Chapter 2 – The Blues
Two weeks after George left, I’ve been pushing myself while following his routine every day. In my old world, I would give my muscles time to heal because working out every day could be counter-productive however the consolidation exercise interestingly seems to accelerate the healing of muscles and strengthens them faster, so I can go above and beyond what a typical six year old can do.
Finishing an intense stat workout, I sit on the grass and practice consolidation for a few hours, when out of nowhere two small windows, like my stat window appears in my mind.
Agility increased by 1!
Skill [Consolidation] gained!
Curious, I mentally open my stat window and see the new skill, focusing on it I see extra details.
[Consolidation] – Wash mana over your body to improve attributes.
“Yes!” I shout enthusiastically, drawing the attention of the kids around me. I didn’t notice a sudden increase in agility, but I have certainly been getting faster and more flexible over the past two weeks, this is probably due to hidden decimal values for each attribute, so while it’s always increasing, I just cannot see the increase.
For another week I continue my routine until I get another pleasant surprise.
Skill [Dagger Mastery] lvl 1 Gained!
[Dagger Mastery] – Improves proficiency with a dagger or knife and attacks are 1% faster.
Hm, there are levels for this skill, and the improvement is rather menial, I suppose increasing its level will upgrade the skill.
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When George said he’d be back in about a month, I know expecting him to return after exactly a month was unrealistic, but after 3 months I can’t help but feel that my fears before he left were not unwarranted. Not to mention without his additional income, the kids have been struggling, we’re not going to die, but malnutrition is a valid concern now, I can’t help but feel the urge to seek George out, or possibly get a job of my own.
On a positive note, my training has been fruitful, at least I’d like to think so, I can’t exactly compare my performance to other people. It has been incredibly rewarding seeing my stats increase and feeling a tangible increase in my power.
Strength increased by 1!
Endurance increased by 2!
Dexterity increased by 1!
Agility increased by 3!
Race: Human
Class: NONE
Level: 0
Health: 60/60
Mana: 0/0
Stamina: 50/50
Strength: 4
Endurance: 5
Vitality: 6
Dexterity: 5
Agility: 8
Perception: 7
Charisma: 10
Intelligence: 25
Wisdom: 4
Magic: 0
Skills: [Consolidation] [Dagger Mastery] lvl 1
Class Enhancements: NONE
My stats have increased beyond what I gained through training, this seems to be due to natural growth over the past year as I’m still a growing child. Unfortunately I’ve been unable to train perception as it’s simply not possible to train it in my current circumstances. Otherwise, my stats have increased substantially, particularly agility which I seem quite talented with, at a value of 8, the speed I can run is simply unbelievable at my age, I’m sure I can run as fast as some slower adults.
For the past month Mum has been bringing me along with her to the market to help her carry the food because my stats are now comparable to some of the older kids. This means I can finally explore, sort of, I can’t exactly run off and do whatever I want, I’m still forced to stick close to Mum lest she scold me.
Today as we walk through some random street, I notice a kid of about 12 years suspiciously trailing behind Mum for a moment, he then he turns away and walks off. Feeling hesitant while keeping an eye on him I ask, “Mum can you double check your coins.”
She nods, feeling around her pocket for a moment before paling, oh no! We can’t afford to lose that money, I immediately bolt after the kid.
Clearly the kid was paying attention to me, because as soon as I started running, he flees without a second of hesitation. Heh, he’s probably quite shocked someone my age can keep up, however he’s no slouch either, we’re about evenly matched in speed, so hopefully I have the superior endurance to wear him out.
As we weave through crowds and run through unfamiliar streets, I notice that the streets have been getting dingier and less crowded, with dilapidated buildings being the more prominent type of housing here, this is clearly the bad neighborhood of the ghetto, if that’s even possible. The kid runs into some dark and creepy alleyway where a group of thuggish looking men and women, mostly men, seem to be hanging out. This looks, unfavorable… There’s no backing out now though, we simply can’t be without the money. I feel for the sheathed dagger in my pocket that George gave to me for training, reassured I descend deeper into the abyss, well dingy alleyway.
The kid stops by the group, speaking some inaudible words causing the thugs to glare at me. I try to walk in with absolute confidence, yet internally I feel unbearably anxious as my heart thumps loudly against my chest.
“Well well well… what do we have here?” A man steps out from among the group, he may not be the tallest as a rather stocky fella, however his straight and confident posture suggests he doesn’t need to be the tallest to be the ‘biggest’ person in a room. His face is ruggedly handsome with a few light scars that don’t detract from his natural charisma, not what I’d expect from a random thug, wait maybe he isn’t a random thug! Paying closer attention, I notice that this man is wearing a rather exquisite black cloth tunic worn rather casually, moreover a tall lady with a stone-cold face is standing a step behind him, wearing a full brown leather outfit along with a sheathed blade dangling from her waist, the first sword I’ve seen.
Trying to come to a conclusion in a moment, I decide to play it safe and assume this man is a noble, I perform what I assume is a shoddy bow, “Milord.”
After a moment of silence, I peek up and notice the whole group is staring at me incredulously, the important man begins laughing uproariously “Bahahahaha, I like this one! Come, get up, there are no nobles here kid.”
The whole group, except the stone-cold lady joins in the laughter, yet even she looks mildly amused. Anxiety forgotten, my face feels red hot, I’m no doubt flushing immensely, after the laughter dies down the important man introduces himself “I’m Yusef, it’s a pleasure to meet you kid.”
Without thinking I react from the experience of my previous life and recompose myself, feigning confidence by standing up straight I introduce myself enthusiastically, “Fera, the pleasure is all mine!”
My introduction causes Yusef’s eyes to narrow as they become calculating while they assess me, then he grows amused as a smirk draws on his face. While learning imperial (the language spoken) I paid most attention to Mum and always tried to copy her as I was sure a nun would speak a more proper vernacular when compared to some orphan children. Unmistakably this caught the attention of Yusef, and why wouldn’t it, it’s not every day you meet some kid in the ghetto who speaks like a learned merchant’s daughter.
“Rod here took something that wasn’t his, didn’t he,” Yusef says as he turns to Rod, the thief, then demands “Give the money back to Fera, we’re not some petty thieves.”
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Rod walks to me and discontentedly hands the stolen change, I can’t help but scowl, this brat has the gall to steal from an old lady then gets mad about handing back the money, I would smack him if there wasn’t a group of people watching me.
“Now! Rod must face a punishment… Synthia!” Yusef calls, the lady behind him suddenly grabs Rod, “The punishment dealt to thieves by law is losing their dominant hand I believe.”
Rod starts begging “Oh god no, I’m sorry boss, please, god no!”
Synthia restrains Rod’s arm against the wall and draws her blade, I stare in increasingly rising horror as I realise what’s going on, impulsively I shout, “Stop! What the hell are you doing?”
Thankfully Yusef gestures Synthia to stop then speaks, “He stole from one of us, of course I’m going to punish him, the Blue gang must have order!”
Completely baffled and boiling in anger I shout heatedly “one of ‘us’? I’m not even part of your wretched gang! Just let the kid go!”
While walking up to me Yusef shakes his head, “You’re wrong I’m afraid, George works for us, and the orphanage benefits, so by extension you work for us too.”
How does he know who I am? Completely bewildered I yell, “That’s, that’s just ridiculous, you can’t just…”
My eyes go wide, realizing that I’m trying to argue with a gang leader of sorts, I begin to freeze, I could get myself killed! No amount of arguing will be able to reason with these buffoons, they’re bloody thugs, no matter how well they dress. Calming down I look at the crying mess of Rod, hesitating I then plead “At least spare his hand, he doesn’t deserve such a harsh punishment, mercy! Please!!”
“It’s not your punishment to decide I’m afraid,” Yusef says unapologetically, looking into my eyes intently, I slightly cower causing him to relent, he then says, “Very well, but just this once Fera, just keep in mind that weaklings don’t last long in our gang, or this world for that matter.”
With my head lowered I thank him, “Thank you, ahhh, Boss.”
Laughing he responds “Ha, you’re another George I tell ya, now off you go! This is no place for a little girl. One of my men will take you back to the orphanage, Harold! The orphanage, on Wattle Street.”
A man steps forward, tall and burly with a thick and unkempt beard, long dirty hair covers over his face, calling him a barbarian would not be inaccurate. We depart from the alleyway.
Feeling down after that encounter I intend on keeping to myself, also this Harold fella is quite intimidating. Unfortunately, he’s more boisterous that he looks, laughing he remarks, “Hahaha, you’re one brave little lassie!”
Confused I look towards him then tilt my head asking “Why’s that? I was scared out of my mind!”
Harold’s face transforms beneath his beard, going by his positive reply I assume he’s smiling, “Ha! Of course you were scared! But most kids would shit their pants when talking with Yusef the Spider, you held your own, it bloody well impressed me and the boys.”
I reflect on my interaction with Yusef, it makes sense that everyone would be impressed, I was far too scared to put on a childish act, so I may have come off as a little more mature than one would expect of a 6 year old, whether this will play in my favor is yet to be seen. Coming out of my musing I ask, “What’s with his nickname ‘the Spider’?”
Surprised Harold’s eyebrow raises, he responds, “I’m surprised you don’t know, don’t your parents tell you anything!? Not knowing who boss is could get you damn killed.”
Studying his face to see if he’s joking, I awkwardly say, “You’re aware that you’re taking me to an orphanage, right?”
Harold chuckles goofily, and replies without shame “Ha, yeah sorry, forgot bout that, well he goes by that name because while he isn’t as tough as the other ganger leaders in Vuta. he has a ‘web’ of connections with almost every major player who isn’t his enemy, and he leads the main information guild, so most call him the Spider.”
Hm, he deals with information, maybe that’s how he figured out who I was. We arrive at the orphanage, Harold’s jovial mood cheered me up somewhat, I happily say, “Thanks Harold, for being uhh nice, your personality really doesn’t match up with your appearance though.”
Harold grins, “Ha yeah, I get that a lot, until next time then.”
I wave, “Yeah, bye!”
Jeez what am I going to tell Mum.
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Another week later while training at the front I spot a silhouette of someone who can only be George, I shout excitedly “George!”
Running up to him I jump into his grasp and squeeze my little arms around him as hard as possible, “You idiot! Where were you?”
George pats my back then sighs, “Oh you know, here and there, hi by the way.”
We split from our hug, I can’t help but notice how George has changed, his face seems sterner and more mature, he starts, “You met Yusef and unsurprisingly caught his attention, I wanted to delay your meeting with the gang for as long as possible, but ah, such is life… Now we’ll have to leave.”
“What! Why?” I ask while looking at him accusingly.
George sighs again then continues, “Because you’re talented Fera, Yusef has an analyse skill that reveals a load of information about people, I’m sure you’ve already learnt consolidation, having that skill at six in the ghetto makes you a bloody genius I tell you, that’s not even mentioning your other quirks. People like Yusef thrive on snatching talents!”
I was holding in a smirk from the praise, but then the reality of the situation kills my mood a little, still a grin forms as I smugly say, “Heh, you should see my stats, I’ve been working hard while you were gone, I do need some help in training perception though.”
“Haha well, let’s go inside so I can explain your situation, a lot is looking to change in the not so distant future.” George says while walking inside. We take a seat across from each other at the table then George begins, “So, there’s a gang war going on in Vuta, our city. Most of it is going on in the commoner’s district, our part, the west side is run by the Blues and led by Yusef. The Blues are allied with the Wolves from the south, and are fighting the Reds over control for some merchant warehouses in the east, that’s where I was and why I couldn’t visit. I honestly didn’t expect for the fighting to last so long, as a matter of fact it’s still going on, I was only called here to pick you up and bring you to their headquarters.”
My face glowers slightly, I angrily say, “What on earth do they want with me, I can’t even do anything!”
George’s face saddens as he explains, “That’s the point, they want to train you to make you useful, that’s why I wanted to separate you from what’s going on out there!”
I calm down, so that’s why I’ve been left mostly clueless, Mum and George could see my potential and so they wanted to keep me safe. After a moment of collecting my thoughts I respond, “As long as you’re with me I don’t think it will be so bad! Not to mention that I do want to get stronger.”
Satisfied he energetically says “Good! I love the positivity, we’ll need to leave soon though, it’s not smart to keep these people waiting.”
Indeed, when he said we were leaving soon, he really meant it, after saying goodbye to Mum and the little ones we were already off to the headquarters. The area we arrived at was clearly superior to where the orphanage is situated. People have cleaner and neater clothing, the buildings are larger and properly maintained.
We arrive at a rather large wooden building, George knocks on the door, and a small door window slides open, a pair of shifty eyes look at George, recognising him the person opens the door. The interior looks luxurious yet overdone, with furniture practically filling every free space, I also notice a few thugs hanging about. We walk up a staircase then walk towards a door at the end of a hallway. A man stands guard in front of the door, George whispers something to him, the man to open the door, revealing a group of five intimidating people sitting around a long table, most notably Yusef who sits at the head of the table, and his guard Synthia who was seated near the head of the table. In addition to them there is a cloaked figure who has such a weak presence I barely notice their existence, an ugly scarred man in iron armor who reclines on comfortably on his chair, and an individual wearing expensive silken robes and a face with gentle features. All these people give off an intense pressure than makes me feel weak at the knees. Yesuf enthusiastically claps then greets me “If it isn’t Fera!”
I bow my head and address the room, “Sirs and miss.”
“Yesuf, when you said you found a talent, I wasn’t expecting some timid little girl, have your tastes truly become so depraved,” The ugly man mocks as he looks me over like some meat ready for the chopping board.
“Don’t think I’m unaware of your frivolities at Renna’s whorehouse,” Yesuf scoffs, causing the ugly man to scowl at Yesuf while he crosses his arms, Yesuf then explains to the room, “25 intelligence she has, that’s the bloody inherent intelligence of some imperial mages! Moreover she already has the consolidation skill at the meager age of six!”
The room drops into a sudden silence as everyone in the room focuses in on me, Yusef nods his head in self-satisfaction then studies me briefly, I can’t help but break into a cold sweat under his intense gaze, something doesn’t bode well, after a moment he speaks to the cloaked figure, “She already has an agility stat of 8… Shadow, I’m putting you in charge of Fera, don’t hold back, I want results, and fast.”
Shadow nods to him yet says nothing, Yusef then hollers, “Mila! Settle our guest in.”
A maid suddenly appears out of nowhere, grinning as she bows towards Yusef then gestures me to follow her as she leaves the room, George starts following when Yusef speaks, “George, you stay.”
George hesitates for a moment, then remains with a resigned look on his face, without thinking I protest, “Wait, but….”
A hand covers my mouth, I shuffle free and turn to look at the maid who then shakes her head in warning, dissatisfied I give George a quick glance who gives me a reassuring smile then I vacate the room.
Mila delivers me to my room then stations herself at the front. I can’t help but feel like I’ve just been imprisoned, moreover right after seeing George again we’re separated, does this god forsaken world despise me! I can’t stand this stupid gang anymore! They keep stealing George from me, the fuckers!... Wait I need to relax… There’s no need to have a breakdown, breath in, breath out, I continue my leveled breathing for a few minutes until finally calm down. That… Was too much pressure, I can’t help but feel in over my head!
I perform some consolidation to pass the time, while consolidation without any exercise is less efficient, it certainly provides minor benefits. 20 or so minutes later I hear a knock, opening the door I find George with his smiling smug face, growing teary I immediately hug him, “Oh George!”
“haha hey, I wasn’t gone that long was I? Don’t tell me you’re becoming one a possessive child,” he jokes while pushing me out of the hug.
I look at him with feign disapproval then invite him in. Inside George makes himself comfortable by reclining in one of the lounge chairs, seeing me look at him with an expression that demands an explanation, he sighs, “Haaaaa, you’re going to knock off a few years of my life I tell you, too serious all the time, give a man a break. Well, you’re not gonna like what I’m about to tell you.”
I can’t stop my expression from growing bleak, George continues, “Ummm so, as you probably already guessed, you’ll be remaining here to be trained by one of Yesuf’s underlings, that Shadow fella.”
My expression eases up, that’s not so bad, George suddenly breaks me from my thoughts, “And! I’ll be needed in the east side where the reds are, so I won’t be around for a long while, apparently this gang war is more ambitious than just a fight over some warehouses.”
My face drops again, I don’t say anything, I just stand there stupidly while glaring at him, then I snap at him, “That’s fucking bullshit! It’s unfair, so damn unfair, how can you be ok with this, it’s ridiculous. I don’t wanna be stuck here alone! I’m always alone!”
While shouting and rambling nonsense like a petulant child, George scoops me up into a hearty hug, I feel like crying again, but I stifle it to a meagre whimper, my behavior has gone far beyond what I’d deem acceptable for someone of my age, but I just get so bloody emotional all the time, I never used to be like this, not until I came to this world. I just feel so helpless all the time, I have no freedom to do anything, I’m constantly entrapped one way or another, but how? How do I free myself…? Breaking from the hug, my resolve hardens, I then loudly proclaim, “Power!”
George stares at me quizzically, “Power?”
“Yes! Power will free me from my perpetual prison!” I elaborate very seriously, while nodding to myself.
George, not taking the words of a child seriously regards me suspiciously “Rightttt? Well, break a leg, I look forward to seeing you next time with this, uhhhhh, power.”
Realising how ridiculous I must have sounded, I feel my face blushing, after a moment of regretting my outburst, I then bring George into yet another hug, so many hugs lately maybe this world does still love me! “Goodbye George, and please be safe.”
He flicks my head, just like the last time he left, causing my heart to ache, he laughs, “Ha, you’re so serious, we’ll still be in the same city, I’ll come around whenever I get the chance, see you around Fera!”
He then departs from my room, I loudly sigh then fall onto my bed, ruminating over the future, or lack of a future.