Hudson walked to the kitchen with Mary following closely. Lost in thought, she pondered the situation. Despite being older than Hudson, she recognized his greater experience in their line of work. With a youthful appearance and a modest frame, there was a captivating charm about him that Mary had observed since her first day at the establishment. He was a born leader; perfection could not describe his attributes. Everyone looked up to him, including herself—perhaps even being his biggest fan. She stopped in her tracks and looked straight at him. Hudson noticed and looked back at her, puzzled.

“Anything, Mary?” he asked, his voice deeper and more mature than it had been in the meeting room.

“Nothing,” she said, then shook her head. “No, actually, I have a question, if you don’t mind.”

“Do you need help with something?”

“No… It’s just… Did you really go through all that this morning? You are never late for the morning meetings”

Hudson chuckled, “Let’s just say I exaggerated a bit” he placed a finger to his lips accompanied by a gentle smile. Mary sighed. Better to leave some questions unanswered then. They made their way to the kitchen. The doors were huge and a little intimidating, like the entrance to the hidden depths of a dungeon or the gates of heaven. It all depends on one’s perception. As they entered the chaotic kitchen, the chefs were arguing and struggling with both each other and the food they were preparing. The head chef, Gordon, was a tall, dark-skinned man who was more muscular than one might expect for a chef. He held a frying pan in one hand and a knife in the other, chopping apples and frying what appeared to be some meat. Noticing Hudson, he passed the frying pan and knife to his subordinates.

“Master Hudson,” Gordon cleaned off the remains of vegetables from his beard.

“I’m getting tired of reminding you not to call me that, Gordon,” he said, offering a handshake that Gordon accepted.

“Stay quiet and let me display my affection. You are our master, after all,” he turned to Mary. “You’re looking quite well.”

“Thank you”

Hudson looked around the kitchen, making sure everything was in order, while Mary waited for him. The chefs all greeted him, with some even asking him to taste their new recipes, forgetting about their previous disagreements. Hudson, who knew Tony’s taste preferences better than anyone else, took on the responsibility of sampling and reviewing the meals before presenting them to Tony. After tasting the dishes, he noticed that some of the other maids and butlers sneaked into the kitchen, a habit that he couldn’t and didn’t want to change. During Tony’s morning meetings, they were free from his supervision, and even some guards came in to relax.

“Here we go again,” Gordon grumbled, shaking his head. “You all just love lazing around while I do all the cooking. Lazy stomachs, lazy days, laziness like a bunch of... lazy ants,” he muttered to himself as he took his knife back from the other chef.

The other workers laughed aloud. It never gets old.

“Master Hudson, come play some cards with us,” the guard invited.

“No, Master Hudson, we need your god-like tongue for more special meals”.

Gordon raised his thumb toward Hudson, indicating that the appetizers were ready. Mary noticed and hurriedly picked up a tray to help place the appetizers. Each consisted of a small piece of tender meat skewered and coated in a unique type of honey, with three in total.

“I’ll take care of that,” Hudson walked in, grabbing the tray from Mary. “You’ve been busy all morning, so go rest a little”

She remained silent. Convincing him is an impossible task. I do deserve it anyway, and Hudson is a prodigy. I’m sure Lord Tony will be glad to see him.

“Master Hudson, off already? Come on, just one game, let the maids handle it”

“Have your fun, I’ll be back in just a moment, then we’ll play a game”

He made his way towards the meeting room with a smile on his lips. Hudson loved the calmness of the town, serving his lord, and most of all, his coworkers and friends. He started working for Lord Tony when he was eight after his parents sold him off. For seven years, he’s been trained as a butler and has served Lord Tony, who is like a father figure to him, and Gordon is like his snappy but caring uncle. He was called master, not in front of the Lord obviously, and is also a colossal figure to all the workers because of how he was. Nobody in the entire manor hasn’t had Hudson covered for them. He protected them because he knew that Tony loved and spoiled him. He understood that this was the only reason they respected him, and that was enough. Despite being the smallest, he felt like a protector. He reached into the door, lost in thought, and cracked it open. He noticed they were still at the meeting, which prompted him to close immediately.

A masculine voice was heard, stopping him from locking the doors completely.

“This town will be annihilated by the end of the week.”

He shivered, placing the tray on the floor and pressing his ears against the door. His eyes widened, and he struggled to hold himself together. Trying to maintain his composure, he fought to stay upright, but lost his balance and fell, accidentally opening the door. He glared at Lord Tony, seeing the shock in his eyes slowly turning to one of anger. He didn’t want to believe what he had just heard, but he knew this wasn’t the time for that. Quickly regaining his footing, he sprinted out of the room, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Don’t just stand there, you maggots. Go get him!” Hack yelled as the mercenaries quickly responded to the command, chasing Hudson. He ran out of the manor, his feet trembling. He knew nothing about fighting, even how to use his aura. All he could do was to run into the streets of Pyrovile. Thanks to the crowd of people, he could escape out of sight. The town was no longer safe, and it wouldn’t take Lord Tony much time to find him if he stayed here. His eyes were swollen from crying too much, and he wanted to go back and warn the others. Yet, he knew that doing so would just be marching to his death. For three days, he wandered in the forest. He wasn’t used to being outdoors; the only time he ever went out was to help the house doctor pick some herbs, but she’d always go with him, and they never went this deep into the forest. He survived on nothing but the tart sweetness of wild berries. Seated upon the soft grass, he leaned against the sturdy trunk of a dark oak tree. As he closed his eyes, the soothing melody of running water soon accompanied the gentle rustling of leaves. He excitedly followed the sound, out of breath as he ran through the woods, branches ripping off his suit. Hudson saw the river and dived his face right in, satisfying his thirst. Things were finally looking brighter for him. He brought his face out and stared at the sky and smiled, then tears began escaping again. Hudson hated the fact he was weak, with no weapons, no skills, and an aura not even strong enough for coating. He hated himself. A protector? I told myself that. He screamed out, pulling his hair, trying to calm himself, but nothing worked. Suddenly, someone pushed him under the water while he was trying to take a drink, leaving him unable to breathe or resurface. His legs began shaking and his arms were splashing as he heard laughter from above the water. He was brought out and tossed to the side. It was Lester and his men.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Hey, what do we have here? You made us worried, kid”, Lester said, “We thought you escaped”.

Matthew leaned on a tree observing while the others watched and laughed. Hudson coughed up the water from his stomach. He was scared. Is this how I’m going to end after all that - after all those experiences, all those fun moments with the workers? No! I’m their protector, and I need to go back and warn them. He screams, running towards Lester.

“Die!”

Lester chuckled and dodged Hudson’s feeble punch. After hitting Hudson in the stomach and punching him in the face, sending him to the ground.

“Taking my punches without any protection is suicide for a child like you,” Lester bent down to the fallen Hudson. “You’ll die here, but don’t worry, your friends will meet you soon.” He said with a grin. Lester picked him up, “But before then let’s have some fun!” he threw him to the floor and began landing multiple punches, sharp as blades.

“Hey, boss,” Matthew walked into the scene. “I’ll end him off.”

“And why will I agree to that?” Lester glared at Matthew suspiciously. Matthew grew a smile, later evolving into a loud cackle.

“Seeing you demolishing this child excited me, boss. I want a piece of it, just a piece, to satisfy my current hunger.” His eyes bulged out, saliva drooling down as he glared at Hudson’s body.

“Hahaha, I forgot you’re a crazy one, here you go” he tossed Hudson to him, “We’ll be heading back, don’t take too long”. Lester left with the others. Matthew’s face suddenly became calm as he picked up a knife and stabbed Hudson. His hands were covered in blood, and then he placed Hudson in a bush nearby, leaving. Hudson could no longer see. The world was dyed red, and the pain was so overwhelming he felt numb, and was slowly losing his grasp over life. Gordon, Mary, Emma, John, Kot, Unma, Haston, Little Bobby, you all I’m sorry., I’m sorry, I’m sorry. The last moments of his life were spent in a bush. If only he could speak to Mary one last time. But it’s all over now.

*

Hudson felt a little lighter. Now the pain was noticeable, like it was all cooped up somewhere before, and his vision was blurry. He found himself in a flimsy tent that could barely withstand the slightest breeze. He spotted a man clad only in trousers, his long black hair and toned muscles. His piercing blue eyes exuded an unmistakable aura of danger. He looks fit, like some kind of adventurer. Hudson’s body began heating up, but he was still too weak to scream. The man moved closer. His eyes didn’t show concern or pity, but something else he just couldn’t place his finger on. And then immediately, a sudden burst of energy flowed through his body, cooling himself. Hudson is now able to move. He gets up and notices the bandages wrapped around his lower body and his left shoulder. He also saw the others in the room. A girl with long, flowing blonde hair, adorned with a small tulip at the side, and wielding a sword at her waist. A boy, slightly taller than her, was walking alongside her, also carrying a sword.

He’s been saved, that’s obvious enough, but who are these people? He suddenly realized his rudeness and bowed, “I thank you all for saving me, I apologize for my impolite silence”

“Raise your head, boy, your wounds are not fully healed,” Mr Swordsman said, wrapping Hudson’s arms with bandages and wearing back his cloak.

“Thank you sir really,”

“Mr. Swordsman, you have to teach me that. How were you able to use your energy like that!” Pasta yelled, running towards the swordsman.

“Not the time” Emilia knocked him on the head and leaned in closer to Hudson. “Are you alright? I’m Emilia. What’s your name” her voice was calm.

“Hudson, nice to meet you, Emilia”

Emilia gave a soft smile and patted him on the head. “You’re alright Hudson, take it easy for now ok?”. He nods in agreement.

“I’m Pasta by the way, and that gloomy fella is Mr. Swordsman”

“Mr. Swordsman?”

“Yeah, his mother refused to name him, so he goes by that”

Mr. Swordsman remained calm and stoic, walking out of the tent. “Let’s go, Pasta, Emilia.”

Emilia stood up abruptly. “Go? We can’t just leave him here”

“Yeah, we can’t,” Pasta agreed.

“We need to deliver those sun blossoms to the guild. Let’s not stray from our current task,” Mr. Swordsman said.

“Well, if you want to leave, do so. No one’s going to stop you, but I’m staying here with Hudson,” she clings to him, unknowingly making him panic.

“If she’s staying, then I will do the same.” Pasta sat on the floor, crossing his arms. “Someone’s got to protect the lady and the injured boy”

“Listen to me. He’s a liability. We don’t need him right now,” Mr Swordsman frowned.

“I’m not changing my mind; we need to stay by him. What if the people who hurt him return?”

Hudson’s heart felt heavy as he slightly pushed Emilia. “He’s right, you know. I am a liability. You all look pretty strong,” he chuckled. “I wish I was killed back there- “

Emilia slapped him and pulled his collar.

“Do you think your life is some joke, some toy you can toss over when bored? What’s wrong with you,” she said, looking down, “How about your family, your friends? Have you ever thought of how they’ll feel?” tears began escaping her eyes, “Have you thought of what they’ll go through without you there?” She gets on her feet, “Mr. Swordsman. There’s no need for us to stay here.”

Meanwhile, Pasta remained silent in the corner, gripping his sword. Emilia prepared to leave the tent, steadying her breathing.

“Wait,” Hudson mumbled, “What can I do? My friends are all going to die and I can’t do anything. Do you know how it feels to wake up every morning with people better than you who think of you as some great person? I hate it, I really do,” he wept, cleaning the tears from his eyes, “D-Do... sniff y-you, don’t know a-anything.”

“Even when you aren’t strong enough when you are out of options, don’t ever give in,” she turned to him, “We’ll help you out, but you’ll owe us,” Emilia glared at him, her eyes like spears.

“I’ll gladly lay my life, PLEASE HELP ME!”

Emilia cleaned off her tears and stared at Mr. Swordsman, who lowered his head. She giggled and went to the still-crying boy, giving him a soft hug and whispering, “It’s alright now, let’s go save your friends”