Chapter 2
With my answer, they faces showed both proudness and sadness, and I could understand that. The world wasn't for the weak, humans adapted to it, there are those as fast as a deer, as strong as a bear, and colder than a tiger, all fighting and killing to reach the peak of power, and here you have a child running head first into them with a small sword. A brave warrior, or a suicidal idiot, only time can tell, but the thing that is for sure is that that child will one day return to the village, with treasure or as a corpse, maybe only a nametag left of him or her. Everything else went smoothly, the bag was already ready for me to carry, they told me what was in it, things such as ropes, camping material, some food, but no coins. They said: „Cash is something adventurer has to provide by himself, why don't you go to the bullet board and find some jobs to do" the bullet board was a place for people to put up requests and job for ordinary people or adventurers to take, it can range from bake a cake or collect herbs, or help a caravan or participate in a war. I left my bags and quickly made way to the bullet board or the quest board as the association calls it, which is located in the middle of the village and quickly I took a good look. There wasn't much, Donaville is a small costal village with not much happening, but a single request caught my eye, a request worth 1 silver, take care of bandits. One gold is worth ten silver, and one silver was worth ten copper, usually bandit quest are worth four to five silver, but I couldn't ignore the requester, who was the local baker. He is a long time friend of our family and his daughter recently took over his business, and in so many years this is the first time they put up a request. I couldn't ignore it, I took the quest and took off to the bakery.
It is but a quick walk from the center, easily recognizable by the huge chimney on the side of the house. It is always full of people, creating lines that stretch outside of the bakery, well at least usually, as today there is no one to be seen, outside nor inside. The always lively place was empty of people and food, shelfs are empty and there is no smell coming from the kitchen. Soon I found the girl, she was sitting behind the wooden counter, in deep though, so much so that she hasn't even heard me enter.
"Hello?" I asked quietly, as to not scare her, and we don't know each other that well, outside a few encounters. She turned to me and answered: "Oh hey, sorry but there is no bread today, bandits hurt my father and stole what cash he was carrying and destroyed the flour and other items he was transporting to the bakery. Poor father." sobbing quietly. I know those guys, the local bandits that have been active for a while, and I know where they hide. "I will take care of it!" and without me even finishing the sentence she answered with a smile: "YOU WILL? Knights said they are unable to take care of them as there are wolfs on the border attacking, so I lost all hope, bring me the yellow purse that my father uses to carry his coins, and I will reward you properly!" something smelled fishy in her quick reaction, but it was a good experience so I took to the forest. Forests are a no-go zone for ordinary people, only the poorest or the best paid like adventurers willing went there, so it was a popular hiding spot for bandits. East from the village was filled with wheat fields, after which a smaller forest was located, not many guards are stationed there as it led to the beach which doesn't house any danger to people, that is where those bandits are. Once in the past I had a chance to fight two of them, it wasn't much of a fight as much as them going for a sneak attack then running, so going head first might sound dumb but there is nothing better against bandits. Killing them is legal, even awarded as they are considered lower then even slaves, ranged between monsters, so adventurers often took bandit hunting quests as their heads could fetch a high price at the office, a government building that takes in bandit reports, or rewards for killing the same bandits. Walking through the fields it didn't take much time to find them. They were sitting casually on a caravan, the one belonging to the baker, and enjoying their sweet time drinking and eating in the broad daylight, with no one opposing them. I have killed a rabbit, I have killed a deer, and I have once killed a wild horse with my sword, but I have never killed a human, I have fought them, but never killed, so I started thinking of a way to capture them alive.
"Fatso, what were you saying about a girl?" The smallest of the bunch, a thin man with a knife, sitting on top of the caravan was asking fat, shirtless caveman who was taking chunks out of a big piece of cooked meat. "I am telling you that the old man has a daughter, and if we continue attacking his caravans, he will go out of cash. " answered the fat guy, to which the third, tall guy with an axe, sitting on the fence next to the road continued: "So if they become beggars we can kidnap his daughter as no one would care about a homeless girl going missing, and… you know" to which he got up and started humping with his hips. The fat guy laughed and added: "Haha, if you give her to me I will…" after which my head went blank for the second time in the day, as I was listening to the description of what would three animals do to a poor lady. With a scream I run out of the wheat, sword in a wide slash cutting the head of the shortest guy, ignoring the fat guy, running towards the guy with the axe. "EY BOY" screamed the tall guy as he put up the short axe to defend, to which both the handle and half of his upper body were cut in a single slash of the sword. I was standing still looking at the sword, fatso was sitting on the ground stunned by the death of his comrades, and the sword was my only concern. I was suppose to hit his handle and throw him off balance then attack him, not go straight trough it. My though went back to the reality as the fat guy got up and started running, so quickly remembered the fancy move my mother used, the sword throw. left leg to the front, right back, sword in the right hand, the blunt side next to your face, blade pointing into the target, throw your body from the back leg to the leg in the front, throw the sword like a small spear but with a spin and hit the target. Fatso stopped, knelled, then fell to the ground, and with that my first even real fight ended in my victory.