Sen looked at the man roam around the inn talking to already annoyed people by his presence. The lower floor of the inn acted as tavern but served less drinks and more food. So the stench of hard liquor from the man intoxicated the family friendly tavern and the people in it.
He murmured words that Sen was able to hear. He had dark hair with a light blue hue at the end of it. He was slouching as the dark robe he wore dragged along the tavern floor and the sword at his side knocked over
peoples drinks and food as he staggered through the seats.
" Get this man out of here!" a man angry stood up in protest.
The rest of the people in the tavern agree in murmurs and a couple of.
" Yeah , leave!"
" Take your drunk ass somewhere else."
On hearing this the man didn't falter but rather tuned slowly to the door. As his droopy eyes searched where the door was, he saw a silver eyed boy then said in joyous tone.
" S…en!" his voice broken by the burping .
He started to walking towards him.
The people standing besides Sen then turned to him.
" Is this guy your father?"
" What a pity for you boy."
" No he's not my father." Sen revolted.
" But he just called you son. We understand if your are embarrassed of him."
" My name is Sen , not son!"
Sen was about to continue when he felt something drop on his hands. He turned to see who or what did
that.
Behind him was the drank man. He was looking eye to eye with Sen his breath hitting Sen's face directly. He had dropped his sword into Sen's hand then proceeded to the stairs.
"Come on Son, show me to … my room." He said already taking a step up the stairs.
He stumbled a little but got back to scaling the stairs. Sen was still dumbfounded by the man's ignorance. He then sighed then followed reluctantly up the stairs.
The smell of the booze assaulted Sen's nose all the way to his room. The man seemed to know him but Sen had never seen him before. Also he was drunk and Sen didn't know to handle a situation like that. He followed him and for some reason he seemed to know where the room was.
Sen pushed open the door, the man barging in as though he owned the place. He looked around the room then stretched heading to a window that showed the view of the streets.
The streets were noisy as people , grownups, walked around releasing
the tension of their day. The population number had shot up after the Miasma event and all the people left stranded moved into Laptove town. Most of them, especially the
children and women, had been given refuge in the guild hall. The rest flooded the inns in town while others left to sleep under the night stars. Luckily, Iliad, Sen's grandfather had managed to get a room at an inn which now Sen was in with a strange man.
The man gazed into the streets. The street lights flickered showing passively walking people pass by. His eyes were still droopy and his stance tipsy, Sen's eyes hoping he didn't fall out the window.
Sen placed the man's sword at the corner of the room near the door. He then headed to a sit next to a small work desk ,then told the man.
" You can have stay here until the people down below calm down."
The man didn't move from the window. He then said his tone gradually increasing from a sigh.
" Kid that very kind of you,… " then a gust of wind swirled into the room lifting the curtains to the window.
" But you really shouldn't trust strangers." He said now behind Sen holding his sword to Sen's neck.
Sen who had already sat down didn't move an inch. The blades edges glimmered in the moon light as Sen's eyes and the man's face reflecting on the blade.
His eyes didn't waver, not even in the slightest. Deep and silver he gazed back to the man, whose hair played gently in the gentle breeze that came from the window. His face was more sober and menacing than before.
" An act." He thought his heart pounding though trying his best not to show the fear threatening to engulf him.
The man did nothing waiting to see what Sen would do. He looked at the boy, his expressionless. Then he slowly lifted his hand to drive the sword into Sen's neck.
Suddenly the blade started to glow. Light blue glowing runes started to stream from it's hilt as they engulfed the entirety of the edges of the sword. Then.
Voosh!!
The sword flew from the man's hand and got pinned to the inn room ceiling.
Wasting no time Sen shot from his chair and launched himself at the man. An already formed fist met the man's face sending him staggering back.
As the man tried to stabilize his footing Sen turned to the door and tried make his way to it. This was his only chance. He already gauged that there was no way he could win a confrontation with the man. So his only
option, was to run.
Before even taking his first step to the door, the sword flew past Sen's eyes missing him by a hair. It stuck to the wooden door hinges still vibrating from the impact. Sen stepped back his breath still calm.
" His element must be related to metal, to have overrode my runes, … I need to get out of here." Sen thought still staring at the now
settled sword. Then he heard the man speak.
" That was a nice punch." He said as he moved to the stuck sword.
He yanked the sword effortlessly as he sheathed it back.
" The runes were also a nice touch. Seems like you do more than just read about arcane. " He said return the sword back around his waist.
A vibrant smile cropped from his face as he dragged his hair back a little.
" I guess that's what you expect from Iliad's grandson. "he said ending in a hearty laugh.
Sen was confused by the change in mannerism of the man. There was no question to it he was drunk , the air in the room told as much, yet his motion, talk and essentially the way he carried himself had changed.
" Who are you? how do you know grandpa? And what are you doing here?" Sen asked the flurry of questions that raced into his mind. He was still in a cautionary stance.
" Relax, kid. I already did what I came here to do. " he yawned and started to look around.
"Also ,am too drunk to fight right now and it's more than obvious that most of the metal objects in this room you've already set an
assignment rune to them. Not bad."
"Anyways am crushing here for the night so make way the bed is calling to me." He said as he walked past Sen to the bed that was behind
him.
He threw himself on the bed then drifted of to sleep.
Sen was still dumbfounded by the uncouth nature of the man. But that worried him less.
" How did he know about them. " Sen thought looking at the man sleeping on his bed. For precaution and practice Sen had placed runes on most of the metal objects his room. This runes were simple assignment runes that would activate if Sen needed then to launch themselves at the person he needed them to.
" This guy is dangerous, I need to get away." He thought making his way to the door.
Suddenly the window and door locks shut startling Sen.
" No going out. " The man mumbled in his sleep.
Sen turned back looking at the man sleeping on his bed. He sighed then returned to his chair resting his head on the work desk.
" Guess am sleeping here tonight."