Humble Beginnings

"In this world, we have 14 great gods. The land conquered by humans has been divided into 12 sections to represent this, with one spot for every god other than the god of fortune and goddess of disaster. As you know we reside in the land of the God of the Kings but do you know he isn't our patron god? We live in the area of a minor god, The God of Hunting. All over the lands, it is common for minor gods to have territory within the great gods' land. Furthermore, when born the god of the domain you are located in will be your patron for life." The nun who acted as the teacher for the church went on one of her usual lectures.

Cain let out a puff of air in annoyance. He has been going to the church's school for the past 16 years and he has heard this exact lecture so many times. Why he wasn't allowed to graduate for another year was beyond him. Most of what they said didn't even matter to Cain as an individual. They talked a lot about the Hunter god who was their patron but Cain wasn't from here. He's not aware of the details but he knows that he arrived here when he was just a baby. Even if no one told him, it was clear how different he looked from the rest of them. He had sharp facial features, purple eyes, black hair, light brown skin, and a slim but muscled build. The rest of the village had blond hair, pale skin, green eyes, and very bulky builds.

Patron gods liked to mark their territory and every human under them would look at least similar to them. Although, all the heroes of legend looked almost exactly like their patron god. The gods have been silent for a hundred years but something was still making sure the appearances of people were similar. At least the people in town didn't have any issue with his differences. The only issue Cain had with the situation was that he didn't know who his god was.

The nun rambled on for a little bit longer before class let out. Cain and the rest of the village children, from little kids to people Cain's age, shuffled out of the stuffy classroom. Most of the kids left the church but Cain went to a wing of rooms on the other side of the building. These were the rooms dedicated to travelers and orphans. Cain was the only orphan in the village and visitors rarely came, so the wing was quiet like usual. Inside Cain's bedroom was all of his gear laid out on his bed. There were casual clothes and both a wooden sword and a real sword.

Every day after class the village's head guard would hold fighting lessons. In this world full of monsters it was a necessity to be able to protect yourself. It mainly consisted of everyone sparring while the head guard would walk around and throw out pointers. It wasn't the most organized class ever but with only one teacher and a lot of different weapons being used... well there wasn't much else that could be done.

Cain quickly changed out of his formal school clothes and strapped his sword to his back. He then ran out of the church and to the field at the edge of town. Cain couldn't help but break out in a smile as he made his way there. He wasn't necessarily terrible at academics but he was definitely better at fighting. He enjoyed it enough that he even practiced in his own free time. It got to the point where no one could touch him in a fight. The head guard was the only one who put up a challenge and even he lost almost every time. Cain at least would hold back in most fights against his fellow students. He didn't want to embarrass them in front of the rest.

Making his way up to the field, Cain noticed a new face in the crowd. Talking to the head guard was a man that clearly was from out of town. Unlike the rest of the village, he had short-cropped brown hair, tan skin, and black eyes. He was sporting some serious muscle and had a scar going down the side of his face. On the man's back was a large broadsword. Cain had to hold himself back from running up and challenging him to a duel.

Most people had shown up at this point and started to spread out for warm-ups. The strategy changed from person to person, some stretched while others went through routines with their weapons. Cain went for stretching, a cramp during a fight could prove fatal.

"Everyone gather up!" The head guard called everyone over for the start of class. Usually, he would go over the goal of the day's class as well as give everyone encouragement. Notably, the man was still standing up front.

'So he's not just a new student!' Cain's interest had risen even higher. The man clearly had a feeling of strength surrounding him. Cain hadn't had a truly good fight in a while and was itching to draw his sword.

"The man next to me is a soldier from the capital. We don't get many visitors so treat him well! He even was kind enough to offer help for today's lesson." The head guard then continued with his usual speech. It ended with everyone cheering and spreading out.

Soon the head guard walked around and picked a partner for everyone to spar with. This time Cain had to fight Sean. He was a year older than Cain, he also used a spear. Cain had to be careful of the long reach but once he was in range the fight would end soon.

"Begin!" Cain rushed towards his opponent at full speed. Sean's green eyes widened in surprise and he threw a weak jab with his spear. Cain didn't even bother swatting it and shifted his body so it barely passed by. Sean now defenseless could only watch Cain move up to him and put his sword to his throat. They were only using their wooden weapons for this spar but it still made Sean nervous.

The spars continued like that for another 30 minutes or so. Cain never lost a single match but he did fake a few close calls. He took a sip of water from the well nearby and started to head back to the field. They were still planning on another hour of sparring. The rules were winner stayed so he began to make his way back to his section of the field. Before he made it all the way through, a booming voice resounded behind him.

"You! I challenge you to a duel." Curious, Cain looked back. He was met with the capital soldier pointing his finger directly toward Cain. A smile crossed his face as he met the man's gaze.