Chapter 6: Chapter 5 – Calm Before The Storm

He was in his old home, there was nothing great about it, it could be if you considered rotting walls and cracked floorboards as an aesthetic. It was the type of home that could only really fit one person, yet somehow three was made possible and all the more puzzling was this house felt more comfortable than his newly bought spacious bar. He looked down and he could see himself when he was a kid. Messy black hair and red eyes that never seemed to stop crying. There was a tiny great wolf stuffed toy that was a bit too worn out for use, but it seemed to comfort the boy anyway. The sight elicited a reaction inside him, slight pangs of pain one couldn’t really describe. Was it guilt? Was it nostalgia? Was it sadness? Was it happiness? 

He couldn’t really control himself and he got on his knees. His mind seemed to transfer to his younger self. With his small stature, he couldn’t help but look up. His mother couldn’t control herself, she weeped as well, both knees on the floor. Why was she crying? A strong urge inside him wanted to protect his mother. This needed to stop. He knew she would feel better if he stopped crying, he tried. He tried so hard but the tears couldn’t stop.

Blurs of events seemed to pass by, it could’ve been a minute or even days. Incoherent streams of events just passed by and he could pick one out and it didn’t quite make sense in his mind why these specific events were being remembered by him. Still, it felt somehow right. He just knew the focal point was his mother. Her face deteriorated in mood as the events played in his head. Until finally, he was in front of the door of his parents’ room. He opened it. And his heart almost broke in half. He cried but something more came out of him. Something he didn’t know he had. A boiling anger that always seemed to be at the bottom of his stomach, churned and roared and finally burst out.

The lifeless corpse of his  mother, its dead eyes felt like it was looking at him. He wanted to close his eyes but he couldn’t. As if he was possessed by a ghost, he wanted to see it all. The pain, the suffering, everything. He didn’t want to run away from it, despite how much pain it caused him.

He screamed. He screamed so loud it turned into a visceral roar. A scream about the death of one’s mother. One that could even transcend the dreamscape to reality.

Julius’ wails woke himself up, the image he had in his head of a dangling body replaced by a room. He held his neck, he couldn’t breathe properly. He didn’t need to touch his face, he could feel it quite obviously enough. He wiped his face with his blanket. A surge of rage boiled within him, mimicking the younger version of himself. He felt there was a difference, his was stronger. He calmed himself down. Normally he would’ve been doing his routine already, but he stayed in his bed for a while. It just felt the right thing to do. 

The bed felt strange to him all the while. He felt he had better sleep in the wilds, where the dangers of his adventuring campaigns kept his mind busy. The man chastised himself, the adventuring campaigns were only preparation for what was to come. The red eyes focused on a wall in the room. Hiding a distorted set of armor. He clenched his fists. There was still more to be done.

 

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He walked downstairs from his establishment. The soreness in his muscles was keenly felt as he was finally moving. Places in his muscles that were never really sore, felt sore. He didn’t know why that was the case, he was in plenty of adventurer missions, but his new interest seemed to demand something new from his body. He was living upstairs in his newly bought drinking place. The bar compared to when he bought it a week ago, was spotless. A previously dark wood now looks more alive and rich in deep hazelnut color. Though when he came downstairs where the kitchen was, it was still in need of utensils, cups and more importantly ale. 

But as he walked past the kitchen there was an opening to the drinking area and he felt something. There was always movement in the air, but it was different, it was too constant and too quiet for it not to be someone else. Julius walked out of the kitchen and peered in.

He saw a man covered in black soot, ragged clothes. Sleeping on the floor of his bar. The man’s chest heaved up and down, a powerful snoring came with it. It took a while but the disturbed air reached Julius’ senses a few moments later.

Firstly, his sense of danger kicked in quite violently. There shouldn’t be a person there, but there was. He immediately casted a spell if this person did anything while he was asleep. But as he searched, there was nothing.

Julius wasn’t wearing armor but he did have his mace with him. He approached the sleeping homeless man, his snoring, unaware of the danger he was in. And then a hand slapped his chest as he was breathing in, forcibly exhaling the breath and he woke up slightly choking.

The homeless man woke up to a man covered in bandages. He had a mace resting on his shoulder but he recognized the stance well enough. Even though he was trying to hide it, he was ready to smack him in the head if he tried anything stupid.

“C-calm down! What’s going on?” He said to the scary looking man.

“You’re sleeping in my bar. How did you get in?” His tone was serious.

The homeless man gulped. “Uhhh, the door was unlocked.” He smiled at him. No one would kill a smiling man, right? He rationalized.

Julius went to the door and checked its enchantments. He sighed and chastised himself. The homeless man heard him muttering to himself “Stupid.” The red-eyed man said.

“See, I’m not lying to you!” He seized the situation to fully convince the man.

“Fine, since it was my own mistake, get in the kitchen.” He lowered his mace and began walking to the kitchen.

The soot-ridden man didn’t know what to do, he didn’t feel any danger now so follow he did. It wasn’t like he had a home to go back to or any plans for the day.

The homeless man's eyes went inside the kitchen. When he freeloaded in the bar, he didn’t really bother to check the kitchen. But it was bare for someone who he thought was as rich as him who could buy a bar and keep his body in tip-top shape with nutritious food. Though he wasn't doing his body any favors with those wounds. His neck was alarmingly bandaged as well. What the hell does this guy do to get those wounds? The ragged man thought to himself.

Julius began cooking and he wasn’t really much of a talker. He just sat down on one of the chairs and waited. After some time, he finished cooking and handed him a plate with some sausages, porridge and eggs.

“Eat. After that, get out.” Julius said to the man without looking at him.

“Hehehe. Sorry ‘bout that sir, I wondered why the hell the place was so clean all of a sudden. I slept here anyway.” The homeless man didn’t sound apologetic at all.

Julius eyed the guy. He was scarfing down the food without any regard for manners. It’s not like he could judge. He wasn’t one to follow them anyway. Though as they ate on, he began to note a difference, Julius ignored manners, while this soot-ridden man actively destroyed them. 

“So, what’s your name anyway? This bar had been long abandoned, in a bad spot for a business like this as well.” The raggedy man said while his mouth was full of food, pieces of sausage were flying out and he quickly took the small pieces of food and re-ate it, taking some soot from his fingers along the way. Julius didn’t look disgusted, as far as he was concerned, this was normal.

“...It doesn’t matter.” 

The soot-ridden man decided to be brave. “Is it related to those wounds o’ yours?”

“They’re not.” Julius’ tone was a notch deeper, he didn’t like how this man was just assuming things out of him.

“Sorry. Calm down. I’m just trying to make conversation.” The homeless man put up two hands to signal his lack of ill-intent.

A sigh came out from the red-eyed man. “And I’m trying to get on with my day.” 

“Can I take a bath here? You should have a basin around.” The homeless man ignored Julius’ mood.

“What?!” Julius almost choked on porridge. He beat on his chest and coughed out.

“Don’t die now!” 

“Shut up. Just finish those eggs and get out of here.” 

“Hah! Everyone’s curious, you know.” Julius didn’t react to him anymore. “From what I hear, you’re an adventurer. Who moved here for no apparent reason and now wants to start a bar!”

The homeless man waited for a response but nothing came. He prattled on anyway. “I never liked those types, you know? Adventurers just seem so damn pretentious. Them with their shows of skill and dreams of glory.” The man was waving around his fork with a piece of sausage pretending it to be a sword and doing a haphazard impersonation of whoever adventurer he saw.

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“At the end of the day, they’re just morons who don’t know the first sign of danger.” He said while shaking his head.

“Just finish your damn egg!” Julius shouted. The action even surprised him. He really was off-kilter today.

“Fine.” He finally finished his meal. “By the way, I’m going to work with you. It’s hard to find work as a homeless person, ya know?” 

“I don’t want your help.”

“But you do need it! This place was… is practically my home anyways and I would be troubled to be out of a home just like that! You don’t need to worry, I’m a good worker.” The homeless man saluted him.

Julius just sighed in defeat.

The homeless man extended a dirty, soot-ridden hand to Julius. The red eyed man looked at him. Julius had that look at first, that stoic-ass look that never seemed to change. But then he smiled. And he accepted his handshake. “No.” Julius said.

“But didn’t you just hear my impassioned speech?!”

“I did. And the answer is no. I’ll give you some money to get yourself together so you can find a job.”

“That’s something at least. If you do that, then this establishment is yours! My name is Prim by the way.” The homeless man smiled at him. Forgetting any sort of past attachments to this bar.

The red-eyed man snorted at that. “Julius” he said. “Don’t sleep in this place again.” Julius couldn’t believe it but he forgot to lock the door in his home. The fatigue was getting to him.

“Only if you follow through with your word!” Prim said to him. “I had to fight off horrible people just to sleep in a comfortable spot!”

He looked at Prim. The man couldn’t stop talking, he was annoyed but he needed to control himself. After all, he was in the same position as him long ago. 

 

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After giving Prim some money to rent out a decent inn after he cleans himself up and buys himself some new clothes so the owners don't just turn him away. Julius went on with his day. The targets he’s been going after were pretty small-time thugs. Though the last one he dismantled was vastly more influential and rich than the first gang he went for, The Chained Heart.

The spike in wealth was extremely apparent. There was a point in a loan shark gang’s life where they reached a certain threshold and they just made an absurd amount of money compared to before. Still, while they had posed some challenges, it was mostly because he had to wait a long time to pick his time to go in with the increased manpower. No one could really face him, it was more of the same. 

His alias of the Adjudicator was beginning to spread. That meant more gangs were going to be more alert against him. Still, he accepted that downside. The point of spreading his name in the first place was to limit the operations of these gangs. If one less person doesn’t get victimized because they became more careful, then that was preferable than him going for the biggest gangs and burning out in a blaze of glory.

The underworld of Threinas was deep. And one had to plan even deeper for such elements to be washed away thoroughly.

Julius walked to a clinic, it was in a bland part of Glosso, the same region where his bar was established. It was just recently renovated with a sign that said blandly “Clinic”. He walked in and was met with the receptionist. After some quick back and forth, Julius went to the doctors room.

Though Julius was constantly feeling out the environment, the stark antiseptic smell couldn’t be ignored as he went inside the doctors room. There were an assortment of tinctures, remedies, and tools that looked brand new. He saw a woman sitting at a desk, golden hair that accentuated the woman’s mature face. 

“Do you have it ready?” He asked the woman, who wore red robes that had an additional layer around her neckline that had the symbol of a doctor, a needle. It was the classical uniform of a doctor in Threinas.

“Ahh, so impatient. But yes, I do. Sit down.” She went downstairs and pulled out a case in the freezer in the basement. She walked back up and set it down in front of him. “As your personal doctor, I would advise you to stop getting into fights. I can barely keep up with the demand.” She said to him.

“It can’t be helped. I’m only going to get more injured from here on out.” Julius answered her.

She sighed to him. She opened the case and what was inside were pieces of flesh. She removed the bandages on Julius and began to re-cut his still-healing wounds. She then set the pieces of flesh inside, like human puzzle pieces and began to sew it back onto him. This was the practice of doctors of the world. Gustaticians could break down whatever they ate. And because they understand so much of what they eat, some even have the talent to reverse that and actually conjure materials. But it took a ritual room for Gustaticians to do this. It was an extremely expensive but effective way of treatment. Though this meant they had to eat their patient's body first, to understand its composition. Cannibalism was nowhere near legal, the only exceptions were Gustaticians who had the proper license to do so and only on consenting patients.

“Mind putting on some anesthesia Kathryn?” Julius asked. She didn’t try to be gentle with him, pushing and prodding at his still tender wounds.

“I thought you were a big boy.” She teased him.

How many more pain in the ass people am I going to have to deal with? Julius thought to himself. “Is the operation room working as intended?” Julius asked, not bothering to respond to her tease.

“It’s perfect~” She said as she poked through his skin and stitched the created flesh into him. “Though if you’re going to get more injured, I think I can convince some people to work here. The pay is good, ridiculously good for a hole in the wall clinic. I know some who will be enamored by a job like this.” She said to him. She moved on to the wound on his neck, this time as if possessed by a doctor who knew the regulations, she actually bothered to not be so rough.

“I’ll think about it.” Julius said.

“Hmm~ Waiting for an influx of cash with your merchant friend?” As she said that he looked at her seriously. She knew she stepped a bit too far. “Sorry.”

“You already know the rules. Don’t pry or you’ll get involved in something you might not like.”

“It’s hard not to put the pieces together. You’re the only ones who meet here consistently. But, you’re right, I’ll try not to be so inquisitive~” Julius left it at that. After the treatment he was mentally preparing himself for the next job. It was going to be big. Already, he was visualizing what would happen, the strength of his would-be foes. He wondered how a troupe who had so many adoring fans, could use them for their own gain? There was no need for them to be so greedy, but people were rarely in control of themselves.

Elias walked in the clinic and both him and Julius went downstairs through a hidden door that was heavily enchanted. As always, Julius sat down and began to talk business without any notion of  pleasantries or small talk. Elias was used to it at this point.

“So, have you managed to fully take over the Sheathed Sword?” Julius asked him.

“Yes, the paperwork is quite mind-numbing but the proxy will lead it well. One just needs the approval of a Scribe and it’s a done deal. The other five are currently in the bureaucratic process.” Elias looked Julius up and down. He couldn’t help but notice the alarming amount of wounds he was covered in. “Are you sure you still want to go after this troupe alone? This is a mid-sized gang you’re going for now.” He asked with some tinge of worry in his voice.

“I’ll be fine.” The bandage-covered man stubbornly refused it just as usual. Elias always asked if he wanted help and he always refused. He has managed to get the job done every single time but those were small gangs. And the one up next could easily kill him if he wasn’t ready. Elias sighed, he didn’t want a business partner to die so quickly.

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