Blood sparkled like ruby on the snowy ground, as Adrian plucked another herb. He had gash running on thigh due to climbing up the rough mountain region. Adding the magical herb to the satchel slung by his shoulders he made his way limping towards the market to sell them, before a beast corners him because of smell of blood.
As soon as he reached the gates of the town, he covered his face with the hood of his cloak trying to blend in with coming in and out traders.
"Brat", though it seems his tactic didn't work, standing by the gate in dressed in the standard uniform of Barony guards, a man called him out. He thought about making a run into the town but thinking of harassment he may cause his parents, he rejected the idea. Coming to the tall and stocky gate guard named Gary, but the man punched him straight in the face before he could ask him anything.
His one punch laced with earth mana weaving in his arms had him sprawling on the ground, his jaw dislocated and blood pooling out from his mouth. "A Bastard of the Veil, thinks he can fool the world with his hood." His words full of disdain caused a howl of laughter among his colleagues.
"Hey Gary, check this idiots satchel, maybe he got something we can use better." His partner asked. Listening the words of his gate partner, Gary snatched satchel slung around Adrian in one quick movement checking for its content by turning it over.
Adrian on the ground came to his senses, as he looked at Gary destroying the herbs he had collected to earn money for his family. "Please Gary, don't do this. I need them to support my family. I'm the only one supporting them.", he begged crawling on the ground to Gary's feet.
Gary looked at him for a moment then with sympathy picked him up by his shoulders, "Of course Adrian, here you go." he said giving him back his satchel.
Adrian looked at the satchel, picked up the fallen herbs many already damaged. He took one look at the guards with fear and was ready to bolt out of there when a rock protruded out of earth surface going through his already injured right leg. He fall down to ground screaming and tears streaming out his sockets, his eyes searching through people going on their business though no one seemed interested in helping him out.
"What gave you the courage to touch me bastard", Gary asked in threatening voice.
Before Adrian could apologize about his mistake, the guards jumped on him beating him to the point where he lost his consciousness. Seeing Adrian unresponsive, guards panicked thinking of problem they might face if the Baron get to know about this.
Gary seeing their reactions, commented "Don't worry about Baron or this bastard's complaint nothing will happen to us. Let's just dump him in alleyway and get done with it."
A few hours later, Adrian woke up with the smell of sewage around him and his body hurting all around him, in a run-down alleyway. Thinking of what had happened earlier, his body started shaking, an instinctual response of his body which was always ready on flight when in trouble. It has always been like this for him, a boy born without a Mana-thread, without strength and no future.
As he limped his way to his house, his right leg purple from blood loss and body swaying due to lack of strength. He thought about the loss of herbs with which he could've supported his father, mother and siblings. The only people who he could rely on. He entered the neighborhood and walked toward his house when he noticed a carriage with Baron insignia by his home. Thinking they might have come to harass his family members, he silently creeped towards his home. He crawled by the window and peeped in, and soon he started hearing voices from inside.
"It seems you have forgotten what we were sent for Baron Hawthorne, considering what your men did today.", he heard his father Warrick Fleck's threatening voice, which shocked him considering he was talking to the Baron in such a way as a commoner.
There was silence of few minutes in the room, before Baron started "Have you come to like the boy Warrick, that pest and stain on Duchess.."
"Don't say her name, you fool!!. It's him that send the boy here, and us to make sure his life becomes hell. Best to remember his words, he is not to die until they wish to do so. Remember this Rowan if that bastard dies or goes missing and Duchess gets to know about it, we will not be getting easy death not even he would be able to save us from her wrath.", his mother Eza interrupted Baron Rowan.
"We got the privilege and resources to level up our rank while doing this mission and you got to become a Baron because of him, just do what he had asked us to do and enjoy it. As for the Duchess, she was the one who handed her son to him after all.", his father started, shocking the people inside but all that Adrian felt was confusion and pain.
A family which he used to consider a support for himself, a disabled bastard- for that what he is, was nothing but a act they were performing all his life because someone asked them to. Hearing that his real mother the one who abandoned him was a Duchess, whom he didn't know a thing about brought a feeling of helpless anger, knowing he could't do anything about it.
However he knew one thing from this conversation for sure, he can't live with these people and in this village anymore. He quickly crawled out of his house area, as silently as possible and then running out from neighborhood toward the gates of town as fast as his legs could carry.
Meanwhile a soldier arrived at Adrian's house, who by chance saw him running out of area, towards the gates and interrupted the conversation going inside.