Warning, the inner thoughts of Zed are darker than he portrays himself to be. He tries to act gentlemanly in front of Alisa because he wants her to like him, but he has a darker side to him from his rough childhood. You can skip this chapter if it's much for you to handle. It will not effect the story too much.
Zed's Point of View…
After I completed my warrior training in Shibatsu, I started taking jobs protecting merchant caravans that traveled between kingdoms. As a poor commoner, I had dreamed of traveling to faraway lands since I was a young orphan. With no family to keep me tied to Shibatsu, I had an insatiable wanderlust.
My travels had taken me to the Kingdom of Nyria, which was similar to Shibatsu, except for its social hierarchy system, where a woman led the country. It was strange, so I left for other kingdoms.
The Ruby Isles had been a fun experience. There were many attempts by bandits to rob the jewel caravan. My first kill was strangely exhilarating! I didn't feel remorse for ending the bandit's life. Their life became forfeit when they decided to rob the merchant caravan that I was paid to protect.
With each new kill, I started to crave it! Not only was it satisfying seeing their life and blood flow out of the enemy, but I was handsomely rewarded for it! As a poor orphan, I could only dream of the riches that I had now.
Shibatsu's warrior class was considered a step up from being a commoner. Once the warrior training is completed, a ceremony is held to promote the warrior to the lowest rank of nobility, that of a knight. I was now Sir Zed of Shibatsu, though I cared less about the title than the monetary rewards I was able to earn.
As a child, I learned quickly that money was the way to a better life. No one cares about a poor orphan, other than the nobles who offer charity. I dreamed of raising ranks so that one day, I could be one of those nobles.
My wanderlust had taken me to the western coastal kingdoms after a civil war. Many people had died in the war, leaving the way open for corruption. The local government didn't have enough
manpower to eliminate the threats to their society, so they placed wanted posters and offered rewards.
This brought a new thrill to my bloodlust, the thrill of the hunt! I wore a hooded cloak to hide my silver hair, an obvious trait that I was from Shibatsu. I became talented at hiding in the shadows and sneaking up on the bandits before they knew who killed them.
I had traveled from village to village collecting the rewards when I ended up in a village on the border between the kingdom of Lancri and the Kingdom of Stanarussi. I had heard stories of the inventions of Stanarussi and wanted to go, but they were very guarded against foreigners. They only traded with bordering kingdoms when they needed supplies for their experiments, but they didn't allow foreigners to enter their kingdom.
I had heard about their advanced weaponry, so they would likely have no need for my services. My hopes for visiting their kingdom and witnessing the advanced weapons and technology were dashed before I could even begin.
Early one autumn morning, I woke from the inn I had been staying at and was about to head towards the bakery for breakfast. Then, the most beautiful girl that I had ever seen caught my eye!
She had light reddish hair, although it was a little messy from the wind. It was gorgeous!
Unfortunately, I was not the only one to notice this walking fairy! She had caught the attention of the local group of bandits when she bought out the entire bakery with a ruby! After visiting The Ruby Isles, I had a good idea of the value of that ruby. She treated it so casually, as if she had more valuable items in her knapsack.
As she reached into the bag, I noticed strange shiny gadgets that I had never seen before. Then it hit me, she must be from Stanarussi! This was my ticket to learn more about their kingdom. I decided to wait and silently followed her when I noticed the group of bandits had followed her down an alleyway.
They made rude and ungentlemanly remarks, but when one tried to touch her, I lost my patience. How dare that filthy bandit try to lay a hand on this precious fairy? He will not have a hand soon! I drew my sword and sliced off the bandit's hand. I angled it away from the young lady as much as possible. I was experienced at killing and knew more or less how to control the direction of the blood flow. My first few kills had been extremely messy, leaving me covered in the enemy's blood.
I learned quickly after not being able to wash the blood for days on one trip. It became uncomfortable as it dried. I didn't want that to happen to this innocent flower. I led the rest of
the bandits away from her as much as possible to spare her from being dirtied by the blood.
She seemed shocked and frozen in place. She was obviously innocent and had never seen a death like this before. I tried to kill the rest of the bandits quickly and cleanly, but I was outnumbered 5 to 1. I had training, so that worked in my favor. I was able to deflect their pitiful knives with ease, but they began to surround me. It became more difficult to guard against every angle.
I was surprised when the innocent flower began to attack the bandit who was about to attack me from behind. She was obviously new to fighting based on her moves, but she was trying to help me. The thought warmed my heart, and I decided at once that I would follow her and keep her safe.
I was able to kill the bandits while she kept them distracted. They did not use lethal force towards her, so it was the perfect distraction. Afterward, she started to shiver. I could tell she was in shock, so I offered her my cloak and led her away from the mess.
I took her back to the bakery and sat her at an outside table. She still seemed dazed. I went into the bakery, which was now empty aside from the attendant, and ordered a calming tea for the lady. She took the tea and sipped it slowly. The warmth comforted her. Finally, she felt comfortable enough to talk.
I learned that her name was Alisa, and she was from Stanarussi. Her father had been an inventor, and she was on her way to the Independent Nation of Kanta to live with the only remaining family she had left, 2 female cousins who had both married and lived in the Kanta region.
I thought my luck could not get any better when she accepted my offer to protect and escort her. Then, she told me we would fly across the ocean! I was skeptical, but excited! She had used this
flying machine to reach the village. I found out this was the first village that she visited after leaving her home.
That was a long way away! The flying machine must work if she was able to travel that distance in one night! I helped her gather the supplies needed for the trip after buying one of the jewels she had at a reduced price. She did not have any coins, so she wanted to sell the jewel, but this was a poor village, and no one here would have enough money to buy it. I offered to pay more for it later, but she declined. She had more!
Just how rich was this lady exactly, and what were those shiny metallic gadgets in her bag? She was quickly becoming a mystery that I fully intended to figure out. She was rich, lovely, and had fascinating technology. I would surely not lose anything by traveling with her. I could even court her. I had already saved her life, she may be moved enough by my bravery to feel endebted to me.
Many knights had saved the higher nobility and been heavily rewarded. This could be my ticket to move up a rank. I wonder what level of nobility this lady is from, but it would be rude to ask.
My thoughts quickly changed to the flying contraption, which she called a hot air balloon. I inspected the large basket as we loaded the supplies. It was large enough to fit them and have enough room for a single person to sleep. I had no idea how he managed to fly this on her own, but she would need my help to cross the ocean.
She showed me how it worked by lighting the brazier. She added the wood for fuel and explained how the gas from the scorching air filled the balloon and caused it to lift off the ground. I was stunned for a moment when the basket began to lift from the ground, but she reassured me that it was normal. How is any of this normal? We are defying gravity!
As soon as the balloon filled, we set sail. I asked if she would wait until the spring to travel like the ships, but she explained that the hot air balloon was 3x faster than the ships! That seemed unbelievable to me, but I wanted to find out for myself. This would be the adventure of a lifetime!