I approach Gerber with the palms of my hands raised, in a sign of "surrender".
There is still blood dripping from them, so it doesn't look as reassuring as it should be.
"They tried to kill me. You haven't made that mistake yet, not entirely at least." I drop my hands down, tiredly. "Our deal still stands, yes?"
"But of course!" He hurried to say. "Can you... Get that axe for me?"
"Sure, whatever." I pick the axe up from the head of the dead bodyguard, It makes a disgusting sound as I recover it.
I hand Gerber the axe. He doubts a little before finally taking it.
"I suppose it's obvious that I don't want anyone to find out what happened here, right?" I threatened him.
"Sure, I never liked those guys from the beginning. They treated me like a pig! I know that I am a little fat, but how could they dare to treat me like that?" He looks outraged.
I grab the pouch of coins on the floor, taking my time to gather all the coins. The blood in my hands sticks to the coins a little. I'll have to wash them later.
Gerber helps me gather the coins. Not without constantly babbling about how much he hated them, and mercenaries in general.
Making my headache grow at the moment.
After we finish gathering them, I put the pouch in my belt. My entire body is dirty, even my pockets, thanks to the junk I gathered. My hands are particularly bad. I need to make sure that they don't get infected. That sword cut them nasty.
"The way you fought was amazing. Especially considering you are just a teen."
"Thanks for the compliment, but I would prefer a health potion or something like that instead."
"I don't have one. I used all the money to hire those bodyguards. I thought if they were to get past them, I would already be dead before I could use a health potion."
"And I suppose they don't have one either?"
"They had a... similar line of thought."
"Worthless."
He thinks about something before saying, "Maybe I could go to town and buy you some medicine?"
"No. We shouldn't stay here longer than necessary. Someone could come here. I'll go home and ask my family for help. I'm sure they'll understand."
"Are you going to tell them that you killed three guys?"
"I'll make sure to remind them that it could have been four."
"If my father didn't hear news from me, he would try to find me. And he would know that you killed me."
"By the time that happens, I would probably be gone already."
"If he can't punish you, he would punish your family."
"And I would kill him as well."
He face slaps himself. "I suppose you are a teen after all. Just because you killed them doesn't mean that you can kill anyone."
I approach him menacingly. "If someone tries to mess with me or my family, I'll end them."
He surrenders. "The only thing I'm certain of is that being your enemy just isn't worth it."
"Exactly. I have to go now."
"I have to say, I kind of enjoyed doing business with you."
"I would have preferred not having to fight for my life."
"Doing these kinds of shady deals tends to be dangerous." He carefully continues. "There are no... regulations."
I take a deep breath. "Don't disrespect that axe," I say while pointing at the rusty axe that Senka gave me all those years ago.
"What do you mean? I'm going to dismantle it."
"I know, that's what we agreed. Just, please don't treat it as if it were garbage or something."
"Why? Does this axe mean something to you?"
"Yes, it does. Not enough to keep it though." I faintly smile.
"Ok, I'll be sure to mention that to the blacksmith."
"I appreciate it. Well, like I said, I need to go now. Bye."
"Farewell. I hope we get to meet again."
With the pouch of coins finally in my belt, I leave the church behind.
I ride back home, making sure to avoid being seen.
And then, the farm of my family stands before me. Only that this time, a great wave of anxiety faces me. I feel as if a part of me has changed, or broken.
Trying to suppress that feeling, I leave my horse in the barn. I wash myself with a little basin. The basin isn't usually used, so the water is a bit dirty. At this point, the question isn't if my wounds are infected; the question is, how much?.
While I was washing myself, cleaning my bloody and dusty body, as well as my clothes. Someone enters the barn. It's my mother, Jasmine.
I quickly tried to hide my hands, but the action was too obvious.
She covers her mouth, astonished. "What happened?!"
It seems they didn't tell her anything. Well, I should have expected as much. My dad said he trusted my judgement, and my sister was sorry for telling on me.
Her gaze demands an explanation. And this 38-year-old woman won't let me go without giving it. She is tall and has hazel eyes.
I decided to tell her the truth. I would have preferred to tell Jacek first, but that doesn't matter now.
"I got into a fight. I won, but got injured." I make it as simple as I can.
"Show me the wounds." She orders.
I show her the wounds. Since I washed them, there isn't that much blood. The bleeding also stopped. However, even if my right hand isn't very injured, my left hand has a deep cut. The wounds are also infected.
She looks worried. "These wounds could become scars. Are you okay with that?"
"It's not like I hurt myself on purpose."
"You'd better." She says seriously. "I have an old healing potion stored. It was from your grandfather. It could heal you so you don't get scars."
"Seriously? Why did you never tell me about that?"
"Because I thought I would never have to use it. But, I suppose I was wrong in assuming that my brave son wouldn't get hurt."
"How much does it cost? I could pay you back in coin." I have more than enough money now, I haven't counted it, but surely it's worth more than a healing potion.
"Like, ten gold coins."
That's like half of what's in the pouch. I shouldn't be surprised, though. It's a relic from my grandfather, after all.
"But don't worry about paying. I'm your mother, it's the least I can do."
I think it's best if I just accept it. I shouldn't waste this dangerously earned money. I'll repay my family in another way.