In a bleak room, a young man could be seen pacing back and forth in front of a mirror. He had an average appearance with brown hair and eyes, the only notable thing about him was his half pointed ears. Thierry knew he had no time to apply his make up. After all he was still eating his rye bread for breakfast, he pulled it out his mouth and packaged it somewhere.
"Must I really go out?"
Thierry began to second guess himself but deep down he knew he had to go. He leaned over to the window and looked at the dead suns rays converging back into the gaping hole. Thierry cursed and left the room in a motley.
As he walked down the street, he felt the gazes of passersby as he looked down in embarrassment. If only they could see Thierry's face, which was warped in indignation but he couldn't help but sigh.
After all it was his own fault for being late. Thierry soon entered an alleyway. The deeper he went the further he got from the sun's radiance. As he walked he saw a boy cradling a baby in rags whilst he was mostly nude.
"Curse it all..."
Thierry muttered as he got out a small little bag which had his rye bread from earlier in it.
He motioned it to the kid but all he got back was a glare in response.
"Kid I'm not going to waste my time here, trying to convince you to eat it. So I'll just leave it here for you."
Thierry crouched and placed the bread on the floor. This act was not out of kindness. It just reminded Thierry about something only known to him. He continued onwards to his destination. After awhile he saw the circus tent. But he looked in horror as he saw the many shadows inside and out of the circus tent.
'Maybe I shouldn't have wasted my time on that brat.'
Thierry made his way to the ringmaster's tent. Before he knocked, a low grumble came from within.
"Come in. There's no point standing out there."
Thierry made his way in to see the middle aged man pulling back his leather gloves. Thierry couldn't help but glance at the gruesome scar that riddled the right side of his face starting from his lip all the way up to his brows.
"Mr Flounder I can explain why I was late, if you just give me the time."
"No need! Do you know how I got this scar? It's all due to my negligence, if I had been paying attention they would've lived."
Thierry began to half-heartedly nod with an attentive expression but really he was cursing the old man in his head.
'Damned bounded! He only has one chain, if I ever chose to become a bounded I would be more powerful than him!'
Mr Flounder had a habit of retelling his past adventures whenever he had a chance to scold someone. It was evident he was long past prime, his once golden hair lost its glow becoming white and his pot belly was rather obvious.
"You're fired..."
Thierry who was not paying attention stopped nodding and stared at Mr Flounder in apprehension.
"Can you repeat that, I think I misheard?"
Thierry refused to believe that he had been fired over a small mistake such as lateness. After all over the years he had been the one to do the most acts.
"You heard me we don't need someone like you for our act in Berken. This is your severance. Now take it and out of my sights at once!"
Thierry's expression began ashen at once as he looked at his final pay. It was only seventy three lutes and ninety nine lunts. He hobbled out of the cabin and took one last glance at the carnival before him.
Back in the ringmaster's cabin, William Flounder had an expression of relief as he smiled watching the kid leaving the carnival.
'It's better this way. At least you won't be tied down to us.'
William thought before leaving the cabin and joining the carnival.
***
"Another!"
Thierry bellowed while trying to keep his head up. His face which was normally pale was now flushed. He tried to drown his sorrows with drinking. A waitress soon came to his aid. She stared at him with a worried glance.
"Customer although you may be young and can't drink. Don't you think you've had enough ale."
No response came, all Thierry could do is grumble. Before long, a group of people all carrying weapons and armour sat beside him. Thierry paid no attention to them and continued asking for a refill.
"Hey kid leave the poor girl alone. You look too young to be drinking this much."
"Mind your business. Damned Bounded!"
Thierry scoffed but maybe he was too drunk to realise that the man's other members looked at him with pity. The armoured man began to take off his gauntlet and helm.
"Brat why don't we play a game? I'll pay for all your drinks If you beat me at an arm wrestle but if you lose pay for my cohort's drinks for the night and leave."
"I'd be a fool. If I tried to fight against a bound!"
Thierry retorted but he felt something amiss as the man began to snicker at his statement.
"Don't worry. My cohort can testify that I don't have a physical type chain."
Thierry began to sober up and glanced at the group behind the man. None of them said anything or got involved but they occasionally glanced at him with pity.
'Whats the worst that can happen'
Thierry tried to comfort himself but something just felt amiss
"So are you going to take the deal or not?"
"Fine."
They both moved a way from the counter and found a table nearby. If it was true that the man didn't have a physical type chain Thierry might've had a chance. Alas reality is vastly different, the man may of not had a physical type chain but he had something much worse.
"Give up."
The man said coldly. In an instant, Thierry sobered up in an instant and felt his arm go down not by force but by his own accord.
"That'll be about forty two lutes. What a good boy, you are to give this up for us."
The man stood to Thierry's left and held his hand out waiting for the money. As Thierry began to rummage through his pockets, the man laughed.
"No need it was just a joke. The name's Gallagher. But in all seriousness be careful when near a chained."
Thierry was confused but once he heard chained he looked at the man with fear. He had cursed someone with two chains. Thierry quickly paid his bill and tried to leave but was stopped by Gallagher. In his hand was paper that was all too reminiscent.
"You should come by. After all it is rare to see someone uninitiated with a trained body."
Thierry blankly stared at the paper.
'Can I really become a bounded?'
Thierry thought and couldn't help but view himself as a half-baked clansmen. He grabbed the paper weakly and hobbled up to his room before dozing off.