Chapter 61: Good Morning Sir
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He suspected that this had been the original plan of the interior decorator. Xzavier couldn't deny it, it had all panned out well.
As Xzavier sat up on the feathered bed, as was his normal routine every morning, he mentally went over the series of events that had transpired over the last couple of days. Asides from the unfortunate incident with the hunters which had threatened to soil Xzavier's accomplishments, Xzavier was pretty much satisfied with how it had all gone down.
He had come to this town only a few weeks ago, and within that period, he had managed to take out some of the most significant trouble makers in this town. It hadn't been his original plan, but his character which often acted as his guidance system had led him in that direction.
Xzavier wasn't one to praise himself. He saw it as a needless indulgence of one's ego. But unknown to him, at that very moment, right outside his hotel were droves of people who had come out to pay homage to him. They had heard of his exploits, and because there wasn't a single member of the town who hadn't been affected by the scourge that was the goblins and orcs, they all trooped in droves to see the man who had accomplished such an unimaginable feat all by himself.
Several theories flew around concerning him. Some said he was a demigod, others claimed he was a very powerful mage, a branch of left winged extremists claimed he was an extra-terrestrial angel who had been assigned to their town to take care of their beastly woes. Xzavier's black garments didn't help matters one bit. His cold eyes further enhanced the aura of mysteriousness around him. The tale bearers took advantage of this to spin more stories. Whatever it was, they had all trooped down in the masses to see the mysterious man.
It was probably a good thing that Xzavier had chosen that very day to skip town. He wasn't the type of man who loved attention. He left that for politicians and socialites. He was a solider, and for him, that was enough.
Back in his hotel room, still unaware of the crowd that awaited him outside, Xzavier packed up his gear and headed downstairs to the lobby. Xzavier saw the eccentric hotelier waiting for him at the foot of the stairs and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for the extra-character of the hotelier this morning. After settling him the last time, Xzavier had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with the obnoxious hotelier.
So, Xzavier breezed past him, hoping that if he ignored the hotelier hard enough, he would take the hint and go. It proved to be a serious miscalculation. Xzavier's coldness seemed to be lost on the loud fellow. The hotelier greeted Xzavier boisterously:
"Good morning sir!"
Xzavier grunted an inaudible reply.
The hotelier refused to be deterred by Xzavier's coldness, instead he pressed on optimistically. Actually, the hotelier had only recently realized that the mysterious stranger had recently come to stardom. So, with this last few moments to spare, he tried to ingratiate himself with Xzavier.
"Boss man! Since you have been such a model guest, I would like to offer you a lifetime of free services here! Feel free to stop by at any time sir!"
Xzavier raised his eyebrows quizzically at the hotelier;
"Really?" he asked.
"Most definitely!" he chirped with a beaming smile.
Xzavier knew that the hotelier didn't really mean it. He could tell that he was the type that loved money more than life itself. The hotelier was simply playing on the fact that Xzavier would probably thank him for his benign hospitality and decline his offer. Xzavier knew this and decided to play to the left.
But much to the hotelier's horror, the exact opposite of what he had been expecting happened. Xzavier looked him squarely in the eye, and with a wicked smirk on his face, he replied him;
"You know, I might just take you up on that offer."
Xzavier watched with delight as the hotelier's face turned pale white in shock before he headed towards the exit where his own shock waited for him in an ambush.
The doors opened, and it felt like the floodgates were unleashed. Completely unaware of the storm that awaited him outside, Xzavier casually strolled out only to be accosted by a barrage of strangers. Their benign looks and worshipful stares took Xzavier by storm. Far and wide, as far as the eye could see, scores and scores of people were littered on the street. Xzavier felt like he had walked into his worst nightmare. He could handle a whole band of goblins, he could break even with a dozen orcs, but he couldn't deal with the politics of having to deal with human motions.
Xzavier was hardly ever taken unawares, but there was no way he would have known that this would happen. Momentarily frozen in disbelief, Xzavier stood on the pavement as he watched the street before him teem with fans. It was hard to ignore the longing looks of adoration that was generously spread across their faces. The confounded Xzavier still had no idea what this was about. And worse of all, there was no one he personally knew in the crowd, so why were they all staring at him like he was Santa or something?
By the looks of it, it seemed like the whole town had come to see Xzavier. A couple of hunters who had personally seen Xzavier at the underground keep stepped out from the throng of people in the street and walked up to Xzavier with beaming smiles and outstretched arms. It was only after a few sentences that Xzavier finally understood.
The first of the four young men congratulated Xzavier with words of adulation;
"Well done champ! You're a real one!"
"Indeed!"
"Thank you for all your services to this town! We can't thank you enough!"
"Yes! Those orcs sure had it coming! The nasty goblins as well!"
The others echoed the last man's statement in approval.
Even though the hunters did not like the way Xzavier did things, there was no denying the fact that his ways delivered results. For the hunters, this was a huge leap. From not liking Xzavier at all to coming to admire him, there was no doubting the fact that they had had a one hundred and eighty degree shift in their perception of him. It was evident in their beaming smiles and their approving looks.
It was at this point that Xzavier finally caught on. He sighed a deep relief and finally eased himself into the situation. Drawing a deep breath, Xzavier dove into the crowd, this was the best and easiest way to escape the situation. If he had lingered to long on the pavement, he would have been asked to deliver a speech. Anyone who knew Xzavier would testify that he wasn't exactly the speaking type, so addressing a crowd on such short notice was way out of his scope of expertise.
Like a tiger in its element, Xzavier navigated his way through the crowd, smiling, waving and pausing for the occasional handshake or hug. It was like watching an animal in its natural habitat. He truly was in his element. As Xzavier made his way through the throng of adoration, his eyes searched thoroughly for a familiar face. In particular, he looked for the simple chubby face of the young woman whom he had gotten along with in his time here. But the more he searched, the more convinced he was that Tacy wasn't present.
At some point, he thought he sighted someone whose features vaguely resembled that of Tacy's. But disappointment mocked him the moment he raised his hopes up. It turned out that it wasn't her.
Just about forty feet away from Xzavier, positioned way behind the crowd, and standing at the street corner of the was the same person whom Xzavier was longing to see. With sad eyes, Tacy quietly watched Xzavier's tall frame waltz through the multitude. Tacy was the impulsive type, and naturally, hesitation had never been part of her character. But in that moment, much like her eyes, Tacy's body language screamed of reluctance.
Hers was a longing that was tempered by raging winds of inferiority complex. She desperately wanted to reach out to Xzavier in that moment, and for a jiffy, she almost did. But the encompassing mental barriers of doubt and the fear of rejection kept her from doing that which she wanted to do with the man she yearned for. So, like a schoolgirl watching her crush from a distance, Tacy maintained a physical and emotional distance from Xzavier.
Amidst the cheering and appreciative speeches flying all around her, Tacy remained detached from the happenings. Instead, she remained in the protective shell of her own mind. Not daring to come out. Not daring to act out. With arms folded, she simply looked on from a distance with the keen eyes that resembled that of a hawk.
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He suspected that this had been the original plan of the interior decorator. Xzavier couldn't deny it, it had all panned out well.
As Xzavier sat up on the feathered bed, as was his normal routine every morning, he mentally went over the series of events that had transpired over the last couple of days. Asides from the unfortunate incident with the hunters which had threatened to soil Xzavier's accomplishments, Xzavier was pretty much satisfied with how it had all gone down.
He had come to this town only a few weeks ago, and within that period, he had managed to take out some of the most significant trouble makers in this town. It hadn't been his original plan, but his character which often acted as his guidance system had led him in that direction.
Xzavier wasn't one to praise himself. He saw it as a needless indulgence of one's ego. But unknown to him, at that very moment, right outside his hotel were droves of people who had come out to pay homage to him. They had heard of his exploits, and because there wasn't a single member of the town who hadn't been affected by the scourge that was the goblins and orcs, they all trooped in droves to see the man who had accomplished such an unimaginable feat all by himself.
Several theories flew around concerning him. Some said he was a demigod, others claimed he was a very powerful mage, a branch of left winged extremists claimed he was an extra-terrestrial angel who had been assigned to their town to take care of their beastly woes. Xzavier's black garments didn't help matters one bit. His cold eyes further enhanced the aura of mysteriousness around him. The tale bearers took advantage of this to spin more stories. Whatever it was, they had all trooped down in the masses to see the mysterious man.
It was probably a good thing that Xzavier had chosen that very day to skip town. He wasn't the type of man who loved attention. He left that for politicians and socialites. He was a solider, and for him, that was enough.
Back in his hotel room, still unaware of the crowd that awaited him outside, Xzavier packed up his gear and headed downstairs to the lobby. Xzavier saw the eccentric hotelier waiting for him at the foot of the stairs and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for the extra-character of the hotelier this morning. After settling him the last time, Xzavier had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with the obnoxious hotelier.
So, Xzavier breezed past him, hoping that if he ignored the hotelier hard enough, he would take the hint and go. It proved to be a serious miscalculation. Xzavier's coldness seemed to be lost on the loud fellow. The hotelier greeted Xzavier boisterously:
"Good morning sir!"
Xzavier grunted an inaudible reply.
The hotelier refused to be deterred by Xzavier's coldness, instead he pressed on optimistically. Actually, the hotelier had only recently realized that the mysterious stranger had recently come to stardom. So, with this last few moments to spare, he tried to ingratiate himself with Xzavier.
"Boss man! Since you have been such a model guest, I would like to offer you a lifetime of free services here! Feel free to stop by at any time sir!"
Xzavier raised his eyebrows quizzically at the hotelier;
"Really?" he asked.
"Most definitely!" he chirped with a beaming smile.
Xzavier knew that the hotelier didn't really mean it. He could tell that he was the type that loved money more than life itself. The hotelier was simply playing on the fact that Xzavier would probably thank him for his benign hospitality and decline his offer. Xzavier knew this and decided to play to the left.
But much to the hotelier's horror, the exact opposite of what he had been expecting happened. Xzavier looked him squarely in the eye, and with a wicked smirk on his face, he replied him;
"You know, I might just take you up on that offer."
Xzavier watched with delight as the hotelier's face turned pale white in shock before he headed towards the exit where his own shock waited for him in an ambush.
The doors opened, and it felt like the floodgates were unleashed. Completely unaware of the storm that awaited him outside, Xzavier casually strolled out only to be accosted by a barrage of strangers. Their benign looks and worshipful stares took Xzavier by storm. Far and wide, as far as the eye could see, scores and scores of people were littered on the street. Xzavier felt like he had walked into his worst nightmare. He could handle a whole band of goblins, he could break even with a dozen orcs, but he couldn't deal with the politics of having to deal with human motions.
Xzavier was hardly ever taken unawares, but there was no way he would have known that this would happen. Momentarily frozen in disbelief, Xzavier stood on the pavement as he watched the street before him teem with fans. It was hard to ignore the longing looks of adoration that was generously spread across their faces. The confounded Xzavier still had no idea what this was about. And worse of all, there was no one he personally knew in the crowd, so why were they all staring at him like he was Santa or something?
By the looks of it, it seemed like the whole town had come to see Xzavier. A couple of hunters who had personally seen Xzavier at the underground keep stepped out from the throng of people in the street and walked up to Xzavier with beaming smiles and outstretched arms. It was only after a few sentences that Xzavier finally understood.
The first of the four young men congratulated Xzavier with words of adulation;
"Well done champ! You're a real one!"
"Indeed!"
"Thank you for all your services to this town! We can't thank you enough!"
"Yes! Those orcs sure had it coming! The nasty goblins as well!"
The others echoed the last man's statement in approval.
Even though the hunters did not like the way Xzavier did things, there was no denying the fact that his ways delivered results. For the hunters, this was a huge leap. From not liking Xzavier at all to coming to admire him, there was no doubting the fact that they had had a one hundred and eighty degree shift in their perception of him. It was evident in their beaming smiles and their approving looks.
It was at this point that Xzavier finally caught on. He sighed a deep relief and finally eased himself into the situation. Drawing a deep breath, Xzavier dove into the crowd, this was the best and easiest way to escape the situation. If he had lingered to long on the pavement, he would have been asked to deliver a speech. Anyone who knew Xzavier would testify that he wasn't exactly the speaking type, so addressing a crowd on such short notice was way out of his scope of expertise.
Like a tiger in its element, Xzavier navigated his way through the crowd, smiling, waving and pausing for the occasional handshake or hug. It was like watching an animal in its natural habitat. He truly was in his element. As Xzavier made his way through the throng of adoration, his eyes searched thoroughly for a familiar face. In particular, he looked for the simple chubby face of the young woman whom he had gotten along with in his time here. But the more he searched, the more convinced he was that Tacy wasn't present.
At some point, he thought he sighted someone whose features vaguely resembled that of Tacy's. But disappointment mocked him the moment he raised his hopes up. It turned out that it wasn't her.
Just about forty feet away from Xzavier, positioned way behind the crowd, and standing at the street corner of the was the same person whom Xzavier was longing to see. With sad eyes, Tacy quietly watched Xzavier's tall frame waltz through the multitude. Tacy was the impulsive type, and naturally, hesitation had never been part of her character. But in that moment, much like her eyes, Tacy's body language screamed of reluctance.
Hers was a longing that was tempered by raging winds of inferiority complex. She desperately wanted to reach out to Xzavier in that moment, and for a jiffy, she almost did. But the encompassing mental barriers of doubt and the fear of rejection kept her from doing that which she wanted to do with the man she yearned for. So, like a schoolgirl watching her crush from a distance, Tacy maintained a physical and emotional distance from Xzavier.
Amidst the cheering and appreciative speeches flying all around her, Tacy remained detached from the happenings. Instead, she remained in the protective shell of her own mind. Not daring to come out. Not daring to act out. With arms folded, she simply looked on from a distance with the keen eyes that resembled that of a hawk.
He suspected that this had been the original plan of the interior decorator. Xzavier couldn't deny it, it had all panned out well.As Xzavier sat up on the feathered bed, as was his normal routine every morning, he mentally went over the series of events that had transpired over the last couple of days. Asides from the unfortunate incident with the hunters which had threatened to soil Xzavier's accomplishments, Xzavier was pretty much satisfied with how it had all gone down.He had come to this town only a few weeks ago, and within that period, he had managed to take out some of the most significant trouble makers in this town. It hadn't been his original plan, but his character which often acted as his guidance system had led him in that direction.Xzavier wasn't one to praise himself. He saw it as a needless indulgence of one's ego. But unknown to him, at that very moment, right outside his hotel were droves of people who had come out to pay homage to him. They had heard of his exploits, and because there wasn't a single member of the town who hadn't been affected by the scourge that was the goblins and orcs, they all trooped in droves to see the man who had accomplished such an unimaginable feat all by himself.Several theories flew around concerning him. Some said he was a demigod, others claimed he was a very powerful mage, a branch of left winged extremists claimed he was an extra-terrestrial angel who had been assigned to their town to take care of their beastly woes. Xzavier's black garments didn't help matters one bit. His cold eyes further enhanced the aura of mysteriousness around him. The tale bearers took advantage of this to spin more stories. Whatever it was, they had all trooped down in the masses to see the mysterious man.It was probably a good thing that Xzavier had chosen that very day to skip town. He wasn't the type of man who loved attention. He left that for politicians and socialites. He was a solider, and for him, that was enough.Back in his hotel room, still unaware of the crowd that awaited him outside, Xzavier packed up his gear and headed downstairs to the lobby. Xzavier saw the eccentric hotelier waiting for him at the foot of the stairs and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for the extra-character of the hotelier this morning. After settling him the last time, Xzavier had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with the obnoxious hotelier.So, Xzavier breezed past him, hoping that if he ignored the hotelier hard enough, he would take the hint and go. It proved to be a serious miscalculation. Xzavier's coldness seemed to be lost on the loud fellow. The hotelier greeted Xzavier boisterously:"Good morning sir!"Xzavier grunted an inaudible reply.The hotelier refused to be deterred by Xzavier's coldness, instead he pressed on optimistically. Actually, the hotelier had only recently realized that the mysterious stranger had recently come to stardom. So, with this last few moments to spare, he tried to ingratiate himself with Xzavier."Boss man! Since you have been such a model guest, I would like to offer you a lifetime of free services here! Feel free to stop by at any time sir!"Xzavier raised his eyebrows quizzically at the hotelier;"Really?" he asked."Most definitely!" he chirped with a beaming smile.Xzavier knew that the hotelier didn't really mean it. He could tell that he was the type that loved money more than life itself. The hotelier was simply playing on the fact that Xzavier would probably thank him for his benign hospitality and decline his offer. Xzavier knew this and decided to play to the left.But much to the hotelier's horror, the exact opposite of what he had been expecting happened. Xzavier looked him squarely in the eye, and with a wicked smirk on his face, he replied him;"You know, I might just take you up on that offer."Xzavier watched with delight as the hotelier's face turned pale white in shock before he headed towards the exit where his own shock waited for him in an ambush.The doors opened, and it felt like the floodgates were unleashed. Completely unaware of the storm that awaited him outside, Xzavier casually strolled out only to be accosted by a barrage of strangers. Their benign looks and worshipful stares took Xzavier by storm. Far and wide, as far as the eye could see, scores and scores of people were littered on the street. Xzavier felt like he had walked into his worst nightmare. He could handle a whole band of goblins, he could break even with a dozen orcs, but he couldn't deal with the politics of having to deal with human motions.Xzavier was hardly ever taken unawares, but there was no way he would have known that this would happen. Momentarily frozen in disbelief, Xzavier stood on the pavement as he watched the street before him teem with fans. It was hard to ignore the longing looks of adoration that was generously spread across their faces. The confounded Xzavier still had no idea what this was about. And worse of all, there was no one he personally knew in the crowd, so why were they all staring at him like he was Santa or something?By the looks of it, it seemed like the whole town had come to see Xzavier. A couple of hunters who had personally seen Xzavier at the underground keep stepped out from the throng of people in the street and walked up to Xzavier with beaming smiles and outstretched arms. It was only after a few sentences that Xzavier finally understood.The first of the four young men congratulated Xzavier with words of adulation;"Well done champ! You're a real one!""Indeed!""Thank you for all your services to this town! We can't thank you enough!""Yes! Those orcs sure had it coming! The nasty goblins as well!"The others echoed the last man's statement in approval.Even though the hunters did not like the way Xzavier did things, there was no denying the fact that his ways delivered results. For the hunters, this was a huge leap. From not liking Xzavier at all to coming to admire him, there was no doubting the fact that they had had a one hundred and eighty degree shift in their perception of him. It was evident in their beaming smiles and their approving looks.It was at this point that Xzavier finally caught on. He sighed a deep relief and finally eased himself into the situation. Drawing a deep breath, Xzavier dove into the crowd, this was the best and easiest way to escape the situation. If he had lingered to long on the pavement, he would have been asked to deliver a speech. Anyone who knew Xzavier would testify that he wasn't exactly the speaking type, so addressing a crowd on such short notice was way out of his scope of expertise.Like a tiger in its element, Xzavier navigated his way through the crowd, smiling, waving and pausing for the occasional handshake or hug. It was like watching an animal in its natural habitat. He truly was in his element. As Xzavier made his way through the throng of adoration, his eyes searched thoroughly for a familiar face. In particular, he looked for the simple chubby face of the young woman whom he had gotten along with in his time here. But the more he searched, the more convinced he was that Tacy wasn't present.At some point, he thought he sighted someone whose features vaguely resembled that of Tacy's. But disappointment mocked him the moment he raised his hopes up. It turned out that it wasn't her.Just about forty feet away from Xzavier, positioned way behind the crowd, and standing at the street corner of the was the same person whom Xzavier was longing to see. With sad eyes, Tacy quietly watched Xzavier's tall frame waltz through the multitude. Tacy was the impulsive type, and naturally, hesitation had never been part of her character. But in that moment, much like her eyes, Tacy's body language screamed of reluctance.Hers was a longing that was tempered by raging winds of inferiority complex. She desperately wanted to reach out to Xzavier in that moment, and for a jiffy, she almost did. But the encompassing mental barriers of doubt and the fear of rejection kept her from doing that which she wanted to do with the man she yearned for. So, like a schoolgirl watching her crush from a distance, Tacy maintained a physical and emotional distance from Xzavier.Amidst the cheering and appreciative speeches flying all around her, Tacy remained detached from the happenings. Instead, she remained in the protective shell of her own mind. Not daring to come out. Not daring to act out. With arms folded, she simply looked on from a distance with the keen eyes that resembled that of a hawk.
