"Did you put enough clothes in your bag?"
"Yes."
"Food?"
"Enough for a few days, yes."
"What about bandages and some medicinal herbs?"
"A few rolls and some bottles. But, I'm confident I won't need them."
"No, you will. Don't underestimate this, boy! You will end up dead before you realize it." Lodra glared at Redd menacingly as he warned him.
"Ugh, fine fine. Stop nagging me, Lodra." Redd said as he rummaged through the small bag he had before he closed it, threw it on his back before he stood up, and looked at Lodra.
"So… This is it." A small, complicated smile adorned his face.
"Yeah. Can I ask you a question, boy?" Lodra said as he rested on the doorframe. "Was I… No, have you enjoyed the past 15 years with me?"
Redd's face looked confused for a second before he answered. "Of course! These 15 years were amazing! I couldn't ask for more from you, Lodra. Thank you for everything, truly."
With that, Redd bowed down deeply with a wide smile.
"I see…" The old man murmured, his eyes telling a thousand more words. But, he refrained from saying anything else.
"Now, go. Remember what I told you to do, right?"
"Yes." Nodding his head. "Then, I'm going."
After that, Redd turned around and started walking away. However, his smile quickly vanished after taking a few steps. He seemed conflicted about something.
"Ugh, damn it." Murmuring to himself, he suddenly turned around and ran toward the flabbergasted Lodra before he gave him a tight hug.
"Take care of yourself, old man."
Lodra was shocked at first before a small smile appeared on his face and hugged Redd back.
"Give it your best shot, Redd."
"Mhm."
After a long hug, Redd pulled away and finally seemed satisfied with what he had done before he turned around and started running away.
Lodra watched as the young boy dashed through the small path back to the village. His smile slowly faded as he exhaled a long breath.
"I sent him back to you, Lian. Please keep an eye on him for me, would ya?" He said as he turned around and closed the door.
***
Redd dashed at top speed toward the village, crossing a good distance in a short time. His face was brimming with excitement.
He greeted everyone that he passed by.
"Oh, Redd? You're going to hunt this early?"
"No, not today! I don't have time to explain. Lodra will tell you later. Goodbye!" He said as he dashed as fast as he could.
"Hmm, what is that kid up to?"
It took Redd a few minutes to reach the dock where he already can see a gigantic ship approaching.
"So, that's the Hunter's Reverie." He murmured to himself.
Lodra had told him a lot about this ship a few hours ago. The Hunter's Reverie was a huge ship that was sent by an entity called 'Union' to collect all possible Hunters that got an invitation.
Although the Hunter's Dream has no ruler, the Union is the closest to that title. In actuality, the Union isn't one single Organization but more of an alliance between 4 big clans. Their shared goal was simple, to explore the uncharted realms of the Hunter's Dream and expand human's domination.
They also work to keep order in the Hunter's Dream, especially among Hunters and Regulars. Hunters who arrive at the Hunter's Dream always join these big clans since they provide them with everything necessary to start their journey and prosper.
'Well, we will see if these clans are really good or not.' He thought to himself with a smile as he watched the ship moored at the port.
All the workers halted their tasks and watched the ship with curious eyes. Some could recognize it from 5 years ago, while some others were simply clueless as to what the hell is this behemoth of a ship doing here.
Then, a boarding ramp landed on the dock before the sound of steps echoed in the whole place. Only one silhouette appeared from within the ship.
"Oh…" Redd made a small sound as he saw the person.
The person who appeared was a middle-aged man, handsome, and bulky with long blonde hair and a huge scar that crossed his face. He looked extremely intimidating. However, what was most noticeable about him was his height.
He was at least 8ft tall and not in a normal way -If there was even a normal way to be 8ft tall that is-.
His legs were very elongated, at least double his torso in height. Each stride he took was big enough to cross a few meters with ease.
Sounds of confusion echoed among the workers as they watched the extremely tall man walk slowly down the boarding ramp. His cold eyes scanned the place silently before they eventually landed on a single person. Redd noticed that his blue irises shone with a blue hue for a split second before it vanished.
'Hmm…' With a blank face, Redd noted down that detail.
'What the hell is this guy? I never thought people this tall existed!'
'He looks really intimidating!'
'Is he going to kill all of us?!'
The atmosphere in the dock quickly grew heavier as the tall man walked down and then passed through the groups of workers, not giving them a glance. Everyone simply sidestepped, giving him a space to move.
Eventually, he stopped in front of someone.
"Woah! You're really tall, old man!" Redd said as he looked up. "I never knew people could reach that height."
The silence that followed was suffocating, to say the least. All the workers' faces paled as they noticed the atmosphere grow even heavier.
'Shit! Redd is screwed!'
'Oh no! Redd! Why the hell would you say that?!'
'S-Should we protect him?'
'May you rest in peace, Redd.'
The atmosphere grew tense and everyone felt like they were being suffocated by an invisible force. The only one to seem fine was Redd.
"You… Did you get the invitation?" The man finally spoke with a deep, heavy voice.
"Yes! So you're the guy! Nice to meet you! I'm Redd." The boy said as he extended his hand for a handshake only to realize that even if he tiptoed, he wouldn't be able to shake his hand.
"Hmm, this is awkward. Well, it's nice to meet you either way." Redd said with a giggle before he tapped the man's leg casually.
Silence took over again, this time even more suffocating than ever before.
'He wants to die! For sure he wants to die!'
'Redd! Can't you see how scary this guy looks?!'
The workers were about to choke on their own saliva from the shock.
However, fortunately, the man didn't seem to bother as he said.
"Get on. We will leave."
"Sure! But, you didn't tell me your name, uncle… Sir." Redd said as he walked after him.
"The name is Butler." The man replied.
"Oh, Butler as in a servant?" Redd asked thoughtfully.
"Butler as in Butler. Now, keep quiet and get on."
"O-Oi, Redd, where are you going?" One of the men asked.
"Oh, I'm going to leave the island for a while. Take care, guys. Thank you for everything!" Redd said as he waved at them and jumped on top of the giant ship.
"What…"
Then, before any could say anything, the ship moved and started leaving the dock without external help. It was akin to magic.
Before long, it sailed away, leaving behind a group of flabbergasted workers who didn't know whether what they saw was reality or just… a fleeting dream.