A few days later, Scythe was able to stand on his own. While in bed he learned the names of the people who saved him, Zander, and his wife Alicia and that his collar was now gone. Scythe was happy yet terrified.

  Watching the two of them do their own work, was almost mesmerizing. Zander had this air of authority, but Alicia held more of the power. Zander joked around a few times, Alicia would just shake her head.

  Now that Scythe was able to see each of them better, Zander had the body of a fighter. His hands calloused and rough, but they were warm. Unlike Alicia, who always had colder hands, but hers were smoother. Zander did a lot of work outside, coming back in dirty. Alicia seemed to always have a new little task. From knitting to weaving, stitching leather, she was busy all the time.

Scythe walked up to Zander "Thank you again for saving me. I want to ask something?" 

"No worries, go ahead speak your mind." Zander looked up from cleaning off the dirt.

"I uhh… don't have a way to pay either of you back, please let me know how I can help, or any job you want me to do." Scythe cautiously spoke.

"Well, for now, get better, then we will talk."

 "I am better now." Scythe faked a smile

 "Kid, I saw your wounds and… and the scars, you take your time getting better, besides if I put you to work, my wife will kill me."

 "Okay, just let me know if you need help anywhere." Scythe said.

      Over the next few days, Scythe started to help with small chores. Days turned to weeks, time seemed to fly while he was helping out. Soon Alicia seemed to be gaining weight, and her belly grew outwards. "Scythe I've never asked this, but do you have parents?"

 "Yes, they live in a temple far to the north, but I haven't seen them in years."

 "When did you last see them?" Alicia asked

 "I don't know." Scythe answered

 "Okay, have you sent them any letters? I am sure they are worried about you." her eyes spoke a thousand words of sadness, but her face stayed straight

 "I… haven't seen them since. It was hard being a slave, I can barely remember their faces."

 "Oh honey, come here," Alicia tried to hug Scythe, Scythe recoiled harshly, "Please don't touch me."

 Alicia seemed to get even sadder, "Well, can we start here?" She reached out to his hand. "Sure." Scythe shook her hand.

 "How long do you think you will stay?"

 "I don't know, It's been so long since I had such freedom, it's almost scary."

 "That's just life, it's always scary. But here is an idea for you, why don't you stay, soon I'm going to be unable to do much." Alicia rubbed her stomach, "I'm sure Zander could use your help around here."

 "You know, that doesn't sound that bad, I'll stay here. Thank you for having me."

         Helping out day in, and day out, doing hard work, lifting stones, clearing a few trees, time becomes irrelevant. Scythe grew accustomed to this way of life. The simple life, but something inside him yearned for more. But after being a slave for so long, Scythe still slept with one eye open.

        It was a long day when Scythe and Zander returned home, but the excitement had only begun. Alicia had a few friends over, to knit and spin yarn when her contractions started during the day, and by the time they returned from work Zander was a father to two young children, one boy, Fraser. Named after Zanders's father. And one girl, Sapphire. Most would think they are cute, but Scythe didn't think they were. "Scythe… I wanted to ask this but, no time seemed right… would you be an older brother to my two stars?" Alicia asked

 "We know you have family, but we also want to be your family, do you mind if we call you our son?"

 "I… I…"

 "Go for it kid, they are great people."

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 "Thanks, Mom, and you too Dad." Scythe started to cry, he reached in for a hug while crying his eyes out. Both Zander and Alicia pulled him into a stronger hug. They both spoke, "Welcome home, Scythe." Many tears flowed that night. Scythe was adopted into a caring home and became an older brother. 

     Over the next few months, Scythe and Zander built fences and expanded the main building and a few sheds. "Hey Zander, I wanted to ask something, what were you doing when you found me in the sewers?"

"I was hired to search the sewers, for any damage, by the Guild, give me a little more support here."

Scythe lifted the board some more, "This much good? So the Guild?"

"Yep, The Guild of Adventures, kinda like merc's for hire, doing odd jobs for people. Sometimes it is just building, cleaning up messes, but usually, the best paying is hunting monsters. I did that for a while before Ali, and I didn't want to leave her alone in this world. I still contact my old team, to see how things are going, two of them have settled down, one is the vice-guild master. Why'd you ask?"

"Well I kinda want to see the world, I am really grateful for everything you both have given me. But…"

"You itch for more?"

"How did you know?"

"You have that look in your eyes, I know it because I wanted to explore when I was younger as well. But the world out there… it's unforgiving, make a mistake and it could mean your grave. I almost died once, that coldness, I never want to feel it again."

"I know what you mean."

"I understand everyone has their own story but a kid like you shouldn't have been that close. Since 

we are talking about our past, what about yourself?"

"Other than my time here, I used to live far north, but while I was traveling I was captured, and turned into a slave…" Scythe shivered, "I had to earn the right to eat, the right to sleep, I was beaten bloody more times than I can count, it was the same thing daily until I became valuable to the captains, I learned to fight from my uncle, but these people… broke me down, and put me back together... Sorry, that was a lot."

"It's fine… It's all fine, thank you for sharing that."

"I still have a number of things to process."

"An old saying goes, A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

"Wasn't that an old general?"

"You know your stuff."

"Yeah my mom's taught me many things, I kinda miss it."

"After we are done today, I want to give you something."

"Okay, sure."

       A few hours later, they finished up work. Zander led Scythe into the cellar. Pulling a book and opening a hidden room, lined with treasure, and magical weapons, "I want you to choose a weapon."

 "What? Why?"

 "You want to be an adventurer, you need a good weapon, me doing this, is giving you a push to do what you want to. So choose a weapon."

       Each weapon was as beautiful as the last, but weapons were not the only thing in the room, there were many armors and tools. Scythe had a hard time choosing until that voice spoke again, "Look to your left, the long single-edged blade."

 "Huh, the kriegsmesser, that thing is almost too heavy to use, but you're welcome to try."

 Scythe walked over to it and picked it up, even though the blade was the same length as Scythes height, it felt light but had heft, "It's a little light, do you have a shield I could use? What's up, you look like you're seeing a ghost or something."

 "Look at the blade."

        Scythe looked back at the blade, and it was glowing with runic letters. The blade shrunk ever slightly and became lighter in the hand. "It adjusted itself to me? I've never seen a blade do that. Have you?"

 "No, but I think that means that it chose you, and yeah I have a couple of shields, but that blade doesn't need a shield paired with it. Huh, I might have something though, give me a moment." Zander started looking through the piles of gear, "Is it here? No… over here, no, where did I leave those, ah over there," Zander got up and went across the room, "Maybe, AHA! Found you!"

 "What." Scythe walked over and zander was pulling out a chest. 

 "Now this stuff is some top-level gear, it may look simple, but I promise it's good." Zander opened the chest, within it was a pair of gauntlets, greeves and a black coat with belts, "I think this all will fit you, how about you try it on?"

      A few moments later, Scythe had all the pieces on. "You know, that fits you a little too well, but some would say it's a perfect fit."

       Scythe lifted his arms looking down at himself, turning partly to see his back. "Are you sure you want to give me this stuff?"

      "Look at how much I have, I won't miss it, besides you need it more than me, but promise me this," Zander went serious, "never underestimate your opponent. A simple looking creature could hold the power to kill you in a flash."

    "I won't underestimate, I promise."

    "Good," Zander went back to his aloof self, "Now let's get back upstairs, and bring that stuff with you."

 "Yep."

      On their way back up, they smelled the food Alicia was cooking, and everyone seemed to relax.

      In the weeks following the day Scythe received the weapon and armor. Scythe practiced with it whenever he could, when he wasn't helping Zander build, or Alicia with the twins. Until one night he was outside practicing, and heard tiny footsteps coming from the forest. Taking a look, it was goblins, about twenty from the noise, but with goblins where there is one, there are more not far behind. Even more so with this party of twenty. Running back inside, and waking up Zander. "What was that?"

 "Goblins, about twenty of them."

       And like that, Zander was awake, and getting Alicia up. "Go back outside and if they move start attacking them, but stay close to the house. Don't stray far. Goblins are smarter than what we give them credit for."

 "Right." Back outside, the goblins seem to not have moved, but something else stirred in the shadows.