Chapter 5

POV Mark

Congratulations, you have gained the title “Noble, Barron of the wood”

Mark looked at it for a second too long when he felt his legs go numb and the air left his lungs. He could have sworn he heard a pair of eggs crack.

Kim had just landed a mighty blow between his legs and he was coming to the conclusion that she had more strength then he had initially thought.

“Oops, didn’t mean to take it that far.”

He heard the words be he couldn’t focus on them.

Mark took the time to breath as the black spots left his eyes. When that was done, he took another look at the message he had gotten.

“Noble title?” How had he gotten that.

“What about you being a noble, you have never been Noble about anything.”

Mark ignored the comment as he thought through his actions over the past day.

He didn’t come up with anything.

“Forget it, let’s just keep moving on for now.”

He got up and dusted himself off while looking around. He didn’t remember the exact way they came from but with Kim’s help, he hoped they would get to town soon.

“Which way are we headed.”

Kim took a glance at the rising sun, it was coming up towards the steep hill next to the boulders they were facing.

She pointed to their left. “That way is north.”

Without another thought, Kim started walking.

Mark soon followed as they made their way, keeping quiet about the nights previous incident.

They traveled till about mid day, Mark wanted to say that it would have been noon then but Kim wasn’t hearing it.

The forest they walked through slowly became sparse and rolling hills came into view.

Small farm land could be seen with a few live stock. There were a couple of cows, and a few sheep off in a pen. The house was rundown but had a charm too it. Thatch roof was dark yellow, almost a golden brown. The walls were a grayish white with vines coming up it. The windows had ripples in them but that just added to the charm it already had.

Mark could totally dig it.

Kim was other wise unimpressed.

“Let’s stop here and asked where the nearest town is.” Mark said

Kim skewered up her face in discuss ”Why would we stop here? If there are people here then that means we’re going the right way.”

“Or, we go in the wrong way by a small margin and miss the town.”

“That would make sense if we couldn’t see it but look around Mark, we’re in the wide open.”

Mark went head towards the house.

“Fine I’ll wait right here.” Kim posted up on her used walking stick as she waited for the idiot to get his fill of adventure.

Mark went through the small broken fence. The path was well worn so that could only mean people lived here.

Right?

He got to the wooden door and knocked on it. Then waited. And waited some more.

He thought he heard a noise come from within so he knocked even louder. The noise got louder as well and Mark started to fear the worst, someone needed his help.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Being the good adventure that he was he entered, the home inside was what you would think it would be. Cramped and dirty. He didn’t let that bother him.

Now inside, he could hear the muffled cry in the back coming from what he could only say was a broom closet. He walked over stealthily, the noise got infrequent but strangled.

He reached for the handle and swung it wide open.

What he found was a small old man on a toilet.

The old man was fighting for his life it would seem, but Mark entering gave the man a great scare. He clutched his chest with a pained look on his face.

Mark screamed.

His scream alerted Kim outside and she took off running to him. She got close when out of the corner of her eye Kim saw a glimpse of someone, but it happen too quick.

She threw the door wide seeing Mark covering his face.

“What happen?”

He pointed to the broom closet.

“What, is it a monster, a gobo or something.”

Mark shook his head.

“Old man” he took a long breath. “He’s…on the toilet.”

Kim laughed, “And that scared you.”

She walked over to the door and knocked. No answer came after a few moment so she knocked again. Same thing. She got impatient so decided to start pounding the door.

When that didn’t work she flung the door open to find the old man Mark was talking about dead.

“You killed him?” she asked as she turned to Mark.

“What? No!” He peeked inside to find the old man was in fact dead.

“Well, shite” he backed up then turned to the door.

“I need some air.” He said while shaking.

Kim let Mark go as she looked around. There wasn’t a lot of stuff in here for her to loot…she meant salvage. She debated on taking the old man’s walking stick that looked far better then her own when Mark cried out again.

She walked this time as she left the inside of the house only to find him pointing beside it.

“What, did you find someone else?”

He nodded.

Kim walked around, there she found a younger man impaled by a rake thingy.

“It’s a pitch fork” he replied.

“I know what it is.” Kim put that name off to the side for later, just incase she needed to remember what it was.

“we need to tell the authorities about this.”

Kim slowly turned to Mark

“If you say one word of this to anyone, I’ll tell everyone about your cat girl fetishist you have under the sink.”

Mark whipped his head to look at her.

“That was just hentai.”

“And?” Kim wasn’t worried.

“And, if we meet with beast kin they won’t know that and assume that I had naked paintings.” He didn’t want to come off as a creep.

“Well that’s on you, besides this wasn’t our fault.”

Marked nodded his head.

“This is all your fault.”

Mark stopped nodding his head and starred at Kim for a second. He could try telling the guards or maybe they had a sherif or something that this was all a misunderstanding.

Yeah right, who would believe him that this wasn’t intentional. Mark made up his mind, headed the way they were going. So what if he got in trouble, it was the right thing to do.

Kim followed as they continued on the dirt trail over the rolling hills. Soon they found they’re long awaited goal. Town was just up ahead and there was still plenty of daylight left to go look around.

As they came within view on the edge of town, there were a few guards posted up by the main entrance. A wall of 8ft encircled around the perimeter, with what they could tell was 4 gates to the town

Kim stepped forward getting the town guards attention first.

“Greeting, we are two lost adventures looking for a place to rest do-” she started.

The gruff guard cut her off.

“I don’t really care about your sob story, just go in already.” He waved her through, turning to his fellow guard to continue the conversation they were having.

Mark walked past the stuttering Kim and gaped at the town that was hidden behind it.

Instead of thatch and wood, the roof was made out of stone on every building. It was made to look like shingles carved by some artisan. The walls were all wood but we’re brought to a sand smooth finished with lecher. The doors were made of iron that held no rust.

Most of the buildings were 2 stories high while others went past 3. Why he didn’t see it from outside of town he didn’t know.

“Wow, those are some building you got here.” Mark said to the two guards they didn’t seem to notice.

Kim took his sleeve and pulled him

“Don’t forget what we’re here for, classes and directions to the hero.”

Mark lamely nodded his head.

They went through town looking at one sign to another quickly realizing they couldn’t read. That lasted all the way up till they came to a building with a priest looking guy.

Kim lead as Mark followed, till he almost ran over a young girl running in-between them.

Mark stepped forward and felt some resistance but powered through it. That caused the girl to fall over. Kim seen the hole thing but Mark didn’t even stop as he walked up to the priest.

“Excuse me, do you know where we could get out classes?”

The priest looked to the young shocked girl then at the man that bulled her over. Without saying a word he pointed behind him.

“Yes,…there is the communal stone you can touch. But, you should already have a class.” His eyes never left from the now crying girl.

“Thank you, your very kind.” Mark walked inside leaving Kim out with the crying kid.

POV Kim

Kim held onto the crying girl as Mark continued to go inside of the church. She wasn’t really good with children but she didn’t want the hassle of complicating their stay here.

“Do you have…parents?” Not very subtle Kim chimed herself.

“I-I-I do. She, mommy is at the tavern right now. Said she would be back in a bit.”

Oh god, her mother was either a drunk or a tavern floosy.

Kim patted her head and got up, “Well, let your mom know that he’s cursed and can’t see the opposite gender. It’s not his fault.”

The girl was wide eyed at that.

“Is he a prince?”

Kim chuckled.

“No, the witch cursed him because he had wandering eyes.”

Kim walked along thinking on that line of thought. If she was the one that did the cursing then that would make her the witch.