"So boi, tell me, you said you don't have a place to stay, right?" the man asked, dusting his hands.
'I wonder what he wants to request right now. What's with the odd question?'
"Yes, sir, I did. Is there any issue?" Clyde raised an eyebrow to the question as he asked.
"Well, it's not much of a problem, but judging from the way your body is structured, I believe you do some training?" The older man asked oddly, dipping both hands into the sleeves of his garments.
'Judging from his question, I'm guessing he wants me to do something physical for him. If it's something within my capabilities, I could really use a place to stay for the night.'
'But I can't answer stupidly, to avoid overstressing work.'
"Not really, just day-to-day labour made it seem that way," Clyde chuckled, with his eyes closed to show his genuineness.
"I see then, I have a request, and I'll really be happy if you could fulfil it. And in return, I can give you a place to stay for as long as you want," he baited, already grabbing his attention with that single sentence.
'What a nice way to start a request, but either way, if it's something within my capabilities, I don't mind doing it.'
"Hmm, I wouldn't mind the generosity, sir," he smiled, "but then it all depends on what you want me to do and if it's within my capabilities," he answered.
"I see. You can come home with me then, I'll explain more about it on the way," he said, bending low to pick up the buckets.
He pulled out his hands from his arm sleeves, but before his hands could grab the handles, Clyde briefly stopped him.
"Why don't I help you with the other, sir," Clyde offered.
'I would have helped with both, but then I don't know how far we're going, so it's better to share the work than carry it all by myself.'
"Thank you, sunny," he mistakenly blurted out without realising.
"Sorry about that, you kind of remind me of my son," he chuckled as he lifted the bucket up.
"It's alright, sir. I totally understand."
He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, wearing it with both hands to avoid one arm aching on the way.
Then he bent low and picked up the second bucket, its weight slightly pulling him for a brief moment before he stationed himself properly.
"You know, he would have been the one helping me out with this task, but ever since he left, things have been hard for me," he explained, trying to gain sympathy from Clyde.
"So what happened to him? Did he perhaps die or something?" Clyde asked further, with nothing on his mind.
"Well," he said, turning around to start walking.
"He left, but he didn't die. I sent him to attend an academy after he awakened his soul core," he said, smiling briefly before his face went stone cold again.
'Soul Core? What the hell is that?' He couldn't help but question himself.
"Ohh, I see. He awakened his soul core, huh? That sounds like some kind of training or power thing, yeah?"
"You don't know anything about a soul core, do you?" the man let out, catching him by surprise.
"I wouldn't say that exactly, but a bit of explanation wouldn't hurt, would it?" Clyde smiled, glancing at the man briefly before turning away.
"One way to put it," the man murmured.
"To be honest, I don't know much about it either, but one thing I do know is every living organism has a dormant core and only certain actions can awaken them," he explained, shifting his weight to the other side.
'Every organism has a dormant core? That explains the recent scientific discovery, stating that every human is born with a dormant core within them, and it only takes specific actions to discover it.
But the name they gave it is slightly different from what he called it, though,' he debated within his mind, staring at the man.
"From the way you explained it, this is something that has been occurring in these parts, and it's not the first time, is it?"
"No, it isn't. It's common in these parts. It all began with our ancestors who became great men after awakening their cores, but it wasn't widely spread. "
"For some reason, they said it was dangerous and hence was for defending our city only and shouldn't be let out," he explained, his arms slightly aching him due to his age.
'I doubt that was their only reason. They probably didn't want the other parts finding out so they don't improve on their military defence. But why didn't they try to take over other cities, though? It should have been easier for them with those abilities.'
Clyde immediately noticed him, his arms were shaking terribly, but he didn't utter a single word of help.
Clyde wanted to overlook it, but his conscience just wouldn't allow him to see it, so he reached out and offered a helping hand.
"Can I help you with that, sir? You seem to be getting tired from carrying it for so long."
The man glanced at him briefly, then smiled widely.
"It's nothing, sunny. I'm used to it. Besides, my home is just at the end of this street." The man shook his head with a tired smile, shifting the bucket to his other hand.
"Alright then, but if you need help, don't hesitate to say it," Clyde said before facing forward.
'I hope we get there soon, though. My arms seem to be getting tired from the continuous strain!'
"Right, you said you'd explain what the task is about on our way to your home," Clyde reminded.
"Ohh! That's right, I did say that, didn't I? Well, since we're almost there, I might as well show you then," the man stated.
At this point, all Clyde hoped for was that the task was something within his power so he could complete it and earn himself a place to stay for the meantime, because with his current situation, he would be starving to death within a week if he didn't do anything to solve it.
They finally arrived at the man's said home. It wasn't what Clyde expected, in fact, it was totally different from the normal features he was used to.