Chapter 03: the strange old man

On the same island, in the western part, there is a small bar nestled among the trees. There, the hunter decided to spend his catch reward, taking a seat near the door and placing several bottles in front of him.Most who come to this bar are navy men or prize hunters, but most of the time, this bar is semi-empty, as the island has no residents other than the navy personnel.

Evening approaches, and the sun nears its descent. The hunter sits by the door, while another man sits on the opposite side, continuing to gaze at the hunter.

"You are not my type "The hunter spoke, directing his words towards the man.

"Indeed, that's clear. I don't have a reward on my head."the man said calmly.

At that moment, the hunter realized that this man knew who he was, and most likely, he was here for him.He left his cup and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I don't think you will need your sword to kill an old man like me" the man said.

"What I went through made me learn that you should not judge person by his appearance" the hunter hasn't relax his defense."You are setting in front of me and you know me,so you are looking for something bad".

" I will chose death over fighting you" The man continued sitting without any reaction.

"You shouldn't have appeared before me then" He said in a cold voice and rose from his seat, drawing his sword.

"You can't fight here " the waiter said loudly. One look of the hunter was enough to scare him."now tell me old man,do you like to die by my sword "

"I have an offer for you" The man was still sitting in his place with a smile on his face .

"I am not interested, I don't like to work for people "

"But you work for the navy "

"It's defrent, I only do what I want and they give me gold" Bring back his sword to the blink.

"My offer will make get what you want" the men made the hunter interested.

"I don't want gold"

"I was talking about your wife"

"My wife!!"He said, shocked.

"Yeah your wife"

"Where is she "the hunter asked in a sad voice.

"I don't know,but if you accept my offer, you will be on the right way to find her"

"Don't think you can use me to achieve your interests." The hunter tone of voice changed.

"You haven't heard my offer yet"

"Speak and be careful, it could be your last words"

" you will thank me later for that"

"Speak Quickly "

"I am like you,i suffered a lot because of slave traders."He took a deep breath."they took all my sons and my wife,they haven't let any one,they took all my village"Suddenly, a tear rolled down his cheek."i don't know if my family are alive or not,I don't know where they are or what they do of if they are fine"

"When did this happen?""The hunter's expression indicated that he was sympathetic towards him.

" 20 years ago"the man said sadly "All I want is for no one to suffer what I've experienced. So for that I am making I team,and I want you to be the leader, you are the best one for this mission"

"What will this team do?"the hunter asked.

"I have a lot of information and gold,I want to kill all the Slave traders.then you can kill any number of them as you wish, and you can continue searching for your wife with my help" the man waiting for the answer.

"What evidence do you have to prove to me that you are sincere?" He looked at him with a puzzled look.

"I really want to find your wife,I understand,It's natural not to trust me; you have been through a lot of bad experiences. but this is you chance to find her and to help the vulnerable people". The hunter stared at it briefly, then turned around and began walking to leave the bar.

"Don't forget that you, too, needed help at some point."He said in an angry voice.

"But no one has helped me "He stopped and said.

"If we don't help each other, the weak will always suffer, and eventually, we ourselves will become the weak. There's a greater importance to this. You must wield your sword for a purpose."

"I don't like to being told how to use my sword "The hunter continued his walk.

"Without a purpose there no deference between you and those who took your wife" these words made the hunter stopped walking."You've been through a lot. But you haven't learned that most villains are just lost good people who lost thier way in the midst of life's ocean. "The hunter was looking at the ground without movement or sound."The path you're on will never lead you to anything good. Even if you find your wife, she won't love you as she once did, you have changed significantly."

"What is wrong with me,I have changed for her" the hunter said passionately.

"She has never loved an evil, I know your past ,And remember, when you help others, you're helping yourself first."

The old man's words began to pave a path to the buried feelings of the hunter.

"By the way I am ('Harold'), and if you change your mind, go to the Isle of Blacksmiths exactly one month from now."It sounded like farewell words between them.The hunter shows no sign of having anything to say, so the old man leaves the bar first. The hunter continued to stand,in his place even after the old man left, 'why did he chose The Isle of Blacksmiths.'the hunter said to himself. He exited the bar, took a few steps away, then stopped and started staring upwards."Would my wife have loved me if she knew what I did? I think I won't lose anything if I agree to his offer. i have to give my self a Chance to change " he was talking to himself ."i have to get more gold coins for traveling to the Isle of Blacksmiths, even though that place reminds me of sad memories, I need those memories to keep going without stopping."