Arc 1: From the Ashes
Chapter 4: A Trip to the Market (Ash POV)
The man finished cooking and placed a spoon and a glass of water in front of me. Doing the same for him, he went back to the small kitchen and poured two bowls of soup and cut some bread. When he returned to the table, he slid one bowl over to me.
Sitting down across from me, the man began to eat. I glanced down at the food he set in front of me, a bowl of creamy chowder. Though I had watched him cook it, I eyed the food with suspicion. “Eat.” The man said between mouthfuls of chowder.
I looked back down at the hearty chowder as my stomach grumbled. I hesitatingly reached for my spoon and, while struggling, scooped a spoonful into my mouth. The hearty broth warmed my tiny body, and I began shoveling more into my mouth. This was the best food I had ever had in my life, not that there was much competition.
The man chuckled at my messy eating before continuing his own meal, much more elegantly than me. Eventually, he spoke up. “My name is Gregory Neodyn. What’s your name kid?” I stopped scarfing the food down and took a moment to respond. During my three years in prison, I had finally learned how to speak somewhat, though my skills were lacking. After gathering my thoughts, I stuttered. “A-Ash.”
*****
“Ash…” Gregory mused. “What a fitting name. Well then Ash, once you finish place your dishes by the sink and go wash up in the bathroom. I think you’ll be able to figure out how to.” I nodded in response and once I finished, I did what I was told.
After entering the bathroom, I shut the door behind me and took off the small rag that had been my clothing. Fenagling with the two silver knobs, a stream of water cascaded from a bell above the tub. I stepped in and cleansed my body of the grime that had built up for the past four years.
*****
I peeked out from behind the curtain to see that a towel and a large shirt had been laid out for me. Using the towel, I began drying myself off before spotting a mirror behind the door and two dark blue eyes gazing back at me.
My skin was a deathly pale color and dark gray locks draped from my head. Cuts and bruises littered my body like polka dots. Swiveling around and looking at my backside and I spotted a strange perfect circle between my shoulder blades. Though it looked like a birthmark, its placement and markings that formed it made me think otherwise. Sighing, I shuffled the shirt over my head. This was a mystery for another day.
Walking out of the bathroom, I spotted Gregory at the table reading a book. He glanced up at me with a look of satisfaction before returning to reading. “You look clean. Unfortunately, I was not expecting company, so I didn’t have clothes that fit you, but I was able to clean the second bedroom to your right. Go get some sleep.” I nodded and began walking through the doorway to the bedroom before turning around. “Thh- Thank you.” I was able to mumble. Gregory looked up at me once more before shooting me a warm smile. I walked into the bedroom and quietly closed the door.
On the left side of the wall, I spotted a switch like the one Gregory had flipped earlier in the hall. I flicked it and light came from above. The room was simple but homey; a bed with dark blue covers rested in the farthest most corner from the door, and shelves and dressers decorated the room. Turning off the light, I stumbled my way into the bed and hesitatingly pulled the sheets over me. It was so warm and so comfortable, unlike the cold hard floors of the dungeon.
I thought over the events of today. I didn’t completely trust Gregory yet, but so far, he had been kind to me. I was lucky that I was taken in by a person like him and not someone else. My mind continued to meander through memories before the allure of sleep started to tug at my eyelids. Though I had plenty of questions that I wanted answers for, for now, the depths of slumber pulled me into the best sleep of my life.
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*****
Life with Gregory was anything but boring. For the next few days, Gregory set me to work doing chores, but it was a learning experience for both of us. I learned how to cook and do laundry, and Gregory realized very quickly that maybe those weren’t my strong suits. Eventually, Gregory decided to give up on those two chores and instead, told me to clean the house and take out the trash. Fortunately, besides the occasional tripping-and-throwing-trash-everywhere (I’m like, three feet tall give me a break), I was able to manage my new chores just splendidly.
*****
As the end of the second week of living here neared, I still did not have any clothes that fit me. Thus, Gregory decided to take me shopping. Hopping in the strange gray vehicle (which I now know is called a car), we drove towards the ruins of the city nearby. As we approached, I was able to make out a small marketplace in the shadow of the crumbling skyscrapers, as if a civilization had been erected from the ashes of an old one.
After parking the car, I held Gregory’s hand as we walked through the stalls; my oversized shirt dragging along the ground. The sky was clear and light blue, and a bright orb hung in the sky. Though I had never seen it before, I had heard stories about the thing known as the sun, a bright ball that illuminated the world during the day, so I assumed it must be that.
As I looked closer at the sun though, I realized it wasn’t a full circle. Parts of it had been broken off and floated around it. I felt a hand gently grab my head and tilted it downwards. “Don’t stare at the sun it’s bad for your eyes.” Gregory chided. He had become more protective of me over the last few weeks and often criticized me when I did something incorrectly or was just stupid. We continued walking down the bustling streets.
Turning my attention away from the sun, my eyes drifted around the crowded marketplace and noticed the variety of other people here. I had only ever seen humans before, but there was plenty of other races here. Some people had pointed ears, some had gills, others weren’t even humanoid. Despite the differences though, no one seemed to mind, or care, as they went about their days.
Walking further into the marketplace, larger, more permanent shops started to appear. They hosted much larger collections of items, and one shop in particular caught my eye. Wands and books were displayed in the window, and in the background potions and miscellaneous items adorned the shelves. My walking slowed down to an amble as I continued to eye its contents, but Gregory pulled me out of my trance, dragging me to another nearby store. “Dang,” I mumbled. I would have to come back some other time.
*****
By the time we had gotten out of the store with our bags of clothes, the broken sun had begun to set. Gregory handed a bag to me as I began to marvel at the sky, which had turned to a brilliant shade of purple and red. I continued to stare at it, entranced by the colors. Then in the midst of my admiration, I was tackled in the side and thrown over someone’s shoulder.
What the heck?? I looked to the head next to me to see that it wasn’t Gregory. It was a man dressed in dark clothing and a cap covered his head from my view. “Le- Let go!” I exclaimed. The man didn’t listen as he continued to run through the less crowded streets and alleyways. “Hey!”
“Shut it, kid.” The man snapped. I tried squirming out of his grip, but the man held fast as he continued trekking through the buildings. I looked back to see a sprinting Gregory gaining on my kidnapper. “Holy sh*t he’s fast.” My kidnapper cursed.
The chase continued as the man kept running and running, but finally, we stopped. I looked and gleefully realized; the idiot had run into a dead end. “Ha! Serves him right.” I thought smugly. Switching his grip on me so he was holding me under his arm, we turned to face a very angry Gregory. “Let go of the kid.”
“Hmm, how about, I don’t.” The man countered. In his free hand, the man pulled out a knife and muttered a chant. “[Enhance]”. The blade began to emit a light orange flame. Crap. He was a mage.
I looked back at Gregory who sighed and placed the bags of clothes on the ground. (he had carried them all the way here?) “Just give me the kid back.” Gregory began walking towards the man in a very composed manner. My captor hesitated, and slowly began backing up. Glancing back at his face though, he didn’t look scared. That’s strange? I followed the gaze of my kidnapper with my eyes before spotting a figure on the roof, but it was too late. Time slowed as I looked back to see a massive chunk of rubble falling from the roof, directly on top of Gregory.