"H-HEY YOU!"
Huh? Neil stopped, turning to the gruff voice that had called out to him. He was back at the tavern alone, having left Amari at home to go for a drink. Taking a cup, Neil looked at the contents inside as it fashioned a purple hue on the inside.
A bit nervous at the sudden yell, took a breath before turning to the voice who called him. Looking closer at the man tipsily approaching him, he noticed the bangle on the man's right arm, fashioning a certain silver plate. The man was an adventurer, possibly for a long time judging by his wrinkled face, who was also two ranks above him.
Brushing his hair, Neil felt his heartbeat accelerate as the man drew closer, putting his hand on the younger man's shoulder. In mere seconds the older of the two was staring down Neil, the red blush clear on the man's face as he turned away.
"Can I help you?" Spinning around on his chair, Neil faced the raggedy man who stood before him. His grey hair was visible to everyone inside, as he marched towards the brother with shrinked pupils. He had two ring piercings on both sides of his ears, and had a strange moustache.
Much like other adventurers, he was cladded in a combination of armour and cloth. With shades yellow and black stripes diagonally painted across his inner shirt.
Nice outfit... Neil thought, admiring the style before noticing how close the man got to him. He started to lean back as the drunkard reached out his hand towards him.
"Yeah! You can help by getting the fuck outta our town!" The middle-aged adventurer grumpily grabbed Neil's hair, pulling him off his seat as he fell to the floor.
Wincing in pain, Neil found himself struggling to pull out of the man's grip as he continued his rant. "I've seen you around countless times! Walkin' around like you own the place! Now let me tell you somethin' you snot-nosed brat-"
"Let go of my goddamn hair you fucking prick!" Neil kicked the man in the stomach, surprised when he only took a step back from the force. He felt his skin crawl when his drunken expression turned to a frown.
"Oh yeah?! Fine!"
Wha- AUGH! Neil got what he wanted, but it wasn't in the way he'd expect, as a sloppy fist made its way into Neil's chest before being let go. Coughing as he fell to the cold wooden floor, the man rambled as Neil tried to get up.
This old man surely packed quite a punch, his punch felt like a ton was slammed right into his body. Neil struggled to breath, trying not to throwing up after the man's brutal blow.
"Hahaha! That guy's getting rocked!"
"Just a good ol' fashioned bar fight...!"
"Gett'm Thom!"
Why is he attacking me...? Wont anyone do anything...?! The distant cheers from two more people were probably his supposed party members. Their support only blew on his ego even more, as Neil managed to hold himself up on a table with one arm.
It hurts so much... Neil was angered at such pain to his chest by one blow, his breathing remaining heavy as he managed to duck a terrible punch from the man. Other travellers & adventurers in the bar looked on at the two who were scuffling, curious about who would come out on top.
It was like comparing a branch to a tree, as the man was at least one foot taller than Neil.
As Neil ran behind a table, he tried to plead the man to stop fighting him. "Please wait! I don't want to fight!" Putting his hands up in surrender, the man scoffed as he continued to assault him, stepping around the table.
"Well, I do!" Neil threw his head down to narrowly avoid an obvious punch, only to find his face making contact with the edge of a boot. Neil teared up as he felt something crack in his nose, though he knew it wasn't a bone. Already beginning to bleed the man picked him up by his shoulder in victory.
"Why're you attacking me?! I didn't do anything to you!"
"Scum like you with such a little girl as your slave," 'Thom' said, stunning Neil as he stared back as if he were a madman. Was he stupid? Of course she wasn't their slave, he has the alchemist and townspeople during the day to prove it. "-you think we don't know what you're up to?!"
AAHaaugh..!! Neil felt a knee to his stomach before being pushed onto another table, as he tried to get his breathing in order. Looking for something, anything to defend himself with, he grabbed a bottle at the end of the table.
"Are you insane?! I'd never do that, stop just assuming things without-"
"Hey, don't call my drinking buddy insane." He was about to use it to defend himself when a chain grabbed his arm, pulling him back and causing the bottle to break on the table.
Wh-What the hell?! Neil panicked, glancing to the left to find one of the adventurers' pals had used their weapon to disarm him. Neil was left at the mercy of this man, and he didn't have the means to defend himself.
"Please wait- Don't hurt me! Please!"
No no no please....! Neil felt his confidence diminish, as things didn't go as he'd expect when going out for a drink alone. An event such as this happened by chance, such a small probability that cost him a possible broken nose and damaged lungs. When coming to this world, he thought he'd get to live a life he read about just as much as his brother. A life that he knew would've been interesting, fulfilling for a time.
But those were just stories, and he wasn't the main character.
"Leave him alone!" The silver-plated adventurer stopped his assault, stopping his fist right in front of Neil's face as people turned to the shout. By the door of the tavern laid Amari, dressed in her black shirt and baggy pants, with smalll brown boots.
A fierce gaze glinted from her eyes as she stood at the entrance, her fists clenched as she was angered by her friends suffering.
NO NO NO NO NO- I have to get up! Neil felt his body drop to the floor, cursing as he saw the man slowly walk towards Amari who was starting to lose her confidence. Drunkenly reaching down to touch her, Amari quickly smacked his hand off her, before shouting in his defense.
"Why are you hurting Mister Neil!?" She looked up to the older adventurer who looked down on her with a frown, it unnerved her how it slowly changed to a smile as if he had seen something he liked. Amari took a step back, her eyes sharpening as he swayed in place.
"He's probably having you slave away, such an innocent little girl as their plaything! Come with me..."
F-Fucking sicko! I'll- Neil reached down to grab the bottle again before a boot stamped down onto his hand. Looking up, he found the same young adventurer who was pals with the drunken man, whip in-hand as he stared down at Neil.
"Don't you see what your party members trying to-"He gestured 'no' with his fingers before stamping on the back of his head. Neil's head was between his footwear and the floorboards again.
Well, at least he could say he got what Klein had always wanted.
"But they are using you, I've seen it!" Thom said, "Using you to get what they want-" felt a hand slap his own again as Amari once again denied his request. Neil watched as the man begun to get angry, his face swelling up in shades of red as he was silenced once again.
"You are wrong! Please sir, I'm not a slave to them-"
She felt a hand tug her arm, as the other 'friend' who was with 'Thom' had grabbed Amari. On instinct, Amair immediately begun fighting back, her right leg aimed right towards the mans head. The other adventurer quickly grabbed it as well. Neil's heart stopped seeing the man forcefully pull her closer to the silver-plated adventurer as he struggled to get up.
Only to find the back of a handle hit his face.
"You little brat! We're trying to help you!" Now he was pissed, the old-timer at this point had grabbed Amari's shoulder. He wasn't managing his strength on the little demi-human, his grip literally digging into her skin as Neil's eyes shot blood red.
"L-Let go of me...!" She tried punch his arm to break free, but his grip grew even tighter, causing the girl to wince in pain as he continued his rant.
Amari had already begun to sob as he shouted in her face, his spit uncontrollably going in her face as she refused to open her eyes. Pushing himself up to attack the whip-wielder, he found the adventurer narrowly avoiding his punch before elbowing him in the face. Neil grabbed the table for support, helpless as his yelling grew even louder.
People inside were beginning to gossip amongst themselves as the man was grabbing the little girl, as many stared in disgust at his party's actions. One man from the crowd tried to shout and stop them, "LEAVE THE GIRL ALONE THOM!" As the whip-user turned to tell him to piss off, Neil took the chance to throw a superkick to his face.
Others gasped how the whip-users head whiplashed back, as Neil started sprinting towards the remaining two.
He wouldn't care less what happened to that guy, they attacked him and Amari for no reason at all. If Klein were here, he would've done worse.
A loud cracking noise was heard from the entrance of the tavern, while Neil had tackled the man who was grabbing Amari. One well-timed blow to the head with a glass bottle was enough to lay him out, as 'Thoms' buddies were all down.
Neil was going to check on Amari when he noticed she was sobbing in someone elses arms.
"Who do you think you are?"
"You-" Klein felt his knee swell as it clashed against the man's chin, as Klein had grabbed Thom's shoulder and lifted himself up. He struck with one of the most brutal knees Neil had seen from his brother, as the middle-aged adventurer was sent tumbling to the floor.
"Klein-" Neil tried to speak, only to be interrupted with a slap echoing inside the tavern. His head went to the side, still feeling that slight sting, but his heart felt even worse as he turned back to his outraged brother.
"-and just what were you doing!?" Klein said, and he didn't want to wait for an answer. Already walking back to the downed adventurer, he kicked the other party member who tried to tackle him. Violently shoving him into the wall, he was absolutely livid.
I...I'm so sorry... Is what Neil wanted to say to his brother, after everything getting out of hand so much. The man confronting him, only for Amari having to step in to save him from a beatdown. Now she was sobbing, her suffering caused because of him.
Neil didn't want things to escalate so he tried to take a civil way out. But she paid for his mistake, and now he's probably destroyed her self-esteem.
Was this new world always this savage & unforgiving? Or is it just how things are wherever?
"I can finish this...!" Klein glanced back to his brother painfully trying to get up as he spoke, his legs wobbly with each attempt.
What the hell was he even doing? Neil was the one who said to keep a low profile, yet here he is with a bloody nose and possibly a rib injury. Judging by his constant grabbing of his chest, Klein assumed that he was struck in the chest pretty bad.
"Save it, just stay by Amari and think about what you've done." Klein grabbed Neil's shoulder and sat him next to Amari, much to his shock.
Without warning, Neil watched his brother started stamping on the mans head, a bit shaken by his older siblings brutality. To Klein, however, he believes it was completely justified. If some piece of trash wanted to harrass his family on false claims, they sure as hell better pay for it if their wrong.
Klein mercilessely continued his assault before lifting him to his feet, pushing him into one of the nearby tables. Jumping into the air after building up enough speed and winding up his body, Klein's whole body went into motion for one decisive blow.
A superman punch, right towards the man's nose.
"F-Fuck-eng copp-ur p-ur-aate!"
The bracelet Klein had strapped onto his wrist was now on his knuckles, clashing against the man's face as his head whiplashed. Gaining his footing, Klein turned his attention to the whip-user who had just tackled him onto one of the tables. His anger boiled when he saw blood on his weapon, not wanting to think about who that came from.
Not wasting time, he began kneeing the man in rapid succession.
The fight was so one-sided that it wasn't even funny, as Klein wasn't just any other normal schmuck. Klein and Neil had trained in boxing, as they would spar daily back at their apartment. Along with Klein's love for cooking, he also had a passion for Mixed Martial-Arts.
Black lines were under his eyes, as he seemed frustrated for some unknown reason.
Dammit, Neil... Believing it to be enough, he knocked his head onto the table beside them before turning back to the big man. To his surprise, the adventurer had begun to glow a bright blue aura. People around them started to step back, with some starting to take their leave as the blue energy started surrounding his hands.
"Thom is going to use it..."
"Inpulse Eva..."
Is that... Lighting- Klein felt his whole world go upside down, as in an instant, the silver-plated adventurer raised his hands. Suddenly, surges of electricity blew out from his pants, striking the clueless brother and sent him flying onto the counter. Just like that, the tables had turned on them once again.
"KLEIN!" Neil shouted, trying to get his brothers attention as he was already wincing in pain. Adventurers who were inside had started to get a bit angry, some starting to get up as Thom laughed triumphantly.
"Ha....Ha...Ha..."
The silver adventurer named Thom felt himself fall to his knees, turning around to find the younger brother had shoved him onto the floor. Already exhausted by the use of such a strong spell, he had slowly begun to sober up as Neil to take him down.
Slowly getting up, Thom felt a knee strike his jaw.
Arguing could be heard from inside, townspeople who were outside feeling a bit uneasy as to what was going on.
A hooded figure was walking by, covering their head to avoid being seen as they were heading somewhere. To the people around her, she seemed like just an ordinary young lady, but from her perspective, it couldn't be any further from the truth.
Glimpses of her hands showed green scales moving up towards her shoulders before changing to black & blue robes. She fastened her belt with a dead look on her face as she walked through the rain, only to bounce back out of pure instinct.
What the...?!
She narrowly avoided being struck by a table, somehow being flung out of the building beside her. A bit confused at first, the growing voices from inside only piqued her curiosity as she looked from a now-broken window at all the commotion.
"Another fight..."
.....
"You arrogant bra-" A cracking noise could be heard from inside the tavern, as one of many drunkards felt a knee bashing into his face. Screams echoed across the room as almost everyone in the bar was shocked at the more, physical reposte Neil threw back at the drunken man.
"Sir, just stop this!"
"Ouch..." Klein mumbled out before falling flat on his back, still trying to recover from the bone-breaking blow that was dealt to him. Neil tried to go check on his brother before a chair was slammed into his back, hitting the floor with an unnerving thud.
Crawling on the floor and turning behind him, he found his attacker, just another bystander get tackled as other people began to join in. Soon, within the few seconds of such an act, all hell broke loose.
"BAR FIGHT!"
Neil heard the shout for combat, as he looked in the direction of the voice to find a young boy running away. He looked to be in his teenage years, as his face looked very young in comparison to those around him. Smirking to Neil who didn't take kindly to the statement, he ran out of the building before Neil could pursue.
Tables flying, people dropping to the floor, everyone was at each other's throats for this one night. Klein wasn't looking too good either, slumped on the counter next to the bartender.
"H-Hey bartender, can you pull me over the counter? I can't move-" An extra-large wooden mug came flying at the man, striking him clean between the eyes and knocking him out.
Shit... I have to get to Neil... Dazed and confused, he struggled to get up only to have a hand take his shoulder to stop him.
"Let me handle this Mister Klein." Her voice was low, but Klein knew whose voice that was. Tilting is head to the side, he was shocked to find who was beside him. Finished ruffling her tail and ears, Amari slowly moved into the crowd.
"W-Wait no! Don't- Amari just stay back!" Klein went into a panic, as he tried to yell out only to start coughing, the blow to his body making it hard to breath. Klein was too weak to do anything, trying to reach his hand out hoping to pull her back from the chaos.
She was just a kid, and in that crowd things would never end well.
"Mister Neil! Please we have to leave! Mist-"
One of the men who were fighting didn't notice the girl rushing through, who was winding back to strike another with a bottle. She unfortunately took a blow to the head, falling to the floor in pain as Klein's inner screams only grew louder.
Klein, as short-tempered as he was, never wanted harm to come to her. Yet at that moment, because of his burst of anger hours ago, her feelings of inadequacy pushed her to try and help. Amari was constantly getting shoved around by the influx of customers attacking each other, as Klein fell off the table trying to drag himself to her.
Amidst the chaos, a table, spanning several meters, was sent flying Amari's way as Klein's heart stopped. Neil narrowly avoided getting smashed in the face by a bottle when he saw the table flying over him.
"AMARI GET DOWN!"
C R A S H !
A deafening noise, a childs scream could be heard from within the crowd. The tavern grew silent as the men and women who were previously fighting paused, looking around as weeping could soon be heard. Neil's heart-rate skyrocketed, as he feared for the worst.
Sprinting in the direction towards the brief scream of pain, Neil didn't have time to register what came next.
"Y-You... You fucking bastaaaarrrddss!" The bloodcurdling cry echoed through the entire room, as people turned to the ferocious roar.
From outside, the hooded lady quietly observed as the boy, who was previously slumped against the counter, slowly got up from the cold floor. Neil watched as drinkers and many more from inside the bar slowly began to take a few steps back, watching the scene in front of them unfold.
Amari, laying on the floor, was unresponsive to any of his calls. Neil checked her heartbeat so see if she was still alive, which she was, which calmed his nerves a bit as he looked at the scene around him.
"She's okay Klein, we just have to get her to Florence!"
"Shut. Up." Neil went silent, watching as his brother grab the man who had confronted him. Reeling him close to his face, Thom's Vincent Van Gogh lookin' face starting to sweat rivers. His violent nature had started to seep through, something he never would have wanted to happen.
Neil watched as Thom struggled against his brothers grip, seeing that despite his size he couldn't break free. He could see the struggle taking it's toll on Klein, as he was barely holding his rage inside for the sake of Amari.
"L-Let go you bassstard!"
"What're you still doing here!?" Klein stared daggers into his younger brothers eyes, his shout almost sounding like a cry as he didn't let go. "GET HER TO FLORENCE NOW!"
Immediately complying, Klein saw his brother rush out of the building holding Amari in his arms. Out of the corner of his eye, saw a hooded-figure follow them from behind. Days worth of paranoia had started to set in, noticing the scales on the figures body before being snapped back to reality.
What the hell? Klein had a fist slammed right in the nose, falling back to the floor as the middle-aged man jumped on top of him. The pain was unbearable, as tears began to roll on his face as he was mercilessly wailed on by the man above. This drunken idiot, the one who confronted them in the first place, the one who did this to Amari.
He wasn't having any of it anymore.
"You honestly can't comprehend how angered I am... Can you?! " Klein was struck across the face one more time, before he grabbed the Thom's left arm.
"You piece of shit! Comin' in here like you own the place, and with a slave no less! The Guild should've never accepted some fore-" Finally gaining enough space, Klein forced his right leg up with all the strength he could muster into the mans groin. The shriek that came next was almost, if not, louder than Amari's as he buckled down.
Clutching his package in pain, he was already blurring out swears and cussing at Klein.
The other adventurers, citizens and farmers alike watched as the man was dealt swift justice from one of two supposed copper-plates. Copper-plates who had beaten down three silver-plated adventurers, including one from the Holy Order.
Many of them were observing, silently watching as they remained uninvolved in the brawl between them. Glad that no one else would interfere, Klein turned his attention to the adventurer before him.
Strapping his belt around his knuckles, he threw a right hook to the man as he crumbled back onto one of the chairs. Seething with a quiet anger, the downed adventurer shuddered as Klein pace quickened.
"W-Wait I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt your slave-"
"She's not my slave." Klein pulled out a dagger, much to everyone's surprise as his pupils dilated. Realising how he had set the brother off, he immediately tried shouting for help. He checked his friends scattered around the bar were down for the count, he was all alone.
Expecting the worst, tears rolled down his eyes as he made one last plea.
"I-I'm sorry...!" He felt a hand touch his rough shoulder, gently pressing on it before he heard a sigh. Opening his eyes, he found the man who he thought would end his life, looking at him with a gaze of pity.
Klein turned his gaze away before exiting the tavern, quietly mumbling to himself as he ran after his brother.
"I can't believe this...!"
HOURS AGO
A few days after Amari officially became part of the family, Klein and Neil decided to register with the Adventurers Guild. Before heading out on their first mission as adventurers, Klein couldn't help but feel concerned for his brother's idea.
"So... You're proposing we only use these swords and knives?"
"Yeah, and we've got these coats to cover us from the goblins as well."
Oh my lord... Klein stopped questioning as he watched his brother start to think, it wasn't that hard of a decision. To him, it seemed a bit too risque to just go out in their current equipment, that being a sword and their normal clothing with a cloak. But for their first mission, Neil didn't seem too worried.
"Let me rephrase. If these slimes can be taken down with zero effort, why would we need the armour right now? We could just grind slime requests." Neil said, hoping his brother would agree with him. Klein was unconvinced, walking ahead with a frown on his face.
"If we're not getting protection, then I'm not joining you." Klein looked away as he started walking to one of the nearby shops as Neil ran to his side.
"Weapon's shop..." Reaching the store, Neil looked up to find the sign something he had seen before. It wasn't too expensive on Klein's previous visits, and a place like this might have just what they need.
"That's right, during my daily trips for food I found this place." Pointing towards his belt of handy tools, Klein continued "I've been here a few times, in case you were wondering."
Of course you have... Opening the door without hesitation, they walked inside to find exactly what Neil had expected. A vast array of weaponry laid behind the blacksmith who observed the two as they entered. From the familiar types such as swords, spears and shields, to the unusual shapes that looked to be hybrids.
Custom-made, so to speak.
Small accessories and items laid in front of his counter, sealed behind glass on display for them to see. The walls had different kinds of tools objects he didn't recognize, aghast at the sight before him. Before Neil could touch anything, he felt a tap on his shoulder as Klein gave him a stern look.
Chuckling briefly before following him to the counter, they were met with a very intimidating looking man.
His skin was pale and scars were all over his face, as he stood on the other side of the counter with a grim look in his eyes.
He was just slightly taller than the brothers, as well as his physique being somewhat thin under his long-sleeved undershirt. He wore dark beige overalls, tied around his waist like an apron hanging on both sides of his shoulder. With black gloves, grey pants, and upturned boots. He might've been exactly what Neil expected.
Brushing it aside, Neil stood by Klein as he talked to the shopkeeper.
"Welcome back, I'm assuming this is that brother of yours?" Leaning forward, the man had decided to get a good look at the more youthful of the two, with Neil gulping as he remained still with a smile.
"Yep, we're looking for some armour. Preferably light and for our arms and legs." Neil wandered off as Klein continued talking, taking a look around at the weapons shop. There were some nice sets of armour too, as entire sets were placed near the back of the shop in the corner.
Neil saw a wide array of choices, one had spikes all over it, while others were doubled in size compared to the normal human.
What kind of people even wear this? Neil pondered, brushing his hand on the large breastplate, even feeling extremely smooth after touching it. Giving it a tap with his knuckle only piqued his curiosity even more.
"Neil c'mere, I need you to try some stuff on."
"H-Huh?! You want me to try that on!?" He didn't like what he saw, as an entire set of armour put onto a mannequin was right in front of him. Stacked from head to toe, Klein removed the breastplate and gave it to his brother.
"Changing rooms over there, and take this too."
"Ok, but why the-" Klein handed him the wrist guards and greaves before pushing Klein into the changing rooms, much to his annoyance "Hey! No need to push me! Geez..."
Deciding to look around for himself, Klein needded to find something too and keep it as cheap as possible.
"Klein, this is perfect! I feel like a real protagonist with this mix of modern and fantasy equipment!" Klein had already heard his brothers attitude do an immediate 180, as he grinned at the sudden change.
"Okay, but do you feel comfortable?"
"Well duh! I feel amazing!"
Woah, don't get too comfortable dude... Klein wouldn't lie, he wanted to save as much as possible. Conserving the gold coins they still have left would be a priority, at least until Florence has gained enough silver and bronze to trade.
The weapons shop's owner didn't seem too interested in the brothers, watching as Klein waltzed through several sets of swords and shields, inspecting each one as he occasionally glanced back at him.
"Hey, you looking for anything in particular?"
"Not really, I was just admiring the craftsmanship. Must've taken a while to make all of this."
"Of course, I've been doing this all my life..."
Well, at least the kid seems interested... His face slowly turned into a grin as Klein approached one of the spears, taking it off the rack before immediately dropping a bit to the floor. The spear must've been a bit too bulky for him, chuckling quietly as Klein struggled to lift it back up onto the rack.
That was about to break my back... Klein gandered around trying to rub his back pain away, before coming across a certain in particular. Taking it from its holder, the shopkeeper watched as he slowly unsheathed it.
Upon closer inspection, the blade was almost as long as his legs. It astounded Klein at how people were able to wield this efficiently, and even more shocking was how he could hold it without any problem.
"That swords special. I made it using thillian, a very fragile material."
"Why use it then?"
"Well kid, thillian can have all sorts of magic infused into it. Fire, water, thunder, you name it."
Wow... Klein tried doing some practice swings, almost hitting one of the stands which he immediately apologised, with the shopkeeper shrugging before going through one of his shelves. Thillian seemed useful for blade material, perhaps it was used for armour as well?
"Check me out! You know I look like one of those characters from-"
"Catch."
As soon as Neil rushed out of the changing room, Klein immediately chucked the claymore in his direction. It's a good thing the weapon shop owner wasn't looking, or else he would've seen such a lousy throw almost get his sword destroyed. Neil grabbed it by the handle and sent a glare to Klein.
"Not gonna lie, you look pretty good."
"I know right?!"
Neil's choice of clothing fit surprisingly well with the parts of armour that was given, his red undershirt under the breastplate standing out immediately. His light jeans were now being covered by greaves, and the wristguards were tightly pushed into his arms.
"You boys figured out what you want?"
"Yeah, we'll take these please."
Klein had already brought out a bunch of bronze coins along with one silver coin, passing it to the shopkeeper before leaving the armory. The man watched as the two brothers began to argue as they left, before getting up and moving to the back.
"So? What do you think of them?"
"I'm going to confront them this afternoon... Keep this quiet, alright?"
Bringing out a map, Klein had already begun discussing with Neil about where the forest was. Neil, who was still getting a feel for his armour was partly listening in, still happy with his new gear. Stopping for a moment, Neil asked an important question to his brother.
"W-wait, weren't you supposed to buy some armour?"
"Oh...Don't worry about it." Klein shrugged it off, walking away as Neil was about to try and turn him around physically.
Klein smirked before continuing west, out of the town of Graela and into the woodlands they came from. It left Neil flabbergastered how his brother just joked it off, instead choosing to roll with it as he followed his older brother.