The merchants new life

by Jade Copperfield

Chapter 14 Alone again

I looked at the two Mares hugging each other for a few seconds with a blank expression, I think since I honestly have no idea what I'm feeling right now. It felt like a sinking pit just decided to open in my chest and keep on going deeper the more I look at them both. I finally ripped my eyes from the scene to look at James who was also staring in a way akin to wasn't expecting that to happen than whatever the hell was on my face. He eventually noticed me not looking at anything except a purple flower.

James whispered to me" You okay, since your acting kind of odd"? I looked at him with my usual demeanor since I wasn't looking at something that I will never feel, since I'm not expecting to... "Bury the thought and burn anything that marks the area".I thought. I held my head a second and shook it to help get rid of those thoughts or to make them less obvious.

I looked at him and said" Yeah I'm fine just... wasn't expecting something like that, I was expecting a lot of yelling not that". I shifted my gaze back to the bed of flowers that I fell next to when I got stomped on the paw. There were flowers of all colors, whites, blues, hell even green was there and I didn't think a flower could have green petals.

I kept on observing the flowers as they started exchanging pleasantries like " Its good to see you". and" How you doing". I just kept my head down the entire exchange hoping not to draw attention to me and it worked for all the way until Vinyl asked about me.

Vinyl said" So why is Jade just staring at flowers". The look she was probably giving me might be along the lines of curious or confused, I don't know.

I remained staring at the flowers as James said" Octavia stomped on his foot and he began hopping around, fell and he's been looking at those flowers since you two hugged". I looked back at them to see Vinyl with a amused expression along with Octavia looking at me with an emotionless expression. I looked back at the flowers and began standing up using a hand to help push me back on both paws, the paw that got stomped on was still throbbing but barely enough to make me cringe.

I looked at James and said" It's Paw not foot and if you don't mind can you please tell me how the hell you got here"? I looked at Octavia and Vinyl and they both looked at each other for a few seconds and they nodded before looking at me.

Octavia then said" We will if you tell us how you got here first". They both looked at expecting my answer and I responded relatively quickly.

I said" Yeah, if you want to know I fell of a cliff into a black swirling vortex and poof I'm in a middle of a forest vomiting my guts out" I waited a few seconds before adding" That's all I know so tell me what happened to you two". They looked at each other again and began whispering in each others ears. I tilted my head at them but they stopped and Octavia stepped a foot forward.

She began" We were in our club when Vinyl apparently felt something odd so we decided to investigate and apparently when we got around the main foyer, a black vortex popped up and it deposited us on a beach". I looked at her seeking any sign of doubt or lie but no it was genuine, since her voice didn't break and she was slow with a bit of a somber tone. I thought for a few seconds and during that time I noticed Octavia stiffen slightly but it was more like since I didn't give an answer.

I said to Octavia" Thank you for the help but Vinyl what did it feel like"? I brought my attention to Vinyl with a curious expression. She thought for a while with her brow folding multiple times though she didn't look totally lost.

She said just as slowly but with a tone of confusion" I don't remember exactly but it felt like I should just go there like I belong". I looked at her for several seconds but closed my eyes and shook my head.

I muttered" Well that helps but doesn't at all, huh just perfect". I Shook my head more while sighing and slowly began walking away from the group of musicians, and assistant or fan if you look at James from a different angle. I thought about that for a few seconds but I dropped it and thought about what Vinyl and Octavia said.

"So the vortex popped up in there club and swallowed them, along with that vinyl had a feeling similar to being called to it". " I utterly hate what the hell got me here but I don't find myself worried at all, probably since I had nothing going on back home". I tightened my coat around me more feeling a gust of could air ruffle my head feathers." shouldn't it still be summer the wind doesn't start doing this till... fall". I stopped moving for a few seconds and began trying to remember how long I've been here. I went to Riverside which was in summer then I left and a week later ended up in Weyvale, then about a week and half I end up in Port Dorade, a day later I left and a week later I met Vinyl, and now about three days later I'm here. I've been here for a month and I finally felt fall show up.

I stood there just thinking of random stuff when I felt my shoulders had less weight than usual, I put my claw on my back to feel my pack but I didn't feel it. I stood there dumb for a grand total of a second before I ran back to Vinyl and Octavia. I ran to the bench and grabbed my pack before running off again, only giving a glance to Everyone there who looked at me with blank expressions. After running for a small amount of time I started slowing down to a brisk walk and eventually I sat down at a bench with the square I was in earlier today within view.

I looked through my pack when I sat down and I saw everything I had when I came to town. I sighed and relaxed into the bench as the evening started turning into night. The sky was mostly blocked due to the many branches over head but I could see the stars from small holes in the canopy that didn't get blocked by the other layers. The sky was mostly clear from what I could see and it was filled with stars that shined bright. I held a small but barely noticeable smile the entire time until I decided it was time to move.

I Stood up and began walking in the direction of an alley with a much smaller tree that was merely a stick with leaves and branches coming from the ground. I stood in the alley observing it and it was probably the best alley I've seen, there wasn't any garbage in the alley it was really just the tiny sapling and a few clumps of grass that decided to grow in the dirt. The buildings around it had no windows to allow anyone to look at the place and it was shaped kind of like a small clearing that remained out of sight from recent community activities. Which makes it a fairly good place to sleep since I don't feel like spending money right now and the inns probably cost more than what I have.

"Though I could have asked them if they wanted... no you don't need help, you got what you wanted now forget them". I put a claw to my head for a second and shook but the idea still stayed, and I loathed it. I sat down next to a wall around the back of the alley and took my pack off and began rummaging through it. I pulled out the blanket that I dubbed as mine which was dark blue, and also a bottle of scotch.

I took of my coat and opened the bottle before taking swigs from it about every second feeling the familiar warm liquid go down my throat and shortly after start affecting my brain. Though I could still see what was in front of me with little to no blur or sway, I could feel my overtly critical side start bashing its way through my mental barrier. I looked at my shirt and at the overtly obvious stitching that would make everyone mock it even if they never stitched before. It simply looked like a line of blue string that looked like its there to hold things together, which it was but who would no that other than me.

I then began thinking about how today gone." Why does everyone I meet either a child or a girl I mean seriously I haven't met a single person my own age unless the bow man and forest hermit if there mine but I don't plan on meeting them again at any point".I still remember the days when I was younger, and how much of an overly hopeful idiot I was. I did things that I look back upon that I loath, and they weren't harmful to anyone but I just wish I never did them, though I'm lucky that when I was almost an adult a started becoming more like I am today, though without the alcohol. I avoided interaction with other individuals, read an almost excessive amount sometimes and I guess just stopped giving a crap about everything.

I took another sip and muttered" I dubbed myself as a hopeless romantic at one point I think, saying I would never get someone to love...". I thought about my reaction to Octavia and Vinyl hugging and went back to my days of reading all the romance books I could find. " Why do I even still think about this nonsense, I'm too old and... why should I care".I let myself lay down fully on the ground using my jacket as a pillow.

I kept on drinking until the previously one third full bottle was empty and felt myself begin dozing off, now truly feeling the effect of the drink as my mind felt like it was beginning to start unraveling. I thought of some of the happier times when I was younger being utterly clueless and how I was oddly optimistic. And how I'm now a cynical asshole that wants something that he cant even hope to have. I closed my eyes and as I started falling into the black embrace, I remembered the day I hate the most, and the all to familiar screams that adorned it.

---

I ended up waking earlier than usual this morning in a cold sweat thinking the world was ending and everyone was dead. Though after the sun finally came out I managed to get those thoughts out of my mind. Today I had one plan and that was to sell my items and possibly pick some up since I'm not a factory and not a lot of people want wooden statuettes all the time. After a morning of selling a decent amount of items for once I began walking the streets looking for objects that caught my eye or items I might need.

After visiting a book store that was selling ink and a book called Loves Flame I then began browsing some trinket stores. I ended up going to a few stores that sold statuettes and subsequently bought them so that I could sell it to anyone that might want them or just keep them. I went to a store that was different than the others, and it sold a lot of crazy knifes, swords, axes, hell they even have spears and shields on display. I looked at many of the knifes and saw that most of them weren't decorated but there were still a fair bit with engravings and just crazy blades. Hell there was a knife that had a hilt with at the bottom had a dragon's mouth clasping a red gem, along with a blade that was serrated so much it looked like a saw.

"Hey you checked out that place in the mountains yet"? I looked in the direction and saw the store clerk talking to another human that reminded me far to much about bandits than I will ever like. I kept my attention on them as I began looking around for something practical though I wasn't planning on buying anything.

The man responded with a furious tone" I have sent so many people to look for your precious lost battlefield but no one comes back so you can shove your job into another idiots business". The man began stomping away and burst through the door and slammed it with enough force to shake the shelves near it. I kept on looking at the door but eventually stopped and walked over to the clerk.

I said to the clerk who was currently rummaging behind the counter" What was that all about"? I was pretty curious though I wasn't going to take the job at all, I was just interested.

The clerk eyed me with obvious detail and said" Why, do you want the job"? I folded my arms and eyed him for a few seconds.

I replied with" It depends, what are the details"? He eyed me also but it eventually waned.

He said in a accent reminiscent to gryphons that live much farther north than I was born, though the one thing I remember was that they loved saying crikey and mate as in friend not the other." I found a place in a book that said there was a battle in the mountains, but unlike most folk I studied and found out we practically searched those mountains high and low, do you got a map"? I pulled out the map and put it on the counter and opened it. He examined it for a few seconds and marked a area of the mountain range near the marked path that leads from St. Curtis to Riverside.

He continued" Except here though don't be fooled it might be near the path but no one takes any of the side roads do to cliffs and wild animals". I looked at the marked place which he marked with a small black X.

I said to him after I picked up my map" I will check it out though I'm not going to come back immediately if I live, you might see me back here some time next year". The man looked generally stunned for a few seconds but eventually gave a small bow.

He said" Thank you, but I must tell you that I'm going to want proof, swords, helmets, anything that might be worth anything in terms of weaponry and armor". I raised my eye at this and said" Why would you want weapons and armor"? I put my claws on his desk lightly and leaned toward him.

He responded seemingly unfazed" Mate I sell weapons and armor, and to improve my work sometimes you need to look at the past". I was surprised since he was true but I kept a straight face. I just kept on eyeing him before giving up and began walking away.

I muttered under my breath" He's a joke to effective weapons everywhere". I put my claw to my head and shook it lightly.

"What did you say". I turned toward him watching his eyebrow raised expression.

I said" I said I will get you something but when I get back your paying me". He nodded and I began walking outside the door to the busy street. I continued walking to the rest of the places I planned on visiting, like a general store selling traveling supplies, which I refilled all my food I needed.

I walked toward the town entrance and began exiting the town when the sun was high in the sky. I gave one final look back at the giant tree covered town and began walking toward the area marked. Then literally three paw steps later my stomach made a noise akin to a predators growl, I put my claw to my stomach as I continued walking.

"I really should have eaten by now". I grumbled under my breath.

"Wait did I just accept a job that could kill me, no one will miss me so yeah just go with it".

Author's Note:

I have returned with more detail to why this man is a cynical asshole. other than it is obvious he was never in any relationship, no one will miss him and he hates bandits. so yeah next chapter will involve the Lost battlefield a battle that was forgotten and ultimately buried during the great war. it isnt in the comic so no worries for spoilers.

"Hey you need to come outside".

"Im busy Kinkajou".

"its important dragons want to meet you".

"wait that was real when i turned on the tv".

"Of course why...ok im dragging you out there".

I remained staring with a dead expression as she pulled out of my chair and brought me outside.

Also hope you guys enjoy this because why im i even continuing this, oh wait i would still continue this otherwise.