CHAPTER 3
Normal people would be shocked at sight of blood and death, yet I wasn't. I have seen people die before, it was long ago, wolfs attacked our village, that wasn't new, but their number were a lot greater than ever before. I was safe, wolfs never approached our house, but I could see knights fighting out my window, knights were many, but they were no match for the wolfs. That was a bloody day, it ended in our victory, but at a heavy cost. That is the reason old Fred, the leader of the knights in our village, is so worried whenever he sees wolfs, he is one of the few who survived that day. I couldn't put their bodies into the cart, it was still full of good ingredients, so I just took the short sword and both halves of the axe, moved their bodies on the other side of the fence and came back to the village. As I walk down the village path, I see many familiar faces, I wave, I say hi, I talk and laugh, yet I know that soon I won't be seeing any familiar faces, maybe never again. I could come back to see a totally new village, with all new faces, maybe there will be no village to return to, that is even if I get a chance to return. So there and then I decided on my goal, return to the village with many stories to tell, many riches and friends, and make sure everyone is safe and sound. Soon I got to the bakery, where the baker himself was waiting outside, an old man with a hunched back, half hanging himself off his daughters shoulder, half standing by himself. "Young boy, you saved this old mans bakery. I am truly thankful!" Old man said as he walked towards the cart that I pulled, "Thank you so much, here is the commission as promised." Said the girl with a smile as she handed me a small pouch with coins in it.
"It seems…" The old man started, to which I turned around and saw him holding the upper part of the axe: "They are no more"
"They are no more" I answered with half of a smile, not a proud half, yet not a guilty half, just a half. "Boy, I talked with your father, and I know where you plan on going. Be smart, I have seen lots of this world, and you can't even start to imagine what kind of monsters roam there, more than half of them wear human skin to trick you! I have prepared something for you." To which he points to a bag lying next to the door. In the bag were a few pieces of bread, with a weird blue color. "That is army bread" Continued the old man: "It is made with some magic dust to preserve it for longer, and it restores energy quicker, so it is also popular amongst adventurers. And…." While he was talking, he slowly walked towards me, and as he got close, he pulled me down to his height and whispered: "Remember that there is a young lady waiting for your safe return.". It seems I have another reason to return to this village one day, I took the weapons, took the bread, said goodbye and left for the village office. It was but a short walk, soon I found myself in front of a shabby building, a well kept shabby building. Knights in front of the building allowed me to enter as I was a common visitor here, and I was already in front of the knight captain himself, captain Fred. "ISNT IT OUR GREATES WARRIOR?! WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU LITTLE FELLA?!" While the baker was a short nice grandpa, captain was as old, but huge like a wall and seemed like he could live another 100 years, that is what being a fighter does to a body. "Bandit hunting" I say as I show him the weapons I took. He quickly looked at the broken axe, then the bag I got from the baker: "So it really is true, you are going out." It is rare to hear him being so calm, it is usually before morning or when he is in front of the village head. "There is nothing left for me to teach you, my offer to become a knight and join the ranks is always open if you change your mind!"
"Sorry but there is still a lot for me to do out there." He has been offering me this position many times, but this is the first time that it hurt to turn him down. "Then this is my gift to you, I….. Never told you my true stories, I hope this book helps you clean up all the questions that I have given you though out the years." He said while pulling out a red hardcovered book from behind him. Basic Monster Guide, or BMG, was a book I hear many times but never got a chance to see one, and I quickly figured out why while scrolling the pages. Goblins, Ogres, Great Pythons, Skeletons, Dragons, all the mythical being from the stories and some that I have never even heard of. "Normal humans are easy to scare, tell them there exist moving corpses, they attack a church, tell them goblins attack children, kids stop going to school. Mythical being are real, not legends, and the best proof is to the south of us, where goblins reside, and the village next to it, Hillcrest. I suggest that you make it your next destination, as a good blacksmith lives there and can make you some good armor. Just tell him my name. Oh, and here is for the commission" He hands me 3 silver coins and gives me a pat on the shoulder: "Come back.". I thanked him and went on my way.
"To imagine a great warrior like you crying" said a voice in the dark to captain. "Old man get out, there is no one around." Answered captain to which old baker emerged from the shadow. "I feel sorry for him mother." Said baker, "That witch left her child to Anna, and she accepted him as her, her heart will be broken.". Captain turned to face the window and said: "We did all we could, I trained him as much as I could, and you even left him your prized arch-mages bread, lucky kid". "My friend, it is time to retire, our time is at its end" said old baker as he stares into the fields covered in small wooden houses.: "You were once an imperial knight, now protecting a small village, and I was a great mage of the empire, now a baker, and even that is becoming too much of a burden on my body.". "My friend, I shall protect this village as it is the last place we can call home, and I am happy with this."
I came back home to take my bags, store the book and bread into it, and took to Hillcrest!