Chapter 1 (Tinkerer)- A Call to Adventure.

They don't deserve new things anyways. The tears come rushing down my face as I bound through the trees down the mountain. How could they, it wasn't even dangerous. The pieces of my destroyed contraption burn a hole in my pocket with each step. If they won't appreciate these incredible discoveries, I will find someone who will. With determination I spent the day searching for a sign of life, something to lead me towards more people. To no avail.

The dawn brought a much warmer day than I was used to, the low altitude makes the climate weird down here. Early in the morning after collecting my camp, my walk is halted when I spot a very small man, not but 3 feet tall slumped against a tree staring at me. "Bit far from home, aren't ya? Look a little p-hale, are you *hic* homesick? Do you m-m-mish your mommy giant and daddy giant?" his speech is heavily slurred, his head hung low.

"Not particularly no" I answer, though appreciative of his kindness. Apparently my answer confused him, he opens his mouth but the words don't come to him to respond with. He sits silently for a moment before collapsing, asleep. What an odd fellow, hope he's feeling alright, I'll take him with me to make sure he's safe. Wouldn't want the first person I meet to get eaten by a warg. Throwing him over my shoulder I continue the journey.

After a long 5 hours of searching the woods for any sign of life I finally find a pathway, some time later a lamp lights up a post at a fork in the road. One location called "Berthinton" says it's about 275 miles to the west, the other called "Evercast" 175 miles to the south. After a quick check of my belongings I should have enough rations to make it just to Evercast. "About 7 days from a warm bed bub." I say to the passenger on my back, who had been sleeping soundly until that moment. He moves around behind my back for a moment then *BAM* a sharp pain in my shoulder causes me to drop the companion with a scream. Turning to make sure he's okay, he rolls onto the ground and takes a stance against me with a bloody knife drawn.

"No one carries Fliment III and lives to tell about it." His teeth are bared like an animal. Reflexively I grab my shield and place it between us. I can't believe he stabbed me in the back! After carrying him for miles! "Woah woah, calm down little fella, I was only trying to help get you to safety." I brace for danger nonetheless. What feels like an hour of staring between the two of us finally ends when he spits on the ground. "I live this way" with a nod in the opposite direction he begins walking away. That could have been worse, but it still hurts a lot. I place a hand on my back and it's covered in blood. I need to rest again and take care of this wound. Another 30 minute down the road searching for a place to rest my head I come to a fallen tree a few feet away from the clearing of the road and decide it may provide the best shelter for a weary head.

After a rather quiet night, I'm back on the road feeling somewhat rested. Two long, uneventful days later, and I'm startled by 4 men jumping out of some bushes on the road. Two in front of me, and two behind. With a wave of my hand I try to keep walking until one of them draws a sword and points it towards me. Great, not again. "That's enough big fella, you can stand right there and hand over all ya' cash, thank you very much."

"Oh, I really don't have a lot, it's just enough to get..."

He cuts me off: "I didn't ask for your stOry, I said 'hand it over'" his harsh words cut deep. Is no one kind down here? With a sigh I put my hand into my pouch to grab it out, trying to keep two of them in my hand without them noticing, I place the rest on the floor. "Ah-ah-ah don't try it, those two as well." How did he see?! I reluctantly drop the rest and stand back up taking a few steps back with my hands in the air. With a thump on the back of the head I'm sent to the ground in tears once again. They walk off around me, likely thinking I'm unconscious but rather I'm defeated, This world is not kind to anyone. I lay there sobbing for likely 20 minutes before a ticking catches my ear. I reach into my bag, still lying on the floor, and grab the small coin pouch holding the pieces of my first mechanical creation.

My eyes close as I'm taken back to a few nights ago, lying once again on the floor with the pieces of this toy shattered around me, 4 or 5 of my old comrades leaving the scene after destroying it. Betrayal, disgust, hatred, fear, pain. The emotions were so heavy. But the nightmare is taken over by an even weightier feeling. The ones I had when creating the gadget beside my great, silent friend 'mr. Gnome,' joy, excitement, intrigue, wonder, amazement. My heart feels warm on the cold floor where I lay, wiping my tears, I'm reinvigorated to finish my journey. No more crying, It's time to grow up Lauthi "Tinkerer."

Two more days fly by along with the trees as the forest around me seems to blur by as quick as the days on the road. Evercast is getting closer and closer as a few signs show. Since the bandits stole all my gold, I haven't seen a single soul until a thin looking man in robes riding a horse comes down the road towards me, just to be safe, I grab a few stones off the road and infuse them with magical energy ready to throw. Please be kind, please be kind, please be kind. As he comes close enough to see, he appears somewhat elderly, with a cracked face he smiles gently my way. "Ho there, young one! How goes the road??" Finally a break. I drop the stones and remember the last couple days unfondly. "Nothing for the next few miles as far as I have seen, but be careful, a group of men took all my gold a couple days ago." He looks concerned and stops his horse. Grabbing some coins out of his side pouch he tosses them my way, of course I fail to catch them but gather them off the ground quickly. "I'm sorry that happened to you friend, please take this gift. Hopefully the light is kinder to you in the next few days. Where you headed?" After collecting the gold I stand tall and nod to thank him.

"Evercast I think."

"Well you're headed the right way. Just be careful on the road ahead, a bridge along the way is flooded over this time of year, it can be difficult to cross, please take care. Oh and do yourself a favor and check out the lighthouse when you get to Evercast. Might change your life. May Utun bless you." He kicks his horse into gear and continues his journey.

"Thank you sir! Good travels" What the heck is an Utun?

More days go by in a flash, too many to tell, unbothered by any brigands, save for an odd woman talking to herself who awoke me in my sleep in the dead of the night and then flying away as an owl. This particular morning I was awoken early by the rising sun, I feel quite rested and ready to go so I set off before usual. After a bend in the road I come across the clearly aforementioned 'flooded bridge.' Now completely submerged by rushing waters for a nearly 20 foot distance of the road. How in the world do I cross this witho.... An obnoxiously loud snore breaks my thoughts in two. Looking over a small ridge off the side of the road I spot a small human boy, no older than 14. He's slumped over a large log arching his back in a very painful way, but in such a deep slumber that it doesn't seem to phase him. Approaching slowly, I draw my shield just in case. "Little boy" I start soft and lightly, to no avail.

"..." When no response comes I try again raising my voice slightly:

"Ahem... Good morning!"

"..."

Oh boy, this is getting nowhere. Realizing I will need to rouse him manually I approach extra cautiously so as to not frighten him. No weapons, 2 books, one small traveling pack. Why is this kid out here alone? With a hand on his shoulder and the other grasping my shield between us I shake him awake. He opens his eyes shocked and quickly jolts up, kicking off my shield to put space between us. He grabs one of the nearby books and holds it close, immediately tapping his chest muttering a word I don't understand "Hither" a blue light shimmers over his entire body in a wave from the center of his chest resonating outwards then back in, until it comes to a calm as a slight blue hue to his form almost as if filtering the light. We both stand there motionlessly staring at each other for what feels like minutes until he breaks the silence:

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" He's a short human boy with slightly pointy ears (though not pointy enough to qualify as any sort of elf). His dirty blonde hair and deep blue eyes frame a very young and surprisingly soft face compared to my own cold-cracked features of the mountains. Hair on a boy is still a bizarre concept to me, I still prefer my own bald head and deep blue tribal tattoos, but I can understand it. He has a lankiness appears nearly comical next to my 7 foot frame, and gives him a swiftness I don't possess. Far be it from me to underestimate a physical build, I can tell he has magical prowess to make up for any physical shortcomings. He wears no armor, but instead some interesting, ornate clothes that I do not recognize. The mountain tribes do not have the luxury of beauty and instead opt for practical wears. My many pouches, straps, and buckles adorning my leather armor must appear barbaric in contrast. Realizing he's not an immediate threat I respond first in body language by lowering my shield slightly, though not completely. Then in words:

"My name is Tinkerer. I'm just a humble traveler. You looked incredibly uncomfortable so I was just trying to help you." He looks up at me with raised eyebrow, not yet responding. "Now, who are YOU?? Aren't you too young to be wandering alone?"

"Who said I'm alone?" Just in case I check the bushes around our nearby area, but I don't believe him and show it on my face. In response he gives up the facade and also drops his defensive stance. "I'm Saemon, nice to meet you.... Friend?" He asks. That confirms it, he's alone. I could use a friend.

"Friend sounds good to me! Where are you headed?" I sit down on the log and he fell asleep over, pulling out some food to eat while we talk. I still hover over him even though we're likely near the same age and I'm sitting.

"Evercast" he says gesturing towards the flooded bridge down the road.

"Me too! Care to share the road? I could use the company, the road has been... rough" I run my fingers over the scar on my back, Healing nicely.

"Similar circumstances here." He joins me for a quick breakfast.

"What is sending you that way?"

"Looking for a new start."

"Did you have an unwelcoming home too?"

"Not exactly.... But that's not the sort of thing I want to discuss with a stranger"

"Understandable."

"What about you? You're not exactly grown, why are you out here?"

"I left home because of some philosophical differences. I'm finding the world is not kind to anyone, regardless of our young ages." Our meals are fast, and we prepare to get ready to go on the road again.

"Very true. Any clue how to cross the overflow without getting soaked?"

Behind a very dry cracker: "Lemme check." he flips through the book he grabbed at our first encounter quickly scanning the pages. "Bupkis."

"Alright, pack your stuff, I can get us across, it's just gonna be wet.... For me" he shrugs and begins packing his belongings, meanwhile in order to give him some privacy I head over to the water's edge. Grabbing a few stones off the ground I pulse magic into them to make each of them glow a bright yellow and toss them into the water at 3 different places towards the center trying to gauge which way would be the easiest to cross. Roughly waist deep, should be fine. I'll just give my bag to Saemon. Speaking of the devil, a tap on my shoulder tells me he's all packed. "What now?"

"Hop on my shoulders" I turn around and kneel down so he can reach.

"Oh brother." he replies before leaping up and hobbling onto my shoulders.

"Please take my bag" I hand him my belongings to hold above his head to keep dry and begin walking. Only a few steps in, I definitely misjudged the depth. "We're definitely getting wet today Saemon."

"Not sure we have another option." The water keeps rising as I finally reach the center, the water comes to my chin and the rushing waves almost knock me over, but I keep steady and muscle us across to the other side safely.

"Thank you, Tink. Can I call you that?" I take him off my shoulders and shake out as much water as I can out of the many pouches, belts, and bags hanging off my person, before taking my bag back from him.

"Sure!" My first name!! How exciting!! "How old are you anyways Saemon?"

"I'm... Twelve, but I can handle myself pretty well, don't you worry." He trails off in thought for a moment and comes back "What about you?"

"Sixteen"

"Look at us! Two boys against the world." He starts walking down the road expecting me to follow.

Three more days pass and as we near Evercast we don't talk extensively but we've become familiar enough in the time spent for me to consider him a kind acquaintance. In the early morning on this day a figure appears in the distance: a thin, redheaded human female in extravagant robes walking purposefully down the path with a grimace on her face. We cross by passively to the other side of the road as she passes until I break the odd silence. "Mornin' Ma'am, how goes the road?:" Her grumpy state replies sharply, ignoring my kindness:

"Fine" She keeps walking, so do we, decidingly unaffected by her grumpy attitude. Until she calls back to us. "Wait a minute boys!" So we swivel around curiously, she points to Saemon beside me. "YOU are obviously a magic user. How would you boys like to make some coin?" We look at each other, and then he nods at me and I mouth back 'I'm broke.' Turning towards the redheaded woman we start walking at her and I call "We could use some money." Once we approach she looks at us suspiciously, likely due to realizing our age, but she shrugs it off and continues.

"In a few hours, my ex boyfriend is going to come trotting down this road, I have here a potion that will make his life miserable for his next few days of travel. I was just going to throw it at him but if you two can find a way to set a trap with it so I don't have to be here I would gladly pay you." Saemon and I exchange glances and nod, we've mentioned to each other in our small talk travels that I have an affinity to machines and contraptions of the sort, while he has more inclination towards book smarts type magic. Between the two of us, this should be a piece of cake. I burst into action discussing with Saemon my plan, and surprisingly he helps me troubleshoot and work through my ideas with unexpected ease. It only takes us about an hour and the two of us have created some variation of a catapult using some vines and twigs in the nearby brush. I quickly use a thrown log to demonstrate that it will throw her potion directly into the middle of the pathway when she pulls a rope. "Works like a charm" she says and tosses a small baggie our way which falls to the ground with 5 gold coins spilling out. "Don't spend it all in once place! Have a good trip!"

We quickly split our prize money evenly before returning to the open road. We never do come across said 'troublesome ex-boyfriend,' however, we are waylaid by a separate issue. First we hear them: trudging down the road in a pretty large caravan with a heavily decorated closed carriage at the center. That's a pretty carriage. And then we SMELL them. An absolutely nasty stench comes wafting off the group of about a dozen men in an unholy mixture only describable as the likes of owlbear dung, with rotting skunk, and giants' toe fungus. Every single head of the group is hung low in depression. It stinks, but I have smelled worse. Saemon on the other hand can't stand it and covers his nose with his robe.

As they pass by it hits me: That potion was a stink bomb! Her ex-boyfriend must be in the carriage! I hope she didn't tell them we were involved. Attempting to remain independent of the crime, I keep my head low and don't acknowledge the group while they pass on our left. I thought for a moment we might get by unscathed until one of the last mounted men stops in front of us blocking our path, his pronounced cap signifying some position of authority. "Halt right there, official business of the crown!" We stop, following orders before he continues. "Have you boys seen a red headed woman travel this road today?" I don't know what to say, do we lie? Will they know? Do they already know!? Saemon please say something I'm freaking out, I don't know what to do!! I stare at him hoping he breaks the silence. "No, can't say we have." He says rather calmly, The man sighs and internally my own sigh of relief is twice as deep. "Very well, carry on your way." Then returns to his downtrodden caravan. Once they get out of earshot I comment on the endeavor:

"That was close."

"It was, I wonder what that was about though, that detail seems a bit much for 'an ex-boyfriend.' I think we may have been duped."

I shrug with my response. "Well we know not to trust her again at least."