Sicarius

The tavern was bathed in silence. The confrontation between Amon and the Sicarius, Bolton, had not gone well. Due to this, Amon had no choice but to allow Avic to confront Bolton for the sake of peace within the tavern. However, many doubted that this would be the case. Avic had lived within the town of Initium for the past 10 years. Due to this, the residents were fully aware of how nonchalant Avic could be—the personality trait that all Sicarius hated the most.

To make things even worse, Avic was never known to be the type to stand quietly and accept things he didn't like. That included the filthy behavior of those around him, no matter who they were.

"Hey, is Avic really going to confront that Sicarius..?" Inquired one of the customers in the tavern softly.

With anticipation and apprehension turning the atmosphere into a tense showdown, a few of the customers began fearing the worse. Not wanting to be a part of what was about to happen, a few of them began leaving in fear of their lives.

This was when Avic began moving towards Bolton as previously instructed by Amon. Eliisabet watched with fear caught in her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Avic to get hurt standing up to a Sicarius. It was very evident that Avic was now serious as even the usual lazy look in his eyes had been replaced by a more fierce expression. However, just before Avic could get close to Bolton, Amon stopped him.

"Avic," he began. "I know you're upset but for the sake of the tavern, I need you to be on your best behavior. No matter what that Sicarius does or says to you, do not retaliate. Not only for the sake of the tavern but also yourself. Do you understand me?"

"Damn it, you old geezer... You sure drive a hard bargain with that one."

Avic then stepped towards Bolton once more. The closer he got, the more fear spread throughout the tavern, forcing more customers to flee. Finally, the sound of Avic's last footstep echoed throughout the tavern like a gunshot. He stared down at Bolton without the slightest hint of fear in his eyes. Bolton smirked as soon as he noticed this.

"Hey, kid," began Bolton. "I thought I asked for a beer. Why'd you come to me empty-handed?"

"Sorry, I thought your beer was used to drench my friend over there in alcohol. Must have been an oversight by me."

"What'd you just say?"

"I'll go get you a new one."

"That's what I like to hear."

Avic then turned around to get Bolton another beer but Amon had already prepared it. He quickly handed it to Avic, allowing him to promptly serve Bolton.

"Here's your order. Try not to spill it this time."

With a quick swing of his hand, Bolton grabbed the cup of beer from Avic before throwing it into his face, drenching him in alcohol. The cup bounced around on the floor, clattering for a few seconds before coming to a stop. Immediately, as soon as the remaining customers saw this, they scurried toward the tavern exit screaming in fear of what could come next.

"Oops!" Exclaimed Bolton. "My bad, it seems I dropped my beer again."

"Avic..!!" Squealed Eliisabet in worry.

Everyone watched as the alcohol ran down Avic's face and hair, pitter-pattering to the tavern floor. Avic remained quiet, doing his best to maintain his composure. His fists were folded and his eyes were full of rage but he knew he had to tolerate Bolton's behavior for the sake of the tavern.

"If there's nothing else that I can do for you, I'm going to go clean myself in the bathroom," said Avic as calmly as he could.

"No, no, I'm not done with you yet, kid."

"Then what else can I do for you?"

"I'm going to ask you a few personal questions. What's your dream?"

"I don't have one."

"Is that so? You know, I've heard quite a bit about you from the residents here. Almost everyone seems to know you. And the thing is, not many have anything good to say about you. Most refer to you as a lazy bum who simply causes trouble for those around him."

"They may be right."

"I've also heard that you live not too far away from this tavern in a small house by yourself. You've got no family, very few friends, and this old man here is the only person you can rely on for financial support."

"And?"

"I was just curious as to how your life turned out to be this way. I mean, just look at you! Your clothes are old and filthy and I heard that the inside of your house is worse than a pigsty."

"And what's it matter to you?"

"You've got no parents, do you? What happened to them? Did they run away to save themselves from their loser son?"

"Tsk!"

"Oh, that one seemed to have hit a nerve there! Does that mean I'm right? I mean, I wouldn't blame them. You're a commoner and a loser. I bet even your Bloodline Trait is garbage."

"..."

"You know, kid, in this world, what defines a man's value is their Bloodline Trait. I'm from a family of nobles. I'm considered a powerful Sicarius for that. But a nobody like you who came from a family of commoners probably doesn't even have a decent Bloodline Trait. In other words, you're garbage..!"

Eliisabet swallowed her spit as if needles were stuck in her throat. She was afraid that Avic would lose control and start a fight. There were very few things that could cause Avic to lose his temper. The first was hurting those he cared about and the second was insulting his family—especially his deceased parents.

"Avic! Remember what I said to you! Control yourself! You must keep the tavern safe!" Suddenly shouted Amon.

Avic didn't react to Amon's words immediately. He flexed his fingers, creating and releasing his fist slowly while taking deep breaths. Finally, he then turned around and began walking away from Bolton. This sent a powerful feeling of relief surging through the air. It was almost unbelievable that Avic hadn't retaliated.

Bolton on the other hand was quite surprised. Given all he had heard about Avic, he had been certain that he would try to fight back. This made him grin with excitement, picking himself up out of his chair.

"Your name's Avic, right?" Began Bolton once more. "The truth is, I know more about you than I let on. I know that your parents didn't actually run away. They died in the Great Spirit Disaster 10 years ago..!"

A moment of shock zoomed through the tavern like a thunderbolt. Avic's eyes swung around, looking back at Bolton with confusion. Not many people knew the truth about Avic's past. They knew his parents had died but not many knew how. The fact that Bolton knew the truth meant that he was no ordinary Sicarius. There was more to him than met the eye.

"How do you know about that?" Quickly asked Avic.

"Now, why should I tell you that?"

"Almost no one in this town knows the truth about my parents' deaths! Who are you?!"

"Ah! Well, would you look at the time! It seems I've been here for too long. I think I'll take my leave now!"

"Tsk! Tell me how you know about that!"

"I don't think I will. What are you going to do about it? Kick my ass?"

Immediately, Amon stepped forward, placing his hand on Avic's shoulder, trying to calm him down. He couldn't allow a fight to break out in the tavern—especially with Avic.

"Avic, filter him from your mind. Don't let him get to you. You need to control yourself..!"

"Avic, please listen to Mister Amon! It's for your own good!" Pleaded Eliisabet.

By this time, Avic's fists were folded tightly and his teeth were clenched with frustration. He was fed up. He had reached his limit. He couldn't tolerate Bolton's sloppy attitude any longer, especially after everything he had done.

"You asked if I was going to kick your ass?" Began Avic with indignation. "No, I'm not gonna kick your ass here. That would damage the old geezer's tavern. I'll kick your ass outside..!"