Big People Small

Another day arrived. Sun is slowly rising and roosters crow. Reden opens his eyes, scratches them and yawns. He sits on his bed and looks at Gah-Hal who is also already awake. He takes a pleasant stretch and stands up.

"Another day, another adventure. This doesn't have as much energy as it did before..." Reden says.

He picks up the bottle and moves it to infant's mouth. Baby drank another quarter of the bottle and now there is half of the juice left in the bottle. Reden packs it back into his bag, picks Gah-Hal and leaves the shelter.

After taking look around him, except of quite nice looking landscape he also sees peace. So quiet and so calm. Almost like there is nothing bad going to happen here, but sadly appearances are deceptive. He puts his son comfy on his arms and heads closer to village to see how things are going.

He entered the village again and he already sees few villagers doing their job in their fields, cowsheds, pens etc. Sun still hasn't fully raised and people are already working. The typical impressive way of life for hard working villagers.

Reden then takes few steps to location where the trip stopped and sees that carriage is still not ready for movement so it seems he still has time to spend for himself. For a moment he thinks about a way to get some copper since he has around hour and a half left.

He shrugged his arms while holding Gah-Hal and thought he would spend some of the time with locals and maybe even help for some cash.

As Reden walks through the village, he observes the villagers going about their daily routines with determination and resilience instead of just "Im doing it because I have to" look. The scene before him is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, even in the face of adversity. They might know that war started or might not but still they look determined.

A group of middle-aged women gather near a well, chatting and laughing as they draw water. Reden approaches them, hoping to strike up a conversation and maybe find some information about the surrounding area or interesting events that he could easily do.

"Good morning!" Reden greets them with a warm smile.

"Good morning!" One of the women responds, returning the smile.

"I don't recall seeing you here before. Are you traveling or are you new local?" Second woman asks also with a warm smile.

"Just traveling, I arrived here at night because the coachman had to make a break." Reden says, gently rubbing Gah-Hal's head.

"Aww. He's adorable." Another woman says, cooing at the baby.

"You also look kinda handsome." Same woman says, looking at Reden.

Reden is already showing the signs of happiness. Obviously he enjoys the flattering.

"You flatter me. Hoho." Reden responds to woman.

"May I ask where are you heading or you dont want to talk about that?" One of the women asks.

"We are on a journey. I came from Boullegarde and Im trying to get as far as I can." Reden says.

"Im trying to find a safer place, away from the dangers of war and chaos." Reden says while looking at Gah-Hal.

The women nod sympathetically, understanding the hardships of those displaced by conflict. The war has been going for weeks now so it probably wont end too quickly. News really spread through merchants or envoys quickly.

"Well, you're welcome here." First woman says kindly.

"This village isn't even close to Boullegarde living standards, but since it's that small almost all of us know eachother. I mean those who live here. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Woman says very nicely looking once at Reden and once at Gah-Hal.

"Actually, I have something to ask for. You see, Im really in need of some money at the moment. I spent all of it just to get here in one piece. So I would be extremely grateful if I could help you in something that would let me afford few breads." Reden says to women in a little sad face trying to make them a bit more helpful with this request.

The women look at him a bit confused for a second, but after few seconds they discuss among themselves. After 10 seconds they look back at him and one woman start to speak.

"Im sorry but we don't have anything in mind that we could offer you for money. We aren't that wealthy ourselves. You can talk to our village mayor. He lives in the middle of village. If you go there you will already know which house he lives in." Woman says to Reden pointing and finger in middle of sentence the way the mayor's house allegedly is.

Grateful for the opportunity, Reden thanks the women for help. He says his goodbye's to them and heads to the centre of village. He looks around for a while and sees the house looks different from others. This house is built from red wood instead of white or brown. He thought that it could be this so he knocked to the door and waited for somebody to open.

Reden still had around hour left so he was still quite calm with thought that the food he has in his bag will keep him fed for a day.

After few minutes, someone opens the door. It's the old man whose beard reaches his throat with bald head. Old man keeps the door open and goes back into his house. Reden takes it as invitation. He gets inside and closes the door behind him and following the man.

Old man sat infront of the desk and pointed his hand at the chair in front of him showing Reden to take a seat. Reden takes a seat, trying to look as respectful as possible. He places Gah-Hal gently on his lap, making sure the baby is comfortable. He looks at his desk and it's already clear to conclude that he is the mayor looking at the things he has on his desk.

"Good morning, sir." Reden greets the old man politely.

The mayor looks at him with a curious expression, taking in the sight of the young traveler with a baby in his arms.

"Good morning to you too." Old man replies.

"What can I do for you?" Man asks kindly.

Reden takes a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. He decides to be straightforward with the mayor, hoping for a chance to earn some money.

"I arrived in the village last night with my son. We're traveling, seeking refuge from the dangers of the ongoing war. I'm low on resources and in need of some money to continue our journey safely. I came here hoping you might have some trifle for me to take care of." Reden explains.

The mayor listens attentively, stroking his long beard thoughtfully.

"I see. War after war. Always lasted and always will. I still remember last two wars like it was very recently. But anyways..." He responds with a hint of anger in his eyes.

"You're not the first traveler seeking job here and you won't be the last." Mayor continues, his expression softening.

"Times are tough, but I'm trying to help those in need as much as I can."

Reden nods, grateful for the understanding.

"I appreciate any help you can offer, even if it's just a small task to earn some coins." Reden says to mayor.

The mayor leans back in his chair, pondering for a moment.

"There might be something you can do that would be of great help to the village. We've been facing a problem with a nearby stream. It's been clogged with debris and needs clearing to ensure a steady flow of water to our crops. If you could assist with that, I'd be willing to compensate you for your efforts. You look like young and strong man so I think you will handle that by yourself." Old man says with convicing look.

Reden's eyes light up with hope.

"I can definitely do that! It's a task I'm capable of, and it would be a pleasure to help. Thank you very much, sir!" Reden stands from the chair and bows to the mayor with Gah-Hal in his arms. He cant hide his gratitude.

"You can go if that's all." Mayor says.

"Yes, sir!" Reden responds and walks out of the mayor's house.

Reden walks around for few minutes before he manages to find the stream. Once he finds it he makes his way to it, feeling a sense of purpose and determination. The mayor's request is something he can handle easily. He is determined about this job because of how easy it sounds.

Upon reaching the stream, he sees the extent of the problem. The water is barely flowing, and debris has accumulated, blocking the natural flow. Just by looking it can be said that someone must've done it either on purpose or unintentionally beacuse the way debris block the flow is too weird. This however doesn't matter to Reden as he takes a deep breath, places the empty bag on the grass then Gah-Hal on it for him to lie comfortable. Once he makes sure nothing might happen to his son, he rolls up his sleeves, and starts working.

With each piece of debris he removes, the water begins to flow more freely. Reden is focused putting his strength into the task at hand. He doesn't mind getting wet and muddy, he's determined to get the job done.

After around 10 minutes of working, the signs of struggle can be seen on Reden. He sweats, pants and does his job much slower than within first seconds. He underestimated how hard it is but he still continues.

The debris is heavier and more entangled than he anticipated, making it difficult to remove. Few of debris pieces don't even budge. But he refuses to give up. He started it and he's determined to see it through. He refuses to let anyone down by failing something he asked so hard for.

Meanwhile Gah-Hal lies on the bag when other children from village approach him. Reden is focused on his job to see them. Children stop by near Gah-Hal looking at him with smile. They are staring at him for a moment and then one of them kneels and pokes him but he doesn't seem like he wants to hurt him.

Boy that knelt smiled and started to do the "peek-a-boo" to infant. Then rest of children joined. Gah-Hal didn't seem to react much to it.

Reden continues to clean debris. As he wipes his forehead he turns to Gah-Hal and sees children around him. His heart "jumped" in his chest as he saw that and immediatelly rushed there while holding stone in his hand. He was about to yell but then he saw that these are just children and they are playing with his son.

He trusted that they won't do anything bad to him and quickly calmed down and dropping stone. He once again felt guilt as he let his guard down and didn't react to his surroundings in time. Anyways he goes back to cleaning the stream this time looking at the children location more often.

As he works, the children continue to interact with Gah-Hal, trying to make him laugh or react. They seem fascinated by the baby and are eager to make friends. Reden finds himself feeling grateful for their presence, as they bring a sense of joy and distraction to his difficult task.

25 Minutes Later

After some time, the stream is finally cleared of most of the debris, and the water flows freely once again. The flow is hard enough to clean the rest of debris by itself. Reden wipes his sweaty brow and stands back to admire his work. He feels a sense of accomplishment, knowing that he has helped the village in a meaningful way and also happy he will finally get his cash. He looks at Gah-Hal and sees that children already stopped playing and went back to where they came from.

Reden cleans the mud off his clothes and hands in flowing water before he leaves the stream and sits near his son with himself half wet. He takes few breaths and looks at the sun which is fully rised for some time already. He thinks that there are still around 30 minutes left.

After a while, he stands up, picks Gah-Hal and wears the bag again. Feeling a mix of exhaustion and contentment, Reden makes his way back to the mayor's house to inform him of the completed task.

When he arrives next to the mayor's house, he is greeted with a warm smile as mayor sits next to his house with other old woman next to him. When Reden approached he smiled.

"Stream is now cleared. Costed me a lot of sweats." Reden says proud.

"I know. I saw from the window how water started flowing." Mayor says with smile and stands up heading back to his house.

"As promised. You will be rewarded. This saved a lot of time and trouble for everyone else." Mayor says before entering the house. After 3 seconds he come back to Reden with coins in his both hands.

"10 copper for you. I hope that will be enough for now." Mayor says as he comes closer to Reden ready to hand him coins.

"Of course, sir. It was pleasure to work for you all." Reden responds then takes his pouch and opens it.

Old man places the coins into the pouch then smiles while shaking Reden's free hand.

"Thank you very much again. I'm sorry but I think I must be going now. I need to do something before carriage moves." Reden says to mayor, bows down and heads off. Both old man, old woman and Reden wave to eachother one last time before they cant see eachother anymore.

Reden sighs with relief that he finally got his money. He is calm because he worked for it and isn't in debt for that and as we know, he hates debts. He keep going to see the carriage and sees that coachman is feeding his horses and carriage isn't yet ready so he still has around 15 minutes left.

Since there is still enough time left he walks around the village and look for villagers that might be selling anything already. He finds one woman that sells food. He buys 2 bread loafs, puts them into the bag and then returns to carriage which is almost ready.

As he approaches the carriage, he notices the coachman tending to the horses, preparing for the continuation of the trip. Reden takes a deep breath, feeling grateful for the short break they had in the village. He gets into the carriage and sits in the middle of carriage and keeping Gah-Hal on his laps and bouncing him a little.

The minutes tick by, and soon the coachman announces that it's time to depart. Reden takes one last look at the village, feeling thankful for the kindness they received there. He knows that the memories of this small village and its people will stay with him for a long time.

Now it's time for a straight way forward until Reden decides where he wants to leave. He looks at Gah-Hal once again and is happy that both of them managed to be alright so far especially Gah-Hal.

Next Day, High Noon

After a very long trip Reden supplies are about to end. All that he has left is half of bread loaf for him and 1/4 of juice for Gah-Hal. He decided that it's time to take a stop but before he could inform coachman he saw the castle in the distance.

He realized that they are approaching the big town so he waited a little more for carriage to get closer. 10 minutes have passed and coachman stops saying that they are now near Castledale and here is where another stop will be.

Castledale. The place where that woman 2 days ago wanted to be in. Reden thought that this will be the place where he will stop by for good until he feels in danger again. When carriage finally stops by the gates of Castledale all 6 passengers including Reden and Gah-Hal leave and there is nobody left.

Gates are open and it doesn't look like this place has entrance restrictions. Probably because of how far this place is from the actual battlefield. Reden is happy to finally see some actual good place to stay in.

His eyes light up and he enters the town. As Reden enters Castledale, he is immediately struck by the bustling atmosphere and the vibrant energy of the town. The streets are filled with merchants selling various goods, and people from all walks of life going about their daily activities.

With Gah-Hal in his arms, Reden navigates through the busy streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the town. He sees shops selling all kinds of wares, from clothing and jewelry to tools and weapons. There are taverns with lively music and laughter pouring out of their doors, and eateries offering delicious smells of cooked food.

Reden's stomach rumbles, reminding him of his own hunger and the need to find a place to rest and eat. He spots a cozy-looking inn with a sign that reads "The Dragon's Roost Inn." It seems like a welcoming place, and he decides it's the perfect spot to take a break.

Before he enters he checks his pouch and sees that he has only 4 copper on him left. He also still has half of his bread in the bag. In town like this 4 copper will not be enough to survive for long here especially in comfy looking Inn he was about to get in.

He changed his plans and decided to look for some cheaper inn where he can actually spend some time in and keeping his son safe.

Reden continues to explore the town, searching for a more affordable inn or any other place where he and Gah-Hal can find shelter. As he walks through the bustling streets, he asks some of the locals for recommendations. A friendly elderly woman points him towards a small boarding house not far from the town center.

Following her directions, Reden arrives at the boarding house. It's a modest building with a sign that simply reads "Lily's Boarding House." He walks in and is greeted by the owner, Lily, a kind-looking middle-aged woman.

"Hello there, dear. How can I help you?" Lily asks with a warm smile.

Reden introduces himself and explains that he's seeking a place to stay for a few nights. He also mentions that he has an infant with him. Lily's eyes light up upon seeing Gah-Hal, and she welcomes them both with open arms.

"We have a room available, and I'd be delighted to have you and your little one stay with us." Lily says kindly.

Relieved to find an affordable option, Reden thanks Lily and pays for a few nights in advance using his remaining copper coins. Lily shows them to their room, a small but clean space with a comfortable bed and a crib for Gah-Hal. Reden is grateful for the simple but cozy accommodation.

Before Lily leaves the room, Reden stops her.

"By the way. I would also need some temporary nanny to take care of him. I paid my last money for this room. Do you think you could take care of it for me? Someone who doesn't demand cash right away. Please, can you do it?" Reden doesn't like the idea of leaving a baby with strangers but he already risked few times which ended in success so he tries his luck again hoping nothing bad will happen to his son while he will be away getting money.

Lily smiles warmly at Reden's request, understanding his concern for Gah-Hal's well-being.

"Of course, dear. I completely understand your situation." Lily says reassuringly.

"I'll take care of your little one while you're away. No need to worry about payment right now. We'll figure it out later." Lily says the very calming way.

Reden feels a sense of relief wash over him. He suddenly started feeling very safe. It' like he suddenly started to trust her. She sounds like angel and her pressence is so calming. He's grateful for Lily's understanding and willingness to help. He started not to believe, but know that Gah-Hal will be in good hands while he searches for work in the town.

"Thank you so much, Lily. I really appreciate your kindness!" Reden says sincerely.

"It's no trouble at all. I love children, and I'm happy to help." Lily responds, gently patting Gah-Hal's head.

Reden takes out the bottle from his bag and places it on drawer.

"This is a bottle of baby juice. This is what I want you to use to feed Gah-Hal. He doesn't drink a lot so it should be enough until I come back probably in evening." Reden says calmly.

Lily smiles warmly at Reden's gesture and takes the bottle of baby juice from him.

"Don't you worry, dear. I'll make sure this sweetie is well-fed and taken care of while you're away. He'll be safe with me." Lily reassures him.

Reden nods, grateful for Lily's reassuring words. He takes a moment to look at Gah-Hal, making sure the baby is comfortable and content. Seeing the trust and care in Lily's eyes, Reden feels a sense of peace and relief. He knows he can trust her to take care of his son while he's working.

With a final pat on Gah-Hal's head, Reden turns to Lily once more.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, and I'll make sure to pay you for your kindness and help." He says gratefully and leaves the room.

Reden leaves the inn and walks around the town looking for something that could be a way for a quick cash no matter how difficult it would be. He keeps walking for a good while until he sees a board. This is a board where people can hang up papers with news, announcements, bounties and even job offers.

Reden obviously first takes a look at job offers. Unfortunate for him he only sees job offers which are either full time or contracted. He doesn't see any one time job with one time pay. He doesn't want to hunt criminals with bounties and announcements, news also dont have anything that could help him in any way.

He walks away from the board and look further. He passes through marketplace, magic schools, alchemy shops, blacksmiths but he still sees nothing. Until he sees this. Adventurer's Guild. Reden knows very well how Adventurers from Adventurer's Guild get paid. He thinks for a while and at the end he decides to leave it for later because recruitment, tests and quests there take a lot of time.

He keeps walking through the town and sees another board. He once again looks at papers there and bam. Finally something he was looking for.

There is a one time job offer. It explains that it needs some survival specialist to give a basic survival tips in the wild. Payment is 15 copper.

Perfect opportunity that he didn't get since he left Boullegard. Reden is thankfully a master of survival. He could've survived in wild for a very long time. He didn't do it with Gah-Hal because one: he didn't want to take a risk of him being injured, two: he doesn't know how to make baby juice which is needed for Gah-Hal to stay fed, healthy and alive.

Now that Gah-Hal is safe with Lily, Reden can go all out with whatever he can do. So he looks at the offer once again and heads to the location that was defined there. It's 8 minutes trip on foot. Not too far away.

Reden follows the directions on the job offer and arrives at the location specified. It's a small clearing on the outskirts of Castledale, surrounded by dense forest. In the clearing, he sees a group of people sitting in a circle and talking.

As he approaches, one of them sees Reden approaching and steps forward, likely the one who posted the job offer. When Reden stops the man also stops.

"Is it the job offer from me that you are holding?" Man asks.

"This is offer about survival tips leading to this location so I suppose yes." Reden answers.

"Well then hello. I am Thomas. We're glad you could make it. We're a group of outdoor enthusiasts, and we're looking to learn some basic survival skills for our upcoming camping trip." Thomas explains.

"I am Reden. Nice to meet you." Reden introduces himself and comes closer to them while rolling job offer and hiding it in his clothes.

"You are very lucky because I am expert or even master of this. I don't really have much time so let's just get to it without introductions. I will prepare things." Reden says while he walks by enthusiasts towards the trees and prepares.

4.5 Hours Later, Evening

Reden returns to town with happy face as he holds pouch with copper in it. 15 copper is definitely enough to survive for around 4 days by eating bread only. Reden admires himself for a moment thinking about another job that he could soon take if he had such chance.

After he finished admiring himself for few minutes straight he puts his pouch into his belt and kept going back to the inn where his son is. When he was on his way to the inn he heard some really heated argument with insults flying left and right. It was behind the corner he was about to pass by.

He decided to ignore it as it's not his matter. He continues going, passes the corner and sees that it's not just an argument. There are 2 knights standing by door trying to open it. Behind them there is an wealthy looking woman. Kind of looks like nobility. Whatever it is it's obviously nothing good as the person she yelled at was screaming to leave him alone.

Reden stops for a moment and looks at the situation hiding behind a wall. Knights then kicked out the door and got inside while "lady" had her arms behind her back. She took few small steps ahead and stopped when knights pulled the man out of his house and threw him on the ground.

One of the knights pointed his halberd at the back of the guy keeping him from standing up. As poor guy lies on the ground, lady approaches him and kneels infront of him.

"You really are naive if you thought you can just get away with it like that. You dont belong in here. We are taking you back to where you belong. Hit and run didn't really worked for you." She says to the man very seriously almot mockingly.

Man struggled and grabbed her ankle. Lady stepped back before knight with halberd pierced guy's hand. He groaned in pain as woman approached again this time standing.

"I am Dragevamian diplomat! You know very well you cant do anything to me. So now do what I say or I will count what you just did as assault. If you resist you will suffer even more." She says very seriously again trying to intimidate the man.

After she said that both knights picked the guy up by his arms and slowly took him away while the woman walked behind them still with her arms behind her back.

Reden is shocked by what he just saw. It made him less safe than he thought he would be.

"Dragevamian diplomat? From when diplomat has such privileges?" Reden thinks to himself confused.

"This damn corruption really got out of hand." Reden thinks to himself once again as he heads back to the inn this time walking more carefully and looking around his surroundings.