《Fields To Fights》


 chapter 1

    The year is 613 post divergence on the continent of Leandra. Within the kingdom of Kardesh there lies a small village called Old birch.


    "I''m hoooome!" I shouted to noone as I stepped into this wooden shack I call a home. Being about eight foot tall, I instinctively duck as I pass under the door frame. Kicking off my boots and leaning my hoe against the wall I head into the bedroom. I start to take off my brown leather trousers and white shirt, throwing them into a pile on the floor. I stretched my tanned body, scratched my short black hair and yawned as I flop down onto the bed, running the conversation through my head again that i''d just had with an old merchant friend.


    "Aye, Jax. did ya hear?" The dwarven man asked me, who was sitting next to me at the bar. "The guild is upping rewards and even offering training lessons from veterans." He continued, taking a swig from his tankard of mead. I have known Quinn for about three years now. Ever since I helped push his carriage out of a ditch and let him stay the night. Quinn would be your stereotypical dwarf. Aged somewhere in his thirties, he has a long brown beard and hair tied into a braid. Height of around four and a half feet, and a love for booze and anything shiny.


    "I know i''ve heard, you''ve been telling me about this for the last three months. What are you getting at?" Everytime Quinn passed through here, he would always wait for me to finish in the fields and drag me off to the only pub in town to get drunk. He''d talk of the stories he''d heard on the road. We got along quite well for being so different from one another. Our height aside, we had very different lives, with him always on the move selling wares and me planting crops and tilling fields. Every month we would drink and moan about how hard and boring life was, yell about how good the higher class had it in the capital, all the while laughing up a storm. I would be lying if I said I didn''t look forward to these nights. Breaks up all the boring and lonely days. I would never tell the ball of ego that though.


    "Well I bring it up again lad, because I finally got the gold to buy my own shop, in Baalmore no less. So this might be the last drink we get to have together for a while." Quinn said.


    "Well, congratulations. I know how hard you¡¯ve been working to try and get one there for a while. Hopefully you can come and have a drink with me every now and again." I said giving a weak smile. Silence fills the air as I stare into my tankard, I''ll miss this.


    "I came today with more than just a good tale Jax my boy. I came with an offer. You said you had moved here and signed on for four years of work and you have about a year left yea? But I know for a fact that you hate it and that this isn''t what you ever wanted. That''s why I bring it up all the time. Hoping maybe you''ll ask for help so you can leave this place and do what you always wished. But you never do, do yea? Just down drink after drink, looking meek and lost, as I talk about how great the cities are, about how i''m trying to set up a base of operations somewhere. So I made up my mind and before meeting up with ye I went ahead and visited the village chief and paid off your last year on your contract." Quinn said as he went for another sip.


    "Why in the gods did you do that!" I shouted, standing up, knocking over a stool and banging my head on one of the wooden bars.


    "Aye, calm down ya damn tree, you''ll break mam''s bar again." Quinn said looking up at me with a shake of his head. "I can do what I want with my own coin can''t I? And even after the contract ran out you still would of signed another one. So I made the choice for ya!" Quinn shouted, downing his drink in one go and slamming it down on the bar. "Everyone here knows you''ll be a damn fine adventurer and it''s all you go on about when you get smashed. So if you finally stop being a huge wuss and want to do something with ya life, i''ll wait for ya tomorrow morning by the road leading out. And look, if you don''t wanna i''m sure the chief would hire you again but is that really what ya want though?" Quinn asked as he walked towards the door. "Oh and one last thing. If you do decide you''re coming along, remember to pack your bags and don''t think I did this for free. I''ll be having you help me set up and spread the word of my shop!" with a hearty laugh he left the bar with me just standing there motionless. As I came back to my senses, I payed for both of our drinks, whispered to noone to stop calling me tree and headed home.


    "Arr, damn it!" I yelled as I stood back up.That damn dwarf! Pulling something like this.I thought as I looked around my room. The house I was given when I first moved here was a small, three roomed wooden shack containing one bedroom, one kitchen area and a small living/storage room with an outhouse round the back. It was located on the outskirts of the village on a hill, giving it a view of the road leading in and out. It''s how I managed to spot Quinn''s carriage the first time we met. It was a little rundown seeing as noone had lived in it for decades but with some patch work done and some help from the local lumberjacks it managed to shelter me from the harsh extremes of weather. As it was still the middle of summer I had left my room door open as it would get too hot. I could see my trusty farming hoe i''d got as for my two years service from the farms owner leaning against the wall. It''s the only thing I could probably call my own, apart from two sets of clothes and a straw sack to carry things in. Sure, I had the money i''d saved up over the years but seeing how there was nothing you could really buy apart from the necessities and beer in a small village like this, I didn''t really have a use for it. After racking my brain and staring into space for a while I had one last thought before laying back down and closing my eyes.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Tomorrow morning huh?


    "Do you really think he''ll show?" asked an elven looking man.


    "Of course he will lad. Do you really think he''ll miss an opportunity this good?" Replied Quinn, who was sitting in the driver''s seat of the carriage with his head in the palm of a hand.


    " I agree with Gil. He sounds like the indecisive type." Said a man leaning round the back of the carriage.


    "Oi you. Get back here and help load the boxes." Said a female voice. "And I agree with the boss, his work contract was paid off by a friend. Do you think he would happily live with that debt?" She continued.


    "How would you know? You''ve never met the guy!" Replied the man as he disappeared back behind the carriage again.


    "From the way boss talks about him, I doubt he wouldn''t." Said the woman."Wanna have a bet? The loser buys the next round of drinks. I bet he shows."


    "deal."


    After around 10 minutes of waiting Gil spoke up. "The suns now above the trees. Still think he''ll show?"


    "Give the guy a few minutes. From all the drinking we did he''s probably a bit groggy." Quinn said looking down with a grin. "That and he is probably saying goodbye to the village." As Quinn finished saying that, he spotted a large silhouette over the horizon. "Finish loading up guys. It''s time to get going." Quinn shouted to the back of the carriage. "See? I knew he would."


    I woke up earlier than usual maybe because I had a lot on my mind last night but I decided to tourOld birchone last time. My first stop was to the chief to give him my regards for all these years. After a brief goodbye and handshake with the words ¡°if you ever have any trouble come give us a visit¡± I moved onto the pub.


    Ada was the owner and bartender of the only pub in Oldbirch, a stocky and ruff woman who would always save two seats for me and Quinn and keep the pub open just a little longer on some of our worst nights. Though I did learn why its called the ¡®Dragons Rage¡¯ the night after I got blackout drunk for the first time ever and tore the whole place up in a frenzy. The hangover and loss of memory was not the only reason I was hurting that day.


    After one last drink on the house and a slap on the back she said ¡°come have a drink if i¡¯m ever in the area¡± I started heading back home to pack my stuff and said my goodbyes to all the other farmers who were already in the fields.


    "Sorry for making you guys wait. I had to some things to do before leaving." I said as I walked down to the meeting place.


    "Not a problem lad. So, got everything?" Quinn asked as he grabbed ahold of the horses reins.


    "All set" I replied "And thanks."


    "Ha! I''ll make sure you pay me back aplenty. Oh but before we set off we need to do introductions. You lot, come round here!" Quin said with a toothy smile. Three people lined up beside the carriage. The first to speak was the elven looking man.


    "You probably remember me from the first time we met but i''m Gilgwyn. Most people call me Gil and i''m a half elf. My class being a thief. I work under sir Quinn. Pleasure." Gilgwyn looked exactly like an elf with the nearly pale skin and long flowing silver hair but what sets him apart is the slightly shorter ears and brown eyes instead of the usual green or blue. You could never tell how old elves were, but half elves were a bit easier so if I had to guess I would maybe say late twenties? He was wearing a long black cloak over what looked to be dark leathers with some knives hanging off his waist.


    "Nice to meet you." I said with a nod.


    "I''ll go next!" Said the other man. "Hey. I''m Erwin. Human, obviously. I''m a swordsman and my guild rank is D. Was hired to escort the boss again. Nice to meetcha!" Erwin looked to be about late teens early twenties with short brown hair. His height looked to be about average around five and a half feet tall. He was wearing basic brown leather armour with what looked to be a some sort of sword by his hip and had iron bracers on both wrists.


    "I guess i''m last." The woman said. "My names Rose. I''m also human. A brawler, rank D-. Took this as a quest also. Hope we get along." Rose finished with a short nod. Rose was probably a little older than Erwin, taller too at about six feet. She too, wears leathers But over the top of the leather was an iron breastplate with quite a few scratches on it. She wore two iron gauntlets on both hands that were a lot thicker than Erwins bracers. They had small bumps at the knuckles too.


    "Yes. Nice to meet you both." I said with a little bow.


    "My turn then." I said before introducing myself. "My name is Jax and before you ask, I am a human and not some type of giant. I''m a far- I mean former farmer and a friend of Quinns. Nice to meet you all."


    "Alright then. If you''re all done hop in the back and lets get going. We should get to Baalmore in about three days travel. But if we ride all day with no breaks we might get there in two and half." Quinn said as we climbed into the back next to some crates and bags. Whipping the horses with the reins we set out down the long winding road towards our destination.


    Onward. To Baalmore.

 chapter 2

    After a day of bumpy travel, we decide to set up camp just as the sun begins to set. We spot a clearing just up ahead, so we pull to the side of the road and start grabbing camping equipment out of the carriage.


    "Aye, this looks good enough." Quinn said dropping the last bag to the floor. "Right then. Me and Rose will go look for some dry wood to start a fire, Gil will move the carriage more onto the grass and out of the way of other travelers, oh and feed the horses while your at it, lastly." Quinn stopped and pointed to me and Erwin. "You two can start putting up tents. Jax has probably never done this before so you''ll have to show him how to do it."


    With a nod to her, both Quinn and Rose went over the other side of the road and into the forest to look for twigs and broken branches, Gilgwyn on the other hand walked over to the carriage and started to lead the horses onto the field, leaving just us two alone in the middle of the clearing.


    "alrighty then. let''s get started, if you need any help just give me a shout and i''ll come running over." Erwin said with a smile, running over to one of the bags that were at our feet.


    "okay. I''ll do my best." I said, going over to another bag and emptying out the contents.


    About twenty minutes after we started, during which Gilgwyn came over to help us, we managed to set up all three tents in a semicircle just to the side of a small fire pit we had dug out. The tents were only big enough for two people to sleep in and seeing as we had a spare, it was decided that whoever was on watch would sit in the doorway of the middle one and guard some bags we had put in there. After another five minutes had past we could see Rose and Quinn walking back over from the forest with arms full of wood.


    When they got back and lit the sticks with some flint and tinder, we needed to decide what the watch rotation was gonna be. After some discussion it was decided that it was going to be two hours per person and that I was going to take first watch, seeing as I needed to get used to staying up longer and nothing usually attacked just after dusk. Rose would be up next followed by Erwin and lastly Gilgwyn before we set out again. It was also proposed that we keep this set up all the way till reaching Baalmore, as it would mean the two of them guarding the carriage would get more sleep and I would get some practice in before becoming an adventurer. I would also like to add that Quinn apparently didn''t need to take a watch because "the client shouldn''t have too" according to Erwin. The look on his face,the smug bastard.


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    During this conversion the sun had completely set and the moon was just now poking over the horizon. With the fire now fully burning we finally sat down for dinner. Gilwyn put three iron spikes into the ground around the fire in a triangle formation, with a pot hanging in the middle. Opening said pot revealed some sort of vegetable broth. Quinn went on to say that it''s the leftovers from two nights ago, the night before arriving at Old birch. Waiting for the food to reheat, we went ahead and got ourselves a cup of water from one of the barrels in the carriage, with Quinn pulling a flask of liquor out of nowhere.


    After ten minutes of belly rumblings and mouths drooling the soup was hot enough to eat, with everyone running off to grab a wooden bowl and spoon then lining up in front of Gilgwyn. Half way through the meal Erwin spoke up, asking. "Hey Jax. You wanna work for the guild right? How come?"


    "Well, I grew up west of here in Suburn in an orphanage run by a retired adventuring couple. We would often hear stories from back when they were still active that I would dream about every day.They always knew that I wanted to be like them when I was old enough so they always made sure I knew that adventuring was a taxing job and warned me of all the dangers that came with it. But as I got closer to coming of age the orphanage fell on hard times, so I resolved to get a stable job as fast as I could to pay them back for all they had done for me.¡± I stopped, having another mouthful of food.


    "that''s it?" Erwin said.


    "Well I was always busy moving from one job to the next trying to earn as much money as I can that I didn¡¯t have time for anything else.¡± I continued. ¡°It was only about two or three years ago that the orphanage was stable again. Seeing as it had only just gotten stable and I was already locked into a contract I decided to keep working and sending money back like I had always done.¡± I said, finishing up my bowl.


    "Then I came around and gave you that opportunity, and here we are." Quinn said as he stood up, getting seconds.


    "Things worked out in the end then huh?" Gil said. Who was lying down on the grass.


    " Adventuring runs in my family so it was only natural that I did as well. That and I always wanted to be like my uncle, who chose the swordsman class too" Erwin said.


    ¡°I needed money among other things and it seemed like the best option at the time. But that¡¯s behind me now, I quit and now I work for Quinn.¡± Gil said with a nod to the dwarf that was stuffing his face.


    "Well I got into fights a lot and decided I should get paid for it." Rose declared, earning a laugh from all of us.


    With all the bowls empty and our stomachs full we headed off to bed, well apart from me who was on first watch.


    I did fine for the first hour, poking the fire with a stick and keeping it from fully going out. But half way through the second hour, my eyes started to sway even as I kept pinching my leg and cheeks desperately trying to stay awake. The next thing I saw was Rose shaking me awake. Realising what i''d done, I apologised profusely but she waved it off saying that I did better than she thought I would. Standing up and saying good night I slowly walked over to a tent with a open spot, crawling into the other bed roll laid out and passing out.


    The night must have been uneventful, as I woke up to the sun just rising over the horizon and the party stirring awake. Taking the tents down and packing everything away, we loaded it all back onto the carriage and moved it onto the road as we prepared to set out again, hoping the trip would be just as uneventful as the first day.

 chapter 3

    During our second days travel there was a big increase in traffic, both from other carriages and even groups of people on foot. That would explain why after just a few hours since setting off, the roads got steadily wider, enough for two carriages to pass though side by side. There was a large variety of races passing by like elves, gnomes and even people from races i''ve only heard about like beastkin. I was told a long time ago by a biologist that some people believe that dwarfs and gnomes were once one race, but when some of them left their mountains and caves and moved into swamps and forests, secluding themselves from the world they evolved into a new one. When I brought this up to Quinn a while ago he said to never talk about this to a gnome or dwarf, unless I was looking for a fight.


    Note taken.


    Apart from the people, most of the carriages look different too. With some being bigger, smaller and having no roof or having such a big one that noone could see inside. Some carried wooden boxes and barrels like ours, while others just transported people. I decided to take this opportunity to ask some questions I had been thinking over this past day.


    "How big is Baalmore anyways?" I asked to my group.


    "Have you seriously never been?" replied Erwin who was sitting across from me, raising an eyebrow.


    "I had once when I was very little because the king wasnpassing through, though I don''t really remember it. But apart from that no, I never needed to." I said.


    "Well seeing as it''s the second biggest city in the kingdom and smack bang in the middle of it, i''d say it''s pretty big." Quinn said as he looked over his shoulder into the back of the carriage.


    "Also, it''s home to the main branch and largest guild hall so it has a lot of people passing in and out." Rose added, who was to my left. She went on to say that the city is surrounded by thick stone walls that reach high into the sky, with four heavily guarded gates in the cardinal directions. Once someone has passed a security check, they enter the first district. The city is split into three rings that the people call the districts.


    The first ring is the housing district, which is exactly what it sounds like. All building around the very edge are where the people who live in the city stay. Next is the middle ring called the commercial district. Where most shops, inns and taverns are located with one big market on the east side. Last but not least the very center of the city called the guild district. At the heart of the city lies the adventurers guild, that even dwarfs a cathedral that holds all the staff that work there, some guild owned shops for its members and private rooms for parties and quest givers to gather in. It also houses the strongest members of the continents guilds and leader who runs it all, the rank S guild master. Surrounding it are the smithys that make the armour and weapons used by members, alchemy masters that sell traveling essentials and potions, towers of mages clans that sell magical items and the city barracks that houses the guards who protect the city.


    "Sounds like a busy place." I said after taking it all in.


    "well I guess so, you get used to it after awhile." said Rose.


    "We will be heading to the commercial district when we arrive, the shop we managed to buy is on the west side." said Gilgwyn from up front, sitting next to Quinn.


    "Aye, then you two can go turn this quest in and get paid." said Quinn.


    "yes sir." They both replied.


    After a long and uneventful day of travel we pulled over yet again and set to making camp.


    after going through the same procedure we did last time, we had just sat down and started to wait for the fire to get hot enough to cook with. When we all heard a god awful sound come from the treeline nearby, that sounded like a cross between a cows moo and someone gargling. Immediately Erwin, Rose and Gilgwyn shot to their feet and started to form a circle around me and Quinn, quickly drawing their weapons as they never broke eye contact from where it came from. Some seconds past as I held my breath waiting for something to appear. Quinn broke the silence, asking the question on my mind.


    "What in the blazes was that?" he said.


    "Shush, it''s probably still nearby." Rose said with a single armoured finger to her lips.


    Another few tense seconds went by as the bushes on the other side of camp started to rustle, coursing the three of them to drop into a stance as they waited for whatever it was to show.


    Just as the rustling stopped Rose shouted for us to hide as the three of them fanned out into a triangular position before another, louder gargling sound was made as two large figures charged out from the forest.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "It''s cattle demons!" she yelled out as the three of them dashed forward aiming to intercept them.


    "Oi, lad. Let''s run and hide behind the carriage." Quinn said, pulling me.


    I gave a nod as we both darted for cover, crouching behind one of the wheels and looking back to see our foe.


    Demons occur when an animal or monster gets corrupted, transforming them into a new form. The most common demon that normal folk can come across are demon animals, more specifically farm animals. That''s how come I know a little about them. I mainly worked in the fields but every so often I would over hear other farmers talk about how one of the animals has turned, broken out of it''s pen and ran off. what you would normally do next is deliver a message to the nearest guild imforming them before going back to work, seeing as there was nothing you could do about it and you were definitely not getting it back. I had never seen one before but I''m not happy I did.


    From the forest came two large and grotesque looking cows. They had mostly ashen skin that sagged unnaturally all over their thick body, and comically bulging eyes that were bloodshot glowing a dirty red. The horns were much longer and bigger than they should be, with small barbs adorning them at the tip and horrid purple liquid endlessly pouring out of their mouths, that almost looked like a grin.


    Oh gods that''s nasty.Just as I stopped looking at these nasty beasts, Gilgwyn pulled two daggers out from under his cloak, dodging one of the cows as it charged past him then throwing them right into its side. As soon as it slowed to turn back, Rose dashed right up to the side of it, stopping just before it''s back left leg. She pulled her arm back with her fist clenched, an orange light poured from around her arm and fist as she brought it down onto it''s calf, with a nasty snapping sound. Horrible screams of pain rang out as the cow fell over onto its knees, desperately trying to fight through the pain to stand back up.


    Just as Rose jumps back to avoid a kick, I look over to Erwin as he slash''s the second cow, just as it tries to run him through with its horns. The demon has some cuts and wounds over its body, and keeps accumulating more as it sluggishly tries to hit an attack over and over again, with Erwin easy dodging. Going in for another hit with it''s horn, Erwin quickly hops to the side and runs to the rear of it, pulling his blade up as a light blue glow flows around the sword. He slashes down at such tremendous speed my eyes couldn¡¯t follow, cutting a gash into it''s back that starts spraying blood, as the cow falls to the ground moaning in pain. Erwin walks over to its side, before raising his sword into the air and plunging it right into the creatures neck, silencing it.


    I hear a scratching of metal as I glance back over to see Rose just managing to dodge a blow as it scraps her gauntlet, with Gil taking that chance to throw another blade into the cows other back leg, knocking it back over again. Just as the last demon nearly stands back up, Rose charges right up to its side, slamming it in the head with a even brighter orange glow as before, stunning the cow and making it wobble as it hits the floor again. Gilgwyn sprints over, pulling a dagger out and jamming it right into it''s eye as it convulses before going still.


    Seconds go by as the fighters make sure their foes are indeed died, collect their thoughts and knifes before walking back over to us.


    "It''s save now." Gilgwyn said as he wiped blood and brain matter off his knives.


    "That caught me off guard, haha" Erwin said resheathing his sword.


    "Tell me about it. Didn''t think we would come across a demon." Rose said.


    "aye. my heart can''t take these kind of scares, one of the many reasons I want to settle somewhere." Quin said, before going for another swig from his flask.


    "I''ve never seen a demon, only ever heard about them. They look terrible." I said, looking back over their shoulders.and smell it too.


    "Well they may look nasty but there the lowest demon you can come across, if you know how they tend to act and move, they''re pretty easy to deal with." Rose said as she sat back down next to us.


    "really?" I replied,isthere such a thing as an easy demon?


    "Yeah, really. But don''t be mistaken, E+ ranks and above can take on cattle demons no problem. But real monsters turned demons are very, very dangerous. Only people allowed to take on something called demon bounties are a party of rank Cs and above, and only if said party has been on a lot of quests together with great teamwork." said Erwin with a stern look.


    "But don''t worry, you wouldn''t normally come across one this close to a main road anyway." Rose said.


    "I recommend reading up on the types of demons you can find at the guild library when you find the time. Monsters too, it''s always better to know more about the enemy." said Gilgwyn.


    "Alright, i''ll be sure to do that. By the way, what was that weird glowing light coming off of you two? Magic?" I said eagerly.


    "Well it''s a bit hard to explain because I can''t show you my stats, as my guild tag can only be viewed by me, other adventurers and the guild." Erwin said as he pulled some sort of metal tag out from under his armour, that had weird writing on it and a gem embedded at the end. "But like, when you get better at doing stuff with a class and whatnot you unlock something called an ''Art''. Arts are what let people do crazy stuff apart from magic, well it''s hard to grasp without doing it yourself but if you sign up for training and get your tag you''ll understand what I mean."


    "Anyway, the light you saw was an Art called Imbue. It lets you give a piece of armour or weapon a boost for a few seconds, we used it to make us hit harder and faster. It''s common knowledge among adventurers as it is a staple of most classes and doesn¡¯t drain alot of energy to use, letting you use it multiple times a fight." said Rose.


    "I think I get it. Thanks for trying anyway." I said,something to look forward to.


    "you''ll get it eventually, don''t worry. Anyway i''m even more hungry now, so let''s eat!" Rose said over her rumbling belly.


    ¡°Oh but what about the cows?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Right, we can¡¯t really strip them for parts to sell as we don¡¯t have much space but we can probably take a little of something and bury the rest. We don¡¯t want other things coming in the night after smelling all the blood.¡± replied Gil.


    ¡°Fine fine, food after. So what we taking off it?¡± Rose said.


    ¡°Well, organs are a no go as we have nothing to keep them in, so all that''s left really is the ear tags so the guild can confirm the kills and maybe a horn? Think we could fit one?¡± said Erwin.


    Who would want the organs from something like that!I thought.


    ¡°Aye we could lad, probably 2 at a push. Oi Jax, help me with getting food ready and you lot get to carving, we arrive tomorrow so I want an early night so we get there for the afternoon.¡± said Quinn.


    We all nodded and got to work on our tasks.


    Some time later after pouring all the bowls of food, I shouted everyone over as they lifted the last horn onto the carriage. After cleaning themselves off we all sat around the fire for dinner.


    As we were eating the others said that it¡¯s going to take them some time to bury both cows so we should head to bed before them and they will take all the night watches for tonight. I tried to take the first watch but they said it was fine and after finishing went back to work. Reluctantly I left them to it and after washing up and rolling my sleeping bag out went to bed. Maybe because we arrive tomorrow or because I kept remembering how nasty those demons looked but it took quite a while for me to settle before I finally dozed off.