Flosbris. Part 2

As Sheyken followed Flosbris past the market and to a part of the village he had not paid much attention to, Ningal was with a guest in her shop that she did not mind introducing Sheyken to.

"Vitula, thank you so much for all your help. Without you, I do not know how we would survive."

Ningal said giving a big, almost two meters tall man wearing a butcher's outfit with bloodstains visible on it a bag similar to the one she gave Sheyken for hunting.

"No need to thank me Ningal, we are in this together. Numinima sacrificed herself for all of us. We have to stick together for all our sake."

Remembering the friend she grew up with almost made her cry. Vitula knowing he touched on a subject that will make him a shoulder to cry on decided to change the subject.

"By this point, we could say the kids Blessing makes him as powerful as a mage apprentice. What do you think it is?"

"I think it must be something rare, maybe mind control or something along those lines. I do not see how else he could kill a Vatagreos without getting hurt."

Ningal answered back with a big smile and stopping a tear from coming down her face.

"He was going to be a terrifying beast warrior if that is. I was thinking of Telekinesis or Body strengthening, but you would have had to train day and night ever since you were born to develop them to a point where you can kill a Vatagreos with one strike or have a secret technique that allows you to advance much faster. If that was the case, he was going to be more frightening. Do you think he can surpass Vintas Lapisas?"

"I think he is more talented than him and has a more powerful Blessing. He is seven years old and has already killed a Vatagreos and every beast he had killed so far had their heads chopped off cleanly."

"The kid likes to chop off heads alright."

Vitula said laughing, making Ningal laugh too.

"So how is she?.... is the beast meat helping?"

Vitula asked with concern in his eyes.

"It is helping. To tell you the truth, we owe that kid a lot. If he never came, the situation would have been worse. Vintas was the only one who came back to the village and stayed to help us flourish. The day he left for the capital was the day all our lives changed. I hate him for leaving us I really do. We never needed a Teleportation station. Vitula.... do you think he is still alive?"

What followed next was a sight that Sheyken would have frowned upon. After asking the question she had tears running down her face and had used Vitula's shoulder to cry her eyes out on, not minding the bloody stains. A scene that if Sheyken would have seen, a butcher would have been butchered right there and then. Vitula was now used to this. He knew he was the only one left in the village she could express herself with.

"I do not know Ningal, but knowing what is happening here, I know they would have never done it if he was still a threat."

Vitula was not a man to give falls hope where it was not needed and the situation called for realism. Ningal wiped her tears and looked at him with a smile. She knew not to expect comforting words from him.

"How is Falgur?"

"Well, he is not Sheyken, but you know, whatever my wife did, even Vintas would be scared."

Vitula said with a big smile.

"Hahaha, I would not expect any less. Now, all we have to do is keep our hopes up and maybe someone will come and see our situation. It does not help that we are the only ones against them but for Numinima and the ones we protect, we should persevere."

"Do not worry Ningal, if the boy and his father could make it this far hunting in the Trial Forest, there sure will be someone who wants to use our village as a base like they used to and the boy never said his father had died."

He said taking the bag that he had put on the floor when Ningal was crying so he could comfort her.

"Who knows, since you praise the boy so much, he might turn out to be our savior, the next Vintas Lapisas."

Vitula said while pointing at the bag fall of beast meat.

"Hahaha."

Ningal let out a sweet laugh that made Vitula want to get out of there otherwise he was going to stay forever. As he was opening the door he remembered one last thing he wanted to ask her.

"Did you tell him about Flosbris?"

Ningal face turned to one of a pit bull ready to fight when she heard her name, just like the day she saw Dunnam. Vitula knew at that moment he had made a mistake. He had never said that word in front of her ever since the incident. Like a scared little mouse, he ran out the door and quickly shut it, bolting to his storefront at the end of the street.

Ningal calmed herself and went to the basement to check if everything was ok then came back up again to her table and sat, waiting for Sheyken.

'Where is that boy, it is already late. I had told Vitula to come to collect the meat around this time so I can introduce him. I hope he is not getting into trouble or killing something he has no business fighting.'

Ningal sighed while remembering the Vatagreos he had brought with him the first day he came back from hurting.

Sheyken was now at a place he did not think he was going to visit anytime soon. He was at the south side of the village at a place covered by small hills with a single house sessile between them.

The landscaping in the front yard was purposefully bizarre, with gnarled, twisted trees and a wooden bridge crossing a mystical river stream. The home looked organic, like it was growing up out of the ground. The many spiders around the place made it feel eerie. Its dilapidated-looking pitched roof was pointed like a witch's hat, and the walls of the house slope precariously, giving the impression it could collapse at any moment. black wet-like wooden window shutters were hanging at odd angles, continuously dripping a clear liquid that went in the ground but it did not seem wet.

Flosbris got inside the door that was already opened but Sheyken immediately stooped walking. His intuition was tingling like he had spider senses. Everything about the house was giving him danger signs. When he saw the visible runes carved on the floor of the doorway, he resolved that he will never step inside the house.

Flosbris turned around from inside the house when Sheyken did not come in.

"You a clever little mouse aren't you. You way smarter than the other kids, but never as smart as my boy."

She said with a big smile.

'This bitch is crazy. Think I have heard enough of this. After the day I have heard I rather deal with this lady tomorrow. Which kid in their right mind would even live here?'

Sheyken thought as he turned around to where he came from without saying a word.

"Wait, you little devil. Do not tell me you are afraid of a nice friendly warm house like this."

She said turning round and round making her dress float up again. Sheyken did not even look back.

"Wait!."

This time around her voice seemed to consist of two tones. Hers and a deep sounding one that was barely audible but that Sheyken heard. He stopped and turned around. Flosbris was now carrying a wooden box that also had a visible rune on it almost similar to the one he always passes by the gate. Just like the first time he set his eyes on her, she was smiling.

Flosbris came closer and presented the box to him.

"Take it and open it."

Sheyken did as he was told. He opened it and inside was a layer of black cloth that had an intricate shape resembling that of the dagger he was holding in his hand.

"Look closely at the bottom of its hilt."

Sheyken again did as he was told. At first, he saw nothing, only a shiny dark surface but as he concentrated and look even closer, he was now able to see the same rune that was coved on the wooden box.

"Is that proof enough?"

Sheyken was convinced, but he was not about to call this lady a mother of anyone. He put the dagger in the box, closed it, and gave it to her with both hands while doing so letting out a sigh of relief. It was a gesture of having freed himself from the burden of having to used the body of the child who was carrying the dagger to revive on Uros.

'At least something good came out of one of today's events.'

He thought. As soon as Flosbris took the box, Sheyken turned around to leave. He did not want anything to do with the lady in front of him.

"Wait, why are you always in a hurry."

Sheyken did not stop.

"I want you to hunt a beast for me, I will give you a mana crystal for it."

Sheyken stopped right there. And quickly turned back.

"Did I hear you right or the ghosts that live with you around here were talking?"

"Hahaha... I see you funny too. You would have been a nice friend for my son, and yes, you heard me right. I will give you a mana crystal for it."

Since Sheyken did not want to stay even one second more in her presence, he went straight to the point.

"What is the beast you want me to hunt?"

"An Araneu."

"I do not know their names. You must describe it for me."

Flosbris smiled at the boy who looked like he would hunt anything for a mana crystal.

"It is a beast with 8 legs and has many eyes on its head. It also has sharp front legs. it looks like this but bigger."

She playfully showed him a spider that was in her hand.

Sheyken could not help but smile.