CHAPTER THREE - EARTH REALM - A THEFT

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"As much as I can recall of what actually took place…..the merchant were robbed of their merchandise in a night raid at Shangsun pass..."

"Were the robbers as quick as lightening as it were in the rumors?"

"They were fast but nowhere near the speed of lightening although it was …"

"But something remarkable must have happened for everyone to be talking about it right?"

"Uh…not exactly but yes, something did happened like you suspected"

"And what will that be?"

"Actually,…there was only one attacker"

"Only one?"

"Although later on, the bandits looted the camp as a group, only one of them killed the merchants and it was most likely their leader"

"Now that's fearfully remarkable"

"It is, Handel and though the merchants were armed….they were all killed before daybreak and their bodies were left to rot in desolation while the killer's followers took the loots away with them"

"Now that's mind-blowing"

"And amazing too"

Lucan rejoined but neither I nor Kido was amused by his response.

"Let's go, the boss is waiting. I want to tell you both a secret though I haven't confirmed it yet"

"What will that be?"

I asked Kido as Lucan and I followed behind him.

"As much as it is plausibly implicative that boss is responsible for the attack, I believe Hazel and those guards downstairs were the bandits who carry out the attack"

"You don't mean?"

"Yes, it is as you have presumed. It's of no doubt that Hazel was the one who singlehandedly attacked the merchant group all by himself"

Kido replied and stopped briefly as soon as we arrived at the door most likely leads to the boss's chambers.

"That's all I have to tell you both and be sure to always act in front of the boss like you always do"

"You needn't not remind us because we have gotten used to him"

I replied with all smiles but Kido seemed to think differently.

"Yes, you're right but this time around, he's having an indoor discussion with an important guest, so, you two needn't act rashly"

Kido warned and tapped the door twice with the back of his right fist. A deep hollow but croaked voice prompt resounded a few minutes after Kido knocked the door.

"You can enter"

The voice ordered and Kido pushed the door open. Then Lucan and I followed him inside. At first,I thought the goldsmith would be furious with us for interrupting his conversation with his visitor whose face we couldn't see since he had his back turned facing us. Instantaneously, The boss's eyes met us standing by the door and he kept on watching us as the three of us knelt down on the floorboard to pay our greetings with our heads bowed down.

"I see you have company"

"Them? They won't stay long so please be patient"

The goldsmith retorted to pacify his guest who seemed more frightening in his calm voice than the ugly looking goldsmith, whose yellow robe and tight-fitted red cap as well as little spectators that sat on his broad nose, made him appeared like an ugly gorilla in fine silk human clothing.

"Kido, listen closely"

"Yes, Master"

Kido was the first to lift up his head to look at him in order to receive the command from his boss.

"As you see here, I have a guest with me and I don't have the time to give them what they will ask"

"So, Master, how may I be of service?"

Kido questioned politely.

"Here's what you'll do. Take them to the storeroom and whatever they want in return for their exploits, give it to them"

"Alright, Master…I'll follow your order"

"But remember to give them the goods according to the worth of their exploits"

The goldsmith said and sneered at us but Lucan and I didn't pay attention especially myself since the odd appearance of the guest particularly his long staff which was wrapped with a twisted cloth of bamboo material.

"I'll keep that in mind"

Kido said and rise slowly from the ground. Lucan and I joined him as well and we left the boss's chambers as quickly as we had come.

I felt utterly relieved after we had returned from the goldsmith's chambers back to the dark corridors in the upper rooms through which Kido led us to the storeroom at the first floor and it was only after Kido had taken us to the storeroom downstairs and after he had given us what we wanted to get from the goldsmith according to his master's instructions that I curiously asked about the strange visitor who was in a close indoor meeting at the goldsmith quarters.

Kido shut the door behind us as soon as we left the granny which was quite filled with a lot of priceless commodities and other priceless objects including silver crates as well as crates of fine gold.

"Huh...What's wrong, Handel?"

Kido asked the moment he noticed I was lost in thought.

"Uh…Nothing. I was just thinking about something I saw earlier"

"And what did you see?"

He asked as he led Lucan and I towards the main hall where Hazel and the rest of the gamblers were still busy in their places where we had left them.

"Nothing of worry but the presence of that guest earlier felt strange especially his staff"

"You mean the guest talking with boss?"

"Yes, do you by any chance…know who him"

"Sorry to say, but I don't know him or where's he from either although…"

Kido said and stopped briefly when he noticed we were getting closer to the main hall.

Kido held his chin with his finger like he often does whenever he was curious about something "Come to think of it, he has been visiting quite often ever since the new guards were installed"

"Really?"

"Yes but other than that…I've never find anything strange about him"

"Alright…Thanks for letting me know"

"We'll be leaving now"

Lucan said in a hurry to leave and Kido suddenly recalled his promise to him before we entered the shop.

"Oh, that's right...Sorry you didn't get the food you wanted but let me make up for it with these coins"

Kido took out a pouch containing some coins and dropped it in my hands. I received it without hesitation and Lucan's countenance became bright the moment his eyes fell on the small sack of money.

"This isn't much but you can buy food for yourself with that at the local market before you going back to Aru valley"

"Thanks..Kido. We deeply appreciate your kindness"

"Don't mention it and when you get back to Aru valley, do well to say hello to Mikiso for me"

"We'll promise to pass on your message...Lucan, let's get going"

I ordered walking away with Lucan who kept tussling with me for the pouch of coins as we went out to the exit. Hazel was at his rightful place as usual and didn't seemed to be too bothered see Lucan and I tussling with ourselves for who will hold the pouch. Lucan's irritated demand to hold the pouch instead of me was almost getting out of control but in spite of his tantrum, we briefly left the shop as soon as we barely made it to the entrance.

Few minutes later, we soon found ourselves feeling hungry as we walked by the street corners of Aruma village looking for a convenient route back home and as Kido had advised before we left the shop, we went to find something to eat at the local market.

The coins Kido gave us were enough for us to purchase two dumplings and three buns from the market but Lucan wasn't satisfied with what we already purchase.

To fulfill his wishes, we both decided to look for something satisfactory to fill our bellies and came across a trader in the local selling some grilled fish and muttons at the left corner of the street not too far from where we last purchased the buns but he was taking longer than expected to prepare the meal we ordered.

Erwin went back to meet Hazel shortly after we had left the goldsmith shop and found Hazel still sitting where he was the entire day where we left him. He looked repulsively at the bunch of gamblers roaring wildly as ever to the coins that were toss from corner of the hall to the next.

"I feel tired watching those men gambling their life away"

Hazel looked in their direction in silence but he didn't answer since he clearly wasn't interested in having a chat with Erwin. Something else was bugging his mind ever since we left and he didn't seemed to feel comfortable with our absent.

"Have those peasants left already?"

Hazel questioned as though he didn't see us leaving the shop

"Yes, they have…a couple of minutes ago...Didn't you see them?"

"I did…I'm just curious if those brats didn't take something that doesn't belong to them"

Hazel replied and got up to leave. At that moment, someone from the crowd of gamblers rushed out of their midst and bolted for the door.

Erwin and the guards stationed at the front door were aghast at the way he left the shop and what followed was a shout from the crowd which alerted the men at the doorstep to chase after him.

"Seize that fellow! Don't let him escape with the money!"

Without hesitation, Erwin jumped to his feet and ran outside to join the other guards who were on tight pursuit to catch the thief. Kido heard the shout from where he was up-steps and came climbing down the steps in a hurry to see what the commotion was all about. He saw Hazel staring blankly at the open door which had now become deserted.

At the street, the thief barely eluded the first set of guards that were already on his tail and coincidentally bumped into me a few after Lucan had bought the grub he wanted. The accident caused a brief commotion which died off soon after the thief got up from the ground unscathed with my help.

"Thanks, boy"

He said patting me on the head and smiled pretentiously.

"I'm sorry for getting on your way"

"You needn't apologize. It was because I wasn't looking that's why we bumped into each other"

He said still holding me by the hand.

"Uh…You can let go now"

I said and he let me go.

"Handel, look over there. Those same guards from the goldsmith's shop are heading our way"

I looked in the direction Lucan was referring to and saw Erwin leading the guards towards our direction.

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