The Game

by melodyroseblack

Truth and his brother Void play a game with two humans from our world. They give the humans a set of rules, map some money and a gift. The game is simple they have to find someone in order to win the game. But how can the game be so simple if they have no idea who they are looking for? Plus they have compete against one another to find this person before time runs out. More inside

3. Chapter 3 Plans and preparing

Chapter 3: Plans and preparing.

Tenma walked down the streets of Central, keeping her eyes open and noting the lack of soldiers most likely due to the last part of the end of the war. She caught word how a lot of soldiers had to stay behind to clean up, while those who was back had a ton of paper work and therefore had left the police to deal with any and all crime rate in their city. So far this seemed to be a good thing. Tenma was also looking for any items that she could add to her backpack as well as to see if she could get cash in hand work. She walked up to a café that was hiring people. Tenma asked if she could work there but be paid cash in hand. The owner smiled and said that only adults are being allowed to work. Tenma understood she looked like a child and could not prove otherwise. She left and as she was walking she found a almost hidden side alley. She went down it and found some hidden shops and other line of business.

She didn't know where she was but shrugged it off as she knew how to get back to her ground floor flat. She took in all the signs and smiled a little. There was a café, bar, clothing shop, repair shop but it didn't say what it repaired, an automail shop and repair in one for anyone who has automail. There was an adult shop where people paid to have sex. Tenma chose to keep clear of that one. There was quite a few other shops some even had adds that took in kids, most likely street kids which Tenma guessed that she most likely would look and be seen as one now. She made for one of the shops a book shop spoke to someone in there and they agreed to allow her to work on Saturday only. The owner of the book store even said that today was Monday and that some of the cafe's and pubs/bars was looking for kids to work for them. If they had nothing then the workhouse at the end would have something for her. Tenma thanked him and went to one of the places he had said.

A café that allowed kids to wash the dishes and clean the floors allowed her to work Monday to Friday. She was told that she would have to start on the next day at 7am before the café opened to do the cleaning. So she was only working mornings and only until the café opened at 9am. She should be done with work by 8:45am to 8:50am. Tenma took the job knowing that left enough time to go looking for items maybe do missions that showed up, and maybe even go to a school for 8 year olds. Even though she was way older Truth had stuck her in the body of an 8 year old so she guessed why not go to a school for poor homeless kids. One of the café workers had told her that school for the homeless started to 9:30am and let out at 3pm. That would be enough time to blend in. Plus everyone that lived in this type of place and was homeless more or less hated the military and so she would not have to worry about get caught by them while at school.

Any why would she care about getting caught by people in the military? Well the easy response would be the names on the list of people to avoid are mostly in the military. Was she taking the easy way in the game? Yes she was Tenma had guessed why make it hard when if one can find a easy way take it. Now would it work? Maybe, maybe not who knew? One way to find out is by doing and that is what Tenma was going to do. Now she knew when her jobs times would start and when school would start. She also knew that she would need books and some other things for school but didn't know what books or what she really needed. So she went to where she was told the school was. When she got there she made her way to the front desk to talk to one of the adults who runs the school. Asked about what a child like her would need to bring and if she didn't have it where could she go to try and get it.

The women was nice and said all text books was free once the child is entered into the school. The child is then given a sheet of paper to take to the bookshop where they will get their own text books, and writing books as well as pens, pencils and other items one would find in a child's school bag. The only thing that the book shop will never sell is backpacks, lunch boxes and school wear/uniform. As for the uniform the school will provide as they have a their own person who makes the clothes for the child going to school. Tenma smiled and said she wanted to sign up for school here, that she had gotten herself two jobs that will not get in the way of school. The women nodded and smiled and told her to go into the room next to her for her to get someone to fit her school clothes and give her the sheet of paper for the bookshop. Tenma went into the room to be fitted.

Leo on the other hand was playing this game very differently. He would not got to school as he knew he could just wander around learn skills and get by. He was making a plan to find a teacher to re-learn swordsmanship. He had planned to also learn archery by just aiming and shooting arrows at trees. Leo had found out that he was not as skilled at Swordsmanship as he once was and just chalked it up to not training like he used to. As he walked down a path that leads out of the town he was last in he keeps his eyes open in case anything comes up. He can only see open meadows down the path he is on. There is nothing to aim at so he knows he can not shoot/train in his archery. So he keeps walking and soon hears running water. Maybe a stream or river but he knows he needs to refill his thirst and he could do that by drinking said water.

He walks and soon finds the river flowing gently. He kneels down and takes a sip of water. Feeling refreshed he stands back up and choses to follow the river. He is heading towards Lake Clearwater. He stops along the river and seeing some nets and a wire line he picks them up. The nets was not to bad just needed to be repaired in a few places. The line was strong and he saw that it had a metal hook tied to it. He smiled as he used his alchemy or tried to in order to repair the net. The net only closed a little up on the small hole not nearly enough so Leo guessed he needed to train more in alchemy. He put the net in his backpack for later. He found a strong wooden stick that he could use until he buys a fishing pole. He was hungry and was going to try his luck at fishing. He found a worm put it on the hook and tied the wire to the wooden stick. Then he started to fish unaware that it will be a skill that will be added to his skill part in his book.

It didn't take long before he caught a small fish barely enough to fill him up, he just spiked it with a sharp stick for later. After that he caught three more small fish making the total 4 small fish. All on their own sharp sticks, next he made a small camp fire to cook the fish. Once the fish was cooked and ate he put the fishing line and hook a way and put out the fire. Then he continued on his way heading along the path that would lead him to the big lake known as Lake Clearwater. In the long slow walk Leo had trained himself in archery by shooting at trees mostly missing but every now and then he would hit a tree. He stopped at an abounded hut to rest and treat his small wounds he got from fishing and shooting arrows, even making arrows himself.

The nights was cool but Leo didn't mind. He was not cold or anything. On one of the days of walking he stopped when he saw a little kid getting beat up by some men. The kid looked to be about 8 or 9 years old. Clothes a little tatty and old and the kid was sporting a few bruises from what Leo could see. Leo hated to see anyone weaker get hurt and so he stepped in to put a stop to it. "Leave the kid alone" Leo called out making the men look up, "oh yeah and what ya gonna do?" The man who seemed to be the leader said, Leo's eyes darkened as he replied, "I will beat the crap out of you if you so much as touch one hair on that child" Leo said darkly. The man didn't seem to care as he kicked the kid in the ribs. And in a flash Leo jumped in to fight. Using what little skill he had he cut down the man with his sword cutting off a limb but not killing him.

The man screamed as he ran away the rest of the man's men also ran off. The kid looked up at Leo as Leo sheathed his sword. A look of awe and wonder at the man who had saved their life. Leo had also been training himself in swordsmanship. And yet even he knew his skills was not all that either that or those men was really weak with how they fight. Yes he knew it was bad to fight or even take a life. He knew that the people here would more then likely call on the soldiers to take care of him. And yet he didn't care if that was what they did. He knew he had to save the kid being attacked. Once his sword was sheathed he took one look at the kid and started to walk. "Hey wait I am coming with you. Your awesome really and I can't take care of myself yet so I will tag along so you won't get lonely." The kid even though Leo knew that the kid was more then likely to be the one who would be lonely but it would be nice to have someone to talk to even if it was a little kid.

Omake:

Name: Tenma

Level: 1

Skills/Abilities:

Gather level 1

Alchemy level 1

Intellect level 1

Points spent: 0

Points left over: 100

Items obtained: 0

Powers: 0

Name: Leo

Level: 1

Skills/Abilities:

Gather level 1

Alchemy level 1

Archery level 1

Points spent: 0

Points left over: 50

Items obtained: Fishing line with hook, fishing net, wooden arrows.

Powers: inactive until level 2

Both Truth and Void smiled at seeing that. The two was going in very different ways to get what they might need. Yes a slow game but it should still be fun to see how they do. And one of them seemed to have picked up a stray.