that. Remember, the people you’re going to face aren’t idiots. They are ruthless killers.”

  He raised his Kris, the gleam of the blade pointed at Bruno's direction; “Time to end this warm-up, don’t you think?”

  “Wait, warm-up -” Bruno began, but was cut off as Ice King’s fist slammed into his stomach, sending him reeling.

  Ice King stood over him with a mocking grin; “Did I mention I practice Close Quarters Combat as well? Forgive me if I neglected to mention it.”

  Before Bruno could recover, Ice King’s knee collided with his ribs, sending him spiraling into the air. He followed up instantly, the air around them vibrating with a Resonance Impulse Bard spell that slammed Bruno into the wall with bone-crushing force.

  Bruno grunted as he slid to the ground, his hands shaking as he reached for his remaining vials of blood; “Four left. Damn it, if I don’t figure this out soon...” He glanced down at the dried blood near his nose. His eyes widened in realization; “Wait... I can't use blood to heal-but who said anything about magic?”

  He punched himself in the nose, the sharp crack of bone echoing in the chamber, blood immediately rushing from the break. This moment, while seemingly insignificant, was a major discovery for Bruno. A discovery that he had been limiting himself. He didn't need outside help to ‘improve’ his skills. He just needed to look more towards himself.

  Bruno’s vision blurred for a second as pain throbbed through his skull. The blood dripped warm against his lips, the iron tang sharp against his tongue. His fingers curled instinctively, pulling the liquid into shape.

  And something shifted.

  Not just the blood. Him.

  It wasn’t the blood that made him powerful. It wasn’t the weapon, or the technique, or even the enemy in front of him forcing his hand. It was him. His will. His existence.

  “Alright, Your Highness,” he muttered, licking the blood from his lip. His voice was hoarse but steady; “You want creativity? Let’s get crazy.”

  As Ice King closed the distance, Kris raised high, Bruno quickly formed the blood into an arrow, fingers trembling as he aimed.

  Ice King grinned, his eyes glinting with cold satisfaction; “Ah, now you understand, Estralez.”

  The blood arrow tore through the air, perfectly aligned. Ice King kept coming. No hesitation. Bruno’s heart slammed against his ribs-this was it. Then, at the last second, Ice King tilted his head, the arrow flying past his cheek, close enough to slice a single strand of hair; “Unfortunately for you, I am an experienced King.”

  Right after this, he turned his Kris back into a revolver and fired.

  The revolver cracked. The bullet zipped wide-too wide. Ice King never missed like that. But Bruno had no time to second-guess. His instincts screamed. Attack now, think layer. Blood gathered in his grip, solidifying into a blade as he lunged—crack.

  Pain exploded in his knee. His leg crumpled. The sword dissolved before it could reach its target.

  Bruno hit the ground hard, gasping. He turned, only to see the bullet lodged in the back of his knee.

  As he groaned in pain, Ice King smirked and offered a hand; “Well, that's enough training for you.” His voice was tainted with amusement as he continued; “I had quite the enjoyable experience if I do say so myself.”

  After downing a vial of blood and letting the pain subside, Bruno let out a sharp exhale before grabbing Ice King's talon, all while glaring at him. He yelped when the bastard pulled him up without even an ounce of gentleness; “Yeah yeah Great way to teach me magic, sensei.”

  After dusting himself off and drinking another vial of blood to regenerate, he rolled his eyes; “So here's what I learned. Try to hit my targets and dodge bullets and be creative. Did I get that right?”

  Ice King gave a shrug, leaning on the wall before lighting up a cigarette; “Moreso the creative part. Fighting, in my opinion is not something linear. Its not something you plan out fully. It does not have a set pattern.”

  Following this, he took a quick puff before holstering his revolver. Then, he continued; “Think of fighting as more of…a fighting game. Yes, you can predict what your enemy uses based on multiple factors but you do not know when they are going to use those moves and vice versa. You must adapt in these situations is what I would normally say but who says you have to change based on the person you're fighting? No. If possible, keep using what you're best at. Use those techniques in new and innovative ways.”

  “All right, Alright, I got it. Actually, how the hell did that bullet even come back? Did you ricochet it or something?” Bruno asked, curiosity lining his words

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Ice King raised his brow slightly before opening the cylinder of his revolver and pulling out one of the bullets. He threw it to Bruno who clumsily caught it; “Look at the tip.”

  As he was told, Ice King took a look at the tip of the bullet, noticing that it was…blue? Wait, no. That is-; “-Ice? Wait, you put Ice on the tip of your bullet?” Ice King gave no response as he spun to face the exit.

  Ice King then threw his cigarette before heading for the exit. Bruno was going to follow him before noticing something…odd in Ice King's hair; “Hey Frosty? There's uh…some white thingy in your hair?”

  This made Ice King immediately freeze before conjuring an ice mirror and checking his hair. His eyes then landed on a patch of white hair in his roots; “Damn it. I thought this was supposed to last months.” Ice King spun to face Bruno before meeting eyes with him; “Excuse me, I…will be in the bathroom.”

  Ice King spun back to the door before heading for the exit. Without another word, the arena was now empty. Save for the still lit cigarette on the floor and Bruno, standing there awkwardly; “...Huh.”

  ====

  “Damn it, Damn it, they better have a good reason as to why this hair dye lasted less than a week.” Ice King grumbled while walking, clenching his talons from frustration. After nearly reaching the entrance of his private office however, his sense of smell was assaulted with a sweet meaty smell; “What the hell…?”

  Taking a look inside the office, he was surprised to see his miniature kitchen looking like it had just went through an episode of hell's kitchen. Looking at the stove, he saw the culprit herself, Leila cooking…something.

  Before he could even say anything, Leila had noticed him waved at him with glee; “Icy! Was Bruno with you?”

  “Yes, yes. He was with me in my training room. Now, I am curious as to what you are cooking.” Ice King said before trying to take a peek at what was making such a delicious smell.

  Sensing his ever growing curiosity, Leila stepped aside, revealing slices of Griffin meat served with some sort of sauce. Though, Ice King's attention was also towards the absolute mess she made; “I'm…really sorry for the mess. I can't find the stuff I needed so I…kinda went through all your stuff?” Leila said sheepishly,fiddling with her fingers while taking glances at Ice King.

  Ice King bit his lip, leaving a taste of iron in his mouth before shrugging; “I suppose I will clean it up later. What were you cooking, your Majesty?” At the mention of her cooking, Leila beamed with joy; “I'm glad you asked, Icy! It's an Arcana family special! The-”

  “Is that Weingriff?!” Bruno exclaimed, saliva practically dripping from his mouth at the smell of the dish.

  Leila gave Bruno a smile while her eyes were closed; “Yep! Decided to try cooking it for this occasion.” Leila picked the dishes up before putting them down on Ice King's small coffee table, using a tendril to help her carry one of them.

  After putting them down, she immediately sat down and sliced a piece from the Weingriff; “Dig in!”

  After sitting down on the nearby couch, Ice King took a curious glance at the Weingriff, its sweet meaty smell encapsulating him. Looking to his side, he saw that Bruno was already halfway through the Weingriff. Shrugging, he slowly cut off a small chunk of the meat and ate it. This caused his eyes to widen, as if he had just seen something incredible.

  The taste of it was impeccable. An almost perfect mix of meat and sweet. The meat itself was soft and tender, the unknown juice seeping through every bite; “This…This is simply spectacular! Say, how did you make such an incredible meal, Your Majesty?”

  Leila rubbed the back of her head with one of her talons with a small blush, clearly enjoying the compliment; “Ah, thanks, Icy! I did have to scavenge your kitchen to find some Griffin meat, Wine, Berries-”

  The fork that Ice King was holding suddenly clanged onto the floor as he looked towards Leila with even wider eyes; “What was the second ingredient?”

  Leila blinked in confusion before answering Ice King's odd question; “Uhm, Wine-” Before Leila could even fully finish, Ice King immediately ran towards his kitchen, only to stare in abject horror at empty bottles of wine.

  Leila took a look from behind, rubbing the back of her head from confusion and shame; “I mean…it can't cost that much…can it?”

  Ice King gave Leila a glare that was somewhere between angry and disbelief; “Did you seriously think the wine in the cabinet labeled as “Personal Stash” would be cheap?! Those cost fifty five-”

  Leila cut him off, having a somewhat reassured smile on her face, glad that Ice King was probably overreacting; “Well, that isn't too expensive-”

  “-thousand American Dollars.” Ice King finished, making Leila jerk her head forwards from shock; “...Oh.”

  Ice King rubbed the bridge of his nose, clearly not having a good time while Leila? she was panicking; “Oh Void, Icy I'm so so so sorry! I didn't know it was that expensive! W-where’s the nearest bank? I'll go deposit a check-”

  “No need. It was partly my fault for storing such expensive things in a normal cabinet. I should have stored them back home.” Ice King said with a forced smile.

  Leila was still stammering, visibly wracked with guilt, her wings twitching anxiously. Ice King sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before shaking his head.

  “Enough, Leila. What’s done is done.” His voice was calm, but there was an undeniable weight to it; “Besides, it was partly my fault for leaving such expensive things in a normal cabinet. I should’ve stored them back home.”

  Leila's feathers puffed up slightly, her expression flickering between relief and lingering guilt. “Still, I-”

  Ice King clapped his talons together with a sharp snap, effectively cutting her off; “No time for this. You two have places to be.” He motioned toward the door; “The meeting room is in an ornate building at the end of the main street. You shouldn’t miss it.”

  Leila opened her mouth to protest again- only to find herself and Bruno abruptly shoved out the door before she could get another word in.

  The heavy door clicked shut behind them.

  Bruno blinked once, still processing what had just happened. Slowly, he turned to Leila; “So, erm…” He glanced back at the door, then down at his half-finished plate; “That was probably the most expensive meal I’ve ever had.”

  Leila groaned, burying her face in her hands; “Oh Void, I ruined everything.”

  Bruno patted her on the back, grinning; “Relax, at least it tasted amazing.”

  Leila let out a muffled whimper.

  =====

  Back in his office, Ice King leaned against the counter, exhaling sharply. His talons tapped rhythmically against the hard surface as he surveyed the battlefield that had once been his kitchen.

  He sighed, shaking his head while his eyes lingered on the empty bottles; “ fifty fivethousand…”

  His gaze drifted toward the single remaining slice of Weingriff on his plate. He picked up his fork, hesitated for a moment, then took a bite.

  The flavor still lingered, rich in flavor. He chewed slowly, consideration plastered onto his face ; “…Okay. Maybe it's worth it.”

  After finishing his meal, Ice King was about to wash his plate …until he remembered the state his kitchen was in; “...Problems for future R-Me. Future me.”

  He tossed the plate into the sink before moving on to an even bigger issue, his hair. He walked into his bathroom before his eyes narrowed on the patch of white hair.

  Sighing to himself, he tilted his head upwards and slowly moved his talong from the top of his face to the bottom; “Why'd I have to dye my hair dig myself into this hole?…Whatever. I guess I'll just have to fix this. Hopefully no one complains about me being late.”

  He then opened his cabinet mirror and casted a spell, revealing a hidden bottle of hair dye in it; “Unnecessary but at this point, why not?” Right as he was about to open the bottle of hair dye, he paused; “I do wonder what those are up to. I mean, my instructions are clear. Ornate building at the end of the street.”

  ====

  Bruno let out a whistle, shaking his head from disbelief and amusement; “I've seen so many things for the first time when you appeared Leila but this? I'd never thought that even for a moment of be eating a Steak as expensive as that! I mean, fifty five thousand is a lot!”

  While Bruno continued chuckling from the incident, Leila was busy looking around for…something which caused Bruno to abruptly halt his chuckles; “Okay, I've cracked like ten jokes already. What the hell are you looking for?”

  “A bank.” She answered dismissively, making Bruno roll his eyes; “Seriously? You're still feeling guilty about that? Leila, both of you are rich people. He probably has more back in his home.”

  Leila stopped before turning to face him, wings twitching nervously; “They're still expensive, Bruno! A-and did you see he look at his face?! He's angry!” Leila buried her face in her talons, posture radiating guilt; “Icy’s gonna hate me forever…”

  Bruno gave Leila little more than a smirk while shaking his head from amusement; “Leila, he's not mad at you. That face isn't the face of an angry guy. It looked more in line with ‘Ah fuck, there goes eight hundred thousand dollars’ or also known as disbelief. Chill, he's not mad at you…Probably.”

  Leila gave a glare to Bruno before the glare softened and she shrugged; “Well, hopefully you're right,”

  The two continued walking the stone brick lines asphalt road, looking at the various modern looking buildings mixed in with some fantasy aspects. A house had a wizard's tower jutting out of it.

  The library Ice King was previously studying in was the exact opposite however. Looking like a fantasy building infused with modern day architecture. The library was primarily made out of wood and stone bricks but the banister on the second floor was made of aluminum and glass. Speaking of the second floor, it was made almost entirely of concrete and glass, looking modern yet fits with the asthetics.

  Bruno let out a whistle as the two gawked around the streets, eyes darting around to capture as many details as possible; “You know, we never stopped to actually appreciate how cool this place looks. This entire street looks like a damned movie!”

  Similarly to Bruno, Leila was also admiring the buildings, comparing all the differences in architecture in her head; “Yeah, yeah…Hey Bruno, remind me to start investing in architecture if we get back home.”

  Bruno gave Leila a heartfelt smirk before rolling his eyes; “You mean we get back home and yeah, I'll make sure to remind you…Actually, where are we supposed to go again?”

  Leila's right hand scratched her chin as her face scrunched up; “I…can't remember if I'm being honest. I think it was something about…an ornate building?”

  Bruno gave Leila a flat look that could be best described as ‘Are you serious?’ before pinching the bridge of his nose; “Leila. All of these buildings are fancy as hell. Are you sure he didn't say anything else?”

  Leila bit the bottom of her lips before shrugging and giving Bruno a wide smile; “Nope!” She then proceeded to walk down the road, heading for the North Section of the town which made Bruno confused; “Then where the hell are you heading to?!”

  “Don't worry, you can trust my intuition!”