Silence reigned over the first floor of the seemingly deserted Outer Slums Inn. Following the masked skink man's words, the captain merely frowned but did not speak or respond in any matter at all.
There were no fluctuations in his expression even after a minute of tense silence have passed by, but from the look in his yellowish eyes, it was clear he was in deep thought. He was probably lamenting on the information he was reported by this unknown man, trying to guess the credibility based on the man's tone, posture, and actions.
Eventually, he sighed, as well as clicked his tongue in annoyance. His face once again turned cold and arrogant as his lips parted to speak.
"[Reptilian] That worm must have fled. Not sure why… Were you the one who called for us?" He asked after a moment of hesitation.
Aiden acted as if he had no idea what the Temple Guard Captain was talking about, he hurriedly shook his head whilst keeping his gaze plastered on the dusty floor.
"[Reptilian] N-no my sir, I do not know what you are talking about. I have not dared to intrude upon any other rooms, as it is not my home. I was waiting patiently for the innkeeper to return so that I could ask him for some abode for the day… You see, after the arduous journey on the long ro-"
Once again, before he could finish, the captain raised his hand and stopped him from continuing further and entering a tangent.
"[Reptilian] Save it, commoner. I have already said: I do NOT care about your sad sob story. You only need to answer the questions you are given and nothing more. Remember that, or else, we would be happy to give you and your wretched spawn both a shelter ourselves. Though I guess you wouldn't really like that…"
"[Reptilian] Filthy worm, how dare you speak when you are not asked?! BEHAVE!"
"[Reptilian] Obey the Captain you worthless scum!"
The two guards that stood in front of the hooded merchant, Aiden and were raising their spears aimed at the back of the little snoozing baggage hanging from his neck, seemed to have gained more courage as their captain reprimanded the man and have thrown their own jabs, taunts, and sneers along his way.
Though he was growing more and more angered on the inside, Aiden still managed to suppress his rage and kept silent. Though a flicker of golden light escaped the confines of his face mask, nothing more was revealed of his inner turmoil.
Ignoring the barking dogs, Aiden turned his attention on the man and the remaining third guard standing at the back. He did not speak a word, nor did he offer any response to his last reprimand, but simply, silently nodded.
Seeing how they were ignored, the two guards at the front were growing angrier. They poked harder only stopping as they were just an inch away from reaching the back of the little girl. They visibly sneered as they flaunted their meager power and tried to trample yet another scum, another refugee seeking shelter in their beloved city.
"[Reptilian] Hey, how dare you ignore us, your superiors! Pay us the proper respect or an UNFORTUNATE accident might just happen to your filthy spawn!" One of them yelled out, a sinister sneer appearing over his visage. His eyes flicked downwards, looking at the dusty ground in front of them.
"[Reptilian] What are you waiting for! KNEEL down and beg for mercy you disgusting vermin!" He said following it up by raising his spear and striking down aiming at the head of the little girl with the flat part of his weapon.
Noticing this, Aiden swiftly stepped forward and took the strike with his own body instead, allowing the guard to hit him on the head. The strike rang dully in the room, but besides that initial contact, there was no grunt or even any reaction made by the seemingly weak and feeble man, surprising the captain along with the rest of his crew.
The captain frowned as he noticed this peculiarity. He could feel no strength or power of any sort coming from this man. From any way he looked, the old man looked a genuine weak commoner, yet he took that strike without as much as a flinch? He was somewhat surprised.
Still, he decided to keep this thought for himself for now, and once again raised his right hand in the air, signaling for the other two to cease their actions.
The captain turned to look at the old man who was looking back at him all this time.
"[Reptilian] What are you hesitating for? Prostrate yourself to show us how honest and truly humble you are! Otherwise, we might as well just register your filth as transgressors before tossing you out." He spoke coldly, pausing briefly to give time to process his warning.
A bit later he continued, asking once again.
"[Reptilian] Are you certain that there was nobody present when you came by? Did you see anyone, hear anyone from the back? Are you certain that you were the only person in the building?"
Ignoring the two guards once again, as well as the spear that was still resting over his head, Aiden shook his head and spoke with the same humble, meek, and stuttering tone. This time however his voice gave a bigger contrast to his earlier actions, causing an even deeper frown to appear over the two guards' expression.
"[Reptilian] Y-yes, g-great sir! When I came in, only my little princess and I were the only ones present in the room! I… I d-did not hear anything from the back or anywhere from the building… though I have to admit, the long road and the exhaustion may have dulled my already aging senses. For that, I can only apologize oh great sir!"
Taking a moment, Aiden coughed before he began to narrate the events that had 'played out' according to him.
"[Reptilian] When we arrived, we pulled our cart to the back, so that it w-wouldn't disturb any passerby! Then we came here and seeing as there was nobody present even after calling out several times, I and my friends have decided to split up. They went to explore the outer districts, looking for a tavern or inn that we could afford, while I stayed behind. My daughter got weak and exhausted after the long road, I didn't want to tire her any further."
The captain silently listened to the report. When he finally finished, he frowned and asked the only thing that he felt didn't add up in the story at all…
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