Chapter 1: Knight’s Decision

Upon morning, Natteus Eggbert, a boy in his teens, was sleeping soundly, just like the main character of any generic story around. Differently from other generics, however, he had the special ability to wake himself up. He is pretty much a loner, so there is no one to shout against him when he wakes up. Of course, he is thinking about all these things being narrated, since he is a geek by heart.

Nateus: “Shuddup, what the fuck am I thinking just after stopping my sleep?”.

After getting up and preparing himself, there was only one thing he would think of: adventure! Natteus abandoned his own home and family early to accompany a band of mercenaries since he deeply disagreed with his society’s social rules. It didn’t end well, but he robbed enough to live just fine for a period of time.

He is a fine, muscular lad; it’s the year 485, and he thinks he is 15 years old, but he’s not sure; he and his family never gave much attention to ages and birthdays, anyway. Departing from the inn, he gets through the street and walks towards a certain building. He has been spending his money wisely, but he knows he can’t turn out to be a fine warrior if he doesn’t have the skill for it! So he needs a big shot to properly teach him. Opening the door, he sees his master, who was probably already awake earlier than him. He immediately turns to face him.

Whatever you want at this time of morning, nutjob egghead?”

Nateus: “C’mon, I’m going to finish off your shores like always; after that, you teach me some legendary technique or something!”

Teach legendary techniques to a weakling like you. Shut the fuck up. But if you want to be my personal slave, I’m not going to stop you.”

Natteus’s master has always been some chill dude since he met him a week ago. When the mercenaries were after him, some badass swordmaster disarmed them with his rapier and said, “Begone, if you were robbed by a mere child, you might as well lose the money!”. The mercenaries still tried to get Natteus, but the swordmaster always appeared to kick their asses. Nateus started to call him Master after that, without even knowing his name.

Nateus: “So give me some knowledge, master! I’m going to learn it all by myself to not bother you.

Master: “What the fuck do you plan to learn with me? It’s not because I helped you that I need to teach you anything.”

Nateus: “Swordmanship! But, ah, man, all these punches and kicks you threw against those men were also epic! So it’s fine; you teach me that too!”

Master: “You think so? However, I think fighting is boring! I only saved you because I didn’t want to find the lifeless body of some stupid child in the woods.

Grr.” Natteus picked up the old sword he had and started running towards his master. Teach me!”. The master instantly spotted the blind spots through his body; however, he let the child do his attack. Natteus jumps, and when the master tries quickly to desarm him with one hand and put him to sleep with another, Nateus manages to do some juggling mid-air to kick the master’s woodsword and get some diagonal cuts done against him. The master still manages to hold his hand and hit some of its arteries anyway, but not without struggle. Nateus managed to punch his head before failing to fall to the floor, but he quickly gets up, almost having no sword anymore.

Natteus: “Damn it! But I still almost cry for you! No one is a match for my superior agility. He looks like he is trying to run, but the master calls him, “Hey boy, aren’t you forgetting your sword? He throws up the sword against him. “Get it and fuck off” was his last statement.

Now Natteus is at the door, pissed but high in confidence: I will get him next time, uhum! He whispered to himself before getting away.

The ‘master’ inside seems to be feeling entertained. “I got the attention of some wild child, but he is not bad; next time he gets into some trouble in the area, I’m going to watch how it turns out before stepping in”. He then continues to do his shores. His true name is Elepius Servantes, but everyone knows him as a guardian knight in the region; he is almost a guardian deity in the area, and the place he lives in is pretty much a tourist spot, a “must visit” for anyone visiting the region, so he doesn’t leave anything he owns there, only the things he receives. Finishing the cleaning, he gets out of the place: “Now I’m going to solve troubles and watch over the people; what I don’t do to get some hot chicks, free food, and shelter, uh...”.

(The screen cuts to Natteus, and he thinks to himself, or not: Gottatapare some screen time for those useless but convenient side characters.) He is already in some dangerous woods; he has food in his bag and some things to treat wounds. There are no trolls like he reads in the books, but he knows there are things out there! (There are going to be some witch hags in some wild hut!) He thinks to himself. As he searched for danger, he caught a glimpse of a suspicious treehouse. So that’s where I’m going to find the fucking dwarves and some beautiful princesses! Gotta get the job done ... Please, reader, just ignore all these supposed troughs.

Upon climbing the tree and kicking the door open, he only gets to find some old hammocks and some ‘[useless trash]. The tree house was also clearly incomplete. “Oh boy, I thought I could find some dwarves; I’m going to ransack the place as revenge for wasting my time! Upon saying these words, he feels something coming from above. He tries to dodge but still gets his butt kicked and falls with his face against the floor.

Keep your face that way, bastard! The one who’s going to get ransacked is your butthead.

Natteus: “You don’t know who you are dealing with! The boy gets up by doing some sudden mortal by using the force of his feet and unleashes his swords. “So you want to be my first victim, I say! I was sure there was some wild monster out there!”. The one who he is dealing with seems to be some savage wearing thorny clothes made from the skin of beasts; he seems a bit tall and muscular, and instead of talking, he is approaching Natteus after picking up a club among those Natteus considers ‘[useless trash]’.

The two get serious, and Natteus takes the initiative to try to cut a part of the hammock. The savage approaches quickly, but Natteus quickly dodges an attack with the club and manages to cut open a part of his thorax before getting away from him.

Natteus: “Let’s talk now. I got the first hit. Now surrender, will you?”

But the other one speaks immediately and quickly.

First hit? This is just a small wound, but I accept that you get out of here quickly, you rat.”

Natteus: “C’mon, I’m saying I will spare you upon admitting defeat.”

Shutrd.”

The two continue trying to hit each other for some time, and it doesn’t take much for the duel to turn into a brawl, but eventually the cut the savage suffered in his chest was enough to turn him unconscious much faster, together with Natteus’s punches and kicks.

Natteus: “pant, fuck, he is already dead? At least I punched the jerk to my liking. As he tries to get away from the crime, some guy dressed in dark appears, opening the door and poiting a finger against him. “Calm down right there, criminal! You dare try to kill someone and just get away like that! Then Natteus replies, “What!? Who are you? I just beat down some jerk who kicked my butt!”. The other guy then replies, “No excuses; I’ve seen everything; you were the one to invade this desolated house. Prepare yourself for my justice! The guy goes running against him empty-handed, and Natteus tries defending himself but ends up beaten uncoucious with a quick punch against somewhere in his face.

As he woke up, he saw his master looking at his face.

Natteus: “M-master, did you beat that jerk in black and save me?”

Master: “Hahaha, you are pretty stupid, heh boy? I was the one to punch you uncoucious, idiot.”

Natteus: If that’s so, why did you meddle in my fight? I had just beaten that random jerk.”

Master: “Well, I didn’t really meddle in it; I did wait until he fell unconscious, but you almost killed someone because of the blood loss. Of course, I had to save him; otherwise, you’d turn out to be a killer. And he is no savage; he is probably the same age as you, apparently has no family, and just arrived here some weeks before you.”

Natteus: “Same age? But I didn’t tell you how old I am.”

Master: “Anyone can tell just by looking that you are around 15, stupid. Anyway, you’re fine now, so you need to get the hell out of here since I’m going to lock the place. I’m going to get some food for myself now.”.

Natteus: “Might it be free food? I want some too.”

Master: “Forget about that; go think about what you did; you should return to your family instead of causing trouble.”

Natteus: “Don’t wanna, why the fuck do I need to live like a Normie? Papa and Mama can live without having another mouth to feed now!”

Master: Well, no use to me arguing with some stupid boy, but I’m telling you, I’m no baby maker; if you cause more trouble, I might kick you far away for good, and you won’t even notice it because of the amnesia you’ll suffer after receiving my punch.”

The two go along. Elepius Servantes wants to go blow off some steam, but now he is making a stupid boy accompany him and taking his precious and dear time. He wonders what he is truly doing in life; there is no use complaining anyway. Almost a decade ago, people could spread tales about this “dragon tamer, demon slayer, curse dispeller, princess saver, greatest fucker of all time of a man ... But now he is hiding in this nowhere village because he is hiding from a certain someone, like some damn loser, but he can’t really do anything against this certain someone anyway.

Master: “Man, I’m so cursed; it seems a wave of luck always comes with a wave of curse right after.”

Natteus: Hey, you jerk of a master, you wouldn’t be having so much trouble with me if you gave me some of your sword techniques in the first place!”

Master: “It’s you who needs to know your place. When I said anything about teaching anyone, Fuck you, your obnoxious boy.”

The two stops are close to an old barton.

Natteus: “That’s where we’re going to eat? Why don’t we pay for something in the inn?”

Master: In the first place, it’s in the countryside that you find good food; in the second place, I never pay for anything I eat at all. Never!”

Natteus: “So you are a vagabond wanderer?”

Master: “Wrong! I’m a hero, a proper knight, and as such, I want to always be treated properly by using my skills to help people! Boy, now shut up; you need to look like someone whom I’m doing charitable work for! Just answer anything someone might ask you with ‘uhums’ and ‘okay’, get it?”

Natteus: “Shut up, you; I’m your apprentice, not your mascot!”

The master seems to think for a moment:

Master: “Right ... It doesn’t look so bad to actually have an apprentice. However, I’m not going to do anything without getting paid; you’ll need to do everything I order, like a nice boy obeying his father ... That’s right, I am going to turn you into a fine boy who will serve his parents as you are supposed to! Hehehe!

The master goes to call the people in the house without hearing anything coming from Natteus, who is certainly not buying any of it.

Some young woman arrives to see him and goes inside again. Some old guy arrives.

Oh, the chilvarous knight! You want to eat something, right?”

Master: “Certainly. I’m also going to hear your troubles, sir; I don’t want anyone messing with the people I look for! Ah, this boy right here is my apprentice; you can treat him too; I’m going to turn him into some fine lad in no time.”

The master goes talking with the old guy while approaching the house, and both enter. Natteus goes right after him, wondering if this guy is really a true master; he doesn’t have time to waste eating country food or talking with random farmers! But then Natteus remembers that he was the one who wanted to go along with him to eat; he then calms himself.

The house seems to be fine inside; his master is already reuniting with other members of the house while eating some soup. There is a lot prepared. The old guy calls him and says to come eat long. It looks like they routinely make soup for the whole family and more; there are vegetables, cassava, meat, and even juice. Now Natteus understands why his master is there; a fine warrior needs healthy food!

The young girl from before tries to talk with Natteus: “Is it true that you are his apprentice?”, Which he replies, “Not only his apprentice; I’m still going to defeat him before going on my heroic journey!”.

Girl: “Look, the chilvarous guardian knight is not some pushover, you know? He always says he can smell trouble; when anyone needs him, he always appears, and the only thing he asks for is food and a place to live. The village elders even agreed to give him a building to live in.”

Natteus: “Oh, I already noticed all that; he even saved me from some nasty guys back then. Anyway, I don’t care about any of that; my dream is to unleash my future mighty power against all these jerks who think they can live as they please. Yeah, that’s right.”

Girl: “What? I’ve never gotten out here, but if you think like that, I bet you are going to die soon.”

Natteus: “Shuddup, I don’t need some country girl to think anything of me!”

Girl: “Can’t you notice you are being a hypocrite by saying you are going against those who do anything they please while at the same time saying you are going to beat your master?”

Natteus: “Hey, I don’t know you, right? There is nothing hypocritical there; it’s not because you think something of the mister hero that he is a perfectly untouchable person. Anyway, I don’t have anything against him, but I’m going to beat anyone strong enough to think they are the big shit.”

The discussion goes like this until they finish the food. Elepius Servantes, of course, can hear everything Natteus is saying; if he is going to put some sense into the boy, he needs to know about everything he says and does!

Anyway, the girl is called Raserei; her father and the other people in the house also said their names, but Natteus doesn’t see a need to remember the names of the extras he barely talked to!

Natteus follows his master, who immediately says, “Old man Grolber is having trouble dealing with some tax collectors; do you know what this means?”

Natteus: “What?”

Master: “Time for some anarchy, baby! ... Just kidding. Anyway, do you know what to do if you are a hero and people are being oppressed by their leaders?”

Natteus: “Hmmm, get rid of their leaders?”

Master: “Wrong, it’s useless to do anything against the leaders. Let me tell you what the most powerful power is against humans who never know where they are, my boy: fear. If you beat someone so badly that he loses all hope of going against you, then he will certainly surrender and compromise with you if the conditions are right. Of course, not every situation can be dealt with like that, but you probably get what I’m saying, right?”

Natteus: In order to control people, you need to know their hearts.

Master: “Hoho, exactly, how did you know that?”

Natteus: “Well, there is a book in which a character says that...”

Master: Ah, now I get why you are so stupid! Real knowledge for a man is only obtained through sweat and hard work, my boy.

Natteus: “Shuddup.”

Master: “Let me tell you one thing: if there are a lot of leaders around, it’s either because they are scary or because they have power enough to control a force that is scary. Fear, my boy, is what controls people’s minds; anything else is temporary. My fame might turn into a local tale after I die, but it will still live on to the next generation as an imposing image against those sorts I fight today! So by helping people now, I will be helping people in the future in several ways. Now let me talk to you about something more interesting.

His master continues telling him stories while they get back to his home, and when they get to the house the mayor gave to Master, he says:

Master: “Hear me, you don’t really need to waste your time in this shabby village, at least not while you are so young. You might think that learning from someone already strong is going to make you even stronger, but you are wrong. Life isn’t a book where you can learn ultimate techniques from day to night and instantly master them and defeat the one who taught you. Don’t believe in such illusions; you are already grown up, and the fact you’ve run away from home to betray some losers and get their money while risking your life shows that you are only some courageous idiot.”

Natteus: “Hey, but I got the money, right? If I feel like it, I can simply return to my home when I want.

Master: “Didn’t I say for you to hear me? Calm down for a second. You might be a prodigy or a genius, but you are wrong to think that everything in life will come to you when you feel like it. It’s not because you think that everything will go as you want or predict that the world will automatically help you into it; risking yourself like nothing is being an idiot; putting yourself in harm’s way is something stupid. If you want to do things correctly, you need to judge not only yourself to be prepared for them but also the consequences of your actions, and then do it. You defeated the one you called “savage” earlier, but at what cost? You almost killed him and ended up being punched by me right after. What if instead of me, it was someone else? Someone else who would kill you for apparently killing him?”

Natteus can’t help but feel that it’s true.

Master: “Are you getting it now? I’m not really asking you to return home, but being there with me might be a waste of your time. Anyway, I’m not going to pressure you. Let’s fight again so I can put some more deep sense into your head. The master picks a wood sword, and Natteus reacts by unseathing his old sword.

Master: “An sword is an weapon killed to kill; to kill someone doesn’t make the world better or turn you into a better person. He then directs the sword in a diagonal stance. Natteus then goes right after him; the master prepares his sword to attack, but then Natteus jumps right into the wall and then into him.

Master: “Ah!” He gets away from Natteus attack range and gives a soft touch against his chin with the tip of his sword. What do you think you are doing with reckless attacks, nutjob? You can’t simply go to attack and forget what the opponent can do. Let’s try again.”.

They get to the same place as before and restart the fight. Natteus this time tried a low attack, but got his attack deflected and his head kicked.

Master: “Are you getting what I’m saying? C’mon, if you think of me as your master, you need at least to be more creative.”

They both continued fighting spars for almost an hour until Natteus eventually ended up dropping to the floor because he was so tired.

Master: “See? You keep making mistakes, and you didn’t get me a single time. Through that trick of yours of directing your height against me and trying to pass through my attacks, it was kind of interesting, but you wouldn’t do this against an armored, seasoned warrior; in any real fight against a true enemy, you would only get yourself killed. Say, Maybe you would change your weapon of choice to something that suits you more, no?”