The boys stopped throwing rocks abruptly.
"What are you saying? Shackled are beasts in human form, stupid. You can't turn into one just like that! A whole world would have been turned into shackleds if every wronged person could turn!"
"Oh... right. You are right, I forgot about that," Lucian agreed, not wanting to argue with his three new friends. "I still think we should do sothing more fun…like starting a gang together. I have a place we can use as a base," he paused, "It will be aweso."
The kids found the idea interesting, and looked at the bigger kid, who also seed to like the idea of a secret hideout.
"Where is it?" the big kid asked.
"Nearby." Lucian approached the boy on the ground, extending a hand to him to pull him back to his feet. "What's your na?"
The boy with brown curls hesitated for a mont before accepting the offered hand. "Jax... I'm Jax. Thank you," he replied, looking at the other boys nervously. Nobody protested, allowing him to release a relieved sigh.
Lucian brought his new friends to a small plot of land on the outskirts of the town, surrounded by trees and full of weeds. He pulled out a deed from his bag and showed them that he owned the land.
He couldn't read, but the voice did, and it said it was a legal deed, so Lucian took its word for it. He had no reason to doubt the voice's reading abilities, even if it was a an thing.
"Whoa! It's really yours?"
Lucian rubbed his nose with his finger, smiling proudly at his achievent. "Yes. I used my money to buy it."
The boys were impressed.
"I can get a few blankets and a tent," one boy said.
"I will bring so food," the other offered, and the rest pitched in to offer their help in setting up a new place for them all to hang out.
They raided their hos and brought their loot to the camp, setting up their new headquarters. Branch of trees were used to build a makeshift roof over their heads, and the ground was cleared of weeds and debris.
Besides the big noble kid, the rest knew a thing or two about construction, borrowing hamrs from their dads without them noticing.
Lucian was amazed at his new friends' skills. He couldn't wait to see what they could accomplish together.
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Sitting under the roof of the new hideout, five boys sat in a circle.
"A na. Our gang needs a na," Lucian said.
"What should it be?" Alain asked Lucian, since it was his idea in the first place. He was the locksmith's son, and the most friendly among them (after Lucian).
"I don't know," Lucian said, "I never nad a gang before."
"Then why did you suggest it?!" Big Ray shouted, raising a fist to punch him.
"Because it sounded like fun?" Lucian replied, shrinking back, "I thought it would help make so friends..."
"...Oh," Big Ray lowered his fist, and looked at the rest, "Any suggestions?"
Pascal, the shoemaker's son who knew his way with the hamr and nails, suggested, "The Wild Boars. No one sses with boars."
The kids started to throw nas, from the wolf pack to the fox den, and even the dragon's lair. They argued and bickered until they settled on the most badass na they could think of, the most badass of all the badasses: The Badass Gang.
The following days were a blast, Lucian was having the ti of his life with his newfound friends. They would et up after their daily training and chores to gather at the Badass gang base to continue expanding their base.
They even had a few weapons and armor pieces to practice with, courtesy of the more noble boy (Big Ray) in their group.
Lucian broke the social system and made a little gang where anyone could fit in. A talent the voice would never approve of, since it hated humans. But the voice was gone, so Lucian was free to do whatever he wanted, and he loved it!
That's until signs of sickness appeared over his body. It was Lucian's tenth birthday. He planned to celebrate it with his Badass gang.
One of them was missing due to his knight training (Big Ray), but they could still have fun...or so he hoped.
Lucian coughed into his palm and saw blood, "..."
The kids panicked, quickly carrying him to the church. They grew fond of Lucian despite him being weak and useless at fighting, and the idea of their gang falling apart scared them.
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"Is he gonna be alright, Father?" Jax asked, watching as the priest examined him.
The priest eyed the group of kids with a frown, "Shouldn't you be at ho helping your parents? Go ho, all of you, before your parents start to worry."
The kids exchanged looks, then reluctantly nodded. They said goodbye to Lucian and left him in the care of the priest.
"I wondered when you would finally succumb to your fate," the priest muttered under his breath when it was just the two of them, "It's a miracle you have lived this long without getting sick a single ti... not even once."
No matter how hard Lucian pushed himself to work and earn money, he never got sick. It was as if the Gods themselves were protecting him. And now, it seed that they had finally abandoned him to his doom.
The priest also stopped being lenient with him, letting him know that he was a burden on the church.
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"Even with the money you are giving us, you're still costing us more than you're bringing in," the priest told him after Lucian revealed a hiding spot for a portion of his savings.
The boy kept silent, staring at the ceiling as the priest gave him his daily sermon, "You took the gift from God for granted, my child, and you are now suffering the consequences of your actions."
He paused then continued, "You are being punished for your pride, for thinking you can defy fate and survive on your own, without the help of God..."
Lucian coughed more blood in response, rushing the priest into feeding him his dicine.
The voice was punishing Lucian for trying to live without its guidance, but it had an opposite effect on Lucian. A small grudge was forming in the young boy's heart, his respect for the voice dropping further.
'That's not how you treat your family.'
'I will never forgive you for hurting .'
'Never.'
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