Chapter 10: Old geezer

On the Street Facing the Mansion:

Ivaar was still reeling from the slap of realism Mr. White had dealt him.

"Pull yourself together, Ivaar. You're not going to fall apart just because he said no."

"But how are we supposed to find a fight club?"

"I don't know yet. First, we should find a place to sleep. It's already dark, and we can figure things out tomorrow."

"I guess you're right. We're not going to sleep in the street or something."

We left the downtown area and headed toward the neighborhood where inns abounded. The streets grew quieter as we walked, shadows stretching long under the dim streetlights. Now and then, I glanced over my shoulder. I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us. Every creak of the pavement or distant rustle made me tense.

After about ten minutes of walking, just as we were about to enter one of the inns, an old man in his fifties stopped us from behind.

"I overheard you and White talking. You're looking for a coach who can teach you the aura according to the way of the warrior."

"That's right. How did you hear us? Were you following us this whole time?"

"I wasn't exactly there. A simple trick, and I was already waiting for you in front of these inns."

Damn, this old geezer gives me the creeps.

"Mickael, he scares me. Why would he wait for us?"

"Don't be shy, kid. I'm offering to become your master."

"Our master? Why us?"

"Because I'm starving to death."

This old man isn't normal. Sure, he seems to know about aura, but there's no guarantee he isn't lying. He could be after our money. I only have enough to pay for the inn for a couple of weeks, but Ivaar has far more. This could be dangerous.

"Alright. We agree to become your students, but to be our master, you have to prove yourself worthy. Ivaar, do you agree?"

"All right, Mickael. I'll follow you."

It's true I want to become their master because I'm hungry, but I can't just stand by and let promising kids like these get crushed by those morons who don't understand a thing about aura.

"And what about my meals?"

"Ivaar will pay for them."

"What?!"

"You're the richest one. You're not going to be stingy over a few meals."

"Ha! Fine. And get me a room for tonight. We'll begin training tomorrow."

"Fucking hell, Mickael. You owe me one. And don't you dare fool us, old man."

We walked into the inn and paid for two separate rooms — one for the old man and one for us — as well as a meal for dinner. Apparently, the old geezer's name is Nargomedov.

The innkeeper squinted at us as we paid, wiping his hands on a dirty apron. "You boys sure you wanna room here? Strange folks pass through at night," he muttered. As he spoke, I noticed a few shadowy figures sitting silently in the corner of the common room, their eyes flicking toward us before returning to their drinks. One of them shifted slightly, the glint of a knife visible beneath his coat. I exchanged a glance with Ivaar but shrugged it off. We were too tired to care.

"The meal was quite good. Enjoy the night, kids."

"He could have at least thanked us."

"Why are you complaining? I paid for that old man. I just hope he really is an aura master."

"I hope so too."

That night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The room felt colder than it should, and the faint creaks of the building settling made me flinch. I kept replaying the events of the day in my head, wondering if we'd made a mistake trusting the old man. What if he was just a con artist? What if he planned to rob us in our sleep?

"Ivaar, you awake?" I whispered.

"Yeah," he muttered. "Can't sleep."

"Why do you really want to become a warrior?" I asked quietly.

There was a long silence before he answered. "I don't want to be weak anymore. I'm tired of feeling powerless. Ever since…" He trailed off. "There are people out there who take what they want because no one can stop them. I want to be able to stop them."

Mickael blinked in surprise. He never expected that kind of answer from Ivaar. "I didn't know you felt that way," he said softly.

"I don't talk about it much," Ivaar admitted. "But it's why I'm here. I need to change. I need to get stronger."

I nodded in the dark, understanding more than I let on. "We'll get stronger. We have to."

"Yeah," Ivaar whispered. "We will."

I turned over and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the unease twisting in my gut.

The Next Day:

We had breakfast. It was already past 9 AM, and that old fart was still not up! How are we supposed to train if he sleeps all day?

"Hey, kids. I hope you had enough sleep because it's going to be a long day."

"We sure didn't get as much rest as you did."

"Stop whining, kid. Let's get out of here. I'll explain the way you'll proceed."

I was surprised the old geezer didn't beat around the bush. He went straight to the heart of the matter. Today, we'll finally find out if he has what it takes to teach us the aura.