In The Darkness

Taking a Break

The nearest place I could find to relish food, was a stall. With sizzling meat on a barbecue stick, a man had captivated a fair audience. Several people were standing in front of the stall. Some were eating what they paid for, while others, were buying some more.

I walked towards this bustling crowd, and enquired about the price for a piece of meat.

The old man who stood behind the stall responded, "That'll be 4 bronze."

"Then I'll take three."

After taking off my mask, I created the illusionary face once more. I placed the mask under my shoulder pad, making half of it stick out. I stood in front of the stall and ate the heated pieces of meat one by one. After throwing the barbecue sticks in a wooden dustbin placed nearby, I asked, "What was this the meat of?"

The old man winced at me and replied, "Don't you know? Most of the meat sold here is either of horned rabbits or deers. The one I served just now, was that of a horned rabbit, added with some salt and sugar."

Surprised, I further asked, "And where do you get this meat from?"

The old man sighed, "Huff… How do you not know this… All the meat we get in this town is either from adventurers or hunters."

Hmmm. For a moment, I thought of selling him a horned rabbit's meat anytime I'd get the opportunity to hunt one. However, logically speaking, carrying an extra load for a few more coins was pointless. In no way would it benefit me. I could carry something else in its stead.

I wore my mask once again, and handed the old man two silver coins. Instead of asking for change, I headed to a store as fast as I could. The meat was delicious, and this was the way I thanked the old man.

I walked over to a store, which was a few metres away. As I entered through the wooden gate, I saw a variety of goods on shelves.

"Welcome dear customer! Pick what you like, and I shall tell you the price." Standing behind a wooden desk, the slim shopkeeper had spoken this.

Other than me, a few other adventurers were present in the store. I looked towards the magical staff and the shop keeper spoke, "Oh, what a wonderful choice! A tier III staff would serve as a perfect weapon."

I ignored the shopkeeper and looked further through the store. In one corner, I found a pack of pouches. They were considerably small, but still good enough to store a few items. The pouch was similar to a handbag, which was enough for me.

The bearded enthusiastic shopkeeper spoke, "The handbag! I see. Even though it's a tier I item, the leather is freshly made. It's suitable for adventures and can even attach to an adventurers belt!"

While continuing to stare at a handbag, I asked,"How much?"

"That'll be 2 gold coins."

After hearing this, I walked a few more metres through the store and found another useful item. A few belts were lined up on a shelf. The belts had a small pocket, similar to a pouch and also had a belt loop to hold a sheath. I picked up the belt and the pouch, and walked towards the shopkeeper's desk.

"How much now?"

"For the tier I handbag and the tier II belt, it'll be a total of 5 gold."

I placed the gold coins on the desk, and headed outside. I still hadn't understood how this town functioned, but I got used to this place. Surrounded by all the humans, it somewhat reminded me of home town back in the day. With the leather belt and the leather handbag in my hand, I advanced to the cheap inn.

I opened the wooden door of the room I had paid for with the key I had stored in my utility belt. On entering my room, I placed the two things I had bought on my bed. I then proceeded to take off all the layers of clothing until only a loose black pyjama was left. My stiff back was now free from the built up tension. I stored all the items in the cupboard, and hopped in bed.

Resting my head on the palms of my hands, I thought of what I would do next. I had enough money to maintain my living condition for a few months and I had enough materials to set off on an adventure from dungeon to dungeon. But beyond all of this, what I really wished to do was to go back into my palace, and fight against my loyal henchmen. Oftentimes, I used to fight to train my body and to witness the strength of the demons I ruled under. After a certain time, my skills weren't on point as I wasn't able to maintain all the power I had. In most cases, I overwhelmed my subjects with an enormous amount of mana which was sufficient to beat them. Ah! The good old times. Now I stand stuck with the lowly people of my race, bound to protect them, and to rule over them in the far future. But really, why was I so attached with homo sapiens? Was it because I pitied their weakness or because I was once one among them?

I shrugged off my thoughts and slept through the night.

As I woke up the next morning, I began equipping my clothing and my weapons without a single thought clouding my mind.

Looking out of the window, I spoke to myself, "Huff… I shall ensure that this day, I progress further."

After mentally preparing myself, I walked back to the guild house.