Grand Adventurer Chapter 2

"Thankfully, we will be leaving the side road and entering the main road tomorrow. But do try to get some sleep at least tonight." James said clearly exhausted from the long walk today.

I gave the older man a look that screamed. 'Who are you trying to fool.' And he just chuckled and said with a wry smile. "Hey it's better to die well-rested than exhausted right?"

To which I said rather flatly. "I would much rather not die at all, thank you." 

Still, I just sagged against the tree I was leaning on. While sitting up on a raised root, so I wasn't sitting directly on the cold frost bitten ground. With James putting together a small lounge chair that used wooden poles to raise itself off the ground and a leather pelt as the body of the chair.

'That's fancy.' I thought with a wry smile with James chuckling at seeing the envy in my eyes as I pulled the cloak around me tighter for more warmth.

"Don't get jealous... I might very well not make this journey to begin with. I am an old man, and I can feel the chill settling in my bones. I bet you anything by tomorrow night my lungs will be filled, and I won't be able to do much on the third day unless I can sit in front of a hot fire for several hours."

The casual way he said that got to me a bit, but I knew he wasn't saying that for no reason. So I just said with a small sigh. "What are you getting at old man? I can't carry you as well as help push that cart."

James chuckled and threw his hand over to swat at me, but I just moved my leg so he missed the blow. "Bah, you disrespectful brat." He scoffed before he took a deep breath and continued.

"I speak because I can tell you aren't some commoner. You may be ignorant to the mundane world, but you speak well. You have a last name, and you aren't afraid of being in the wild."

James shifted a bit before he took out a small leather bag, and then he tossed it into my lap with myself blinking before James said quietly. "If you do get to Ebony city. Try to become a mage with connections to Magcaria, for people born without great power. The power in being a mage is the best thing we can have."

I raised an eyebrow as I took the bag filled with clearly coins. Although I knew James was old, I didn't think he was giving up his life so easily. "Why the hell are you giving me this? Do you have some terrible last wish you plan to dump on me or something?" I asked honestly confused.

James actually laughed with the families holding up next to the cart, looking over before returning to their food as James laughter dying down.

Finally, after James took a breath to center himself, he shrugged and said with an easy smile. "Hells, you are a sharp one aren't you."

He went silent for a moment before he said quietly. "It's not a lot of money, frankly. I was just the village's old wise man who kept the peace, did the rites for marriages, and helped with some slight medical issues. In the big city I will have no place."

He shrugged and said calmly. "That money will set you up for a good couple of months if you are smart, but yes in return. I want you to kill a Centurion of the Empire whenever you get a chance. For it was a simple centurion who decided to raid and burn my village and home to the ground merely for his own sick enjoyment."

There was a moment of silence before I hefted the small bag of jingling coins and said quietly. "Fine, if the Empire is as evil as you say. Then its damn near inevitable for me to come into conflict with them."

James exhaled and then settled down with him pulling out a wine skin that was previously buried in some coals that he brought over and I saw him sipping the steaming wine and holding the hot skin against his chest.

Although I was curious as to how much money was in the coin purse he tossed into my lap, I just refocused on eating the shitty bread I had on hand before relaxing to let my body heal from the exertions today while I considered things.

First of all... I needed to find out how the power system of this world worked beyond just mages existing. Was this just a magic world? Or was it a Magic and Sword world? Hell from the map James showed off earlier, I saw some asian themed countries to the far west of the continent.

Where there cultivators as well? 

Finally, I broke the silence as time was passing to speak to James to gain more information on this world as I asked circumspect questions that gave me a good bit of information actually.

First of all... Yes, this world was very much a Magic and Sword world. With martial artists having ki that could enhance themselves and their weapons, should they decide to use weapons at all.

"Ye,s there was this one martial artist that came through our village at one point... He was hunting a Dire Bear that had eaten most of our sheep. That man was as big as a normal bear honestly, but I remember him coming back into the village dragging the corpse of the Dire Bear he beat with only with fists."

James told me with indulgence as his eye's fogged over with the hot wine he drank.

Although James told me about the far more common martial artists/knights that would roam the land doing their murder hobo shit if they weren't attached to some force. He was clearly alot more hung up about mages.

Talking about how they were just a step away from the gods that 'totally' existed in this world. They could help grow a large amount of crops, enhance animals so they bore healthy young, could cure diseases, and regrow limbs.

And then I understood why James was so hung up on mages. His father, whom he was a bastard of was both a noble and a mage who had a fling with a weak martial artist woman who gave birth to James.

After a bit more of talking to get more of an understanding of the world, while also just talking. James however, got too tipsy and tried to get some sleep before night truly fell, and we would be at the mercy of whatever monsters that filled the forrest.

And seeing as he went to sleep, I did the same with surprising ease. But then again I did push a heavy ass cart most of the day.

-

I was awoken by the sound of a loud howl in the distance that made my eye's shoot open and I looked around wildly from the tree I was leaning on.

First, I saw the roaring fire that the blacksmith and hunter's family had set up and were still huddling around with the carts to their backs. But after a moment, I 'calmed' down as I realized this was still just a feudal age world. 

'Obviously, there would be wolves in the forest. Just calm down Jake.' I told myself before I looked over to where James was only to see him curled up in his own cloak with the hood pulled up to keep himself warm.

And he seemingly didn't even budge as another howl rang out. But I myself frowned as the howl was much louder, if not closer.

I shifted to get my slightly stiff muscles moving and then I held my long knife in my hand before I brought my knees up to rest my arms on my knees before I put my head into my arms.

'Gotta get more sleep. There is going to be a lot of walking later, and it's nowhere near dawn yet.' I thought as I closed my eyes.

But then a soft craft cracking noise rang out and for a moment, I thought it was just the hunter/blacksmith family sticking some fresh wood into the fire. But then I realized it was closer to the sound of ice cracking and it was off to the side.

I looked up, and froze as I saw at the other end of the came, coming in from behind the cart and out of the view of the two families, were shadowy short forms.

Col,d frigid air filled my lungs as I realized it was the goblins that Sarah mentioned before. And all the air left me as I shouted quickly. "Goblins! Goblins behind your cart!"

And as Sarah said previously. They were going to be light on sleep this night as her dad Reynald shot up with his hunting bow in hands with him quickly slotting in an arrow as he came up to a standing position.

Then, as he stood up and looked over the cart, I saw him set loose the arrow with a loud snapping noise before he ducked down to get another arrow and also yelled out. "Wake up all of you! Goblins!"

And with his yell as well, the rest did wake up for sure as he was much closer to his own family as well as the blacksmithing family.

A screech however, rang out and I saw a dozen small forms rush towards the two families while the blacksmith, David took out a couple of spears one for himself, and one for his son to help defend themselves.

As a couple of goblins saw me and James and began making their way over to us, I couldn't help but think helplessly. 'Even if it was shameless, I should have sticked closer to the cart.'

But I took in the two goblins rushing forms and realized that they only came up a bit past my hips so I... Should be much stronger than they were physically at least.

"James, fucking move dude!" I cursed as I saw in the corner of my eye that James was still just laying dead still in his cot.

But as he didn't respond, I just ignored him and with my knife in hand, I first checked behind me and the tree behind me to make sure I wasn't surrounded which I wasn't thankfully.

Then a scream rang out as the son of the blacksmith was dog-piled by three goblins who began chopping into him with the stone hatchets and knives they had.

I coudn't pay them any more attention as the goblins were on me now. And with a scream one of the goblins jumped high at me with a stone knife aimed directly at my face.

And for a split moment I froze before I tightened my grip on my knife and grabbed the goblin by it's arm that held it's knife and with pure adrenalin fueling me. I swung the little bastard like a meat bat at the other goblin.

I heard the hips of the goblin I was holding, or maybe it was the ribs of the other goblin give way with a wet crunch and then I let go only to come in with my knife as the two goblins laid on the ground stunned in place.

Loud crunching noises rang out as I slammed the large meat cleaving thick knife into the chest of one of the goblins and then I wrenched the blade out past another rib tearing through it's innards as I slammed the knife back into the other goblins chest and twisted it around.

The larger 'battle over near the cart was brutal as I saw the hunter kill several of the goblins with his bow before he had to switch to a large hunting knife.

While the blacksmith was much more conflict savy then his now very clearly dead son and just back stepped with his wife as he used his spear to keep them back and still do damage.

For a moment I considered charging in to help but I instead checked on James... And as I shook the old man, I paused as I touched his very stiff form. 'The hell?' I thought before I touched his face after pulling back his hood only to see his eye's were glassy and his face stiff.

'The bastard is already dead!? How the hell did that happen?' I thought before a loud scratching of frozen ground being crushed rang out as another goblin decided that I being alone would be an easier target then David with his spear.

I waited for the sole rushing goblin to get close, and then when it tried to fake me out as it staggered in getting close. I just stepped forward and kicked it into the chest to knock it down and then as it scrambled to get itself under control.

I just goomba stomped its chest in as I hopped into the air and slammed both of my feet on it's smaller chest and I could hear the goblins chest caving in under the force of my feet slamming into it's chest.

And with that, the camp became quiet besides the crying of the blacksmith's wife as she held her mauled son's remains. 

'This was just the first night... Maybe I should just try to press on, via the road and get to the city before night tommorrow?' I thought helplessly.