The girl"s eyes sparkled at the realization that she was seeing a real demon hunter..."Good eye, young lady!", I said.
"Wow! I never had a Demon hunter guarding me!", she exclaimed. "Say.. do you know my mom?",
Intrigued, I bent down over to her, "And what"s the name of your mom?", I asked.
"Shannia. Shannia Jargen.",
"..... no.", I replied.
"Ehhh? She was a demon hunter too!", she exclaimed in disappointment.
"..... I know.", I said, as I gripped my fists.
"Something wrong?",
The butler, sensing my feelings, came over and told Ca.s.sidy, "Now, now, go pack your things, you"re going to the market and do some shopping!",
The girl"s eye sparkled. "Alright! The market! I"ll pack my things right away!", she said as she happily went to her wardrobe to pack.
The butler then turned to me, and patted my back.
"Bad memories?", he asked. "You knew Madam Shannia, didn"t you?
I stayed silent.
"You don"t need to respond. It"s written all over your face...",
I stayed silent again.
"I"m ready!!", Ca.s.sidy yelled as she danced excitedly. "Let"s go Demon hunter! Take me to the market!",
I smiled at the little girl"s enthusiasm and energy. She held my hand and pulled me to the exit of the manor. Like a little girl pulling her father.
But the don was there waiting, still smoking his cigar.
"Where are you going?", The Don asked, arms crossed.
Ca.s.sidy looked down, twiddling her thumbs. "ummm. Going to the market, dad.",
The don reached down his pocket, and tossed over a bag of pepe"s. I caught it, and put it in my back pocket.
"Can"t go shopping without money do you?", The don said to Ca.s.sidy, patting her head and smiling.
"Thank you dad!", she exclaimed, as she hugged the don.
As we exited the building, the don grabbed my sleeve, and pulled me over. "I told you. You couldn"t refuse... Now fulfill the promise you made to her mother.",
"I know.", I nodded.
Riding a cart to the market, we pa.s.sed through the crowded streets of Talaran. There, we pa.s.sed through a public execution performed by the Church.
Crowds were cheering, drunkards dancing.. Savages..
The headsman, even though he had a mask on, I could sense he was enjoying every moment of it. His heartbeat was showing signs of joy and excitement.
The smell of blood, the tears of the condemned, some people were aroused by it.
I covered Ca.s.sidy"s eyes.
The headsman lifted his axe in the air, while the crowd below was cheering for the condemned man"s head. Happenings like these were the norm in this world.
A priest was sprinkling holy dust over the man"s head, and said "The Lord judges you guilty for not believing in him!",
"Please! No! I"m begging you, kind citizens of Talaran! I"m just trying to live like you!", he pleaded. His eyes watering with tears, heartbeat racing, muscles convulsing, breathing very loud.
Before he could even plead again, a loud "chop" sound was heard. Then, the man"s head was rolling down on the gallows, as the crowd"s cheers grew even louder as the headsman moves on to the other one.
Then, I realized I didn"t cover Ca.s.sidy"s eyes completely..
I sighed.
"You"ll get used to it.", I said bluntly, uncovering her eyes.
Ca.s.sidy, seems unfazed by what she just saw.
"I"ve been seeing this happen since I was 4 years old... I"ll never get used to it. What the church does? It"s not right..", she said. "What was even his crime?",
Lacking the words to respond to a little girl, I looked at her. She looked back at me, with eyes as if her innocence was gone. I stayed silent, and looked away.
A couple of time later, we arrived the the Talaran Marketplace. A place full of all kinds of goods from all over the continent. As usual, it was crowded. You can barely squeeze through.
I could smell all kinds of scents, ranging from foot fungus to the highest quality perfume.
"Be careful. Watch out for thieves and molesters.", I warned.
"I know... I have to browse some clothing at the back stalls! They have some beautiful black dresses there! You are here to guard me right?",
I nodded in agreement. "Alright, but stay behind me.", I ordered.
She"s persistent, and brave. h.e.l.l, even I"m afraid in going in that swarm of people. The heat, the smell. Disgusting.
We went through the swarm in the market. We were getting swallowed by the number of people present. I had to shove some of them out of the way to get through.
"Hold on to your purse!",
"I will!", she replied.
As we pushed through the swarms of people, I felt a hand grab my a.s.s. It was caressing it, as if it was expecting some sort of bulge beneath it.
"Oiii!!!!", I shrieked. I felt as if my dignity was being taken away, bit by bit.
As soon as I yelled, the feeling stopped. Whoever it was, probably got away. But at least I still have my dignity intact.
Somehow, it felt familiar, the sensation, the feeling of the palms. I knew someone who had hands like that, I just couldn"t remember who it was..
Some time later, it was at noon time, we finally arrived at the stall Ca.s.sidy wanted to go. It was just as she said. It was a gloomy stall, full of black dresses and posters. Even the shopkeeper was a goth.
"What"ll it be this time, young miss?", the shopkeeper asked.
"Hmm. Let me think.. How much do we have?", Ca.s.sidy asked.
I reached at my back pocket.
And realized nothing was there. Only sc.r.a.ps of paper and a bug.
"I was duped.", I muttered.
I had to endure Ca.s.sidy"s rants and pinches at my back as I tracked down the thief. The crowd had already dispersed by the time we returned, and because of that I can track down the scent of the purse without getting distracted.
We went back to where we began, sniffing the air for the trail. Ca.s.sidy, looked at me curiously. Her eyes widened while looking at me sniffing the air around.
"You can smell the purse?", she asked.
"Not exactly. I"m tracking the scent of the coins, and my sweat. Since it was at my back pocket, it probably soaked some. ",
"Wow! You"re like a dog!", She exclaimed.
"Nice comparison...",
I followed the scent. My scent. It smelled a bit salty, from the sweat I"m sure. But everyone"s got a unique smell. It wasn"t that hard to track.
The scent trail lead us to an alleyway near a ca.n.a.l. It was quiet. Too quiet. All that"s left is for a cricket to make that sound, and a tumbleweed to pa.s.s and it would look like those old cowboy movies.
"Stay here.", I said.
"Why?", She asked.
"This might be an ambush..", I said, menacingly.
She nodded, and I went on.
Focusing my senses around me, I noticed someone was leaving behind tracks for me to follow. A footprint. A scent trail.
Tracks that were somehow familiar. It was a scent I smelled a long time ago, but I can"t remember who it belonged to. I drew my sword for precaution.
"Whoever"s out there, I know. You better stay hidden or I"ll find you!",
Still... Silence..
I went onward..
It was a straightforward trail, no corners, no tunnels. Nothing.. It"s as if he or she is begging to be found.
"Something"s fishy..", I thought, as I approached the end of the alley. A wall. Oh, and a bit of trash here and there.
And from above, I heard a slow clap. I turned to the sound.
A hooded figure, clad in a black cloak, and equipped with a huge sword on his back. Might be hiding more weaponry under that cloak as well.
Instinct has taught me to back off when facing cloaked men, and took a step back.
I just stared at the opening of his cloak. Can"t see due to the darkness under the hood.
We stared at each other for about 5 minutes. Without each of us uttering a single word. But in that silence, I could tell he"s dangerous.
Till" finally, the figure spoke.
"The silent treatment? Don"t tell me you already forgotten an old friend.", the figure said, in a surprisingly friendly tone. Deep baritone voice. Male.
That voice though, I remember it faintly, and yet I cannot place it anywhere in my mind.
I had to ask.
"Say, if you are truly my friend, take off the hood.", I said.
The figure shook his head. "Nah. Guess first.",
Thinking deeply, I dived deep within my memories. Have I forgotten anyone? From my past? The past that I was trying to flee from?
Surprisingly, one name came to mind. A guy that filled all the descriptions.
A cla.s.smate, and my best friend. Edgar.
"Edgar? Is that you?", I called out.
He laughed. It almost sounded like that laugh villains make. "How long has it been Neil? 13? 14 years?", he asked as he took off the hood.
"You magnificent b.a.s.t.a.r.d.. 14 years. It"s been 14 f.u.c.kin" years.",