I was told that when my brother was born, his eyes shined with a radiant yellow glow, which persisted his entire life. I was also told the Legendary Hero from over a thousand years ago beamed with that same light in her eyes. I mean, my parents didn't have to tell me all that. I could tell just by looking at him that he was destined to be the next Legendary Hero. Kai is 14 years old now, and I'm only 11. We may be brothers, but my magic and physical power is nowhere even close to reaching him.
He never took pride in his power, though. He would train and work every day, but when he came back to our room to go to sleep, he would never even mention what feats he accomplished that day. I would always watch from afar while I attempted to train myself, so I already knew how powerful he'd already become. But he would talk to me at night about my day, what I had accomplished, and he would praise me for the things I learned and got better at.
He always looked so confident, his pitch black hair would shine in the sunlight, and all of the villagers (mostly the girls) would all stare at him in awe, though he always turned away from them. My hair, which was white as snow, as well as my red eyes, all made me a freak. I looked nothing like my brother or my parents, so I was always an outcast in my village, even if my brother wasn't the legendary hero.
I wouldn't mind living in Kai's shadow if the village and especially my parents didn't look down on me. 'That's the younger brother of the Legendary Hero' I would hear, followed by 'Yeah, but isn't he much weaker? Why keep him around?' It didn't bother me too much, since the village was full of morons anyway, but my parents were another story.
We ate dinner together every night, but my brother was all they would talk about. Kai noticed this and tried changing the topic a few times, which my parents would shut down instantly. I wasn't important enough to be talked about at the dinner table. I wasn't strong enough to be acknowledged anywhere. When dinner was over, Kai would try to comfort me by talking with me or giving me some snacks he bought earlier in the day. At least one person in this kingdom seems to care about me.
I love my brother. He's the only person who saw me for who I was, instead of the 'useless younger brother of the Legendary Hero'. I'm also the only person to ever see my brother for who he really was, instead of 'The reincarnation of the Legendary Hero'. We both hated how the village and our parents treated us. He never took advantage of the people who offered him everything, yet when he did, he always gave those things to me. He's the only reason I haven't ran away or given up yet.
That was until yesterday. It was my 12th birthday, the day I become old enough to attend school for magic and swords. I woke up to my brother standing over me with a giant smile on his face. As soon as my eyes were focused on him, he picked me up with ease and carried me over his head.
"Good morning, Suri!" he exclaimed loudly, tossing me in the air and catching me.
"K-Kai, what are you-" I tried to speak, but he laughed to cut me off.
"You know it's tradition, lil bro!" He continued to laugh as he tossed me up and down, finally setting me down on my feet.
"Tradition?" I asked, still disoriented from the way I woke up.
"It may as well be, since I do it once a year." He said, calming down. He smiled at me again. "Happy birthday, Suri. Anything special you wanna do?"
"Go back to sleep." I said, laying down. He picked me up again before I could get the blanket back over me.
"Not happening! You've got your extra two hours of sleep today, it's time to get up!" He began tossing me up and down again.
"L-let go of me!" I yelled. I couldn't help myself from breaking into laughter.
That's right. I always forget my birthday since there was only one person who really cared about it. I was finally able to attend magic school, which I've trained for up until now. My brother finally let me back down. I stretched and yawned before standing in front of him. I was only a little shorter than him, but we didn't look anything alike despite being brothers. Of course, our eyes were the largest difference we had. Mine were red, which was a rare and unlucky color indicating misfortune to those who were born with them. The superstition wasn't too far from the truth, to be honest. His, of course, were always glowing yellow unless he closed them. A constant reminder of my place in our family.
Kai guided me to the table which had two plates of eggs, pancakes and bacon set out for the two of us. Of course, our parents were nowhere to be seen, as both worked early in the morning. I finished my food much faster than my brother, and took care of both of our dishes once we both finished.
"I'll clean up the dishes," my brother said to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Go to our room. I left something in there for you." I reluctantly agreed, then made my way to our room. On my bed was a sheet of paper with only a few words written on it. When I picked it up, I realized exactly what it was.
I screamed, then stopped myself after realizing I was screaming. My brother, who was standing in the doorway the whole time, began clapping.
"Congratulations, Suri," he began, approaching me. He gave me a one-armed hug. "I know you'll do great there." I almost began crying, but stopped myself. After wiping my eyes, I turned to him.
"This is real? I actually got accepted?" I asked, not believing what I was reading.
"You're going to Uta's Magic Academy. No joke about it." He looked at me with his large smile. "Congratulations, Suri."
After processing what I had just read and heard, I turned to my brother again.
"Do mom and dad know?" I asked, hesitating.
"Not yet," he replied, his smile fading. "I won't say anything, so you have the choice of telling them or not." I nodded, then put the letter of acceptance into my bedside drawer. Not like they would care if I told them, anyway. I'm supposed to start school at the academy exactly a week from today, and the trip to the capital would take a few days, meaning I would have to prepare immediately. "I'll help you pack, but I want you to have at least one more fun day before leaving me behind."
I looked at him, confused.
"Leaving you behind?" I asked. Kai sighed and turned away.
"I got accepted into UMA too, but mom and dad hired a Master Swordsman to train me here instead," He spoke with guilt in his voice. "I'll be attending later, after you've already graduated."
I lowered my head and thought for a moment.
"I see," I began, sitting down on my bed. "Even now, you're still outshining me."
"Hey, don't talk like that," he said sternly, turning around with a serious expression. "Magic power and physical strength means nothing. We'll always be brothers... and you'll always be smarter than me." I sighed. I wanted to believe him, but I just couldn't see what he saw in me.
I spent the rest of my birthday practicing magic in the backyard of our house. I could only use basic offensive and defensive magic so far, but apparently kids my age can barely master what I already excel in. I was still no match for my brother, who was surrounded by all of the villagers while he used a new spell he learned on a practice dummy, incinerating it in the blink of an eye. The villagers stared in awe, all of them murmuring about his greatness to each other. It was sundown, and I could tell my brother was getting annoyed by the attention, so I stood up from my spot in the grass where I was taking a break and walked over to him.
When the villagers saw me approaching and my brother set down his sword, they all dispersed quickly, not even paying me a glance after realizing I was there. I sighed.
"Sorry, bro. Looks like I scared them away again," I said, scratching my head and smirking. He rested his hand on my head, rubbing my hair around.
"I wanna show you something," he said, turning away. "Follow me." I followed behind him as he walked toward the forest. He stayed silent the entire walk, which only lasted about ten minutes before I realized where we were.
"This is..." I began, looking around at the environment. It was a large circle where no trees grew, and where I first began practicing magic by myself as a kid. I would stand right in the middle of the circle and cast all sorts of weak spells on the small monsters of the forest. It's where I taught myself how to swing a sword and to cast my first 'fireball'.
"It's where I caught you launching fireballs at the trees when you were six," he began, standing beside me. He placed his hand on my shoulder. "You would've caught the forest on fire had I not been there."
"You know I learned water magic before fire magic, right?" I said as I laughed.
My brother began walking to the middle of the circle, standing in place when he arrived. He closed his eyes and raised his palm to the sky. Suddenly, a burst of multi colored lights shot from his hand, shooting in different directions and exploding in the sky. It looked just like fireworks. As I stared up in awe at the beautiful sight filling the dark blue sky, I felt my chest begin to hurt. It began to hurt so bad that I felt myself fall to my knees as I clutched my chest. It got hard to breathe, and I thought I was going to die, until I realized what had happened. The tears wouldn't stop flowing, and I felt myself collapse into the grass.
All this time, nobody ever cared about me, not even my parents. I always feel horrible about it, but Kai, my own brother and the sole reason I'm ignored by everybody, is the reason I don't feel so awful about it. He's the only one who really cares, after all. He knows who I really am, just as I do for him. So why was I crying? I don't mind living in his shadow. I'll still become great one day. Hell, I just got accepted into a prestigious academy for magic users. So why was I crying? Why was my chest hurting so much? I felt my brother begin shaking me gently, calling out to me while I cried. I could barely hear his muffled apologies through my own. Then, he hugged me, and I realized why I was hurting so much. He's the only person that's ever really hugged me, huh?
Walking back home, Kai continued to look worried, apologizing every now and then even while I repeated to him that I was fine. I truly did enjoy the fireworks, after all. When we returned home, our parents had just finished preparing the table with our food. Usually my brother was the one who cooks, but my mom had mentioned she's been wanting to make dinner for everyone. When I sat down at the table, I realized that there wasn't anything in front of me. My parents sat down along with my brother, each with their own plates of food. My parents both looked exhausted, but smiled as they turned to my brother, completely ignoring the fact that I didn't get any food. My brother, however, didn't look like his usual happy self.
"So, Kai," my mother began, focusing solely on him. "I heard you learned a new spell today." Kai, without changing his expression, looking her in the eye, or even moving a muscle entirely, spoke in a serious, stern voice.
"Where's Suri's food?" He asked. The room was completely silent for what felt like minutes. My mother, finally taking her head out of her ass, turned to me and frowned.
"I'm terribly sorry, Suri," she began, standing up and walking toward the kitchen. "Work was exhausting today." As she began preparing my plate of food, Kai spoke up again.
"Mother," he began, still serious and stern. My father sat in silence, staring down at his plate without moving an inch. "Do you know what day it is today?"
My mother paused what she was doing and froze in place, clearly startled by his unusual behavior. I turned to Kai after realizing what he was doing, who still hasn't moved at all.
"Kai, it's alright," I told him calmly. He still didn't budge.
"Father, what about you?" He asked. My father shifted in his seat.
"Oh, right," my father said, sighing as he turned to me. "It's your birthday, isn't it?"
"Don't you want to ask him what he did for his birthday today?"
"Actually," I chimed in quickly before anyone could answer. "I got accepted to UMA today." I was hoping to shift the conversation away from the seriousness for even a moment.
My father's expression stayed the same.
"Oh, you're studying magic?" he asked. "I didn't know they accepted them so young. Congratulations." Then, suddenly, a loud bang came from my brother's direction. When all of us turned toward him, his fist was completely in the wooden table, leaving a giant hole and many cracks. His plate of food was face down on the floor.
"Seriously...'?" he said, his voice shaking just as much as his arm was. Blood began to pool around his fist, seeping through the cracks in the wood, "Are you serious right now, father?!" Kai's voice got louder, and he looked angry. I had never seen him angry before. "No "happy birthday" or "good work for getting into UMA"? Instead you forget his dinner and his birthday altogether?!"
Mother was facing away from us and toward the kitchen countertop, frozen in place. Father had his head down now. Kai stood up.
"He's your son," his voice had a hint of sadness now. "He's your own child and you treat him like he's nothing?!" Kai ripped his fist out of the table, splinters of wood shooting into the air, a few of them getting stuck in his hand, causing more blood to drip down. He stared at father, his eyes glowing more intense than I've ever seen before. "Do you even know how old he is...?"
Mother hesitated before turning around. Her voice was quiet and her face was pale as she avoided eye contact with me and Kai.
"Suri turns e-eleven today..." she spoke. I felt my head slowly lower. It hurts again...
"HE'S TWELVE!" Kai screams at mother. She turns away again. "You always ask me about my day and you always give me the things I ask for, but I haven't once ever seen you acknowledge your other child. My little brother." I could feel the tears beginning to form again. "He is just as much a human being as the rest of us."
"But he's not the Legendary Hero," father said. "Why would we waste our money on someone other than the Legendary Hero...? Wouldn't you do the same?"
"HE ISN'T JUST 'SOMEONE', HE IS YOUR SON! YOU AREN'T WASTING MONEY IF IT'S BEING USED ON YOUR OWN CHILD!" He was screaming so loud, I could barely hear my sobs. Mother noticed, but didn't say anything. "You dare call yourselves parents when you treat your children like this..."
I stood up, slamming my palms on the table. Everyone looked at me. I could feel the tears streaming down my face, covering my vision as well. I looked at Kai.
"Th-thank you..." I tried to speak in between sobs. "I l-love you..." Then, I felt my legs move on their own. Before I knew it, I was already in the forest at the dead of night. I ran. I ran and ran until I couldn't anymore. So deep into the forest I couldn't even see the smoke from the bonfire in the center of our village. I had run away, and never turned back. Even if I wanted to now, I would never be able to find my house using the little magic I knew. My house... my parents' house. I finally felt my legs give out as I fell to the ground. I lay face down in the grass for a moment before I continued to cry some more. I curled up into a ball and cried until I fell asleep in the grass.
When I opened my eyes, the sun was just starting to peak over the mountains in the distance. The trees surrounding me were tall and the wind was pushing the leaves around. I thought about what had happened the night before... why did I run away...? I had got accepted into UMA, but my brother wasn't going to be going with me... the village hated me, my parents hated me, and without my brother, the only person who didn't hate me, I had no doubt the school would hate me too... I felt myself start to cry again, but I wiped my tears and sat up. I didn't know where I was, and I couldn't see anything other than trees and bushes nearby. I stood up and started walking forward, not knowing where to go.
My legs hurt, and I could feel cuts from the twigs and weeds sticking out of the ground, the tall grass kicking against my bare legs. I didn't know what to do. My head was spinning. All I could think about is their faces as I ran. I wonder if you're relieved, now.
Probably.
I suddenly felt my feet hit a hard patch of earth. When I looked up, I realize I was on a gravel path, going two opposite directions. I started to follow the trail up toward the mountain, kicking small rocks along the way. My feet hurt so much, and my knees and legs felt numb. As I approached the top of the hill, it revealed there was three buildings over the horizon. Two horse-drawn carriages were stood at troughs beside one of the buildings. I approached the entrance to the closest building and was greeted by an oak wood door. The building was small in size; a log cabin with a single window beside it, a chimney, and a roof made from twig. A large sign on the front was half a log with the word 'INN' carved into it, hanging from the small porch roof, also made from wood. Unlit candles lay on two tiny tables on either side of the door.
I opened the door and stepped inside to the smell of meat cooking. Sitting at the front desk was a larger man who looked to be in his later forties'. He had a large brown beard and a bald head, and he seemed to be wearing animal hide. A hunter, perhaps?
"Ah, welcome, young one! What brings you in here?" The man asked, looking at me. "Are you lost by any chance?" I didn't know what to say, so I just shook my head and approached the counter. When I finally was face to face with the man, I realized there was a hunting rifle laying on his lap. I cleared my throat.
"Where is the nearest town from here?" I asked the man, nervous for what he may say next. He smirked.
"Not even gonna introduce yourself first, huh?" He stood up, still smirking. He set the gun aside. "Nearest town is Haltrey, it's up toward the mountains. Did you lose your parents or something, kid? I can help you find 'em, if you'd like." I shook my head again, then turned and left toward the door.
"Thank you, sir."
"Wait," the man began, placing his hand on my shoulder. "You're not planning to walk there, are you? At least use a horse or carriage..." I continued walking, not knowing how to respond. Stop acting like you care, if you knew who I was, you'd have shot me by now... as I exited the cabin, I made my way up the path toward the mountain, the hunter watching as I continued to walk. But I didn't care, either. I just walked until I could no longer see the cabins anymore. I wish I brought money, because then I could have rested in that inn. I guess I'll have to find work somewhere... find work...? Why did I even care about finding work now? All I had done was run away from the village, the people who never cared about me, only my brother. I had ran away, and never looked back, leaving them- leaving him- behind.
Every time I thought about it, I felt like collapsing and crying again. I didn't want to think about them, but they're burned into my mind. I only had one thing there I could look forward to, but he wouldn't be going with me to school... so why even go? I can make a life for myself away from them, maybe even meet people who will care about me... will I find anybody like that...? I stood still on the path, panting and sweating. I was so thirsty, and the sun was scorching everything it touched, making the heat almost unbearable. I wanted to sit down to rest, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get back up if I did, and who knows how long it would take for someone to travel on this path before finding me... so I continued walking.
I heard the sound of horse hooves against the ground, and the gravel shook beneath me. They were coming from up ahead. I hid in a bush beside the path to wait for them to pass. As I peeked through the leaves, i noticed three horses, one of them holding a large carriage with a group of men sitting inside. The two leading horses had two men atop them, each holding a bladed weapon. The men in the back all sat with blunt objects in their laps, laughing to each other as they slowly made their way up the trail. I noticed a small cage with a creature inside, but I couldn't make out what it was. As I tried to get a closer look, I felt the ground my hand was placed on start to fall. I caught myself before falling out of the bush, but the sound of the bushes alerted them of my presence. I froze, trying to slowly back out of the bush.
"Hey, who's in there?!" One of the leading men yelled, pulling a bandana over his face and stopping his horse. Oh shit, I might've messed up. "Show yourself!" What should I do? I sat still in the bush, not saying a thing or moving a muscle. The man jumped off his horse and approached me, pointing his blade directly at the bush. "If you don't come out-" just before he could finish his sentence, I slowly emerged from the bush, putting my hands up. I looked at the man who towered over me. He lowered his blade. "Oh, it's just a kid..." he knelt down to my level and took his mask off, smiling at me. "What are you doing all the way out here? This forest is dangerous, yknow..." I avoided his eyes, trying to look at the cage in the carriage. I could see a bit clearer now.
The creature in the cage was a dragon, but I couldn't tell what kind. It was so small, probably a juvenile, and it was trembling. One of the guys in the carriage smacked the cage, causing the dragon to retreat into the corner, hiding its face with its tail. An elemental dragon? The man noticed what I was looking at, then gently turned me around.
"Look, kid, don't go telling anyone about this, okay? Dragons are evil, I'm sure you know that..." the man started to trail off as he looked at me more. Then, his expression turned to worry. "Red eyes... white hair..." He backed up a moment, then returned to his horse without saying a word. He looked back at the guys behind him. "Let's go." As they walked away, they all looked at me in worry. I see... you too, then? I looked down and clenched my fists.
Suddenly, before I even realized what I was doing, I watched my arm raise toward them. I felt the small amount of mana I had flow through my arm and into the palm of my hand, a large flaming ball forming at the ends of my fingertips. As the men in the carriage began to jump out, attempting to escape the fireball, I launched it, hitting the carriage and knocking it on its side. As the carriage burned and the cage was knocked over, opening from the impact and throwing the dragon out, the men all looked at me in shock. The one that had talked to me earlier got back off his horse and charged forward, yelling.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He screamed, pulling up his mask once again as he ran toward me. I tried making another fireball, but my body collapsed from the amount of mana I had already used. Before the man made it, though, he stopped dead in his tracks, then fell forward at my feet. Sticking out of his back were many sharp drill-shaped pieces of stone.
When I looked back at the other men, they all had also fallen over, with the same stone drills stuck in their bodies. I tried standing up, but I was too weak and tired. I felt my eyes start to close, my body feeling numb as my mana was all used up... but when I woke up, it was sunset, and the men were still lying on the floor, lifeless, small amounts of blood pooling beneath their bodies. I stood up and looked down at them. I gently nudged one with my foot, and it shifted lifelessly. I stepped back. He's dead... he's really dead... I felt my foot hit something and I fell backward. When I looked down at what I had fallen on, it was the man from before who caught me in the bush. His face was pained, and his eyes were wide open, yet his body was unmoving, and pale.
I stood up quickly, trying to get away from it all. They're actually dead... I then looked around. The horses that were leading the way had disappeared, but the horse carrying the carriage was eating out of a bush nearby. I then noticed the small thing sitting on one of the men's bodies... It looked at me with wide, yellow, lizard-like eyes. It's body was scaly, and small, the coloration changing from a light tan on its stomach to a dark brown on its back and head. It almost looked like a rock, but I've seen something like this before... That's right, it's an Earth Elemental Dragon. It looks just like any other dragon, but it can use earth magic and lacks the ability to fly, despite its large wings. It was wagging its tail back and forth as it stuck out its tongue and began panting. It then stood up from its sitting position and approached me.
It was about the size of a human hand, and it didn't seem to want to kill me, otherwise I'm sure it would've by now. It may have been a juvenile, but it's very strong in earth magic. I mean, it had taken out all these bandits after I freed it from the cage, so I guess we both saved each other. It sat down at my feet, looking up at me. It blinked, one eye after the other, then seemed to be smiling. Suddenly, a child's voice sounded like it was coming from the dragon.
"Hey, you!" It called out, still staring up at me. "Human!" I was startled, but decided to kneel down and look at it closer.
"You're talking to me, right?" I replied, not knowing what to think about this situation. I didn't know dragons could talk...
"Who else would I be talking to?" It asked, before continuing. "You saved me from these bandits, so I must reward you somehow..."
"Hey, wait," I began, shaking my hands up at the dragon. "You saved me, too. I feel like that makes us even." The dragon tilted its head, closing its mouth before opening it to speak again.
"I guess so," it said, before standing up again. "Those bandits took me from my mother. She must be really worried, so I have to get back to her!" He looked around as he spoke, then started in a direction.
"Wait," I stood up and followed behind. "I could take you to your mother. Where does she live?" The dragon stopped, then turned and faced me.
"You... you really want to help me...?" The dragon was clearly confused. "A human wants to help a dragon?"
"I don't see the issue in that. We saved each other, so I think it's safe to say we aren't enemies, right?"
"Mother wouldn't believe that..."
"Then let's show her! Come with me, I'm heading into the mountains now, anyway."
The dragon's eyes lit up, and it seemed to be panting again, wagging its tail as it stared at me.
"You're right! Mother will be happy once I've returned home, and if she finds out you're the one who helped me, she'll believe it!" The dragon spoke loudly and excitedly before pouncing toward me, landing on my shoulder. It was surprisingly heavy, but I guess the large stone-like armor on its back added some extra weight. Its claws were dull, but still dug into my shoulder a bit. "Let's go find mother!"
"Now hold on a moment," I started, walking toward the horse eating out of the bush. "We need to go to a city up ahead first. I need my rest before we go, and it's getting dark. Entering dragon territory isn't something I can handle, especially without any mana..." the dragon titled its head again, then moved to my other shoulder by walking across my back.
"Alright, then let's go quickly so we can see my mother first thing in the morning!" The dragon seemed excited, and unusually trusting in me. "Come on, let's go!"
I approached the horse and held out my hand, letting it sniff me before I jumped on its back. "It's been a while since I've ridden a horse," I said quietly. "I'm glad she likes me already. The last one I got to ride didn't very much..." I had always been fond of animals, as they've never once ignored me or hated me. Some monsters I've fought have tried to kill me, but that's in their nature for survival. For some reason, animals tend to like me (excluding the first horse I rode), so taming horses and petting cats has been fairly easy for me outside my house. Now that I'm in the forest, I'm sure I will run into many kinds of animals. I flicked the reigns after positioning myself in the saddle, then began further toward the mountains. I've learned that most earth elementals tend to live in the mountains, and I'm sure elemental dragons are no different, especially since the bandits were traveling in the opposite direction of them after capturing the dragon I have now. Speaking of...
"Hey, dragon, what's your name?" I asked, keeping my tone friendly.
"I am Ryu," It exclaimed. "I am an earth dragon, the toughest kind of dragon in the world!" I couldn't help but smile at Ryu's outburst. He's a dragon, but he's still a child.
"I am..." I paused before speaking again, thinking about my family as I thought of my own name. "I am Baru, a human..." I realized I had hesitated and spoken quietly, but Ryu didn't notice at all.
"Lame..." he said, sighing. "We'll work on your introduction before we meet mother..." I smiled awkwardly as we continued on up the trail. The mountains were bigger and more vibrant now that we were entering them. It was starting to feel a bit cold as the night drew closer, the wind picking up. I thought back to all the bandits... what's going to happen when somebody finds their bodies? Will anyone know it was me and the dragon who did that to them? I guess going into the city would arise suspicion once they're found, considering we came from their direction and I'm sure they passed through at some point, so staying in the city long wouldn't do us any good.
Haltrey, the Slave City of the Mountains, lie just ahead. Since neither of us are demihumans, we should be alright to stay for a night. I don't have any money, though, and I didn't even think to take the money off of those bandits from earlier...
"Hey, Baru, look over there!" Ryu began wagging his tail again, adjusting his body vertically to look over the hill ahead. Smoke and light was coming from the top of the hill, and as we made it to the top, we looked down on a very large city that seemed to go on endlessly, the large stone wall surrounding it forming a jagged circular shape. I stared in awe, and I could tell Ryu was looking as well, as the horse continued onward. As we approached the front entrance, we heard rustling in the bushes beside us. Before I could turn to look, something bright flew past my head, cutting my cheek. I could feel the blood run down to my chin as the horse stopped in place. Ryu began to growl.
"Looks like I missed," a voice came from the bush. When the person revealed herself, two cloaked figures followed suit, standing behind her. "Answer my questions and I'll let you go, okay?"
Her hair was a grey color and short in length, resting at her shoulders. Her eyes were blue, and the cloaked members behind her had their faces hidden enough that I couldn't see their features. The woman seemed to be in her thirties, and was dressed like the bandits from before, yet wore a crest on her chest that was absent in the previous bandits. The crest had two wolves fighting each other inside a gold medallion hanging off her neck by string. She stared at us, clearly stronger and smarter than the bandits from before. Stone started to rise from the ground, forming themselves into drills, but I held my hand in front of Ryu, causing them to pause in place.
I stood still on the horse, Ryu tensing up alongside me. I gulped, then spoke.
"Alright, what do you want?" I asked sternly. The lady smirked.
"We want to know if you're the ones who killed those bandits back the way you came," she answered, unmoving. I tensed up even more. Then, Ryu spoke.
"They kidnapped me," he began, stepping forward on my shoulder, standing as tall as he could. "They took me from my mother, then tried to attack Baru, so I killed them." The lady looked shocked at the sight of Ryu, then turned her attention back toward me.
"An elemental dragon traveling with a young boy... one with white hair and red eyes, at that..." she pulled out her blade, the two cloaked figures behind her stepping forward, pulling out their own. "My, you must have a hefty price on your head. Those features are rare, but that dragon must be rarer. Say, boy, why don't we make a deal..." I clutched the reigns, feeling unusually angry by her comments. She continued.
"Give me your dragon, and I'll spare your life, how about that?" She stepped forward, holding her hand out. "I'll even let you keep some of the profits, if you're lucky." I clenched the reigns tighter, my teeth clamped shut tight. Ryu spoke up once again.
"Don't make us do to you what we did to those bandits back there, lady," Ryu spoke, growling and jumping onto the ground. He did not look very intimidating, but the lady took a step back anyway. "I'm not letting you hurt me or Baru." The lady then smirked once again, putting her blade away.
"Even a bandit like me knows that I can't win this fight," she began, confident in her words. "What is your pet's name, Baru?" I continued to stare down at the reigns to the horse. I then turned to face her. When she looked at me, her expression turned to worry. "Red eyes... not just white hair?" She stepped back, then cleared her throat. "Something tells me we'll be seeing each other again very soon, Baru. I hope next time I'll have a strong enough army to take that dragon from you. Until then, keep it fed and healthy for me, won't you?" She winked, then turned to walk away, the cloaked figures following suit.
I was still frozen in place. I didn't say a word, didn't move a muscle, I just sat there. Ryu jumped onto my shoulder, nudging my cheek with his face.
"Hey, Baru, let's get going, alright?" he said quietly. "It's getting late and I'm tired." I nodded my head, then took a deep breath before flicking the reigns and approaching the city gates. As we drew closer, I realized just how tall the walls surrounding the city were, and how many knights they had posted both on top of the wall, and outside the front gates. As we approached the front entrance, the two guards held their spears out to block the way, crossing them together.
"Halt, do not proceed any further," one of the guards yelled out, the horse stopping in place.
"State your purpose for being here, boy," the other guard yelled out. Before I could speak, I felt Ryu crawl down my shoulder and onto the horse's nose, standing tall as he looked forward.
"Hello, humans!" Ryu began loudly and confidently, failing to sound intimidating. "I am Ryu, a mighty Earth Dragon, the toughest in the world!"
The guards looked at us in confusion, then turned to each other, before looking back at us.
"I feel like I saw that dragon somewhere before," the first guard stated.
"Yeah, those bandits were hauling it off the way they came from," the second guard pointed out. "Do you think they... y'know..."
"They're the ones, huh?"
Ryu stared forward at them, as I sat back and watched, trying to avoid the confrontation.
"That's right, Baru saved me from those bandits, and I finished them off!" Ryu yelled out, standing proudly. The guards looked at each other again, then pulled their spears away, pointing them upward.
"Well, they were bandits," the first guard spoke calmly, before sighing. "It's a little strange that an elemental dragon would be traveling with someone as young as that boy, but then again..." the guard looked right at me, then looked away once again. "White hair and red eyes..."
The second guard turned to me.
"Alright, kid, don't let your pet cause any trouble, or we'll be forced to take it in, alright?" He spoke sternly, but smiled. "Elemental dragons are truly powerful. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." I tried to avoid the man's gaze, still stuck on the comments about my appearance, before I flicked the reigns and continued forward. Ryu, who had almost fallen off the horse's face, ran back to my shoulder and sat himself down.
"Thank you, sirs! I'll be sure to beat down any bandits we find in town, so you better be ready for prisoners!" Ryu laughed as we slowly entered the city. It was still only dusk, but the lights in the city were all on, a beautiful yellow glow filling the street. Many shops had people lined up in front of them, and the smell of delicious food filled the air. I felt my stomach growl as I realized I hadn't eaten since yesterday...
"Ryu, I've been taught that elemental dragons are feared by humans," I began, speaking quietly as we walked slowly through the city, passing by many shops. "why don't the guards care that I'm traveling with you?" I looked down at Ryu on my shoulder, who licked his eyeball as he turned to me.
"You're right, Baru," he began, a bit confused as well. "Usually humans freak out when I talk to them, so I wonder why..." I sighed, then smiled.
"Let's just get some food for now, alright?" I said, looking around. "We can worry about that lady and those guards later." Ryu hesitated to speak, then nodded his head.
"Alright. I trust you," he spoke quietly.
As we continued to walk, the horse suddenly stopped as a child had fallen on the street in front of us. The young boy had wolf ears and a tail, clearly a demihuman. The child was crying, and had many bruises and cuts along his arms and legs, his clothes tattered. A man rushed out onto the street, his fists balled up as he approached the kid.
"Hey, brat," the man yelled, raising his arm and preparing to hit him. "Get out of the street, you moron!" As he went for the punch, he suddenly screamed out in pain as his fist collided with a stone pillar that had erected from the ground between them. I looked at Ryu, who was staring forward at the man holding his bloodied fist and looking in our direction.
"Hey, boy," he began, stepping forward with an angry look on his face. "What do you think you're doing?!" I didn't know what to do or say. I felt my body freeze again, and I looked away, Ryu stepping off my shoulder and back onto the nose of the horse, standing tall and proud, yet not at all threatening...
"Human," he exclaimed, preparing his speech. "I am Ryu, an Earth Dragon, the toughest in the world!" If he had a human expression, it would definitely be showing a huge and proud smile. The man looked at us, stunned, before finally speaking up.
"An Earth Dragon, eh?" He began, smiling at us. "Dragons are evil y'know, boy. Especially the talking ones." Ryu shifted downward, clearly upset by his words.
"Leave the boy alone, and I won't have to hurt you, human," Ryu continued, trying to stay calm. The man then began to laugh.
"Why do you try to defend this lowly demihuman?" He asked, looking around at the bystanders watching us. None of them looked pleased by our conversation. "He's my slave, I can do what I want with him."
"Slave?!" Ryu shouted, jumping down from the horse. "You enslave demihumans?"
"Well, of course! This is Haltrey, after all," the man said, spreading his arms outward. "Now, stop interfering with his work and move along. You don't want to get yourself into any trouble, do you?" The man turned back toward the boy, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him up. "Let's go, brat." The boy looked down, still crying as he was pulled away. I looked back over at the road, the stone pillar slowly lowering back into the ground.
We continued walking forward until we arrived at an inn. I tied the reigns of the horse around a post, a trough waiting outside the building for her. I then walked into the building, Ryu resting on my shoulder. As I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was the three child demihuman girls standing behind the counter, a large, muscular and bald human man standing beside them. He smiled as we entered.
"Welcome, travelers!" He said, waving his hand. The demihuman girls, two being cat-like and the other being more like a wolf, all looked forward, their expressions emotionless. "You don't seem to be from around here, boy. You've also got a dragon on your shoulder, I see."
"I am Ryu, a mighty Earth Dragon, the toughest in the world!" Ryu exclaimed once again, moving to my other shoulder. The man laughed.
"He talks, too? That's great, kid."
"So, what brings you here?" He asked, crossing his arms. I gulped, realizing I didn't have any words to say to him. He stared at me with a smile as I became nervous.
"Baru needs money!" Ryu yelled, jumping onto the counter to face the man. "And somewhere to sleep! And food!" The man held out his hands and chuckled nervously.
"That's a lot of requests, young dragon," he said, facing back toward me. "But if you're looking for work, you can always make some money adventuring. You seem to have a powerful Earth Dragon with you, so killing monsters should be easy." I looked down, thinking about what he said. Adventuring, huh? I looked back up, Ryu turned toward me.
"Baru, Baru," Ryu started, his eyes sparkling. "Can we please go hunt monsters? I could eat some food, and you could make some money!"
I nodded my head, and the man clasped his hands together.
"Say, you don't look like you're from around here," the man began, keeping his smile. "Your features are very unique. This town is filled with bandits, and abnormalities usually fetch a high price, even if they come from humans." I looked at the man anxiously as he reached under the counter, pulling out a worn, brown cloak. "It isn't much, but it can help you if you don't want bandits creeping around you. A customer left it here a month ago, so I'd say it's up for grabs." I stared at the man for a moment before Ryu grabbed the cloak with his mouth, jumping back over to me and dropping it at my feet. Why is he helping us?
"I-I'm sorry," I started, my voice shaking. "I don't have any money..."
"Don't worry about it, kid," the man said, smiling again. "It's a welcome present from Haltrey." I smiled slightly at him, before grabbing the cloak and putting it on.
It fit surprisingly perfectly, and looking in the mirror in the lobby, the hood covered everything but my lower face, so even my eyes couldn't be seen.
"Looks like it's a good fit," The man said. "You should still be careful outside the city. Adventurers die all the time, so nobody will come looking for you if a bandit happens to see you." I chuckle nervously, then bow my head.
"Th-Thank you, sir," I said quietly, my voice still trembling.
"Don't mention it. I'll let you stay the night for two silvers instead of four, just don't go around telling anyone, alright?" I looked at him in disbelief. Seriously, why is he helping me?!
"Thank you!" I bowed my head again, then turned and left, untying the horse and heading back toward the entrance to the city. Ryu stayed silent on my shoulder, pressing his head against my chin as he tried to stay awake.
"I'm so tired, Baru," Ryu said, shaking his head to wake himself up. "I hope we can make enough money for some food, too."
Exiting the city, the two guards from before waved to us as we travelled back down the path. As we ventured onto a smaller path leading into the forest, I noticed the air go still, and Ryu was suddenly more alert than before. I slowed us down a bit, scanning the surroundings before hearing a bush rustling ahead. Ryu stood on the horse's nose again, the horse completely used to it by now. Suddenly, a small, black slime jumped out of the bush. A slime wouldn't be worth too much, huh? Ryu suddenly jumped backward, summoning many stone drills.
"Baru, it's a dark slime!" He said, slightly scared.
"Dark slime?" I asked, confused.
"They're stronger than normal slimes, and they have resistance to everything except light and water magic!"
"Seriously?" I sighed, then held out my hand, feeling the mana run through my fingertips, a small ball of water forming at my palm.
The water ball grew slightly in size, then began to bubble as I added some fire to it, creating a boiling water ball. I threw it at the slime, who jumped toward us at the same time, instantly vaporizing from the water, a small black gem falling onto the ground. I jumped off the horse and approached the gem, Ryu already sniffing it.
"Wow, Baru, I thought you could only use fire magic!" Ryu yelled excitedly, wagging his tail. "Baru is strong!"
"Hearing an elemental dragon call me strong is a big compliment," I said, smiling. "Thanks." Ryu wagged his tail faster, jumping back on my shoulder with the gem in his mouth. He dropped it into the palm of my hand. I began to study it, looking at its jagged edges and the shine on its pitch black surface. "Do you think it's worth a lot?"
"How should I know? Humans use coins for currency, dragons use food," Ryu replied. I sighed, then put it in my pocket. "Let's get a few more monsters, then we'll head back."
"Alright!"
After an hour and a half of searching around and fighting weaker slimes, we gathered a few red gemstones, a ton of blue gemstones, and the single black one from the dark slime.
"Let's head back, I'm sure this'll be enough," I said, putting them into my pocket and making our way back onto the path. As we finally made it back to the main road, the horse stopped as a large group of knights on horseback passed by, a carriage full of bodies covered by sheets sitting at the back, as well as items that I recognized, especially the open cage with the broken lock. Looks like they're taking their bodies in... After the knights passed by, we followed behind, entering the city once again. The guards held their spears out to block us once again.
"Hold up, boy," the first knight began. "You just fought some monsters, right?" I became nervous, nodding my head slowly. The knights lowered their spears. "Head to the adventurer's guild and apply to be an adventurer. It's illegal to hunt monsters without an adventurer's license." Seriously, why is everyone trying to help me?
I entered the city once again, approaching a large building that seemed to be the adventurer's guild. Entering the building, I noticed it was empty, yet a single young girl stood behind the counter.
"Welcome to the adventurer's guild," she called out to us, waving her hand. I lowered my hood, and her expression shifted, looking shocked for a moment before clearing her throat. I approached the counter.
"H-Hi," I started quietly, my voice trembling again. I gulped. "I need a license." The lady clasped her hands together and smiled, turning around.
"Of course! I just need your name and your magic proficiencies," she said, turning back around with a sheet of paper and a quill pen. For magic proficiency, I wrote 'Fire and Water', yet paused on the name part, before writing down 'Baru Ento', pushing it forward on the counter. "Perfect! Return here in the morning, and I'll have your license ready for you, Baru Ento."
We left the building, and I took a deep breath.
"Alright, all we have to do now is sell these gems and we can finally go to sleep," I said, stretching and jumping back on the horse.
"Let's go over there!" Ryu said quickly, pointing his tail toward a shop on a corner, the walls and counters covered in wands, staffs, and gems. We walked over and I held the reigns to my horse, standing before the counter. The person there was an older woman, a demihuman girl sitting behind her, looking down. She had bunny ears and a puffy bunny tail, and her face was hidden by the darkness. The woman blocked my view with her face.
"Hey, kid, stop eyein' my slave," she said, slightly annoyed. "Are ya' gonna buy somethin' or what?" I cleared my throat, looking back up at her, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the gems, setting them down in front of her.
"Ah, just some slime gems?" She said, picking up the black one and studying it. "You even found a dark slime? Congratulations, those are rare." She set the gem back down, then sighed. "The black gem will get ya' fifty silvers, the rest are two each." I nodded my head, and she smiled. "Pleasure doin' business with ya', boy." She handed me a sack full of silver coins, and I hooked it onto the saddle of the horse before jumping back up on it. As we were about to leave, I watched as the woman turned and slapped the demihuman girl.
"Hey, what did I say about mopin' around, Emma?" she yelled at her, raising her hand again. The girl was crying and apologizing. Just as I began to walk away again, I heard something.
"Help," the young girl called out, reaching her hand toward me as she stared in desperation. "Please, help..."
I turned around, Ryu rushing off my shoulder and onto the counter of the shop, stone drills forming behind him.
"Hey, human," he called out to the woman. She turned around, angry.
"Hey, kid, what did I say about eyein' my slave?" She replied, standing up. The slave girl crawled over to a corner and curled into a ball, sobbing. I bit my lip.
"Ryu!" I called out, Ryu turning to face me. "Leave it." I felt horrible saying it, and even Ryu looked at me in desperation, but I turned around and began walking away again, Ryu jumping back onto my shoulder.
"Baru, why?" He asked, confused and sad.
"This is a slave city," I began, not looking back. "Slavery is legal, so if we did something, we could get in trouble. Let's just go back to the inn." Ryu nodded his head, then lay down on my shoulder, resting his head on my chin.
We entered the inn, and the man looked at us with a worried expression.
"You two look beat," he began, turning to one of the cat demihuman maids. "Start a bath in the vacant room." He then turned to the wolf girl. "Cook them up some meat." He finally turned to the last cat girl, the other two nodding their heads and dashing to their respective duties. "Make sure their room is clean." The final girl ran with the other one to the room, leaving us and the man in the lobby. "Give us a few minutes, and your room will be ready. In the meantime, I see you have the money for your room." I pulled the pouch out and set it on the counter, pushing it forward. But the man pushed it back toward me. "Stay the night, on the house. Use that money to buy yourself a weapon and some armor tomorrow. Adventuring is dangerous work, y'know." I nodded my head, grateful yet confused. What other motives may he have for helping me like this?
We entered our room, the bed completely made and the rest of the area spotless, candles lit on the nightstands. I looked toward the open door to the bathroom, the little cat girl maid sitting on the edge of the bath, running the water and allowing the steam to build up. When she noticed me looking at her, she looked away, turning her body more toward the bath. I sat down on the bed, Ryu jumping down and landing on a pillow, stretching before laying down completely.
"Wake me up when dinner's ready, Baru," he said quietly, slowly dozing off before completely falling asleep. I sighed and scratched my head, laying down beside him and staring at the ceiling. A lot happened in just one day, huh? I wonder how Kai's doing... I felt my chest begin to hurt, and my eyes start to water again, so I shook my head and looked toward Ryu, who was peacefully asleep. I'm sure he's fine. After all, he never has to worry about me again... I sighed, then sat up, the cat girl maid standing at the foot of the bed and bowing her head.
"Your bath is ready, master," she said quietly. She then looked up at me, her eyes slightly lowered and her expression a bit different from earlier, almost a bit sad. I stared at her for a moment, and she looked away from me, beginning to walk away. But something came over me, and I called out to her.
"Wait," I said, causing her to freeze in place. I gulped. What the hell am I doing?! "Can we talk for a second?" The girl didn't say anything, then shook her head, turning around.
"I'm not allowed to mingle with customers," she began, her face clearly pained. I sighed, then stood up,
"You look sad," I began, trying to figure out what to say to her. "What's the matter?" The girl's eyes widened, then she turned around again.
"Why would a human care?" She asked, slightly confused. That's not the response I was expecting.
"I don't know you, but when I see someone hurting, I want to help them, I guess," I said, scratching my head.
She turned back around, her eyes tearing up slightly as she smiled at me.
"I saw you earlier," she began, clasping her hands together and looking away, her face slightly red. "You protected that demihuman boy who fell in the street." I felt my heart skip a beat, then I smiled at her. Before I could say anything, there was a knock at the door. The girl quickly wiped her eyes, straightening out her expression and turning around, opening the door. The wolf girl from earlier walked in carrying a tray with two plates on it.
"Your food has arrived, master," she said, setting it down on the empty nightstand and bowing her head, turning and leaving again. After the door shut, the cat girl sighed, approaching me.
"Please, help me," she said quietly, her eyes full of desperation. "I want to join you." I stared at her, admiring her short black hair and brown eyes, her ears shifted to each side, pointing opposite directions.
I looked at her in confusion, then sat down on the bed, Ryu slowly standing up as he smelled the food. The girl continued to look at me, her hands behind her back.
"What do you mean?" I asked her. "You're a slave, aren't you? I can't just leave with you."
"Then buy me," she said sternly, her expression serious. "I can make it up to you, I promise."
"Why do you want my help so bad? And what about the other demihumans that are slaves here?"
"You're the boy from the stories," she said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me. "White hair and red eyes, and a dragon companion. He saves the demihuman slaves and creates a kingdom!" She smiled as she held her arms up. What kind of story is that? "The other girls lost their families. They don't have the will to try to leave. But my family is still alive, and you'll be the one to save them!"
"What makes you think that I'll be the one to save them...?"
I sighed, then turned to the food, Ryu already done with his plate and attempting to get to mine, moving back after I catch him.
"You're the Savior of the Beasts," she said, completely serious. "It's in the story!"
"This is real life," I said, closing my eyes. "This isn't some fairy tale. I don't know who the Savior of the Beasts is, but it definitely isn't me." I turn to her again. "But I'll help you. Tomorrow, I'll get you out of here, alright?" The girl's smile grew and tears began to fall down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around me, her fuzzy ears rubbing against my cheek.
"Thank you, master Savior," she cried into my shoulder, and I felt my body tense up. She's so close... she retreated from our embrace, wiping her eyes once again before bowing. "I owe you my life. I'll make it up to you, I promise."
After eating our food and going to sleep, I awoke early in the morning, sitting up and yawning. Ryu was still asleep, and the sun had just started rising. Laying back down, I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got dressed and left the room, walking downstairs. The three girls were all standing behind the counter, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Two of the girls looked emotionless like before, but the cat girl from last night looked at me with a slight smile, waving her hand. I smiled back, then left the inn, jumping on the horse and walking down the empty road, only a few people walking here and there. I arrived at a store selling swords and daggers, the clerk napping at the counter. I picked out a dagger for myself, grabbing a second one as well before placing them on the counter, the clerk suddenly waking up, startled. He looked down at me, then sighed.
"Twenty seven silvers," he said, clearly still tired.
After paying for the weapons, I only had forty eight silvers left, which would probably be enough for some basic armor and supplies for the road, but not enough to buy the slave girl. Looks like I'll need to hunt down some more monsters, then. I made it to an armor shop and browsed the selections, the clerk at the counter eyeing me the whole time. I pretended not to notice as I picked out some basic armor for myself, as well as a smaller piece of armor. After buying the armor for forty silvers, I admired myself in the store's mirror after putting it on. It was basic chain mail, but steel covered it as well, giving me good shoulder protection as well as chest and stomach protection, the chain mail allowing for movement. The other armor I bought had a steel breastplate, chain mail down the stomach and sides, and steel shoulder guards, the same as mine.
I returned to the inn, the man at the counter stretching and yawning as I walked in.
"Good morning, kid," he began, scratching his back. "You're up early." He looked at me for a moment and smiled. "Seems you got some good armor there, and even a few weapons." I smiled and nodded.
"Thanks for the cloak," I replied, slightly less nervous. "I'll be sure to pay you back someday."
"Like I said, don't worry about it, kid." I returned to the room, setting down the stuff that I bought on the bed. Ryu slowly raised his head, looking over at me.
"Morning, Baru," he began tiredly, walking over to me on the bed. "Where did you go so early?"
"I got some armor and weapons," I said, showing him the items I bought. "Now I can fight a little better during our adventures."
"Are we going to make some more money today?" He asked, rubbing his eye.
"Yep!" I exclaimed, smiling. "I need to talk to the innkeeper before we leave, though." Ryu gave me a curious expression, tilting his head, as if asking 'what for'?
As we headed toward the counter, I approached the innkeeper and gave him a serious expression, speaking quietly.
"Hey, I've got a question for you," I said, leaning in close.
"What is it, kid?" He asked, curious. I gulped, worried about what may happen if I asked my question. I took a deep breath, then went for it.
"How much for one of your slaves?" He looked at me in shock, completely confused by my question, before he began to laugh.
"You're seriously looking to buy a slave, kid?" I scratched my head and looked away as he continued to laugh. "I'd be willing to sell one to you, but why would a kid at your age want a slave?" I gulped, not knowing how to respond. He waved his hand around, calming himself down. "Alright, kid, I'll give you one of them for a hundred silvers. I hope you treat her nicely."
"Thank you." I bowed my head, then stepped away, Ryu jumping back onto my shoulder.
As we left the inn, Ryu put his claw on my chin to grab my attention.
"Hey, Baru," he began, setting it back down on my shoulder. "What did you talk to him about?"
"Don't worry about it," I said, smiling. I'm just glad he didn't have an issue with it... but seriously, something feels off about this... We arrived back in the forest, looking around for more monsters to fight. Ryu scouted from my shoulder, his tail wagging slightly in excitement.
"Baru, I hope we find something big, I want a challenge instead of slimes!" Ryu said, standing proud.
"Don't wish that on us, Ryu," I said back, laughing nervously. "I don't wanna fight something too strong." Just as I finished my sentence, we heard a loud boom in the distance. I flicked the reigns and began to run towards the sound on the horse, more boom sounds ringing out, shaking the ground.
After exiting the bushes and arriving in an open field, we both looked in awe at the giant stone golem stamping across the field, a small group of bandits fleeing from it. What's an elemental monster doing here? I look at Ryu.
"Can we beat it?" I asked him. Ryu nodded his head.
"Mother taught me how to fight stone golems," he replied, jumping onto the horse's head as we ran forward. "We got this! Just distract it for me, alright?" I nodded my head, then ran beside the golem, it's footsteps causing my body to vibrate with every boom. Ryu jumped off the horse, running quickly behind the golem. Damn, that little dragon is fast. I raced beside the golem, who now noticed me, then held out my hand, producing a small flame which turned into a ball of fire. I shot it at the golem, causing a few chunks of stone to fly off of its face. It stared at me with glowing red eyes, lava slowly pouring out of the holes I created.
Suddenly, a giant volley of stone drills came from behind the golem, completely destroying one of its legs and causing it to fall. I slowed the horse down, standing in front of the golem. Ryu raced back toward me.
"Now, Baru! Aim for its eyes!" He yelled, jumping back onto my shoulder. I aimed at the golem's face and fired another fireball, hitting it directly in the eye, causing its head to erupt in magma, the golem falling over as stone chunks flew all over, hitting the ground hard and causing my horse to get scared, standing on its hind legs as I tried to calm it down, stone landing all around us. Finally, after the dust cleared up and the booms of the stone stopped, I approached the golem, the magma cooling down and hardening. Ryu stood atop the golem, standing triumphantly.
"Victory!" He yelled, proud of himself. "Baru and Ryu are the strongest!" I clapped my hands, laughing at his antics.
I searched the rubble of the golem, finding a few pieces of ore and gems imbued in the stones. After examining the head area, I found something shiny hidden in the hardened lava. I pulled it out, revealing a pristine and shiny red gem in the shape of a large egg.
"Woah, Ryu, look at this!" I called out, looking at its shininess. "It's probably worth a fortune!" Ryu admired it as well, his eyes sparkling.
"Let's sell it quick!" He yelled, jumping onto my shoulder. We returned to the city with no issues, and I arrived back at the gem shop from before, placing all the gems and ore I collected on the counter. The woman looked at us, slightly annoyed.
"You're back?" She asked, clearly wanting to avoid us. "You better have something good." She looked down at the items, then her eyes widened in shock, jumping backward as she yelled out.
"Wh-Where did you find this?!" She exclaimed, holding up the red egg-shaped gem.
"Ryu and Baru defeated a stone golem!" Ryu yelled out, standing proud once again.
"A stone golem?" She asked, setting it down and taking a deep breath. "What's it doing away from the mountain?" She sighed, then turned around, pulling out a large sack full of money. When I looked inside, I saw a mix of silver and gold coins.
"Two hundred silvers and fifty gold coins for everything here," she said, still studying the gem. "This gem can hold so much mana..." I looked behind the distracted woman to see the slave girl again, staring at me with a pained expression. I stared back, unsure of what to do or say. She looked away as the woman turned back toward me.
"Hey, kid, I keep telling you to lay off the slave," she said, even more annoyed. I sighed, then grabbed the bag and left, walking toward the adventurer guild.
Entering the guild, I noticed it was a lot more packed with people, all with different armors and weapons on them. The lady at the counter waved to us as we approached.
"Welcome back, Baru Ento!" She called out, turning and grabbing a card from behind her, placing it on the counter as we arrived. "Your license is ready, I just need five silvers from you and you can keep it." I pulled out the bag and took out the silvers, placing them on the counter. She bowed her head as I grabbed the card. "Be sure to return if you need information or if you would like to start a quest!" I bowed my head and thanked her before turning away and leaving again. I only need to focus on one thing right now. I arrived back at the inn, and the man at the counter smiled as I entered. I approached him, setting a separate bag with one hundred and ten silvers inside.
"Here, for the slave and the cloak," I said, smiling. The man nodded and took the bag.
"Say, kid, what's your name?" The man asked.
"Baru Ento," I told him. I noticed the maids weren't behind him. "How about yours?"
"I'm Carlos, no last name," he stated, crossing his arms. "So, which one did you want?" He clapped his hands together and the three girls walked out, standing behind the man. The one I talked to had a smile on her face, but the other two had expressions filled with dread. I pointed to the cat girl, and she ran by my side, clearly happy about joining me. Carlos waved me over, and I came up to the counter as Ryu and the cat girl started talking, Ryu sitting on her shoulder as she pet his spiky back.
"Careful with that one, Baru," he told me. "She's got some real issues."
"What do you mean?" I asked, curious.
"She's always screaming at night. I don't treat my slaves poorly, but she clearly went through some stuff in the past."
"Alright." I turned back around and waved to Carlos. "I'll be leaving town now. I'll return someday, but I have something I need to do."Carlos nodded his head, then waved to us.
"Good luck, Baru. Be safe, alright?"
As we left the building, the cat girl hugged my arm, Ryu still sitting on her shoulder.
"Thank you, master Baru," she said, her voice shaky and her eyes tearing up. "Thank you so much." I rubbed her head, smiling. I then approached the horse, pulling out the second set of armor and dagger I bought, handing it to her.
"Here, I bought this for you," I said, looking at her. "If you're gonna join my party, you gotta have some way of defending yourself." She looked at the items with a straight face, walking toward a bathroom to change, exiting outside of her maid outfit and instead wearing the armor, the dagger on her lower back. She crossed her arms, then smiled.
"Thank you, master Baru," she said, bowing her head. I held my hand up.
"No 'master'," I said sternly. "You're not a slave anymore, you're an adventurer. Call me Baru."
"Y-Yes, Baru," She replied.
I jumped onto the horse and helped the girl up onto it as well.
"Come on, let's get you registered at the guild so we can start heading up the mountain," I said, flicking the reigns as she wrapped her arms around me from behind, struggling to keep her balance. "You've never ridden a horse before, have you?" She shook her head, holding herself close to me to keep from falling. She's really close! I took a deep breath as we arrived at the guild, jumping off the horse. I helped the girl down, and Ryu stayed sat on my shoulder.
"Baru, did you buy her from that Carlos guy?" He asked, curious. I nodded my head.
"She asked for my help," I said, smiling. "I wish I could've helped the others, but I'll be sure to return some day." Ryu's face lit up, his mouth opening with a smile and his eyes sparkling with hope.
"Baru is a good guy!" He exclaimed, causing my heart to skip another beat. "Saving demihuman slaves from the abusive humans."
"Just like the Savior of the Beasts!" The girl chimes in, giggling as we enter the guild.
The lady at the counter was different this time, and the guild was even more packed than ever. The cat girl was a bit nervous, holding onto the satchel I was wearing that I got from the armor store as we walked to the counter.
"Hello, what can I help you with?" The lady asked us, smiling.
"I need to register this girl," I said, pointing to the girl as she stood behind me, staring downward. The lady at the counter sighed.
"Even though slavery is legal here, you can't register slaves as adventurers," she said, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry."
"She isn't a slave," I replied, putting a couple silvers on the table. "She's my new party member. I need her to be able to fight monsters with us."
"Yeah, lady!" Ryu said loudly. "Baru saved her, and now she's our party member!" The lady sighed again.
"Demihumans can't apply to be adventurers, either," she said, turning around. "As long as you have your license, she should be fine to fight with you."
I sighed, then turned around to face her.
"It can't be helped, then," I said, rubbing her head as she looked up at me. "Let's get you a cloak, then we'll head up the mountain." I smiled, her face slightly red. C-Cute! I walked out of the building, every adventurer inside seeming like they were watching us intently. I guess it is strange, being a young boy traveling with a demihuman and an elemental dragon. We hopped back on the horse and made our way back toward the armor shop a little ways towards the mountain side of the city. I jumped off the horse and asked the man for a demihuman cloak. He handed me a cloak the same color as mine, but with sewed on cat ears and a hole in the back for a tail to peek through. I gave him a few silvers then handed it to the girl.
"I never asked you your name, did I?" I asked as she clipped the cloak together at the chest, fixing her tail up to go through the hole.
"I'm Fare Katia," she said, bowing down like a maid would. "At your service, ma- Baru." I sighed, then smiled.
"No need to be so formal, Fare," I said, jumping back onto the horse. "You're an adventurer now, not a maid." She smiled as I helped her onto the horse. She felt a little more comfortable as we rode, slowly easing back as she held onto me and looked around, her hood up over her head.
"Where are we going, Baru?" Ryu asked, looking up at me.
"We're going to the mountains, to find your mother, Ryu," I replied with a smile. He jumped to my other shoulder and back, clearly excited.
"I'm going to see mother again! And I get to introduce her to my friends!" He laughed as he sang his little song, completely happy. We arrived to the exit of the city and made it passed the gates, starting our journey up the mountain, the range and size of the mountains getting even more beautiful as we approached them, the road inclining upward.
I looked back at the city behind us, admiring the view from above. It looks like running away may not have been such a bad idea... I thought about Kai again, the face he gave me right as I left burned into my mind. I looked down, clutching the reins, before Ryu nudged my chin.
"Baru, are you okay?" He asked, worried. I smiled at him, thinking about all I've done since I left.
"Yeah," I replied, looking forward again. I wonder what he's doing, now that he doesn't have to deal with someone like me... I sighed. "We'll bring you to your mother, then help Fare find her parents."
"Ryu isn't leaving Baru's side!" Ryu suddenly blurted out. I looked at him, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll introduce you two to mother, then I'll have her let me adventure with Baru and Fare!"
"Eh?" I looked down and laughed, Fare joining in as Ryu got a bit flustered.
"Wh-What's so funny?! Why are you laughing at me?!" He called out, shrinking back into my shoulder. "Meanie..."
To Be Continued...
Part 2 - The Legendary Hero
From the Magic Guidebook: Elements 2 - Magical affinities work differently across races, the only exceptions being the Legendary Hero and the Dragon King, who both have affinities for all six elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark, although Light and Dark magic has been lost and forbidden to be taught for centuries.
Humans can have up to two different magic affinities, allowing the user to use two different elements of magic, not being able to learn more no matter how hard they try. Demihumans, basic dragons, and monsters can only have one affinity, while elemental dragons are born with a strong affinity for their elemental type.