Chapter Ten: Pets Part Three

I stumble into the guild late at night, to find it practically empty and the only people I notice is a thin and old man sleeping on one of the chairs, who looks kinda familiar, and a mousy male clerk, whose name runs in terror from me, behind the counter. I shuffle my way over to counter and slam my fists down on the counter, and ask fiercely, with optional violence “Is the cafeteria still open? I would literally kill for some food right now.” I mean it too.

The male clerk whose name I still don’t know, he really should wear a name tag, takes a gulp, and says hesitantly “I-I”m sorry Atlas, but it’s closed after midnight, but I have a protein bar-” I swipe it out of his hand and devour it the moment he brings it out, and it tastes like happiness... Wait he knows my, well name shit that makes things so much more awkward… “If you want it,” It take’s him a moment register that I already ate it.

He sighs and says “Well I see you did, anyway what happened Atlas? You look like you haven’t slept well for days-” I interrupt him “Because I haven’t, my new pets are keeping me from sleeping properly, or getting any good food. The only reason I’m here right now is because I threate- I mean persuaded a friend to watch them while I got some food.”

He blinks in surprise a couple of time, then says quietly “I’d never figured you for the type to have pets.”

I grin a little and say with fake anger in my voice “Oh and what type of person did you label my as? Some dumb idiot who can’t even tell his asshole from a hole in the ground or a monster that's eats puppies? Is that what you think I am? Well do you?!” and then slam my hands to the counter for extra effect. He then flinches back, and raises his hands to calm me and says “N-no, no, I just thought that y-you-u wouldn’t time or money for pets.” And then he adds soft and weakly “Not that I think you wouldn’t have time or money it’s just that novices are usually broke because...:” He’s trying his best but I give him a glare with no real meaning and he stops and starts to tremble... Ah how I love to watch them squirm.

I give him my glare for a little while longer, then I reach over and pat him on the back and say with a wide grin “Just messing with ya.” He’s stops shaking immediately, but he puts a hand up to his chest and then lets out a sigh of relief. He looks me in the eyes and says with a awkward smile “Fuuu, I really thought I was a goner there for a second. I mean I don’t know what I would’ve done If you were really angry, I mean what would I have done about Vanessa..” He goes quiet for a second and pale. Why would he have to worry about Vanessa, since I’m right here? He then continues “Is there anything else I can help you with.” Then his eyes fill with panic and terror and he keeps motioning his head to the door. What’s got his pantys in a bunch?

A hand clamps down on my shoulder with the force of a falling mountain, and a voice like a dead man's saids to me “Why are you bothering that clerk boy?” Oh shit, was old man is Rashid, double shit I haven't paid him back yet.

The clerk opens his mouth but nothing comes out, as Rashid’s aura fills the room suffocating us both. Rashid says in barely a whisper “I thought Mars would have taught you better than to mess with the clerks,” I try to look at him to answer but I can’t, and his hand grips my shoulder harder till my bones are creaking painfully. “Don’t try anything boy, I know Mars taught you to not mess with the clerks but you went and Ignored his wisdom. Well let me tell you something,” He spins me around to face his dry, leathery face, and makes a thin dark, smirk. “Who do you think taught him to not mess with the clerks?”

A impossibly quick and heavy blow hits me in the gut spreading through the rest of my body, my organs and bones shaking, rupturing and fracturing, followed by a burning, rippling pain. Another violent blow then hits me in the gut again, and more pain follows along a fraction of a second later, and another then I’m sent flying till I hit something and the breath is knocked out of me. I lay against the wall, probably, trying to breath but the air just wouldn’t enter my lungs and my lungs are screaming and burning. I almost fall to my knee, but I can’t and I try to lift up my head but it’s stuck almost like it's been tied up.

I can only stare at Rashid as he slowly walks to me, and he’s walking painfully slow as though he’s savoring it, and as he’s walking I notice what’s binding me, there’s a thin silvery chain that extends from underneath his sleeve that goes to me, like the same one he shot at me on the first day. And the closer he got to me the tighter the chains would get, and by the time he’s standing in front of me, I’m almost numb and but not numb enough to not feel my blood painfully struggling to pump through me, and everythings starting to get blurry, and the burning stopped but now it’s just a numb, cold

Rashid jerks his hand slightly and now he’s eye level with me, if not standing taller, and pats his hand on my face and says sadisticly and cheerful “I could slice you in half whenever I want too, I hope you know that.” He looks at me strangely for a second before saying, “Huh, though you might nod or something,” I kinda hard to do that when I’m all tied up. “Well anyway, I’m not you know why?” Still can’t nod or even talk, kinda still strangled here. Rashid then points a finger at me and say annoyed “Boy I hope you are very rude at least acknowledge that I’m talking to you, If I didn’t know better I’d say that you’re being choked to death- Oh wait.” He makes a motion that I can’t see, then suddenly breath rushes back into me and I gasp uncontrollable to bring in that orgasmic air into my lungs.

Rashid seems to be waiting for me to stop gasping, and when I do I notice that he’s looking away awkwardly. So I ask sarcastically “ So what was that about not killings me?” He looks my way and says “I never said I wasn’t going to kill you, just not cut you in half.” I raise an eyebrow “Sure felt like it for awhile, but If you’re going to kill just get it over with.” He sighs tiredly, the way only an old man can “Ok, you’re right I’m not going to kill you.” I nod and ask “So what do you want, if it’s about the carriage how much does it cost to fix the hole? I came into some money recently so-” He raises a hand and pinches his brow. “No it’s not about money, but I have come to reel in your debt to me, and beat you like a Sen’s Child because I want you to know not to mess with the clerks.” I nod my head, noticing my feeling coming back to me “So what do you want?”

He smiles grimly and but says happily “You’re going to help me on a quest.”