King Of Limbo - Chapter 58

That very same day just an hour before midnight, Aron organized all the papers he had drawn on into a neat pile before packing them up into a small bag which he then strapped over his shoulder.

‘Now is an adequate time.’ He thought to himself before getting a large hooded black cloak and placing it over himself and leaving the study and heading out of his manor.

Immediately after stepping out the door however he came to stop and began looking around, scanning for any familiar mana. ‘Seems that man in particular isn’t here but whose to say he was the only one who was observing me…’ As this thought crossed Aron’s mind he couldn’t help but heave a light sigh as he still proceeded to leave the property.

After leaving the property, Aron made his way past the business district and soon arrived at the lower residential district. For the most part the street was empty with only the occasional passerby as was the case with most residential areas at around that time of the night.

Aron glanced around the many two and three story apartment buildings that filled the area before choosing one randomly and heading towards it. There he easily bypassed the rune mechanism on the door and made his way inside before any wandering eyes could see him.

Once inside, Aron immediately walked over to the first room and used his sensitive hearing and to tell which rooms had their residents asleep and those that had them awake. ‘Fourteen out of twenty four are awake but that much was to be expected.’ Aron thought to himself before approaching one of the rooms.

He then quickly bypassed it’s rune mechanism as slowly opened it. The room itself was small and compact, not having much within it, Aron’s to focus however was the person sleeping soundly in the bed at the far end of the room.

Upon closer inspection, said person was young girl who looked to only be slightly younger than Aron. Once at the edge of the bed he took out his rune brush and uncovered the sheets she used to cover herself, revealing her sleeping figure that wore a plain night dress to Aron.

Aron paid little attention to her features and instead stretched out his hand and drew a glyph on the girl’s limbs, head and mouth. The glyph he used in particular was that of paralysis.

Runes and Glyphs were quite similar. Glyphs were a known pattern of runes that had a universal effect. For example the glyph of paralysis could be studied by most capable mages and wasn’t that rare. Runes however were the base of wall word magic, to use runes one would need to carefully construct a pattern from scratch to fit their purpose.

In modern words one could think of a glyph as an app that already had functions prepared and was ready to use. Whilst runes were the code behind said up. Thus the vast complexity of the latter but the near endless possibilities it provided.

After setting the glyphs of paralysis, Aron gave the young girl a pinch and had her open her eyes, only for them to instantly widen after realizing the odd predicament she was in. However try as she could she could neither move her limbs no open her mouth to scream out of fear of what the hooded figure beside her would do.

“Shh, be calm.” Aron’s voice came out as deep and commanding, despite the young lady still being fearful she stopped making unnecessary efforts and followed his instructions. After calming her to some extent, Aron took out a strange old looking silver coin that was attached to a string and brought it above her face before starting to slowly let it swing from left to right.

“Follow the coin and all will be alright , ease your mind, ease your body and ease your soul. You are not in danger, you are safe, the coin gives you warmth in this cold desolate world, it gives you comfort, you find yourself lost it’s majesty, watching it sway and sway and sway over and over not once looking away. Your are now one with the coin.” Aron muttered in a slow yet deep whispery voice, the more he spoke the more the young girl’s pupils began to shrink until finally they were almost non visible.

To test if what he had done had worked, he rubbed the rune off the girl’s lips and waited a moment but she just laid there as still as as board without even blinking. Aron let out a sigh of satisfaction at this before carrying on.

While she was in that state, Aron began to give her instructions. To summarize; she was to go about her life per usual for a day before planting one of the papers with a strange pattern on the location written behind them by midnight. Once two days passed after she planted it, she was to retrieve it again from where she left it and place it in her dresser. The next morning she was to forget having ever done any of that.

“Now when I snap my fingers, you will return into a deep slumber.” Aron whispered before snapping his fingers, causing the girl to instantly shut her eyes.

After that Aron quickly rubbed the glyphs he drew on her and placed one of the patterned papers in her dressed, before moving on to the next person.

Aron continued to carry this out almost the entire night, stopping only when all fifty six patterned papers where given to someone along with the instructions and a different location behind each one.

‘Now all I can do is wait.’ Aron thought as he left the lower residential district and made his way towards the lower business one. But rather than head directly to his home he instead went to the tavern close by.

Inside he found only a few people who looked to have passed out from drinking too much. This wasn’t an odd sight considering it was past midnight so most people had already left. Aron took a seat by a clear table and lowered his hood and a moment later a woman approached him with a small notebook in hand. ‘What will yer be having?’ she asked in very strong north Lachestrian accent.

“Anything strong will do.” Aron replied in a casual manner as he turned to woman asking the question. Upon looking at her he stopped for a moment as I’d drawn in by something. The woman in particular had long blonde hair and looked to be in her thirties, she had a large frame for a woman standing at around a hundred and eighty five centimeters with a muscular yet tone figure that showed in the set of strange armored clothing she wore.

“How long do ye plan on staring boy?” She asked in a teasing manner causing Aron to look away. “Not long, you just reminded of someone I know, just far more voluptuous.” Aron replied casually causing the woman to break out into laughter.

“You’re an honest one ain’t ya?” She asked while still chuckling as she went to get him a drink. After she returned, she placed a single large bottle in the middle of the table along with two small glass cups and sat on the other side of the table opposite Aron. “This be my own personal favorite, you’re free to try a sip if ye dare.” The woman offered once more in her heavy accent, it was clear she tried her best to speak as normally as possible but her habits showed.

Aron poured himself a glass of the strange drink the woman had brought. He took a moment to look at it from a few angles which seemed to assume the woman before he finally downed the drink. “Hmm, it’s better than most I’ve had.” Aron revealed before casually pouring himself another glass while the woman next to him started laughing out of nowhere.

“Well color me impressed, Seems ye aren’t a boy after all. The name is Hilda, Hilda The Untamed and you are?” She asked with a grin on her face before pouring herself a cup as well. “Aron, just Aron.” Aron replied with a small smile seemingly amused by the woman’s liveliness and personality.

“That can’t do, once a man or woman becomes an adult he or she needs a last name that defines them. That is the way of a real warrior. Come now think of a name that describes you or your purpose and claim it!” She said energetically causing to show a small smile and give her nod. “I suppose you’re right. I know just the one.” He replied before drinking yet another glass of strange drink.

“Well? Is ye going to tell?” She asked curiously but Aron shook his head. “When the time comes you’ll eventually know, for now Aron is just fine.” Aron’s response caused Hilda to narrow her eyes but she could only shrug. “I see ye one of them mysterious types. Fine I’m a patient woman despite what anyone else says…”

Just like that the Aron and Hilda continued to drink and converse.. Her interests mostly being in battle related topics, her sharing stories from old while Aron vaguely told her of beast encounters during the journey.