"It's pretty banged up, huh?" I commented, both me and Racher staring at the broken cart and horse, the wood reduced to nothing but splinters and chunks, one of the wheels broken in half. The horse managed to get away with a few scrapes and bruises, sitting near the cart as it tried to recover.

"Seems we're going to have to make a whole new cart at this point," Racher murmured, his hand to his chin as he thought up a solution.

"Do you know how to make a cart?" I asked.

"No, you?" He asked.

"No."

"Great, there goes that plan." I sighed; my shoulders slumped in defeat.

"We could always heal the horse and steal it." Racher pointed out; his eyes narrowed as he considered his options.

"We're not doing that!"

Racher groaned in frustration at my reluctance, turning away from the wreck as if searching for another possible answer.

"Fine then, what do you suppose we do instead."

I pointed down the path ahead, my eyebrows furrowed over my eyes as I looked at him with an expression that left no room for negotiation.

"There should be a town nearby, let's get help there!" I shouted.

"Assuming there's a town nearby." He pointed out.

"Well, we won't know unless we try!"

"Ok, fine then, I hope your town radar works better than the cart plan. Lead the way, oh town whisperer." His attempts to be sarcastic were infuriating, but I carried on anyway, walking down the path that would hopefully get us out of this predicament.

_______________

Footsteps echoed against cobblestone roads, vendors bustled through the streets to sell their goods to the masses, the smell of fresh fruit, and the jingle of bells as they marched to their own rhythm through the paved roads.

"Get your produce here!" We would often hear them say, tempting us with their succulent goods.

"Fresh from the Outerlands!" They claimed, their fruit glistening with the morning dew drops to give it that extra appeal.

Children played at the feet of their parents, filled with joy and cheer, a melody of happiness, a blend of peace and joy. Oxen-like creatures passed us by, their horns reached for the sky, adorned with the lasso that bound them, armored warriors resided on their backs leading the way though they were behind.

"Seems that you were right," Racher admitted, his eyes slightly widened in disbelief.

I felt a strong sense of pride, and a grin on my face though I didn't say much more on the topic, I had to stay focused!

I looked at the map my mom gave me, my eyes scanned the page until I finally found it, pointing to the spot.

"It seems we're in Claford right now," I murmured, Racher leaning in to take a peek at the map.

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"So, what do we do now?" I looked up at Racher, waiting for one of his plans.

"Wasn't it your idea to come here-" he murmured; a look of frustration etched slightly on his face.

"That's all I got now it's your turn!"

Racher stepped back, a sigh erupting from his lips.

"Fine, fine." He sighs, looking around the town before walking up to a random woman carrying her child in her arms.

"Excuse me," he called out to her.

"Oh, adventurers, welcome." She responded with a warm smile as she turned her attention to us.

"Do you know any woodsmiths in the area?" He pondered, the woman taking a minute to think.

"Well, this town only has one, but he retired some time ago." Her hand reached to cup her cheek as she thought, her eyebrows furrowed though the emotion she was feeling was unclear.

"Great, where is he?" Racher asked, the woman pointed down the street, giving him his answer.

"He lives on the very edge of town," She responded.

"Okay, thanks." Racher smiled and went on his way, pulling me by the arm as we ran to our destination.

"Good luck!" The woman shouted behind us; a warm smile imprinted on her face as she carried on with her day.

"Hello? Anyone home?" I called out, knocking on the man's door but there was no answer.

"Are you sure this is the one?" I turned back to Racher who shrugged at my question. A sigh escaped my lips as I turned to the door once more, getting ready to knock again but it slowly opened instead, revealing yellow eyes that stared at us through the cracks.

"What business do you have here?" The man asked, but from his tone, I could tell he wanted us to leave as soon as possible.

"We've come to seek your aid." Racher declared, pushing past me to show himself before the man.

"I'm not doing any woodwork! Be on your way!" the man snapped as if he'd been asked this question a million times before, the door closing shut in our face, but Racher stopped it.

"Please sir, give us a moment." He pleaded. His arm actively pushing against the door.

"I've already stated I won't be helping!" The man shouted.

"We have money if that'll change your mind," Racher said.

"Nothing will change my mind!"

"But if you'd only listen-"

The man pushed the door as hard as he could, slamming it shut in our faces.

"Now what?" I asked, "We don't have time to stick around and convince him."

"Very well," Racher muttered, his eyes panned over to me with a serious look on his face.

"We're going to have to make it ourselves."

"A whole cart? By ourselves?!"

"It's either that or we take the horse."

I groaned at our options, my hand running down my face in fatigue before I agreed.

"How much money did you get?" Racher inquired.

"Fifty gold pieces."

"I got forty-five. We should have all we need."

I rested my hands on my hips, a puff escaping my mouth as I spoke.

"Enough? For what?"

"The metal and screws, we'll just get wood from the forest." He reassured, once again leading the way.

"Right..." I sighed, following him once more.

___________

The marketplace is one of the busiest places in this town. The place was crowded, ventures left and right selling all kinds of goods and trinkets. My eyes would pan over all of the magical items and runes that would be put for sale. A sense of wonder and awe in my eyes.

"Move it, kid." A man muttered as he bumped into me, he was wearing a hood over his head followed by others. I cleared a path for them, by following their path as they passed us.

"Rude-" I said under my breath. "What was that about?"

A bad feeling formed in my gut as I thought about what just happened but never we pressed on, walking up to a building that stood tall over the other shops on the outside, filled to the brim with items ready to be sold off, it's walls made of wood, the designs simple yet practical, the smell of woodworking mixed with leather flooded my nose the second we pass through those huge wooden doors.

"Welcome! to my humble store." A man greeted us at its entrance, he had yellow eyes and brown hair, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, his skin tanned and adorned with the marks of charcoal.

"If you need anything I can show you the way." He offered.

"We need metals and screws, one for a cart," I stated.

"Ah, I see. Follow me," he smiled, taking the lead and guiding us toward our destination.