《Killian Collins》 A forest, a hunter, a few orcs and a mage. The fishes were happily jumping in the little stream down below. The first orc was looking at them. He scratched his head and turn back twoards the trees. He sized them up. Knocked on the wood before settling on a large birch tree. He grabbed it with both arms and with great efforts and a few growls, he uprooted the trunk. He proceded then to smash the trunk in half on his knee and sized his new, huge and crude mace. He took a few swings with it in the air, but the treeline was dense in this part of the forest and he hit a few more trunks with such strenght that they fell over. It made him laugh. He got back to the fish-filled stream and swung his hastly-made club. The blow created a huge crater in the water and flooded the shoreline. The water quickly receded, but the stunned fishes were now stranded. The orc danced of joy. Think of it as mixing douchey poses to show off his muscles and a toddler tapping his feet without rythm or logic. A sight you wished you would forget. The big green guy then picked up the fishes, sat down and started eating the poor creatures still alive, head first. I could feel Teeco''s disgust. A faint smile grew on my face. - Oh so now you know how I feel when you eat mice and vomit pellets all around my room, Teeco. Through our mental link, I could feel the outrage of my bird. - How dare you compare me to this filthy creature ? I am not a foul monster, Killian Collins, I am a black-striped owl, born and raised as the wisest of the avian kingdom. Although, I must admit that I never knew orcs could fish. -You learn something new everyday. ''Bet you didn''t know those savages could dance either... Tell me, wise and noble bird, what about the wind over there? - I did read they could, a long time ago. They can sing and dance. Very light breeze heading your direction. North-northwest as you call it ? Nobody realise how difficult it is to teach a bird about cardinal points until they have to. Which probably includes just me in the whole history of mankind. I aimed my rifle. stopped breathing and focused. About five hundread meters. Up on the hill, I had a good vantage point through the valley and an almost perfect shot. The bullet whistled and hit the orc''s head. It went throught his skull like a knife through butter. It forced him backwards, a fish still dangling in his mouth. Calmly, I ejected the casing and reloaded. I could feel a faint nudge of approbation coming from my lovely flying chicken, which would be akin to a "Wow, pretty impressive shot Killian" in a normal conversation. Oh well whatever. One down, five more to go. ----- The second orc was rummaging through a pile of scraps, ill kept equipement, body parts and other kind of exotic garbage inside of their camp. It is, for orcs, the equivalent of a well kept wardrobe, a neatly tided up storage chest, a dump, and a flea market all at once. The bigger and shiner the pile, the better. This one was quite large for such a small camp. They must have been here a long time. I scouted through the scope. -There, Teeco! They threw him on the pile. Man is this a bad way to go. Wouldn''t wish to be mauled and kept as a trophy even to my worst enemy. -Great, we finally found the thief. What about the stolen goods? -I don''t see the runes anywhere, but they must be in there somewhere. I sighed. The prospects of having to searched through a foul smelling dump for a few inscribed plates wasn''t enticing. Nothing could be easy, can it? -Killian, do we really need to kill them all? We could just grab the runes and fly away once we find them. -We could Teeco, indeed we could. However, orcs are far faster and stronger than either you or me. Moreover, once they realise that a human has been rummaging through their pile, they will be very, very pissed. As I cannot outrun nor overpower an orc in a fair fight, I will headshot them all, undetected and safe from harm. And then, and only then, will we dare go through the shit-pile and search for what we are looking for. I do not wish to end as a raging orc stress reliever. My owl didn''t answer, but I could feel his approval. He knew that I was right, just didn''t want to admit it. So tiny yet so prideful! -We have to take him out, but I Can''t get a clean shot Teeco. He has his head burried under this pile of scrap. Can you do something about it? -Of course, send the little bird to taunt the big green savage ! Nothing could go wrong! -Come on, Teeko! We still have four more to go after this one! AND as I am the only one with hands, who do you think will need to go through this pile of putrified corpses and broken stuff. At this rate it will take ages! I could feel my bird cursing through my mental link. Who would have thought that such a wise and noble creature would know so much degrading material relating to my genitalia. - I will haunt and curse you for eternity if he touches even ONE feather of my plumage! Teeco then flew atop the pile of scraps and started to hoot. The orc suddenly stopped what he was doing and stared at the bird, dumfounded. Orcs eat almost anything that moves, they are even perfectly cappable to eat each other in time of hunger. As such, wildlife from all over the world have developed an instinct to stay clear of the particular stench of an orc camp. An owl willingly landing into their camp would indeed be a bewildering sight for this green pile of muscles. A godsend. A juicy snack that he already drools about. He climbs the pile of scraps slowly, as sneaky as an elephant in a porcelain store. I can sense the fear coming from my companion. Pressing me to kill the foul beast. Praying that I won''t miss and end up being eaten. I brushed his thoughts asides. I have his neck in my line of sight. I focus and stop my breathing. Teeco''s alarmed word are ringing in my head, but I do not hear them. No. I feel the wind. The pressure of my finger on the trigger. The cold metal of the sight becoming warmer. Not yet. A little bit more. The orc stops, almost in reach of Teeco. He extend his arm slowly, open his hand and... falls limp at the bottom of the pile, a huge hole in the back of his head. -Dammit Killian! That was WAY too close for confort! I''m never doing that again! -I did get him, didn''t I? -And what do you want? a medal? Let''s go to the next one. The sooner we finish, the better. This quest will be the death of me. -You always say that, yet you seem pretty lively for a dead bird! ------ The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. -I still can''t see them, Teeco. I need to come closer. -I''m flying right above. Can''t get closer, they are in the trees and they might have bows. The smell is coming from the biggest oak. Wait! There''s one near you! -What? where? - He''s carrying a dead stag on his shoulder. He''s coming back to camp. South by Southwest. -He''ll see his kin and raise the alarm, I need to take him out now. Am I in his way? -Yes, a few more minutes and he''ll be on top of you. -No, I''ll be on top of him. I fixed a knife on my rifle and climbed with the made up bayonnette on the nearest tree. I didn''t have to wait long, I could already hear him trampling the fallen leaves along the way. I waited for him to come close, right under me. Without a sound, I jumped, and landed on top of him. Alone, I would have only staggered him, but the weight of the dead beast made him fall forward. He growled, furious, and with my legs screaming in pain, I wasted no time. I dodged a wild backward swing from his free hand by a hair''s breath. It would have had sent me flying. Never underestimate the reflexes of an orc. Before he could do anything else, I landed on his back and planted my improvised spear through his neck. A huge stream of blood splashed me. A spasm, two, and then nothing. - Ugh, You better throw those clothes now. The adrenaline was coming down. I wiped my face and undressed. My legs didn''t like the fall, but nothing seemed broken or sprained. I had spare clothes back in camp, but that would have to wait. I kept my shoes, my belt, took my rifle and contacted my snarky companion. -So, how many left? I could feel him whistling me as a whore. Whistling. I swear, one day I would eat roasted owl and not even feel bad about it. -Ha ha ha. So can we get back to business now? -Sure my apollo! I counted three. two in the big oak. The last one on the other side of the camp, by the huge boulder. -Then we circle around and take the lone orc first. I was halfway there when the owl panicked. - Killian we have a problem! someone is coming! -What? who? a villager? Does he have a death wish? -No, it isn''t a he, Killian, it''s a she. I climbed the nearest tree and scouted. It wasn''t hard to find the girl. A young woman in her twenties was walking seemingly without a care in the world, in the woods, alone, towards an orc camp. However, that wasn''t the strangest part. She had firelike hairs and no weapons or armor to speak of. -It''s a mage Killian. An ember mage at that! That''s not something you see everyday. - How do you know that? -The firelike hairs and the sigils drawn all over her clothes. Those are the Academy''s insignas. Fire is so difficult to control that half of mages are too scared to conjure even a tiny spark, while the other half gets burned to a crisp doing so. Do you know how rare to see a full fledge ember mage in the flesh? Great. A moving incendiary weapon in a forest waiting to be jumped on by orcs. As if this quest didn''t stink enough as it is. -We have to warn her! She''s heading straight to the two orcs hidden in the oak. They will maul her! -Yes that''s what orcs do to most, if not all, living things. I tried to convey this sentence in the most sarcastic way possible over a mental link. Sometimes, the slow reaction and lack of judgement of this bird amaze me as much as the sheer amount of knowledge he possesses. -Now, Teeco, as much as I would be pleased to meet such an interesting woman, I am currently a naked, orc-stinking, unshaved, and armed young man. I can''t realistically go and say hi. Neither can you, because I don''t want to risk you flapping over and getting roasted for nothing. She can''t hear you. At the very least, she''ll be a good disctraction for the two dingos up there. I might get a decent line of sight. Too bad her Academy never told her not to walk unprepared in the wrong neighborhood. - Almighty Avian, that one is cold, Killian! We have to help her! I don''t care, if you don''t I''ll go. -Come back here you... you... birdbrain! Too late, he was already flying over. I had to do something before my bird killed himself, but I needed a new vantage point. I passed by the fishing orc -the fish was still squirming in it''s mouth- and circled around their camp. On the outskirts I found my spot. I set up on an old stump, and scoped the orcs. Just in the nick of time. They had spotted her and she was almost upon them. I pressed the trigger. My target fell on the ground. He didn''t stand up, but I knew this wasn''t a kill shot. The mage immediately reacted. She dodged the other orc''s fall and stroke him with a fireblade. It just pissed him off. She dodged gracefully the wild strikes the berzerking giant threw at her while hitting back everytime he left an opening. She was dancing around him, and from the lashes and strikes, you could see the damage piling up, little by little, but It didn''t stop his rampage. The orcs wasn''t tiring and the other one was starting to regain consciousness. She would die at this rate, but I had no clear shot. - Teeco, do something! I need him still for a second! Teeco dived the orc and landed a claw in one of it''s eyes. The orc growled of pain, and just before is big arm could land a fatal blow on my bird, I shot him through the lungs. He stumbled and stopped his momentum, and the mage quickly conjured a ray of fire straight through his heart. It was about time, the second one was up and about. tossing aside the corpse of his kin, this one seems even more pissed of than the other. Unfortunately for him, the shot had landed in his knee and his right leg was bleeding heavily. He could not move as swiftly as his brother. The fire mage stepped back and prepped the exact same move. The orc shielded himself with his arms, but that didn''t stop the ray of fire coming from her hands blasting a hole through the juggernaut''s chest. I breathed. Then remembered something. -Teeco locate the last one! Now! Teeco started looking, but there was no need to. We heard an earth-shattering roar fulled by pure feral rage. I briefly saw him through the trees and emptied my charger on the giant. It didn''t stop him. However, instead of charging the mage, the juggernaut was now heading my way at full speed. -Shit! I reloaded and shot him agin, but no matter how many bullets came through, the furious green beast wouldn''t stop. I wasn''t as nimble as the mage, there was no way I could evade. I was almost down to my last bullet. I needed to hit his brain. I stood up and threw the scope aside. Three hundread meters. Focused, I could still sense the alarmed bird begging me to get out of the way. Two hundread meters. I aimed carefully. Just a little closer. One hundread meters. He was almost upon me. In a fraction of second that seemed almost as long as a lifetime, the mage swept the orc with a blazing kick. I pressed the trigger, but it was too slow. It grazed my falling target. The orc tumbled forward at full speed. I crouched, he bounced sideways on the stump and went crashing in the pile of filth just aside. Amazingly, the beast still wasn''t dead. He stood up, slowly, but was suddenly engulfed in a torrent of flame along with the pile. I can honestly say now, with a fair amount of certainty, the only thing stinking worse than a pile of orc scraps is a pile of orc scraps on fire. It took me a moment to regain my senses and let the reality sink in. She had just torched ten magical runes each worth a king''s ransom. Fucking mage. She looked at me like I was either an alien, the worst pervert she ever saw, or both. "- So, hum, friend! You know where the runes... the magic plates are ? You know, magic!" She made big gestures and a little flame with her hand to really illustrate her point. "-Yeah, you just baked all of them. Good job. For a fire mage, you aren''t very bright! " I said, bitterly. sighed and notified my bird. Come on Teeco, we''re leaving. I turned away from her and headed back to my camp. "-Hey! I didn''t know..." She was visibly offended but I didn''t really care. " Look, next time, just be more... Nevermind. I''m tired, I have a long way back and you just wasted two months of my life for nothing." As I was getting away, I could hear her calling me names she probably didn''t learn at school. The night fell when I arrived back at my camp. I washed and went almost immediately to sleep, trying not to think at this whole fiasco. I lost the runes and almost got killed for saving an idiot. A gorgeous, graceful and powerful idiot. It''s time like these you start to wonder if you didn''t get cursed with extremely bad luck. I closed my eyes, Teeco''s hoots made me drowsy and slumbering. You could still see the burning pile from miles away, shining brightly as a foul beacon in the dark. A daughter comes home "- No, mistress DeVermeer, there are still no answers." The innkeeper politely told me. I could tell the man was humbled of having the daughter of the baron inside his walls. I spent the night here, exhausted from my journey. I didn''t have much sleep in the forest, especially after the ambush. Two orcs almost got me, and I was only saved by a naked and foul-mouthed prick. I rummaged through my pockets and grabbed a charred piece of wood. What a failure that was. Father will not be pleased. I''ll have to make amends somehow. I send word of my arrival yesterday, yet there were still no word from the estate. This was unacceptable. The messenger couldn''t have gotten lost. The De Vermeer manor is the biggest landmark of Kandras, everybody knows where we live. I didn''t told him I was the daughter of the baron, Ferganne DeVermeer, because it seemed pretty obvious he knew about me. Was I mistaken? "Call for a carriage, innkeeper. I have been delayed long enough." The man bowed and quickly went outside. The lack of attention was getting on my nerve. You simply don''t make the daughter of the wealthiest man in the city wait. The carriage stopped at the gates. I exited the vehicle and headed straight to the gates. Nobody was there. Were the guards drunk so early in the morning? I sighed. I''ll need to talk to Edgar. No escort either? I need to walk all the way to the front door? This was infuriating! I''ll be sure to find the fool who has the audacity of getting on my nerves! Noone was at the door either. I opened it and I felt like something was missing in the great hall. There were no sound. Dozens of servants were usually inside. The manor is fairly large and needs maintenance. It has always been so. Where were they? A cold air stream gave me shivers. Something was very, very wrong. "-Father! Father where are you?" I rushed in his office, but he wasn''t there. I cursed and called him again. "Father! Answer me! Where is everybody?" I ran alongside the empty corridors. Slamming in every door along the way. I went through the servants quarter, through the master''s bedroom, through my quarters, through the baths, through the kitchens, through the multiple living rooms and salons. Every room was devoid of life. I called, I shouted, I screamed, I roared father''s, Edgar''s, anyone''s name really, but only stillness answered. I stopped, miserable, and desperate. I didn''t understand. Why was everyone gone? Still I continued to searched the mansion, when I stumbled on an open plate glass window. That''s why it was so cold in here. I went to close it, but I caught a faint scent coming from the garden. I knew that scent. It was Edgar''s curry. I rushed into the garden. I passed by the roses and clover fileds, over the little stream by catching a willlow''s branch and circled around the orchard. I finally found my destination. My late mother''s cottage that my father had made for her, years ago. The smoke was coming out of the chimney. At last, I had found someone. I rushed to the door only to find Edgar inside, preparing his curry. When he saw me he was genuinely surprised. I rushed to hug him. The old man embraced me, comforting me as he always had. Edgar is the intendent of the mansion and our oldest servant. Edgar has lived is whole life inside the DeVermeer estate. He never had any wife or children, but he raised me as his own daughter. "-I couldn''t find anybody, Edgar! I searched everywhere... I couldn''t..." "- I''m sorry Fefe, had I known you were back so early... Everything''s a mess since you went to retrieve the runes." "-What happened, Edgar? Where is father?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "-He is upstairs, in the bedroom. Maybe you should hear it from him, but I must warn you, he has become... sick since you left. He doesn''t eat or talk much to anyone other than himself." He served a bowl of curry on a tray. "There, try to make him eat this. You might have more luck than me." I climbed the stairs and knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again. "Father, it''s me." Still nothing. "I''m coming in." The room was a mess. The bed was undone. There were books and wine-stained bedsheets lying on the floor. My father was at a small desk, visibly writing something and mumbling to himself. The whole room stenched of sweat and alcohol. I carefully avoided to step over anything and sat towards him. My father, usually so clean and tidy, was but a husk of himself. His scalp was disheveled, some hair patches were missing. Usually full of life, his face was that of a ghost. He was pale, his cheeks were hollow, his eyes were those of a madman. My heart sank. Focused on writing something, he wasn''t paying attention to me. "-...And then we can invest in the river trade. No no no. Not the river trade. It''s not enough! We invest in the field. In the field? It''s risky. What if there is a flood? Or the mines maybe? Yes! Yes! Gold is the answer. We have to buy a new mine then. Who will I ask? Who will be interested? Marco? Siegried? Janelle maybe. Definitely. The Herzogs have always been greedy bastards! Ha! Or I could borrow more money. Buy more runes! That''s the way, yes, that''s the way!" "-Oh, father... What happened? Where is everybody?" I asked, in a hoarse voice. He turned towards me. Up close, his face was ghoulishly pale. "-Fefe! You''re here! I knew you would be alright. Where are the runes Fefe? We need to get to work! So much to do! So much to do!" "-The runes... The runes are lost, father." I handed him a piece of charred wood. "This is all that I could find." He jumped. "-No, no, no, no! Impossible! Fefe I trusted you! I trusted YOU! What did you do? Where are the runes? You kept them? Huh? You too want to see me ruined?" I broke in tears. "-I''m sorry, I didn''t know they were there. And the orcs attacked and..." "- After all I''ve sacrificed for you, after all I''ve done, you dare! You dare betray me! You''re just greedy like the others! Ungrateful brat! Ruined! Ruined and by my own flesh and blood! Ha! I''ve truly lost everything! At least I won''t have to disown you. Get out woman, you disgust me. Get out! OUT!" I rushed downstairs. I was devastated. Where was the kind and thoughtfull man that was my father? Where was everyone else? My whole world crumbled into dust and I had no idea how or why. Edgar came, and I broke down in tears. He started to sing a lullaby, one he always sang to me when he wanted me to calm down as a child. After a long time spent crying on his shoulder, I started to calm down. Then, he told me : "-Your father never talked about it, but the family was already deeply in debt when he became the baron. He tried his best and sacrificed much, but he never was the businessman he thought himself to be. He did manage to run things and stave off the loan sharks somehow, even after your mother''s death. A few months ago, he stumbled upon the runes. A merchant sold it to him at a fraction of their true value. Still, it was a lot of money; money that he couldn''t really spare, but your father took up the opportunity anyway. Reselling the runes to the right people would have definitely solve the dire financial state of the family, and left behind a sound estate for you to run. That''s always what he wanted for you. That''s also why he never talked about it with you. He wanted for you to be free of this burden and to do what you wanted. He was so proud when you became an embermage... Unfortunately, the runes were stolen. the loan sharks got wind of it somehow, and pressed your father. He couldn''t repel them this time. And when you left, he was forced to fire all the servants and sell the manor. Since then, he... He became sick." "- Why didn''t you tell me before? I could have done something, I could have..." "-He made me took an oath. You know me Fefe, I couldn''t have gone against his wishes. I respect him too much for that." "-Is that why you stayed behind?" "This is the only place for me to call home Fefe. I couldn''t live anywhere else even if I wanted to." "Oh Edgar, what will become of us?" "I don''t know, sweetheart, I don''t know." Kandras The road to Kandras was packed. Partys upon partys of adventurers were heading out into the world, cheerful and carefree. Monsters would be killed. Riches would be found. Heroes would be sung. You could read it on their faces. Battle cloths on, their pace was assured. Their hearts filled to the brim with courage. Their eyes hungry for blood. This close to Kandras the road was fairly safe. The forest however, would be their first test. How many would turn back after the first night in the wild? How many would venture forward recklessly and never come back? I passed by them, quiet as a tombstone. I just spent weeks in the woods for nothing. I was a disheveled mess, my cloths were torn and ripped, and no matter what I did I could not fully erase the lingering smell of blood on my body. I was tired, bitter, and really needed a bath. Gun on one shoulder, owl on the other, I was a sorry sight for all these bright young warriors. A dreadful sight. Something they didn''t wish to see. A lingering feeling in the back of their mind. As I walked by, the songs died out. Laughter got stuck in throats. The streets of Kandras are packed with guys that looked like me. Hollowed-eyes madmen, brave fighters turned raving beggars. The race to wealth and prestige is run on the trail of broken men, and there is no pity for the ones left behind. Someone cracked a joke. It must have been quite funny, because most of them couldn''t stop laughing. Hopelessness and failure vanished. Tension released, they proceeded to ignore me and quickly got back to their endless bickering. I was quite happy with that. Let themseleves drown their insecurities in meaningless songs and loud speeches. I was just too sour to deal with anyone. After two months of exhausting travels, I finally reached civilisation. The city of Kandras was lazily stretching on the banks of the Kand. I entered through the Docker''s gate. Kandras is the major inland port of the region. Huge cargo barges, easily ten times the height of a man were lined up at the Riverport. Dozens of dockers were unloading and reloading the fret as fast as they could. The city is a must stop for every merchant sailing up and down the Kand. With all the wildlands nearby, It attracts adventurers like moths to a flame. Only here could you find the best armors, weapons and magical artefacts, shipped from every part of the continent. The best guilds and the best smithies. The best friends, also. It is said that a party founded at the Bright Buck inn - the most famous drunkard hole in the city- was sure to find success and wealth. The lucky ones would come back in the city wealthy beyond any man''s dream. They told inflated tales of their quests and made sure some kind of destiny was always at work behind the scenes. They should be set for life, but it wasn''t rare for a lot of them to squander their wealth in a few days. Only in Kandras could you be rich as a king one day, only to live on the muddy streets the next. So much money is sure to attract the most dubious minds. It is said there are as many adventurer''s guilds as criminal syndicates in the city. Honestly, it is hard to define which is which. Adventurers certainly aren''t a gentle bunch, and you were as likely to be robbed by one as a real, certified mugger. Men fell like ripped apple from the tree in this cesspool. In fact, people get uneasy in Kandras if at least one body isn''t found in the gutter at dawn. On the hill overhanging the city was the baron''s estate. It was a magnificent manor that you could see from miles around.-Being easily spotable seemed like a De Vermeer tradition-. Nobles might rule the land, but no one really could rule Kandras. Every dog wants to chew on the bone and it certainly isn''t the baron''s money that makes the guards look away when a poor fellow gets shanked. Ruthless town for a ruthless world. However, I didn''t settle here for the endless greed or violence. No. Kandras is an old city. Said to be the where one''s secret wishes becomes reality, no matter what that wish may be. Every play, every story, every bard''s songs somehow begins in this city. I''d read somewhere that Kandras means hope in an old, forgotten language. At dusk, when the dockers, heroes and muggers are all already on their third pint, I sit on the docks and watches the river, slowly rocked by the creaking wood of the barges. It reminds me of another time. Another place. Warmer, filled with friends and family, with love ; a world where I didn''t have to kill anyone or destroy anything just to survive. It reminds me of home. ------- Teeco was hungry and flew away. I walk through the town and made my way home. I had a decent shack in a decent neighborhood. Rent was higher because it was in the merchant''s quarter, but the streets were safer. It wasn''t much, just a room, a bed a few furnitures, but that''s way more confortable than the dirty soil I''ve been sleeping on the last two months. I had so badly wanted to sleep on a real bed again. I climbed the stairs leading to the second floor and opened the door... Only to find a young couple going at it on my bed. I snapped. They were into it and didn''t notice me. I grabbed the man by the neck and yanked him backwards. The girl''s pleasure moans suddenly tunred into horrified screams. I grabbed him by the foot, dragged him away and threw him down the stairs. Mayhem ensued. The girl grabbed a knife and tried to shank me. I evaded and got her by the hair, threw her on top of her lover who was trying to get back up. My landlord showed up, seemingly pissed off about the commotion but his face became paler than a ghost when he saw me. I reached their stuff and threw it haphazardly on the street, spewing my rage with words that would even make the dirtiest whore uneasy. The couple came back up but the man got knocked out when I threw a shield that randomly bounced on his head. The girl cried and tried to wake her lover, to no avail. The landlord tried to intervene but couldn''t stop me until I had nothing left to throw. I looked around. I had attracted quite a crowd of curious Joe''s. I threatened them with my rifle and they were gone as fast as they came up. They might have not known what bullets are, but you always know when a crazy guy points a deadly weapon at you. I calmed down a little when I couldn''t find anything or anyone else to vent my fury on. The landlord came cautiously and explained to me he thought I wouldn''t show up anymore. Grace Fairlight had come by a while ago and told him I was gone. Gone! I pushed him away and headed for the guild.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I slammed my fist on her desk. I was outraged. Grace, the guildmaster, did not react. "-So because I took a little time you told everyone I wouldn''t come back. Which is it Grace, did you think I was dead or did you think I ran away with the runes ? The old lady wasn''t fased by my sour temper. Calmly, she answered : "-Killian, I didn''t hear from you for nearly two months! Of course I would be worried... Everyone in their right mind would be. Take a look at your last message." She opened a drawer and handed me a hastily written note. My note. Thief went to the forest. Following him. "Everybody knows there are orcs in this forest! Orcs! Do you know how many men I lost trying to root them out?" "- Tracking a thief, realising he got jumped on by the greenskins, stalking and counting the savages, finding a good time and a good spot to take them out. All of this in the boondocks, far from civilisation of any kind. I''d say taking only two months to do all that is quite a feat... Unfortunately, someone got in my way and set the runes ablaze with her wild magic! Where the hell did you find an embermage anyway?" "- She is the daughter of baron De Vermeer. At first I ignored her request, but weeks kept passing without a word from you! She seemed capable of handling herself so I pointed her in your direction. I heard she took down three orcs. " "-She almost got jumped by them! Goddamn nobles!" "- Anyhow, I''ve sent word to the baron, his daughter is back home already. Since I didn''t received word from them, I assume they wish to forget about this... mess. Or they might be thinking about a punishment of some kind. You never know with nobles." "Great. So I just hope the daughter won''t lie and pin all of this on me?" "Pretty much. Nobles do what nobles want, Killian." She smiled. "Don''t worry Killian, the gallows aren''t as bad as you think!" "I don''t think your bad sense of humor will be enough to get me out of this dump." "I''m already working on it. I won''t leave you hanging. You are one of my best after all. " she looked at the flea ridden young man she had in front of her. "That''ll get you time to get a bath, a haircut and fresh clothes. I''ll send word if there is any developpement and I''ll see what I can do for your housing issue. I am sorry Killian, I shouldn''t have doubted you." I sighed. "Fine, fine. I... Nevermind. I''ll be at the thermal baths." I couldn''t possibly stay mad at the only person I trusted in this town. I laid down in the steaming pool. The thermae were huge in Kandras. Unexpectedly, in a city where murder was common currency, you wouldn''t expect your killer to be really mindful of his own cleanliness. But he was. The pools were a neutral zone, no one was allowed any weapons or magic inside, and hurting someone in the baths was a grievous offense. It was one of the few haven of precious peace in an ever increasingly chaotic whirlpool. The baths were old. Very old. It is said the first De Vermeer had them built, but there were no records of it. Whatever the case maybe, I dropped in the hot, steamy bath like a rock at the bottom of the ocean. For the first time in what seemed like years, I could finally relax. It was the best time of the day, they were almost empty, and would be until nightfall. I felt drowsy and my thoughts wandered. I felt my owl, he had caught a mouse and was ripping it apart, as he couldn''t eat it whole. It was disgusting. -And what do you think I feel when you eat chicken or duck? pointed my companion. -It''s not the same thing! Besides, duck breast is delicious. I smiled. Not everything was awful in this world after all. In all my wildest dreams, I never would have guessed that my best friend would be an owl. I do not have a habit to talk to animals. Most, I can''t stand. I do not understand how or why we can talk to each other, but we do. For a while I thought I was sick because I felt like vomiting my dinner everytime I ate, turned out that it was only him regurgitating his preys. He showed up at my window one day, saying he could hear and feel my every thought. Since then, we stuck together. - Teeco, how would you feel about a little trip to Ma?lam, or Ghist, maybe? - Why, in the Great Avian''s holy name, would you want to go in Ma?lam? Magic? I''m pretty sure you have absolutely no ability for magic. - I do not know Teeco. I just want to go. I''m getting sick of all this. Sick and tired. -Meaning you don''t want to go questing anymore? -What for? Another "fetch this, kill that" in another random location, just to come back empty ended after weeks of dangerous travels? The first time it feels like a challenge. The second time hurts your pride. After a while, you really don''t care anymore. - You know, you could always throw a party and invite your friends over if you are feeling down. - Beside a very peculiar bird, I don''t have any friends here. Much less a girlfriend, before you ask. - What about getting home? -That''s impossible! - The ancients believed that it would be impossible for humanity to survive. Yet, thousands of years later, the continent is littered with humans towns and villages. More so than every other races. -Well I don''t have thousand of years, Teeco ! All the sorcerers I asked told me that travelling to and from another world is impossible. From what I understood of their magical mumbo-jumbo, it would akin to the difficulty of travelling faster than the speed of light. -Yet you did it. -I don''t know how! Unless there''s a magical tornado that''ll swallow and swipe me back to Texas, I''m at a loss at what to do. - Well I don''t know about any magical tornadoes... -Figure of speech, the point is, as much as I''d like to get home, I can''t. I''m stranded. -Alright, alright, fair enough Mr Grumpy. All I''m trying to say is : being carried by the wind like a tumble weed isn''t such a great idea. I understand that the glitter of adventuring wore off. You''ve seen enough, done enough. A change of pace is indeed in order, but don''t throw another rock on top of the mountain. Find something that inspires you. Now, if you don''t mind, I''d like to finish my dinner in peace. Leaving him to his rodent, I dosed off. I woke up only hours later, skin crumpled like an old man. A messenger caught me outside the thermae and handed me a note. "Couldn''t get your room back. Trying to find new lodgings. All your stuff is at the guild. Sleep there tonight. -Grace." Sleeping at the guild meant sleeping on rock hard bunk beds, I tried them once, and promised to myself : never again. I knew just where I would spend the night. I just needed a quick trip to the barber.