Today is the day. Her son is still in his bedroom, packing the last of his things. He’ll finally leave this house and go to the capital. He’s waited three years for this day.
Scarlett looks down at her missing right arm and remembers the night that set things in motion. The night her boy started… changing.
Scarlett had been a courier for most her life. A dangerous job, but she loved it. When her husband died, she started taking Arthur, only 10 years old at the time, with her on her travels from town to town. And while Scarlett was more than strong enough to be considered one of the most reliable couriers in the kingdom, she was a terrible businesswoman.
Most of the time she made deliveries for the minimum payment, and more than once for absolutely free. She wasn’t in it for the money, after all. She did it because she loved traveling and seeing people. Money was never the goal.
She spent all of Arthur’s life teaching him just that, and he had learned well. Her boy was happy to go with her on month-long trips from one end of the country to the other, even if it meant little recompense. He developed a liking for adventure.
But things changed that night.
“I’m ready, mom.”
Arthur comes out of his room in the small, wooden cabin they’ve come to call home for the last three years. Ever the quiet boy even at 18 years old, he stands at 1.72 meters tall. His semi-short black hair is a bit messy, but it always has been. His frame has also muscled up over the years due to the training she’s given him and all the farm work he’s done while staying mostly lean.
“You sure you’re not forgetting anything?” She asks him.
“If I am, you’ll deliver it yourself, won’t you?” He says, his face twisting in annoyance, but that only makes her grin.
“You can’t stop me from going back to my old job now that I don’t have to worry about you.” She says, resting her only hand on her hip.
“I’ll start sending money from now on. You don’t have to work.”
“You know full well it was never about the money. Why does that matter to you so much now?”
“…” Her son grimaces, and she knows it’s only because he can’t find the answer himself.
Ever since that night, Arthur started changing. He became capable of using the magical energy from within his body, and she spent the last three years teaching him how to control it. But with the power came undesired consequences.
One of them being that her son became… greedy, to an extent.
He slowly started taking an interest in money when he’d never cared before. He started wanting the best meals, the best house and the best clothes. But they could never afford much of that. They earn only enough to keep a decent living.
That’s part of why he’s going to the capital. There’s a chance at a high-paying job waiting for him there. He wants to take the chance, and Scarlett wants to let him experience the world again with fresh eyes.
“Alright then. I get it. Just be mindful of yourself, alright? If I get word you got in any stupid troubles I’ll go knock some sense into you myself.” Scarlett nods to herself, making her son flinch and wince. “Now. Show me [Prana Flow] one last time.”
Arthur nods and closes his eyes. It only takes a second. She can feel [Prana] flowing within him, coursing through his body and enhancing every facet of his physical abilities.
[Prana Flow] was the only technique she was able to teach him in these three years, but absolutely the most important. Any warrior who wishes to survive out there should at least know this skill, but it’s doubly important for him.
“Remember. If the symptoms return, make as much Prana as you can flow through your body.” She sighs. “I hope you can find a definitive cure in the capital.”
“I don’t think that will be a priority, but I’ll try.” He nods in agreement.
“Alright then! Time to go. Don’t keep everyone waiting!”
Magic stops coursing through him, and he walks up and gives her a powerful hug. She returns it, letting her head rest on her son’s shoulder for a moment. Neither of them say anything else. They knew this day was coming. They’ve made their peace with it.
“You have the letter, right?” The mother asks.
“I just put it on my bag.” He nods towards his leather backpack.
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“Good. Now go.” She nods.
Arthur grabs his bag and hangs it over his shoulder before stepping out the door. With a final wave of his hand, he leaves home. He leaves to become a knight of the kingdom.
Or at least try to.
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He joins up with the people he’ll be traveling with at the outskirts of town. It’s a group of five people gathered around a big, four-wheel wooden cart which is being loaded with sacks and boxes. There are two horses at one of its ends to pull it.
It takes about 7 days to get from Yellowseed Village to the capital if all goes smoothly, and to ensure it does, people usually travel in groups. For this trip, Arthur managed to score a job as a bodyguard with a caravan of traders.
It’s very simple. Arthur joins the three other guards and fights off any bandits or monsters that appear and he gets the added security of traveling in a group, food and shelter from the cold nights and some extra money to spend in the capital. That last one will be useful, because the young man has a small pouch with 90 gold pieces he’s saved very carefully and diligently for the last three years and are meant for something VERY specific.
“Arthur, right?” The gruff voice of a man wakes Arthur from his thoughts. He looks at the tall man speaking to him. He’s well-built and with short brown hair and neatly trimmed beard. “I’m Donald, the co-owner of this caravan. I want to be clear that we only accepted you because your mother recommended you. I owe Scarlett a couple of favors, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with doing nothing. I expect you to pull your weight.”
“I’ll do my job, Mr. Donald.” Arthur nods, trying to sound professional. “Thank you for the opportunity. You won’t regret having me around.”
“I hope so. Get acquainted with the other guards. We leave in ten minutes.” After saying that, he goes to talk to one of his companions, a shorter man of lanky build.
‘I guess that’s my other boss?’
“You’re the new guy, right?” Another man, this one much more muscular than Donald, or even Arthur, approaches with a friendly smile. He and the two other men walking up behind him are very well armored, wearing simple leather helms, brigandines over gambeson and each one with a spear resting on their shoulder. “We heard about you from Donald. It’ll be nice to have the son of the famed Scarlett as our backup.”
“She did train you, right?” One of the guards asks skeptically.
“Brutally so, yes.” Arthur’s face twists in pain. “If you call beating me up in sparring ‘training’.”
“Here, put this on. See if it fits.” The friendly guard offers him a brigandine, same as the ones they’re wearing. “You have to return it after the job is done, so try not to get too many scratches on it.”
“…I won’t have to pay for it if it gets ruined, will I?” Arthur asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Nah. It’s deducted from your pay already.”
Arthur grimaces, and he notices all three guards grumbling as well. It keeps them alive, so it’s not like they can complain, but it still hurts knowing it comes from their pay.
‘I’d almost rather have the extra money, but…’
Groaning once more, Arthur puts the brigandine on. It fits perfectly, sadly enough.
“Alright boys. We’re leaving!” Donald announces, and the three guards start moving immediately.
Arthur’s heart starts thumping wildly. He looks towards the road and licks his lips.
‘This is it.’
He’s finally stepping out of Yellowseed Village again and into the world. But now his mother is not here to protect him. He needs to take care of himself. With one look to his current companions, he reminds himself that there’s also a job he needs to see through.
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After deciding their fate through rock-paper-scissors, Arthur and the other guards take turns riding on the back of the cart. He and the friendly guard, whose name he soon learned is Aryn, got the first turn.
Donald is sitting at the front, with his partner, Melvin, handling the reigns. The other two guards walk beside the cart.
Arthur leaves his backpack among all the guards’ equipment and gives Aryn a quick glance.
‘I better get myself acquainted with these people. This guy seems friendly enough.’
Nodding internally to himself, he resolves to start socializing.
“You guys seem like you’ve been doing this for a long time.” He says.
“6 years.” Aryn nods. “We usually just fight off bandits, and very few of them are strong enough to be a threat these days. We’ve fought monsters and even killed some of them, but as a general rule we try to scare them off. If it runs away, it’s a win for us.”
“Got it. Good to know. Does that mean you can use Prana?”
“We wouldn’t have survived this long if we couldn’t.” Aryn grins. “We don’t hold a candle to the knights, but we’re not pushovers.”
[Prana]. That’s the name given to magic that’s born from the soul. At least, that’s how his mother put it. If you want to survive as a fighter in this world, then you better make sure you learn to control Prana and hope you’re lucky enough to have been born with a powerful soul.
Prana is what allows humans to achieve feats normally impossible and be able to stand up to monsters. There are people who can control Prana to such an extent they can go beyond simple super human feats and perform outright magic. Arthur has only seen healers do magic, and he’s so glad it exists. His mother’s life was saved due to magic when she lost her arm.
As he rides on the back of the cart, Arthur allows himself to breathe the fresh air and scan his surroundings with an excited smile. He used to travel the country all the time when he was younger, yet the memories are somewhat foggy. The vast, green plains are still a familiar sight, as are the hills around the land. The sight of the Noble Woods to the north of the village starts to disappear behind said hills as they cross the river through a humble stone bridge.
Their first stop will be the town of St. Fiona, one of the two major towns in the country and the biggest commercial hub this far from the capital. But they’ll only be staying there to sleep and let Donald take care of some small business. They have seven days of travel ahead of them, after all.