Chapter 3: Fisherman's Friend, Part 1
1014 AD, Medina Residential Area
I am a monster?
That question kept ringing in Guile's mind. He had never known that he was extremely destructive. At least, before wearing the mask, his power was inhuman; he admitted that. However, he had no memory of doing anything malicious to the people around.
Unfortunately, that thought saddened him more once he saw how people reacted upon his arrival at Medina. As he walked past a few houses, he could hear the unwelcoming slams of windows and doors. Everybody had shut every access to their homes.
"See? This is the problem," Fortuna said.
"Ma'am, I've never done anything bad!" Guile cried out.
"I know you never, but the people here won't believe such thing."
"You're an experienced fortuneteller, right? The people here will listen to you! Tell them!"
"I don't think telling will work," Viktor advised. "Showing is better, son."
"How can I do that if nobody welcomes me?" Guile snapped, pointing at the houses. "They've slammed all the doors and windows shut!"
"Son, this is very unusual of you."
Hearing that, Guile calmed down and blinked. "Master?"
"You hardly ever get angry, even when you're facing an extremely difficult matter," Viktor muttered. "Anyway, you must always remember that throwing tantrums does nothing good." He smiled and poked his own head with a finger several times. "Stay cool and think, son. There's a way to meet those people."
Viktor's words inspired him. He now remained quiet, stroking his chin and racking his brain for an idea. How could he gain access to people?
Wait! Fortuna had an appointment with the smith around. By utilizing her relationship with the blacksmith, there should be a chance. Smirking, he turned to Fortuna. "Ma'am, let's go to the smithy."
The old lady raised an eyebrow and looked directly into Guile's eyes. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" She shrugged. "Okay, I'll help a little, but there's no promise that the blacksmith will let you in."
"See?" Viktor gave Guile a friendly smack on the back. "I know you can do it."
"The smithy is at the south." Fortuna walked past Guile quickly. "Let's go."
Walking down the street was just like strolling around a ghost town. There was no sound. All the houses surrounding the path had shut the windows and doors. If now were nightfall, it would have been creepier.
It took three minutes for the threesome to arrive in front of a cubical stone hut, or exactly the smithy, as written on a plank above the door.
"Hey, Max!" Fortuna called out, knocking on the door. "Madame Fortuna here."
With a click, the door opened slowly. A brown-bearded man glanced outside by pressing himself against it, before rocketing backward and slamming it shut.
"Max! We have an appointment, right?"
A muffled scream of a man was audible. "Why the hell are you bringing along that monster, Fortuna! He's gonna kill us!"
"Max, listen to me. This guy doesn't deserve to be called a monster. I've read him, and he isn't as bad as people say."
The door opened a little for the man to peek. "You sure?"
Guile stepped forward. "Sir, I am not a monster. I don't randomly hurt people and destroy something."
"R-really?"
"C'mon, Mr. Blacksmith. Just let us in and I'll tell you something about him," Viktor uttered in a convincing tone. "Don't be afraid of Guile. He's a good boy."
"O-okay, I t-trust you."
1014 AD, Medina Blacksmith
The workshop was neat despite being a hotchpotch of random items. Many bulky leather sacks and a few wooden chairs were resting against the wall. A wooden bed was leaning against the northeastern corner of the room. Further beside it, a bronze weapon rack lay with a few broadswords, double-edged axes, and spears on display. Next to the array of arms, an anvil stood between a fireplace and a sturdy stone table with a toolbox on its top.
"Well, this is my simple smithy," Max said.
"Isn't there a kitchen?" Guile inquired quietly. He was reluctant to ask this question, but he was starving. He hadn't eaten anything since he went out of the forest with Viktor and Ben, and the bandit chase had made him even hungrier.
"Manners, Guile. Manners," Viktor whispered. "We barely know this blacksmith."
Max ignored Viktor's statement and simply let out, "I don't need a kitchen."
"How do you eat then?"
"I eat at the inn every day. I can afford that," Max replied. "But sometimes, to save some money, I tag along with my brother." The blacksmith paused. "He's a fisherman, so whenever he catches fish, he sells most of them before giving the rest for the chef at the tavern to have them cooked."
"That doesn't sound right to me," Guile muttered. "Better sell all the fish and use the money to buy more food at the tavern."
"You don't understand. We only need to pay the spices and the service. It's cheap."
"Uh, well… That doesn't sound like something I would do." Guile placed a hand on his gut and looked down, listening to the soft growls of his stomach. His hunger tempted him to outright say that he was starving, but as his master had warned, they barely knew Max. His bad reputation wouldn't help either.
Being lost in thoughts had resulted in Fortuna catching him off-guard. "Hungry, but too shy to admit it?"
Guile blushed, but he nodded anyway. He wouldn't get past a fortuneteller easily if he told a lie.
Max suddenly laughed aloud. "I've just realized something. This guy looks too innocent to be the monster everybody is talking about. I mean, which monster won't go mad when hungry?"
"See?" Viktor gave a thumbs-up, smiling proudly. "I've told you that Guile is a good boy"
"If you're hungry, you can visit my brother's cottage by the eastern seaside. Warning you though; he isn't a very nice person."
Curious and a little confused, Guile inquired, "Not very nice? How?"
"It's unlikely that he'll give you some food, especially that you're so infamous. Also, he probably won't hesitate to attack you."
Guile smiled and turned away. "If that's true, then I'll gladly meet him."
"You're crazy!"
"It's the most rewarding thing I can do now. First, there's the thrill. Second, I can eat."
"You're a strange guy, but if you wanna try, then go ahead."
Without answering Max, Guile muttered, "Master, let's go."
"Wait a minute, son."
Guile turned to look at Viktor and blinked. What did his master mean with that? Viktor's focus wasn't at him either.
"Fortuna, are you staying here?" Viktor asked.
"Yes, I have a business here," Fortuna replied. "Max has promised to forge a rod for me, so I'll stay here to manage everything related to that."
"Okay, so I'll just travel with Guile." Viktor turned to Guile before walking past him and heading toward the exit door. "Let's go, son."
Guile nodded, and together with his master, he walked out of the smithy.
1014 AD, Medina
It was devoid of noise, save for howling breeze and light footsteps. Surrounding Guile and Viktor was buildings of all sizes, yet they only added to the desolated atmosphere. Windows and doors were all shut; all the townspeople were hiding inside their houses.
Such sight was quite discouraging for Guile, who still didn't understand why he was so terrifying. He couldn't recall any terrible things he had done to the point people avoided him like a plague.
No, no, no. All the accusations about him being a monster were just an issue. As far as he knew, there was no proof him being destructive. He shouldn't have worried too much about something that had no evidence. Also, he knew that as long as he was nice, he could probably earn people's trust. He had experienced that earlier, in which Max refused to consider him as a monster after seeing his behavior. Showing good attitude should work in gaining Max's brother's trust, too!
It took almost ten minutes for him to get out of Medina Residential Area with his master by foot. Now, he could tell how close they were to the seaside. Stone paths were non-existent. There was no sign of damp earth, nor was there grass. Soft sand had replaced such terrain.
The scenery of a sea was in sight. The waves thundered in constantly, making loud splashing sounds upon slapping the sand. The surf brought streamers of seaweed rolling into the shore, staining the brown land with green tint.
There wasn't much wind, though. If strong zephyr were present, specks of dust might have flown into Guile's eyes; the man would never have been able to observe the panorama of a sea because of that. Unfortunately, no breeze meant no cooling off; sweating profusely had inflicted a continuous discomfort upon his body. It didn't hurt of course, but having wet cloth sticking into his skin was just irritating.
The uncomfortable sensation didn't last very long. Guile could soon feel a continuous gust of wind blowing from his right side. It wasn't strong enough to chill him to the core, but it could at least, stop his perpetual perspiration.
"Feeling nicer, son?"
Guile turned, and upon seeing Viktor, he had just realized something. His master's right palm was facing at him; swirling semi-transparent threads of wind were coming out from the flat, yet rough surface.
He looked ahead and nodded, still enjoying the zephyr from Viktor's hand.
"I'm glad you do," Viktor remarked.
Moments later, something caught Guile's interest. Amidst the dunes, the silhouette of a pointy-roofed hut rested. His intuition told him that the little house should belong to Max's brother. Well, which fisherman wouldn't want to live so close to the sea?
He walked at an average pace, allowing his master to follow him with ease. It only took less than five minutes for them to arrive before the wooden door of the stone cottage. The building loomed before them, sheltering them from the scorching sunlight with its shadow.
"I think this is it," Viktor spoke out.
Remaining silent, Guile stepped forward.
Knock, knock, knock.
No answer.
Knock, knock, knock.
Still quiet.
Knock, knock, knock.
The silence was basically the straw that broke a camel's back. Going so far with an empty stomach, and there was no reward for that? How annoying! Angry, but still retaining a calm exterior, Guile turned the doorknob and stepped into the cottage slowly.
"Huh? Do you even think before trying to open the door like that? You're just lucky that it isn't locked!"
Guile heard that, but he remained silent. There was something interesting in his sight now. A tall man stood upright before him; his sleeveless shirt and shorts showing off his bulging muscles. He was pointing a spear on Guile's direction; its thin, jagged tip ready to impale.
"Stop right there, monster! Ya ain't gonna lay a finger on my catch until yer body has more holes than a beehive!"
Guile simply smirked. "I'll clobber you until you share some of your catch with me then."
From behind him, Viktor spoke softly, "Uh, stop it, both of you." But nobody cared.
"I'm gonna skewer ya now, monster!" the man roared, thrusting his spear.
But Guile saw through the attack. It was a reckless, poorly-aimed jab. What it took to avoid damage was only a step to the side.
This wasn't going to be an exciting fight.
"How boring," Guile muttered with a palm on his face. "I thought you would be a worthy opponent because of your muscular stature." He paused. "I shouldn't have judged a book by its cover."
His speech was insulting indeed. The man, now screaming with bloodshot eyes and reddened face, launched random attacks at Guile.
In no way he could dodge everything now. The jagged steel edge came from everywhere; it was as though he were in a forest of jabbing and swinging metal blades. However, he found this thrilling enough. He might have bloody gashes on all over his body, but such injuries meant he was facing a worthy foe.
The battle should be fun now.
Yes, it was indeed. Even when he heard a shout directed to him coming from behind, he didn't give it a damn. For him, it would be a waste of time if he cared about the loud "Stop it!" in this increasingly intense battle.
With his heart and breathing rate increasing like crazy, he let out a mischievous grin. As he did, though, his opponent stopped attacking and took a step backward, trembling with a pair of widening eyes.
"Tired?" he asked, daring the man. "If you are, share me some of your food and let's end this."
"No way, monster!" the fisherman replied, pulling back his spear. "Argh!"
The pointed metallic blade came at a frightening pace. However, a single strike wasn't something difficult to avoid. Guile only moved his body a little, and the spear stabbed through nothing but the empty air.
In that time frame, Guile immediately grabbed the steel pole of the spear. He grunted and pulled it, drawing the man close to his chest. He kneed the man's stomach shortly after, sending him tumbling backwards.
The same blow also gave Guile another advantage. It had resulted in the man letting go of the spear and leaving it in Guile's grasp. Poking the fallen man's head with the blunt bottom of the spear, he let out a playful, yet fierce glare. "You'd better share your catch with me now. If you don't, I'll turn this spear the other way round."
There was a moment of silence, before the man suddenly snapped, "I'll never share my food with a monster! NEVER!"
Guile nodded and spun the spear. With the pointy tip at the front, he pressed it against the man's head.
"YOU LUNATIC! STOP IT ALREADY!"
That ear-splitting scream couldn't mean something good.
As Guile turned, he saw Viktor running toward him. Smack! Receiving a swift slap to the face didn't hurt even a bit, but it only had him confused.
"You know, son, I feel bad whenever I have to slap you. But you're going too far. You're about to kill someone!"
"I only do what I feel is the best."
"You idiot! That will just make your reputation worse!"
Oh, no! Notoriety wasn't what Guile wanted! He had better find a way to solve his conflict with the man now.
He returned his attention to the man who attacked him earlier. Well, the solution was there. Unlike him, whose body was full of bleeding gashes, the fisherman was perfectly unscathed.
"It is unfair if you deem me as a monster now," Guile calmly began. "Look at your body and compare it with mine. Do you sustain any injuries?"
The man inspected himself for a moment, before looking at Guile. His widened eyes and his slightly ajar mouth showed a hint of guilty within him. But it appeared that he didn't want to show any remorse. "Hmph, you're still a monster to me. You almost killed me!"
"If I were, I'd have torn you to shreds."
Guile seemed to gain an upper hand with that line. Although he received no answer from the man, who was now walking away from him, he was sure that the man had calmed down.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle touch on his back, followed with soothing warmth spreading to his entire body. It should be his master healing him. Looking down on his torso, he could see the neat edges of his gashes moving closer to each other until they were completely shut. He seemed much better than before now, although he didn't look very tidy. His white coat was tattered with stains of blood.
"Son, you didn't hurt the man at all…?"
Guile turned and shook his head. "I was just trying to get some food from him peacefully." He shrugged. "But this man was hostile and insisted not to share his food with me. I thought using force was the best."
"Sometimes you have to think. Using fists won't always work." Viktor pointed at his own head. "Use your brain, son. It can solve more problems than your muscles." Lowering his hand, he added, "Better apologize to that man when he returns."
Apologizing to that man? Could a simple 'sorry' and some reasons make that grouchy man happy?
"That won't work, Master."
"Huh? What crap is in your head right now?" Viktor snapped. "You're getting stranger and stranger, Guile!"
"Master, actions speak louder than words, don't they?" Guile replied. "If I apologize, it's just pathetic." He took a deep breath. "There must be something I can do to show him that I am no monster."
Viktor sighed. "Have it your way then, boy."
There was a moment of silence before sounds of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed, followed with the rattling of wood and plastic.