Rex was a tall man borderline 6 foot 3 inches, he had brown hair, with light brown eyes accentuating his face and he was rather fair skinned and off a base assumption, he looked as if he was in his mid 20's. He was wearing a gray jacket, with a white shirt under, black jeans and some black boots.
Judging the man from the way he spoke before and staring at him assessing his looks, one thought came to his mind
Rex..............he looks and sounds like an asshole
He was still angry at the thought of the girl and needed a way to vent his anger and there this man was.
"So enlighten me, Mr. Rex, to what do I owe the pleasure of your unwanted visit?" he said with a half-smile on his face.
"Ohhhhh, seems we got a smartass over here huh, at least show some gratitude to the man that saved your life," Rex said with a serious demeanor
He was right, he shouldn't have addressed the man who saved his life in that manner and his sarcastic grin faded away and his face became serious.
"I'm sorr-"
"Don't get so serious all of a sudden, I was just fuckin with ya"
He was just fuckin with me?Fuckin with me............I really don't like him, but for now I'll have to hear him out.
"So I'll ask again, why are you here?
"I just wished to see how my patient was doing, your fight was really a spectacle, for someone who isn't able to use magic, you can't use magic whatsoever can you?"
This isn't any of his business but I'll humor him.
"To be honest, I've never tried to use magic so I'm unsure if I can"
"Makes sense, maybe that's one of the reasons why you lost the fight...."
"But I didn't lose the fig-"
"You're wrong kiddo, the minute you chose not to kill her you lost the fight, and this is your punishment for that"
The boy lost his composure at those words and began to grin.
"You intentionally trying to piss me off cunt?"
"I see you know some big words there boy"
"You'll learn some more if you keep talking like that"
"Well then..................."
"I'll ask again, what's your real reason for being here"
"Can't fool you huh, I've been assigned to watch over you for the year"
He really didn't like Rex.
"Ahhhhhh, so you're Ikko's bitch huh" the boy stated.
"I'll have you know, I'm not a guard or Ikko's "bitch", I was in Kólasi on business, and thought I would watch a fight in the pit, but then you made that dumbass deal with your pathetic ass and Ikko hired me that moment, I'm a mercenary who hails from the Thirío association" Rex stated with a calm demeanor
"Still a bitch in my opinion"
"You little motherf-"
"Oooooo sorry, did I hit a nerve?"
"I'll let it slide, but how about we get along for the year before I kill you before you get free"
"Do whatever you want"
Rex soon walked away after that, and did not return until the next day.
The boy understood what Ikko meant when he said this place was hell, the extreme temperatures in the well accompanied by the lack of food and water and being bound with no significant range of movement. With all of those things combined, this place was hell on earth.
Time felt as it was moving slower and slower each day and a week in the well felt like that of a month. Rex would come each day and deliver the food and just sit atop the well without muttering a single word, staring at the boy until the day would end. It was slightly creepy, but the boy understood that he was doing his job and in the end, he was a prisoner after all.
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It was the afternoon of the last day of the second week in the well and he couldn't stand it anymore, but it was his decision and he had to live by the choice he made.
He needed to find some way to pass the time and since Rex was always there, he decided it would be best to talk his way into passing the time.
"Yo man, I'm sorry about before"
Rex stared at him for a delayed period of time and then began to speak.
"Damn, was it so hard to apologize, first time I've given the silent treatment to someone that long, everything's water under the bridge now man" with a big ass smile on his face.
Silent treatment?Is he for real?
"So can I ask you a question?"
"Sure"
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"You said that you were a mercenary right, so that means you travel around the world right?"
"Yea, I do as the job dictates"
"How is the world outside Kólasi and Mephisto?"
"You've never been outside those 2 places?"
"No"
"Forgive me, but I've forgotten to ask an important question. what's your name boy?"
"I never received one"
"What do you mean you never received one, I'm sure your parents gave you one?"
"No, they didn't, I was an outcast even to them and they sold me to a slave trader and here I am"
"I'm sorry to hear that, forgive me for asking this too, but those scars on your ba-"
"They're from my parents"
The atmosphere around them became tense and an air of sadness could be felt from the boy.
From his parents he says, he probably never even had a childhood to begin with.
Rex stared up at the sun and the birds flying and then returned to the conversation. The thought of a child's own parent's doing something like that made him sad.
"Well back to the question you asked me before, the world is huge, filled with monsters of all sorts and huge beautiful kingdoms and people. If you've only been to Mephisto and Kólasi the world will shock you, places like this are but a speck in the world"
"Ah ok................ thank you but I hope I'm not bothering you or anything by asking you things"
"Nah, it really isn't a problem, it's better than staring at you all day anyways"
Before he knew it, it was time for Rex to go.
"I have to go now, but I've decided, starting from tomorrow I'll teach you about things of the world," Rex stated whilst walking away.
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Before he knew it, 2 months had passed since that day, Rex came every single day and informed him about various things happening in the world and told him stories of monsters, kings, the rise and fall of various empires and of adventures he had been on.
He was slightly elated, outside of Jason's family, he had acquaintances, but not any friends. Rex wasn't obligated to speak to him yet he still chose to. When he spoke to Rex he felt oddly calm and they developed a special bond over time similar to that of brothers.
They would bicker and fight on a daily basis like any other siblings.
Rex even offered to free the boy and let him escape, but he refused the offer as he said he was a man who stood by his word, it was something that was to be respected.
The boy told Rex everything that had happened in his life until this point and Rex was genuinely shocked but was also glad at the way event's transpired leading to the boy having a home to return to, although he wished to show the boy sympathy, he could tell the boy wasn't the kind to take it as any normal person would and would most likely get angry over it.
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One day Rex sat at the top of the well with the boy sitting at the bottom, both men staring into the clear blue sky with clouds moving, it was serene and although they didn't speak, the day passed by quickly and evening soon approached. Maybe the boy hadn't noticed it, but Rex was staying longer and longer each day at the well.
Then Rex broke the silence.
"You know you remind me alot of myself in my earlier years, we both experienced great tragedies, I've never told anyone this but when I was younger, my family was slaughtered and I witnessed it all hiding behind a tree in the woods, then a stranger saved me and took me in, he thought that I should've been given a fresh start and with that he gave me this name, my original name was Gudrun Hilde but I stopped using it so many years ago, when I became a new man"
"Thanks for telling me, I had no idea you had been through something like that"
"I just feel comfortable around you, I believe you should be given a fresh start and explore the world just like how I was given a chance "
"I would like to do that, but I have a place to return to after I'm done serving my time in here"
"You're right about that, but that place isn't going anywhere, so it would be a good idea to take a journey, you never know, you might find a purpose and something you love doing"
Cornelius often told me that he would support me in anything I wished, it may not be a bad idea to take a journey.
"You're right Rex, I feel I might just do that"
Rex went dead silent for a moment.
"Just as how I have been given this name to signal the birth of a new man, when your time in this shithole is over, I'll pass it to you as my legacy"
"What are you saying Rex"
"I think it was about time I retired from this kind of life"
"You're only in your 20's though, well from what I assume"
"20's.....................if only...................HAHAHAHA" he said with a laughter with a subtle hint of sadness which could be seen in his eyes.
What did he mean by "if only"
"Come to think of it, how old are you boy?"
"19"
"Wow you're 19, you're an old man, it would explain why you're so salty all the time," Rex said joking
"Shut the fuck up you bastard" the boy responded laughing.
"You know in the tribe I was from in my village, when we turned 18, we were given tattoos to signal our ascension from boy to man"
"Tattoo?"
"You don't know what a tattoo is huh, well in the world you rarely see them, majority of people who have them come from a tribe, it's basically a symbol or words embedded into the skin"
"Ah, that's pretty cool"
"Since you've made that ascension, if you want, I can do some for you, they might not be tribal though"
"Really? well if it's not a problem for you, I don't have a problem"
What Rex failed to mention, was that tattoos hurt like a bitch.
"I'll be back in a little," he said as he walked away
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After around an hour, he returned. He took a piece of rope, tied it to a tree and descended down the well.
He pulled out a small sachet and water bottle he had tied around his waist and took out a small little bowl, a piece of charcoal, a pomelo thorn, a bamboo stick, a knife and a small piece of wood from the sachet.
"Ok, so now that I think about it, I can't do any tribal symbols all that well, but I can do wording pretty well"
"Ah ok I guess it isn't really a problem, so what do I have to do now?"
"Show me the right side of your chest and the inner part of your right arm"
Rex began to crush the charcoal and mixed it with some water into the bowl.
After he was done mixing, he took a piece of cloth and wet it with some water and wiped the areas thoroughly to ensure they were clean.
Using the knife, he bore a hole into the bamboo stick and placed the pomelo thorn into the groove.
"I forgot to tell you, it'll pain a bit but just endure it" Rex stated with a slight grin on his face.
"Ok" the boy responded
He carefully positioned himself by the boy and began to work starting from the right side of the chest to the left. He hit the bamboo stick using the wooden stick with enough force for the pomelo thorn to penetrate the dermis of the skin and repeated the action.
"The pain is similar to that of a wasp's sting," the boy said.
"Ah yea" Rex responded
After around 20 minutes, he was finished with the first tattoo on the boy's chest, it extended around 4 inches on the upper part of the right side of his chest and it read the words "Deum Interficientis".
The tattoo was a consistent source of pain and could be seen on his face a little bit.
He soon began to work on the second tattoo on the inner part of the boy's right arm.
This time he took around 40 minutes and he was done. This one, however, was not readable to the boy.
Thank god we're done now, but I don't understand this one.
On his arm was marked " μεγαλείο σε όλο της το μεγαλείο".
"What is this one?" the boy asked
"It's from a language long forgotten, it's pronounced "megaleío se ólo tis to megaleío", these 2 tattoos are one of my gifts to you and they will be with you forever" Rex replied
The boy did not even question what these words meant, it was a gift from a friend and that was all he needed to know.
"Thanks alot Rex" the boy said with a look of gratitude on his face
"It's no problem, but I gotta get going" Rex responded smiling big.
After he was finished packing up his utensils, he climbed back up the rope and just stared at the boy upon his ascension to the top of the well.
"I'll be gone for the next 2 weeks, I have some matters to attend to, sorry for leaving you hanging like this"
"You know you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, you're not obligated to tell me everything you're gonna do you know"
"Yea but I don't wanna be an asshole right now, so I just thought I would give you a heads up, after all you are my bitch and all" Rex said laughingly
"Dumbass"
"Moron"
"Fucktard"
"That's enough, I gotta get going, see you in 2 weeks"