Bab 49: An unprecedented encounter

I scratched my head as I couldn't even think of where to begin. So instead of aimlessly running around, I decided to head to the blacksmith's shop to check on my sword.

I walked along the road towards the downtown area. Things were peaceful but somehow they were weighing me down.

There was a scream and it sounded awfully familiar. I was only halfway. I turned. A boy was being beaten by a large man.

"Finally caught you, you little rascal." The man burst into laughter.

The boy had tears streaming down his face but he glared at the man. It was the same kid from last night. The same weak, barely alive, kid: he was bathed in red, his own blood. There was a crowd surrounding them.

"What's going on?" I asked a man beside me.

"The kid stole from him some time ago. Now he caught him and-"

What do I do? My heart started pounding. I didn't know what I could do. I didn't know the city. I didn't know the laws. More importantly, I didn't know the crimes he'd done.

"Now where is my money?" The man glared.

"I didn't steal from you!" the kid yelled back.

The man grinned. "Guess I'll make you my slave and-"

I grinded my teeth and shoved through the crowd. "Hey!" I didn't care anymore. I didn't know what came over me either. I wasn't some humanitarian anyway. But something inside me just couldn't let this slide.

The large man looked at me and the crowd parted. "Oh, young man, you've been robbed too?" He still had his grin. I felt sick.

"How much did he steal from you?" I asked.

"Thirty. And he'll pay dearly for it." He lowered his gaze down to the boy.

Whispers went around. "Thirty silvers? But that's ridiculous!" A man next to me whispered. That was a ridiculous sum and anybody could understand that.

Which could only mean one thing: the guy was lying. "You're lying!" I unsheathed my new sword and pointed it at him. Can't stop myself now. I closed my eyes and gathered my thoughts. There's no helping. I took the initiative, I'll see this through. "I will ask you again, how much did he steal from you?"

He seemed a little uncomfortable but didn't back down. "I'm telling you, he stole-"

I rattled and my eyes narrowed. Obviously it was just a bluff, but I made the gesture of rushing for him.

All of a sudden a young man stepped forward. He was younger than me. I stopped in my tracks and sheathed my sword, back stepping promptly. The enemy of all men had arrived. Damn those golden locks! Damn those glittery eyes. What was this? A girl's naughty dream or something? Why did he have to be so damn good-looking? "What is going on here?" He was in some sort of uniform, a little different from the guards I saw before.

No one answered, so I made headway. From what I could tell the large man was influential, but I didn't really care. Moreover this newcomer handsome, enemy of all men, irked me a bit too much. "This man accused this boy of stealing and was beating him. However the sum he claims is just ridiculous. Tell me, if this kid had really stolen thirty silvers, would he really be going about streets like this, dressed in filthy rags?" I was in my made up humanitarian mode. I saw lots of speeches like this from Uncle Tom: He was an expert at controlling the room. And I despised him, but I guess even my time with him had its merits.

I gave it my best shot at gathering the pity of the nearby people. They were disgusting in their own way but I could use them.

"I see." The young man looked at the large man. "Care to explain?"

"Yo-You!" the man seemed a little down. He was sweating too. "I might have been mistaken. So I'll take my leave." The man hissed and left. It was surprising just how quickly he gave up. Maybe he was just a common thug?

I felt the urge to beat him senseless but I controlled myself.

"Thanks whoever you are." I thanked the young man and went straight for the little boy. He had tears in his eyes and a smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting boy."

He didn't say anything and passed out. I sighed and took him in my arms.

"What are you going to do?" The young man asked.

"I don't know. I have some herbs maybe I'll apply them. Or maybe I'll buy some potions. I don't really know the way, so it'll be nice if someone helped." Of course I wanted his help. He seemed to be a good guy, or at least better than the sorry assess those surrounded me. I mean, I didn't like the guy but I needed his help, so there was nothing I could do but ask for it.

Plus he also seemed to be a guard of some sort, meaning I could get out of trouble if I was with him, and perhaps steal some information about how this world worked too. I had too many motifs.

"Okay." He seemed a little eager as well, too eager maybe.

The crowd dispersed as quickly as it had formed and it made my stomach crawl. Were human beings really this selfish? Maybe humans only helped others out of their own need. Maybe they only helped each other for their own gains. I couldn't unsee this after this incident.

The young man led me to a potions shop and I bought ten vials of potions for one hundred silvers: I had to use the gold coin and now had only one gold coin left: money came and went pretty fast. All of my equipment wasn't even worth fifty silvers. That just showed how expensive they were. And yet, I didn't feel terrible. Me, a miser, didn't feel terrible after spending so much money! It was a miracle!

I still fed the boy, a full bottle. He'd regained consciousness on the way. He downed the bottle in one go and smiled. We were inside the shop and the kid was on the floor. We might have made business hard for the shopkeeper but after the large purchase, I just made he didn't have it in him to complain.

"Are you sure you should spend so much money on potions? Wouldn't it have been better if you'd just seek help from the church? Actually, if you paid a priest one gold, he might have even gone on journeys with you." The young man was under the impression that I was a lone adventurer who found the gold coin in one of my journeys. He wasn't wrong, though.

"You're right but people die too quickly around me. This was better." Actually going to the church never really occurred to me. I might have been a little dumb in that regard. But it was better this way. That church was full of weird people and it sent shivers down my spine. Regardless, it was best that I didn't travel with people. I didn't want to put others in danger.

The kid's wounds healed. He didn't have any fatal ones. He was only left with a bruise on his head. But with all the blood and stuff, he needed a shower. "I don't think I have any money to repay you. I-"And yet, he was more worried about paying me.

"No one asked for payment. Don't get me wrong. I didn't help you out of the goodness of my heart. I helped you so I can sleep better at night. Meaning, I helped you for my sake, not yours." I mean, I didn't lie. I would have had loads of problems if he died on the street and I had to witness it.

The young man sighed. "You should be a little more honest. Anyway, I'll be taking my leave. Take good care." He looked at the boy and then turned around to leave.

"You never told me your name," I said.

"Gorgan."

"Daarc."

"I'm Seel." The little kid felt the necessity to tell us his name too.

No one asked you. I didn't tell him that though.

We bade each other goodbye and I took the kid- Seel on my back. "Where to now, boy?"

"Over there, and it's Seel."

"Whatever."

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