Midas's breathing stopped. A cold sweat ran down his forehead, and the urge to flee ignited in his heart.
"Briar… We need to get out of here…" he said with a trembling voice. Midas had expected they would eventually be discovered, but not this quickly. There was no choice left but to run away with his companion.
"Huh? Why? We just got here."
Briar didn't understand the situation. This was bad for both of them.
In Midas's eyes, the old man looked like a cunning old fox. His wrinkled skin and the scars across his face revealed his experience in life, and his bald head hidden beneath a black hat made him look like some kind of mobster.
"Hahaha. Don't be scared, boy. I didn't mean anything bad by it." He waved his prosthetic hand dismissively. "It's already normal for people who escaped from somewhere to pass through this village." His voice was calm, yet stern. His silver-colored eyes and innocent old-man smile only made him seem more suspicious. With his hands behind his back, he approached the tuskbeast. He raised his trembling metallic hand and patted the beast, and in response, it snorted through its trunk.
"You know who we are?" Midas asked, frowning cautiously. The long hair nearly covering his face swayed with the wind.
"No."
A quick and concise answer from the old man. Midas raised his eyebrows in confusion, since the old man had been saying suspicious things. None of it made sense, but Briar, in her innocence, touched the tuskbeast with her hand, interrupting the conversation. Of course, interrupting wasn't something Briar did on purpose.
"Oh. She's Eagle, my old war companion. Isn't she adorable?"
"Hahaha. She's so cute!"
The fact that Briar was taking the situation so calmly left Midas feeling uneasy. This old man knew things, and Midas didn't want to be fooled by this mysterious kindness. The old man had acted friendly and calm this entire time. Too suspicious.
"Briar, get away from that thing. We're leaving. We have nothing to do here."
The old man was clever, just like his appearance suggested.
"Don't get nervous and leave so suddenly, boy. The militia barely works around Rokrund. You two will be fine for a few days if you decide to stay. Whatever it is you plan to do here, as long as it doesn't bother anyone else, it'll be fine."
"That sounds suspicious. No… it sounds dangerous."
"You're a very distrustful young man. I suppose you didn't have a childhood where you could trust other people. Makes sense, I know. This sack of bones appears out of nowhere and starts talking to travelers. Strange, don't you think?"
"You implied you knew about us…"
"I wasn't lying about that. I'm already a bit senile, but for an old veteran like me, gathering information isn't difficult. It happened recently. Someone escaped from the Immortal Bastion, and nothing else has happened since then. I can only assume it was you two. There are only three directions you can go if you escape the capital: the coasts of Noxus, Freljord, or out to sea toward Ionia. Still, I'm surprised you got here so fast."
"You figured it out from so little information…?"
"It's nothing worth bragging about. Besides, your friend seems to enjoy being here."
Both of them looked toward the tuskbeast. The beast used its long trunk to lift Briar up by her pillory. The girl laughed while the beast swung her from side to side.
"Aah… that's just how she is. Still, I want to know how you found out what happened a few days ago."
The old man stayed silent for a few seconds. Then he turned his back on Midas and snapped his fingers. In response, the tuskbeast used its trunk to place Briar on its back.
"Let's take a little walk. I'm old, but I still have the strength of a young man."
Distrustful and glancing around warily, Midas walked behind the old man. After a few meters, the old man began speaking.
"I'm just a retired old man. I used to be a soldier on the Noxian front lines. Every now and then, one of my grandkids comes by to bring me information. And if you're surprised I retired, well… I ran away from the battlefield eight years ago. They tore off my legs and I lost one of my arms. Eagle carried me back to my son, and that's where my legacy in war ended. I'm no longer useful. Now I'm just an old man who occasionally welcomes travelers and tells them the same old story. Then charges them a nice amount of money for it."
"...What?"
"Hahaha. That last part was a joke. But if you want to pay, then it's not a joke."
"Hey, Midas! Get up here! Everyone looks smaller from the back of this cutie!" Briar shouted.
Midas looked at her with an awkward smile, not even knowing what to do anymore. Then he ignored her while she laughed and bounced around on the tuskbeast's back. His expression stiffened as he realized he had fallen right into this old man's story and ended up entering the village.
At this point, there wasn't much else they could do, and this old man, suspicious as he was, genuinely seemed to want to help them. Though that was exactly what made him suspicious. Midas glanced around. The locals seemed indifferent to the presence of the tuskbeast and its companions.
'I need to do something about this.' But everything was against him.
Then the nameless old man asked:
"Tell me, boy. What is it you want in this place?"
Midas stayed silent for a few seconds while thinking. Then, lowering his head, he answered:
"...We only came here to buy supplies and hire a boat. I want to go back home…"
"Oh… there's nothing quite like home…" He sounded understanding. "You'll find everything you need here. But if you want that information, it's going to cost you."
"So this time it's not a joke, huh?"
"I'm afraid not. I need to make a living somehow. Besides, nothing in this life is free. These fake legs are proof of that."
It was understandable. Even trusting this old man's words was better than returning to the cell. Besides, if it was money they were talking about, Midas was basically a gold mine.
"I see. In that case, I want you to tell me where I can find clothes and supplies for a few weeks. If you know someone who can make custom clothing, even better."
"You came to the right person, boy. Follow me. I'll prepare a map and some things that'll be useful to you."
This old man could already hear the sound of gold stones clinking together.
***
After a quick negotiation and handing over the entire pouch of gold to the old man, Midas received a clean new map and directions to the places he needed to visit for supplies. On top of that, the old man "gifted" him a backpack and a new cloak. Midas also learned a little about the boat schedules, so everything was ready.
"That damned old scammer… He charged me for Briar's ride on the tuskbeast…"
That part alone had cost him the most gold. Still, he now had valuable information. One of the things the old man told him was that nobody would capture them here because Noxus's military forces were currently moving toward Ionia and Freljord to invade them. Supposedly, the ruler of Noxus intended to conquer both nations.
For now, the two of them were safe here.
"We're out of gold, Briar. You'll have to gather more small stones." Midas didn't even complain to Briar, who walked beside him while staring at the townspeople. He simply accepted that they had run out of money.
"What are we waiting for then?! Let's hurry! Hahaha!"
Briar rushed ahead while Midas let out a tired sigh. The scare from earlier still lingered in his mind. Even if he couldn't fully trust the old man's words, it seemed that none of them had been lies.
Making sure to gather as much gold as possible, Briar and Midas spent a long time walking around Rokrund. The directions the old man had given Midas were easy to follow, so the first place he visited was a tailor shop run by a woman. There, Midas bought new clothes, and near the woman's store, he found shoes and another travel backpack for Briar.
The new clothes made Midas look cleaner and more organized. Even though the design resembled what he already wore, the outfit had more accessories. It had two belts around the waist to hold all kinds of things, weapons, or a money pouch. The color remained black: a shirt and shorts reaching his knees, along with bandages securing his muscles for long journeys. With the woman's help, Midas's hair was now tied into a loose ponytail. His amber eyes stood out more now, and his youthful appearance became even more noticeable. Despite being twenty-seven years old, Midas still looked quite young after cleaning himself up.
Briar, on the other hand, refused to change clothes, so they had no choice but to ask the woman to repair her outfit instead. The repair to Briar's blouse was quick and effective, so they didn't waste any time. Then Briar refused to wear shoes, so Midas stopped insisting and they simply continued on their way.
With that done, Midas also searched for tools that might prove useful. The most important one was a small knife. Even if he couldn't use it with his hands, he could still use it with his teeth. That made many things easier during the journey.
As they continued walking, Briar entertained herself by running around and bothering people. Meanwhile, Midas spoke with the owner of a boat at the harbor, where countless vessels stretched across the water and filled the coastal scenery. He explained the situation to the captain and showed him the pouch of gold. Naturally, Briar was the one holding the money, since Midas's hands were occupied. Upon seeing so much gold in the pouch, the captain accepted immediately.
After securing passage on the boat, Midas went to buy food for the week. The ship would depart tomorrow morning when the sun rose over the horizon. The last thing they needed was a place to stay for the night.
'Nothing important has happened… The people here don't even look at me strangely. The woman I bought clothes from didn't even react to my inhibitor or Briar's pillory.' It seemed that, for the people of this place, receiving all kinds of travelers was perfectly normal.
Midas felt more at ease.
"Briar, leave the poor seagull alone. Let's find somewhere to sleep tonight."
Briar had been chasing a seagull, but when Midas called her, she immediately ran back to him.
"You interrupt people's fun. You're arrogant!"
She puffed out her cheeks, but Midas rolled his eyes and turned his back on her, walking toward the center of Rokrund as he replied:
"Huh. Look who's talking. Anyway, let's find an inn. Tonight we're eating proper food."
"Proper food? But raw meat is proper food. It's delicious, juicy, and bloody. Hehehe. My mouth's watering just thinking about it."
Midas ignored that, and after making sure they bought everything they needed and spending the entire afternoon walking around, they finally ended up at an inn near the coast.
At first, Midas wanted to rent two separate rooms, but Briar insisted they stay together. Faced with the girl's innocent and cheerful smile, Midas couldn't refuse. He felt weak against adorable girls… In the end, they chose a large room with two beds.
The place was clean and warm, with dim lanterns pushing away the darkness. There was a window overlooking the ocean, and the light of the sunset entered through it, welcoming the twilight of the night.
With Briar's help, Midas unfastened his backpack and removed his cloak, leaving them on the floor. Midas also helped Briar do the same, though she no longer had a cloak covering her. Their backpacks were full, and the journey ahead looked promising. A sense of peace invaded Midas's broken heart.
"Finally… A place where I can feel safe," Midas whispered, falling face-first onto the bed. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by Briar.
The entire place was made of wood. Since Briar started jumping on the bed, the wood began creaking noisily. Midas gave her another deadpan stare.
"This is fun, Midas. This thing bounces a lot. You should try it."
"I don't need to. I'm going to sleep. You should do the same. Tomorrow we have to leave again."
"Yeah, yeah. Boat, home, happiness. I got it."
The day came to an end. The lights went out, and everything finally grew quiet. Midas lay on the bed and stared out the window. The dark sky hanging over everything looked unreal. Everything felt like a dream, but it wasn't.
Midas and Briar were free.