The Man in Gold walked along the streets of a Frankfurt neighborhood, unconcerned with the reactions that his stature and wardrobe were no doubt drawing from the local populace. It wasn't too late in the evening, only about 7:30 or so, but the tavern that he walked into was already busy. His contact was sitting at a table away from the noise and bustle, and, with difficulty, the tall man joined his employee. The seat held him, barely, and he shifted uncomfortably on the wooden chair. His contact, a nervous man in his late 20s, held out a hand; the Man in Gold paid it no mind and gripped the table.
"What did you find out?" The man in full armor asked in a low, gravelly voice; the lips of his metallic visage remained still as the sound emanated out from the helmet.
"They won't be moving it for at least another month. Security concerns, and all that, but I heard that some of the museum staff have been given permission to go and take a look. Preservationists, historians, anyone with a good deal of knowledge on the subject," his contact replied in good English.
The Man in Gold nodded slowly, then released the table from his grasp and leaned back in his chair. When a server asked for their order, the contact asked for a beer. The other man said nothing, and remained silent until the server had left.
"So, what's the delay then? Find one of these people, talk to them, and get access to the book. There's no reason why this should have taken so long."
People swarmed around the room that they were in, talking excitedly about something that was transpiring on the television above the bar; some sort of sporting event was taking place, which held about as much interest for the Man in Gold as any other human endeavor, which was to say, it didn't hold any interest at all for him.
"What did you find out?" The man in full armor asked in a low, gravelly voice; the lips of his metallic visage remained still as the sound emanated out from the helmet.
"They won't be moving it for at least another month. Security concerns, and all that, but I heard that some of the museum staff have been given permission to go and take a look. Preservationists, historians, anyone with a good deal of knowledge on the subject," his contact replied in good English.
The Man in Gold nodded slowly, then released the table from his grasp and leaned back in his chair. When a server asked for their order, the contact asked for a beer. The other man said nothing, and remained silent until the server had left.
"So, what's the delay then? Find one of these people, talk to them, and get access to the book. There's no reason why this should have taken so long."
People swarmed around the room that they were in, talking excitedly about something that was transpiring on the television above the bar; some sort of sporting event was taking place, which held about as much interest for the Man in Gold as any other human endeavor, which was to say, it didn't hold any interest at all for him.
Baron's goal was to find strong opponents all around the world, and he liked the idea. At first he thought about going straight out of Germany, but then realized that he might miss opponents of his own country, which was bad. Not only that but it would definitely be easier to to navigate in his own country he learned about through books. It would be a bad idea to stay in his hometown, Heidelberg, after him missing for four years, so Baron decided to head for the closest town: Frankfurt.
"Thank you for the ride, sir!" said the young white haired man to an older looking man in a car. "No worry son, that town was on my way anyway so it's not like I had to take a detour. Have fun beatin' up guys or somethin'!" the old man said, waving his hand as he began driving down the road until the car couldn't be seen anymore. Baron looked up at the sky, the sun already setting. He didn't have a watch so he couldn't tell exactly what time it was but he knew he'll have to find an inn soon if he didn't want to sleep on the streets. But Baron was pumped to find information about strong people first and decided to walk around town and see if anything interesting showed up.
Walking from street to street, Baron ignored the curious stares of the townfolks. He knew very well he looked extremely suspicious because of his cape covering his whole body, but without it his metal arm would be completely exposed, meaning troubles that would slow him in finding opponents. He could just lie for his unusual hair and eye color by saying he was from a faraway country.
After walking for about 20 minutes down the peaceful streets of Frankfurt, Baron heard some commotion about a match in a tavern near him. Going closer to it, he heard cheers coming from inside. He hastily made his way inside to see what it was all about. He noticed nearly everybody looking up at a television, something Baron never had but learned about through studying. What he saw on the tv made adrenaline rush through his head, it was a boxing match, a pro match. He didn't know if it was a title match or a simple match, but the crowd was definitely there. On the screen, both boxers were all beaten up, completely worn out and glaring at each other. They suddenly flew toward each other and both stopped right in the middle of the ring. "Oh! They're going to slug it out!" suddenly yelled Baron, clearly just as excited as the men around him. The fight didn't last long as one of them was down after a right straight from his opponent, he fell unconscious, it was a K.O. victory. Cheers roared loudly through the tavern. Looking at all of those people, Baron felt a bit sad. 'To think I could have been standing in the ring, being cheered on... Ah well, the past is the past. Time to ask some information to the bartender.'
Just as he turned around to sit down and ask questions, he noticed a bulky man in armor sitting at a table in front of another man that looked rather uneasy. The armored man not only looked strong, but he definitely had a huge intimidating aura Baron sensed. He heard about those from his coach, sometimes on the pro ring, the opponent will be so intimidating that he'll look much bigger than he is. And right now, to Baron, that man had the size of a building. Comically though, the fact that the chair where the man sit seemed like it was going to break at any moment made Baron chuckle in his head.
Baron approached the man, putting on a straight face to not show how excited he was, stared at him from behind for a second before talking. "Excuse me sir, you seem strong, do you want to spar against me?"
"Thank you for the ride, sir!" said the young white haired man to an older looking man in a car. "No worry son, that town was on my way anyway so it's not like I had to take a detour. Have fun beatin' up guys or somethin'!" the old man said, waving his hand as he began driving down the road until the car couldn't be seen anymore. Baron looked up at the sky, the sun already setting. He didn't have a watch so he couldn't tell exactly what time it was but he knew he'll have to find an inn soon if he didn't want to sleep on the streets. But Baron was pumped to find information about strong people first and decided to walk around town and see if anything interesting showed up.
Walking from street to street, Baron ignored the curious stares of the townfolks. He knew very well he looked extremely suspicious because of his cape covering his whole body, but without it his metal arm would be completely exposed, meaning troubles that would slow him in finding opponents. He could just lie for his unusual hair and eye color by saying he was from a faraway country.
After walking for about 20 minutes down the peaceful streets of Frankfurt, Baron heard some commotion about a match in a tavern near him. Going closer to it, he heard cheers coming from inside. He hastily made his way inside to see what it was all about. He noticed nearly everybody looking up at a television, something Baron never had but learned about through studying. What he saw on the tv made adrenaline rush through his head, it was a boxing match, a pro match. He didn't know if it was a title match or a simple match, but the crowd was definitely there. On the screen, both boxers were all beaten up, completely worn out and glaring at each other. They suddenly flew toward each other and both stopped right in the middle of the ring. "Oh! They're going to slug it out!" suddenly yelled Baron, clearly just as excited as the men around him. The fight didn't last long as one of them was down after a right straight from his opponent, he fell unconscious, it was a K.O. victory. Cheers roared loudly through the tavern. Looking at all of those people, Baron felt a bit sad. 'To think I could have been standing in the ring, being cheered on... Ah well, the past is the past. Time to ask some information to the bartender.'
Just as he turned around to sit down and ask questions, he noticed a bulky man in armor sitting at a table in front of another man that looked rather uneasy. The armored man not only looked strong, but he definitely had a huge intimidating aura Baron sensed. He heard about those from his coach, sometimes on the pro ring, the opponent will be so intimidating that he'll look much bigger than he is. And right now, to Baron, that man had the size of a building. Comically though, the fact that the chair where the man sit seemed like it was going to break at any moment made Baron chuckle in his head.
Baron approached the man, putting on a straight face to not show how excited he was, stared at him from behind for a second before talking. "Excuse me sir, you seem strong, do you want to spar against me?"
The man's question caused the Man in Gold to turn his head towards the newcomer, the black horsehair wig set into his helmet swaying with the motion, and look Baron up and down. He snorted, which was how he conveyed finding amusement with something, and then slowly rose from the chair. He stood at seven feet, a head taller than most people, and his shoulders and chest were quite broad; the armor helped some, as it was forged for him long ago, when he still had his warrior's physique, but his body was not in that bad of condition.
"I don't know you, human, and while I don't know what sort of fighting prowess you may have, I can assure you that a sparring match with me would end badly for both of us. Whatever strength and agility I could muster would leave me drained for a week, maybe two, and flare up my arthritis something fierce. Not to mention, I could probably punch straight through you, if I wanted to. I appreciate the offer, though. Few people address me in such a matter; my stature tends to drive them away, not draw questions about sparring...in time, perhaps, I could put some time aside for a sparring match. In the meantime, though, sit down; you intrigue me." His voice didn't convey the invitation to sit down as a request, but rather, a command.
His contact began to speak, but the Man in Gold flatly told him to get out of his sight, and the server soon returned with the man's drink, although he was already gone.
"I don't know you, human, and while I don't know what sort of fighting prowess you may have, I can assure you that a sparring match with me would end badly for both of us. Whatever strength and agility I could muster would leave me drained for a week, maybe two, and flare up my arthritis something fierce. Not to mention, I could probably punch straight through you, if I wanted to. I appreciate the offer, though. Few people address me in such a matter; my stature tends to drive them away, not draw questions about sparring...in time, perhaps, I could put some time aside for a sparring match. In the meantime, though, sit down; you intrigue me." His voice didn't convey the invitation to sit down as a request, but rather, a command.
His contact began to speak, but the Man in Gold flatly told him to get out of his sight, and the server soon returned with the man's drink, although he was already gone.
Baron blinked, surprised and disappointed at the same time. First, when Baron saw the man turn toward him, the fact that his helm covered his whole face made him even more intimidating, making Baron sweat a bit as he tensed. Then, he wasn't expecting the man to refuse, but more than that he wasn't expecting to hear that the man had physical problems that would come up if they ever fought, which worried Baron. Fighting someone that couldn't go all out was something he hated. Baron doubted about the fact that the man's fist would punch a hole through him since he didn't know his strength. He was also surprised that the man was taller than him, even if not by much, he never saw anybody taller before. When he heard that the man may someday spar with him though, Baron eyes lit up, he was incredibly happy even if he wouldn't be able to fight today, he still found an opponent. The man told him to sit down, and so the boy did, putting his bag and sandbag to the side of his chair as his muscles relaxed a bit.
Many questions went through Baron's head, such as 'Why did he call me human? How come he's wearing an armor? How much longer can that chair stand his weight before breaking?'. A full minute of silence passed as Baron noticed he had been day dreaming and had been staring at the man that whole minute. "Oh, my apologies, I was completely absorbed in my thoughts." Baron said as the server put the man's friend, or so he thought, drink on the table. He decided to ignore the server and the glass. "My name is Pi- I mean Baron, I'm sorry if I'm being rude for asking but where do you come from sir? I do believe armor isn't something usually worn in Germany. Also I'd recommend getting a sturdier chair sir, it doesn't look like it's going to last much longer."
Many questions went through Baron's head, such as 'Why did he call me human? How come he's wearing an armor? How much longer can that chair stand his weight before breaking?'. A full minute of silence passed as Baron noticed he had been day dreaming and had been staring at the man that whole minute. "Oh, my apologies, I was completely absorbed in my thoughts." Baron said as the server put the man's friend, or so he thought, drink on the table. He decided to ignore the server and the glass. "My name is Pi- I mean Baron, I'm sorry if I'm being rude for asking but where do you come from sir? I do believe armor isn't something usually worn in Germany. Also I'd recommend getting a sturdier chair sir, it doesn't look like it's going to last much longer."
The Man in Gold shrugged at his questions and, after a moment's thought, signaled for the server to come back to the table. When she did, he gave her rather complicated instructions on his drink, but in too low a voice for Baron to hear. Afterwards, he told her to get his guest whatever he wished, and then sent the woman on her way. As he mulled over the man's questions, he finally shifted in his seat and grunted.
"It doesn't particularly matter where I come from, stranger; the name of the place would mean nothing to you, if only because it's a name that hasn't meant anything for a very long time. The armor comes from the same place, and it's something I wear, regardless of location, for my protection. As far as the chair goes," he said with a pause and a glance down at the strained piece of furniture, "well, there's not a lot of other options around here. It'll hold me, though they'll probably have to replace it when I'm done here. Anyway, you must have had a reason for challenging me to spar when you came in, Baron," he let the man's name linger for a moment before continuing, almost as though he was unsure if the name was correct, "so why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"It doesn't particularly matter where I come from, stranger; the name of the place would mean nothing to you, if only because it's a name that hasn't meant anything for a very long time. The armor comes from the same place, and it's something I wear, regardless of location, for my protection. As far as the chair goes," he said with a pause and a glance down at the strained piece of furniture, "well, there's not a lot of other options around here. It'll hold me, though they'll probably have to replace it when I'm done here. Anyway, you must have had a reason for challenging me to spar when you came in, Baron," he let the man's name linger for a moment before continuing, almost as though he was unsure if the name was correct, "so why don't you tell me about yourself?"
Baron waited for the man's answers to his questions as he saw him whisper something to the waitress, that then came toward Baron asking what kind of drink he wanted. He just answered "Any kind of tea would be good, thank you." as the waitress nodded and took her leave, then the man began to talk.
'The name of the place where he came from doesn't mean anything? Does he means that his own country doesn't exist anymore? That's weird... I haven't read of any country that disappeared recently.' As he listened more to the man, multiple questions swarmed his head once again. 'He wears his armor constantly for protection? Is he being hunted? I doubt a criminal would suit up in such a flashy armor and simply sit down in a tavern.' He then saw the man take a glance at his chair. 'Guess it's too bad for the chair.' the man finished talking and now it was Baron's turn.
"Tell you about myself?" Baron said, "Well I do hate to admit it, I don't really have much to tell you about me. The reason I challenged you was simply because you look and feel strong. My goal is to find strong opponents and to fight against them fair and square in a one on one fight, using the art of boxing I learned for so long, so I simply started a journey to wander around the world to fight. If I could I would be on the pro ring though, and not wandering the world, but that's impossible now." the waitress came back and put whatever the man ordered and Baron's tea on the table. Baron took his left hand out of his cape to grab the teacup with uncertainty as he started sipping his tea. "Hm, tastes like black tea. It's too bad you refused, but if your physical condition would worsen that badly after we fought then I can definitely understand."
'The name of the place where he came from doesn't mean anything? Does he means that his own country doesn't exist anymore? That's weird... I haven't read of any country that disappeared recently.' As he listened more to the man, multiple questions swarmed his head once again. 'He wears his armor constantly for protection? Is he being hunted? I doubt a criminal would suit up in such a flashy armor and simply sit down in a tavern.' He then saw the man take a glance at his chair. 'Guess it's too bad for the chair.' the man finished talking and now it was Baron's turn.
"Tell you about myself?" Baron said, "Well I do hate to admit it, I don't really have much to tell you about me. The reason I challenged you was simply because you look and feel strong. My goal is to find strong opponents and to fight against them fair and square in a one on one fight, using the art of boxing I learned for so long, so I simply started a journey to wander around the world to fight. If I could I would be on the pro ring though, and not wandering the world, but that's impossible now." the waitress came back and put whatever the man ordered and Baron's tea on the table. Baron took his left hand out of his cape to grab the teacup with uncertainty as he started sipping his tea. "Hm, tastes like black tea. It's too bad you refused, but if your physical condition would worsen that badly after we fought then I can definitely understand."
The Man in Gold nodded somewhat distantly at Baron's remarks, and brought his hands to the underside of his helmet, then looked around the room for a moment before dropping his hands back onto the table. He slowly rose and grabbed the drink that the woman had left for him, then nodded towards a backroom in the bar that was unoccupied by guests.
"Let's take this conversation to a more private place. I don't like taking my helmet off in crowded areas, too many risks. Of course," he said in a grumble, "you may be a risk yourself, but something about you interests me. I can't put my finger on it..."
He slowly made his way to the backroom and took a booth away from the entrance, but sat to where he could watch anyone coming into the room. He didn't bother to wait for Baron to walk in, either, before he took off his helmet. When the other man had followed him, he would see the Man in Gold's shattered visage; it was marred by a large scar running over his left eye and the corner of his mouth, giving him a permanent sneer on that side of his face, and leaving the eye dull and dark. His other eye, however, was bright, almost glowing, and completely red; there were no features that one could see. His skin was blue, with purple hues, and his hair was white and in the same style as the black wig set into his helmet. He took a sip from the glass, let out a sigh of appreciation, and then moved his helmet aside on the table.
"Let's take this conversation to a more private place. I don't like taking my helmet off in crowded areas, too many risks. Of course," he said in a grumble, "you may be a risk yourself, but something about you interests me. I can't put my finger on it..."
He slowly made his way to the backroom and took a booth away from the entrance, but sat to where he could watch anyone coming into the room. He didn't bother to wait for Baron to walk in, either, before he took off his helmet. When the other man had followed him, he would see the Man in Gold's shattered visage; it was marred by a large scar running over his left eye and the corner of his mouth, giving him a permanent sneer on that side of his face, and leaving the eye dull and dark. His other eye, however, was bright, almost glowing, and completely red; there were no features that one could see. His skin was blue, with purple hues, and his hair was white and in the same style as the black wig set into his helmet. He took a sip from the glass, let out a sigh of appreciation, and then moved his helmet aside on the table.
With the helmet on the man's face, Baron wasn't exactly sure if he was actually being listened to or if he was talking to a wall. Truth to be told, he actually didn't care much about it since what he said wasn't that important anyway. The man suddenly stood up and asked Baron to follow him, saying he was going to take off his helmet. Baron raised an eyebrow, 'His helmet... Seems like I'll finally be able to see his face. "Too many risks", he said? I have a hard time understanding what he's talking about.' Baron stood up, put the half empty cup of tea on the table, taking his bag and sandbag and putting them both on his left shoulder and then took back his teacup and followed the man.
When he entered the room and saw the face of the man, Baron was startled but kept a straight face to avoid being rude and sat down, putting both of his bags next to his chair. Baron definitely didn't picture the man's face like that before, it definitely was the face of a man who went through a lot, which definitely increased his already heavily intimidating aura. Not only that but the unusual color of his eyes and skin made him doubt he was completely human. 'Maybe he went through some sort of experiment and had side effects, but didn't turn out as well as me? I really should consider myself lucky.'
Taking another sip of his black tea, Baron stared at the man and asked: "What exactly happened to you, sir?"
When he entered the room and saw the face of the man, Baron was startled but kept a straight face to avoid being rude and sat down, putting both of his bags next to his chair. Baron definitely didn't picture the man's face like that before, it definitely was the face of a man who went through a lot, which definitely increased his already heavily intimidating aura. Not only that but the unusual color of his eyes and skin made him doubt he was completely human. 'Maybe he went through some sort of experiment and had side effects, but didn't turn out as well as me? I really should consider myself lucky.'
Taking another sip of his black tea, Baron stared at the man and asked: "What exactly happened to you, sir?"
With Baron's question, the Man in Gold was quiet for a long while, then sipped at his drink and sighed again. He ran a hand over his face, letting his armored fingers brush against the scar through his eye and then brought the hand down on to the table. He clenched his fist for a moment, then relaxed as he began to speak.
"A friend, or a man that I thought was my friend, caused this. He caused a lot of things to happen in my life, but this is the most visible damage that he's caused me. It's a long story, not a happy one, and one which I don't wish to tell unless I'm quite drunk; and, believe me, I don't intend to get drunk this evening. Suffice to say, I'm an old man who's seen too much. You're young, though; younger than me, anyway, and you've got life in you yet."
He paused, finished his drink, and looked away for a moment, revealing his elfin ears to Baron as he said nothing. When he turned back, there was a gleam in his good eye.
"You said that you liked to box. I was a decent enough boxer, a long time ago; fought a few years at a station around Andromeda...of course, you probably wouldn't know what I'm talking about."
"A friend, or a man that I thought was my friend, caused this. He caused a lot of things to happen in my life, but this is the most visible damage that he's caused me. It's a long story, not a happy one, and one which I don't wish to tell unless I'm quite drunk; and, believe me, I don't intend to get drunk this evening. Suffice to say, I'm an old man who's seen too much. You're young, though; younger than me, anyway, and you've got life in you yet."
He paused, finished his drink, and looked away for a moment, revealing his elfin ears to Baron as he said nothing. When he turned back, there was a gleam in his good eye.
"You said that you liked to box. I was a decent enough boxer, a long time ago; fought a few years at a station around Andromeda...of course, you probably wouldn't know what I'm talking about."
Baron quietly and slowly sipped his tea while listening to the man's words. 'Betrayal huh? I haven't experienced this in my life, and I doubt I would experience it on such a scale, too.'
When the man looked away, Baron noticed the unusually long ears the man had. Baron never actually read any fairy tales and didn't study any kind of mythology either because he wasn't interested in it, so he wouldn't know about mystical creatures from fairytales having similar ears, Baron still was sure that the man also had some modifications done to his body in a way similar to himself.
Suddenly the man started to talk about boxing, which definitely interested Baron. 'Andromeda is the name of a plant is it? And what does he mean by station? Is it some kind of laboratory? I guess I'm not too far from the truth with him being in an operation had a lot of side effects, I highly doubt those kind of mutations come naturally... I really hope my skin won't turn blue. But more importantly, he did box when he was younger!'
When the man said that he wouldn't understand, Baron raised an eyebrow and answered, full of confidence, "If it's about boxing, I'll definitely know what you're talking about, because the rules are the same all around the world. You can only attack the upper body with your fists, using any other part of your body is a foul, hitting the back of the opponent is a foul, a match can last from 4 to 12 rounds with victory decided either by a knock out or a decision if both boxers are still standing at the end of the last round. You can only fight people of the same weight class, from minimumweight to heavyweight, with the really talented heavyweight boxers duking it out at Las Vegas and gaining an incredible amount of money!" Baron narrated, passionately, clenching his left fist and looking at the ceiling. He then looked back at the man, his eyes fiery from passion. "So, how was your boxing career, sir?"
When the man looked away, Baron noticed the unusually long ears the man had. Baron never actually read any fairy tales and didn't study any kind of mythology either because he wasn't interested in it, so he wouldn't know about mystical creatures from fairytales having similar ears, Baron still was sure that the man also had some modifications done to his body in a way similar to himself.
Suddenly the man started to talk about boxing, which definitely interested Baron. 'Andromeda is the name of a plant is it? And what does he mean by station? Is it some kind of laboratory? I guess I'm not too far from the truth with him being in an operation had a lot of side effects, I highly doubt those kind of mutations come naturally... I really hope my skin won't turn blue. But more importantly, he did box when he was younger!'
When the man said that he wouldn't understand, Baron raised an eyebrow and answered, full of confidence, "If it's about boxing, I'll definitely know what you're talking about, because the rules are the same all around the world. You can only attack the upper body with your fists, using any other part of your body is a foul, hitting the back of the opponent is a foul, a match can last from 4 to 12 rounds with victory decided either by a knock out or a decision if both boxers are still standing at the end of the last round. You can only fight people of the same weight class, from minimumweight to heavyweight, with the really talented heavyweight boxers duking it out at Las Vegas and gaining an incredible amount of money!" Baron narrated, passionately, clenching his left fist and looking at the ceiling. He then looked back at the man, his eyes fiery from passion. "So, how was your boxing career, sir?"
He cocked an eyebrow at Baron's enthusiastic response, then leaned back in his seat and dropped his hands from the table onto his thighs; there was no movement out of him for a moment, because the server had come in with another drink to replace the one that he had finished only moments before. She went away without giving any attention to the other man, and Baron would have to call for her if he needed her. After taking a sip from his new drink, the Man in Gold stared down at the table before he raised his head to Baron's height and put his hands back on the table.
"Well, I was talking about how you wouldn't know what I meant about the station around Andromeda, but...yes, your description sounds about right, at least for boxing on Earth. My people had less rules, tougher matches; you may think that I'm a towering sort of person, very imposing, but I'm only a little taller and a little bulkier than most of the members of my race. What I said about punching through you earlier wasn't an exaggeration either, and most of my people could do the same. But we have tough skin, well, we had tough skin, infused with metal. So, the rules of a boxing match were rather simple; two men go into the ring, one man comes out of the ring, keep things above the waist, and the match ends when someone hits the floor for more than ten seconds."
He paused, took another sip, sighed. The liquor was relaxing, even if dwelling on his past was not. Finally, though, when he had taken a moment to let his words sink in, he resumed speaking.
"Well, I never boxed for sport; I wasn't in any tournaments, or won any titles or anything of that sort. I had more important things to do, being the king of my people's planet, and I was often traveling across the land, battling evil with swordplay and sorcery. Boxing and sparring was never anything more than a way to keep my body in shape, but I practiced it well. I would say that I was the best among my allies, but it's been a very long time since I had anyone from those days to compare against."
"Well, I was talking about how you wouldn't know what I meant about the station around Andromeda, but...yes, your description sounds about right, at least for boxing on Earth. My people had less rules, tougher matches; you may think that I'm a towering sort of person, very imposing, but I'm only a little taller and a little bulkier than most of the members of my race. What I said about punching through you earlier wasn't an exaggeration either, and most of my people could do the same. But we have tough skin, well, we had tough skin, infused with metal. So, the rules of a boxing match were rather simple; two men go into the ring, one man comes out of the ring, keep things above the waist, and the match ends when someone hits the floor for more than ten seconds."
He paused, took another sip, sighed. The liquor was relaxing, even if dwelling on his past was not. Finally, though, when he had taken a moment to let his words sink in, he resumed speaking.
"Well, I never boxed for sport; I wasn't in any tournaments, or won any titles or anything of that sort. I had more important things to do, being the king of my people's planet, and I was often traveling across the land, battling evil with swordplay and sorcery. Boxing and sparring was never anything more than a way to keep my body in shape, but I practiced it well. I would say that I was the best among my allies, but it's been a very long time since I had anyone from those days to compare against."
((OOC: This post feels kind of really bad, tell me if you want me to rewrite it.))
Baron finished drinking his tea but didn't bother ordering another as the waitress went out of the room, he carefully listened to whatever the man said and... stared blankly at the man's face, his brain processing the informations he just received. 'What on earth is he talking about? That man is a king? And he's from another planet? Is he plain crazy or is he truly an alien? And his race had a body of steel? Wait, steel...'
"In a way, if I do spar against you it will be probably fair then." Baron began. A soft whirr could be heard from under his cape as he took his metal arm out of it. "I haven't tested it in a fight yet or on anything solid for that matter, but I believe it is pretty strong." he said as he moved his finger and clenched his mechanical fist to see if everything was working correctly. "And, to be honest I'm not really understanding your whole story about being king of another planet, but the fact that boxing exists on another planet is amazing. I have a hard time believing you're an alien but seeing your physical appearence, I doubt that you're fully human." Baron paused for a second, looking at his right arm on the table, almost telling himself 'Fully human? look who's talking.', before he continued, "In the end, it doesn't matter what you are or where you come from, you told me you were one of the stronger boxers of your planet right? You also went to war, and came out alive, that means you're even stronger than a normal boxer, which is exactly what I'm searching for!"
Baron paused once again, his curious mind wanting to understand something he didn't understand. "Sir, -or actually, should I call you "your majesty"?- anyway, there's something that bothers me still, if you're truly the king of another planet, then what are you doing here in a tavern, on earth? Do kings have vacations on your planet?"
Baron finished drinking his tea but didn't bother ordering another as the waitress went out of the room, he carefully listened to whatever the man said and... stared blankly at the man's face, his brain processing the informations he just received. 'What on earth is he talking about? That man is a king? And he's from another planet? Is he plain crazy or is he truly an alien? And his race had a body of steel? Wait, steel...'
"In a way, if I do spar against you it will be probably fair then." Baron began. A soft whirr could be heard from under his cape as he took his metal arm out of it. "I haven't tested it in a fight yet or on anything solid for that matter, but I believe it is pretty strong." he said as he moved his finger and clenched his mechanical fist to see if everything was working correctly. "And, to be honest I'm not really understanding your whole story about being king of another planet, but the fact that boxing exists on another planet is amazing. I have a hard time believing you're an alien but seeing your physical appearence, I doubt that you're fully human." Baron paused for a second, looking at his right arm on the table, almost telling himself 'Fully human? look who's talking.', before he continued, "In the end, it doesn't matter what you are or where you come from, you told me you were one of the stronger boxers of your planet right? You also went to war, and came out alive, that means you're even stronger than a normal boxer, which is exactly what I'm searching for!"
Baron paused once again, his curious mind wanting to understand something he didn't understand. "Sir, -or actually, should I call you "your majesty"?- anyway, there's something that bothers me still, if you're truly the king of another planet, then what are you doing here in a tavern, on earth? Do kings have vacations on your planet?"
The Man in Gold held up a hand at Baron's attempts to address him properly, but waited for the man to speak his piece before replying in a tired voice. His shoulders slouched at the mentions of war, and of coming out alive, and finally, he slumped over the table, his head inclined over his drink as he spoke.
"Don't bother with the titles or terms of respect. I haven't been a king in thirteen thousand years, and I haven't been someone that you call 'sir' for almost as long. As far as going to war, and coming out alive," he stopped and laughed. It wasn't a snort, but a genuine laugh, although it was anything but humorous; it was a rasping, low, almost guttural noise. After a moment, he sat up and stared Baron down, although his eyes wouldn't have made that fact obvious, and spoke again.
"I've been fighting one group or another for almost the entire span of my life. For many of those years, it was against one man, the same man who gave me this scar, but he's not stupid; he gets others to fight for him, and I've been fighting his lackeys to get to him. Of course, thirteen thousand years is a lot of time, far more than even I should have lived, but I've been cheating death to keep the pursuit up after this man. So, yes, I suppose that I'm tougher than most, but don't deceive yourself; I'm an old man whose seen and done far too much."
"Don't bother with the titles or terms of respect. I haven't been a king in thirteen thousand years, and I haven't been someone that you call 'sir' for almost as long. As far as going to war, and coming out alive," he stopped and laughed. It wasn't a snort, but a genuine laugh, although it was anything but humorous; it was a rasping, low, almost guttural noise. After a moment, he sat up and stared Baron down, although his eyes wouldn't have made that fact obvious, and spoke again.
"I've been fighting one group or another for almost the entire span of my life. For many of those years, it was against one man, the same man who gave me this scar, but he's not stupid; he gets others to fight for him, and I've been fighting his lackeys to get to him. Of course, thirteen thousand years is a lot of time, far more than even I should have lived, but I've been cheating death to keep the pursuit up after this man. So, yes, I suppose that I'm tougher than most, but don't deceive yourself; I'm an old man whose seen and done far too much."
'Th- thirteen thousand years?!' Baron almost wanted to yell, but as always kept a straight face even through steam could almost be seen coming out of his ears. 'Ah, I give up trying to make sense. He's an alien, that's it, I'm throwing the towel.'
Baron crossed his arm and stared at the man, "Sir, you are amazing. For thousand of years, you aimed for one man, your goal, and you're still aiming for him. I may not fully know the reasons why, but having the will to follow that villain for so long, fighting your way to him. You may be an alien, but you're a real man. No wonder you were a king and a warrior." Baron took a glance outside of the room and saw through the windows that night had fallen. "It seems that our conversation will come to an end, I have to search an inn for the night to sleep in. We should talk more someday, and perhaps spar. Well then if you excuse me." Baron stood up, hide his metal arm under his cap, took his bag and his sandbag and went to pay his tea at the bar.
Baron crossed his arm and stared at the man, "Sir, you are amazing. For thousand of years, you aimed for one man, your goal, and you're still aiming for him. I may not fully know the reasons why, but having the will to follow that villain for so long, fighting your way to him. You may be an alien, but you're a real man. No wonder you were a king and a warrior." Baron took a glance outside of the room and saw through the windows that night had fallen. "It seems that our conversation will come to an end, I have to search an inn for the night to sleep in. We should talk more someday, and perhaps spar. Well then if you excuse me." Baron stood up, hide his metal arm under his cap, took his bag and his sandbag and went to pay his tea at the bar.
He looked up at Baron as he stood, unfazed by the man's alarm at the mention of his age. When the other man mentioned looking for an inn, the Man in Gold gestured to the room around them with a hand; the rest of him remained still in the booth, almost statue-like.
"There's places around here. I look forward to another talk with you, Baron; that arm of yours is...quite something."
He said nothing more, not even a farewell when the man walked out to the bar, and went back to nursing his drink. He remained like that for a while, and finally, when the glass was empty, got up, put on his helmet, and left. The bill would be covered, of that there was no doubt, and he needed to find his contact and press him for information about what needed to be done at the museum soon. The night absorbed him as he stepped outside; the streets were mostly empty, and he liked that.
"There's places around here. I look forward to another talk with you, Baron; that arm of yours is...quite something."
He said nothing more, not even a farewell when the man walked out to the bar, and went back to nursing his drink. He remained like that for a while, and finally, when the glass was empty, got up, put on his helmet, and left. The bill would be covered, of that there was no doubt, and he needed to find his contact and press him for information about what needed to be done at the museum soon. The night absorbed him as he stepped outside; the streets were mostly empty, and he liked that.
He saw the man walking out of the tavern, Baron paid for his drink and took a look at the TV above the bar, nothing interesting was on. He went out of the tavern and found an inn rather quickly like the man said. It wasn't anything big or fancy like Baron was used to, but he didn't really care, all he needed was a bed in a private room. Not wanting to waste money, he took one of the cheaper room and went upstairs to finally get on his bed. After entering the room, Baron put his bags aside, took his cape off and sat down on his bed, thinking of today's meeting with the man. 'My right arm is quite something huh? I guess even an alien doesn't see this everyday.' he thought. 'Anyway, time to sleep... is what I think I should do but I'm not even tired. I guess I'll do some shadowboxing then.' he stood up and did as he thought, punching and dodging the air as if there really was someone.
He fell asleep about 35 minutes later.
He fell asleep about 35 minutes later.
The Man in Gold walked a short distance, and soon a long, graceful automobile pulled up to the curb and he entered it; it was of a model and design that was long out of date, although it seemed to be in pristine condition. Inside the rear seat of the limousine, he adjusted himself on the spacious seat and then waited for his driver to ferry him across the city to one of the more expensive hotels. He would speak with his contact tomorrow, he figured, and anyway, he had much to think on.
When he arrived at the hotel, he entered it without paying any mind to any of the staff in the lobby. He rode the elevator up to the top floor and waited for a clerk to rush up to the same floor behind him to unlock the door to one of the exclusive suites. Once that was done, he walked inside and, with a disapproving look about him, removed his armor and sword, then set them down in the room and barricaded the door with a chair. Afterwards, he reclined onto the bed and thought.
Baron interested him intensely, and he was tempted to try a sparring match with him at some point in the future; however, there was more on his mind than that. A metal arm could be downright useful in more than a few situations, and if he was as good of a fighter as he seemed to be, the Man in Gold could have use of him as an employee. He often thought about people in such terms; that is, people to hire, people to intimidate, or people to ignore. Baron was in the first category, and, though the Man in Gold would hardly admit it, drinking and talking with him had been somewhat enjoyable. It was rare that he came across a person who would listen to his story without finding it impossible or frightening. With those thoughts in mind, he drifted off to sleep.
When he arrived at the hotel, he entered it without paying any mind to any of the staff in the lobby. He rode the elevator up to the top floor and waited for a clerk to rush up to the same floor behind him to unlock the door to one of the exclusive suites. Once that was done, he walked inside and, with a disapproving look about him, removed his armor and sword, then set them down in the room and barricaded the door with a chair. Afterwards, he reclined onto the bed and thought.
Baron interested him intensely, and he was tempted to try a sparring match with him at some point in the future; however, there was more on his mind than that. A metal arm could be downright useful in more than a few situations, and if he was as good of a fighter as he seemed to be, the Man in Gold could have use of him as an employee. He often thought about people in such terms; that is, people to hire, people to intimidate, or people to ignore. Baron was in the first category, and, though the Man in Gold would hardly admit it, drinking and talking with him had been somewhat enjoyable. It was rare that he came across a person who would listen to his story without finding it impossible or frightening. With those thoughts in mind, he drifted off to sleep.
Baron stared at the ceiling, a big frown on his face. He tried everything he knew, even hypnotism, but to no avail. "Argh, I can't sleep! I want to fight that strong guy I found today right now dangit!" he yelled as he heard replies coming from the inn such as "Shut up!" or "Don't you know people sleep here, damn brat!?". He sighed, embarassed to have yelled in a public place, especially when they were asleep. "That won't do, I need to get my mind focused on something else." he whispered to himself, almost afraid to annoy anyone by being too loud. He looked around the room, searching for anything to distract him and found nothing until he saw his sandbag. "Since I can't sleep, I might as well train. I already did some shadowbox and I can't use my sandbag at this hour, it'll be way too loud. Guess I'll go for some lower body exercises then." he then grabbed his cape, put it on him and went outside. 'Time to go for a night jog, the cape is going to annoy me but even at night I can't take any risks.' he thought as he began his late training through the empty streets of the town.
It already had been 25 minutes since Baron started his jog, or actually his sprint. He figured rushing would be a better idea to wear him out, but it didn't, it was like he didn't even run since he went out of the inn. Baron had to admit that it was quite frustrating. His sprint came to a stop as he noticed a bright green light that alerted him of a crosswalk. Just like a well mannered boy, Baron waited for the light to become red, even if he couldn't hear any vehicles close to him. He noticed two things: he was panting a bit, which meant he was finally starting to get tired. The second were people on the other side also waiting for the light to switch colors, there was a blond, middle-aged looking woman with an also blond little girl right next to her holding a box of sweets, or so Baron thought. A bit farther was a man wearing a suit with a messy and rather long brown hair, smoking a cigar and making sure that the smoke wasn't going toward the woman while talking to another man wearing glasses, with black hair swept back in a smiliar fashion to Baron and a suit. 'That man with the cigar is definitely a gentleman.' Baron thought. 'That said, I wonder what that armored sir fighting's style is? My guess would be an inboxer, the rules to boxing on his planet were something like "keep it above the waist, two enter, one gets out" so it would make sense. I'll have to watch out for his reach and he may be able to use counters...' Deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice the light turning red right away as the people already started walking toward him 'Ah, I can go.'. He began jogging normally, not wanting to push someone by accident while going fast, but just as he started to jog, he saw two lights coming toward the road he was going to walk on at full speed. 'What the...?' The woman with the child and the man were right in the middle of it as a truck was coming and wasn't stopping. They turned their head around, the woman cried in horror and held her girl in her arms while both men couldn't move out of fear, knowing what fate had reserved for them.
Just as the truck was about to collide, Baron leaped right in front of the citizens, taking his right arm out of his cape and without hesitation, punched the truck as hard as he could, hoping he wouldn't make anything explode. The truck brutally stopped and was sent back a few feet away from him. "Are you alright, ma'am? Sir?" he turned around to ask the people he just saved. The man and the woman both had shocked expressions, while the little girl had a look of admiration and was staring at Baron. The man with the glasses spoke first "I... I think we're fine, thanks to you. Are you ladi-" "I ALMOST HAD AN HEART ATTACK!" suddenly yelled the other man. As the man with glasses scolded the one that had dropped his cigar, Baron went to check on the woman and the child. "Are you alright ma'am?" he asked her, she simply nodded while the little girl bombarded him with questions. He sighed in relief as he heard a voice coming from the truck 'Oh darn, I forgot about the driver, is he okay? The truck isn't upside down so he should be.' he thought as he went to check on him. "Why isn't this thing working, *hic*! I swear dis truck was *hic* rollin' and..." the driver continued, obviously completely drunk and unaware of the accident. At that moment, Baron was seeing completely red. Not only he still hadn't had the chance to fight someone strong yet and for that reason he couldn't sleep, but a man that almost killed a little girl, her mother and two men, was completely drunk and didn't even care about that accident. "When I was young, my father always told me to knock on doors before entering," Baron began, clenching his right fist "Ah, where are my manners? I should've done it sooner.". Baron, once again, punched the truck, but this time punched through door near the driver's seat, ripping the door off the truck and grabbing the driver by his collar and glared at him. "Listen here, drunk mister. I'm definitely not in a good mood today thanks to you. You see those people on the road here? You nearly killed them, yes, you." Baron told him in a threatening voice that told the drunk man that if he tried to say anything he'd probably get a fist to the face. But the drunkard laughed "I have no idea *hic* what're you talkin' about eheheh?" "Why you rude little-!" just as Baron was about to punch him with his left hand, he felt someone grip his shoulder. "That's enough, hitting him will only get you into more troubles. I called the police, that man will be punished through law." it was the man with the glasses that spoke to him. Baron sighed and put the driver on the ground as he faced the man with glasses. "My name is Frank, I'm a lawyer, and this useless and loud guy here-" "Who're you calling useless and loud, mister I-wear-glasses-just-to-look-good-and-I'm-a-lawyer huh?" the other man with the suit answered and was ignored "is my friend, Zacharie, he's the boss of one of the bars in this streets, I don't remember which one." Frank chuckled as his friend complained, but he ignored it. "Anyway, thanks for saving our lives, without you and your... interesting arm, we probably would be dead, or close to that state." he searched through his suit and took out of one of the pockets and gave Baron a card. "If you get into any trouble with law just give me a call, sorry but I need to hurry, can't keep my wife waiting. See you then!". Baron hadn't even the time to blink before the lawyer dissapeared in the night, leaving Zacharie dumbfounded while Baron simply read what was written on the card and then pocketed it. The police cars arrived as they saw the woman talking to a police officer, explaining the situation. Baron quickly hid his right arm under his cape again. Zacharie was about to thank his saviour when he was rudely interrupted by the little girl that broke free from her mother's arms. "Hey mister, what you did right now was awesome! Do it again! Oh yeah, want a cake?" she said as she opened the box and gave him a small but tasty looking cake, which Baron didn't accept right away until he saw the little girl pout, he then gently took the cake and ate it "It's really good! Thank you.", the child giggled and ran back to her mother. "Listen here kid, I'll only say it once - and why are you so tall anyway, that's unfair - but thanks. I can't repay you right now, but tomorrow come to my bar, it's not far away from a crappy inn that doesn't even have toilets so you should find it right away. Well, uh... How's your metal arm-thing?" Baron moved his arm a bit in his cape, turning his wrists and clenching his fist. "I do believe it's fine. Thank you for being concerned over it. I'll be sure to come to your tavern tomorrow then." he finally answered. "Well then, I'll take my leave, I have to continue my jog to get tired and finally sleep. Goodbye." "Wait please!" a female voice called just as Baron started running, he abruptly stopped, nearly tripping. "I'm sorry, but would you come to dine with us tonight? You don't seem from here too, do you have anywhere to sleep? You could spend the night at my house, I have a spare room for guests. Think of it as my way of saying thank you. Oh and that gentleman over there can come too if he wants to." the woman he had saved said, pointing at Zacharie. 'Accept everybody's kindness, father said.' "Sure thing, but I already will sleep in an inn near here and I don't want to be a bother to you, but I'll gladly accept dinner." Baron answered. "A lady just asked you to sleep at her house and you refused? I'm coming with you to that inn, you're taking your stuff and I'm bringing you to her house, stupid kid!" Zacharie whispered to him, "Thank you very much, I'll gladly accept that offer, also the young man over there changed his mind and wants to sleep at your house! He's just going to take his package where he left them, so wait for us!" the boss of the bar suddenly told her as he grabbed Baron, asking him where he left everything he had and then scolding him for sleeping at that inn he talked about minutes ago. He also somehow managed to get Baron's money back from paying the room, showed where his bar was and went back to the woman as they all finally entered her house and had dinner. At first they mostly asked questions about Baron's arm but the discussion quickly turned to Zacharie being silly and making awful jokes, which Baron liked a lot.
After taking a shower, Baron finally managed to fall asleep in the much more comfortable bed of the guest room.
It already had been 25 minutes since Baron started his jog, or actually his sprint. He figured rushing would be a better idea to wear him out, but it didn't, it was like he didn't even run since he went out of the inn. Baron had to admit that it was quite frustrating. His sprint came to a stop as he noticed a bright green light that alerted him of a crosswalk. Just like a well mannered boy, Baron waited for the light to become red, even if he couldn't hear any vehicles close to him. He noticed two things: he was panting a bit, which meant he was finally starting to get tired. The second were people on the other side also waiting for the light to switch colors, there was a blond, middle-aged looking woman with an also blond little girl right next to her holding a box of sweets, or so Baron thought. A bit farther was a man wearing a suit with a messy and rather long brown hair, smoking a cigar and making sure that the smoke wasn't going toward the woman while talking to another man wearing glasses, with black hair swept back in a smiliar fashion to Baron and a suit. 'That man with the cigar is definitely a gentleman.' Baron thought. 'That said, I wonder what that armored sir fighting's style is? My guess would be an inboxer, the rules to boxing on his planet were something like "keep it above the waist, two enter, one gets out" so it would make sense. I'll have to watch out for his reach and he may be able to use counters...' Deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice the light turning red right away as the people already started walking toward him 'Ah, I can go.'. He began jogging normally, not wanting to push someone by accident while going fast, but just as he started to jog, he saw two lights coming toward the road he was going to walk on at full speed. 'What the...?' The woman with the child and the man were right in the middle of it as a truck was coming and wasn't stopping. They turned their head around, the woman cried in horror and held her girl in her arms while both men couldn't move out of fear, knowing what fate had reserved for them.
Just as the truck was about to collide, Baron leaped right in front of the citizens, taking his right arm out of his cape and without hesitation, punched the truck as hard as he could, hoping he wouldn't make anything explode. The truck brutally stopped and was sent back a few feet away from him. "Are you alright, ma'am? Sir?" he turned around to ask the people he just saved. The man and the woman both had shocked expressions, while the little girl had a look of admiration and was staring at Baron. The man with the glasses spoke first "I... I think we're fine, thanks to you. Are you ladi-" "I ALMOST HAD AN HEART ATTACK!" suddenly yelled the other man. As the man with glasses scolded the one that had dropped his cigar, Baron went to check on the woman and the child. "Are you alright ma'am?" he asked her, she simply nodded while the little girl bombarded him with questions. He sighed in relief as he heard a voice coming from the truck 'Oh darn, I forgot about the driver, is he okay? The truck isn't upside down so he should be.' he thought as he went to check on him. "Why isn't this thing working, *hic*! I swear dis truck was *hic* rollin' and..." the driver continued, obviously completely drunk and unaware of the accident. At that moment, Baron was seeing completely red. Not only he still hadn't had the chance to fight someone strong yet and for that reason he couldn't sleep, but a man that almost killed a little girl, her mother and two men, was completely drunk and didn't even care about that accident. "When I was young, my father always told me to knock on doors before entering," Baron began, clenching his right fist "Ah, where are my manners? I should've done it sooner.". Baron, once again, punched the truck, but this time punched through door near the driver's seat, ripping the door off the truck and grabbing the driver by his collar and glared at him. "Listen here, drunk mister. I'm definitely not in a good mood today thanks to you. You see those people on the road here? You nearly killed them, yes, you." Baron told him in a threatening voice that told the drunk man that if he tried to say anything he'd probably get a fist to the face. But the drunkard laughed "I have no idea *hic* what're you talkin' about eheheh?" "Why you rude little-!" just as Baron was about to punch him with his left hand, he felt someone grip his shoulder. "That's enough, hitting him will only get you into more troubles. I called the police, that man will be punished through law." it was the man with the glasses that spoke to him. Baron sighed and put the driver on the ground as he faced the man with glasses. "My name is Frank, I'm a lawyer, and this useless and loud guy here-" "Who're you calling useless and loud, mister I-wear-glasses-just-to-look-good-and-I'm-a-lawyer huh?" the other man with the suit answered and was ignored "is my friend, Zacharie, he's the boss of one of the bars in this streets, I don't remember which one." Frank chuckled as his friend complained, but he ignored it. "Anyway, thanks for saving our lives, without you and your... interesting arm, we probably would be dead, or close to that state." he searched through his suit and took out of one of the pockets and gave Baron a card. "If you get into any trouble with law just give me a call, sorry but I need to hurry, can't keep my wife waiting. See you then!". Baron hadn't even the time to blink before the lawyer dissapeared in the night, leaving Zacharie dumbfounded while Baron simply read what was written on the card and then pocketed it. The police cars arrived as they saw the woman talking to a police officer, explaining the situation. Baron quickly hid his right arm under his cape again. Zacharie was about to thank his saviour when he was rudely interrupted by the little girl that broke free from her mother's arms. "Hey mister, what you did right now was awesome! Do it again! Oh yeah, want a cake?" she said as she opened the box and gave him a small but tasty looking cake, which Baron didn't accept right away until he saw the little girl pout, he then gently took the cake and ate it "It's really good! Thank you.", the child giggled and ran back to her mother. "Listen here kid, I'll only say it once - and why are you so tall anyway, that's unfair - but thanks. I can't repay you right now, but tomorrow come to my bar, it's not far away from a crappy inn that doesn't even have toilets so you should find it right away. Well, uh... How's your metal arm-thing?" Baron moved his arm a bit in his cape, turning his wrists and clenching his fist. "I do believe it's fine. Thank you for being concerned over it. I'll be sure to come to your tavern tomorrow then." he finally answered. "Well then, I'll take my leave, I have to continue my jog to get tired and finally sleep. Goodbye." "Wait please!" a female voice called just as Baron started running, he abruptly stopped, nearly tripping. "I'm sorry, but would you come to dine with us tonight? You don't seem from here too, do you have anywhere to sleep? You could spend the night at my house, I have a spare room for guests. Think of it as my way of saying thank you. Oh and that gentleman over there can come too if he wants to." the woman he had saved said, pointing at Zacharie. 'Accept everybody's kindness, father said.' "Sure thing, but I already will sleep in an inn near here and I don't want to be a bother to you, but I'll gladly accept dinner." Baron answered. "A lady just asked you to sleep at her house and you refused? I'm coming with you to that inn, you're taking your stuff and I'm bringing you to her house, stupid kid!" Zacharie whispered to him, "Thank you very much, I'll gladly accept that offer, also the young man over there changed his mind and wants to sleep at your house! He's just going to take his package where he left them, so wait for us!" the boss of the bar suddenly told her as he grabbed Baron, asking him where he left everything he had and then scolding him for sleeping at that inn he talked about minutes ago. He also somehow managed to get Baron's money back from paying the room, showed where his bar was and went back to the woman as they all finally entered her house and had dinner. At first they mostly asked questions about Baron's arm but the discussion quickly turned to Zacharie being silly and making awful jokes, which Baron liked a lot.
After taking a shower, Baron finally managed to fall asleep in the much more comfortable bed of the guest room.
The Man in Gold woke up and crawled out of bed, groaned, then stretched his scarred, athletic body. For someone of his age, he was not a withered, corpse-like old man at all; while much of his warrior's physique had left him, he was still quite fit in his own right. He struggled to stand on his knees, and carefully worked his joints with several pops and pained sighs; today was a bad day for his arthritis, so he hobbled over to the pile of armor and pulled a bottle from a belt satchel. Inside it was a deep blue liquid that sloshed lazily against the glass sides of the container as the Man in Gold examined it closely.
"This will have to do," he grumbled before he proceeded to uncork the bottle. The smell of camphor was thick in the room, and he drained the bottle quickly, then clenched his fists and sighed.
He then bathed, dressed in his armor, and checked his gear; afterwards, he walked out of the room and the hotel. Much like at the bar, the bill would be attended to without his intervention, and the long touring car was already outside. He caught a ride around the city, going nowhere in particular but just taking time to let his joints grow less stiff and painful. After a while, he ordered the chauffeur to take him to the same bar as yesterday, and from there, he stumbled inside and sat down at the same place as before. When a server asked him for his drink order, he commanded her to get a nearby restaurant on the line and have a large breakfast delivered to the bar. To reassure her, he produced a bag from his belt and handed over several large gold coins, the markings on which were totally alien to the woman. She left him thereafter, and told him shortly later that the food was on its way.
"This will have to do," he grumbled before he proceeded to uncork the bottle. The smell of camphor was thick in the room, and he drained the bottle quickly, then clenched his fists and sighed.
He then bathed, dressed in his armor, and checked his gear; afterwards, he walked out of the room and the hotel. Much like at the bar, the bill would be attended to without his intervention, and the long touring car was already outside. He caught a ride around the city, going nowhere in particular but just taking time to let his joints grow less stiff and painful. After a while, he ordered the chauffeur to take him to the same bar as yesterday, and from there, he stumbled inside and sat down at the same place as before. When a server asked him for his drink order, he commanded her to get a nearby restaurant on the line and have a large breakfast delivered to the bar. To reassure her, he produced a bag from his belt and handed over several large gold coins, the markings on which were totally alien to the woman. She left him thereafter, and told him shortly later that the food was on its way.
The rays of the morning sun just began penetrating the sky but Baron was already up and doing exercises for his body. He knew running out to do his morning jog would be plain rude and didn't want to bother the still sleeping little girlby hitting on his sandbag so he was forced. On the digital clock next to the guest's bed was written 5:30 AM, waking up early to train was one of Baron's habit and if he didn't he would feel uneasy the whole day. After an hour of so of training, he saw the mother check on his room to see if everything was alright as she heard some noises coming from the room. He explained what he was doing and apologized, she answered that it was alright and that she always was going to prepare breakfast for the three of them. Before Baron could even say that she shouldn't make him breakfast, the woman was already gone, humming in the kitchen. He sighed, sitting on his bed to rest a bit and to think. 'Let's review a bit... That good sir has a longer reach than I do, got tougher skin than humans, has an amazing amount of experience, is probably much more heavy than I am and was among the best boxers on his planet.' Baron frowned a bit, doubting he had even a chance to win. 'Forget about winning, just lasting more than two rounds against might be hard.', his eyes widened when he realized what he said, he slapped both of his cheecks with his hands. 'I may not win but I'll be sure to fight back at full power...I think I may be too excited about it. Tough and challenging, exactly what I want from someone strong.' "Breakfast is ready!" yelled the woman, waking up her little girl at the same time. Baron stood up and went toward where he ate last night.
After eating a nice breakfast composed of boiled eggs, toasts, orange juice and having a staring contest with the little girl over a box of cereals that he lost because the girl decided to change her tactic from mean stare to cute-and-about-to-cry stare which took him by surprise and made him blink, Baron decided it was time for him to visit Zacharie's bar. It was possible he would meet the man with the armor again too, which would make him happy too. "Thank you for letting me sleep here tonight and let me have both dinner and breakfast with you, I'm going to see Zacharie then." "Come visit us whenever you can, don't think about sleeping in an inn when we've got a guest room alright? And tell your friend, Zacharie, that he too can come and visit us! See you later.", Baron nodded, as he was about to leave, he saw the little girl holding his cape. "Promise you're going to see us again!" he petted her head and answered with an "of course" before walking away from the house. 'Am I popular with kids?... I sure hope so!'
After walking for around 10 minutes, he arrived at the tavern. He entered and saw Zacharie talking to his guests while making big motions with his hands. Baron looked around in the tavern and saw the man with the armor eating. Zacharie noticed Baron and then said loud enough for anyone to hear "Hey if it isn't the guy that saved me! They won't believe that you've got that arm, but anyway c'mere and drink whatever you like!" Baron decided to go closer to Zacharie and take a drink.
After eating a nice breakfast composed of boiled eggs, toasts, orange juice and having a staring contest with the little girl over a box of cereals that he lost because the girl decided to change her tactic from mean stare to cute-and-about-to-cry stare which took him by surprise and made him blink, Baron decided it was time for him to visit Zacharie's bar. It was possible he would meet the man with the armor again too, which would make him happy too. "Thank you for letting me sleep here tonight and let me have both dinner and breakfast with you, I'm going to see Zacharie then." "Come visit us whenever you can, don't think about sleeping in an inn when we've got a guest room alright? And tell your friend, Zacharie, that he too can come and visit us! See you later.", Baron nodded, as he was about to leave, he saw the little girl holding his cape. "Promise you're going to see us again!" he petted her head and answered with an "of course" before walking away from the house. 'Am I popular with kids?... I sure hope so!'
After walking for around 10 minutes, he arrived at the tavern. He entered and saw Zacharie talking to his guests while making big motions with his hands. Baron looked around in the tavern and saw the man with the armor eating. Zacharie noticed Baron and then said loud enough for anyone to hear "Hey if it isn't the guy that saved me! They won't believe that you've got that arm, but anyway c'mere and drink whatever you like!" Baron decided to go closer to Zacharie and take a drink.
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