I stand in front of a shady inn, looking in from time to time. I know he has seen me following him and I guess there is no point in trying to be sneaky about it, so I walk in. While following him to the capital I tried to get revenge for my friends and family. Thrice I tried to kill him in his sleep, thrice he noticed me coming, batting aside my sword and letting me leave. Why? I don't understand, he slaughtered the village, why am I still alive? Why let me live?
My initial hatred and vengeance are only smoldering from the initial fire. Vengeance giving way to confusion and self-loathing for being alive, when the rest are dead. He looks so normal now, sitting in his corner, eating some slop. It's all so unreal, to see him like this, like a person.
Lost in thought, I'm brought back to the present when I hear an altercation with one of the local drunks. I see them talking, and he remains calm through it all. Then suddenly the drunk stumbles, and before he can get back up he punches him hard, knocking him unconscious on the ground. I see the inn go completely silent and everyone is eyeing him, some gaping at the sudden aggression.
The unaccounted aggression brings back memories from the village. A monster in human disguise I try to convince myself, almost hoping for him to start slaughtering people to prove me right. But he doesn't, he just ups and tells the innkeeper he will be staying for two more nights and leaves for his room. The common room slowly goes back to normal. I don't understand him at all. Life so far has always been simple, play with friends, occasionally help out my parents, train with the sword, take classes with Mr. Flower. Nothing complicated. Why did it have to happen? Why did he destroy my world only to leave me alive?
Convinced he will do something horrible, I lurk in front of the inn while the night slowly descends on the capital. I just know he will do something tonight, killing several families for the fun of it, torturing innocents. Sleep gets harder and harder to keep at bay, as I sit in mud, up against the inn's wall. I get some odd looks from some of the inn's patrons as they leave for the night, someone even gives me some copper coins, and I'm too surprised to react before I understand. They must think I'm a street urchin. Do I truly look that miserable?
I look down and notice how dirty I truly am, how I reek of sweat and grime from the last weeks of following him in the wilderness, sustaining myself by eating berries and plants I saw him eat. My frame has become slimmer and I realize how hungry I truly am. Too tired to care right now, I try to stay awake and look behind the corner from time to time, hoping to catch the monster lurking in this inn on his way out. Sleep slowly creeps in on me and I fall asleep without realizing it.
—
I wake up to the sound of fighting close by. A muffled scream comes from behind the inn. Startled, it takes a few seconds for everything to come back to me. I slowly go towards the source of the sound. I peek around a corner and see him running away, and one man in all black leathers is missing a leg and bleeding on the ground. I later spot two others running after him, one of them nimbly jumps up the walls from side to side up to the roof.
Gaping at the feat, I just stand there, completely at a loss. How do I follow that? The man missing a leg seems to be dying, and I feel like as a future hero I should go and help him. The others are all gone now and I rush up to the man. I’m surprised to see there is another dead body on the ground, a gaping wound cutting deep in his torso.
Suddenly thrown off by the surprise corps, I stutter when I finally make it up to the person with a missing leg.
"D-do you need help? I have some basic first aid knowledge." My voice is trembling and I know I don't sound confident. I think it's a girl actually, but it's hard to tell as the person's face is completely hidden by the dark hood.
"Get out of here kid, and don't worry about me." The voice is a girl’s voice, and I just stand there, unsure of what to do. Ripping away a bit of cloth, I get closer and start to put it around the stump before tying it hard. Pushing me away and taking the makeshift bandages into her own hands, she ties it a lot harder than I did.
"Now get out of here." Her voice is harsh, but I think I heard her mumbling a thank you afterward. Still very unsure of what to do, I stand beside her, looking around. Is it really fine to leave her here? It feels wrong. An idea comes to me and I feel stupid not thinking about it earlier.
"Stay here, I'll get some guards to help you." I say, actually a little proud my voice didn't waver as much as the first time.
"Are you stupid kid?" She says, tone hard before I can move to get help.
"What? Why?" I ask, confused. I'm trying to help her and that's her response?
"If guards find me I'm dead. Just leave and pretend you never saw me. Please." She says.
"I can't just leave you here to die!" I shout louder than I would have liked. She snickers at that. What's so funny? She is dying for the gods' sake! Nothing makes sense here in the capital. People are weird here.
"Help me up then, hero." She adds mockingly. I help her up and am surprised by how light she is. She puts her arm around my shoulders and I feel her chest lightly against mine. I try to suppress the incoming blush but I somehow know she can see it despite the darkness around us, making me blush even more.
"Where to then?" I ask, harsher than intended.
"I'll guide you, don't worry." She responds.
We start walking slowly through the streets, using only dark back alleys. My heart is jumping out of my chest. I have never even had my first kiss yet and I'm not used to touching girls at all. Completely self-conscious, I try to start some kind of topic to lighten the mood. But as I open my mouth she just shushes me. I know it's not exactly the right time, as she is bleeding and probably is hurting like hell, so I try to calm down. My heart is oblivious to my desire and continues to pound in my chest, loud enough I’m afraid she can hear it. I'm not sure if she can but it makes me blush again. Good job Blaine! Real nice. I feel like an idiot. I know now is not the time, but I can't help but feel something tugging at my heart when I look at her. She is so mysterious and strong.
I feel sad that she lost her leg, but good healing magic can fix that, I think. Her slender figure against my side, I try to think calmly about the situation. Just because I helped her doesn't mean she likes me. Hell, she might even be old. That calms me down quickly and I look around, taking in our surroundings for the first time.
We are in a poorer area, the houses mostly wooden, but in bad condition. I see more than one person sleeping on the streets as we pass them by silently. Finally, we enter a small house with no door. It seems abandoned. I help her sit down.
"Alright, you can leave now, and thanks." I look around at the broken furniture and ruined house.
"I have some questions first." I try to sound confident.
"Why were you chasing that man?" I add despite her intimidating glare.
"Can't tell you." She says as she folds her arms.
"Who is he?" I insist.
"Can't tell you." She repeats.
"Who are you?" I try instead, frustration clear in my voice.
"Can't tell you." She says with a smirk.
"Can you at least tell me your name?" I ask exasperated.
"Sarah." She says. Finally an answer.
"A-Are you an assassin?" I finally ask the question that I'm not sure I want an answer to.
"Isn't it obvious? You aren't from Alverton are you?" She snickers. God, I hate her. I'm not stupid you know!
"So what? I'm not stupid. I'm going to be the best adventurer one day, and you'll regret mocking me then." God that sounded childish even in my ears. But it's the truth, I'm going to show the world who Blaine is!
"Well, thank you for your help mister best adventurer. You really should leave now, if you get to know any more than you do right now, I cannot guarantee your safety." She says casually while shrugging. I pale slightly at that but I cannot leave without a clue of where that monster is, or where he went.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
"Maybe, but I need to find that man." I say, determined.
"I have some bad news for you then. He probably won’t survive the night. Who is he to you anyway?" She asks. So assassins are after him huh. Somehow that bothers me. I want him to die, I do, but I want to be the one to do it. I want to have him helpless in front of me so I can ask him why. Why did he do it? To make sense of all the death he brought into my life.
"Is he family or something?" She presses on.
"No! Are you insane? That monster is not family." I say before I can think things through. I hesitate to tell her more and stay silent. In the end I decide to tell her a bit more, but soon the words start flowing out of me and I end up telling her the whole story, about my friends, the village, and the massacre caused by that man. Tears roll down my cheeks and I realize how lonely I truly felt these past few weeks, how I managed to stay somewhat sane by pursuing him, not thinking about it all. But now it all comes out, and I start to feel the loss of all my friends and family. It hurts so much, I just sit there, sobbing.
She gently hugs me, and we stay like that for a while.
The sun rays slowly clear away the darkness of the night as I fall asleep in her embrace.
—
I wake up disoriented. Somehow the misery of everything forgotten, not sure of where I am before it all comes back to me. I look around and see that I am alone, Sarah gone. I slowly stand up, feeling like shit. I feel something heavy in my left pocket and fish out a small bag. There is at least five silver coins in it and also a note.
Thank you for your help. I'm sorry I had to leave like this, but know you will be avenged. Here is something to help you get on your feet, and a bath. The adventurers guild is on the other side of town, go there and start making a name for yourself. Good luck.
Feeling a bit better at that, I smile and start to walk towards the other side of town. I have to ask for directions several times, and I get ignored or verbally attacked more than once. In the end I still manage to make it to the adventurers guild. The building is grand, made of stone and decorated. All the buildings on this side of town are made of nice and sturdy stone. Even the roads are paved here, most of the time. The building is three stories tall, the large wooden doors stand open, welcoming everyone. I spot glorious statues of various past heroes embedded in the building.
I can see inside and the hall is large with pillars at regular intervals. I walk forward, gaping at it all when someone bumps into me.
"Piss off urchin." I hear the man say as he walks off and laughs with his team about it.
Undeterred. I walk inside. There are several receptionist desks far inside, and to the left, there seems to be a tavern-like room where adventurers rest and discuss various things. There is a door to the right as well but it's closed off and I see no one go in there.
Mustering up all my courage, I walk up to one of the reception desks. The lady looks annoyed when she sees me walking towards her.
"Yes?" She asks tiredly. She must be close to her fifties, with an unhappy and wrinkled face. Some of her hair is starting to gray.
"I want to sign up as an adventurer." I say, confident.
"How old are you kid?" She asks with a sigh.
"I'm sixteen, ma'am." I lie, it's almost true. I'll be sixteen in about a month.
"Well, I can't stop you then." She goes away without saying anything. I stand there for a while, not sure if she is coming back. She has to come back right? She can't just leave. Can she? Before I can question it further I spot her coming back with a form in her hands.
"Fill this for me. You can sit over there." She says as she points towards a corner with a few tables and wooden chairs. I go over there and sit down. I realize I have nothing to write and go back towards the reception lady.
"Excuse me, could I have something to write with?" I ask.
"I'm sorry, we do not supply writing materials." She responds deadpan. At a loss for what to do, I go back to sit at my table. I go through my belongings. I have the five silver pieces I got last night, dirty clothes, my wooden shield, iron shortsword and nothing else. Not giving up, I go up to the horrible lady once more.
"Do you sell writing supplies? I have five silver." I tell her.
"Sure, it costs six." Six silver for writing supplies? Even I know that's horribly expensive! Unsure of what I should do in a situation like this I stand there for a bit, confusion etched onto my face.
"Come on Hadra. Don't bully the kid." A young looking girl comes up to me and hands me a quill and some ink.
"Here you go, make sure to give them back afterward." She says in a gentle tone. She isn't the most beautiful, but far from ugly. She must be another receptionist as I see her go behind another counter afterward. I see her smile at me before someone comes up to her counter and they start chatting about a quest. I see a few people wait in line and notice no one is going to Hadra's line. Happy about the justice of it all, I go back to the small table.
I fill in my name and age, confident before I look down at the rest of it. There is a large section about prior experience with fighting and adventuring in general. I write down that I have fought a slime and won, happy that it served a purpose in the end. There is even a mention that depending on your performance in the ability test, you can even start as a higher ranked adventurer!
The mention of a test gets my spirit up. I stand in line with the cute receptionist, daydreaming about how I'm going to surprise everyone in my test and make my debut as a genius adventurer. I start thinking about Tommy and Carla, my thoughts slowly going back to him. I shake my head and try to dismiss the dark thoughts.
It's finally my turn and I give my application to the receptionist who tells me I should come back in an hour. I ask where I can take a bath and she tells me I can just go to the tavern on the left. I walk in and I get some looks from the adventurers inside, but most dismiss me quickly.
I ask the burly guy at the counter how much it costs for a bath, which I pay for. He takes me to a small room with only a bathtub inside. A mage comes in, casts a spell to fill the tub with water, then casts another spell to heat it up, before quickly leaving, clearly bored.
I have never taken a hot bath before, and as I sink inside, I relax for the first time in forever. After having enjoyed it for a bit I start to scrub at all the dirt and grime. The water quickly changes from clear to a muddy brown. I continue to scrub myself clean before going out. Only now do I realize I have to put my clothes back on, and that the bath might just have been wasted as they are still dirty. I put them on nevertheless, and I do feel a lot cleaner despite the dirty clothes.
Next, I buy a nice meal in the tavern before going back to the reception. The nice lady isn't there and only Hadra seems to be there now. I steel my resolve and walk up to her.
"Here, welcome to the adventurers guild, Blaine." She tells me as she hands over a bronze plate with my name on it. I heard they were magical but this one doesn't seem to be. Well, it doesn't matter.
"Thank you Hadra. Do you know when I will be tested?" I ask, excitement in my voice.
"You won't, only people with experience get tested, kid." She says. What? Dammit, I was looking forward to that, to prove myself. Well, one problem at a time.
"Do you know where I can buy new clothes and maybe some armor then?" I ask with a bit more caution.
"I'd wait a bit with new clothes and armor if I were you." She says as she raises a brow at me.
"Why?" I ask, cautious of her advice.
"Well, beginners quests here in the capital are mostly sewer duty, so you are perfectly equipped right now." I pale slightly at that. I was already thinking of glorious quests, rescuing princesses and killing dragons. Reality however, is not that nice.
"Here are some of the easier ones." She hands me two pamphlets with quests. Yepp, sewer cleaning. Kill rats and sewer slimes. Sighing, I accept them. I will show them, this is nothing to me. I know I have to get a lot stronger if I ever want to have a chance against him.
—
It's been one month since I started as an adventurer. I have been killing rats and sewer slimes every day and constantly reek. But today, finally, I'll apply to get promoted to upper bronze! I'm so happy. I have completely lost track of the slime I was chasing. It doesn’t matter, one less won’t make a difference. I need to get stronger in any case, and I don’t think slimes will help me any more. I decide to call it a day and make my way back to the adventurers guild. I see some people putting up new wanted posters as usual. I like to keep up on all the wanted criminals in case I get across one of them, you never know. Maybe people would take me more seriously if I caught one.
I stop as I recognize the face on one of the new posters. It's him. I go closer to take a look at it. I notice I'm not the only one looking at it and it's attracting quite a lot of attention. Of course it is, the bounty is at one thousand gold, and more than that, instead of being dead or alive as most bounties are, this one is specific that he has to be brought in alive.
Reagan. So that's his name. Anger I have ignored for this last month resurfaces and I think back on the events that started all this. I go up to the counter to talk to Hadra, we have surprisingly been getting along after our initially rocky start.
"You seem to be in a pretty bad mood young man. Is something wrong?" She asks. I might actually be frowning without realizing it.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it. I wanted to talk to you about advancing to the next adventurer level?" I try to keep my voice neutral.
"Oh yes, you have completed enough quests to become an upper bronze adventurer. But to become a low silver, you will have to slay at least wolves or more dangerous monsters. Are you sure you are ready for that?" She asks with her usual deadpan tone.
"Yes, I have gained some basic skills, you know." I beam at her. I learned the [Immune To Smells] skill and even my first real combat skill. [Power Bash]! I was ecstatic when I finally got it. I did have to bash slimes a lot for the last month.
"My next goal now is to find a party. Could you recommend a team for me?" I ask her.
"Hmm, there are a few bronze teams around, you should try to talk to some of them in the tavern, see who you like." She says without moving or pointing to anyone in particular.
"Thanks, I'll do that." I leave the counter and leave the guild. I walk back to my room I rented not far from here and wash up and change. I don't want to be known as the stinky sewer guy. I clean up and look like a real adventurer for the first time. I even bought leather armor with my gains.
Walking back to the adventurers guild, I stand straighter than usual, my trusted sword and new metal shield with me. I'm still pretty short but I've grown slightly. As I get inside the guild, I stop for a second, check myself to see if nothing is amiss, then proudly walk inside the tavern. I actually haven't been back here even once. As I take my first step inside, I take a look around and take it all in. This is how it begins. This is where my legend starts.