"You were saying?"
Bulat could not respond, the shock of what transpired too great for him to form a single sentence.
"That's what I thought"
For a brief moment, Arthur felt a rage within him, it wasn't wild or uncontrollable but it was a simmering fury that whispered in his ear to kill the fact pig, roast him and set an example.
He tightly held his jaw and gazed at his enemy.
Their eyes met for one final time and Bulat felt the bloodlust, he was on the receiving end of the predatory gaze once more, only this time he felt not like a helpless child but a helpless animal, cornered with no options.
The gun hidden in his coat was just a decoration, a toy that would get him killed the moment he reached for it.
For all his authority and control over the slums, he was nothing more than a weak and pathetic animal before someone with actual power.
Even so, despite the situation Bulat's heart wasn't just filled with fear but it burned with jealousy and envy, he wanted that power. If only he was born differently.
Arthur blinked and let out a huff, keeping himself cool, anger often caused you to make mistakes and when fighting against creatures with no reason, losing yours was not just stooping to their level but a death sentence.
With his business finished and Esme safe in his arms, he began stepping back a few steps, aligning himself with the hole he made and then launching himself through the hole he made when he entered.
In the back of his mind, he wanted to kill Bulat however he held off and decided against it, he was too much of a figure in the slums, killing him might cause problems in the future.
Esme felt the wind brush against her face for the second time today. However, this time, her arms clung around Arthur's neck as she assumed the two of them were returning home.
A sense of calm washed over her as she let out a deep sigh of relief. Her husband had done as a husband should. She couldn't help but cling to him tighter, her mind feeling at ease as she did so.
"Arthur, can I open my eyes?"
"oh right"
He immediately landed right on top of a building and obliged her question.
"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, right?"
Those were the first words that left his mouth the moment they made eye contact.
"Aside from hitting the ground bit roughly, I'm fine. What about you?"
She saw there were some minor bruises on his face, nothing serious or worth mentioning. At her words, he shook his head.
"We'll have to talk about this when we get home and how to deal with him"
Esme gave him a silent nod. He prepared to move once more, but someone arrived before him, dropping onto the roof of the house in front of him.
"Where are you going? Our fight isn't over"
"Fucking hell"
Arthur cursed under his breath and let out an exasperated sigh at the sight of Zaion. He couldn't help but regret not looting all the healing potions the Mercenary had, otherwise he wouldn't be dealing with this now.
With Esme on his arms, he was over this entire farce. Esme on the other hand raised a curious brow at the man challenging her husband.
"If you insist on this, I will kill you, just take the loss and f– leave"
The Explorer warned, however the Mercenary remained undaunted.
"Don't be ridiculous, I put you on your back earlier, you aren't better than me"
Hearing such a response Arthur could only let out a deep and annoyed sigh. This was the reason why Mercenaries were such a hassle, most Explorers had nothing against them but they didn't seem to feel the same.
"What the hell do you want!!"
He practically screamed those words out, fighting this guy while Esme was still in his arms was not ideal, it would be better if he just left.
"What every Mercenary wants, proof that you lot aren't as special as you seem, proof that you are no different from me"
Mercenaries were just as capable of killing monsters as any Explorer, the Monster hunter was a Mercenary that dedicated his life to killing only monsters, proof that one didn't need magic to do exactly what Explorers did.
Zaoin believed that the reason a majority of Mercenaries didnt often kill monsters was due to a lack of resources.
With enough items, it was possible to hunt monsters in the same way Explorers did. The Monster Hunter was living proof of that.
Arthur let out another exasperated sigh before he spoke, trying to illustrate the difference between him and Zaoin.
"You use items as your primary weapon to combat monsters, I use items as an optional weapon to combat monsters we are not the same. You lack power, I don't"
Arthur felt that was the gist of it, the difference between Mercenaries and Explorers, He had power, born with it and cultivated it through effort. His wasn't borrowed and if he ever found himself without items he'd still be able to fight.
Magic items were useful and provided support but that was it. Beyond that they were just trinkets.
"Bullshit! With the right item, You and I can stand on equal footing…"
Arthur let out a third sigh, this Mercenary wasn't getting it. It was like a petulant child that could not comprehend why they couldn't get a really expensive toy when it was already in their hands.
"So don't give me that stupid nonsense, Mercenaries and Explorers are one in the same. You just get special treatment be–"
Arthur was unwilling to speak to him any longer and unwilling to hear anymore, thus he moved, his body suddenly disappeared from its spot, vanishing without so much as sound, almost as if he was never there to begin with.
Zaoin never got a chance to even react as a kick to his ribs, sent him flying off to the distance, his body bouncing of several roofs before it disappeared far off into the city.
"Anyway let's go home"
Unfortunately his wife couldn't hear him, the sudden fast movement was too sudden and too fast, causing her to pass out.
"Right. Got carried away"
He hadn't considered that normal people can't handle such speed.
As he practically flew through the air, bouncing off rooftops, he couldn't help but find it amusing that he was going home.
'Haven't had something like that in while'
The life of an Explorer wasn't one where you could stay in a in single place for long and thus having a home was often foreign to Explorers. Despite having had a home in his old life, the idea still felt foreign to him
As thoughts of home flowed in his mind, he couldn't help but hold her tighter than before.
Arthur feared that if he hadn't made the decision to take this vacation, his heart and mind would have forgotten about the basic things that make someone human. The fact the idea of home felt a bit foreign despite being familiar with it, told him his fears were not unfounded.
'Hmmm, maybe….'
He left that thought unsaid but one thing was for certain, he dreaded having to go to work again.
.....
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