28 - A Limited Quest

  Valrion’s short legs burned beneath him as he dashed through the crowded market. He hadn’t noticed it before since he was always holding onto his mother, but at just three years old, everything around him was enormous. The towering stalls bursting with trinkets and the busy shoppers bustling about—they could easily collapse and stomp on him if he wasn’t careful.

  It was only now that he thought: what if the quest could be done without his involvement? What if Sergius managed to catch the thief and bring them back in under eight minutes without breaking a sweat? Of course, he would believe it more that he would need to contribute something for the Handbook, his personal guidance, to consider it complete.

  With every step, Valrion felt his heart racing wildly in his chest, each beat carrying a mix of thrill, persistence, and a hint of worry. The fact that he was just a kid seemed to work in his favor—people who noticed him instinctively cleared a path, the way parting like waves before a ship. They appeared startled, their eyes widening in surprise, but at least they wouldn’t want to hurt a little boy.

  “Sergius!” he yelled, his tiny voice barely rising above the sounds of merchants haggling and children giggling. He squinted ahead, focusing his utmost on Sergius, who would disappear within seconds if he didn’t try to avoid bumping into people, which slowed him down a lot.

  Valrion wished Sergius would hear him, but then again, if Sergius turned back, even for a moment, it could cost them the thief’s trail entirely. Torn between wanting to be noticed and not wanting to jeopardize the chase, Valrion went on, committed to keeping up no matter what. He could only run after Sergius, hoping that he wouldn’t be left behind and fail the quest.

  [Time left: 07:21]

  As he rounded a fabric stand—not his mother’s friend’s—Valrion spotted a flash of red fabric slipping into the pathway, nearly tripping him. Fiercely, he leaped forward, almost tumbling as his small feet slammed against the cobblestones. It was quite a miracle that he managed to regain his balance and push forward.

  He then zigzagged through the street, vaulting over a stall laden with oranges, sending the fruit rolling into the path of alarmed shoppers. The sound of squished fruit broke as people gasped in surprise. One vendor, a burly man with a thick mustache, barely saved his crate of vegetables that tumbled after the thief, his face clouded with annoyance and shock.

  “Hey! Watch it!” he shouted at Sergius, even though it was clearly not the man’s fault. His arms flailed in a futile attempt to regain control over his produce.

  [Time left: 07:05]

  Sergius kept running forward, undeterred by the chaos, and Valrion had no choice but to follow. He couldn’t miss Sergius, Sergius couldn’t lose the thief, and the thief couldn’t escape with his mother’s money.

  As the quickened, the atmosphere became a swirling blur of motion. Stalls toppled around them, vendors shouted in confusion, and the crowd parted when needed, creating a narrow path amidst the commotion—all bewildered by a single commotion. Once in a while, Valrion glanced at people’s faces, and Sergius might need a long time to explain to them later.

  The thief seemed to be a professional, as Valrion observed a deliberate pattern in their movements. They darted left and right with practiced precision, clearly trying to mislead and confuse their pursuers. It would still work, even if the chasing happened in a narrow market street.

  [Time left: 06:48]

  Soon, Sergius turned into an alley, and an idea sparked in Valrion’s mind. He decided to take a shortcut through a similar lane closer to him. If the thief tried to double back, Valrion might be able to intercept them. If not, the worst that would happen would be that he would end up a few steps behind Sergius.

  The shortcut led Valrion to a quieter stretch of the market, where the crowd had thinned and the stalls dwindled to none. His first guess was wrong—the thief didn’t retreat but pressed forward—but it didn’t matter. Valrion’s resolve burned as brightly as his focus. He could still see the thief and Sergius in the distance, their chase far from over.

  As Valrion navigated ways around a few children his age playing with sticks and stones, drawing on the ground, he caught a better glimpse of the thief: a boy slightly taller than him. What kind of irony was it that he was a son of a well-to-do family, yet that kid had to steal from his mother?

  Valrion realized that his strides grew shorter and slower. He began to feel the fatigue creeping in, especially in his legs. The thief was about to run toward another alley that should have brought him to the outside of the market, but Valrion noticed several wooden crates stacked near them, spilling slightly over the edges.

  [Time left: 06:03]

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  An idea sparked in his mind—he could use his elemental power to block the way. He should have more than enough mana for it. However, the children watching might be smarter than he thought and could snitch on him to the adults. Then again, he or Sergius could just lie and pretend they didn’t know a thing.

  He chose not to dwell on whether it was the right thing to do, focusing instead on the urgency of the moment. Drawing on the warmth within him, he concentrated as best as he could. With a quick raise of his hand, he unleashed a burst of fire that struck the crates, sending them tumbling over with a loud crash.

  Noise rippled through the area, breaking the silence of the once-quiet area of the market. Barrels and debris toppled chaotically, sealing the path in an impassable tangle. Flames danced upward, creating a fiery barrier that left no room for escape. Cornered by the sudden blockade, the thief froze. Sergius arrived soon after, seizing the thief and bringing the chase to an end.

  [Limited Quest completed: Retrieve Mother’s Lost Purse]

  [EXP +80]

  [Level: 5]

  [EXP: 90/145]

  [Health: 295/297]

  [Mana: 13/31]

  That was a lot of EXP gained in such a short time. Valrion would love to spend some time figuring out how to get more of those limited quests, but he had more urgent matters to attend to.

  Quickly, he ran toward Sergius. The thief lay curled up on the ground, hiding their face with his shabby coat. Sergius knelt on one knee, his hand firmly pinning the thief’s arm down. The crates burned at a safe distance, posing no immediate danger to any of them.

  “Ser—” Valrion began.

  “That was careless of you!” Sergius snapped, glaring at Valrion. The harsh tone made Valrion jolt in surprise. If he had to list the most unexpected events in his life, Sergius yelling at him would be one of them. The man’s eyes burned with frustration, the rare display of anger throwing Valrion off entirely.

  “I’m sor—”

  “We told you not to use your fire in public! I thought you were smarter than this! Who told you to follow me even?!” Sergius gritted his teeth, glancing at the direction from where they came from.

  Valrion followed Sergius’ gaze. The children playing from before were gathering. There were also new spectators—adults—who started to show up from the inner market. How funny of him to have expected Sergius to praise him instead. Right now, he could only wish that no one would suspect the fire to be coming from either one of them.

  “So reckless,” Sergius muttered, but his words were cut short as their attention shifted to the thief, who had started to sob uncontrollably.

  Sergius forced the thief to turn around, shoving him slightly. To their surprise, the thief was a girl with short hair. She looked up at them with wide, frightened eyes, tears streaking her dirt-smudged face. Any trace of mischief was absent from her expression—all that was seen was pure fear.

  Letting out a long sigh, Sergius began, “Little girl, why did you do that?”

  “I didn’t mean to—” she stammered, her voice trembling. Valrion took a moment to process her words, noticing the way her body shook slightly as she spoke.

  “I asked, why did you do that?” Sergius continued.

  “I was just hungry,” she replied. “I didn’t mean to—I just wanted to buy more food.”

  The sincerity in her tone struck Valrion deeply. He couldn’t ignore the rawness in her confession, and it drove him to question Sergius’ approach, wondering if there was another way to handle this without adding to her fear. There must be one, but he couldn’t think of any.

  Sergius frowned. “We already gave you bread, and that wasn’t enough?”

  The girl fell silent. Her crying became louder.

  Sergius sighed once again. “This is why it’s so hard to help people like you. You’re just a kid, but already making choices that lead to this kind of trouble.”

  Valrion couldn’t fully agree with Sergius’ harsh words. Was the girl truly at fault for her actions? If anyone deserved blame, it should be her family. Where were her parents? Why hadn’t they provided her with enough to eat or protected her from ending up in such a desperate situation?

  At the same time, Valrion could understand Sergius’s anger—even his mother, if he wanted to stretch it further. They had helped, yet these people still demanded more by acting immorally. This was one of those moments when Valrion couldn’t decide whom to defend, but if he really had to choose, then Sergius was more right than wrong.

  “What’s your name?” Sergius asked. His tone softened, though a trace of authority was still present.

  “Amelia,” she whispered.

  “Where’s the pouch you took, Amelia?” he demanded.

  The girl stayed silent, staring at the ground.

  “I won’t ask again. Where is it?” he repeated, sharper this time.

  Still, Amelia didn’t respond. Valrion watched in disbelief. How could she remain stubborn, even now, when the truth was already out?

  Sergius rummaged through Amelia’s pockets, clearly left with no other choice. It was difficult for Valrion to see the whole thing, especially as she squeezed her eyes shut and tears streamed down her cheeks. Her expression carried desperation that spoke of years of hardship. At the same time, this had to happen. She had to return what didn’t belong to her.

  “All right,” Sergius said after finding Valrion’s mother’s pouch inside the left pocket of Amelia’s coat. Without hesitation, he shoved the girl away, his movements harsh and unyielding.

  “Be gentle!” Valrion protested, slapping Sergius’ arm, but Sergius didn’t even flinch. It frightened him to see Sergius like this, so different from his usual lighthearted self. He could only hope Sergius wouldn’t stay mad at him for long. Even worse, he might not be able to leave the house again.

  Valrion turned his gaze to Amelia. Her cries became louder, her body shaking as she struggled to contain her tears. Sergius inspected the pouch, squeezing it as if confirming its contents, and fixed a cold glare on Amelia.

  Was this really Sergius? This reminded him of the moment he discovered Octavia’s second job. There was still so much he didn’t know about the people around him, even those he thought he understood best.

  “Let’s go back,” Valrion suggested.

  Honestly, Valrion couldn’t decipher the expression on Sergius’ face. His gaze shifted between him and Amelia, looking as if he could have left them alone here and wouldn’t feel any guilt. Did this mean Sergius was disappointed in both of them? How should Valrion react if Sergius really saw him in the same light as a pitiful thief?

  “Yeah,” Sergius said, rising to his feet and pulling Amelia up with him. He gripped her collar firmly, and together, they began making their way back through the chaotic market, ignoring the curious stares and murmurs of those watching. Valrion followed silently behind, his mind recalling everything that had just happened.

  I found out that a 3-year-old can run fast as long as they don't get distracted. ??

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