Chapter 16

Move Forward

Under the shade of a huge tree just outside the village premises, a boy sat solemnly. With his eyes closed, the young boy recalled the crying face of a girl. The girl whom he had made a promise to and yet had failed to fulfill. The loss she had to undergo because of his weakness. Frustrated, he blamed himself and so he refused to be with the others.

‘They are just a computer program yet why does it hurt so much’, for a person who had lost his father, Shiv could very well understand the pain Bella felt. But the reactions these so called programs had been too realistic, realistic to the point that they felt alive to Shiv.

‘This is too realistic. As if they possess genuine feelings and strong human emotions. Could it be that this world is alive?’ Shiv was deep in his thoughts, his eyes still closed.

A day had passed since the chief of the village had sacrificed his life to protect Shiv from the goblin king’s attack. A scene Shiv did not want to remember yet still could not forget even for a second. And so to distract his mind Shiv decided to go through his status bar which he had not checked for a while.

“Open Stats bar”

‘trrrng’

STATS WINDOWCharacter NameShivRaceDraconianLevel60ProfessionGrand CommonerAlignmentOberonTitleDraklake HeroHealth: 700(+550)Mana: 430(+750)Strength: 70(+35)Agility: 77(+35)Stamina: 69(+35)Vitality: 60(+35)Wisdom: 53(+30)Intelligence: 53(+30)Luck: 30Fame: 600Perseverance: 20Magic Resistance

Wind: 1%

Fire: 1%

Water: 1%

Earth: 1%AffinityWind: 1%

Fire: 1%

Water: 1%

Earth: 1%[/td4]SkillsHeavenly Element Sword Technique Beginner Level 3

Heavenly Element Form 1 Kaze- Beginner Level 5

Heavenly Element Form 2 Hono- Beginner Level 5

Magic mastery Beginner Level 3

Water mastery Beginner Level 5

Earth mastery Beginner Level 5

Wind mastery Beginner Level 6

Fire mastery Beginner Level 4

Fighting Spirit Level 0

Dragon Roar Beginner Level 1

Sword Mastery Beginner Level 4

Dagger Mastery Beginner Level 4

Bow Mastery Beginner Level 3

Identification Beginner Level 2

Presence Detection Beginner Level 3

Blood aura- Beginner Level 1QuirksAcrobatics

‘Even though my stats are off chart of a normal level 60 player, I am still weak’, with such thoughts, Shiv once again closed his eyes trying to figure what to do next once he leaves the village. ‘Maybe I should go to the capital and start doing quests’, while he was busy with such thought about his future, Shiv did not realize the presence of the girl near him

“What are you doing here all alone, Shiv?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Shiv sprang up on his legs in seconds. But the moment his eyes came across the owner of the sudden voice, Shiv froze and his face became too pale.

“Why are you here, Bella?” Shiv asked as he reverted his eyes from the young girl. Guilt struck his already feeble heart.

“Can’t be here?” asked Bella with a forced smile. Every time Shiv saw the girl’s fake smile, his heart crumbled even more.

“Of course, of course. Then I will be going” rising up Shiv began to walk away.

“Why are you running away from me, Shiv?” the unexpected question caused Shiv to freeze once again. His throat dried up and his body felt weak.

“…” there was nothing the boy could say and he flinched.

“Do you plan to leave me here alone?”

“Y…. you are not alone. You have got people here”, he stuttered as he replied in a mild voice.

“Is that so? Is that what you think? Is that why you don’t even show your face to me?”

“I am sorry. I am sorry” was all he managed to come up with. His guilty heart could not endure the pain.

“If you are sorry then take responsibility. Look after the village of my father. Look after us. That will be your punishment. Stone for your sins with your life”

“Eh?” Shiv turned back and looked at the girl for the first time after the incident.

“Become the new chief of the village Shiv. Inherit my father’s will”

Hearing those words Shiv could not help but gaze deep into the watery eyes of a girl. Though those eyes were shedding tears, Shiv could feel the resolve they carried and so for a second he faltered. The gaze she had on him made it more painful for him but he did not run away, he could not run away and so he spoke.

“I cannot Bella. That is not someone like me should inherit.”

“Are you going to abandon me after making me an orphan?”, the words spoken had no warmth in it. Shiv could not believe that those words came from the mouth of a girl who was kind to everyone, whom he had never seen angry even once

The word orphan struck his heart like a dagger. His body trembled. It was then Shiv recalled the late chief’s final wish, ‘Hey boy. Take care of my daughter for me will you?’.

As if something had taken away all his guilt and despair, with clear eyes Shiv walked towards the girl. Bella stared at him motionless, her heart too was in turmoil. The loss she had attained was eating away at her, she could not forgive Shiv even though she knew that he was not the one to blame. Yet still anger seeped into her heart whenever she saw the boy, even now she was trembling with anger. She wanted the boy to take responsibility, a selfish wish, she knew.

While she had such thoughts, she did not pay much attention to the boy who was approaching her. But when the boy suddenly took her into his arms, she gasped. When the boy embraced her tight, her body felt hot and her heart felt calm. She could not resist; she did not want to.

“Don’t say such things, Bella. You aren’t alone. I will be with you, forever. I will be your family; I will be your brother. And I will protect you”

And for the first time since her father’s death, a smile broke out on her face. She just wanted to hear those words from someone, to be held tight by someone, to be told she was not alone in this huge world and so she cried silently on her brother’s shoulder. “Promise?”

“Ah! Promise”

[align=center]---***---

That evening, all the surviving members of the village were gathered. They stood at the village center square not knowing why they have been summoned and so had a nervous expression on their face. Even the children were called in but the paid no attention to the adults and played around leisurely. Only a young girl and another young boy stood before the crowd.

“My village people! I know you are busy with sorting out things between your family but the matter I have to discuss is of same importance if not lower. Our village has been destroyed and we as of now are unable to survive. We lack infrastructure, food and other necessities”, though the girl’s voice was not loud enough, it carried conviction which attracted the listener’s attention.

The villagers nodded, it was a fact after all. The current state was a path to demise and all of them had been worried about it. Somewhere even planning on migrating to another nearby village.

“For us to get back on our feet we need to rebuild everything from scratch. We have to bring back life to things that were destroyed. As my father would have wanted I want the village to prosper once again. But for that to happen, we must choose a new chief”, once again the villagers nodded unanimously. They felt relieved knowing that the little girl had become a little energetic since her father’s death.

“But the me right now can’t lead us to prosperity. I lack the necessary knowledge and the experience. I do not have the power or capability to lead the village. And so I ask, is anyone willing to take over my post and become the village chief? Do you have what it takes to bring happiness and prosperity the people of this village? Is anyone ready to bear responsibility for the lives of the village?”

Bella asked, she made sure to mix in big words like ‘responsibility’ and all to make sure that people would think twice before they made a move.

Whispers soon rose here and there, but none were brave enough to come forward. They knew the burden of the position and were not ready to take on such responsibilities.

“Then I would like to nominate the next chief whom I believe is both capable and worthy. I wish the hero of our village to become the next chief”. This again caused some disturbance among the crowd. Some liked the idea while some were against it, after all for an outsider to become a village chief was not an usual occurrence.

“How can an outsider become the chief? Preposterous” said a man who was in his middle 40s.

“Preposterous? May I ask you why you not thought it preposterous when the same man risked his life to rescue you?” the man was silenced instantly. “When us children were starving to death, it was he, an outsider that fed us meat, it was he who slayed goblins to protect us and it was he who rescued you from their hands. And yet, when things have returned to normal, you call it preposterous?”, the villagers for shocked, for it was the first time they saw an angry Bella. The girl who always had a smile on her face now had a cold gaze that pierced through one’s heart.

It was then Shiv talked,

“It’s ok Bella. They will be troubled if you force them into it, you know”, Shiv tried to restrain Bella, but the girl refused to give in.

“I did not come to this decision just because he saved us. For the last few days, I have been with him, observing his action carefully. This person knows things that we don’t. He made uses of things in ways we have never seen, that makes me wonder what all knowledge does this man possess. To use sugar and flour to make explosion, it itself is an unbelievable feat. Think about it everyone, if such a person were to lead us, the things we can achieve would be immense. Maybe, this small village could turn into a town that could even rival the capital city”, when such words were spoken, the crowd got unruly. The thought of surpassing the capital was enough to shake their souls.

“I agree”, came the voice of another girl. From the crowd which fell silent, Cheryl slowly walked towards the duo in the front.

“Bella’s words can’t be any truer. This person taught us about preserving food, he also taught us about various things that we had never even heard before. This person is a good man, trustable and reliable. I agree with him being the chief”.

“This onii-san is strong, you know. So strong that he could take down the goblin king. If that is the case then we don’t have to worry about another monster attack. I agree too”, next it was Agon who stepped forward. One by one when the children stepped forward, the adults were at a loss of word. Half of them wanted to step forward but they did not want to cross the others in the village and so silent. Noticing this, Shiv decided to speak again.

“Let’s do this. For the duration of the rebuilding, I will act as the village chief. If by that time, I am unable to persuade you all, then I will leave?”

“But nii-san?” another uproar was caused when Bella addressed Shiv as a brother.

“Bella, give them a chance to decide their future”, Shiv said in a little stern voice.

And with a small put, the girl replied, “Fine, fine”.

‘trrrng’

QUEST: THE NEW VILLAGE CHIEFYou have been nominated as the next village chief by Bella. But some of the villagers are not really happy with the decision. Change their hearts by the time the village is rebuilt.

Days left: till the village is rebuilt

Difficulty : E

Requirements: Bella’s support

Rewards

Unknown?????

New village chief

Maximum intimacy with villagers

2000contribution points

Failure

The quest will fail

1. if you are unable to gain everybody’s acceptance. (43/78)

‘So 53 are with me and the rest against. This is going to be tough’

Shiv turned to the crowd and spoke, “My name is Shiv, I am a traveler and a believer of the Dragon god Oberon. Before we rebuild this village, I need to know more about this village. Before you ask why, let me answer it. Knowing about the village will help me decide what to focus on. For example, say this village has a specialty product. Knowing about that product might help me allocate more resources or buildings for its production. In another case, say this village specializes in trade with other villages, then I could come up with methods to increase the capacity of our trade or improve the quality. Like that, each and every thing about this village can be improved many folds. But improving everything at the same time is impossible, it will only lead to our demise. And so I have to know on which part of the village to focus for now and which part to improve in the near future”

Shiv paused for a while and scanned the crowd once again.

“I need to know more about the village. About the economy, about the resources available, about trade and all and mainly what all buildings the village had before. I also want know about each of you and what all you are capable of. The children already have their roles assigned which they will continue to perform. Let’s bring this village back to life together”

The villagers nodded their head without much energy. Doubt clouded their minds and insecurity grasped their hearts. But Shiv did not mind, with a smile he greeted all those villagers who looked at him.

When the crowd returned to their homes, Shiv turned to Agon, Bella, and Cheryl who decided to stay back.

“Let’s start with what you three know”, Shiv motioned the three to begin.

“Well, the village was not that big to begin with so there was not much. But we had all that was needed. Our village had farms for food and a nearby stream for water. We have a mine north of here for metals and for wood we have the forest. Normally we do not do trades as ours is hidden village, but for the purpose of producing revenue we sell things at other villages. So that pretty much are our resources. There are no soldiers as we defend ourselves. Four people take turns to stand on watch.” Bella said.

“So that was the reason why your village fell so easily to the goblins eh. Once we have completed the rebuilding we will have to train the men. That means we will need a training hall. To fight we will need weapons and so for that we will need a smithy.”

“We have a smithy here. We have tailors, hunters, herbalists, farmers, blacksmiths, and masons. The smithy takes care of the need for tools” replied Agon.

“How many houses do we have now?”. Shiv asked looking at the partly destroyed houses.

“Currently, we have 17 that are useable. We used to have 31 before.”, Cheryl spoke a little depressed.

“So almost half was destroyed. What about the warehouse and granary?”

“We have them too. By god’s grace, they are still intact.”

Hearing Cheryl’s reply, Shiv nodded his head once and then turned to Bella, “Bella, I want you to gather the head of each profession here as soon as possible. Take Cheryl with you too”

“Yes nii-san” with a short reply, Bella dashed to the village along with Cheryl.

“Agon don’t you have a school? Or library?”, Shiv asked with concern in his voice.

“Why do we need those? They are of no use” the reply was fast. “What we need to live is taught to us by our parents. As for library, there isn’t anyone who knows to write or read, you know. Those who wish to learn goes to the capital, but I heard its really expensive so nobody cares.”

“Is that so. I see” that particular information gave Shiv many new ideas.

‘So for now we need to rebuild the houses. We need to repair the smithy and other shops as fast as possible. Even though the granary is intact, farming food will take time and so I need to come up with a way to procure food for all the members. Also we still lack a means to earn a steady revenue. This is going to be tough’, he thought to himself.

---***---

“Hello, everyone. I have asked you to come here so that we could talk about the rebuilding plans for the village.” Shiv addressed the gathering.

“Why do we have to listen to you?” was what some of them asked.

“The answer to that question is simple. The next time somebody attacks you, you will be much more prepared. Or do you wish to be slaughtered?” it was Bella who replied. She did not like the attitude of the people towards the one who had rescued them.

“Bella, don’t get so angry,” Shiv then turned to the people before him “Now is not the time for a fight, if we were to be attacked by monsters again then this village would surely fall. We lack the human resource to negate another attack. So for now let us focus on the main issue of rebuilding this village. So gentlemen and ladies shall we?”

Everybody present there nodded. A total of ten including Shiv had gathered there. Norn the blacksmith, Blina the herbalist, Lylda the huntress, Rihthor the tailor, Ames the mason and Gery the farmer. The other three were Bella, Cheryl, and Agon.

“I will come to the point directly. I want to build a couple of new things in the village. The first is a training hall and the next thing is a school”, Shiv stopped and carefully studied the reaction of all that were present. Even Bella had a face full surprise.

“Training hall and school? Why do we need them?” the same question as Agon had asked them.

“I know that the idea seems useless at first sight but the very absence of these necessities was the reason for the downfall. Without a training hall how can we produce people capable to protect the village? A training hall will let us train people on the basics of fighting. Don’t you think that the villagers could do better against monsters of bandit if they are a little trained. And so I think a training hall is the most necessary building”

“Then why a school?”, questioned the huntress, Lylda. Though her voice was sweet, Shiv could feel a tinge of arrogance and anger in that voice.

“We are going to open up the village for others and turn the village into an educational spot. That will earn us more money and more people”

“Open the village to the others? What nonsense are you spouting? This village has remained hidden for centuries and you want us to suddenly change our ways of life. As I thought, you are not fit to be the village chief. An outsider will never understand the ways of our village”, with great disgust, Lylda retorted.

“Oh I see. Does that mean that this ‘ways of our village’ is more important to you than the happiness of your family? Are you telling me that you don’t mind making your dear ones cry just t retain the ‘ways of your village’? Listen to me people, it is exactly because of these ways that you speak of that you went extinct for a moment. An overgrown forest if not periodically thinned will only lead to the death of the forest. The laws of this villages are old, too old. They cannot protect you any longer. The attack and your fall is proof that you have to adapt” The six who were being addressed had nothing to say. Lylda who was shouting a few minutes ago, hung her down in shame. She was proud of her skills, yet those skills could not help her or her fellow villagers.

All six of them had been captured by the goblin along with their family. They had seen people being villagers, they had seen the relatives of those who were beheaded crying and screaming, begging for help, yet they could not do nothing about it, only wait for the inevitable. Until the boy before them came out from nowhere and cut down the huge monster all by himself.

“We agree. We agree” they surrendered, their memories haunted them. None of them wanted their families to go through it again.

“Thank you. I know it’s hard for you all, but the future of this village, please bear with it. Instead hate me all you want, curse me, abuse me. I will take it all.” When Shiv said those words looking into her eyes, Lylda gasped. The others too had strange feeling welling up their hearts. But none of them spoke, the just silently stared at the youth with eyes that carried a strong resolve.

“Even though I say we need to build a training hall and a school, I am afraid we have to put them on hold. Right now, we need houses for the people. We also lack food. So for now we will prioritize on these aspects. Even though there are other things that I want to do, let us focus on these first.”

The others nodded in approval and gestured Shiv to continue.

“Gery-san, how long will it take the farms to produce food for the people?”, Shiv asked the only farmer in the group.

“Hm! Even if we were to plant fast growing crops, it will at least take a couple of weeks. The food reserve we have will only last another three or four days though”, the man with huge stature spoke with a sad tone. He seemed to be a man in his forties and blue eyes, with his black hair showing signs of aging. The man was at least six-foot-tall and had a body which had well-built muscles. With a clean shaved face, the man talked politely and was one among those who wanted Shiv to be the village chief.

“Just as I thought. In that case, our options are limited. Lylda-san and Agon, I will leave the matters regarding hunting to you.”

“Even if you didn’t say, I would do it without fail”, though the woman replied with rude words, Shiv sensed no anger in them like before. The woman who seemed at least six to seven years older, had a really mature look to her. She was even a little taller than Shiv, with red eyes and brown curly hair which was neatly tied into a ponytail. Her facial features were good enough to make one call her a real beauty.

Agon, on the other hand, nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Agon, don’t venture deep. You remember the perimeter I set for you, don’t you?”, Shiv warned Agon in a deep voice, he was concerned about Agon and the other children of the hunting group.

“Don’t worry nii-san. I am not that stupid to risk the lives of my friends”, the fourteen-year-old boy replied with a thumbs up.

Shiv could not help but return the smile.

“But even that is not going to be enough. The next thing we can do is buy food from the nearby villages. But to do so we need money. Or at the least items we can exchange for food. Since I am an outsider, I have no idea about the valuables here. So this matter I will leave to Cheryl. I will leave the finance of this village in your hands, Cheryl”

“Er! I will do my best”, replied the girl nervously.

“Bella, you will then bring some children and couple of adults with you to the next village to procure as much food as possible. Remember, our revenue is limited so use it wisely”

“Yes nii-san”, Bella replied with a faint smile. The way she addressed Shiv as ‘nii-san’ once again shocked all that were present there.

Shiv then turned towards Ames, the mason.

“With the food issue sorted, what’s left is the rebuilding process. I am not that knowledgeable masonry so I will leave it in your capable hands. Except for those whom I have assigned tasks, and some other women for cooking, you can use all the other members of the village as you see fit. The sooner you finish building the house the better.”

“HO! That’s an interesting proposition chief.”, with a flashy smile, the man replied. His voice was full of energy, as if he couldn’t wait to start working. The man called Ames was the oldest of all that were present. A man already in his early fifties yet as energetic as a child, such was the impression Shiv had about the man. Both his hair and beard were already grey. The man was the same height as Lylda but was a little stout. His voice was cheery and he always had a smile on his face.

“Good. As for the others, till we finish rebuilding the houses, please help Ames-san. That is all for now, you may all leave”, Shiv said as he bowed deeply to the people.

After everybody that had gather left, only Shiv and Bella remained.

“Nii-san? Are you all right?”, she asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry, Bella. Everything will be fine.”, Shiv replied with a smile not wanting to worry the girl.

“Please tell me if you don’t feel right, okay? Ah, nii-san, where do you plan to sleep?”, asked the girl as if she suddenly remembered about it.

“Just like always, on a tree branch,” Shiv replied not understanding the importance of the question.

“On the tree?” with surprise was written all over her face, she asked, “No can do. You will sleep in our house. And I won’t hear any excuse from you” Bella pouted.

“Fine! Fine!” with no other option left, Shiv surrendered with a smile. Bella reminded him of Mia, the two seemed similar to him, at least their stubbornness were. Shiv then followed Bella as they walked towards their new house, with a smiling Bella leading the way.

---***---

Somewhere in the forest near the village, a young girl was walking aimlessly. She had been walking for days in search for a village so that she could restock her supplies and repair her weapons. The girl was coming from the neighboring kingdom of Han intending to go to the Bredon capital city. On her way to Bredon she was robbed by bandits and left astray in the forest. It had been 2 days since she had been robbed. Luckily she had some food and water left with her which let her wander around the forest. Cursing her luck, she moved forward.

“Do not move? Who goes there?” Agon shouted. He had been on watch for that night. He was sharp and so any movement caught his eyes. He shouted again. “Who goes there? What do you want?”

The girl replied “Water, I need water, please” and then fainted.

---***---

Year 2040

London

Feb 21, Tuesday, 3pm

“Sir, we were denied permission to meet Ryu Yasahiro. It seems there was an attempt to his life and so he is now under protection” Yuki informed her boss.

“Dammit. First that stupid AI and now this boy. Why is life so hard?” Allen was sulking.

“But we have information about the boy’s location”

Allen’s eyes lit up, “Where?”

“Incheon, South Korea”.

---***---

Year 2040

Tokyo

Feb 21, Tuesday

“Welcome, Mr. Brian Woltale. Thank you for joining our show. It is a pleasure to have met you” reporter Nagi Kinoshita said with a smile.

“The pleasure is all mine Miss Nagi” beamed Brian.

“It is not often that we get a celebrity like you. Well! Let me introduce you to those watching the show. You all would be familiar with the latest sensation of the era, Dragon Lore. I know you are, everybody in the world is. So this young man here is the one who has topped the leader table from the very start. Let me introduce you to Adrian, the apostle of light”

When this was being said Brian Woltale was overjoyed. ‘I will find you soon Ryu Yasahiro’ was what his mind was whispering.

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