TM
“Hurry we must abandon this place!” bellowed a tall shadowy figure, voice echoing throughout a massive marble hall. “You must not be found! Not at this Place, not at this time!” He tells the figures around him, all cloaked and faces buried unseen beneath their hoods.
“But we must fight for our realm.” Said one of the hooded figures.
“This is not the time to argue, hurry we must flee!” replied the tall entity.
“Why must we trust you? You are one of them! You’ll just betray us all!” beckoned another hooded figure.
Suddenly they felt the hall mildly tremble, second after second the trembling began to intensify, until the whole hall was rumbling so loudly that all the figures fell to the ground, surprisingly the ordeal stopped in an instance, all broke into silence and then darkness befell the hall………………
“Hey wake up, Sir please wake up.” A young boy whispered as he was trying to wake up a man in the inn. The man was shivering in his sleep. ”Wake up” repeated the boy. But he didn’t move.
The man was still young, had wavy black hair long enough at the back to reach his tight white shirt’s collar. He had an average height and oddly he had a pretty but manly face, judging from his appearance he was a monster slayer for he had his sword by his bed side and other metallic accessories on the small wooden table.
“WAKE UP!” shouted the boy in frustration.
Startled, the man grabbed his sword and un-sheath his blade, it waved in the air with fluid motion and it glistened all over the small, dim and damp wooden room. It was barely touching the boy’s throat, rubbing his eyes, the man saw clearly the startled and wide-eyed boy.
The boy was a pitiful sight, small and unhealthy, he had a pale skin tone and had untidy brown hair, he wore a peasant’s typical clothing. The poor boy was barely able to move because of his trembling body. Realizing his mistake the man edged his sword away from the poor helpless boy.
“I’m sorry about that.” He said in a soft and gentle voice while sheathing his sword back.
“Its okay sir, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have waked you up so hurriedly, but the innkeeper told me to call you up immediately sir.”
Looking at the boy’s hand the man saw a bronze coin which could have been the boy’s payment to wake him up. The man leaned down and patted the boy’s head.
“Its okay is wasn’t your fault. I see the innkeeper didn’t give you your rightful payment.”
Reaching in his pocket the man handed the boy five silver coins and said, “Here, it’s the least I could do for nearly cutting your throat.”
The boy smiled and looked at the coins as if he never held one before. “T-t-thank you so much mister…”
“Crichton my name is Crichton” interrupted the man, “and you are?”
“Raymund sir, my name is Raymund Wulff.”
“Please, don’t call me sir, Raymund, you make me look old” he smiles but pity still present in his glistening blue eyes, “I’m just like a big brother, okay?”
“Yes si… I mean Crichton”
“So the innkeeper needs a word from me huh? I wonder what he wants. I’m gonna go down for a while ok Ray its best you eat up with what I gave you or you could hand it over to your father and let him do the buying, then I’ll see you later, ok?”
“Ok Crichton thanks again, see you later!” Ray said as he ran for the stairs, but Crichton didn’t go down immediately, something bothered him, something that he could not explain to himself nor could be understood by others. “Why do I keep dreaming of the same things over and over again?” Crichton said to himself. “That’s the twelfth time this luna (week), why won’t it stop?”
“HEY BOY YA UP YET!?!”
Crichton’s thinking was interrupted by the innkeeper’s rumbling voice.
“COMING!” He quickly put on his accessories all of which were made of leather and metal, and straps of belts. He put on his shoulder and arm guard in his left arm, and knee guard on his right loose black pants, he tied his sheathed sword to his waist, put on his boots and headed for the stairs.
The once rarely visited and untidy inn was crowded, busy with people young and old.
“Looks like it’s a good day for you Merius,” Crichton said jokingly.
“They ain’t here fer business ya idiot!” Snarled Merius the innkeeper, he was a very fat man, very tall and beard covering his entire mouth and he had a protruding bald spot on his head, he was sweating all over his tight brown tunic, for it was too hot inside the inn with all the people around. “Then what’s all the commotion about?” “One of em Rifters ‘s flyin’ ‘round da forest nearby“, said Merius while wiping his sweaty face with the sleeve of his tunic, “I thought ya should know, I know yar a slayer an’ all but I don’t think ya wanna mess wit’ one of em creatures, I here no person was able ta’ kill one yet…..”
“Yeah I know,” Crichton interrupted. “They could fly like lightning and another thing is that they have indestructible skin plates. More deadlier are their arms, each of them have long protruding blades made of the same indestructible material as their bodies, some say they use them to cut people’s heads up while they swoop down at high speeds. And they eat the brains up an….”
“Woah slow down boy! Yar givin’ me a headache! Didn’t kno’ they wer that damn deadly!” Merius said with a loud voice now sweating more heavily, which turned the people’s attention toward him, “Good thin’ dat Raymund kid was in here, heard he lived ‘n da forest right where dat damn thin’s flyin round.”
“WHAT?!” Crichton said in shock.
“Wha’s da matter boy?” Merius asked immediately.
“Right before I came down I told Ray to go home and eat up” Crichton said in disbelief.
“Der’s nothin’ we can do but pray boy, or prepare for da worst.”
“I can’t let that happen! Not while I’m around, I’m going after Ray!” yelled Crichton.
“What ter ya insane boy dat’s a damn Rifter out der, dat’s suicide…” But even before Merius could finish Crichton squeezed for the door, ignoring the tight crowd, he ran outside. “Damn idiot, looks like a day of mourning‘s ‘bout ta come” Merius whispered to himself.
Outside, Crichton was running furiously for the forest. One thing was running through his mind. He had to save more than just a pitiful little boy he just met he had to save his newfound little brother.