《Book of Heroes - Rise of the Shadow Walker》Chapter 2 - Choosing a Path
Advertisement
"Good job, John! You managed to find my silver flask. Did you get the thieves?" Colette asked as he saw John walk out of the cellars, her silver flask in his hand.
"Yea, though...." John hesitated as he handed the silver flask and frying pan back to Colette.
"What is it?"
"The thief was a rat-like monster walking on two feet and even wearing clothes. It was very strange. Do you know what it was?"
"Rat-like creatures?! Oh no...."
"So you do know. Tell me."
"John...that creature you saw must be a variation of beastmen. These creatures are descendants of demons...monsters. Now that you know the existence of these nonhuman monsters, what will you do now?"
"M-Me?"
"John, I know...I know that you do not feel at home here...that you want to find your destiny out there."
"How do you know?"
"You think I didn't know about the money you so bitterly saved? That's enough for you to buy the basic equipment needed for venturing outside of the village."
"T-That's true."
"John, I know you feel that your journey lies elsewhere. I won't object to your decision. I guess it's finally time for you to hang up your frying pan."
"Miss Colette...what about your inn?"
"Don't worry. We still have the head chef. He'll manage...if not, we can always find another helper."
"But...."
"Go! Life has limited opportunities. Don't miss out on this chance."
"T-Thank you so much."
"Here, take these silver coins. It's what you earned this week. You should head over to the Training Hall to speak with head trainer Daedalus. He'll know what to do once he sees you."
"Mr. Daedalus? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, you see, since the day you were accepted into this village, Daedalus believed that you possessed the innate skills necessary to defend our village from evil...to one day become a hero."
"A-A hero?"
"Yes. Now that the time has come, you should go to the Training Hall and choose your path. Daedalus will be able to help you from there. Got it?"
Advertisement
"Yes." John agreed as he prepared to head out.
"Wait, what are you doing? You know the Training Hall isn't open at this hour." Colette reached out and grabbed John.
"Ahaha, I forgot...hehe."
"Come, let me bandage your wounds. Then, you can go get some sleep and visit Daedalus early in the morning tomorrow."
"Okay."
After John had his wound cleaned and bandaged, he headed home. He laid in his small bed as he waited for sleep to take over. He thought about the occurrence and the information about the beastmen. He always thought that there was more to the world than what they had here in the village. Now that the path appeared in front of him, he was more than willing to walk down it. Pretty soon, his eyes grew heavy and his breathing stabilized.
..........
John's eyes flashed open as he heard the first cries of the rooster and the first rays of sunlight peeked through the window. John quickly got dressed and grabbed a few necessities for the journey. Once John walked downstairs, he was greeted by Colette who handed him a bag of food.
"Good luck, John, and do remember to stop by once in a while." Colette waved as John walked out the door.
"Don't worry, I will." John waved back.
The young man left the inn and headed to the Training Hall situated to the southeast. After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the entrance of the building. Beside the Training Hall was a straw scarecrow with a wooden sword attached to one arm and a target tied to the other arm. John opened the door and walked in. The inside of the Training Hall...was empty and a bit dusty as well. It was as if no one had used this building for a long time.
"Hello? Is anyone here? My name is John...Miss Colette sent me."
"Miss Colette sent you, eh?" Someone asked from behind John.
John turned around abruptly and saw an old man with long faded brown hair and a stern face. He had accentuated eyebrows and a full beard and mustache. The old man did not show any signs of age as he displayed a powerful and energetic aura. He was wearing the leather armor that the patrol guards generally wore.
Advertisement
"Are you Mr. Daedalus?"
"Yes, I am. You said you're name was John? I remember you. So, you come to become a warrior?"
"Yes. Miss Colette told me to come and choose a path."
"Good! Here's a list of paths you can choose from. Read through them and decide which one would be a best fit for you. Once you are finished, come and speak with me. I'll be outside repairing the right wall."
Daedalus left once he handed the list of paths to the young man. John looked over the list of paths and read each description. There were six different paths - the strong Justicar, the swift Shadow Walker, the wise War Mage, the fierce Frost Knight, the mighty Flame Warden, and the deadly Inquisitor. The Justicar was a prestigious order of warriors from Roheim with a strong devotion towards the god of light. Members of this order were imbued with spiritual energy that allowed them to be the most suitable in combating the forces of darkness. The Shadow Walkers were fleet-footed rogues that specialized in swift strikes and evading enemy attacks. Their vast array of infiltration tools allowed them to easily slow, stun, and confuse enemies. The War Mages of Elstrid were devoted to using powers of the elements to bring order from chaos. These powerful people used both ice and fire to lay waste to their foes as fast as possible.
In ancient times, the Frost Knights of the Vale served a mighty dragon. Because of their servitude, the dragon gave them the powers they have now. With their mastery of ice and cold, they now guard the lands of Glenfort from the forces of evil. The Flame Wardens were a secret order of warrior rangers that patrol the borders of Dragonmoor. These warriors were not only well adapted to combat, but also well versed in the ways of pyromancy. Finally, the Inquisitors of Nithus were among the most powerful mages of the lands. Being masters of the natural world, the Inquisitors can use deadly poisons and spiritual powers to destroy their foes.
After reading through the descriptions, John pondered for a while before making his decision. Ever since he was little, he was always a bit dumb. Though he can read and write, anything more complicated than that was well...too complicated. Thus, learning magic or any form of spiritual power was out of the question which meant the paths Justicar, War Mage, Frost Knight, Flame Warden, and Inquisitor were not suitable paths he should take. All that's left was the path of the Shadow Walkers. And that was what John had decided to take.
Once he made his decision, John left the list on the counter and walked out of the Training Hall. He circled around the building and saw Daedalus just making some finishing touches to a newly repaired wall. When the head trainer saw John, his face lit up with a smile as he asked the young man what path he had decided to take. When John told him that he had decided to follow the path of the Shadow Walker, the old warrior frowned. However, he quickly smiled once more and told John to follow him back to the Training Hall to begin some basic training.
Weeks later....
From sunrise to sunset, Daedalus taught John many things about the Shadow Walkers and their ancient ways. The old warrior tried his utmost to prepare the young hero for his journeys throughout the realm. Yet, before the training could be completed, rumors began to sweep across the lands. More of the rat-like creatures had appeared and were attacking farmers outside of the village, burning crops and laying waste wherever they went. It seemed that John's newly learned skills would be put to the test sooner than Daedalus had anticipated.
Advertisement
- In Serial61 Chapters
Finley- The Lost Prince (Rewritten)
This is a Rewrite!! The original is still up! As my writing has improved since I wrote the original, I wanted to revamp my first work! Life was okay for Finley. It wasn't great, wasn't bad but it was okay. He went to a prestigious school, had a couple of friends and a decent future awaiting him. Or he would have if the people who had abandoned him hadn't shown up with wings, horns and a proverbial wrench for his life plan. It makes for some strange days when you find out you weren't just an average guy all along. Book one of the Universes Series. All Aux Chapters are compiled at: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/27547/finley--diary-entries Discord to talk with me and others (hopefully~) : https://discord.gg/XnNwkKxX7x Og book: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/22256/finley--the-lost-prince Next book!: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/38141/watchtower . . . . Clip art link:https://openclipart.org/user-detail/GDJ *thanks to GDJ for letting me use it. :)*
8 103 - In Serial6 Chapters
AMALUS
""""[...] And what the hell is this?! One second ago, I was laying on the ground barely able to think, creating my own pool of blood for insects to bathe in, and now I am in this dark and seemingly void space!"""This is the story of a man unjustly killed in his own world, only to be reborn as a slave in a new world. Follow his tumultuous journey in the lands of Amalus!Notice: On temporary hiatus till my exams are finished.
8 127 - In Serial9 Chapters
Advice Master Megumi!
It's no secret - 14-year old Kanazawa Megumi is an extremely plain and average person.She has no interesting talents, no special traits - and no friends, either. Megumi had gotten used to being a loner....and only existing in the background. But here's the twist - secretly, she absolutely hates it! Living her life as a 8th Grader at Sakuragaoka Junior High, she has had enough of her life as a wallflower. In a fit of rage, she created her other persona - the cheerful and charismatic Madoka - and suddenly, Megumi's once boring, grey life began to bloom!But as Madoka's popularity rises, more people begin to seek out Madoka's real identity...can Megumi protect her secret?
8 152 - In Serial27 Chapters
Divine Intervention Online
Vin is an ex-slave who wields sacred knowledge to demand freedom for his people. Seth is a reluctant player stuck in a game that is set to last 200 more years. When their paths converge, even the false gods will take notice. * * * Hello and thank you for giving Divine Intervention Online a chance. This is not my first book (that honor belongs to The Flock by Chris Sauter- available on Amazon). This is hopefully going to become my second book, the first of a planned LITRPG trilogy. This is a labor of love, dedicated to my absolute obsession with the LITRPG genre that has held me in its grasp for over 3 years. There will be dark situations that perhaps only adults should read including: slavery, violence and the results of war. There will be no harems, little profanity, but possibly some triggers for people who don’t like torture, violence, and other dark stuff.
8 191 - In Serial12 Chapters
Albert's Summer
Albert is a middle school kid who accidentally found a way to step into the world of his favorite MMORPG. Inside the world of 'Deaths of the Gods', he meets an elven girl named Lily who asks him help to her find her origin. With his strong desire to explore and a need to go off into new adventures, follow Albert's undertaking as he lives the life of an adventurer inside the world of favorite game.
8 186 - In Serial23 Chapters
A Warlock's Luck
Adrian Black, the half elven son of a Duke is sent to the Onyx Tower, a place of study for promising young mages with the hope of gaining prestige to increase his marriage status. During his free time he takes up adventuring to increase his renown and line his pockets, however he is in the middle of various political machinations that will see him deprived of his birthright and forced to lead an army with his elite squad of dangerous and beautiful women to reclaim his place as the Duke of Blackwood.
8 315