Chapter 11: Tavern Turmoil

The man in front of me looks like he is ready to cut me in two with his axe. I think on my feet, thrusting the dagger in my pocket. I yell, "Somniel!" The dagger hits him, yet he stays standing. Instead, he grabs my wrist, and I feel his hand like cold iron around my wrist. The man merely laughs, "Yer tiny tools won't be o' much use 'ere, lad! Y'should've never set foot 'ere." He tosses me with all of his might at a nearby wooden table. My back hits it hard, knocking the air out of me. I don't understand; he should be knocked out. Maybe the magic was too weak for someone of his hulking brute strength. People begin leaving the bar in a hurry, not wanting to be involved in the bar fight. Era, to my side, pulls out her dagger. I see her get in front of me, her red eyes glowing, ready to attack.

The man smiles, turning his attention to Era, "Oh, lass, ye seem like ye might be worth a brawl. Come at me with all ye got." Era runs at him with her dagger in hand. He doesn't even try to dodge; his iron skin absorbs her attempts to stab him. He attempts to connect his axe to strike her down, but she narrowly dodges out of the way. When that fails, he picks her up by the throat. She gasps for breath, then he throws her in a similar way that he did to me. She lands on the ground and yells out, "Agh!" The ground slams into her back, making her drop her dagger. This is bad; he is merely toying with us. I yell at Era, "Era, use the doll! I will distract him!" Era grunts but pulls out her bag and begins trying to get out her doll.

The brute of a man looks over at her, but before he can charge at Era, I begin throwing anything I can find at him. I toss bottles, beer mugs, water—anything I can get my hands on near me, I throw at him. I just need to buy time. The man grunts, "Yer startin' to get on me nerves, have it yer way, I'll cleave ye in two." The man charges me, and I jump backward. He instead cuts a wooden table in half where I had been close to. I narrowly avoid another grab attempt from the man but fall on the ground. The man looms over me, axe in hand, ready to end my journey here. Luckily, Era gets her puppet ready. The puppet flies out at incredible speeds and nicks the man on the back. He grunts, looking behind him.

I use Era's distraction to get to my feet and put some more distance between me and him. My back is now against the wall. Era begins using Juna the doll to strike at the giant man. The damage is rather low, as his skin is like solid metal. However, Juna keeps nimbly dodging his giant axe attacks, which allows me to dig around in my backpack again. I did have one tool on me that I had been working on, planning to make it a part of my wares. I take out a small necklace with a rock in the middle. There is a mark on the necklace in the shape of an 'L'. I yell over to Era, "Era! Catch! Put this on!" Era briefly looks at me, both of her arms extended, controlling the wires she is using to control Luna. Without looking, she momentarily lets go of the wires to her left. She dexterously catches the necklace I have thrown her and puts it on.

I knew of about ten runes that my grandpa had left behind. I have used water, sleep, and one of my best for supporting people is this one. I yell out the words, "Arcanox!" The necklace begins to glow a deep purple as a backwards G rune begins to glow, as do the threads that Era is using to fight back the giant man. Era's eyes shift from red to purple as she feels herself fueled with new power. Luna's dagger claws radiate a purple glow as they cut a deep wound into the man, slashing his chest cleanly. The man bellows in pain as he drops his axe to the ground, clutching his chest. The rune I used on the necklace is enchantment; it boosts the magic of anyone wearing it and makes them faster and stronger. The man grunts, "You puny troublemakers are ruining my good mood!" With the doll still in front of him, Era stabs at the man again with Luna's claws.

The man grins as he grabs the doll with both of his giant hands, "Now Ah've got yer little doll. Say g'bye to yer little toy!" He begins to squeeze the doll with both of his hands, and the doll begins to strain under the man's intense strength. I need to do something quickly, or he'll crush the doll completely. I leap into the air, attempting to knee him in the face. I doubted this would hurt him, but I needed to break his concentration. I aim right for his eyes with my knee, and it connects. The man is momentarily caught off guard, and his grip loosens slightly. Using this small chance, Luna flies forward, connecting her claws into his stomach.

I feel my leg snap when it connects with his head; it bends in a way it shouldn't bend. Immediate pain shoots through every nerve in my leg, and I cry out in agony, collapsing on the ground next to the giant man. He is also collapsed on the ground next to me, bleeding profusely from the wound in his stomach, unable to even grunt. Era rushes over to me, "Lucius! Are you okay?!" I manage to squeak out, "Agghhh, it's extremely painful, but I will live." She scolds me, "Are all humans this stupidly reckless?" I grunt, "I just wanted to buy you an opening. Plus, only humans born under the wrong star have to use tactics like this." She mutters, "Unbelievable. Can you stand?" I respond, "Afraid that's a negative." Looking down at me, avoiding making eye contact, with a slight blush on her face, she holds out her hand, "Here, I still need you to teach me how to craft as you promised. Get up; you can use me for support."

I grab her hand, my leg throbbing in pain; I'm pretty sure it is fully broken. I respond, "Thanks, partner." She frowns, seemingly not used to talking to someone in such a friendly manner. She changes the topic, "Well, we should at least try checking him. He's passed out now; maybe he had something on him." I nod, "Yeah, seems like he could have been linked to Samuel with the way he was acting." Era bends down and begins searching his pockets. She pulls out an envelope from his right pocket. Era opens it up, revealing some coins inside, a few hundred mints, with a letter attached to it. Era starts to read the letter: 

Dear Torsten,

I trust this letter finds you well. I am writing to confirm our agreement and provide you with the necessary details.

As per our arrangement, your payment has been made in advance. I must emphasize the utmost importance of keeping this contract concealed from prying eyes; it must remain hidden on your person at all times, serving as evidence of our deal.

In accordance with our agreement, your primary responsibility will be to safeguard my various investments and dealings from any individuals or entities attempting to scrutinize or interfere with them. My deal with the Steel Serpents must never come to light, that includes the drugs. Your extensive experience as a former guard makes you well-suited for this task, and I have no doubt that your reputation, earned under the moniker "Ironskin" Torsten, will only add to your effectiveness.

To compensate you for your services, I will ensure that you receive regular payments. You can expect these payments to be made daily, with each installment amounting to 300 mints. This arrangement will continue until the conclusion of my campaign.

I appreciate your dedication to our partnership and have full confidence that you will fulfill your duties with the utmost professionalism.

Kindly sign below to acknowledge your agreement to these terms.

Under the letter, there are two signatures. One is a clumsily written "Torsten Geass," and the other is a more refined signature, "Samuel Blackwood." I grin as we now possess decisive evidence against Samuel Blackwood and have will gain the trust of Vestia. I smile and say, "We did it, Era. Let's get back to Vestia; we have what it takes to take down that scumbag." I also add, "Nice teamwork." She looks away, clearly embarrassed, and mutters, "You're so annoying." Era gathers our belongings, and we walk out of the bar side by side, with my leg dragging painfully behind me. We get stares from the former patrons as they look at us with surprise. I chuckle and say, "You can go back inside now; the fight's over." Nobody dares try to stop us as we walk down the dirt road, their eyes following us as we leave.

We walk down the road silently on our way back to Vestia. I spot her in her usual spot by the gates, and I call out to her. Once she spots us, she stops and rushes toward us. Her expression is one of shock as she notices my injury, and she frantically says, "Wh- what happened, kid? Your leg is broken. I thought you were gathering information?" I can tell she is a good person from her reaction, and it seems she is also a deeply empathic person. You would swear that the wound on my leg was her own by the expression on her face. I reassure her, "It's just a glancing blow, more importantly..." With a triumphant flourish, I present the signed contract from Torsten, revealing the tangible proof of our newfound alliance and the damning evidence against Samuel Blackwood. With determination in my eyes and the evidence in my hands, I look at Vestia and say, "With this, Vestia, we'll rewrite the future of this city."