"Five....?" Arya was surprised, or more accurately, disappointed.
"Just five?! Does Mathers think so low of me?! I am a warlord for god sake!" Arya didn't want to scream it out.
"Scared, are you?" Mercy drank Arya's beer.
"I think you are underestimating me, boy. I can handle more than 5 assassins easily. You don't know me or my strength. Leave me be." Arya rose from his table and raised his hands in the air.
"I suggest you reconsider fighting them alone. The Judge has sent those assassins, and I wouldn't think of fighting them drunk and alone."
"The Judge?!" Arya recoiled.
The Judge, sworn blade and protector of Lord Mathers. And the deadliest thorn on Arya's side.
The people of Uro and the Dynasty know the Judge as the merciless warlord. He was without a human name and wore a moon helm and stripped coat with white and red stripes.
He sat right beside the high seats of the strongest warlords of Uro, a skilled swordsman and a cold-blooded assassin.
When the court held trials, Arya saw the Judge cut down the most innocent-looking people if he felt they were guilty.
Some say he could survive the attack from the northern serpents, but the nation wouldn't. He was serving the king before Arya was even born.
"Sit down and eat something. Claus, bring him some mouth-watering food. If it comes in less than 4 minutes, double reward by my Lord."
Claus didn't even wait for Arya's confirmation and ran into the kitchen.
Arya sat down next to Mercy, and his mind flooded with all the overwhelming things happening...
"Why was I lying near the hole near the city? Why did Lord Mather exile me? Why did Ina betray me? Why is the Judge sending his assassin his assassins at me? And this..." Arya turned his head to look at the teenage boy gulping down beer.
"Why can't I shake the feeling that I have seen him or heard his name before? Or wait...?"
"How do you even know those are Judge's assassins outside?" Arya held and shook Mercy by the shoulders. Mercy smirked in response.
"There is a cost to everything, My Lord. I believe you can give me something back for that information?"
"What do you want?" Arya had gold to give, but it was clear that Mercy wanted none of it.
"I want you to tell me the events that have led you here, Arya Robon. Why is the Judge hunting you here in the open? Tell me that, and you will get what you need." Mercy slid off Arya's hands.
"He knows about me, too?!" Arya felt uncomfortable and wished he was drunk right now. His feet felt weak, and he fell on the chair.
Mercy turned his face to Arya and placed his unsheathed sword in the middle.
Arya understood that Mercy was using the magic of the snow lords from his hands which froze the wind around them.
Arya hesitated at first, but Mercy was the best chance at life he could have. So, he began telling his tale.
"You can tell from my name that I am a lowborn warlord. I and other warlords are born with only 1 or 2 spheres of power in our possession, all of us have the surname Robon. My actual name is Arya Ashur. My affinity is with Mother Earth, and I can use my abilities to find anything below your eyes. Lower class Magic does not work against me."
"I was working under Lord Mathers, looking for any tunnel or secret pathways in the city to prevent assassination attempts. During my works, I met and fell in love with Lord Mather's daughter, Igaria Mathers or Ina.... and it wasn't just me. We were both in love with each other."
"A sad love story? I think you had the guts to say anything to Lord Mathers about a relationship with his daughter." Mercy commented, and Arya ignored him,
"When the seal of the north began falling. Lord Mathers grew desperate to protect Uro, and then a red priest came to the city." Arya bit his lip.
"The priest had an old scroll with him, and the scroll had a few lines about a deep crypt of an undead lord who grants the wish of awakening him."
Arya could still remember the feeling of opportunity when listening to that in the court. His heart felt happy that his abilities would be used for some real purpose.
Ina and Arya were smiling at each other. Love and destiny felt true to Arya, the white teeth, long red hair and a kind heart. Everything he could ever ask for.
"As expected, I went to Lord Mathers and asked for his daughter's marriage in search of the warlord's crypt. He accepted."
"I went and searched for 3 years in the north near the seal, searching the crypt. I soon found the cave was in a mountain in the northeast. I reported that to Lord Mathers. He asked me to take the red priest with him instead of sending any other warlord for the work. I still accepted." Arya paused his gaze at table, collecting his memories.
"The north seal was broken when I was under the tunnel with that red priest and...I don't remember anything after it."
Arya pinched his eyes, trying to remember anything that passed the day. But nothing came to his mind the piece of the puzzle was missing.
"The next thing I know, I was lying near the large hole in the city walls. I go to the people and find out that a chunk of the north has fallen to the monster before Lord Mathers killed Serpent's mother, Alsana. And there was damn snow all around half of the nation." Arya felt confused.
He wanted to escape from the anxiety, fear and the future. So he grabbed the beer jug.
"Stop." Mercy stopped Arya's hand from grabbing the jug. Mercy matched Arya's force and kept his hand from moving a inch forward.
"I suggest you don't take a drink. After we finished telling each other fairy tales. I will destroy the snow spell protecting us, and blood will spill next." Mercy let go of Arya's hand.
"Although, I know the rest of the story. Lord Mathers blamed you for the seal opening and the loss of the land in the north. Ina didn't support you when you said the promise was about finding the tunnel, not opening it. Now you are an exile and those assassins outside are there to fix a loose end."
"How do you know this?" Arya was worried.
"The entire city has your posters of you with a bounty of 2500 gold coins and Ina's hand in a marriage for the one who kills you or captures you."
"..." Mercy credited Arya with not flinching and taking like a man. Or maybe he gave up on living.
"So, why are you saving me? What worth am I?" Arya mended the words, so he could set his drunken mind straight.
"I want to travel this world and find out what secrets lie in the realm and, your abilities are perfect for this work. Your life has a lot of use for me. You can find some orbs of power along the way."
Mercy offered Arya a handshake and a smile.
"Death or, a Life of Exile adventurer with a mysterious psycho. Life gave me fewer choices."
Saying this Arya took the Hand shake. Because, he knew the man in front was definitely lying, nobody talks like that to build trust with a stranger unless it a scam.
" What is this feeling?...." But there was a certain allure to the guy, like Arya had known him before, there was sense nostalgia and trust already forged before the conversations ever started.
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