Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Before I can get too far an arm reaches for my shoulder and stops me.
"Hey, kid." They say, it's that man I just played that cup game with. It's the same rough and deep voice as his.
I turn around, "yes?"
"You said you're not an adventurer right?" He asks and I nod, "you've got good eyes, you'd be good at gathering missions they do there if you're looking for money."
"Aren't I too young to be an adventurer?" I ask him, he seems nice.
"What's your age then? I think you have to be at least 6 to start being an adventurer." He shrugs, "I could be wrong but you should check it out, get yourself some new clothes because 10 coppers isn't enough for some and yours.. no offence but they don't look like they've had a good time."
I look down at myself and mentally agree with the man. "Thank you, I'll check it out."
"Stay safe, adventurers can be rather rough especially with newbies." He says with a smile as he walks off leaving me standing there confused on why he even bothered to tell me this. I shrug and walk off before abruptly stopping.
'I don't even know where the adventurer guild is..' I mentally sigh but continue walking along the brick paths and roads.
'Well I just need 3 more coppers now and I'll have enough to not be beaten today. I should come to this side of town more often if I'm earning money this fast.' I keep looking around and seeing if there's anything easy for me to do for money. I look up at the sky as a rough way of checking the time. 'I'll probably have maybe another half an hour until I need to meet back up with Thomas and Danny. I might as well start walking.'
I arrive at where I was told to meet them and notice the twins also walking there so I walk towards them quickly.
"Oh, you're here. At least you're not late." Danny sneers at me.
"So, how much did you make?" Thomas asks with a hint of interest. I look at them both. They're planning something and I doubt it's good.
"10 coppers. We still have another hour and a third until we need to be back at the orphanage so I should have enough by then."
Danny looks at Thomas and he does the same, they then look back at me. "Hand it over." They both say.
"Excuse me?"
Thomas chuckles, "You heard us."
"Why should I give it to you guys? I earned it, not you."
"Don't talk back to us, we're older and you should do what we say. Hand. It. Over." Danny tries to grab my pouch but I take a step back.
"No." I say as I turn and start running.
'I'm not sticking around so they can steal my money, it'll probably be best to go through crowded places to lose them..'
My stamina has always been good, better than the average person and me doing exercise daily helps me improve that so I have good chances of lasting longer but they're taller and have longer legs so it'll take them less effort to run as far and fast as I am.
'I've got to be smart about this. They'll beat me if I don't give them the money and if I do give them the money then I'll get beaten by the workers at the orphanage.'
I take a sharp turn around a corner and continue sprinting.
'The orphanage's beating will be worse than theirs but even if I give them the money now they'll be mad since I started running. All I can do is try and lose them. If I get told to go with them again tomorrow then I'll definitely get beaten by them anyway. What a pain.'
Some stall owner left boxes in front of their stall so I jump onto the boxes and get on top of their wooden stall and jump onto the roof of the building it's attached to. I notice Thomas and Danny are a bit behind me and are struggling to climb the building. I'm not risking it so I keep running across the roof and jump to the next one.
'This is so stupid.' I jump to another building but my foot slips on the edge causing me to fall off. I quickly grab the side of the roof with my hands and then drop anyway. I quickly get back up and continue running.
'I must've reopened a wound since I'm now bleeding again or maybe it's new.' I think to myself as I run to a crowd of people. My breathing gets heavier and shallower the longer I run and the fact my leg is bleeding isn't helping my situation at all.
'I might've sprained my ankle.' My ankle hurts whenever I put pressure on it, nothing I haven't experienced before so it doesn't really do much.
I reach the crowd of people and get in the middle, slowly moving with the cover of other people making it easier to lose Thomas and Danny. 'Have I lost them?' I look behind me and I don't see them. I keep moving anyway, I'm not taking chances. Eventually I get out of the crowd and the streets and I'm left on the outskirts of town and by the forest. 'I wonder what the time is. I need to get back to the orphanage soon anyway but I still need 3 more coppers.'
I glance around, definitely nothing nearby for me to earn money. I catch a glimpse of something in my peripheral vision. 'Is that them?' I turn to face in that direction and sigh. 'Of course it is.'
"You thought you could run away from us? Pathetic." Danny spits out. His face is expressing nothing but anger and exhaustion, chasing me must've taken a lot out of him, how weak.
"I didn't think I could run away from you, I knew I could run away from you. And I did but I guess you still managed to find me. Where's Thomas?" I ask, staring at him calmly like normal, I'm not one to express emotions and he won't be the one to change that.
Danny scoffs, "Where Thomas is doesn't matter right now what does is the money so hand it over." He walks closer to me with a violent expression playing over his face.
"You'll have to take it from me." I reply as I run off into the forest, Danny following behind me.
"Stop running from me!"
"And you think I'll just stop?"
"Ugh! Just hand it over and you won't get hurt!" Danny shouts at me angrily as he runs behind me.
I jump over tree roots that stick out from the ground, I've never been out this far, I've never been on this side of town at all actually.
'This isn't going to end well. I'll probably get lost and who knows how many monsters are in this forest, not just monsters, regular animals living here will be tough for me to deal with. I could try and loop back around but I'm not sure what will happen with Danny.'
I jump over another root and grab onto a branch above me, pulling myself up quickly and climbing further up the tree.
"Haha! You idiot, you'll get stuck! There's not even a need for me to go up there, you'll come down eventually." He laughs as he sits at the base of the tree trunk as I climb higher, I need to get a good look at my surroundings in this forest, make sure no monsters are close.
'I could climb from one tree to the next and he wouldn't see me since I have the leaves and branches to cover me, he really is stupid isn't he? And what about the monsters? If he isn't careful then who knows what'll happen to him.'
Danny rests his back against the tree trunk as he fiddles with sticks in his hands, not looking up, "Just get down now and make this easier for the both of us."
I can't be bothered to reply and I find a branch to sit on. I carefully climb over to it and sit down with my feet dangling. I look down at Danny below and then the surrounding area. I can't see much since it's getting dark now, it's definitely past curfew and the head of the orphanage is sure to be mad with us. I notice a shadow moving amongst the trees so I focus on it. Surprisingly my vision is adapting better than expected to the dark and is that a.. wolf?
'Good thing I'm in a tree, wolves can't climb up to me. Wait a second.. Danny.. I should tell him, he's going to get attacked.' I quickly look down to Danny. A branch snaps nearby, probably the wolf.
"Dann-"
"Hah, coming down already? Good choice." Danny stands up and brushes his clothes off.
"No you idiot! It's a wolf, climb up here quickly!" I shout down to him.
He laughs and speaks back sarcastically, "There's a wolf~" he mocks, "you just want me to run away, is that it?"
By then I begin to think it's too late to help him, the wolf is getting ever nearer and I'm sure as hell not going to help, if he has a death wish then sure, go ahead.
Another branch snaps and a howl resounds throughout the forest.
"Wait- You we're telling the truth?! Why didn't you say that?!" Danny quickly jumps to grab the branch but fails to pull himself up. The wolves are already close to the tree, if he can't pull himself up then he's a goner.
'What an idiot, fine, I'll help.' I begin climbing down.
"Don't panic, I'm coming down to help you up. Stay calm and try with all your strength to pull yourself up." I slowly reach where Danny is and the same could be said for the wolves, "give me your hand."
Danny looks up at me nervously but gives me his hand despite that. I hold the branch above me with a firm grip and I tug Danny up. The wolves get closer still and jump up, biting his foot causing him to scream out in agony. He shakes his leg violently making the wolf let go.
"HURRY UP YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING!" He screams out.
'Maybe I shouldn't help him.' I brush that thought aside as I pull him up and away from the wolves. As he manages to get on the branch we both climb higher out of the wolves reach.
"You could've hurried up a bit! Look at my foot! This is all your fault!" How shouts with tears streaming from his eyes.
'Only a bite and he is crying like this? He should see how badly the orphanage workers beat me and maybe he wouldn't be complaining like this.' I sigh to myself.
"You could've at least been grateful."
"You've never been bitten like this so why would I be thankful! If you just handed over the money then none of this would've happened!"
"Well that's true but if you didn't ask for it in the first place whole scenario wouldn't have happened."
"How about I help you?" He looks at me with a vicious and mischievous look.
'He's not, he won't-'
He grabs my leg and yanks me forwards. I manage to grasp onto the branch he's on and stable myself.
"I hate you!" He shouts as he punches me in the gut causing me to scrunch my nose slightly.
"Can't this wait until the wolves are gone?" I cough out.
"I've got a better idea." He shoved me so I slip off the branch, my hands automatically shoot out to the nearest branch as I hang from the tree, nothing bellow me other than the ground and the wolves, no branch to save me if I drop.
"Don't do this." I say as I look at the wolves below me, "I just saved you so why?"
"I told you, I hate you. I simply despise you. Let's see how long you can last, you're pathetic." He says, sending another fist into my stomach.
…
(2,045 words)
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