Chapter 45
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"Welcome to Mystik Town!" the guard said, parting way for them to enter.
Alec took in the town from the entrance. Even at a single glance, it was a lot different from what he was used to seeing in the Neil Clan compound.
For Elias, it was probably something akin to culture shock, since he had never experienced something like this before.
Alec, on the other hand, was a lot calmer, since he had a life previously before this. He had long since adapted to circumstances that the Mainframe tried to trip him up with.
He would not be OOC-ing today. Or any other day, thank you very much.
It looked akin to something that he saw a lot in his previous life. Before he started work as a System. He had grown up in a small town like this. It was just barely bigger than a village.
The buildings, as compared to their clan compound, were not as large, nor as tall, but they still gave off a feeling of charm of the quiet town life.
The buildings were mainly made out of wood, though there were those that had been constructed with different material. Each building looked different from the other, which was a stark contrast in the buildings in their clan compound.
Where in the clan compound the buildings purpose could be told from first glance, here in Mystik Town, it wasn't as obvious. Due to the way the owners showed their individuality, the various buildings that looked like they functioned as something could be a completely different thing altogether. Whereas, in the Neil compound, it was all obviously designed by a single architect.
As it was still midday when they arrived, there were various townsfolk walking around.
Compared to the long, wide-sleeved outfit of white and black that Elias and Alec wore, there were all shades of different clothing and hair as they walked by.
Elias looked around with curiosity glinting in his eyes. He felt like he had stepped into a new world that he had only seen through the veil of a screen before. Everywhere he looked, there was something new and interesting.
The novelty from the sight caused him to temporarily forget about the scenes that had been haunting him for the most part of the night.
Alec felt relieved when he saw Elias light up. Going through that was already hard on him, let alone a teenager like Elias. He couldn't help but wonder how well Zacharias, Cyrus and Tatiana fared.
While he hoped that all three of them had met up, he knew that statistically, the chances were too low. The fact that Elias had the sense of mind to even try and meet up with him was both a testament to how he knew what Alec was thinking, as well as rationality.
The fact that they had discussed where to meet when they left, however loosely, also played a part.
"Come on," the guard said, startling Elias. Alec looked at him calmly. "I'll bring you to settle in for the night. I won't ask what happened to you, but if you need any help, don't hesitate to let me know. My name is Stanley Woods."
"Thank you Mr.Woods," Alec said, smiling. "Alec."
"Elias. Likewise, thank you, Mr. Woods."
"Just Stanley is fine." Stanley nodded. He felt bad for them. They were so young and had already lost their parents to the horror of the Mysterious Forest. He would try and help them out wherever he could.
Looking at how they were dressed, it seemed like they were the wealthy sort, which would do them no favours. Long, wide sleeves that covered their hands, as well as the pristine white and black monotone clothing looked like one of those sets from the wealthy or upper-class.
Stanley paused. No, that wasn't right. Those clothes looked more like something out of a sect or clan, which could be better or worse depending on the person they met.
Regardless, a teenager and child walking around by themselves were prime material for those working in human trafficking. Stanley hated those types of people with the passion of a thousand burning suns.
"Do you have any money at all?"
Elias and Alec exchanged a look, hesitantly shaking their heads.
"Ai," Stanley sighed. "That's really terrible. How about it? My wife and I have a spare bedroom if you're up for it. You won't be able to get into an inn without any money since you have to pay upfront."
Alec studied the man in front of them. Stanley gave them a feeling that he was the sort of bleeding heart that would try to help out anyone in dire need of a hand. He was the type of man that Alec had not interacted with in a long time.
The most surprising part that the man really did come across as sincere.
"If it's not too much trouble," Alec said politely, missing Elias' look of surprise. They would have to do something for them in return before they left.
It was only two weeks, but hopefully, it would be long enough for them to gather a bit of funds on the side for their travel to the Welkton City.
Was going with a stranger in an unknown town a bad idea? It obviously was, but they quite literally had no money. Not a single cent. Alec had gone so long without seeing money exchanging hands that he forgot about its existence. He supposed that this was another one of the Neil Clan's training methods for them.
However, that didn't mean that Alec was being careless about their well-being.
He could tell that most of the people in this town were barely in the elemental stage. He'd gotten good at reading people's magical capacity over the year he had been practicing. He could read everyone who had less than him accurately, but the further it got from him, the foggier it got.
Stanley was in the transitional period of the elemental stage, which was a single minor tier lower than he was. They would be fine. Elias would be able to crush him in a split second even if he was of the Defensive Magitype.
In the Neil Clan, they all used weapons.
To put it bluntly, well… it was the reason why he hadn't just died of sheer and utter boredom when he was a baby. That's right. They started that young. You wouldn't think about it at first.
Let Alec be the first to say. He had been awfully surprised when he realized that the throwing exercises his mother made him do wasn't just for exercise. It slipped his mind when he the things he had to throw everyday changed.
Hoops, balls, other irregularly shaped objects… you name it, Alec had a blast throwing it.
It wasn't until they were halfway through the advanced course that Alec realized it as all a build up to throwing actual weapons.
So, yes. Alec liked throwing daggers. As did Elias, Zacharias, Tatiana and Cyrus.
It was such a sneaky thing to do that Alec was impressed in spite of himself.
Stanley led them to his house, a five-minute walk from the town's market.
It was a small, but cosy looking house with cross-shaped windows.
"Darling, I'm home!" Stanley burst in, surprising his wife as he swept her into a hug.
"Welcome home," she said warmly.
Alec and Elias paused at the doorway, feeling out of place.
Dressed in an apron and a bandana to keep her hair out of the way, Stanley's wife was making cookies. The fresh scent of the cookies wafted over to them, causing their stomachs to growl.
Lorraine looked over in surprise as she heard the sound. "Oh, hello," she said warmly. She guessed her husband took in a couple of strays yet again, though she was surprised by how young they were. "I'm Lorraine, this big lug's wife."
"Nice to meet you. Sorry to intrude," Alec said, doing the talking for them.
Elias looked like he was feeling overwhelmed.
"How polite," Lorraine said, her eyes flashing with a hint of wistfulness. "I'll go set up the room for you boys."
Stanley stopped her. "Don't worry about it, dear. You carry on. I can do it! Don't worry about lunch. I'll bring them out to eat so they can familiarize themselves for a bit."
"Alright then."
Stanley turned to them. "Do you mind sharing a bed? I'm afraid we don't have an extra."
"That's fine. I'm still rather small," Alec said, smiling at the man.
Elias nodded.
"Alright. I'll be back in a moment," Stanley said, leaving to go upstairs.
Elias leaned down to whisper to Alec. "Is it just me or is something out of place here?"
Alec thought about it. "Too early to say just yet. We'll come to a conclusion later."
Stanley came back down. "All done. I'll bring you up to put down your bags, then we can get lunch."
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"Welcome to Mystik Town!" the guard said, parting way for them to enter.
Alec took in the town from the entrance. Even at a single glance, it was a lot different from what he was used to seeing in the Neil Clan compound.
For Elias, it was probably something akin to culture shock, since he had never experienced something like this before.
Alec, on the other hand, was a lot calmer, since he had a life previously before this. He had long since adapted to circumstances that the Mainframe tried to trip him up with.
He would not be OOC-ing today. Or any other day, thank you very much.
It looked akin to something that he saw a lot in his previous life. Before he started work as a System. He had grown up in a small town like this. It was just barely bigger than a village.
The buildings, as compared to their clan compound, were not as large, nor as tall, but they still gave off a feeling of charm of the quiet town life.
The buildings were mainly made out of wood, though there were those that had been constructed with different material. Each building looked different from the other, which was a stark contrast in the buildings in their clan compound.
Where in the clan compound the buildings purpose could be told from first glance, here in Mystik Town, it wasn't as obvious. Due to the way the owners showed their individuality, the various buildings that looked like they functioned as something could be a completely different thing altogether. Whereas, in the Neil compound, it was all obviously designed by a single architect.
As it was still midday when they arrived, there were various townsfolk walking around.
Compared to the long, wide-sleeved outfit of white and black that Elias and Alec wore, there were all shades of different clothing and hair as they walked by.
Elias looked around with curiosity glinting in his eyes. He felt like he had stepped into a new world that he had only seen through the veil of a screen before. Everywhere he looked, there was something new and interesting.
The novelty from the sight caused him to temporarily forget about the scenes that had been haunting him for the most part of the night.
Alec felt relieved when he saw Elias light up. Going through that was already hard on him, let alone a teenager like Elias. He couldn't help but wonder how well Zacharias, Cyrus and Tatiana fared.
While he hoped that all three of them had met up, he knew that statistically, the chances were too low. The fact that Elias had the sense of mind to even try and meet up with him was both a testament to how he knew what Alec was thinking, as well as rationality.
The fact that they had discussed where to meet when they left, however loosely, also played a part.
"Come on," the guard said, startling Elias. Alec looked at him calmly. "I'll bring you to settle in for the night. I won't ask what happened to you, but if you need any help, don't hesitate to let me know. My name is Stanley Woods."
"Thank you Mr.Woods," Alec said, smiling. "Alec."
"Elias. Likewise, thank you, Mr. Woods."
"Just Stanley is fine." Stanley nodded. He felt bad for them. They were so young and had already lost their parents to the horror of the Mysterious Forest. He would try and help them out wherever he could.
Looking at how they were dressed, it seemed like they were the wealthy sort, which would do them no favours. Long, wide sleeves that covered their hands, as well as the pristine white and black monotone clothing looked like one of those sets from the wealthy or upper-class.
Stanley paused. No, that wasn't right. Those clothes looked more like something out of a sect or clan, which could be better or worse depending on the person they met.
Regardless, a teenager and child walking around by themselves were prime material for those working in human trafficking. Stanley hated those types of people with the passion of a thousand burning suns.
"Do you have any money at all?"
Elias and Alec exchanged a look, hesitantly shaking their heads.
"Ai," Stanley sighed. "That's really terrible. How about it? My wife and I have a spare bedroom if you're up for it. You won't be able to get into an inn without any money since you have to pay upfront."
Alec studied the man in front of them. Stanley gave them a feeling that he was the sort of bleeding heart that would try to help out anyone in dire need of a hand. He was the type of man that Alec had not interacted with in a long time.
The most surprising part that the man really did come across as sincere.
"If it's not too much trouble," Alec said politely, missing Elias' look of surprise. They would have to do something for them in return before they left.
It was only two weeks, but hopefully, it would be long enough for them to gather a bit of funds on the side for their travel to the Welkton City.
Was going with a stranger in an unknown town a bad idea? It obviously was, but they quite literally had no money. Not a single cent. Alec had gone so long without seeing money exchanging hands that he forgot about its existence. He supposed that this was another one of the Neil Clan's training methods for them.
However, that didn't mean that Alec was being careless about their well-being.
He could tell that most of the people in this town were barely in the elemental stage. He'd gotten good at reading people's magical capacity over the year he had been practicing. He could read everyone who had less than him accurately, but the further it got from him, the foggier it got.
Stanley was in the transitional period of the elemental stage, which was a single minor tier lower than he was. They would be fine. Elias would be able to crush him in a split second even if he was of the Defensive Magitype.
In the Neil Clan, they all used weapons.
To put it bluntly, well… it was the reason why he hadn't just died of sheer and utter boredom when he was a baby. That's right. They started that young. You wouldn't think about it at first.
Let Alec be the first to say. He had been awfully surprised when he realized that the throwing exercises his mother made him do wasn't just for exercise. It slipped his mind when he the things he had to throw everyday changed.
Hoops, balls, other irregularly shaped objects… you name it, Alec had a blast throwing it.
It wasn't until they were halfway through the advanced course that Alec realized it as all a build up to throwing actual weapons.
So, yes. Alec liked throwing daggers. As did Elias, Zacharias, Tatiana and Cyrus.
It was such a sneaky thing to do that Alec was impressed in spite of himself.
Stanley led them to his house, a five-minute walk from the town's market.
It was a small, but cosy looking house with cross-shaped windows.
"Darling, I'm home!" Stanley burst in, surprising his wife as he swept her into a hug.
"Welcome home," she said warmly.
Alec and Elias paused at the doorway, feeling out of place.
Dressed in an apron and a bandana to keep her hair out of the way, Stanley's wife was making cookies. The fresh scent of the cookies wafted over to them, causing their stomachs to growl.
Lorraine looked over in surprise as she heard the sound. "Oh, hello," she said warmly. She guessed her husband took in a couple of strays yet again, though she was surprised by how young they were. "I'm Lorraine, this big lug's wife."
"Nice to meet you. Sorry to intrude," Alec said, doing the talking for them.
Elias looked like he was feeling overwhelmed.
"How polite," Lorraine said, her eyes flashing with a hint of wistfulness. "I'll go set up the room for you boys."
Stanley stopped her. "Don't worry about it, dear. You carry on. I can do it! Don't worry about lunch. I'll bring them out to eat so they can familiarize themselves for a bit."
"Alright then."
Stanley turned to them. "Do you mind sharing a bed? I'm afraid we don't have an extra."
"That's fine. I'm still rather small," Alec said, smiling at the man.
Elias nodded.
"Alright. I'll be back in a moment," Stanley said, leaving to go upstairs.
Elias leaned down to whisper to Alec. "Is it just me or is something out of place here?"
Alec thought about it. "Too early to say just yet. We'll come to a conclusion later."
Stanley came back down. "All done. I'll bring you up to put down your bags, then we can get lunch."
"Welcome to Mystik Town!" the guard said, parting way for them to enter.Alec took in the town from the entrance. Even at a single glance, it was a lot different from what he was used to seeing in the Neil Clan compound.For Elias, it was probably something akin to culture shock, since he had never experienced something like this before.Alec, on the other hand, was a lot calmer, since he had a life previously before this. He had long since adapted to circumstances that the Mainframe tried to trip him up with.He would not be OOC-ing today. Or any other day, thank you very much.It looked akin to something that he saw a lot in his previous life. Before he started work as a System. He had grown up in a small town like this. It was just barely bigger than a village.The buildings, as compared to their clan compound, were not as large, nor as tall, but they still gave off a feeling of charm of the quiet town life.The buildings were mainly made out of wood, though there were those that had been constructed with different material. Each building looked different from the other, which was a stark contrast in the buildings in their clan compound.Where in the clan compound the buildings purpose could be told from first glance, here in Mystik Town, it wasn't as obvious. Due to the way the owners showed their individuality, the various buildings that looked like they functioned as something could be a completely different thing altogether. Whereas, in the Neil compound, it was all obviously designed by a single architect.As it was still midday when they arrived, there were various townsfolk walking around.Compared to the long, wide-sleeved outfit of white and black that Elias and Alec wore, there were all shades of different clothing and hair as they walked by.Elias looked around with curiosity glinting in his eyes. He felt like he had stepped into a new world that he had only seen through the veil of a screen before. Everywhere he looked, there was something new and interesting.The novelty from the sight caused him to temporarily forget about the scenes that had been haunting him for the most part of the night.Alec felt relieved when he saw Elias light up. Going through that was already hard on him, let alone a teenager like Elias. He couldn't help but wonder how well Zacharias, Cyrus and Tatiana fared.While he hoped that all three of them had met up, he knew that statistically, the chances were too low. The fact that Elias had the sense of mind to even try and meet up with him was both a testament to how he knew what Alec was thinking, as well as rationality.The fact that they had discussed where to meet when they left, however loosely, also played a part."Come on," the guard said, startling Elias. Alec looked at him calmly. "I'll bring you to settle in for the night. I won't ask what happened to you, but if you need any help, don't hesitate to let me know. My name is Stanley Woods.""Thank you Mr.Woods," Alec said, smiling. "Alec.""Elias. Likewise, thank you, Mr. Woods.""Just Stanley is fine." Stanley nodded. He felt bad for them. They were so young and had already lost their parents to the horror of the Mysterious Forest. He would try and help them out wherever he could.Looking at how they were dressed, it seemed like they were the wealthy sort, which would do them no favours. Long, wide sleeves that covered their hands, as well as the pristine white and black monotone clothing looked like one of those sets from the wealthy or upper-class.Stanley paused. No, that wasn't right. Those clothes looked more like something out of a sect or clan, which could be better or worse depending on the person they met.Regardless, a teenager and child walking around by themselves were prime material for those working in human trafficking. Stanley hated those types of people with the passion of a thousand burning suns."Do you have any money at all?"Elias and Alec exchanged a look, hesitantly shaking their heads."Ai," Stanley sighed. "That's really terrible. How about it? My wife and I have a spare bedroom if you're up for it. You won't be able to get into an inn without any money since you have to pay upfront."Alec studied the man in front of them. Stanley gave them a feeling that he was the sort of bleeding heart that would try to help out anyone in dire need of a hand. He was the type of man that Alec had not interacted with in a long time.The most surprising part that the man really did come across as sincere."If it's not too much trouble," Alec said politely, missing Elias' look of surprise. They would have to do something for them in return before they left.It was only two weeks, but hopefully, it would be long enough for them to gather a bit of funds on the side for their travel to the Welkton City.Was going with a stranger in an unknown town a bad idea? It obviously was, but they quite literally had no money. Not a single cent. Alec had gone so long without seeing money exchanging hands that he forgot about its existence. He supposed that this was another one of the Neil Clan's training methods for them.However, that didn't mean that Alec was being careless about their well-being.He could tell that most of the people in this town were barely in the elemental stage. He'd gotten good at reading people's magical capacity over the year he had been practicing. He could read everyone who had less than him accurately, but the further it got from him, the foggier it got.Stanley was in the transitional period of the elemental stage, which was a single minor tier lower than he was. They would be fine. Elias would be able to crush him in a split second even if he was of the Defensive Magitype.In the Neil Clan, they all used weapons.To put it bluntly, well it was the reason why he hadn't just died of sheer and utter boredom when he was a baby. That's right. They started that young. You wouldn't think about it at first.Let Alec be the first to say. He had been awfully surprised when he realized that the throwing exercises his mother made him do wasn't just for exercise. It slipped his mind when he the things he had to throw everyday changed.Hoops, balls, other irregularly shaped objects you name it, Alec had a blast throwing it.It wasn't until they were halfway through the advanced course that Alec realized it as all a build up to throwing actual weapons.So, yes. Alec liked throwing daggers. As did Elias, Zacharias, Tatiana and Cyrus.It was such a sneaky thing to do that Alec was impressed in spite of himself.Stanley led them to his house, a five-minute walk from the town's market.It was a small, but cosy looking house with cross-shaped windows."Darling, I'm home!" Stanley burst in, surprising his wife as he swept her into a hug."Welcome home," she said warmly.Alec and Elias paused at the doorway, feeling out of place.Dressed in an apron and a bandana to keep her hair out of the way, Stanley's wife was making cookies. The fresh scent of the cookies wafted over to them, causing their stomachs to growl.Lorraine looked over in surprise as she heard the sound. "Oh, hello," she said warmly. She guessed her husband took in a couple of strays yet again, though she was surprised by how young they were. "I'm Lorraine, this big lug's wife.""Nice to meet you. Sorry to intrude," Alec said, doing the talking for them.Elias looked like he was feeling overwhelmed."How polite," Lorraine said, her eyes flashing with a hint of wistfulness. "I'll go set up the room for you boys."Stanley stopped her. "Don't worry about it, dear. You carry on. I can do it! Don't worry about lunch. I'll bring them out to eat so they can familiarize themselves for a bit.""Alright then."Stanley turned to them. "Do you mind sharing a bed? I'm afraid we don't have an extra.""That's fine. I'm still rather small," Alec said, smiling at the man.Elias nodded."Alright. I'll be back in a moment," Stanley said, leaving to go upstairs.Elias leaned down to whisper to Alec. "Is it just me or is something out of place here?"Alec thought about it. "Too early to say just yet. We'll come to a conclusion later."Stanley came back down. "All done. I'll bring you up to put down your bags, then we can get lunch."
