My father slams his fist onto the table and says, "Adrian, do you know what you've done?"
"A business deal?"
"That's not what I mean. You know of the deteriorating relationship with the Royal family. It was awful since the foundation of this country, and has only continued to get worse. How did you even get in contact with the Royal family?"
"I have made quite a few connections with the merchants who have been moving through the village for the last five years. Thanks to their efforts, I was able to get a direct connection to what happens in the capital without ever having left the area. It was rather easy to organise a deal to sell my land rights, especially given how increasingly unpopular you've become with them. At first, I thought it was because you and your coalition of rural farmers essentially control the economy in this country, but it seems their hatred for you is so intense that I was able to get a steal for this. Oh yeah, as a warning, I should inform you they've been able to make a couple of strategic purchases with yours truly's help, and now with my land, they have enough reason to relocate to this area and build a castle so they can keep watch and spy on you all. For some reason, they think you're hiding something, and maybe you are, but that's no longer my business."
My mother's head hangs low, and my father, glaring at me, says, "I know we've had some disagreements, and you never really took to the others in this village. But you know the damage it would cause to us if we had to deal with the king's people constantly sneaking around our lands. Why would you do this?"
"To be reborn. To move forward, to live as Captivant, I need money, enough money to overcome my weakness, and I can't get that through any other method. I am not going to beg anyone for money, nor am I going to keep myself a safety net if things go wrong. I will never be like any of you losers. So I will dedicate all I am now to becoming who I wish to be in the future. Let this forgone land be the signal of my coming rebirth."
Rage fills the vessel of the man in front of me, yet just like the pacifistic coward he is, he lowers his head, then softens his eyes before looking at me, and says, "I see."
"I see? Is that all you can say? It's that same behaviour, that same pathetic attitude, it's why I turned out like this. I won't ever be like you no matter what ever happens, and I hope you remember tha-."
From my mother's eyes, tears start to form before they quickly fall onto the table in front of her. My violent mother, the brutal witch, the beast in human form, looks far more fragile than a baby. Like her mind and heart are broken into millions of pieces.
I didn't want her to cry, I didn't want her to suffer, but.
My father wraps his arms around her body and says, "It's okay, it will all be okay, darling. Don't cry, everything will turn out fine."
I knew she had my father and friends. So many people who would love her through whatever challenges and battles she faced. Yet if I fell to those tears, if I allowed my heart to be crushed, Captivant would have died, and that's all I cared about. It's all that kept me sane. Yet seeing her cry that day, is when I knew I could be Adrian anymore.
-Break-
Location: Outskirts of the Village of Zaad Ziener
Sitting in the back of a wagon, I stare out at the village in front of me, and from the front of the carriage, I hear, "Are you sure you don't want to say any goodbyes. My lord gave me enough resources to wait another few days before we take off."
"No, I have nothing here to say goodbye to. Please just move."
As the carriage took off, and the distance between me and all I knew grew, all I could feel was pain in my chest, despair in my soul as all my worries and anxieties grew and morphed into a beast I could barely control.
Yet, coursing spirit energy through my fist, I slam it into my chest and let the pain bring my mind to a point of clarity. "You are not the same as you were that day; you have a mind, you have a will, you have a body that you can be proud of. But more than anything, you have the same pen and paper that brought you to this point in the first place. Keep moving, Captivant."
I brought myself to a point where I could move to achieve my goals, and I allowed that power to continue to fill me with all the strength I could ever hope to have. So I took off into an unknown world, with all that I have gained, yet it wasn't as easy as I had once thought.
-Break-
Location: Outskirts of the Country of Den-O
With my hand pasted across the floor, with my sword in between them both, I take a deep breath, trying to recoup my strength, yet the strain on my flesh is incredibly intense, to the point where I feel like I could barf. My head raises slightly, and there, I see a giant group of man-eating plants gathered all in front of us, sprawled out like seeds.
A rumbling voice claps its hands and says, "With that, the training exercise is over!"
Raising my head, I see a large group of people standing all around me, many of them tried, but none as bad off as men, and in front of them all is a group of 10 people.
One of the 10 walking forward says, "Now you dirty little rookie adventurers, line up, we will be picking the 20 of you we are going to bring on our expedition to Enotita."
Hearing his words, I quickly move my body in line with the around 50 other adventurers who stand in line, and then one by one, the man's finger moves bring tears and joy to each person he moves past. And as his finger lands next to me, I brace myself, gripping onto my chest. Yet his finger moves past me, and in that instant, I feel my soul evaporate, before I force it back together as I shout, "WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK ME!"
He stops for a moment, surprised, before the back of his hand slams into the side of my cheek, as he says, "Don't raise your voice. I don't feel like hearing your wetching."
Grabbing my check, I say, "I was able to kill one of the biggest man-eaters amongst everyone, and I followed all of the instructions to a tee. Why would I not be picked?"
He sighs as he rubs his chin, then says, "You're a high output attacker, probably one of the highest amongst the rookies, except we already have that role covered completely, you have no use to us, and..."
Drawing his head closer right up to my ear, he says, "You were staring at my woman's boobs earlier, weren't you. Men who lack basic respect, like you have no place on my team, do you understand that?"
He gives me a sly smile as he pulls his head back, so I grab him by the collar and shout, "THEN IF YOU CHOOSE ME, I WILL PAY FOR THE ENTIRE EXPEDITION!"
"Wha? As if that would change my mi-."
In an instant 4 of the 10 in front rush down and grab the man as one of them says, "Are you serious!"
"We can confirm with Deno before we leave if you don't trust me! If I can't contribute on the battlefield, I will contribute in other ways, so please take me with you!"
Smiling, the 4 instantly shout, "YOU'RE IN!"
The words I forced my soul to utter that day allowed me to start the story I always wanted to grasp with my own two hands, but still, there were limits to the money I had, and what I could accomplish with it.
-Break-
Location: Basileia Sea; Ship
Feeling the waves of the sea between Terrafide and Enotita, which holds the island of Basileia. I continue sneaking on the ship till I reach his room and press my ears against his wall.
There I hear the man say, "That fucking brat thinks he can just buy his way into our expedition, my expedition."
A female voice says, "John, you don't need to worry about that. He is capable enough not to slow us down, and he is paying for this entire expedition by himself. If you want to get back at him, just strategically break some of your oldest equipment and get him to reimburse you, or better yet, maybe you can just set him up to perform some foul play so that you could get him removed while still keeping the money."
"You really are a genius, Jane; there is no other woman like you."
"Don't just say it to me, make me feel it."
The ground my feet were standing on was shaky, so much so that I didn't know if it could hold me during the entire journey. Yet I refused to be defeated, I refuse to let life grab me by the reins. So I will attack.
-Break-
I will curry favour.
Holding the freshly polished sword up into the sky, I say, "How does it look?"
Taking it from my hand, he says, "This is amazing! It's the best it's looked in years. This was an old hand-down from my father, and I can't believe it looks as fresh as new."
"My Master was a relaxed and somewhat lazy person, but when it came to fighting and keeping my tools optimal, he trained me like a demon."
Turning my head, I say, "If anyone else wants me to upkeep their weapons or tools for them, just head on over, and I will get it to you for free."
Soon, the faces of the rest of the rookies turn to smiles as they rush over with requests for me.
-Break-
I will allow others to shine.
Continent: Enotita; Southwest
Location: Southwestern Forest of the Alchmeist Country Matibaypukaw
In front of my eyes, I move towards the large bipedal Wonderbeast, Sigbin, that looks like a fusion between a goat and a wolf. Holding my blade, I surge spirit energy throughout and swing it towards the beast, which swings its claws towards me.
My blade slices its fingers off, and for a moment, I see an opening towards its neck. Feeling spirit energy flow from behind my body, I move my blades towards its leg and slice its knee caps, forcing it to fall, and in that moment, another one of my allies, a woman, dashes upwards and pierces it in its neck.
As the dead body of the Sigbin falls to the ground, the woman holding a rapier in her hand says, "Did I actually do it?"
Slapping her on her shoulder, I say, "You did, and if it wasn't for you coming in on time. I would've died, you really are amazing!"
Smiling, she rubs the back of her head and says, "I didn't really know I had it in me. If you are scared to be by yourself, you can just support me, and I will carry you through this."
"I will take you up on that."
-Break-
I will fill their bellies
Location: Alchemist Country, Matibaypukaw;Dalisay Forest
Standing with a pot in front of everyone, I serve out bowls for each person, as I say, "Here you go."
Looking at the steaming bowls in front of them, they all take a bite and says, "DELICIOUS!"
One of the men standing up says, "The rice tastes so good, how did you ever manage to make it taste like this?"
"My Master took nutrition very seriously, making him an amazing cook. He passed it all on to me. So if any of you are hungry, you can come to me."