Hide and seek
Caden had waited until the next morning to leave for the town of Bremen to find this lost boy. He didn’t particularly care to take on a mission from the church, but if the sage was to be believed, the benefit greatly outweighed the cost. A couple of nights in the open countryside were familiar to Caden and almost welcome at this point. Even so, after three days' travel, he was glad to finally make his way to the village of Bremen. Situated in an odd location, Bremen was neither close to a source of water such as a river nor a commodity such as coal or ore; yet it still managed to become a hub for all the other villages in the surrounding area. Multiple establishments of business or pleasure found their home here. Caden quickly found the nearest stable and boarded his horse for the day. When asked why he only needed a day, he simply responded, ‘won’t need any longer than that.’
Caden had a pretty good lead to go off of; a tall lanky lad with a submissive demeanor and a talent for blending in. From what little he knew, he could tell this boy was more likely to flee than to fight, and he would probably be found where few people would notice him. The sage had mentioned that the boy held the power of the Dark aura and that he was crucial to the church’s plan for the future. Caden didn’t much care for Dark aura users, but to be fair, he wasn’t really close to any either. Being without an aura himself, he had come to rely on his training and instinct to make it as far as he had in life. It’s not that he hated those with aura’s as much as he didn’t really value auras as anything more than another tool to be used. In his mind, other people's auras were no different than his sword.
After paying the stable boy, Caden made his way to the closest tavern, knowing full well that a young man would prioritize shelter over anything else at this point in his travels, and since most taverns offered rooms for rent above the bar, he decided to make his way to the closest one. As he suspected, this tavern was a little less busy being on the outskirts of the village, giving him easy access to the bar and the bartender. A quick meal and drink were in order before he started asking his questions. After all, no one wanted to field answers to someone not spending money in their establishment. Caden quickly found out from the bartender and a regular patron that a boy fitting his description had in fact come into the tavern about a week ago, but they were unable to accommodate him for the simple lack of funds. Another patron at the bar spoke up about seeing the young lad at the local blacksmiths shop just a day or two ago, giving Caden another lead to work off of. Caden finished his meal quickly and left before anyone could think to ask about his interest in the boy. The less he had to lie the better.
Caden took his time as he walked down the main road in and out of town, taking in the sights and people. He paid close attention to the people that starred in his direction, as if judging for themselves whether or not he belonged here. His situational awareness was still sharp as ever after these past few years. He took note of open alleyways that lead to other streets, the vendor carts that could make easy obstacles, even the people that would be bold enough to intervene in the chance a chase occurred. None of this was new to him, it was something he had done countless times before in his years as a tracker.
His trip down the dusty road was quickly coming to an end as Caden spied a rather large rusty sign in the shape of an anvil attached to the front of a stone building just up ahead. Caden had decided early on to throw on his trench coat which wasn’t long enough to conceal a sword, but plenty long enough for his daggers. He didn’t figure this would go south but he wasn’t comfortable showing up unarmed either. Caden quickly found himself at a pair of exquisite steel doors that was impressive for a shop in such a small town, and entry into the shop was quieter than expected, almost to the point of startling the blacksmith.
“Oh man, you sure gave me a startle there stranger, how can I assist you?” the blacksmith said as he practically jumped out of his chair.
“Apologies sir, I’m not used to such well crafted entry doors for an establishment of this nature,” Caden said. He knew to get on the old man's good side before he took away his help.
“Brings in more business. People are quick to judge these days, so you have to impress them before they even have a chance to think.”
“In that you have succeeded. Unfortunately my travels do not bring me here to spend my hard earned coin, but rather to cause you headache.”
“And what kind of headache could you cause me?” the blacksmith said as he looked a bit confused.
“I come in service to the church looking for a young lad whom I’ve been told has come into your services.”
“You neither look nor act like any holy knight I've ever met.”
“I appreciate the compliment. Seems they needed a skilled person for once to do their bidding,” Caden said. The old blacksmith chuckled a little at Caden’s comment, which is right where Caden wanted him to be.
“I appreciate a salt of the earth type of man as yourself, but unfortunately I have some bad news for you. I did have a young lad come by a couple days ago looking for work to pay his way, but I had to turn him away,” the blacksmith said. As if karma had something against this old man, a young lad fitting the description Caden was given had entered the back of the room and quickly stopped in the doorway. Both men turned to face the boy and whatever face the blacksmith gave him was all it took to make the young lad turn and bolt out of the same door he had just entered.
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