MOCKED HEIR

Richard was sitted at a table in the tavern, a mug of ale in his hand, a small crowd was sitted round the table drinking beer and listening to annoying young Richard blab nonstop about his grandfather.

"...and then, Elias Krios single-handedly defeated the dark sorcerer, saving the entire village!" Richard said ending another one of his story's

Someone scoffed from the table "Yeah, sure, and I'm the queen of the realm."

"It's true! My grandfather was a legendary warrior." Richard replied smiling

"Legendary? Ha! You're just a weak imitation of him. What have you done, huh?" The person retorted back

"I...I'm trying to follow in his footsteps..." Richard said trying to defend himself

"Oh, sure, you're following in his footsteps all right straight into the gutter!" Someone else said

Everyone in the tarven began to laugh and jeer at Richard,

"That's enough! My grandfather was a hero, and I'll not have you mocking him or me!" Richard said standing up

The tarven owner seeing the commotion Richard was causing came up and said "Richard, that's enough. You're causing a disturbance. Leave now, before things get ugly."

Richard angrily walked out of the tarven

He was boiling with rage, it wasn't the first time he had been stomped over by the people of this town

He walked down the dimly lit street, alone,

The torches barely Shone bright enough for him to see where he was going .

He couldn't believe he had been chased out of the local tavern, again!!!

All he wanted to do was tell stories of his grandfather's legendary exploits and adventures as a brave warrior, but he couldn't even do that without being rejected.

Idiot!, he said cursing himself while smacking his palms against his forehead.

Richard's grandfather, Elias Krios, was a legendary warrior,a well decorated Knight who served the might northern kingdom of Norrich who fought bravely against all odds.

He slew a fierce dragon in combat, it was something only a few people could boast of, he took out the tooth of the dragon and forged a powerful sword, it was believed to hold the beasts strength and fury.

Elias's expertise in battle was unmatched, and he became popular amongst the people.

Richard's grandfather, Elias Krios, was killed by the wicked Queen's father, who wanted to claim the powerful dragon's tooth that Elias had fought hard to get for himself.

But a loyal friend of Elias managed to steal the tooth back and vowed to deliver it to Elias son, Arin(Richard's father).

However, fate had other plans, and Arin was executed before the tooth could be passed down.

The friend was determined to keep the promise so he hid the tooth away and searched endlessly to find a way to reach Richard, the last living heir of Elias's line.

"But, sadly, the tooth was lost and Richard didn't know where it was. All he had left was his grandfather's brave story and a burning desire to learn what really happened to his family."

Richard, the grandson of Elias Krios, was the entirely opposite version of his grandfather.

Elias was a fearless warrior while Richard was timid and unsure of himself. Elias had fought against dragons, while Richard struggled to even wield a sword.

Elias's name rang with authority wherever it was called, while Richard name was a thing of mockery.

No one believed Richard, and they never took him seriously. As he walked down the streets,

the people of the town snickered and pointed at him, humiliating him.

"Hey, Richard, tell us another tale of your grandfather's bravery!" someone sneered.

"Oh wait, no one cares! You're just a clumsy oaf who can't even wield a sword without tripping over his own feet!"

"Hahahahaha" they all Burst into laughter

Richard's face burned with shame, but he kept walking. He had had enough of being a laughingstock.

He wanted to prove himself, to show the world he was more than just a foolish dreamer.

He walked slowly to his house, trying to fight the tears that were stinging his eyes,

As soon as he reached his house, he pushed the door open and immediately thought something was off.

The shadows on the wall seemed to be moving, twisting and turning in ways that didn't seem natural. Kael felt a shiver run down his spine.

Suddenly, he heard a voice. It was low and gravelly, and it seemed to be coming from the shadows themselves.

"Richard Krios, you have a destiny to fulfill. He who heeds the words of drunk fools is doomed... and also, please, for the love of all things good, take a bath. You reek!"

Richard turned around, trying to see who was speaking, but there was no one there.

The voice seemed to be coming from all around him, echoing off the walls. He felt a chill run down his spine as he thought that the voice was coming from the shadows themselves.

It was as if the darkness was speaking to him, warning him of something, and also judging him for his questionable hygiene habits.

As he stood there, frozen in confusion, the shadows seemed to grow darker and more menacing. They twisted and turned, like living things, and Richard could have sworn he saw a figure move swiftly just in front of him.

"Who are you?" Richard called out with a shaky voice, "What do you want from me? And, um, how do you know I haven't taken a bath recently?"

There was no answer, the air in the room seemed to get thicker and suffocating.

He felt like he was being suffocated by the darkness, like it was closing in on him from all sides.

He tried to take a step back, but his foot got caught in a pothole in the room and he stumbled, landing on his buttocks with a thud.

The shadows seemed to laugh at him, "Oh, Richard, you are a sight to behold.

A clumsy, wanna-be warrior, stumbling around in the dark. You are a joke, Richard. A joke with a bad haircut and a worse sense of direction."

Richard's face burned with shame as he struggled to get to his feet.