"Good afternoon Mr. Finnley"
I greeted as I walked past our neighbor's house. I say neighbor but our houses are 2 hours apart. But since we walk past his house every time we head into town, we became somewhat acquainted.
Mr. Finnley was a man of average stature with a height of around 1.7 meters. He had extremely well developed muscles, coupled with his bushy beard and over grown hair, he looked quite intimidating.
Him being a butcher also played a part in that. Like us he was well into dissecting the corpse of beasts so more often than not, he was covered in blood and offals hence he preferred to stay out of town.
"Fine afternoon to you as well Arthur. Off to town once more I see"
"Yes sir"
"Well, I wish you the best on your endeavors then" he replied with a hardy laugh as he walked into his house, probably to get some sleep since he preferred working during night.
No sane person lived outside the town and for good reason. You had to be as 'tough as nails' to survive out here. Although towns and cities tend to purge out any beasts that usually inhabit the surrounding area to ensure that trade routes are safe for merchants, there are always remnants.
The forests are infested with bloodthirsty creatures that hunt and kill anything that crosses their path. It is relatively safe during the day, but once midnight hits, it's best you remain indoors. The shrieks and cries are especially haunting when they're out on the hunt.
But even during the day time, there was always an errie presence everywhere you go, like you were being watched.
No, you were definitely being watched.
Sometimes you could even spot a shadowy figure scuttling in your peripheral but it would be gone the moment you look in that direction.
Other than that, it was relatively peaceful living outside. There weren't any rules dictating how you lived, there was no reason to pay tax and most importantly, you didn't need to be scared about people.
To me, they are scarier than even the most foul beasts.
People, I had a paranoia towards them. You could never know who to truly trust with your life. Someone who you consider a sworn brother could betray for just a handful of coin.
I don't really know why I had such dread for humanity. Something probably happened to me before I lost my memories all those years ago.
I snapped out of my thoughts as I made my way to the town's gate. It was towering with a height of 6.5 meters. In the events of a monster outbreak, it was the first line of defense. Although primarily made of wood, it was reinforced with steel to bolster it's strength even more. But even that pailed in comparison to the walls surrounding the town. It was double the size of the gate, making it impossible to see anything over it on a plain surface.
Cannons were erected at multiple points on the walls with soldiers stationed at every point watching everything, ready to obliterate anything deemed a threat.
At least that was how it was supposed to be.
Eduardo, named after it's founder. A man deemed to be righteous beyond the realm of man. He was a pioneer who 200 years, together with his vassals left his homeland to make a name for themselves. What started out as a simple refugee camp to give shelter runaways, grew into prosperous town now home to tens of thousands of people.
He was also given the title Lord by the people who loved him and he dedicated his life to serving them.
I wonder how he would feel to see the land he built be reduced to this.
Corruption ate at the city as the discrimination between the poor and rich became evident. Those who held power did everything to get even more of it. Extortion, embezzlement, assassinations and other atrocities were committed daily.
It was no secret and anyone knew how rotten the place had become but they didn't care. I mean, who could stop them.
Soldiers had become lax and slacked off during work. The cannons which served as a means to defend the town were not well maintained either. Well, I guess they don't consider such things important anymore.
The onslaught of monsters and beasts brought to human settlements had drastically reduced half a century ago, making the fear people's once had for them dwindle.
"A toll fee? Preposterous, what nonsense is this!"
'Hmm?' the sudden outburst of what seemed to be a small scaled merchant broke my train of thought. He was a man of short statue and looked rather slim. He seemed to be arguing with the soldiers stationed at the gate cause to harsh treatment he was receiving.
"If you don't want to pay, feel free to buzz off begger, I'm not forcing anyone to pay anything"
"I do not mind paying, but 2 silver coins is way too much"
"Like I said, get paying or get lost. Or do I have to explain with my fists?"
"Ahahahahahahahahhahahaa... Look at the way he's shaking"
Two soldiers who swore an oath to defend their people till their last breath were currently extorting money from the very ones they swore to protect.
"Please!! I'm begging you. Let me pass, I promise to pay double when I return. My daughter.... My daughter, she's not well. I need the money to pay the doctor, PLEASE!!!" The man fell to his knees as he pleaded with one of the soldiers even going as far as grabbing one of his legs. An action which proved to be a mistake as -
'POW'
The sound of the soldiers boot on the man's ribs reverberated as his body was flung away like a rag doll, crashing on ground.
"Yuck, how dare you! Do you know how expensive these boots are?! This is why I hate common folks"
"Ahahaha... Can't say I don't agree with you" the other chimed in, finding the entire situation funny.
The faces of people standing in line grimaced as they watched the injustice unfolding in front of them. Yet, they could do nothing about it. The sheer difference in strength was like comparing a child to an adult. Even though they were corrupt and lax, they were still soldiers. Trained to fight beasts that the common man wouldn't dream to facing. And even if they somehow won against them, the punishment for harming officials was not something anyone wanted to endure.
"NEXTT!!"
And as if nothing happened, the line moved on, those who couldn't pay the fee simply turned back and left.
'Humans, sometimes they're even scarier than beasts'
I had no particular feelings towards the situation that unfolded before me. I simply observed, detached from my emotions. If anything, the only thought I had was that this was to be expected.
But...I glanced at the man who was spasming in pain. His hands held onto the place he got kicked as tears and snot ran down his face. He was covered in dirt and mud after rolling around on the ground. He seemed more upset at the fact that he couldn't go through rather than the pain he felt.
The image of Mother who was sick ran through my mind as I watched. That was not something I wished anyone to endure.
I walked towards him and helped him to his feet, slipping two silver coins in his hands.
His eyes widened in shock as his tears flowed even more.
"Thank you, truly. Thank you so much"
He spoke up even with the pain he felt, grabbing my hand with both of his while he did.
"It's fine, please think nothing of it" I replied simply, freeing myself from his grip.
"How could I-
"I said it's fine... Now go to the back, you're causing a ruckus. It would be best not to draw attention to yourself again"
Realizing this, he simply bowed his head and staggered to the back of the line with his belongings.
'Sigh, how bothersome'
I had caught the eyes of numerous people. Some looked on with admiration for what I had done, others scoffed at my actions.
I couldn't be bothered with them as I glanced towards the gate.
'Phew'
Fortunately, the guards didn't seem interested in the slightest. They were too busy harassing someone else to notice me.
Or so I thought.
Nothing note worthy happened after the merchant incident, which was a relief. To my delight, even the guards seemed to have calmed down a bit. Eventually, it was my turn and I paid the fee before making my way through the gate.
The soldiers watched the kid silently as he went through the gate. Only after he left their line of sight did they take their eyes off him.
"Ha! Did you see what that twerp did? Some balls he has" the bulkier one between the two spoke up before letting out a laugh.
"Yeah I saw, how dare he!" his partner replied sneeringly as he glanced at the direction the boy had walked off
"Oh.... How surprising. Why did you him go then?"
"Who says I did?"
"Hmmm?"
"I sent word to some of my guys to go after him the moment he pulled that shit off, he'll learn not to mess with our authority"
"Oh? He did seem to have a lot of money on him. Gonna kill him?" He asked entirely amused by the situation while looking at his partner standing beside him. But he got no reply, instead he was met with a sinister smile.
"Ahahahaahaha! Working with you is always so interesting Gab"
"Tch... Can't say the same about you Trant"
"Yeah yeah, whatever... Fill me in on the details later. I'm sure it would be interesting"
"That would cost you 30 copper coins"
"Tch...how greedy."
" Money talks"
"Make it 20"
"Deal"
"You were gonna tell me for free weren't you"
"Free money is always accepted"
"I hate you"
"Hate you too"