Chapter 1 - The Kingdom's Cheapest Hero

I want to take this opportunity to share the first chapter of the Hero and the Disciple, no strings attached, totally free. I hope you all enjoy it!

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Green: that was the color most prevalent in this beautiful, fertile world the citizens of Duranthia lived in. A kingdom of just over a hundred million, filled with green fields, lush forests, and blue skies. Duranthia was also filled with mystic wonders, such as treasures and magic; and dangers from carnivorous monsters to fiendish rogues. Every day was a day of excitement in its own way, for the people of Duranthia.

​It was the middle of one such day and the air was still. A lone traveler (with a small sword strapped to his hip) walked alone across the plains before him. A small town was just in the distance. He may not have been a long way from home, but the silence of the area around him contributed to his solitude. However, he had a mission to complete; and in spite of his reservations, the young traveler had no intention of stopping. After all, if others could survive in the Age of Heroes, why couldn’t he? ​

Just what was the Age of Heroes? It was the name given to the current era the people of Duranthia lived in. A time where the strongest people in the world quest to prove themselves greater than their peers. They do this by discovering those aforementioned treasures, defeating those aforementioned monsters, and displaying their power to all who see them. Yes, the Age of Heroes is a truly exciting time to be alive, for anyone, hero or not. But such a thing is only true if you can survive the danger that comes with such an exciting age.

Whether he was capable of surviving or not was made the traveler quiver as he walked. It looked almost comical. A young lad shaking with every step he took. Even taking the aforementioned dangers out of the equation, he had every reason to be frightened. And it made him long for home.

He had a home back in his village, a small little place known as Danphals. A small cottage he shared with his grandmother. He had a mentor in smithing known as Dreyfus, a gruff and demanding but well-meaning man. He had a village chief in the old man known as Prett, whose greatest joy in life was seeing the smiles of the village’s young children.

Did he wish he could return to the comfort of his home? Of course. In spite of these negative thoughts, he was not deterred. So, he trudged on with a timid, shaky, but determined purpose. Why was he walking with such purpose? The answer was simple: If he did not succeed in what he had left home to achieve, there may not be a home to return to. And even if it still stood when he returned, the real question at that point was for how long? ​

Just who was this timid traveler? Well, if you gazed at him, you would never guess he was actually eighteen. In Duranthia, that makes one a man. However, because he was small—a mere five and a half feet—and still had a boyish face that did not match his age, there was no way anyone could guess his true age. ​Instead, he looked to be at least three years younger. Our eighteen-but-boyish looking traveler’s brown eyes blinked wildly, nervously taking in their surroundings. His mop of bright red hair blew in the wind. His raggedy beige and brown clothing flapped about, due to his grandmother making a shirt that was one size a bit too large.

But he did not mind, he loved his grandmother. She had raised him after he lost his parents, after all. It was that love that had made him go on this journey, much to his own surprise. He knew failure was not an option. He could not fail the village and the people in it. ​

If he failed, everything was gone. The cottage he shared with his grandmother; his job with Dreyfus; the smiles from Prett and the children. And if he failed, there would eventually be nothing left of his home village. After all, dragons are known for being incredibly destructive beasts. ​

It had been three days since the dragon first appeared. The platoon of knights assigned to defend the village had been killed, and with the Duranthian Kingdom occupied by the increasingly aggressive Eltrus Kingdom there was no way to receive more knights. The people of Danphals were worried they would either have to flee their homes or stay and die by the dragon’s fangs. ​

However, our young traveler did not intend to give up on his village just yet. There was a nearby town where heroes supposedly gathered to look for work. This town was the very place that he was near. It was a small town called Folkshire, just east of Danphals. ​

Ever since the supposed “Age of Heroes” had begun, working as a hero—which to many was basically a glorified mercenary—had become a very popular job. It was a profession that was admired just as much as serving as a knight of the kingdom. Soon, people were picking sides as they debated what was the better profession. It boiled down to this statement: “if you love law and order, be a knight, if you love adventure, be a hero.”

​There was plenty to love about being a hero besides the adventure. You could see the world, become famous, make a lot of money; provided you had the strength to survive. The young traveler could only hope there was someone with the strength to survive a dragon. Those hopes crossed his mind once more as he entered the town of Folkshire. ​

Danphals was only a small village, with its only trades being farming and smithing. But Folkshire is a town. The traveler observed. Buildings made of stone glistened in the sunlight. People lined the streets in numbers so great, the traveler immediately realized how large Folkshire was compared to his little village. ​

After taking a moment to ask around, he was directed to the local information bureau that heroes gathered. Information bureaus were businesses that had sprung up around the time heroes did. Their purpose was exactly as it sounded. They provided information and other kinds of services to heroes for a fee, and it made owners filthy rich. Robert could not help but envy them somewhat because of that wealth. However, as someone who had to work for everything in a village, he did respect bureau owners for their hard work getting them to where they are. ​

After a few more minutes of walking, the traveler soon reached the doors to the bureau. He could hear the sounds of jovial shouting and found himself frowning. When he had come to the bureau, he had honestly hoped there would be silence, a sense of stoicism befitting the grace and dignity of great heroes. Instead, it sounded like there was a party going on. Brushing those thoughts away, the traveler reminded himself that he had a mission to complete and entered the bureau. ​

Almost immediately every eye was on him, and the traveler found himself wanting to leave, run and hide, intimidated by the near-hundred pairs of eyes that were on him. But again, he reminded himself he had a mission to complete, and that mission was to find help to deal with their “lizard problem” in Danphals. ​

He took a moment to look around and saw each table, along with the bar packed with patrons. The floor creaked as soon as he stepped on it. He looked down to see wood. The stone walls were lit up by lanterns hanging on the walls. Perhaps a choice of ambiance by the owner? However, the traveler did not come to look at the architecture, he came to do his job. ​

Mustering up every ounce of his courage, the young man addressed the crowd of heroes before him. “My name is Robert Bunker, I’m a citizen of the village of Danphals, which is just west of here. I have a job for anyone who’s interested.”

​The bureau fell silent. Robert Bunker breathed a sigh of relief, seeing he had gotten their attention. Step one was now complete, but now there was step two, finding heroes who would actually take the job. Robert gazed out at the crowd, trying to pick out some good heroes from the bunch. They definitely looked the part. Big, muscular men and athletic women all sitting at tables. They looked rough and tough, just like heroes should look…right? Robert had only seen one hero in his life, and he was very young at the time. ​

He took another deep breath and addressed the bureau once more. “Now that I have your attention, I’ll explain the job.” He said. ​

“Pay up first, kid.” A “hero” spoke up. “First you tell us what the pay is, and then maybe you’ll have our attention.” ​

Robert did his best impression of a fish as he looked at the man speaking with him. “Umm…well…I…er…” The poor boy could not answer that question. He never even considered the payment. He was sure that Chief Prett would take care of it after they arrived. ​

Most of the bureau’s patrons started laughing before Robert could finish. He could not believe what he was seeing. These were heroes? There was just no way. These people were way too cruel and insensitive to be heroes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a young man who seemed at least a half a foot taller than him at first glance. His slicked back black hair remained in place as he leaned down to sip his drink. His blue eyes seemed to roll slightly at the behavior of his fellow patrons. The young man caught Robert’s gaze and gave him a look that seemed to have a twinge of sympathy. ​

“You’re obviously new to this.” The “hero” from before stopped laughing to address Robert. “Usually payment is discussed before we talk about what the job is.” ​

“That’s a lie, and you know it.” The bartender—who was also the owner of the bureau—spoke up, giving the man a look that made him flinch. “I run a legit business here, and my business isn’t legit when I’m attracting scum like you. This is an information bureau for heroes. Real heroes, not guys like you. And that goes for all of you too. Either do it right, or get out of my bureau.”

​The so-called hero scowled. “Is that how you treat your customers, old man?” ​

“Just let the boy tell you the job.” The owner would not back down.

​The scowl on the “hero” deepened. Seeing that he was not going to speak, one of the few women at the establishment gave Robert a smile that made him relax. It was like his grandmother was here, smiling and reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. “I’m very sorry about all of this,” she said, “would you like to tell us what kind of job you’re offering?”

​Robert nodded, somewhat encouraged by this woman’s kind heart. “It’s an extermination job.” He replied. ​

In the Age of Heroes, there were three kinds of jobs that a hero could take. There were capture jobs—which involved searching for and capturing criminals; the rare hunting jobs—which involved looking for treasure; and then there was the most famous of the three: extermination jobs—which involved killing monsters. ​

“An extermination job?” The woman’s eyes widened at Robert’s answer. “I wasn’t aware that Danphals had a monster problem. What kind of monster are you looking to have exterminated?” ​

Robert took a deep breath. “A dragon,” he revealed, “a dragon is threatening my village.”

​A dead silence fell over the bureau. The so-called hero who had spoken up before, scoffed at this, visibly displeased by his answer. “No wonder he didn’t want to discuss payment, no amount of money is worth throwing your life away against a dragon.” ​

“Dragons are beasts with extremely high threat levels.” Another hero pointed out. “It usually takes at least a hundred men to kill a dragon, depending on the size; and even then there’s no way you’re going to get out of it unscathed. You’re going to lose some of your comrades in that fight.” ​

There were a lot of murmurs of agreement among the crowd. Once again, Robert found himself impersonating a fish. His heart shattered from what seemed like a betrayal of the highest kind. Were these people not going to help him? “But you’re heroes!” He exclaimed. “Heroes! An example to us all! The most amazing part of this amazing age we’re living in! Are you telling me that none of you are willing to fight a dragon?” ​

“Why would any of us be willing to kill ourselves?” The hero who was proving himself to be the bane of Robert’s existence at the moment spoke up. “It wouldn’t be a fight, it’d be a massacre. No point in being a hero if you’re not alive to enjoy the benefits of it.” ​

Robert could not believe what he was hearing. “So…none of you are going to take the job? But what about my village?” ​

The motherly hero who had encouraged him earlier gave him a sympathetic smile. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.” She said. “If I had the strength, I would help you. But…I’m not strong enough to fight a dragon. I don’t think any of us are. I’m afraid you’re just going to have to leave your village and hope the dragon doesn’t come after you.” ​

“That’s…that’s not fair!” Robert yelled. Sadness and rage were audible in his voice. “Danphals is our home! Why should we have to give it up just because some dragon decided to fly in and attack it?” ​

“I know, I know it’s unfair.” The woman, to her credit, looked ashamed. Everyone else had already gone back to their meals, no longer caring. “But…life isn’t fair. Sometimes, you just have bad luck. And unfortunately, you’ve come across a bureau where none of us are strong enough to help you with your problem.” ​

“She’s right, son.” The owner of the bureau spoke up now. “You could put in a request, but I don’t think your village will still be standing by the time someone picks it up. So, like she said, you had the bad luck of coming at a time when there were no heroes strong enough to slay the dragon. It’s too bad, if any of the Great Ten were in this bureau, your problem would be solved.” The owner continued, gesturing to a wall behind him with ten posters that held the faces of ten different individuals. ​

“Are those-” Robert trailed off. ​

“Yeah, the ten strongest heroes in the entire kingdom,” the owner nodded, “I keep their pictures up here as inspiration for the rookies. Those ten people are one-man armies in their own right, and are more than capable of slaying a dragon.”  ​

The owner’s eyes went wide, as he suddenly realized something. “Actually, it’s not just the Great Ten, there’s another hero, a young one in fact, a bit newer to the game in comparison to these ten veterans, that could probably slay the dragon as well.”

​“Who’s that?” Robert asked. ​

Before the owner could respond, the hero who had shot Robert a sympathetic look from the bar stood up. The hero took a moment to stretch, having sat at the bar for awhile. His black shirt and brown pants pressed against his body from his stretches. He then walked over to Robert and gave him a reassuring smile. His brown shoes tapped against the wooden floor. A gray scabbard bounced slightly against his waist. Robert gasped in wonder when he got a good look at the gold-colored hilt of a sword that was sheathed inside of the scabbard. And at the very end—the pommel—was a blue topaz diamond. ​

That’s an odd design choice, Robert thought to himself, wait…a blue topaz diamond as the sword’s pommel. That sounds familiar… ​

“Why don’t we turn that frown upside down, huh?” The young hero suggested, his voice was jovial, like he was trying to cheer Robert up. “Because you’ve got your hero.” ​

Robert was so shocked at this man’s declaration that he barely registered what he had just said. “I’m…sorry, could you repeat that?” ​

The hero let out a laugh that was in no ways derisive; rather it was good natured, like he was laughing at a joke made by his best friend. “I’m saying that I’ll take your job. You said you live in Danphals, right? The little village just west of here? Man, it’s a good thing I was here when you came by. I probably would’ve just walked right on by and continued east if you hadn’t told me what was going on. Dragons often tear places apart pretty quick, looking for food. Small villages rarely stand a chance.” ​

“Wait…you actually want to take the job?” Robert looked at this hero like he had grown multiple heads. ​

“That’s what I’m saying.” The hero seemed eager. His eyes shone in excitement. “Truth be told, I’ve never slain a dragon before. I’ve always wanted to though. This could be fun.” ​

“Fun? Do you have a death wish, pal?” The so-called hero from before spoke up. ​“Nah, not really, I’m pretty confident that I can win against a dragon. And besides, this kid came all the way to this town asking for help, I’d feel bad if I just let him go back empty-handed.” The hero replied. ​

At that moment, a flame seemed to light up in Robert’s heart. “You really mean it? You’re really going to help my village?” He asked eagerly. ​

The hero nodded. “Yep, and don’t worry about the money, we can discuss it once we take care of that dragon.” He assured Robert.

Robert physically felt his luck change in an instance. It was like after getting punched by a bully so many times, the one hit you get in actually manages to knock the bully out. But then he remembered what this man was agreeing to. “Wait, hold on,” he said, “you actually think you can take on a dragon and win?” ​

“I’m confident that I can do it.” Was all the hero responded with. ​

And just like that, Robert was worried. This guy was a bit eccentric. Scratch that, he was very eccentric. He called the idea of slaying a dragon “fun.” Was he really the right person to go and save the village? Then again, Robert did not have many options. ​

“Come on,” the hero said, “we don’t have a lot of time before your dragon shows up again, so I’d like to get to your village soon.” ​

The hero exited the information bureau, with Robert soon following, still very confused by the hero’s behavior. They were all looking at him like he had grown multiple heads as well. Outside, Robert was treated to the smiling face of the hero. “So, Danphals is west of here, right?”

He asked. ​“Yes…but umm…if you don’t mind me asking, are you…” Robert trailed off, not sure if he should ask this question. ​

“Am I what?” The hero asked, silently encouraging Robert to finish his sentence. ​

Robert turned red at the thought of asking this question. “Are you alright in the head?” He asked. ​

The hero gazed at him for a moment before he burst out laughing. “Yeah, I am perfectly sane.” He said. “I guess after dealing with those guys, you’ve already forgotten the idea of someone helping you just because he wants to, huh?” ​

Robert was back to looking at him like he was now a monster with many heads. The hero waved his hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. “Hey kiddo,” he said, “I want to get to your village quick, and I know you do too, so let’s get a move on, all right?” ​

Robert literally shook himself out of his stupor, realizing that the eccentric hero was right. “Umm, first thing’s first,” Robert asked, “could I perhaps, know the name of the man who wishes to save my home?” ​

Before the hero could respond, a crash caught his attention. Robert leapt into the air, frightened by the loud noise. He then heard the frightened and pained noises of screaming and yelling. At that moment, a large boar with a round, stone-like nose came bounding into view. Robert shrieked at the sight of the monster. ​

“It’s a stonenose boar!” He exclaimed. ​

Stonenose boars were a nasty bunch of monsters that hunted their prey by ramming them with their hard noses and then devouring them after incapacitating them. Typically, full grown ones were seven feet long, six feet tall, several hundred pounds, and had brown fur and vicious red eyes. They were threat level one beasts. In other words, they required a platoon of knights to kill them. This one had probably come into town looking for food. And needless to say, it was fully grown. ​

Several people looked outside the windows of the bureau and saw the boar. “Whoa, look at that thing, he looks real nasty.” The so-called hero who had tormented Robert spoke up. ​

The hero that Robert had just hired, however, just smiled. It had a mixture of glee and deviousness to it. “Well, what do you know,” he said in a giddy tone, “my dinner just arrived.”

​“Your dinner?” Robert was shocked. “Are you seriously going to call a monster your dinner?”

The hero then gave Robert a confident smile. “Hey, it’s Robert, right? Can I call you Robbie?” ​Robert did not answer. In fact, the hero did not even wait for him to answer. “Listen up, Robbie.” The hero said to him. “I’m going to do you a favor and give you a demonstration of my power. Consider it my way of showing you that hiring me was the best decision you’ve ever made.” ​

The hero then turned his attention to the boar, who had now turned its attention to the young hero. “What do you say, Piggy? Let’s put on a show!” He taunted the beast. ​

The stonenose boar snorted in response, seemingly accepting the hero’s challenge. It then dug its hooves into the ground and charged towards the hero as fast as its fat legs could carry it. Robert gasped when he saw the hero just standing in place, still as a statue. His hands simply balled into fists. Neither were traveling to the hilt of his blade to draw it. “What are you doing?” He demanded, receiving no reply. ​

“Kid’s got a death wish!” Someone from the bureau exclaimed. ​

Then, the hero threw a punch straight into the boar’s snout, causing the beast to recoil and squeal in pain. The snout caved in, much to the surprise of the gathered crowd. “He broke that boar’s snout with just one punch!” The owner exclaimed. “Who is this kid?” ​

Indeed, in the battle between a snout as hard as stone and a simple fist, the fist won. “Well, I already knew my punches could shatter stone.” The hero said like it was no big deal. ​

As the boar continued to squeal in pain, the hero turned his attention back to Robert. “That reminds me,” he said, “I never introduced myself.” ​

Robert nodded. The hero gave him a smile. A smile that said: “everything is going to be okay now.” ​

“The name’s Simon,” he introduced himself, “but most people know me as the Kingdom’s Cheapest Hero.” ​

There was a collective gasp from everyone who heard that introduction. Simon? Cheapest Hero? Robert thought to himself. I’ve heard of that name… ​

Then he heard the bureau’s owner yell. His tone was that of disbelief and franticness. “Kid!” He yelled at Robert. “That was the guy I was talking about! The guy who could save your village!”

​“That's Simon!” A patron was in disbelief. “I can't believe he was here all this time!” ​

Robert then remembered a certain fact about the Cheapest Hero, finding himself staring once more at the topaz diamond that served as the pommel of Simon’s sword. His eyes went wide in realization. The blue topaz…the Cheapest Hero is known for having that diamond on the pommel of his sword. It is Simon! The Cheapest Hero…the young hero that does any job for a fair price. I can’t believe I ran into him of all people. ​

“I don’t believe it,” the owner of the bureau could only say. His voice had lost all strength. “The Simon in my bureau…and I didn’t even realize it.” ​

Simon then turned his attention back to the boar. “It’s too bad, you probably came into town looking for food because the dragon that attacked Robbie’s village had either scared off or killed your prey.” He noted with a hint of sympathy. “But, since you’re going to hurt a lot of good people if left alone, and I’m going to be real hungry soon, I have no choice but to kill you.” ​

Simon leapt into the air. “I hope you can forgive me, Piggy!” He exclaimed as he kicked the stonenose boar right in the forehead. Now the boar’s forehead was caved in by the strike. There was a terrible cry and the beast fell onto its side, dead. ​

Simon sighed. “Sometimes, that is just the way of the world.” He noted, showing no joy in the fact he had just taken a life. ​

Robert almost fell over, his legs weakening from the shock. This man had just killed a beast that required twelve men to kill. And he did it with such ease! ​

Maybe…Danphals is saved… He thought to himself. ​

Simon picked up the boar and slung it onto his back with a surprising lack of effort. It was almost like he was just picking up a sack of potatoes and not a monster of several hundred pounds. “Hey, Robbie,” he said, snapping his fingers in front of Robert, “snap out of it, bud. I need you to be my guide to Danphals, all right?” ​

Robert snapped out of the trance he was in. “Umm…Mr. Simon?” He asked, wanting to get one more thing off his chest. “Are you sure you don’t want to at least discuss payment? I can’t talk to you about it much…but I can promise that my village chief will-”

​“No,” Simon cut him off, “I wouldn’t exactly be a hero if I only cared about the money. And I certainly wouldn’t be a cheap hero either. I kinda wear that title with pride. Anyway, how long before we get to Danphals?” ​

“If we don’t take any breaks, we should get there by sunset.” Robert replied. ​

“Excellent, I love a good walk.” Simon said. “You can tell me all about Danphals on the way there.” ​

“Umm…I don’t know if you should treat my village like some sort of tourist attraction. It’s…being attacked by a dragon right now.” Robert reminded him. ​

“What? I keep telling you it’s going to be fine. I’m gonna save your village, you hear?” Simon promised. “Now tell me, what’s Danphals like?” ​

Robert looked at Simon in surprise. Did he seriously want to know what living in Danphals was like? This guy may have been a courageous hero, but he was also odd. “Hey!” Simon called out to no one in particular. “Would someone please give me something to keep this boar preserved? I want to eat it later!” ​

Very odd…