Prologue: The slums of Carcossa (2)

As I stepped out of my poor excuse of an apothecary and outside the house consecuentially.

The smells of all the brewing ingredients I had down there slowly faded, only to be replaced with the rotten stench of decaying fish, grime, dried blood and sea salt.

I've always hated that smell, though Sheryll might complain about the smell of the basement, I believe for it to be miles better than the stench of the outside.

or perhaps I adapted myself to the smell of medicine.

Still lost within my own thoughts, I had entered the merchantile area.

I had memorised the possible safest rute to the drugstores to which I sold my potions, to the point that I could do it subconciously.

However, this time I was to careless.

When entering an alley (a shortcut I use to stay hidden) a man jumped at me.

"Where ya' headin boy?"

Fucking hell, not today, please.

"Is that truly the matter at hand?"

I said while looking at my surroundings.

Turns out he wasn't alone, he had brought another man with him.

Most likely the look-out.

'Oh golly, Im getting mugged'

I whispered to myself in a sarcastically cheerfull tone.

"Ah, cutting straight to business are ya'?"

He gave me a crooked smile exposing a singular metalic canine

"Yes, i'd like to do so myself"

the man suddenly grappled me with a single hand, holding me in the air and slamming me to the wall while holding my neck, chocking me.

"Right, here's the deal, you hand over your glass to me and my friend here, and you get out alive, or..."

he took out a fishing hook grotescly large (probably used for big fish like sharks or even whalelings)

"...you don't get outta' here at all"

I swear on my mothers grave I tried, to fight back.

To not let him take away the only money my sister and I had.

To stop being so useless.

But I ain't no hero, I am a brewer, the only thing I can do is to is to predict results.

Its different circumstances and outcomes.

And dying of hunger seems quite more pleasant than being skinned alive.

I dropped the pouch.

"Glad to see you are actually smart for a change"

he let go of my neck, dropping me on the floor, finally letting me catch my breath

"Our business has now concluded"

the man said while giving his companion a nod

"or well, it normally would"

He sinked his boot into my chest, making me draw out the breath I had barely recovered, making me teary in the eyes

"But you see, I kinda like this part"

The man continued to speak, either to me or his companion.

However I could not make out his words.

As I was to busy trying not to die from his beating, or maybe I couldn't hear him over my wheping, or (most likely) both.

After a 20 minute beatdown finally his companion stopped him.

"Yo Bones, we gotta bounce, besides, I think he's got enough, let him rest mate"

"Yeh your'ight, lets bounce"

And so I lied on the ground, like the useless piece of shit I am.

Crying myself a river, trying to think of a way to earn back the money so that at least my sister would survive on her own.

No, leaving her alone wasn't an option either.

A vhylet untainted who does not know magic, and on top a late bloomer, wouldn't last a day in the slums.

She's been capable of hiding herself quite well all this time, but that was mostly due to mom and I.

'The fuck am I going to do?'

"Damn the king really wasn't on your side today was he?"

I looked up to see the man who spoke to me, surprisingly, I knew that man.

He was my brother

Well, sorta.