A Stormy Night

This night was a dark one, as the dismal sounds of a heavy rain showered the lands with its silvery-blue droplets. If one looked at the sky, they would notice that the colorful stars and planets which loomed above the world were now obscured by a myriad of dark thunderous clouds that shrouded the heavens.

Suddenly, a loud rumble of thunder echoed as a flash of colorful lightning flickered about the sky soon after. This bolt of lightning showed a route of soil, grass, and stone that lined a path towards a distant town with high walls. However, as it faded, a new light source seemed to have taken its place.

A carriage with two large lanterns hoisted on its roof slowly made its way through these soils, its wheels making creaking noises as it shook every step taken by its beasts around the regions.

Looking at the creatures, one would notice that they weren't horses, but two centaur-like beings, garbed in armor with weapons in hand as they towed the carriage along. These beings were Centuarians, a common race among the many within this world, forced into service by Artimans.

There were no such things as coachmen, as this was a particular type of transportation service that few could ever afford, the Centuarian Coach Firm's very service.

A symbol of a four-legged horse with a man's body was embellished into the large coach's side and a crest from some unknown family. A few lights were coming from its interior, as shown by its loosely cracked windows.

Suddenly, a pair of innocent-looking eyes stared out at the harsh rain through the open windows' cracks. They looked around with a hint of fear.

Peering through the windows, one would notice that the owners of these eyes were none other than a ten-year-old boy with short blond hair, blue eyes, and a small round nose, garbed in fancy clothing. He sat on top of a luxurious cushion that added a great deal of comfort in this kind of carriage.

"Jae, what's got you so worked out my boy? Afraid of a little thunder?" A loud voice said from within the carriage.

Following towards its source, one would see a fat man in his mid-thirties, he had a belly no different from a round pot with a similarly circular shaped face that sported a pointed hat.

He sat in a similar cushion seat in a lazy posture while one hand played with his long but curly mustache that accompanied a set of narrow and business-looking eyes.

Jae trembled a bit at his father's words, showing a tinge of timidness as he replied, "F-Father, it's scary."

The fat man frowned as he looked at his son, his face taking on a strict look as he spoke, "Jae, you are no longer five years old, you need to learn to stop acting like a spoiled child, as the most talented of my sons only you can succeed our family. You should know why we're making this trip in the first place, so get your act together!"

Jae's eyes grew watery as he nipped his small little lips and clenched his fists tightly; after a short while, he lifted his head and answered with a bit more determined eyes, "I understand, father."

The fat man snorted, no longer looking at him as he continued to rest at ease, taking out a stack of paper to read in the dim lights.

Jae didn't have anything to do; as such, he set his sights outside of the carriage once more, the harsh winds and relentless rain pouring onto the earth as if it were storm as the thunder's echoed continuously.

Jae felt scared at this, but after recalling his words, his fists clench tighter as he forced himself to gaze out the window.

'I am Jae Willborn; I will not be scared.'

His thoughts rang out as he did his best to overcome his weakness, but right at this time, Jae's eyes couldn't help but show surprise as he caught a glimpse of something.

"Father, there's something there!" Jae shouted in alarm.

The fat man was a bit shaken by Jae's shout, unlike before when he said he was scared; he didn't curse at him this time for he knew of his son's natural senses.

Without even needing him to make a command, the carriage suddenly shook before coming to a halt. Moments after, the alerted voices of the two Centuarians sounded from outside.

"Who goes there?"

Jae was a bit anxious as he heard the shouts; the fat man grew even more scared. He looked at his son and spoke to him as he walked towards the front window.

"Stay there and don't move."

"Y-yes, father."

As he heard Jae's reply, the fat man nodded and stared out the small window connected to the front; there, he saw a strange scene.

Three individuals in the dark capes stood before them in silence, two of them holding daggers as the one at the front held onto a claymore.

His face was free of the cape's hood, showing an ordinary face with scars and a heavy beard. He stared in front of him as if he were staring at prey rather than humans as he made a wild laugh.

As the fat man saw the familiar face, his face sunk as he exclaimed in his thoughts.

'Oh-no! It's that darn Mad Sword Denver! How the hell did I provoke such a fiendish bandit?'

While the fat man had a pale expression, the scene outside wasn't any better as the two Centuarians had a dark look when they gulped and hoisted their weapons for battle.

Sweat rolled off their faces as they full well of danger behind this kind of individual, he was a relatively well known Three Star E Class warrior in these parts of the lands.

Denver sneered as he looked at the guards before setting his sights onto the carriage; as he saw the symbols etched on its surface, he spoke in an excited manner.

"Haha, to think that I would have the fortune to meet the famous merchant Vawn Willborn on route to Ivanov. Hurry and come out, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Following Denver's words, a bolt of bright lightning flashed from nearby, lighting up the surroundings. A dozen or more shadows garbed in a similar cloak stood silently as if unaffected by the storm as they surrounded the carriage.

Vawn frowned as he saw this sight and heard those words; he bit his lips as his eyes shone with anger while his thoughts rang out loudly.

'Who? Who was it that told him of my travel route? There's no way that a bandit like this could have just so happen to find me, especially during this kind of storm, he even came prepared for a protracted battle, damn!'

Vawn's face turned red in anger as his face became filled with veins; even his son Jae looked at him with a tinge of fear, not daring to make a noise.

Denver was a man of a short temper; when he noticed that no reply came from the carriage, he frowned before he raised his claymore and yelling.

"Vawn Willborn, did you not hear me speak? I said, get the hell out!"

Vawn gritted his teeth before he stared at Jae and spoke, "Don't come, stay right there."

Jae nodded while trembling before Vawn, who calmed himself down. He reached for a small box with a locker on it before placing his hand on the doorknob.

The door opened with a loud creak, and Vawn exited the carriage, Denver who was getting ready to attack, stared at this with a smirk. He waited for Vawn to stop a little distance away from him before he spoke.

"Huhu, now that's better, I've always heard that you're a smart man Vawn, and now it seems that those rumors were true; you've already known what I came here for."

Denver's eyes glowed with greed as he looked at the same wooden box in Vawn's hand. He licked his lips and sniffed as if he could smell what was inside.

Vawn tried his hardest to hold back his anger, his fat face contorting in the harsh rain that doused his body, soaking his blond hair and luxurious clothes wet as they stuck to him tightly.

"Denver, I can hand this item to you, but you must tell me who told you of its dealings."

When Vawn said this, his eyes carried a stern look, far different from a regular businessman's.

Denver snorted as he played with his claymore and answered, "Huhu, Vawn, oh Vawn, it looks like you still don't understand the situation, I'm not here to request it from you, I'm here... to take it."

The moment Denver said this, his eyes shone with a sharp ray as he glanced to the left and right. The two cloaked individuals who stood by him also nodded as they made hand signs before lowering their stance and tightening their daggers' grip.

'Shit! It's worse than I'd thought, I'm finished!' Vawn cursed in his mind, his eyes showing a look of despair as he knew that today would likely be his very end.

The Centuarians gulped as their arms trembled when holding on their pikes as the murderous aura filled the area. Denver laughed as he was about to shout the command to attack, but right at this time, there was a sudden change.