Chapter 1.0 - Heads up

In day and night, through light and dark. Vast seas and shallow oceans. There was a large bustling city. Where vines crawl up the crevices of stone bricks, scent of freshly baked bread and the marvelous statues chiseled by men who are fine of their craft… besides this town. This town had mere scraps of food, the stench of corpses rotting away in graves and the struggle of making a well to even make ends meet.

Digging the graves is not particularly a hard job, burying strangers you don't know. But a sense of dread fills you when you do, a man who knows everyone whom he buried 6 feet under. His tears are all squeezed out but he continues to keep a smile.

He pats the soil flat with his shovel, placing a withering rose on the grave. "I wish you peaceful passing, may the angels guide you true." he says, placing both pairs of arms into a prayer.

"Hedt!" a woman called out to him, "You can't keep praying for everybody." She follows. "Everybody, or every body?" Hedt replies, standing up from his knees. "Because you know them too, Sohn."

"I do! But not enough to care, now get back before the stars show." She says, already turning her back away. She stands proud, her shoulder all the way out and broad, acting as if she's tough despite her feather weight frame.

"Tsk, someday you'll get it." He replies, picking himself up as he brushes the dirt off his knees, he hoists an old, worn bag to his shoulder, the button's thread frayed and tattered, following Sohn back the path home.

Walking down the road, one would see townsfolk huddled in their homes or withering along the dead grass, illness isn't known for its discrimination, never will be.

The frames of doors all have a smear of blood and guts of livestock, the stone bricks covered in flowering vines and moss. The roofs would barely keep you from rain, if they get any.

The house is no less than inviting. The door would suffer as it opens, its hinges shouting and squeaking. Moss on the foundations and roofs, a messy table filled with open books and a cauldron stained with pigments of all kinds of mushrooms and spices.

He dips an old rag in the bloody mixture of the cauldron, wiping it all over the door frame. "That much will do. Sohn, who's in the hunting group tomorrow?" He asks, coming back to the cottage. Sohn flips through a small notebook, "You, John and Bell."

"John? I thought he was mourning."

"Well, apparently he can go after all," Sohn scoffs, "looks like we'd die a little later."

"Don't be like that, I'm sure the king will send us supplies soon enough." Hedt says with hints of doubt through his teeth. "We just need to-"

"Pay taxes? Don't kid yourself, you know they only care if we stop, then they'll come and our heads will be lopped off." Sohn interrupts, "Well, yeah. But they still might, just a little more waiting and suffering and we'll all be fine."

"If you say so… I'll go to bed then." Sohn heads off to bed, each step leaving a squeak from the loose wooden boards.

Hedt, instead of sleeping, started counting in his head. He wouldn't sleep, he never could. All his life he rested through distracting himself from the world. A trance if you would. Through the dazzling jewels on the dark sky, a blood-red streak of light crosses the sky. Hedt closes his eyes and through his teeth, seeps his deepest desires: "May the Gods grant us a bountiful life, even for just a day." Darkness fills the sky completely, the moon looming over everything. Hedt sat down on the floor, his back resting on the rotting wall.

Then his count began, "1" still quite awake. "50" his eyelids feel heavy, but his eyes don't rest. "12032" his count becoming instinctual, tranced. The day passes as the sun once again shun upon his brown eyes.

Hedt yawns and rubs his eyes, getting ready for the hunt. Grabbing his bow, quiver and javelin. Sohn puts splays her hand, putting her index in front of her middle. "Come back safe." She says, her face obviously expressing concern. "Don't worry about me, you watch over the others and make sure they don't do anything stupid… Like last week." Hedt replies, riding onto his horse's back. "Jack, Belle. Let's go, the forest will rest when noon sets."

All three of them start passing, their horses merely walking to not make noise. Then Belle speaks, her voice under her breath, "When are you and Sohn going to date already? You're both obviously into each other, live in the same 'house' too."

"Let's not get too hasty. Firstly I am not dating her, and neither will I think of it. Second, we are the only competent people in this village to live in that house. The cauldrons in the hand of a withering old man would make a dusty soup…"

"Sounds like you're avoiding it- Wait, I hear it." John says, keeping his voice low. "Sounds like a deer, take out your bow."

Hedt, without second thought, drew his bow, putting his 2 right hands on the grip and another 2 on the string as he loaded a metallic arrow. His back straightens as he pulls back, and with a quick release, the arrow cuts through wind and shoots through the deer's eye and through the other. "Belle, get the deer. John listen for out there, if there is any." Hedt commands, putting his bow away.

After a few hours of hunting, the sun was almost at its peak, they had successfully killed 2 deer, some rabbits and even a stray eagle. "Let's head back now, before the forest sleeps." Hedt rides back the track their horses left with their hooves.

As they trek back, they notice the villagers gather around a stone. "Hedt, Come quickly!" Sohn calls Hedt over, he dismounts his horse and runs over. Piercing the stone is a sword, a staff? It's hard to tell since it's buried deep into it. "It fell from the skies just moments before you came, no one was able to pull it out just yet."

"Well, that's a sight…" Hedt rubs his chin, and before you know it. Belle is already trying to pull it out, but to no avail, her hands lose grip and hits herself in the nose. "Ow!" She flinched, some blood going out of her nose.

John also has a go at it but after a few tugs, he backs away from it. "Too scared to hit yourself too?" Hedt mocks, "Oh please, as if you could do any better? That thing is stuck as a tree's roots." John quickly rebuttals. "Psh, maybe I can nudge it out a bit."

"We'll see…" Hedt puts all his strength into it, his feet firmly planted and his arms all pulling. His back muscles bulging from the struggle. The object slips off the stone, but as Hedt opens his eyes to see what it was, the handle he held onto was all that's left.

"Oh, well. Must've… returned to its owner? Handle missing and all." Sohn says, helping Hedt up from the ground. "Magical item? Perhaps it flung very far during a fight." John reasons. "Sure buddy, say that to yourself." Belle mocks John.

"Oh, I loosened it for Hedt anyway!"

Sohn and other villagers laughed off the incident and prepared the game the trio had brought home from the hunt. The day was long but the villagers get to be fed for today, the question is how much the forest is willing to give.

They all sit by the fire, some villagers relieved they get to eat another day. Belle and John whisper to each other, while taking glances at Hedt and Sohn. Belle giving some slight chuckles. "Alright, Belle, I get it. But I'm not doing it." Hedt says, "Doing what-"

"A NEW TRICK… Hunting trick. " Hedt interjects, keeping a glare at Belle. Few hours go by and Sohn goes and collects tax from the villages, wheat, meat and even tunics.

"Here, for the tax." Sohn gives Hedt salt-preserved deer meat, stuffed in a bag, along with farm produce from the other villagers. "Are you sure this would be enough? I remember the kingdom increased the tax…" Hedt scratches his neck. "Well this is the most we can give, lest we starve off another villager." Sohn replies. "I guess you're right…"

The knights came, their horses galloping in armor, clanking in each step. Their banners waved authority to the entire village. One knight dismounted from his horse, his face obscured by shadows from his helmet.

"The king sends to collect the tax." he says, muffled from his helmet. Hedt with slight hesitation, hands over the tax, the knight tosses it to another that is not in armor, assuming it's either the tax collector or someone that works directly under the king, seeing how his clothes are made of silk with a fancy pocket for snacks.

"It's not enough, forfeit the rest." the knight says, drawing his sword, pointing it at Hedt's neck. Sohn tries to stop him but Hedt immediately stops her. "Sorry, but that's all we have, unless another one of us starves here."

The knight stays silent, sheaths his sword. "Then die instead." with a tight, clenched fist. He clocks Hedt straight in the face, breaking his nose. "I'm feeling generous, so I'm letting off a little steam off of you and we'll be on our way. Fight back if you want to, not like you can even beat me. Four-armed freak."

As multiple gut-tightening blows land on Hedt, no one dared to interrupt. He bled profusely, and can barely lift a finger in his extra pairs of arms. But as another punch flew through the air, the handle from earlier, attached to the belt of his worn clothes, shone in a golden tone. An array of golden spikes pierce through the knight, dead as he stands.

"...WARLOCK!" one of the knights cries out, "KILL HIM!" Without even thinking, Hedt started running away, but not into the village, but out of it. He can't have them attacking the village.

Crossbow bolts whistle through the air, piercing his shoulder, ankle and knee. Pinning him to the ground, but he already traveled quite a distance.

"Warlock, you are to be executed through flames at midnight. Any final words before you are turned to ash?" One of the knights says, grabbing him by the neck.

"Yeah… heads up."

Chapter 1.0 - END