Fragarach

Riot after the crisis

Rescue troops arrived at the ruins thanks to the man who escaped the bull, he sprinted out from the ruins to the city and got help but when the troops arrive at the ruins, all the guild members are already up gathering all the beasts that they hunter and line up all their deceased members. The rescue troops are shock after seeing them all alive and well but the depression and frustration can be seen in their faces since the man reported that they got massacred by the giant animals of the ruins.

[We forgot to ask for his name.] the son thought as he after checking the numbers of that deceased. [That monstrous strength. He easily found the weakness and pierced the hide that we find incredible tough. Not to mention his top tier manipulation of elements with his mana, it feels like he’s one with the elements that he used. And that ridiculously clear elixir, I chug down a whole bottle after seeing the bull when I panicked. Father told me that it only took three drops of the elixir to heal everything. That guys is so mysterious, but there is one thing that we know.] he buried his face with his palm as he thought of the only feature that makes Raven unique. [His purple hair.]

After the events on the ruins, when Raven walk towards the entrance of the city, a large groups of people were waiting for the return of the hunters and guild members from the ruins, the news about the m******e in the ruins spread throughout the city and made every family of the guild members and hunter guides worry for their loved one.

[Woah, what a huge crowd is there a festival or something?] his eyes marvel at the scene in front of his eyes. [It feels like they are waiting for me to return, what a very nice feeling.] he admired the feeling internally until he saw their worried faces. [Huh? Why are some of them are crying?] he thought as he approach more closely to the entrance of the city. The people at the entrance saw Raven approaching with huge stacks of animals on his back, some recognize him and some did not. The ones who recognized him did not bother looking at him, but the ones who don’t can’t help but stare at the animals on his back.

[Wow those beast look really healthy, I bet those meat would fetch at a pretty high price.]

[Did he come from the ruins as well?]

Their eyes followed Raven as he navigated through the crowd at the entrance of the city.

The guards saw him and recognized him with his purple hair and called out to him and this time they approach him first.

“Good morning young man. You came from the ruins right?” the guard ask with a worried face.

“Hu –ah. Yes, I came from the ruins.” He answered after adjusting the hunted animals on his back.

The guards did not notice the huge and healthy animals that brought on his back. [How can he carry those things on his back with ease?] one of the guards thought as he look at the animals with a surprised face.

“Did you perhaps happen to see a group of wounded people in the ruins? We received news that a m******e occurred at the ruins earlier” the guard asked.

[So that’s what the people are here for. Did someone manage to get back here and ask for immediate help?] he thought as he gaze at the people around him.

“Good morning, yes I did. Some of the wounded had recover when I left the ruins but some are not fortunate enough to survive.” He answered after greeting them back.

This is the first time the guards engage Raven with a conversation so he felt a little happy, for once in his life, people talked to him more casually.

Some of the bystanders manage to hear some of his words and went to them immediately.

A few number of people went to Raven when he and the guards are talking.

“Is it true?!” a woman wearing fancy clothes barged in.

“Did all of them survive?” another one asked.

“What really happened at the ruins?”

“Why are you unharmed? You were from the ruins as well right?”

And the questions keeps going on and on until more people started to notice and hear every single one of the commotion.

Barging in in their conversation left a bitter taste to the guards and made them feel angry and disappointed to the people who should have act with discipline.

“Oh!” Raven exclaimed as he got pushed back by the people trying to ask him about the ruins.

More people are coming to Raven for inquiries about their loved ones and the commotion became out of hand that the guards have to step in and repel the crowd.

“Please move a step back! Move people! Move!” the guard yelled with an irritated expression.

“Kuaaaak!” the other guard groaned as he got stepped on by the crowd since he is a little small while most of the people from the crowd are five times larger his size.

Some step on his chest, knees, thighs, and head as he tries to cover the most important and essential part of a man’s body to prevent it from getting crushed. Some of the people are quite aware of their surroundings and manage not to step on the guard and shouted at the others to watch their step. But as always, there are always people who does not care as long as they get to where they want.

“Hey! There is a person on the ground! What where you step on!” a person shouted.

“Watch out! A man is on the ground, be careful not to step on him!” another one shouted.

“Hey make way for him!”

A single concern for the guard caused a chain reaction and united some of the people from the crowd to help the guard.

The entrance became noisy, Raven did not manage to answer a single question since the barrage never stopped.

The guild from the ruins arrives at the entrance and saw how the crowd made a commotion.

The guild master‘s blood started boiling instantly after seeing the scene like an eyesore and shouted to stop the crowd from the unsightly scene.

“HEY! What are you all getting noisy for?! You are bothering the others!!” with a thunderous voice he yelled his lungs out with and extremely angry face.

The crowd heard this and seemed to have calmed down. The other guild members saw this and got worked up as well, they are quite disappointed at how their relatives and families acted and disturbed other people.

“That’s more like it!” the guild master shouted.

His son smiled as he saw his father pulled himself out from the depressing moment they had in the ruins.

The crowd dispersed around Raven and went to their families while crying and embraced them.

With the crowd gone, Raven saw the guard laying on the ground so he put down the animals on his back and walk towards the guard.

“Ouch- Oh! My back!” the guard groaned in pain as he tried to stand up.

The guard got surprise as Raven offered his arm to help him stand. His partner, the other guard just arrive a little late since the crowd blocked his path and field of vision.

“Thank you young man.” He express his gratitude by bowing his head even its hurts.

“Don’t mention it.” Raven replied as he shake his head.

“What happened? You okay?” his concerned partner ask.

His eyes move around examining his partner’s body covered in dust. He sigh and shook his head in disappointment after seeing what happened and how the people act.

“Barging in our conversation like that and making me a living floor mat, sheesh people are such a pain- ouch. Thank goodness there are people trying to help in their own way that I didn’t get much.” He complained while unbuttoning his uniform. “Look at me, my uniform is a mess.” He added as he stare at his stained attire.

His partner’s eyes widened in shock as he heard what his partner said. “They did what?!” he shouted. “I got knocked down and people stepped over my body. Luckily, I covered my precious junior with my hands so no one was able to crush my eggs.” He replied while patting the dust off of his outfit.

Raven walk back towards his hunted cattle when the partner let out a chuckle.

“PFFFT! Is it really the right time to c***k a joke? Look at you, you look like a piece of art!” he laugh at him instead of getting angry at the people who stepped on his partner. “Wahahaha!”

“That’s what I said a minute ago and don’t freaking laugh at me you stinking sadist.” He requested.

His eyes move towards Raven who is hanging all of the cattle that he hunted on his back. His partner saw him gaze at Raven and sigh in disbelief.

“Who would have thought that that kid is nice.” He spoke in a depressing tone. “You can’t really judge the book by its cover, think about it. Ever since he was little, he would get abused everyday by other kids and adults. That kid has every right to get mad at us because we are one of the people who discriminated against him. But he chose not to, what an amazing kid.” He said in a disheartened tone as his eyes redden as he realized that what they did to him was wrong and that Raven suffered a lot because of that. “What rotten people we are.” He added.

His partner only looked down at the ground not even uttering a single word because he knows what his partner said is true.

When Raven was about to leave he remembered that the guard was hurt and that he must have bruises around his body since the crowd earlier is so large with people five times larger than the guards, he imagined how heavy the people who step on his must be and decided to give him an elixir.

“He’s coming here, wipe the tears in your eyes dumbass.” His partner alerted him in a mocking tone. “I know, I can see him.” He replied as he rub his eyes.

“Before I forget, here. Use this to heal the bruises on your body.” Raven said as he handed the guard a bottle of elixir from his bag.

The eyes of the guards widened as they saw the crystal clear elixir. The guards knows the value of an elixir and it is not something that someone casually gives for small injuries. Both of them turned stiff land speechless like statues after seeing the elixir.

[Is a bottle not enough? As I recall earlier, a single bottle is enough for the father in the ruins, maybe the process of healing is a bit slower if he only drink a single bottle, and given his job he needs to recover quickly since he guards the entrance to the city I think he needs another bottle.] he nodded in thinking that his conclusion is correct so he grabbed another bottle from his bag and handed it to the guard.

This time the guards’ jaws are wide open and eyes look like popping out of their eyes sockets after seeing him handing another bottle of crystal clear elixir.

“Hey, young man are you really giving me a bottle of elixir?” the guard confirmed as his heart beats faster as sweat started to drip from his forehead.

“Please call me Raven, I feel a little uncomfortable if you will call me “Young man” every time I pass by.” He asserted while scratching his head.

“Oh- okay. Are you really giving me an elixir?” he repeated. “Yes” Raven immediately replied.

[Not even the slightest hesitation.]

The guard felt his heart skipped a beat after hearing Raven’s answer. His conflicting emotions on whether to accept the valuable elixir or to reject it. He turned to his partner that is also shocked as he is could not give a definite answer.

“Why would you give me one?” he asked in a guilty tone. “Because I felt partially responsible for what happened to you.” He answered with a smile.

The guard could not take it anymore, he turned to his partner and nodded.

“Can you come here for a second?” he requested. So Raven did as he told and move a little closer. “Do you know that elixirs are very valuable and expensive?” he whispered to Raven’s ear.

The young man shook his head as an answer. “No I didn’t, someone told me that elixirs are trash and that it’s not really essential.” He added.

[Trash?! That guy might have been really crazy to say elixirs are trash and not even needed.] the guards are more shocked than before.

“Here, I really need to go right now. My mother is waiting for me to give her all these cattle.”

Raven said as he shove a bottle of elixir in the guard’s hand and wanted to shove another one to the guard’s pocket when the guard suddenly deflected his hand and pushed his hands back to his bag.

“A single bottle is more than enough for me. Thank you very much Raven.” He said as he put the bottle of elixir in his pocket.

Raven hesitated at first because he is so sure of his conclusion that the guard really need two bottles to recover fast but gave up since the guard said that a single bottle alone is enough.

“No problem. I will take my leave first.” Raven said as he turns around and walk.

“What a kid. I think I have had enough shock for today.” The guard said as he massage his temples.

The son of the guild master caught a glimpse of Raven talking to the guards and gave the other one an elixir same as what he gave them. He only noticed Raven at the last second since they were busy answering all the questions regarding the one who have been killed in the ruins.