Chapter 7: Dealing With The Problem
For the longest while, there was nothing but this profound silence in the air where no one moved and no one spoke.
Not the remaining guards, standing pure in bafflement over what just transpired. Not me, who was at a complete loss for words, and certainly not the mob boss, who had somehow managed to regain his composure and was staring at Ash like never before.
It was only after Ash tried to take another step towards him that his bodyguards finally spurred into action, immediately surrounding her in a circle with drawn weapons and pointing their guns at her.
Ash, unamused by this, slowly folded her hands into closed fists, I saw her braced into a stance... any second now she was about to move, but then...
"Stand down!" The man barked, slamming the end of his cane to the ground. "This woman had a gun to her head, was shot, and it barely even fazed her and still you're going to try and riddle her with bullets? Are you people truly idiots?"
I'd have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire, especially afterward when all the guards started fidgeting uncomfortably in place, lowering their heads and mumbling stuff like "My bad, boss" and "No, of course not boss, sorry boss" before walking dejectedly back to their positions.
After a weary sigh, the man's eyes confronted Ash's once more.
"Well, I'll admit it. I confess myself to being impressed by you." He said, nodding his head at her. "Ash, was it? I'll be sure to remember you."
"Withhold your flattery, you fiend, for they'll only serve to enrage me even further," said Ash, her nostrils flaring. "Instead do what is wise. Free my master now, before further trouble ensues."
"Master?" Said the man, raising a brow towards me. "Really now? Is that what she calls you?"
I narrowed my lips. "She's only here to help me out."
"Hmm... Well, now I'm curious as to what you have done to earn the loyalty of someone of her capabilities. Do you mind sharing?"
"I was kind," I simply said. "Try being that for once, it might just surprise you."
"Perhaps..."
"Enough talk!" Ash shouted, taking another step. "Will you concede, or will you not? Answer now!"
The man slowly shook his head and walked off to the left of us. "Do I even have a choice?"
From out of a file cabinet in the far corner of the room, he pulled out a sheet of paper, and then as he slowly made his way back towards us, the paper was held out in front of Ash and me to see.
"Yours, yes?" The man said.
It was my contract. My name, my address, my number... everything about me was all contained in that little piece of paper. I tried to reach for it, but the man withdrew his hand back before I could take it.
"I can get rid of it. Tear it to pieces in front of your eyes if you want, I'll even forget about it," said the man again. "But the people above me? My superiors, well they - they have a far better memory than I do."
Ash scoffed. "A small loss in the grand scheme of things, I'm sure. Why does it matter if a single debt goes astray? I doubt they'd even cared nor know of my master's existence and involvement in these affairs."
"Oh, you'd be surprised."
She made a confused frown. "Explain yourself."
I didn't need an explanation. Slowly through the course of the conversation, I was starting to understand. The mob had deep roots in the city's lifeline. It all made sense to me now. How I was scammed, how I could never hold onto a job here, how I eventually got into debt with the mob.
No unlucky strings of unfortunate events. There was a reason for it. One man was to blame for all this, and I think I knew who.
I looked at the man straight in the eye and took a deep breath. "Don't tell me," I said. "Is it my father?"
"Made a lot of enemies in his lifetime," The mob boss gave another smile. "Tell me, how's he doing now?"
"Better than how I'm doing, I can tell you that much," I groaned and placed a hand onto my forehead. "I can't believe even here... so far away from home... I still somehow can get caught up in his bullshit."
Ash just looked even more confused, shifting her focus onto me. "Perhaps context is needed. Master, in regards to your father, how is he possibly involved in all of this?"
"I can answer that," said the man, now with a smile broader than ever. "See, his father got entangled with the wrong crowd a long, long time ago. Then when he wanted out, they weren't too happy with it but they can't touch him, they couldn't, really. He was far stronger than they could ever be, probably scared of him too. Fast forward to the present, and there comes along his son, hopelessly in need of cash. What a grand opportunity this was, indeed."
Yep... dear ol' dad. You never really talked a lot about your past, I knew you were involved in something. Why else did we have to keep moving every couple of years? Now it's come back to bite me in the ass, and you couldn't even be bothered to reply to your son's text messages? Really?
Dad of the decade.
"So you're saying even if I did manage to pay what I owe now, they still wouldn't let me off the hook?" I asked.
"Precisely," the man nodded his head. "What the girl here said earlier was right, they don't intend on letting you go. Their way of revenge, I suppose."
Ash tightened her jaw. "Children should not be made to carry the sins of the father. It is simply unjust."
"In a perfect world, perhaps," muttered the man.
"What do they want then?" I asked. "They want to go through me to get to my dad? He doesn't even know, he isn't even answering my calls."
"It's pure spite, kid. They don't need a reason. Whether your father knows or not is irrelevant. So long as you're paying, they're already as happy as can be. You don't pay... well, at least then they have a reason to pay you a visit themselves, don't they?"
"Oh."
My eyes fell to my feet. It was a lot to take in. Honestly, it was hard to wrap my head around it. I never made any enemies growing up. So to be told that there were people who were taking pleasure at my expense, people I never even knew existed... well, it's not really a relishing thought.
My mother isn't exactly feeling her best for some time now. Dad's tending to her... so I don't believe they can spare me any expenses, and I really don't want them to. I don't want to be a burden to them. And I can't just drag him all the way out here when there's no one to look after my mom in her current condition.
I somehow find the money and pay, and then I'll just be doing what they want. I walk away and run, and then it's someone higher up that I have to deal with. Someone probably even more ruthless and what's more, with a grudge.
Screwed either way... was there even any other option?
Ash apparently thought there was. The sudden sound of ripping and tearing brought my gaze back to the forefront and there she stood, with my contract in her hands, which was now torn in half down the middle.
Nobody tried to stop her, not even the boss, instead he was just standing there watching her, a mildly amused expression on his face.
Torn into fours, then into eights. All with a determined look in her eyes.
"Let them come," she said, flinging the remains into the air. "Let them try."
Shredded remains were all that was left strewn onto the carpet, right under the mob boss's shoes. Ash walked away, stopping briefly by my side to say, "Shall we, then?" before making her way to the elevator.
I stood there for a while longer, staring at the man, wondering to myself... wait, was that really it? Rip up the contract and bounce? Can't be that easy.
But apparently it was.
With caution, I turned the other way... took a step and no one came to stop me. So I took another and continued from there. Once Ash and I were nearing the exit, only then did the man call out to us from the other end of the room.
"Your father was an idiot. Never did he ever stop to think about the consequences of his decisions," He said, limping his way back to the window, cane in hand. "He's said stupid things, acted in even more stupider ways. But for how much of a fool he was back then, one thing was for certain - he wasn't a bad guy."
I called for the elevator, and it came to life with a silent whirring.
"And if it weren't for him that day," the man continued. "I would have been left with a lot more than just a limp leg."
The doors parted open and we entered the lift, and as we turned to the front, our eyes locked with the man again for the last time.
"So if you don't see any unwelcome visitors at your door for some time..." he nudged his head at me. "Be sure to mention to your father that we're even now."
Before I could even respond to that, or give any reaction at all, the elevator doors closed shut.
The nightmare was finally over. Or at least, for now.
I felt relief coursing through me like floodgates being parted open. There were so many things that could have gone wrong there. The amount of times I thought I was about to get a bullet to the head or worse... I couldn't even keep count.
Ash for her part looked no worse for wear, despite literally getting a bullet to the head. The whole debacle just felt like a mild inconvenience for her whereas I was frozen like a statue, desperately clinging on for dear life.
"So, uh... thanks for everything back there," I muttered to her. "Really, thanks a bunch. I mean if it weren't for you, I don't think I'd even be standing here right now."
She looked back at me, her glare gone, a warm smile returning a kind expression on her face.
"Think nothing of it," she said. "Though I do believe what I've done back there might have exacerbated matters instead."
"Maybe... but at least I don't have to pay anything anymore. Plus, it's as you said right? 'Let them try'."
She nodded her head firmly. "Indeed. Whatever happens, come what may, I'll be there for you."
Now it was my turn to start smiling.
Having an Elf-Knight as a companion wasn't exactly part of my plan in life. Can't say for sure what the future may hold having her by my side. But now that she was here, her bright green eyes sparkling in the sunlight from the opened elevators doors...
I can't say I have any complaints whatsoever.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Brendanjoke
Brendanjoke Hey guys! It's me, author-man here. Author being me and me being the author. Yeah, just a heads up... been posting chapter quite irregular and rather sporadically if you can't tell.
I don't really want to run out of a stockpile fast. So from this point on I'll be posting a chapter a day everyday. Haven't picked a time yet, but just assume as soon as the latest chapter comes out, that will be the exact time for every other that comes after it.
So yeah, that's all. Thanks for reading, everyone. Stay safe out there in this bizzare year we call 2020.
Chapter 8: Just Rewards
We left the office building to a cloudless afternoon sky. By the time the whole commotion was over and done with, both our stomachs were loud and growling.
So what did we do to resolve it?
Head to a restaurant? Grab a quick snack at a store? Ice-cream, maybe?
Nah, we headed home.
I flopped my wallet onto my living room table, sprawling it open for the whole world to see.
"No money!" I proclaimed, flinging my hands to the air.
Ash was crouched, her knees to the floor, and picked up my wallet by the very ends of her fingertips as if holding up some kind of weird bug.
"Intriguing coin pouch, master," she said, glancing at it from all angles. "But what does that mean for lunch?"
I looked at her and her big, bright questioning eyes as large as saucers, and felt guilt surge through me.
She got shot in the forehead for me and I couldn't even get her any lunch for it. What kind of sorry excuse of a human being am I?
"Well, uh - I'll call a friend," I whipped out my phone. "Borrow some cash, then we'll get some -"
But before I could dial any number, Ash had seized the phone from my grip with a swipe so fast, I didn't even realize she took it until I stupidly started trying to dial the air.
"Master, let us not act upon impulse, shall we?" Ash said, keeping my phone at a distance. "Lest we forget what has brought you trouble in the first place."
Realization hit me like an oncoming freight train and immediately I wanted to throw myself out the window for even coming up with the idea. No more borrowing money.
"My bad," I muttered, smiling apologetically. "I just wanted to show my gratitude to you in some way. You know… get you something nice."
Ash expelled a small sigh. "You already have, master."
"Have I?"
"You clothed me, fed me, and provided refuge. What is all of that if not 'nice', I ask?"
"But that's kind of a given," I answered back. "I would have done the same to anybody else. It didn't have to be you."
She shook her head. "It needn't matter. Kindness, where I'm from, you'll find very little of it, if any at all. In the eyes of many, most may say I don't even deserve such luxuries."
"That's horrible."
"And yet, that is simply just the very nature of my world."
Speaking of worlds, I realized I still had no idea where on earth she came from. What kind of fantasy world was it? What kind of creatures inhabited it? Who are the dominant species, and what's the situation like over there?
Put it simply…
"Just where exactly are you from anyway?"
"Well, it's a land far removed from your own… Asteria, we call it," She waved her hand. "Alas, it needn't matter. Let's leave it as a topic of little concern, shall we?"
"But why? Don't you want to go back?"
Blankly staring, Ash fell into a strange sort of silence. Usually, she'd be quick with a reply ready to go. Not this time.
She smiled again, it looked forced, and handed the phone back in my hands.
"Maybe," she said.
"Maybe?"
Just then, my phone picked the perfect time to start buzzing, the screen flickering to life with a text notification. Getting a text message was already a surprise for me, but getting one from the person who's been ghosting me this whole time? Now that's something worth drawing attention to.
"Hi Dad," I muttered, my eyes immediately darting to the screen.
Ash raised her eyebrows and came huddling to my side, "Your father? He speaks to you from that rectangular device?"
"Mmm, kinda…" I mumbled, too focused on reading his message to give a proper answer.
It was a short message. Then again, he wasn't always much for words. Now if only he developed the habit of checking up on the situation first before making any rash decisions. Still, he was always a man of action… and acted he did.
<<Just sent $3000 to your account. Should last you quite a bit. If you see a guy with a cane and a limp on your way over to pay, tell him I said hi.>>
-------
There was this moment in time that lasted for about fifteen minutes where there only consisted of rapid mutterings under my breath while I went back and forth with my dad in regards to what the money should be used for.
Told him I was sending it back, that I didn't need it anymore, and to use it for mom's medical bills instead. He replied back telling me to keep it, consider it as an early Christmas present or something.
Said to him, forget it - that's too much money for me to accept. He kept on insisting anyway.
All the while Ash was standing there looking over my shoulder, quiet, with a bemused expression on her face. Probably wondering to herself how do phones even work.
But she seemed to realize I was busy with something, whatever that something may be, so she held her tongue.
Later, Ash… I promise I'll explain how this world works to you in great detail one day, for now though...
<<Take back the money!>>
<<No.>>
After an almost endless loop of little progress, it finally culminated, and the cycle was broken as soon as dad typed up the magic words that sent me shutting the hell up.
<<Mom insisted.>>
Well shit, now I can't do anything about that. Forget Dad, Mom was the real threat here. Her word is law in my family.
It was time to concede defeat.
<<Understood.>>
I clicked the power button. My wallet laid bare in front of me, empty, yearning to be filled once more with cash aplenty, and who am I to say no to that?
"Hungry?" I said to Ash, a smile on my face.
Though she most likely was still a little confused over the click-clackety magical rectangle I had in my hands, the prospect of actually having lunch held her questions at bay.
"Absolutely famished," she said with a simper.
And so, for the third time in such a short time, we left the building once more to seek out a meal for the two of us.
Oh yeah, and to pay my bills too… can't forget that. Once the electricity was back on… Lightbulbs, television, computer… Oh man, Ash was in for a treat.
After a quick visit to an ATM, we began our journey, basking in the afternoon sun, with Ash's ever-curious eyes constantly wandering off to the streets. Traffic was blaring and most vehicles were at a standstill. Ash now had a good view of the thing that fascinated her the most.
And fascinated her it did. Ash couldn't keep her eyes off of them. Which inevitably resulted in me having to recite the entire history of cars and their purposes for public use.
She had some questions too.
No, they're not animals. Horses? Yeah, I guess they're like horses. No - look, I did say they were like horses, but they are not animals. Do we ride on them? Of course, we do. Why don't I have one? Oh. Well, they're expensive, Ash, that's why. No, we can't just find one in the wild and take it in - I just said they weren't animals!
"May I be able to ride one someday?" She asked as a car sped on by.
That question caught me off guard. I was used to her asking questions, they came by the dozen every minute anyway, but this was the first time a question came with a want, a desire.
Ash actually wanted.
I looked at her expression. "Are you curious?"
Her eyes found another car to keep her eye on, and she followed it with her gaze as it sped along its route, once it vanished around a corner, it was almost as if she was snapped out of a trance and she instantly shook her head.
"Pay no mind, forget I've asked," she said, clearing her throat. "Now, how long more till we reach, master?"
"We could if you want to, you know? I don't mind."
Ash tightened her lips. "You've done so much already. It wouldn't be right of me to demand."
"So have you," I replied. "If it weren't for you…"
"Seekers do not get to want, seekers do not get to wish. In my world, speaking of such desires would warrant more than just physical punishment. Reminders… so I may not forget. I exist only to serve, that is my role, the reason for my being. Both as a Knight, and as an Elf."
Just what kind of messed up world is that? If that's how she gets treated back in her world, it's no wonder she's a bit hesitant about going back. Her need to serve, and her total disregard for her own life, it was starting to make much more sense now.
That world has molded her into what she was now. But not anymore.
"Don't forget," I muttered, gripping her arm like how she did mine back then. "You're not in your world anymore."
She didn't say anything then, but I think she understood what I meant.
"Let's go take that ride, then," I said, as we turned at a street corner.
Her face didn't display any emotions, but it didn't need to, because despite the hoodie covering most of her expression, there was simply no hiding the energetic twitches of her ears jutting out from beneath the fabric.
It was kind of endearing, really.
Now, a quick taxi ride shouldn't hurt, right?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
15 Power
stone 
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