Kaiden’s journey to the village proved to be gruelling, more than once, he encountered groups of goblins coming to the river to replenish their water, forcing him to either engage in combat or find a place to hide. On the third day, after numerous close calls, Kaiden finally crested a hill and caught sight of the village ahead. It was perched atop the next hill, encircled by a robust wooden palisade that served as a bulwark against monsters and bandits.
Relief washed over him a village not only meant a chance to replenish his dwindling supplies but also promised a measure of protection, he looked forward to a full night’s rest. To his surprise, the gate was guarded only by an older-looking man, whose face was weathered and deeply lined from years under the sun and judging by the smooth skin on his face a boy who must have only recently gained his status. As Kaiden drew near, the guard stood from his seat on an old tree stump, fixing Kaiden with a curious gaze.
“Mighty peculiar eyes you’ve got there.” The guard remarked, eyeing Kaiden’s striking amber eyes. His accent was thick and rough, words blending together in a rustic drawl.
“Nothing more than a family trait,” Kaiden responded smoothly, keeping his backstory ready if required.
“Where you coming from?” the guard inquired, squinting slightly in the fading sun.
“Emendel,” Kaiden answered.
“The eleven capital, eh?” The guard rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Don’t get many from there to this small town.”
“You got your citizenship papers.” The guard asked, shifting his weight.
Kaiden nodded and rummaged into his bag, handing over the documents. The guard scanned them briefly. “You’re a nomad?” he asked, eyes darting to Kaiden’s tattoos.
Kaiden nodded again.
“Don’t see too many of you with citizenship papers.” The guard commented.
“I was exiled,” Kaiden said simply.
“Aye, I served with a few back when I served in the Empire's Legion. Damn, dangerous those tattoos. Wouldn’t see me ever getting one. Not that I would now,” the guard chuckled dryly, “Too old for all that, sitting at the gate suits me just fine.”
“On that note, I thought there’d be more of you, especially with all the goblins about,” Kaiden remarked.
The guard looked at him blankly, confusion spreading across his face. “What goblins?” he asked, clearly unaware of the impending hoard.
Kaiden described to the guard what he’d seen out there, including the burnt-out caravan.
The guard’s face darkened at Kaiden’s description. “Old Gilbert, eh? He just left here a few days back. Been trading with us for years. Damn shame, he’ll be missed.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “We don’t usually see many goblins around the town itself. They tend to avoid populated areas unless they’ve got numbers on their side.”
Kaiden frowned with concern. “How could you not know that it was out there? Don’t you have scouts?”
The guard looked uncomfortable, scratching the back of his neck. “We do, but they’ve been focused more towards scouting the border between us and the Dragonborn territories these days. Plus, with the war, our numbers are stretched thin. There are only a few of us as full-time members of the town guard. Basically enough to keep the gates manned. Other than that, most adventurers who could scout prefer to escort merchants between towns for better pay. I did think it was odd we hadn’t seen any new caravans for the past few days.” The guard turned to the boy, “Garret, take this man to Cid.”
Kaiden raised an eyebrow at the man. “Cid?
“It’s the Mayor. Best you tell him what you’ve seen directly. I need to man the gate, can’t leave it up to the boy,” the guard explained, extending his hand. “Name’s Jacob, Jacob Wells.”
Kaiden shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Jacob, I’m Kaiden, wish it was under better circumstances.” Out of curiosity, he activated his Analyse skill:
Analyse
Class: Warrior
Level: 52
Jacob noticed and his brow furrowed slightly. “Not sure how it was in your tribe, but it’s usually considered rude to go about Analysing people,” he advised.
Kaiden felt his cheeks warm with embarrassment. “Sorry, I’ve only just gotten the skill,” he apologized.
Jacob waved off the apology with a chuckle. “Ah, the joy of having a new skill. No harm done, I’m too old to be bothered by such things. But be careful, if you offended a noble you could quickly find yourself in hot water,” he warned.
Kaiden followed the young boy named Garret through the gate, he pondered Jacobs's level. At 52, it seemed a bit low for a retired member of the Empire’s Legion, but he remembered the exponential difficulty of levelling as one progressed.
Kaiden took in the rustic charm of the village as he followed Garret down the main dirt road. The small community seemed cozy, with houses made of sun-baked clay and steep thatched roofs. As they approached the town centre, a larger building caught his eye. The ‘Broken Soldier Inn’ stood prominently at the crossroads, its façade distinguished by a quirky sign featuring a bandaged soldier. The bold red lettering above the image added a touch of character to the place.
They passed the inn and approached one of the more substantial houses in the village. Although calling in luxurious would be generous, it still stood out among its modest neighbours. Garret knocked on the sturdy wooden door, which soon swung open to reveal a man with a striking presence. His white hair splayed wildly, giving him an eccentric appearance as if he had just weathered a storm.
“Garret, what’s the problem? And who’s this?” the man asked with a raised eyebrow, scrutinizing Kaiden with a keen gaze. Kaiden caught himself just in time, halting the impulse to activate his Analyse skill, mindful of Jacobs's warning earlier.
“This is Kaiden,” Garret introduced. “He’s just arrived and has important news about goblins near us.”
The man’s expression shifted from curiosity to concern. “Is that right? Thanks for bringing him to me, you can go back to the gate. Come in, then let’s hear what you have to say,” he said to Kaiden, stepping aside to allow him entry.
The furnishings inside the mayor's house were simple yet welcoming. The mayor gestured toward a wooden chair by the table, and Kaiden took a seat, grateful for the respite. “Would you like anything? Tea or water?” the mayor offered.
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“Some water would be fine, thank you. It was a long journey here,” Kaiden replied.
The mayor nodded and shortly returned with a clay cup filled with water, which Kaiden accepted 3with a nod of thanks. As he set the cup down, the mayor sat across from him, his brows furrowed with concern. “So, goblins?” he prompted.
Kaiden recounted his observations, the numbers he estimated, and the close encounters he had. “By my best estimate, there could be over a thousand,” he said gravely.
The mayor leaned back, his face paling slightly. “Over a thousand? And they’re only a day away, you say?”
“Yes, it was challenging to get ahead of them, but I managed,” Kaiden confirmed.
The mayor rubbed his temples. “We’ll struggle with numbers like that. Reinforcements from the border garrison are two days out, and that’s if they decide to send anyone at all,” he muttered.
Despite the dire news, the mayor didn’t panic; instead, he appeared to absorb the information with a resigned determination. “One day isn’t enough to evacuate everyone,” he stated grimly. “The children would be too slow, and getting caught in the open would be a massacre. We’ll have to make our stand here.”
After a moment of heavy silence, he stood, extending his hand to Kaiden. “Thank you for bringing us this new. Lesser men might have just avoided our town to seek safety elsewhere.”
Kaiden nodded, “I thought about it.” He answered truthfully. “But I also honestly thought that you already would have known, Besides, I needed supplies and rest.”
The mayor gave a wry smile. “Well, either way, you’re here now. What are your plans? You’re obviously a combat class; we could use someone with your skills.”
Kaiden froze, he hadn’t thought about it, for some reason, he'd always assumed he would help the town fight off the goblins, but realistically he could get supplies and just continue to his next destination, albeit earlier than he’d planned. “I... I haven’t decided yet,” Kaiden admitted, his gaze dropping to the cup in his hands.
The mayor nodded in understanding. “Well, the inns just next door, feel free to rest up until you decide, but don’t take too long, if you end up deciding to leave, I’d be gone by sunrise to be safe.”
Kaiden thanked the mayor’s house towards the inn, passing a pair of children play-fighting on the road. They wielded sticks as swords and shouted pretend skills, heroes in their imaginary battle against Monsters.
As he entered the inn, Kaiden was struck by its unexpected cleanliness and orderly arrangement. The main hall buzzed with activity, hosting about fifty patrons who were scattered around several thick, circular wooden tables. Despite the early hour of the evening, the room hummed with the sounds of laughter and clinking mugs, the patrons merrily drinking, oblivious to the looming threat outside their town.
The bar along the back wall was manned by an imposing figure. The bartender sported three long scars that trailed from crown to chin, with one ear and an eye absent, giving his face a terrifying look that hinted at a violent past.
Kaiden approached the bar, feeling the room’s atmosphere shift as conversation tapered off; curious eyes followed his movement. The weight of their stares felt like a tangible pressure, but he maintained his composure, focusing on the rugged-looking man in front of him.
“Any rooms left?” he asked.
“Sure, the bartender grumbled, his voice gruff, matching his formidable appearance. “It’ll be 20 copper per night, food not included.”
Kaiden nodded and handed over the coins, which the bartender snagged from the bar top. With a grunt, he slid a key across the counter. “Room’s upstairs, third door on the left,” he said, his voice gruff but not unfriendly.
As Kaiden pocketed the key, the din of the conversations began to pick up again around him, the patrons returning to their merriment.
Curious about the establishment, Kaiden gestured towards the sign hanging over the bar. “Any story behind the name?” he asked.
“Sure,” the bartender replied, sweeping his hand to indicate the patrons. “Most of us here are retired soldiers from the Empires Legion, too old or injured to continue service. They gave us this land as a… ‘token of appreciation’,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“What’s wrong with the area here?” Kaiden probed.
“Oh, besides the constant roaming monsters, and the proximity to the Dragonborn borders? Nothing, it’s just fine and dandy,” the bartender growled.
Sensing a sore point, Kaiden let the conversation end there, he was about to head to his room when the bartender eyed his clothes. “If you want, I can have someone fill up your bath. It’ll be ready in about twenty minutes,” he offered.
Kaiden realised his clothing was bloody and ragged from his fights with the goblins on the way here. He probably looked like a mess. “That would be perfect, thank you,” Kaiden replied.
Ascending the stairs to the left of the bar, Kaiden made his way to his room. Soon, he was soaking in a hot bath, the tub, lacking taps required manual filling, however, it was etched with enchantment runes that heated the water. He scrubbed himself clean, disgusted as the water turned a grimy shade of grey.
After changing into a fresh set of dark blue tunic and black pants, Kaiden returned downstairs, only to find the mayor addressing the gathered crowd about the impending goblin hoard.
After his speech the mayor surveyed the room, his gaze shifting from one attentive face to another. “Spread the word around. Looks like we’re going back to war, boys,” he declared.
The room erupted in a roar, a surge of determined camaraderie filling the air as the villagers and ex-soldiers prepared to defend their homes.
The atmosphere in the bar had taken on a more serious vibe, with most of the patrons finishing their drinks and leaving, to presumably prepare for the battle to come.
Kaiden walked up to the bartender again, who looked busy cleaning the bar with a rag. “Could I order some food?” He asked.
“We have a stew.” The man said, not elaborating any further on its contents, or offering any other alternative.
Kaiden’s stomach grumbled at the thought of delicious hearty stew. “I’ll have a bowl of that, then,” he said.
“Take a seat at any table then, my wife will bring it out shortly.” The man said.
Kaiden turned to leave but the thought of the impending battle made him curious. He looked at the man. “Sorry if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your class?”
“It’s now Innkeeper.” He replied simply.
“I didn’t realise you could change class,” Kaiden remarked.
The man gave a snort of derision. “Of course you can, it’s just not bloody smart that’s all.”
“Why did you change, then?” Kaiden asked curiously.
“Because it would’ve been more foolish to keep my combat class, trying to fight at my age,” the bartender replied with a shrug. “The problem with changing,” he continued, “is that you lose all your original class skills. Your new class skills start at rank one again. Plus, if your secondary skills were aligned with your old class, they’d be practically useless with the new one.”
Kaiden grimaced, imagining choosing a number of skills to harmonise with his Dragon Knight class only to change classes. “What about those skill stones that let you swap skills?” he ventured.
“Do we look like we’re rolling in gold here?” the man replied, gesturing around at the modest inn and small town.
“I thought the Empire might help out,” Kaiden suggested.
The bartender’s laugh was bitter. “Help us? Why would they bother?” he shook his head, his expression tinged with cynicism. “I might be a subpar innkeeper and no longer fit for the Legion, but I’m still more useful here than a fully ranked innkeeper of the same level would be. The Empire gives us this land – dangerous as it is – as a reward for service. However, it actually serves a dual purpose: Keeping veterans motivated to stay in the Legion until they are eligible for land. And providing a buffer of trained soldiers on the outskirts of the Empire. We’re allowed to keep our weapons and armour after service because it keeps us capable of defending these parts.”
“That’s pretty harsh,” Kaiden remarked, his words tinged with sympathy. It confirmed to him that choosing the academy and the adventurers' guild over enlisting directly into the military like Janos had suggested.
The bartender nodded grimly, “Yeah, it’s not the retirement most of us hoped for, but it’s what we have.”
“With everything you lose, was it worth the change of class though?” Kaiden asked.
The innkeeper glanced towards the kitchen as a woman emerged – a striking figure with streaks of silver in her hair that only enhanced her elegance. “No self-respecting Inn has an innkeeper without the innkeeper class,” he began, his eyes softening as they met hers. “But beyond that, if I had kept my original brawler class, I would only really have been able to level while fighting. By changing classes, I can still level up slowly just by managing the inn. It’s slower than earning it in battle, sure, and now I have a skill that boosts the mood here rather than morale on the battlefield.” His gaze returned to Kaiden, filled with a quiet certainty. “Yes, it was worth the change.”
The innkeeper then motioned to the tavern around them. “Now, choose a table,” he instructed before calling over to his wife. “One stew for the traveller and add a slice of bread.”
Kaiden thanked him and chose a secluded table in the corner of the inn. As he settled down, his thoughts wandered to the townspeople he had bet so far – rough around the edges but warm-hearted as you got to know them.
Soon, the innkeeper’s wife approached, placing a steaming bowl of stew and a thick slice of warm, crusty bread before him. The rich aroma of beef and root vegetables filled his nostrils, and the bread was perfect for dipping into the hearty, savoury broth. As he ate, Kaiden reflected on his past life – a life wasted hiding from the world, and meaningless actions. He realized now that his decision to stay wasn’t just about survival; it was also about defining the kind of man he wanted to be in this new world.