Kaskia: A Hero's Awakening

Chapter 4

Erik stared at the sky, lost in his memories. Thoughts of the war haunted his mind, seeing the faces of the people he killed in the name of the King. It was not only the lives his hands took, it was also all the lives the weapons he created stole. He knew that out of everyone in the war, he was responsible for the most deaths. He had never thought of such a life when he was younger, only wanting to work with his hands, making tools, and protecting those who were important to him. Turning his gaze from the clouds above, Erik saw his goal in the distance.

"There it is Ellie!" Erik exclaimed, happy to see his destination. "Osion." Osion was a small village, having a few dozen homes, one inn, and a tavern towards the center of the town. Their main source of trade was fruit and meat from the farms that sat on the outskirts of Osion.

Ellie barked excitedly, jumping off the seat to run in the fields leading to the village. Erik watched Ellie run around happily as they neared Osion, smiling to see how joyful she was. "Come on Ellie! We will have more time for running around later."

Erik steered the wagon towards the center of the village where he knew the trader, Terran, lived, bought, and sold supplies. He had done business with the man for years, Terran continuously gave him a fair price and always had information about what was going on in Kaskia and Premus.

"I wasn't sure I'd see you this season." Terran commented as he held the door open for Erik. "You too, Ellie." He continued, petting Ellie as she trotted through the door.

"It's been a rough year, I haven't had a lot of chances to make my way out here." Erik replied, dropping the sack of supplies that he brought. "How have you been?"

"A rough year indeed." Terran agreed. "Tension is building again. Every few weeks there's Kaskian soldiers in the area. I haven't seen any trade coming from Premus in the last few months too."

"That's not good." Erik replied, knowing that the only reason for trade to stop, is if war was coming. "Will this be enough for the usual supplies for the winter?" Erik continued, gesturing to the gear he dumped onto the counter.

"Let's see." Terran answered, checking the items that Erik brought. "As always, beautiful work. I still don't get why you make a living making these items when you could go to Dealay or Toogal and make a good living making weapons and armor. But yes, this will do."

"As always, that is not a life I wish to live. I enjoy what I have." Erik retorted. "Do you mind helping me to load the wagon?

"Not at all." Terran answered, setting the supplies he got from Erik in the back room. "How long are you in town for?"

"I hope that we can get back on the road soon. I would like to be home before the weeks over." Erik replied, picking up a sack of fruit, slinging it over his shoulder. "It looks like a storm is coming, in more ways than one, and I would like to be nowhere near it."

"It does." Terran agreed, picking up another sack of supplies. "The weather has been pretty bad lately."

A woman's scream cut their conversation short as she came running down the road yelling for help. Ellie growled, looking in the direction of the shriek. Erik dropped the bag of food and pulled out his sword. "Terran."

"Already with you." Terran replied, grabbing a sword that had been resting on the inside of his door.

A barefooted woman came running towards the two, covered in dirt and mud, looking as if she had fallen while running from whatever scared her. "They're in my house and destroying everything!" She cried as she ran into Terran's arms.

"Who are they?" Terran asked.

"Where are they?" Erik added.

The woman pointed in the direction that she came from. "Bandits..."