"Ruby's bloodthirsty maniac!"
The mad person smiled eerily.
Everyone froze in their seats, unable to move due to fear. He did not use anything to keep them in place but he developed such an intense aura when he was living in the streets and was forced to work for the thugs.
He always had this dark being floating behind him, it is not something visible but it is what people who knew nor heard his story would say to visualize his crazy tendencies. Although he is of a reputable rank, and the first of their generation, it is not recommended to overlook his gigantic flaw. But since he met the criteria needed in order to get endorsed for the position, he became a ruby ranked adventurer at the age of fifteen.
Just by hearing his name, people would cower in fear, and this made some ruby ranks look at him with scorn. He has the tendency to play dumb just to play with his prey. Being the cold-blooded maniac that he is, others tend to forget that he too is a human being.
Nobody knew of his past, although this should not be used to justify his actions, the one person who knows him understood why he is the way he is. No matter how hard it is.
At the age of just four, he lost his parents due to poverty. They lived in the slums located at the edge of the capital. His father died when he tried to flee from the people he owed money, they beat him up until he could no longer breathe when they caught him. And the young him, and his mother waited for their old man to come back with bread to share. But he never came.
He was left by his mother to look for him under the storm, the only thing that was protecting him from the storm is a rundown house with tons of leaks. The water flooded inside the house, and the wind kept coming and going, bringing unbearable cold to him.
His worn out shirt is the only thing keeping him from the winds. Luckily, the storm passed rather quickly. But his mother did not come back, he is hungry and thirsty. He hasn't eaten for two days. He saw the puddle of rain water mixed in with the dust on the flooring of their shabby home.
Tears fell from his eyes as he tried to crouch and drink from the puddle, trying to quench his thirst. After he drank from the filthy water, he raised his head and saw people walking on the streets with clothes to warm them from the recent rain.
"Mama."
The little guy left the house to look for his mother, the wet and cold ground from the rain sent shivers to his whole body. With his rumbling stomach, he persisted in looking for his mother. If he can't find her, he can't eat today. His small stomach stings, it is as empty as a desert and he couldn't find a water that could fill his stomach.
"If you get hungry, you can just drink water, okay?" he remembered what his mother said.
As he was running around, getting bumped from one person to another, he saw a bucket of water at the side of a restaurant. From where he stood, he can smell the delicious stew that was boiling in their kitchen.
He walked closer and picked up the bucket to drink from it. As he was halfway through filling his stomach, the owner caught him and snatched the bucket away. Pouring the bucket empty in front of him.
The little kid fell on his butt, fear in his eyes.
"What the fuck are you doing?" the owner shouted, to him, he looks like a giant who is roaring at him.
Tears started to escape his bloodshot eyes.
"Get away from here!" he is being shooed away, "you filthy shit!"
He ran away from there and decided to continue searching for his mama. He can no longer remember where their house is located, he has walked for miles and miles, he is unfamiliar with the buildings in his sight.
Bump.
The small boy was being pushed around the busy streets of the capital. He tried to crawl towards a corner and there he stayed until the night came.
A patrolling guard saw him and took him to the orphanage.
He spent a week there before escaping to continue looking for his mother. And the day turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. He's never seen her. Not even a glimpse of her shadows.
He returned to the spot he's been calling home for months, in there, the guards couldn't take him. They never go there, as it is a temple dedicated to the first ruby adventurers. He never went inside, he only took a corner at the back side of the temple.
A temple is a place of solitude for others, and that is the case for the little orphan taking shelter at the back side of the temple. But it wasn't the case as months later, some kids found him and started bullying him whenever they can.
There are times they leave him alone, making him think they're done with him. But then they would show up and would beat him up.
His routine would include waking up early to ask passersby for food or a copper to buy bread. Sometimes, good people would give him too much that would last him for days. Other times, he would get nothing.
One day, the thugs found him lying on the ground with fresh bruises and wounds from his bullies. They made him think he's safe with them but his life is not better when they took him with them.
They asked him to become their messenger, and when he fails, they won't give them food nor water for the day. And when he successfully did what they asked of him, they would give them a cup of water, and a bread to munch on for the whole day.
On top of that, if their boss gets mad at them or if he fails, he would get a beating. The small, fragile child thought that was a normal life. Getting beat up for doing a bad job is what he deserves for failing his simple task. But his tasks aren't simple either.
He would be sent to random thugs, with a letter at hand. They made him their runner. The letters would sometimes contain threats, and dangerous operation proposals. And because he is the bringer of the note, he would receive punishments from other gangs for handing them such terrible messages.
This went on until he was nine.
As he suffered in the hands of his abusers, being manipulated and used, a former knight happened to walk past them in one the alleys and saw how they gang up on him.
That former knight is of jade rank and he became a mentor after he left his post at the Royal Knights Academy. And after his retirement, he took over his father's business and became a blacksmith.
Oz, is one of the commanders in the royal household during his knight days.
He single handedly beat up the thugs and saved the little guy. Oz took notice of his physique, he's skin and bones. His eyes are bloodshot indicating he's never had a good amount of sleep. There's also fresh cuts on his thighs, his back, and his left eye. They had beaten him up badly.
"Hey, hey now. It's okay." He soothed the boy. And when he picked him up, he shook his head at how light this boy is. He guessed he's only at the age of six looking at how small he is.
The blacksmith took a pouch full of copper and threw it at the groaning and moaning knights, "don't come looking for this child."
The thunderous voice of the tall middle-aged man boomed in their ears.
Oz sighed again as he walked, cuddling the child in his arms to keep him warm, "I shall give you the name of Viv."
He gave the name Viv to the child from the word Vivus; a latin word which means alive or living. A very fitting name for a child who will continue to live from now on.
The two started living together and he found out Viv cannot speak. The traumatic experiences he went through could have led him to completely give up on speaking. Or he could also unconsciously stop speaking.
As Oz tried to become a better parent to Viv, he tried his best to teach him how to speak, and assure him that it is okay to talk. Eventually, Viv learned to trust the man who saved his life and started saying one word at a time. Although it is hard to puzzle out what the child is trying to say, after a year of constant hard work, Oz traced his family records.
His father died at the hands of the people he owed money, while his mother died during the storm when a tree branch hit her. And it became clear to him the age of this child he brought to his home, he is nine and not six.
All the abuse and starving him stopped him from growing.
It has become a mission for Oz to take good care of him and teach him about things he never experienced; doing house chores, chopping woods, reading, and writing. Oz has also taken care of various situations and how would he react as he noticed Viv would wait for his words before he does something.
Just like when he accidentally burned himself while boiling a pot of water, had he not noticed it, there could be a possibility he can't use his left arm again. Thankfully, the priest was able to arrive on time and heal his burn.
Viv started learning how to react to situations on his own, but at the back of his mind, the words of Oz would linger behind him.
Oz saw how strong Viv is and decided to teach him swordsmanship, but his short limbs made it hard for him to control the sword. So he replaced the sword with a kitchen knife, for him to practice, that is where he saw potential for Viv.
"Son," he said to get Viv's attention, "should I leave this world, I want you to promise me to keep my teachings and our memories in your heart and never forget them."
Viv looked up at his father and stared at him, not understanding what he meant.
"I want you to still keep me close even though I'm no longer here." Oz tried to keep himself from crying.
"Where will you go?" he innocently asked.
Oz smiled at him and hugged him tight, "promise me to always do what's good. And never return to the streets."
Although he is confused, Viv nodded.
Years later, Oz died of a heart attack and left the teenager all alone. At the age of fourteen, Viv was left all alone again. Fortunately, he's learned to distinguish what's good and bad through Oz. And even though he never received proper education, Viv still is smart enough to analyze.
He joined the guild with a letter at hand his father made months before he left the world, it is a letter of recommendation from him to the guild's chief to let Viv join regardless of the rank. And that he will listen attentively and do what's asked of him to do.
Because of Oz's reputation, Viv was able to join the guild.
He became infamous for being a cold blooded monster, always mutilating his prey to the point of being unrecognizable. This scared the other adventurers and so the guild never sent him on missions in a team. He always goes solo, and his quests are always the rampant wild animals throughout the kingdom.
With his precise killings, although they are very reluctant, Viv became the first third generation, ruby adventurer.
His promotional money was spent on a new wardrobe, he remembered how Oz would give him new clothes or things whenever he accomplished something. And remembering how others would comment on his shabby clothes, he bought himself a new one. Throwing away his old clothes, he now wears a black shirt with its left sleeve ripped, showing his bandaged shoulder. He also bought a black patch for his eye, his father had always wanted him to wear one. He bandaged his feet, and rolled the other leg to show his black combat boots.
After he changed clothes, Viv saw his father smile at him in his mind.
He raised his hand and did what Oz does whenever he praises him; patting his head.
"Good job, son." Oz's voice echoed from when he was alive.
Viv keeps swinging on the chandelier, with a knife at one hand.
"Say, say. Let's play. Play with me."
His high pitched tone rang in everyone's ear. He is someone who they want to avoid, it has become a rumor around the guild where when you accidentally meet with him, you'll get bad luck for a year and would only be given small paying quests.
"Say, say, say!"
Viv jumped down on one of the untouched tables and grinned widely. His eyes shrank, he wanted to see blood. It has been long since he had last seen blood. All of his quests do not involve fighting the last few weeks.
He screamed and started digging his nails into his face, he was trembling. His bloodlust triggered again. The scene that was shown before him a while ago awakened his sleeping monster.
He has to spill blood.
"SAY!"