The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 44: Old Man Anthony 2

Seeing death from so close had made Anthony a very changed person. The beastmen had paid him well so for the first time in his life instead of choosing to use it in vanity he decided to go back home to his village and his family and so he did.

It had been so many years that even Anthony himself did not remember how long it had been since he last saw them. The village had changed but it still looked eerily similar to what he had left all those years ago. His parents were still there, old and weathered but still there. Anthony had never seen his old man cry in his life but that day he did, and so did he with him.

His sister had married a soldier in lord's service just like her mother and they even had a baby boy. Anthony could not believe how beautiful the tiny thing was.

Anthony paid off all the debts his old parents had accumulated after their untimely retirement from the lord's service. They were too old to do anything else, and Anthony didn't let them do anything either. The money he had made from his one dungeon raid could last him for years in the city, in a village like this it would be enough for lifetime if he spend it well.

However the enthusiasm did not last long, as if just waiting to see him return his father passed away the very next year. Anthony with nothing to do started drinking again, loosing himself to the demon in the bottle. Some years later his mother also left him, Anthony was not one for the wife and kids. He knew the life he led was worthless, and early grave was more likely for him and also desirable.

The only fun thing in his life was to annoy and teach his nephew all the weird things that his mother and father never had time to do so. The little thing was real good entertainment.

But just like everything else in his life that also changed. When one day he was too drunk to go back from the tavern to his house and Sam was dragging him as usual, the weather was really bad as winds and rain were out of control. In the middle of the main village Anthony saw something that made him question his eyes second time in his life.

A lightning bolt so huge and flashy hit his nephew right on his head as he was walking just a few steps ahead of him, Anthony waited for the lightning to burn him also but instead as if an infinite void the whole lightning bolt disappeared in his nephew's body as if dead stone in the water. Sam immediately fell unconscious without a single injury on his body.

Everyone who saw the big flash started calling him 'The Miracle survivor' and 'healing prodigy' but Anthony knew that wasn't the truth. He did not heal as so much he absorbed the whole thing.

Anthony had bought an ascension stone for the kid's birthday but he just like everyone else in his family had failed to get any good job or class even though the kid had the infamous Esper class unlocked, which the little fool had chosen in hope to get lucky with a unique ability but what he got was so unique and hard to pronounce that no one, not even the most literate people in the village could understand what it really was.

And so he was considered a failure, but now suddenly the lord's knights and church's priest all lined at his sister's house to recruit the 'Genius healer'. The only problem however was that everyone wanted to test him first and so day after day the boy had been cut and bruised but his body did not do the miracle healing and just acted as any other normal body.

Anthony tried his best to stop the whole charade but no one listened to him, the lord's knights and the priests were too high in social class that his words only fell on deaf ears. Finally when the boy could not take this abuse any longer, his mother stopped the thing and refused to let him meet any of the recruiters.

Anthony finally sighed in relief that day, so much so that he drank himself to sleep in the tavern that day. And just like usual Sam was there at midnight to drag him back at his house. Leaning on his tiny savior, Anthony gave him advices on advices of old wisdom but the little bastard was too stubborn to listen to any of his words.

That night was worst thing in Anthony's life. Just like everyday Sam dragged him back to his sister's home to make him sober enough to return to his own house. However instead of usual nagging face of his sister with bucket of water and a sweet smell of fresh tea in air, hard faced knights of the lord were at the door.

Sensing something was wrong Anthony balanced himself and walked straight in to the house, no one stopped him. Sam was just a few steps behind him. There they were, the beautiful couple... now together in death. Anthony's mind could not process the scene in front of his eyes, his whole body started shaking as his knees gave up and he fell down in the pool of blood.

His sister and her husband had been brutally stabbed and left for dead as if some run of the mil monsters. The ear piercing scream besides him reminded Anthony that he wasn't alone, he tried to turn back to get his nephew but before that his sister coughed and moved a bit.

Immediately screaming for healer and potions Anthony got his sister in his lap, trying his best to push the wounds but there were just too many wounds.

"S.. save h.. him.. Take him.. f. Far..

away.. from.. he..ere.. He is.. t..the.. only..

g..gg... good.. th.."

Before she could finish her words, her eyes became lifeless and the unsaid words died in her throat. Anthony did not know how to react... Why.. why would someone.. anyone..? Whyyy..?

Crying wasn't new for him, how odd was it that the thing came so easily to him nowadays, as if just waiting behind his eyes to get out.

He was the worthless one, Why.. why did he was still here despite everything and the ones he loved died one by one in front of his eyes. Is this the punishment for his vanity..? Was there really someone keeping record of all the deeds he had done..? Anthony did not know what else happened that night but he did know one thing.

That night was the one where he swore that he would take his nephew so far away from here where no one would ever find them, there he could finally live in peace.

The determination only grew stronger when the next day the lord announced the priests responsible for sending common thugs to his sister's house. Reason..? To test the healing ability by putting the kid in a serious situation. What sick minds this people had..? Is this what power costs..?

Anthony for the first time in his life felt truly relieved that he was not a rare assets for these lords and priests to play around with as they pleased.

Grabbing the first chance Anthony took Sam and left for the border of Dawnstar. Only in another kingdom where no one would know anything about them will be the place of peace for him. He didn't have left much after wasting all his money in alcohol but whatever he had, he would use it to get the kid as far away from here as possible.

And so the strange journey started. At first the boy was like a dead person walking but with time and Anthony's constant chattering, the boy pulled himself back. Anthony had to say the boy was much much stronger than he could ever be. Changing wagons to wagons, finding better deals and cheaper rides finally they somehow reached Ravensong and got into another wagon with another group of travelers.

This group however had one strange entity, a kid even smaller than Sam traveling alone with a sword on his waist and book in his hands.