Chapter 2: The Boy with the Vegetable Cart

She opens her eyes with a well-rested body. She stretches her arms and yawns. The clock struck 18 minutes past eight; it is most definitely morning. She hears some rustling downstairs.

Aine opened the door of her room and walked down the stairs. Martha is cooking in the kitchen. Aine walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning, darling, Did you sleep well?"

"I did. Thank you for letting me stay for the night."

"You're welcome; have a seat while I prepare breakfast."

Aine took a seat at the dining table. Both the table and the chair were a little shaky from age. A gorgeously designed vase with a finely rendered blue floral pattern on its sides was perched atop the table. But there was no water or a flower inside that lovely vase. What caused that?

Aine regarded the situation with a hint of amazement, wondering why a flawless vase wasn't being paired with an equally stunning flower. Surely, it would be a crime not to do so.

"Martha, why doesn't this vase have a flower in it?"

"Oh, dear, flowers haven't been in this world since Deimos took the sun away."

Flowers are beautiful; they don't try to look right, yet they look so perfect. However, they are fragile like glass, and their beauty is easily disrupted. Surely no flower could live without the sun.

Flowers have become a distant memory for the inhabitants of this world. Their legacy, their beauty, and their elegance are now immortalized in paintings, ballads, and other forms of artistry. It is truly an unjust fate that has befallen our blossoming friends.

"So that's why..."

"I wish I could see a real flower; however, I don't think I'll be able to, especially with my current age."

Aine experienced a mild depressive episode. Although she was able to remember that vases are definitely intended to showcase flowers, her memories of flowers were foggy. Even she had forgotten the true beauty of a flower, and it looks like the chances of her seeing one in this reality are slim to none.

However, plants are resilient; they adapt, they improve, and they overcome hurdles. A lot of plants have evolved to live in this harsh world. Aine begins to wonder what kind of flora she would find in this world.

"Here you go, dear," said Martha.

Martha served Aine a beautifully cooked poached egg with a side of fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and baked beans. It looked absolutely delectable. It is looking like an amazing first meal in this world for Aine.

Aine grabbed a knife and fork and looked at the dish in awe. She took the time to appreciate the dish before she cleanly cut the poached egg and took a piece of every ingredient on the plate. She stabbed them all with her fork and ate them all in one bite.

It was delicious-absolutely scrumptious. Aine just couldn't get enough. Maybe it was her standards being lowered as a cause of her amnesia, but she didn't care; good food is good food. While Martha began to prepare another serving for herself, a soft smile could be seen on her face; perhaps her maternal love was coming through. Happiness filled the room, and the darkness and cold of the outside world were quickly forgotten.

Aine finished her breakfast; she was filled to the brim. Nothing feels better than worldly satisfaction. But something was bothering Aine; she felt like she had overstayed her welcome. Martha had shown nothing but hospitality to her, and it felt like she was abusing it to some extent. It's best if she doesn't drag out her stay any longer.

Martha placed her portion on a plate and sat down at the dining table.

"Oh my, that was fast; you've finished your meal already," said Martha.

"So uh, I'm going to leave today. Thank you for your hospitality," said Aine.

"I understand, but if you are ever in need of some advice, please don't hesitate to visit me."

"Of course, thank you for everything."

A few hours passed, and Martha and Aine said their goodbyes for now and parted ways. But before parting, Martha gave Aine a little something.

"Aine, please take this."

Martha handed Aine a paper scroll; unrolling it revealed a map of some sort.

"It's a map of the Pauperis region," said Martha.

"Thank you, but what about Pulchra?" asked Aine.

"We don't have access to a Pauperis map; it's practically a government secret here," answered Martha.

Out of the fear that one day the people of Pauperis might revolt against this capitalistic government system, the overseers of Pulchra give very little information about Pulchra to the people of Pauperis. This fear manifests in laws that don't allow the commoners that live in Pauperis to have maps of Pulchra.

There are other laws like this; it seems the overseers of Pulchra are afraid of a revolt, but why? They have all the money; doesn't that mean they have most, if not all, of the weapons and army? Why are they so scared of a revolution?

"There is an inn just a few blocks away from here," said Martha.

"How do I earn money?"

"Well, just go to the guild; they'll tell you all about it."

"Thank you."

A fantasy world with an adventurer's guild-what an original idea that definitely hasn't been done a million times before. Will the protagonist be able to accept quests that will enable them to gain money and advance in rank so they may accept more difficult quests? That's a troupe I've never seen before! Well, it doesn't matter.

Aine said her goodbyes to Martha and headed straight for the guild. The 20 fickens given to Aine by Daegal seem like a lot at first but little in hindsight. Aine walked down the dark roads of Moon Village.

She looked around as she walked. In stark contrast to yesterday, the shops are open and the streets seem somewhat lively. Aine was enjoying her stroll down the village and even passed the village square from yesterday. But as she was fully immersing herself in the hustle and bustle, a panic-induced scream could be heard approaching.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"

Aine looked left in an instant. A vegetable cart was sliding down a set of stairs that were down an alleyway, likely from a higher elevation area of the village. The vegetable cart could be seen dragging a young man behind it.

"I CAN'T STOP; GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He screamed.

Aine gasped as the cart headed straight for her. In a state of panic, Aine's legs froze up, and she rooted herself to the ground. Aine covered her head with both of her arms and screamed.

"STOP!" She screamed. A loud, heavenly sounding bell could be heard echoing through the whole village.

She closed her eyes as the cart was about to hit her. But after a few seconds of closing her eyes, nothing happened. She couldn't even hear the cart rolling anymore, only the confused and surprised gasps of the villagers around her. Aine slowly opened her eyes, revealing the status of the out-of-control cart.

The cart was in complete stasis. Everything that the cart was carrying and the cart itself were frozen in time. One of the cart's wheels was literally off the ground.

"What the hell just happened?" asked the young man behind the frozen cart, dazed and confused.

The young man looked up at the state of the cart; his jaw dropped to the floor, and he was flabbergasted.

"What the fuck?!" He swore with a confused tone.

His face struggled to give the correct expression; he was that shocked. Aine walked slowly to the side of the cart to inspect it. Some of the villagers also began to gather around with curiosity; others fled the scene in fear.

The young man walked near Aine to also inspect the cart.

"Holy shit, I've never... uh, I am so confused," he said.

"Yeah, same here," answered Aine.

"At least the cabbages were okay," said the young man.

Aine approached the cart even closer. A soft blue glow could be seen radiating off it; there must be some kind of divine power intervening here. The chatter and gossip of the villagers could be heard.

Aine approached it even closer and intended to lay her finger on it. The young boy already has his hand on it, rubbing it in awe.

"This is out of this world," he said.

A few villagers have even touched the cart and the contents it was carrying. One of them even held one of the boxes of goods in his hands, holding it like it was weightless.

Aine's finger was just a few millimeters off the cart, on the cusp of touching it. She gently touched it with her middle finger, and it regained all its momentum and flung forward. The same heavenly sounding bell could be heard again, but with a slightly deeper pitch.

The cart hit the wall along with all its contents, ignoring whether it had been moved from its original position. The box that the villager was holding flew out of his hand and hit the wall as well. It crashed into the wall, leaving a dent on it and spilling its contents.

The villagers gasped even louder than before. If they weren't scared before, they definitely are now. Aine was in disbelief at what had just occurred.

A loud whistle could be heard from a distance.

"WHAT IS WITH THIS CROWD?! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" shouted a man with a deep voice.

Slowly, the crowd began to thin as people dressed in uniforms rushed to the scene. A man in a uniform shoved Aine, which caused her to fall.

"HEY! Get up, peasant!" shouted the man.

Aine quickly got up and tried to walk away, but a hand rested on her shoulder, keeping her from walking.

"Hey there, you look pretty cute for someone so poor; how about you come with me?" The man said it in a rather mischievous tone.

"Not interested," replied Aine.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that wasn't a question."

The man looked at Aine with a disgusting look on his face.

"Do you know who I am? I'm the captain assigned to protect this shithole of a village. The least you can do is thank me for protecting your worthless lives," said the man.

Aine felt disgusted by this man's actions.

"No, I owe you nothing," replied Aine.

The man smiled sinisterly.

"Did you just reject me?" he said.

His creepy smile was paired with an equally disturbing stare. His eyebrows showed that he looked mad, but he was smiling. Aine began to really worry now. Aine knows full well how much power this man holds.

"No one rejects me; NO ONE DARES!!" he screamed.

"YOU UNGRATEFUL WHORE!!!" he shouted as he slapped Aine in the cheeks.

Aine fell to the ground while holding her swollen cheek.

"YOU SHOULD BE HONORED TO BE MY WIFE!" he shouted.

The whole village was watching this event unfold; even some of his underlings that followed him to the site were shocked. The whole village was petrified.

Aine looked like she was on the verge of tears. The man picked up Aine by the neck and began ripping her clothes. A loud, heavenly-sounding bell could be heard echoing through the whole village.

"I'll make a mockery of you," he said.

Just as he was about to strip Aine of her top, a rock was thrown at the man's head. He screamed in pain and dropped Aine.

"RUN, YOUNG LADY!" shouted a man with glowing blue eyes.

Aine quickly got up and began to run; the villagers opened her path for her to escape. She was making such haste that she dropped the map Martha had given her. The man was bleeding from the back of his head.

"WHO THREW THAT? GET HIM!" He ordered his men

The man looked around, seeing that Aine had disappeared. He smiled once more.

"You'll be my wife no matter what," he said to himself.

Another rock was hurled at the man before he could get up. More villagers, all with glowing blue eyes, began throwing random stuff they found at him and his underlings, like rocks, buckets, and fruits. A hay bale was dropped on some of his underlings from the roof of the house.

And all it took was one perfectly aimed rock plunged straight at his forehead to fully concuss the man. The man lay on the ground, slowly bleeding out, while some of his underlings began to retreat.

The villagers all looked confused, like they had been brainwashed a couple seconds prior. Their eyes no longer glowed blue.

The young man who was carrying the cart exited the crowd in search of Aine; he was worried for her. Aine was running as far as she could until, eventually, she ran out of breath.

Aine looked traumatized to think she was that close to being violated in public.

"Hey you, hey there," said the young man as he approached Aine.

Aine screamed, fearful for her life.

"No, don't worry; I'm not with them," he reassured.

"You're not?"

"No, no, I'm the guy who was pushing the cart."

"The screaming one?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, A-Are you alright?

"Maybe? I don't know."

Hey, why don't you stay at my place for the night, just to lay low?"

"Um, I don't know..."

"Look, it'll be one night, so you can be on low; he might still be searching for you."

"Alright."

"You should also leave first thing in the morning; as long as you're in this village, he'll find you."

The young man took Aine down an alleyway behind some fencing.

"Ok, wait here, what size clothes are you wearing?" he asked.

"Uhh, I don't know," replied Aine.

"Ok, that's alright; I'll eyeball it."

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"We can't have you walking around with no pants and an almost torn shirt; I'll buy you something proper to wear."

"Wait, no, I have money."

Aine looked down at her hip; her pouch of fickens was gone. She must have dropped it when the man ripped her pants.

"You dropped it?"

Aine nodded with a sad face.

"That's okay, I gotchu."

Aine sat behind the fences, hiding, as the young man bought her new clothes.

He came back a few minutes later with an old-fashioned dress.

"You'll get more looks if you wear pants; women don't typically wear pants, so hopefully wearing this will make you blend in more."

Aine nodded as she took off her clothes. The young man looked away and blocked Aine even more, so people would have a harder time looking at her. Aine got changed into a nice, long dress that is known as the cottagecore prairie.

Aine walked out as the young man led her somewhere. Although Aine had just experienced a traumatic event, she felt like this young man could not do her any harm.

"I'm sorry, excuse me!" shouted an old lady from behind.

The young man looked back. An old lady was running as fast as she could, holding a pouch.

"I'm so glad I found you; is this pouch of fickens yours?" She asked Aine.

"Yes!" Aine answered as her face lit up.

Aine grabbed the pouch and thanked her.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, dear; he's always been like that, preying on young innocent girls and using his high rank to force them to be his wives," said the lady.

Aine nodded. "It's alright."

"Well, I'll be off now; please stay safe, dear," said the woman as she walked away.