4. The Strange Boy

"He—hey! Wait! Where are you taking me! Le…no, Lou! Help your dad! Be a good boy! Come on!"

He called his son's name for the first time in a very long time. It was awkward. In truth, he had already forgotten about this "son" of his.He abandoned them when he no longer found enjoyment with their presence. 

Now, the same "son" was throwing him to the predators he had left them with. He cried for left. Begged for it.

"Please! Don't let them take me! So—"

"Good luck with being gutted." But just as he was greeted with a smile of nonchalance, Louie waved at him without a single care.

"Yo—YOU USELESS BASTARD!"

He was angered.

"YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE AND NOW YOU'RE DOING THIS TO ME!? YOU WEREN'T CONTENT ON KILLING HER AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME TOO!? IS THAT IT!?"

He left them the debt he incurred from the loan sharks and ran away the next moment he got to become "someone with a future that befitted his status" and in a way he was about to get that future.

"Yes." once more, Louie answered. 

He held no anger. No regrets. He simply was.

And at that moment, the man's anger flared. Screaming and tugging, knowing this bastard who caused his life to be in ruin the moment he was born not even 

Because this time, the man was the one being abandoned.\

"YOU CAN"T DO THIS TO M—Ugh~"

"Oh Loki, is he loud." Argo commented after knocking the man out, "Hey Carr, carry him, I don't want to deal with this guy. He makes me gag."

"Carr doesn't want him too! He smells disgusting. A man who lived no honor is not something Carr wants. Wait, Carr got an idea."

A compromise was met and the two held one limb and dragged the man away.

"We'll see you later, brother." Carr waved farewell to Louie as well.

"Are you sure you're satisfied with Luno's ending being like this? You sure you don't want to get a hit or two?" asked Bjern to Louie who stood unperturbed by his side.

'Luno? Who is tha—oh yeah, that was his name.' Louie laughed to himself, his eyes becoming thinner, and sharper as it did, "There is no honor to be gained going down his level. I thought the Giants of Jotumn would know better than to get struck by bad luck from the Great Forge."

In the past, Louie found Luno a year after the death of his sister. Louie tried to forgive him, thinking he was a human who made mistakes. He accepted him again. 

And that foolishness earned him another debt and having his place ransacked of his valuables. That was the last he saw of him alive.

'At least I know where he went, so I at least got something out of it.' Louie said with a carefree smile. He felt no Guilt. Like how he and Lena were thrown away, he threw away his association with him.

"You're better than I give you credit for, Stick." Bjern let out an uncommon laugh of pleasant surprise.

"An honor to hear that from you." responded Louie with a shrug, "Anyway, now that I've brought you that guy, will I get back the payments I made in the past?"

"Better throw away the thought. That belongs to the Dark Ice Syndicate now. They are Vekks, greedy giants who had fallen from the grace of the Great Forge. You will only lose your life if you go there."

Louie silently listened to Bjern's explanation. Creating his conclusions to how he should make his move, "You do odd jobs. Does that include black market dealings? Get me access to Black Boon Starter Zone."

"Acting as the middleman costs a lot of money depending on the item."

"What can I get for the information about Thrym?"

Bjern paused halfway through puffing his cigar and then abruptly turned to Louie before the latter could react. 

'Fast!' Louie was experienced. He felt the change but could not react. 

Bjern grabbed Louie by the shoulder to pull him close without a problem.

"Thrym!? How do you know that name?"

The ever calm and collected Bjern took a sudden hard stance. He was incensed, angry, and warry. 

He spared no effort in neutralizing a potential threat, "Tell me."

"Ugh, watch…your strength is a little—" Louie could not fight back. His body was still frail and Bjern's judgment was clouded by his suspicions.

"No, how do you know I am looking for it? Did "they" send you?"

'Fucking…this side of him… is hell to deal… if he's an enemy.' The constricting feeling and sensation of the creeping intent to kill gradually made itself known, "Don't blame me for this."

The thoughts on Bjern's heard continued to run that he failed to notice the minute force that had been gathered on his chest. He looked down and saw the boy's hand glo "Hey, I said… let go."

When those words left the mouth of the human boy, it was already too late. The light reached its light and the back alley was lit up. The warm light ignited to become scorching and exploded point blank staggering Bjern. 

Forced two steps back, he was not bleeding or significantly hurt. The skin of the Giant and his trained physique protected him from any real damage. But it nevertheless shocked him that someone who looked like would keel over from the gust of wind would be able to show such power, "You can use Martial Force? How?"

Martial Force, a manifestation of power born from the efforts of those who walked the path of martial arts. Its effects were many and varied and changed as it was easily influenced by the technique a practitioner practices and a person's temperament.

But Martial Force was a secondary power. It was a branch of aether. 

It could not be obtained by simple means. People needed years to even get a glimpse of Martial Force. Yet this boy could use such a thing? The implications of such a fact increased Bjern's suspicions regarding his identity. 

"Just like everyone else. I got it from comprehension." Louie glared at Bjern before spitting out the blood in his mouth, "You're going to pay for that."

Hearing his words, Bjern took a defensive stance, "So you finally showed your true color."

Seeing his reaction, Louie's face scrunched in annoyance, "I meant money! Pay with me money! I'm broke and I'm injured. I need to pay for healing in the temple."

Clicking his tongue, Louie emptied his mouth of blood once again, "Damn, these bourgeois. Always so violent. Can't even consider talking it out. Not everyone can risk injuries okay?"

Louie ranted his frustration to himself. Not caring if his curses was heard by the subject of his anger, "Always so violent with that body of theirs—someone would've died if it wasn't me you assaulted! Do you think the Great Fire would be proud of that!? Huh!? Do you!?"

"N-no?" Bjern was so taken aback by Louie's outburst that he answered almost by instinct.

"Then you would be no better than those other Vekks. Oh shit! I got blood on my shirt! You're paying for that too! Got it!"

The flare of anger oddly enough cooled Bjern's mind. Seeing Louie's actions and how he acted, he didn't seem like he was someone out to get him, "So, you're not working for my Brother?"

"Huh? With Daven? No, of course not. If I was, I would've struck you on your third lower rib. That would've caused a problem, wouldn't it?"

"How did you…."

Bjern's third upper rib had an opening. It was created after he was defeated by his brother's assassins. It was confidential information that no one but a select few should know.

To which Louie responded with, "I'm from the future. I hold a lot of information that many people would otherwise have no idea about.."

'The Future?' Bjern's face crumpled, 'Is that the name of his organization?'