Bil

Sunshine peaked over the mountaintops, lighting up the large town of Emor. The mountain road between the small village and Emor was empty, reflecting the recent halt of trade between the two settlements on opposite sides of the mountain range.

Tall city walls made of eight-brome timbers circled Emor. Raised platforms and watchtowers were scattered across the wall to secure every vantage point. Even with the mountains covering them to the east, the security of the border town was a top priority for the citizens and leaders of Emor. They were determined to do everything possible to become a city and earn a lordship, someone personally assigned by the emperor to govern and protect the region.

But it was just another day in the peaceful lives of Emor's citizens.

The mountain range bent around the east side of Emor, creating a valley to the west with a small river and forest cascading out of the mountains. A road had been carved out of the forest, another sign of the town approaching the lordship they desired. And the large road was finally wide enough for multiple wagons to easily traverse the area and offer travelers an easier voyage.

Despite the recent lack of trade among the border villages, there was a small group of travelers nearing the town on that forest road. At the front were two children, leading a man in cheap clothing. They were smiling and laughing as one pulled on the man's arm and one pulled on his walking stick.

The young boy, barely five years of age, had his crystal clear, blue eyes filled with excitement at the view of the town walls. His messy, auburn red hair wiggled in the morning breeze. The young girl, no older than the boy, was happily looking up to the man with her own crystalline blue eyes. Her long, dark blue hair flittered in the wind while trying to hurry the man along.

"Come on, Bil!" the girl childishly shouted, tugging harder on the man's arm.

The boy yelled, "We're almost there! I'm so hungry!"

Chuckling, the man continued to playfully slow them down, "Huh? I don't see any town."

"But we can!" shouted the children, not giving up the struggle.

Suddenly the man glanced upward, in the direction of the town. "Oh really? That way? Then how about a race?"

"Hey! That's not–," said the boy.

"Jash, you didn't let me finish." Bil continued, "First one there gets to choose what we eat–"

"I'm winning!"

"Nelphy, no fair!"

Both children immediately let the man go, bolting down the road. The walls were only one hundred bromes away and that was nothing compared to their weeks of travel.

The town gate was wide open for all to come and go freely. Yet there was only one person outside of the town walls, a man walking out of the city in a hooded cloak. He was virtually silent and already twenty bromes out of the town.

Both children rushed past him without a second thought. Finally, they would be able to eat something apart from Bil's burnt food.

Not even a moment after Jash and Nelphy passed the man, he turned around and lunged to grab them. He thought, *Such easy money. With their looks, they'll fetch a fine price–*

Chills.

Chills suddenly passed over the man's entire body, as if he was frozen in unknown fear, an unknown pressure. He barely managed to glance back over his shoulder. But that only made his spine stiffen all the quicker.

Looming over him was the older man, who the thief had assessed as zero threat. But Bil's presence had changed completely.

Earlier, the older man's loose grey shirt and dark grey pants gave the appearance of a beggar. The red sash Bil wore as a belt seemed like a cheap throwaway he'd scalped from a shop, as did Bil's black coat made of the thinnest, cheapest material available and his patchwork, red leather boots. And most of all, the top half of the seemingly older man's head was completely covered in a beggar's head wrap, even covering the top of Bil's nose and his eyes, showing his blindness to all.

But now… The seemingly powerless old man was a different creature entirely.

The dark, loose clothing jostled against Bil's skin after he had reached the hooded thief in a single bound. That black coat and red sash waved with fury as Bil's walking staff was already mid-swing, about to crash into the thief's face. And the thief cowered as looking at Bil's face wrap felt like gazing under a reaper's hood.

CRACK!! SMASH!!

The walking staff wrapped in cloth bandages crashed into the side of the thief's face. Bone cracked and splinted as the thief was launched through the air on impact, speeding away faster than he could ever hope to run. But the flight was short-lived as the thief collided with a nearby tree and was left half-lodged inside of it.

Both kids were alarmed by the sound and turned their heads to see what was happening.

"What–"

"Huh–"

"I WIN!!!" Bil shouted with roaring laughter, sprinting between both children and catching their attention. "I WIN!!!"

"NO FAIR!" Jash and Nelphy yelled, disregarding the noises and doing their best to overtake their crippled guardian.