The bulky and bald man walked past Ned. For so reason, he was familiar with his right hand wrapped around with a ragged cloth. But even though carefully covered, Ned could make out dark lines etched under his wrist: a tattoo of so sort.
But Ned couldn't make out his face as he walked toward the group of kids.
To Ned's surprise, instead of beating the kids, the bald man took sothing out of the pouch hanging over his waist and give them to the four kids. The kids then left without saying anything but a glare to the bald man and the kid half-battered on the cold ground.
The bald man helped the kid to stand. But just like his perpetrators, the kid didn't say much as he grabbed the thing the bald guy was offering. Now that the kid stood in front of the bald man, Ned makes out the thing he was giving was bread. Without doing much, the kid wiped the blood dripping under his nose and run away from the bald man.
All these, the bald man nodded, and as soon as he faced Ned, his face was smiling.
Without the massive bow slung behind his back, Ned was late to recognize who the man was. But as he approached Ned, he rembered who he was.
"What are you doing here?" Ned stood with his hands clipped behind his back; a trait he wasn't aware of but gotten from his Master.
The bald man's smile turned widened the mont Ned spoke to him. "You recognize ?"
"I do, yes." Ned bowed to the man and returned him with a smile. "You were at the Chance Arrow Ga Lord Sven Tarragon held. And you recognized as well?"
"So you do rember, kid." The bald man bowed slightly to Ned, making his wooden necklace untucked under his ragged shirt. "I saw you not far from here. I thought I might recognize you from sowhere, but Isashil's bright eyes! It was you that destroyed the stone."
"I prefer you call Ned." Ned returned the courtesy with a bow. "But I do not have the chance to know your na, Hunter-sir?"
Back at the Chance Arrow Ga, when Ned successfully defeated the Goblin Champion. The bald guy, whose na Ned got, helped him escaped when he was pinched by Liv, the old man Saul, and Don the student of House Celian, between trees together with Swift by shooting his massive arrow.
"Just call Rig." Rig thumped his chest and nodded to Ned. "Pops told to show full respect by giving out my real na. But you know, lately, the guards saw Dark Mages lurking the citynot that I believed any of that. But it's better to be safe, right Ned?"
How co this bald and bulky guy so cheerful as though he welcod everyone with a smile?
Before Ned could say a word or return the courtesy, Rig cut him imdiately.
"What are you doing here? Looking for a job?"
Ned shook his head. "No, I was just strolling around the city until I ended up here."
They were in the slums of Bogmoor city. Unlike the city where the ground was elevated to avoid the water flooding in, the slums were lowered. Hence, no nobles would take the land if it was flooded all the ti.
As Ned checked his surroundings, there were puddles of water and mud between broken cobblestones that surround the market. Around them stood buildings, around two to three stories high, made of wood and bricks that encircles the muddy market in the middle. In these middle was where the locals of the slums sold their goods.
And Rig was one of them as he led Ned back to the corner where he laid down a blanket on the dry part of the ground and displayed his goods.
"What is this?" Ned pointed at the necklace.
It was a copper necklace with a stone attached to it. The necklace was crafted intricately with carvings of words etched around the bluish stone, the stone was then wrapped with tals and fixed on the copper necklace. But no matter how intricate the necklace was, the stone was vividly showing nothing but a speck of white light.
"Talisman of Protection. It was once used by a Hunter I know of. It blocks curses and once sells for 800 Gold coins..."
"Now?"
"I'll give it to you for 2 silver coins."
"Ah... why?"
"Nevermind. I know you won't buy."
There were passersby but none seed to even care a look at Rig's goods. Ned wasn't one that judges soone from their looks alone. But, it seed that Rig was in great need of coins. But it needed guts to buy Rig's goods. Aside from the Talisman he brags about, here were bones that almost looked like sticks due to the dryness. A monster's tail, claws, tooth, all but looking damaged. Not to ntion the scale of an elder Butriki, that instead of an elder, it looks like it ca from a common house lizard.
"You were a Hunter, right? What are you doing here?"
"What you see is temporary, okay?" Although forced, Rig shows Ned a smile that at first was genuine, but looking at how he shook his head; even buoyance has an end. "After my wound is fully healed, I'll return to my team." Rig shows dismay looking at his right leg.
Ned was supposed to go to the Canton of Comrce but since it was already late at night, he decided he would wait for tomorrow, looking at the entrances underground via the city's sewer seed pointless. Then he's got ti to listen to Rig. It's what he could do for now, since it was clear how Rig helped him and Swift during the Chance Arrow ga.
"If you don't mind, I can stand here with you."
Rig sat with his legs crossed and stared at Ned standing beside him. A long silence gave Rig a hint that Ned would not move anyti soon.
"It was during the Ga." Rig pulled a piece of bread out of his pouch and offered Ned but declined imdiately.
Ned knew the latter''s current situation. Although he was optimistic, Ned knew he was forcing himself. It was even the last of his bread as Ned saw the pouch crumpled and empty inside. Yet, he offered Ned.
"What about it?"
"I was shot by Liv through the leg."
Ned rembered it, although it was an accident. Liv's arrow hit Rig on his leg while he was struggling to fight the Goblin Champion.
But it has been months, which could be the problem with him. Unless...
"It wasn't healed yet?"
Rig nodded with his eyes fixated on his right leg and pulled a part of his pants to reveal a darkened wound.
Ned saw that a wound in a black spider-like web of veins was visible. In the center of these black veins was a hole the size of an arrow. It was sowhat healed due to so skin covering the wound. But due to the blackened area, the wound was lump with a puss.
A while ago, he was walking just fine.
"So... you've been enduring it all this ti."
Rig smiled at Ned. The bald hunter could at least show a smile under his white teeth and strongly built jawline. His optimism was as thick as his brown eyebrows.
"Later, I found it was poisoned after one of my team assesses it as a wound from a poisoned arrow. As for the poison, I don't know."
"That damn hunter Liv."
"It wasn't his fault really. I am weak, that is why I didn't get to see the arrow shot toward ."
"All this ti... I'm guessing you found soone to help you."
Rig nodded. Although unintended, his shoulders lowered.
"It was a scam I intend to try. Curing my poisoned leg will cost 80 gold coins. Not to ntion the potions the shaman told to drink after it was cured. As for the Healers, not in my life, I'll et one."
Not that much, but it seed that his team has left him without any help. Yet, he wanted to get back to them.
Poor guy, Ned thought. But his face was blankly looking at Rig. It was sothing he doesn't want to be tangled with himself in. Although he was an engineered human being, sure helping a powerless kid was part of Ned's morality. But a guy big enough, a Hunter to say, was an entirely different thing. Guess talking to him was more than enough.
Looking at Ned's deadpan face, Rig forced a smile. "Still, thank you for listening. So what now? You ain't buying, Ned. Now, where to? This place ain't sothing a kid like you visits without a purpose?"
"Just strolling around, looking for sothing." Ned swept his eyes around the muddy market, aside from Rig, perhaps other Hunters, almost everyone Ned was seeing wore a hood to cover their faces. To his right, in the far horizon, between the gaps of the tall shabby buildings, was the topmost part of the Canton of Comrce.
The place Ned was in was rather gloomy, and somber, and shadowy. A place where secrets don't intend to stay as long as lured with the right amount. A place where eting the right person could give Ned ample information he needed. And he might already et the right person.
"Say, Hunter Rig." Ned looked at the sky devoid of any stars and filled with darkened and heavy clouds. "Do you live here?"
"Born here. South of Bogblot. A place I'm well versed in... Why?"
Ned smiled, brimming with excitent. "Say, do you happen to know sothing about the undergrounds of the city?"
"Happen to know? I lived on one of them, why?"
"You are still Hunter, right?"
"Wood Rank, yes." Rig stood, and as soon as he does, Ned was looking like a kid in front of him. He looked down at Ned and said, "Why? What's the sudden change of air?"
"Well..." Ned looked up at Rig, unintimidated by the latter's sharp eyes. "How about a job?"
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