Chapter 16: Debt Collectors 4 - Sides of Coin

He didn’t allow anyone to scorn him when he killed that man with a dagger sliding down his shoulder. Tulobis who came from the far backyards of the southern continent old wasn’t that good. But the people around him weren’t like him. They were opportunistic retards that would do anything for money and fame. Tulobis was only a simple farm boy that wanted nothing but to feed his mother and plow the lands that the Lord gave to them. Like any men, he had his issues and whether he is good or not is something that could not be discussed.

Currently, he strolls the streets of Mesh Academy with the image of that foolish magus still appearing before in his head. He looked at that man with a bit of distaste but now that he knows that he wasn’t really that lacking. Tulobis thought he might be just like everyone. Personally, Tulobis played his cards back in his ma’s farm. He was the only son, with three sisters. His father died in a boar accident leaving Tulobis to take care of the farm. Life was hard on that farm. It made Tulobis wrought his back and suffered a lot. But Tulobis persisted at least until his three sisters were forced to become the Lord's servant.

His mother was a hag at her age. She could not serve the Lord's rod that is covered under grams of fat. Unhesitatingly he had no choice but to leg of his sisters. Tulobis understood that without power he could not do anything. His sisters understood and bid farewell. He saw them off with a smile, yet his heart bled for his sisters.

At the first months, his sisters left there wasn’t anything trivial. But Tulobis could remember the day that the news of his sisters being flayed by the lord reached his ears. Hearing this Tulobis went mad; his mother snuffed herself at the despair of losing her daughters. It was already hard for Tulobi’s mother to have her daughters taken as cock sleeves for some greasy fat noble. But hearing them get flayed and displayed while being gnawed by wolves made her mother unable to take it. It was obvious that mother loved Tulobis’s sister more than him. He knew that but still loved his mother and sisters dearly.

Tulobis thought he had nothing to lose. So he went to the only caring God that a farmer like him could go to. The faceless guild, a guild of assassins and harlots who dares to help poor sods like him, a place where Tulobis sold the farm he had for the price of being able to kill the noble he despised. Tulobis got two new faces. One for infiltrating the mansion of the noble and one for his escape, which he didn’t really plan to do so. But when Tulobis went to the mansion of the lord, he discovered that one of his sisters was still alive. He cried for his sister and tried to get her out. Yet her sister said to Tulobis that she could not go on anymore. It broke Tulobis, and his sister, who didn’t have any limbs, and smelled of dried semen wouldn’t live long. So for mercy, he did what was right. He let his sister take the peace of death.

His sister’s last word made Tulobis have a fire to live. He went to steal the gold that the noble had and left for Mesh with a new face. The gold he stole was for changing his identity and allowing him to use it as a bribe to become a servant for a noble family.

That is why he is working for Lady of the Noble house he serves, Avilina.

His days were fine.

And even though he was trusted to serve the lady’s needs, there were times that like today he was allowed to spend his time on Mesh’s greatest place of secrets.

It was a brothel area filled with a pinkish atmosphere that had a fragrance of perfume and lust mixed in the air.

Today he was going to relieve some stress

Tulobis had the money for such pleasures. So upon entering the whore filled place he immediately looked for any good women to play with. Mesh City was a church-influenced city no doubt. But even with that some men and even women could bear to part with trifling matters like the brothel area.

It was normal for the people to lust and crave for flesh. That is why this place exists mainly to satisfy those craving. The place has carpets used as roofs. There are shops selling bottles filled with Viagra and drugs that could enchant the play in beds.

Tulobis held two flowers on both arms. He was smiling up to his ears trying to forget about the memory he had that he remembered.

But suddenly!

On the secret place of pleasure, a masked man appeared before Tulobis. This man had a black-wooden-like mask that had a smile of a cruel jester. Although he wanted to take the time to pleasure with the two girls in the secret brothels the fear before he made him squeal.

The others like Tulobis saw the masked man too. Clad in black, the masked man wearing a tattered cloak looked that of pale death. Carrying a shark-like dagger with both edges, that looked like saw teeth. The masked man clad in black eyed Tulobis.

Seeing this figure Tulobis did what any normal sane man would do. He ran without minding his appearance. The others ran to in order to feel from the man clad in black. Their eyes filled with horror the man clad in black wouldn’t be so intimidating if it wasn’t for the black-wooden-mask with a jester smile on it. The shark saw dagger on the masked man didn’t help. The cold unlit eyes also didn’t make the black-wooden-mask man looked friendly at all. Tulobis could only run. He ran through the streets but every time he would turn around the man garb in black was behind him. Walking as if the distance didn’t matter to the man clad in black.

The Viagra filled environment of the secret place turned grim and moody. The panicking guards that had a bit of courage tried to take the man clad in black but with quick moves, the guards have been paralyzed. Using only the hilt and flat side of the dagger, the black clad man easily took down any guards that were going after him.

Why he is going after me, Tulobis could only ask while running in panic. He turned to use his spells, made it cover with his body. He turned around, chanted a simple fireball spell and pointed at the man clad in black. The man clad in black raise his tattered black-cloak to shield himself. Tulobis thought that man as idiotic but seeing the fireball being blocked by the tattered cloak of the man in black made Tulobis scared. There were lines of dark blue that spread on the tattered cloak. Like circuits or veins that solely turned the cloak into a hard object. Electricity ran across the cloak. Seeing his spell blocked like that made Tulobis sprint faster than he could imagine.

The bell tolled loudly.

The area seems like it became a covered in fog as the man clad in black chases after Tulobis. He could hear the eerie sounds of birds flapping their wings. Even though the secret place was covered in different dyed candles he could not help but feel fear. As if the incense smokes that add a pinky mood turned the place into a field of killing.

The place was no longer a place for pleasure. It was now a place of dread that made every hair on Tulobis’s body stand up. His pores open and as he tries to escape out of the place. He saw the man clad in black appear in front of him with his shark saw dagger. Tulobis rushed at the man clad in black with his fist covered in blue circuit veins. The man clad in the black jester masked face seems to sneer as Tulobis felt his chin go numb. Before he can even straighten himself out of the shock, the man clad slapped Tulobis’s left ear. With his ear ringing, suddenly a strong sensation of pain followed on his body.

Tulobis fainted.

Arden knew of the brothel area. A young man like him who could refuse help would eventually find himself here. He was seventeen when he came to this place. A young whore who drank in the Cher’s Inn had Arden carry her to the brothel. The whore had a tan, she was a lady who came from the eastern south where there are deserts to be found. Arden remembered how that lady wanted to offer her flesh to Arden. Though Arden refuses not because that he didn’t want to taste the flesh of a beautiful exotic lady, it was because he didn’t have any interest in doing so.

Arden is a man with a single-minded thinking. His purpose in life was to help and there was nothing else on his head other than a few bits and the people he cares for. But if the woman did say that she wanted help, Arden would have complied.

He is familiar with this brothel area for being a fool, like always. But now, he didn’t show his face. He was wearing a mask while carrying the guy he suspected to be the one that Bell and Syr wanted. He didn’t give up even after his face was bruised with that fiasco in the field training ground. He merely waited for the person to leave. And given that he had time Arden dressed himself up.

This time he made use of his old garments and the tattered black cloak his foster father had. The mask he wore during the test of the ritual was blemished with blood so he instead constructed a blackened mask that had a jester’s smile carved on to it.

He also carried the shark saw dagger that his foster father liked constructing around. He didn’t use construct any of his guns in fear that there would be people that would refer to him as the Magus Killer. He doesn’t want knights coming in and trying to kill him. The city has already been alerted to the Magus killer’s presence, and even though his father is dead, he made use of a dead man’s name as a tool of fear.

But right now he was only a man clad in black wearing an odd mask. He knocked out a few guards. He knew them mostly because of how they always wanted his help. So he didn’t stab them or use the teeth of his dagger to hurt him. The man on his shoulder was knocked out.

He remembered that he was named as Tulobis. He killed someone and bought a new face from the faceless guild. All he knew that he killed someone. In Arden’s mind, he is a murderer and a thief. Bell and Syr only give him a few details and even if they did Arden won’t change his mind.

Arden could smell the incense he mixed with a black powder that would turn the white crisp smokes into black smoke. His foster father had left an imprint on how to make use of such tactics when faced with areas like this. Hence, that is why the moment he appeared as if he was a ghost. Most of the people were already hallucinating. A few herbs stuffed on his nose allowed Arden from hallucinating.

With the man on his shoulder, Arden carried him out of the brothels. The eyes of fear from the naked men and women pointed at him. Covered only by mere curtains, they could see the black-clad Arden disappear out of the area of pleasure.

...

Arden wrapped the man named Tulobis in a white cloth. After leaving the brothel area he tied his limbs and stuffed his mouth in order to keep him shut. He was walking with a hood now, but his jester mask was still on. He merely looked like a mercenary.

He was planning to take the man named Tulobis to the old warehouse that Bell and Syr told him to go. It was located near the slums but not inside the slums. It was supposed to be an old place where cattle were slaughtered. It is a rusty place, the wood is falling out, and there is rust on the hooks inside the warehouses.

Arden entered one of the designated warehouses and opened a door. Entering inside, he saw two figures with their arms crossed. Arden’s tap on the floor with his foot made them turned around. Seeing that he was carrying something Bell and Syr smiled.

“Open it.”

They said. Arden complied and let Tulobis fall down the ground. The two looked at his face. They gestured at Arden as he then cruelly rips out the skinned face of Tulobis. Arden felt some sort of witchery attached on hi mask but he was able to do it easily with Tulobis not resisting at all.

“That’s him alright.”

They said, observing the rugged true face of Tulobis. Arden held Tulobis up for the two and seeing them confirmed that it was indeed him. Arden let Tulobis dropped on the ground with a thud.

“Careful there, don’t want to break him until we can squeeze him out. He had little gold on him, but not enough for what he stole, so take care not injure him until then.”

Bell said, Arden then raised his hands in apology. Syr smiled at Arden, as she said to Arden.

“Better let us take care of this murderer and thief Arden; this is something that collectors should do. You are not involved further than this.”

“I understand.”

Arden nodded his head. He showed himself out of the door with respect to the two. He wasn’t a collector, and his job was only to help them find the guy.

Arden was someone dwelled on neutrality. He will help despite not knowing if it was good and evil

In his mind as long as it someone he can help he would do anything to help. To him, Bell and Syr, his friends wanted help, so therefore he helped them.

Whatever intentions both sides had nothing to do with him.

His eyes told him that they needed help so he did.

Arden lacks a sense of justice.

He only sees and helps those he thinks that needs help.