Chapter 228 - Back to MurkWater Town - II (1/2)
”So, you are the fleet-foot that I have heard about,” said Hard Head in a loud voice as they came close to the gate. He had a large frame with a full plate armor and came towards them with a steel broadsword in his right hand.
”And you are?” asked Balthazar casually without even looking at him as he observed the reactions of the others behind Hard Head. He intentionally didn't pay attention to Hard Head to irritate him.
”I am Hard Head, a member of the Valhalla Raiders,” he said angrily while trying block Balthazar's vision with his body. ”Come with me, we need to talk about something,” he ordered.
”Come with you?” asked Balthazar as he looked at him. ”Why would I?”
”I you know what is good for you, you better follow me back to the guild. There is someone who wants to talk to you,” said Hard Head loudly trying to threaten him.
”Did you just threaten me?” asked Balthazar sneering at him. Hard head was angry that a player who depended on his secondary occupation was giving him attitude. Almost all players who were good at occupation such as alchemist or forging had to spend a lot of time on it and were hardly good at combat and they didn't usually talk back to combat oriented players like him as they were afraid of being killed.
He had expected fleet-footed rogue to be the same kind. Moreover, he was a new name, and he didn't expect him to be good at games. So, he never expected Balthazar to talk back to him in an aggressive manner. His guild was always bullying others, so he didn't expect a non-combat profession to be like this.
Angered by his behavior, Hard head was quick to move his blade to attack, but he found himself suddenly in a stunned state. He didn't even realize when he was hit in the stomach and only came to know of it when he saw the notification. Before, he could react he was blinded and then found himself dead due to a stab through his brain.
It wasn't just him but the other around him were also surprised. Though the Valhalla Raiders had a strong presence in the town they didn't dare be so aggressive at the gates where there would be guards. They could be killed easily by the guards or imprisoned if they indulged in PvP so close to the gates. They could also lose reputation. The immediately saw that Balthazar's name went red in color. The started to shake their heads in dejection. They wanted to kill him immediately but didn't dare as that would make their names also red. So, they didn't move. Even, if they didn't personally attack, they were sure he was going to be captured by the guards behind them and didn't worry about it.
”That was a real stupid thing to do,” said Puba who was behind them. The others in the guild were unsure of their next action but Puba had already had contact with Balthazar and tried to talk to him. ”Run before the guards capture you.”
As expected, a couple of guards came close to him, but as they approached, they were aggressive or attacked Balthazar immediately as the others expected. ”What happened here?” asked one of the guards looking at Balthazar.
Balthazar was not afraid of them either as he had already had it planned. He had enough reputation for third-class citizen and more importantly he was escorting the son of the town head who they could clearly see riding on a horse behind him. So, they expected him to be a representative for Barnabus. Being the town-guards, they were definitely wary of him.
”I am currently escorting young master Barnabus as a part of his mission from the coastal guard. The adventurer that I killed was preventing us from finishing our mission. Apart from that the young master was also injured and needs medical attention. So, I attacked and killed him when he raised his weapon,” said Balthazar to the guard. ”We intend to take him to the mansion where he could be immediately treated. Requesting your support for this.”
”Clear the path for young master and his entourage,” said the guard as he turned around and yelled at the players nearby so that Balthazar along with his team and Barnabus could pass through. Even the name of the player went back to normal from a red name. All the players of the Valhalla Raiders were shocked at the sudden and unexpected turn of events.
As they went inside, Balthazar stopped by Puba. ”I don't intend to be against the raiders or the ronins, and I wish to cooperate regarding the antivenom. You guys want my goods and services you better be respectful to me. I will contact you after my mission is done. Hope I don't have to meet someone like Hard Head again. Tell them that forceful measures would only make things harder for them. Unlike the guilds whose occupation is the game, this is just a hobby for me, and I can make things quite hard for you guys. I got quite a good relationship with the town head,” he warned in a very low voice so that only Puba could hear him.
As he went away from Puba, the others came around him and asked about him. ”What did he talk about?” asked one of them.
”He actually wanted to cooperate with us and understood that we are only here due to the antivenom. He just was a bit pissed off by Hard Head's table manners,” answered Puba.
”That was all! He killed as he didn't like Hard Head?” asked the player.
”Apparently so, either way. It is not our problem. He clearly has some kind of relationship with some important NPC of the town. So, best not force him. Let us report it before Hard Head comes back after respawn and make a mess of things,” said Puba as quickly called Kiriti who could he hoped would control the situation.
Balthazar walked into the town without much issue and under the guard of a few NPC guards who were quickly arranged by the guard who conversed with Balthazar at the gate, the entire group made their way to the town head's mansion.
As they reached the mansion, Barnabus was taken inside along with the players to meet the town head. The town head, Theodore quickly called for a healer to treat Barnabus while the others were offered some beverages before he asked Balthazar about the events that transpire in the mission.