"Ahh, the world is spinning...I feel sick...and they keep pestering me about my loans" I mumbled to myself as my head is slumped on the table, with a glass of whiskey, sitting in front of me, I could see a pint of reflection from the glass.
"Oh? Them? Are you in debt by any chance?" A female bartender said, who seemed to have heard me mumbling. For an alcoholic pub establishment, with loud music that's filled with people drinking and mingling, she must have quite an ear to be able to hear me mumble. She took the glass near me and proceeded to wash and wipe it with a cloth. She was wearing your usual bartender clothes: a black vest over her long-sleeve polo, with a short black skirt. She had green hair tied in a side ponytail, smiling in a rather relaxed manner.
"Ahh...yeah... I'm being chased by some guys, forcing me to pay, but I don't have any money yet...though they keep extorting me, even to the point of harassing my friends and family." I answered, my voice giving off a somewhat tired tone.
"Ah, Loan Sharks, they're a pain in the ass, aren't they?" said the female bartender, still having her relaxed smile on her face, but expressing her tiredness at the same time, as if she has experience facing those loan sharks herself.
"Oh? Then perhaps you'd like to make a contract then?" said a man, as he was seated at the other edge. 3 stools were left unseated between us. He was stirring his drink in a slowed manner, as if gently playing with his drink. He was dressed in a rather unusual way. He was wearing a white coat over his polo and yellow vest, paired with black pants and shoes. He's wearing a small straw hat, with a black ribbon around it, a type of fashion you won't see every day.
"A contract? What do you mean?" I asked, baffled by what this man was saying. I mean, can you blame me? I just met this guy just seconds ago.
"Heh, careful now. If you make a contract with him, it's like selling your soul to a demon" The female bartender teased, as she continued to listen to the conversation with a playful smile. The way she teased about him, makes it seem that she's already familiar with who this guy was and his unusual antics.
"I can get those loan sharks off your back...for a price, of course." He said, looking at me, as he slowly flicked his hat upward, allowing me to be able to see his face. He had a smirk on his lips, his brown hazel eyes looking at me as if looking deep into my soul. This was not an ordinary man. This is the look of someone who has already faced many challenges before, a man who keeps his word no matter the cause.
"Wait, are you a mercenary?" I asked him, slowly realizing what this conversation was all about.
"Heh, well, I guess you could say that." He said, chuckling a bit. His eyes continue to look at me, as if slowly assessing and reading who I am. If what he's saying is true, then that could really help me, having these loan sharks out of my way. But at the same time, I don't have any money to pay this mercenary back. I heard they can be quite rough when not paid.
"Thank you for your offer, but I think I'll pass on that" I answered
"Oh? Are you sure about that?" He asked
"Yess... excuse me but I need to leave." I said as I get up from the seat, I took one last look at the man, staring in his eyes before turning around to leave, I heard the female bartender call out my name but I didn't turned back, leaving already before things gets out of hand.
....
I didn't remember much the following day, all I remembered was I went to work like what I usually do.
On my way home, I went on with my usual route, passing by the pub bar I was at. The words of that man suddenly came flushing to my mind.
"Wanna make a contract?"
"I can make those loan sharks off your back...for a price of course"
Can he really help me get out of this situation? Sigh. If only I have enough money, I could've hired him right away.
I gave one last look at the pub bar before walking past it. I decided to not go in there. I took a turn to the right, leading me to an alleyway, which is usually a bad spot but it's a fast shortcut to my place, plus it'll lead me away from the bar, lead me away from him...and his eyes.
Then all of a sudden I heard a familiar voice calling out to me.
"Yo, Carlos, how's it been?" A man cried out to me. For some reason it was familiar to me, and as I turned around to see who it is, I was surprised. It was a face I didn't want to see...
Fuck.
They were 3 of them, all wearing the same white polo with black vest, paired with black trousers. The one in the middle having a distinguishable moustache.
"So Amigo, Time's up, I assumed I gave you plenty of time to get my money, yes?" The one in the middle said, grinning. The other two chuckling behind him.
"I- uh, you caught me in a bad timing hahaha. I actually don't have your money right now" I said, chuckling nervously as I slowly inched backwards with my hands raised to signify that I don't plan on resisting
"Oh? Where's my money amigo?" He said, his voice raising a bit, slowly turning into a furious tone.
"I used the money to pay for my personal expenses and taxes" I said answering his question, trying to avoid any trouble
"But if you had my money in full, there still should be some leftovers for me, where is it?" He said, his voice getting more furious and impatient
"Well I- uh spent the rest on a bar to relax..."
Out of nowhere he started to laugh like a maniac, it even got his two buddies behind look a little nervous
"Hahahaha, are you fucking kidding me? You spent my money on some damn alcohol!" He finally snapped, shouting at me.
"Im gonna take a visit to that bar pub and take what's mine! But first, I'm going to show you what it means to get on my dark side, get him!" Then just like that, the two of them began to slowly approach me, and before I knew it, I blacked out.
The next thing I knew, was waking up as my name was being called out
"Carlos..."
"Carlos.. "
"Carlos...!"
As I was slowly gained consciousness, a familiar face met me, and this time it was a face I was glad to see. It was the female bartender.
"What happened?" I asked, still in a daze
"Well, I should be asking you that" She said, sounding all worried but still having some relaxed composure on her voice.
"For now, I'll take you to the bar and get you treated there" She said as she helped me get up, guiding me as we walk.
The female bartender continued to help me until I got to the bar safely.
"Hold still, this'll sting a little" She said as she holds out her hand, a magic circle then appeared, with different incantation symbols around it.
"You have healing magic?" I asked surprised by what Im seeing.
"Why yes, it is healing magic, though that's not what I'm only capable of" She said, answering my question but with a tinge of teasing involved. Somehow her statement made feel uneasy. This doesn't seem like any normal healing magic either, this seems to be an old yet much more advanced variation of the healing magic we know today:
Witchcraft.
I was sitting on the same spot as before. And as if he never left, I saw him again, sitting on the same spot as before, still playfully stirring his drink
"It looks like you had a rough time with the loan sharks huh. What happened?" he said, observing my current condition
With no other option available, I decided to tell him everything.
"And that's where I was saved by ms.-"
"Ursula. Ursula Frey" she said, finally introducing herself in a relaxed smiling manner, as she still continues to heal my wounds. I can finally stopped reffering to her as the female bartender
"I see...Have you decided to take on my offer?" He said, turning to face me, with that same look as before. His eyes now once again fixiated on me.
"You mean the contract?" I asked, my faced falling flat as I lowered my head "As much as I'd like to, I can't, I don't have enough money to avail your services. Plus my remaining money was taken by them" I said, avoiding his gaze at me. Something about his eyes on me doesn't sit right with me.
"Is that your reason for declining?" He asked.
"Yess..." I replied.
"I see...then you can pay me back by paying for my drinks. I haven't dranked that many, after all. I'll just take that money from them then" He said as he left his seat, walking away from the counter. I don't know if it was just me or not, but I swore I saw a glance of his lips curling to a smirk.
"Wait, don't you need any information on him?" I asked, quite surprised that he hadn't asked for any information about the loan sharks to me
"I don't need to, I already have that info from you. I was looking at you, remember?" Then that's where it hit me. The reason why his gaze from the start seemed uncomfortable to me, because he was obtaining information from me through his eyes. An Appraisal magic, a type of magic that allows the users to be able to see different information about a person or an item they are looking at. What a rare magic type to have. I wished I had that magic with me.
"Wait, why are you doing this?" I asked him
"Well... I honestly just don't want to pay for my drinks." He said, as he lowered his straw hat back, continuing to walk away towards the exit.
"Who is he?" I asked as I watched him leave the bar. I can't help but be in awe of him and admire his movements.
"You wanna know who he is?" Ursula asked him as he continues to heal to his wounds. She looked at the white coat man before he disappeared into the exit, with a smile on her face, as if fully trusting her life to him.
"That's our leader, the owner of the bar, the type of person who would rather do anyone a huge favor than pay for his drinks. That's the leader of the Agawara Mercenaries, Kokoy Kaliman, a maharlika."