“...Is this a cannibal infected city? I think somebody is looking down on me merely because my odor has been tamed...”, Thalgar growled, not pleased at the stares he was getting from some of the ladies nearby.
William trudged back and commented, “It’s apparently because they are running short on men in this place… So, don’t mind their stares too much, okay?”. Thalgar squinted his eyes, ready to be distracted by the first dish they were going to be served, which was: Roasted goose, smeared in garlic and dried cherry.
“Ah!”, Thalgar exclaimed as he cracked a blinding smile that spread from ear to ear. It was true happiness he experienced that moment he dug into the dribbly meat. William couldn’t help but stare at this phenomenon that was called: Thalgar + Delicious food = The ultimate happiness explosion.
To think that they were only a few weeks ago about to slit each others' throats. But now? He felt safe enough to dare ask, “Hey, Thalgar… Didn’t you say at some point that you needed mine and Lucifer’s energy to create peace between your own or something?”. Thalgar didn’t hear him amidst his chewing. But William had patience as the man's reply could be quite enlightening.
It could, for example, explain why Thalgar grew an extra limb? And perhaps it could also shed some light on what the original Thalgar's true motives had been toward the protagonist? Motives, that to the reader of the authentic story, appeared to be so innocent at first...
Thalgar gulped down a glass of watered-down ale before he continued to wolf down his meal. Once his tray only consisted of leftover bones, another came to interrupt. It was one of Thalgar’s more brazen admirers, who had their determination shooting through the roof.
Once she managed to reach their table unhindered, some of her friends also decided to slowly creep over. The lady blessed Thalgar with a mild smile before she said, “Are you guys from town? Or perhaps travelers?... Well, as long as you're not bandits, I’ll gladly bid you welcome”, she giggled with a wink. “Brave and bold men are so hard to find these days. But here we have one who dares shave his head bald. Are you not afraid that the guards will mistake you for a missed straggler? But then again, your noble features explains it all…”, she ended her flirt in a dreaming daze.
Her female companions snickered nervously in the background, bashfully agreeing to her every word. At first, William found their company a little annoying, and yet he couldn’t help but find their coy flirting kind of cute. The unabashed woman, silently began to twirl her hair before she formally introduced herself, “ Oh, how could I forget my manners? My name’s Madeline? What’s yours?”.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The young woman held out her hand for Thalgar to shake but he was in no mood to comply. William found it painful to watch Thalgar’s dismissal of her gesture thus he reprimanded the guy, telling him, “... Don’t leave her hanging, Thalgar? If somebody holds out their hand: You shake it”. Thalgar huffed and glared at her hand.
There was something about her long fingernails that he didn’t like. His refusal went on for another 5 awkward seconds before he finally caved in under the pressure and shook her tiny palm with force. Madeline grimaced from the rough handshake and punctured her nails into the other's skin, rightfully so due to the pain. Thalgar quickly withdrew his hand, inspecting the small red marks, and grinned, “How pathetic”, as a way to brutally diss Madeline for not being able to handle what she had asked for.
“Coming thru, ladies, coming thru!”, the waiter warned as he tried to serve yet another dish to the table.
Madeline caressed her hand a bit sullen but quickly recovered. With a small nod, she asked permission to sit at their table. Not before long, all four females were crowding Thalgar’s end, which made William snicker to himself in secret as he hid behind his palm. There was just something hilarious about watching Thalgar trying to eat as girls were fawning over him left and right.
Unbeknownst to the immature William, these ladies had more tricks up their sleeve than just spilling sweetness into their recipients' ear. One, who had just introduced herself as Canola had inched herself close enough to touch shoulders with her newfound idol, while Madeline was a step ahead, sliding up her hand on Thalgar’s thigh.
He was in the midst of helping himself to another bite when he felt the foreign touch and it drove him beyond mad. Besides, Madeline’s hand wasn’t the only thing that was out of place. The man’s salted chicken leg dropped from his grasp and once it landed on his plate, all hell broke loose.
In a snap, his hand went down to find Madeline’s. He forced it up to his face and inspected it for a second as his expression gradually grew more savage. Madeline stuttered, guilty and afraid of a man that didn’t fancy her approach, “Is s-s-something wrong?", she asked.
William was startled to see Thalgar fetch her hand from down there, and he understood that help was needed to reduce the tension, but he didn’t get far. Not even a sound managed to escape his lips before Madeline’s delicate palm was shattered into hundreds of pieces.
The poor woman screamed and sprawled backward on the ground. Shortly after she fainted, causing a minor panic to stir throughout the inn. The barkeeper ran over to help the fallen woman, while guests steadily fled the location, afraid to be involved in the rising trouble.
Amidst this panic, William kept his focus on Thalgar, asking the other bewildered after a few deep inhalations, “What happened!?”. Thalgar clenched the hand Madeline had touched with her extended nails before he explained, “She pricked me…”. William gaped wide, “So what? What’s the big deal!?”.
Thalgar shook his head, “No… Poison… She pricked me with poison…”.
William temporarily blanked out for even as a bonded person poison was not a laughing matter…