I know I’m handsome, Achylys pondered, but their gazes are a bit too passionate, aren’t they? I mean, I understand, it’s hard to control yourself when you see someone as handsome as me.

“Who’s this, Braun?” One of them, a blonde haired woman holding a dagger in her right hand, asked the man, her gaze at Achylys rather unfriendly. “Do not tell me you’ve wasted a teleport ticket to save some rando. Please do not.”

“He looks like a scavenger.” The man next to the woman muttered. The man had a rugged appearance, his black hair reaching down to his shoulders in unkempt strands. His tattered clothing hung off his lanky frame, and his rugged features were etched with lines that spoke of hardships endured.

He looked like he had been through a lot. Perhaps he had wandered through the wilderness, foraging for food from every source he could, even through the poop of beasts for multiple months? Nah, not everyone has to go through stuff like that.

The third person, a bald man, sat there in silence, his eyes trained on Achylys with an inscrutable expression. His bald pate shone in the dim light of the room, and his features were chiseled and angular, giving him an air of quiet authority.

He seemed like a man who had seen much in his life, and had grown weary of the noise and chaos that surrounded him. His gaze wasn’t really unfriendly; his gaze was more like that of a man who had seen a cat for the very first time. Curiosity tinged with restraint.

Braun seemed quite embarrassed by their questions, and stuttered. “I- I… I didn’t… waste the teleport ticket. It was… put to good… use.”

“Really?” The woman remarked, her expression filled with pure disdain. “You have a daughter, Braun. You’re… you’re being way too reckless.” She finally seemed to have realized that Achylys could also hear things, for she turned towards him and continued, “And you. How could you even accept a teleport ticket?”

Achylys was mentally capable enough to fill in the missing gaps, and could understand by now that the birds were dangerous and would probably have killed him, and the teleport ticket was also probably very expensive.

“I’ll pay him back.” Achylys replied, a wry smile spreading over his face.

The black-haired man seemed to find Achylys’s words extremely humorous, appearing to be thoroughly enjoying himself. It was almost as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

A wide grin spread across his face, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth. His laughter started out as a chuckle, but it quickly escalated into something much more intense. It was as if he was having a seizure, convulsing with laughter so hard that Achylys couldn't help but feel surprised and confused.

Like… Achylys knew he was funny, but even he didn’t know he was that funny. He had always wanted to be a stand up comedian too, and based on how hard the man was laughing, it seemed he did indeed have a bright future in that field too. Achylys couldn’t help but smile as the man continued to laugh.

As the man's outburst echoed through the dimly lit tavern, a hush fell over the crowd. The air was thick with tension, and the other patrons began to shift uncomfortably in their seats. A few even looked at him with hostile gazes, as if contemplating whether it’d be better to do something about him.

But despite the palpable unease in the room, the man seemed oblivious to the effect his words had on those around him. His raucous laughter continued to ring out, even as more and more eyes turned his way. It was only when the weight of the silence finally bore down on him that he seemed to falter, coughing awkwardly into his fist and trailing off into an uneasy silence.

For a few moments, the only sound in the tavern was the crackle of the fireplace and the soft clinking of glasses as the patrons resumed their drinking. But even as the man's outburst faded into memory, a sense of dissonance lingered in the air. The other customers cast furtive glances in his direction, sizing him up with wary suspicion. After all, the man had unwittingly disturbed the delicate balance of the tavern, throwing the other patrons off-kilter with his sudden outburst.

As the tension slowly dissipated, the man looked around nervously, as if realizing for the first time the impact his words had had on the room. And with a sigh, he slumped his shoulders, nursing his drink and waiting for the moment to pass.

This man… is… was he trying to crack a joke…? Achylys wondered. He has a truly… extreme… sense of humor. Well, having enough confidence to do something like that is already appreciable in itself, I guess.

“You probably don’t know how much a teleport ticket costs, do you?” The man asked quietly after looking around. Only when he confirmed that no one was looking at him did he continue in a hushed tone, “If you did, you’d never say that.”

Braun's face was twisted into a scowl that could curdle milk as he fixed his fiery gaze on the two people sitting in front of him. He was clearly not amused by their behavior. Achylys could clearly sense how displeased he was, and that surprised him. To be so displeased with his acquaintances or maybe even friends for a stranger. He’s a good man, this one. Foolishly good, even.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Braun’s voice was low and dangerous as he addressed the two in front of him with a biting tone. "Your behavior is unacceptable," Braun spat out, his words like venom. "He did not know what a teleport ticket was, nor did he ask for it. I offered it to him fully voluntarily. And besides, I didn’t ask for both of your protection, Dave, Ava."

Achylys could see the man shrink back under Braun's fierce glare. He felt a twinge of sympathy for him, but at the same time, he also felt somewhat satisfied. Well, then again, not really. The man was just too pathetic, pathetic enough that Achylys couldn’t even harvest glee from his suffering.

The woman opened her mouth as if she was prepared to speak her mind, but suddenly paused. Achylys knew why—the bald man sitting next to her had nudged her. She seemed to assign a great deal of respect to the bald man, for she acquiesced to the bald man's unspoken request with a silent nod.

“That… fine.” The woman relented, and even added an uncharacteristic apology. “I’m sorry.”

Braun nodded at her before moving on from the topic completely. “So, where do you live with your wife?” He asked Achylys in a low tone. “The slums?”

Achylys nodded silently. It wasn’t like he knew the answers for the questions Braun was asking, and it was better to just stay silent in such situations. Braun, especially, seemed like a really nice dude who’d fill the gaps in for you.

And fill the gaps he did, for his expression turned sympathetic.

In the end, after hesitating for a few seconds, Braun asked, “Do you want to work for me?”

Before Achylys could say anything to his question, he continued hurriedly, “It’s not for the teleport ticket. Consider it paid and done- I’m not going to force you to work for me, nor put you in my debt over it. But honestly, working for me would be much better than… scavenging. Especially since you’re not even…” he hesitated for a few seconds, gesturing wildly with his hands, before sighing, “proficient. You… you’ll only die at this rate.”

The bald man's face was a study in solemnity as he finally broke his silence, his eyes fixed on Achylys’s figure. It was clear that he had been carefully considering his words, weighing each one with the utmost care before allowing them to escape his lips.

"Braun," he said at last, his voice low and measured, "is a good employer, to be sure. I've worked for him myself, in days gone by, and I can tell you that he pays his employees well. Even with the cut he'll take to recoup the cost of the teleport ticket, you'll still be able to earn a good living. Far better than you'd ever be able to scavenge on your own, I'd wager."

There was a note of sympathy in his tone as he spoke, a sense that he genuinely understood the hardships that the other man was facing. Which was surprising, since his clothes, compared to the people around him, indicated that he was relatively well off. Then again, he did say in days gone by. God knows how long ago that was.

Achylys’s gaze traveled across the Tavern for a few seconds, looking at the surroundings, looking at the bald man, and then finally looking at Braun. He mulled over the proposal and then nodded. “I’ll work for you,” he told Braun, a smile etched onto his face. I mean, there’s not much I’m losing. I’m curious how this will go. What will Braun do if I fail to bring or show my wife? Braun was a nice person, yes, but Achylys doubted he’d be nice once he got to know everything Achylys told him was a big fat lie.

Braun heaved a sigh of relief, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he glanced at Achylys. A small, grateful smile crept onto his lips, and for a moment, he looked almost...happy. He turned to the bald man and nodded, his smile growing.

Have I been caught in a scam, perhaps? Achylys couldn’t help but ponder. Are they going to try and harvest my organs? There’s no reason for him to be this happy.

"Alright, then," Braun muttered, his voice carrying a weight of authority that made it clear he had made up his mind. “It’s settled. Go get your wife. We’ll find a place for you two, and I’ll show you the ropes from tomorrow. I do have two other members in my team, but they’d like you, I feel. You’d fit right in.”

However, Achylys’s focus had shifted from Braun’s words… to the woman at some point in the middle. Not because he was beautiful; he had seen many stunning women in his lifetime, and it was not like he had eyes for anyone but Neveah. But it was the way her expression had changed. Right in front of his very eyes, in a split second, her expression had changed… violently.

One second, she had been the very embodiment of serenity, her demeanor as still as a placid lake on a windless day. However, a single glance at her palm was all it took to shatter that composure like a pane of glass struck by a rock.

Her countenance contorted with a sudden intensity, a visceral reaction that left her appearing as if she had just witnessed the most horrific of scenes. Her features twisted into an expression of agony, one that spoke of a deep-seated pain that seemed to be coursing through her veins.

Her palm, once a smooth expanse of unblemished skin, now looked like a canvas painted with shades of red and black. The jagged lines of blood vessels were clearly visible, creating a network of pulsing veins that seemed to throb with an otherworldly vitality. It was as if her palm had become a window to some darker realm, a realm that held secrets and horrors that no mortal should ever have to witness.

Her reaction was so intense that it was almost like someone had suddenly stabbed her. No, even someone who was stabbed suddenly would look better than how she currently did.

Braun seemed to finally notice the direction Achylys’s eyes had traveled to and turned to his female friend too. Noticing her expression, he began, “You okay-”

Achylys could sense it. His intestines seemed to twist as adrenaline surged through his body fully within but a split second. His heart raced with a sense of impending danger. And that was when he finally noticed the woman’s eyes; a look of determination was etched on her face, her eyes fixed on Braun's neck.

It was like time itself slowed down for Achylys at that moment, as his past life’s instincts kicked in full gear. His mind raced with possibilities, assessing the situation, weighing the odds. He could see the way her right hand twisted, heading right towards Braun’s neck.

A clean slit, that’s what it would be. The woman was planning to behead Braun cleanly.

And without a doubt in the world, with how precise and calculated her movements were, she would succeed.