Chapter 19 - 19. A fortuitous encounter?

Confused, Glenn looked at the old man's face. The latter was pinching his nose, his expression twisted in disgust. He was wearing the same simple tunic and pants as the day he met him for the first time, and his beard and hair were still as well-kept as ever. "Kid, you should wash yourselves in actual clean water, not in the gutters." He exclaimed, his eyes going up and down Glenn's body in a judgmental way.The young man looked down, actually agreeing with the old man. He was still covered with disgusting filth, as well as...whatever those liquids were. Trying to clear his mind, he shook his head, staring back at the old man. Maybe with the help of this powerful person, he'll be able to find officials to deal with this mess of his. After all, Diamanes did say that he was an extremely strong geezer.Glenn was lost in his contemplation, failing to notice the old man shrugging dismissively before walking away, unbothered.'Hey, he's leaving,' Diamanes nudged at his host, trying to get his attention. The young man abruptly pulled himself together, hiding his purple hand in his ripped clothes. They weren't hiding much, but he didn't have anything else to use anyway. He quickly followed the old man, trying to catch his steps. "Wait! Can you help me?" He desperately asked, navigating through the disgusting things in the street. At some point, he walked on something that made a strange, fleshy sound. He looked down, only to notice that he accidentally stepped on a dead rat, that was...half-eaten. Yuck. He pulled back his feet with a disgusted expression, only to notice that the geezer was getting further away. Oddly, despite the senior's slow pace, the distance between the two of them only grew even as Glenn began running."I can pay!" He yelled in a last hopeful attempt. This one seemed to work. The old man abruptly halted, pivoting around swiftly before sizing Glenn up and down, a mocking grin on his lips. "I ain't into kids, nor that sort of business. And ya're a man, so it's a definite no." He pointed to the chains still fastened to Glenn's limbs."Even if ya're talking about money, lemme tell ya that I ain't interested in your smelly ol' copper" The old man waved his hand dismissively, a sarcastic smile on his face. A smile that quickly vanished when a gold tint appeared in Glenn's dirty hands, quickly disappearing back the way it came from. The young man wasn't going to show that he had actual money in a place where everyone was extremely poor. It was already extremely risky for him to do what he just did, but he didn't have a choice. A second later, without any warning, the old man appeared next to Glenn, a gust of wind around him. It almost looked like he had teleported. The old man grabbed Glenn's arm in a steel-like clench, and before he could react, they reappeared atop one of the dilapidated cabins.'Something is very wrong,' He thought, feeling something amiss. It took him another second to understand that the bad feeling he had came from the emptiness he felt, or didn't feel beneath his feet.The strong arm of the old man was all that prevented Glenn from plummeting ten meters below. Snowflakes delicately landed on the old man's straw hat, and icy streaks formed at the corners of his mouth. The young man noticed ice enveloping the old man's arm, and his eyes began to emit a silver glow. Cold, white air began to appear around them, chilling Glenn to his bones."Who's the target this time, you maggot? Who, and what's the pay, damned trash?" The old man's voice, through clenched teeth, was icy and irate, very different from its previous version. Glenn liked the friendly one much better, unsurprisingly. After all, one wanted him dead, and the other not, so his liking automatically went to one over the other. The grip on Glenn's neck tightened, and the maggot in question felt like he would be squashed like a bug if the crazy geezer didn't let loose. Grabbing the hand holding him with both of his hands, he tried to open the grip, to no avail. The crazy old man continued his monologue, seemingly unaware that his victim was only a breath away from death or even that he was struggling to get out of his vice, plunging Glenn into an even deeper feeling of weakness and helplessness. Diamanes wasn't kidding when he said that even a flick of his fingers could kill him.'That's not exactly what I said, but yeah, I did warn you,' the entity commented from within Glenn's mind, finding the situation extremely amusing."I swear, this little shit is just a Beginner Initiate. Just what game are they playing? Do they think I'm that easy now?" Spitting those words hatefully, the old man violently tossed Glenn onto the roof, breaking a few makeshift tiles. The young man landed on his back, and quickly rolled away, struggling to catch his breath. Holding his throat, he stared at the old man with a mixed look of fear and renewed respect. This formidable strength was... incomprehensible. But more than that, he felt the desire to...to get such strength for himself.Glenn coughed, forcing himself to sit up. He tried to steady himself on the uneven surface of the roof, a process made even more complicated by how slippery the tiles were. He glanced down, seeing that ice covered the tiles completely. "Wait, cough, it's a misunderstanding!" Glenn pleaded, raising his hands apologetically. The old man's expression froze. Twirls of blue light appeared around his body, summoning a majestic spear made out of deep, blue ice. More of the old man's body became covered in the same material, forming almost a knight armor that enveloped and protected him."Who do you think you're addressing, boy? How dare you accuse me of an error when your very existence is a mistake?" The old man's eyes were bloodshot, and he had a crazed expression on his face. Yikes."Hah!" The crazy geezer yelled dryly, making a pressure similar to when he first interacted with Diamanes weigh on his shoulders. It was weaker than that time, but it was still quite terrifying, making his chest tighten and restraining his breathing.A pressure similar to when Diamanes first interacted with him, but weaker, appeared, weighing on his chest. 'A tongue as sharp as his spear.' remarked Diamanes, who remained seemingly unconcerned with this thorny situation. Glenn could only count on himself to get out of it. Seeking to calm himself, he shook his head, trying to put his thoughts back into place. "Listen, I didn't mean to offend! We went to the Gate a few weeks ago, argh, and I simply recognized your face in the street!" He quickly said, the air having difficulty entering his lungs.The old man made his spear twirl gracefully in his hands, a reserved expression on his face. Each hand movement he made was accompanied by a gust of visible cold air, white smoke following him at every move."Hmm, you're the kid who used my cart, right?" His expression suddenly changed, losing its hardness little by little, "Yeah, I remember you now, you're that weirdo!" The ice spear vanished in a cloud of steam, alongside the old man's frosty demeanor. His grin, missing a few teeth, replaced the tension between them like a ray of sunshine."What are ya doing in this gutter, lad? I remember leaving you at the Frozen Gate, didn't I?"Glenn breathed out in relief, dusting himself off. His fear and adrenaline subsided, and he shivered, the ice hadn't completely disappeared, and the air was as cold as ever. He looked down at the street below, his heart bumping loudly in his chest."Well, I'd love to explain how I ended up here, but I'd prefer a more grounded location. Being on a roof about to collapse isn't exactly comforting." He said slowly, his eyes fixed on the ground below. The old man chuckled in a reassuringly amused manner, peering down at the street."Indeed, my old knees could use someplace to sit. Let's go to the Cold Beer, shall we? I'm sure ya kiddo will forgive me if I pay ya a beer, right?" He grabbed warmly the young man's shoulder.Glenn thought back to the inn he had disrupted the last time, offering a casual smile and shrug. It had been a while, with some luck the owner might not even remember him. And a shower and meal were quite appealing.Everything will be fine as long as he doesn't touch a drop of Fiery Spirit anyway. Probably. 'Agreed' 'Shut it.' "Sure, let's do that. Uhh, do you know the way? I have no idea where I am, honestly." Glenn rubbed his head, his face flushed with awkwardness. The old man smirked, shaking his head slowly."Don't be embarrassed, kid. Despite my age, I haven't explored every nook and cranny of the Sewers yet." Glenn smiled awkwardly, trying to get a hold of this enigmatic person. One moment he seemed like a sweet grandfather, the next a formidable and chilling figure who could kill him anytime he wanted. A platform of ice suddenly materialized under their feet, apparently in a cloud of blue particles. The platform gently brought them to the ground, hovering slowly. 'This. Is. So cool. Diamanes, can I take this ability?' A derisive laugh echoed in Glenn's mind. 'Feel free to try, if you're keen on meeting an early demise. You're nowhere near Sir Geezer's level. Attempting to replicate his ability is like asking a newborn to wield a great sword for cooking.'Glenn frowned, puzzled. Where does this companion of his come up with these crappy metaphors? 'I can hear you.' In the meantime, the old man had stepped down from the ice platform, looking expectantly at Glenn, his eyes full of the warmth so often found in the gazes of loving grandparents. "It ain't a bit of ice that's going to scare ya, is it?" Jumping down from the platform, Glenn joined the old man's side, staring at the ice disappearing in a cloud of steam. This magic impressed him every time he saw it. One moment it's there, the other it's gone. Isn't that crazy? "Um, can I ask for your name, sir?" The old man displayed a toothy smile as he laughed out loud."It's been eons since anyone asked for my name. Back in the day, they called me Redan." He coldly pronounced the name, heavy with memories.Redan took a look at the restraints on Glenn's limbs with displeasure etched across his face. He held his right hand out, a sharp, ice sword emerging. A second later, the shackles were swiftly severed, crashing down on the ground in a metallic cacophony."T…Thanks." "Ya're welcome." Redan led Glenn out of the Sewers with sure steps. The influence of the overlapping ruined houses that had weighed him down before seemed to dissipate under his guide's footsteps. An hour later, they sat in the Cold Beer, both nursing pints of ale. Glenn felt a twinge of unease at the thought of encountering the owner, Winston, again, but he was absent. According to a waitress, Winston had disappeared about a month earlier. A plate of roasted potatoes and chicken was delivered by a waitress. The aroma stirred Glenn's stomach, marking his first real meal in weeks. While the beast's blood might sustain him, it hardly compared in taste or satisfaction. When the plate was set before him, he made short work of its contents before promptly ordering another. Glenn sensed something peculiar about the flavor, realizing the absence of salt or pepper. Back on Earth, these were commonplace, but their preciousness was often forgotten. Not that he minded—hunger was the best seasoning, after all.Redan observed the young man eating, remaining silent. Once Glenn had finished, the old man leaned forward, his hands clasped together. His gaze was fixed on Glenn, full of curiosity. Uncomfortable, Glenn cleaned his mouth with a towel. He took a look at the towel, seeing that he actually managed to dirty the fabric so much in only one wipe that it became completely black and smelly. "What?" He asked awkwardly. A smirk appeared on Redan's face. "So, shall I listen to that story? How did ya end up like this, kiddo?"