A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 5: My Progress. (Part 1)

Chapter 5: My Progress

"Squee," Pina called out to me as the carriage moved down the road.

I shook myself awake, "Sorry about that." It was just past midday and we had left Wester several hours ago. We couldn't stay to help with the bandits but Ardent had made sure that they wouldn't wake up for at least 32 hours. Magic sure was a scarily handy thing to have.

It was a nice day despite all that had happened this morning and like usual I found a nice place to stop for lunch. A few trees for shade and an expanding view of a meadow. In the distance wild animals could be seen grazing. They were big creatures called Borcs and a staple animal to breed for both their materials and milk. It was actually rare to see a wild herd so close to the road.

"Wow look at all them Borcs," Marley stared at them with wide eyes. Her mouth began to water, "If we hunted one we could get some fresh meat."

"Marley!" the Hero reprimanded her in shock.

"What? They taste good."

Overhearing them I smiled and approached, "No, you don't want to hunt wild Borcs. In the wild the food they eat is harder to digest, it makes their meat tougher. Their milk however can be incredibly rich due to their wide diet. Of course milking a wild Borc is something few would ever try."

"Hmm I see," Marley nodded as if having been told a serious truth. She looked at me expectantly, "Still I'm hungry for a good steak."

"I don't have anything prepared right now but maybe for dinner." Her enthusiasm caused me to give in.

"Yes!" she cheered and happily went off.

I watched the Hero chase after her. The two looked like a younger and older sister though their ages weren't that far apart for all the mischief Marley caused. Compared to the last time I made it this far the Hero was as dazzling as usual. Despite the risk I put myself in I felt it was worth it. When I took their equipment to maintain, her sword was pure with barely a scratch on the blade. Seeing it I had to smile.

As I was busy preparing I turned to suddenly see Ronalt's oppressively large body appear in front of me. For a moment my heart froze as the memory of him killing me shot into my mind. I forced it down before anyone could notice.

"D-did you need something?" I asked politely.

He thrust a long wooden case towards me, "This is for you from the guards of Wester. Apparently you saved some of their lives and they wanted to show their gratitude."

"Ah thanks?" I took the case and opened it. It was a long bow and a fine one at that. Just looking at it I could see the expert craftsmanship. It was much better than the ones I had used before but at the same time my heart lurched at the sight of it. It was clear that the bow wasn't made for hunting, or at least not for simple game. This was a bow for war. Had it been before I would have never fathomed owning such a thing, but now....

I bowed my head, "I gratefully accept it."

"Good," Ronalt nodded and turned away.

To be honest I didn't know what to feel. Yes I wanted a bow to be able to defend myself. It was the only weapon that I really knew how to use. The thing was, I never saw the bow as a weapon. It was a tool. In Axel it helped hunt for food, a way to relieve boredom, to entertain ourselves and sometimes to reach those high places we normally couldn't. The bow in my hands was made to kill. If it weren't for all the deaths I had faced before I would have shut it away. Now however, my grip tightened around the flexible wood, it was something I needed to live. It wouldn't just be the bow either, if I wanted to survive I needed to learn more.