'Who are they?' Tetsuno wondered. 'They don't seem like good news.'
The three men walked up to the counter and the lead one leaned up against it. "Been a while, Birgin." He said to the old man. "Listen, the boss says that, lately, you haven't been bringing in enough income. Come on man. We had a deal."
'Boss?' Tetsuno thought. 'I see. So that's why this town seems so on edge. It's ruled by a group of thugs.'
"Zelden.. yes.." the old man spoke, his hands lowering as he averted his eyes. "There have not been many travelers as of late. So the income has been low.."
Tetsuno suddenly felt guilty that he didn't persist on paying with gold.
"Well. If you don't pay up soon, you know what'll happen. Everything here will be gone." The thug, Zelden, said.
Tetsuno grit his teeth. He wanted, so badly, to kill the thugs, but he also didn't want to be involved with a matter that had nothing to do with himself. Then he noticed the old man was shaking, as was Kedo. Something wasn't right. These thugs didn't seem that tough. Tetsuno glanced them up and down. Zelden wore a black cloak with thin silver specks tied into the cloth while chains wrapped about their wastes and daggers were held there against their hips. Silver and gold rings and earrings decorated Zelden's fingers and ears while the others wore silver masks embellished with gems. These were not thugs, they were organized and seemed to be a real threat. Tetsuno was now interested, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
Zelden noticed Tetsuno's eyes on him and looked over, his grey eyes meeting Tetsuno soft blue. "I don't think we've met." He spoke. Tetsuno's grip tightened on his katana, Zelden took note of this.
"That's a nice blade you've got there. Mind handing it over? I'd like to take a closer look." Zelden's wingmen moved behind Tetsuno.
"Leave him out of this!" Birgin said, "he is just a paying customer and a traveler, he has nothing to do with this!"
"Oh yeah? Well, travelers gotta pay to pass through our turf." Zelden said, his hand reaching for Tetsuno's blade. Tetsuno rose from his seat and stood face to face with Zelden. He stood a few inches taller than Zelden and was also more fit.
"I'd watch it if I were you." He spoke. "You don't wanna make enemies of us. I also doubt you'd wanna make a scene."
"Make a scene? Isnt that precisely what you are doing now?" Tetsuno said.
"You think you're scary?" Zelden asked. "You are out numbered my friend. I'm afraid to tell you but I don't think you can do anything here."
"Back off, Zelden!" Kedo interjected then.
"Listen kid, sit your ass down or-" suddenly the butt of Tetsuno's katana crashed into Zelden's face, knocking back onto the floor.
"Jesus! You knocked'em on his ass!" Kedo said.
"Fucking kill this bitch!" Zelden roared, infuriated.
The two other men drew their daggers and came at Tetsuno, but to him they moved almost in slow motion. He drew his blade and swiftly slammed the dull side of the blade against the side of the first one's face before thrusting the blade forward and cutting a shallow gash in the other's shoulder before he dashed forward, his palm slamming into the man's jaw, the sound of his teeth crashing together loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear as the man was sent up into the air before collapsing to the floor. Tetsuno had done all of this within less than five seconds.
For a long moment, nobody moved. They all simply stated in silence, dumbstruck by what had just transpired.
"You-you-" Zelden spoke then, rising to his feet and breaking the silence. "You're an Aberrant! Damn you! Damn all of you, this town will burn!"
Tetsuno sheathed his blade and then dashed forward so fast that the force from his foot cracked the floorboards as the tip of the sheathe slammed into Zelden's chest, the sound of a breaking rib echoing through the room as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. And there Tetsuno stood over the three men, all of them knocked out at his feet.
"How did you.." Kedo spoke in awe. "Are you.. really an Aberrant?"
Tetsuno clipped his katana back to his hip, glancing at the young man. "Yes. I am." He said simply. He didn't like people know long what he was, especially since there was a hundred gold coin reward for anyone who brought in an Aberrant. The gods wanted to eradicate all of them. While it may be nice to be revered as a hero by those who view Aberrants as heroes, there are also those that would turn you into the Great Kingdoms, which would mean certain death.
"You are? Yes! You are the one!" Kedo exclaimed.
"The one?" Tetsuno asked.
"Yes!" Kedo got to his knees at Tetsuno's feet. "Please, Master Abeza, please help us! Those guys are part of a group called the Order of the Golden Sin. They are supposedly led by a demon and they terrorize multiple villages in this area. Please help us! I've been praying for so long for an Aberrant to appear, and now you have!"
Tetsuno grimaced, irritated. He should've stayed out of it. He knew he should've. But he couldn't have given up his sword, that was not an option. He considered helping them. The issue sounded major, and it wasn't like anyone else would do it. Not just that, but if he denied them it was entirely possible that they would turn him in to one of the great kingdoms. He didn't think that he'd be caught though, no, he'd be long gone. But it could still be an issue. He clipped his blade back onto his hip with a sigh.
"Fine." Tetsuno said, "but I can't work for free, and my price will be high, especially if a demon is involved."
"Of course!" Kedo said, "I'll give you all of my savings-"
"No." Birgin said, disappearing beneath the counter before returning with a box that he set on the counter, the sound of coins shifting around inside it. "I'll pay you half of all our earnings. This is money we've hidden from those marauders."
"But.. dad, that's all our inn's cash, we need it." Kedo objected.
"No, we won't need it if he's successful in his mission." Birgin spoke. "And we will provide you with anything else you need."
Tetsuno thought for a moment. He honestly doubted a demon actually led this "Golden Sin" group. It was probably some ruffian trying to appear more powerful than he was, but the chance was still there. Not just that but he honestly felt a bit guilty with the pay they were offering him. He didn't want to take that much away from them, especially considering the situation they were in. He considered on another way they could pay him or help him. Then he glanced over at his bag.
"Well, you don't need to pay me that much. I'd rather something else. May I ask, do you have a smith in this town?" Tetsuno asked.
"A smith? Well, yes but it's... a situation, to say the least." Birgin said.
"A.. situation?"
"Mm, yes. You see, the Golden Sin didn't much like the idea of us having a smith. They viewed the idea as a threat and a possibility that we'd forge weapons and armor for ourselves, so the smithy was burned down and the smith was taken away. We don't know what happened to him, but his daughter was taught in the ways of forging. She may be able to assist you. May I ask with what though?"
"Ah, well, if she is a novice it may be a bit much for her to do, but.." Tetsuno bent down to grab his bag. As he did one of the men on the ground, the one he'd hit aside the head with his sword, groaned. Tetsuno crashed his foot into the man's skull, ensuring a long sleep. He then grabbed his bag and set it on the counter, metal clanging as he did. He untied the opening and loosened it, pulling out a lavish metal plate. The armor was made from gleaming crimson plates stacked over one another, golden string tied delicately through notches in the metal, holding it together while it had black cloth padding on the underside. In certain spots the metal was dented in and the paint was scratched away.
"How.. did you get your hands on such a masterpiece?" Birgin asked in awe, leaning against the table and studying the shoulder pad.
"That is a story I'd rather keep to myself as of right now." Tetsuno said. "But the metal is of the highest quality and is near impossible to damage by normal means."
"Are those dents from a demon then?" Kedo asked, studying the armor with a look of awe and fascination. Tetsuno wondered if the boy had any intent on becoming a soldier, he seemed to be quite interested in things related to combat.
"No." Tetsuno answered his question. "I'm afraid that had it been a demon the damage would've been worse. This was from a beast I hunted a few weeks back."
"A beast? What kind of beast?" Kedo inquired.
"Kedo, that's enough pestering." Birgin interjected.
"No, it is quite alright. It was a Brute Drake that had been running amuck and destroying farm land. Little did I know it was a full grown Drake with a partner. Caught me off guard and, as you can see, they did quite a number on me."
"Well that's apparent." Kedo said. "You said that armor is strong, if it is as strong as you say then those things must've been strong. What was it like?"
"Kedo." Birgin spoke.
"It... isn't something you'd ever wanna experience. Trust me." Tetsuno said. "Killing beasts is no easy task, even as an Aberrant."
"Have you ever seen or killed a demon before?"
A flashback to flames and a ghastly figure dashed through Tetsuno's mind. His eyes became distant. "I've seen one."
"Seen? Never killed? Do you think-"
"Kedo. That's enough." Birgin said firmly. "Come, Abeza, I'll take you to Shayna. We will see what she can do about your armor."