Port Hansen

The sun was drowning across the horizon and the sailors began to gather at the center of the port city of Hansen. The ones with big purses squandered their money on whores and rum, and the lesser found entertainment in drinking and smashing the heads of other similar drunkards. And those who had no coin on them waited outside the tavern and in the alleys for a chance. And the lowest of the lowest lay sprawled on the sides of the road, with flies buzzing all over the place. Most would not live to see the next sunlight, and yet their numbers never decreased.

The place stank of shit, piss, and rotten stench of flesh. But Karl couldn't be bothered by any of it, more like he couldn't avoid it anyway. He lay half-sprawled along a wall with eyes as lifeless as a dead man. The lights inside the tavern were only a blur.

The night deepened to midnight, yet the city had not slept.  A pair of men came out of the tavern. Not a few seconds after a boy ran onto them.

"I'm sorry mister, I-I am in a hurry ..." The boy soon backed up in a panic and tried to leave pass them. But one of the men grabbed the boy by his neck and snarled " Oh in a hurry Ah mate? then care to give back the money you just snatched uhh?" The boy struggled to break free from his grip. when he realized he couldn't escape he hastily pulled out a small knife, slashed at the man's hand, and attempted to flee. But the man's partner gave chase, and the boy quickly found his head on the ground and a sharp elbow pressing on his back.

The boy found himself choking when the man turned him around and brought his fist ruthlessly on the boy's face. The man who got his hand cut joined in the beating too. The people passed by without much a look, even the beggars by the side of the road hurriedly left.

The man got up wheezing, his hand all bloody. "Your hand good?" he asked the bald man.

"Just a small cut" his partner replied before giving the bloodied boy one last kick in the gut and glanced at a beggar by the side, "Hey! what you looking at huh?"

Seeing no reaction from the beggar, he went forward and smashed his foot in the beggar's face, And fell as his balance broke.

His partner laughed at that "Ohh Billy get up, I know you haven't drank enough to get knocked ."  Seeing that Billy showed no signs of getting up, he came up to pull him up. He was not going to carry the man, if he did not get up he would rather leave him here. Just as he bent to pick up Billy he found a knife lodged on his neck.

Alarmed he tried to back away, but it was too late. He found a hand clutching his shirt as he fell like Billy. But he luckily avoided the knife in his direction. What followed was the rolling of two people, in a contest over who would wedge the knife into the other.

Maybe the fault of booze or the night, the man found himself lost as the tip of the knife slid slowly down into his eye socket. The man died like a squeaking rat.

Out of breath the beggar hurriedly checked the man's pockets to find it empty. Cursing he crawled to the bald man to find him as poor as his partner. And finally, the beggar glanced at the still boy. The beggar then checked his limp bloodied leg that was wrapped in a dirty cloth.

With a grunt, he pulled himself to the boy. The face was dented inside, yet Karl still checked the boy's pulse to see for a miracle—Dead. Sighing, Karl opened the boy's hand in which he still held the coins in death. 3 bronze coins...that was all the boy was worth. Even a poor slave would have sold for ten.

"Sorry kid..." Karl took the coins and once again crawled to the entrance of the tavern. His leg was all numb, yet a few tremors of pain told him that it was not dead yet. As he came in front of the tavern he was met with a harsh kick and a generous amount of curses.

"Get away from here before I gut you worm, nothing free here " A woman warned. Seeing that the beggar not leaving, she immediately picked up a bucket of dirty water and poured it on the beggar. Drenched in cold water, some senses returned to the beggar as he held up the three bronze coins to the woman. Which was immediately snatched by the woman.

" I don't know how you manage to steal it but I can't invite someone who smells dirtier than a 40-year pirate inside our tavern. come from the back " saying that she went inside.

Karl with no other option pulled himself to the back of the tavern inch by inch. He waited at the back door with no particular hope in his eyes. The chance that the woman would come was close to none, yet he could only hope. He hadn't eaten even a morsel in a week, now he believed he could no longer muster any energy to move.

Curse life...all it took was a single decision to go from a captain in the Skormon fleet to a beggar in a pirate town. Maybe it was not so rare of a fate for Elantian, The discrimination was deep in the blood of the damned Teranian's.

Karl waited, yet the woman didn't show up. After a long time he welcomed peaceful sleep which he might never wake up. It was comforting in a way, to forget hunger, the pain, the worry of the wellbeing of those you care...

Karl gasped for air as he was rudely woken up, finding himself drenched once again. The sun had risen but not high enough to light the alley he was in. The woman from last night was in front of him, holding the bucket.

"You still here?" she questioned "You think I'll offer some food in pity?"

Karl didn't reply, he couldn't. It felt hard even to move his eyelids. He only stared at her in reply. After giving Karl a long look she went inside and shortly came with a loaf of bread which she threw at him.

"That's all you can get for 3 bronze," She said seeing him struggle to bring the loaf of bread to his mouth "And get out of here before the owner comes here, I can't guarantee anything with his temper"

Karl slowly bit down the bread, chewing slowly as if to savour every bite. But it was over before he knew it. Karl blew air in content. He could feel his energy returning, soon his powers would too. He had used all his power to constantly heal himself. The wound on his abdomen had healed, the bullets pushed out by his flesh. Now only his leg remained to be healed, but that would have to wait.

Karl lay in the alley till the sun was directly above, the tavern was silent inside. Probably it only opened at night. He supported himself by the wall to pull himself up. It was painful, but his power flowed inside him like a storm. It was euphoric, something he could no longer live without.

It was now he noticed a series of moans coming inside the tavern. This early in the afternoon? Karl tried to limp away when he heard moans become screams. He hesitated but came near the door and slowly opened it. He could hear clearly now, a man shouting while the woman did her best to bear it.

The sound came from the kitchen, Karl sneaked a peek. A man savagely pulled the woman's hair as he did the work. The man's dress was neat for a pirate, and completely unarmed. His purse must be pretty dense to have a go in a tavern kitchen right?

"Slowly Jarl please, I just can't board your ship. I have work here"

"Are you saying I would go back on my word and not pay you"

" No-"

"That's exactly how I'm hearing it, I won't acce-"

Before he could say anymore, a knife sliced his throat open. And the blood spurted all over the woman. She was the same woman that had given him the bread. Now that he looked at her clearly, she was indeed pretty for a woman in such a place.

She gaped at him, her eyes darting between the dead man and the beggar she had fed hours ago.

" What have you done ?" she hissed at him in a low voice " Why are you here? It would have been just fine if you let it be...he would throw all his spite, punch one or two and would leave!!"

Karl bent over and searched the man, to collect 5 copper and one silver coin off him.

"I didn't do it for you" Karl answered. His voice came rustier than he had expected.

"Well your dead anyway, the man's goons are just outside. You doomed me with yourself, if you wanted to die you could simply do it somewhere else!" the woman's voice gave to desperation.

"How many," He asked, it depended on the numbers. If there were more than he can handle he would just walk away.

"five" the woman answered. Karl grinned weakly at that. " Perfect". Karl slowly limped to the door leading to the main hall. He came to the bar counter, as the woman said there were only five men who had risen from their seats seeing that an unknown man had come through the kitchen.

Keeping his eyes on them, he took out a fine revolver that was hiding in his dirty clothes. Firearms were too scarce and precious in this place and era, so most would not expect one, especially for someone looking like Karl. The job was over with five loud bangs, Karl checked his gun. It did not look much due to dirt, but it was a fine piece. In a few seconds, a man came in.

"What in the-"

Karl shot his last bullet through the man's skull and glanced at the woman.

"Was that the owner of this place?"

"Y-Yes" the woman stood beside the door with her mouth ajar.

"Good, just tell that you were robbed and you will most likely not be implicated by the friends of the dead"

The woman nodded.

"Now hand over all the money"

"What?"

"well you're being robbed of course "

The woman overwhelmed at what happened in such a short time complied. Taking the money from her, Karl left the tavern from the front door. He didn't bother to check the pockets of those five, they wouldn't have much as their boss.