Chapter 197 Jacob's Story

Suzuka, her eyes glowing eerily in the storm's dim light, playfully pressed her finger to her lips, the rain running down her gloved hand. She pondered for a moment as the rain intensified, then turned back to Jacob with a smile and said, "You see, the thing is, I might find some use out of you. Think of it more like an opportunity of some sort. I have a chance at something grand happening, and when it does, I would make great use of an Earth mage such as yourself. I remember that you can use your magic pretty well. Unless you prefer to test how sharp my sword is?"

Jacob let out a nervous chuckle and cautiously admitted, "Easy there, put that blade down. I can see just how sharp it is. But I must say, you've grown quite a bit. You're not the same little girl I once kidnapped."

After a short pause, Jacob continued, "Look, for what it's worth... I'm sorry for what I did to you. I regret it more than you could possibly imagine. Derrec, that sick bastard, sweet-talked me into his scheme, offering a big sum. And seeing you now, looking like a fine adventurer yourself, I assume you understand the coin's value by now. We, adventurers, scrape by just to survive and when a big coin is involved we get stupid."

Suzuka, her eyes glinting with a hint of amusement, responded, "Ah, yes. Speaking of coins, how about you give me all your coins? Consider this as a compensation for all the pain I suffered, hm? I remember well how much fancy gear you had when you kidnapped me, I assume you had quite a stash back then. Surely you still have a load of money."

Jacob let out a sad chuckle, his voice carrying the weight of despair as he revealed his harsh reality, all of this unfolding under the relentless rain.

"Girl," he said with a sad tone, "I've had nothing since that day. All the fancy gear was rented. I lost everything on that cursed day. All my friends died, killed by that damn werewolf. All the coins were lost for rental expenses, and I barely came back alive by some miracle. What little coin I had left, I donated to the families of my lost friends."

 His voice trembled, burdened by the weight of the relentless tragedy that had befallen him. He continued, "I lost everything, even the will to live. Up until this moment, I've been drowning myself at the bottom of a whisky bottle, sobering up just when I need a coin for my next drink, taking a crap quest, and going back to drinking." The sound of rain mixed with the weight of his words, created a sad melody that hung heavy in the air.

Suzuka's curiosity was piqued, and she leaned in closer toward Jacob, her curious gaze contrasting with the relentless rain soaking both of them. 

"You know, that sounds like a lot of fun," she said with a sarcastic tone, "but I am a bit curious. How did you survive? All this time I thought you were dead."

Jacob's wet hair clung to his face as he shivered, vividly recalling that fateful night. His response, filled with both fear and a fragile quiver in his voice, spilled out, "I... I barely survived, you know. When you tore open my chest, some of your blood splashed onto my wound. It felt like scalding water, unbearable pain, and then... darkness. I came to my senses the next morning, my chest almost miraculously on the mend. With what little strength remained, I managed to drag myself onto the four-wheeler and head back to town. It's as if the werewolf blood mingled with mine and, in some strange twist of fate, hastened my healing. Since then, I've been healing faster than your average Joe." 

The relentless rain continued to fall, a somber backdrop as if the world itself lamented the secrets veiling their shared history.

As the relentless rain intensified, the feeble wooden box that had been Hermit's meager sanctuary revealed its pitiful inadequacies. Puny droplets transformed into spiteful streams, infiltrating the box through every possible crevice. It was as if the heavens had declared war on the box, and Hermit was its pitiable occupant. With each passing moment, the situation grew more absurd and dire.

The merciless deluge transformed Hermit's once-flimsy defense into a perverse torture chamber. The wretched goblin watched in dismay as the inside of his shelter turned into a grim pond. He found himself seated in a puddle, shivering uncontrollably from the frigid water. The cold had a malevolent grip on his frail body, and he winced in agonizing discomfort.

As Hermit's discomfort reached its zenith, he began to mumble and groan, his speech slurred by the chattering of his clattering teeth and the pitiless rain.

 "Ouch! B-brrr! Me wet, me cold! Hermit be good boy, stay here... G-g-good b-boy, brrrr! Hermit... c-cold! I p-p-promised," he stammered, his voice a quivering wisp in the tempest.

Miserable and shivering, Hermit longed for warmth and comfort, but he didn't dare defy the promise he'd made to his formidable master. The icy waterdrop tapped on his head from the top of the ceiling of the box. Fear of his master's wrath gnawed at his feeble goblin heart, and so he endured the ceaseless downpour in that sorry wooden box. Each drop was a torment, a test of his loyalty.

The rain persisted in its cruelty, drenching the goblin and his pathetic refuge without mercy. Hermit's misery became an all-encompassing nightmare, and in his dim-witted state, he struggled to differentiate between his own existence and the torment of his dreams. Words tumbled from his lips in a pitiful, nonsensical stream.

"N-n-no w-warmth. Want warm, so warm. But m-master said wait. Good b-boy... must be a good boy. O-b-b-bey, b-bad box. M-m-master's b-boy. D-don't leave, can't leave," he mumbled, his voice a grotesque caricature of coherence.

Exhaustion crept over him like a heavy blanket, tugging at his eyelids. Despite the discomfort and his surroundings, he fought the urge to leave the box, determined to honor his promise to his master. 

"Good boy, stay... s-stay," he muttered, his voice growing weaker as he surrendered to the elements, falling into a fitful sleep inside the drenched, rotting box.

"Can't sleep, won't sleep," he stirred from his sleep and whispered to himself, but the exhaustion that weighed him down was unrelenting. Miserable Hermit's eyelids grew heavy, and despite his best effort, he succumbed to the siren's call of slumber. With a pathetic sigh, he collapsed into a fitful, shivering sleep inside the drenched, rickety box.

Inside the box, Hermit's body lay motionless, his goblin spirit caught in the clutches of an unrelenting darkness. Only the faint, sporadic twitches of his frail limbs betrayed that he still clung to life, if only by a thread.

As Jacob wrapped up his side of the tale, Suzuka glanced around at the torrential downpour a bit worried, and jested with a playful smirk, "You know, I'm all for rainy days and dancing in the rain, but this? It's a bit much, even for my adventurous taste. How about we retreat to the cozy inn? Seems like you've sobered up a bit now. We can have a leisurely chat over a table, where the only things pelting us will be warm conversation."

Jacob couldn't help but chuckle in agreement, "You've got a point there! Let's get out of this damn rain, shall we?"

They quickly made their way back to the inn, the rain continuing to drum a relentless beat on the cobblestone streets. The cozy atmosphere of the inn, with its low-lit lanterns and the comforting aroma of a crackling fire, welcomed them as they entered.

As Jacob and Suzuka made their way back to the inn, they found David sitting at the same table Suzuka had left him at. David was hunched over his drink, his shoulders slouched, and his gaze fixed on his own reflection in the glass. He was the very embodiment of a reluctant adventurer – cowardly yet stubborn.

Suzuka flashed a mocking smile at David as she took a seat. 

"David, this is Jacob. We have some bad history, but we're putting that behind us." She looked at Jacob, who had a charm and swagger about him that contrasted with his earlier actions. 

Jacob nodded in greeting, extended a hand, and said with a confident swagger, "Nice to meet ya, ma-man."

David, still somewhat awestruck by Suzuka's presence and uncertain about Jacob, hesitated before extending a tentative hand in return.

 "Uh, yeah, hi," he mumbled, his voice barely audible. He couldn't quite meet Jacob's eyes and found himself fidgeting with his drink.

David, still nursing his cowardly nature and slightly soaked from the rain, couldn't help but feel a mixture of jealousy and inadequacy as he looked at the man with an undeniable air of charisma and swagger.

Suzuka asked David, "Well? While I was gone, did our man show up?"

David weakly mumbled overwhelmed by Jacob's manly presence, "N-no... he did not. Since you left, no one showed up."

Meanwhile, Hermit remained a pitiful yet endearing presence, tucked away in a splintered wooden box in the alley by the trash dumpster. His tiny, scrawny form lay sprawled on the box floor, in a cold puddle of rainwater, bearing the consequences of his timid and unfortunate existence. With his oversized ears, he could almost use them as makeshift blankets if only they could shield him from torment.

Jacob, unaware of the intricate dynamics surrounding Suzuka, David, and the unfortunate Hermit, ordered a drink at the table with an air of nonchalance. 

Amidst this tense atmosphere, Jacob decided to break the ice. He looked at Suzuka, his eyes gleaming with a mix of confidence and remorse. 

"Suzuka, let me say it again," he began, "I can see you've been through a lot. I never meant for things to go the way they did back then. I'm sorry for what happened to you and for any pain I caused you."

Suzuka's expression softened, her anger momentarily giving way to reflection. She looked at Jacob, considering his words.

 "It's true, it was painful and worse. But first: I go by the name Helen. It is my adventurer's name."

 She then admitted, "And yes, I've carried a grudge for a long time. But I've changed, and I'm willing to put the past behind us."

David, sensing a shift in the atmosphere, saw an opportunity to show a different side of himself.

 "Suzuka, I can change too," he stammered, trying to be more assertive. 

"I'll stop tormenting Hermit, I promise."

Suzuka with an angry tone calmly said, "Call me by my real name one more time and I will hurt you. It's Helen now, got it?"

David's remaining courage evaporated into thin air, and he nodded meekly, stammering, "Understood, Helen it is."

Jacob couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange, finding Helen's new identity intriguing. He leaned forward, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

 "Heh! Nice name ya got there! But who is the Hermit guy?"