His dad was looking outside, watching the rain fall against the glass.
Thele was a boy with messy brown hair, very small for his age.
"Hey, Thele."
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to stay at Leon's place for a few days?"
Thele frowned. "Why?"
His father shrugged a little. "I've got a job to take care of. I'll be gone for a few days."
Thele nodded. "Oh… okay. Be careful."
"I will."
"When are you going?"
"Tomorrow. I'll drop you off at Leon's first thing in the morning."
"Okay."
They got ready for bed not long after.
The house was small, and with only one bed, they always slept side by side.
"Goodnight, Dad."
He looked at him and smiled.
"Goodnight, Thele."
The next morning, they walked to Leon's house, which was about fifteen minutes away on foot. The path was thick with mud, clinging to their boots with every step.
"Hey, Dad, why is it so muddy everywhere?"
"It rained," he said.
"Yeah, yesterday."
Thele kept looking around.
The mud wasn't just on the ground. It was even on the walls of nearby houses, clinging in thick, uneven patches.
"Dad, why is it on the walls?"
His father ignored him.
Thele frowned.
They continued walking without talking for the rest of the way, and after a while, they arrived at Leon's house.
Karl knocked on the door.
"Hey, Karl," Leon said. "What brings you here?"
"I'm just here to drop Thele off. I hope that's okay."
He hesitated for a moment but finally agreed on the condition that it would last only a few days because food was scarce.
"Thanks," said Karl, sounding relieved. He paused for a bit.
"Can we talk in private for a moment?"
"Yeah, sure, I wanted to talk to you about something as well."
"Thele, can you step inside, please? I need to speak with Leon in private."
Thele hugged his dad tightly.
"Come back soon, Dad."
Then he turned and walked into Leon's farmhouse.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Leon asked.
"Do you know anything about the mud on the houses in the area?"
"I might know something, but it will cost you."
He thought for a bit and said, "Name your price."
"One sack of potatoes."
"Hmm, I think I can get you that next week."
Leon laughed it off. "Then I'll tell you next week."
"Before you go, can you find someone for me?"
"Who do you want me to find?"
"I don't know her name, but I have seen her use powers, and I am worried the government will take her."
"What type is she?"
"She is a shifter. I have seen her turn into a boar. And when she saw me, she immediately ran away from me."
Karl looked at the sky and asked. "Where did she go?"
"Into the Lumen Forest, so if you go through there, maybe you could find her."
"I'm sorry to tell you, but I am headed for Nascia Town."
Leon looked at him, confused, and asked, "What are you going to do there?"
"I'm tasked to scout the area for the Ghost Wolves."
He looked him dead in the eyes and whispered to Karl, "Why are you working with them?"
"I need the money, and it's just a small job; I only have to mark the heavily guarded places, and then I'll leave."
"Are they planning to free Nascia Town?"
"I don't think so."
"Just be careful when dealing with them; from what I have heard, their leader is dangerous."
"Trust me, I'll be fine."
"Should I go with you just to be safe?"
He thought for a moment and said, "Just keep Thele safe."
"Alright, just come back quick."
"It will be a week at most."
"Well, good luck with your mission, Karl. See you next week!"
"Thanks, mate. See ya."
Leon watched him go farther and farther away.
He went back inside, hung up his coat, and noticed Thele sitting at the table.
"Hey, Thele, are you hungry?"
"Yeah, I haven't eaten anything yet."
"I think I have some bread left; I'll grab some for you."
The bread was kept in the basement, a dark, empty room with only a little food stored there.
Leon quickly grabbed the last few slices of bread for Thele and himself.
His wife, Helga, approached from the kitchen and took a seat at the table. "So, no bread for your own wife?" she teased.
"We are out of bread. I'll head to the market later. Thele, would you like to come with me or stay here?"
Thele said with his mouth full, "I'll come with you to the market."
They finished their food shortly after, waved Helga goodbye, and left for the market.
On their way to the market, they walked through a small, poor neighborhood.
Thele observed the area; it looked like no one lived here.
The houses had broken windows and walls full of small holes.
Suddenly, from out of an alleyway, a giant man appeared.
He had an eyepatch and a grin full of missing teeth.
The man shouted at them. "Get out of my town. Now."
"We will be going. This is the quickest way to the market," Leon said calmly. Thele stuck close to Leon, holding his hand.
The giant man stepped closer and laughed. "The small boy is weak."
Leon whispered closely into Thele's ear, "Just ignore him."
They continued walking down the path until they arrived at the market.
The market was bursting with color. There were all kinds of different stands; some sold food, others medicine, clothes, or even weapons locked behind iron bars. The smell of fresh food and smoke hung in the air, and people argued loudly over prices.
Someone in the distance shouted, "This is a rip-off."
Leon walked over with Thele following close behind.
"So what is a rip-off?" Leon asked calmly.
The man looked at Leon, slightly annoyed.
"Get away; I'm doing business here."
"The only thing you are doing is making a scene."
The man walked away, stomping his feet.
"Hey, thanks, Leon," said the vendor.
"No problem, Clive. So what were you ripping him off on?"
"I just had to change my prices because of low supply."
Leon raised his eyebrows.
"What happened to your crops?"
"One of my carts got stolen."
"Did you report it to the authorities?"
Clive shook his head.
"They said there were no tracks, only mud."
Leon frowned.