∼ The Product of Upbringing ∼

Chapter - 057

Having fled the scene of the fight, Eric, Aria, and Nyx moved through the crowds, dodging rushing wagons and merchants too forward for their tastes. Aria and Nyx were happily gnawing away at their sticks of meatballs, the flavor incredible for what it was. Aria, who had eaten the foods from all walks of life, couldn't pinpoint the seasoning. It was alien food even to her. Which was a feat in itself.

All Nyx could care about though, was the fact that there wasn't enough, moping at the now bare stick. He even briefly considered tracking down the fat human, just so he could force the fatty to be his food minion. This was even better than his food magician's jerky!

However, the food in Eric's hand had gone forgotten, looking over his split knuckles with a pensive expression. He sometimes had those uncontrollable fits, where he went a tad too far. And one of those times had been after the thug cut him with that blasted concealed knife. He had all rights to have done as he had as the thug had gone after his life. But it didn't sit well with Eric. It was a question of when, not if - but when, he would cross a line that he would end up forever regretting?

The lifelong trauma Eric had endured under the tormenting wiles of his ever-displeased father, a vent for his discourse - it had all changed the young teen. Spending his childhood as the outlet for a man as cruel as men get, all the hate, the anger, the irritation - it all festered like a disease in his mind. Mounting and mounting, until he could no longer contain it. Unleashing it on the nearest, thing, or person...

He knew of only one other way to control its release before the simmering would inevitably boil over. Through his fists.

"Eric?" Aria asked tentatively, Eric's wandering mind suddenly wrenched back into reality, his gaze moving from his torn knuckles to her.

As he laid eyes on her though, the sour thoughts and dismal emotions washed away, Aria standing there, her stick entirely meatball-less and the smudges of meat juice on the corners of her mouth. With her worried expression completing the visage, Eric forgot all about his problems.

"It's nothing," He chuckled, shaking his head and biting into the uneaten stick of meatballs still in hand. As he did, his eyes went wide, the taste truly unlike anything he had eaten before. No wonder Aria and Nyx had gobbled them down without reserve. Even though the meat had gone cold by now, it was still an explosion of alien flavors, the seasoning strange but matched perfectly.

Finishing the morsel in record time, nibbling off whatever meat stuck to the stick, a thought came to mind. "Hey, where were the guards by the way? I didn't see any. But it's not as if there aren't any, we saw quite a few just patrolling the market. The fight couldn't have gone unnoticed, right? We left in a hurry but even so, we definitely should have stumbled upon some."

"I thought I saw some in the crowd before, but I think they actually left after seeing who you were fighting," Aria said, making Eric suddenly scoff.

"The Stained Tooth - huh," He mused, sucking his teeth. "I'm guessing they own the guards in this area, if not outright just having such a presence in this city that the guardship doesn't dare interfere with their business. I mean, since they have goons just walking around and extorting the merchants in broad daylight, and all."

"Do you really think they can corrupt a city this big just like that?" Aria asked innocently, genuinely dubious.

Eric just sighed. "It's exactly because this city is so big, that's nearly without a doubt. I've seen people like this, even in Aemsburg. Where sheep flock, wolves follow."

Crossing the Little Market into what was called the Merchant's Quarter, an even bigger market, though a lot less densely populated. It was here the merchants of renown set down shop. From consortiums to syndicates, this place had it all. Compared to the Little Market, The Merchant's Quarter was of clean streets, decadent buildings, and fine merchandise. The difference was instant and immediate, like a line had been drawn in the ground, the streets turning from muddied and trampled dirt roads to cobbled and tiled streets.

There were artisans' stores, restaurants, apothecaries on every corner and street, displaying quality goods out front, and some even, from behind glass panels. But as Eric's eyes darted from item to item, without a price listed more often than not, they nearly bulged from his sockets at the absorbent asking prices on some of the items.

Admittedly, that might be partly due to current circumstances of their non-existent finances and that Eric had never truly been in possession of any abundant amounts of coin. Still, everything here made the Little Market and fringe town of Aemsburg pale in comparison. Eric couldn't even bring himself to care about the disdainful gazes cast his way from the way his face revealed every single thought, so lost he was.

Soon, they walked into a huge square of tiled stones arranged in a beautiful pattern, people walking in every direction and not paying their motley group the slightest attention. Some wearing decadent clothes, nobles and the like, and others young men moving merchandise and heavily armored guards on patrol.

As much as Aria wanted to admire the high-rising buildings, multiple stories tall, she had noticed that Nyx was getting unruly. Now that he no longer was distracted by the delight that was the strange pedlar's food, his displeasure from being excluded from Eric's fight had returned full foul in its fury. Reaching his limit of tolerance. After all, there was only so much one could do to suppress a demon's baser nature. She realized she had to come to a compromise with the murder-happy demon, lest she find him doing something very reckless or killing some innocent people.

As she looked around, she found something unexpected, and she blurted out the first idea that came to her mind, as rash as it might've been. "Monsters and evil people! There is one place there is both of, and you even get paid for dealing with them."

Interest suddenly peaked, the demon listened closely, his brooding gaze that swept the many unsuspecting people around landing on her. Though the idea of coin was still an unfamiliar concept to him, for what use had money when he could just take? It was the promise of slaughter and experience that had truly captivated his undivided attention.

"The Guild," She pointed towards a massive building fronting an entire face of the square, its height reaching above all other structures in the Merchant's Quarter.

"Guild?" Nyx tried as if tasting the word.

"You want him to become one of them, adventurers?" Eric asked amusedly before Aria could explain.

Aria shook her head. "The Adventurer Guild was abolished long ago due to the guild wars, it was around a century ago when-" But as she spoke, she stopped herself, Eric's glance reminding her that she almost went off on one of her history tangents.

She coughed lightly. "Uh - I meant the Mercenary Guild. They essentially serve the same function as the adventurers once did, however, they are also bound by the military and government. Distinctly different from the long gong Adventurer's Guild, though many like to recognize themselves as adventurers instead of mercenaries."

Aria looked pensive as she glanced over Nyx's robed form.

"However, I'm not entirely sure how we get past the screening process, considering Nyx is a demon... it is quite invasive from what I have heard." She shook her head. "But we will figure out that later."

"So... I can's kill mercenaries then?" Nyx asked, still not quite getting it.

Eric snorted but Aria just continued to explain after giving him a glare. "In the Mercenary Guild, you can go on missions and slaughter monsters prowling around small towns or caravans and deal with wayward bandits terrorizing the countryside. And for all of that, you will even get paid. But no killing of other mercenaries. That can get you into deep trouble." She looked dead serious at that, her concern not directed toward the innocent people that might get hurt but at Nyx instead.

"If the guild finds out, you could end up with brutal punishments. Of course, only if your actions were unjustified, that is..." As she added that last part, though she wasn't so sure it had been wise after the fact since a certain gleam suddenly entered the demon's eyes when she gave that little piece of information.

Trying to ignore it, she continued once more. "All of Argon is almost in constant need of help. Festering monsters, wayward bandits, corrupt nobles - is it the eternal fight against chaos, emerging the second one turns a blind eye. So where the populace cannot deal with themselves, the Mercenary Guild steps in by sending experienced and strong warriors to fix the problem. It is a very well-paying job, however, in this role of society, there will always be as much danger as there is fortune."

Despite Aria's ominous description of The Mercenary's Guild and its place in the world, Nyx was only encouraged further. Danger to match fortune? For what more could he ask?

Seeing Nyx's determined expression, she realized that ship had already sailed. At least, she had dashed some of Nyx's immediate murder-happy thoughts. But... for how long?