Land of Mirriam

A horse galloped down the main roads of Trist Valley, its hooves echoing in the crisp air. The wind blew what easterners called summer but those from the central would still consider it cold. A father and son rode the horse all covered in their cloak.

If one first saw him, everyone would agree that he was easy in the eye. His black hair waved as he rode his favorite horse. A decorated explorer, if it wasn’t for his wife he wouldn’t be tied down in one place, god knows where he would go. His wanderlust and exploits were already a legend that was written in the books, few of the living legends.

He was known as the Owl, his name is Regrin Neward. A hunter among hunters.

Regrin lived in the central, while the season was really hot in the central, on the eastern frontier up north it was different. The climate was really different, it was cold up northeast. According to the general map on his mind, the Beryl Pass is next to the end of the Trist Valley… they were close.

His favorite horse and companion, a Quick Silver horse breed named Pana, along with his son, have been traveling for days. To the request of the Hero of the Era whom he worked with a long time ago. He wonders how the old man looks right now.

Meeting him was one of the most unforgettable experiences when he was an adventurer and the things they did in the southern frontier left a mark in history.

His son is asleep as their horse runs past the Trist Valley’s main roads. He opened up his pouch taking out a smaller one. He opened it and it started releasing scent.

“Neigh!!!” the horse reacted, humans can’t smell the scent but animals and monsters do.

“If you run fast enough it won’t go into your face… sorry Pana” Regrin said to his horse.

“NEIGH!!!” and the horse complains but the horse starts to speed up, they will be crossing into the Beryl Pass.

The two shivered while feeling the eastern temperature, the temperature lowered as they proceeded northwards. Hunters would usually wear leather garments for ease of movement. Hemp cloaks to protect themselves from exposure. Regrin was as tall as an average human and with a body leaning on a thinner side. Two bows hung on his back, the quiver on his horse's saddle. They were traveling light.

<--->

Days later…

“Regrin… you look good,” the old man said.

“You have grown old… you don’t smell lazy though,” The owl answered. The old man had been waiting on the border of the Marcian territory.

“I sent my disciple to the scene already, and he is tracking it, we had the beast cornered once but we failed to take it further, this one uses some kind of teleportation magic to escape,” the old man explained as he started to trot along with them. The two horses snorted at each other like a greeting.

“I see… A mutated Kaveron… has it killed already?” the owl asked.

“Yep… it killed the lord of Marcia… and some knights… the nobility of this land is totally shattered… it even got the wife,” the old man talking from the story of Jedi.

“The hunters of the Marcia are already on it… but we got tangled up on it for some unforeseeable reasons,” The old man then tapped on Regrin’s shoulders smilingly.

Kaveron was an intelligent monster that looked like a sheep. It had a magically charged wool. It would store energy on its wool which fuels its instant magic, usually, it would be some kind of electric magic but the one they were hunting was using teleport. The magic the sheep would usually wear its nature on its sleeve so this one was a coward and a sadist because every time it killed something, it tears off a part of its hunt. It clearly could discern a hunt between a food.

“I see… oh, this is my son, Lars, I’ll wake him up after we come to a safe spot,” the Owl said with a little bit of boasting in his voice. The old man smiled fiercely and ruffled the child’s hair gently not waking it up.

“We should go to Simon, the local hunters are together with him,” the old man said taking the lead.

<--->

The Owl woke up his boy on his back. The boy woke up, he saw the strange people in front of him. He knew some etiquette since some of the clans in their forest frequented his father to visit or to form alliances. He instantly knew that he had to introduce himself...

“I’m Lars Neward, son of Regrin Neward, I just turned 9 a few days ago” Lars bowed.

“Oh damn, this kid has been trained!” Emerging from the depths of the throat, the old man’s laugh sounded like a lion's growl for the hunter’s son.

After the boy bowed he looked at the old man… the old man’s face was scary even though he seemed to be trying to smile.

“Simon you should introduce yourself too! You can be friends!” the old man commented to the small boy with the hunters.

The small boy that the old man was talking to was on rugged shirts and pants… his eyes were glimmering differently, a different tinge of yellow with a sliced iris, Simon was in his natural state because he was hunting and he unknowingly had his eyes opened.

“I’m Simon… I’m cold and hungry! This old man abuses me!” the 6-year-old Simon said as he sniffed back a dropping snot from his nose, the abuse part came from when the old man attacked the Kaveron earlier. (CH70-Old man said: “The only one who can abuse the boy is me you little shit!!!”)

Regrin’s boy walked and gave his coat to Simon who was barely wearing anything but a T-shirt and something that looked like a muffler. Simon’s t-shirt was just patched clothes.

“Owa!!! That’s much better thank you!!” Simon smiled at Lars, unlike in the central, the wind was still cold up northeast.

“Old man, you had a child? Did someone carry your baby? But you only worship swords? Is it a sword that can aargh!”

Regrin before finishing his sentence gets chopped on his head.

“Shut up! Let’s go now, the Kaveron tried to kill Simon when we were baiting it, we injured it greatly but it escaped using that teleportation magic,” the old man said.

The Owl looks at the local hunters who were listening to them, it was true, the old man really did use a small child to bait the Kaveron… he was crazy. A sound instantly alerted the group, sound signaled for hunters that has been passed down from the central is known by both adventurers and hunters alike.

There was even a familiar face, the old man instantly noticed Regrin’s eyes laying on an old rival. He knew of their rivalry.

“Kibas is damn good… I don’t want the 2 of you to fight right?” the old man said to Regrin who was a little bit grinning.

The 2 met up “I know we are grown-ups…” Kibas answered as he approached the 2.

<--->

A few days earlier.

Jedilyn didn’t have the time to wallow in her future… the guild master of the adventurer’s guild tasked her… with cooking and washing clothes. Of course, it was not done for free, the guild master paid her 10 silvers per day, actually a very high salary in the eastern continent.

“Whew” she sighed, she had been working for days now and as she was moving her body her mind didn’t have the time to think especially since she had the whole kitchen to be taken care of.

“Jedi!!! They want more of the soup! Do you have more?”

“The backbone ribs!!! 2 orders!!!”

“Mayonnaise salad!! The guild master wants some too!!!”

Surprisingly after cooking on the 3rd day, the whole kitchen became her station. The 2 chefs approved of it after tasting the food that she supposedly cooked for herself, she just had a taste and the chefs gobbled it up.

“I got backbone ribs Jedi, just continue the soup,” the chef that was together with her smiled and did what he said.

Jedi already wrote the recipe on one of the papers hanging in the middle of the kitchen where the small bowls for portioning were.

“Unfair!!” a boy in the middle of the kitchen whose job was washing said, he has been working as the dishwasher since he was 8 but he never had a chance to cook, but the girl that just arrived 3 days ago was now cooking… to make it worst he was older than her.

“Do you want to cook?” Jedi upon hearing him mutter asked. “Don’t pity me… continue your work!!” the boy was still prideful.

“How about cooking after the rush hour, show us what you have learned!!” suddenly the chef intervened with the 2 who were talking, ever since Jedi showed up the 2 chefs who were rotating every 6 hours had been in a good mood.

“Yes!! Yes chef!!” the boy said smiling, he never did stop washing his dishes. Another batch comes as the guild staff brings more.

Jedi was now wondering how was the 2.

…

The cluttering sounds and the screams of orders continued and it slowly died as the rush hour ended. Still, the adventurer’s guild was having a boon because of the recipes Jedi was experimenting with. The Backbone ribs and the mushroom soup were especially popular.

Jedi and the 2 chefs were now waiting for the boy to finish his masterpiece as per his words. “Tada!!! Have a taste!!!” he was confident and Jedi did like this trait of the boy.

It was a vegetable dish. Mixed in with garlic, onion, and some kind of grass, the boy loved cooking vegetarian types of food. The 3 started tasting it.

“Hmm… I like that it is salty” Jedi said.

The 2 chefs tapped the boy’s shoulders. “But it was not cut professionally… it means you still need to practice chopping” one of the chefs commented.

“And the proportion is a bit uneven,” the other chef said after taste-testing it.

“But it's actually good!” Jedi smiled as she took another taste.

She was totally right. “After refining it we can add it to the menu,” the chef said agreeing with the lady. The boy was really happy, finally his efforts were having results, he was getting recognized.

A guild staff member suddenly arrived. “Jedi!!! They’ll be coming back now!!!” the guild staff member said.

“Aren’t they!!!?” Jedi instantly smiled.

“Oh the little lady is happy!!!” the chef already had been relieved by another chef smiled.

“Finally!! I can shine now that she is gone!!!” the boy said clenching his fist.

<--->

Jedilyn was excitedly waiting for the 2 to come back she solemnly brushed her hair to the right as the sun shone into her eyes, Simon and Alphecca waved at her from afar, 2 more were together with them.

Her feet automatically moved and her strides moved faster.

“Jedi! I got it! Kaveron meat! It's tasty!!!” Simon ran as he waved a leaf-packed roasted meat of the Kaveron.

It took them around half a day to return, the old man was nice enough to send a message so that Jedi would know.

The 2 danced and for some reason, Lars joined the 2, their dancing around in the middle of the street took away the attention of the old man and the owl… but it was time, and the old man after talking a bit with Regrin approached the 3.

“Life is about meetings and partings… it's what gives it meaning,” the old man said firmly tapping Simon’s shoulders.

The old man then shifted his head to the red-haired girl.

“We already found you a family to stay with…” the old man looked at Jedi’s face like he was memorizing it.

The little lady already knew and had the inkling so she just nodded.

“Simon… what’s with the face?” the old man instantly noticed the boy’s reaction and his face changing.

Jedi faced Simon, it was time to officially say goodbye. Her heart was filled with sorrow, she tried to stop her tears but it was failing.

“It’s okay Simon I understand, I will… sob… sob… just visit me sometimes… sob…” Jedi sobbingly spoke… she began tearing up… the old man already told her but it was still sad.

She has been saved by Simon and the Old Man… She never felt alone when he was with them 2 and the freedom she had when they were traveling was something she really understood.

Noticing the 2 Lars stepped up “I got her Simon… I will protect her” Simon who was rubbing his tears just nodded. He gave the bundle of meat to Lars.

“We got you… I heard you were the one who made the sauce it was delicious,” Regrin said. Jedi smiled “Thank you!” Regrin rubbed her redhead… it was a warm scene that even the hard-headed adventurers who Jedilyn fed smiled into.

They loved the girl, she would probably make a great wife when she grew up. She helped in the guild’s tavern by cooking and washing dishes. She will be missed by the hard-headed adventurers that she had their hearts melt with the hard work and the small things she did for them.

The kitchen staff was also watching along with the guild staff. Even the guild master sniffed a bit but nobody noticed, they were watching the scene on the adventurer’s guild’s veranda.

It was time to part ways.

Simon waved at them. They start walking to the west in the direction of the port.

“Simon… ah… I would miss that girl… she cooks so good,” the old man said… he was quite teary too. He remembered the moment the hunters failed to finish off the Kaveron when Lars was about to get charged… he tried to help but he quickly stopped as his magic started to collapse… his hands shaking.

“Yeah… I will miss her… Jedi! Bye! Take Care!!” Simon screamed and Jedi who heard it waved back.

“Okay let's eat breakfast and have a sparring again!” Alphecca said to change the mood.

“I’m still full but if it’s the food on the adventurer’s guild… I’d rather not?” Simon answered wiping his tears.

<--->

Presently... on an abyss. The darkness was maddening, any sound would echo to the emptiness of the large space under the earth. There was a sprawled boy, half his body regenerating from a bloody mess that he was a few weeks ago.

“Old man… Jedi,” the boy was dreaming, although his body was tattered his mind was still comfortably in the dream world. A man who had been watching over him for weeks smiled as he heard the muttering of the boy, he sprang up.

“Oh, you are muttering!!! Oh my god!!! An immortal like me!!! I’m in heaven!!!” it was a rugged man maniacally jumping in joy. “400 hundred years!!! 400 hundred years!!! I will slay them all you god DAMN GUARDIANS!!!!!!!!” he had a manic expression.