Ulysses slowly opened his eyes, and he could taste the ash in his mouth once more. The village was burning, The scent of melting flesh and charred wood filled his nose with the most familiar of scents. One of his comrades pulled him up.

“Captain!” The young soldier barked as the rest of Ulysses’s squad gathered around to protect their captain. “Are you alright, sir?”

Ulysses grumbled. He rubbed the back of his head as if he had just been hit directly in the back with a club. “I’m fine. We need to keep moving.”

The squad continued to move forward. Ulysses pressed onward as if he hadn’t been stopped at all. Several within the squad held their shields up and their swords at the ready, waiting for the slightest moment to strike down their enemy while several men with crossbows pointed around, keeping alert. The Khanjir were illusive bastards...as well as brutal. They had come to this village not to loot. Not to pillage. Not to burn. But to destroy. To commit total genocide. Many of the villagers were put on spikes and displayed in the most grotesque of fashions. The bodies were charred and frozen forever in frightful screams of agony and terror. Their last moments filled with nothing but absolute misery. The final breath they had taken in their dying screams as flame consumed them. There were no soldiers here. No battle hardened men to defend them. This was a simple farming village, and the Khanjir had come here to send a message to King Lautrec. That the Khanjir would stop at nothing to utterly destroy them, and erase the kingdom of Sigurdsehre from the face of Valandius once and for all.

Ulysses couldn’t help but look at the bodies that littered the area. They were displayed in a way to frighten the hearts of men and women in their deepest nightmares. Not only men and women had been displayed like this, but the little ones were not spared this barbaric display. At the sight of one of those brutal effigies, one of the soldiers gripped a glowing blue crystal around her neck.

“Aloheim, blessed creator, Maker of everything. Hear my prayer. Protect us in-”

“Quiet Hilde!” Ulysses hushed her in an aggressive, whispered tone. “There could still be Khanjir in the area. Don’t muck this up while we have the advantage.” He glared at her as Hilde let go of her pendant and lowered her head. Ulysses made his squad press on. As he walked, there was something familiar about this place. He couldn’t place his finger on it. The burnt bodies and the horrified looks of the victims put him on edge. Every fiber in him, every nagging voice in his head told him to run. To run home and never look back. That was the truth of it. He was just as scared as his men, if not more so. As for the strange sense of familiarity he had with this place, He couldn’t understand it. He understood it as a man who was born blind understood color.

They pressed on until Ulysses saw something moving in one of the houses. As they paused, they waited a bit longer. Ulysses took a crossbow from one of his soldiers and aimed it. He tried to get a better view of what was moving around by the window. His hands trembled slightly, as if his body was forcing him to be as still as a statue. The shadowy figure bent down to pick something up. In the back of Ulysses’s mind, He could hear a faint sound. The sound of something knocking. Hearing it, He let loose the crossbow bolt and the figure in the window fell. One of the more mature soldiers in Ulysses’s squad grabbed the crossbow and yanked it away.

“Sir! What in the seven hells are you doing?!”

He blinked, and then went over to the house. Ulysses panicked, he still heard the knocking.

Knock Knock Knock…

He and the rest of the squad silently rush over to the house. They line up on the walls before breaking the door open.

Knock Knock Knock…

There it went again, from where Ulysses couldn’t understand.

Knock Knock Knock…

Ulysses looked around, and saw the figure on the ground. Knock Knock Knock… His eyes widened and his breath elevated.

Knock Knock Knock…

He dropped to his knees.

Knock Knock Knock…

One of his men shouted his name.

“Ulysses! Ulysses!!!”

Ulysses opened his eyes at the knocking on the door. Panting and sweating in bed. The nightmare again. He rubbed his face as the elderly voice shouted through the door. “Ulysses! Ulysses!!! Ulysses Anderson, You will open this door and you will do it Right Now!!!”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes tried to focus. “Right… Right. Be there in a moment.”

“No! Not in a moment! Right Now!!!”

He opened the door and let in the old crone in his room. Dorine Calihad. About as old and frail, yet as spirited and as temperamental as they came. So old was this woman that she might have outlived Vedmaarvith himself. A Ripe old Ten Thousand years old, or at least ten and a half. She was just as fearsome as the dragon too, if not moreso. The way that, especially at her age, she held a command that even many kings lacked. If she ran a country as good as she did an Inn, she would have conquered all of Vanlandius by now.

She glared at him as she entered the room. “Bah! By the Gods! This place is disgusting! Here I am, slaving away over keeping my Inn as clean and as fresh as possible, working my bones to the dirt, and here you are living as if you’re a swine! Gods, half eaten food! Empty bottles! Ugh! Oh and the curtains! My good curtains! Ripped apart like some rabid dog got to them! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Ulysses rolled his amber eyes. “Come on, Fran. You do this all the time!”

Fran quickly snapped at Ulysses, and grabbed his beard, pulling his face towards hers. “And Why wouldn’t I, you lazy oaf?! This is my Inn. You are sleeping in my beds, You eat the food I make, and you won't even have the decency to pay my rent! I want my coin, Anderson.”

“I Gave you your coin, woman!”

Fran let go of his beard and crossed her arms, and glared daggers into him. “Oh yeah! You did… four months ago. Your rent has been building up, and you haven’t paid me a copper! See, I didn't just come here to nag you about the furniture and garbage all over my nice floor. I’m kicking you out.”

He grabbed her shoulder and began to plead. “Wait! Wait a moment, Fran! You can’t just kick me out! I told you I’m good for the money. Look, give me one more month. I’ll pay everything in full.”

Fran placed her hands on her hips and let out a big sarcastic chuckle. “Ha! Aha Ha ha! Hardy hardy har. Pull the other one, Anderson. I’d believe you more if you said you killed Vedmaarvith. No. I’m done, Anderson. I’m just done. Every time I brought up my rent, You pushed it aside. No more. Come back with the money, up front, and I’ll consider it. But now? I just want you out of my hair. Clean your garbage up, and get out. You have one week.”

He glared angrily at her, his blood beginning to boil. “Or what?” He crossed his arms and looked at her, His anger brewing.

Fran wouldn’t back down. “Or I call the guards, and the only roof over your head will be in a deep dark dungeon where the sun don’t shine, and the only company you’ll have will be a huge orc who hasn’t seen a woman in years.” She left the room, slamming the door in his face as he attempted to defend himself.

Angrily, he slammed his fist against the door, pressing his head against it. “Seven Hells…”

He pushed himself off of the door and looked around his room. He marched over to the drawer and pulled out a bottle of rum. Having rum for his breakfast, he took a large swig only to find that the bottle was already almost empty. Drinking the last few sips, he threw the bottle against the wall, still furious. He was a veteran, damn it. How could anyone treat him like this? Did he always pay on time? No. But what can a disgraced soldier do? He can’t rejoin the army. No one wanted someone like him. Not after what he did. Bounty hunting had its value, but he’d just drink the gold away as soon as he got it. He needed something to buy Fran’s favor once more. And he had to do it fast.

He went to get dressed, Putting on his armor so as to find a job to do. His military armor was scuffed, dented and worn. But it's all he had. His armor covered up his ugly white scars and burn marks that littered his light brown skin. Equipped with nothing more than a backpack full of stale rations, his sword, crossbow and shield, he stomped down the steps and out of the Inn, the Green Mare Inn. Before venturing to find a job, he had one destination on his mind. To visit the one person who would comfort him in his time of need.

Venturing deeper into the town's seedy places, Ulysses found himself standing in front of “The Flighty Nymph.” The Nymph was the nicest brothel in the town, which wasn’t exactly saying much. The town had hit hard times after the iron mine went dry a few years ago. Seeking new ways of trading, many of its citizens have turned to more illicit acts in order to survive. The town of Owens Hearth had seen better days. It had become a den of thieves, liars, cheaters, and the general scum of the earth. The people who lived here had nowhere to go.

Ulysses stepped further into the brothel, and scanned the area. There was plenty of vice and sin that littered the area. Human decency had flown out the window long ago. Many raunchy acts took place out in the open. Ulysses didn't care. He was after one specific girl. He went to the half orc bartender who instantly recognized him.

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“Well!” The half orc spoke with a guttural growl. Not in the least threatening. Not even a typical sound of his parentage. Simply just too many swigs of strong ales and whiskies burning his throat till it was raw. “Ulysses Anderson. You’re early. Usually see you at the night service.”

Ulysses grumbled. “Morning Will. How's the leg doing you?”

“Eh, Can’t complain.” Will snorted as he cleaned the bar. “You should have seen the guy who gave me my limp. They’ll be scraping him off of the walls with a spoon.”

“Yeah… yeah. Say, is Tabitha here? I need to talk to her.” Will thinks for a moment. “Not right now, But she should be here in about an hour.”

“Ah, right. Okay. You have the usual spot for me then?”

“You’re the early bird here, friend. It's all yours.”

Ulysses nodded and reached into his very light feeling bag. He fingered it through before finding a single silver and putting it on the table. “Thanks Will.” He went to the usual spot he holds for himself and Tabitha. A small booth by the stage offered him sanctuary often in trying times. And this was one of those desperate times. He waited patiently, sitting quietly. He refrained from drinking anymore than what he had for breakfast. His fingers ran through his dark hair, brushing against the scar on his left temple. The result of an arrow flying by his head. If his head were a few inches off to the side, the arrow would have hit him dead on. There were many close calls for him in his career as a soldier. Just not as career ending as his final mission.

He couldn’t help but think back to that day. The day where his life spiraled out of control. Five years ago, the Khanjir Khannanite had begun to invade Sigardehre. The Khans had made their way so deep into the territory that a retaliation was made difficult. The Khans went in, struck, killed any who they didn't think would be good stock, captured the rest and forced them into slavery, and were gone by the time the army arrived. Towards the end of the war, Ulysses led his group of soldiers to rescue civilians. There were reports that there were still Khans in the area, which put the captain on edge.

That day, fear overtook him. He made a mistake that had ruined him. A mistake that had haunted him for many years now. And every day since that mistake, he had been trying to forget about it. He tried to drown his mind in whatever drink or distractions he could come across just to rid himself of the nightmare that repeated, over and over and over again, nonstop. The faces of those who he killed out of fear still burned into his mind. Like a fire that raged on and burnt a forest down, his mind was consumed by the guilt that even now weighed heavy on him.

If he could just come to terms with this. If he could just overcome this gnawing pain in his mind, it would be over. He could move on, and finally have a life beyond that nightmare. Ulysses, however, lacked the strength to do so. He understood what needed to be done, and yet he felt he was too much of a coward to do it.

Out of the corner of his eye, He saw her coming in. Her clothes were plain, skin slightly tarnished, hair frazzled, but that didn’t matter to him. Tabitha was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her hair was shining, naturally smooth, and raven black. It reflected the light perfectly with a mirror shine. Her milky brown skin was as soft as silk. Her lips were full, and when pressed against his own, they had the sweetest taste. Her eyes were as blue as the sea. They were comforting, and shone like diamonds in star light.

She turned, and was shocked to see Ulysses already there, early this morning. She checked in with Will before moving over to him. “Ulysses! Wh-what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.” He held her hand tightly. “Things are-uh… Things are going bad.”

She held his hand in return, and leaned forward. “Since when do things not go bad with you?” She teased slightly as she looked at him.

“I mean, it's a bit worse right now.” He looked away from her, ashamed of himself. “The Innkeeper, Fran? She kicked me out. She’s giving me a week to move out.”

She let go of his hand and crossed her arms. “And you want to move into my place?”

He raised his hands up defensively. “No no no. I just wanted to talk with you. You’re the only one in the whole wide world who I can talk to.”

She sighed and shook her head. “You don’t need someone to talk about your problems to, Ulysses. You need to sort your problems out. Gods, look at you! You can’t pull yourself out of this hole if you keep making it deeper. I can’t always be the one to pull you out.”

He grabbed her hand and held it tighter than before. “Tabby, Please. I don’t wanna talk about this.”

She glared. “And when will you? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? You can’t keep doing this to yourself. You don’t wanna stay in this hole, do you? You think I want to stay in this place, having strangers grope me and do whatever they want with me?”

She held his hand tightly with both of hers, looking into his eyes with her own, trying to reason with him. “You promised we were going to get married. You promised me a house in the country, food on the table, kids, and you kept promising and kept promising. How many promises are you going to make until it finally happens?”

He rubbed the temples of his head, trying to ease the stress. “Look, I’m trying. I just need to get some gold.”

“All the gold in the world won’t help you if you don't change first.”

He sighed, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’ll do it this time. I’ll make all of this better. This is the last time. I’ll get the gold, and then we’ll be gone.”

She looked up at him with a questioning gaze “How are you going to fix all of this? What are we going to do?”

He thought for a moment. “I’ll find a job to do. One that pays a lot. One that will get us out of here. You won’t have to work here any more. We can be happy. We can be together.”

She leaned into him and held him tightly in a loving embrace. He petted her hair as she nodded, her eyes closed. “...okay.”

They simply held each other tenderly for a while. Each trying to be the rock for the other. It was time for him to be committed to this. Committed to her. He spent much of his morning with Tabitha for as long as he could. Eventually, they had to part, and Ulysses would be forced to be alone. Stepping outside to the streets, He looked around for work. The first thing he went to was the local bounty board at the center of town. The board was full of names and sketches of criminals from all over the Sigardehre kingdom. Each ranging from a minimum of two hundred gold to over six hundred. However, it wouldn’t be near enough. He’d have to take several bounties at once, and travel the whole country just to locate one. He didn’t have enough time for that. He needed a solution that would solve all of his problems.

He asked around the town for jobs that would pay enough. He talked to the local guards, traveling mercenaries, adventuring parties, but nothing provided the quick fix he sought. Things began to look hopeless for him. Then, on one particular day, he visited one of his old comrades. A veteran of several battles, whose career ended long ago at the loss of his arm and leg. Ulysses waited at the man's front door. After knocking, he heard the constant thumping of wood hitting wood. The door opened, and the disfigured man smiled. He was more scar tissue than man. His left cheek was completely gone, his teeth large and yellow, yet he did seem to be smiling.

“Ulysshesh? Sheven Hellsh are you doing here?”

“Jeremiah. You’re looking… well.

“Yeah, How about you shave the shugar coating for shomeone who isn't misshing a chunk of him?”

“Sorry. Just…”

“Jusht what? The new Horshe teef in me jaw? The Misshin Schalp off me head? Or maybe yer jusht tryin not ta pissh yershelf laughin at me shpeakin voice? Go on, give yershelf a good chuckle.”

“Jeremiah, I didn’t come for that. I-”

“Then why have ya come? Obvioushly not to shay ‘Oh Hey Jeramiah! How are ya doin? Been a long time, Hashin’t it? Lovely weather we’re ‘avin today, dontcha think?’ You want shomething.”

“Jerry… I need to get some gold, and you were always the man who had the best info. If you don’t have something, Then I’m out on the streets.”

Jeremiah sighed, shaking his head before hobbling out of the way to let Ulysses inside. Closing the door behind him, Jeremiah hopped as he walked. His peg leg being a tad bit longer than his actual leg. He went to get himself something to drink. “Can I get you anything? Got shome wine I bought the other day.”

“No thank you. I’m trying to stay focused today.” He sat down while Jeremiah poured himself a bit of wine. Because of his scars, The way his face was disfigured made it to where he was always smirking. That, coupled with the hole in his cheek made drinking a bit difficult, but he managed. He had to. He hobbled over and sat down in a chair in front of Ulysses.

He grumbled as he sat, holding the bottle in his hand.

“Sho… old bag kicked ya out, didn’t she? Guessh that really pisshed off that pretty whore you shack up with, eh?”

Ulysses clenched his fist against his thigh. “Don’t… call her that.”

“Ha! Or what? Ya gonna beat me up? Make me wish I wash neva born? Maybe messh my face up a bit more? I dunno, think it maybe for the besht, ya know? If I be a walkin freak, might ash well have both shides match.” He drank straight from the bottle. He let out a burp through his lips, trying to keep some sort of sense of being polite. “Sho. You want a job. Bounty Huntin not good enough?”

“No… not anymore. I need something. Something big. Something that can get me a lot of gold in a short time. I’ll take anything.”

“Anything?” He looked at Ulysses questioningly, and would see just how desperate he was.

“Anything.”

Jeremiah thought for a moment and stood up, Hobbling over to a cupboard. He looked at files and muttered to himself as he searched for something that would be perfect for Ulysses. His lazy eye wandered around until finally catching something. He picked it up and hobbled over to Ulysses, handing the paper over to him.

“Here. Thish came a while ago. Might be what ya need.” He hobbled away to fix himself a smoking pipe as Ulysses read the paper. The note letter was an official paper, something that a town crier would hand out to people. It was a short read.

“Wanted:”

“The safe return of Angelica Sigfried.

Daughter of Howard Sigfried.”

“Angelica has been missing for the last year, and her father, Baron Howard Sigfried has raised the reward for her safe return to an astounding Five Thousand (5000) gold coins.”

“She and an entourage of her friends went to the infamous “Hawthorn House'' to play a childish game, despite her fathers demands not to do so. Rather than listen to her father, she snuck out in the middle of the night.``

“The reward will only be paid in full upon her safe return. She is not to be harmed in any way.”

Ulysses looked through the paper, and then looked to Jeremiah with a puzzled look. “Hawthorn house? Seven hells is that?”

“I don’t know that much about it. But I know one thing for shure. Nobody that hash ever gone into that plashe has ever come out.”

Ulysses looks down at the paper. Five thousand gold… That would be enough to set him and Tabitha up for life if they play their cards right. They can afford the lumber for the cabin, the seeds to plant a small field, a few heads of livestock, and still have enough spending money left over. He crumpled the letter over and placed it in his bag. He stood up.

“I will. I have no choice.”

Jeremiah chuckled, blowing smoke out through the hole in his cheek. “Try ta do sho in one piece. Don’t wanna end up like me do ya?”

Ulysses left through the front door without so much as a goodbye. He took in a deep breath and walked forward. Heading off into the unknown, his soul filled with determination. He had a goal now. He would see it to the end, and he would let nothing stop him. Nothing.