"This is not what I had in mind," Geoff grumbled, walking alongside the two of them as they made their way down the street.
Apparently, what Bast had wanted from Geoff wasn't food, but someone to tag along with them on their city tour. According to him, Geoff knew the area better than he did, since he'd only been living here for a few years, while Geoff had been there his whole life. And so, they dragged him along, much to his disdain.
"Ah, quit complaining, you'll live, old man," the old man quipped, "Besides, isn't it a nice day out?" He looked up at the deep blue sky, the Great Tree's golden leaves covering much of it.
Aku could hear Geoff mutter some curse under his breath, and he chuckled to himself. "So, what's the plan? Are we headed somewhere specific, or are we wandering?" He looked expectantly at Bast, who in turn looked at Geoff.
Geoff scoffed, shaking his head, "I'll show you the minor bits first, then we'll look at the more important places. We'll finish with the castle." He gestured up at the grand white keep that towered over the rest of the city.
"Who lives in that thing, anyways?" Aku asked, his eyes still fixed on the castle.
Geoff cocked an eyebrow at Bast before turning Aku and explaining, "The royal family, of course."
"I thought the gods were in charge of their realms?" Aku turned to look at Geoff, his head tilted slightly.
"Well, yes, but not personally. The royal family, the one here in Life's Realm, consists of people who Life has bestowed his blood upon personally." He grimaced, scowling down at his feet, "People like Andre and his group of lackeys. In fact, Andre is this city's prince."
Aku's eyes bulged, his mouth hanging open. "I… I almost sucker-punched a prince?" He ran a hand through his silky white hair, shaking his head. He heard Bast laughing, and he suddenly felt a lot more grateful the old man had stopped him. "Would I have been… executed?"
"Oh no, boy, the royal family doesn't have quite that much power. Although, Andre himself might've just come after you personally. Although, considering you're…" Bast trailed off, his eyes flicking to Geoff before landing back on Aku's.
He got the message. Since Aku was a Wielder, he might've stood a chance against Andre and his gang. Although, he didn't feel confident enough in himself to do that. Sure, he was supposedly a terrifying Wielder of some demon's power, but as of that point, he didn't have a clue how to use said power. Hell, when he tried, he ended up blacking out and having some awful nightmare. He could feel what Bast called his Core, but he couldn't tap into its power, at least not without debilitating himself for an unknown amount of time.
"Yeah, maybe," he muttered, looking down at his hands.
"Alright, here we are. First stop, the local market," Geoff stated, snapping him out of his rumination.
In front of him was a large square, filled with tens of tents and stalls. Merchants and vendors of all kinds were yelling out their wares and prices. The smell of savory meats and sweet breads filled his senses, and he took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it. "This place… is wonderful," he stated simply, smiling contentedly.
Bast tapped his shoulder, "Hold your hand out, kid."
He did as he was asked, holding his right hand out palm up.
Bast reached out and placed a small leather pouch into his palm. Inside, there were 5 coins of gold and 10 of silver. "Go buy yourself something," he said with a smile, "but don't remember why we're here in the first place, boy."
Aku beamed down at the old man before thanking him and jogging off into the sea of stalls, putting the coin pouch in his pocket.
"Doggur meat, get it before it's gone!" One vendor called out.
"You there, young man! You look like a man with a lass. Get her something pretty?" A vendor called out to him specifically, holding up a glistening, bejeweled necklace.
Aku ignored the man, who looked slightly crestfallen for a moment before resuming calling out to others.
"Adventurers gather round! Find the finest weapons and armor around right here!"
This one caught Aku's attention, and he turned to look. There was a woman standing by a particularly large, red tent, with a multitude of armors, weapons, and other such items on shelves and stands. She had broad shoulders, chocolate brown hair that was tied up in a bun, and was about Aku's height. Her red tunic hugged her large muscles well, leaving little to the imagination. "Ah, a man with a good eye!" She called out to Aku, who found himself walking over. "See anything that tickles your fancy, boy?" He raised one arm, backing up to let Aku see behind her.
There were several sets of fine looking armor, swords of all kinds, and other commodities like bags, pouches, and scabbards.
Aku stepped forward and picked up a large, brown, leather bag. It was a backpack, and a decent size one, at that. It had two compartments, one main and one smaller one. He thought back to the makeshift pouch he'd made from the Daggertail Wolf's hide, which was now in the ice box back at Bast's.
"Ah, a good choice there, Sir. Thinking about buying?" She asked, coming to stand in front of him.
He nodded,"How much is it?"
She looked him up and down for a moment, her eyes roaming over his mostly plain clothes, "For you, that one'll be 5 silver." She smiled warmly down at him.
He took the coin pouch out of his pocket and fished out the silvers, dropping them into her outstretched hand.
She whistled, shaking her head as she eyed Aku's pouch. "Boy, I should've charged you a whole lot more. What're you dressing down for?"
He looked down at himself, scanning his clothes, then back up at her. "Dressing down?"
She coughed and rubbed her neck, turning around. "Eh, never mind me. Enjoy your bag." She lifted up a tent flap and disappeared into the back.
Aku stood there for a few moments, then shook his head and shrugged. He picked his new bag up and slung it onto his back, adjusting the straps to tighten it. His lips curled up into a content smile and he walked back into the square.
He felt a slight slide against the inside of his pocket, and he patted it lightly. His eyes widened and reached inside, finding it empty of the coin pouch. He whirled around, looking for the pickpocketer, and his eyes quickly landed on a short boy weaving through the crowd. "Hey!" He yelled, bursting into a sprint. He knocked over a few shoppers as he barreled through the crowd, several angered shouts calling after him. "Sorry!" He yelled over his shoulder.
The boy slipped between two tents, and Aku followed him out of the square. As he burst from the market, Aku locked eyes with Bast, who was standing near the edge of the market talking with Geoff. He slung his new bag off his back and threw it to Bast, and Geoff snatched it out of the air.
No longer burdened by the bag's weight, Aku sprinted full tilt after the thief, gaining ground quickly. He unsheathed his dagger, following the boy down the street into an alleyway. "Just stop now and I won't hurt you, kid!" Aku yelled, only feet from the boy now.
He reached out to try to snatch at him, but just as his fingers brushed against the boy's shirt, he veered to the right, straight into a wall. With feline grace, he grabbed the brick wall, and began to climb. Aku could only stare as the boy climbed onto the roof above and started running again. He looked around desperately to find a way to get up, but found none.
"Shit!" he yelled, slamming his fist into the brick wall. He gasped at the pain, shaking his hand. Looking up at the rooftop dejectedly, he prepared to give up, when he heard a soft voice sigh.
"Jump, Akuma." A familiar female voice said behind him.
He whirled around towards the voice and once again found nothing where the voice came from. "You again! Who are-" He stopped, gasping. His body was flooding with power, immense power. Every nerve ending was alight, every muscle taut as a bowstring. He looked back up at the rooftops and the boy. He was at least half a mile down by now, still jumping from roof to roof.
Taking a deep breath, he sheathed God's Bane, and gathered his energy. He crouched down, his legs surging with his newfound power, and jumped. The ground beneath him cracked as he surged through the air like a bullet, straight towards the fleeing thief. He landed a few roofs back from him, the tiles cracking under the impact, and immediately broke into a sprint.
He caught up in seconds, hand outstretched to catch the boy by the collar of his shirt. However, when his hand landed on his neck, it passed straight through, the apparition of the boy disappearing. He froze, looking around.
There were now ten different copies of the thief in a circle around Aku, looking at him. All at once, they burst into motion, running in ten different directions away from him.
"3rd copy on your left." The voice said, and Aku turned and crouched once more. He shoved off the ground, dashing straight for the real thief, and slammed into his back like a bullet. They crashed from the roof into an alleyway below in a tangle of limbs. Aku ended up on top, straddling the boy's chest as he looked down at him.
"It's over. No more running." He growled, grabbing the thief's shirt collar. For the first time, he took a good look at the boy. He looked to be around Aku's age, with softer features and a slender build. His skin was pale, but not quite as white Aku's. His hair was brown and short, unlike Aku's, and his eyes were light green. The boy grabbed Aku's wrists, baring his teeth into a snarl. "Where's my money? Don't make me hurt you."
"F-fine! Just get off me, you brute!" He growled, but his soft voice lacked bite.
Aku complied, rising up off his chest and standing above him. He unsheathed God's Bane. "Don't try anything dumb." He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the boy, watching for any sudden moves he might make. "What's your name, kid?"
He looked up at Aku, his gaze sharp as Aku's dagger. "Caspian." He mumbled, fishing Aku's pouch out of his pocket. He flung it at him, almost going over his shoulder, but he caught it. Caspian raised his hands up where they could be seen. "So, what now? You gonna turn me in? Hand me off to the Enforcers?"
'Enforcers… isn't that what Geoff threatened Andre with?' Aku thought, keeping his expression stern. "No, I won't be." He shrugged, letting his features soften. "Instead, we'll just say you owe me a favor, yeah?"
"A favor? You must be joking," he scoffed, shaking his head.
Aku raised his eyebrows at him, narrowing his eyes a fraction. He put the coin pouch back in his pocket where it belonged and twirled God's Bane in his hand. "Oh, I'm quite serious, Caspian. I won't turn you in, but I'm not just gonna let you go without paying in some way. So, you owe me one."
Caspian scoffed, tapping his foot. His eyes darted around the alley, as if looking for a way to get out of the deal, but he eventually sighed and seemed to deflate a bit. "Fine, fine. You can have your stupid favor. What do you want?"
Aku smirked, sliding God's Bane into its sheath. "Oh, nothing right now. But if I see you around and I happen to need something, then I'll let you know." Aku stated, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Deal?" He asked, sticking his hand out.
Caspian snorted, taking the offered hand. "Deal."
Nodding once, Aku turned around and headed out of the alley.
"Hold up!" Caspian called out, "What's your name?"
Looking over his shoulder, Aku smiled at the smaller boy. "Akuma. But please, call me Aku."