9 A new company

After he opened his eyes again, Varren was met with complete darkness, being unable to move at all. It seemed like he was tied up to something in lying position. 

"Oh, it seems that you already woke up, good... Good.. " said voice from shadows. 

"What? What's going?" replied confused Varren as he violently tries to rip his arms and legs from whatever it bound him. 

"Don't you remember? It's time to fix you up!" laughed unknown voice. 

Suddenly the light shined upon Varren, revealing that he was tied up to a cold metal table but something wasn't right, his left arm was gone. It didn't really make sense... Realizing what's gonna happen next Varren started to put even more force to break from his cuffs showing his desperation in his face. 

"No worries you are in good hands hahaha" laughed the person who just came out from the shadows. Wearing nothing more than a cloth mask, red goggles, and white apron. 

"No! No way I am going through that again!" he screamed. 

"Tsii, this will help you," said man, pulling out a syringe from his apron pocket  "You know what this is right?"

"Fuck, I will rip your head off!" he screamed when he saw the man coming closer with the syringe in his hand. 

"In case you forgot, it thickens the blood but it has one tiny side effect you see. It doubles the experienced pain" he said, chuckling a little when finally putting his hands on Varren's face, holding his head away, tightly so he can't move it. 

"Now hold only tight, this will be one bumpy road, my friend," said the shadowy man as the glimpse of light reflected in his goggles and with a swift move he sunk the needle into the Varren neck, releasing the substance into his bloodstream. 

"Cunt bag!" grunted Varren as the figure pulled the needle out and took its hand off his face. 

"Now for the fun part we go!" shouted the shadowy figure as it pulled the saw from behind its back. "You see, that part of you" taps with the tip of the saw Varren's shoulder "Its problematic." he sighed with disappointment tone, lowering his head down. "But don't worry! It's quite easily fixable!" he rose his head up with excitement and slowly moved it down when giving big sigh. "Let's begin shall we?"

After those said words he tightened his grip and began to saw Varren shoulder off. The pain was immeasurable, blood spilling everywhere, flesh tearing apart from its bone. The screams of torture filled the almost endless room covered in darkness. With every move of the saw, the pain grew until he reached the bone. 

"Ops, I think we have a small problem here yet again. But worry not" said the doctor as he reached the bone. He pulled out a hammer from God knows where and aimed it at the spine. He took a big swing and with all his might he dislocated the bones from each other. The pain was so immense that Varren couldn't hold himself any longer and started to rip himself free from his binding, screaming as he has never before. 

"Calm down, we will reach the good part soon" he laughed maliciously. 

With two fast movements of the saw, he ripped the remaining flesh that was still intact to the body. 

"See? That wasn't that bad!" he laughed at Varren face when holding part of his shoulder in front of his face, dripping blood on his chest. 

"As soon- I get out... I will rip your fuckin head off!" he shouted when heavy breathing from the exhaustion and pain he went through. 

"You see, it's not ended yet it's just a beginning of our friendship," said the shadowy figure as it dropped the bloody saw on the floor. 

"Now for the good parts we go!" he said as he slammed small wooden table near him with a mechanic arm and some part with spikes at the end. 

"We need to be fast before you bleed out you see" he took the piece with spikes from the table. "So I have no time to sip tea with you," he said as he slammed the piece with spikes facing his cut off shoulder. 

The legs of Varren started to shake tremendously as the doctor was adjusting the piece with its cold metallic pieces and spikes. 

"Now, to be sure it stays in one place" he then grabs something resembling a crude made nail gun made out of wood and metal with crystal located in the back of it. He then placed the barrel of the weird contraption and shot the bolt inside the metal plate, piercing through the sheet and his body. 

"No worries only a few more!" he shouted at barely responding patient. 

He shot next salve of bolts, mending the metal and his flesh together, making his body jump with every shoot. Yet the person lying on the table didn't give any sight of living. 

"Is he dead? It can't be! Well we will see soon." said the madman to himself, picking the prosthetic arm from the table, and putting it into the metal piece, he bolted beforehand. Acting as a socket, the arm went right in and bonded itself into his body. 

"Hmm, still no reaction, oh well time for the big bang " he laughed under his nose as he took the big crystal from under the makeshift primitive operating table and inserted it to the empty space around the shoulder of the fake arm. 

As soon he put it in, the red glow emitted from the crystal and soon after he started to scream in agony, releasing electric discharge across his body as the burning sensation of his every nerve being electrocuted went through his very fiber of being until he suddenly stopped. The body was barely moving, smoking and silent. 

"Guess that's an another failed project," said to himself person in the white coat while holding his goggles in place. "Time to get rid of the body" 

But as soon he came closer, the fingers of the metallic arm started to move, suddenly ripping from its binding and soon he found his neck in its cold, tight grasp. 

But as he tightens his grasp on his neck the bed suddenly started to shake along with his body and started to hear silent multiple voices till he heard one loud scream and sounds of crashing porcelain.

That loud noise quickly brought his senses back as he slowly realized that he wasn't choking a doctor but some random person he never saw before with his eyes. 

"My bad," said Varren and let go of the man throat. The said man quickly fell on his knees and hands, choking furiously, trying to catch his breath as quickly as possible.

Varren realized at that moment that everything he experienced before was a nothing more than a dream, a very realistic one at that. He gazed upon his prosthetic arm and said quietly "Guess you became my new tormentor" 

As he let loose his gaze from the arm he found himself in bed with the girl before the accident helping the man breathe, big size woman and the waitress from before cleaning the shattered pieces of porcelain from the floor.

"Um… so.. Can someone fill me in what just happened?" he asked confused.

The big woman stepped in with a firm, strong step to his bed and said: "To put it bluntly in a short manner, the one who you almost sent to another side is a local doctor that pumped poison out from your body."

"And I grabbed him because..?" 

"Well, he saw your arm and the man got curious what's also behind the mask of yours, I told him it will be a bad idea but you see what happened for yourself" she answered when pointing at the already standing man.

"My arm? Wait...what?!" exclaimed Varren as he looked down, seeing that he sits in bed clothless with a bandage going around his shoulder and chest.

"Well- *cough* you don't see people with a prosthetic like that very often." said the doctor, getting up with the girl help.

"That doesn't mean you can just peer into everything that doesn't involve you." said the woman with a passive-aggressive attitude towards the doctor.

"Sounds reasonable, excuse me for my rudeness Mr…?" handed out his hand doctor.

"Varren" he shook the doctor hand. 

"Now if you excuse me. I need to go back to my workshop. Goodnight" he said as he went towards the door but before he exited he took his hat off and bowed towards everyone in which waitress and girl bowed back when the woman just waved her arm.

"So what will you do now?" asked the woman, sitting in bed Varren.

"Gear up and move, I don't have time to waste," he stated harshly.

"What about your wounds? The stab wound is fresh and the doctor said that it will at least a day for the poison to completely leave your body." 

"I already lost plenty of time, also I don't have that much money, to begin with." 

"You know what? I like your guts, you remind me of myself, stupid and hard headed. I will let you stay until you fully recover as thanks for not making this commotion at bar messy." persisted woman.

"I don't really-" before he could finish his sentence the woman lay her hand on his shoulder and put enough force into the grasp to make him reconsider his life choices. "-I don't really think that you need to insist so much. I will gladly stay here!" he quickly nodded his head as he felt the intense look on his neck coming from that woman.

"That's great that we came to understanding." said woman.

"Now, I will leave you both me and the Aldia over here have a lot of things to take care of," she said when going to exit, grabbing the girl by the shoulder and dragging her away with a plate full of broken pottery.

"Have a good night!" shouted the waitress when being dragged, following with the sound of the door shutting.

"What a day," said Varren, digging his mask in his own hands grasp. 

"Um-" said soft voice from the corner of the room.

When he rose his head from his hands he saw the same girl from the bar, the very same one from the carriage that persisted to work for him.

"What a twist of fate huh." faced Varren the girl standing in front of his bed.

"Yes I know, I just wanted to say that I am sorry for what happened to you and I will never bother you ever again." said the girl, quickly stepping aside from the bed but before she could get away, her arm was grabbed by the man in the bed.

"Who were they?" he asked.

"Why you bother?" answered girl with a really pushy attitude. 

"They will kill you," stated Varren.

"I know, but that isn't your concern, is it now?" pushed back girl.

"Listen, I am willing to look over you until you get to your family," he said.

"But why," asked the curious girl.

"I have soft spot for people in need, also I am in your debt remember?" he shook his head.

"That pass wasn't much of a deal." said girl.

"Debt is a debt, it should be paid back," he answered.

"I shouldn't-" she tried to push back yet again but she was cut short.

"I said it's ok so it's ok, you understand?" said Varren with slightly angered tone.

"Alright then." finally the girl agreed.

"So what happened?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know, in one moment we sit and talk with father, drinking tea and in another moment, screams, blood everywhere, armed men storming the mansion killing everyone," said the girl, hardly containing her tears.

"They killed everyone in the mansion, my father, my mother, even took the life of my personal guard that blocked their way as I was escaping." soon her face was filled with traces of tears.

"I was so scared, I didn't know where to go, I heard them running after me screaming "Grab the girl", "She can't escape" so I ran, I ran as fast as I could but they were getting closer. I went inside to random building, hoping to hide from them but I found you instead." her eyes already started to cry out a river. Hardly containing her tears with her hands, Varren passes her a piece of cloth that was lying near his bed.

"Th-hanks," said young female, grabbing the cloth firmly and whipping her tears from her face.

"Well that's one hard day for a girl," he said, rubbing his chin part of the mask.

"Is it really fine *sob* to stay with you? They will go after you too!" shouted girl through her tears.

"I don't remember much, but I have gut filling it won't be the first time." stared on his body scars Varren.

"What do you mean you don't remember much?" said girl as she wiped her remaining tears, slowly calming down.

"Long story, for now, go ask someone for another bedsheet or something. Can't have you sleep on the naked floor," he said.

"Will do, be right back then," said the girl, as she quickly vanished behind the door.

"Now, it's time for me to make a move," he said as he got from the bed and put his pants and shirt on.

When the girl was back to the room the man in the mask was already making for himself a place to sleep on the floor using the bedsheets when she was gone.

When asked what is he doing he simply answered that bed is hers and that he will sleep on the floor even after minutes of trying to convince him. With not much choice she did as he said and took the bed for herself. As soon they will be done with their beddings, the man blew all the candles and went to his makeshift bed. The silence rose as both were lying silently.

"So your name was Ayne right?" broke the silence man in the mask.

"Ayne Kravel, daughter of a rich trader" answered girl from her side of the room.

"Daughter of Trader eh? Not bad" replied Varren.

"What's yours?" she asked with curiosity in her voice.

"Varren" he simply replied.

"Just Varren? What about second name or family name?" asked surprised girl.

"Just Varren."

"Well, it will be a pleasure to have you as my guard" giggled girl.

"Oi, I am just watching over you till we find someone from your family will take you in. What I plan to do is too dangerous" he replied, slightly upset.

"What do you plan then?" 

"I will then you in the morning for now sleep. Rest will be crucial for our tomorrow."

"Gotcha, have a good sleep then Var." said girl, and quickly wrapped herself in the sheets.

"Night" he simply replied.

With the girl falling asleep, the night became really quiet, giving Varren hard time to sleep. So many things happened in a short period of time and now he took in a kid to watch over. He didn't really know why he took her, but deep inside he felt a similar feeling, a sympathy that he felt long ago for someone else that he can't remind. Memory loss, weird new world, lost of someone he cared about, loss of his arm and part of his soul. So many things happened in a short period of time, that he starts to question himself if this really is real. 

"Overthinking won't get me anywhere" he mumbled to himself and soon after he went to sleep.

This night won't be the only long thing in his journey as well as Ayne's as they soon will unpack what fate lay upon them.