On his way of searching, Lear stumbled upon what seemed to be a young woman wearing a cloak. The hood covered her face so Lear couldn't make her features out, but the cloak itself was recognizable, oddly enough.

She exited the door of what seemed to be an apothecary and bowed her head in farewell.

She was being accosted by three rugged individuals, each one having their own rusted blades adorning their waist to threaten all who dared cross or disagree with them.

"Hey, don't you know that it's dangerous to be walking out here unprotected, young lady? How's about you come with us. We'll make sure no one harms you," they laughed, closing in on her.

The young lady's hand clenched, and she tried to escape them.

"No, I have to go somewhere, so please, step aside."

"Ah, well, we can't have that. For your own good, we'll have to put justice in our own hands. Thank us later."

One of the more bulky, muscular men took the young lady by the wrist and forcibly drew her towards him. She dropped the items in her basket to the ground and the sound of glass breaking was the only thing that could be heard from it.

She let out a shrill yell, and her hood came off, revealing a pure, gentle and kind maiden that reminded Lear of a certain someone. Her long, golden hair that  went along her back was tied. Her image complemented her fair skin. Lear thought that it would have been natural to be drawn in by someone like that, but he shook his head and quickly ran towards them, carefully assessing every option to take.

"Let her go!" he demanded, drawing his sword.

Lear thought back on Valm's words and did not hesitate to pull out his sword. Against people like them who commit crime even in broad daylight fear no authority to hold them down. No trace of hesitation made him unable to pull his sword, and that feeling alone became natural, even though the life of someone weighed on his hands, he thought. He knew all too well the mind of a criminal, but not one who acts upon crimes involving taking someone else's life.

"Who the hell are you?"

"That doesn't matter. Let her go, now!"

"Oh, acting pretty high and mighty just because a sword's standing in front of you? Well bad news, kid. There's three of us, and just one of you. Now, how about you just run along and pretend like you never saw anything. It'll be for your own good, kid, trust me. Besides, we're just trying to help her out. People like you might come up and just rob her, isn't that right?" he asked his victim, whom he drew closer and tighter. Her mouth had been covered with his hands to prevent her voice from pouring out, so her eyes did the talking to Lear.

"I can't let that pass, even if you have numbers. She doesn't look willing at all, if you ask me. Just let her go and leave. The likes of you can't fool me," Lear said, inching towards them to close in on his targets.

As he spoke, his mind was wracked with choices and paths to take. He knew that it was dangerous to fight opponents in groups, and Duncan clearly drilled him the dangers of being a situation like that. He sincerely apologized to Duncan in his mind and stood his ground against the unruly.

"Sigh, you could have just let it go, but you leave us with no choice. You asked for it, so don't regret ever crossing us." He glanced at the other two on both sides and nodded them towards Lear.

The two laughed and grinned, flanking Lear on both sides.

He took in a deep breath and steadied his trembling hand.

"Don't underestimate me!" he said, launching himself towards one of the kidnappers, slashing sideways.

The kidnapper became startled at the speed at which Lear came at him with. He barely got to react in time, and when he did, he jumped back and lunged with his dagger, slashing at Lear, whom kept his distance and pushed him back by finding his blind spots.

The other kidnapper attacked Lear from behind, pouncing like an animal stalking its prey.

Lear, for an instant, heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He remembered the other kidnapper and immediately clashed blades with the one he was currently facing, then used his left hand to land a blow on the kidnapper's gut, forcing him to stagger back, giving Lear his opportunity.

Lear faced the other way and met the other kidnapper's blade, keeping him locked.

In an attempt to break away, Lear drew the man close and used his knee on the man's gut, staggering him back as well. He then followed through by sending a powerful blow to the man's face. Behind that blow was a satisfying crunching noise that put the man to sleep.

He faced the other and pointed his blade at the man's neck, preventing him from reaching for his weapon just a few inches away from him.

"Don't," he said. "Give up and leave."

The man spat to the side and glared at Lear.

"You think I'll run away from a kid?!" he roared, quickly reaching for his blade and slashing from the side at Lear.

He had backed away in time, but the man relented and chased after Lear, stabbing and hacking at the air.

Seeing a gap open up. He swatted away the man's weapon, timing it as best as he could, and drove the pommel of his sword into the back of the man's neck, putting him to sleep.

"Now, let her go already. It's just you against me this time, and let me tell you this, I won't let people like you do as they please. The town's already in a bad state, so why do you have to add in the mix and make it even worse?"

The man holding the young lady hostage looked all over the place for an escape route. He had seen what Lear could do, and that he had no chance seeing as he only had a dagger with him. He wasn't normal, he thought. Apart from the usual small fry, he was one who fought back not fearing the advantage in numbers, a strategy he thought and tested, working in his favor time and time again with his victims.

"You'll pay for this! You're as good as dead now that you crossed us!" he said, brandishing his dagger and pointing it towards Lear. He then forcefully threw the maiden towards Lear in an attempt to lose him as he ran into the alleyways, quickly disappearing from sight.

Lear frantically dropped his sword in a hurry to catch the maiden that had lost her balance.

He caught her in the nick of time and kept her in balance.

"Are you alright?" Lear asked, smelling a fragrant scent from her.

As she looked up, Lear saw her clear blue eyes, as clear as the skies above. The pearl-like pair entranced Lear and almost made him lose track of time for a split second.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, parting from Lear, dusting herself off. "I wasn't harmed, thanks to you."

"That's a relief. But no need to thank me, I just happened to pass by."

"No need to be modest. One's valiant efforts and character should be rewarded for being brave and strong during such a time. You deserve merit for your actions."

He felt a sort of divine feeling from her as he listened to her speak. It wasn't any like he had heard before. It was like a serenade by a maiden with the most beautiful voice ever graced by the land. Yet, that was what he felt.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Looking at her further, she didn't seem at all that much taller than Lear, and he simply was a few inches taller than her.

"W-well, if you put it that way, then I guess I'll take it," he said chuckling, unable to wipe the grin off his face. Receiving praise for doing a heroic act just as he had dreamt of was a feeling that he had vied for, and it was all that he expected it to be, more so that it was given by an angelic-like maiden such as the one standing before him.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to leave. Again, thank you for saving me, young man. I'm sure your efforts will be rewarded. Usually people do it for something in return, but you don't seem like those kinds."

She gave a curt bow and put on her hood, leaving Lear in his distracted state.

The moment she had left his sight, he came back to his senses and almost felt like he had escaped an inescapable trance. There's something strange about her, he thought, but did not wonder about any further.

"Man, who was she? I thought there was almost no girl left in the town. No!" he proclaimed to himself. "There's already someone that you like, c'mon, Lear, get a hold of yourself," he said slapping both his cheeks to clear his confusion.

"Wait, what time is it?!"

Looking up at the sky, he panicked and got to searching once more, leaving the site where two victims lay sleeping. Though the warning given by the man stuck with him, Lear went off without making a big deal of it.

A few more hours later, Lear stopped to catch his breath. It had seemed as if he had scoured the entire town but had found nothing pertaining to the Eveningtide, or whether it existed in the first place. He tried asking people he could find, but the decent ones could be counted by hand. None of them were able to give him an answer, although.

Lear sat down on the edge of a dirty, uncleaned fountain since the benches were destroyed for some reason. He looked around the inner plaza and saw the same state as all the other parts of the town.

He took the old man's words to heart and became cautious around most of the rugged looking individuals roaming the area. There were more of them in the bars and taverns, so he avoided streets leading to those most of all.

But he hadn't really seen anything horrible to make him think that this was as bad as it was described to be. He laughed off the danger halfheartedly and mustered the energy to try again before nightfall.

It was starting to get dark. Lear turned around every so often as to make sure he wasn't being followed, but he was completely lost as he didn't know the layout of the town. He had wandered into what seemed to be a desolate part of town, just like everything else in it.

"Where am I anyway?" he asked himself.

"Are you in need of help?" asked someone from behind him.

Lear turned around and saw a young man who was shorter than him by a few inches. The man looked out of place with his generous and kind smile, but his attire said differently.

"You seemed lost, so I wondered if you needed any help."

Lear thought about him being suspicious as he was the only person to pop up during the night, but he gave it a good thought as he looked at the young man further and trusted him somehow.

"Yeah, I do need help. Say, ever heard of the Eveningtide? I need to get to that place, but I don't know where it is."

"Oh, so you're not from here, aren't you?"

"No, I'm from Walbur. My name's Lear. It's nice to meet you," he held his hand out to him.

"Eric, it's nice to meet you, Lear," the young man shook Lear's hand. "Speaking of the Eveningtide, I-I just came from there a while ago. I know where it is, come with me, I can show you the way."

Lear reluctantly followed the young man into a street he had not recall coming through. He forgot all about being cautious as he was filled with relief to know that someone could help him find the place he had been searching for. The waste had been for naught, he thought.

"Say, what's living been here like, Eric?" he asked as they walked through in utter silence.

"As you can see, it's not really the best. But we make do with what we have. It's all about making the little things in life count."

"How long have you lived here?"

"All my life. My father and mother aren't here any longer, so we're left to fend for ourselves using any means necessary. As things stand right now, there's not much hope for us lasting long if we don't do something about our situation. We're constantly worrying about whether we'll make it out of this mess or not, but that doesn't guarantee anything at all."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you, but you don't need to worry about that. Though I'm surprised that an outsider would show compassion to people like us. That much means a lot already."

"Is that so? What sets you all so differently from the rest anyway?"

"Many things. Social standings are already apparent. But the town itself had been abandoned, the people residing within it, ignored. I don't think we're going to last long alone like this. I'm... just a bit anxious to know what will happen to us and this town."

"My words might not mean much seeing as I'm a stranger, but I'll try to help out in any way that I can. I'll be sure to protect this town however I can!" said Lear, flashing Eric a confident smile.

"How can someone be so confident and sure of himself in this time and age?" he chuckled. "Alright, I'll hold you to it, Lear. I want to see this town get out of this mess. I grew up here, so I have fond memories of this place. I'd be real sad to see it all go away, though I'm already sad seeing it in this state."

"Cheer up already. I'm sure there's something that's bound to turn this situation around. But, thinking back about your situation, I can relate to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I also lived my life as you are right now. I didn't know my parents, and before I realized it, I was abandoned in town and left by myself. I grew up with desperation and the hope for a better life, and sure enough it came by chance. I met a special someone that I treasure until now. To repay her for what she's done for me, I want to be someone great and get back to her somehow. I figured that getting rich is the only way i can do it."

"Is that why you're striving to be an adventurer?"

"How did you know I was an adventurer?"

"Well, the entire get-up gives it away. I don't think anyone would wear that to a nightly stroll outside," he laughed. "But I see. So you're just like me, huh? Then you must forgive me then. I'm sure you'll understand, right?"

"What do you mean?"

Before Lear could understand what was happening, Eric had stopped in his tracks. Lear noticed that he was surrounded by four people excluding Eric. They all had a sharp weapon with them, and the way they hid by the shadows of the alleyway told him that they were beyond good.

"What's going on, Eric?"

"I'm sorry, Lear. Just hand us everything you've got and you won't be hurt, I'll make sure of that."

Lear understood what was happening. In his situation, he waived off the idea of fighting back or running and begrudgingly took out his pouch throwing it by their feet, its contents spilling out with a resounding chime of coins beating against the pavement. He raised his hands as a sign of surrender.

"So what you said earlier, it wasn't true? Were all those lies, Eric?" asked Lear with a feeling of betrayal washing over him like a flood.

"Not everything was a lie, Lear, believe me. We all have to do something to survive. I-I regretted doing this to you. I only wish I had met you under better circumstances but this is the truth of this town, ugly and depressing."

"Nice work, Eric. And here I thought that you'd be useless. You might be cut out for this life after all."

One of the men hiding in the alleys came up to Eric and patted him on the shoulder grinning. The man wore leather armor that didn't fully cover his chest where a tattoo of a ferocious lion was. He was built and unlike the rest who came out and surrounded Lear.

"Let's get away from here. We've got what we came for,  I don't think he has anything else on him," said Eric.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Are you giving me orders?" The man looked at Eric with an irritated face that made him stagger.

"Now why would you want us to go? I think he has a bit more in him. Hey, you two, do it. Besides, I don't think you know this, but this guy's the one that took out my guys. I think that deserves a little payback."

"You think I'm just going to let you do what you want?" said Lear who went for his sword only to be prevented from pulling It out.

The man who acted as their leader gestured, and the men immediately grabbed Lear from behind and knocked him on the back of his head. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't get free as one of them weighed down on Lear with his knee on his spine, pompously applying more and more weight behind it to force a yell from Lear.

"Ahh, music to my ears. He's got a pretty loud yell on him, too bad no one's coming to save him," the man laughed. 

Another one of them readied his dagger and quickly plunged it into the back of Lear's lower gut without hesitation, impaling him repeatedly on the same spot, forcing yet another agonized yell from him.

"It's troublesome when people fight back. You'll get all that you can from a corpse, but not from one that's not willing to give anything to you. I thought your parents taught you to never fight back when you get mugged?"

"Wait, you didn't have to do that!" yelled Eric, grabbing the man's collar, which he immediately regretted.

"... Ah, you're too loud. I have no use for you anymore, so just shut it will you?"

The man took Eric by the throat and pinned him against a wall, taking out a dagger. The man sent a powerful blow to Eric's gut, forcing him to arc forward. He then slit Eric's throat in one fell swoop, easily performing the act with a grin on his face, wiping the blood that spilled on him with Eric's cloth.

Eric's body plopped to the ground, and Lear weakly stared with his mouth agape after seeing someone die before him, and under someone so remorseless.

"Loot the guy before his blood stains whatever's valuable," ordered the man who slit Eric's throat as he wiped his dagger clean.

Blood flowed from Lear's mouth, and his position made it hard to not choke on it. The the thick taste and sensation of blood simply filling the insides of his mouth made him cough and convulse, but they continued pinning him down, forcing Lear to expel more and more blood from his mouth and the wound they made on his side.

Instead, he looked forward, and all that he could see was Eric's face filled with horror, blood staining the area underneath where his neck is. He was like a lifeless puppet whose strings were cut in the middle of a performance. Lear was terrified to have seen such an act performed in front of him.

But what he was more of scared was dying. His vision was fading, and everything from his head to his toes were getting cold. His senses were numb, and he could barely feel anything at all.

Before he could lose his consciousness, he heard a voice that somehow made him stop and think. It was gentle and soothing, as if he had heard it before. He wasn't exactly sure if he was hallucinating, but he wanted to hear more of it.