Broken Tower Saga: The First Swordsman

Chapter 183: Stray Clouds

The weather in Gala was weird. The sky was sunny in the morning with no sign of clouds, but when the evening arrived, clouds gathered out of nowhere and stretched almost all the direction. The wind was far stronger and chiller as well, swirling the cloud. It could shower any moment, though it had been like this for the last couple of hours. 

Byul looked above and wondered if her decision to move along was correct or not. Though her destination was inside the dome, the ominous weather made her walk falter a little. Sighing a deep breath, she picked up her pace again and went near the bridge, which was quite far away from the sunset resort. 

She waited there for a while, looking at the flow of the Tej'shaher, which was a little faster than the usual waythe swirling wind should be the reason for it. Today there were few people present there, but there were still a few. The clouds seemed to be playing with everyone else, as even though there was lightning and thunder now and then, there was not a single drop of rain. 

Byul wished her business would be dealt with before the cloud chose to shower. She waited and waited in the black cloak. Inside it the cloak in her arms were her staff and a knife. Even though she was acting as if watching the river, her senses were sharp, watching over everything in the surroundings.

"You don't have to be so tense," a voice said in her ear. She looked around and found no one. The voice continued, "Don't look for me, you will not be able to find me." 

"Where is my stuff?" Byul asked at once. After searching the Jin Lycros, in the administrative office and a few other places, she had been hopeless about finding her stuff that she lost from her old boss. But then she found a letter that told her to be here at this time if she wanted to get back her belongings. She considered to others, but in the letter, it was strictly spoken to not let anyone know. If she did, then she had to say goodbye to her stuff. In the end, she was here, alone. 

"Technically, it was not yours," the voice said again. "Though some of it was yours and your father's, there was still something that was ours. But don't worry, as we have promised we will return, though I am not sure if we can return everything."

"Who are you?" Byul asked, gritting her teeth. "How are you related to my father?"

"You father could be said as an eye and ear for our organisation," the voice said again. "He never had the quality to be a full-fledged member, but for you, it was a different case." 

"I don't want to join your organisations," Byul said again. "I already have one. Just return my belongings." 

"When did I say you have to leave your organisation to join us?" the voice laughed. "You could be like your father. Our ears and eyes, but you would be far better."

"Listen to me carefully," Byul said, releasing a deep breath. Even if her father was a member of such an organisation, she did not have to join it. Not to say, what type of father he was. "I do not know whatever dealing you have with my father, nor do I care, but I want nothing to do with you." 

"Aren't you curious about what your father did or how he died?" the voice said, but Byul did not utter a word. The man with the voice carried on. "There are many secrets about your father's life and his death." 

Byul did not say a word, stood there like a stone statue. 

"Your stuff will be delivered to your place, but you will not get everything," the voice said again. "There was something your father had of us, and we could not return it to you. Goodbye for now, we will contact you later."

As the voice stopped a thunder bellowed with the lightning. The cloud started showering and in about a couple of seconds; it turned into heavy rain. 

.. . 

"Cheers," all shouted together in the ground floor tavern, holding their glass of alcohol.

"So, let's celebrate today's evening with our two new additions in our crew," Ryat said and sipped his drink. The restaurant/bar was closed now. the reason being they were celebrating and the excuse of the storm.

There were only six of them present. Balat, the keeper; Nirab, the youth who was drunk most of the time; Rosie, the voluptuous lady; Ryat, the bald salesman, and the two recent additions, Wrik and Anton. "Man, I prepared many other things, but who knew you would agree so easily."

"We only agreed for the time we will be staying in Gala," Wrik added, reminding Ryat and the others. And for his reason to agree outright, that was something different. Though he was impressed and similarly angered seeing the current state of the city, that was not the main reason for him to choose them. Like they needed him and Anton, he also needed them for something. Something Lucas asked him to do, though he had no idea how to accomplish it now.

"Doesn't matter," Rosie said as her bountiful breast bounced a little. She was already drunk. "Once a family, always a family."

Anton was gaping at her with widened eyes. Even though Rosie was not gorgeous, she was handsome enough and, with her shape, Anton could not resist it. Wrik had to kick him under the table before he stopped drooling. 

"Yeah, you said that right, Rose," Balat added. His face was red too with excessive drinking. 

They all shouted again. Wrik had fun too, but they were too noisy. The storm that was gathering outside. It was not the storm that Ryat mentioned, but it was still a storm. Such a storm watered his plan to return to the sunset resort. 

"Hey, hey listen to me," Ryat stood up from his chair and finished his glass first. "We have two new members; how could we give them no gift?" Saying that, he brought out a pouch from inside his robe. "I have a couple of things that could be useful to you, first for Wrik," Ryat said and brought out a familiar tiny vial of potion. "I already teased you with this a couple of times, but this time there is nothing added with it." 

It was the Light element awakener that Ryat had given him once with a condition attached, at that time Wrik had given it back to him. Even now, he was considering if he should take it or not.

"Just take it," Ryat said and brought his palm to Wrik's and gave it to him. The bald man then brought out another item. It was a couple of black boots. "Anton, do you recognise this?"

"Isn't that?" Anton stood up and caught the boots Ryat tossed at him. Anton had already seen one of them. He had won a swift boot from the wheel of fortune, but a single boot was of no use, so he had sold it to Ryat for an omega cube. But now, Ryat was returning it to him, with the other boot attached. 

Anton almost kissed the bald man on the head. Ryat had to yell at him to stop.

"Thank you," Wrik and Anton said. 

"I never would have thought this cheapskate would bring out such things as a gift," Rosie said and poured herself another glass of alcohol. She already had too many glasses that she lost count. 

"Well, I give them what I thought that they would need most now," Ryat said, looking at Rosie. "It is your turn now." 

Rosie laughed wildly and a little shamefully. "You see, big sis is broke," she said, and almost pulled herself at the table. "How about I give you two a kiss?" 

And she really was going to give them kisses. 

"Aunty, you are drunk," Nirav, who had similarly lost the count of drinks he had, said. Though he was far better state than Rosie. "And don't taint the kids with your lips." 

"What you want, big sis's kiss too," Rosie said, and moved towards Nirav. The voluptuous woman did not stop like the other time. She climbed up at the table and gave a kiss on the cheek of Nirav, even after all his protests. They really come as a family.

"This all happened too early, and I had no idea off," Balat added, looking at Wrik and Anton. "I'll prepare something later."

"It's alright." Wrik then transferred his focus to the bald man. "Ryat, you still have not told us what you are going to do." 

"I did not?" Ryat said and tilted his head. He sipped in another mouthful of drink. "Right. I have too many things, but we will start with a banger. We are going to rob something precious from House Rudyard. Something that will start everything."

______________