My name is Sharon, an adventurer that is currently in search of a cure to save my parents. Despite the racial difference of me being an elf, they still loved and cared for me as if I was their own. Although, that relationship might not be accurate since they’re old enough to be my grandparents.
Our lives weren't anything thrilling, we lived in a small quaint house located in a lush prairie surrounded by mountains. Perhaps it was because of that, I found an addictive fascination of adventuring from the tales I read in the old worn out books my parents kept.
So far, my adventure hasn’t been anything grand as I’ve read and heard about in the books, but the foreign interactions and exploration were enough to keep me captivated. Just recently, I met a strange boy named Tatsuo who is also incredibly strong…
***
*A couple days before…
Sharon rummages through the remains of the bandits’ belongings and finds a couple empty bag pouches. Thinking they could be used to aid them in carrying the treasures with them, she calls out to Tatsuo to inform him.
Sharon: Hey Tatsuo, I’ve found some empty bags we could use for –
As soon as she turns around she sees Tatsuo lifting the box of treasure casually onto his shoulder, letting out a small grunt. The elongated wooden box shakes upon nestling between his neck and shoulder, his shirt crinkling underneath. His monstrous strength defies her expectations yet again and leaves her speechless for a moment.
Sharon: ….
Sharon: Isn’t that pretty heavy…? – She questionably asks.
Tatsuo tilts his head back. “Yeah? It’s pretty heavy, but I think I can carry this to the next town.” He said with no effort nor strain.
***
*Present.
And now…The two of us are running for our lives… From a ruffled up oversized bird.
A massive chicken-like creature with an elongated neck aggressively chases down Sharon and Tatsuo. It intimidatingly shakes its spread out wings, with a wingspan large enough to fit both Sharon and Tatsuo. Its raptor-like legs kick up a dust storm behind it as it screeches in cluck noises.
Sharon outlandishly struts her arms and legs, doing her best to outpace the giant chicken monster. In contrast to Tatsuo, who seemingly remains unfazed by their predicament, has both hands held firm to the wooden box placed on his shoulder to hold it in place as he runs.
“Dammit Tatsuo! Why couldn’t you do as I said!” Sharon irritatingly shouts.
Tatsuo: But you said to stick to the path…
Sharon: We could’ve easily gone around the flock! Why’d you have to go and kick one of the hens?!! Roolidooks and Rooliqueens are known to be territorial! Now this Roolidook is mad because you kicked one of its hens!
Tatsuo: So that explains why they keep attacking me…
Sharon: You mean this isn’t your first time?!
Tatsuo: Well I mean, they look like giant rocks so it’s hard for me to tell the difference.
Sharon: That’s their camouflage!!! They’re capable of retracting their heads inside their bodies to resemble rocks! And you should be able to spot the difference if you’re walking up to these things and kicking them!!!
Tatsuo shies his head away from facing Sharon. “Yeah you’re right, they’re just fun to kick around.” He said admittingly.
Sharon grumbles in frustration but resigns herself from arguing further and orders Tatsuo to take action.
Sharon: Why are you running with me?! Hurry up and take it out! You’re supposed to be protecting me!!!
Tatsuo: But you don’t like it when I hit monsters though…
“That’s because you’re hitting them with the box! What if it breaks?!” Sharon exclaimed, bringing up a point where Tatsuo thrusted the box against a bear-like monster. “Just put the box down and start scrapping with the bird!!!”
Tatsuo: But I can’t just—
The Roolidook jabs its beak at the box and the box flies out of Tatsuo’s grasp. Tatsuo lets out a monotonous surprise, “Ah”, while Sharon gasps in horror as her eyes follow their valuables soaring in the air.
Sharon: NOOOOO~!!! THE BOX!!!
Tatsuo felt insulted that the Roolidook dared to even touch their treasures. Its action offended him on a personal level. His stiff expression curls into that of wrath, his brows lower down and his teeth gritting.
Tatsuo: You…!
He leaps into the air with a raised fist. The fist comes crashing down onto the Roolidook’s head.
Tatsuo: Don’t touch our treasure!!!
The head flings down onto the ground, shattering it. Stray feathers fly out of its body along with specks of debris flung from the impact. The Roolidook lays on the ground “knocked out” in a limped position. Tatsuo lets out a huff of satisfaction.
Tatsuo: Whew–! Well at least now we have food…
Sharon worryingly inspects the box. She carefully places her hand on her baby, evaluating every inch and corners and caressing it.
Sharon: Is it ok…?! No cracks…?! – She mumbles to herself.
“Is the box ok Sharon?” Tatsuo asks walking over to her, but he did not receive a reply.
Sharon: ….
Tatsuo: Sharon?
The pestering voice of Tatsuo brings Sharon to a crushing breakdown and she begins to cry in an outburst of whine while kneeling.
Sharon (crying): Now we’re lost again…!!! Because of you we’ve derailed from the trail we’ve spent days finding…! That trail was our key to getting to Pillberry…!
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Sharon continues to cry.
Tatsuo: …Can’t you navigate us from where we are?
Sharon sniffles. “Maybe if I had a map…! But everything looks the same so we can’t backtrack as easily…! This is why following that trail was important…!”
Sharo resumes crying until Tatsuo reveals a harrowing truth, “What’s this? So framing you was useless after all.”
Sharon’s mind snapped and so did the rivers streaming from out of her eyes.
Sharon: …
Sharon: …Frame?
Sharon slowly stands up from the ground. She creepily paces herself up to Tatsuo.
Sharon: You…What was that…?
Tatsuo: Hm?
Sharon grabs Tatsuo by his clothes, tightly pulling them up.
She yelled at his face, “You mean to tell me you hit that poor old man just so I could lead you to the next town?!!” Droplets remained in the ridges of her eyes. From how her eyes were glazed, she looked as if she was going to cry again.
Tatsuo: Well yeah. Did you actually believe I hit the old man for the reason I told you? I’m not that stupid.
Sharon stares at Tatsuo as her mind crumbles. She lets go of Tatsuo and begins to step back.
“No…” She whimpered. Gradually, her voice grew louder as the realization seeped more inside of her. “NOOOOOOO!!!” She cried out in absolute denial. Her body lurches forward with her hands grappled on her head, unable to accept the harsh truth. Her strength leaves her body, and she falls back onto the grass kneeling.
“I’VE HAD IT WITH YOU ALREADY…!!” – She shouted with her voice cracking and proceeds to go on a ranting tangent.
Sharon: I CAN’T STAND BEING TOGETHER WITH YOU…!! YOU DON’T LISTEN TO ME AND YOU GO OFF TO DO YOUR OWN THING! YOU TALK TO YOURSELF! YOU REFUSE TO USE YOUR FIRE POWERS! AND YOU’RE MEAN TO ME TOO~!!! I’M TIRED OF BEING TREATED AS A JOKE~!!!
Tatsuo and Windie stares pitifully at Sharon as she bawls her eyes out. Suddenly, a person approaches them.
???: Hey! – The jovial voice rang throughout the plains.
???: You guys over there!
Sharon, Tatsuo and Windie look over to see a boy with a black undershirt, and red shorts. His orange-yellow hair recedes at his forehead where his short hair spikes up towards it. At the center of the hairline is a tuft of hair with black hair sprouted from the center of it.
???: At long last! After many days of searching I’ve finally found you two!
The three of them stare at the stranger cluelessly.
Sharon and Tatsuo: ….
Sharon: Do you know this dude?
Tatsuo: No, carry on. What else do you dislike about me?
???: Don’t ignore me! – The boy exclaimed, offended.
“My name is Victor, we’ve actually met before back in Woodsford.” The boy said, introducing himself.
Victor: You may not remember me but I was your waiter. My dad, the restaurant owner, sent me to collect money from the two of you.
Sharon slowly began to recollect the events in Woodsford. “…Huh?” Sharon softly said, her reaction stiffened from remembering that they did indeed pull off a dine and dash. The more Victor spoke, the more sweat began to break out from her body.
Sharon: Huh??!! You guys are still on about that??!! – She exclaimed, baffled.
Victor: Of course!!! (points at Tatsuo) Do you know how much food that guy has eaten?! He single-handedly nearly cleared out our stock!
Amidst their conversation, Tatsuo ignores the two and notices something from a distance.
Sharon: I-I suppose… But to have sent you to search for us all the way out here… How did you even find us…?
Victor brings up what had happened to him just recently earlier. “Oh, after being chased down by some Rools, I heard your yelling and I followed that.”
Sharon: Huh? Why were Rools chasing after you…? – She asks curiously.
“I kicked one of them.” Victor answered without shame.
“You too??!! Is there something about guys I don’t understand??!!” Sharon exclaimed back, baffled once again.
Regardless, Sharon knew this was no longer an issue for them. She promptly guides Victor to the box and pops it open for him.
Sharon: Well whatever, take however much you need.
The gleams and glimmers of all the treasures inside reflected back brightly onto Victor’s face. Victor’s eyes bulge out in utter disbelief. His face was drawn forward to the ocean of gold beheld in front of him. He began to stuff however much he can into the bags he brought with him.
*Couple moments later…
“Well that was much simpler than I thought…” Victor said with three bags full of treasures drooping from behind his shoulder.
Victor: And here I was thinking you guys wouldn’t be able to pay and I’d have to force you guys to come and work with us back at the restaurant.
He politely thanks Sharon and begins his departure back. “Hold on wait.” Sharon spoke, halting him. “Before you go, could you stay with us for a while and let us borrow your map? We got lost on our way to Pillberry.”
“But I don’t have a map.” Victor answered back.
Sharon: Wait, then how do you plan on getting back home then…?
Victor’s face darkens as he goes silent. Moments have passed and Victor has yet to say anything. Sharon begins to worry while Victor simply gazes back at her with a thousand yard stare. He inhales deeply and recomposes himself.
Victor: Umm…I’m sorry…
He strikes a pose, bringing his finger up to his forehead to a salute and winking back at Sharon.
Victor: Please allow me to tag alongside you guys until I get a map,
Sharon: SO IN THE END, YOU’RE JUST AS LOST AS WE ARE!!!
Sharon folds her arms, turning her face away from Victor in a rejective manner. “Forget it! I’ve already got my plate full with this guy over here!” She proceeds to include Tatsuo into the conversation, “Hey Tatsuo, say something! You’ve been quiet the whole time!”
Tatsuo mumbles, “over there in the distance…” Tatsuo raises his finger, pointing forward in a direction – “Isn’t that a barn?”
After carefully looking at the location where Tatsuo is pointing, Sharon sees the barn that is barely visible.
Sharon: Oh wow! You’re right! I didn’t even notice it! Maybe somebody over there can help us out!
“Ok let’s go.” Tatsuo says as he casually lifts the box back up. Victor’s eyes widen in shock and his face hunches forward in response to witnessing Tatsuo's inhuman strength. Surely, that wasn’t normal was what Victor thought.
“Good work Tatsuo!” Sharon says with a thumbs up, positively reinforcing Tatsuo.
***
*The four arrive at the barn.
The three ask the barn owner for directions to Pillsberry. The barn owner looked like what any other farm owners would wear as an attire with a checkered shirt and a denim colored overall.
Apparently the barn owner was housing rools as one of its farm monsters. After feeding the rools, the barn owner sits atop a heyblock and wipes the side of his cheek with a wetted towel wrapped around his neck.
Farmer: Pillberry? Why just take a right once you exit the barn and keep going straight. You’ll find the path to Pillberry, much more, the town itself!
Sharon and Victor stand frozen, dismayed by the fact that the town was so close to them while Tatsuo is unaffected by the info. Sharon couldn’t get over her poor display she showed earlier, as it turned out their situation was nowhere of an issue they thought it was.
“The town’s not that far off from here, you can’t miss it!” The barn owner adds, insulting them even more. “By the way have you guys seen a Roolidook around? It’s well past feeding time and it still hasn’t come back…” The barn owner adds as an aside.
The farmer did not get an answer from them.
***
*Shortly after, the three of them arrive at the town’s entrance.
The three stares at the giant sign posted at the entry gate with the town’s name on it. Sharon and Victor continue to stare at the sign, still miffed that the town was this close to them all along.