'I still just a can't, figure out why they would get rid of someone, who figured everything out.'
"How much was it, again?"
"Twenty dollars please."
"Here you go."
"Thank you, have a good day."
"Thanks, you too."
'God it just doesn't make sense, it's been five days since they got the book. Yet no one has gotten it open, apparently. Plus having to deal with this worlds currency is such a hassle.'
Since the expedition, Scarlett had been taking care of Michael. She would leave early in the morning, and head to the closest town. There she would buy groceries to sustain them, and try to find out if any news of the books existence had come to light.
She hadn't expected to be in this world for long, so she hadn't prepared much money. But she was trying to make due with what little bit she did bring. If need be she was willing to hunt for food as well. Even without her powers, her skill set was more than enough to kill a few wild animals.
Michael on the other hand, has been in and out of consciousness. He was barely able to remain awake, so she opted to only wake him when he needed to eat something.
Whenever she would leave the hall, there were no worries in her mind, of whether he was ok or not. With her power flowing through his body; keeping him alive, she was able to monitor him from afar.
Today she found herself walking through the stalls of the town, she found the people to be in a cheerful mood today, even more so than the few days before. Apparently there was to be a festival in a few days, the people had a belief that a new king would be born soon. Someone to lead their people through the impending dark times to come. The festival was in their honor, to show they were willing to follow.
Scarlett found it intriguing and a little funny. They were correct in the possibly impending doom. With the book, out of its chambers. Its absence would soon be found out, as well as that of the release of Icarus. The world was soon to change, and was already taking place. But once the book was opened, that would only be cemented further.
As she made her way down the street, she passed by another stall. Walking over, she decided to purchase a few knives. She planned to use them during her hunts since she couldn't access her katana. Luckily for her, she was well trained with all kinds of weapons. In fact, her katana was only one of her most prized weapons. The rest were simply locked away, inside the broken mirror.
As she went to pay for the knives, a few kids ran past. They bumped into her, almost knocking her down. They apologized, as they continued down the street. The shopkeep, smiled at her.
"Don't mind them, just kids being kids."
Scarlett smiled back, as she turned to leave, heading in the same direction as them. As she walked through the street, it started to become populated by people. Yet she kept her eyes forward, focusing on the direction she was going. She easily slipped past the people, even with her newly acquired backpack, she effortlessly passed through them like water in a river.
As she made her way through the crowd, she stopped to look around searching for something. From the corner of her eye, she could see something duck into a nearby alleyway.
Walking into the alley, she could see four children waiting at the end. They walked up to three thugs, and handed them something. Taking a closer look she noticed the familiarity of her own wallet.
As she walked into the alley, one of the men noticed her.
"Look at that not only did you bring us a reward, you brought a beautiful snack with you."
"Hello there beautiful, you look lost. You need someone to show you around, maybe keep you warm during the night?"
Scarlett looked at the three then back towards the children.
"I'm just here for the wallet, thanks. I won't get in the way of your little business."
One of the men reached down to grab a nearby pipe, as he walked towards her, he held it towards her.
"Sorry princess, can't let you leave that easily. As you can see we just got paid, and feel the need to celebrate. You should join us."
"No thanks."
The man beside him, walked past the kids and started cracking his knuckles.
"That wasn't a question."
The third man stayed back, not paying them any mind as he looked through the stuff the kids brought. The kids on the other hand, quickly moved to hide behind the nearby dumpster.
She rolled her eyes as they came closer. She tossed her backpack to the side, as she walked towards the first man.
The man swung the pipe aiming at her head, she ducked under it. She punched him in the ribs, then kicked on the back of his knee; making him kneel. The other man, sent a punch towards her face. She moved, wrapping her arm around his. She went to knee him in the stomach, but he blocked it with his hand. He headbutted her, causing her to become slightly dizzy. Caught off guard by the sudden attack she was left momentarily defenseless, giving him enough time to equip a pair of brass knuckles.
He punched her in her ribs, sending her stumbling. The bigger guy, already standing back up, swung the pipe in the same area. A cracking sound could be heard, as she was hit. She fell to the ground, causing the bigger guy to laugh.
"You could've just made this easy for us, we could've had a good time."
She looked up, seeing the scared children in the corner. She sighed, then spat out blood. She slowly stood back up, the two watched in surprise. Turning, she faced them once more, with annoyance in her eyes. This triggered the bigger guy, causing him to aim for her ribs once more. She quickly pulled a small knife from her pocket, she blocked the attack. She adjusted the knife, causing the pipe to slide off it. She then, sliced at his wrist, causing him to drop it. She lowered herself, cutting at his thigh. As he tried to cover the wound, she kicked his shin, causing him to fall forward. She then planted her knee to his chin, knocking him out instantly.
The look on the smaller man's face was that of shock, but then quickly turned to that of pleasure.
"Finally something worth my time, I love it when they fight back."
Taking off the brass knuckles, he placed them on his dominant hand. She took a step forward, he swung at her but she blocked his arm again. He dropped the knuckles, catching it on his other hand, then attacked her ribs again. She flinched, but gritted her teeth. Using her other hand, she punched him in his abdomen, right below his liver. He was stunned, so she punched at his dominant arm breaking it. She then planted a punch on his face, breaking his nose, and let him drop to the ground.
Once he fell to the ground the last man finally looked up at her. He seem uninterested in her, and the mess she caused. But he did seem a bit annoyed at the two on the ground.
"Mind if I get that back now."
The man took a few dollars from the bag then tossed it back to her. He waved the dollars in the air.
"For collateral damage. The worlds a dangerous place, you should be more careful."
She nodded then turned to walk away.
"Oh, and don't blame the children, blame your own incompetence."
After saying this, her ears perked up. She could hear the sound of a small click, she rushed over towards the big guy picking up the pipe. Then the sound of a gun rang out. Using her quick reflexes she swung at the bullet, sending it flying back. It flew straight into the barrel of the gun, causing a small explosion to be let out in his hand. He dropped the gun, holding onto his bloodied hand.
"Don't blame the children, blame your own incompetence."
With that she dropped the pipe and walked away without another word. Grabbing the backpack, she headed back towards the outskirts of the town, towards the forest.
The next night she headed into town, for few extra items. There she could see the festive, decorations already hanging for the following day. As she walked up to the stand, the woman behind it smiled at her.
"Hello again, stranger. Will you be back tomorrow for the festival?"
"If I have the time, I promise to stop by."
The woman smiled at her then gave her the items. Before she walked away, a man nearby changed the radio station, causing an interesting broadcast to come on.
[In other news, the Bryne Corporation, will be coming forward with yet another discovery. A team of expeditioners went out in search of something interesting, and in two days they will be revealing to the world what they found....]
After hearing this she turned away, she smiled to herself as she made her way back to the forest.
"Finally."