Chapter 19: See Ya Later Thorinhil!
The captain took a deep sigh, almost as if to show he was relieved, before continuing.
"You're quite the ambitious one aren't you?"
Teus lost his balance and fell to the ground. His sudden burst of energy only carried him so far. He grunted in pain before straining every muscle in his neck to face the captain again. He then angrily shouted at the captain as fury filled his voice.
"Damn right!"
The captain stared at Teus' body for a while longer.
"...To find the King's Crest is no small feat… You'll have to become an incredibly strong knight and rise to the rank of Beast Breaker… Otherwise you won't even cross the human borders."
"If that's what it takes then that's what I'll do! But I'm finding the King's Crest!"
The captain let a soft smirk stretch across his face whilst letting out a sigh.
"As long as you know…"
Then he gave a curt nod before turning to the old man.
"It seems like his heart is still in the right place. Now as for you, are you willing to defend this child with your life?"
Without hesitation the old man replied.
"Of course!"
"I figured… We don't have much time so I'll be brief."
The captain rummaged in his pouch that was strapped along his belt for a little while before pulling out a small brown ball of powder that he gently held in between his thumb and index finger before he tossed it over to the old man. He reflexively caught it, although he was taken aback by the sudden gift. The captain made his orders clear and concise.
"That right there is a vitality pill. It should increase your energy and stamina for about twelve hours. Make no mistake, your injuries are severe and when this pill wears off, you'll crash hard. You'll likely be in a much worse state than you already are now. I advise you to prioritize finding a way to receive medical attention. The boy seems as though he can't move in his current state right now. Take him to a town far away from here. Try to be safe by the time the pill wears off."
"Understood, thank you."
Without a second thought Teus watched the old man bite down on the pill, carrying no reservations. The captain seemed slightly caught off guard with how quickly he was ready to make such a risky decision.
"Mister Fluff and Puff seems to take orders from him so naturally. Does he know that he used to be a Beast Breaker back in the day?" Teus' mind continued to wander in the moment.
His eyes flickered to the captain of the Beast Breakers.
"Now that I think about it, how is he able to command a rough personality like Mister Fluff and Puff so effortlessly!? We were enemies until just a couple moments ago! I was sure I hated him a couple seconds ago and now I'm hoping his plan works! Is no one else going through this whiplash but me!?"
To an extent his thoughts were valid. Was it purely because of desperate times calling for desperate measures? Or was it some sort of a honed skill of leadership that the captain had picked up, in order to offer someone a reason to do as one says?
"If I'm ever a leader one day, I wanna be like that…Without having to piss everyone off though."
The old man, as though he got all of his strength back, grabbed Teus by the arm and slung him over his back without struggle. The captain relayed his last bits of information as he turned to walk away.
"There will be questions about the clash that took place today. The battle you two had with Kuravana caused too much commotion to ignore, so naturally, I'll have to report you and mention that you escaped my grasp, but I'll keep the descriptions vague. That's all I can do for you. Keep your head on a swivel in case you become wanted fugitives by the kingdom."
"Thanks for the heads up. There's a port near this town, are any of your kingdom guys stationed there?"
The old man had Teus carried in one hand and his gargantuan sized sword in the other.
"Indeed they are, try going south. The more rural you go, the less likely the kingdom is to catch you if we search."
The old man groaned.
"What a pain..."
Teus' head spun in circles. It seemed like so much was happening all at once. He had no idea about the port or why there would be more people accompanying the Beast Breakers of the kingdom outside of the town. But the concept he could thoroughly understand is that he and the old man were leaving Thorinhil, and it did not seem like they were coming back.
He turned his head in the direction of the captain.
"I'm just guessing from the way you're talking here but…there's no way, we're coming back to Thorinhil, huh?"
The captain's words were cold and firm.
"No, at least not for a couple of years. If any of you guys were to return, you would only be hunted down and executed for your various crimes."
Teus felt a shudder go down his spine.
"I know that Raud guy would love to do that…"
He remembered the force of the kick that he delivered to him upon their first meeting and grit his teeth, almost feeling a phantom pain.
"...Yeah, this is definitely for the best."
He also knew that one of the crimes that the captain was failing to mention, was existing with this strange seal that found its way to the back of his neck. But given the speed of how everything was happening. He doubted that now was the right time to ask about that, not that he believed anyone would fill him in if he did. He shrugged his shoulders and gave Thorinhil a longing glance before they departed.
A pinch of sadness managed to crawl its way into Teus' heart.
"Aw man, I always envisioned the day I leave this town, I would at least be able to say goodbye…"
Then he quickly remembered how everyone in Thorinhil treated him before deciding to make an amendment to that thought.
"...Okay, I wanted to say goodbye to the shopkeeper and his new hire. Everyone else would probably just be mad that I broke their windows…But still, even though he kept ripping me off, I hope he knew we were still good with each other. It's not like he actually stole from me or anything…"
A faint smile crept on his face as he thought about the future.
"Who knows, maybe if we return after all these years, I'll actually be able to buy that suit of armor with all the money I would have saved up by then!"
A sudden motion jerked his head forward as Teus returned back to reality. The old man was getting ready to leave, and if his first couple of steps were anything to go off of, this was about to be a bumpy ride.
The captain and old man turned away before Teus broke the silence.
"Wait, so…are we…good? Like, we're not gonna fight again if we cross paths right?"
He looked at him awkwardly waiting for a response. For the first time in a long time, he felt nervous as though he was ruining a moment. The captain looked puzzled for a second, tilting his head to the side just slightly before he answered.
"If things turn out how I think they are going to… We'll definitely be fighting the next time we see each other..."
"Gah!" Teus recoiled out of shock at the answer.
"I knew it! We can't trust people like him!"
The captain continued.
"...But we'll likely be fighting together as allies on the battlefield. Until then, focus on becoming the biggest and strongest knight you can be, okay Teus?"
"Ah…!"
The boy was caught off guard again by his remark, but at this point he had decided to throw in the towel. Today had been exhausting in so many ways that right now, he was simply just relieved to know that he had not made another enemy. He answered confidently.
"You got it!"
The captain smirked as he was about to go his separate way, then Teus interjected again.
"T- thank you, mister Beast Breaker! Sorry for yelling at you earlier!"
The captain chuckled as he turned back to face Teus.
"It's too early to thank me now. If you really want to show your gratitude. Make good on your ambition and meet me at the top of the world!"
With a resolute and determined expression now etched into his face, Teus gave the captain a firm nod, which was promptly returned.
He quietly made the promise in his head.
"I swear it! I'll become the strongest Beast Breaker you've ever seen!"
Mister Fluff and Puff's words cut through the air.
"If that's everything, we'll get going now. I'm gonna need the headstart."
The ground beneath the old man began to crack as he leaped into the air. With a single lunge, he managed to clear the distance between where he was standing and the edge of the crater. With a practiced precision he landed perfectly on the elevated ground before taking off in a wild sprint once again.
Teus looked back at his town. The sun was rising quickly. It was early morning now, he saw his scattered scarf pieces falling in the wind, and the town slowly receded from him. He held a bright smile.
"I can still do it! I thought I was done for, until a couple moments ago but somehow it managed to work itself out! I got a second chance at my dream and I can still look for the King's Crest! Sure it didn't end up going the way I intended it too. But something tells me even though I'm saying goodbye to the town, whatever's next will be something we can make just as good, if not, better...! So until then… See ya later, Thorinhil!"
From within the crater the captain watched Teus disappear into the horizon. His smile was genuine and hopeful, although bittersweet.
"Poor thing…you've been given a rough task now, child…"
The oncoming footsteps sounded from afar, alerting the captain to turn around and watch for his men's arrival. The captain looked above him to find the silhouettes of the Beast Breakers moving towards the crater.
"But I'm hopeful!...That you, Teus…"
He spared him one last glance before grinning ear to ear as he watched Teus trail off into the distance.
"…In this dying world…You will dare to live…!"