We rounded a corner and got the magnificent sight of three youngsters - around our age, roughly - beating on a thin, old man with hair as grey as ash and clothes covered in grime.
"Why'd ya lie to me, ya old fart?! Ya said all I needed to do was tell 'em that method of yours and they'd take me in as an apprentice! Yet here I am, still stuck on the street!"
A boy with dark blue hair was kicking the elderly man as he huddled on the ground, spittle flying as he shouted at him while beating him, with his two friends or comrades mirroring him.
"We coulda been eatin' real food now instead of trash! They said that method was outdated, just like you are!"
"You said that was a real method still used today! By who, other old idiots like you?! Now we're the laughingstock of the Grimhildr Academy! No one's going to take us seriously now!"
I frowned at the mention of Grimhildr the Alchemist, but I allowed that thought to flow away as I instead stared at the three boys for a moment longer before turning and taking another route.
That man wasn't known by me, nor was there merit to saving someone who was just as terribly off as I was; I wasn't a saint, and while it didn't sit right with me, I had no desire to fight today.
Of course, I could only sigh as my neighbor accidentally hit a rock with their foot, alerting the three to our presence and shifting their target from the old man to the two newcomers.
"Hey, who're you two?! Huh? Answer me short stock!"
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the blue haired kid approaching me with a sneer on his face, the anger clouding his pale blue eyes and making him a wildcard.
"No one. Just making our way down the alleys is all. We don't want any trouble..."
My neighbor and I turned to face the blue haired boy entirely, with his sneer growing as he stopped a few feet away from me, staring down at me.
Slightly taller and with a bit more meat on his bones, the kid was still lanky but in much better shape than I was, so that made his arrogance and frustrations flare as he snarled "I doubt it, shorty. Gunna go grab a guard, weren'tcha? Get me in trouble..."
His lips curled up in distaste, and a flick of his hand had the two others stomping over as well, their grins as having two new punching bags obvious as they cracked their knuckles.
"Well, tough shit for you, isn't it? I'mma need ya to keep quiet 'bout this... and to make sure ya do..."
Without much warning, the blue brat threw a swift jab towards my nose, hoping to catch me off guard, but I saw it coming from a mile away, his posture and eyes giving it away entirely.
When his arm was extended, I ducked beneath the punch and grabbed his arm, yanking on it and adding some more momentum to his body, making him stumble forwards.
As he was stumbling, I kicked the back of his knee and sent him to the ground, only to turn and raise a brow as I heard the sound of someone getting punched behind me.
Without waiting for anything, my red eyed neighbor threw a punch towards the lackey opposite of them, catching the brown haired kid off guard and hitting him square in the jaw.
With their leader on the ground, I blitzed the remaining lackey while my own lackey began to beat on the other, their fists landing on the kids face and body as they unleashed a flurry of punches.
My leg extended as I kicked the other lackeys knee back, making him squeal in pain as the joint locked up, before falling silent as my fist collided with his temple, knocking him out cold for the moment.
Hearing the leader behind me getting to his feet, I spun around and ducked under the shaky roundhouse and jabbed at his gut, forcing him back a step.
I stepped forwards the moment he stepped back, maintaining the distance between us as I jabbed again, this time hitting his shoulder as I knocked him off balance, opening his posture up as I swung at his jaw.
Watching him drop to the ground out cold, I sighed as I glanced towards the red eyed brat, who was still beating on the lackey below them without a care in the world, ignoring the kids scream for mercy.
"Hey, enough."
Grabbing their shoulder, I blocked the jab they sent towards me and squeezed their fist, watching as light returned to those ruby orbs, understanding dawning on them as they shakily stood up.
I held their fist for a moment longer and stared at their eyes before nodding, releasing them and instead approaching the old man, crouching down and raising a brow as I saw the long ears of an Elf twitching as he raised his head up.
Narrowing my eyes, I observed him for another moment then stood up, deciding that an Elf so down on his luck and so weak that he would let three brats from the slums beat him up was worth little to me.
"Get up old man. I know you can at least do that much. You should leave before they come around again, unless you enjoy getting beat by young boys. In which case I think I'll go grab a guard."
The Elf shuffled around and sat himself up, his gray hair matted and his two long ears twitching as he glared up at me.
"Young people these days... No respect for the elderly..!"
"I could've just left you there to rot."
He let out a huff and stood up, towering over me and fixing his lustrous emerald eyes on mine, which were filled with youthful vigor and power.
This man was hiding from something, it would seem; why, I didn't care, but that meant he was bad news to be around, so I stepped away and waved goodbye to him, walking towards the exit of the alleyway.
I could sense mana flowing freely through his body, and those eyes were too easily identifiable for me, but...
"Well, good luck old man. Don't get jumped again by some brats, yeah? C'mon, we got work to do!"
Beckoning towards the red eyed lackey of mine, I gave the old Elf one last look before slipping from the alleyway, muttering "What happened to you, Gaelin?"
~~~
Oh~!
Smart smart smart Tiberius~!
That WAS Gaelin Verdanis wasn't it?
Hmm...
Who was Gaelin Verdanis again?
~~~