"Oi, young man, looking for a neat Artifact stone to use?"
"Selling elite inscription gear for cheap!"
"Artifacts on sale, selling out quickly!"
He was in the market, a place near the ports of Argon City. Many airships were flying in and out, all of them full of Artifact merchants and inscription sellers. "Such a big place... I'm wondering if there would be any Artifacts on here for me to purchase."
The average pricing here is around 20 gold, overshadowing the 1 gold that his father had given him. "Wow, I feel like I don't belong here." he said, looking around. He saw a young boy purchasing an elite-level Artifact with a pouch of gold. His attire appeared to be noble, making sense for the amount of money he held. He used the Artifact, which had a bright light that followed right after. Then, emerging in the boy's hand was a pistol patterned in crimson velvet. Harold touched the gold coin in his pocket, witnessing how money could get you to great heights. "Man, only if I were richer..." He glanced over at the inscription seller and was intrigued by the assortment of inscribed items. "Maybe I could just buy a good inscription? Though it probably won't last me long. I'd have to constantly get it recharged before it fizzles out."
Harold thought long and hard about his decision. "Man, it's pretty hard to find a good Artifact... I might as well just become an inscription warrior instead of an Artifact wielder. It makes my life much easier." Surveying the rest of the market, a seller abruptly spoke to him.
"Hey, boy, are you looking for an Artifact? My team just excavated some from the mines a couple of hours ago!" He pointed his thumb at the many Artifact stones on his table. "They've been appraised, so feel free to check them out!" Harold approached the seller's table and saw them organized from cheapest to most expensive. The cheapest was one gold, meanwhile, the most expensive was 25.
"One gold for an Artifact that's most likely a common-tier... I could buy around 10 inscribed items with this gold." Harold stated, eyeing the very dim Artifact.
"Hear me out! I've already gotten these Artifacts appraised, and we both know that's quite costly! And in fact, I'm selling this legendary-tier Artifact for 25 gold! It contains wind-type Rysen in it and has a high Rysen count. I'm selling it for half of its market value already, alongside the appraisal fees being paid."
It was a really good deal, but it was just unfortunate that he didn't have the coins to pay for it. "I don't have 25 gold on me, sir. I only have one."
"Then take the common Artifact stone, boy. Inscriptions are not worth it in my opinion anyway. They're just formulas of Rysen written onto objects to make them do things! An Artifact would never fizzle out and is permanent!"
Harold shook his head and started walking ahead. "Sorry, sir, I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass. Have a good day."
Harold skipped out on it mainly because he already had a collection of Artifact stones. He hadn't gotten any of them appraised yet because it costs a decent bit, but if he can only afford a common-tier, he should gamble with what he has already.
His original plan of getting inscribed items until he finds a good Artifact was better. They don't take the user's Rysen and instead take the Rysen from the world around it to function. That's the main known benefit.
Harold was going to stop by another merchant, but a scream from a girl was heard in the crowd. The merchant beside him shook his head with his arms crossed. "Another one making a ruckus, huh..."
It was an enslaved girl, chained by her neck, being dragged away further into the alleyway. She wailed and swung her arms around in her struggle to break free, only to come to no avail. Her barren legs were scraping against the wooden floor of the dock, leaving splotches of blood in the trail she was dragged in. The people around her ignored her cries for help, acting as if nothing was wrong. "A slave, as per usual..." Harold said, letting out a deep sigh. "Everyone has lost their morals these days." Turning the corner into the nearby alleyway, Harold pulled a white mask from underneath his coat.
At the far end of the alleyway, the slave was dragged to a metal door. Many concerns flooded her head as her captors roughly yanked her around.
"I'm hungry..."
"My body hurts..."
"Where is Mama and Papa?"
Her memories were fuzzy, as if her mind constantly rejected them. Just thinking about them hurt her head. "How much do you think she will fetch?" one of the bandits asked. "She's a virgin noble; she would sell for thousands of gold!" the other bandit answered. Their conversation made her anxiety deepen, realizing that her future was going to be a slave for the rest of her life.
"Oi, you jerks!"
An unrecognizable voice interrupted their conversation. "Eh? Who's that?" one of the bandits asked before getting a frying pan smashed on the back of his head, making him unconscious. Before the other bandit could react, a man swooped in and sent a harsh punch to his face, making him fly back. He wore a white mask around his face and a dirty hood that covered his upper half. "Are you okay?" The man asked, kneeling to the slave. She nodded, speechless at his sudden entrance. "T-Thank you for saving me..." she said, still unable to fathom what had transpired.
"You're welcome." He said, beginning to unshackle her. His presence felt overwhelming but contained no malice towards her. An unusual feeling of safety but also danger arose from him. Noticing her discomfort, he introduced himself. "My name is Ark. What's your name?"
She hesitated to say at first, but eventually told him her name. "Mina, that's my name." she told him with a face of uncertainty. Why would he want to save her, anyway? Her beautiful blonde hair had lost its shine. Not to mention, her clothes weren't the only dirty things. Her entire body was covered in mud and cuts, and her body frame was small and frail due to the malnutrition she had to endure. Back then, people had only been acquainted with her due to her looks and status, but now that she is at the bottom of the barrel, she couldn't see his true intentions.
Soon after, he unshackled her chains, easing the immense pressure that she felt bound to her neck. Coming to his feet, he gave a gentle breath of relief. "Alright, you're free to go. You can do whatever you want now." he said.
Stuttering, Mina says, "B-But I have nowhere to go."
"I know a place you can stay at. Just follow me." The man motioned his hand towards the direction he walked in, prompting Mina to straggle behind him. Seeing her walk, he switched his pace, gently guiding her with his arms. "Ease yourself. I'm not going to rush you. " he reassured her. His gentle nature was something unexpected to Mina. For an intimidating man, he is very patient and caring, especially to a weak and useless slave like her. "Why are you helping me...?" Mina asked, not being able to see through his white-blank mask. His intentions could never be deciphered as his face was unreadable.
"I did it because I wanted to help others." He told her.
His tone sounded casual, as if he wasn't serious at all. Yet he didn't sound lying either. Not being able to decide if she should trust him, she still left him to guide her. "I'm far too gone anyway." she thought, looking at her miserable self.
As they neared the exit of the alleyway, a man blocked their path. "Ah, it seems I've encountered a troublemaker." He asked. A snarky tone he held, having a swallowtail blue coat and a silver badge pinned onto it. He wore a bronze mask that paired alongside his bronze helmet with a silver lining. By this appearance, this man was clearly a man of the law. Something that surprised Ark. "You must be Ark, the annoying vigilante that has been ruining our slave trade. I'll have you know, there's a huge bounty for your capture." he says, swinging his baton around.
Setting the terrified Mina behind a crate beside them, Ark questioned the police officer, aiming his dagger at him. "And who must you be?"
The police officer stopped swinging his baton to answer. "My name is Sirus, and I'm a captain of Argon City's police force. It's my duty to arrest a troublemaker like you who terrorizes the street."
"Ah, arrest me? That's strange. Sending out a police captain to an area like this? Especially to the sounds of a slave runt, which not a single person bats an eye to. You didn't find me by coincidence, that's for sure."
Sirus chuckled, amused at how he caught on so quickly. "Well, smart one, are you? Even then, you're quite screwed."
"And why's that?" Ark asked, still aiming his dagger at him.
"I happen to have quite a powerful Artifact..." Sirus said as a halberd formed within the palms of his hands. It had a wavelike design for its blade and was coated entirely in a dark blue. Bringing the polearm upwards and slamming it down, a huge wave emerges from the floor. This wave plowed through the alleyway, heading straight towards Ark. Seeing the wave coming right at them, Ark immediately covered Mina, who cowered behind the crate.
As the waves submerged them, Sirus stood there, waiting for the water to settle. "Oh, now look at that." Sirus said, watching the aftermath. It was Ark who held Mina tightly as they were sent into the city streets. Citizens from the area ran due to the sudden outburst of water that filled the area.
Before he could stand up, a second wave plowed into both Mina and him, slamming them against the shop behind them. As the shop windows shattered and the water flattened out, Sirus was seen slowly walking towards them. His wet leather boots made squeaking noises against the stone floor with every step, getting louder the closer he got to Ark and Mina.
"You managed to take out so many criminals, yet you falter against the power of a singular Artifact. I'm not even putting all of my Rysen into my attacks."
In a sudden attack, Ark swiped his dagger across Sirus's face, missing by only an inch as Sirus leaned back to avoid the blow. When he came forward again, he swung his halberd at Ark's side, making direct contact with him. Within contact, he felt his halberd collide with metal. Confused at the abrupt stop, he glanced down at the halberd's blade.
Ark had used a sheathed sword under his coat to stop the hit at the last second. Using this window of opportunity, Ark lunged at Sirus, letting go of Mina in the process. As he neared impact with his blade, another wave slammed into Ark by surprise, pushing him back onto his back. "D-Damn, your Artifact is annoying." Ark said, standing up. Ark swiped his blade to his side, having a glowing text that radiated from it. Sirus eyed the text imprinted onto Ark's blade. "So it seems he activated an inscription." Rushing into Sirus, he lunged his blade ahead, forcing Sirus to slam down with his halberd. Ark avoided it, following up by activating the inscription ingrained onto his blade, which caused a giant pulse of wind to blast Sirus back.
He maintained tremendous balance to keep his footing, even managing to scrape the ground with his leather boots. Meanwhile, in his focus on keeping his foothold, Ark took the chance to strike, swooping to slam his blade against Sirus's face. Annoyed at the sticky situation, Sirus smacked his lips. "Annoying brats these days..." he swiftly pulled out his revolver and pulled the trigger, shooting it with raw precision. Even when it was sudden, Ark had ducked instinctively, managing to avoid the bullet fired upon him. Ark figured the fight was over, seeing how close they were. One strike to the abdomen, and he can call himself the winner. Yet, Ark could still feel a sense of danger underneath Sirus's mask, as if he was grinning.
Leaping backward, Sirus dropped his gun, activating the inscription that was set on it. "Game over." Sirus stated underneath his mask as the inscription finally set off, releasing a huge explosion of Rysen in front of Ark.
Boom!
In the aftermath of the explosion was Ark, who let out heavy breaths of relief. As the inscription on his sword faded out, he let out a big sigh of relief. "If I hadn't used my inscription to make a wind barrier at the last second, I would've been killed by that..." he glanced up at Sirus, who walked toward him menacingly.
"Time to stop playing around." Sirus said as he immediately went to slam his halberd onto Ark. Using both hands, he blocked the blow using the flat side of his blade. However, this was a grave error because it allowed the halberd to go through his blade and slash him.
As Ark's chest gets cut, he falls to his back. The bleeding intensified as he tried to cover his wound with his palms. "Hurts, doesn't it? Your little game of being a vigilante has caused this to happen. Your delusions are the downfall of your life." Before Sirus could take out his handcuffs from his waist, he felt something grab his leg. Looking down, it was Mina. "Police officer, p-please stop it..."
Her actions had called for immediate execution in the eyes of Sirus. It was inexcusable. "Human filth should never touch me!" Sirus kicked Mina in the face. Blood oozed from her nose, and her teeth were battered in. Mina let out a harsh groan in pain as she hit the floor. Writhing in pain, she curled up in a ball. Tears streamed down her face, and pathetic cries filled the air as Mina was unable to contain herself. She felt useless and pathetic; her life fell into shambles in one singular incident. All she missed was the loving maids in her mansion, her kind mother comforting her, and her father giving her big hugs every morning.
"S-Stop, please..." Mina pleaded with a whimper in her voice. Sirus did not care, however. Slaves were trash, failed creations of God who did not fulfill their purpose in life. People say the lifestyle is forced, but others simply refer to it as the will of God. God had given up on them, therefore, their lives were set to be a slave. That is the harsh reality people have come to with slaves.
Before Sirus could finish off Mina with his halberd, an unexpected figure appeared in front of Ark. Ark sat up to look at the tall, imposing figure. It took off its cloak, revealing its form to be a clockwork. Sirus aimed his halberd at the clockwork, warning it. "You, state your purpose of being here. I've strictly forbidden this section of the city to the police force to Ark's arrest. You shouldn't have any orders to be here." Thinking it was a clockwork error sent by the police, Sirus was patient with it. But he soon came to realize that wasn't the case.
The clockwork spoke with a twist; his voice had life to it as if it were a real person speaking. "I've finally found you. You must be what Madam Eleina was talking about. You must be her son, Harold." The clockwork said, kneeling to Ark. Underneath Ark's mask lay Harold's face with a shocked expression. "E-Eleina is my mother's name... what's this clockwork talking about?"
Harold was the mysterious man who held the identity of "Ark". He didn't expect anyone to recognize him, especially under his secretive alias. So, for this clockwork to suddenly appear, saying his name and mentioning his mother was the biggest surprise he could ever encounter.
"I've observed you for a while from a far distance, and my time has run low. In short, your mother told me to give you this." The clockwork handed him an Artifact stone. This Artifact stone was something he had never seen before—a vibrant, warm glow, etched with golden patterns that swirled around the stone. "Your mother spent ages looking for that just to give it to you. Please, make good use of that." Harold was speechless. He couldn't believe such a precious gift was given to him.
"One last thing before I deactivate for good. Your mother is still alive. She is out there, far, far away. She wanted you to know that." the clockwork said before deactivating.
"M-My mother... is alive?"