Chapter 6

Not having any other real plans Naro accepted Venilis request for company, he was the first that seemed actually to want to talk to him, thus he couldn’t bring himself to decline, even given his lack of conversational skills. For the most part he had asked where he had come from, going off the assumption he was a refugee from the recent incident. Naro unable to explain that he actually came from another world, decided to go with that story.

“I’ve seen you wandering around.”

The man seemed to be putting his stand away, slowly taking it apart. He had declined Naro’s offer to help him take it apart, saying he was used to it.

“Looking for work, being declined. Even the guild turned you down I believe?”

“All of that is true…yes. Oh dio you need any work done? Is that why you stopped me?”

“Oh heavens no,” Venilis said waving a hand in front of his face. “My stand is a small one away from the center of the Bazaar, I always have excess left over, I don’t do enough business to need help and I have no other work that needs to be done.”

“Right…” Naro said. “Then…why did you stop me?”

“I really did just want to speak with you. Few vagrants actually try to seek work around these parts. Most either become thieves, sneak into the forest or try and leave to go elsewhere. While this place used to be wonderful, it is far from it nowadays. Most head towards the Captial one way or another.”

Venilis told him that Uliaz used to be a wonderful town, that the Sage who came across this place years ago revitalized it. Apparently he showed up one day and made a bet with a noble from the capital that he could revitalize it, if he won the best the town would be his.

The noble took the bet since losing would mean the Sage would enter his servitude, within a few months the Sage rose the Eastern Forest, drew in crowds, helped create the Bazaar and put the town back on the map.

His descendents have helped run the town since then, they’re magic is what helps maintain the forest thus leadership is always passed down to the next in line.

“...is a Sage responsible for Hamburgers, Curry and all of those things,” Naro asked.

“Why yes they are? Though they aren’t from here.”

That answered Naro’s earlier suspicion; there was a good chance Sages were reincarnations like him. From how that suited Goddess acted, she was used to sending people to this place, which meant people like him had left their own imprints on the world.

He decided to look more into Sages later, Venilis had finished putting his stand away.

“There we go, thank you Naro for keeping me company. Here take this.”

Venilis held a piece of bread towards Naro, it took every bit of willpower in his starving body not to immediately take it from him.

“I… appreciate the gesture but I can’t pay for that.”

Venilis stared at Naro for a brief moment, taking a step forward he pressed the bread against Naro’s chest, waiting until the youth took hold of it before pulling his hand away.

“You’re a good kid Naro…but sometimes you should just accept a kindness. This world can be awfully cruel…though I suppose you know that already. Cherish what you get, even if it’s a little.”

Naro stared at the bread in his hand, the dough was a bit hard, clearly from being out all day.

“Besides, it’s bread I didn’t sell I’ll just end up throwing it out, or giving it to the birds.”

“...I accept it gratefully,” Naro said.

He meant it with all he had as well, this food may as well have been a three course meal to him, bread had never looked so good to him then in this moment.

“If you’re open to it…I can give you a loaf if I don’t sell any.”

“I would appreciate that but I really don’t have any money.”

“Pay me with your time then. Come talk to me when the sun sets, I get bored at the end of the day.”

Naro closed his eyes pushing down the feeling welling up in him, he could tell he was on the verge of crying, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He extended a hand towards Venilis.

“I’ll come so long as you’re open to it.”

“Then it’s a deal,” Venilis said shaking his hand.

Naro smiled, something he felt he hadn’t done in a long time, before looking at the bread in his hand.

“Actually Mr….Sir Venilis may I share this bread?”

“No need for the formality Naro and that’s your bread, do what you will with it. Ah but if you do share I ask you not tell where you got it from. If it get’s out I’m handing out free bread the guards will want their share you understand.”

After agreeing not to say anything, he left Venilis and made his way towards the southern part of town, thanks to Venilis he knew that was the district where the ‘undesirables’ stayed. It was the Old District, the original town but the people called it the Dereliect District, and it was a place the guards didn’t bother patrolling more than they needed to.

After a bit of wandering Naro found the spot he was looking for, and the moment he approached the tarp Nefi walked out of it. The boy rotated his wrists as he approached Naro causing the older male to take a few steps back, mainly due to the fangs he noticed at the youth’s sneer.

“You really wanted to test your luck that much human.”

“I’m not here to cause trouble, I’m here for this.”

Naro held the bread up and snapping it clean in half held it out towards Nefi. The boy’s eyes went from Naro to the bread in his hands, he made no effort to reach forward instead narrowing his eyes at him.

“Your kind’s kindness always comes at a cost, human. What is your game?”

“It’s no game,” Naro said. “I…feel bad about what happened before. You’re just trying to survive…and I can understand that. We’re all struggling out here.”

“Don’t pretend to understand my struggle, we are not the same.”

“...I apologize I didn’t mean anything by that. What I mean is I…didn’t think about what it meant to survive out here, and the only reason I even chased you before was because food was promised and I was starving…not that it makes it any better…but well you were starving too. So I wanted to give you this understanding that.”

Nefi opened his mouth but loud coughing came from behind him, he glanced behind him before his shoulders dropped slightly. Snatching the bread out of Naro’s hand, he pointed at the ground.

“Don’t move.”

Turning he walked back inside his home, words were exchanged that he couldn’t hear before Nefi walked back out empty-handed.

He grabbed the other piece of bread from Naro’s hand and snapping off a piece of it handed the larger chunk back to him.

“Come with me,” he said before throwing the piece in his mouth.