Beneath The Fallen Sky

It's been about two months since the death of my parents. I was able to give them both a funeral. A grave for each. My mother's with a flower on top. My father's? Just a rock. He didn't deserve to be remembered with joy. In the meantime. Surviving since then was hell. One meal a day, if I was lucky. Most of the time, I had to scavenge through garbage just to eat.

Being born without talent was hard. My only 'skill' was my memory, the only thing I had to hold onto in this cruel world. I buried myself in books, soaking up knowledge like a sponge. Anything to make up for the magic I lacked, anything to survive. But knowledge alone wouldn't fill my stomach.

I needed money, and I needed it fast. The adventurer's exam was my best shot. I wasn't 13 yet, so technically it's out of sight. I'll figure it out later, I have to make it work. I couldn't wait another year. I had to start now before hunger and exhaustion tore me apart.

The test consisted of three parts: magical aptitude, physical strength, and a practical wilderness exam. Thankfully, the first two parts would only serve to determine my talents, so even good for nothing kid like me had a chance to pass. The true exam started in the 3rd part. This is where I needed to prove my strengths. This was what would make me a hunter. I didn't care about magic or healing, and I knew I didn't have any sword skills to pass the second part of the test. Beasts were my target. Killing a mutated creature from the wild would be my target during the test. This was far from an easy task, and I needed to be ready.

I took off as fast as I could and followed the directions I had.

The forest had no mercy. Barely a day into my journey, I stumbled upon a small river, my parched throat begging for water. I dunked my face in, staring at my reflection. Dark, swollen circles under my eyes. My lips cracked, dry from thirst. It was impossible to hide how much I'd been suffering.

I didn't care about my hair, but it had grown too long. I couldn't bring myself to ask anyone for help, so I took my father's knife, the one I had used to kill him. My hands trembled as I hacked at my hair, the only thing left of my mother's care. I missed her... more than anything.

Sitting by the river, trying to catch fish with a sharpened stick, I felt like a fool. The fish darted faster than I could think. 

Hours passed. Nothing. I felt pathetic. The hunger gnawed at me. The bugs I caught were nothing but an insult to my empty stomach.

I wasn't cut out for this. I was starving, freezing, and completely useless. My legs wobbled as I stumbled through the woods, my body betraying me. I needed to keep moving, or I'd die out here in this forest.

"How am I ever going to become a hunter if this is all I can achieve?"

As night fell, I could barely see the stars. Every breath fogged the air, and the cold bit through my thin jacket. I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready for any of this. But there was no choice now. All I could do was be grateful that I hadn't run into any dangerous beasts.

The next morning, I forced myself to my feet. A pounding headache blurred my vision. My stomach churned, but the sight of walls in the distance pushed me forward. I had made it. Mercalis was within reach, it was finally in front of me, standing tall on the horizon. For the first time in days, I let myself hope. 

Then, darkness swallowed me whole. 

My eyes slowly opened, the blurry shapes above me gradually taking form. The wooden beams of a roof came into focus, I realized I was lying down.

"Where the hell am I..?"

A dull throbbing pain spread across my head as I sat up, my mind racing to piece together what had happened. The last thing I remembered was stepping out of that godforsaken forest, the road stretching out before me, and then... nothing. Everything went dark.

A soft voice broke the silence, pulling me from my thoughts.

"We found you laying down face-first on the gravel road and brought you onto our carriage"

My heart raced. Instinctively, I reached for my knife, but before I could even grasp the hilt, a deep voice vibrated through the air, sending a chill down my spine. It felt like a demon was standing behind me.

"Let's calm down, shall we?"

"You can start by putting that knife away"

I slowly shifted my gaze down and saw a glint of cold metal—a sharp, silver lance just grazing my neck. I felt a drop of blood trickle down from the point. One wrong move and I knew my head would be rolling on the floor.

"As I said, I think we should all take a deep breath and relax"

I took my hand off the hilt of my knife, cautiously, but swiftly, and the mysterious figure behind me withdrew his lance.

Slowly, I turned my head to see what was around me. Who was the source of the fear I was feeling?

To my right, was a short and young lady

with blond hair dressed in white clothing and a golden cross pendant on her neck. She must be a priestess.

To my left was a rather skinny and pale young man with light brown hair slightly covering his eyes. He had a tall wooden bow on his back with a pack of arrows to his side and what seemed like a small hunting knife on his belt.

"N-nice to meet you"

And finally, the cause of this horrible sensation in my chest. The reason my heart felt like it was pierced by a blade.

A tall, rather lean man with his large lance was standing up. He was dressed in all black and had long red hair with a bandana covering his forehead.

I was prepared to face a giant with huge muscles and an evil look on his face, something like a demon. So why? Why was it that a simple-looking man with a simple smile made me piss myself?

I was unimpressed.

"Haha, that reaction is priceless. You look rather disappointed."

"With that huge deep voice you yelled at me with, I thought you would be the King of Catastrophes himself…"

"Oh, that? That was my skill, 'Fearstrike.' Quite the showstopper, don't you think?"

So lame…

He chuckled.

"It fills anyone weaker than myself with fear so intense they can barely move. It's a bit useless otherwise, but fun in these situations."

He had a smug look on his face like he was the strongest in the world.

My nerves started to ease.

"C-captain, I thought we told you to not use that skill around us s-since we are also weaker than you"

"Yeah, what Finnian said! Don't use that skill anymore. I nearly peed myself!"

While everyone was laughing so amicably, I was embarrassed . So embarrassed that I could feel my face burning. I'm sure it was really red. Not only was I saved by random people, I now needed a change of pants.

"Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Caden. I'm the leader of the Blackspear party"

Such a lame name…

"To your right is Eryndor. As you can tell from her clothes, she's a healing priest."

She gave off a bright, warm smile. I could tell it was a genuine one.

"Let me treat that wound for you"

Suddenly a bright green light emitted from her hands. I had never seen something like it. It was magic.

"How's that? I used a little bit of my healing arts to close the wound and numb the pain."

"It's perfect…thanks."

"And last but not least, Finnian. He's our back-line supporter and helps with the hunting and the cooking. You could say he's the brains and I'm the brawn's."

He seems shy, but for some reason, dependable.

"My name is Kaelen, but everyone calls me Kael."

What was it about these guys that made me drop my guard so easily?

"Are you guys from the adventurers guild?"

I already knew the answer cause of the badges pinned to their clothes. Each of them was wearing a bronze badge with the guild's lion crest in the middle. I had seen it in a book before.

"We sure are! We just came back from a mission in the woods you came out of. We were out hunting a few mutated beasts"

His story made sense. The smell of raw meat and the skinned hide being used as a carpet to make the ride a little more comfortable was well enough proof.

It also explains why I saw no mutated beasts during my travels.

I felt the carriage start to slow down.

"Carriage permit please"

"Ah yes, here you go officer"

Two voices were discussing outside. I was curious to see what was going on. I needed a second to stretch my legs, they had fallen asleep from the carriage constantly shaking.

I took a step and opened the curtain leading to the front of the carriage where the driver and the horses were.

There it was.

A loud and lively town, with countless people walking across its roads. The air was thick with the scent of fresh bread and spices. Market stalls lined the streets, bursting with vibrant colors. Fabrics in every shade imaginable, fruits stacked high, and trinkets that caught the sun's rays sat atop wooden tables. I could hear music coming from afar. It was the complete opposite of my hometown. This place truly felt like paradise.

"You're good to go. Welcome to Mercalis"