บท 7: What comes next?
Alan and Arsh were wandering through the town, together. But Arsh was rather confused by their sudden visit.
"....So, Why are we here?"
And he demanded an answer from his companion.
"Take a look in the mirror kid. You look like shit. Your clothes are all ragged and tattered. Go buy some new decent clothes for yourself. And I need to buy some things too."
They entered the marketplace together. And Alan gave him some coins to buy things, while he attended to his business.
"What business? He just ditched me."
Arsh kicked a little rock lying on the ground, sending it flying through an alleyway. Arsh sighed and looked at the market in front of his eyes.
He has never been outside before. View of something like a market was astounding to him. A place of wonders, What he only saw in books, and heard through the mouth of the villagers.
Arsh was not as dumb, as to not know what a shop is. Or what money means. He had read several books and heard stories about all of them.
"....I never saw this before, though."
But Arsh still didn't know how much the coins were worth. The coins didn't have the same pattern as he saw in the books. Probably because the books were usually 14 years old.
"Hit and try. The best method in the book."
Arsh mumbled to himself in the middle of the crowded marketplace. Getting several stares from the crowd present there. He moved away quickly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Arsh found a shop with a display of clothes and entered it full of excitement. He looked around the shop, the first time entering a building this big.
"I want some clothes."
Arsh rushed to the black-bearded man, sitting at the counter. The man was reading the newspaper on the counter. Upon noticing Arsh, the black-bearded man smiled.
"Excitement for new clothes, huh?"
The man moved away from the counter and started shuffling clothes in the store. After some time of waiting, he came back with some sets of clothes in his hand.
Arsh didn't examine anything and took it at face value. He was sure, he couldn't pick better clothes than a person who is in the business of selling them. He took the bag away from the bearded man and showed him the coins.
"I don't know how much it's worth. But don't try to cheat me, It won't end well for you."
The black-bearded man let out a hearty laugh, resounding through the whole shop.
"Haha… It's been a long time since I met a kid as rude as you. It is honestly refreshing, to see a kid on this desolate northern continent. I don't need your money, kid. Keep the clothes, they are free."
The bearded man escorted him out of the store and waved at Arsh. Arsh waved back, feeling confused like every other time.
'What? What did I do wrong this time?'
Arsh pondered the issue for some time, then dismissed it as a stroke of luck. For getting clothes for free.
Arsh got a whiff of delicious food while wandering around the large marketplace. He stopped and looked at the building, from where the smell came from.
[Guild]
The board on the top reads Guild. But Arsh didn't really care. Who was gonna recognize him in such an alien place?
"I have a little money left anyway."
Arsh entered the tavern-looking building. Listening to his grumbling stomach.
Upon entering the tavern, he saw a spectacle he had never seen before. There were several people there, strong-looking people. Most of them have weapons with them on the table.
The people there were in their world, drinking and laughing together. This was the first time Arsh encountered such a merry place in his life.
Arsh moved between the tables excitedly, trying to reach the food counter at the end, and join the fray.
His hand accidentally slipped, ramming into a glass on the table of adventurers. The content of the glass, getting sprayed on the person sitting on the chair.
"...I am sorry. My hand slipped slightly."
The adventure looked at him, fury in his eyes. He pushed all the plates present on the table to the ground and marched towards Arsh.
"What is your problem, Motherfucker?"
"As I said, It was just an acc...."
Arsh reflexively responded, before pausing.
Pure unadulterated rage rushed up to his head before he roared.
"DID YOU JUST INSULT MY MOTHER!!?"
The fury could be seen in his eyes. If there was one thing that was Arsh's reverse scale, it was his mother.
Nobody.
Nobody got to insult her.
The adventure sobered up instantly, by the threatening voice directed at him. The adventurer looked around, now at the silent tavern, and his expression faltered.
"Are you afraid? Harthy"
Another adventurer from the same table mocked the standing adventure. The standing adventurer's face twisted in a fit of rage.
He tilted his body, Getting on the same eye level as Arsh. A taunting expression appeared on his savage face.
"Yeah, kid. I was insulting your mother. What of it? What are you gonna do, huh? Little motherf…"
Before the adventurer named Harth could even finish his sentence, he was struck in the face. With such inhumane brute force, it sent him rolling on the floor.
The crowd cheered. His companions stood up from their chairs and unsheathed their weapons. One of them with a red cloak suddenly appeared behind Arsh, slamming Arsh on the ground by the head.
"You shouldn't have done that, kid."
Arsh tried to resist, but it was of no avail. And a fact became clear, the power that Arsh was so proud of in the village, fighting against kids, was meaningless here.
Arsh tried to stand, but the cloaked man moved first, plunging his leg directly into Arsh's chest.
Arsh violently coughed up blood from his mouth. The red-cloaked man smiled and moved back to his seat. Leaving Arsh crawling on the ground.
Harth also picked himself up from the ground his face twisting in rage.
"You are so dead, MOTHERFUCKER!"
The red-cloaked man raised an eyebrow, before responding in an even voice from his seat.
"Don't kill him here Harth. We have to answer to church if we do that in the marketplace. "
Harth licked his lips, slowly moving toward Arsh.
"Don't worry, Roy. I'll show him something much worse than death."
'SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!'
Smiling wickedly, Harth picked up a spear from the table near him. He stabbed it directly into Arsh's hand. Resulting in a screech from Arsh, resounding throughout the whole marketplace.
People around the marketplace started to gather around the tavern, to see what was going on inside. In less than a minute, there were hundreds of people present there.
Every single one of them wore the same expression on their faces, amusement.
"You said something about cursing your mother, Yeah?"
"What happened? Did she die? Got killed? Or let me guess, she got sold at the black market, like thousands of other bitches?"
Arsh ground his teeth, so hard, resounding through the whole tavern. Arsh's crimson eyes shook. He crawled with his bloody body, towards the group of Adventurers.
"Take that back Fucker! Or I'll rip that mouth of yours to shreds."
Arsh shouted at the adventurer, with every fiber of his being. Making the crowd flinch and turn completely silent. Every person present looked at the crawling kid on the floor surprise in their eyes.
The red-cloaked adventurer named Roy, stood up from his chair clapping and laughing out loud.
"Ohh, That was an impressive amount of bloodlust you released. But consider your condition right now before speaking kid. You are crawling on the ground. you are seriously injured, and most importantly. you are all alone"
Roy removed his red sword from the scabbard, running a finger over it. Making a little show for the crowd, he moved slowly, rotating the sword in hand.
"I should at least cripple you for your insolence."
'.....Why am I so damn weak?'
As Arsh inwardly cursed himself. Roy smiled menacingly, aiming his sword directly at Arsh's chest. But, before He can pierce the sword through Arsh.
"Who said he was alone?"
A familiar voice came forward from the crowd.
A man was making his way toward the ruckus. The man had a mask on, making only his brown eyes visible, though he looked rather frail, and had disheveled hair on his head.
'Alan!'
Alan moved between the crowd, and the crowd divided, making a straight path toward the center of chaos.
Roy and Harth along with the rest of their group quickly took a fighting stance. Alan spared them a lazy glance, proceeding to ignore them.
He moved away and squatted in front of injured Arsh.
"Damn, Kid! You really are a package of trouble for me"
Alan chuckled, standing up from the ground. Moving toward the band of adventures, his face, and expression, are still hidden by the facemask.
The adventurers started sweating and took a step back quickly. Looking at the masked man in front of him.
Arsh looked at the spectacle wide-eyed. He was astonished by the degree of power Alan commanded. He knew Alan was some kind of military employee who betrayed his organization.
'But, Is he really that strong?'
From the reaction of the adventurers, It seemed to be the case. Alan chuckled and disappeared from his spot appearing with Harth's throat in his hand.
"I will give you two choices. Leave now or die."
Alan threw Harth at the others from his band. His voice was sharp, making them flinch at his penetrating gaze. They nodded frantically running away together.
Alan picked Arsh from the ground, disappearing from his spot again. He stealthily moved away without being noticed back to his wooden cottage.
"....What the hell were you doing there? If I wasn't there, you would've died like a dog."
Arsh was silent throughout the way. Now in the house too. His eyes got opened by the little trip to the market. He now knew what his next step should be.
'I need power like that too.'
He turned to Alan with a determined expression on his face. Knowing what he wanted to achieve next.
"Teach me how to fight Alan."
Arsh was too weak right now. He couldn't land a single hit on the adventurer. The powerlessness he felt, like a cattle about to be executed by a butcher.
"I need power. Enough power to stand up to people, who took everything from me. I need your help. I have seen firsthand, how strong you are."
"Help me, Alan. Please!"
Alan dropped the bandage in his hand. He turned to Arsh, a pained expression all over his face. His voice trembled, as he replied in barely above a whisper.
"We will talk about that later."
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