Chapter 8 - Silas

The west bazaar -- merchants haggling, customers shouting, the air swims with the smell of spices and ironwork. Like a ripple cutting through a stormy sea, he shows up.

To put one leg forward after the other -- to walk -- doesn’t comply with his bluster. He’s owning the space, every step carrying sureness. Early thirties, sharp bluish-black hair and a long gray coat that billows behind him like a cape. Beneath it, he wears a suit that somehow doesn’t look out of place in the grit of the bazaar.

He’s lugging this bizarre glassy thing -- rainbow-colored, shaped like a twisted tree -- and acting like it weighs nothing. When someone bumps into him, he smiles, having already adjusted his grip to not accidentally stab them through.

Leader pauses for dramatic effect. “He walked up to our stall like it was the only one in the bazaar worth his time.”

“Welcome to my shop, valued customer!” the shopkeeper said, his usual energy cranked up a notch.

“Thanks,” Silas replied, setting the glass tree down with a thunk that made the whole stall rattle. His voice? Level and warm, like he’s telling you a secret you’re dying to hear. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

The shopkeeper immediately started his sales pitch, but Silas cut him off with a grin. “Let me save you some time, pops. This isn’t glass -- it’s Beast Deer antlers, straight from the Labyrinth.”

“You should have seen the old man’s face. He looked like he bit into a lemon.”

“Beast Deer antlers?” the shopkeeper spluttered.

“Yup.” Silas gestured to the hypnotic jagged edges. “Not bad, right? I hear Labyrinthian trade is soon to pick up, so how’s about owning the very best on the market?”

People around the stall were starting to take notice, their eyes darting to the antlers and back to Silas. You could almost hear the gears turning in their heads: Who is this guy?

When the shopkeeper hesitated, Silas struck. “Tell you what. I’ll make it easy. Let’s have a little fun. You sell me that war hammer, or you can choose your best, and I’ll let you test the antlers. Swing at it with everything you’ve got. If it shatters, I’ll buy more of your weapons. If it doesn’t…” His smile flashed like he already knew the outcome. “You buy it off me for thirty-five Gold.”

Leader shakes his head, laughing. “The shopkeeper didn’t stand a chance. Silas had him hooked, and he knew it.”

The old man tried to haggle, but Silas held firm. Eventually, the deal was struck.

And then came the moment everyone was waiting for.

“The shopkeeper picked his strongest hammer, a heavyweight champion, and swung down with all his might.”

Clang!

The entire bazaar shifted to dodge.

The vice-gripped antler didn’t just survive -- it didn’t have a single scratch on its weakest part. Instead, the hammer was chipped, a shard of steel spinning off.

“The look on the shopkeeper’s face? Priceless. He swung at it again and again. But the newcomer? He laughed, picked up his Gold, and slung the chipped war hammer over his shoulder like it was nothing. Said it would ‘make a good story.’”

Leader explains how he ran after him, determined to learn more about the man who had just turned the bazaar into his personal stage.

“Hey, mister! Did you really get that from the Labyrinth?”

“Sure did. I’m a Conqueror. Name’s Silas.”

Leader stops his story, but I’m already on my feet.

“Whaaaaah?! You met a Conqueror…? Here, in Rosebell??”

Leader flinches, trying to wave me down. “Keep your voice down! People are staring!”

“Who cares?! You met a Conqueror! You didn’t think to tell me right away?! What’s wrong with you, man?! This is earth-shattering news!” I grab him by the shoulders, shaking him with the force of my excitement.

“H-Hey! Cut it out!” Leader’s words stumble out, and I see the panic in his eyes. “L-Look, I was going to tell you, okay? I just… didn’t know how!”

“You didn’t know how?” I bark, releasing him but not backing down an inch. “How about: ‘Hey, Brawler, guess what? I met a Conqueror, I got some gear, and we went into the Labyrinth together!’ Boom! Simple! Done!”

Leader winces, scratching the back of his head. “Well… When you put it like that…”

“Exactly! You’re always saying I rush into things, but you’re the one keeping stuff like this a secret! Seriously, Leader, what’s the deal?”

“I was trying to keep you safe!” he blurts out, his volume rising with rare frustration. “Do you have any idea how perilous the Labyrinth is?!”

“Perilous? My entire existence is perilous. What part of me gave you the idea I’d care about that?”

Leader groans, burying his face in his hands. “Why do I even bother?”

“Exactly! You shouldn’t! I’ve got this!” I throw an arm around his shoulder and give him a good-natured shake. “Listen, Leader. I’m built for danger. The Labyrinth? It’s calling my name. It’s practically begging for me to dive in and conquer it!”

“You’re insane…”

“Now spill the details. What was it like? What’s Silas like? Is he as awesome as I think?”

Leader hesitates, his gaze dropping. “He’s… really cool.”

“Ha! I knew it!” I punch the air.

“But…” With that serious look, I know he’s about to say something I won’t like.

“Nope! Whatever you’re about to say doesn’t matter. I’m going. Next time you meet Silas, I’m coming with you.”

“Brawler, no!” Leader protests, grabbing my arm. “You don’t understand! It’s not just the Beasts in the Labyrinth -- it’s the traps, the terrain, the endlessness of it! Silas is strong, but even he was cautious!”

“I’ll be cautious too.”

“Brawler, I’m serious! I had to go on the test run with the Silas Family first!” Leader’s grip tightens, his speech shaking. “People die in there! You don’t need to look far to remember! Look at your hands! What if… What if…”

Oh. So that’s it? My completely sealed scars from my fight with the Bladeback. Leader is looking out for me in his own way.

“Is that it? Idiot,” I say, the faintest rasp of amusement coloring my words. “Sorry, but I don’t swing that way, pal. Besides,” I step closer, “I’m the one who does the protecting.”

The shift in my tone -- a fraction softer, smoother --makes him freeze, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard. He doesn’t back away, though. He’s staring at me now, wide-eyed, the space too small and too vast all at once. I know what he sees. The gleam in my eyes, a fire that burns unyielding in the heart of a Conqueror -- The grandiose of the head of the Brawler Family.

“Leader. I get it. I really do. But you’ve gotta understand. The Labyrinth -- it’s where I have to go. It’s my finish and starting line, all in one. You know me as well as anyone. You know I don’t back down. Not from the Labyrinth. Not from anything. And definitely not from you.”

He looks away, exhaling a long, weary sigh. “Fine,” he mutters, letting his hand fall away. “But only because I know you won’t stop pestering me. And because…”

I raise an eyebrow, waiting.

He meets my gaze again, the faintest smile. “I am the first member of your Conqueror Family, after all.”

His words catch me off guard, but only for a moment. My grin returns, sharper and brighter than ever. “Damn right, you are! We’re in this together!”