Marcus was worn out, the descent down the mountain wasn't bad, it was the forty-five minute jog afterwards that did him in. The carriage didn't move at the breakneck speeds as before, but still went along at a good pace. Arriving at the theatre, Marcus was drenched in sweat, he wasn't in the best form to go inside. Not only did he stand out with his steel and leather armor, a musky smell was coming from him, he was embarrassed to be around everyone that was dressed up.
Unfortunately he didn't have a change of clothes, nor could he go clean up, he had to remain at Sylvia's side. If only he wasn't made to run, he wouldn't be in such a sorry shape as he was. He really wanted to wring Riley's neck, he made a vow in his heart that if he was ever in danger, Marcus wouldn't lift a finger to help him.
After taking the tickets from Riley, they were all led to a private booth on the second floor of the theatre. The booth only sat two people, so Marcus stood in front of the door leading inside. This didn't bother him at all, it was nice and quiet in the hallway, giving him plenty of time to rest. He could hear the play begin, the muffled words barely reaching his sensitive ears through the walls of the theatre. It was really too bad he wouldn't be able to watch it, there wasn't much entertainment in this world, he might not have another chance for a long time.
...............
The play only lasted about ninety minutes, as far as Marcus could tell it was about a fallen noble family fighting its way back to the top. The family was framed by another noble family, causing the family to fall into ruin. The next generation then took it upon themselves to seek revenge and restore their family's honor. It was an interesting tale, from what he could hear of it.
Next on the itinerary was dinner. Luckily the restaurant was located right across the street from the theatre, no more running for Marcus. The only problem was that they wouldn't allow Marcus inside with the way he was dressed, and smelled. They said it was a distraction for the other guests, which made sense to Marcus, he wouldn't want to smell himself while trying to eat.
After some negotiation, they allowed Marcus inside, but he had to sit in the corner of the dining room, far away from the other guests. He still had a line of sight on Sylvia, and could cover the distance in a second if he needed to. He watched as the waiter brought the meal out to Riley and Sylvia, this triggered his stomach to start rumbling. He hadn't eaten since lunch, he was hoping to have been back to the villa by now, but was stuck here.
He asked the waiter if he could have something to eat, but was turned down. It turns out that several of the guests have already started to complain that he was there, so if they served him people might actually start walking out. Marcus just let out a long sigh, this whole night had been awful for him, this was just the cherry on top. So he just sat there in silence, keeping an eye on Sylvia while trying to ignore his empty stomach.
Marcus couldn't wait to lay down in his bed, he was exhausted. Dinner seemed to drag on forever, it was torture to watch other people eat when you couldn't. The only consolation he found was watching as Riley tried to hold Sylvia's hand from across the table, only to be rebuked by her. Marcus could tell that she was trying to have a good time, it was just the company that ruined it. She was constantly looking over in his direction, Marcus was sure he knew what she was thinking. The fact that she looked over at him didn't escape Riley's detection, he seemed to get more upset as the night went by.
Of course anything that upset Riley made Marcus very happy, so every time she looked over at him Marcus would wave and smile back. This made Riley furious, Marcus could see his face turn different shades of red from where he was sitting. He didn't care how he felt, Marcus hated that little shit.
After his last smile and wave, Riley seemed to have had enough, he started to have an in depth conversation with Sylvia. Marcus couldn't hear what was being said, but could tell that Sylvia was having none of it. It wasn't long before they were leaving the restaurant and heading back to the villa. Riley was in a particularly sour mood, at least that's what Marcus thought since the carriage was moving along at a breakneck pace.
..................…
Marcus watched as Riley's carriage slowly disappeared down the mountainside, he left shortly after Sylvia refused to allow him inside the villa. She tried to be polite in turning him down, but being of the arrogant sort, he still seemed to be upset over the fact. This didn't bother her at all, she just wanted to get rid of him.
The night air was chilly, so Sylvia had already gone inside, it was just Marcus that made sure Riley was able to find his way out. Once he was sure that Riley wouldn't return for whatever reason, Marcus made his way into the villa.
"I'm so sorry about tonight." Sylvia said, rushing over to him.
She had been waiting inside for Marcus, sitting on one of the sofas in the entryway. She had a very apologetic look on her beautiful face, it was the most emotion that Marcus had seen on her face all night.
"It's alright, it wasn't your fault." Marcus said, brushing the whole ordeal under the rug.
"I told him repeatedly to slow the carriage down, but he just said that we would be late otherwise. He wouldn't listen to me." Sylvia said, looking down at her feet.
"Really, it's fine, I'm fine. Just a little more exercise." He said with a chuckle.
"It's late, I'm going up to take a bath, I think I need one badly." Marcus said, leaving Sylvia alone in the foyer.
It really wasn't anything for Sylvia to be sorry about, he knew it wasn't her fault, it was Riley's doing. He'd already mostly recovered from the fatigue anyway, he's ability to heal injuries was monstrous. He caught a maid while going up the stairs, he bid her to get a bath ready for him, and to also wash his clothes, they could practically stand up by themselves. Soon enough he was lowering his muscle bound frame into a large tub of hot water.
The bathtub was big enough for Marcus to submerge most of his body, he was currently blowing bubbles with half his face under water. He was thinking about all the things he had to do, the Mercenary Association sent a letter earlier today informing him that someone had applied for the mission he posted. He had to find time tomorrow to go and conduct an interview, he also had to get prepared for the banquet being thrown in his honor for saving Lord Lear's family.
It seems like he will be very busy for the next couple of days. While he was thinking these thoughts, there came a gentle knock on his bedroom door. His room had it's own bathroom, but it wasn't a separate room, it just had a retractable partition that separated it from the main room. The partition was drawn, so Marcus allowed whoever was knocking to come in. He soon heard Sylvia's gentle voice from the other side.
"I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I was about tonight."
Marcus was a little surprised that it was Sylvia that decided to visit him, he thought it would have been a maid returning his clothes. He quickly made sure that nothing was visible, although there was a partition between them, he didn't want to risk it.
"Really it's fine. I know you're not to blame." Marcus consoled her.
"I know, I just feel awful about it. I can assure you though that it will never happen again. I've decided to not bother trying to placate him, I won't be seeing him again." Sylvia said with conviction in her eyes, if Marcus could see them.
"It won't reflect badly on your father?"
"It might, but it's just not worth it. I'll write to my father explaining everything, I'm sure he'll understand."
"Well, that's one less problem then, isn't it."
"Yes, it is."
There was a moment of silence between the two, just the sound of Marcus moving in the water could be heard. After another minute of silence, Marcus decided to say something.
"I appreciate you coming to apologize, but I'm turning into a prune, so…." Marcus said.
"Ha, right, sorry, I'll leave you be then." Sylvia stuttered out.
Marcus waited a moment until he heard the door to his room close. He then drug himself out of the now luke warm bathwater. After pulling the plug to the drain, he grabbed a towel and walked around the partition, drying himself off. It was late at night, nearing midnight, so he wanted to get to sleep as soon as possible. He slid into the soft blankets of his bed and was soon fast asleep. What Marcus didn't notice was that his bedroom door had been opened slightly once Sylvia left. A pair of clear blue eyes watched the entire process of him drying off before bed.
............…
After a large breakfast, Marcus made his way to the Mercenaries Association to conduct an interview. The only things he had to make sure of was the character of the person guiding them and if they actually knew the area around Rosevalley well enough. He walked into the massive, train-station like building, and got in line for one of the counters.
It wasn't long before he was standing at the counter, he gave his name and reason for visiting. He soon held an address in his hand, it was for the man that accepted the mission to be their guide. The address was located in the poorer section of the city, it couldn't be called a slum, but it was close. Marcus didn't feel like walking the whole distance there, so he hired a carriage to take him there.
As the carriage bounced along the cobblestone road and entered the impoverished district, Marcus could see a change in the atmosphere. The roads were still paved, but the houses looked much more run down. Although there weren't very many people walking about, those that were had torn and dirty clothes barely hanging on them. They all turned to watch the carriage rumble down the road with a little bit of interest on their faces, it wasn't often that they would see one.
Marcus was watching the people as well, he felt a little sorry for their situation. But a person couldn't help everyone they saw, he put the plight of the people to the back of his mind. The carriage took about fifteen minutes to arrive at the address he was given, he paid the carriage driver, then gave him a little extra to stick around until he was done. Marcus exited the carriage, walked up to the door, and knocked heavily.
The door rattled on its hinges, almost coming off. Some dirt fell down on Marcus's head from the house's siding, the whole structure looked like it needed to be torn down.
"Godsdamnit! What are you doing out there you….." An old man's voice trailed off as he ripped the door open and saw Marcus standing right outside.
The old man was wearing a grey tunic, but it looked like it used to be black at one point in time, and plain brown leather pants. He didn't have any shoes on, his feet were extremely dirty, almost black. He had a long white beard with even longer hair, his teeth were a yellowish color, at least the ones that were left. He posed a sorry sight.
After Marcus eyed the old man up and down, he introduced himself.
"I'm Marcus, I'm the one that posted the mission."
"Ah yes, of course, come in, come in." The old man said, grinning a disgusting smile.
Marcus stepped through the threshold and into the house. It was a very small house, only one story, and had three rooms from what he could tell. The kitchen and bedroom were all one room, with the bathroom towards the back in its own walled off section. What must have been a storage room was to the left. Marcus walked towards a small table in the center of the room, the floorboards barely supporting his weight. Each step he took caused the boards to warp and creak.
Marcus pulled out a chair to sit, but after looking closely, decided not to. He then looked at the old man and started the interview.
"I just have a few questions to ask before I accept you to be our guide. First off, how long have you been here in Rosevalley?"
The old man smiled, nodding his head. "Most my life. I came over from Jakarta when I was but eight. I was an orphan, and heard they need labor to help expand the city, so I came."
Marcus thought for a moment, then decided to ask what he was thinking. "Just how old are you?"
"That's a little rude to ask ain't it?" The old man said, but he still had a smile on his face.
"I'm just pulling your leg, I know I don't look like no spring chicken. I'm actually only fifty-five, the years haven't been too good to me."
Marcus was shocked, the man in front of him looked no younger that seventy. Although he was surprised, he managed not to show any emotion on his face. He just cleared his throat and continued with the interview.
"Alright, and how well do you know the area around the city?"
"Well, after I turned fifteen or so, I started trapping and hunting in the wilderness to support myself. It was easier than the manual labor I was doing, and it pays more as well. I've been doing that ever since." The old man said, looking proud of himself.
Marcus looked around thinking that it still must have only paid peanuts. He couldn't imagine how little manual labor paid. He could see the man's bed over in the corner, it was just a bunch of straw with a wool blanket thrown over it. Mold was on the walls, and a giant rat scurried across the floor and into the storage room.
"Alright, last question. Have you ever been arrested or commited a crime?" Marcus asked, not expecting for him to admit to anything, he just wanted to see his reaction.
"Of course not! I may be poor, but I'm a proper citizen." The old man said, looking quite offended. "I don't need to stoop down to that level to make ends meet."
Marcus just shrugged his shoulders. "I just had to ask. Don't take it personally."
He then walked to the back of the house and into the kitchen, looking out the window he could see dirty children running around chasing each other. The old man stood still, keeping his eye on Marcus, not knowing what he was thinking. After watching the children play for a moment longer, he walked back to the center of the house.
"I think we can use your experience. We had planned to head out in three days, but the schedule has changed since I posted the mission. We will now leave in five days, since we changed the time due to no fault of your own, you will receive half pay for the two days delay." Marcus explained to the old man, putting fifty silver coins on the table.
The old man eyed the pile of silver coins, this was more than he made in two months, and it was sitting right in front of him.
"Meet us at the northern gate in five days, we will leave at first light. Remember to bring all your own gear. We will be gone for four days and return on the fifth, then take a three days break and head out again." Marcus said, walking towards the front door.
"Of course, I won't be late, you can count on it." The old man was ecstatic, this mission would make him several years pay when it was all said and done, he hit the jackpot.
Suddenly Marcus stopped in his tracks and turned to face the old man. "I forgot one thing, what's your name."
"It's Massimo, sir."