Chapter 11 Departing & Spiraling

After leaving the guild, they tried to find a comfortable inn to stay. , The group walked silently down the road for a while before Darius spoke with a hostile. , ”Archer, you’re not part of the group, so you’re not coming with us.” , Nobody said anything about his hostile attitude. , Talila spoke in an annoyed tone because of the way Archer was treated. , ”Don’t speak to him like that Darius!” , The other 5 nodded at Talila’s words. , Seeing the others against him, the lion man stopped talking, but not without trying to get the last word in. , ”It’s true though, he is not part of the Sparrows. If we let him help with this job, it will be less coin for us.” , Talila was about to reply until Archer spoke up as he moved toward Darius. , ”Who said I wanted your coin prick, I saved your ass, and this is how you show your gratitude.” , As he stared at the man, Archer’s crazy eyes reverberated with anger. , But Talila intervened between the two before anything serious could happen. , ”Why are you treating him this way, If not for him we would have suffered a fate even worse than death!!” , He didn’t want to argue with this foul-mouthed child and walked away. , She watched him as he walk away, Talila turned back to Archer, whose eyes burned with rage as he stared at Darius. , She placed her hand on his arm to calm him down. , ”Calm down Archer, I don’t know what kind of problem he has with you, but it’s only him that has the issue, the others find you amusing.” , Archer turned to face the others, as they all agreed with her. , ”I don’t blame you, and it’s the cat’s issue to deal with, but before anything happens, I’m planning to try to find another inn.” , He smiled at her and spoke the last words she would hear from him for a while as he spun on his heels to leave. , ”Keep safe Talila, we will meet again.” , His smile caught her off guard as she stammered out. , ”G-g-goodbye Archer, I hope we do.” , Before anyone could say anything, he disappeared into the crowd. , Sparrows P.O.V. , As the five left the spot Archer vanished from, they could all see Talila’s ears droop slightly. , Feyra whispered to Cecelia. , ”Why does she look like that, the little guy was here for hours and now she’s acting like that because he’s gone.” , Cecelia was well-versed in men’s and women’s matters. , ”Well, he piqued her curiosity and interest, he didn’t lust over her like every other man she’s met, but he was also interested in her as a woman.” , As they spoke, the person in question could hear every word they said. , She was so embarrassed she couldn’t say anything. , Talia shook her head but wished he would stay safe until they met again. , They caught up with Darius, who stormed off. , She grabbed his arm and spun him even though she was smaller than him. 𝘳𝘦.𝒸𝑜𝘮, ”What’s your problem with Archer, He saved us!” , He looked at her before speaking. , ”Why are you defending some random kid who thinks he saved us, we could have done it ourselves!” , Everyone was staring at him like an idiot. , Talila looked confused, wondering why he was rude to Archer. , Cecelia looked at her and shook her head internally. , ‘This stupid girl, Darius likes you, but Archer has now caught your eyes.’ , Talila realized what he had just said and got angry. , ”He saved us, you fool, You can’t even compare!” , That’s when Radyn interrupted. , ”There’s an inn!” , Everyone looked at it while walking towards it. , ”You were out cold when it happened, you couldn’t do **, Darius!” , She stormed off as Darius’s lion ears flopped down. , Cecelia watched all this unfold with a shake of her head. , ‘She doesn’t realize she just chose Archer over Darius without even saying it.’ , They all walked to the inn. , Back to Archer , Walking through the crowd looking for a cheap inn. , 20 minutes later he found one, the Fluffy Trout. , Archer stopped in his tracks as he saw the name and laughed. , ”Hahaha, Fluffy Trout, what an awesome name.” , As he was about to walk into the inn, he heard the loud shriek of a woman and quickly turned his head. , He saw a young couple walking along when a man ran up and attacked the young man. , Archer got curious and walked closer watching it unfold. , That’s when an older man pulled out a knife and began stabbing the young man. , When Archer saw the scene unfolding in front of him, he felt something deep inside react. , ‘Thunder step.’ , He Thunder-Stepped and reappeared in front of the man and punched him, sending him flying backward. , His corpse crashed into a nearby wall. , Archer looked down at the young man spitting blood. , Blood patches grew on his shirt. , People were running towards the young couple as Archer stared at them. , The awful memories flooded back like a tsunami as he looked at the couple. , He rushed back to the Inn escaping the scene. , From the outside, the inn looked inviting, pleasant, and enchanting. , Bricks and wooden pillars made up most of the building’s outer structure. , It’s impossible to see through the windows, but the sounds of cutlery and drinking glasses from within can be heard. , As he entered the tavern through the old, sturdy wooden door, Archer was welcomed by a feeling of comfort and a sense of home, instantly calming him down. , The inn itself is packed. , Passing traders seem to be the primary clientele, which could be seen as an unwelcome sign, though Archer was sure it wasn’t. , Several long tables are occupied by what appears to be one large group of people. , The other smaller tables are also occupied by people who seem to be close to the inn owner. , Nevertheless, they are happy to welcome others into their midst. , Even most of the stools at the bar are occupied though nobody seems to mind more company. , He approached the bar and asked the innkeeper about the price. , ”How much for a single room for the night?” , The man looked down at the white-haired kid, dressed in casual black clothes. , ”Four silver per night, five including breakfast.” , He looked at the boy waiting for him to reply, but before replying he took out 12 silver coins from his pocket. , Archer then put the coins on the counter. , ”Okay, can I get something to eat now?” , The man nodded his head. , ”Yes, there’s some stew left if you’d like that?” , Archer nodded his head and looked around to find a place to sit down, but there were no free places he could see. , ”Can I take the food to my room?” , The man nodded and handed him a key and told him where his room was. , ”Head up the stairs and straight ahead to the end of the hallway, your room is on the right, number 10, I will have the food brought to your room.” , He said thank you as he took the key from the man and went up to his room. , As Archer climbed the stairs, he heard some patrons talking about him. , ”What’s a pretty boy like him doing in here?” , ”I saw him in the adventurers guild with the Sparrows earlier on.” , He shook his head ignoring them, and arrived at the room the innkeeper told him about. Entering a plain bedroom after unlocking the door. , It had a bed and a chest for storage, a table in the corner with a chair. , He approached the bed to lie down. , Half an hour passed when he heard two little knocks on the door. , Knock!~ Knock!~ , Getting up as he walks over to the door, he opens it to see a young boy. , He looks like a younger version of the innkeeper. , ‘Must be the innkeeper’s son.’ , The boy spoke up as he handed Archer the tray with a bowl of meat stew and a lump of bread on the side. , It was finished with a glass of water. , ”Here, my father told me to bring this to you.” , After taking the tray, Archer thanked him while closing the door. , He walked towards the table and sat down to eat while thinking about those feelings that had flooded him. , He finished eating his food and sat there for some time while overthinking everything. , ‘What if I didn’t take her out?’ , ‘What if we were somewhere else?’ , ‘What if we just stayed at my house?’ , Suddenly, Archer was haunted by thoughts, spiraling into madness that he had never experienced, too many what-if situations. , He got up from the chair and went to the bed. , After stripping out of his clothes and storing them in his Item Box, he got into bed and curled up. , Falling into a deep sleep. , It is difficult to think about what happened on that tragic day when he lost everything he held dear. , A/N – Leave some comments, power stones, and gifts. It all helps support the book. Artwork in the comments or discord,

Chapter end