Damian just wanted to get away from there as soon as possible but he remained seated as to not attract unnecessary attraction and get squished in someone else's fight.
"So you are the one huh? The living miracle..."
The leader was not looking at anyone in particular and just speaking while eating but as if everyone had a connected hive mind, the whole tavern focused their eyes on the table with the odd duo. The duo also realized at last that they were done for and hiding was a waste of time. They looked scared shitless but still acted brave in front of the muscular leader.
"We... we already told ya'. We are not interested being in your lord's service." The older man said with his legs visibly shaking.
The intimidating man just looked past the meat he was chewing and the father backed away two steps. The son was so scared he was yet to raise his head, his one hand was grabbing his father's pants tightly.
"Seems like you have a misunderstanding, shepherd. When our lord requests someone's presence they present themselves or they get buried six feet under ground."
The father who was already scared widened his eyes even more, as if suddenly somehow the threat became even more serious than it already was.
"Who... who are you..? Are you not knights of lord Silas...?"
"Do we look like negotiators to you..? That bastard ain't worth coppers in front of our lord.."
Damian wasn't sure but he had seen lord Silas in occasional gatherings in Baron's house when it was Lucian's birthday or some other event. He looked like an accountant clad in silky clothes with his sticky black hair. Well he was a mage so it was normal. The people who could so openly disrespect a regional lord in north of Dawnstar were only outlaws and those who had lived enough and wanted to die. If a powerful fighter's group like them were behaving like this then they must be outsiders, most likely serving the one who hated lord Silas (The regional lord of Ravensong and other villages near the border), The lord other side of the border.
They must be Faerunian knights.
'That's why they have been hiding their identity, but doing all this for what? Just a kid? What miracle did he do that two lords were fighting over him..?'
Damian looked at the annoying kid and only found fear and sadness, he was still looking down and not even raising his head to look at the overbearing knight.
Lord Marcus was just a Baron, if this Faerunian lord had a monster like that leader guy in his service then he or she must be pretty high in noble status. Faerunia just like Dawnstar believed in power above all else. A promising knight like this would never work for a house lord weaker than him without a solid reason.
"You.. y.. you can't do that. This is Dawnstar, you have no power here." The father said trying to grab his child and failing due to his own trembling limbs.
"I don't have power...?" The leader raised his eyebrows and put down his meal.
Pointing at one random guy who had beer mug in his hand he said,
"Go down on your knees and beg for your life."
The drunk villager froze on the spot, confused and scared by suddenly becoming the center of everyone's attention, he forgot who was talking to him and just looked around like an idiot.
'Kchiiinggg'
A high pitched metallic sound of blade splitting the air resounded in Damian's ears and within a second the drunk villager's head detached from his neck and fell down on the wooden floor with a 'thud'. Only then did blood even began to spurt out of the villager's severed body.
With a high pitched screaming the serving lady dropped everything and ran as fast as she could towards the door accompanied by all her customers which were just a second behind her. Some who were either too drunk, frozen or too far from the entrance remained on their seats without blinking for even a second which included Damian who still couldn't wrap his head around just how fast the sword moved in the leader's hand. He only saw just a slight movement of his hand in the beginning and in end when the sword returned in it's sheath.
In the middle of this chaotic scene the leader of Faerunian knights spoke again and every single person in earshot stopped moving and froze on the spot without making any sound. They all knew the price of angering this one man and and so they obliged.
"Your turn bumpkin, kneel & beg."
The appointed man this time, scared out of his wits knelt so hard, the floor squeaked beneath him. Then he started begging for not just his life but all the things he had done wrong in his life which even included his birth for some reason. The list was so long that Damian tuned out in the middle of it and tried his best to silently move away from the bloody scene and leave through back door while everyone was distracted.
"You are also not going anywhere, brat."
A powerful heavy pressure that Damian could swear was almost visible washed over his tiny figure as if huge wave of water and his whole body stopped moving.
'Just how thick is this goddamn man's aura !?'
He was locked in with the same position as he was walking, a piece of paper flew out of his hand and landed on the wooden floor right next to Damian's leg. His luck was at least with him today, the runic circle was on the upside. It was the latest spell he was working on, the invisible space-time box with fixed size.
'Perfect! Good job Damian. The hell were you thinking keeping this one with you in emergency !!?'
"On your first job at this age.. Impressive brat. We were looking for one recruit and got two, isn't that the sign from the sovereign of light, Michael..?"
"Yes captain, the eternal light shines upon us." One of the mean looking guy said from around the table while smiling brightly.
Damian felt as if someone had cut off his access to his own body and now he was trapped in his own mind. The captain of the Faerunian knights was far more powerful than an enlightened should be. Was he already a Transcendent..?
Only the most powerful figures in nobility reached the Transcendent rank. Since it was much more harder to level once you pass level 100 threshold, people in this rank ranged all over in the power spectrum. Some were incredibly powerful but not all were same, the level difference was huge. The captain must have just entered this realm, otherwise he would have become a lord of his own right by now.
Damian could not see the whole room but other than him and the group of knights everyone was squished flat on the floor, if Damian with his extra stats couldn't handle the pressure than average villagers were just ants in front of this monster.
However there was one more person standing, more like a kid standing even with this absurd amount of aura pressing down on him. The madly grinning knights also just realized it and looked at the kid with newfound respect and envy.
"Indeed a miracle survivor ! The most powerful recovery talent in the history can endure at least this much... The trip wasn't a total waste at least..."
'Recovery Talent..? He was a healing type Esper ?'
Damian was getting surprise after surprise here, the kid that he found most annoying in the world and was this close to blowing up was the most coveted Esper talent in the realm ? But so what ? It was useless now. Most likely he would get caught by these monsters and brought back to serve another lord.
The outcome had been the same, even though Damian ran away from one; another lord was ready with his arms wide open. Life was not fair and specially in the age of feudalism freedom was only available after you gain enough power. But this was not the end, Damian was not so weak that he would throw his weapons and call it quits just at the first signs of trouble. He would make it once again, he had already succeeded once what was one more time..?
However Damian had to stop his monologue in the middle because suddenly the tavern became brighter and brighten under the dark moonless night. Damian had to roll his eyes to the very edge but he succeeded in seeing what was going on. The annoying kid was glowing softly as if he ate a fluorescent tube. The light looked white but that was just an illusion.
Damian knew what the hell it really was.
'Freaking Lightning ! I knew I saw lightning in his goddamn eyes ! The miracle survivor? My ass.... Wait don't tell me the miracle he survived was a Goddamn Ligh... '