“Frank, come in, I’ve been waiting. Tell me, how much did you hunt?” Cutting directly to the case, he invited the man named Frank in, accompanied by the tall man who held the creature’s corpse. The rest of the party took a seat at an empty table, where a waitress immediately ran to take their orders.
“Around ten pigelins, some of their corpses aren’t intact. A Scarlett Bear cub and a weird green creature. I believe they’re called gobelins, I’m not sure how they appeared here, as Lustra is quite far away. However, it didn’t pose a problem, although I’m not sure if it’s edible.” Frank said in a stoic voice, confidence brimming within his tone despite his deadpan expression.
Goebelins… and by that description… did Lumiera want to be quirky or were these people so close and yet so far in terms of names?
Not dwelling on it too much, he inspected the menu again, pinpointing a few dishes that would definitely fill an Obborik’s belly, or so he hoped. The bartender, however, didn’t return even after ten minutes had passed. A morbid stench of death and decay filled his nostrils as a dozen men walked in, their hands filled to the brim with animal corpses. Guh, what the fuck?
Kai cursed inwardly while watching the pig-like, humanoid monsters get carried in the back, followed by a small ball of red fur and a gobelin. It seems like that’s everything, but surely there has to be a better way to carry these things…
He didn’t pay them any further attention, however, his impatience grew with every minute, worried that Onyx may cause a ruckus if he took too long to bring him food.
Besides, I’m a bit hungry myself… well more than a bit. Sighing, he glanced briefly at the makeshift bandages wrapped around his arms and neck, their pale color stained by a dark crimson shade. His body shivered as he recalled what had happened inside that room, but regardless of what that was, he had come out victorious.
Turning his attention toward the dining room that also served as a bar, he looked for a waiter to take his order, and surely enough, there was one with only a plate of three large pints of ale heading toward the adventurer’s table. Great… Kai scoffed inwardly, already imagining the cliché scenario from one of the stories he remembered.
Walking over to them, he patiently waited for the waitress to set the beverages down before approaching her with the menu in hand. “Excuse me, I-” However, he quickly got interrupted before the waitress even took notice of him.
“Hey Little Brother, she ain’t quite done with our order yet. Would you mind waiting for a bit?” One of the men with axes strapped to his waist yelled at Kai, holding the large pint before him while making eye contact. Kai wasn’t quite sure what to do, as it was only giving her a small order and then she could rely on the chef. However, it was far too late now as the waitress had already disappeared. Sulking, he let out a light sigh before turning toward the bar top.
“Little Brother, wait a minute there.” Another man said, signaling toward Kai to stop as he turned to the axe-wielding man. Both of them looked very similar in appearance, their facial structure being almost the same, and were it not for their different hair colors, one would mistake them for twins. The man that stopped Kai had long locks of curly dark hair, blue eyes like the sky, and wore a couple dark clothes, whilst the axe wiedling man had long, curly blonde hair with a few scars decorating his face. Next to the dark-haired man sat an exquisitely crafted silver sword, its dark gold hilt being the only thing sticking out of the gorgeous dark scabbard protecting it.
“Razvan, why’d you bully the kid like that? He just wanted to talk to the pretty waitress, it’s not like we’re starving.” Quipping, he turned to Kai and waved toward him. “Come here Little Brother, have a seat. You can talk to her when she brings our meals.”
Standing in the middle of the room, Kai felt awkward as dozens of eyes turned their attention toward him. Scratching the back of his head, he walked over to the table, sitting down quite a distance away from them while awkwardly smiling behind his mask.
The two men gulped down the large pint in front of them, laughing heartily while discussing about their game. The last man, however, held a pensive look on his face, playing with the bow wrapped around his chest while staring at the kitchen.
“What’s with ya, Kraft?” The dark-haired man asked, putting down his empty pint before wiping his mouth.
“Don’t you find it weird, Hans? These gobelins, they-” Kraft turned around, his short straight hair fluttering in the wind, but stopped mid-speech when his emerald green eyes fell on Kai. “What’s with the kid? You finally decided to retire?”
“Hahaha! No, no.” Hans laughed, reaching for Kraft’s ale and taking a large gulp before turning toward Kai. “He just seemed interesting, that’s all. Aren’t you, Little Brother?” He said in a joking tone, however a hint of inquiry and caution hid deep within his brown eyes.
“I…uh… Am I now?” Kai replied, laughing awkwardly while fidgeting with his fingers.
“For sure, yeah.” Hans nodded, grabbing Kai’s hands and pointing toward the bandages covering his arms. “Both of your hands and the neck must have been quite a fierce fight. Not to mention the mask, and even more so the sword you keep in… I can’t even call that a scabbard.”
“Oh, those… haha yeah it was… a difficult fight.” He said in a melancholic tone, which didn’t escape the trio’s ears.
“So, watcha kill, Kid?” Razvan asked from the side, eyeing the sword with curiosity. “Can you show us the sword? It doesn’t look like any ordinary weapon, yet is kept in such a shabby sheath.”
Kai stood in silence for a second, unsure of how to answer that first question, and his face turned slightly red upon sensing the trios’ burning gazes. “Uh, yeah sure.” He removed the scabbard from his waist and placed it on the table, choosing to distract the group by not answering Razvan’s question.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
The trio put their pints to the side, making a place for the fairly large longsword, a soft purple light escaping the scabbard. Just as Razvan had said, the scabbard made from old, dirty leather and broken down even more by the river of time, didn’t do justice to the exquisite blade it hid.
“So? You gonna show us or you want us to invite ourselves?” Hans quipped, prompting Kai to slowly pull out the sword from its sheath, slowly revealing its violet luster under the men’s curious gazes. Their expressions changed from mere curiosity to genuine shock as their eyes widened in surprise.
“Is it…? It can’t be…” Hans muttered under his breath as the entire sword finally lay bare before his eyes. Its beautiful violet blade absorbed all light hitting it and immediately reflected it in the form of a soft, purple shimmer. The tan dark lines covering it stood in bright contrast to the blade, and the pitch-black hilt seemed to absorb all light but not let any escape.
“Hans, this sword…” Razvan said in a quivering voice filled with disbelief.
“Yeah… there’s only one such sword that I’ve heard of… and it was his sword.”
“Right, what was his name?” Kraft added, “Violet… something.”
“The Demon’s Plague…”
“Violet Night,” Hans said, his voice barely above a whisper while staring at the sword, looking almost mesmerized.
Violet Night?! Kai’s mind raced with questions upon hearing this name. Was that my father’s nickname? Wait, he lived in the human world?
The men’s gazes immediately snapped toward Kai, whose heart skipped a beat upon sensing their eyes lock onto him. His vision quickly snapped between them, the sword and the exit, clenching his sweaty hands as he did his best to prepare for a fight or a run for it. Han’s lips parted, supporting himself on his hands as he leaned closer toward Kai. “Kid, you-”
“What’s all this ruckus?” His words got cut short as the stoic voice of a man rang in their ears, and they immediately launched back into their seats upon hearing it. Their leader and the dark-skinned man halted in their footsteps in front of the table, to Kai’s right, their burning gazes scanning him before looking toward the source of the commotion.
Frank’s pupils constricted immediately, and drew the sword strapped to his waist without hesitation, pushing it against Kai’s neck before he even had time to react.
What’s going on?! Kai’s heart threatened to jump out of his chest, trying to make sense of these people’s reactions but to no avail. Not daring to move an inch, he locked eyes with the man and gulped before asking. “What do you mean by this?”
“That sword, why do you have it?” Frank’s chilly voice penetrated deep into his bones, sending a cold shiver running down his spine whilst his mind raced. I can’t possibly tell them the truth, not after this insane reaction…
“I fo-” Kai’s lips parted, however, he couldn’t even get a word out before Frank slashed across his neck, cutting the makeshift bandage clean off, revealing Kai’s yet-to-heal wound.
“Try to lie to me again, next time it won’t be so pretty.”
This guy’s insane! Kai thought as he took a deep breath, Frank’s blade ticking his neck before exhaling rapidly. How did he know I was about to lie?!
“It… it belonged to my father.”
The three men gasped in surprise at the same time, and even the dark-skinned man’s pupils widened upon hearing Kai’s statement. Frank, on the other hand, wore an expression of disbelief. Dropping the sword, he lunged at Kai and shoved him to the ground, pushing his elbow against Kai’s throat. “Don’t lie to me, brat.”
Kai clenched his teeth, quickly shoving his hand between the elbow and his neck as he tried to push the large man off of him. However, his actions were useless as Frank’s body glowed with a soft light as he muttered something, his strength instantly increasing, putting even more pressure on Kai.
“How were you… able to tell I was about to lie earlier…” Kai asked, his voice struggling to escape his body every time he breathed. “But can’t tell I just…said the truth…?” His words made Frank pause slightly, and, letting out an angry scoff, he got off of Kai, and sat on a chair at the table with the dark-skinned man behind him.
“Get up.” He ordered, signaling the waitress to bring over more alcohol while his eyes remained fixated on the sword.
…
Kai rubbed his neck, glaring at Frank who took a big gulp from his ale before slamming it on the table. Didn’t even bother to apologize… asshole. The rest of the men, including the one behind Frank looked at Kai with intense curiosity, the three men’s lips quivering as they held back any questions they had.
“So,” Frank turned to Kai with a look that could kill. “You’re telling me Violet Night was your father? Let me guess, your mother was… Evergreen? You don’t look anything like them.”
Ever… what? Kai confusedly looked at Frank, the names coming out of his mouth being as foreign as a language he had never heard before.
Frank sighed heavily and changed the topic as it was obvious from Kai’s expression that he was clueless. “Never mind that, this sword being here means it didn’t reject you, and what you said is true, forget that. Violet Night.” His voice turned chilly as he closed his eyes, and asked in a shaky voice. “Where is he?”
Kai’s shoulders sank immediately upon hearing the question, and, staring at the sword, he said in a soft voice. “He’s… dead.”
Frank’s eyes squinted even further, and the trio’s expression turned to disbelief as Kai’s words rang inside their heads. “That’s not… how can that be?!” Hans jumped to his feed, his cracking voice reverberating in the room, catching the attention of everyone present.
“And Evergreen?” Frank asked once again, his nails digging into his flesh as he clenched his fists. Kai didn’t reply, however, his silence told the group more than enough about his parent’s fate.
They stood in silence for a moment, none of them able to make a sound as the shocking information had yet to settle inside their heads. Everyone except the dark-skinned man, tapped Frank on the shoulder, waking him from his daze.
“I see.” He said, placing the sword back into its scabbard before handing it to Kai. “I’m sorry for earlier Kid, I had to make sure. You see… Violet Night he- I wouldn’t be here without your father and mother.”
Kai nodded, accepting his apology and placing the sword on his lap before asking, “What do you mean?”
Frank took another large gulp from his beverage, leaned back in his chair, and let out a heavy sigh before parting his lips…