Multiple things were making it obvious to Liam that the man in front of him was no ordinary mortal.

For one, the man looked like the exact replica of a statute. His chin was strong and chiseled. His body bulged with an amount of muscles that bordered on ridiculousness. His clothes were richer and cleaner than they had any right to be in these parts of town, and even though he wasn’t much taller than Liam, he made him feel like a little child.

Then there was the fact that only the man and Liam were there, almost as if in their own private sphere. They still stood in the same small alley, there still was the typical stench of Charville drifting through the air, but the whole world around them was paused in time. The other people in the alley had stopped mid-motion, even the nobleman’s sneer was frozen on his face.

It was neither of these things though that convinced Liam of the fact he stood right in front of a divine being. No, the main reason was the fact that while he looked down at his stomach he could still very clearly see his wound. A fist-sized hole exposed his intestines. It had suddenly stopped bleeding, and the pain that had threatened to make him faint just a second ago was suddenly gone. In fact, Liam felt surprisingly clear-headed considering his condition.

Liam eyed the man in front of him warily. There was no question that the man in front of him was a god. The question was what a god wanted from him and how he had ended up in this unwanted encounter.

He had quite an idea where his day had gone wrong.

—--------------

Liam swung open the shabby wooden door and stepped from the dark into the dimly light interior of the bar. The stench of ale and body odor immediately greeted him. The furnishing was sparse, and the tavern reminded Liam more of a dusty cellar than a real bar.

A rough-looking group of people sat to the side of the bar, giving him unwelcome glares and murmuring to themselves.

Liam was unperturbed though. He strode straight towards the bar.

“What are you doing back here already?” The man at the counter smiled self-satisfied. “Was the job too difficult for you?”

The first time Liam had met with the man he had already been surprised how much filth a man could ooze off just by talking. Now, not even a week later, he found himself stumped again. He reminded himself to hold his breath while the man spoke.

Liam let a small sack slump on the wooden counter.

The man’s eyes widened and his smile slowly vanished as he looked through the contents of the sack. Precious silverware, forks, spoons, knives, and all the sort of fine cutlery that Charville nobility used to eat with. It was an impressive haul.

“How did you get that so quickly?” The man squinted at Liam suspiciously.

Liam shrugged. “Just went in there and got it.”

The reality was rather that Liam had found a well-off merchant who specialized in these sorts of nobility dining goods. After observing that the man never locked his backdoor, getting in and snatching some stuff had been easy. Of course, anything was easy compared to getting this cutlery from the real nobility. That would’ve been utmost foolishness.

The man took out a piece of cutlery and inspected it in the light. After ensuring that the fork was correctly engraved, he put it through a small number of tests before putting it down with a satisfied nod.

He hesitated briefly, his eyes darting between Liam, the bag, and the other guests. “Well… I hadn’t expected you back here that shortly. Let me check if your… money… is there already.” The man grabbed the sack and made to vanish through the door behind the bar.

“Wait,” Liam interrupted him. “Leave the sack.”

The man hesitated but put the sack down eventually. “Sure. Didn’t mean to take it.” He mumbled and then was swallowed by the door.

The barkeeper, all throughout their exchange, had been very intently not listening, instead polishing glass after glass. Liam could see in his way of intently not listening, that the man was a professional.

“Could I get an ale?” Liam asked.

The man raised an eyebrow. “Are you even old enough to drink yet boy?”

“I’m old enough to do his jobs, am I not?” Actually, Liam had just passed his twentieth year, but with his young looks and slender frame, he appeared younger. A fact that he hated.

The man shrugged. “Sure, not my problem.” He slid a cup over the counter. “Will be a copper piece.”

Liam nodded and put down the money. After pocketing it quickly, the bartender turned away, clearly intent on having as little to do with Liam as possible.

While he was waiting Liam took in the environment around him. The bar was even more run down than expected. There were signs of mold on the dark walls, and the small window slits next to the door were definitely neither enough to let in some natural light, nor some fresh air.

There was one big real window next to the door, but it was barred with wooden planks. Probably because of some trouble the innkeeper had. Establishments that dealt with the sort of delicacies that this one did were often prone to be under the wrath of other establishments that also dealt with said delicacies.

Liam mused his ale. It was stale and tasted more akin to salty water than proper ale. To distract himself he tried to listen into the conversation of the men to his right. He didn’t get very far though, as the door to the back of the bar was swung open again.

The man stepped back out from the back of the tavern. Liam was relieved. This place gave him chills down his back, and the musty air was hard to breathe.

His relief was short-lived lived though, as two men stepped out from the back of the bar after the man.

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One of them was a hulking giant of a man. He was all meat and had a face that even a mother would have a hard time loving. His shadow almost cast over the whole inn and Liam wondered how he had even managed to squeeze through the door.

It was the man next to him though that made Liam's blood freeze, the man that Liam least hoped to see. He was almost two heads shorter than his companion, but his crooked smile sent chills down Liam's spine and every instinct screamed that he was dangerous. It was David.

“David,” Liam faked cheerfulness. “So good to see you. What do I owe the honor to?”

“Liam.” David spread his arms and walked towards him. “It’s good to see you.”

The hulking man suddenly stood behind Liam, directly between him and the door. How could this giant move so silently, Liam thought.

“Well, it was time we discussed your debts a little.”

“I have just done this job to settle a bit. I wanted to bring you half of it.”

“Oh yes yes, I’m quite sure of that, don't worry. In fact, I already took the liberty of claiming all of your payment. It covers at least a little.”

“Are you here to hurt me?”

He laughed. “No, not to hurt you. Just to have a little word.”

The man behind Liam cracked his neck. It sounded like someone had beheaded a chicken.

“You know I’m tired of waiting for my money. You're lucky this payment has come out rather well. I was planning to have Luke here hurt you a little. But you see that I’m an honest man surely. I give you a week to square up with me. Otherwise me and Luke will find you again.”

Luke went forward and drove his fist into Liam's abdomen. He doubled over in pain and was consecutively grabbed by Luke on his neck and carried out of the bar like a child. He was consecutively thrown into the dirt.

“Now get out of my sight,” David screamed from inside.

Not seeing any reason to stay and argue, not that he had the breath for that right now, Liam did just that.

He continued to walk, waiting for his somber mood to pass. Liam had been aware David might’ve been looking for him, but he had hoped the man would let bygones be bygones. Then again, Liam still owed him quite a sum of money. Money he didn’t have of course, which is why he had to take on those odd jobs. That part at least was true.

The part that wasn’t true though, was the pat about Liam planning to give David the money. In fact, Liam would’ve been quite content had he never seen the man again.

-------------------------------------------------

Lost in thought, Liam’s feet carried him through one of the seedier parts of town. The parts where even Liam had to keep a hand on his pockets and his eyes on the back of his head

A bunch of women stood on the side of the streets, busy making their career in the oldest profession. One of them looked particularly young, young enough that Liam had a small pang in his heart. She looked like someone he once knew. Someone he didn’t like to think about.

Liam wanted to continue walking at a brisker pace when his attention was drawn to a surprisingly well-dressed man strolling along the street. He was dressed richly enough to stand out in a crowd like this. He sneered down his nose as if he owned the whole street and found it as of now, and reasonably so, somewhat of a disappointment.

That look was unmistakable. Liam immediately darted to one of the alleys to the side, hiding in the shadows of a nearby building.

He had had enough trouble this day already and could do fine without catching the irrational ire of a nobleman. People quickly followed suit. Some darted away, others simply stepped back and kept their eyes to the ground, careful to avoid the man as best as they could.

Noble people were like thunderstorms, a thing to behold and see, but best not to get in the way of. Ill fate befell people who rubbed off on nobles the wrong way, sometimes in not-so-indirect manners. They were the ones ruling the city after all, and commoners were a mere nuisance to them.

The man’s eyes gazed over the handful of women standing on the side of the streets. There was predatorial lust in them. Liam had to suppress a shiver. They settled on the young girl Liam had seen earlier, and without hesitation, he steered straight towards her.

She hadn’t seen the man approach until it was too late, and now he engaged her in a conversation of hushed whispers. It was too quiet for Liam to understand, but he could read it on her face that she clearly didn’t enjoy the conversation. It was best to simply give in to nobles, though Liam understood how difficult it could be.

He said something, presumably nasty judging by the smile on his face, to which her expression turned into utter horror.

Suddenly his hand was on her arm, gripping her tightly. There was a pained expression on her face, and the noble increased the intensity of his talking. She tried to drag herself away from the noble, but his arm held her in place like an iron shackle.

The nobleman's expression started to darken, and he dragged the girl towards a small alley next to Liam. It was clear she wasn’t very keen on that.

Liam ducked a little deeper into the shadows until they had rounded the corner and were out of sight. He knew he should leave now, while there was no chance the noble would walk into him, but he found his legs unable to move.

A loud slam was heard, followed by a whimmering, and a quiet call for help.

Liam knew he shouldn’t get involved. He knew he couldn’t do anything against a nobleman. Not without risking his life. He had ignored his fair share of cries for help before, even if he was ashamed to admit it.

But he was fed up. Whether it was because his mood was still soured by his unwanted meeting with David, or because the situation hit a little too close to home for Liam he wasn’t sure, but he suddenly felt a fire within him.

He looked around. All the people were still drawn away. He couldn’t hope for guards to come. They wouldn’t help, or at least they wouldn’t help the side of the girl. They were too deep into the nobleman's pockets.

Before he knew better, he suddenly walked right up to the alley where the two had vanished, his feet carrying him on their own accord.

The alley was small and narrow, ending in a dead end not too far away where a five-meter tall wall rose between houses. It was deserted except for the man and the girl. The noble had her pressured against the wall. Her face was full of fear as she was trying to cower as far away from the man as possible.

An inexplicable hot rage gripped Liam, and he acted before he thought,

“Stop that,” Liam said, stepping into the alley.

He couldn’t believe he was doing this. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt his palms getting sweaty.

The nobleman turned warily towards him, and then taking in Liam's appearance, his eyes sprinkled in disbelief. “What do you want, boy?”

“Listen,” Liam said, stepping forward with his hands raised. “I want us to just all be on our way again. I don’t think we have to-”

“Did I say you could talk?!” The man almost screamed. “Folk like you should know their place. It's disgusting to see how people like you just don’t know their manners. Don’t you recognize superiority when you see it?”

There was madness in his eyes as he took a menacing step forward. Liam's heart started beating faster and his eyes darted over the alley. What could he do?

Luckily the girl was smart. She chose that exact moment to bolt, darting through the alley behind the man while he wasn’t looking.

She almost made it halfway out before the man suddenly turned into a blur. He moved fast as lightning and appeared next to the girl. The noble lashed out at her, and the girl was sent crashing into the wall. She landed with a sickening crunch. Then the man slowly turned his attention back towards Liam.

Liam cursed inwardly. There was no way that man could move so inhumanly fast without being blessed by a god. He had divine powers.

“Look what you just made me do boy,” the man said, his voice rising in anger. Before Liam could even blink the man stood in front of him. He picked him up by the collar of his shirt and threw him against the wall with surprising ease.

Liam crashed against it and slumped to the floor. Stars danced in his vision and he felt dizzy as his world started spinning. He fought his way to his feet, but the man was there again.

Before Liam knew what was happening, a stark pain erupted from his abdomen.

Liam looked down in shock. Surprised at seeing the nobleman's fists dripping in dark red blood, where his stomach should be.

The man withdrew his hand and stepped away. Liam felt very weak all of a sudden, and stumbled a few steps, leaning against the wall for support.

His vision started to blur. All he could see was the satisfied smirk the noble wore and the pleasure he carried in watching Liam struggle.

Then the world suddenly froze.