Following Kae, Rae, the younger sister, and Benji, the Rustler traversed through the slums until they arrived in front of a massive, old-looking mansion, the same one he’d spotted earlier in the morning from the rooftop. The building was covered in moss, giving it an abandoned and weathered appearance.
Yet, despite its weathered appearance, even from a distance, the building emanated a sense of vitality and activity.
“I know it’s weird but please,” Kae reminded, “when we step inside, don’t talk to anyone. Even when talked to. The people living there are a bit on the eccentric side… if you know what I mean,” she tried to explain.
“In other words, their asshole.”
“Benji!”
“Sorry,” he muttered, " I shouldn't have said it so loudly. Let me rephrase it, ‘they’re assholes’.”
“Sigh… Well, he’s right, so please, erm… whatever is your name, when we get in there don’t speak to anyone. Can you do that?”
Though a little confused, the Rustler nodded.
“Great,”
Moving deeper into the mansion's interior, the Rustler found himself in the inner quarter, where the scene that unfolded before him starkly contrasted with his previous experiences, including his notorious days as the 'Ethereal Breeze.' Vines snaked their way across the walls, seemingly having a will of their own, while the inner yard displayed signs of neglect and decay, mirroring the dilapidated state of the exterior.
As he stepped further into the indoor part of the mansion, the Rustler noticed that there were at least twenty individuals occupying every nook and cranny of the mansion's interior. Their worn-out clothing seemed to blend seamlessly with the atmosphere, as if they were an extension of the building itself.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed random drawings etched onto the walls. Amongst them were depictions of everyday objects, rudimentary stick figures, and even sketches of rats, each scrawled haphazardly as if capturing fleeting thoughts or expressions of the mansion's eclectic inhabitants. Observing the Rustler being guided further into the mansion by Kae and her group, the mansion’s eyes exhibited a mixture of wariness, curiosity, and perhaps even a not-so-subtle hint of hostility. Ignoring those glares, Kae pressed on, with the Rustler and the other following to arrive at a corridor where she came to a stop as they stumbled upon a girl.
An Odoe, roughly the same age as Kae.
“Kae?” the girl mumbled, seemingly surprised by the burden Kae carried in her.
"You, fall! You're the one I was looking for," she exclaimed, approaching the Rustler and handing the little girl over to him. "Please, can you take her to the kitchen? She's hungry. If there's anything left from what we had yesterday, I'm sure you can make something suitable for her to eat." Before leaving, she added, "As for me, I'm going to his room. It's better that I report this to him directly than let someone else do it." With those words, she simply vanished from sight.
The other girl who had been standing there watched as Kae disappeared, a puzzled expression on her face. Turning to the Rustler and the group, she sought answers. "Could someone kindly fill me in on what in tarnation's happenin' 'round here?” she asked, her gaze shifting to Rae, who shook her head in response.
"Don't ask me," Benji interjected. Just as her gaze turned towards the Rustler, Benji interrupted again, saying, "And don't ask him either."
Her gaze panned to the baby in her hand, who had started crying again. "I ain't sure what's goin' on, but kin I safely assume that this here's another helpless critter in need o' rescue she couldn't resist the temptation to tend to?" she asked.
“You’ve guessed it.”
Her gaze subtly shifted towards the Rustler as she mumbled, "I see. Well, I suppose we have no other choice but to go and feed this little one then."
***
Without uttering a single additional question, the girl led the Rustler and the others to the kitchen, a modest room that served its purpose. She swiftly prepared a meal for the little girl and placed it in front of her. At first, the baby hesitated, but hunger eventually prevailed and she started eating. It was evident that she had been introduced to solid food prior to being separated from her mother.
The sight of the baby cries subsided as she eagerly accepted the spoon, her tiny mouth opening and closing in rhythm with each bite, filling the Rustler’s heart with a certain relief.
I messed but—
“Not that much.”
But still, there remains the question of what to do with her next.
"Well, what's the name of this here precious darlin'? Ah reckon she must have a mighty cute name, wouldn’t she?" the girl feeding her asked.
“Dunno.”
"What do ya mean ya don't?”
“And don’t bother asking him or Rae. None of us knows.”
She looked at the three of them in silence, her expression filled with incredulity as she came to understand that they were serious about not knowing the baby's name. "Hold on now, did y'all jest snatch this little gal up from some street corner, or did ya go 'n' kidnap her or somethin'? Ah sure hope there's a mighty good explanation 'round these parts." she asked, her tone both joking and suspicious.
“If you want an answer to that,” replied Benji, “go ask him. He’s the one we—” Only to stop midsentence at the sight of people entering the room.
Among the group of people, Rae stood out, but it was the man who commanded their attention. He was a tall, burly figure, another Odoe who appeared much older than Rae, possibly in his mid-twenties. He confidently entered the room, barechested, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, proudly displaying a large tattoo of a rat on his chest.
The man’s gaze swept through everyone in the room stopping both at the Rustler and the baby.
“So this is the new puppy you’ve found?” he said. “This one is really young, you know, for her to be of any use for our people.”
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“I know. She… we will just be feeding her and will send her back. She won’t be bothering you for long,” Kae swiftly surmised, even the Rustler noticed her nervousness.
“Of course,” he concluded. Approaching the Rustler he said, “And you, you must be the other little pup she found the baby with. You see Kae, over here didn’t mention much about you and I was curious, and I was right to be so, to think that it would be someone with such a beautiful pair of eyes.”
“What was it, Rae, were you trying to hide him from me, for once that you bring to my castle someone that for once looks anything decent?”
“I wasn’t—”
“I know. You weren’t. I was just joking but now, I’m here, so I would like to know our guest, what’s your name, Pal,” he asked as he looked at the Rustler.
To the man’s question, the Rustler remembered the advice from earlier to not talk under any circumstance, unless allowed to, so the Rustler, seeking to know if that rule was still in place, looked in Kae’s direction, only to have it blocked by the man standing in the way.
Leaving the Rustler with no other choice but to choose for himself, the Rustler gave the same answer he gave Kae.
“I don’t have one.”
“Huh? Come again.”
“I—” the Rustler started before being suddenly cut by Benji who wedged himself in front of him.
“Boss, sorry for him, he’s a bit shy, that's all. His name is—”
“I didn’t ask for you to introduce me to him,” the man said, pushing Benji, causing him to fall back against the Rustler. “don’t intrude yourself in what nobody has asked you to be part of, puppy number two.”
“Hahaha,” Benji nervously laughed. “I guess you're right, Boss. Sorry—”
“What’d you push him for?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
The Rustler walked past Benji to position himself directly in front of the man, asking, “Why did you push him?”
“Oi, oi, oi, what’s happening? Puppy number I don’t know anymore is standing up for puppy number three? Is this what's happening?” The man said tauntingly, with a smile.
“Just like with them, I have no name to give you, so—”
“What are you doing?" Benji whispered through gritted teeth from behind. But unmoved by his words, the Rustler proceeded. “Apologize.”
The man burst into laughter, his booming voice filling the room with condescension. "You've got some balls of steel saying that. I like people with balls," he said, slowly pushing his fist forward against the Rustler. "But what are you going to do if I don't?"
Since the man's words were begging for some sort of display from the Rustler, he decided to give him exactly what he wanted. With casual ease, he reached out and grabbed hold of the man's wrist.
"Hmph, what do—Huh?" The man's face twisted with surprise and disbelief.
Although the Rustler's wrist lock appeared ordinary and didn’t even manage to fully wrap around the wrist, the man soon realized that he couldn't move his wrist from the lock. “What the fuck!”
He tried again, but was met with the same failure. It was as if the Rustler had complete control, preventing any movement forward or away from him.
Apologize," the Rustler calmly repeated, his voice filled with unwavering determination.
The man, fueled by anger and arrogance, responded with a swift punch aimed at the Rustler's face. However, the Rustler's reflexes were lightning-fast. Reacting before the man could even comprehend what was happening, the Rustler released his grip on the man's hand and swiftly swept his legs, causing the man's face to meet the unforgiving ground. The impact echoed through the room, silencing the previously raucous atmosphere.
As the man groaned in pain, the room fell into an astonished silence. The Rustler stood tall, his expression composed, as he regarded the fallen man with a steady gaze.
While their reaction came rather balated, two of the individuals who had accompanied the man swiftly sprang into action, rushing past Rae. They lunged towards the Rustler, their intentions clear in their eyes.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" one of them shouted, his voice seething with anger.
As the two men rushed at him, their intentions clear, the Rustler, acting in kind, swiftly sprang into action. Despite his small stature, his movements were fluid and precise, betraying his skill and agility.
With lightning speed, he sidestepped the first attacker's lunging punch, his body shifting gracefully to evade the blow. Seizing the opportunity, the Rustler countered with an upward kick uppercutting the man’s chin.
With a swift transition, the Rustler pivoted towards the remaining assailant, who had been momentarily stunned by the display of skill. Closing the distance with lightning speed, he delivered a punch to the man’s right side, folding him to a position within which the Rustler followed with a stomp kick.
"Uh, what just happened?" Kae and the others wondered, finally coming to their senses after the swift and intense confrontation that had unfolded before them.
“I have no idea.”
It was amidst the voices of bewilderment, that the man rose from the floor, brandishing a machete that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. His face contorted with a mixture of pain and humiliation, the man stared at the Rustler with a begrudging expression, pointing his weapon threateningly.
"You've got some moves, for someone so small," the man grumbled, acknowledging the Rustler's impressive prowess. "Let's see how well you fare against this." With those words, he rushed forward, swinging the machete in a menacing arc.
Instead of panicking or displaying any form of concern over the impending threat, the Rustler stood firm, raising his arm to block the swinging blade.
A loud clang reverberated through the room as the man's blade collided with the Rustler's arm, only to be deflected like a swing at a solid rock. The Rustler was unharmed, all he’d managed to do was reveal the Rustler’s golden arm all to see.
"What the—" Before he could finish his sentence, lightning crackled in the air, striking with electrifying precision. However, in the blink of an eye, an unexpected gust of wind suddenly swept through the room, propelling the man forward and causing him to slam headfirst against the ground.
In the span of less than half a dozen seconds, the man was swiftly neutralized, leaving everyone in the room watching the scene unfold before their eyes in complete disbelief.
"You," Rae and Benji muttered in unison, their eyes wide with astonishment, "How did you do that..."
The answer came from Kae, her voice barely above a whisper, "A mage. But your arm..."
As soon as Kae mentioned his arm, a realization struck the Rustler like a bolt of lightning. Throughout the time he’d spent with, anyone who had seen his arm had either met a terrible fate or suffered worse than the man and his subordinate, or even like Del'hia and countless others.
It wasn't that he actively hated the sight of it; rather, it was the consequences that came with its exposure that troubled him. He despised the incessant questioning, the unwanted recognition it brought, and above all, he detested the notion of it being displayed like some kind of trophy.
Thus, he made it a habit to conceal it from view as much as possible. But now, in this room, four people had caught sight of his arm, signifying only one thing—it was time for him to leave. However, a gentle coo interrupted his thoughts, reminding him that he couldn't simply walk away as he often did.
Walking over to the girl who held onto the baby, the Rustler asked, "Can you hand her back to me, please?"
"Uh? I mean, right away," she immediately obliged.
As the baby was handed back to him, the Rustler approached Rae, his voice filled with regret, "I'm sorry. I may have caused some trouble. I think it's best if I leave." He reached into his pocket, retrieving the only item he had—a loaf of bread. "I would like to thank all of you for taking care of her today, but I have nothing else to offer except this."
Rae accepted the bread.
Just as the Rustler turned to leave, he was halted by Kae's voice. "Are you seriously planning on leaving like this?!"
"Huh?"
"After what you've done. He's going to seek revenge when he wakes up," she complained, pointing at the unconscious men on the ground. “And that’s on us that it’s going to fall on top.”
"She's right," added Benji. He glanced in the Rustler's direction, seeing the agreement reflected in the eyes of the two girls.
"I don't like the way I'm about to say this, but this mess happened because of you. At least help us sort it out," Kae urged, her voice tinged with a mix of frustration and desperation.
Observing the wary expressions of everyone in the room and the unconscious man on the ground, the Rustler sighed, realizing that at this point he really couldn't simply walk away.
"What do you want me to do?"