96 LIFE AND DEATH (1/2)

It had been an hour since Beren woke up, and everything seemed new to him. After Hundred explained what had happened, Beren just stayed silently on the bed, with his face like a wet weekend. Even though Mulyk brought water and fruits for him, Beren didn't have them. He just seemed to be lost in his own thoughts while being down in the mouth. Mulyk and Hundred wanted to give him some time to think, so they told him to not take things hard and then left him alone.

Currently, Beren was awake. Mulyk wasn't there, but Hundred was sleeping in the chair next to the bed. However, a haze of fear dispirited Beren because the dog had just woken up. Since the door was shut, it had no way out. So it kept looking for an exit, which made Beren even tenser. Eventually, the dog stopped in front of Beren's bed. Both their eyes met.

Meanwhile, Hundred, in his dream, was arguing with a girl.

”No, Khoa. I'm not in the wrong.”

”Then why did you apologize if you're not guilty for not wishing me for my birthday?”

”I apologized because I didn't want to prolong an unnecessary fight. I respected our friendship more, so I backed away.”

”Hmph! As if you'd ever done that! You clearly are guilty, Ninety Nine!”

”How can I be guilty when you've never even told me when your birthday is!”

”No! You're guilty!” she yelled. ”I can see it in your eyes!”

”Huh? That's bullshit.”

”Yeah, I can see 'that' too in your eyes. You are very good at striking raw nerves with your gaze.”

”Stop speaking nonsense.”

”No, you're the one speaking nonsense. Shut up!” she yelled again.

”Just because you can scream louder doesn't mean you're right—”

Suddenly, a cry intruded into his dreams. ”Ah! Let me go!”

”Eh?” Hundred was forced to come out of his dream. ”Who disturbed my—” he was startled upon seeing a dog biting Beren's pants and trying to pull him down from the bed.

Hundred's body automatically reacted. He swung his leg over the bed and kicked in the dog's face, causing it to roll back and squeal a little. ”Heh, serves you right, puppy.”

GRRR~!

The dog now bared its teeth at Hundred, and his laughter abruptly stopped. ”Ah, wait, I was only joking. Of course, you're not a puppy.” As the dog took a step toward him, he moved back a step. ”You shouldn't take my words seriously, or you'll lose your brain cells, little friend.”

BOW~!

The dog barked vehemently, causing his skin to crawl.

”Crap,” Hundred was taken aback. ”T-That was loud. You truly have a bone or two to pick with me, huh?”

The enclosed space only amplified the dog's barks, and Beren had to plug one of his ears with his finger.

”Open the door,” Beren hurriedly said, his hair standing on end.

The dog fell back. Hundred used the opportunity and opened the door. The dog still set his eyes on him, but he stomped on the floor and barked, ”Go!”

The dog immediately changed its priorities and vamoosed out. Hundred shut the door in all possible haste. ”Whew… dogs are such tough bastards to take on. Luckily, I took care of the situation without getting hurt.” He looked at Beren. ”Why was it attacking you anyway? Did you throw something at it?”

”No,” Beren quickly responded, blinking sweat from his eyes. ”I did nothing. It attacked me for no reason.”

”No, they don't attack you for no reason. Either you angered it, or it might have been quite hungry.”

”I didn't do anything,” Beren was lightly massaging his shin. ”It bit my leg. If its teeth weren't broken, I might have lost a leg to it.”

”Probably,” Hundred sighed. ”Sometimes, all it takes to trigger an animal is your stare, so be careful.”

”Staring, huh… okay,” Beren said, but then his eyes enlarged as he suddenly remembered how he kept looking at the dog for a prolonged time. ”U-Uncle, I think I did stare at the donkey for some time.”

”Oh, so you did. No wonder that ticked the dog off,” Hundred sat back in the chair. ”Remember this, kid. You can't stare at some animals in the eyes, because they'll think you're challenging them. A glance may be okay, but any more, and they'll consider you as a threat, so if you don't have the smoke to back up your stares, you better avoid their gaze, especially those of alphas.”

”Dogs are so scary,” Beren's voice was a bit shaky. He remembered the times when dogs had chased him on multiple occasions, which now left a bitter taste in his mouth.

”Scary indeed. Compared to humans, most animals are physically gifted, and they hone their natural abilities through their lives, unlike us, who tend to depend on tools to get most of our jobs done.”

”So, if I don't look them in the eye, I'll be fine,” Beren told himself. ”Come to think of it, isn't there a rule that says we shouldn't look at someone from the upper belt directly in the eye?”

Hundred paused, unable to breathe abdominally as a moment from the past flashed in his mind; he had looked in a person's eyes, and then a lot of unpleasant things happened to him.

”I can somewhat understand why we can't look at animals directly in the eye, but why can't we look at fellow men, too?” Beren couldn't help but ask.

Hundred took his time to reply. ”I guess the Shamblians are telling us that powerful men 'can' transform into the wildest beasts, ones that can't be stared down. No matter what gimmicks you do, you can't fool their eyes or make them feel the least bit cautious about you, which is why if you annoy them with your gaze, they will likely look to assert their dominance in any way they can.” He continued to speak in a slow, doleful manner, ”But don't worry too much about it now. You'll get a very real dose of reality sooner or later. Everyone who stays long enough on Exvo is bound to experience it, but just hope that nothing too unfortunate happens to you.”

Beren's heart was pounding against his chest at this point, and he was sweating all over.

Hundred looked a bit irritated, ”Ah, now, I can't get the same dream again.”

Beren quickly said, ”I'm sorry, Uncle. I never apologized for disturbing your sleep.”

”Huh? Why are you saying it this late?” Hundred asked, but Beren stayed silent. ”Don't tell me, it's because I'm at a higher spot on the food chain compared to you?” he shook his head. ”You're overthinking. There are all kinds of rules on this ship, but don't let them get to your head, or you won't have a peaceful time here. Get some sleep”

”Mm…” Beren faintly nodded, but he wasn't in the mood.

”Then let me sleep,” Hundred started sleeping on the chair itself.

Beren got lost in thought.

A couple of minutes later, as Hundred was sleeping with his head tilted up and his mouth partly open, Beren gently slapped on his thigh a few times. ”Who woke me up!” Irritation took over Hundred's reddening eyes, but upon seeing that it was Beren, he forced out a smile and brought his expression back to normal. ”What do you want?”

”I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep again, Uncle, but when will Brother Lirzod come back?”

”You woke me up just to ask that?” Hundred's nerves twitched. ”Do you bear a grudge against me or what?”

”S-Sorry, but I just wanted to know,” Beren's expression looked lame.

”Soon,” replied Hundred, guessing what was going through the kid's mind. He thought that Beren was probably waiting for Lirzod and would've tried to leave if not for that. (In just a couple of minutes, his countenance had changed a lot. He must be thinking about his parents again. At this point, it's better to divert his attention to something else, but how the heck can I achieve that? It's easier said than done!)

Nevertheless, the atmosphere in the clinic looked dull.

Elsewhere on the same deck, a two-wheeled fox cart that looked like a berry turned upside down was traveling down the street. To ordinary eyes, it was a two-man vehicle—not including the driver—being driven by four foxes. Each fox was almost a meter tall.

Currently, the cart was going at a slow speed. A white-haired robber whooshed out of a room and attacked the driver, forcing the latter to go on defense. The cart stopped as those two fought. Half a minute passed, and those two were still fighting. From the entrance of the cart that was on the back of the vehicle, two people stepped out. One looked fresh, but the other had his arm and waist wrapped in bandages. The former fellow was Roseberry, and the latter one was Big Nick.

Seeing those two men, the robber raised his voice while putting the knife at the driver's throat, ”I'm Rouji the Reckless Robber!” Though he said that, he didn't get any response. In fact, their expressions didn't change. ”If you don't know me, then know now! My crimcost is eighteen silver! If you don't want to die, then walk away. I'll be taking the cart.”

”Ho… so you're after the cart, huh,” Roseberry nodded to himself. ”Okay, if you can take this guy's punch and still stand,” he pointed his finger at Nick, ”then the cart will be yours.”

Rouji raised his brows a little. ”I'm not dumb,” he looked at Nick, ”Even though he's wounded, I'm not falling for that age-old trick. Just turn your asses and beat it, unless you want to see your driver's throat get slit.”

The driver was sweating madly. ”Please don't leave me.”

”Hehe, you heard his cries,” Rouji snickered.

Roseberry exhaled audibly. ”I played along for once, but if you really can cut his throat while you're on this ship, then go ahead. Show us how big of balls you've got, Mr. Reckless Robber,” His words startled Rouji, but then Roseberry lowered his voice and said, ”Go.”

Nick charged ahead almost immediately.

”Tch, I thought it'd work,” Rouji pushed the driver to the side. ”Charging at me like that… You are looking down on me a bit too much.” He dodged Nick's punch by bending to the left and thrust the knife at his waist. However, Nick's elbow, of the right hand, lifted and met Rouji's chin.

When the side of the elbow struck Rouji's chin, his body spun in midair, but he somehow managed to land on his feet.

”Hmph, so the eighteen silver is not for nothing after all,” Roseberry narrowed the windows of his view, ”but I think you're probably worth more.”

Rouji rubbed his chin without any shame. (Even with a wounded arm, he lifted me off my feet. His power, at the least, isn't inferior to mine. And then there's also that other prick who could be just as strong.) He glared at Nick and Roseberry for a moment, but then he turned around and dashed away without saying anything.

Nick didn't give chase.

”Not as reckless as he proclaimed himself to be,” Rosberry also just watched.

The driver's tendons still stood out in the neck with a visible pulse. As Roseberry was climbing back into the cart, the driver hurriedly apologized, ”Please forgive me for my uselessness, sir.”

Roseberry didn't say anything.

Nick, too, got inside, and soon, the vehicle was in motion once again.

Though the cart looked small on the outside, the inside was a thirty-foot diameter hemispherical room. The interior had walls, flooring, and it seemed like it was a scenery from inside a home. Both the men sat in their respective seats in their sofas, facing one another. There was a small table in between, with food and drinks adorned atop it.

Roseberry's expression was calm, but there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes. ”Losing to a girl who defeated a few dozen fellow trainees was one thing, but losing to a boy who was half as old as you and probably wasn't in good condition was an entirely different thing. You completely let him steal your show.”

Nick gave a rare pause before responding, ”This Rouji fellow is nothing, but that scar-faced boy was quite fierce.” Nick looked down at his right wrist that was wrapped in a bandage. He looked a little flurried as an off-putting memory came to his mind. Lirzod had defeated Nick in two moves. The first move, a punch, broke his wrist. The second move, a side kick, broke two ribs and sent him flying into the wall and knocked him out cold. Just remembering the incident made Nick feel utterly frustrated, causing him to grit his teeth for the umpteenth time; however, he quickly brought back his usual composure before Roseberry, but there was also a bold look in his eyes. ”I don't know if he was giving his all or not, but he's going to get even stronger with every deck he climbs.”

Roseberry's eyes were currently watching an ant that was carrying a strawberry all by itself, albeit with great effort. ”Brawny little bugger, huh…” Roseberry went into pondering as his hand rubbed on top of his walking stick without moving the cane. It was a simple skill, but it required a lot of practice, for the staff would have fallen had the rubbing force been improper. He picked up the strawberry, and the ant came together with it. He tossed them both into his mouth and chewed with his mouth closed. (Mm, a little guy with the goods. He didn't disappoint.) Roseberry faintly smiled, though it was a short-lived one. (I can see why that Geragorn referred to this boy as a gutsy one.)

Nick, on the other hand, was having different thoughts. (I won't let things end like this, Lirzod. The next time we meet, I'll strain every nerve to wipe the floor with you. For now, I'll play the pig so I can eat the tiger afterward.)

Meanwhile, in Drill Hall.

”He was freed?” Lirzod couldn't believe what he was hearing. ”How could you guys let him go? Didn't he get four weeks of jail time?”

”He did,” one of the trainees, guards of the cells, patiently explained, ”but someone paid a gold piece and released him.”

”Someone?” Lirzod's voice quickened. ”Who?”

”Actually, only an envelope was sent to us, with a letter and a gold coin in it.”

Lirzod could only swallow his frustration.

After succeeding in cutting watermelons for six rounds, he had earned 9 silver and 90 copper. He failed in the seventh round where he had to cut seven watermelons straight. Though he had sliced seven of them, the fifth watermelon wasn't properly cut, so he lost. He wanted to keep on trying until he reached the eleven silver profit mark, but the owner told him that Lirzod was no longer eligible to replay the game from the first round and that once he had passed some rounds, he could only aim for the following, tougher rounds. However, from there on, he would only receive five times the amount, given that he had failed. So seventh-round victory meant five-time profit, and eighth-round victory meant ten-time profit, and ninth-round victory meant fifteen-time profit and so on. Lirzod didn't feel like it would benefit him, and he then also understood why there wasn't much of a crowd around that watermelon shop. Since his hand also started to feel the heat after having broken about twenty-five watermelons, he decided to stop.

Even though Lirzod didn't earn all the way up to the eleven-silver mark in that shop itself, he was more than happy, for he could take all those watermelons that he had successfully broken. He then went to a few more shops and contested until he reached the goal. On his way back, he had given most of the watermelons to the kids in the child booth, and a few more to the passersby who requested him. Now, in his backpack, there were four broken watermelons.

His mood had lifted because of the success, but after coming back to the drill hall, he was shocked that Nick was already let out. In his eyes, Beren was yet to even wake up after that incident, but Nick was already free and roaming. After realizing that arguing with the guards wouldn't achieve more than flogging a dead horse would, he turned back, feeling as if cold water was thrown upon him for bringing a criminal to the drill hall and putting them behind bars.

Just then, one of the guards said, ”Wait for a second, mister.”

Lirzod turned around and furrowed his brows a little, ”What?”

The guard handed him a small sack that had fifty silver coins inside. ”Can you give this to Nick's son? You are going to the clinic now, right?”

”Did that Nick give this?” Lirzod was about to give the money back, but the guard shook his head.

”No. Half of the money used to release the criminal would later be given to the victim or their family. I was going to give it myself, but since you're going there, I gave it to you. Make sure you deliver it, or you'll suffer jail-time.”

Though Lirzod still didn't like taking the money, he knew that it wasn't his place to decide. Besides, Beren would need all the money he could get, so he swallowed his anger and put the sack in his pocket. Afterward, he could only find his way out of the hall, albeit not with a friendly face.

However, he had to change his countenance before entering the clinic. Now, Mulyk was also there. After seeing Lirzod, Beren immediately tried to get out of the bed, but even tiny movements hurt him, and he fell back onto the bed.

”What do you think you're doing?” Lirzod arranged the watermelons on the desk, except for one, before walking toward the bed Hundred was on. His eyes were on Beren all this while, ”You shouldn't be moving around any time soon.”

Beren didn't say anything, but he still looked as dull as a baby duck that got lost and lost its energy from quacking for hours and also the hope of reuniting with the family.

Lirzod discussed with Hundred in a low voice and found out that Hundred hadn't mentioned putting Nick behind bars, afraid that the boy might go after his father again. Also, though the blood transfer had long finished, Hundred had to rest until now, though he didn't actually rest on the bed during the time Mulyk had gone out. He was thinking of leaving with Lirzod right after he returned, but Lirzod gave him a broken half of the watermelon and then silently slipped eleven silver coins in his hand. Though Hundred was initially puzzled, he quickly understood and then glanced at Mulyk, who was sitting on the last bed and signaled her to follow him.

As Mulyk followed Hundred and walked past Lirzod, she seemed to be a bit salty because Lirzod didn't give her the watermelon; however, Lirzod blocked her path with his arm, and in his hand was the other half of the watermelon.

”Hmph!” she snorted. ”You think I would eat it after someone sunk their teeth inside that thing?”

”No, nobody put their teeth into it,” Lirzod said and scratched his chin. (Only the hand.)

”Really?” she asked, her expression a bit more bubbly than before, but she didn't even wait for his reply and took the watermelon. She had a bite and said, ”It's sweeter than the ones you sent me before.” Looking pleased, she followed Hundred without fuss.

The moment they left and closed the door, Lirzod raised his voice, ”What the hell were you thinking, huh?” Anger flowed through his gaze and voice well enough to scare Beren as Lirzod came up to his bed. ”Escaping out of the cell… I'm disappointed.”

Beren was startled. He initially thought Lirzod was asking about why he had gone to meet his father, but that clearly wasn't the case. ”I…” Still, he had no answer.

Lirzod sat in the chair, his eyes still set on Beren. ”I know it's a bad and embarrassing place to stay at, but it was still a good opportunity for you to reflect, which you wasted.”

Beren's mouth turned down.

”Do you think you don't deserve to be put behind bars for what you have done?” asked Lirzod, but Beren's head was tilted down, with guilt taking over his face. ”Why aren't you saying anything, huh? My mom always says that admitting one's mistakes is the first step to becoming a humble and good person. It might not be an easy thing to do, but did you at least think hard and struggle between thoughts before breaking out of the cell?”

Beren faintly nodded, though only hesitantly.

”So, you did. Good.” The anger on Lirzod face soon faded away. ”Whatever happened has happened, but be more honest next time.” He let out a long sigh. ”Anyway, taking everything that has occurred into consideration, your disciplining period has been invalidated. So, you are free now.”

”Ah?” Beren was quite surprised, but it didn't show on his visage, not counting the eyes. After all that he had experienced, whether he spent a few more days inside a cell or not didn't matter much to him.

Then there was silence for about half a minute.

”If there is anything you want to say,” said Lirzod, ”then you can tell me.”

Beren took a laborious breath and then smiled. ”I just want to thank you, brother… for everything. I don't know how I can—”

Lirzod looked into the boy's eyes. ”Is that all?”

”Y-Yes,” Beren looked away.

”If you don't want to talk, then there's no point for me to be here,” Lirzod stood and put a sack on the bed and started to walk away.

”W-Wait,” Beren hurriedly said, making Lirzod turn rather slowly. ”I don't have anyone to guide me. Will you listen to my story and tell me what step I should take from here on?”

Lirzod stood right where he was, and a moment later, he said, ”I'm listening.”

Burton then told his story.

His mother, Quinna Kimani, used to be an apprentice of a tailor on the twentieth deck before she got permission to raise a separate shop on her own. Since then, she had regularly burned the midnight oil to finish her work in time and had been saving a lot of money for many years. She regularly sent money to her brother to raise the wealth through interests, so she could one day buy a property and build a simple house in the mountains near the village she was born. After Nick persuaded her for months, she accepted his love and married him; however, upon hearing that she was with a child, he didn't like it and said later on that it was an 'accident,' and that led into daily quarrels. Eventually, Nick just left the deck and went away, leaving her alone.