Get outta town

“Right let’s go over it one more time”.

“Ready when you are”.

“Canvas sheet?”

“Check”.

“Tinderbox?”

“Check”

“Knife?”

“Check”.

Any observers who entered the room at this point would have been greeted by a strange sight as the two would-be travellers went through their packing list, Fi, a pencil clasped in her coils calling out items as Kyle made sure they were present.

Placing the pencil down Fi opened her mouth wide as a force pulled the pile of belongings inside.

“Well that was a little weird to watch”, said Kyle as he quickly made a mental note not to watch her removing items from the ‘inventory’.

“Don’t worry too much I haven’t actually swallowed it”, Fi said looking slightly embarrassed. “It’s all in a dimensional pocket not my stomach”.

“Still ain’t gonna watch next time”.

“Ehhh, fair enough”. The floating serpent replied as she rippled her long body in a manner reminiscent of a shrug.

Packing done the two headed down stairs and were greeted by Al who was cleaning some glasses as he stood in his customary position behind the bar. Nodding the man said, “So, you ready for the big event? This will be the first time either of you have left the area.

Kyle nodded, he may have lived outside the village when he was younger, but his family’s farm had still been nearby.

“We need to head off pretty soon as well, the next town’s a couple of days away from here”.

Sam bustled out of the kitchen with everyone’s breakfast and a companionable silence ensued as the four their respective meals.

When she was done with eating Fi wiped her face clean on a nearby napkin and reminded Kyle that they should head off to the blacksmith to fetch Kyles first weapon.

Al and Sam watched the two leave with pride, knowing that the duo would support each other, throughout whatever hardships came their way. However, life must go on and after a few moments reminiscing they returned to their own responsibilities, a warm glow gathering in their chests.

Upon arriving at Bernard’s smithy, the two were rather rudely greeted by the man’s apprentice, a youth a little older than Kyle who had grown up watching the other villagers treat him with disdain, and in some cases resorting to violence.

“What do you want?”, the young man asked his nose wrinkling.

“Oi, what do you think you’re doing to my customers?” Bernard roared appearing behind the apprentice.

After chastising his apprentice, the large man reached down behind the counter and pulled out the item the two had come to receive.

“I had to modify the manacle slightly, so you can take it off easily, but other than that the job was pretty easy”, he said passing the chain over two Kyle who excitedly took it his hands shaking.

“Fi show me the stats”

Crude iron chain

Weapon type: Chain

Primary material: Iron

Damage dealt: 6-10 Blunt Damage

A length of chain modified to be used as a weapon. Can be attached to the wrist for ease of use.

Kyle quickly clipped the former manacle over his wrist, feeling a gentle pressure as he did so, not too tight, just enough that it wouldn’t slip in a fight. Looking down he noted a small hook which he unlatched releasing his limb.

“It looks like this’ll work fine, thank you,” he said.

“Don’t you worry none about paying me old man Thomas will take care of that for yuh”, Bernard said as he waved the boy away, “you head off now”.

Deciding that he should thank Thomas one last time Kyle started to head towards the church.

“Hey boy!”

Kyle turned at the sound of Denzel, the same paladin who had caused so much trouble all those years ago, walking swiftly towards them down the street, was the man himself, his marred armour glistening in the morning light.

“I here you’re finally getting out of my town”, the man stated with a conflicted expression on his face.

“Just going to say goodbye to Thomas and then I’ll be out of your hair guard captain”, replied Kyle.

“I’ll be glad to see the back of you”, the Denzel sneered casting his eyes over the younger man as Fi and his own companion exchanged glares.

Thomas, who was waiting near the entrance to the village intent on seeing Kyle off, noticed the pair butting heads and rushed over to head off any argument that might be brewing.

“Alright you two, that’s enough,” the old man said, puffing slightly from his short dash down the street, “Denzel, you have a job to be doing so stop harassing the boy, you’re already getting what you want”.

Denzel turned his cold gaze onto the priest before nodding and moved off towards the guardhouse.

“Don’t let that man bother you Kyle, come, it’s time you headed off”, Thomas calmly stated causing Fi to nod her head in agreement.

“Thomas is right we have more important things to be worrying about than that walking mirror.”

Kyle smirked slightly at Fi’s remark as they followed Thomas back to the entrance of the town where he waited patiently as the two looked out over the flat plains that surrounded the village. Kyle’s eyes kept being drawn in a certain direction and his friends smiled sadly as they realised what he was thinking.

“I’m sorry Fi but, it looks like we’re going to have to make an unplanned stop”.

Kyle slowly walked out of the village coming to a stop at a small patch of ground by the roadside, staring down for a while at the earth, still bearing the scars of what occurred there ten years ago for a time, before continuing down the familiar road.

Soon the two arrived at a small run-down cottage. Rolling up his sleeves Kyle started to remove the weeds that had sprung up since his last visit. This eventually revealed too small crosses that Kyle sat down in front of.

“Hey, Mum, Dad, it’s been a while”, he said smiling sadly.

***

A few years after the incident that killed his parents a thirteen-year-old Kyle had gotten into a fistfight with one of the lads in the village, something that had happened many times since that day.

Kyles head snapped backwards as a punch slammed into his nose. He raised a hand to his face feeling a hot wetness that signalled a broken nose. The larger boy followed up with a swing that hit nothing but air as Kyle circled around to his left.

“Trying to run, are you?” The boy sneered at him as Kyle wiped his hand on his pants, “your parents did the same thing, didn’t they? My dad died because of them.”

Kyle froze briefly as his brain tried to catch up with what the other boy had said. With a scream of rage, he threw himself forwards, his hands reaching for the throat of the one who was tormenting him.

The other boy struggled in his grip as Kyle knocked him two the ground, the boys head smacked into the ground with a dull thud, Kyle pulled back his left hand to strike at the bully’s face but as he did, someone grabbed him from behind.

“What do you two think you’re doing”, growled the man as Kyle was ripped away from the other boy, coming face to face with the one who had interrupted them Kyle’s eyes widened in shock as Thomas glared at him.

“This isn’t going to help anyone,” the older man hissed dragging the boy away from the scene, some of the villagers who had seen the fight glaring in the two’s direction, “it’s a good thing Fi came to find me before this went too far or I wouldn’t have been able to protect you from the consequences”.

Kyle looked down in shame and, trusting that he wouldn’t try to run Thomas released him from his grasp. “What happened?” he queried.

“He said my parents were cowards, that they caused the deaths of the guards who tried to save them”, replied Kyle looking away in shame.

“They died trying to save you Kyle and just as those guards tried to save them”, said Thomas looking at the boy a gentle expression on his face, “what happened was no-one’s fault but the monsters who did the killing, people just need someone to blame”.

Kyles lip trembled as he nodded, and Thomas took him around the back of the church. Stacked against the wall was some firewood.

“Grab some kindling Kyle its time we did something I should have done years ago”.

Later that day the two had left the village and made the markers that Kyle was seated in front of now.

***

Kyle started to explain everything that had happened to him since he had last visited, ripping up small clumps of grass as he did so, by the time he had finished the sun was sitting low in the sky and he and Fi decided to spend the night there one last time.