PvP Dungeon Hunter

Outcast

“What do you mean, village elder? I finished the task that I was given!” She pushed forward the basket. “And that’s what I did! I never once left the protection of the barrier!”

Akuji took a large gulp as he hid his hands behind his back and shifted back and forth on his feet.

The old man scratched his beard, and his eyes shifted from her to him. “Your words are hard to believe, the great seer says that you have put the village under danger, girl. She sensed when you left and now you also have returned with this strange person.”

“My name is Akuji.”

The old man ignored Akuji , “Come with me, Canta.”

The other villagers trailed behind him. Akuji started to walk forward, but the old man raised his hand for him to stop. “This is only for the village a matter of our concern.” He continued walking on.

Canta was silent. She didn’t make eye contact, but from her body language, something seemed wrong.

Two villagers proceeded to block him. There levels were One it was the same as Canta. The two men before Akuji smelt foul, as though they hadn’t taken a bath in ages. It reflected in the clothes that they wore, that looked like it had been passed down from generations with the many patches in them. In their hands they held pitch forks which they rested into the ground, almost creating a diversionary line.

“Are you a trader or a traveller?” the freckled man on the left asked.

“A traveller.”

The freckled man nodded. “Please wait a while until we have the matter under hand.”

“He better not be a stinking magic caster,” the other bald man replied. He spat on the ground. “I can’t take another one of those. Look at the clothes, he’s wearing you ever saw someone in clothes like those? A mage I tell you, a mage!?”

“That’s enough Frank. How are we going to make money if you accuse everyone that you see?”

“But…”

“You’re not the only one that has lost. We all have, but we still need trade from the outside world.”

The bald man was silent.

Akuji wondered if he should speak now and inform them that he had went out of the forest markings, but instead, he decided to bite his tongue. She shouldn’t be in trouble for his mistake, but something still felt a bit off.

From his position, he saw the village elder enter with Canta into the largest of the buildings in the village that stood in the centre. Two people also entered the door from the crowd. They had similar features to Canta. A man and a woman, perhaps those were her parents? They were the only other persons to enter the big hut of a house while everyone else stood outside. Except for the children playing freely, seeming oblivious to what was going on.

Akuji scoped the village further as he waited. Everyone’s clothes seemed to be old and reused, he reckoned at least a hundred times. They all had patches in them, some far more than others. However, there were few people that looked out of character. For one, their hair was of a different colour compared to the villagers that were blonde and their skin was not as pale. His eyes recognized them as bandits. They were stationed at what looked like a large warehouse just passed the crowd.

 Near them was what resembled toilets, he knew he had seen them before, but where he could not remember.

 The village homes looked like they were built from a mix of wood and wall. Small gardens of vegetables were outside each home. There was a large dedicated pitch of land by the entrance of the front road it had sparse wheat growing on it. Pass the well was many cart roads and on the right side was a bridge seated on top a river that led to what looked like a mill. To the North of the mill sheep and cows were grazing on the grass on a hill.

A remnant of what appeared to be a church was on his left and a graveyard a small distance away from the entrance of the village. It was strange it was particularly large. A few coffins lay on the outside, almost waiting to be filled.

Akuji turned his focus back to the crowd and it wasn’t long before the door was opened and the man and woman walked out. The persons whom he presumed as her parents were looking in his direction.

“The elder wishes to speak with that young man!” the man that appeared to be Canta’s father shouted across in their direction.

The two villagers who had been blocking his path escorted him to the large village house. Akuji made his way past the onlookers as they muttered their own continued condemnations.

The two came to a halt as he got inside the hut. The door was shut behind him by the man that looked like Canta’s father.

The house was big and dark. From the few light sources, Akuji made out, the inside was scanty, and in the centre sat a wooden table. Canta sat opposite the Elder as her mother stood a few paces behind her. There was no sunlight at all in the hut all the windows had been closed. They seemed sealed from the inside and instead they used candle lights. Behind the elder was a divider that separated the rooms.

“Sit,” the elder said, pointing to the chair.

Akuji walked forward to the stool. Canta’s father walked behind him as he took a seat and the man stopped shortly behind him.

“Who are you? What country are you from? Canta here said that you fell out of the sky.”

“My name is Akuji, I don’t remember anything else besides that. I woke up in some fields and that is where I met Canta.”

The old man pulled his beard as he looked Akuji deep into his eyes. “That is a strange thing that I have never once heard before in my life. One would believe that your tale is a lie.”

“It is the truth.”

 “It is more likely to believe that it is all amnesia by the effects of something you ate or maybe the effects of magic by someone else,” his gaze turned to Canta.

“t is strange forsooth,” (it is strange indeed.) a voice spoke from behind the divider it carried a hiss upon its words. “One sayeth t didn’t breaketh the rules of the village and the oth’r claims t hath fallen from the sky.” (One says it didn’t break the rules of the village and the other claims it fell from the sky.)

“I didn’t break the rules I never left the border.”

Akuji rested his hand on the other and touched it softly. “I left the border, but it was for only a moment and then I came back in. It was to get Motherwort.”

Canta turned to him for a moment and their eyes met for a brief second, before she looked away.

“That task was for you to do alone,” a woman’s voice behind her spoke, “you know these tasks are a punishment for your dabbling in magic and you passed it on to someone else.”

The man behind Akuji said, “You can’t be taking it seriously, do you understand how much pressure you’re putting our family under. Everyone thinks that we have raised a witch. That you aren’t a normal girl.”

“This is grave indeed,” the old man said, “not only did you break the rules and risk the endangerment of the village. You passed on your sacred duty to another and in your basket, we found a magic potion and a flute. Did you get that from the bard or are you making those now too?”

“She didn’t break the rules!” Akuji shouted out and slammed his hand on the table. “I was the one that stepped out! Why aren’t you listening to me? I just mentioned that! She was the one that told me not to go out there and I did!”

“We won’t be listening to any more lies from you. Your lack of knowing who you are might also be because of her,” the elder interjected.

The voice behind the divider spoke, “Aye, t seemeth highly likely the wench hast did hypnotize that gent with h’r ability.  Th’re is only one way to remedy this all anon.  We has’t to expel those folk both from the village b’rd’r.  Canta hast shown yond the lady doest not wanteth to changeth and yond the lady is a dang’r to the village.  This knave is a threat and is und’r h’r influenceth.  We has’t nay oth’r choice, t might spelleth m’re doom f’r the village.”

(Yes, it seems highly likely the girl has hypnotized him with her ability.  There is only one way to remedy this all now. We have to expel them both from the village border. Canta has shown that she does not want to change, and that she is a danger to the village. This boy is a threat and is under her influence. We have no other choice, it might spell more doom for the village.)

“Isn’t that a bit harsh? We can have her flogged instead to purify her and expel the boy,” her mother said.

“No, that is not enough don’t forget the loss of your two sons. It was her fault,” the elder said, he folded his arms. “The villagers already were at their limit of keeping her and now this.”

There was a long pause in the room. Akuji peered in the corner of his eye and noticed that her parents were whispering to each other.

 “I understand, please allow us to be the ones that send them off,” her father said.

“Yond is nay problem,” the voice behind the divider spoke.

(That is no problem.)

The elder nodded as well as he lifted his hand to the door.

Canta got up in silence, her head down as Akuji followed behind. They were met by the crowd as they stepped outside. The crowd hardly made any space for them to pass. They jeered at them in a violent show of rage.

“Let them pass,” the elder spoke, “the seer has rendered judgement.” With that, the people moved like clockwork out of the way.

When they had gotten some distance away from the crowd, Akuji heard an uproar of noises coming from where they had left the elder. Akuji couldn’t make out the words, but he assumed he was telling them that they were being kicked out of the village border.

Was it really that bad? He had been outside of it and nothing had happened, but the villagers made it seemed as though it was life and death.

The walking was silent until they came to the path of where they had first met. He heard someone hollered and crashed to the ground behind them. What started as rage turned into tearful protest? He turned to see that  Canta’s mother was flat on the grass.

Canta’s father rushed to her mother and hugged her in an embrace. “It has to be done Cynthia, she has to be sent outside it’s the only way for the village to live.  I know it’s hard, but wait here for me.” He released his grip and walked towards them.

“Landon!” Cynthia shouted from the ground.

He, however, did not respond as he urged them to continue walking forward. They went through the plains and further into the forest. They were looking at the very same spot Akuji had once walked through.

Her father finally spoke to them as he directed them to a stop.

“Canta, my daughter, I am sorry it has come to this, but understand there is no other way for us, for the village. Your power isn’t normal, look how much death it has brought about, including your own two brothers! It’s hard for your mother to watch this, but still, as my daughter, I don’t want you to die.”

Canta looked down on the ground.

Landon looked at Akuji. “Take this and please take care of my daughter for me.”

Empty waterskin holds up to 50 water.

Pottage plus 1 constitution for 60 seconds fills 10 hunger.

Bread recovers 20 health points.

Akuji took them as they disappeared into thin air.                                

Canta walked forward towards the barrier before coming to a halt by the tree. “Father, I have never once broken any of the rules and I never once caused any death to any one of the villagers. All I have ever done was sang the songs that I liked.”

Akuji glanced at the man before he walked forward with her and they both stepped outside the border.

“Goodbye,” her father said as Akuji heard his footsteps disappear.