The bandages that covered Bruce’s wounds slipped off onto the floor. Blood streams down his arms and legs. He stumbles left hitting his knees against the table, collapsing on the floor. Ryo hoists him back to the bed. Axel brings a first aid kit with fresh bandages and spread disinfectant. Bruce thrashes his arms back and forth in panic, his eyes unfocused and dilated with sheer terror.

“Don’t touch me! Let my son go! Let him go! Don’t do it! DON”T DO IT!” His voice elevates to shrieking.

Slap!

Bruce’s face pulses with a fiery pain. He looks up at Ryo’s open palm.

“Are you done?” He asks him. Without a word, Bruce in shock nods.

“Was that really necessary?” Axel pushes him aside, trying to attend to his wounds.

“It did shut him up didn’t it. He would have bled out.” Ryo stands back, unapologetic for his actions.

Axel wraps Bruce’s arms back up. “Now, what the hell were you talking about? What happened?” He moves the dirty towels into a bowl. Dry blood stains the floor and bed sheets.

Bruce stares up at the ceiling. “My son…he…he isn’t a pirate. Please…you need to help him.” Tears fill his eyes. “They wanted to silence me…throw out…in sea…” Exhaustion takes him over, and he loses consciousness.

“Well, that doesn’t sound good. We still don’t know what happened.” Axel stands up. His wrapping looks as poorly as it did the first time around. Bandages hang loosely and uneven with the injuries. Ryo pushes past him.

“Your first aid skills are terrible.” He retreats the wounds.

“I didn’t see you volunteering.”

Cough! Cough!

They are interrupted by blood coming from Bruce’s mouth. It sprays to the side.

“Now what’s wrong with him!” Axel looks him over.

Ryo carefully checks Bruce’s pulse, his ribs, legs, heart and other vulnerable areas. Up towards his neck. Ryo notices a blueish purple bruise just under his shirt collar. He pulls it down. A large mark stretches from the mid collar bone down over his left shoulder.

“Damn. Looks like he’s been poison.”

“Are you kidding me?” Axel glances over his shoulder. “What the hell do we do about this?”

“We have nothing to treat something like this. We need to get to the city and soon.” Ryo puts everything back in the box.

Both men reach the main deck. In the distance, the Royal ships move off into the distance. The blockage in front of them disperses, clearing the way for Milonite’s main port. Barely any ships sit next to the almost empty port docks. A few tents sit along the city limits with a few patrons passing between each stand, looking for their next purchases. Ryo scans the empty spaces but shakes his head.

“We can’t go there.” He speaks.

“Why not? There is plenty of room for the ship! Let’s go!” He points to the dock.

“No. Do you want to cause more trouble?” Ryo looks at him. He points over to the end of the dock. A small run-down port dock loosely attached to a rock wall sits just outside the main port entry. The area is completely abandoned by businesses or people. Ryo steers the ship to align with the wall, next to the old and worn wood. Axel looks down to see one of the wooden boards drop into the water.

“Out of sight out of mind.” Ryo comes from below with Bruce hung over his shoulder. Much of his body remains wrapped in bandages and blankets to hide his identity.

“Is this going to work?” Axel can’t hide his doubt.

“We can’t leave him here. I’ll worry about him; you just need to find a doctor.” He leaves to disembark, leaving Axel at a loss for words.

Both men finally make it to the main port filled with crowds of people ready to pick up their wares. All types of businesses line the outer walls of the city, selling fruits, clothing, jewelry and  fish. Some of the jewelry catches Axel’s attention drawing him to the stall. A woman behind it smiles, but from Ryo’s perspective the smile remains hollow. She motions Axel to look at some necklaces and bracelets. His eyes through aren’t drawn to their beauty by the styles and craftsmanship. A sense of familiarity nags at him until he sees the price tag.

“That much?!” He jumps back. “How is it that much? Can anyone afford this!?”

Ryo remains a distance away to hide in the constant motion of the crowds. However, he sees that most of the prices down the stalls are very high. A lot of the people go about their business completely ignoring Axel, Ryo, and Bruce. The eerie feeling of isolation creeps in the pit of Ryo’s stomach. Waiting for Axel, he barely feels a piercing glare at him from behind. He turns but no one is there, only the bustling of business. Axel rejoins him.

“The prices here are crazy.” Axel whispers to him.

“We better be going.” Ryo doesn’t say anything else and walks up to the main street.

On their way past some homes and storefronts, ahead of them a crowd of people gather in the middle of the street. Axel runs into the crowd, pushing his way through. In the center, a customer and merchant continue their argument, that grows louder by the minute.

“These prices are outrageous! How am I able to feed my family like this?” The buyer shouts.

“Look you are either going to buy it or leave! I won’t ask again!”  The merchant responds.

“You just raised those prices last week! This can’t be legal!” He snaps back.

“If you don’t stop now, I will be forced to call-“

“What is with all this noise!” Up the street, two soldiers dressed in light blue and purple garments stride down the cobblestones. They don’t even full take in the situation before throwing out accusations. “So, it seems we were able to catch another pirate trying to make trouble.”

One of the soldiers interferes with the argument, throwing the buyer to the ground. Another kneels on his back, tying up both arms, almost breaking one. The merchant shouts in pain, however it’s like the world around him doesn’t hear him. All onlookers whisper to one another but no one steps in. Some in the crowd cast doubtful and condescending glares. Axel and Ryo watch the scene each minute making it harder to swallow.

“You’re under arrest for threatening the peace of this city, and attempted thief.” He sneers at the buyer, who gives up his fighting.

“I’m…not…a pirate. Please don’t…my family.” He meekly whimpers out.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” Before Ryo could stop him, Axel steps out from the crowd, ready for a confrontation.

“That fool.” Ryo whispers, unable to step forward due to supporting Bruce on his shoulder. However beside him, he notices a hunch over man with both his hands on a support cane.

“That guy was just trying to buy something. What did he do wrong?!” Axel continues.

The upright soldier points his spear at Axel’s neck, stopping him. Sweat rolls down his face, not thinking about what to do after his words. Whispers evolve to fear with some adults covering the eyes of the children. Pushing through the people, a small group of five soldiers appeared with their weapons ready. Intimidation becomes one of their biggest weapons by how stronger the crowd shutters from their presence. A pack of wolves on the hunt ready to take down prey that steps forward.

“So, it seems like there is another pirate, trying to defend one of their own.” A tall man steps out. It’s clear he leads the current patrolling group. Between his stuck-up nose and words, he acts like he owns everything he steps on.

“I’m not a pirate! I just don’t agree with rough abuse. Aren’t you supposed to be protecting this city, not threatening the residents!” Axel’s mouth keeps running, clearly agitating the aggressors.

“I’ve heard enough. How about I just arrest you for being a pirate-“ The soldier lifts his hand up.

“Please don’t!” A nail scratching voice rises from the crowd.

“What in the?” The crowd looks at each other.

“Oh, please forgive him this once.” An elderly man comes from beside Ryo. He slouches over, using a cane to help with his limp. His shaky voice doesn’t hide how frail and sick he is. “My grandson just came here. He doesn’t know the rules of the city yet. This immature and stubborn fool must teach him better.” He bows, a crack comes from his back. “Oh, my back.”

A crowd that sympathized with the soldier’s sudden show pity for the old man. They cast their glances at the soldiers. Unsure what to make of the situation, they hoist the buyer onto his feet, dragging him away. Two of them stay behind to give off one last warning.

“Listen here. There are laws and they need to be followed!” One of the aggressors projects to the crowd. Taking the hint, they disperse to wash away the scene that played out.

The man grabs Axel’s arms, pulling him down to his level. “Are you trying to get yourself kill?” The weak voice from before disappears, replaced with a young deeper voice. Axel tries to catch a glance at his face, but it’s obscured by the cloak’s hood. “Now before you cause any more trouble come with me.”

The weak grip almost yanks Axel’s shoulder out of its socket. Ryo joins him as the man limps his way to a nearby alley. Axel and Ryo glance at each other with Ryo dragging Bruce into the alley behind him. Axel shrugs his shoulders following them. Under the shadows, the elderly man’s appearance warps in front of them. The cloak flies off replacing the man with a taller individual, his hair is combed back, and he’s dressed in a light brown outfit. A pair of glasses hung over the ridge of his nose. In his left hand, the cane becomes a shoulder waist high walking stick made from solid timber wood.

“Who the hell are you?” Axel speaks up.

“Well, first I guess I should welcome you to Milonite City.” The man reaches out his right hand. A sly grin appears on his face. “A pleasure to make you acquaintance my name is Vince Patel, the best-known trader in all of Lunestra.”