Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Shop Stop

I pulled myself through the tight squeeze of the window. I had been through it enough already that it didn't bother me. The temperature took a sudden shift. A cool breeze went by and made me shiver. Instinctively, I wanted to go inside and grab a jacket. I turned around and reached for an imaginary door before letting the reality of my situation sink in. No jacket. II had to deal with the chilliness for a few minutes. 

I propped my back against the wall and crossed my arms in front of my body to try and keep myself warm. Yusha came darting around the corner. "Follow me," she said quietly. She took lead. I followed. We moved along between the fence that surrounded the village and the backs of the buildings on the outskirts. We made sure to keep our heads low and move at a brisk pace. After ducking beneath a few windows, we found ourselves in front of another door behind an old building. The back looked like it hadn't been tended in a looong time; grass grew up to my knees, not to mention the boxes and wood that weeds grew around.

Yusha knocked on the door with the back of her hand. Her technique was impressive; loud enough to get the attention of whoever was inside but quiet enough not to draw the attention of anyone else. "He should only be a moment."

She stood in front of the door with her hands resting so calmly in front of her. Then she rocked back and forth on the heels of her feet while whistling a simple tune. Her calmness helped to ease my nerves a bit. And like Yusha said, the door opened. A bit of light crept out from the slim crack made by the open door. 

"Oh. Hey Yusha," an old and deep voice said. I couldn't quite see the man that it belonged to because of my angle relative to the door. 

"Hello, Theus," Yusha said with a wave and her signature smile. 

"Trying to get a little bit of late-night shopping in?" 

"No, not tonight. I'm here to introduce you to a friend."

"A friend?" The man sounded confused. "You mean someone that isn't from Taipen?"

"That's right." Then Yusha looked at me. She beckoned me to stand by her side with a wave on her hand. I obeyed and stood right next to her. The man opened the door all the way, giving us both a clear view of the other. The man was tall. Even taller than me. 

The first thing that came to my mind was Santa Claus. Thick white hair. Long wavy beard. A narrow pair of glasses that covered his dark blue eyes. Only difference is that this guy was fit. he wore a beige shirt that ended just below his shoulders. His arms were covered in a lot of white hair, but not enough to obscure the definition of his muscles. Not sure what he did to get like that at his age, but I wanted to ask him his secrets for maintaining that kind of body at his age. 

From the waist down he had on a pair of leather pants held on by suspenders. They were clearly worn with the ends frayed and discolored with age. Everything about him shouted 'hard worker.' He extended one bulky hand in my direction. 

"The name's Theus," he said with confidence. I couldn't get a good glimpse of his mouth past that thick beard of his, but with the way his eyes and eyebrows looked, I think it's safe to say that he was smiling. I gave the hand the best shake I could; firm but not too tight. Moved it up and down in a rhythmic way. I thought I had good form.

"My name's Adrien."

"Pleasure to meet you."

Yusha scooted in closer and stood on her tip toes and went in for a whisper. "He's one of Govessa's champions," she said quietly. 

Theus looked stunned. He stared at me, slowly moving his eyes from the top of my head down to my shoes. Once his scan was done, he quickly looked around the area in a mini panic. "Come in. Both of you." 

We both entered the little shop. Despite the size of the place, Theus knew how to pack. Not a single bit of space went unused. Shelves lined every wall, with every inch housing some kind of product. Swords. Shields. Potions. Armor. Clothing. Anything you could find in a typical MMO inventory could be seen dangling on one of the shelves. Plenty of crates and chests covered the floorspace as well. Didn't bother looking through those, but I could only assume there was some valuable and rare loot in there with how ornate they were.

An older woman swept the far corner of the room. She turned to face us and greeted us with a wave of her hand. The woman looked to be Theus' total opposite. Short and petite with lush black hair despite her age. And whereas Theus had that traditional European look, this woman looked like one a Taipen native with her long yet loose fitting robes.

"That's my wife. Xiya."

I waved back at her. She flashed us a smile before going back to her task of sweeping the floor. Theus shut the door behind us and headed towards his counter. It looked well-fortified too. He had to unhook some locks and chains just to get past the small vertical door that separated it from the rest of the shop. Behind the counter was a tall wall of drawers that reached to the ceiling with labels on each one. Yusha tiptoed her way past all of the merchandise, and I trailed right behind.

"So, Adrien," he said in a calm yet commanding voice. Felt like I was talking to a school principal. "You're one of Govessa's champions?"

I nodded. "Yes sir."

"I see. And I assume Yusha has filled you in on some of the more prominent aspects of Taipen culture?"

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"I think so?"

"Like how this village gets virtually no visitors? Or how Zahnte's forces stop by here for regular examinations?"

"Yes, she told me about that."

"And you, as one of Govessa's strongest warriors, are a criminal."

"That's what I figured," I said begrudgingly.

"It's unfortunate. But that's just how the Army of Order operates. They mercilessly crush all opposition." Theus pointed right me. Startled, I jumped back a bit. "And you are at the very top of the enemy list!"

"I know."

"Hmm. I must admit, I appreciate your bravery."

"That's an essential part of being a champion, right? I can't just run from my duties when the odds seem impossible."

Theus bobbed his head and then looked at Yusha. "Maybe there is hope for Taipen after all."

"I met Govessa as well," Yusha said. She almost sounded like a kid that got to meet her favorite cartoon character at a theme park. "She was confident in Adrien's abilities!"

"Well, if the goddess herself has faith in him, I suppose I should too! But what did she say about you hanging around him?"

"She trusted me to teach him."

Theus stroked his beard. "I knew you had potential, Yusha. Every parent talks about how great their kid is. But your dad? Your dad wasn't overexaggerating when he said you were destined to change the world."

Yusha's cheeks turned a slight red as she she angled her head away. "Thank you..."

"Don't get too confident though. You know it's a long road ahead, right? Even the rest of Taipen is against you right now."

"I know." Yusha came back to reality. Her smile inverted as she stroked the back of her hair. "We're both criminals just for talking to Adrien."

"Exactly. If either one of you get caught... that's it."

I felt my heart sink. Every time I start feeling a bit confident, reality comes around to put me back in my place. My existence alone was enough to get people into untold amounts of trouble. That's a lot heavier of a burden than having to worry about having to pay some college debt off for the rest of my life. 

"We know, Theus. I already told him about the dangers of being one of Govessa's champions in this village. The reason why I brought him here was to teach a bit about how our economy works."

Theus' face lit up. "Oh. Why didn't you start with that? You know I haven't had a talk like that in a long time."

Something told me that we were going to be there for a while. 

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