Cyrus loathed going into town. He was never received well despite being unable to remember the exact reason. Most would outright treat him with disgust and keep him at a distance. The kids of the village he grew up with would even call him “Monster,” but not everyone shared in their deep-seated hatred for him.
The road to town was a bumpy one seeing as hardly anyone traveled on it other than the occasional merchant and of course Cyrus when he had to cart the harvest into town. As the cart squeaked onward Cyrus began day dreaming, his grip starting to wane. “I wish a monster would show up...its so boring here.” Cyrus thought as he trudged onward through the forested trail.
Squirrels and birds filled the air with barks and chirps as the wheels on the cart went round, creaking along behind him. The trip from home to town was hardly an arduous one but nevertheless it still was an hours journey by horse or ass. The world started to haze as Cyrus walked with his head in the clouds, dreaming of epic battles, slaying monsters, everything he considered real adventure.
Cyrus could see himself clad in ridiculous armor standing as the strongest man in the world. Mountains of gold piled at his side, women from every race clamoring for his attention, his enemies slain and surly lamentations all buzzed around in his head as he suddenly felt a real snag and tug at his foot. Cyrus and his daydream crashed down to reality face first in the dirt. “Ptoo!” Cyrus spat wiping dirt and grass from his face. Perturbed Cyrus stood, quickly dusting himself off and looked around to see if anyone noticed.
From behind him came a roaring laughter as a hooded dwarven man emerged from the trees. The man continued to laugh as he wiped tears from his icy blue eyes and stroked his thick black beard. He wore simple leather armor with a cloak and hood but held an air about him that he wasn’t one to be taken lightly despite laughing like a wheezing gaggle of ducks.
“Ho, Ho, it does mah heart good knowing I still have lessons to teach my student. Perhaps your attention span will be our next session then?” The dwarven man chuckled heartily as Cyrus blushed in embarrassment. “Master! When did you get back from your mission!?” Cyrus asked happily stepping forward stretching out his hand. The two smiled wide at one another as they clasped hands in a firm shake, bumped their fists, and closed in for a brief hug.
“Boy look at ya! Been gone only a year and look ya', ya’ gone and gotten tall!” Cyrus's teacher held him at arms length looking Cyrus up and down. “I'd say your about fifteen stones now and look at that! All solid muscle too! Ygga’s Grace boy I bet those lasses don’t give you a moments breath! Do your mentor a favor sometime and send em’ my way hehehe, when your done with them that is of course.” He creepily commented as he examined Cyrus thoroughly.
“And of course leave it to Master Grigory, ignores what people ask, just goes and says what he pleases.” Cyrus chuckled with a bit of scorn shaking his head. “ Well I guess I haven’t been gone too long then if your memory is still that sharp then have I?” Grigory smiled through yellowed teeth as he pulled back his hood airing out his ragged salt and peppered hair. “Its good seeing you again Master.” Cyrus smiled lifting the handles of the cart. “I’m pretty sure the townsfolk would disagree with ya’ there lad.” Grigory grinned walking beside Cyrus as he continued to pull the cart behind him. “The men most definitely would.” Cyrus grinned wider. They both paused, erupting in laughter after which the two began walking again as Grigory recanted his journey to Cyrus.
“Boy, the day I left you, the day that Crier came to me bearing those gods awful summons, was the worst and best day of mah life. I never wanted to leave ya but I took it as a sign that it was time to move on.” Grigory started in an apologetic tone. “You could have stayed. Surely Mom could have arranged something to make sure of it.” Cyrus interjected with a hint of anger. “Aye she would have most definitely tried but, you can’t run away from a goddess boy. Besides, I was never a part of the village, hell, a dwarf in these parts could you imagine? I only came originally because your mother asked me to and I owed her my life. She never asked anything of me in return so when she asked for my help I jumped at the chance even if she was extremely vague about the details. I never expected that to repay my debt I would be training some scrawny kid with wandering emerald eyes and hair blue as the clear sky. I never expected that I would have stayed seven years either lad, but you grew on me faster than you did in the past year. Everything I could think of to teach you, you soaked up like a sponge and even polished a few of my favorite tricks making an old dwarf jealous a time or two but It never felt like I was doing enough to repay my debt. I have no doubt, boy, that anything you put your mind to you could achieve so my efforts never felt like they had much worth, to your mother at least.
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“So, the day I received those damn papers I took it as a sign to rid your mother of my presence. I tried everything else I could think to repay your ma’ but it never felt like it was enough. I worked the farm, I bolstered the security with runes although I’d hate to see the fool who tried stealing from your ma’. Between your mom and you there was hardly any labor to be done, your mothers past was enough to scare away any would-be thief, and finally between your mother, that cranky blacksmith Zig, and that puny scholar Lorian, you had all the teachers you could ask for, so on that day I left.” Grigory recanted as their stride slowed.
“I left for war boy…despite your mothers wishes…I went... to war.” Grigory paused, falling silent as his hands trembled. “I’m sorry Master! We can talk about something else; I’ll tell you a story instead!” Cyrus apologized upon seeing the duress Grigory was under.
“No boy, no. Just because something bothers you it shouldn’t stop you from talking about it…especially war. If we don’t talk about these things, then we doom ourselves and those that come after to the mistakes that were made.” Grigory scorned as he clasped his shaking hands together and shook away his fear.
“Have you ever once been to Lahnin City lad?” Grigory asked, looking Cyrus in the eyes. “Yes actually, but only once when ma asked me to accompany her on an important delivery.” Cyrus responded sounding a little confused. “Ah, so I take it you’ve seen most of the races aside from the rarer sort then.” Grigory raised a brow pulling a pipe from his pouch and stuffing it full.
“Well first you have the Commons. Humans, Dwarves, and Elves. Then you get into the Uncommon like Desert Elves, Merfolk, and Beastkin.” Cyrus counted with his fingers with a studious look on his face. “Aye lad and many more, plus a whole lot of hatred in between.” Grigory butted in before Cyrus could recall more. “I’ve seen and met them all lad and do you want to know the one thing that they share? The one thing that might unite them as one people? Life. They all live in this world just as you and I yet they bicker and slaughter one another over physical differences, beliefs, and land.” Grigory clenched his fist as his words grew angrier. “How did it come to that? Whose fault is it that they fight and can all the fighting be stopped?” Cyrus asked with sincere hope.
“Fault? No one person is to blame Cyrus. While yes boy there may be truly good and evil in this world there’s also a lot in between. There will be times when you feel like someone's actions are just, while another’s wrong. Take the Desert Elves for instance. A long time ago, all the Elven peoples lived as one unified community until some groups within the community felt they were better than others and deserved recognition as such. The community quickly turned on one another as family fought against family. Even the elderly and children were swept up into the violence and hate as the civil war raged on. The bloody war they waged burned like a fire raging through a parched forest until the day the goddess Yggdrasil broke a Sovereign Law and forced a ceasefire. What happened next no one saw coming. Yggdrasil begged a boon of her siblings allowing her people to share the land with the other races giving her people the choice to live how they saw fit without interacting with the rest of their kind.” Grigory finished his story just as they reached the edge of the trail, with the town of Selkum just beyond.
“Here’s where we part lad.” Grigory spoke stopping at a fork in the road. “You’re going into town too aren’t you?” Cyrus asked raising an eyebrow. “Aye lad but it be best if you went ahead, I got business to attend to hehehe.” Grigory smiled deviously through his beard bearing his yellow teeth again. Cyrus scratched his head and shrugged as he continued onward leaving Grigory behind. “Now time to find me some trouble…” Grigory giggled as a beautiful young blonde-haired woman with fair skin passed by him. “Ooooh excuse me miss but we’re you made through potion and brew?” Grigory asked after smoothing his hair and batting his eyes. The woman turned scowling at Grigory unamused. “Because someone as beautiful as must have been made with alchemy.” Grigory grinned. The woman still not amused huffed loudly and slapped Grigory across his bearded greasy face lifting him off his squat feet and knocked him several feet into nearby bushes. The woman continued about her day now complaining about a lecherous dwarf as Cyrus let out an audible sigh dragging the cart along through a large wooden gate with the name ‘Selkum’ wrought in golden letters on a wooden sign slightly swinging in the breeze above him.