Chapter 6

The calm days drifted by like water, and nearly a month passed. Roy’s hectic days as a butcher’s apprentice and nightly Gwent games at the tavern followed their own steady rhythm. In this small village that felt both familiar and foreign, Roy had begun to find his footing.

A month later, he had saved up 60 Crowns, most of it earned from beating Old Jack the Captain and Pussig the blacksmith at Gwent. It was enough to pay for a journey to Vengerberg or any of the larger cities, though both men had grown wary of him, and now rarely played with him. The easy winnings had come to an end.

During this time, Roy often talked to Pussig about his homeland, Skellige, trying to build a relationship. He spent 50 Crowns on a self-defense stash—a dagger and a small crossbow, named Gabriel after the blacksmith from Verden. It was a gray, compact crossbow, easy to handle with one hand, and it came with twenty wooden bolts.

In Aedirn, no local blacksmith would have sold Gabriel to a boy, but Pussig, raised in Skellige, was of the mind that in such a chaotic world, boys should be prepared for self-defense from an early age. In the islands, even children under ten had already started swinging swords, and Roy, with his particular needs, suited Pussig’s thinking.

Unlike the crossbows that could be found with ease in games, real crossbows had incredible power. Even though Gabriel’s design was old, with a short range and slow loading time, it was simple to use, requiring little skill. Even a weak child or elderly person, as long as they could hold it steady, could hurt a seasoned soldier with it.

For Roy, whose physical attributes were below that of an adult and who lacked any combat skills, the crossbow was the most efficient weapon. His Perception attribute, however, was as sharp as any grown man’s, with a wide field of vision. It was perfect for him.

He tucked the dagger and crossbow into his inventory, which had proven immensely convenient. It could store anything that wasn’t living, with only size as a limitation. With a thought, he could instantly retrieve any item.

The next morning, dew covered the village’s overgrown paths. Roy waved at a farmer heading out to work, but most of the villagers ignored him.

In Kagen, the traditional mindset was that the children of farmers would follow in their parents’ footsteps, toiling the land. Roy, on the other hand, was learning how to butcher cows and sheep, spending his nights at the tavern and building friendships with the wild folk from Skellige. His behaviors had earned him some disapproval and envy.