Brogress (3)

Bleugh!

Again we lose our breakfast due to the strain of running around the palisade. The kid only lasts through the first half of the lap before I have to take over again. My muscles are still sore from yesterday but that magic healer seems to have taken the edge off. I can't help wondering if magic can be used to heal after a workout similar to the effect of steroids.

[I'm sorry.]

Nothing to apologize for. We'll get stronger together.

I'm bent over, trying to catch my breath when I feel the ground shake.

"What the hell?" I wheeze.

"By the gods! What is that!"

I turn to look at the shouting guard pointing toward the forest. There, a mountain rises above the trees. The monolith grows until it stands almost three times higher than the treeline. My mind boggles as I gaze at the one-hundred-fifty-story tall behemoth. Soil and trees fall from its frame revealing a stone body. I can't breathe. The sheer horror of seeing such a colossal monster almost makes my knees buckle.

[We should be okay. Elementals tend to avoid people. Remember to stay calm.]

The kid's words snap me back to reality and I gasp.

You're right. Thanks.

"What the hell is that thing?" Another guard shouts.

"It's an Elemental. They aren't known to be aggressive so we should be okay. Just stay calm." I regurgitate the kid's words to calm the guards.

"Are you kidding me? That thing could crush us all just by walking in our direction!"

"Shut up!" The blond-haired guard from yesterday shouts. "Your job is to protect the town and prevent people from panicking! Now, hold your ground!"

The guards nearly fall to the ground from fear but maintain their positions.

Everyone holds their breath as the Elemental turns away from the town and retreats into the distance with thundering footsteps. Only after it disappears over the horizon do we all catch our breaths.

"I was sure we were all gonna die." One guard exclaims with a hand over his chest.

"I'm still not convinced we didn't." Another says. The blond-haired guard walks up and pinches the man on the arm. "Ow, what was that for?"

"Still think this is a dream?"

"I- well, no. I guess not."

"There. We all survived. Nothing to be surprised about. The thing never even got near us." The blond-haired guard says to the other guards before walking my way. "Nick, was it? I'm Sampson. Nice to meet you."

I reach out and firmly shake the hand he extends in my direction.

"I appreciate the help," he continues. "My guys may act tough but they're actually just a bunch of Mama's boys.

"Am not!"

"Oh, really?" Sampson sneers. "Then why don't we go ask her?"

"No, please don't!" The guard's face goes pale at Sampson's threat and he begs him to reconsider.

"I see what you mean," I say with a grimace as I watch the guard grab at sampson's clothes with tears in his eyes. "But I suppose we're all Mama's boys on the inside.

[Liar.]

"I guess you're right." Sampson admits. "I actually quit adventuring and decided to work as a guard at least partially because my mother was so worried all the time. Although, maybe I just quit to get her to stop nagging."

I ignore the kid's response and chuckle at Sampson's remark.

"How was it? Being an Adventurer, that is."

It wasn't too bad. Almost got mauled to death on a couple occasions but that comes with the territory. I still wake up sweating in the middle of the night sometimes when I think back to that Metapardus chasing me.

"I would too, that sounds terrifying."

[Liar. You don't even know what that is.]

"I stopped going past the treeline after that." Sampson says as he nods toward the massive forest. "It's hard to make a living around the edge of the woods because that's where most people search; it's already been picked clean. Eventually it just made more sense to be a guard."

I'll need to make money in the future so being an adventurer might be my best option.

[Didn't you just hear him? It's really dangerous!]

No, he said that going in the forest is really dangerous. Relax, I'm not making any decisions, it's just something to keep in mind.

"Got something on your mind, kid?" Sampson asks.

"No, I was just thinking about what you said."

"Don't tell me you're thinking about being an Adventurer."

"Honestly, I've never thought about it one way or another."

"Well, keep it that way. I've seen too many kids disappear between those trees and never come back."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." He replies with a frown.

"Well, I need to get back home."

"Take care, kid."

"Thanks, you too!"

I head through the gates and walk back into town as my mind races with possibilities.

[Why did you lie to Sampson?]

What do you mean?

[You said you were a Mama's boy but I could tell you didn't mean it; and then you lied about the Metapardus! There's no way you know what they are!]

Okay, first of all, I could tell that a Metapardus is something scary, probably a large predator, and I could imagine how terrifying it would be to get chased by something like that, right?

[I guess…]

And secondly, I pause as I try to collect my thoughts. I'm a little envious of people who get pampered by their mothers. My Mom killed herself when I was twelve.

[Oh, I had no idea]

It's alright, it happens. Honestly, I remember so little about her that it feels like she only ever existed in a dream; as if none of my memories of her are even real. That being said I can't just pour all that out to him in a casual conversation; it's easier to just agree with him.

[…]

Although I know she's not my mother, I can't help but feel comforted every time Carrol hugs us. I hope you appreciate how lucky you are to have such an awesome mom.

[I do]

Good.

[But what about the Adventurer's Guild? You said that you hadn't even thought about joining]

I didn't want Sampson to worry. If I'd said yes then he'd likely blame himself for my decision. I don't want him to think it was his fault for putting the idea in my head if I do join and end up getting injured.

[But, it was his fault]

Probably, but I don't want him to feel bad about it. He was just talking about his life. People often find correlations to blame themselves for without looking at the larger picture. I would eventually hear about the Adventurer's Guild from somewhere, it's not his fault if I join just because I heard about it from him first.

[Okay]

The kid doesn't fight me much on that last point, most likely because he still feels bad about bringing up my dead mother. Again, not something he should blame himself for but comforting him will likely only make him feel worse so I drop it.

The suns are still beating down on our head they slide into the afternoon. The heat only encourages my exhausted body to rest.

While the kid's comments aren't made to annoy me, his constant questions are starting to wear me out. It might be best if we find a way to trade off control for certain periods of the day. I know I'd like to sit back and do nothing for a while.

As these thoughts run lazily through my mind, I notice that kid from yesterday playing with rocks again in an alley. It seems he's trying to avoid any confrontation like he had yesterday.

Feeling nosy, I step into the alley and look at what he's doing.

"Hey, how's it going?" I ask, not expecting a response.

"…"

I look down at the rocks and see a set of concentric squares this time. They are equally spaced from each other in an aesthetically pleasing way.

I look around the alley and see a large wooden box which gives me an idea. I grab some rocks of my own and make a design.

"Hey, look at this." I say as I look over at the quiet kid. He looks up at me and moves closer to check out my design.

"It's a box." I declare. He looks at what I made for several seconds before responding.

"No, it's not. It's a hexagon with some lines though it."

I chuckle at his flat observation because what I've made is a projection of a cube which has six sides and can be considered a hexagon if you're not looking at it with the right perspective.

"Watch this." I remove all the rocks that would be on the far side of the cube and point to the box in the alley. "While we know squares only have four sides, boxes can appear to have sixes sides when viewed from a certain angle. As you can see, my box has lines in the same places as that box and the three lines in the middle are in the same places as the edges of the box."

The kid looks back and forth between my design and the wooden box for several minutes. It's fascinating to watch the gears in his head spinning. I've never been autistic so I can't even imagine what it's like to view the world through his eyes, but I'd give an arm and a leg to know.

"You're right." He finally says.

"Pretty cool, right?"

"Yes, it is cool." I can't help but smile because he looks so serious when he speaks. He looks at me design for another minute or so before looking up at me. "My name is Josh."

"Nice to meet you, Josh. I'm Nick." I make sure to smile and use a cheery tone as I respond.

Josh nods at me one more time and then walks away. His straight-forward nature makes me immediately like him.

[He's weird]

Well, we're weird too.

I walked home with a smile on my face and let myself in.

"I'm home!" I cried, but no one answered. The house was silent. I take a few steps in and hear voices coming from the foyer.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Vincent asks.

"I'm sorry. We just don't have the resources to fund a library in some backwater town." A man replies, though I don't know who.

"But, it's your town!" Vincent pleads.

"The town belongs to the Kingdom, I am merely its lord."

"Then, how long do we have?"

"I can give you two months but after that I'll need to collect the taxes you owe."

"I understand, Count Richter."

"Good, then I'll be on my way."

A tall man with red hair slicked back passes me on his way out. A young girl follows close behind him with a deep scowl on her face. It doesn't seem like she even notices me as she passes by.

"What are we going to do now?" Carroll asks.

"I guess I'll have to get a second job, and if that doesn't work then we'll need to start selling our books."

"Vincent, we can't! Those are your family's books!"

"What choice do we have, Carroll? I promised you when we got married that I'd take care of you no matter what it took, and I don't plan on going back on my word. If I have to sell everything I own to provide for you and Nick then I will."

The house fills with silence again for what I assume is a very loving hug.

Welp, so much for a relaxing childhood. We need to find some way to make money.

[Let's do it.]

I can feel the kid's firm resolve. Things should progress smoothly now that he's motivated.

A smile spreads across my face.