Varian's Tangled Trials

The Apprentice

Varian sat astride Prometheus, the donkey, and took in a deep breath of fresh air. "Isn't it exciting, Ruddiger? We're out on a grand adventure, facing the world on our own. Who knows what kind of new discoveries and exotic places we'll find?"

He smiled down at the raccoon. Ruddiger raised an eyebrow then looked around at the quiet, manure-filled sheep pasture they were currently dredging through. He looked back, clearly unimpressed.

"Okay, I know, the past couple weeks haven't been that exciting yet," he rubbed his sore neck. "And I'm still getting used to roughing it, but that just means the best is still ahead of us, right?" Ruddiger thought about this, then chirped in agreement.

They continued on, Varian checking his maps to make sure they were on the right track to Bayangor's capital city. Eventually, it was lunchtime. As they reached a small wooded area of the road, Varian hopped off Prometheus so he could go through the bag strapped to the donkey's side. Ruddiger waited with anticipation as he rummaged.

"Oh, uh... We seem to be a little low on food," he said, pulling out a package that had little more than a few scraps of bread. Ruddiger quickly snatched the pieces up and stuffed them in his mouth before sniffing the cloth in an attempt to find more. Varian's own stomach growled in sympathy. "Here's hoping we find a village or an inn soon. Not really going to be a grand adventure if we starve two weeks in."

"You're in luck, kid," came a voice from the trees. Varian whipped around to see three men step out onto the path in front of him. All were burly, dressed in dark ragged clothes, and the man who was speaking had a long dark goatee. "You're just a few miles from Xiang Dui." Though his voice was sweet, Varian was not oblivious to his sinister smile.

"Oh, uh- good to know," said Varian, backing up slowly as the three approached. "We'd better be on our way then."

"Oh, but to get to Xiang Dui, you have to pay us the toll," the man said.

"What? No! Why would I give you anything?" said Varian defiantly. All three men pulled out weapons. The ring leader had a long sword he pointed straight at Varian's throat. "Oh, I see your point."

"We'll be taking your things now," said Mr. Goatee. "And maybe your cat too. Look's tasty."

"Well, first of all," said Varian, "Ruddiger is a raccoon. And second of all-" Varian pointed behind the three goons and shouted as desperately as he could "Oh my god! What is that? We're all going to die!"

"What? There's nothing-" but even as Mr. Goatee said that he turned his head away just enough for Varian to reach into his bag and set off a smoke bomb. Varian grabbed onto Prometheus and Ruddiger and started running as fast as possible into the trees. Behind him he could hear shouting and arguing. He didn't let them stop moving until the voices were entirely out of earshot.

He looked around just to be sure they were safe as he panted from the exertion. "There you go, Ruddiger," he said. "There's some excitement for you." He patted Prometheus's side. The donkey looked even more exhausted from running than he did. "We're going to have to get in better shape."

~ * ~

They walked on, carefully staying off the main road to avoid more trouble. Not long after, they passed another farm. Varian jumped as they heard someone cry out in pain. After their previous encounter, Varian, Prometheus, and Ruddiger approached the noise cautiously. They crested a hill and saw a farmer out in his field. It looked like he had been in the middle of plowing but was now crumpled down on the ground.

Varian rushed forward. "Hey, are you okay?" He knelt down to see the man was nursing his right leg, currently in a makeshift brace.

The farmer looked up with a strained smile. He had an older, weathered face with kind eyes. "Hello there, young man. Just need to rest my leg for a minute. But then maybe you can help me up so I can continue my work."