Bab 25: A DAY IN HOFN II
Hofn market was a loud and boisterous place. The women pulled you to their stalls and urged you to buy from them. The men gave the customers the stink eye and the Merchants sang their lies to everyone willing to listen whiles they ripped off folks gullible enough to believe them.
The guards following Bello and Joda had to snarl at more than one grabby person who wanted the young men to 'check' their goods. Joda chuckled as he saw how the Merchants were making things tough for the guards and he smiled good-humoredly as he admired the colorful artifacts on display.
The air was rich with the smell of spiced foods and roasted meat. The vegetable stands shone their dull color on the buyers and the fruit sellers seemed to mock the dull vegetable sellers with their highly polished fruits. Joda's stomach rumbled as he looked at all the food on display.
"This sure is a wonderful place. I'm even hungry just looking at all the food here." Joda told Bello who just laughed.
"Yes. This place is one of a kind. It's not as grand as the bigger markets but everyone is so polite and the air is always full of mouth-watering scents." Bello agreed. "Come, let's get some roasted meat." He invited an eager Joda.
The two of them walked over to the huge man who was cutting strips of roasted meat on a wooden board. He looked up at them with a smile and waved them over with his shiny and notoriously sharp cleaver. Joda noticed that his upper front teeth were missing and amused himself with thoughts of the big meat seller getting his teeth knocked out over a piece of meat.
"Folks told you bout my meat, eh? Or is it just my cooking skills that have pulled you over?" The man asked the moment they were within range.
"Just your cooking skills. My friend here had a whiff of your meat from yonder and hasn't stopped bugging me since. A big piece of meat to feed a house will do very well for us." Bello answered good-naturedly whiles Joda and the guards escorting them salivated at the thought of feasting on such a delicious thing.
"Sure, sure. What kind of meat do you want? I have goat, sheep, chicken, cow-"
"Cow meat will do just fine." Bello cut the man's rambling short.
"On it." The meat seller answered and dragged a big piece of meat to work on for his customer whiles whistling.
The small group watched as the meat seller worked on their order. His long fingers clasped around his cleaver's handle strongly. His face relaxed as he cut and turned the meat. His lips moved up and down as he whistled a tune that made sense to only him. He was in love with his job and they could tell. They in turn were in love with the delicious smell of burning meat that wafted up to them as he roasted their share.
They were still looking at the man when a loud pained screech reverberated throughout the entire market. Everybody stopped what they were doing and turned to the source of the noise. Joda who was closer than most turned to see a crowd gathering around a young boy of about 14 years old.
The boy lay on his side on the floor, his palm over his cheek where he had been dealt a brutal slap that had bust his lips open. Blood flowed freely from the corner of his lips and tears streamed down his cheeks as the large man who had dealt him the blow towered over him.
"Thief! You little scoundrel! How dare you lay your filthy fingers on my purse.! You know the law, you'll pay with a crushed hand!" The man shouted as the crowd around them started getting bigger and the throng of onlookers started blocking the little space Joda could see through with their bodies.
"Poor boy. He picked the wrong Merchant today. The gods bless his soul and keep him strong for what he's about to experience." The meat seller shook his head in deep sadness and looked away from where the boy's sobs could still be heard clearly even through the many voices that were now cheering or booing the Merchant on.
"What do you mean? What is going to happen to that boy?, What did he even do to warrant such a brutal treatment from that dog?" Joda asked in confusion and anger as the meat seller's calm acceptance of such a sick act infuriated him to no end.
"It's the law Joda. That boy probably tried to pick that Merchant's Pocket and got caught." Bello answered.
"So?" Joda countered. "He was probably hungry. A copper or silver coin would have done him good after a good talking to, won't it? But look at what that man did. He slapped that boy. Is that what the law says to do when a young hungry boy is caught trying to survive?" He asked all of them with a fire that made them almost ashamed of their kingdom's law.
Almost.
"No. The law says much worse." Bello said. "The law says to crush both hands of the thief when he is caught. A female is to be stripped and publicly disgraced. Those are for petty crimes like pick-pocketing. Much serious crimes are punished differently." Bello announced with indifference as Joda paled for the first time in his second life.
"Do you mean to tell me that, that young boy over there is going to have his hands crushed right now for something so petty as pick-pocketing?" Joda asked.
"Yes," Bello answered. "It's the law"
"To hell with the law. That kid needs his hands." Joda said and dashed off towards the crowd that was now even bigger than before, just as another scream, this time feminine and full of anger permeated the afternoon sky again.
'what is it now? Don't tell me the boy had a female partner who had also been caught. What a rotten town this place is.' Joda thought as he neared the people. "Out of my way!" He yelled and pushed his way through the crowd in one smooth moment of strength.
Back at the meat seller's stand. The two guards were torn between following the servant and staying with their young master who just stood silently, watching the retreating back of the young servant with keen interest.
Truth be told, the guards would have chosen to go after the servant, but the young master's interest seemed to align with theirs so they stuck by him. Bello seemed more interested in the meat than in Joda (or so their hungry minds thought) and the guards agreed with him. Food waits for no man. They could always catch Joda later. How difficult could it be? They asked themselves as they watched the meat sizzling and dripping fat with hungry eyes.
Great was their surprise and annoyance when the young master dragged the two of them after the servant.
"Let's go after him, men. I can use a good show this afternoon. Also, it's your duty to send him back home alive. I don't think you want to annoy my father by losing his new golden boy to some crazed mob, do you?" Bello asked menacingly and the two guards shook their heads strongly before dashing after Joda, with Bello In tow and the meat seller cursing the Merchant who had caused him a good sale and begging the gods to make the group return for their purchase.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
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stone