AFTERMATH

Chu woke up in the barn. A beam of morning sun illuminated the bedroom, coming through the 'beast-proof' window. The room might give others the first impression of a jail, but to him it provided safety, assured him of control. This place, he built it, he called home.

After having experienced that twisted brutality that day, his mind had unexpectedly become serene. He did not bury the memories in some deep, dark recesses. Sometime during his period of unconsciousness, he played the scenes over and over--learning.

Learning and fortifying his mentality.

He did not come into this world to become a wuss. Hiding scared, frightened of adventure. He intended to become strong, thus he required a mind of clarity. One that never doubted his decisions.

Chu believed that his new mindset could only develop after this past experience. The memory of killing those bandits--the past him might be now brooding in guilt. The present him had already forgotten. He considered it like a memory that broke his usual routine on that particular day.

This is what he told himself.

At the moment he had one pressing issue to attend to. He cleared his dry throat with a cough.

"Water..."

Chu mumbled. Unintentionally, the pace of his heart quickened.

An unblemished face hung above, the nose inches away from his own. It had arrived mere seconds after his eyes first opened. The watery blue eyes gazed into his own, then blinked in relief while receding.

He did not have time to adjust himself since a frazzled, stubble-covered face zoomed into his view. A pair of hands grasped onto Chu's collar, their owner carefully making sure to be as gentle in the action.

"Dammit Chu, you had me worried. You promised to give me the world and then tried to weasel your way out. You better..."

From behind this face mixed with tension and worry, Chu noticed the small hand belonging to the previous face. It grabbed the shirt behind Ming's neck and tossed him away like a dry twig. Among the scuffle between the two, a third face appeared.

"Stop throwing yourselves on top of him. He is still injured. Lucy don't play with that idiot, but come help me raise Chu to a sitting position. Ming, stop sniffling in the corner and go inform Elder at the workshop."

Sakura chided the two previous helpers before helping Chu to slowly sit up and lean against a headrest. Her voice sounded strong, but Chu noticed some stains under her eyes in the sunlight. Two fresh rivers began to flow.

His body felt as if a tree fell and remained on top of him. Heavy and lethargic with the pain concentrated around his legs and chest.

Chu slowly raised his hands and brushed the tears from the faces of the two girls sitting on either side.

"Don't worry, all this is a part of growing up."

He sighed.

Sakura carefully helped him drink some water to quench his thirst. His stomach reminded him of an empty scrunched up bag of chips. Feeling better after sipping the water, it was time to get down to business. As if on time, a puffing Mr Thomas burst into the room.

"Good, good, real good. I wondered if I had to follow you into hell to give you that beating. It seems like heaven is on my side."

Mr Thomas rumbled as he grabbed a chair to sit besides the bed.

Chu smiled and waited a little before speaking. He first had to composed himself.

"How bad are my injuries?"

"We treated them and they should heal fine. You had a broken rib because the rough journey back. Master John rushed over the garrison healer the same night to set it in place."

Sakura answered.

Chu nodded, a wave of relief washed over him. He had braced himself for the worst case scenario. Having passed out in the midst of a battle, the unknown conclusion left him worried. Waking up not knowing what happened--a person had to have guts, and a strong mind. He had to admire the people who could move forward after facing life changing events.

"Any one else injured?"

"No, only the wolf and he has been healing just fine."

Chu spotted a slight twitch on the man's face while replying.

"And the bandits?"

"Hanged the same evening by the garrison. I had Farmer Cork collaborate my story of an adventuring party who captured them. We decided to split the reduced reward in half between us."

Chu nodded, he expected as much, but then he remembered something that nearly had him bolting upright on the bed

"The horses, what about the horses?"

Mr Thomas face contorted between disgust and pity. This boy showed more concern over his wealth than his health.

"We brought all the horses. The farm has a total of fifteen horses. The garrison rewarded us with a few extra. I begged... I mean negotiated, knowing you wouldn't be satisfied. "

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The man replied to pacify the bulging eyed boy who seemed to be on the brink of a stroke. He tried hard to forget that shameful matter.

"Good, good. Had me going there."

Chu patted his bandaged chest as he sank in thought. Sakura obediently held up a mug of water for him to drink. He closed his eyes remembering and gathering some thoughts.

"Did any escape? We kicked a hard rock this time. There seemed to be some sort of vendetta against the Hoyle family. Furthermore one of those guys had close ties to a young master from Frost City. We may have to relocate..."

Mr Thomas held his hand up to stop him.

"We confirmed with that guy. No one escaped, our story in the village makes it clear we did not have anything to do with this event. More importantly, nobody knows where the true ringleaders died."

After capturing the bandits, the garrison called off the scouts. Since adventurers did the job, the garrison had no reason to waste time in the grasslands.

"I see."

The old man sighed on the boy's response before replying

"Young masters from noble families tend to be well protected. Most of the time, it is usually the senior servants who are treated like trash who double as hidden protectors. This time we were lucky they treated you as trash."

Mr Thomas allayed his fears. He knew the boy understood how fortunate they exited this encounter. The old man also did not intend to bore the boy on the torture method used to loosen up Spade's lips. The bloody actions at that time remained a secret between only four conspirators.

Suffice to say, witnessing first hand a large wolf slowly gnawing on a limb still attached to your body can speak wonders.

Having the main troubles on his mind now solved left Chu contented. His future plans could continue, while he decided to begin concentrating some more on his training.

As if confirming his satisfaction, his stomach issued a loud growl.

"Damn I am hungry. Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten since yesterday at midday. Sakura, tell Sue to make something for me."

Mr Thomas and the others glanced between themselves.

Lucy placed her hand on his arm before speaking, locking his gaze. The look of pity increased his worry.

"Chu, you've been asleep for nearly a week. Sakura has been feeding you health potions three times a day, while taking care of you with Mrs Thomas."

Chu stared at Lucy with an open mouth and wide eyes. The embarrassing thoughts of being 'taken care of' turned him beet red. Just when the urge to hide peaked in his mind, he remembered something else.

Three health potions a day.

Three gold a day.

This time Chu fainted from genuine pain.

Sakura fed him a bowl of meat and vegetable soup not long after. Now that he was awake, Sue decided to keep the menu for the next few days more liquid based.

"How is the production line."

"Doing fine. Dareck is nearly complete with the new models, while we have been stockpiling raw materials."

Amanda brushed her golden hair strands, behind her ear as she continued. She sat on the stool beside the bed reading out from a thick parchment.

"Merchant John nearly passed out when he learned of your injuries, he personally dragged the garrison healer here that night. He said the last letter had Merchant Kim literally guaranteeing the deliveries on time."

Chu nodded as he chewed the soft vegetables. Sakura doled out another spoon for him at the side.

"The fields and the farm?"

"All good, the additional feed for the horses have been bundled and stored in the workshop. Since we now have more horses, the stable expansion has begun. We should be finished by next week, long before winter. Materials for the watchtowers have been sited, and Dareck has already placed the order that night with John for a stockpile of iron."

Clod answered as he stood by the foot of the bed.

Chu agreed with the plan.

"Don't forget to make the wooden pair like I told you."

Further questioning soon ground to a halt as Mrs Thomas entered and drove them all out.

***

In the evening a red colored boy on the bed conversed with an old man beside him. The boy seemed to have been rubbed and washed until sparkling. There existed other things besides a bath however, that could turn a grown man that color.

"But do the towns have slaves who are skilled or just normal villagers?"

"Think of it this way. Those who are sold in the towns are mostly from the surrounding villages. For the kinds of skills you want, you might have more success in the cities."

"What about the slums in the cities or towns, won't I find some free labour there?"

The old man shook his head.

"That's like looking for gold in the mountains. Slum people tend to develop their own conduct after some time. It would be hard for you to find the people with the type of character you are looking for."

Chu nodded, at this point it was critical for him to gain trustworthy help. The large expansion he had set his eyes on, required at least one hundred managers who had to work alone far from his eyes.

"Well come winter, let's see what I can find. This training is imperative, we need to have it running as early as possible."

Mr Thomas understood what he wanted. As to why, he had since learned from the beginning, that this brat's line of thinking operated in a different realm from his own.

Chu reopened the crude map on his lap, depicting the farm and the surroundings. This was drawn by his very own cartographers. He pointed to the sketched, rectangular plots adjacent to each other south of the barn, located between it and the road.

"All this will be ours next year. We should not wait for summer for Griz, but begin planting as usual in early spring. John can handle any inquiries from the village chief, if need be. Our future plans should always include a secure food supply."

Chu and Mr Thomas talked and decided on some actions for the near future. The boy felt he had most of the important things covered until someone reminded him of another.

A cry of a baby came from the outside.

Chu looked at Mr Thomas as the cries grew louder.

"That's our new addition to the family huh?"

"Yea, I lost the vote on the second day when I suggested to find someone willing in the village. I warned you about having too many women folk."

Mr Thomas smiled wryly.

"Then we have no choice. We will keep her last name a secret for now. Since we are family, I guess we need to add her retribution to our list."

Both of them looked at each other knowing the true weight of that simple sentence.

"Look at the two of you gazing into each others eyes. No wonder you feel ashamed when a woman has to bathe you."

A voice coming from the door dripping with sarcasm punctured their thoughts.

"Didn't I tell you to get some rest?"

"And didn't I tell you not to worry him?"

Mrs Thomas drove her husband out while Chu buried his head under the covers in embarrassment.

***

The next day Chu walked with the help of his spanking new crutches towards the workshop. Ming helped him, since his weak body had not recovered. According to Mrs Thomas, it would be best having breakfast with everyone early in the morning. This would halt the rush to the bedroom to pay him a visit.

This way he could chat with them all, before returning to rest. The little exercise would also serve to strengthen his weak body.

Luckily Mrs Thomas had kept the secret involving the revival of the baby at the farm. Thus everyone treated him normally as before. Same as the leader, but now with greater respect and awe. To these former villagers, he had achieved a near impossible feat.

He secured vengeance for the Hoyle farm. He also captured over a dozen bandits with two other children. Then he stormed their camp and also defeated the leader, wiping out the entire scourge.

During the time he lay unconscious, Rugol, Toll and the others had made some trips to the village. There they listened to the rumors and gossips from acquaintances and the guards. The uproar in the village, undoubtedly came from the beheading of 'countless' bandits. All talk centered on the 'Heaven-sent retribution Adventurers'.

Knowing that this team actually resided in their farm had them bursting with pride.

As for Mrs Thomas, she treated him the same. But she vowed never to forget the miraculous scene in the field that day.