If Marx knew what his action meant, he would run away. He just walked casually with her as her followed her by her side to where she was leading him. It took long and it was only after almost ten minutes that they stopped at a market.
There were fish in almost every stall. In other stalls, there were vegetables and fruits. Women were dressed as usual and the unmarried ones had no clothing on their breasts. The teenage girls could be easily recognized from their full yet not mature breasts.
Marx was used to his villagers staring at him but being stared at by people you did not know made it feel awkward but he was getting used to it with every passing second. It was not that the people dwelled on them for long but it was just that no one did not see them walking together.
Marx could now guess that her identity was not usual. Also, he had not found another girl who could compete with her for beauty. He could tell from the angry and jealous gazes he sometimes received from the guys that she was one of a kind.
"Just asking, who are you?" They stopped as a group six guys stood infront of them. Marx had been so engrossed in his conversation that he had not even seen them stop infront of them. Had they not spoken, he would have just bumped into them.
Marx raised his head and stared at the guys. They were all taller than him and had a strong build. If it was in the present, one could have thought that they worked out due to their tanned skin. Broad chests and sixpacks. They had strong biceps and also were their triceps. They did heavy jobs that could be termed as a form of workouts.
These guys could easily crash one's head with a stomp of their feet. They were wearing white turbans and the white loincloths. Had it been before he worked out, he would have been intimidated but he even had the luxary to have his thoughts stray away from them.
That was how much he despised them. He did not even seem to realize that he was too lost in thoughts that the six guys thought that he was ignoring them. Well, he was ignoring them.
"Introduce yourself now or you might get arrested for trespassing in our lands!" A guy with a slightly stronger build who seemed to be the leader spoke. Marx raised his head and tried to speak but she acted first.
"Brother, as you can see, he is with me and he means no harm. His name is Marx. Just don't cause any trouble for him," Mia said standing between Marx and the six guys. She kept glancing at Marx and then back to the group of six. She had a reassuring smile whenever she looked at Marx.
Marx sighed. He had thought that he would get to kick some ass but as it seemed, he could not hurt her brother at all. He was a man who usually repaid the kindness shown to him and evil done to him. But he did not mind teaching this arrogant brother of her's his place.
"Stay away from this. I would never allow my sister to get cheated by a stranger. I must teach him a lesson and don't get in my way," the guy she referred to as brother spoke. He was handsome and could be termed as many girls' dream. Especially with his tonned body...
"But..." She tried to protest but he refused her. But when she felt a hand intertwine with hers she had a bad premonition.
"Okay, lets be frank, what is it that you want from me? I harbour no ill intentions at all. I was just stranded not knowing where I am and she agreed to show me the way," Marx said pulling her to his side.
"Arrogant. And what about the cloth you put on her?" The guy asked. Marx realized that these guys had heard that he was the one who put the clothes on her.
"Oh, that one, haha. I am weak to girls. I did this to protect myself and also her from the lustful gazes men keep throwing at her. I don't think you enjoy seeing your sister's..."
Marx was still in the middle of speaking when he felt a fist on his cheeks. He saw stars in his vision and he could feel a ringing sound in his ears. Was that even possible? The strength of that fist was nothing like what Marx had seen before.
He unconciously let go of her hand as he fell on his butt. What shook his was the fact that he had not felt it coming. Just how strong were they? He reevaluated them and raised their ranking. It was his first time having a fist land on his cheek.
The last time that happened was when he was fighting tbe giant spider monkey. He raised his hand and rubbed his cheek. He then raised his head and looked up at the guy towering above him a meter . They had already caught everyone's attention. It was going to be a good show before they slept.
"What did you say about my sister's privacy? And who do you think you are to lecture me about whether I should or should not? These are the rules set by our ancestors and have been followed to the letter with no one breaking them.
"To think that an outsider would try to come and teach us about culture. I have no problem with seeing it if that is the answer you were looking for. Guys, clobber him," her brother said.
Mia seeing this fell before her brother and the fallen Marx. She gave a pleading gaze and tried to remove the t-shirt but it was impossible.She did not know how to.
"Please do not do anything to him. He just a guest who knows nothing about our ways. I will remove it immediately just spare him," Mia said pleadingly.
"You dare to get in my way? Then I will make it harder for him," her brother said maniacally. Marx could already tell that her brother usually bullied her. He had thought of going easy on him because of her but he had to make them pay their debts to her. He saw her on her knees and he was instantly disgusted by this culture. She stood up and stood betwee them.
"You will have to go through me first!" She said defiantly openeing her arms blocking their way. Her brother's gaze turned cold and he raised his hand and slapped her. The slap was so resounding that Marx felt like it had hit him in the heart. Like it hit his very soul. What was that feeling.
She fell on the side and she could not stop the stream of tears that started falling. Why was her brother always trying to hurt her. What made it even worse were the laughs that came from the other men. How dare she stand infront of a man and be defiant?
She would just get punished for that and that slap was enough. She had even been shown mercy. 'He' was also probably laughing at her for her cowardice. She felt too much pain to even look up or sit up. Pain from her heart. Why were they looked down on and made to do things they did not want to? She would rather die than continue living in this hellish world.
All her world turned dark and she allowed herself to drown in despire. She was not even worth of living. But when she felt two hands on her shoulder trying to make her sit up, she felt a new flower bloom in her heart. A flower that illuminated with a bright light that shone over her despair.
When she met his eyes, all her thoughts of being unworthy were washed away with thoughts of whether she was worthy of being in his presence. He was not laughing at all nor was he smiling. He was instead angry. He was angry in her stead.
She was in despair and could not afford to get angry due to their gender but he was angry in her stead. Something that no one ever did. She felt like her heart had gained wings that fluttered in her chest. Forgetting that she was in pain. What she did not want was for this moment to never end.
Marx walked to her and placed his hands on her shoulder. He raised his hand and felt her cheek which was plastered with finger marks. Her cheeks were already wet from the tears that flowed nonstop . His anger just grew tenfold when he saw this.
"Does it hurt?" He asked but she shook her head. Was this how they were supposed to react? Show no pain when bullied.
His anger towards this culture just seemed to grow hundredfold. He put his hand on her back and helped her stand up. Her eyes did not leave him even once. Her blue hair falling on her face in a messy way. He cupped her face and spoke to her as he wiped the tears that seemed to have stopped.
" Culture? Culture my foot! How can they call invasion of privacy culture? You should never be ashamed of protecting what you find treasured to you. Never let someone make you remove it or let anyone see what is private to you," Marx said to her soothingly and then turned his head to the guys with an angry glare that appeared cold.
"What do you think you are doing? Insulting our culture infront of all these people? We should just kill you right here," one of the guys standing behind her brother spoke. He seemed he was a secret admirer and he did not like how Marx was doing things to her. It was supposed to be him...
"I can't believe that I thought of letting you have your way because she is your sister. I even thought of going easy on you but I was wrong. You guys deserve to have a beating and crippling. I won't go soft on you. Be ready to have broken bones in the next few seconds," Marx said with a calm eerie voice that felt like it was coming down from the depths of hell.
His words were irrefutable. He was the Angel of death and his word was final. He let go of her and turned to face these guys. But he felt her hands both clasped onto his. She had a worried look and Marx just smiled at her and removed her hands from his.
"If you are worried, worry about them, not me," Marx said as he turned to the group of six.
"Don't leave a single bone intact. If possible, kill him..."