Chapter 1: The Abyss dweller
Thunder rumbled in the sky above as flashes of lightning illuminated the forest below, revealing the figure of a handsome black-haired youth in obsidian armor. In his right hand was a long sword, still dripping with blood. Collapsed by his feet was a large grey monster akin to a wolf. A long gash extended from its neck to the lower parts of its stomach. The young man studied the corpse before him with a frown. His light golden eyes seemed to shine in contrast to the dark forest.
"Damn, should have asked for more than ten golds for this," He grumbled before following with an annoyed kick sending the monster's corpse back a few steps.
"Is it even worth dragging this fat bastard back all the way?" He added as he walked to sit on top of the monster with a sigh. His hand moved to the pouch hanging on his waist, where he grabbed a piece of cloth which he then used to clean his blade from the blood.
After making sure that his sword was clean, the young man carefully placed it back in the scabbard on his back and stood up. Stretching his arms a lazy yawn escaped his mouth as he glanced at the dead, magical beast.
"Ah, to hell with it. Let's get this over with," He muttered, then kneeled before the wolf-like monster that was twice his size. The young man then effortlessly hauled it on his back. The smell caused a disgusted expression to surface on his face as he made his way out of the forest.
A stream of curses escaped his mouth as the rain began to fall, drenching the corpse on his back. Thankfully, however, his journey out of the forest was not long. Soon, the young man found himself standing at the edge of the woods overlooking a small fenced village a distance ahead. The rain intensified, forcing him to hasten his steps.
The two village guards spotted him from a distance and began to whisper amongst each other. As he drew closer, the guards made way for him to pass, not bothering to speak with the young man, instead, their eyes were glued to the magical beast's corpse on his back. They nervously gulped down, their hands subconsciously tightening on the spears they held.
The young man didn't seem bothered by their hostility. He ignored them as he walked inside the village. The street was devoid of people, the heavy downpour forcing everyone to take shelter inside their homes. The young man's figure drew a lonely shadow as he walked amidst the rain. After a couple of turns, he came to a stop in front of a rundown building.
Loud sounds of laughter could be heard, from within. Pushing the door open with one hand. The sudden heat and smell assaulted him, causing a frown to make its way to his face. The young man then took a step inside before struggling to fit the monster through the door. All sounds quickly died, and gasps could be heard, followed by murmurs as the tavern's occupants studied the newcomer with fear in their eyes.
"It's Amon..."
"He's back already?!"
"T-That's the Rotbrute's corpse!"
"It's only been a day since he took the request too! The Abyss dwellers are truly monsters in the flesh."
Hearing that, Amon loudly clicked his tongue in annoyance, causing the man to shrink back in fear. He walked towards the counter and dropped the corpse to the ground with a loud thud, before taking a seat. His hand moved to rummage inside his pouch, causing the bartender to flinch and the other customers to draw their breath.
Amon ignored them and flicked a copper coin to the bartender. "Give me a drink, will ya?" He said with a long sigh. The bartender hastily grabbed the coin and poured him a cup of ale. Seeing as how the Abyss dweller had no intentions of doing anything. The clamorous noise quickly resumed as people continued their drinking. Most eyes, however, remained on Amon, eyeing him with apprehension. He, on the other hand, ignored them.
Not long after, a new visitor arrived. Pushing the tavern's door open was a large muscular bald man donned in white shining armor. Behind the said man was a young redhead lady. She glanced at her surroundings with a look of contempt, her eyes soon fell on Amon's back, then towards the Rotbrute's corpse sprawled on the ground next to him.
Her gaze softened as she motioned her guard to move. The bald knight nodded and drew closer to Amon. The tavern once again descended into silence. All eyes were on the guard who dared draw close to the Abyss dweller. The knight ignored all gazes, his hand moved to grasp Amon by the shoulder.
"My lady has-" Before he could finish speaking, Amon skillfully evaded his grasp, causing him to stumble for a mere second. The cup of ale came crashing to his face.
"Ugh!"
The knight, barely making out what happened, had his feet swept under him and collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. A fist quickly collided with his chin knocking him out cold. The tavern occupants gasped and hurried to their feet. Some silently drew closer to the door, sensing the trouble on the way.
Amon paid them no heed. He glanced at the panic-stricken young lady, his golden eyes flickering with a dangerous light making her stumble backward. "Oh, lady Naria. Forgive my slip of the hand," He raised his arms in the air with a gentle smile and continued. "It was a subconscious reaction, you see."
Patting the dust off his chest, Amon continued. "It's never good to sneak up on an Abyss dweller." He grinned, his cold gaze studying the tavern occupants, making them involuntarily avoid his line of sight.
"One never knows what they could do." He added.
Naria glanced at her collapsed bodyguard and nervously gulped. Her father had always warned her about the Abyss dwellers. Their rude tempers and random mood swings. They could be laughing with you one second the next they'd have their sword shoved down your throat.
Her best bodyguard was down before he could know what hit him. Although the tavern was encircled by more men standing guard outside, she didn't feel safe. It was as if the monster in human flesh in front of her already knew of their plans. Ten golds were nothing for a noble like her, especially considering how Amon had accomplished the request on the same day to boot.
No, the problem lay in his presence. He was never meant to survive the encounter with the Rotbrute. A loose Abyss dweller in their county was akin to a ticking time bomb, at risk of exploding at any time. Her father lacked the courage to make a move, but she didn't. The Rotbrute was nothing but a tool. Had he died facing it, then all was good. If not, Naria was ready to lead her men to surround and kill him. One could never trust Abyss dwellers.
Now that she was standing here facing him. All of her previous courage left her. Faced with his piercing cold gaze, Naria's hand shook as she grabbed a pouch from her belt and then threw it at him. Amon easily caught the bag. The sounds of coins clinking drew a smile on his face.
His gaze softened as he gave the scared lady a bow. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, lady Naria." Saying that Amon made his way to the door. Right before he passed the young noble, however, he whispered.
"I'm in a good mood you see, so I will not slaughter you and all of your men for your little scheme. Try something like this again, and I won't be so merciful."
His voice caused a shudder to run down her spine. Gulping down nervously, Naria nodded her head to indicate she understood. Satisfied, Amon's face regained his warm smile as he patted her head and made his way out of the door. The rain was still heavy as he walked out. The group of soldiers visibly flinched at his presence. Their hands rested on the handles of their swords, yet none dared make the first move.
Amon once again ignored them. A yawn escaped his mouth as he walked past the nervous men who subconsciously made way for him to leave. The second he did, all of them heaved sighs of relief before rushing towards the tavern where their young lady was.
Well, that went well. At least I didn't have to kill another employer. I don't think my reputation can handle that. A tired sigh escaped Amon's mouth as he silently left the village under the blanket of rain. His departure was the cause of celebration for many.