The Laughing Swordsman

Otis Everfield looked plain, just like his drawn portrait. He was stroking his grey beard with a cup of tea in front of him.

He was deep in thought and would occasionally sip from his refreshment.

The room he was in was quite large and lavishly decorated.

There was a long table that could seat roughly twenty people. Otis was sitting at one of the table's ends.

The ceiling was about eight meters off the ground, fulfilling the dream of claustrophobics.

The walls and floors were made from white marble, expensive, like everything else.

However, despite the luxurious materials used to construct the room, it did not shine brightly.

It was dull.

Everything was properly cleaned and maintained, so it was not because it was dirty. Each part of the building was old.

The waves of time caused everything to lose its luster, but it was still holding on strong.

Otis himself appeared to reflect that.

He was not holding himself in a dignified or pretentious position. Of course, there was nobody to show off to, but it showed how he carried himself as a person.

Apollo stepped in through the window. He did not bother trying to hide himself.

He didn't know how to anyways.

Otis was startled, spilling some tea over himself.

"How did you get in here?"

Apollo smirked.

"The window."

Otis's eyelid twitched.

"...This is my residence. Get out."

Apollo laughed.

"Yes, yes. I will leave in just a moment."

Apollo walked towards Otis.

Seeing this, Otis furrowed his brows.

"What are you trying to do?"

Apollo giggled.

"Kill you."

Otis immediately began to gather mana, forming a wall of earth in front of him.

Apollo directly slashed through it. His eyes widened.

A section of the earth wall collapsed, but Otis was no longer behind it.

Apollo flicked his bokken to the side, deflecting a beam of water coming for him.

He looked over to see Otis casting another spell. With a grin, he bolted forward.

A frown was on Otis' face.

"To think there would come a day where some stranger comes into my home and tries to kill me."

Apollo laughed mockingly.

"There's a reward for your dead body. I am just here to capitalize on it."

A large rock formed in front of Otis. Suddenly, it launched forward.

Apollo's bokken flashed.

The boulder was split in two, falling to Apollo's sides.

Otis disappeared once again.

Apollo drew an arc with his bokken.

He deflected three beams of water that were en route for his back. Apollo twisted his head to the side.

Otis was standing on a wave of water.

The water was magically floating in the air. It was in a constant state of movement and carried Otis along with it.

"I wonder who I offended enough to send an assassin for me."

Apollo's face froze.

He could feel something in his mind twitch but settle quickly after.

His smile grew wider.

"Why even resist? You are going to die today."

Otis chuckled and gathered mana for another spell.

"I may as well try, no?"

The ground trembled.

The marble flooring below Apollo burst apart, sending a spike of earth at him.

Apollo jumped up before it could hit him. As he did so, Otis circled around him while sending beams of water his way.

Apollo's bokken swung in a strange arc while he was in the air. The beams of water twisted away.

He snickered.

"Is that it?"

Otis frowned.

"No!"

He gathered a large amount of mana in front of him.

By the time Apollo landed back on the ground, a long white spear shot towards him.

His body heated up as tiny red scars formed on his wrist.

Apollo's bokken flashed.

With a bang, the spear was sent into the wall. Half of it pierced into the wall.

Apollo's bokken flashed once more.

"AHHH-"

Otis screamed in agony. One of his arms lopped off, falling to the ground with a splat.

Apollo let out a flurry of strikes.

Like a cacophony of screams, blades of wind tore through the air.

Otis attempted to dodge but was unable to accurately determine where they were coming from.

Cuts appeared across his body one after another. He already had one foot in the grave.

At that moment, the doors to the room burst open.

"Dad?"

A kid ran in from behind the doors. He was a little younger than Apollo. His cheeks still had traces of baby fat.

He had short light brown hair and his eyes were hazelnut in color. He was wearing a robe with gold linings that most in royalty would, but it gave off a dull luster.

Otis was composed even as he was about to die.

However, once he saw his child, he lost all of his composure.

"No! Run, my son!"

Apollo looked at the kid but did not spare another glance.

He couldn't care less.

On the other hand, the child did not heed his father's warning. He ran in, thinking he could somehow solve the predicament by being there.

"Dad!"

Otis subconsciously looked over but got hit with a slash because of that.

"Dammit! Son, run away!"

The kid frowned and clenched his fists. He was insistent.

"No! I will defeat this guy, just watch!"

The kid charged towards Apollo.

A tiny ball of fire formed on his hand. It seemed he wished to attack using it.

Otis reached out his hand towards his son.

"No!"

Apollo raised an eyebrow. He had no intentions to fight the kid, but if he was going to charge at him...

Apollo's bokken flashed.

Blood sprayed into the air.

It was Otis' blood.

He got in between Apollo and his son, taking the full brunt of the slash.

Now Otis was at death's door.

In just a few moments, he would leave this world forever.

He turned to his son.

"You... stupid child."

The kid looked at his father with tears in his eyes.

"Wha... why did you?"

Otis lightly pushed his son away.

"You must... live."

He smiled bitterly.

"Sorry. Your father... can't accompany you anymore."

To the kid's dismay, Otis fell to the ground lifelessly.

Seeing that, Apollo hopped up to the window.

He was done here.

The kid clenched his fists.

"Damn you! Remember this.... Otis the second will personally cut off your head!"