The crunching of gravel under his boots rang endlessly with each step. Adjusting the weight of his pack and the sword on his side, the youth marched without rest.
He glanced forward: plains and forests met his gaze. Further ahead, a grand structure appeared—the capital of the Kingdom, Valtheris.
The young man had already travelled for two weeks from his home, coming from the far north. He journeyed on foot to arrive at the Aether capital of the great kingdom of Farhall.
Banditry, beasts, and a side of thieves. Without any guards or means of transport, the simple journey had truly been a test of his mental and physical fortitude.
However, the young man remained steadfast, his steps carrying a sense of purpose and weight each time he took them.
'Just a little bit more.'
These words had been echoed several times already in his mind throughout his journey, but when the end goal is visible, it finally gives the words some weight. He unknowingly picked up his pace and ran towards his destination.
The peace didn't last long as he heard a shrill scream in the distance.
He froze before surging into a sprint; the noise had come from farther down the road. As he got closer, the scene became clear.
Five Ravager Wolves. A battered caravan. A woman shielding a crying child, and a man bleeding on the ground.
Ravager Wolves are Aetheric Beasts. Stronger and faster than regular wolves, these monsters hunt in packs in the wildlands. Though they are common, they rarely venture this close to the main roads.
"Please! Someone help us!" the frightened woman cried, trembling as she desperately held her arms around the child.
As she screamed, one of the wolves lunged.
The young man moved.
In one quick motion, he unbuckled his sword from his hip, unsheathed it, and threw the scabbard. The scabbard struck the wolf mid-air, sending it crashing to the dirt.
The remaining Ravager Wolves turned to the young man; they growled and howled. Then they lunged to attack.
The young man let out a small breath, focusing his Aether flow. He felt a surge of Energy through his body and steadied himself, longsword in hand.
Two Ravager Wolves circled his left and right flanks, while two wolves charged him from the front.
The first wolf savagely tried to bite his neck, but was stopped dead in its tracks by a quick slash from the young man as he did an upper swing, sending the monster flying.
The second monster lunged from below, the young man reversed his grip and plunged his sword downward, steel piercing the ground as it went through its skull.
The remaining two wolves circling him growled in anger. They lunged at the young man from opposite sides. The young man ripped the blade free from the ground, but the unthinkable happened: his blade snapped.
He braced himself, focusing his energy throughout his whole body. He pivoted low and waited until the last second of the wolf's assault. Then, at the very last moment, he flourished into a lethal spin.
One wolf yelped as the broken blade severed one of its front legs. The other wolf took a deep gash across its face, but not before landing a quick swipe on the young man's chest.
The young man winced in pain, but this didn't stop his counterattack.
Without letting them recover, he quickly planted his broken sword on the skull of the second wolf, pinning it to the ground. The wolf that lost its foreleg barely had time to react before a steel-plated boot crushed its neck, instantly killing it.
Silence.
Panting, the young man turned to the woman. The last wolf ran away with a bloodied mouth back into the woods.
The young man jogged lightly and knelt beside the injured man. Pressing two fingers on his neck, he could feel a pulse, although weak.
"He's still alive!"
The woman let out a weak, broken sob of relief.
He turned the man over, his movements quick but careful. His chest had deep gashes on it, and his arm had been ripped open by a vicious bite. He shuffled through his pack and took out an Aether Converter.
He asked the woman cradling the child, "Do you have any healing spells on you?"
The woman weakly shook her head, "W-We don't have any converters."
He clicked his tongue as he quickly activated the device. Aether poured into the device, and a flame burned hot from the top of the output mechanism.
"I need to close his wounds," His voice was firm, but kind, "Go inside your caravan and get me any medical supplies you have." The young man ordered.
The woman nodded, hurriedly scooping up the child as she headed towards the caravan.
Without wasting any more time, the young man pressed the fire to the deepest part of the wound.
The injured man jolted awake, screaming in agony.
The young man gritted his teeth, using one arm to pin down the man from the shoulders. The woman watched in horror as she tried to shield the child. The struggle continued, but slowly and surely the bleeding stopped.
After a few minutes that felt like hours, he finally let go of his grip. The woman quickly applied ointments and bandages, her hands trembling.
The young man sat down on the ground, letting out a deep, slow breath, tension leaving his body. His hand covered the dull feeling of pain on his chest.
Minutes passed, and the man was no longer on death's door.
With a quiet and strained groan, the injured man slowly sat up. The woman gently tried to press him back, urging him to rest. The injured man shook his head and turned towards the young man, an expression filled with gratitude.
"We owe you our lives. Thank you."
The young man smiled at the pair and waved his hand dismissively, "Just doing the right thing. You being alive is all the thanks I need."
The man's eyes flickered with respect and curiosity, "What's your name? Are you a part of the knighthood?"
The man stood up and dusted himself off.
"My name is Alric." His voice carried a quiet determination. "I'm no knight yet- but soon, I'll carve my name among their highest ranks."
—
The small group introduced themselves to Alric; they're a small family of merchants. Making the big move to the capital in an attempt to secure a better life. They decided to leave their caravan in a secure place in order to get to the capital safely.
The injured man, the father, is called Raynar. The woman is named Fiola, while the child is called Millie. Alric walked alongside them, propping Raynar to prevent his wounds from opening further.
"It's impressive you were able to walk all the way from the far north," Raynar said.
"Most people would need about four weeks, and even then, they would need a convoy!"
Alric rubbed the back of his head, "The nuns always did say I'm stronger than the average person."
The husband and wife nodded their heads. That they can agree on.
After walking for a good hour, they finally reached the gates. There stood two knights who seemed young. One stood at attention with a laser-focused gaze, while the other seemed to be on the edge of falling asleep.
The sharp one was scanning the perimeter when his gaze landed on the group. He slammed his spear once, bringing attention to the other guard. The other guard jolted awake and screamed.
"Halt!"
The group stopped, the sudden pause making Raynar feel a hint of pain in his wounds. Before Alric or Fiola could check up on him, he stopped them and stood tall. "My name is Raynar, a travelling merchant. We were attacked by Ravager wolves." He stopped and took a breath, "We implore you to please help us," He finished before reeling back.
The sleepy knight sneered at the request. The sharp one only looked at the man coldly, "Entry permit and registrations, please"
Alric looked at the knight like he was a madman, "He's injured. Is that really what a knight should be thinking about? He needs help!"
"Shut your mouth! We have our responsibilities. I can't let him in or help him without the certificates."
Alric gritted his teeth, moving closer to the guard until he was face-to-face with him. "Help them, please."
The guard let out a huff, slamming down his spear, releasing a shockwave. The blast knocked Alric off his feet. He could feel faint hints of Energy in that slam. The sleepy guard just sneered even more at the sight, "Tough talk for someone so weak, hehe."
"Stand down, and get your papers. Don't make this messy."
"Wait a minute, Lance. You said you were merchants, yeah? How say we make a transaction?"
"Lando, the captain-"
"Hush, you! I'm presenting a peaceful solution here; besides, he's hurt. Isn't he?" Lando looked at the pair with a gleeful look.
"200 Gold Pieces, I'll handle all your paperwork, and you won't need to worry about anything else!"
"200 Gold!?" Fiola and Raynar said in surprise.
Alric clenched his fist, "It can't be that expensive to get a permit!"
The knight had the gall to let out a laugh, "It isn't, but my grace, time, and lenience are. You can choose to pay, or let him bleed out."
Alric had heard enough again, and he stepped to get closer to the guards. Before he could get closer, though, the sleepy guard snapped his spear, hitting Alric with the back of the hilt of his weapon. "Don't do this to yourself, kid. I'm still a Valtheris Knight."
"With that attitude? Fuck you." Alric hissed, waves of pain permeating the spot he was hit. Another Energy attack. These two are capable fighters.
"What's going on here?" a calm voice called out from the edge of the gate. Another young man walked up to them. He was tall and had greyish purple hair in a neat cut.
Lance bowed, "Lawrence." The other man, Lawrence, returned it, "Outsider merchants requesting access to the city. One is injured, from what he said, it was a Ravager Wolf attack, no entry permit or merchant certification."
"I see," Lawrence looked towards the family of merchants, and nodded as if he understood something. He turned his gaze towards Alric, still fighting the pain as he tried to get up from the floor.
"I'm assuming you're a bodyguard or some sort? What's your name?"
"I'm Alric, just a passerby. I heard a scream and helped them."
"A good Samaritan, this makes it easier then."
Lawrence moved closer to Alric. While he was still on the ground, he searched him, "Wait- What are you-!" Not long after, he took out a permit from one of Alric's pouches.
"Ah, excellent, we have an entry permit, from-" He took a closer look at the paper, "The far north border? A long way from home, aren't you?"
"Lance, help the man and get him medical attention. Lando, get the woman and child to the waiting room."
"And what are YOU doing?" Lando asked.
Already walking back towards the gate, without looking back, he answered, "Reporting to the captain."
Before entering the gate again, he stopped and pointed at Alric, "Alric! Go get their merchant's certificate and entry permit. I'm assuming they have a caravan or a cart?"
"Get it here by sundown, or we're kicking them out of the city!" With that, he completely disappeared into the gate. The two knights who were uncooperative before are now helping the family of three.
Alric finally got up and looked on as Raynar was escorted. He managed to look back at him and nodded his head, a grateful expression on his face.
Alric made a mad dash back to the caravan, which was almost an hour walk before was only a 5-minute journey at his full speed. He finally stopped where they left the caravan.
Hands on his knees, he tried to catch his breath, scanning the area he couldn't find the caravan. 'Weird, I'm pretty sure it was here.'
He ran again for a great distance, turning his head left and right every other minute, and found nothing. The caravan wasn't here. He kept running and running, he must have just forgotten where they put the caravan, all the roads look the same after all.
He kept running and running until he finally buckled down and dropped to his knees. With ragged breathing, he looked around and came to a dreaded conclusion.
The caravan was missing!