"Hey."
Jun heard a voice say nearby. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes.
Mediating made him feel more awake and not as weak feeling. Maybe because he had more tama in him so it didn't feel like he was dying anymore. But he did like how mediating counted as sleeping as well, it was like a two in one deal for him as he really wanted to sleep.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked in the direction of where he heard the voice. Arkshan must have finished whatever shopping he needed.
Jun felt his heart spring out of his chest as he jumped backwards. Away from the man that was standing near him.
"Wha-who!?" Jun shouted frantically as he looked at the man.
His eyes widened as he noticed that this man looked very similar to the man in the inn, it was uncanny at the similarities they both shared.
The strange man then did a soft laugh as he watched Jun's reaction to him.
"Vidim." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Zdóski. Vidim Zdóski."
Jun parted his lips slightly as if he was about to say something, but he stayed silent as he narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Do I know you?" Jun crossed his arms as well as he looked up at Vidim. The man did another soft, amused chuckle.
"Inn."
Jun did a small "oh" while he looked down at the ground.
"Wait," he backed up a little, "did you follow me here?"
He was starting to feel uneasy with this situation. It did feel like they were being followed, or at the very least watched, as they walked through the streets to this weird alley.
Jun never turned around because he just thought it was his suspicions or anxiety of walking through the crowds of people. Plus he didn't really expect someone from the inn, especially this man, to have an interest in either him or Arkshan.
"Not really. To come here I needed as well to stock up on supplies. You probably know, there's bounty for zodiz outside city. And well...can't just hunt demon unprepared," Vidim explained to Jun in his husky voice.
"What do you mean by being 'unprepared'?" Jun asked skeptically, he wasn't really convinced with Vidim's explanation.
"Well...each demon has different method of fighting or defending against." Jun felt as Vidim moved closer, making him even more uncomfortable. And he couldn't move back anymore or else he'll be near the door of the bustling apothecary. "And your arrogant friend knows that. Along with us łowalupi."
"Łowalupi" somehow sounded familiar to Jun.
"What do you mean by that now?"
"Wolf Hunters. People who have certain abilities that are specially trained. We fight demons and supernatural creatures for people, though not for free..."
This man seemed to just make more questions did he actually answered.
"So you're one?" Jun guessed curiously with a raised eyebrow.
"You're correct. But enough about me..." Vidim then moved a little closer to Jun so that there was only a few inches between them. "Why are you out here all alone?"
Jun has heard this enough times in his life to know where this was going. Even though the man wasn't necessarily bad looking, Jun didn't want to disobey what Arkshan had told him to do.
He didn't want to obey Arkshan, but he also didn't want to get on his bad side either.
That was the very last thing he wanted to do with the Harbinger.
"That's none of your business," Jun answered curtly as he looked away. A finger was then felt on his chin, causing him to look back up at Vidim.
"'None of my business'? Sound like Arkshan now. Don't tell me you actually like being his slave?"
A hint of sympathy could be heard in Vidim's voice while he looked down at Jun with worried eyes.
And he was right.
"What do you want then?"
"Those women back in inn sort of bothering me. I don't want people who think I just go around with anyone. Then I noticed you." Vidim lowered his voice as he got a little closer to Jun's ear. "I can tell you're someone who deserves respect as you respect others. You're sick of people using you because you're nice. Easterners like yourself deserves someone who is willing to give you that earned respect."
Vidim licked Jun near his ear. Sending a cold shiver down through his body.
"And I'm willing to give you that respect."
A gasp escaped Jun's lips as he heard the words that came out of his mouth.
This man knew exactly what he's been thinking the entire time he's been here in the West.
He licked his lips as he thought carefully on Vidim's words. Arkshan told him not to service others.
But he hasn't done it in so long.
The last time was back in Nuoach Bay.
And the events he's gone through up until this point hadn't helped him to suppress the desire either. Plus that was why he even decided to become a prostitute anyways.
To forget and get paid for doing it.
"How much?" Jun inquired bluntly as he stopped leaning against the shop's wall.
He felt a smile come to Vidim's face as a hand made its way around his waist.
"We'll speak more in your inn's room." Vidim lead him out of the alley and back once again at the inn. His hand slowly making its way under his shirt and tracing his hips.
————
Arkshan jostled through the cloaked people crowding the apothecary's glass door and entered the store.
Whore... He fumed in anger.
Arkshan could feel the water boiling in his chest, its steam flowed out of his nose. People from the crowd made way for him as he entered the store.
He looked around the large apothecary while he looked for the section that had what he was looking for.
It was easy for him to find the aisle that was growing the plants he needed because of his height. He was taller than the somewhat high shelves and rows and all of the anonymous people that scurried about or stood in a long line at the counter.
Arkshan made his way in long strides as he pushed the vines and large leaves that hung from the ceiling away from his hair and face.
His tongue flickered unconsciously as he scanned at the plants below him, causing him to smell the scents of the greenhouse-like shop. As his tongue touched the roof of his mouth he winced while the overload of various strong scents went through him.
There were strong smells of rosemary, sage, dill, basil, and many other common herbs and plants used in Yimpanian magic and alchemy.
But the strongest smell was that of hawthorn, which was right in front of him. It smelled extremely pungent of decaying tissue.
Arkshan picked up a small pot of hawthorn and walked over to the other plants throughout the store.
Though he had been here many times to prepare for other bounties of creatures of Yimpanian origin, he still had trouble finding the other plants and herbs he needed. As there were so many people in the store.
Which further aggravated him.
Eventually after combing through the entirety of the shop for what seemed like hours he finally found the section he was looking for. And Arkshan soon noticed that he had passed by this section multiple times because it was completely empty.
He read that this section was the mandrake root section, the howling variety to be more specific. It was the last ingredient he needed to give to the shopkeeper so that it could be turned into a small vial of oil.
Arkshan did a long sigh in frustration, steam came flowing out of his mouth which caused leaves of a few plants nearby to wither up and fall off.
Arkshan did long, determined strides to the start of the long line to the counter. He looked over at the counter and counted that roughly a few dozen people stood between him and the shopkeeper.
"I don't have time to deal with this..." Arkshan muttered irritatedly to himself in Syónyeon. It was most likely a few hours before dawn.
The nights were long and dark, especially in Perenykisk because of the mountains and the longer winters. Though they were in the tail end of winter and just starting to become spring.
A few more minutes passed and finally the line moved by only one person. Arkshan was at the end of his wits with this sudden crowdedness of the apothecary in Sorce Alley. He moved out of the line and started to walk directly to the counter the shopkeeper was behind.
"Hey you!"
Arkshan whipped his head around as he heard a voice yell at him. It was a cloaked women who was holding a smaller person's hand which looked to be a child.
He scowled down at the woman who dared to bother him.
"What?" Arkshan provoked in a low, dangerous voice, his tail swaying side to side. He noticed how the woman backed away and covered her child.
A small smirk made it to his face as he heard the woman stammered in a scared tone that she tried to hide.
"Y-you can't just c-cut line..."
Arkshan stooped down to be almost eye level with the woman, but she was much too short to be exactly eye level with.
"And you can't just say that if you favor your child's life."
His tongue flickered, looking down at the small child that hid behind their mother. The scent of salt could be smelled as the child began to cry in fear.
The woman grabbed her child's hand tightly as she made her way quickly out of the store.
Satisfied with what he'd done, Arkshan stood back up and saw that everyone was staring at him. Fear, worry, concern, and judgment could be seen on the various people in the line along with in the store in general.
"What do you people want? Mind your own damn business!" Arkshan shouted as he looked down in disdain at the people.
The people immediately looked somewhere else while Arkshan made his way to the counter. The shopkeeper trembled as he watched Arkshan come up to the counter, towering over his abnormally small stature.
"Oh...A-Arkshan...I 'adn't seen you in while now—" The old man began to say but Arkshan cut him off.
"Where are your howling mandrakes?" The small shopkeeper froze at Arkshan's question as he looked over at the empty section of plants. He nervously stroked his long, white beard while he spoke.
"Ah t'ose! I've been waiting for s'ipment of 'em to come tomorrow. If you could wait until tomorrow night I'll give you best ones out of s'ipment!" Some grumbles could be heard down the line as the man answered.
"Don't have tomorrow." Arkshan could feel his blood literally boil at the old man's words.
He didn't want to have to babysit Jun for another day as the Eastern man annoyed him immensely for some reason.
Maybe it was because he was Huazan which was where all the famous and powerful dragon slayers came from.
Though ever since the fall of the Miyamotos, the West has laughed at the dragon slayers from the East. So Eastern dragon slayers rarely ever came to the West anymore.
If at all.
Whatever it was, he hated him immensely.
Though something inside told him that he would be useful.
Arkshan groaned at the stupidity of his internal debate and gazed at the slightly opened door behind the shopkeeper. Something red could be seen inside the dark room and grew in a type of human shape.
It was exactly what he was looking for.
"I'm sorry sir we just don't 'ave any in stock until—"
Arkshan grabbed the small man by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up so that he was eye level with him. Screams and murmurs were heard throughout the shop.
"Then I will grab the ones in the back room and use your corpse as fertilizer," Arkshan whispered at the man who struggled weakly against his grip.
Soon a few assistants of the shopkeeper came scurrying from the things they were doing to check up on him. Arkshan dropped the shopkeeper and the assistants caught him as he fell.
He watched as the old man talked in a foreign language while he was pointing and gesturing at the back room. The small assistants nodded their heads quickly as they took the plants out of Arkshan's hands and went into the back room.
"That'll be 'undred maila[1]." The shopkeeper demanded in a tired voice as he leaned on the counter.
Arkshan pulled the coins out of his pocket and slammed them on the counter. As the man counted his currency Arkshan saw a sewing kits on a few small shelves on the counter.
He didn't know why they were there but he needed something of this nature for the zodiz anyways. Arkshan grabbed one of the small kits and placed it on the counter as well.
"Five more maila." Arkshan pulled out one more coin and threw it to the shopkeeper.
Soon one of the assistants came out of the back room holding something that was exquisitely wrapped in paper. The paper was then carefully placed in a bag along with the sewing kit.
"T'ankfully you're not criminal." The shopkeeper stated.
Arkshan said nothing as he walked out of the store. All eyes watching him in fear.
"Come—" Arkshan started to say as he turned to Jun.
Who wasn't there or anywhere to be found.
Arkshan punched the side of a building with a resounding crack, as steam flowed out of his nose. There was a cobweb of cracks that radiated throughout the stone.
"You fucking fraudster of a whore!" Arkshan yelled angrily in Syónyeon as he made his way swiftly back to the inn.
———
1 Universal currency used in the West.