Chapter 11: Won’t Run Away

Teus darted through the streets of Thorinhil, feet striking the ground like a drum. His heartbeat jumped with every sudden clash that he was hearing from afar. After a couple of minutes of running, his panting began to get more frequent, though his strides did not relent. 

With due time he found himself in front of an alleyway, his chest feeling on fire. This time with a multitude of rats and other rodents scurrying away as fast as they could. 

He steadied his breath before coming to a stop. The tension was thick.

Another resounding boom was heard, this time louder than any time before. He swallowed a lump in his throat and wiped the sweat away from his forehead.

“This is it…!” He muttered to himself, his voice was shaky.

He sprinted towards the alley anyway.

The dust beneath him kicked up again as he ran. His footsteps echoed as he came closer with danger.

Memories of the old man giving him the scarf flooded throughout his mind.

“...that scarf will always remind you that whether or not you or anyone else sees you as valuable. You will always be more than a worthless peasant. If to nobody else, then at the very least to me…!

His resolve thickened with every step. His breath froze, frosting in the dim air, but his feet hit the ground even harder. He could feel himself getting closer to the battle. To him the area around his body looked like nothing but a blur. Until a distinct smell reached his nose…

The subtle smell of copper filled his nostrils.

Crack!

A stray piece of wood sticking out from the ground had caused Teus to trip and fall to the ground. His body hit the floor hard and he felt a thick liquid splash against him on the ground.

When he opened his eyes, a horror stricken face etched itself onto his being. An audible gasp left his lips before he saw it.

The entire ground ahead of him covered in large puddles of blood, the shade of the dirt ground slowly transitioned into deep maroon.

He almost hurled, chills were sent down his spine as his lips quivered. He had found exactly what he had been looking for.

Only a short distance before him.

His purple scarf was on the ground, stained in crimson…

The boom was heard again, Teus could tell it was from a distance far enough to not hurt him directly but he felt every vibration in his bones. He quickly steadied himself and got to his feet, only to kneel down once he approached the scarf. 

Confusion could not even begin to describe his state of perplexity. His head swiveled around the alley way. There were cuts and crevices everywhere, leaving gaping holes in the buildings next to them. The alley showed clear signs of struggle but it looked surprisingly empty. Questions hurtled through his mind.

“Why is the scarf just here on the ground like this? This place is entirely empty, did the battle shift to somewhere else? Where are the Beast Breakers? Did the dragon do this?”

A large quake took place on the ground beneath them again and a sharp ring of two metallic blades clashing against each other could be heard from where Teus was standing. The boy, still gripping his scarf, fell to his behind causing the blood surrounding him to slosh around.

Now that he was close he was sure he felt it. Even though he could not see the fight. He felt as though an enigmatic sixth sense screamed to him that he was in danger.

“This is what it’s really like to be so close to a dragon?”

His pupils dilated and his eyes widened, as he saw through the opening of the two buildings, a figure flashed into view, a good distance away from him. A familiar voice called out to him, snapping him out of his fear.

“I thought I smelled you here!”

The silhouette became ever so clearer as the moonlight shone upon him. The old man called out to Teus as he dashed in his direction.

“Just what the hell are you doing here, treasure hunter!”

A burst of smoke and debris exploded through the building, through the building beside them as the old man dove to cover Teus with his body. He astutely angled his blade against the falling mountain of bricks and dust and swung his monstrously large blade in an upward motion creating an upheaving force that directed the falling building back to the direction that it came. Teus’ gaze was fully open in surprise by the sheer magnitude of the blast. Though he did not have long to be amazed.

“Wait, if the scarf was here then the Beast Breakers had to have been somewhere around. Where are they now!?”

Before Teus could voice his question, without a word, the old man grabbed Teus by the collar and slung him over his back before running off into the streets of Thorinhil. 

“We gotta get going, they’ll catch up to us soon! It’s dangerous here!”

He ran away from the ensuing commotion, with Teus on his shoulders. Quickly building distance away from the battle. He carried Teus halfway across Thorinhil.

Soon after, the old man stumbled and fell to his knees in the middle of the road. Teus was sent flying from the momentum and rolled across the dirt. It was then he was able to see the old man’s condition.

He had large gashes from all over. Lacerations from his back made its way to the top of his chest. Around his arm had been covered in cuts as well, some slashed so deeply that Teus could see the bone. His beard now slightly discolored with the introduction of smears of red. Wounds from his side had caused him to wince in pain. His blood was leaking onto the ground and further stained Teus’ clothes.

“Mister Fluff and Puff!” 

Teus exclaimed in a frightened manner before the hand of the old man was abruptly placed on his mouth. A look of seriousness had been present on his face that Teus had never seen before in all the years of knowing him. His next words carried weight.

“Quiet, we’ll be found if you keep yelling.”

Without missing a beat, Teus nodded his head silently before the old man lowered his hand.

He pointed at Teus’ blood-drenched scarf, still in the secure grasp of the child.

“...I noticed you lost your scarf…I tried to get it back for you, but things didn’t go as planned.”

He looked at the old man with tears welling in his eyes. He was overcome with emotions. He understood the sentimental value it carried for him, but his heart shattered seeing the old man in such a state over a scarf. In that moment he regretted ever placing so much importance on it to the point that this situation was playing out in front of him. He never imagined his obsession would hurt someone so close to him this bad.

“You…didn’t have to. If morals are what you value the most, I wished you would have let my scarf disappear!”

“You don’t know the full truth, Teus. It’s never been about the scarf. What the scarf represents is worth fighting for…” A cough left the old man’s mouth as some of his blood spilled through.

“What is he talking about!?” Teus listened intently.

“...I guess, I tried running from the truth, ran away from the battlefield, ran away and tried to live a quiet life in a quiet town, but it only gets worse the more I run… It's time I fight,” 

“What are you talking about!?” Teus inwardly asked.

The old man took another heavy breath. “You’re… still rough around the edges, Teus, but… your dream can move the world…someday, I’m counting on you to show all these dragons that you’re more than just a worthless peasant!”

His eyes shot open in disbelief. He had never heard the old man talk like this before. Was he trying to say that he was okay with his dream of finding the King’s Crest? Just what happened near that alley that made him possess such a change of heart. Questions burned through Teus' mind.

“Wait, dragons? Didn’t the Beast Breakers do this to you!?” He frantically asked.

“You’re worried about the wrong things right now, Teus!” 

His gaze was then directed at the battlefield that they had just exited, his grip on his sword tightened. He tried to stand up but the pain he was feeling made him falter and promptly resume his crouched position. It was clear he no longer had the strength to get up. He then grabbed the scarf from Teus’ hand and wrapped it around his neck, just like he had all those years ago. 

While huffing and puffing, he got his next words out clearly.

“Teus, you need to get out of here…I don’t want you to see what happens next to me…!”

The boy wiped away the tears from his reddish eyes, there was too much he did not know for him to leave the old man.

“I can’t leave you here! We have to go together! I’m sure there’s still time to escape!”

The old man coughed again before raising his voice.

“No there’s not, get out of here Teus!”

Teus fought every notion and ounce of common sense he had to stop his feet from trembling. He then crouched beneath the old man’s abdomen, pressed his palms against his chest and lifted half of his body with his entire strength, although his legs were still dragging across the floor. The old man grunted.

“What are you doing, Teus!? Stop!”

“I refuse! It’s not fair, kind people like you sacrifice your lives for idiots like me. I’m finding the King’s Crest to prove that we’re more than worthless peasants. If you still have a problem with that, try and stop me!”

The old man grunted and tried to resist.

“We’ll both die at this rate, I’m not making it out of here alive, you don’t need to die here with me! Just let go!”

Teus fought back the tears forming in his eyes, refusing to cry again.

“Never! I just came from the hospital, with the money I’ve been saving for that suit of armor I’m sure I can get you in there for at least a night!”

His strength had begun to give out and the old man fell on top of him, his weight pinning Teus to the ground as they laid in the dirt. 

“Teus, I’m being serious! Now is not the time to have ridiculous ideas! If you’re going to listen to anything I have to say, listen now, we can’t both make it out of here alive. Let me go!”

He watched Teus crawl out from under his body weight and struggle to stand up. He grabbed the old man by the wrist and proceeded to keep pulling him across the road. He watched the sweat fall from his brow and the blood drip from the scarf. The boy had his familiar determined look in his eyes as he firmly replied.

“I told you, I’m not doing that!”

The old man’s face carried a look of defeat as Teus continued pulling. In that instant a cold shudder made its way through Teus’ spine, causing him to stagger. He felt his chest rising and falling rapidly as his sweat began to drip profusely.

A calm and cold voice echoed out to him.

“I knew you couldn’t run away forever. Back away from him, child…”

The old man grit his teeth.

“Damn it all…”

With widened eyes Teus whipped his head around to find the distinguished cloak that belonged unmistakably to none other than the captain of the Beast Breakers. The man was staring daggers through him. Calmly making his way towards the two, though not without speed. His armor was in perfect condition as though not a single scratch had been laid on him. He maintained his indifferent demeanor as he approached.

“...This matter is beyond you.”