Chapter 235 Rydel“s Origin
Rydel’s hands froze before they started cutting into a large chunk of at taken from his storage ring. "Only if you talk too."
"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 assud was a soup or stew.
"I guess I’ll go first," Rydel chuckled glumly.
His serious deanor slowly lted to reveal a faint depression inside his eyes. "I’ve got a personal grudge with the Limneer army. This is my first ti 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 ti 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 beco 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 hunting. He would show the best way to track down ga, 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 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 so deer tracks, and you know what that ant.
"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 so ti I finally found him. It was a buck, a big one too. I knew that grabbing it would make 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 t Jack’s as he waited for a response.
He thought for a mont before Jack shrugged. "Did he get away?"
"No. No, he didn’t," answered Rydel. "Sohow 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 many tis in the week prior. I had lost track of ti and my surroundings, only to find myself too far gone from ho, where wolves were commonly found and my father warned 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 so of the wolves. The lead wolf was the first to see and let loose a howl before creeping up toward ... I froze...
"Just as the wolf lunged at , I turned to run. Thanks to that I was lucky enough to get bitten in the leg, and not anywhere vital." At the sa ti, 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 sa arrows. Seconds later my dad was rushing towards and did his best to patch up while I was screaming and yelling in a panic. Eventually, I cald down, but only after he picked up and started to carry 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 a lot on the way ho, but I can’t bla him. I needed that, otherwise, who knows if I would ever try that again," continued Rydel. "And once I got ho my mom wouldn’t stop chewing out. I was grounded for a month after that...
"They didn’t tell right away, but apparently that dire wolf was disease-ridden and I was going to need dicine 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 , my father took a trip to a nearby village so he could get the dicine for cheaper, that way we could afford it...
"He told 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 ti that Jack ever saw water buildup in the toughened hunter’s eyes.
"It took him five days... Not three... And when he ca 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 ti 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 dicine 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 ... My father lost his bow-wielding arm... And when we moved to Gilga, to ensure our protection, he was forced to beco a trader and a rchant, 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 ca 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... Rember when I spoke with Daruun? It has sothing to do with that."
Rydel shook his head and sighed, "Really, you don’t say?"
Finding his rhythm Jack continued, "There was sothing that Daruun made sure to ntion 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... So of us might..."
"And?"
Dead serious, Jack looked at the incredulous Rydel. His own stressed expression seed to be the exact opposite of the relaxed and calm Rydel.
After a mont of silent confusion, Rydel spoke up, "You know, Jack, this isn’t our first ti laying down our lives. Both and Maynard fought in the war against the Zuran Empire and I’m sure Keela was near those sa front lines as a healer. We both know that Daliea has seen her fair share of battle, possibly more than . 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 accustod to battle and death. In your ti you caused more of that than all of us combined, even when compared to so minor wars between nations... And now you’re stressed because we’re putting our lives on the line?"
Jack shook as he stamred, "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.
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