The whole adrenaline drained out of him along with the last scream he made out. He struggled to stand back up, his legs were shaking out of exhaustion, and his whole body was tired as he used more than a hundred percent of his strength, straining all of his muscles. Yet he still walked, the ice slowly melted and cracked as it was no longer sustained by Simon’s gate. He reached for his cut-off hand and picked it up, placing it in his pants. “Not leaving without you.”
The iceberg began to crumble and destroy the arena. Looking down, he could see the monsters looking at him from the depths. He lightly smiled at their gaze and said, “While I’d like to fight you… I’m too fucking tired…”
Godan dragged his feet toward the boat, and before the ice could completely melt, he sat down and reached both arms toward the paddles, but then he realized that he could only grab the one on the left. He let out a tired sigh. “Could swig a gallon of beer right now… Time to row.” Using only one hand, the man paddled from one side to the other, slowly moving forward.
The giant whale came back to the surface, and it opened its mouth, eating the remaining icebergs along with Simon’s dead body. “Have a good meal.” Snorted Godan, already annoyed by the way he had to travel.
It took him many hours before he was able to reach any island. He arrived at a port village. Many boats were near the island as men threw the fishnets into the sea. As he passed them, they observed Godan closely, who had many injuries and a missing hand. One of the fishermen threw up into the water as he saw a hand sticking out of Godan’s pants.
As he docked the boat, he took a closer look at the village. The houses were made out of stones with wooden frames and log support beams. He quickly understood to which faction this village belonged to just by the simple style of the houses. “Ironclad Clan’s settlement… I could spar with a knight… If not for my empty belly. Right. I have no money to pay for anything…”
Godan turned around toward the sea and jumped into the water with his sword out. The people watched him as he swam further away and dived under the water. After a minute, he resurfaced with two fish as long and big as his arms. The people watched him in silence as he went toward the center of the village. Dead fish lying over his shoulder. He went toward the first stand with the fish he saw. He put them on the counter and startled an old lady who was working there.
“I’ll sell you those fish for a few coins. Enough for one meal.” Said Godan, his face blank and unfazed as he waited for the woman’s response.
The old woman corrected her eyeglasses and took a closer look at the fish. “You sure? Just by looking, I can tell that those fish could sell for the price of at least three meals.”
“Yes. I know how hard the fishermen work and since it's not my current job, that’s the price I’m setting.” Stated Godan as he fully released the grip on the fish.
“Well. If you’re sure about it. Here you go.” The old lady opened Godan’s only hand and dropped a few coins into his palm.
“Where can I find some kind of tavern?” Asked Godan, his gaze moving around the village’s square.
“That’s the only one.” The old lady pointed at the second building from the port, which was as big as any house in the village. “You should try their grilled eel.”
“Thank you.” Godan lifted his right arm as a sign of appreciation, forgetting that his hand was missing. With his left hand, he tossed the coins into the air and caught them, repeating it as he walked toward the tavern.
The place was small with only five tables and one bigger for around eight people. There were four chairs by the counter. Each table was prepared with napkins and cutlery, waiting for the customers. There was only enough space for two people to walk between the tables and the counter where a single man stood, sweeping the desk with a cloth. The counter was already clean, but the man didn’t have anything to do.
“Oh. A customer.” He whispered, surprised by the sudden appearance of Godan. Judging by his look, he thought that the warrior would be a tough customer, but he put on a good face. “Good day, Sir. What can I get you?”
“The lady in the market recommended a grilled eel to me. Three of them. Bread and a mug of beer. Cold if possible.” Godan said as he dropped all the coins he got from the lady before sitting down.
The man took three out of five coins, but Godan pushed them back toward the man. “Keep the change. Food is all I need.”
“Uhm… Sure.” The man answered, surprised by Godan’s action. It was completely different than what he had imagined. The man lit the oven and added one more log. As the fire slowly spread from one log to the other, the owner of the restaurant went to the backroom and came back with a mug full of beer. Godan downed the whole mug in a few seconds as the man watched him do it.
“Another one, please.” Godan asked as he pushed the mug closer to the cook.
“Thirsty, aren’t you? Want me to bring two mugs this time?” The man asked before entering the backroom to refill the mug.
“Hard day at work…” Godan sighed and felt the taste of the beer again in his mouth. It was pleasant, but it was enough to quench his thirst. “One mug will be enough.”
Before placing the fish on the grill, the man buttered it and threw pinches of herbs at them. Once they were a bit cooked, he added salt and pepper. The smell of grilled fish quickly spread through the tavern and out of the window. As the cook gave food to Godan, the doors opened, and more people gathered to eat. Many of them also asked for the grilled eel, but there were a few different orders, like smoked fish or simple sandwiches.
“The old lady didn’t lie. Those are good.” Godan savored each bite of the eel, not wasting any drop of fat on his plate as he scooped it up with the bread. He looked back for a moment, in his head playing memories of good old times when he was like those fishermen. “It’s a pleasant way to live… But I don’t belong here. Not anymore. There is more than fish blood on my hands.”
Once he finished eating, he took his time drinking beer and enjoying the lively conversation in the tavern. The fishermen bragging about their biggest catches of the day. Planning their next trip and future spots to fish. It was a normal, mundane day of a villager living on a small island.
“Had my fun. Time for work.” Godan stood up and made his way toward the exit. “Maybe the old lady has a thread and needle I could use.” His hand reached for the door handle, he felt a sudden itch. Quickly spinning around, he raised his arm to block the attack, but he forgot about his missing hand, a metal bat flying above his injured arm. He got bashed in the face and pushed back to the door. He fell down onto the dirt, his nose broken and bleeding. “Another man has a death wish…” He muttered under his nose as he stood back up, picking up his longsword, ready for another bloodshed.
In the doorway stood four men with layered plate armor, round dark helmets with a single thorn on top. On their helmets, a symbol of a tower. They were hiding their armor and weapons under the hoods. In their hands metal bats, attached to the belts short swords, and cuffs. A man standing in front had a bit of a different helmet, as the symbol of the tower wasn’t placed in a square but a star.
“Godan The Bloodied. You’re accused of murder, brutality, assault, barbarity, among many other crimes.” The man at the front of the group loudly announced to Godan and all the people that gathered to check what was causing the commotion.
“Are they knights?” A boy in the crowd asked as he grabbed his father’s pants.
“I don’t know… Their armor… Doesn’t look like any knight I've seen.” The father explained to his son as he tried to hide him behind his body, away from the sight of four intimidating men with metal bats.
“The Great Tower shall take you under its custody and reform your way of life to suit the present norms of human society. Surender willingly, and your punishment might be cut short.” The man with the different helmet pointed his bat at Godan and showed him the cuffs he’d been hiding under his coat.
“I apologise.” Said Godan suddenly, turning all around to take a look at each person in the village. “I truly wanted to just peacefully enter and leave this place, as I have respect for village folk like you. Well. It’s no longer an option.” Godan pointed the tip of his sword, and the four men from The Great Tower, unlike the previous times, he grinned when fighting, but it wasn’t the case this time. This fight wouldn’t bring him joy.