The Extra’s Detour

Turns out finding someone to give Jay directions wasn't that difficult. He just had to ask a scarred dude, amused guy honestly, and he pointed him towards a guild hall on the edge of town. So close to the walls it was nearly in its shadow. Jay headed that way, slowly taking in the changes he saw along the way, and realized Regalia wasn't as perfect as it appeared. There were cracks here and there.

The first being the obvious wealth gap. It seemed the farther he got from the towns center, the shabbier the buildings were. More wooden shacks and falling brick buildings instead of new apartment complexes. He could see the vines across a few abandoned buildings and some cracks in the pavement he walked along. It was subtle but there.

Not to say it was a shit show or unlivable. Far from it, but it was definitely a step down from the area his apartment was at. Where people could walk with their heads down and their earbuds in. Here it was easier to find people watching him, wondering what he was doing on this side of town. Jay glanced their way and they glanced back, before continuing on.

It definitely seemed like there was a difference, between those that lived near the center of the city and those on the outskirts. Maybe it was because they were further from the major businesses, or maybe it was just human nature. Not to put the expensive things near the walls, where monster roamed right on the other side. It was sad.

But every city had its problems.

People that couldn't find work, or those committing crime under the blanket of people constantly about. Homelessness. Drugs. Violence. These kinds of things weren't new. Jay's family hadn't exactly been upper class in his old world, but as he looked at the lowering quality of buildings and stores, he started wondering how he afforded his apartment.

The inside had been shit, but that had been the other guy's fault for making it a mess. In comparison, the complex itself was pretty decent. Six stories with a direct path to the main road leading to the city. He didn't know where Voxx was yet, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was nearby. The other guy seemed like the type to care about school work, or at least try to.

Jay didn't know how he would've managed it without a labtop, but hopefully this David dude would answer that lingering question. Jay honestly had multiple. Why did he take his phone? What was he supposed to bring? Why the hell was he trying to meet up at a D rank guild on the edge of town?

And why wasn't he feeling tired yet?

Am I secretly athletic or something? Jay wondered as he glanced down at his body. Thin, but under his shirt he did have muscles. Albeit they felt like they were from not eating versus actually working out.

Is this the difference between someone that awakens mana and someone that doesn't? Jay thought as he made it to the street Red Boulder was apparently on. He was G rank, the second lowest rank, and yet even then he had walked miles already and only felt winded. Not dying or out of breath.

Just a little tired, and a little confused. Because the second he found the guild, he realized it was more like a bar than an actual guild. A small wooden establishment tucked away with a neons Red Rock sign over its front door. Jay raised an eyebrow, before walking inside. He was still a little early.

"Hey, I'm looking for David," he asked as he walked into what looked what looked like a midnight bar. It was pretty clean all things considered, there were booths with green cushions and a lady, orangish brown hair, black eyes, and a small tattoo on her neck, at the counter. She finished wiping the large wooden table before glancing his way.

"Oh, you must be the new friend he was talking about," she smiled, setting the cup down and wiping her hands as she motioned towards a free seat at the bar, "Hold up just a second. David's hanging out with Michael and the others. I'll go get him."

"Thanks, I'll wait here." Jay nodded, sitting at the bar and glancing at a few of the other patrons. A couple were sitting in the corner and a group of four, probably low ranking heroes, were complaining about rates at the table nearby. He heard something about a Goblin Raid charging way more than it should've. A scam or something they said.

He also heard something about tributes getting more annoying, with all the jobs the boss was forcing them go on out of town, but they started whispering before Jay could hear anymore. Leaving Jay to sit alone and watch the broken clock on the overhead counter, as the group began laughing and the couple went to the bathroom, noticeably leaving at the same time.

Yeah, all things considered, it was a pretty boring place and a pretty boring wait. Besides the mental note to hold it till he got home, Jay didn't really catch anything super interesting.

At least not until he finally heard someone come in from the back. Presumably coming down from some stairs that were there.

"You made it." Jay heard someone say from nearby. Jay glanced over, and saw a group of four. All were around his age. A large, Boulder of a kid in the back, go figure, and a tall lanky guy that was playing on his phone.

Meanwhile in the front there was a muscular guy with brown hair and brown eyes, and another more muscular guy with orange hair and green eyes, he was the first one to talk, "It's been a while man. Winter break's been busy, huh. We should go somewhere and get lunch or something-"

"I didn't bring whatever it was you asked for." Jay interrupted, watching as the orange haired guy flinched, and the woman at the bar asked, "David? What's he talking about?"

"Nothing mom, he's just-"

"Your son took my phone. Said I needed to give him something if I wanted it back." Jay shrugged, easily ignoring the dark looks sent his way, and downright venomous look the guy, David apparently, sent.

"Hey," Jay heard David mutter through clenched teeth, "Gayze. What the fuck do you think you're-"

"Can I have it back now?" Jay interrupted without hesitation. Holding out a hand as he saw David's eyes widen in surprise. The scowl on David's face tightening as Jay heard the woman sigh, "David. I thought we already talked about this."

Jay glanced at the dude's mom, tilting his head curiously as she took out a cigarette and lit it. Smoking it as she leaned her elbow against the counter and sighed, "If you're gonna extort someone make sure it's someone that's the right amount of stupid. You can't be picking out brain dead people. They have no sense of worth."

"Fuck, ma, how was I supposed to know he'd act like this." The orange haired boy, apparently losing all his friendly pretenses, sighed. David scratched head, "Hey, you won't tell dad right? I know he's trying to get that caravan deal right now."

"I'll keep it a secret." The woman at the bar snorted, pointing to the back door, "Now take it out back. I ain't cleaning up any mess you make."

"Yes mam." David said, reaching out and dragging Jay by the collar. Jay raised an eyebrow, this David guy was really strong. Practically lifting him with one hand. And when he glanced at the woman she could see a hint of pride in her eyes. Well that was surprising.

"Didn't realize it ran in the family." Jay said as he was thrown out the back door, crashing into an alley wall as the wind was knocked out of him. A dry gasp escaping his lips as he fell to the ground and a boot slammed into his ribs, sending a shock of pain through his body before he felt someone grab his collar and lift him up. Slamming him up against the wall with more brute force than should've been humanly possible. Jay gasped, and wheezed.

He was pretty sure he broke a rib.

Or another rib probably.

"The fuck was that, Gayze?" He heard David growl, glancing up to see his face twisted in fury, "You finally try to grow a pair! Huh! Where's the fucking money I told you to get! Huh! I know you got some!"

"What the hell are you talking about-"

"Don't play dumb." David growled, throwing Jay into a nearby fence as he felt something in his back jab into his side. Fuck, he forgot he still had the spearhead. That was gonna leave a mark.

"I know you got connections asshole!" Jay turned his attention back up ahead, nearly biting his tongue ad a fist that felt like a sledgehammer snapped into his cheek, "You must think you're so goddamn lucky."

Jay winced, as he felt another one connect over his left eye. It hurt. Like really bad, but it was a little annoying. It was hard to hear what the dude was saying with the constant blows and hits.

"Getting into Voxx without lifting a goddamn finger." He heard through another lunch that split open the bruise in his cheek and peeled off any of the concealer he might've still had on, "Even though you're a goddamn loser who's dead fucking last. You're so goddamn pathetic. Fucking piece of-"

"Can't you talk quicker." Jay eventually got tired and asked. Watching with full eyes as the dude froze, eyes wide in disbelief or anger. Probably both.

"The fuck did you say-"

"Talk quicker." Jay said, "Or beat me after you get everything off your chest. This is just a waste of," Jay's words got caught in his throat as another fist slammed into his nose. Breaking it. Jay smelt copper as he was lifted up again, and thrown into the wall, his back screaming as he heard the dude growl.

"You little shit. Must've finally lost it huh," Jay heard the dude laugh, kicking him in the ribs as Jay was practically set against the back wall as a punching bag. He groaned as another foot connected to his stomach, "What?" Another kick, "You think just because we're going to the dorms next semester I won't be able to do anything to you? Think you can tattle on me to my mom and get away with it?"

"What're we in?" Jay coughed up a little blood, "Grade school?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Jay heard as a boot slammed into his broken nose, sending more blood everywhere as he groaned in pain. His vision blurry as he heard David laugh, "What? You think the teacher's will help you? A weakling that can't even protect himself. They're training us to fight monsters asshole."

Jay groaned as a hand slapped across his face, his lungs crying in protest as he watched the dude sneer and crouch, grabbing his hair as he leaned forwards and whispered into his ear. "They won't give a fuck about you. No one gives a fuck about you."

Huh, that was a little mean.

"Even your celebrity of a sister ditched you the first chance she got."

And that was a little, fuck, a lot meaner. Important too though. Jay didn't know he had a sister. He'd mark it down for later.

Assuming he didn't get a concussion and forgot about it.

"But I know you still get some money from her." David said, and Jay could practically hear his grin, "She pays for your apartment uptown. She must give you a big ass allowance. So all I need you to do is take some of that money and lend it to me. Unlike you I actually need to spend my own money to run through gates when schools out. We all do."

Jay squinted through a quickly swelling left eye as David saw the wound and smirked, smacking Jay's head against the wall like a bobble head, "What? You're not crying like you used to? Are you stupid? You think I'm a pushover now or something? Think I won't fuck you up for the rest of the year if you don't give me what you owe me. Think I'll get bored?"

Jay was surprised. This really felt karmic.

"You think I won't kill you."

Even if it was a little over the top.

"I mean, not really." Jay shrugged, a hint of blood dripping down his lips as he watched David blink. Mild surprise flashing across the dude's face as Jay slipped the dagger out his waistband and lunged at the dude's neck. Ignoring David's shock, Jay leaned in close and slipped his free hand into David's pocket.

"But I guess you could always prove me wrong." Jay said as his right arm was caught in David's iron grip, stopping the dagger as Jay heard a loud crunch and felt the bones in his forearm snap. Jay hissed, before a boot slammed into his stomach and sent him crashing into the wall. His vision spinning as he fell to the ground and heard David's friends start talking. It was blurry. Their voices sounded far away.

"Fuck off!" Jay heard David snap as his vision started going dark. "That bastard couldn't even touch me! Oi, you fucker! What was that? You really have a death wish don't you? Well, if that's the case I'll…"

Huh, Jay never realized how white snow was.

"Fuck, get him out of here or something. Mom'll be pissed if he bleeds everywhere." Jay heard David click tongue, as Jay was lifted up and it did nothing for his blurring vision and ringing head. Jay counted stars.

"Make sure he doesn't bleed out either," he heard David scoff with a warbled voice, "Bandage him up with toilet paper or something from the convenience store. He still owes us money."

Jay tried to pay attention, he really did, but he felt like he needed a nap.

"If he knows what's good for him he'll be paying us back real soon."

So he took one in the snow of some back alley in Regalia.