A new day begins. The sounds of rain could be heard outside along with hitting the windows.
Hide looks out the window to see that no one was outside. He sighs. He goes downstairs.
He noticed that there seems to be quite a lot of adventurers and people in there gossiping and somewhat drinking. As he sits at an empty table, he hear about a parade that was going happen in two days.
As he was sitting, the door was heard wide open. A big hooded figure could be seen at the door way. Everyone was quiet. The big hooded man walks inside and the sound of his heavy footsteps could be heard along with the rain falling off his cloak.
The big hooded figure walks up to the innkeeper.
"1 room please." As the big hooded figure gives the innkeeper a bag full of coins.
"Right, this way." As the innkeeper somewhat lost for words and in shock.
The innkeeper lead the figure to their room.
"Who's that?" Hide asked one of the person next to his table.
"Seems to be trouble. Wouldn't want to delve in who it was?"
"I see." As Hide tries not to be curious who that man was.
Some minutes passed. Hide heads back up to his room. As he walks down the hallway. He hears some voices.
"So boss, what's the plan for the mission in two days?"
Hide goes close to the door and listen on the voices.
"If the parade is in two days. We have time to set up for this mission. Along with that we can at least scope out the area. I'm pretty sure it's highly guarded."
As Hide leans even closer to the door to listen. The door suddenly opens and Hide falls down onto the ground.
In doing so, a figure quickly grabbed Hide from behind and sticks a small blade against his neck. Another figure close the door behind him.
"Seems that we have a little spy who has been eavesdropping on us. Should we kill him?"
Hide sees a man in front of him, signal the figure holding Hide. The figure lets go of Hide. The man soon gets up and starts walking toward Hide. He lets out his hand waiting for a handshake.
Hide starts to shake his hand.
"Sorry about that, you must be our neighbor next door?" As the man somewhat smiles at Hide.
Hide nods.
"Did you hear what we were talking about?"
"No."
"Petra is he lying?" As the man looks at a short blond hair woman.
She nods at him.
"Hmm...very well, Jack you can kill him." As the man goes back to his seat.
"Wait, I won't...I won't...I won't tell anyone about this." As Hide somewhat close to death door.
The man turns around and looks at Hide.
"It seems that you want to live. Then answer me this. Do you know who we are?"
"No, not that I know of." Hide answered.
"Very well, you're good to go." As the man goes back to sitting.
"Wait, just like that." As Jack somewhat questions the man.
"Indeed Jack, if you feel that he's still trouble than some problems will be started then."
"Yes boss." As Jack backs down.
"Boss, why don't we tied him up and keep him in our room. He might tell on us." As a girl figure stated.
The boss sighs.
"Very well, who's going to watch him. We don't have time to babysit him."
"I will." Said the big figure from earlier.
Some minutes passed.
Hide soon was tied up and seen sitting on a chair while the people look at him and seems to be inspecting him.
The boss soon leaves the room for some business.
"Now that the boss is out, what shall we do with him. I mean we have two days with him. Should we torture him?" As Jack somewhat seems to be quite happy.
"It's up to you besides I feel that the boss doesn't seem to care that much." As Petra somewhat seems to be checking her pink nails.
"How about a small game?" said the girl from earlier.
"What kind of game?" said another person.
There seems to be around eleven people inside the room ranging from different size, gender, and age.
"I don't know, how about arm wrestling?" As the girl tries to think of something.
"Very well, if you beat me you can go back to your room and we'll forget all about this. But if you lose, I'll kill you." As the big figure sets down a table and looks at Hide in the eyes.
Hide didn't answer the big man.
"Come on Helm, you know that you can easily beat him." stated another figure inside the room.
Hide was untied and face to face with Helm. The man puts his arm on the table and starts to be in position. Hide sees a number on the back of his right hand. It was a number 7 tattoo.
"You have three tries to beat me. Once those three tries are over. Game over." As Helm looks dead serious at Hide.
Hide could feel the intense air around Helm.
Some seconds passed.
Hide and Helm seems to be in position for the arm wrestling game.
"You two ready?" As the girl somewhat seems to be happy.
Hide seem to be nervous while Helm seems to be happy.
"On your mark, get set GO!"
Hide suddenly used all his might trying to take bring Helm's hand down but it didn't seem to budge or move a little. Helm suddenly move his hand, slamming Hide's hand onto the wooden table.
The first round was over. Hide right hand seems to be red from losing.
Helm goes back into position. Hide also goes back to position despite his hand being quite red from losing earlier. It seems that Helm did do some damage to Hide's right hand.
The second round starts.
Hide tries again with all his might but it seems that Helm didn't seem to even have some competition.
Helm suddenly move his hands and slam Hide's hand onto the table again. Hide lost.
The second round is over.
"Alright last round, who will win this last round."
"Is that all you have?" As Helm didn't seem to be interested at all.
No response from Hide.
"Is that all you got? I thought you wanted to live."
The last round begin.
It seems that the other lost interested, while some watches to see the outcome.
As Hide tries one last push trying to bring down Helm's hand, it couldn't budge or move.
Helm give him some time trying to bring down his arm.
"Game over." As Helm goes for the end.
As Hide's hand was going to the hit the table. Hide suddenly burst out some words.
"I'm not going to die to someone like you easily."
Suddenly, in that one sec. Hide gained the advantage and slams Helm's hand onto the table breaking the table. The game was over. Hide won.
It was quiet. Helm somewhat was amused despite his hand bleeding and it seems that his hand was also broken.
As the table was broken, Hide was on the ground and held by Jack who put a blade at his neck.
"Stop Jack, he already won."
Jack put away his small blade and backs off.
"Kyoko, can you patch me up. The kid did quite a number on me."
"Alright." said Kyoko who seems to be the girl who suggested the game and being the referee.
"You got potential kid. We never asked for your name what is it?" As Helm looked at Hide and somewhat seems to respect him now.
"Cyrus." As Hide answers back. It seems that he was able to lie through it.
"Cyrus huh? The name's Helm, you have heard about some of the others in the room, so I won't be telling you much. But if you like to, go talk with them."
Kyoko starts to stich up Helm hand back together.
"What's the number on your hand?" As Hide was curious.
"Oh this, it signifies our rank in our group. Each rank also display who's the strongest in the group. As you can see on Jack which is number 4, and Kyoko which is 10, and Petra which is 3."
"I see, so the boss is number 1."
"Correct."
"So what do you guys call yourself?"
"We're the Zodiacs, if you are curious." As Petra steps in on the conversation.
"The Zodiacs." As Hide never heard of them before.
"Petra why don't we recruit him?" As Helm looks at Petra.
"Maybe." As Petra looks at Hide.
"You managed to beat Helm who seems to be the strongest physically. How so?" As Petra inspects Hide.
"Sheer luck." As Jack somewhat didn't believe it.
"Oh well, seems that you won. You're free to go." As Petra backs off from Hide.
Suddenly a door was heard opening. It was the boss.
Everyone was quiet and watches as the boss walks into the room.
The boss sees a broken table and Helm patches up.
"I guess something must have gone wrong while I was gone." As the boss looks at Hide.
Helm goes up to the boss.
"Hey boss, how about we recruit him? He bested me in a arm wrestling match. He has potential."
"He can join us if he prove that he is worthy for the mission in two days. More to say that can he handle this mission. If he can, then he can join us but it is his decision."
The boss walks next to Hide.
"It seems that you bested Helm. Quite surprising to say the least. I won't force you to join us but the decision is on you, but we will be taking you to this mission since you're already this far into the mess."
"Right."
"I'll see you in two days, try not to get yourself kill."
"Oh right, I forgot about introducing myself. The name is Chronos." As Chronos bows to him and the door opens.
Hide walks out of the room and goes back to room. He lays down on his bed and thinks about what just happened.
"I thought you were going to beat him?" As Jack questions Helm.
"I thought so too, but the boy suddenly unleash some sort of force and won."
"You don't think he's like one of us."
"Maybe but the boy seems to have this mysterious air around him. There's more to him than meets the eye." As Petra somewhat tries to think about it.
"He managed to break my hand as well."
"Boss, do you know anything about the boy when you look at him." As Petra looks at Chronos.
"Indeed, the boy is quite strong when I looked at him. Along with that, I expected that he was going to surprise one of you if you guys planned to do something with him."
"You knew all along." As Kyoko was shock.
Chronos somewhat laughs and smiles.
"That boy is not just a normal adventurer, he's stronger than your average adventurer."
"You think he's going to join us?" said another member.
"There's a possibilities."
Back to Hide. He seems to be looking at his red bruised right hand.
"It seems that there are some powerful people in this world as well. It's not just me and Master Izumi. I guess she was right about me going to encounter some strong people as well."
Hide sighs.
"At the very least, I can at least know what some of the members can do. And it seems I can't lie at all, although they seem to believe that my name is Cyrus. One thing for certain is that I should be careful of what I have to say. But truth be told, I can somewhat lie and get away with it."
"What a crazy day this was. Now what, am I going to do. I have to join them on their mission and who knows what this mission is going to be. Besides I'm going to miss the parade."
Hide groans in pain.