Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Enron
"What the hell is this?" The voice sounded like Volgan.
"This is making up for that kid that Arti lost us." Yamo pulled the large cloak off of Tsugi and shoved him into the carriage, closing the door behind him. "You're welcome Arti."
The footsteps retreated back outside of the barn.
Tsugi grunted and pushed his aching body off the floor and peered around the carriage. It was a bit dark, but he could see the figures of three women, lying on the floor with him. The drugs had started to wear off and they were beginning to grunt and stir awake.
The locks on the door jiggled and the door opened. Yamo reached in and pulled Tsugi out by the scruff of his shirt, sitting him down on a haystack while Arti placed trays of food into the carriage with the women.
"Hey! Come on, wake up and eat!" He shook them and placed a tray in each of their hands. They happily accepted and shoved the food into their mouths like starving animals.
"So, what's your name?" Yamo sat on the haystack across from him. Tsugi kept his mouth shut and didn't say a word. "It's just a name. Are you mute?" He placed a tray of food in Tsugi's lap. "I know you're not deaf."
"Botu."
"Okay, I'll bite." He knew Tsugi was lying. "Eat Botu." He placed another tray in his own lap and ripped up the bread, placing the chunk in his mouth to show Tsugi that it wasn't poisoned.
After hurling up all the food from last night, Tsugi was starving. He quickly grabbed the bread and bit into it.
"You know, I could talk to the madam and train you to be like one of us instead. It'll be better than raising you like a cow for slaughter." He proceeded to place the steak into his mouth and Tsugi followed suit.
"Don't trust me I see." Yamo chuckled. "It's alright, it's expected. Who would trust someone who just beat the crap out of them right?" He said, raising his hands into the air and shrugging his shoulders. "Hey, you were the one that stole from us, remember? I also kept my word and I didn't cut off your hands."
"But you're a dog. If you're master barks, you obey." Tsugi sneered.
"Ah! So you're not some ignorant child either. I'm starting to like you more and more, kid." He took a bite out of the mashed potatoes, and Tsugi did as he did, giving Yamo another thing to chuckle about. "Well, I want you to think about it. You've definitely got potential." Yamo pulled his goblet to his lips, but before he could take a sip, Tsugi choked on his food, and Yamo handed him the goblet. Gracefully accepting it, Tsugi downed the goblet and handed it back to him, nodding politely.
'This man doesn't seem so bad. He seems to be understanding and friendly so far, and he saw potential in me. Whereas father never saw anything in me.' Tsugi quickly shook the thought. 'No, I'm here on a mission. These are bad people.'
"Now, you don't have to trust me, but just don't panic." Yamo said calmly and placed more food into his mouth. Tsugi started feeling lightheaded and dizzy. The voices were starting to get a little distorted and he was getting disoriented.
He threw his tray of food to the floor and stared at it, watching as it twisted, turned and rot right before his eyes with maggots crawling out from the holes and wriggling, overflowing the tray. Yamo's face was also getting distorted, his eyeball popped out and dangled from its socket, his jaw fell off and dangled to one side.
"Wha…what did you do to me?" Tsugi mumbled, feeling like he's going to be sick.
"Don't worry, it's just supposed to relax you a little." His chuckle had turned into a high pitch screeching laughter.
Tsugi collapses to the ground and seizures violently.
He awoke, still on the cold hard floor. He had no idea where he was or how much time had passed.
"Just how much did you put in there Arti!" Yamo yelled. "Were you trying to kill me?!" A loud thud, and Arti was knocked to the floor. His nose was broken, and blood dripped to the floor, pooling where he knelt. "You're done. Kill him." Volgan knelt behind Arti and lifted him up by his chin, slicing into Arti's throat to silence him before jamming a knife straight into his chest, cracking the ribs and piercing his beating heart.
Tsugi rolled himself over and pushed himself up into a sit.
"Holy moly!" Yamo's face lit up as he wiped his bloody hands with a handkerchief. "You are truly an amazing kid, you know that?" He poured water into a goblet and handed it to Tsugi, but Tsugi only stared at his grinning face. "Oh, sorry, here." He drank it and poured the remaining of the drink through the air, so Tsugi could see the water go down Yamo's throat as he swallowed it. He then poured another from the kettle and handed it to Tsugi.
Hesitantly, he took the goblet and slowly drank the water.
"I want to apologize about that drink from earlier. There was only supposed to be enough in there to loosen you up a little, but that dumbass had a grudge against me and tried to kill me. So, it was technically meant for me and not you. Ooo, I love your eyes, they scream a lot." He said as Tsugi glared at him intensely not trusting a word he just said. "Oh…" He took a swig from his goblet, "...don't worry, that issue from earlier won't happen again. I don't deal with weak tricks like that kindly." He pointed his chin to the corner of the barn.
Tsugi glanced over and saw Volgan dismembering the body of what used to be, Arti. Blood strewn everywhere, the white cartilage crunched and cracked with every swing of the ax. The intestines and tissue fluid squished and flopped when Volan tossed them onto the giant open cloth.
Yamo laughed malevolently. "Oooo, holy crap! Holy mother of all crap! I love you kid." His face had the most menacing look of enjoyment Tsugi has ever seen. Even thinking about the look on his fathers face, didn't compare to the psychotic sinistery he felt from Yamo.
"You don't get queasy easily either!" He grinned from ear to ear. "This is a blessing of all blessings that I got this chance to meet you kid. I am going to teach you wonders! If I ever had a kid, I would want him to be like you. In fact you know what? I'll adopt you right now. Of course there won't be anything formal, seeing as I'm not real technically and you're an orphan. You can just come with us. I promise I will protect you like my own child like I would if I had any, and teach you everything I know, kid. What do you say?"
Tsugi nodded.
"Yes!" Yamo cheered and sat next to Tsugi pulling him into a side hug, causing him to flinch since he never expected it. "Tell me your real name, kid." Tsugi didn't respond and only locked his eyes onto the floor. "I know that Botu isn't your real name. It's alright, you're an orphan, so you probably don't even have a name.
Let's make this your new life and I will give you a new name as your father." He pressed his lips together and looked up to the corner of his eyes. "Enron. That'll be your name from now on. You can call me father if you like, or Yamo is just fine." He pointed toward Volgan. "And that's Volgan. We are hired mercenaries."
"What are mercenaries?"
"Basically we are hired to do the dirty work for nobles or people that don't want to get their hands dirty."
"So do you kill people?"
Yamo stared at the bloody Arti on the floor. "When we need to, yes." He nodded and scratched at his long stubble beard.
"So, you're going to teach me to kill people too?"
"That among other things. Killing people isn't all that we do. We also protect, kill monsters, find things…the list goes on and on. Well, now that you are going to join us, we will need to get you a horse too!" He stood onto his feet. "Come on. We leave tomorrow morning, so we need to get you all situated. Unless you'd rather ride in the carriage with the products."
"No." Tsugi stood up.
"Good." Yamo grinned eagerly. They left the barn and worked their way through town to the stables. "So, what are you doing here, Enron? I know you're not from here so don't even try that one on me."
"How'd you know I'm not from here?"
"Magic." He whispered and waved his fingers through the air. "No." He laughed. "I can tell. When you've traveled enough, you can tell if people are natives to certain areas or not. For example, I told you we're going to the stables, to get you a horse, yet you followed me this way, which is the complete opposite of the stables." He chuckled.
"Then why are we going this way then?"
"Get you some decent clothes and armor. What we do is dangerous, so some protection won't hurt. We will also get you a weapon."
"I…I don't have any money though."
"I know you don't have any money, silly. I got you. I'm adopting you, so it only makes sense that I take care of you."
Those words hit home for Tsugi. Never had his father once made him feel wanted, or taken care of before. Yet this man, who he doesn't even know, is taking care of him. "You don't even know me. Why are you doing this? What if I just run away, or what if I kill you guys in your sleep?"
"It's a risk I am willing to take. That's how special you are to me. I wish to raise you to be my protege. You have a lot of potential, Enron. I like to think I am a pretty good judge of character, and you my friend…are one in a million-no, more than that, you are one in a trillion. Besides, if you are able to kill me, then you deserve it even more." His confidence in his abilities made Tsugi question his own.
'Is this person just some arrogant overconfident man, or is he really that good?'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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LucyXiong What do you all think of Yamo? Would you trust him if you were Tsugi?
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