1 Chapter One: That Strange Man (1/2)
The year is 2190 A.D. The last few weeks of winter in a country called Omnia. In a town called Farnhardt on the outskirts of this country. The farthest town from the capital town of Omnia, The Omnium Guild. A man wearing The Ly'Lum military officer uniform was walking through town square. Judging from the expression he was giving off, one of relief, he had just gotten done with his work hours from his base. This man's name is Alex. He is a tall, moderately muscular but a generally kind man. Almost as if he were everyones' older brother in some sort of way. He turned down the street and made his way towards the local tavern. Taverns were rare in this age, but this tavern was particularly welcoming of its patrons. After turning down this street, he noticed another man with a ragged cloak walking into the tavern. His clothes looked poor and tattered, but the amount of skin and hair that he showed looked clean and well kept. As strange as that seemed though, something else was on Alex's mind about this individual.
”Strange” he said quietly to himself, ”that kid can't possibly be old enough to drink. What does he want there?”
Alex goes inside, trying not to let it bother him and goes up to the bar. He didn't see that man quite yet, so he put the situation out of his mind and focused on cutting loose for the day.
”Ya finally off duty fer the day, are ya?” The bartender said with warm smile.
”Yeah, about damn time too” Alex responds sounding very relieved, ”I was beginning to think time itself would pause and I would never get to leave!”
Alex and the bartender share a short chuckle and then the bartender asks ”So what'll it be today?”
”I'll just take some honey whiskey and bottle of something fizzy” Alex says ”anything really. I'm not really looking to get hammered, I'm just looking to take the edge off”
”Is that yer way of making time speed up for ya?” The bartender asks, ”because life is what you make it, ya know? If you keep speeding things up so much, you'll lose control and before ya know it, yer dead!”
”Heh- that'll be the day” an unfamiliar voice says right next to Alex.
Alex looks over, and sure enough, that ragged man is sitting next to him. That man, with short dark blonde hair, clean shaven face and a skinny physique that Alex had seen entering the bar. The man looks up from the bar counter and directly at the bartender and says ”I'll have what he's having. Life couldn't possibly speed up enough”.There was a subtle sorrow yet honesty in his voice.Alex looks at the bartender, then at the man, then back at the bartender.
”He can't possibly be old enough, can he?” Alex asks. ”He looks too young. I mean, maybe he's just a year too young, because he doesn't seem like a teenager, but still!-”
”I'm old enough” the man interrupts. ”You can check my ID”
”Everything checks out” the bartender says. ”Ya sure ya aren't still completely on edge from work, Alex?”
”I'm fine” he says with his head down almost like he's embarrassed. ”I guess it's just been a longer day than even I had thought”.
Alex and the bartender talked for a while and the man just sat there next to Alex, drinking and seeming uninterested in everything around him. Eventually the bartender says to the man ”So yer a new face around here. Are ya a traveler? Where are you to go when yer all done here? Sorry if I'm prying, I'm just curious about my new patrons”
”Nowhere” the man responds.
”Nowhere?” The bartender asks, ”ya have nowhere to go? Or is it jus' a secret?”
”I assure you, it's just nowhere” he says while drinking. ”I have nowhere to be, yet nowhere to call me back and stop me from going wherever I want”.
”Long story short” Alex says, sips from a mug, then continues ”you're homeless”.
”Well, when you break it down like that, it sounds worse than it actually is” the man says.
”And what, pray-tell” Alex says in an almost humored tone of voice, ”is possibly not so bad about it?”
”Well... that's the hard part to explain” he says back.
”I'd love ta help ya” the bartender says, ”but I can't afford ta look after myself most of the time these days. Why don't ya help him, Alex? Yer a capable man. Maybe ya can find him work!”
”B-but!” Alex raises his voice almost panicked by this proposal ”why am I the first guy that comes to mind when it comes to helping someone?”
”Yer the most trustworthy guy I know” the bartender says. ”Most of my patrons have had at least some sorta problem, big er small, helped or solved by ya”
Alex let's out a big sigh and looks at the man who was previously sipping out of his mug and now looking at Alex. ”Don't I get a say in this?” The man responds. ”I'd be grateful to not sleep outside and stuff, but I don't know about-”
”Yeah, I'll help” Alex interrupts.
”But I-” the man tries to say.
”Thanks” the bartender says.
”But this is the last time I help random patrons for you” Alex says with a warm smile.
”But g-guys!” The man tries to intervene.