Chapter 21 - Adventure time

The Asperd Isles, part of the first human ruled kingdom, named from the very isles themselves, Asperd Kingdom. Consisting of two large islands and a smaller, uninhabited one, it is split into six regions. They range from the far Northern drifts, with its snow covered mountains and frozen lakes, to the small hunting post in the southwest, there in the mountains of the north, springs a river that runs down south, splitting into three branches, one runs east and out into the ocean, marking the border of the north. Further down south it in two, one running along the snow covered land and into the north side of the Canyon Bay, giving the bay a year round fresh water supply, if needed. The last branch of the northern river flows into the a chasm, that marks the beginning of the Asperd mountains, known as the canyon region, it holds one of the two cities of Asperd, Bay City. From the canyon rises the largest mountain range, the Asperd mountains it stretches for more than hundred miles, surrounded by forest, it hold some of the oldest and strongest carnivores of the land.

Crossing the river, that parts the Asperd into two, The Flood its name is, one will reach the smaller of the two, here the flinty mountains springs and boards the south coast, with a lush forest and a mining village, the flinty region hold the most income, with the help from Flinty Bay, the port city of the Asperd isles. On the north half of this island the Stoney mountains rises for a mere forty miles, covered in thick forest and surrounded by hills, the Stoney region has yet to see any settlements. Far south at the end of the Asperd forest, the island named, The Lost Isle, once said to hold a temple, lost in time it marks the last land before the ships reach the open sea, with its single mountain and the forest reaching the island's coast.

Riin's POV

Asperd Isle - Spring, Flood Village

In the spring of my tenth year I finally free, or at least from following father around all day. My last year as an apprentice under the teachings of father, the art of crafting bows.

Congratulations, you are now trained in the art of the making bows. The craft skill, [Bowyer] has been added to your skill list.

You have gained the ability to get more detailed information on the bow you are handling.

My last two years had been with father in the shop, behind our new house. Yeah… they moved us into town, when the marriage proposal was accepted by the locals. Something out all having to agree to let newcomers move in, we even had to rebuild an older house, before we could move in completely. To say I was unhappy, that the village people wanted to make father and mother work, would be the understatement of the millennia. So, what can a boy do, well to start of with I used my great gift, the art called the way of speaking… Heh, to get the people around the village to help out. Well, I bribed them

with free medical plants and other good stuff that we had laying around in the root cellar, let's be honest about it, no one does anything for free,but add some kind of reward and people will help out, so that's what I did and after a few months out rebuild new house was standing there, looking all handsome.

With father in the small workshop and mother mixing herbs in the kitchen, all was going well… Yeah, now I'm bored sitting here doing nothing. Over the last years I had been studying the omelet egg, and with all my knowledge on spiders and this word, I found it unwise to release a giant spider in the middle of the village. I have been studying the map farther had and it shows a lone island to the southeast of the Asperd mountain range, if the map is anything to go by, it will take me eight to ten days of walking along the coast from the Flood Outpost] and then I will have to find a way to cross over. But the island seems to be perfect for the egg, it has a forest and a mountain and the best of it all, no one lives there. So, that I my plan, get strong enough to let mother and father make me travel alone and then head for the island, release my giant spider and rule the island. First things first, I need the endurance to last at least ten days of walking and running, and ladies and gentlemens, I just don't have that, in the poor excuse of a man's body… the sad and cruel fact of life. So, I had one of my bright ideas, I heard that the next village over is a mining one, so my plan is pretty simple. Go there, dig stone, carry stone, gain endurance, see so simple, yet so brilliant. And as a added in bonus, I was thinking of learning a bit about how to construct a mine, if I can get some easy riches, the I'm all the more happy.

In morning sun, marks the start of my new plan, after my morning exercises I head down the hallway and into the kitchen where I'm greeted by mother who is putting fresh bread on the table.

“Oh, your up early, sweetie, good morning.”

“Good morning, mother.”

I walk over and sit down opposite of her, a quick look around for father's boots and I find them gone, meaning that he is either out the back, working in the shop or is somewhere else entirety, probably with Ailith's father doing whatever it is bored old men do. Okay, here goes nothing and if all goes wrong I still have the gift mother owes me, from the quest I did for mother when we first arrived here, yeah… so I like having favores to call in if needed.

“Mother, I have been thinking…”

I look up from my meal to see if I have her attention, I do, she is smiling and looking at me, waiting for me to continue.

“Before Ailith and I are of age to marry, I would like to see some of the island.”

She stares at me for a short while before nodding for me to continue.

“I wish to travel to [Flinty Village], and see how they mine and produce metal products of their own mine. Like, how father hunts with his own crafted bows.”

“I see…”

She sits there staring into nothing for a while, then looks at me again.

“I will have to talk to your father about this, and see what he thinks.”

I give her a nod, completely understanding her reasoning.

“I understand, mother. Please do take your time.”

I leave her after finishing up breakfast, taking my now daily run along the village wooden walls.

As I step inside, the house, I’m greeted by both father and mother at the dinner table, father's voice breaks the silence.

“Boy, come sit.”

I step inside the kitchen, and take my seat in front of him, a smile to mother as a greeting, she seems to me grinding up herbs for something.

“Goodday father.”

His rough laugh sound out at he shakes his head a few times.

“Always so polite, boy. Anyway what is this I hear?”

He stares at me, waiting.

“I wish to see the island before marrying with Ailith. Since there is quite a few years, before we are of age, I wanted to use them to look around a bit.”

He sits and stares at me some time too, just like mother did. A few minutes passes by before he gives a ‘hmph’ sound, then breaks into a small laugh… luckily it only last a short time, thanks to mother, who clears her throat.

“Always a smart, boy.”

I'm unsure, if I have to answer that, or even if it's a compliment or an insult, so I keep quite for the time being, he soon continues.

“So you want to travel and see the island, huh.”

I just give a nod.

“Well, you are not really a child anymore… So, I don't see why not, you going to [Flinty Village], that is.”

He sits there and stares at me for a few moments before speaking again.

“If you can be ready in two days time a trade wagon, will be coming here to stock up and different products that is not found in [Flinty Bay], it will then turn and take the trip back. I'm sure that we can talk with the driver and get you a ride to [Flinty Village].”

With my parents permission I could finally being to move up in the world, after all only the strong survive. With father securing me a ride with the trade wagon, I had time to think about what to bring. After a small talk with mother, about the omelet egg, we decided that for now is was safe in my room, where no one knew of it. I left my swords in my room too, the set of [Spirit Bone] was worth too much to take along in case of a bandit raid, since I could defend myself fine, with a knife and a bow. I packed light, only bringing a waterskin, my knife and father gave me a new one, ‘in case of an attack’, he said. A spare set of cloths, the five [Lightstone] form the spider cave, and a quiver of arrows, a gift of father. Mother gave me a two small leather pouches with herbal ointment in them, a mix of healing herbs and muscle pain relaxing cream. As a gift from them both I got ten silver coins, a first sight for me, the coins was a small square with a pressed thin line in the middle of the coin following the square edge around. When I asked of the worth of one silver coin, I got told that each coin would get me a room and food in a town's inn, while not the best room or food.

All that was fine by me as I had planned to sleep under the open sky, after my trip with after I found that even a rock and be a good pillow if used right. So, by my count I had at least to ten days roof over my head, if I used the them at an inn. I would get money from my four remaining [Lightstones], as I would be keeping one of them for myself, from what father told me, they were highly sort after by miner as they did not make gas pockets blow up. I planned to see if the miners would need any free help carrying stone and such out of the mining area, in such manner I could work on my strength and my endurance at the same time I looked at how a mine was built and well… mined in a safe manner. According to the map father had the flinty mountain in with the mining village used for supplies, had forest surrounding it and a forest ment animals, animals ment food, so I felt pretty safe even if my money ran out before my trip home. Now all there was left to do was wait my day, and then I would be off on my real first known adventure, come at me monsters and bandits.

But really, the two days father spoke of was today and tomorrow, then on the third day the trade wagon would be heading back towards [Flinty Bay], hopefully with me on it. I found myself humming, ‘adventure time’ repeatedly over the next two days, which mother found very funny as she would giggle, whenever she found me humming to myself.