The Achievement Junkie 235 Rydel's Origin

"Only if this stays between us."

They both nodded. Jack got up and joined Rydel in the kitchen as the two started prepping the different ingredients for what Jack assumed was a soup or stew.

"I guess I'll go first," Rydel chuckled glumly. 

His serious demeanor slowly melted to reveal a faint depression inside his eyes. "I've got a personal grudge with the Limneer army. This is my first time on Limneer soil but my blood's already boiling. I'm not usually like Maynard; rather than seek bloodshed and growth in battle, I would just search for a smarter way to solve my problems. But this is the one time that I want to cause bloodshed."

There was a silence between the two as Jack waited for Rydel to gather himself.

"Do you want to know why I decided to become a hunter?" asked Rydel. "Because of my father. We grew up in the small city of Vash, I'm not sure if you know it."

"I've been there." Jack noticed a smile on Rydel's face but there was no happiness behind it.

Taking a big breath Rydel continued, "When I was a kid my father would take me hunting. He would show me the best way to track down game, how to handle a bow, how I should hold the knife skinning a beast when compared to fight a beast… He was a master hunter.

"After about a week of him showing me the ropes, I felt like I could do it myself." The proud hunter suddenly burst into laughter, the type that was self-mocking. "I felt like I could challenge the world, like every young idiot my age. That morning I left early into the nearby woods since we lived on the outskirts of Vash. Not sure how long it took but eventually I found some deer tracks, and you know what that meant.

"Slowly and carefully I followed them. I would try to stay hidden among the bushes and the trees, or least as much as a young foolish boy would. 

"After some time I finally found him. It was a buck, a big one too. I knew that grabbing it would make me make my father proud. So I did exactly what he said; slinking up to the tree and finding my window, I pulled the small bow from my back and took aim… What do you think happened?" Rydel's empty gaze met Jack's as he waited for a response.

He thought for a moment before Jack shrugged. "Did he get away?"

"No. No, he didn't," answered Rydel. "Somehow I managed to hit my target but he didn't go down in a single arrow. The buck tried to escape but I didn't let up. I followed behind it at my top speed but the buck was quickly getting out of sight. 

"Determined, I still followed those tracks and after a few minutes, I found the buck… But I also found a pack of dire wolves.

"Apparently, I was stupid enough to forget that the wolves to be attracted to the scent of blood, even though my dad warned me many times in the week prior. I had lost track of time and my surroundings, only to find myself too far gone from home, where wolves were commonly found and my father warned me to stay away from."

Tense and rigid, Rydel struggled to keep speaking. "The buck didn't get away. It was already dead, being torn apart by some of the wolves. The lead wolf was the first to see me and let loose a howl before creeping up toward me… I froze…

"Just as the wolf lunged at me, I turned to run. Thanks to that I was lucky enough to get bitten in the leg, and not anywhere vital." At the same time, Rydel pulled up his right pant leg to show a large scar on his calf, the lasting reminder that the wolf had given him.

"As I grew more frantic I heard the twang of a bow," added Rydel. "That giant dire wolf suddenly released my leg and fell limp on the ground. An arrow was lodged into his throat, leading to its brain. It was one of my dad's handcrafted arrows."

Rydel let out a long sigh as his body started to relax again. "The other wolves also dropped dead, one by one, by those same arrows. Seconds later my dad was rushing towards me and did his best to patch me up while I was screaming and yelling in a panic. Eventually, I calmed down, but only after he picked me up and started to carry me back."

Jack could sense just how impactful that experience was for Rydel. But he couldn't understand why that had anything to do with the Limneer army. 

So he waited. He didn't want to diminish the story and he had a feeling that Rydel wouldn't have told him that without a reason.

"My dad scolded me a lot on the way home, but I can't blame him. I needed that, otherwise, who knows if I would ever try that again," continued Rydel. "And once I got home my mom wouldn't stop chewing me out. I was grounded for a month after that…

"They didn't tell me right away, but apparently that dire wolf was disease-ridden and I was going to need medicine to make sure I didn't get infected." 

Jack started to hear the skin of Rydel's hands being tightly rubbed together as if he was clenching a leather whip.

"Unbeknownst to me, my father took a trip to a nearby village so he could get the medicine for cheaper, that way we could afford it…

"He told me it wouldn't be long and that I'd see him again in a couple of days. But it didn't…" 

It was the first time that Jack ever saw water buildup in the toughened hunter's eyes. 

"It took him five days… Not three… And when he came back it wasn't with his horse or his bow… Or his arm…

"That was when we found out that Limneer had started raiding Trodar's borders in an attempt to invade. It was the first time so no one was prepared or ready and the small villages couldn't stand up to the Limneer forces." 

Wiping his nose, Rydel blinked to try to hold back tears. "My father got the medicine but he was attacked on his way back… And he had to give up his arm in order to escape with his life…

"Because of me… My father lost his bow-wielding arm… And when we moved to Gilga, to ensure our protection, he was forced to become a trader and a merchant, which he hated and wasn't too good at… But it was the only way he could provide for us"

Rydel could hear Jack gulp down his saliva as he tried to stay quiet during Rydel's whimpering. Not another word was said.

The prep work was delayed for dinner due to Rydel's story, but they still managed to get everything in a pot over a fire before the girls came out of the bathhouse.

Now with dry eyes, Rydel looked at Jack. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Umm…" Jack scratched his head and looked around to make sure the girls weren't nearby. "This stays between us?"

Without a word Rydel tilted his head and raised his eyebrow, looking at Jack like he was too stupid to read the mood.

"Right… I… Remember when I spoke with Daruun? It has something to do with that."

Rydel shook his head and sighed, "Really, you don't say?"

Finding his rhythm Jack continued, "There was something that Daruun made sure to mention and talk about… It has a lot to do with the party and, in particular, the survival of the party."

"What is it? Are we all going to die?" asked Rydel in a joking manner.

"No, it's just that… Some of us might…"

"And?"

Dead serious, Jack looked at the incredulous Rydel. His own stressed expression seemed to be the exact opposite of the relaxed and calm Rydel.

After a moment of silent confusion, Rydel spoke up, "You know, Jack, this isn't our first time laying down our lives. Both me and Maynard fought in the war against the Zuran Empire and I'm sure Keela was near those same front lines as a healer. We both know that Daliea has seen her fair share of battle, possibly more than me. Sure, there are a few people who are new to this but I'm sure their feelings aren't much different."

"But… But how can--"

"I thought you were an ancient hero?" Rydel suddenly asked. "Of all of us, you should be the one most accustomed to battle and death. In your time you caused more of that than all of us combined, even when compared to some minor wars between nations… And now you're stressed because we're putting our lives on the line?"

Jack shook as he stammered, "I, uhh…"

Standing still with eyes wide open Eliza did her best to remain quiet. She remained concealed in the hallway so that she wouldn't interrupt the conversation between Jack and Rydel. Then she looked back down the hall to find Keela and Dahlia walking toward her.

Chapter end