He speaks, but I barely manage to hear from him as he stoops down and picks a stray fruit from the ground. Chatter from seemingly endless business transactions and the spinning wheels of carriages tried their best to blot every chance of a good conversation as more people pour from all directions , hopeful that some of them would grace upon a chance to snag something valuable from the confusion. I see a kid preparing to swipe from the baker, but my attention was once again caught by Jean. He's already bought a basket of apples while I wasn't looking.
"Hey. Are you listening?"
"I'm sorry but I can't really hear you with all the noise here."
"Let's go somewhere quiet, then. I know someone on a huge smithy just straight up that alley. It's known for its... unusual policies, but it's also recognized as one of the best shops here in Stassi. Let's also look for some good weapons while we're at it. Can't be a bodyguard if you don't have a stick."
Great. More alleys.
"I'm tired. Can't we rest for a second?" I groan.
"No. We'll rest once we get there."
"But it's hot and you're wearing armor. I'm just worried about you."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Well, at least buy me a cold drink."
"… Fine."
And on we went, Jean resigning to my whims as he buys two from a new stall. I swear he'd make a bad parent if he keeps being this submissive. Not that I mind it, though. I'm getting what I want. I happily sip my drink as Jean counted his change. The monetary system here is very simple. From what I've observed: Cings apparently come in only fifties,hundreds, and thousands. There may be more, though. I only said this because the sellers only gave him fifties and hundreds in change. Jean always carries a bunch of thousands.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" I ask.
"Why?"
"That's a mansion."
"That's definitely a weapons workshop."
"Yeah, but look at the size of that thing. There's no reason to live in the smoke and heat if you have a house this big. You can just hire people to do it for you."
"Sol, there's literally a sign over there that says ' This is a weapons shop '. It doesn't cost much to actually use your eyes when you look for something. "
"… Shut up."
"Stop being petty just because you lost this one."
"No, you."
"… Whatever, man. Let's just go."
I open the large door and was greeted by the sheen of glass and a feeling of unsettlement. Its wooden floor glossed like the walls it was surrounded with, and the place was littered by a spread of that same wooden door we just came from. Jean seems to be unaware, as usual. He's on my left admiring his own reflection. I was about to get him back for what he did earlier, but slight glimmers from across the room caught my attention. What looked to be a duo of sanguine portals danced around a silver obelisk standing on the far end of the area.
"Hey, Jean. Do you think--"
"Welcome, humble visitors!"
"ACK! FUCK!"
"Hahaha. That sure gets them every time. What can I do for you, Jean?"
"Weapons. The best ones you have." Jean dismissively says. "And before you ask, yes. I brought what you asked for, and I'm not giving it until we get the pass."
"You're killing me. By the way, do you mind introducing me to your friend over here?" the man smiled. Putting his huge frame and rough demeanor aside, he seems like a good fellow.
"This is Sol. He's my bodyguard."
"The Black Scourge having a bodyguard? That's news."
"Just open the damn shop."
"Hahaha. Alright, alright. Hey, you. Sol, is that it?"
"Oh, uhhh… Yes."
"Catch." Jean calls and tosses his sword. He waited until my head was turned, so I easily managed to catch it by the sheath.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked.
"It's a test." the man intrudes the conversation. "The rules are simple. All you have to do is find the entrance. "
"..Are you serious right now?"
"Dead serious. A weapon is only as good as he who wields it, and I don't want my work to get sullied by idiots. I need to know if you're... worthy."
His voice was deep, his tone patronizing. His bravado is beginning to rub me the wrong way.
"You sound sure of yourself. "
"That's because I am. "
"What if I let Jean do it? You two sound like you know each other. I'm pretty sure he knows the answer. "
"Uh, n-no. No. That's cheating."
"I'm just kidding. Sure. I'll take the test."
"… Hahaha. You're an interesting one. And for that, I'll give you a clue: Do not hit the portals. Good luck. "
I was pleased by the flattery, but even I knew that pondering about it would lead to nothing. So... I just need to find the entrance, huh? This looks amusing. Let's look at the doors first.
...
Nope. They're all fakes. Most of them lead to more walls, if not a roomful of imps. Let's see. Jean tossed me his sword, so I'm guessing that's a clue. What does it mean, though? … Wait. Maybe I should hit them with it.
...
Nope. They're still walls. No magic is happening. The same goes for the room with the little shits. Those bastards sure are annoying. I go back to the corridor, where I see Jean and the man talking. They sure seem to be enjoying themselves, that's for sure.
"Don't you dare give him the answer, Jean. Not even a clue." the strongman says.
"Hahaha. I won't. Everybody deserves to suffer a little. Besides, he'll find it all out on his own."
"Will he, now? By the way, what's the story between you two?"
"An amnesiac. I found him in the forest and decided to take him in."
"I can leave whenever I want." I obtruded from a distance. "Looks like you two are having fun."
"Hey, skipper. Found it yet? Just kidding, I know you still haven't."
"Remember the hint I gave you."
I dismiss their banter as I go to the far end of the room. There's a yellow gem in the middle of each and the energy coming from the portals seem even more concentrated up close. There's also a script written in the pillar's body.
"He who goes into battle with a mind not as sharp as his steel perishes, and like war, flowing and changing, life shall proceed, without he in it."
"Do not hit the portals."
The man's words echo in my mind. His voice sounded ingenuine , but I can't shake the feeling of his statement having a hint of truth in it... His acting is shit. Yep. That's obviously a sham. It's a test, so I should do the opposite. He's trying to be misleading. That must be it. One of the portals. All I have to do is hit one of them. Maybe doing that will offer something...
...
Oh. All of them are running away. Floating away, as a matter of fact. Even with the help of Jean's magic, the twin portals toyed with me as I run and swing around the room like a lunatic, trying my best to hit at least one of them, but no. The gamemaster has to be a jerk who revels in the pain of others. Okay, think. What would be a good way to get a strike on one of those dancing things?... Ah. There's that one way I can think of, but will it work?...
Ahhhh, fuck it. I've nothing to lose.
With eyes on the prize, I grip the light sword with both hands and ready myself. The portals move quick, but they only do so when I'm close. I should be able to exploit that. I sprint towards the left one and struck a horizontal slash, shattering the gem that was in the middle of it.
Now, you may be wondering how that happened. The portal was quick and it can easily outmaneuver me if it tried, yet I still went and got a clean hit.
Well...
That's because I threw it.
There's a half-truth to what I said earlier, because technically speaking, I threw the light sword horizontally.
I still can't seem to put my finger on it, but something seems unusual. The stone split in two and faded, but the portal remained. It got even larger, to be exact. What was once a red stone turned into blood, and its energy just got even more concentrated . I can see a slit forming in place of the gem. Is it opening?
"WOOOOO!" I hear a shrill shout of joy just when I was about to celebrate. It almost sounded cute, to be honest.
"Yiiiiiiis!" Jean shouted from the back. "We're in for a show!!"
Huh? What show? I look at Jean with disapproving eyes, only to find both of them looking back. The man whose name I still don't know just stood there with a smug grin next to him, and the bad feeling festering inside me just grew ten times over. I look at the portal once again, this time noticing the blood oozing downward and slowly turning into flesh. Claws start to materialize from its limbs as I struggle to figure out what the heck was going on. I look at the gem and froze. It's not a stone.
It's an eye.