The main thing that you have to remember on this journey is, just be nice to everyone and always smile. - Ed Sheeran
Prologue: The Sky's the Limit
The forest… calm, tranquil and serene, it's like that on many occasions. It's also home to many creatures in the world; animals, insects, humans, fairies and other mythical monsters of the Lore. It protects us from the world; from prying eyes, from danger and it's really good at keeping things hidden.
It's also where I live…
Early morning and the sun is just starting to peek over the distance mountain tops. As sunlight hits my eyes, I start to stir awake. Lazily, I pull myself from the pile of dry leaves I used as a makeshift bed. Warmth from the sun greats me as I stretch to a sitting position and rub the sleep out of my eyes. I look down threw half lidded eyes to the small campfire I had constructed last night. Small embers are all that remains with a small line of smoke that barely reaches the first branch of any tree. It was another peaceful night of sleep for me, again. But… not all nights are as lucky as last night.
I pull myself to my feet and start walking sleepily towards the nearest stream of water that I could hear. Manoeuvring over some large trunks and rocks I finally made it to a stream. As I kneeled down, I started to clean myself for the day ahead of me. "Today is going to be a special day. I can just feel it." I smiled as I looked at my reflection.
What looked back at her was a beautiful young girl. She had long teal hair that travelled down to her knees, big orange eyes that fluttered with long dark lashes. As she reached to dip her hands and feet in the stream she worked on getting any dirt out from under her tiny claws. Next she proceeded to wash her large furry ears and tall branch-like horns. And finally she groomed her tail. Long and furry as it was it took almost just as long to brush her hair. Who is this strange girl that I speak of?
She is none other than Arc.
I can't say too much about myself, but I do know that I am the only being of my kind left. I am a dragonkin. Half human, half dragon. We tend to live around a thousand years and are natural born with incredible strength and speed. Other naturally born features include a good sense of smell and hearing. And if you were wondering, yes, I can breathe fire and fly. I'm roughly around 180 years old, which would work out to be around 18 in human years and stand to be about 5'3.
Once I was finished cleaning myself up, and braiding the ends of my parted hair, I backtracked to my temporary campsite. As I kicked my feet off the ground, I started floating back.
You're probably thinking to yourself 'Why are you in the forest, Arc?' Long story, short, people don't tend to feel too comfortable when I'm around them. They look at me and see… a monster. So it's safer for me to hide myself amongst the trees, away from civilization. But every so often I do feel the need to explore a town or two.
After landing back around my campsite I started to prepare my belongings. There wasn't much since I always travel light, just my pouches that I clipped around my belt and my handmade robe. The robe reaches down to cover my hips, white in color with gold rims around the arms, hood and waist. It's specialty? It has long bunny ears. Why? Well… It's kinda hard to convince people that there are no horns under here. So with long ear accessories people don't tend to question… maybe just my sense of style. Plus! It's great to cover my ears. Hiding my tail is easy to. Just gotta curl it up into the robe and voila! Normal looking human girl.
Before leaving I made sure to douse the embers with earth, to prevent any forest fires from happening. Once I was all geared up I began to float to the edge of the forest. "Gotta find a road to follow…" I murmured as I glided around trees.
It didn't take me long to find an opening. As I got closer to a clearing I made sure to settle down myself before walking out. Don't wanna startle any passerby. As I walked out into the open I found myself in a shepherd field. A herd of goats were scattered around the hillsides, grazing. "If I walk through this pastor, I should come to a road." I nodded as I began to walk through some tall grass. The fields were long, but it was a nice enough day to take a stroll. Barely any clouds in the sky and the sun hung over the mountains with a lovely brightness to it.
I stopped for a moment to search my surroundings when I suddenly felt something brush against my leg. "Bahhh…" It was a little goat. "Hey, little fella. I hope I didn't disturb your breakfast?" I bent my knees to kneel to his level as I reached my hand out to pat his head. He didn't seem to mind. "Aren't you a cutie." I smiled. "Heeeeeey! Maybe you can help me find a road. Seen anything that looks close to one?" I asked. At first he seemed a little puzzled at my question, but he eventually turned around and nudged his head to follow him. "I hope you know where were going." But I simply just shrugged my shoulders and followed closely behind him.
After climbing over a couple of hills I could finally make out what looked to be a dirt road. "Alright!" I chirped as I bounced my way to the edge of the road. Once there I turned around, leaning forward I gave a big smile to the small goat, my fangs showing. "Thanks you so much for your help, Mr. Goat." His eyes seem to bulge his eyes out of his head once he got a good look at me. I feared he'd run away, but he seem to relax and wave his tail. "Bahhh…" He sounded before turning back to return to the others. "Bye-bye!" I waved before continuing my walk down the road.
I was curious as to where my travels would lead me today. Hopefully a village. It's been a while since I've surrounded myself with people and I'm feeling pretty good today. Most times when I visit a nearby dwelling I'm usually pretty skilled at keeping my appearance a secret. Only a few minor mishaps in the past got me chased out. But it always seem like the adults are the ones always causing the fuss, never the children. "Man, I wish humans would have some decent manners." I sighed.
In the distance my ears perked as I picked up a familiar sound. Coming from behind me was a wagon. From what I could tell it had only a single passenger. I decided to move off the road and allow the man to pass. As he neared I heard the galloping of the horse's feet thunder by me. I tried not to stare as I continued to walk. "Woah!" I heard as I looked up towards the rider. He had stopped. "Hi there!" He called out to me as he waved me down, leaning over his wagon. I cautiously approached him. He was a middle aged man with short brown hair and wore an outfit that screamed farmer. "What's a young girl like you doing out here all by yourself?" He asked.
"I'm traveling around." I answered.
"Where about are you headed?"
"Wherever the wind takes me." I smiled.
"Well if you're looking for the next town you'll reach it by sundown on foot. It's quite the walk."
"Thanks, that's good to know." I bowed before walking off.
"W-wait-"He stuttered, sounding nervous. "I'd feel pretty bad knowing I just left you behind by yourself. I've traveled these roads often. There not terribly dangerous in these parts, but lately some bandits have been picking on lonesome people. Why don't I give you a lift?" He offered.
"Oh no-" I waved my hands in embarrassment. "I couldn't possibly. Beside I don't really have anything I could pay you with. "
"Nonsense, it would be my pleasure. You can ride in the back." He pointed to his cargo.
I pondered for a moment to analyse this man. He didn't seem dangerous… and my senses aren't alarming me. Maybe I should take him up on his offer… But I could easily get to the next town if I decided to fly; I would wait till he was out of site, of course. Then again, it has been a while since I've socialized with anyone. "Okie dokie! I'll take you up on that offer, Mister-"
"Henry. You may call me Henry." He offered out his hand to aid me onto his wagon. I graciously took it and settle into the back.
As I sat down in nest of hay I notice a bunch of product around me. Baskets of eggs, jugs of milk, blankets of wool and a large pile of bagged grain. Yup… definitely a farmer. There were even some chickens cooped up in a small pen. "Heading out to make a delivery?" I decided to ask as I sat on my knees and peered out the front of the wagon to converse, my hands holding onto the wooden frame.
"That's right. I make trade between my village and the next. Been doing this job for that last 15 years. Me and old Bailey here." He patted his horse from behind as she made a responsive naying sound.
"That's a long time. Well… for humans maybe. Got a family back home?" I asked as I rested my head on my arms.
"Yup! A wife and two kids." He sounded pretty proud of himself. I sat there listening diligently to Henry tale about his life. He sounded happy and content about where he was, working hard every day to put food on the table.
As he turned into another valley he started off on a much more serious tale. "Lately this country has seen better days." He sounded a little grim about the subject. But my ear perked under my cloak and I sat in closer to listen what he had to say. "I'd watch yourself around these parts. Remember when I told you about the bandits? Well… there more than just bandits to worry about." His hands tighten around his reins. "Ever heard of the Seven Deadly Sins? Seven Deadly sins?" Nope, never. "They're group of criminals, powerfully ones, that uses to serve the king of this land. About 10 years ago they had tried to over throw the kingdom of Liones. Liones?" His expression darken. "A while back I heard they were all killed. But rumors, speculation and posters have been popped up lately in a lot of towns saying that they have return."
"Are these criminals doing bad things again?"
"So far, all I've heard is that some Holy Knights have come across them."
"Did they hurt the knights?"
"I'm not sure…" He shook his head unknowing. "If you're traveling just be careful. It probably would be bad if you ever came across any of those monstrous villains. Monstrous…I don't really like that word. I wonder if these criminals are ugly?"
"I'll make sure to watch myself more carefully then." I reassured him as I looked onward towards the horizon. "So… When do we hit the next town?" I asked starting to get anxious. I've been sitting on my butt for the last half hour.
"See for yourself." Henry chimed as he lashed his reins to make Bailey move fast. The wagon carried us over another large hill until we reached the top. Once there, I looked down the road pass some treetops and saw a small hurdle of houses, fields and a giant boulder in the center of the valley. "Welcome to Baizel!" Henry gestured for me to sit next to him to get a better look. I climb out and sat on the plank of wood before admiring the view from up high. "It may seem small, but it a huge tourist attraction. They like to hold their annual fighting festival." Henry said as he commanded his horse to stop.
"A FIGHTING FSTIVAL!?" I became excited. It's been a long time since I went to a festival. I also really enjoy watching people display their strength. I being one of them. My curiosity always gets the better of me. "Can anyone participate in this tournament?" I asked before I even realize I was asking.
"Yup! I've seen many fighters come from all over the place to show off. We even had a year with giants in it."
"GIANTS!?"
"Yes, but that only lasted one year since… well, they kinda caused a lot of damage to the village back then. Ever since they've been banned from the tournament." He scratched his head with a sigh as he remembered the year when the giants came. A shiver ran down his spine.
"What a shame…" I pouted. Henry seemed a little concerned about my reaction.
"You're not thinking of entering… are you?" I better play it cool so I don't worry him.
"Nooooo… Of course not." I smiled as I pretended to wave the ridiculous idea away. "I just like being a spectator."
"Oh, good." He sighed. "Would you like me to drop you off at the Inn?"
"Actually-" I suddenly jumped off the wagon. "I think I'll walk the rest of the way. I wanna get a good look at the area." I smiled as I rested my hands on my hips.
"Are you sure?" He seemed weary to leave me behind.
"Absolutely! Thank you so much for the ride, Henry." I bowed to show him my respect.
"Well… if you insist. I'll be lodged up in town for a couple of days while I work on my trades. If you ever need any help, come find me." At that moment I felt a warm ping struck my chest. It was kindness. It's been a while since I last received it from a human… It's a nice feeling. I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from stretching upwards into a gentle smile.
"Ok, I will." I said comfortingly. Henry waved me down before turning his attention to his horse, but something caught his eyes.
"Hmmm…? I don't remember this tavern being here? I was only here about two weeks ago?" He questioned as he stared at a cone shaped hut. "Why have a bar all the way out here?" He couldn't seem to figure it out. "Argh!" He scratched his head. "I don't have time for this." He whined as he clicked his tongue to signal his horse to start moving down the road. And just like that, Henry was gone.
"Henry… I'll make sure to put him on my 'good-people' list." I made sure to straighten up my appearance before heading down the hill. I turned to look at the hut one last time before leaving. "The Boar's Hat, eh? What a funny name."
Hey, Everyone! I've been meaning to start writing this fanfiction for a long time now and just haven't gotten around to it until now. This story is about my Original Character for the series of Nanatsu no Taizai. Now, I will warn you I am no pro at writing so I apologize in advance. I hope you enjoy it! I always appreciate some good old fashion R&R XP
PEACE!