26 The Deal With Barros
1480 Words
“I did,” Peter said, a little intimidated.
He looked just like a man from spartan, but based on how he had just dramatically entered the indoor pavilion, he might be a powerful demigod they were looking for. Quite a show, as Peter could say.
The demigod looked at Peter from head to toe. “You’re just a mortal. A weakling,” he said with a cocky smirk on his lips.
Peter was a little pissed at the demigod’s attitude. The power had gone to his head, he thought.
He just nodded. “Yeah, and I summoned you. We summoned you even though we were just normal,” Peter said, emphasizing the fact that they were just normal people but had the ability.
The demigod paused to think before he nodded. “Yes, but you’re no match in me,” he said.
Peter smiled a small smile. Surely, powerful people were cocky for their own sake. He wasn’t even sure if the demigod in front oh him had the power they would need to help them fix the problem with Josh. Or at least even repair him.
“Are you a demigod?” Ray suddenly asked. The demigod was taken aback that the smile had smudged off of his face.
It was the first time someone asked him that question. No one had doubted his ability and power. Which made him think they were just like any other foolish normal human who wasn’t even careful at choosing their words.
“I am a demigod,” the demigod said. “What makes you think I’m not?” he asked out of curiosity.
“Because you looked no different than us,” Ray said.
The demigod nodded. “You’re right about that, but I’m different than you. I am more powerful,” he said and it sounded more like he was convincing them. He looked down and opened his hand to show his palm, a small ball of blue fire sat in his palm.
He looked at the three. “I am Barros, the son of the god of healing and restoration,” he said.
Zack interrupted. “Wow! Perfect! We should ask him to heal Josh,” Zack said excitedly and walked closer to Barros then turned around to Peter and Zack. “Finally, we’re gonna get out of this,”
Barros the demigod was a little confused. He closed his hands and the flame was gone. He then chuckled. “Hold on. Did you expect me to do favors for you once you’ve summoned me?” he asked and laughed. “People give me offerings to heal them. And I’m very picky. Not even any of you has any special trait.”
“Your point is? Zack asked.
“My point is, I’m not an easy one,” he said. “You’re no special for me to easily grant any of your favor. You have to please me.”
Peter sighed. Barros was no different than the dream goblin he summoned, as well as the sphinx. Well, at least he had expected it. The sphinx said they had to comply with any deal that the demigod would give.
“What can we do for you to help us fix our stoned friend?” Peter asked.
Barros looked at stoned Josh and grimaced when he saw he had lost his head and arm. “What happened to your friend?”
“Medusa turned him into stone. And his head and arm were invisible,” Peter explained.
Barros hummed in interest. “Medusa, you said?” he asked.
Peter nodded.
“That woman. I’ve heard about her,” he shook his head. “Anyway, I can do that. I can remove the invisibility of his head and arm. But I can’t help turning him back to stone. I’m strict at giving deals. One deal, one issue. If you want both to be fixed, that’s two different deals with me.”
Usually, Barros would ask of impossible searches. Search for this thing and that, and once people succeeded because of intense desperation, then he would gladly do what people wished.
But seeing Peter, Ray, and Zack, something about them made him think they sparked adventure. And he liked dealing with people who looked adventurous.
He started to think things he’d like them to do. Hard, but easy for desperate people. Something challenging for them, and something that could make them suffer. Something that will make them realize they were no match for him.
He also wanted to rely on a message—that it had prices for asking a demigod’s help.
Peter waited patiently and watched Barros as he took his time to think of any deal to give. He hoped it wouldn’t be hard.
Barros nodded to himself when he had come to a decision. “I’ll offer you a bet,” he started, and the three waited for the next things he had to say. “I will challenge one of you. If I lose, I’ll repair your friend for free,” he said and grinned. “But if I win, I’ll take forty years from each of your lives.”
Peter’s mouth was agape. He laughed and didn’t hesitate to decline. “No, I won’t do that. There’s even no guarantee we’ll leave that long to give you forty years. Even if I only have one day to live, I won’t give it to you.”
“Me, too. I won’t give you that much lifeline,” Zack said.
Ray shook his head. “Neither I would agree to that,” he said and asked. “Don’t you have any other deal to give us?”
Barros looked at them in disbelief. “It’s a good offer, you won’t know, but you might win against me.”
“You are a demigod. We are just human,” Peter said. Although it grazed his ego, it was true. There’s no way he would agree with such a foolish and unfair deal.
Barros hummed and looked at each of them. He sighed and touched his chin with his index finger. “Let me see,” he said.
Well, it wouldn’t be fun for him to challenge one. And he was up to any extra challenges.
“Okay. I have an idea,” he said.
Peter watched him and hoped for any advantageous deal. Something one of them had a sure win against Barros.
Barros sighed. “This is the very first time I had given chances for mortals. And This is the last time.” He smiled and crossed his arms. “Each of you can challenge me, you choose whatever you want. Whether it’s a fight of physical or mental. Whatever you want. Each of you has one chance, that’s three, all in all. If one of you wins against me, I’ll do your favor. But if you lose, I’ll still take each of your forty years of lifespan.”
Peter started to think. That was not bad. Even though forty years of their lives were at stake, each of them had chances to win. If at least one of the three won, then that would be an easy way to remove the invisibility of Josh’s head and arm.
They could just use the invigorating blood to bring Josh to normal.
He then suddenly thought, what if they’d just use the invigorating blood to solve all the issue of Josh?
“We have invigorating blood,” Peter said.
“What?” Barros asked.
“Can the invigorating blood solve our problem?” Peter asked Barros.
Barros then started to laugh. “Invigorating blood only works for each one issue. If you only got one orb of invigorating blood, It wouldn’t be enough to bring back your friend to normal, all at once. It’s not a one-fits-all medicine,” he said. “Sure, use it to your friend, but you could only remove his invisibility. You will have to think of another way to remove Medusa’s curse.”
“We used almost a quarter of it to summon you,” Ray said.
Barros stifled a laugh. “Then it wouldn’t even be enough to remove the invisibility, as two different parts of his body were involved,” he explained. “I’m not here to explain it to you. Just accept my deal or leave it,”
Peter sighed. Then they either accept Barros’s deal or they’d just summon another creature from Kramer, which, he didn’t want, as dealing with another hundred of thousands of worms would never be easy.
Before Peter could even say yes, Ray stepped forward. “I’ll do it first,” Ray said.
“Ray, are you sure?” Peter asked. “We should plan this first.”
“There’s no time for that, Peter. Just figure out what you are good at and use it as an advantage to him,” Ray said.
“Yeah, yeah. Just choose whatever you want,” Barros said, completely laid back at the challenge. He anticipated having fun through the challenge.
“Then what challenge will you choose?” Peter asked.
Ray smiled. “Swordfight,” he muttered to Peter.
Peter slowly nodded. He smiled. “Okay. Do your best, Ray,” he said.
He approved his choice, because so far, like that time when he had to fight Medusa, and when they were trying to kill Ben Duke from Kramer, he looked like he had experience in using the sword.
“So, challenger, what challenge have you chosen?” Barros asked blue flame was on his palm again, as if getting ready for something.
Ray took the sword behind the plank and walked back to where Barros was, waiting for Peter and Zack to give them some distance.
Barros smirked. “Swordfight? Classic,” he approved and in a second, a sword formed through the blue flame in his palm.
“Let’s begin.”
- Writer
