To the east side of Golden Glade town, following a downhill slope there’s a boy lying on the grass, looking up to the partly clouded sky. He has short brown hair covering his most of his white skinned face and light blue eyes. He appears to be four feet and five inches tall. He’s wearing a brown leather jacket, the same color and same pockets as the magician’s coat. It’s opened up to reveal a black tunic with a chest belt carrying a hand dagger sheathed on it.

          He wears the exact same waistline utility belt the magicians wore too. The same blue cargo pants and boots as well. This young man is wearing the generic uniform of a non-magician soldier of this country. Some soldiers have crossbow bolts on their bandolier, others like this one just have a dagger or two sheathed on it. At the back of this boy’s waistline belt, he has a sheathed broadsword equipped to it. He is also wearing leather gloves with metal plating’s; even he has metal plating’s knee pads. His outfit has a few dirt spots here and there, he even has some bruises on his lightly tanned face.

          He is gazing into the morning sky, watching the clouds drift by and smelling the fresh water scent from the Allan Fold River. He is guessing it’s starting to reach noon since the sun is almost midway in the sky. He closes his eyes enjoying the peaceful wind, easily ignoring his aching bruised body as if this was a common every day kind of routine.

          He notices there’s something, or someone, blocking his sunlight due to a shadow suddenly appearing directly on him. He opens his eyes and sees a boy wearing the magicians’ uniform and a cowboy hat, tilting his hat with his left hand while his right is in his right cargo pocket.

          “Howdy…Pard’ner…” Zee said with a smile on his face.

          The brown haired boy smiles brightly despite his bruising on his face and pulls his legs up almost into a fetal position and jumps up from that spot, turns around and while maintaining his composure. "Zee!” He yells and runs up towards him up hill.

          “I didn’t know you’d be released early! So, what’s the occasion?!” The brown haired boy asked with excitement.

          Zee glanced at his face and noticed his bruises; he tries to keep the same cool smile while thinking how this boy got the bruises. “Well you see my ole friend, Mister Jake Reeves. They wanted this sheriff of the town to go out and hunt down some outlaws that may be causing some trouble around these here parts. So I came over here to fetch my deputy.” He reaches his hand out to Jake and eyes him to join.

          “You’re skipping a lesson again aren’t you Zee?” Jake asked while shaking his head, chuckling and crossing his arms.

          “It’s not skipping when my skills are too good to be wanted over there.” Zee answered coyly.

          “Trouble with you and that girl again?” Jake asked while smiling wryly.

          “Pretty much. I think she’s in love with me or something, seeing as how I get on her nerves every day and yet she sits right next to me all the time.” Zee answered while raising both of his arms, palms open wide and eyes closed while smiling and shrugging his shoulders.

          “I’m pretty sure she is too old for you, old enough to be an older sister at least. She’s just trying to keep you in check.” Jake said with a smirk.

          Zee opens his eyes while looking blankly at the town. “A common trait that she would share with my sister I suppose…” He mumbled.

          Jake looked at Zee with a puzzled look on his face. “I didn’t catch that, what did you say?”

          Zee looks to Jake and continues his confident smile on his face. “I was just mumbling to myself it was nothing.” He spotted Jake’s bruises and continues talking. “The drill instructor went rodeo on you again?” He asked while smiling wryly.

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          “Not this time, instead he had the whole group get into a contest of who can knock me out first. Surprisingly I lasted much longer than the last time he held that!” Jake responded as Zee looked at him with a sour look.

          “Did you at least fight back?” Zee asked knowing what the answer would be.  

          Expecting word for word what Jake would say as he says it. “How can I? They’re my fellow comrades of this country.” Jake answered with a puzzled look on his face. “I just don’t have it in me to fight my friends, even if it’s just practice. Besides these are peaceful times my friend, it’s best for them to be more prepared for war than I will be. I just don’t have it in me to kill others… Even in self-defense, I’ll just hesitate in a moments’ notice.”

          Half way through that conversation, Zee thought in his mind, ‘Friends my ass! Those Jerks are just taking advantage of your kindness for an easy punching bag.’ But Zee did hear and understood everything Jake said while lost in thought.

          “Don’t worry my friend, you’re strong. When the time comes, you’ll fight for this country with all your might! I’m sure, no… I know you’ll surpass your big brother Rufus when you reach his age.” He placed his left hand on Jake’s shoulder while standing side by side with him.

          “With enough training and hard work, you’ll even make General of this country!” Zee smiles brightly showing his teeth.

          “You… You think so Zee?” Jake asked with self-doubt.

          “I know so Deputy Jake, no… Sheriff Jake Reeves!” Zee said with a smile, shortly afterwards they both busted up with laughter. They both stared off into the distance, past the Allan Fold River, enjoying the serene view with the sound of the wind drowning out the silence.

           “I got nothing else to do today and I know I will be starving soon… were you also dismissed early too Jake?” Zee asked after breaking the silence.

           “Not really, after realizing that I was knocked out for a few hours early this morning, I couldn’t figure out where’d everyone went and assumed that they’d think I’d be knocked out all day. So I limped my way to the river but mid-way, I was feeling fine enough to start walking again.” Jake said with calm and curious look on face like this is a common occurrence.

           Zee, thinking what a normal person would think, ‘That’s not a good thing at all to talk so normally about!’

           He tried to change the subject by brandishing a short bow and a quiver of arrows from between his back and coat. “I figured lets go hunting; only this time I will hunt our meal! As for you, you should just take it easy and rest. Besides, it is relaxing when we’re waiting on our prey.”

           Jake, whom is still having a curious look on his face said, “You’ll be the one hunting? I’m surprised that you’re not going to use magic for the kill.”

           “Yeah, it’s about time I practice with some weapons for once. Besides, killing animals with magic leaves a bad taste in my mouth.” Zee answered coyly.

           “I’ll bet, we don’t want to taste any burnt or funky flavors as a side effect from magic.” Jake pondered, while Zee thinks, ‘that’s not the kind of bad taste I’m talking about you barbarian!’

           “Which reminds me, its best we hunt in the western woods for the day. Apparently there’s been killings and kidnappings…..” Jake said while looking troubled.

           “Wait, what?!” Zee asked.

           “Yeah, my brother and his platoon are investigating it as we speak. There are two dead bodies of our patrolmen, one woman and one man. Both have stab wounds in the same spot, right below their hearts with a weapon that can cut through their armor like butter.” Jake shudders as he continues on. “And two missing soldiers too, though there were drag marks going north towards the Boarmane Mountains. It goes on for miles…”

            “You’re worried about your brother?” Zee asked with a serious but calm look on his face.

            “Yeah… These deaths and the drag marks, it’s kind of nerve wracking. I just hope that…” Jake said right before Zee cuts him off.

            “Don’t worry. I’ve seen your brother fight. He’s a beast of a man. He took down that dire boar all by himself, remember?” Zee said with confidence.

            Jake’s gloom changed to a smile, then into a brighter smile. “Yeah! You’re right! He is truly an awesome warrior. I really shouldn’t have anything to fear.”

            Zee smiles and pats Jake on his back and pulls up both the bow and quiver closer to him. “And now, shall we go find ourselves a larger boar than that? Pard’ner?” Zee asked with a wink.

            “Sure thing! Partner!” Jake said with more confidence than ever. Zee scratches his head with his free hand. “Eh, I suppose that’ll do for now” He said with laughter, then Jake shortly joins in with that laughter as well. Then they head towards the western gate.