Mirnan's stomach rumbled. It had been a while since he had eaten anything substantial, and he could feel his strength ebbing away. Being an orphan in Rassen was not easy. He stood by the side of the main road, watching the other boys play in the street with envy. He would have liked to join in, but he knew he would be insulted and rejected. Maybe even beaten up. It wasn't worth it.

Mirnan looked up and saw the expedition of seekers returning. In front rode the scout commanders, the most experienced explorers, followed by the rest of the company. He saw them laughing and joking, happy to be back. Their moods varied depending on how the expedition had gone; sometimes they were silent, and Mirnan could tell by the murmurs that many explorers had died or that the mission had failed. But today was different; the young explorers oozed energy and joy, debating where to drink tonight, recounting the relics they had found, and boasting about the beasts they had killed. The last to leave the group were two hooded figures, their bodies covered, walking with their heads slightly bowed. They were knights, soldiers trained to fight the demonic beasts that roamed the wilds, or so he had heard. One of them locked eyes with him, a fierce look passing through the knight's mask of leather, wood and metal. For a moment, Mirnan's blood chilled under the knight's gaze. He felt as if the knight had memorised him, to hunt him down like those filthy beasts. Then he turned and walked away. Mirnan followed with his eyes and spotted one of the town's bakers.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"Well, if he's here, he can't be in the shop," Mirnan muttered, getting to his feet and staggering toward the bakery.

His shoulder hurt, but at least he had managed to grab a sandwich. It hadn't felt so bad when the rock hit him, but now it throbbed and ached when touched. Had he broken any bones? Was it just a bump?

As Mirnan thought, a man and a woman passed him.

"We should do the same. Do you have any idea how much you can earn?"

"I said no. You don't know how dangerous it is. There must be a reason why only scientists do it," she replied."

"Well, my friend Fred met a guy who sold a relic for ten silver coins. Do you know how much ten silver coins are?"

"I said no!"

The voices faded as the two people walked away. Mirnan realized he didn't even know what you could buy with one silver coin. But ten? Maybe he could have bought himself a sandwich like the one in his hand, and it wouldn't have cost him a sore shoulder. Maybe ten coins would have made him rich, and the other boys would have let him play with them. They might even have admired him. Those two people might not have felt like looking for relics, but Mirnan was not afraid. He would sneak out, pretend to be a laborer on some farm, and then go searching for a relic. Yes, it was the perfect plan.