Exposed

"Man I need a ridable beast right about now"

Navigating through the hard terrain using the crutches put together by the spider proved to be a very difficult task for the crippled Yu, his legs were basically null and the injured arm, while actually functional after only a week, was still hard to use

"Should I make one of the creatures here into my summon? Hmm, I don't want to waste my grimoire's pages though"

Every grimoire had a limited amount of pages for new summons, ten at the beginning if he recalled correctly and it would raise by five pages for each major rank up meaning he who was finally at two stars after evolving his squirrel and fighting the gorilla had only six more pages

"I'll just wait for the sleepy fellow to wake up and carry me through the woods"

Meanwhile he would have to 'walk' alone, not that he was in any danger as the trusty black crossbow hanging on his back scared any creature whatsoever from approaching him, even Silver ranked beasts avoided him like the plague

It was a silent night in these woods and none of his beasts were summoned out but he didn't mind the quiet loneliness, it's only been half a day since the three-way battle and he wanted some time to himself anyway

"We meet again lad"

Someone didn't want to see him suffering alone though and blessed him with an unexpected company

Alarmed he looked toward the voice's direction spotting an old man slowly making his way to him, his steps making not the smallest sound

Before thinking about who the hell this was Yu decided to play safe and let go of one of the crutches, grabbing the crossbow off his back and take aim at the stranger

"Easy there kid, you don't wanna hurt yourself now do you"

This time the voice came from behind him as the man's figure vanished from sight like it was a lie before a strong grip lifting him up by the back of the neck

Instinctively he tried to summon his shield out, sadly it's only been half a day and so it was still on cooldown

"I know you've been on the run but this ain't a way to greet someone you know, I broke my back searching for your trial in these massive woods, show some appreciation"

Ranted the old man, this gave Yu the idea that he wasn't in mortal danger, yet, so he decided to try and figure out how to get out of this safe and sound

"Who are you?"

"Me? Just an old beggar trying to look after you young'uns"

"You said we met before?"

"Haha, forgot me so quickly aye Zombie-chan?"

Seeing as the old man even knew his Alias Yu came to the assumption that this person was here per the orders prince, else who would hunt him down all the way through these darned wilds

"Look, the bounty on my head must not be too high, I will pay you whatever they were willing to give and more so how about you let me go"

He persuaded

"You got a bounty on your head now too? What else have you gotten yourself into lad?"

"Hmm?"

He was confused by the old man's confusion and the two looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds

"Ah well, I don't care anymore, let's just get going already, I need to stockpile on some more booze"

Before Yu could further ask he received the complaining bad breath to the face only to disperse by a gust of wind following soon after as moonlight disappeared from the sky, the perpetrator of this sudden phenomenon revealing itself not a second later, parting the trees with those seven-meter wide wings flapping in the sky

"Up we go"

With one jump Yu's slackjawed figure was carried from the ground to the back of the massive bird

"Hold tight, I don't want to play fetch with you midair"

He was suggested after being dropped on the feathery back only to almost slip off after one big flap of the huge wings making him clutch at the feathers with everything he had

"Where~ Are you~ Taking me~~"

Yelling the question was the choice at their current height and speed

"Who cares! Just enjoy the ride hahaha"

Unaffected by the strong airflow whatsoever the old man laughed, his unshaved beard being the only thing swaying of his standing figure

As much as he wanted to insist on getting his answer he truly couldn't bear to split his focus, it took everything he had to just hold on and not fall right now, it's not like he could change the senile old ma's mind anyway so might as well wait till they landed first

***

"Let's get down and walk the rest of the way, wouldn't want to spook the people now would we"

Unsummoning the big bird after they finally landed some hours later the old man kindly reminded, but a hurl was the response he received

"Bleugh...huuu"

"Where is your youthful spirit, get a move on"

'Don't you see that I'm crippled you lunatic!'

All that he kept in his head though and replied with a grunt instead, grabbing some of the branches that broke due to their landing and used them as a replacement for the dropped crutches

Thankfully the old man didn't make his life any harder after that, the two of made their way to the city without any further problems

They flashed the guards their mercenary cards and were allowed smooth entry, this was a city that borders the Whimsical Wilds so no one bothered the mercenaries coming in and out of the gates constantly, one could say anyone who wasn't a mercenary would seem odd if spotted here

"Can you live a little longer if we don't get your leg cured right away?"

"?..Yes, I will be just fine"

"Good, let's go to the union branch then and get some booze"

'Is he handing me over? But he would have said so if he was, it really doesn't look like I'm a threat to him in any way'

He wasn't cuffed or dragged, just walking normally by the side as if there was no fear of him making a run for it

'Hah, then again who would expect me to run with crutches'

Whether he was being handed over or really was getting some booze didn't matter anyway, his fate was already decided, at least until the shield was deployable once more

'I'll gun for it once the new guy wakes up, if he doesn't do so anytime soon I will have to try and evolve either the snake or the spider, all this is if I cant talk things out though'

Something told him even Lyra and the squirrel combined wouldn't manage to beat this old man so a peaceful solution would be the best choice of action

On their way to the branch they witnessed many tough looking groups, some were intimidating with their large weapons and scary faces while others had a silent but deadly atmosphere around them

All these groups however parted way when the two walked by, avoiding them just as the beasts did to him back in the wilds

'The old man must be a big deal around here'

Yu thought seeing their attitude

Once they walked by however these mercenaries talked in hushed voices, afraid that he might hear them

"Who's that kid?"

"I don't know, looks like a cripple but there seems to be a deadly atmosphere around him, like if I get close enough my heart's going to stop"

"I thought I was the only one feeling that way, looks like another retired expert has arrived at the city"

Clearly, he was the reason for their respect and fear, as for the old man by the side? Not one person even glanced at him till their figures disappeared from the crowd

Twenty minutes later a big building was in sight, Yu could guess it was the mercenary union by the tavern look it had but he found it absurd just how much better this was than the three he'd been to already, it was as if the one's from before belonged to a village while this was an actual city branch

The old man hastened his steps as they approached the big double doors, he walked so fast Yu couldn't keep up and was left behind looking sceptically at the hunched back disappearing into the crowd

"....He can't be that confidant no?"

Even if he was on crutches, to leave him behind just like this...

"Haah"

Deciding not to run away and see what this man who followed him god knows how long is up to, after all of he could find him in the Whimsical Wilds he can find him in the city

Entering the building scores of mercenary groups came into sight, some were chatting and laughing without care while others double-checked their gear before heading out

'There he is'

Sprawled on one of tables the beggar like man was gulping down beer like it was water, paying no heed to the drops that trickled down and filled his skin and clothes with its nasty smell

As Yu made his way to this drunken figure he suddenly recalled where he'd seen him before

"You were the guy in Denatro?"

He asked, plopping down on the seat to give his tired arms a break, clutching to the feathers for hours took its toll on their frail build

"You actually followed me all the way from there?"

He couldn't help but be shocked as he realized this was the same person who was sleeping on the table back when he was registering, it was hard to forget the chillies this person sent down his spine by just leaning toward him

"Gah don't remind me of that hellish journey will ya!"

Slamming his cup on the table he yelled, not one person bat an eye on this though as every now and then someone would yell or cheer

'Why do I feel like they have been looking here for a while though'

Yu sensed the gazes on him from the second he entered the building, be it the mercenaries or the recepnoisist they were all sending him occasional glances

'Is it because I have a bounty? No, I don't think it got here already'

He wasn't provided the chance to think more about it before the table was slammed once more, an empty cup lay waiting to be refilled by the waitress while this quickly to get drunk geezer ranted

"You were nothing but trouble, from the moment I went to investigate the space crash you hic! caused to the moment I finally caught up I suffered hell"

He could hear the laughter dying down somewhat around them, even the waitress's hands faltered for a bit and almost spilt the bear hearing those words

Gulp Gulp Slam!

Another cup emptied, waiting to be refilled

"As soon as I came back to the city I found the beehive on fire, not a single bee survived, you stole the jobs of many men and didn't even allow anyone to benefit, quite the loss you caused"

Though the words sounded like he grieved his half-smile proved he was happy with that for some reason

"Then I tried to follow this 'unknown culprit' to Calico city, there wasn't much to go on for a while, until the baron's troops mobilised in their entirety heading toward Begaria, something about all their treasures being stolen, so I thought why not check it out? Guess what I found then!"

He guzzled more beer as sweat poured down Yu's forehead, the tables nearby were now quietly listing to the story that might just reveal all the escapades he had after his arrival

"Burnt! Hic!! Part of the sturdy White Woods was actually burnt just like that, reduced to ashes, it wasn't too much though and didn't warrant anyone's attention, I also thought it wasn't a big deal until…"

The suspense caught everyone's attention, even Yu's, what did those flames do to the woods? He never heard of them after arriving at Begaria

"Until beasts of various shapes and form started to pour out from the depths of these damnable woods, killing the soldiers and guards of the two cities left and right, at some point even the prince got involved and was almost killed off, had to step in and save his royal ass before things got bloody"

'So that's where he went??!!'

Now he realized why the prince stopped at Halferg and went to attend some business nearby, turns out there was such a big event

"The most notable thing was that all these beasts had energy very similar to yours! That deathly presence you carry around surrounded all these fellows, couldn't be a coincidence right? So, tell me lad, what did you do to cause such a disaster?"

Gulp…

It wasn't the old man gulping more beer this time but Yu swallowing his nervousness down, half the tavern's focus was now on them, the only words being spoken were either by the two of them or the hushed voices questioning their story

"Don't wanna say? Well, moving on, after that undesirable fight with the behemoth of a beast in the woods I tried tracking you, who I started to suspect becuase of the energy, to Halferg, you must have caused some trouble there too judging by the bounty you say you have but I did not linger long enough to know of it, if I didn't catch you quickly enough who knew what drastic disaster you'd cause next"

"Umm, can we talk about this somewhere-" "Then I found out you burned a village! You must have had your reasons but come on kid, can't you be a little less, hic, 'flashy' when you act up?"

"I really think we should-" "I gotta thank lady luck for your next destination to have been the Whimsical Wilds, sure I found one of the pillar trees burnt down, bees and all, but it is nothing disastrous for us, humans, don't know what you have against bees though"

Perspiring was the only thing he could do at this point, his dark past was being revealed right in the middle of the mercenaries den, all except for killing the horses, then again he would rather have that revealed than being the cause for so many deaths along the prince's potential demise

"Haah, your quite literally a walking disaster lad, glad I finally got my hands on you, you need to be under capable hands before we send you on any more missions"

"? Missions?"

"You can't stay a low Bronze forever no? Gotta make a living if you want to grow stronger, it's not always that you can get away with burning the world and stealing others stuff"

Another mug was emptied into the blabbering mouth before he plopped on the table, snoring his tired self away while Yu stared at him in wonder, just what the hell was this senile fellow on about? It seems like he'd have to wait until he woke up to hopefully find out

'At least it doesn't seem like I'm being captured?'

In a sense that was the only happy thing he heard all day