Chapter 2 - Part 2

The fat man was in trouble. Looking at the big splotch of mud on his clothes, his face flushed with anger. His fist clenched to white knuckles and eyes locked at the fat man's feet, Haiden took one big breath in and concentrated on his power. As soon as static tingled his fingertips, he sent his power towards the fat man as a wave of anger in the form of a mental shove.

Nothing happened.

He reached out a hand as if propelling his energy towards the stubby man and again, nothing. Flashes of fire, Regor and his parents all went through his mind in rapid succession. Confused and annoyed he tried again and again increasing the potency and again, nothing happened.

Regor's bloody body flashed through his mind. His already poor control over his powers was now worse than before. Regor's death had left its deep mark on Haiden's soul and mind, this was the first time he had managed to wield after the incident.

"Creators damn it! I hope that asshole drops dead!" he finally said releasing his frustration. After shooting daggers into the man's back until he couldn't see him any more he exhaled.

Not reall, still an ass hole though, he thought.

Haiden lifted his muddy trunk with a grunt and got off the road setting it aside.

"Right." He said to himself. "Now I just need to find the fucking Academy," looking around he looked for people with kind faces to ask for directions, but he only found hard faced merchants that ignored his questions and avoiding him like the plague. Starting to get annoyed he decided to change his spot to find more engageable people...or people with their heads not stuck so far up their asses their breath smelled like shit, as he liked to put it.

Huh, maybe that's why they're assholes, he thought.

He took his trunk and headed forward on the main road. Shortly after the road turned from mud to clean cobblestone boulevard and ahead was a small market filled with people which gave Haiden a twinge of hope. But, yet again the people were cold as the weather and uninterested to help. Spotting a couple of guards on patrol he eagerly dashed to them.

"Excuse, me sirs?" He said in a forced polite voice.

"Beat it kid!" The taller guard said. They didn't stop to even look at Haiden.

"Wait, I need help!"

"We ain't got no coin for no bums." The stockier one said. "Now, my friend here said BEAT IT!" and pushed Haiden out of the way. Haiden was dumbfounded, how could people of this so-called great city be so self-absorbed and cold. He stuck to the walls of shops and found a place to rest on a flat border stone.

"What the fuck is wrong with these people!"

"A lot, if you think about it. They're arrogant and only care about themselves. Most won't spare a few minutes to help a poor homeless child in distress." A soft voice said from behind him. The border stone was part of the threshold of a store. The door of which was now opened. Haiden cocked his head back trying to take a look at who had spoken.

"I'm not homeless! I certainly am not a child!" Haiden said revolted his mouth opened to say something more but he quickly realized that the woman wasn't entirely wrong. He was dirty and smelled like shit.

"You sure look like one," the woman graced Haiden with her presence stepping out of the store. She wore a thick blue skirt over which she had draped a darker blue coat covered by a black shawl. Her face was round and small with beady eyes and raven hair. Her white complexion contrasted the dark colors she wore.

"Aliza, and you?" She reached a gloved hand.

"Haiden." He said shyly, the eager openness of the woman standing in the doorway made him nervous but then again he was glad he finally managed to get someone's attention.

"Haiden, that's not a common name around here, is it?"

"I don't think so. I'm from Southern Yn'lan."

"Oh, my. What brings you all the way to the edge of The Empire." the woman gasped. "Don't tell me." she all but teleported next to Haiden's face which made him flinch and she whispered. "You're an escaped slave trying to run from your master and flee to Elo'yn with your one true love. A servant girl, way beyond a lowly slave, fell in love with your amber eyes at first glance." She said with a serious face letting out an audible sigh of pity.

"No!" He said disgusted.

Am I that filthy and ragged to be confused with a slave? he thought. The idea appalled him so much bile filled his throat.

"Oh, so that's a no? Didn't mean to imply." The woman said keeping her close proximity.

"Look, lady. Aliza, was it? I've traveled a long way to get to Elo'yn and I just need some directions. Can you help me or not?" Haiden had it with these people.

"Don't need to get snappy. Alright, I'll help."

"Thank the Creators! I need to go The Academy for wielders. Can you -"

"Oh my, for what in the world a pretty lad like you need with the spooky Academy for." The woman interrupted.

"Spooky? It's not a children's book we're talking about. It's, from what I'm told, the most prestigious academy for wielders. It's not spooky, it's...it's amazing...I think." Haiden failed at finding better words, his knowledge of the Academy was limited, but he felt the need to defend it. That place was his only hope at a new beginning.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you, kid."

"You didn't warn me of nothing, you just said it's spooky." She may be willing to help, but Creators was she annoying!

"Oh, well. People talk, you know? I've heard things." The woman answered in a hushed voice. Haiden was just about to burst at the woman to just give him the damned directions but he knew he had to endure Aliza's story in order to get what he needed.

"Really? What things did you hear, Aliza?" He said in mock disbelief.

"You wouldn't believe it, you just wouldn't!" The woman exclaimed and slapped her hands on her hips. Haiden just had it with the woman trying to make him beg for details, but he couldn't afford walking away.

"Please young lady Aliza. Wouldn't a kind young woman caution a child in danger?" Haiden pressed further swallowing his pride. The wrinkles on the woman's face lit up at once upon hearing the word "young".

"Oh, if you insist." She giggled softly. "Master Furthersoft told Gertha the miller up in the eastern market that his friend, Master Wielder Larker, had some shady business with the butcher, Meryl, asking for thirty heads of red Hamil. You know, the round animals that we use for their wool and they have really big heads. One time I went the farmlands for some, uh, personal business, and a Hamil chased me all the way up to the edge of the forest! I just couldn't - "

"I know what Hamils are, get on with the point!" Haiden was losing his patience with the woman.

"Snappy, snappy." The woman repeated. "Right, so there I was, Gertha telling me about the heads in the market when I saw a Wielder in a dark alleyway. Creators know we've too many alleyways in this city. And Bam!" The woman shouted, jumping as if she scared herself. "Smoke came out of nowhere and I saw it with my own two eyes. The Wielder summoned a shadow creature. The next thing I knew people were shouting that there was a loose MONSTER in the market taking 5 lives that day." The woman looked expectantly at Haiden. He was in disbelief at the woman's unnecessary story, but he was curious about the monster and wielder in question.

"I'm sorry to hear of the loss of those men and women. May the Creators keep them close. Did you know any of them?" He asked, trying to mimic a polite tone.

"Thank you, dear. Yes, indeed. As a matter of fact one of them was the bird I had just purchased for dinner. The damn beast snatched my dinner right out my hands! Damn wielders. Their fault these monsters keep showing up, I tell you."

"Your bird..."Haiden was baffled, he just about had enough of this woman. It took all of his strength not to palm his face in disbelief of Aliza's tale. He hoped that no human lives were actually spent that day.

"And a fine one to boot. Cost me a whole day's work." Aliza actually seemed mournful.

Fed up, he decided to stop beating around the bush and ask again for directions. "I appreciate your warning, Aliza, but I still need to find the Academy. Will you please help me?" satisfied, the woman nodded and sighed.

"Right, you actually wanted to go there. Heed my warning kid, stay away and don't join them if you don't want to purchase thirty Hamil heads at the local butcher shop and find yourself face to face with a monster!" Haiden could not grasp how the two would be connected but he didn't care.

"Sound advice, I promise I'll be careful," Haiden replied

"To get there you'll need to head straight down the main boulevard. When you get to a bridge you know you've hit the end of Newtown. Cross the bridge and make the second left on the main road. Once you get to the Oldtown you should see the castle of doom from afar." the woman tried to make her voice scarry, but it failed miserably. "From there you can head towards the general direction the damned place." Haiden thought that the woman's exaggerations of the Academy were cringe worthy, but he endured.

"Got it! Thank you," Haiden grabbed his trunk and went towards the main road. The woman gave him a small wave and went back into the store.

Haiden had been walking for a while, and the bridge was nowhere to be seen. Distracted by the most alluring smell of food he turned a sharp right and headed for the trolley of a bald hairy man wearing a white apron over his thick coat. There was a big queue waiting on the man's delicacies. Feeling for his coin pouch at his side he cussed remembering that his last coin was spent during his journey to Elo'yn. Disappointed he grabbed his trunk again and went on his way.

Shortly after, he noticed that the buildings were different and the cobblestone road was getting narrower, but pressed on. The buildings steadily became more wood than stone, or an odd mix of the two. The people on the street all dressed in a dark tones, mostly black and averted their gaze. There was no sign of city guards and it seemed that there was a lot of shady business going on in the alleyways between each building.

He caught his reflection in a large windowpane of a store and took in the sight. No wonder people have been avoiding him. With his ragged clothing from his journey now filled with mud he really did look like a hobo. And to make things worse he smelled the part too. He sighed quite loudly before freezing in place.

Three shadows appear at his back in the window's reflection.

"Hey kid, what you got there?" said a tall brawny pale eyed fellow, just like the people around them, he was dressed in black but his sleeves were missing. His fellow buddies sported the same look. You could see their breath in the chilly air, but they didn't show no sign of being cold.

"Oh, just clothing. Nothing to worry ye'head with," Haiden responded, eyeing the man carefully.

"Seems heavy for a small kid like you, need a hand? " The man continued flexing his huge defined bicep. He towered over Haiden and could have overpowered him easily. But the streets were too busy and Haiden thought to take advantage of this and take his leave.

"Thanks, but I'll have to pass. Really. It's lighter than it looks. Best get going, my friends are waiting for me nearby wouldn't want to make my friends wait, do I?" Haiden said trying to emphasize that someone's waiting for him and tightened his grip on the trunk.

Not even one day in Elo'yn and I'm'bout to get mugged. Great! he thought.

Static flowed in his fingertips. It was hard to concentrate with his heart pounding but he needed just a smidge. He hoped his scrunched up face didn't reveal anything to the three bulky men. They just looked at him in confusion. His face soon turned red as he tried to push the three men out of the way with his wielding, but again nothing happened. This gave Haiden no choice and took a deep breath.

"Dear Creators, look! What the fuck that!" Haiden screamed and shifting the trunk to one side he pointed with his now free arm at the far back of an alley. The three men turned and squinted.

"I don't see nothing, boss. Do you"

"You idiots, he's getting away." the man in the middle smacked both of them on their heads and pointed at Haiden running as fast as he could. "After him you brainless pots!"

Haiden couldn't run at full speed with the trunk in his arms, but a fast shuffle was manageable. With three men on his tail he had to think fast.

He ducked right at small junction that was up ahead that opened into a maze of alleyways. As he stepped in the maze he followed the winding alley from the left, hoping it would lead him to the main road. Haiden could hear their stepps behind him. The thugs didn't give him time to think so he just pressed forward. He took multiple turns through the narrow alleys between houses and shops and still could not shake them loose. He cussed beneath his breath and begged his legs to move faster.

"Damn! Aliza was right, too many alleyways in this fucking city" He manage to say between breaths. If he would find himself in a dead end Haiden had to protect himself, he was afraid that his lack of control would either get him killed or he'd end up killing the three idiots that chased him.

Haiden was going as fast as he could, but the trunk was slowing him so much the thugs were catching up fast. Up ahead he saw another turn and the alleyway narrowed even more. He could hear the distant burble of water of a roof drain. Once he took a sharp turn without slowing down and crashed into something hard his trunk flying off his hands.

"Fuck!" He said with a groan laying on the cold wet ground.

"Oh shit! Sorry, man! Sorry!" a deep voice said.

Haiden was now on his back on the cobblestone ground of the alleyway. Pain flared through his back. But it was inconsequential, taking a sharp breath he froze as he felt warm liquid on his thigh, the sound of burbling water was right on top of him. But it wasn't a roof drain. He was mortified.