150G Chapter 2
By Ersatz Sobriquet
The flames were so high. So intense. So unbelievable. It had to be unbelievable. It just had to, the little imp thought to himself. He had only left the village about fifteen minutes ago to pick some berries, and now his home was all gone. Who would have done such a thing? the little imp lamented to himself. Oblivious to his surrounding, he didn't notice a figure creep up behind him.
Heh, this is going to be easy. the figure thought.
The little imp took a step forward before he was jerked back and a knife was thrust into his back. The imp didn't wail or scream or anything. No sound emitted from him as he simply looked at the brand that was sticking out from his stomach. He just looked on as his green blood slowly seeped its way from his inner being. The thief then removed the knife from the little imp and immediately, the imp slumped to the ground. Bending over, the thief used the imp's shirttail to wipe the spilled blood from his knife.
Afterward, he began to rummage through his pockets in hopes to find anything that might be valuable. In a little sack that fell a bit low from the imp's waist, he found something very interesting. An orb. Black clouds swirling around inside it, which captivated his senses somewhat. A marvelous beauty indeed. Worth 400 Gold pieces easily, he thought. He tossed it into his sack full of other treasures he took from the imp's village and started walking away. "Hmmm. Maybe that wasn't necessary..." he said, looking back at the burning remains. Then he shifted the bag on his shoulder and remembered all the goodies he acquired and how much money it would undoubtedly gain him. After a slight pause, he concluded, "Yeah. It was necessary." a slight smile creeping up his face as he ate one of the berries the imp picked.
***
"Ahh, this is the life," the thief said, stretching his arms and legs as he laid at the foot of tree just short of a gentle river. The soothing waters always calmed his heart some, and it was working it's magic on him that day. Slouching back on the tree, he placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky through the leaves of the tree. The sky was patchy with clouds that day and he made out several figures the clouds produced. One was a rabbit, though the ears weren't totally right. Then he saw a fox, though the tail was a bit long. Then a bird... a raven to be precise. It was all very relaxing.
But then, he saw a image of a man. A very tall, skinny man. The thief narrowed his eyes as images of his father surfaced to his mind. That man, he thought. That cursed man. How dare he leave me and ma. Suddenly, the thief was sitting up, staring at the sky full of rage and hate. The cloud seemed to have moved one of it's arms high up as if to strike him.
"I swear if your still alive, old man, I'll kill you myself!!" he declared to the sky. As if the sky were startled at those words, the arm came down and soon the cloud dispersed. He then hung his head low, trying to wash away the thoughts he had of his father. His father, a man who left him and his mother to fend for themselves against a world that was against them from the start. A man who used other women to fulfill his sexual desires while he still laid claim to his wife. A man who was verbally and physically abusive to his wife. All during a time when young Terimy was helpless in stopping anything from happening.
It had to have been easy for Terimy's father to live his life, because his life was a living nightmare. Who knew the anguish and frustration one had to go through being called "The Bastard's Child" and hearing his mother called "The Whoring Wife" day in and day out? When he was old enough, he refused to let people say such things to him or about his mother. Every other day he would be caught in a fight with some local bay who called him that name or his mother that name. He would always defend his mother's honor, the little that was left of it.
He suddenly laughed to himself. "I'm suppose to be enjoying the day, yet I'm allowing my demons to ruin it." Taking a deep breath, he again resumed the position he held earlier and watched the clouds float on by.
Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, he heard a slight splash on the opposite side of the river. Looking across, he saw a big, well tanned man rinsing his face, arms and chest. Upon closer inspection, he knew he knew this fellow from somewhere. The way he carried himself was too reminiscent of that fact. But who?
Of course! It was Weturo! He met the slightly formalistic individual a few years back while on his thieving travels. They shared a room at an inn one day, the two of them not having much Gold to buy one full room. Terimy overheard Weturo being rejected for not having enough money and suggested combining their moneys and share a room. They did so, and thus how this... "friendship" was born.
Gathering his things together, Terimy proceeded to make his way to the other side of the river. A few minutes past and Terimy finally crossed the other side via a bridge a few hundred yards down from where he once laid.
"Hey, you ol' fart!" Terimy bluntly called out from a distance. Weturo looked up and around startled. A bit confused at who would call him such a name. Thinking for a moment, he instantly remembered the one person that would call him.... a "fart".
"You still searching the world for people to beat up?" Terimy asked as he came around a few trees.
Closing his eyes, he acknowledged him, saying, "It's... good to see you, too. Terimy."
Slapping him on the back, Terimy laughed, "Ha! Still the same ol' guy, huh? So whatcha been up to these past few years, man?" Terimy set his sack of goodness down as he slumped against a tree.
"I've been training to be a better fighter." Terimy left it at that simply. He didn't want to revel to him his love interest of Mai. If Terimy ever knew he was actually interested in someone, he wouldn't hear the end of it.
"You mean to tell me, you never liked anyone before?" he remembered Terimy asking him years ago.
"My training is much to important. I would become distracted if there were a woman in my life." was his reply.
"Well, it won't be long before you do find that special someone." he recalls Terimy saying.
"Never. I will never let anyone get in the way of my studies."
"Never?"
"Never." was his firm resolve.
"Ha! I bet as soon as a pretty girl walks by showing interest, you'll jump at her."
"I am not a skirt chaser like you." he bluntly retorted, hoping that would silence him.
"Hey man. I gotta do, what I gotta do, ya know?" he shrugged off the comment. "Anyway, I bet you.... 150 Gold pieces that you WILL be attracted to some chick in little less than three years." he challenged.
"I do not bet." he replied.
"Scared, huh? I understand." he said, somewhat consolingly.
"I am not afraid. I am simply not a betting man."
"Uh-huh, I believe you. Some people can't stand the risks." he said.
"It's not about that, it's..."
"Man, you don't have to convince me. If your scared, your scared..." he interrupted, leaving the words hanging in the air with his perfected guilt maneuver.
Silence on Weturo's part, then the answer to the challenge, "Fine. 150 Gold pieces."
"Excellent!"
Excellent. That word was still ringing in his ear down to that day. That was over two years ago, but Weturo knew the bet was still on according to Terimy. He never forgets a bet.
"Really? That's good to hear man," was Terimy's reply to Weturo's previous reply. Placing his hands behind his head, he continued, "Are you pretty good now, I mean with the martial arts and all?"
Placing his shirt back on, he replied, "Yes. I am much better." He then demonstrated a few moves to Terimy, a smooth roundhouse here, a somersault into a upward thrust kick there. Terimy looked on in awe. If there were a real person fighting him, Terimy knew he would win.
After a few more acrobatic moves, Weturo's one member audience clapped profusely. "Excellent! You have gotten much better! Where'd you learn all those moves?" Terimy inquired.
"I was under the tutelage of Master Kenryo for the past ten months. During that time, I learned many things I never knew a fighter could even perform." he spoke, glassy eyed, remembering all the fine lessons learned from Master Kenryo.
"Master Kenryo?? Wow. You really made it big! But, why are you hear? His house is about 50 miles away." Terimy questioned.
"Yes. About that." he slowly spoke. His countenance fell slightly as he began to tell him the story of the troubled family that wanted power, and how they thought an orb that was in Master Kenryo's possession might have given them that power. The violence and threats that were made if the orb wasn't given to them. Master Kenryo's request for Weturo to take the orb and go.
"Just like that?" Terimy asked a bit surprised. "And you left just like that?"
"It was his wish for me to do so." he answered. "I would never refuse an request from Master Kenryo."
"Oh. So, umm... What are you going to do now?"
Taking out the orb that was given to him and looking at it, he said, "Find adventures, I suppose. Opponents that will increase my skill."
Noticing that orb looked familiar, Terimy said, "You know, I have an orb just like that one that I stole from the imp village." Reaching over to his bag of stolen goods, he removed the orb, cloudy and black. An eerie calm overcame both of them as they looked at the two orbs. They thought they could hear a slight scream... a slight cry rather come from within the two orbs. But they quickly shook the thought off.
"What are you going to do with that?" Weturo asked.
Cocking his head slightly, he stared into the orb. "Sell it, I guess."
"Your not going to receive much money for that." Weturo stated.
"Unless I sell it to a specialty shop. In fact, I should go before it gets too late." he finished, looking at the sky. Gathering his things together, he looked at Weturo. "You coming? No point in you wandering around with no purpose. Beside, I'm sure there'll be beast and other vile things you can fight on the way."
He thought about his invitation for a moment. Thinking. Thinking even more.
Terimy looked at the sky for a moment, jittery and anxious about leaving. "C'mon man! Stop analyzing everything. You coming or not?"
Shrugging, a habit he picked up from Mai, he nodded and together they started walking to the specialty shop.
.