Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 62: In the city(4)

One hour passed and the recruitment selection was done through and true. Most of it went without trouble, except for one of the recruits, who in a fit of anger for not having passed , threw the bow to the ground and broke it by stomping on it . Obviously after that he was beaten to a pulp and thrown in the street all bloodied .For the rest however things went smoothly, and Alpheo gave Laedio the task to bring the recruits back into the camp, where soon they would start their training with the bow.After all the selection exam measured only stamina, so they now had to teach them how to knock their arrows and shoot them . Still Alpheo and his group found themselves at a loss on what to do since it was still daytime.And so with boredom at their heel, they decided to walk through the city to pass the time.

The streets were as crowded as ever , each with their own life and task , seemlingly disappearing into a sea . Along the streets some tall building sprawled from the ground.Whenever he passed Alpheo rose an eye to the sky, always watching out for any dirty waste thrown by the people above.Luckily he found none and walked on forward. Along the way there were some mummers dancing and playing tricks , with those that wanted to spectate the show making circles around them.Alpheo stood in of those circles many times, and when he found something he liked he threw a coin at the artist before walking ahead

The more he walk the more crowded the streets began.Clio who had his pouch almost taken from him was in particularly walking with one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other covering his pouch. It was funny to look at , and Alpheo struggled not to let a laugh out, he knew it better than to make fun of one of his friend.Still of that boy there was not even the slightest trace.D

Maybe he had given up, Alpheo thought as he walked forward , the people ahead making way for the armed group.They knew better than to give a reason for them to take out their sword.Many of them found out at their own peril, as these people tended to get power over their head.

Give a children a stick and tell him he is to maintain order , and soon enough he will act as if he owned the street. Most people often go crazy for the slightest amount of power, and give a man a sword and he will find any opportunity to use it.

Alpheo's eyes widened in surprise at the sheer number of mummers and street performers that filled the streets. Everywhere he looked, a new circle of people had gathered around an act. The crowd was a mix of eager spectators and sly thieves, always ready to take advantage of the distractions and who knew they were maybe even working for the mummer exhibiting in the street.

But one circle caught Alpheo's attention above all others. It was the largest in the entire city, drawing in curious onlookers from all directions. "Seems like something exciting is happening over there," Egil remarked, placing a hand on Alpheo's shoulder.

"Shall we check it out?" Alpheo asked with a grin.

"Well, we don't have anything else to do," Egil replied with a shrug.

They made their way through the dense sea of people, easily parting the way with Alpheo's sheathed sword catching the light. The smell of sweat and grime surrounded them as they pushed forward, but the commoners quickly moved aside for the two men. Finally, they reached the front row of spectators and saw what everyone was clamoring to see.

The sight presented to Alpheo was a strange one, he was neither a juggler nor mummer.He was no singer, as he had no instruments in hand. He was old though, for the smallest kids he even looked like older than the city. The old man hunched over on his back as if carrying a heavy burden . His baldness was not just limited to his head, but extended throughout his entire body, with wrinkles pestering every bit of skin he had . He lacked a beard and any trace of hair except for light eyebrows that could only be seen with a squint. His appearance was unattractive, so repulsive that anyone who caught a glimpse of him had to turn away in disgust.He looked like an egg that was left under the boiling sun for too much.

The old man's complexion bore the pallor of sickness, a sickly yellow hue that seemed to cling to his skin like a shadow. Yet, despite his physical decrepitude, his eyes sparkled with an inner light, and a mischievous grin played upon his lips, albeit it gave it no innocence to the old man only making him look mad. He seemed to find amusement in the world around him, as if privy to a joke that only he understood, and just waiting to boast about it to everyone that catched his eye.

It was evident that he was a fortuneteller, for he gestured animatedly with his hands, his voice carrying above the din of the crowd as he proclaimed his abilities. His laughter rang out like the tinkling of bells, drawing curious onlookers closer with each melodious peal.

As Alpheo observed the old man,he find himself being disgusted by it , as if his very own existence was an insult to everything he stoof for . There was something uncanny about him, something that defied explanation.

He watched behind him, and noticed that his companions too were feeling uncomfortable.He peered around and the faces of the people struck at him.They were not happy or relaxed, they too observed the old man some gulping in nervousness, other breathing deeply and fast as if they feared the oxygen being taken from them too.

The old man cackled with joy and danced as he spoke

"Step forward, dear worms , come near and see, The mysteries of past and future, revealed for a fee.''

His eyes gleamed as he extended a gnarled hand, fingers trembling with age, and yet he moved so cleanly and pure as if he was a child .

''A silver coin, a token fair,for a glimpes beyond human sense''He cackled with his broken teeth showing

No one dared to step forward or speak up. They simply watched each other, waiting for someone to take the risk and see if the old man was truly a madman or just another scammer. And still the old man danced on, his emaciated limbs flailing like those of a deranged ballerina, his face contorted in pure ecstasy as he continued to breathe in ragged gasps.There was something about him, something that intrigued people and yet made them fear it , Alpheo in particular felt his heart thumping for as the old man danced, he kept gazing at him, and as he locked eyes with the old man , he was met with a smile .

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