Nyell was still trying to make sense of Allen's behavior when a commotion drew his attention to the harbor. He welcomed the distraction and focused on the scene, chasing away the intrusive thoughts that had been plaguing him.
A long-haired man, who appeared to be in his fifties and was dressed in golden-embroidered robes, was engaged in a heated debate with a crew member. Because of the distance, Nyell couldn't hear much, even after straining his ears. Meanwhile, two guards stood firm by his side, menacingly towering over the sailor. They were at the very least a head taller than the poor lad, who appeared to be on the verge of tears. It made Nyell frown, and he pointed them out to Miell.
"What's going on?"
The beastman glanced over, then scrunched his nose, visibly annoyed. He scoffed:
"It seems like Jawe is out to get on Allen's nerves. This old geezer doesn't like our merchant crew and often comes over to pick a bone with us for no reason. I guess that if you don't know who it is, you have yet to pay respect to the elders."
"Well," Nyell scrutinized the man, whose figure, viewed from the crow's nest, was very tiny, "your ship was our first stop after arriving at the White Moon tribe. Allen told the guards not to announce our arrival, but it's not as if we've hidden the fact that we've arrived. Someone must have noticed and told the elders."
"People love to gossip," Miell shrugged before lazily leaning against the railing to observe the free show from up above. "Does that mean Jawe doesn't know about who you are yet?"
"I'm not sure. We did tell the guards my name and my relationship to Allen, so it depends on who told him the news. But it's not like he has seen me before, so even if he knows I'm here, it doesn't mean he'll recognize me right away, not with all these foreigners around. Knowing a name means nothing if you don't know the face that goes with it."
The gears seemed to turn in Miell's head, and he frowned, "Why would that matter? Does your name have a peculiar signification?" Miell paused as if the gears in his head finally clicked into place, then his jaw dropped. "No way, don't tell me…! Are you the Nyell from the legends going around in the White Moon tribe?!"
"Legends?" Nyell cocked an eyebrow. Just what kinds of hearsay did people circulate among themselves about him? "I don't know what you're referring to, but I can guarantee that there are no hunters from the White Moon tribe who don't know who I am. I'm not sure what kind of stories they brought back with them, though."
"How about crazy stories?" Miell suddenly appeared overly excited, even more than when he heard about Nyell's relationship to Allen. Stars filled his eyes as he spouted a bunch of words without taking the time to breathe, "Is it true that you wiped out a whole hunting party on your own? But then, a manticore came around, and when you noticed it had its eyes on the wounded hunters, you baited it toward you instead and told the less injured to pick up their comrades and move their asses up to a shelter? And while they did so, you fought with the beast to keep it distracted, even though it had heavily injured you, because you protected a hunter? Then killed it by plunging your fist through one of its eye sockets and out of its skull, pulling its brain out?!"
The sudden strings of sentences almost made Nyell's eardrums burst. He looked at Miell as if something was wrong with him and carefully responded, "That's a little exaggerated. I plucked a spike out of its back and thrust it through its skull. How could I kill that thing with my bare hands? Who goes around spouting that kind of nonsense? And honestly, after seeing how easily Layla dispatches these things off, I don't feel like I did anything worth mentioning now."
"That's not the point!" Miell cried out, startling Nyell. "You saved rival hunters' lives!"
"Well, yeah? I mean, it'd have left a bad taste in my mouth if I had fled. My people often fight with the White Moon tribe's hunters, but we have an unofficial law not to kill each other. It's not like we want a war between our two tribes…"
"You really don't get it!" Miell laughed as he facepalmed. Now, he was sure of it: Nyell had no idea just how revered and feared he was in the hearts of the White Moon tribe's people. He might also not realize that those from the jungle were called devils, not necessarily because they were seen as evil, but mainly because, other than demons and devils, what else could cohabitate with bloodthirsty mythical beasts and poisonous plants in that hellhole? For a moment, Miell wondered if he should tell him, but before he could open his mouth, the commotion grew more agitated below.
"What the heck?!" Nyell growled, jumping over the railing and grabbing the cordage to slow down his fall. Layla soon followed, and Miell, after realizing the two people had already left, snapped out of his stupor and also leaped over.
Even though he was quick on his feet, it wasn't quick enough, and Miell couldn't react in time. He watched as Nyell, who had already run to the sailor's side, grabbed the guard's wrist before he could lay his hand on the merchant a second time. Nyell tightened his grip until a cracking sound resounded, and the guard winced in pain. He then let go and roughly pushed the guard away.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nyell snarled as he stood protectively in front of the sailor, whose bloody cheek was already swelling up. He could barely keep his left eye open, thanks to the pain and puffy eyelid.
"And what do you think you are doing?" Jawe barked back, his face red in anger.
"I don't know, maybe protecting an innocent man from a crazy geezer high on a power trip," Nyell shrugged as Miell rushed over to check on his colleague's wound. "If you have things to discuss, use your tongue and talk. Don't use your fists. Oh, sorry, that didn't come out right. I should have said: don't order your guards to beat up your interlocutor because you're a coward who can't do it on his own. Yes, that's better."
Behind him, Nyell heard the beastman stifle a laugh, which turned into a snort. However, no one among the bystanders who had started to gather uttered a word. Instead, their eyes were filled with pity as they gazed upon Nyell. Most of the crowd hadn't seen him with Allen earlier and thought he was a new member of the crew, unaware of the rules. Going against an elder was never a good thing, and if Miell hadn't known better, he'd also share their thoughts and try to de-escalate the situation. Although the Lord had the final word on trading matters, elders could easily mess with merchants and make their lives hard. The poor lad who had been on the receiving end of the punch was aware of that too and tried to get up to ask for forgiveness. But Miell pinned him down and shook his head, leaving his colleague dumbfounded. What was going on?
Although Nyell's appearance was striking, dark-skinned and black-haired people weren't confined to the jungle. Some foreigners also exhibited these traits. As such, no one immediately thought Nyell was from the Black Moon tribe. There were so many odors floating in the air at the harbor, too, and the guards, despite their proximity, didn't realize Nyell was a werewolf. They, like everyone else, thought Nyell simply didn't know his place. They focused on him so much that they hadn't noticed Layla, who was standing on the deck and candidly observing the drama. And for the few who knew better, they kept quiet.
'Hm, looks like Jawe only received the information that Allen was back, and nothing more,' Nyell inwardly smiled, glad the guards didn't blabber and no one thought of telling the elder that Allen was seen hand-in-hand with another man. 'Otherwise, they wouldn't act so harshly, would they now?'
"Take him down," Jawe ordered, gesturing to his guards to get moving. "Do it quickly. We have other matters to attend to."
Once ordered, the guard sprang into action and pounced on Nyell, who expertly veered and avoided their fists. He bent over and round-kicked a guard, sending him flying into the sea. A loud splash resounded, and before the second guard could wrap his head around what happened, Nyell slipped behind him and knocked him out with a swift hit on the neck. Everything went so fast that the crowd barely managed to follow Nyell's movements, and most only saw the guard on the right fall to his knees and heard something hit the water as the guard on the left vanished into thin air.
"What the…" Nyell mumbled, looking at his hand in disbelief before glancing at Miell. "Is it me, or are the White Moon tribe's guards stupidly weak?"
The words drew a laugh out of Miell, who shook his head and replied, "They're not weak. You're just too strong."
Nyell tilted his head, unsure of what to say. In his mind, he hadn't put much effort into taking these two down. Even children in the Black Moon tribe would have been able to defend themselves against such basic attacks! To add insult to the injury, the hunters he had encountered in the jungle were far more skilled than these two, so of course, he doubted Miell's words! Even if Nyell did tell himself that Myrven and Layla were most likely the exception, he expected a bit more resistance from ordinary guards, too. Now, he felt bad.
"What's going on?"
A detached voice resounded, and Nyell lifted his eyes to meet Allen's amused gaze. He was leaning against the railing on the deck, a smile lingering on his lips. The sight made Nyell click his tongue, but he got the cue and didn't turn his attention to Jawe. Allen could have intervened earlier, yet didn't. That meant it didn't matter what he did to the guards, but it was another story for the elder, much to his disappointment. He'd have very much liked to throw him in the water, too.
Well, maybe another time.