The sun shone through the air in the early midday, improving David's mood slightly.
David hadn't been able to think for some good time in the cafe, so he pondered while walking to Wind Cloke Street about what he might find there. He had some ideas on how to find the way there, and if he had no ideas, he would ask someone who happened to walk beside him.
'Did the entire fight between Mr. Settler, Miss Maria, and the Beyonder Characteristic attract so much attention that even Theo's gang came to know of it?'
David had first thought the fight would easily end because they ran away, and the Beyonder Characteristic wouldn't do anything else, but follow them.
But maybe the Characteristic had killed everyone in the bar when it followed Mr. Settler and Ms. Maria. The thought made David shudder a bit in the fresh air of Backlund's streets.
'Did anyone survive there? Surely, at least Mr. Settler and Ms. Maria must have survived. Mr. Settler seemed cautious enough to know what should be done in such situations.' he considered carefully after revising the memories he had.
'Maybe they even managed to kill the monster, which was once Mr. Settler's arm?' David hoped as he turned around the next corner into a smaller, darker alley. It seemed old and filled with an unpleasant hunch, emanating from everywhere.
Noticing that the people started to stare at him, David abruptly switched his focus from his memories to the situation, which lay before him.
Run-down houses, if you still want to call them that. In David's eyes, it looked more like huts.
Only then did he detect the gazes of the people around him. They were starving, and desperate. But David also had no money. It is just that the old David once bought himself a new jacket some years ago, but it didn't even look that old. It was enough to make him stand out combined with his snow-white hair.
Sitting on the corner of the pavement was a small family of three. The man looked like he was already in his forties with his gray, felt hair. However there was no other sign of old age on his body, therefore David presumed he was likely much younger.
Just like the rest of them, he was underfed and David was able to see the outline of his ribs on their chests. Sadly, he didn't have any money with him as he himself was pretty poor at the moment.
'I wish I could help them, but I can't. Maybe I could give them my jacket, but what if others also want something? I can't give everyone a jacket. People don't choose where they live.' David contemplated as he passed beside the family, trying to don't meet anyone's gaze.
The gazes of the other people weren't encouraging. They were likely trying to assess him if he would be able to fight back by the moment they attacked him. That thought made David feel extremely uncomfortable as he started walking faster, his shoes creating quiet sounds of leather meeting the wet, stony path beside the street.
'Calm down and get yourself together, David!' he called out in his mind. He didn't need to be too afraid and let that cloud his judgment.
'Hopefully, my thoughts are unfounded. Otherwise, I'd probably divert their attention to something else while I run to Wind Cloke Street. It shouldn't be taking a long time.
"Dear Sir, please help us. I have lost my job, all the money I've once had is nothing more. Give us some, please, please for my family." An old man grabbed a part of David's jacket from behind and stopped David, who gritted his teeth, but even though he shouldn't stop at the man's words.
"I am sorry, but I don't have any money. No pennies, no solis, and most definitely no pounds. Now, leave me alone." David said with an emotionless face to the man. A cold face like some people may say.
'I have my own problems. How do other people seem to think I'd have time for their problems?'
"But you have a jacket. Can I have the jacket? It could be sold for some solis." The man said while sniffing at the jacket. He only had some old rags.
David, now turning his head away from the man, said nothing and walked away without any more words. He felt their piercing gazes follow him, but he ignored them.
'Next corner, next corner, next corner.' David thought in a hasty voice as he increased the tempo of his steps, which began to sound louder with his speed.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Seeing the end of the run-down buildings, David almost ran. His speed was much faster than he normally ran, David noticed.
Some potions may increase the physical and mental capabilities of the user.
A throbbing headache overran his consciousness and David almost tripped over a stone, which protruded higher out of the ground.
Despite almost falling David managed to keep his balance and stand up straight again. He decided it was smarter to continue walking as he already reached the last part of the slums.
'Thank you and f**k you old David.' David grumbled as he wanted to dust off his trousers, but they didn't have any dust on them. Therefore, he just let it be.
"You almost touched the ground with your face, young man. Be more careful with yourself. Your body won't stay this way forever." An elderly voice flew through the air into David's ears.
That voice was steady, but the age in it wasn't something easily hidden. David looked in the direction left to him from where the voice came from and he saw as expected an old man.
Maybe not old enough to be sickly or with amnesia, but gray hair and some folds in the face, was more than enough for David to think that he was an old man.
The old man had a wooden cane with a metallic shine at its grip. David thought the wood seemed familiar to him and it was after another short look at it.
It was Donningsman wood.
'Donningsman equals Theo, Donningsman is everywhere, that means Theo is everywhere. I swear if he has an actual connection to this man, I don't even know what I should think.' David lampooned.
"Thank you for your concern, Mister. Luckily, nothing happened and everything ended without complications." David responded in a scattered tone while assessing the man in front of him.
The man wore a monocle on his left eye, one white glove on each hand, and in combination with the walking stick, made him look like a distinguished gentleman.
One contrast was that he wore a bowler instead of a top hat, which was considered normal in the nobility. Also, his mustache wasn't as well maintained compared to the nobles, the old David had seen.
When thinking about this, no headache appeared in his head, but David didn't make much of it. The old mister had discovered his assessing gaze and stared him right in the eyes, but said nothing.
"You remind me of someone I once knew. Your hair color was very similar to that person's. The old man pointed with his cane at David's har.