A Shitty Situation

Kaplan's mood was in chaos as soon as he heard the words. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed one of the bear-men on his throat and lifted him up.

"What did you say?!" Kaplan asked; the voice itself lack any emotion, but the two demi-bears could feel the brewing wrath in his cool tone.

"Bordi opened a brothel," The idiotic one, who was on the ground, said. "He said he wanted yer mother to be there."

Bordi choked the other were-bear tighter. The man tried to hit Kaplan's arm to made him release, but he could not. "My mother..." Kaplan muttered then his eyes wide opened.

"Shit!" He cursed and threw the man the ground. He did not even utter a word to injured two demi-bear and ran towards his home.

X—X—X—X—X—X—X—X—X

It did not take much time to reach Kaplan's home. He immediately dashed in front of the door and tried to open it.

It was locked.

Kaplan kicked the door and forced opened it. He went inside and saw a one big man of a race he was not sure of, behind Gordi, and Markus who was holding Gimila forcefully.

"What are you doing?!" Kaplan growled. He immediately dashed and grabbed his mother from the unknown man's clutches.

The man did not resist, he simply released Gimila, and stand behind Gordi. He was calm and his face was cool, like a living statue.

In the other hand, Markus was fuming in anger. "You little shit!" He spoke and clenched his fist. "What are you trying to do?!"

Gimila was looking empty; she was shaken and hurt. Her clothes were ripped and had bruises around her body; an obvious one was on her cheek.

Kaplan saw a bruise on her mother's cheek and narrowed his eyes. "Did you hit her?" He asked simply.

"She resisted!" Markus said. "She nee... "

"You are becoming idiotic each day," Kaplan cut him off coldly. He tried to release Gimila gently while putting her on the sofa, but his father did not wait. Markus jumped at Kaplan with his all might and swung a powerful punch towards his head.

Kaplan evaded the attack by taking a long and fast step towards his right, thus letting Markus hit the wall and pierce the wooden walls, again.

Kaplan scoffed and put Gimila on the sofa gently; he sensed another attack coming at him, so he quickly looked back, saw a punch closing towards his face. He swiftly grabbed Markus's attacking arm and pulled him towards himself; Markus lost his balance by the sudden powerful pull, then he received an elbow.

He flew backwards and hit the ground; after spitting a tooth, he looked at Kaplan and growled.

"Why angry, old man?" Kaplan asked coolly. "You'll get wrinkles."

Markus narrowed his eyes and stood up. He observed Kaplan for couple of seconds, then dashed at him again.

'Does he do not know anything but jumping?' Kaplan scoffed. He grabbed his hand and twisted it towards Markus's back.

"Argh!" Markus cried by the sharp pain in his arm. A little more push, and his arm would be broken.

"Was this the one that hit mother?" Kaplan asked coolly; he was looking at the arm he was twisting with furrowed brows.

"Release me!" Markus demanded.

Kaplan looked at Markus coolly. He twisted Markus's arm more, stopped it just before Markus's arm about to broke. "Was this the one?" He asked slowly.

"Stop!" Kaplan heard his mother's voice and immediately looked behind. He saw Bordi was holding knife on Gimila's throat, while the other person was holding Gimila on the ground from behind while holding her mouth shut.

"Tut tut tut." Bordi' shook his head. "You need to calm down, child. Release Markus, we can handle this civilly," he said calmly.

"An interesting suggestion considering your actions at the moment," Kaplan said coolly; he wanted to broke Markus's arm, just a little push, then he would break it.

"I agree," Bordi said with a smile. "But I have the power presently, don't you agree?" He said and put the knife closer on Gimila's neck.

Kaplan narrowed his eyes. "Do you?" He asked. "If that knife either accidently or intentionally cut mother, do you know what will happen to you?" He said in a calm manner that failed to hide the wrath in his voice.

"Stop that..." Bordi shook his head disappointedly. "I know your kind; you cannot fool me. You care for your mother enough that you will not risk this."

Kaplan clicked his tongue. Bordi was right, he did not want to risk it. Gimila was his mother; A woman he did not know for more than a day, a woman who was not even an NPC for his most of the life, became his reality in a sudden; and he could not bear to risk Gimila's life.

It just felt extremely wrong.

'Why dammit!?' Kaplan narrowed his eyes further. He just could not.

'This is getting irritating,' Kaplan thought and push Markus towards Bordi.

"Good boy," Bordi praised Kaplan with a smile; he looked at Markus who was struggling to stand up. "Come on Markus, you embarrassed yourself enough as it is," he said sadly.

"Release mother, Bordi," Kaplan said, ignored his struggling father, while looking at Bordi intensely.

Bordi glanced Kaplan, he did not impress by the stare.

"Why angry, young man?" Bordi said sweetly. "You will get wrinkles."

Kaplan's mouths twitched by his comment used for him. He took a breath to relax his breath and looked at the situation.

Gimila was forcefully pinned down to the ground on her knees, a hand on her shoulder and another hand on her mouth; they did not let any escape routes for her. In addition, Bordi was holding a knife, a simple knife, on Gimila's throat, too close for Kaplan's comfort. If Kaplan moved even an ich, Bordi would cut her throat even before he would reach her.

He needed to set his priorities straight; he needed to rescue his mother first, then he must escape. He did not know how strong the man behind Bordi, and Markus would attack him any second.

The question was how he would rescue his mother.

Markus stood up after a while and exhaled deeply.

"Your nose seems bad, Markus," Bordi commented.

Bordi was right. Markus lost too much blood; a hit that broke his nose, then elbow that broke a tooth; adding exhaustion and pain, he felt like shit.

"I don't care," Markus spatted; he looked at Kaplan, then Gimila.

Markus, after he understand the situation smirked. He looked at Kaplan with a scary smile, and like a madman, he began to laugh. "Hahaha!" Then he hit the wall next to him. "Ah, I am going to have so much fun beating you up..." He murmured.

Kaplan looked at the scenario with discomfort; strangely he did not feel any fear at the present.

He looked at the situation thoroughly. Markus seemed he was about to lose his mind if he did not lose it already. In addition, he could not find a way to rescue his mother.

Things getting disturbing, and Markus's next words seal the deal completely.

"Bordi, if the boy moves even an ich, cut the woman," Markus said darkly.

Bordi furrowed his brows, he did not like to be ordered by Markus it would seem, then sighed. He nodded and looked at the situation with interest.

'Did you really think I'd kill her, Markus...' Bordi thought with a disappointment. 'I guess I have to dump you, as well.'

"Now where was I," Markus smiled evilly; his broken nose and mouth stopped bleeding, but most of the blood was still on his face; and adding them to that disturbing smile made a disgusting impression on his face.

"About to time yo-," Kaplan could not finish his sentence because of the powerful fist on his stomach. He gasped for air, but he received a kick at the temple.

Kaplan, after receiving the kick, struggled to stand. He started to saw multiple Markus and growled in anger. "Coward," he said darkly.

"Winners are always the smart ones, boy," Markus mocked. "A thing you lack of the most," he grinned.

Kaplan about to hit Markus but he saw Bordi's knife moved in exact moment and cut slightly on Gimila's neck.

He stood still and looked at incoming fist with irritation, shame, and anger. He knew he was in tough spot; he was not sure if he'd find a way out.

It was a pity Markus did not wait for him to find any opportunity to use. He beat Kaplan with his all might.

He beat Kaplan up to the spot that made Kaplan look like another person.

Kaplan's face swollen, his bones were broken, and he was struggling to stand on his feet. Yet Kaplan endured for Gimila. He finally lost his balance and fell to the ground but did not utter a sound.

Kaplan's only thoughts were how to escape with his mother, and vengeance.

Soon, with those thoughts in his mind, his world painted in black by the never-ending attacks by his father.

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[The Soldier]

'Why did I sent this remote town to pick a boy to begin with,' a man sighed in exhaustion.

He was a simple soldier in Levent [1] in Koylucity.

When Admiral ordered him to pick a child, he was not sure what to expect.

'This town do not have any strong people, it would seem,' he thought. He stopped at one of the shops and knocked the door.

"Hello, sir. Do you know someone named Kaplan Darkerlight?" The soldier asked politely.

The shopkeeper looked at the soldier.

The soldier was wearing red and white uniform that reach his belly, a single star that shows his rank that he was in army no more than a year, and red pants, hide boots.

They were worn out by the distance the soldier had to take, so they were not as shiny as the time he got them.

The shopkeeper, after understanding the man was an officer, nodded with a sad sigh. "Poor child is in the hospital. People says he got stabbed a hundred times, and he still trying to live, but had not much time," he said.

The soldier blinked. 'Sure... therefore I hate this part of the country,' he thought and nodded. "Thank you. Where is the hospital, can I ask? I have an important message for him," the soldier said with a smile.

'Honestly what exaggeration.' The soldier thought.

The shopkeeper hummed. "I see. You can go straight and see the hospital, if one can say that is a hospital, but you got the point," he said.

"Thank you, sir. Have a good day," the soldier said kindly and went directly to the hospital.

There was only one thought in his head; what happened?

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[1]- Levent means marine.