NOVEL WEB Chapter 12: Fields
Shapira continued cleaning the weapon. With great care, she took it along with her whetstone and slid it over the blade with quick, cautious movements, seeking to achieve the best possible edge.
After a few minutes of sharpening, Shapira seemed satisfied with the result and exclaimed to Arthur:
"Looks sharp enough. However, I need to test it to be sure. Do me a favor, kid," she said, pointing to a watermelon.
Arthur understood immediately. He went over to the fruit and placed it on a separate table, far from everything else.
Shapira approached calmly, observing her target.
"Huuuff…" she breathed out slowly, concentrating all her emotions and senses on her future strike.
Then, without hesitation, she lunged.
SLASH!
Shapira delivered a swift cut against the watermelon.
Arthur watched it all in ecstasy, but the watermelon appeared intact. The boy was confused for a moment, until…
The watermelon expelled its juice everywhere, splitting into two clean pieces on the table.
"That was incredible, Shapira! That strike was amazing! Did your grandfather teach you sword techniques?" Arthur said, his eyes vibrating with joy and admiration.
"Something like that," she replied. "He kind of forced us to learn, said it was necessary for survival in this place. I don't blame him; it really did save us a few times… however, I don't like it one bit," she said in a sad and nostalgic tone, holding the sword as she remembered her grandfather.
"But let's not focus on that. You can use it now. It's good enough not to let you down," she exclaimed, rolling her eyes, trying to change the subject.
Arthur noticed that her grandfather was a sensitive topic for Shapira, and again, he just nodded. But now his focus was elsewhere. He needed to kill some monsters to raise his level.
Shapira handed the sword to Arthur and said:
"Be careful. It's special, both to me and my sister."
"You can count on it," he replied with a smile. "I'll guard it with my life," he exclaimed, confident and happy.
Shapira nodded.
"I certainly hope so. Now, you need to go to the fields to defeat some beginner monsters. A cart leaves the slums early tomorrow morning. Be ready. I'll accompany you there," she said, her tone authoritarian, but pleased with the hero's determination.
Arthur agreed, eager to get into combat. His sadness still haunted him due to everything that had happened, but things seemed to be taking a turn, and he longed to return home.
On the other side of the kingdom, the three heroes were gathered with Solara, undergoing special training focused on their sacred weapons.
They had already gained a few levels by defeating simple monsters like slimes and skeletons.
Everything seemed to be going well. Unlike Arthur, they had full monetary and tactical support.
It was six in the morning. The sun illuminated Arthur's room, and he was already on his feet, finishing getting ready.
The boy was excited to face some monsters and to finally test his uchigatana. He ran to the kitchen and saw Shapira waiting for him.
"Let's go?" she asked, already ready, just waiting for the boy's approval.
"Yes, let's go," Arthur replied, excited and anxious.
The two then followed the alleys of the slum until they reached a kind of depot at the slum's entrance. It was a huge structure made of scrap metal and rotten wood, with many people arriving in carts and carriages and a large number of people circulating through the area.
Shapira then bought two seats on a man's cart. The price: 4 bronze coins, neither too expensive nor too cheap. He would take them to the fields and return at dusk. The cart was simple, made of wood and rusted steel, with a few seats that looked anything but comfortable.
Arthur and Shapira boarded the cart, heading for the distant fields. The journey would take about 40 minutes, torturous due to the terrible comfort offered.
The two finally arrived at their destination and disembarked as quickly as possible. The image of the fields was completely different from what Arthur had imagined. The place had a reasonably good structure—not like the capital, of course, but it was much better than the slums.
It resembled a rural town. The smell was of wet grass mixed with horse manure. There was a large street where many people sold various things, like fruits, weapons, and monster parts. Shapira guided the boy as he walked, trying to take it all in. It was possible to see several people begging for alms, as well as some thefts, but they were always contained. It was every man for himself here, but it seemed comfortable given the boy's current situation.
He saw a woman with a patched eye—she had probably lost it—fervently negotiating the price of an old, rusty axe, her voice hoarse from shouting. Further on, a shadowy figure covered by a hood sold what appeared to be medicinal herb extracts, exuding a sweet and strange smell. There were children running barefoot, dodging puddles of mud and getting in the way of men carrying heavy sacks of cement and sand.
After walking a bit more, they reached the center of town. There was a large house with 'Adventurers' Guild' written on it. Next to it was a blacksmith, and on the other side, a merchant.
The Adventurers' Guild was the most imposing building on that street. It had two floors, made of sturdier wood, with an oak door that, although worn, looked solid. A poorly painted sign with a sword and shield hung crookedly above the entrance.
"We're here now. This is the Adventurers' Guild, where you get missions to defeat monsters and collect your reward. They'll explain it better inside. Next door is the blacksmith, where you can improve your armor and repair your items, and on the other side is a merchant, where you can sell items from the monsters you kill, like their hides or other items that drop when you defeat them. First, let's get you registered here, but don't say you're the hero, okay? We'll keep this a secret; after all, your reputation is trash. I know the receptionist, so it should be easy."
"Okay, but I should think of an adventurer name then, right… I'll be Morgan. Yes, I like that."
Shapira thought the name was ridiculous but wasn't in the mood to argue with the boy, so she just nodded.
"Alright, fine. Just follow me and try not to draw too much attention, okay?"
"Okay, let's go," the boy said.
Shapira opened the door with a firm push, and a bell rang faintly. The interior was a large hall, poorly lit by a few torches on the walls and the weak light coming through dirty windows. The smell of cheap beer, sweat, and smoke was intense. Wooden tables and benches were scattered about, probably due to a recent brawl. It definitely didn't seem like a very friendly place.
Several groups of people sat on the benches, armed with axes and swords, laughing and talking while drinking beer. Many of them had scars and war marks; they were warriors who had been to hell and back.
On the walls were various posters of missing people, showing just how dangerous the life of an adventurer could be, as well as other wanted posters with huge bounties on their heads. What caught Arthur's attention the most was the variety of wanted targets, from humans and demi-humans to exotic monsters.
One in particular caught the boy's eye more than the others. The figure was of a child with a very high bounty on their head. He wondered why they wanted the child dead so badly, until a mysterious shadow arrived at his side and said:
"Don't be fooled by the appearance of that miserable whelp, boy. He's very, very dangerous…" the voice said, in a mystical and hoarse tone.
Arthur turned and came face to face with a bearded giant, a burly man with one arm missing, who commanded respect, holding a mug of beer. He was definitely no beginner in this line of work.
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, confused.
The man took a sip of his beer and exclaimed:
"That kid is simply the most experienced assassin in these lands. He always kills his target. Believe me, you don't want to get in his way. I experienced it, and I didn't like it one bit," he replied, pointing to his missing arm.