"WHAT?!" Flynn blinked, disbelieving. He brought the Ring closer, hoping to see the jaws move. Yet, nothing.
'I can't be crazy. I heard something just now—'
The voice returned.
[CRITICAL HUNGER — 90%]
[SATISFACTION REQUIRE — Absorb 1 Soul Shard.]
"Absorb 1 what?... Soul shard? What the heck is that?" Flynn's voice rose in panic. "And how can I absorb whatever is a soul shards... I eat only food!—"
[HOST SURVIVAL REWARD — 1kpts.]
Flynn took a deep breath, trying to process the messages. "Kpts... Kpts.... WHAT THE HECK IS KPTS?!.
"Firstly, I don't understand a single thing," he thought. "But what I do understand is that this Ring is hungry. Period. And I'm the Host."
He examined the Ring closely, muttering, "Definitely a bug! It states what it needs... That's all—"
[HUNGER SUSTAINABLE — HOST'S BLOOD (-1 liters) in 24hrs.]
Flynn's eyes widened in horror. "No, no, no! That's not happening!."
He dropped the shovel, his mind racing. "Soul shards... Where can I find soul shards?"
Then, he paused, to think, eyes widening. "Soul... The life essence of a living being. I should absorb that to the Ring.... What!.'
He sat back under the bridge, staring at the muddy ground, trying to break down the Ring's message. "I need to feed it soul shards, or else... a liter of my blood will be gone in 24 hours—"
Just as Flynn's thought ran through his head, a rusty voice broke through.
"Oi, Bimpky! What's this I see? Ya idle wastrel! Ya said's't thou needed coin, yet ya dost dawdle!"
Flynn's gaze met Mr. Baggins' whose anger was evident as he walked closer
"Lad, I took thee for a hard worker! Not some lout what spends his days in sloth!" The Man scolded.
Flynn hesitated, unsure how to explain his situation. He didn't have time for this, at all. The other words spoken by Mr Baggins were just like a waste of speech, Flynn's mind wasn't present. He needed to understand something, he needed someone to explain it to him... Just someone... Someone...
'FLETCHER!'
Flynn sprang up, his mind fixed on finding answers. "Mr. Baggins, I need to take a leave—"
"W-what in the name o' the Lord above?!" Mr. Baggins exclaimed, caught off guard.
Flynn hastily handed him the shovels and sprinted away, disappearing into the fog.
"That whippersnapper's gone mad!" Mr. Baggins slammed the shovel into the mud.
"Fie upon 'im! Doth 'e not know the value o' hard-earned coin?" he muttered.
——————
THE BEGGERS' LINE
Flynn rushed through, his eyes scanning the rows of weathered faces. The air reeked of stale sweat and desperation, he hasn't gone so far in before.
He dodged outstretched hands and sidestepped makeshift shelters.
"Where is that man?" Flynn muttered, his gaze locking onto a figure in tattered brown robes, far in the dark parts leading to an alley.
A gruff voice cut through the din, "Come back to pay? Or more of your useless talks and mischievous works?"
Flynn's eyes locked onto Fletcher, who sat slumped between two other beggars. A small, rusty bowl rested at his feet, a meager collection of coins scattered within.
"Exactly who I was looking for," Flynn said, his voice firm.
Fletcher's downcast eyes met Flynn's, a mixture of resignation and wariness on his face.
"So, W—"
Flynn stepped closer, his voice urgent. "I need your help!"
Fletcher's sarcastic gaze met his, followed by a sly smile. "Oh... My! You really do fear for your head, huh, Bimpky—"
'Clink ~'
Coins dropped into the beggar's bowl, and the surrounding beggars turned, their eyes with envy. Flynn's generosity was a rare sight. But, also a big danger.
Fletcher swiftly pocketed the coins and grasped Flynn's arm, pulling him into the alley's darkness.
"Are you stupid!" he hissed, shoving Flynn against the damp wall. "Do you know what it means for a beggar to receive 10 shillings in one drop?."
Flynn took a deep breath.
The narrow alley, lined with crumbling brick buildings. Flickering gas lamps cast eerie shadows, struggling to penetrate the thick fog. The air reeked of rotting garbage, human waste, and the acrid smell of coal smoke.
Rats scurried through the shadows, their eyes glinting in the dim light. The sound of dripping water echoed through the alley, as if the very walls were weeping. The cobblestone pavement were slick with grime and moisture.
Above, Tattered laundry hung from makeshift lines, flapping in the chill wind like ghostly flags. The walls seemed to close in, and on these were peeling posters and crude graffiti. In the distance, the murmur of drunken voices and the wail of a lonely infant added to the 'darkness' of the alley.
Now, the alley's poor lighting showed Fletcher's concern, his eyes wide with a mix of fear, "Huh?... Lad—"
"I need your help!" Flynn repeated.
Fletcher inhaled deeply, rubbing his eyes with grimy fingers. He knew the boy won't quit. "What is it—?"
"First, remove the Beggar's Curse!" Flynn demanded.
"..."
"Hey!"
"Fine! You paid me double, so okay!" Fletcher opened his tattered robe having a jacket style. It revealed a row of hair strings.
Flynn's eyes widened as he saw this . 'How many people has this old guy cursed?' he wondered, as the Old Begger's finger traced the strings, stopping at one. "Bimpky... Bimpky..."
The chosen hair string trembled, drawn to Fletcher's finger. Flynn's eyes locked onto the scene.
"How did you—"
"Silence your face hole as I perform the ritual!" Fletcher warned.
Flynn clamped his mouth shut.
"....A ride to hell is blocked by the timings. He that has paid the Beggar, his head shall be free from the curse..."
As Fletcher spoke, the hair string disintegrated into dust, and Flynn felt an instant sense of lightness, as if a weight had been lifted.
"So, what's it that you wanted to ask eh Bimpky?!...." Fletcher closed his tattered jacket.
"..."
"... Bimpky?" He raised his head to find Flynn's jaws wide opened.
"B—?"
"It was real!" Flynn muttered.
"What?" Fletcher raised an eyebrow.
"The Beggers' curse was REAL?."
The man nodded, "Of course Lad! You think I would just place a 'curse' on you like some threat or something like that?."
"Yes!"
Fletcher blinked in shock, "Wait for real.... " After some seconds, He however shrugged, "Anyways, What is it that you were about asking?."
Deep in Flynn's thought, he wondered, 'He actually had a real curse placed on me. My head would have been gone and my soul would be a Begger for ever.... And what's up with what happened? Did he just use magic. I don't understand—'
"Bimpky!" The man's inpatient stare broke through his thoughts, "I don't have all Day. I need to go back and tell the others it was all a lie and that you were a tramp in business. So, talk NOW."
Flynn cleared throat, "What are soul shards?."
Silence ruled the alley after that spoken word, as Fletcher gave Flynn a dark expression.
"How did you hear that?!." He asked.
"Is it something that's so serious—?"
"How did you hear that!?"
"Huh?"
"Where did you hear that name?." Fletcher demanded as he stared at Flynn, whose lips pressed a straight line. He wanted to speak, but at the same time, he didn't want to reveal too much about the Ring, unknowing what the Begger would say. So, he decided to just reveal a little, "I just want to know about the Soul shards. What are they?... And also, remember you're the one who told me about the Gates? Right?. So it shouldn't be surprising if I come asking you for a simple explanation?."
A minute passed before Fletcher spoke up, "I cannot explain it to you without a diagram!"
"W—?"
He squatted towards the muddy ground and with his finger, drew a circle.
"REALLY!" Flynn yelled out in disgust. He knew how dirty the grounds were in this... Era.
Fletcher raised his head and gave him a look, "... Do you want to hear the explanation or not?..."
"... I do!"
"Then listen."
The Old Beggers' finger again drew another smaller circle in the larger one, ".... First, the Gates I told you about isn't some kind of joke. Creatures inhabits those Gates... Terrible creatures. Majority not made of flesh and bones but Four different life essence. One I'm familiar with that you're talking about and that's the Soul shards.
"Just the way everything must be alive, so must the Keepers. Soul shards are the Keepers of the Gates' life essence. The soul shards is their heart, their soul and their life. A stone which is found in the core of their body, not a fixed position, continually shifting, and to get this soul shards... It's impossible. Now, that's a brief explanation I can give to you about the soul shards."
Flynn blood ran cold as he heard this. His thoughts raced,
'The Ring stated to absorb 1 soul shard.... And now ... The keepers are the one who has that soul shards.... As their soul... I need to get it to absorb One of that soul shard as it's food?... If I don't, a liter of my blood would be gone in 24hrs. This isn't what I planned for.'
Fletcher stood, eyeing Flynn with concern. "You okay, lad?"
Flynn struggled to compose himself. "No... I mean yes... I mean.... How did you know all this?"
Fletcher chuckled. "Beggers have ways of gathering information connecting to the receiver's heart's choice. That's why we're known as the ears of the streets."