A man with black hair and black eyes woke up in a dark room. He raised himself and observed his surroundings. He was in a small room and next to him was a table. On top of it was a copper tag and a leather belt. Leaning on it was a sheathed sword.

  The man looked at his hands then used them to feel the features of his face. Then he moved down to feeling his chest, stomach, and legs. He sighed and moved to the edge of the table. He bent down to pick the sword and unsheath it.

  Even in the dark room he could see its sharp edge. He put the sword back in its cover and laid his back on the bed. He stayed like this for five minutes. Then he got back up and off the bed.

  He put the tag around his neck, the belt on his hips, and the sword on the belt's hold.

  He exited the room and walked down the creaky hallway, he stopped by the window and looked down. The sunlight covered him and hindered his vision. He squinted and continued looking.

  The man looked away and walked down the stairs which groaned with each step. Downstairs there were circular tables and stools around them. On top a few of them were people eating their meals.

  He walked to the counter. It was headed by a heavy handed woman. “Breakfast?”

  “Yes.”

  “Three pence.” The man placed three brown coins on the table. The woman took a ladle and poured soup on a bowl. She placed three slices of bread on it and handed it to the man. She took the coins and dropped them in a pouch.

  The man went to an empty table and took a seat. He grabbed a loaf of bread, used it to swirl the white mushy soup, and took a bite. He chewed it then swallowed it. He sighed.

  He dipped the bread in the soup and took another bite. He kept on eating and when the bread was gone, he held the bowl to lips and tilted it, letting the leftover soup flow down his mouth. He gulped down all of it.

  He stood up, went to the counter and left the empty bowl there. He went outside, turned left, and continued walking. The cobblestone path made traveling easier. On the streets there were wagons being carried by horses and people walking about. To their sides there were houses and various buildings made of wood and stone.

  He entered the building and went through the missions pinned on a board. Then he approached a red haired woman. “Is anything happening in the forest?” He asked.

  “Just the usual, but there’re rumors of orcs appearing in the eastern areas of the forest. Far closer than where they should be.” She glanced at the tag around his neck. “You should stay in the outer areas of the forest.”

  “That’s what I plan on doing.” He replied. He lefty the building and went to the marketplace where he bought a trowel, a dagger, and a few leather pouches. Then he walked to the city gates. The walls were tall and thick, tough enough to fend off monster attacks. The gate was guard by two knights, stationed at each side. The drawbridge that allowed wagons and caravans to enter was closed but the human sized walkway next to it was open.

  He entered the walkway and it was completely dark inside. He continued walking in a straight line and came out the other side. He followed the dirt road towards the forest.

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  He encountered small sparsely spread trees and like the grass they grew larger in size and number the further along he went. Soon the dirt road cut off and he was surrounded by nature.

  He stopped heading forward and went westward for a while, on the way he searched his surroundings. He didn’t find anything useful so he went to another area. There a mushroom with a green cap caught his eye. He carefully used the trowel to loosen and dig up the dirt around it. He picked it up and stored it in one of the pouches.

  Then he continued searching. If there were any valuable plants or fungi he’d harvest it and place it in a pouch. Otherwise he’d move on to a different area and search there.

  When he encountered trees with blue moss growing on it, he’d go the opposite direction. Time passed and when the sun was about overhead, his pouches were full and he headed back to the city.

  On the way he met other adventurers but they didn’t pay each other any mind. When he got back he walked to the guild, entered, and approached the red haired woman. “I’m here to sell some herbs.”

  “Ok, show me what you got.” He took the pouches off his belt and emptied them out on the table. The woman inspected the herbs. “They’re pretty good quality, I’ll give you sixty eight pence for them.”

  “That’s fine with me.” He replied. She took out a few coins and handed them to him. He put the coins in his money pouch and left the building. He went back to the inn to eat lunch, it went for five pence this time. After eating he walked back to the forest and started searching for herbs again. It was at sunset that he encountered a goblin. It was alone making it an easy hunt. It had green skin and stood about ? tall as the average person. It had pointed ears, sharp nails and teeth, and it had a brown loincloth around its hips. He approached it slowly, behind a tall bush. He could see it but it couldn’t see him. A gust of wind shook the bush and blew his scent towards the goblin. The goblin sniffed the air and turned towards his direction. “Scweek!” He leaped out of the bush, drawing his sword. The goblin didn’t react in time. He slashed at its neck, the tip of his sword cut off its jugular vein. Green blood flowed out like a tide. He kept his distance from the goblin and waited for it to bleed out. The goblin rushed at him and jumped. He stepped to the side, just out of reach of the goblin and slashed at its neck again. This damaged its spinal cord, paralyzing it. When it landed in the ground its body was limp, but it was still alive. He waited by the side and waited for it to die. The goblin passed out. He continued waiting until the green blood dripped slowly from its neck. Then he turned its corpse around so its body faced up. Doing so made its neck twist causing its head to hang off the remaining attached bone and flesh. He rolled the sleeves of his shirt as far up as he could. He used his knife to slice open the left side of its body and inserted his arm into the opening, he went up to its heart and used his fingers to dig into it. Its heart was still warm and he could feel blood creep into the crevices of his nails and stick to his skin. He took out a small red crystal from its heart and retracted his hand. He shook off as much blood clinging to his skin as he could. His fingertips all the way to the middle of his biceps were stained green. He put the gem in one of the punches and moved on. He continued searching until it was dusk. He went back to the city. He paid for a bath, toilet, and for his clothes to be washed. It was quick since they used magic to dry off clothes. Then he went to the guild to sell his loot.

  The red haired woman walked to him. “A bit late isn’t it?”

  “I can come back in the morning if you want.”

  “I’m just kidding. Let’s go to the counter and you can show me what you got.” She went behind the counter and lit up the candle next to her for vision. He took everything out of the pouches. “Herbs and a goblin core. 103 pence.”

  “I’ll take it.” She took the herbs and core and gave him coins in exchange. He went to the inn and walked to the innkeeper. “Dinner?” He asked.

  “Too late, we’re out.” She replied. “Come back about an hour earlier next time.”

  “Ok.” He walked up to the second floor and entered his room. His stomach growled but he ignored it. He took his sword off his belt and laid it on the floor. He took his belt off and put it on top of the table. He sat down by the edge of the bed and took off his boots. He moved his feet onto the bed and laid down. Then he went to sleep.