As the events unfold, the only thing Artreus could do is shake his head. If only he bought the groceries earlier and not depended on Mikaela to buy them herself. Which is usually isn't a problem since she is normally been the most dependable person in the group.
He has an inkling of what is going on in her mind, with how little her progress has been after almost a week of training. To be honest, he didn't think that she would be this affected.
"Hey, little girl. Ye really want ta face me? Won't ye want that shit face over there ta fight fer ye?"
Mikaela turned to give Artreus a sharp as if daring him to speak before replying to the troublemaking man. I need no help. I can mop the floor with you on my own."
As much as Artreus wants to intervene, something inside him understands the need for Mikaela to vent. Although, if they ask him, he would've preferred if she finds something a lot safer like knitting or something. That would be a lot better than butting heads with good-for-nothing scoundrels who have nothing to do but cause trouble.
Niel didn't mind her with his eyes still locked on Artreus. A wide grin stretched in his face as he mocks Artreus. "I see. Yer scared now that ye won't be able to get the jump on me eh? Come now. I have yet ta pay ye back fer my three broken teeth." Smiling to show his now healed, but still crooked teeth. Licking his chops, he continued. "The healer fixed me up good, but ye see, I'm a man who always gets even. How about it? I'll even let ye have the first attack."
As Niel tries to walk the Mikaela, but the redhead, with fire in her eyes, blocked his path. "First, I don't see any difference between your looks when you got your teeth knocked out and now. You still look as ugly as ever. Second," With her chin up to show her pride, she fired back at him. "He's not your opponent today. I am."
"Hehe. Does Girly want ta play? Too bad I don't have time ta fight shrimps. I have a bigger fish ta fry." He said before shoving her away.
Sensing that Mikaela reached her limits, Artreus quickly signaled the kids to back away. Timothy looks like he wants to fight, his newfound powers has given him courage to fight for his friends. Brave boy. But also foolish. With the strength that he acquired, he may become the strongest of all the kids his age. But against seasoned fighters, he's like a drop of water against a roaring flame. Thankfully, his little sister has some sense and dragged him away.
Good. Children shouldn't have to deal with the troubles of adults. Although, they should at least be aware of the consequences of such troubles so that they may learn.
As expected, Mikaela quickly drew her dagger, intent to make the one who shoved her, pay. But as soon as she did, one of Niel's comrade, the other tall and muscly one intercepted her.
Damn. They must be used to brawls, their instinct on sneak attacks are sharp.
Mikaela quickly reacted and changed her target, and used both daggers in her hands to parry the attack. A good move, for if she blocked it, it would've broke her weapons.
"Sneaky little bitch!" Niel, seeing his comrade locked in battle with Mikaela turned around and drew his own weapon.
Seeing that Mikaela would be double teamed, Artreus thought of casting a Barrier spell, thankfully, he remembered that he's not supposed to use Holy magic unless he wants to get hunted down by the Holy Order. His hesitation made him a second slower and he decides to instead tackle Niel down. Unfortunately, the bald man was expecting this and was able to keep his foot planted and even tried to swing his ax towards him. Artreus quickly responded and grab his wrist midswing. Niel then threw a punch with his free hand, but Artreus also blocked it with his own free hand before kneeing the brute in the stomach, earning a pained groan from the musclebound idiot. Sensing an opportunity, Artreus twisted Niel's armed hand, and with a swift elbow to the locked joint, quickly disarmed him. He then followed up with a full body straight punch to the face sending Niel careening and slammed his back against a column. Unperturbed by the damage he accumulated in a short time, Niel charged and grabbed him by the lapel. Well, tried to, since before he could, Artreus grabbed his wrist, both of them trapping with each other once more. Artreus clearly has the upperhand in this struggle, using his superior training when he entered the Paladin Order in use. But Niel wasn't a pushover. Artreus could feel it. Niel's strength is increasing by the second, using Mana to amplify his body.
Unfortunately for him. That wasn't enough.
With one hand on Niel's collar and the other grips the biceps tightly, Artreus hooked Niel's foot with his, destabilizing his balance. Leaning back and twisting his body, he brought the over one hundred kilogram body of Niel, slamming on the floor with a loud thud.
To his credit, Niel quickly pushed Artreus away before he gets mounted. If he was a bit slower, it would've been over already.
"Gah! Ye bitch!" Mikaela's opponent yells as blood drips from the wound she inflicted on the back of his hand.
The restaurant erupted in chaos as their groups, excluding the kids and for some reason Joe, who's seemingly content to just watch from the side, are locked in battle. Mikaela who is matching the other member of the Twin Axe in flurries of attacks, and Niel and himself grappling with each other. With all of it taking just a handful of seconds.
The chaos paused a moment when the restaurant door was suddenly kicked open.
"Stop!" The mystery man shouts as he charges towards them.
Recognizing the man as Esteban, the intruding man leaps through the air to deliver a kick which would've hit squarely on Niel's head, if the usually silent Joe didn't block his path and slap his foot away. "Hey now. Things er just gettin interestin'. Don't interfere." Joe says to Esteban.
His foot landing on the floor, Esteban was unfazed by Joe's sudden interference and spun around to retain his balance before using his momentum to deliver a roundhouse kick. Which was subsequently blocked just as easily as the first one.
Just as the battle was about to resume, another one barged in. "All of you! Stop! Or I will report this to the Guild." It was the clerk in the adventurer's guildhall. To give her credit, she doesn't bat an eye even in front of seasoned adventurers. Eying the participants of the brawl, for some reason her pointed glance lingered a little longer at the latecomer, Esteban. "Disperse now or face sanction." She warned.
"Who do ye think ye are ta order us? Yer just a-" Mikaela's opponent was about to argue but stopped mid sentence as Joe lay his hand on his shoulder.
"Stop it, Dom." Joe told his friend.
"Don't stop me, Joe. These bastards really get in me nerves." Dom replied before his face twisted in pain and lets out a groan. let out a pained groan.
His whisper was barely perceptible to Artreus' heightened senses. "We don't need ta get in anymore trouble. Remember why we're here." He then shoots a smile. "Don't worry. We're goin. Have a nice day."
"Be seein ye loser boy." Upon Niel's remark, Esteban visibly shakes in anger. Then turning to him, the musclebound idiot sneezes out a blob of blood from his nose before pointing at Artreus and speaking once more. "And ye! We're not done one bit boy. Come ta the outdoor sparring area. If ye dare!" With his bit done, the group departed.
"Ye too lady! Imma carve that pretty face of yers." Dom added.
"Hmph! I would like to see you try." Mikaela replies all the while wiping the blood from her blade, which earned her an enraged look from Dom.
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"That's enough. Let's go." Says Joe, with that, their group exited the building.
As soon as the Twin Axes exited the building, Artreus turned towards the restaurant owner. "I'm sorry for the trouble. Here. For the damages." He placed two gold coins on the owner's palm and closed it.
Upon receiving the coin, the owner's eyes shone in delight. "Thank you, dear customer. Come and eat. On the house." The owner called a few employees to clean the mess they made and lead them to a new table. For some reason, Esteban and the guildhall clerk was seated beside them.
"Why did you pay that much? The damage is as most fifty gold. You're wasting money." Mikaela whispered to him.
"We damaged their property and disturbed his business. I think that is enough for the inconvenience that we caused. Also, to earn back some goodwill. We don't want people to stop accepting adventurers into their establishment in fear of property damage now, don't we?" Artreus answered, thanking the waiter who gave them a bowl of sweets for an appetizer and passed it towards the kids. "Also. We got to eat for free. That should reduce our loss by a bit if you eat a lot."
"Mister Artreus is correct. The good image of the Adventurer's guild must be maintained. Members should act in an honorable and upright manner so that we can earn the trust and respect of the public." The adventurer's guild clerk chimed in. "If we were in the capital, lower-ranking adventurers would've already been booted out of the guild. So, please. Mind your actions next time." He must have imagined it, but Artreus could swear he saw the clerk flash a pointed look at Mikaela before looking away.
"Cheh! Tell that to those assholes. They started it." Mikaela brushed off the clerk's comment. "Anyways, don't expect me to pay you back in full. I am only going to pay you back the cost of the tables and chairs. Nothing more."
"Don't worry. I don't expect you to. Let's just eat. I'm famished."
After a few seconds, an array of food was arranged before them. Roasted duck, stir-fried vegetables, a plate of dumplings, freshly baked bread, and more. As they eat, Timothy excitedly tells the story of their fight earlier.
"That slam was cool, Mister Artreus! You just pick him up and then blam!" Timothy enthusiastically says.
"Don't talk with food in your mouth, big brother. That's poor manners." Little Juliet shakes her head as she takes a bite from the roasted duck leg. Being reprimanded by his sister, Timmy quickly chews his food.
"Hmph! It's not that hard."
"Of course! I knew you could also do it, Mimi. You were cool when you fought that ax guy."
"If she fought him normally, she would've won easily."
"You're the one to talk! If you fought like you do when we spar, that foul-mouthed idiot would've already been taking a nap."
He really could. But he wants to hide his strength at the moment. It is better to appear weak when you are strong. That way, the opponent will not know what'll hit him.
"Wait. You two spar? Where? I haven't seen you spar in the sparring areas." The clerk from the guildhall asked in surprise.
"Yeah. Everyday. In the clearing. From sunrise till sundown, Mister Artreus and Mimi are fighting."
"Without healers and other safety implements? That's dangerous." The concern is apparent on her face.
"Not really. Mister Artreus is a good teacher. He-" Timmy clammed up as Artreus shoot him a pointed look.
"Oh wow! A G-rank teaching an A-rank. Now I've heard everything." The receptionist looked at Artreus' face with eyes full of curiosity. "Guess that you can really not judge a book by its cover. You did fight our rising star to a tie. So that is not that unbelievable."
"He's not teaching me. We were sparring as equals. Equals." Mikaela huffed in annoyance.
"Right. Equals." Artreus agreed so as to not irk the short-tempered girl too much.
"We did fight to a tie the first time. But I have been holding back at that time. If we fight right now, I would win. I've become stronger lately see." Esteban is putting on a confident face.
Which is an upgrade from the last time they met. The first time they met, the kid was bereft of any confidence. He couldn't even look Artreus in the eyes after their spar. Noticing Esteban stealing a glimpse on the receptionist beside him. Artreus understood why.
Well, that is one way a man could gain confidence, I guess. Artreus thought to himself.
"But didn't you lost to that idiot Niel?" A question from Mikaela caused Esteban's confident expression to crack.
"Wha-what! How did you know that?" He stutters.
"He did call you a loser. That gave me a hunch which you just confirmed." She says with a nonchalant expression.
But the last blow to his fragile ego came from Juliet as she asked. "If you lost to a guy that Mister Artreus won against. Does that makes mister Artreus stronger than you, mister?"
"Of course not! The bastard just used a cheap trick is all." Esteban is fighting a losing battle on trying to retain a straight face.
But he was shot down again by Mikaela, who looks like she's enjoying Esteban's breakdown. "Tricking your opponent is part of the battle though. It's your fault that you fell for it."
Esteban looks like he's about to crawl inside his own clothes in shame when suddenly the receptionist saved him. "It's not his fault." She started. "The whole fight he was dominating Niel. Esteban was distracted when I shrieked when Niel threw an ax against the barrier in front of me." She looks ashamed of herself as she tells the story of the fight.
After the receptionist ended her tale, Mikaela snarls in anger. "Involve a bystander in a fight. How disgusting. He truly is a scum. Let's go to the sparring area later and beat them up!" She declares.
As if she needs a reason to beat someone up. Artreus thought to himself. His eyes landed on the kids who are looking at him, Timothy with expectant eyes, excited to see action like most young boys do, while Juliet with a look of concern.
Artreus sighed before answering. "Okay. Lets. But after we take a rest after our meal. It is not good to do strenous activity immediately after eating."
"Alright."
As they eat, Esteban looks like he is in deep thought, but Artreus left him alone in his thoughts. It is not good to poke into someone else's business. Right now, he has trouble of his own. There are so many things that he wants to do, but can't, either due to his lack of power, or connection to pursue his goal.
Add training a stubborn girl who refuses to use her usual fighting style in order to fight brashly even after seeing that she is going nowhere with it, or the beatings she took from her folly.
What is she trying to prove? What is her goal? He doesn't have a clue.
With that, Artreus sighed once more.
After another ten minutes, they are finally done with their meal. Once they thanked the owner for the meal, they left the restaurant. As they walk, Artreus noticed that the pair, Esteban and the receptionist, are still with them.
"May I ask why are you following us?" Artreus asked.
"Oh. Are you not going to the sparring area?" Esteban answered his question with another question.
"Not yet. We are just going to walk around a bit. To help digest the food, you know. Once we are good, we will head straight to the sparring area."
"Is that so? We're going to the sparring area later too. Could we tag along for a while? If that is fine with you."
Before he could answer, Timothy answered for him. "Ofcourse. The more the merrier. Right Mister Artreus?"
"I guess." Artreus mumbled. "Okay. It's not like I could forbid you to go where you want to go. Let's go."
They then begin their walk through town. Checking on items that caught their attention and helping people along the way. This time he sees an old lady resting by the side of the road. Beside her is a large basket filled with fresh vegetables, fruits, and some meat. Not wanting to be mistaken as a thief, like he often did due to his appearance, Artreus approached the lady slowly. As he approached, he greeted the old lady. "Hello there maám! That basket looks heavy. Do you need help?"
"Young man, if you're here to steal from an old woman, I'm warning you there are guards nearby. One scream and they will come running here and if you get caught, your hand will be chopped off." The old woman warned him. She then rummaged through her basket and handed him a bunch of bananas. "Here. Get this and go. It's all that I could spare."
Artreus smiled at the fruits in his hands. This old woman is not only strongwilled, not afraid of thiefs, but is also kind to give someone she suspects as one, her hard earned food. "I think there's a mistake here. I am not here to rob you maám. I just want to help you carry this here basket for you. No payment needed."
The old woman inspects his face with suspicion when the receptionist approached them. "Hello Mellissa." Greeted the receptionist.
"Oh if it isn't little Claire. How are you, child? I've heard you've finally joined the adventurer's guild. How is your work there?" Finally, he now knows her name and not have to refer to her as guild receptionist.
"I am fine Mellissa. Work is good too. Good pay, good food, and good company." Claire stole a glance at Esteban. A frown formed on her beautiful face after realizing that he is in deep thought and not paying attention to her. She then quickly hid her frown, like it was never there, to begin with, and put up a big smile at Old Melissa. "All in all, life is better. By the way, let me introduce to you the latest addition to our adventurer's guild family. Artreus."
"Oh! The weirdo who goes around town helping townsfolks., you're that Artreus? Pardon me, young man. I've mistaken you for a scoundrel. I always pictured you as a strapping young man, never expected you to look so... Plain." Old Melissa apologized.
"No problem, maám. I'm used to it."
"Nonsense! It may be due to ignorance, but I still have erred. For that. I apologize." She then offered some fruits as an apology.
Seeing that it is futile, not to mention rude, to further refuse her apology, Artreus accepted it, along with the fruits. "Apology accepted ma'am. So how about I carry your basket for you?"
"Thank you, young man. Such kindness is rare nowadays, especially now that..." Old Melissa started to talk about gossips and rumors from around town.
According to her, there are a lot of people coming in from surrounding villages, seeking safety from the recent strange occurrences happening lately. Everything she says coincides with the information that he has gathered so far, like the unexplained disappearance of the occupants of some villages, various sightings of monsters that usually live deep in the forests from all around, and even finding empty monster dens.
No wonder they flock towards town. Something is up for sure.
This is one of the reasons why he's roaming around town, helping people. It may be rumors and gossips, but there are always some kernels of truths from the stories. Especially since the guild is keeping quiet about the recent events around town. If his hunch is right, it is most likely to keep the information among the higher up while keeping everyone below in the dark in order to not cause any panic.
While his instincts are screaming to go and do something, he doesn't know where to start without getting in trouble with both the guild and the authorities.
There are times when even he second guess if his decision of joining the adventurer's guild is the right one, for while it helped him with his problem in entering towns without identification, being a low-level adventurer comes with a lot of limitations.
Thankfully there is a fix for this.
Become a higher rank adventurer.
There are two ways of raising one's rank that he knows. The first is completing missions. After a month, there will be an evaluation, and if the higher up in the guild deems the accomplishment deserving of a rise in the ranks, the adventurer will rank up. If not, he will accumulate merit points that will help him in future evaluation. The second is to impress the guild higher-ups through feats of strength and skill, and while he is apprehensive in showing his full strength, even without using his spells he could show the higher-ups in the guild that he deserves a much higher rank than he has right now.
As they were about to reach Old Melissa's destination, he begins to think about using the animosity of the Twin Axe as a stepping stone is showing his capabilities. Defeating a C-rank adventurers guild should earn him some ranking up in the ladders. But Artreus quickly squashed that idea. It is not good to get too much attention on himself. Especially since it's dangerous if people get too curious and find out about his secrets.
If he wants to complete whatever quest the Goddess Yue have laid before him and make the dreams of his fallen comrades come true, he must be careful.
Waving goodbye to the old woman, who for some reason gazed at the children for longer than he liked before going inside her abode, their group then headed to the sparring area. There, the Twin Axe are already waiting for them.
"Well, well. I've never been happier to be wrong. I wuz sure ye will run with yer tails between yer legs." Niel greeted them with a wide grin in his face. "Now, I can beat ye and yer bitch till I am satisfied."
Hmmm. He may not show his full strength, but it wouldn't hurt if he beat this man to the ground that he may finally learn his place.