6 Grassroots Town

After doing another round of Yogi master Pathiks exercise forms, I ate my fill and finished what was left in my bundle of nuts before sitting down and using the Guru's nutrition absorbing method to ensure my body was at its peak.

No longer did it seem emaciated. Though still thin and scrawny, no longer did I feel weak or hungry all the time. My body might not be at 100% but it's not too far off either.

I bent down to retie my shirt into a bundle around my makeshift walking stick. Filling it up with small, to medium sized rocks I swung it over my shoulder and walked out of the forest.

The Volti military had taken back their combat boots before my vessel had been exiled, due to that and the fact I used my shirt as a bundle to carry things, I looked like a vagabond.

Torn, almost worn out beige pants, no shirt with a buzz cut and dirt all over me, I marched towards the towns largest street.

Grassroots town was a makeshift village made decades ago when the Volti Empire first came to power. They had rid the city of its poorer inhabitants so as to keep the streets 'clean'. This led to the villagers being forced to take shelter anywhere they could and over time they eventually started building homes. Most where made of wood, but some had been reinforced with stone.

The entire village was just a big circle with 2 large main streets crossing through it like a lopsided X. When standing on the edge of town looking through the larger of the 2 streets, one can see straight to the other end as long as there no one to block your view.

More than 90% of the windows I saw were either smashed completely, or cracked beyond repair. The people looked fairly normal, yeah they had dirty clothes and carried weapons, but for the most part it just looked like the average small scale city.

I walked through the Main Street taking in every minor detail along the way. On my left was a fruit stand, selling nearly rotten fruit. On my right was a saloon, with a drunkard passed out on the ground in-front of it, or maybe he was dead, It was hard to tell.

As I walked I felt eyes swim past me again and again. It seems new faces aren't very rare around here because no one seems to care, or maybe it's because I look poorer than they do. Oh well no use thinking about something pointless like that.

I eyed the side streets and back alleys as I walked by. Garbage was littered everywhere and stray cats and dogs could be heard every now and then. It was a nice atmosphere. The village itself smelt terrible, like mould and gunpowder mixed together and yet, I couldn't get enough of it.

My first smell of a city in millennia. I couldn't help but shed a tear. I'm finally back in civilized society. And from here on, I'll be having countless more firsts, this is only the beginning.

As I stood in the middle of the main intersection, I looked around, and relished in every sound and scent. Maybe it was because I looked so out of place, or maybe I just looked like an easy mark. Whatever it was it caused a small group of 3 men to approach me with weapons drawn and laughter in their throats.

I shivered uncontrollably, to think my first prey would be foolish enough to come straight to me.

Pointing his flintlock at my head while his 2 pasty looking goons flanked me from either side with rusty metal pipes, I let out an involuntary sigh and began to lower my walking stick and bundle.

"Ha. Seems like you understand you situation." Said the goon to my right, he was about 5'8 and looked only a little heavier than I was. The goon on the right, who looked the opposite of the other goon, this one was as fat as he was short, no more than 5'0, weighing at least twice what I do, he laughed at his friends comment. Before adding "Of course, in a situation like this, who wouldn't understand."

Their boss smirked, he was honestly one of the ugliest people I had ever seen. He had warts on his nose and bug bites covering his face, he had greasy, matted black hair that came down to his shoulders and a tan complexion. He spoke in a gruff, deep tone as if to emphasize his point "That's right, now hand over whatever's in that bundle and we'll let you off easy." He cocked the gun and pushed it closer to me.

The 2 goons on my sides tried taunted me by smacking their metal pipes in their hands over and over. One of them spoke as if to add pressure "Boss Finnan is great isn't he, he always keeps his word, so give us the bundle and you'll live another day."

I lowered my bundle further, so close to the ground it was almost touching it and I looked up and into the eyes of the so called 'boss'. He wasn't even paying attention to me. As if the gun in his hand was enough to scare anyone in this city, then again having a gun in a place like this might be why he's still alive while being so stupid.

Waiting for my chance I watched the 3 men carefully. As the boss blinked I made my move. Gripping my walking stick with both hands I swung with all my might, striking upwards at a 45 degree angle, using the bundle of rocks as a weight I made my move within a split second.

Slamming the bundle clean into the lower jaw of the so called great Boss Finnan, I rocked his brain and knocked him out in one swift motion. Taking advantage of the goons temporary surprise, I arched my back, pivoted and brought my bundle straight back down, like slamming a hammer down, onto the unsuspecting head of the goon to my right. Without wasting a second, I pivoted once more and brought the bundle of, now loose rocks, straight back up, like a golf swing, into jaw of the goon to my left. He had tried to defend with his rusty pipe, but I was too swift and he couldn't react in time.

Before their boss had even hit the ground, I had dealt with his two lackeys. My mind raced, my blood pumped through my veins and adrenaline surged through my very being. I won.

My first fight and I won without so much as a scratch. Of course these were drunk, weak, and incompetent criminals, but they were still criminals nonetheless. I steadied my breathing before bending down to pick up the rocks that had flown loose after that last strike.

I quickly searched the unconscious morons for anything I could get my hands on. Other than clothes since I doubt theirs would fit me in the first place, I found several bullets on the boss and a small chipped hunting knife on the fat goon. The other didn't have anything of value so I just left them in the street after taking the flintlock and the less rusty of the 2 pipes.

"Honestly, having you three be my first encounter since I died was quite the let down, but thank you for contributing to my survival. I'll be taking your weapons as collateral. Maybe if we meet again you'll be more competent. Either way I wish you well."

'Grunt'

Satisfied that I conversed like a normal person, I then tossed my makeshift walking stick and retied the bundle to the pipe. With a few coins in hand and a new weapon I continued to sway through the city, heading towards the bounty hunters den. Hoping that in my next fight I could test my martial arts.