From the moment the sun rose, Nora stuck to Liam like glue. Not once did she venture even two meters from his side. Honestly, Liam wondered if this was truly the same woman who broke down in tears in the middle of the night.
Skipping along while humming a strange tune, Nora mentioned, “Just so you know, I'm a wanted woman in Crey.”
“I figured,” Liam replied. “Don't you have a hideout, though?”
Nodding, Nora answered, “Yup, but I should at least get new clothes and maybe even a mask if you plan to stay there for a while. Oh! Wanna buy me some new clothes?”
“Don't you have your own money?”
“May~be. But, it would be like a celebration of becoming companions!”
“Buy it yourself, then. If anything, you should be the one buying me new clothes.”
“Tch. How in the world did I end up sharing my heart with a nasty person such as yourself?” Nora asked as she pounced on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and legs around his waist.
“Geh! I'd like to ask why I bothered listening to an irritating woman who tried to steal from me the first time we met,” Liam retorted.
“Aww~ the big man is pouting!” Nora said, grinning cheekily.
Rolling his eyes, Liam said, “We're about to enter Crey, so get off.”
“Are you embarrassed?” Nora asked, placing one hand over her lips as she giggled.
Again, Liam sighed.
“Your reactions are really cute, you know?” Nora whispered into his ear.
“Mhm...” he grumbled, unfazed by the comment. “So, do I have to carry you everywhere, or are you going to walk for yourself?”
Nora finally let go and returned to his side. Shortly after, they passed through the gate. Although many of the guards gave them curious looks, nobody gave them any trouble.
Furrowing his brows, Liam looked at Nora and asked, “How many days has it been since we met here?”
“Three.”
“I was in that cave longer than I thought, then...” Liam muttered.
“Cave?”
“Yeah. I ended up wandering around a cave for the past couple days.”
“So your change happened down there?” Nora asked.
In response, Liam nodded. For now, he would refrain from mentioning the tomb.
With a destination in mind, Liam traipsed through the streets with Nora in tow. Before long, he stood in front of the stall belonging to the old man who initially directed him to the Adventurer Guild.
“How can I-” the old man began to speak, but then furrowed his brows and asked, “Ain't you the young man who asked for directions the other day? What happened to you? Your clothes are tattered and... your body...”
“A lot happened. Anyway, I've got a question I think you can answer,” Liam replied. Having prepared a sack ahead of time, he plopped it on the table. The weight of the stone within the sack caused several of the nearby stones to bounce off the counter briefly.
“What is this?” the old man asked as he carefully inspected the sack.
“Was hoping I could ask you.”
The man unfurled the knot and peeked inside, only to immediately close it and stare at Liam with a stern expression. “Where did you get this?”
“A Myrmeke Queen, I believe it was called,” Liam answered. Based on the man's reaction, the stone at least had some value.
“What?!” Nora exclaimed.
At the same time, the old shopkeeper stared at Liam, dumbfounded.
Looking at Nora who stood by his side, Liam asked, “Is it so strange?”
“Yes! Myrmeke Queens are dangerous!” Nora exclaimed.
“The little lady is right,” the old man agreed. “How'd you do it?”
“Threw a torch at it.”
The two stared at Liam as though he lost his mind. Sighing, he explained, “All the little ones got wiped out by a giant the day before I killed it.”
“Sanguis help me...” the old man muttered.
“Did you see the giant?” Nora asked.
“Yeah. It helped me escape from the Myrmeke hoard.”
The old man looked close to fainting. On the other hand, Nora began laughing. “You've got to be the dumbest, unluckiest man I've ever met.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Tch...”
The statement hit rather close to home. After all, two of his lowest stats were Intelligence and Luck.
“Well...” the old man muttered as he attempted to hold on to his bearings, “if what you say is true, and you got this from a Myrmeke Queen...”
“A Colossal one, supposedly,” Liam corrected.
The old man's jaw dropped.
“What level are you?” Nora asked.
“Twelve.”
“And you beat a Colossal Myrmeke Queen alone before that...”
“So,” Liam said, desiring to finish his business, “is this stone worth anything?”
“Worth anything?!” the man asked. “You may as well ask if a golden statue is worth anything!”
“Will you buy it?” Liam asked.
“Okay, lad, listen well,” the old man said, holding up a hand to stop him, “These things are worth a fortune since they are used for enchanting weapons and armor.”
“And the stones on your table are the same?” Liam asked.
Raising his brow, the old man asked, “Have you never collected these from corpses before?”
“No.”
“It's worth a lot, Liam,” Nora said, “You should have just asked me about it.”
“Didn't think of that. Either way, I promised I would buy from this old man sometime,” Liam replied.
“I'll give you one thousand gold for it,” the old man offered.
Unsure if the price was right, Liam looked at Nora. In response, she shrugged and said, “It's a fair enough price.”
“Deal, old man,” Liam said.
“Before that, are you sure you don't want to save it and use it for your own weapon in the future?” the old man asked.
“I've got a few good weapons already, so I'll pass,” Liam replied. “I need the money for now.”
“Very well,” the old man said, nodding as he retrieved a strong box from behind the stall. From within, he removed ten silver-colored coins. However, Liam immediately recognized the metal as platinum.
“You're pretty rich, old man,” Nora said, eyes glittering with greed as she stared at the coins.
“Tis most of my life savings,” the man replied as he handed over the coins.
“Think you'll earn it back with that rock?” Liam asked.
“Most definitely,” the man answered.
“I'll see you around,” Liam said, waving farewell. In copycat fashion, Nora followed suit.
“May Sanguis watch over the two of you,” the old man said, bowing.
Contrary to the previous time Liam spoke with the man, the name Sanguis actually meant something to him now. Grimacing, he mourned the fact that Sanguis now watched over him more closely than most.
Leaving the market street, Liam and Nora headed toward the adventurer guild. As soon as she realized where he was going, Nora frowned and asked, “Are you planning to join the guild?”
“No, but I heard there was a tavern there, and I could use a drink,” Liam answered while tossing the coin pouch into his inventory after making sure nobody could see the action, except Nora, who saw him use it that morning.
Sighing in relief, Nora muttered, “Good...”
“Got an issue with the guild?” Liam asked.
“They aren't fond of thieves...”
“Good thing I'm not joining, then.”
When Liam stepped through the door, he noticed several people making a ruckus at the tables to the right. Ignoring them, he walked straight to the counter since no one stood in line.
Noticing his approach, Cici raised her head. When their eyes met, she dropped her pen... again.
“What? Do I look that bad?” Liam asked.
“Uh... no... your eyes...” Cici muttered, pointing at him.
“Yeah, apparently they changed. Still recognize me, though?”
Cici nodded. Then, she shrunk back at the sight of a hooded, red-eyed woman glaring at her from over Liam's shoulder. Immediately, she understood the meaning: 'this man is mine'. Eyes darting between the two people, Cici said, “Um... your eyes are the same color as mine.”
“Really?” Liam asked, turning to Nora for verification. Of course, she changed her expression to a friendly one before their eyes met. In answer, to Liam's question, she nodded. Placing his hand on his chin, Liam wondered if there was some sort of connection.
“So, uh, were you going to join the guild?” Cici asked, though she tried to tread carefully with her words.
“No,” Liam instantly replied.
“I had a feeling...” Cici muttered, still keeping the red-eyed woman in mind as she spoke. “What can I do for you then?”
“Actually, I have a new question other than what I came here for.”
“Yes?”
“Are you familiar with your ancestry?” Liam inquired. After all, if their eyes were the same color, there could be a possible connection to the Ancientblood people.
“That's... kind of an odd question,” Cici replied.
Whispering in Liam's ear, Nora asked, “You know it's rude to ask about someone's bloodline without pretense, right?”
“Doesn't matter,” Liam flatly answered. He stared at Cici, wordlessly prompting her for an answer.
“It's nothing special,” Cici answered, feeling pressured. However, she somehow knew Liam asked due to their eyes being the same golden color. As such, she asked, “If I tell you about it, will you tell me why your eyes changed like that?”
Liam thought for a moment, then answered, “Only if I deem it necessary.”
Sighing, Cici said, “I guess that's the best I can hope for. Wish I had known you were so pushy a few days ago.”
Nora giggled since Liam had called her out for being pushy the previous night. Noticing, Liam flicked her forehead just hard enough to make her flinch.
Watching the exchange, Cici wondered who the woman was. However, she shoved the thought aside and said, “Honestly, my bloodline doesn't have very good records since we've almost always been common folk. The only thing that sticks out is that sometimes people like me are born with golden irises from time to time.”
“How many others are there right now?” Liam asked.
“Just me, at the moment,” Cici answered. “My great-uncle also had them, but he died a few years ago.”
“How far back do your records go?” Liam asked. Honestly, the whole idea of keeping records interested him. Based on what Noctis said, bloodlines carried power. Following the trail of a similar physical trait seemed like a good idea.
“My father might know for sure, but I believe it goes back at least a few hundred generations,” Cici answered.
“Think I'd be able to talk to him?” Liam asked.
“Uh... maybe if he saw your eyes and thought you were related to us.”
“If you can arrange that, I'd be happy to repay the favor.”
“So,” Cici said, “about your change in eye color...”
“Not sure what I can tell you, other than it changed after some hellish experiences,” Liam said, avoiding the actual explanation.
“So much for trusting the word of a stranger...” Cici muttered as she leaned back in her chair looking exasperated.
“On to my second question,” Liam said, not giving the poor receptionist time to rest.
“Yes?”
“Where's the tavern?”
Cici sighed and pointed to her left. “On the other side of the big pillar, there is a set of doors that leads to the tavern. Anything else?”
“Nope. Thanks, Cici,” Liam said.
Just like last time, Cici watched the strange man walk away, though this time with a woman in tow. Compared to the previous conversation with him, her opinion toward Liam changed somewhat. Last time, he came across as a strange person new to the city. Now, he came across as a strange person that sought things without worrying about the people in his path. However, that red-eyed woman clung to him as though her life depended on it. It made Cici wonder what the woman saw in him.