In the end he did retreat back into the forest. That didn't mean he gave up, of course not. He just needed to find a way to force his way in. He didn't think of himself as crazy—despite everything that has happened, he was still sane, right? No, he knew that was a lie. He knew it was a lie the second he chopped his own finger off with the spear blade and used his aspect to steal the left guard's finger. Before either could scream, he charged in with the spear, throwing it at the missing-fingered guard, hitting him straight in the throat. By the time the other guard drew his sword, he had already been upon him. The guard didn't hesitate and instantly lunged at him, piercing what was most likely his carotid arteries. That was fine, though, because as he spun out of the cut, fully severing them, he used his aspect, replacing his with the guard's. As long as he didn't die instantly or didn't pass out, he couldn't be put down. The guard's neck exploded with blood, but the spear that met his heart was what killed him.
"Monster huh..? That's not a bad idea."
---
The next day the guards' bodies were found by a villager. An audible sigh escaped the captain of the guard's lips.
"This seems to be the work of a monster… and a big one at that, judging from the remains."
The bodies were torn apart, guts and intestines spread around, some hanging off of trees. The limbs smashed, heads caved in, and the genitals crushed. It doesn't help that Myrion and Tharion have yet to come back… no, most likely weren't coming back. This also means the monster is aware of where their kingdom was. Or perhaps it may have already even invaded it.
---
"Would you like to try a sample before you buy it, sir?"
"Ah yes, thank you!"
Chewing it, the young man's eyes lit up.
"It's splendid!"
"I'm glad to hear that! Would you like to purchase any?"
"I don't know… it's a little pricey…"
"Sir, I assure you, HEY!"
In the middle of the vendor's conversation, the meat on the display shelf was stolen by someone running past, pushing the man who was being pressured to purchase it onto the floor. By the time the vendor was able to get out of his stand, the thief was already gone.
---
The young boy with orange hair and green eyes rushed into the alley, his freckled face etched with happiness.
"Sis, I'm home!"
Resting near an abandoned barrel was a little girl, their features almost exactly the same. Sadly, today was his unlucky day. By the time he was able to slow down and walk to her, a foot was dug into his stomach, the meat snatched out of his hand. By the time he looked up, he saw a disheveled young man with red, matted hair taking a huge bite of the stick of meat.
"What ya lookin' at, you brat? Haven't you heard of finders keepers? And I just happened to find this in your hand."
Tears began to well in the boy's eyes as the little girl began to cry. The man's expression grew tense as he stopped eating before letting out a groan.
"Wait here."
An hour passed and the man came back, but he came back with a bag hanging over his shoulder. Before dropping it down and letting it open itself. Inside of the bag were a dozen pieces of cooked meat. Taking one of the pieces, he began to walk off.
"This is what you call a gift, but sadly I don't give gifts. So call this compensation for the earlier piece."
The boy was starstruck. He didn't know what happened, who the man was, or how he got this meat. But that didn't matter at the moment. Crying and hugging his little sister, he wept tears of joy as they wouldn't have to go hungry tonight.
---
"I wonder how Rain is…"
Sunny brushed that thought away as a crowd was gathered at a vendor. Sadly for the man, it wasn't due to big business, but rather the crowd was gathered around his body, which had its tongue missing, blood pouring out of the man's mouth. Sunny licked his sharp teeth before taking a bite out of the stick of meat.
"Today was really your unlucky day."
For some reason, he couldn't feel guilty. He didn't know why. It was as if he physically couldn't. Actually, it was like a bunch of things were missing from him at the moment. Was it due to him going crazy? Not that he was. Or something else? He didn't know, but it's not like he has to know right now.
Making his way down the crowded street, Sunny blocked out the whispers about a monster invading this kingdom.
---
The black-haired boy took a deep breath as he finished hammering down the plank in this tavern. The owner walked up to him with a smile before handing him five bronze coins.
"It's nice to see some of the youth still aren't soft yet! Nowadays all they do is dream of being a knight and end up owning a tavern, haha!"
From the way the man was talking, the boy could sense that he might have been projecting what happened to him onto others. That didn't matter to him, though—he just needed the money. Nodding his head, he put the coins in a pouch that was almost full now before putting it back onto his side.
"Thank you."
Speaking those words, he left the tavern and made his way to the next job. It was a simple life for him, but for others it may seem sad—a boy so young spending all of his day working instead of being in an academy or even just being a kid. Little did they know that to the boy, this life was a vast improvement over his past one. On his way to look for more work, a hand grabbed his shoulder. Looking back, he saw someone that was famous in these parts as the guard captain.
"I'm going to need you to come with me… for some questioning."