16 Tavern

Thinking about what he felt about what recently happened to him. He felt something deep inside him was wounded. It was rather because he experienced death's door just to pay for his crimes.

Was the forest of trials not enough? And to cleanse his criminal status, he has to experience how to die and be brought back to life again.

Many criminals were left with lifeless eyes and were dead deep inside their hearts. It felt like they were hollow and with just a lifeless soul was left as its remains. It felt like you were tortured unceasingly until you were just a lump of flesh.

Still, Troan felt that he had paid for his sins with his death and was revived again to have a new life. A new beginning without looking at his past and being a new person. He even paid his debts to the ones who held grudges against him.

Following the stranger who offered him to have a night in the tavern, he saw that he had armor identical to one tribe he knew.

A muscular build, bigger than any Paladin he saw in the village. He was even carrying his helmet on his waist that was dangled with a thin interlocking chain.

As he observed more, he has a shield on his back and a one-handed hammer on the other side of his waist. Even a bastard sword was protruding on his back covered with his shield.

'If I will guess it, he is someone who belonged to this tribe. I won't make a mistake when it comes to knowing this bunch of people. Not when I knew their tribal gears in the first place.'

"Hello, mister? You are a Paladin right?"

He only chuckled at Troan's remarks. Well, maybe his chuckle means yes. No need to ask further. They walked the streets and Troan was still on his bloody sackcloth.

'Still bloody it seems.'

They traveled the streets with him tailing the man. There were other Paladins who approached then saluted him. Making him think that he was indeed one of them, even an officer was a possibility.

Street lights were beside the buildings and so few villagers were strutting in the night. With just some Paladins having a patrol on the streets. They soon arrived at the nearest tavern and the chatter sound intensified the moment they entered.

Candles brightly lit each corner of the room and were densely put anywhere. Bard sang some relaxing songs as requested by some drunkards.

Troan and the stranger then went to the counter and he was seen as some child of his. A woman dressed in a long dress and an apron hung on her chest was wiping a mug.

"Your best food and drink for two please,"

"Yes, on the way. Your son?" she asked.

"Um, no. Really? Are you joking?" he whispered.

"Oh, so you are recruiting these days?" she asked.

"Are you teasing me? I will retort with the same treatment if you may. But yeah, we are pretty short on fresh new ones," he said then winked.

"Well, enjoy your stay, Gerald. We can both enjoy the night too." she winks.

"Scram," Gerald said and Troan chuckled.

Troan and he then found their seats located on the corner of the tavern. They were seated on their seats and rested well while feeling the comfy wooden furniture.

"So how did you survive? Ah, excuse my rudeness," the stranger said.

Troan didn't know how to tell him about anything that happened. Especially the feeling of his mission and his name.

"I'm sorry for asking such random questions. Let's get acquainted first. I am Gerald, a Paladin tasked to this village,"

"Um, I am Troan. Yes, that's my name. And I have been a thief in the past. Well, not anymore,"

Gerald then scratched his recently trimmed beard. Thinking that he was up to something.

"Ahem, okay. A thief to survive the forest of the trial is still unprecedented and was a first. But you made it out alive! Well who cares about the details, the important thing is you are alive. And of course the sword. Tell me, did you fight them with my brother's sword?"

"Yes, but I first have my dagger," Troan replied.

"You stole it?"

"No, please not that. What do you want? And it was given by one of the guards," Troan scoffed.

"Ahem, anyway forget about it, then how did you find my brother?"

"Yes, he was found leaning his back on a tree with a bear trap on his feet. Also, his femur snapped and his rib cage was shattered and had sunk by a demon bear's claws," Troan explained.

"I see, that's it. He is a good man. Well, I will recover his remains and make him a proper burial on our estate. We mourned his passing for many years now and finally, he will go home," Gerald said in melancholy.

"Yeah,"

"Sorry for my rants. Change of topic, if you survived the forest of trials, then you have my respect. Tell me, what did you kill? I am curious,"

"Monsters, I met several of them and made out alive. I can't boast of my fighting capabilities for now. Just enough to survive,"

"Good! You are qualified to be a potential recruit on the order of Paladins. Come with me to the barracks tomorrow and we will test how good you are. Unless you wanted to be a thief again and get stoned the second time around,"

"Sure! I will apply. I do not want the stoning part though. I yearned to visit every tribe that humanity has left," Troan said to him.

"Hmm, you lost all your belongings, right? For that, you need a map. I have one here. I already placed the markers of every tribe on the map,"

He then placed the map on the table and showed it to Troan. Troan too showed where he found his brother and his grave.

Upon watching the map, Troan saw the villages and the tribal citadels. In Troan's memories, each village has its protectors. Each tribe has those duties and this village was under the protection of Paladins. Villages also have their resources, whether food, mining minerals, human resources, weaponry, and many others.

After the war for origin stones, the capital city was destroyed. The royal bloodline was slaughtered and nobles soon were next. Only the tribes were left to fend off the evil and the remaining villages.

"And this sword of my brother, you keep it. You need it more than him who has already passed away," Gerald said handing the sword. Troan too was grabbing something in his pocket.

"I have something to give you. I found this insignia on his neck. You think it's familiar?" Troan gave it to his hands.

"Our family's crest! Thank you. We are indebted to you. Finally, our family will resume being merchants. For that, I will give you something that you need. Take it as a thank you gift from our family,"

It was then, that Troan was handed a book. It says that it was a Weapon mastery skill book. A thick hardcover book that has its edges protected with metal.

Troan touched every corner of the book and couldn't hide his excitement. He cautiously hugged the book and caressed the cover.

"Is this really mine?"

"Yeah,"

"Thanks, this will help me greatly!" Troan said with bright eyes.

"That consists of all the types of weapons used by the tribes. You will find it hard to master them all but you can pick a weapon depending on what your job class will be. Especially because the tribes use different kinds of weapons. We Paladins use swords, hammers, and maces. Better master them if you want to be a Paladin,"

"Oh! Nice! Will take good care of it," Troan replied.

"Ah, for that. You need to own the skill book. I will seal the book with your blood," Gerald said then made a seal on the book's owner page. With the seal embedded, it radiated bright light then Troan stabbed his thumb with his dagger. Dripping a drop of blood then the light subsides to the pages. He pretty much knew how to do such things ever since.

"Now the skill is yours," Gerald winks.

Troan nearly scoffed, he always heard that line every time he was given a skill book. The effects of the skill were to increase the learning process by a +30 percent learning growth rate on the weapon mastery skill. It was a great starting skill and not bad for the first skill that he got. Staring at the book some more, Gerald continued his speech.

"We are alert now after the passing of the great hero Troan. And with our numbers dwindling, we needed more recruits now more than ever. We don't know when will be the next assault of the Demon Gods to come.

"Even the strongest protectors of this world are still recuperating. The next generations will be our last hope and have to be stronger than us," he smiled briefly.

"I will find you a spot on the Paladin recruitment slots. We will meet you tomorrow in the barracks. Don't forget to rest well tonight as you will have a duel," he said.

"Yeah, will do. I know this is odd but I need to know more about the tribes. I have to visit them to find something that belonged to me," Troan explained.

"You will visit all of them? Well, that will be a long journey! But I advise you to know some weapon mastery first before leaving. You have to know how to fight. Plus, not all are traveling with you. If you leave immediately, you will have to travel alone if you go to the Paladin's camp, or maybe take a hitch on some caravan.

"There will be some Paladins who will return to the base and maybe you can join their journey. But it would take the next round of duty. Your call, you can also stay in the barracks too if you will receive the Recruit badge of Paladins.

"You can train your weapon mastery while you are at the place. Of course, there's this allowance too. That is why not all are immediately recruited as they will have a salary that needs some budgeting. Only ten will be recruited tomorrow, don't miss it."

"Sure,"

"Pick a decent inn to rest in the night. Here's your fee, and be sure to eat well before the fight to have energy," he handed him one gold and five silvers.

"Thank you so much!" Troan said.

"Think of it as an investment. And the pleasure is mine."