Chapter 18

Friday, 6/3/119

Border Town of the Harrelson territory,

Late in the day, with the sun low in the western sky, Chris and Ethan finally reach their destination. With the prospect of lodging within Chris’s grasp, a smile slowly forms on his lips as he immerses himself in the thought of a shower and warm bed.

“Land ho! Civilization at last!” he yells out loud, pumping his fist into the air. Ethan stares at him with a nervous expression as he thinks about how traveling with him will be if they spend more than a day outside.

“Ok Chris, do you want to get a hotel or something to eat first?

“Dude, no contest. The hote…”

Growl.

The sudden mention of food has reminded him that he hasn’t eaten since leaving home. Chris grabs his stomach as he thinks back on the past two days.

“How? How did I forget to eat? Is that why I was so cranky the whole time? How stupid of me!”

Ethan sighs. “You said you packed food in that bag of yours. You should’ve at least eaten a protein bar or something.”

“Ahhhh … don’t make me feel even dumber than I already do!” Chris yells while covering his face in embarrassment. “Wait, now that I think about it, I never saw you eat either. Don’t be a hypocrite.”

“I ate.” Ethan tells him.

“What? When?”

“If you had woken up before 10, you would have seen me hunting for food. There were plenty of berries to eat in that forest we slept in.”

Chris starts to question how anyone can fill up on only berries. Scratching his head, he decides he doesn’t care to ponder this issue and answers Ethan’s question from earlier.

“Ugh, whatever. Let’s get something to eat first.”

“Right,” nods Ethan. “I know a restaurant.”

And with that, the two start to walk towards the restaurant which Ethan remembers from his time here in the past. While they do so, Chris begins to observe his surroundings.

Ethan had said earlier that he would see the qualitative difference between this territory and his own, which proved correct. Walking through the street, he notices that the buildings, or more accurately structures, are built from low-end wood and are sure to collapse if met with a strong windstorm.

The paved road is gone, replaced by dirt walkways, the clothes of the people are significantly worse and even the air feels dirtier, not in a pollution way but in a hygiene way. Suddenly, the prospects of his shower seem to crumble in his mind.

“Why is this place so poor? It looks at least seventy years behind in just general life quality. They look like they employ lamplighters and use telegraphs. Are you sure they have actual hotels here?”

“They do.” Ethan replies affirmatively. “They’re closer to the town Lord’s mansion. The quality of life improves the closer you get to it.”

“Well, I hope so. By the way, is the town lord the Harrelson guy that owns this territory?”

“No.” Ethan scowls at the mention of Harrelson’s name. “That bastard is located in the territory capital. He wouldn’t be at a border town.”

Chris decides to ignore Ethan’s scornful tone, as he’s already picked up on his hatred for the guy and doesn't care to pursue any curiosity he has about it.

“There was only one town in Arbhar, so having multiple towns in a Territory is new for me. I knew the big kingdoms had multiple cities, but to think there was such a place so close by.”

“Did they never teach you this in school?” Ethan asks, having never received any formal education. “Then what was the point of going?”

“You know, I ask myself that same question.”

As the two continue to walk, they begin receiving envious stares from the civilians eyeing their nice clothes. As it’s very apparent they're not locals, whispers begin to generate amongst the townspeople about their presence.

After ten minutes of walking, Ethan stops at, what can only be described as, a whole in a wall that possesses a door.

“This is it.”

Chris takes one look and puts on a cheeky grin. “Oh ho ho. This place is shady as hell. Smells like some adventure.”

“You were griping about your living conditions earlier but you’ll enter a place like this?” Ethan asks confusedly. “I don’t get you. I figured I’d have to do some convincing to get you to enter.”

“I care about my sleeping space and if I’m clean at the beginning of a day. Other than that, I couldn’t care less. I’ll jump into a mud pit as long as I can clean myself off before bed.”

“Alright. If we sleep outside again, you can bathe in a river or something. I know you brought soap.”

“Dude, I feel like you're misunderstanding some…

“Anyways, lets go inside.”

And like that, cutting Chris off, he shoves him inside the grimy looking establishment. Once inside, Chris takes a look around and notices something off.

“I don’t think I can be here,” he says.

“Weren’t you just excited?” Ethan asks in response.

“No, that’s not it. I don’t think I’m old enough.”

He has grown stiff, as if he doesn’t know how to respond, while his face starts to blush, growing redder by the second.

This inconspicuous establishment, that would be passed over by anyone not in the know, is actually an infamous topless bar/restaurant that’s always filled to the brim with sketchy looking ruffians.

Not only does the place serve alcohol, which he wasn’t allowed to drink in his home territory, it also has topless waitresses and pole dancers casually walking around the joint. His surprise upon entering such a place has left him speechless.

“A-am I even allowed in here?” Chris asks with a shaky voice, turning towards Ethan with a nervous expression.

“Why not? Oh, right. Your territory has a law that prohibits minors. Well, this territory doesn’t.”

“Y-yeah but …”

“Just go in,” Ethan says, shoving him from behind once more.

Chris, without hesitation, chooses a table in the back corner to avoid any type of attention. Though, Ethan finds this strange as no one, in a place like this, would have their focus on him.

As Ethan sits down, Chris surveys the rest of the customers, occasionally glancing at a waitress or two, while comparing them to Ethan and himself.

We are so out of place! Everyone in here looks like they participate in gang violence on the daily. Meanwhile, I’m just a nerdy-looking teenager while Ethan looks like he could play a young vampire in a movie.

One thing Chris noticed when he first met Ethan was his red eyes and jet black hair. Add this with the cold atmosphere around him and he gives the impression of a vampire.

He also was wearing all black at the time. Speaking of which, now that he’s wearing normal clothing, I can see his arms. They’re covered in deep scars.

Chris decides to ask him. “Ethan, what happened to your arms?”

“Various things,” he answers, moving his hands to cover his arms. “They didn’t become like this because of one incident. My entire body is covered in scars like this, but it's a long story so please don’t ask.”

Chris nods his head, thinking Ethan’s hesitance to reveal the truth is well founded, since those wounds look like they are associated with bad memories.

“Alright, will do. I won’t ask about them if we leave this pla…”

“Just sit down and relax. See, a waitress is coming over. You better look at the menu real quick.”

“S-shit. Just … hold on.”

He quickly opens the menu and scans it over but his concentration is broken once a topless waitress arrives at their table.

“What can I get for you boys?”

Ethan inwardly laughs as Chris skirms in the seat across from him before turning his attention back to the waitress.

He orders with the confidence of a past customer, remembering his favorite from before. After she writes his order down, he contemplates going to the back for a lap dance after the meal like he had in the past, but decides to save his credits as it's a waste of money.

Chris struggles to order as if his brain were overheating, but he eventually makes it through the experience.

“You did that so well.” Chris comments. “How many times have you been here?”

“I spent a couple of weeks in this town about three and a half years ago. During that time, I spent practically every night in this place.”

“Ohhh. Do you think they recognize you?”

“Definitely not. Any waitress that might’ve has already left. Jobs like these never last long.”

Really? Cause I see some of them glancing at you. Are you sure?

Chris thinks this while looking around the establishment. However, he reconsiders the reason for their stares once he remembers his companion’s stellar good looks.

Upon receiving their meals, they both quickly scarf it down, as it tasted far better than usual. This is unsurprising since neither of them have had much to eat since departing Arbhar.

Now finished, Ethan pays the bill and they step outside the whole-in-the-wall restaurant to be greeted by the fresh evening air and a brilliant orange sunset. Chris takes a deep breath and stretches his arms above his head, being glad that he’s finally exited the establishment.

“Are we going to the hotel now?” he asks.

“Do you have somewhere else you want to go?”

“Ah? No. I was just asking.”

Settling the matter, they depart for their hotel … or at least plan to before they are halted by a sudden voice.

“Stop right fucking there.”

They turn around to see a drunk man exiting the bar, holding a beer bottle in his hand. He’s not unstable on his feet, but he smells of alcohol and is radiating a hostile intent.

“You need something from us?” Ethan asks calmly, intrigued about the man’s behavior.

“I noticed you two leaving, and when I saw you,” he points at Ethan, “I couldn’t believe my luck.”

“My being here is considered lucky? How so?”

“Ya see, there’s a bounty on your head. Not an official one, but the big man Harrelson put out the hit personally. It’s been in effect for over three years, and everyone in this territory has seen a picture of you at least once.”

The drunk man then breaks the bottle he’s holding against the wall of the bar and proceeds to threaten Ethan with the razor sharp broken glass.

“Even if you're just a look alike,” he points the broken bottle neck at Ethan, “I’ll still get paid for my efforts either way. I would come quietly for your sake. If not, I’ll …”

Whack!

His head smashes into the dirt road after getting hit from behind. Chris, at some point during the man’s ravings, slipped behind him and slapped his head forward into the ground. The two stare at the unconscious drunk man lying face down.

“This is perfect!” Chris exclaims. “Everyone will think he just passed out from drinking too much!”

Ethan, however, does not show such excitement. He instead continues to stare down at the man, still concerned over what he had said. The more he thinks about it, the more angry he can feel himself becoming.

Damn that son of a bitch Harrelson. He put a bounty on me.

They leave the man to lie unconscious and continue on to a hotel near the lord’s mansion. When entering the central part of town, Chris is surprised by the jump in the quality of life. Though the road is still unpaved, the surrounding buildings remind him of the one’s he’d seen in his hometown.

During their walk there, Chris noticed Ethan’s sour mood and has tried to cheer him up to no avail. Although bothered, he is grateful that this sour mood is not being taken out on him like he has experienced with his adopted parents in the past, as Getrude preferred to share her crabbiness with others.

Entering the hotel, they quickly get checked in and head to their room on the 3rd floor. The first thing Chris does when entering this room is investigate the bathroom for a shower, and he is very satisfied to find one.

While Chris showers, Ethan begins training his senses once again. He tries feeling out the various people within the hotel before expanding his range to the entire block.

It was easy when we were traveling because life signs were few and far between. Now, with a dense population, my senses are overloaded. Especially with Chris in the other room.

However, he is slowly growing more adjusted to ignoring Chris’s Geinta in order to feel others. It was hard for him at first but after he found a few techniques to help himself concentrate, he began to improve his ability.

By the second day of travel, he was able to feel a small geinta signature at over 130 yards away, and currently, he’s able to accurately count the amount of people within the building.

This is good. I was able to sense at over 170 yards when I left Yeti Mountain. To sense at 130 yards while Chris is next to me is quite an achievement for myself.

Content with his progress, he opens his eyes and lays down on his bed. As he stares up at the ceiling, he continues to think about the words which were spoken to him earlier.

I wonder how much I’m worth. I want to kill Harrelson right now for putting out the bounty but maybe I should reconsider and take advantage of this somehow.

As he continues to think, Chris exits the bathroom with a towel around his waist, which exposes how truely bone-skinny he is.

“You should put on some muscle. Your strength will improve if your Geinta has a good body to channel it.”

Chris sighs dejectedly, as if Ethan just touched a sore subject. “Don’t remind me. Because I’ve always been so strong, I can’t put on muscle. It’s nearly impossible to strain my muscles enough for them to grow.”

He flops onto his bed in a depressed manner and aggressively sighs into his pillow. “It’s not fair. I want to have some muscle as well. Hell, I can’t even put on fat because I burn through it too quickly.”

He then turns to Ethan and asks, “You and me are both powerful, so why do you have muscle and not me?”

“Because I actually worked for my power.”

“You said that with such resentment! I’m sorry I didn’t work for it! It’s not my fault!”

“Resentment? You're imagining it.”

After Chris gets dressed, they continue to talk about random stuff, during which Chris gets a better sense of Ethan’s personality.

He’s serious but not self-serious and he doesn’t try to be. Instead, it seems like his cold demeanor comes naturally to him. Underneath it all, although his answers are blunt and lacking personality, he actually is just awkward in conversation, as if he’s not used to chattering with a friend.

He starts to get a feel for how Ethan will respond to what he says, resulting in their conversations becoming much smoother. However, Chris is still flabbergasted by what Ethan says at the end of the night.

“Chris?”

“Yeah?” he asks unassumingly.

“I have an idea. Want to hear it?”

“Sure.”

Ethan proceeds to tell him his idea, and in his surprise at this idea, he elicits an involuntary sound from his mouth as a result.

“Huuuh?!”

***

Hotel

Early Next Morning,

Ethan wakes up earlier than usual due to a commotion outside their room. He can hear people barking orders, multiple sets of footsteps and the occasional scream.

Is this place being attacked?

He hops out of bed and quickly throws on his clothes. As he is trying to guess what’s going on, the room next to theirs has their door kicked in, accompanied by the same screams of surprise and the exact same orders.

They’re going door to door?

He then flares up his new senses and uses his Geinta like a radar in order to see inanimate objects as well.

Eight assailants in the hall with what feels like automatic rifles. Is the town being invaded? The guests are even being forced from their rooms. The one next door said ‘clear’ as if they’re doing a sweep of the building.

Realising only one of the assailants is an Awakened, and a low tiered one at that, he dismisses them as a threat in his mind, classifying them as more of a nuisance.

“Hey Chris, get up!”

Chris pops a wake for a moment but quickly falls asleep again, leaving only a disgruntled murmur as he drifts into dreamland once more.

“Well, aren’t you relaxed.” Ethan says with some annoyance. He somewhat envies Chris for being able to sleep so deeply as he can no longer do so. Not wanting to waist more time, he forms a little cluster of Geinta in his hand and flicks it at Chris’s forehead.

The little cluster creates a bit of an impact, equivalent to four times as powerful as an average person’s punch, which is just enough force to shock Chris’s awake without doing any damage.

“Gahh! What the fuck?! That’s worse than an alarm clock!” He then turns to Ethan. “Did you do that? You asshole! It’s only 5 am. Why did you wake me up!”

“Rest later,” Ethan says. “We got incoming enemies.”

“What? Why?”

“Who knows, but are you going to fight them in your underwear? Get dressed.”

Chris hops out of bed just when their door is violently pounded on by the men in the hall. They then hear a voice yell at them.

“Open this door in 15 seconds or we break it down!”

Chris hurriedly puts his clothes and running goggles on, preparing for a fight of some sort. Once 15 seconds have passed, they hear another yell.

“That’s it!”

But just before the man’s foot kicks the door, it opens, revealing Ethan’s figure. His eyes widen as he takes a step back before yelling at the rest of the assailants.

“It’s him!”

Which is not the reaction Ethan was expecting. This man’s words quickly start a train of thought in his head, and he quickly connects the dots between this morning's events and the drunk man’s words last night.

They were looking for me because of the bounty! How the hell did they know where we are? Were they looking all night or did someone rat us out?

Ethan starts becoming suspicious of everyone that they interacted with in town. The waitresses, the drunk man, the lady working at the front desk of the motel, etc. Maybe they were followed by a passerby who recognized them.

Dammit! And just when I thought I had become more careful over the years! Looks like I’m still too trusting! These guys are carrying weapons, so I won’t go easy on them!

The person who had initially knocked on their door starts to raise his gun towards Ethan, but before he can fully do so, he receives a retaliating fist which caves in his face.

“Will!” one of the other assailants screams as the result of ‘Will’s death. Ethan stares at the seven armed men further down the hallway, all of them preparing to fire.

None of them get a chance to. Ethan pulls his sword from its sheath and uses his extraordinary speed to decapitate all of them individually in just under a second. Not even the Awakened among them knew what hit him.

Chris finally exits the room and sees the horror scene that the hallway has become.

“Ohhh!” he exclaims, looking up at the ceiling trying to avoid the sight. Ethan channels Geinta into his blade to burn the blood off before resheathing it. He then looks down at the floor, as if he can see through it.

“Four standing guard on the next floor down. Twelve in total. Well, at least just inside the building. They obviously didn’t do their research about their target. Even in the past, when the bounty was first put out, these assholes wouldn’t have captured me.”

He then taps his foot on the ground, sending a shockwave through the floorboard and destabilizing them. The men standing guard below suddenly experience the ceiling above come crashing down onto them, rendering them immobilized for the time being.

Chris, watching all of this happen, is very, very confused. As he had not made the same inferences that Ethan had about the assailants’ purpose there, all he knew is that they were armed and dangerous.

“These guys were here for my bounty,” Ethan explains, having noticed Chris’s visible confusion. “From what I can tell, there are more people outside guarding the entrance.”

Ethan then points towards the end of the hall. “You jump through that wall and run as fast as possible out of town. Once you're a couple miles out, wait and I’ll find you.”

Chris tilts his head in confusion. “What? You're not coming with? If you're staying here to fight, these guys won’t be a problem for me either.”

“That’s not it. If we want my plan to succeed, then you can’t be seen.”

“We're still doing that plan?! Fine, but why are you staying? Wouldn’t it be better for both of us to run.”

Ethan smirks. “I have my reasons. Now, go.”

“Ugh fine, but you better explain to me later.”

Chris quickly grabs his large bag of stuff from the hotel room and smashes through the hallway wall. He finds himself landing behind the hotel where no one has gathered, and proceeds to dash out of town unseen. The most anyone could have seen was a large, round sack (his backpack) flying past them at close to mach one.

Woah, I didn’t notice it before, but I got faster. Is it because of my fight with Ethan?

Back at the hotel, Ethan walks down through the lobby and out the front door to be greeted by many poor looking citizens looking at him as if he’s a cash grab, all armed in some form or fashion. A few have rifles like the ones that he just killed, but others look as if someone's uncle grabbed a knife and joined in with the manhunt.

“This is ridiculous. You all realise that only one of you can turn me in for the bounty, right? Shouldn’t you all kill each other for the right to capture me?”

The people in the crowd start looking at each other meekly, realising his words to be true. But their worries are lessened when someone in the crowd decides to yell back.

“Shut the fuck up, criminal! It might be a race to capture you, but we won’t attack each other!”

Ethan’s face twitches. “Whoever said that is a fool. I can tell from your clothes, all of you are from the poor parts of town.”

That being said, the only real nice part of town is the main street, which the town lord used his own money to build personally. Other than the lord’s friends, who own all the buildings on the strip, none of the townspeople can live in such nice conditions.

“You're all starving probably. You all probably need new clothes, new roofs, or something that costs money you don’t have. And here I am, worth more than any of you will make in a year. So why wouldn’t you attack each other?”

The suspicious worsens, causing the townspeople to start spacing from each other, which, in turn, breaks the encirclement around Ethan.

“Looks like no one here has the guts to do what’s necessary. The men standing in the crowd with guns, why didn’t you shoot the others to have me all to yourself? See, this is why you're all suffering, because none of you do what is necessary to help yourselves.”

Ethan hates the world for making people suffer this way, but he also hates it equally as much when people don’t try to better their lives at all. If your life is miserable, then become strong enough to change your destiny. That is a philosophy which he lived by for many years, and now, he finally has the strength to no longer suffer as the hands of others.

However, one of them doesn’t like his way of thinking.

“Fuck off!” he yells, charging at Ethan. “No one will be getting attacked other than you!”

The person running at Ethan points his pistol and prepares to fire, only to find himself laid out on the ground unconscious. Ethan stands over his body, making the surrounding people question when he even moved.

“D-did he teleport?”

“Shit. How powerful is he?”

Two of the men carrying automatic rifles step up and aim their sight at Ethan. The crowd disperses even further to avoid being shot.

“Die!”

[Creation Geinta: Energy Shield]

A translucent shield forms in front of Ethan, protecting him from the oncoming shots. Ricocheting bullets fly everywhere as they continue to unload their clips. Ethan then Shan steps behind them and smashes both of them into the ground.

The surrounding others, the ones still brave enough to stick around, all charge at him simultaneous, throwing caution and reason into the wind. In response, Ethan clasps his hands together and collects his Geinta before his hands shoot back out to either side of him, creating a shockwave that blows back every one of the charging enemies.

The bystanders watch in awe as he easily dismantles his attackers, making them regret joining the crowd of manhunters.

Ethan takes a deep breath and faces the rest left standing.

“I hate it when people don’t stick up for themselves, but also hate when people take the wrong actions. If any of you hone this courage and band together, you could pressure the town lord into helping you. But instead, you attacked me for what would amount to extra spending money. How short sighted of you all.”

Ethan, having said his piece, walks back into the hotel lobby, grabs his bag and quickly sprints out of town. Not five minutes later, he meets up with Chris and they continue their journey.

“This will continue to happen no matter which town we stay in. It’s a little over a day to the capital from here, so we’ll have to sleep outside again tonight.”

“Noooooooooo! Don’t fucking do that to me! Let’s just run to the capital!”

“I don’t like the idea that we could be attacked in the capital after exhausting ourselves. There are some capable people there after all. Even though we’re much stronger, with the right planning added to the fact that we’d be spent, there’s a real chance of capture.”

Chris stares at Ethan with a concerned look. “Ethan, I can tell you don’t have fond memories of this place. Are you perhaps … scared to go to the capital? Because I feel like you're overestimating these people.”

“I’m not overestimating them, and I’m not frightened…”

Ethan looks at his hand, which trembled slightly when Chris asked if he was scared. He inwardly clicks his tongue and clutches his fist tight.

There’s no way I’d be scared of that fucker. No way.

***

Capital of Harreson

Half a Day Later,

Inside a large mansion, a woman in glasses walks down a hallway, belining for an office hidden behind heavy wooden doors.

She pushes open these doors to see a room full of a bunch of men huddled around a desk. At the desk sits a middle aged gentleman with a scar under his left eye.

“What is it, Ms. Till?” he asks. “We’re in the middle of an important meeting.”

“Samuel (Harrelson), I have just received news that ‘he’ has returned to the Territory.”

Harrelson raises an eyebrow. “Who is this ‘he?’”

“Sam, it’s ‘him.’ The one you’ve been looking for.”

Harrelson’s eyes widen as a certain face flashes through his mind. Then, a smile breaks out across his face, his lips curled from ear to ear.

“Finally, he’s returned. Where was he last spotted?”

“In Border Town ... but he evaded capture.”

“I would expect no less.”

The others in the room have picked up on who they are talking about. One of them slams his fist down on Harrelson’s desk.

“Harrelson, is it who I’m thinking of? The one who gave you that scar? Anyone capable of that should be dealt with extreme caution. We should kill him immediately.”

Harrelson's expression crumbles. “Kill him!? No! You can't! I want him brought in alive! That’s an absolute order to all of you! He’s a tough one so I don’t care about how banged up he is. I just want him still breathing.”

He glares at all of them, making sure they have understood.

“Set a trap for him here,” he continues. "If I know him, he’ll make his way here eventually.”

Harrelson leans back in his chair and his smile once again forms. “Oh Ethan, my boy. You’ve come back to me.”