The Last Favor

Chapter 10

As soon as the gates of the city of Syloves were seen, Tristan and Bryce stopped to rest. After such a long journey, they were both exhausted and sleep deprived.

The city of Syloves, as busy as it is, can be surprisingly peaceful with the many rivers flowing around it. Besides, the sound of the water helped give Tristan a peace of mind which allowed him to properly rest for a few hours. Moreover, this was a day he didn’t mind losing. It was cursed, after all. So, he was better off avoiding missions.

As the midday sun burnt, the sleepyheads had finally rested enough to begin their day.

The kid was painfully enthusiastic to enter the city after traveling in small villages for so long. Tristan, though, did not share the brat’s energy. He disliked the cities for many reasons; some of them being personal, others were obvious. The city was always alive and busy with everyone thinking they’re better than the average person for no particular reason and everything was more expensive.

But, Bryce, being raised in a village in the south, had never been in a city before. There was so much mystery around the entire concept of it in his mind and he’s heard so much about them. To him, this was a dream come true.

Once the gate crossed, Tristan headed to the market place almost immediately to trade and buy more ingredients for his potions, talismans and magic practices.

Bryce was a bit lost as to what exactly he needed. Perhaps a coat, since winter was coming soon, or bread in case they run out of food. But Tristan always keeps bread in his bag despite him never sharing it with Bryce though that wasn’t really the hunter’s fault because he never really had the opportunity to.

Eventually, Bryce ended up buying 10 empty pouches for one gold to store more mints and fruits in. He could also put his gold in one of them in coming quests. He also bought bread for 5 gold just in case then he joined his companion’s side.

Tristan, who was simply waiting for the day to end in dim mood, went to a tavern to have a drink and spend the night and the kid trailed as usual.

While Tristan had a calm afternoon in mind, Bryce was still looking for an adventure. So, when his companion enjoyed his beer, he went around looking for quests and jobs they could accomplish together. The announcements were almost impossible to read, thought the kid. But, every now and then, one of them would have a picture of some monster to hunt and a number that would represent the reward. He would take these papers to Tristan demanding they take the jobs.

Tristan on the other hand ignored him royally, without even bothering to explain why he wouldn’t take a job.

Bryce couldn’t shake off the glares Tristan was getting which slowly became his reason as to why he wanted to leave. That, and that taverns scared him. They were big and loud with a lot of angry people and they smelled bad, really bad.

“Fine,” Tristan finally replied looking at the last announcement the kid had brought, “take it.”

“Really?”

“Alone.”

“I don’t get it,” pouted the kid, “why won’t you take a job today?”

“Because it’s a cursed day.”

“But those things aren’t real!” argued Bryce.

“Humans aren’t tied by the luck of the coins,” explained Tristan, “but us, Lezterps, are bound by their fate. If we flip a cursed coin, our whole day is cursed.”

“What’s the worst thing that could happen on a cursed day,” whined the boy, “these things are too small to be powerful.”

“You’re right, they’re not,” agreed Tristan, “on a cursed day, the worst thing that could happen is me tripping. Tripping in the city is one thing. Tripping into the claws of a monster is another.”

“Then why flip the coin at all?” Bryce wasn’t used to such long phrases coming out of Tristan’s mouth.

“To run out.” The usual unbothered features of his face turned dark and gloomy.

“What happens then?”

‘I’ll end my life.’ Tristan thought to himself. He made that choice a few days earlier and he had no intention of backing out. The day he would flip the last coin would be his last day to live. That was the choice he made before meeting the kid and some clingy parasite like Bryce was not going to change his mind whatsoever.

And so, the day passed.

And when the next came, Tristan took one of the kid’s announcement and decided to hunt this one monster in the wood who for some reason was worth 350 gold. After all, the beast at hand was a Dearb. Those things are twice the size of a bear with six legs and a deadly tail. He was no easy creature but like all things he has a weakness: honey. Those things simply can’t resist them.

Before heading towards the forest, Tristan bought a lot of honey and drank a potion made out of mint, cherries, raisins and some weird oils the kid couldn’t recognize. He then pulled an enchanted gem out of his sack and fused it with his sword. And for the first time, the boy noticed that Tristan’s talisman was actually a small vial that contained a weird plant inside it. It must be some powerful source of energy that he can use to make magic in cases of emergencies because Bryce noticed that magic had limits. He learnt through his observations that to use magic, you need a source of energy.

There’s something oddly comforting in knowing that there is a certain balance in the world of Ecanistus, that you cannot obtain something without sacrificing something else in return, that everything had a price even magic. Oh, how Bryce longed to learn that price! What a brave fighter he could be if only he knew how to use magic. But for some reason he couldn’t grasp, Tristan disagreed greatly with that wish. He made it clear that he had no intention of teaching him magic. Maybe, one day he’ll explain to him why. And maybe, one day he’ll explain to him why he flips those coins.

But until then, a new adventure begins and into the woods they went.