chapter 62: Lenard Publius the rune poet

Timothy and the rest were following Finn who was taking them to his friend's home in district 8. The district was busy , smoke and loud noises filled the place , merchant carts made their way through the district .

The marketplace and the amphitheater were the loudest part of this district since they were so close to each other . Merchant and traders were shouting at potential customers and hawking their wares , cheers and angry roars from the amphitheater filled the whole place. The district was bustling with activity . The clothing here was very different from Zebha . The men here wore a knee length, short sleeved tunic called a Chilton. Some wore a cloak over their tunic which was carefully wrapped around their body. The noble men wore a long robe called a toga made from white wool or linen. The women wore a longer tunic than men which went down their ankles , but noble women wore a long dress stretching from the neck to the ankle often tied to the waist by a belt .

" We really look out of place brother " Carolyn spoke her eyes fixed on a noble lady that was passing by with a bunch of Burly men accompanying her , four of them were equipped with ringmail body armour , a gladius(short two sided sword) , and caligae sandals . While the one walking closest to the woman was equiped in plate body armour ,a spatha( longer than the gladius) , an oval shaped wooden shield and a heavy helmet . From the looks of it he was the woman's personal guard.

The noble woman took a glance at the group and nodded with half a smile on her beautiful face . Her hair thick, naturally curly and hanging a little bit below her shoulders. dark brown hair with a few caramel-colored highlights. And a wide, round face with a pointed chin. Her eyes ,big and brownish-yellow with dark eyelashes. Her nose short and a little turned up at the end.Her skin golden-brown with a subtle rosy glow around her cheeks. She was simply , breathtaking.

The group watched as the woman went towards the ampitheater under the protective gaze of her guards .

"Wow. She has to be the most prettiest woman I have seen all day " Dan spoke . His eyes still on the woman who was now a distance away

" Shut up bald head " the ladies on the group stared at him with contempt . Dan scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed laugh.

They continued on their journey until they reached what looked an old shadowy library. The stone used to build this building was weathered and they were countless weeds growing on the entrance of the place . The place looked as if it had been abandoned a century ago . The sun was about to set giving the whole building an eerie and mysterious feeling.

" Brother , are you sure this is the place?" Carolyn whispered as they now stood at the door of the building

Finn also had a look of worry on his face - What the hell happened here ? Shit ! what have you done now you poetic fool- Finn thought to himself . Gathering the courage he knocked twice on the door but there was no response , then he knocked again

" Bellicus you old bastard I told you I would pay you before the king's ceremony , so what do you want now?!" A rich , euphonic voice resounded from the building

A young man with messy blonde hair , captivating blue eyes and scythe-shaped eyebrows. His Roman nose and half-dome cheekbones sat above an oaken jaw . He moved with grace , wearing loose fitting robes .he walked out of the building and approached them slowly , swaying a little bit as he walked he seemed to be in a drunken state. "Bellicus why do you look so...so young and handsome you ugly old bastard.... wait 'Hic' I know what you 'Hic' did ...." The charming young man hiccuped as he spoke . Finn shook his head with a hopeless smile on his face

" You are still trying to drink yourself to death ,even after all these years? You really are a hopeless poetic bastard" Finn mocked the man

"Like I always say ,wine is bottled poetry . Wait ...'Hic'.. Finn?" Finn nodded

"Boom " Finn was sent flying back , Timothy and his teammates immediately circled the man with their weapons drawn

"Stand down blades " Finn got up and walked towards the man again

" Look old friend , I know -.." Finn was interrupted by laughter coming from the man

"You know? What do you know Finn? Huh ? I saw you 'hic' ...die. then you come 'hic'.. back a decade later saying 'hic' you know!?. What do you know Finn ,huh? The fact that I spent the last 'hic' decade mourning you , huh? The fact that I cried 'hic' almost every single day . The...-" Finn erupted with laughter shocking Timothy and the rest

"You cried ? For me?" He asked laughing .

"Yes I did , 'hic'.. so what huh ? Am I not allowed to 'hic' mourn a friend I thought had died? But....but..."

"Thud" the man fell on his back. Finn picked him and gestured for the others to follow him inside .

The interior of the building was the complete opposite of the exterior.The library was bewitching with towering shelves, dim lighting, and the musty scent of aged books that seemed to transport its visitors to a different time and place.The library was a grand example of architecture, with its majestic marble columns, intricate frescoes adorning the ceiling, and rows upon rows of beautifully bound books. But the shadowy library, hidden away in a forgotten corner of the district, was rumored to hold dark and forbidden texts from long ago. The dimly lit and shadowy corridors of the library were lined with ominous-looking tomes, and the only sounds to be heard were the soft steps of the group and the occasional whispers between the female members.

" What is this place ?" Timothy asked

" They call it a library , it is where they keep texts and records of long ago . And this man I'm carrying here is the librarian , Lenard publius The rune poet....my old friend."