Prologue – Hero's Departure

WEEK 0

Everyone down in the enclosed docking area were in high spirits despite the sharp stench of fresh fish and salty sea being almost overwhelming. The loud chatter of fishermen filled the air as they brought carts of fish, crabs, and other sealife down from their ships to the dock below was only overcome by the shouts of young children welcoming their parents home from their hard day of work and the cheers of sailors as they finally were able to take a break and head to the tavern for a well deserved drink.

However, this constant buzz was ignored by two people who were standing in front of a very large sea-vessel, a large pack at one of their sides.

"And don't forget to change your underwear every day, okay sweetie?" An aging woman said, ruffling the bright blond hair of a handsome young man, ignoring the faux-annoyed look on his face.

The two made a curious pair, being a small aging woman barely four and a half feet tall accompanied by a young man who was well over six feet tall himself, yet with the man almost seeming to shrink in on himself in embarrassment as the woman straightened his collar and wiped a bit off dust off of his face. If there was any family resemblance it was impossible to see through the old woman's sun weathered face. The only trait that the two shared was their eyes, both seeming to shine with determination. A strong gust of wind coming from the tunnel as the large gate at the end of the port-cavern opened and let in a large rush of water and air, forcing the boy to stabilize the far more frail woman who had held onto him.

"Oh, come on Auntie. You don't need to baby me anymore," he replied once the large doors had slammed shut and the loud wind had passed.

"You'll always be a baby to me. I know the young women around here may see a dashing rogue, but I can't help but see you as the little boy who came crying to me after wetting his bed during a sleepover with the Baker's son."

Looking quite distressed, he glanced around checking if anyone had overheard her "Auntie! Please don't do this in public!" The appearance of a tall and well muscled man squirming around like an embarrassed child would probably have attracted more attention if nearly all of the pair's public interactions hadn't also ended in a similar manner.

"Worried about the sailors poking fun at you during your trip? If they do, then point me to them and I'll give them a good whack on the skull."

"It'll be hard to do that if you're n-" the boy began to respond, but was suddenly cut off by the sound of a bell being loudly rung at a small tower sitting beside the large ship behind them.

As the sound stopped echoing throughout the large room, the pair simply stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"I'm going to miss you Auntie."

"I'm going to miss you too. But you're a Hero now. I'm not going to ask you to forget about us here, but I don't want your thoughts of home to hold you back either. You're going to be out there in the big wide world, and you're going to risk your life every day while I stay here and scrape barnacles off the ships and keep the water basins clean..."

The young man slowly dropped to one knee, though was still taller than the small woman he was talking to, and though as he gently embraced her with his wide frame covering almost her entire body it was almost like he was the small one.

"I'm going to the mainland, but one day I'll be back. And when I do, the world will be one Demon Lord fewer. S-So don't cry, okay?" Separating, her took a step back, and both gave each other small smiles and soft chuckles at the tears running down both of their faces.

"You brat. Don't go lecturing me when you're the one who's sobbing like a baby. Though my husband may not be around anymore, I can take care of myself even if I might be getting on in years." Her eyes flickered over to something off to the side, and she quickly drew one of her long sleeves across her face to wipe her tear-stained cheeks clean. "Now wipe off your face and keep your chin up. The ship captain is coming, and you know what I say about first impressions."

A set of almost stomping footsteps finally became audible over the constant low-level chatter that filled the large cavern the pair stood in, merchants, guards, travelers, and regular civilians all talking with each other happily. There had been a large supply of sugar and sweets arriving in port just yesterday, and the area was filled with parents aiming to get their children tasty treats and adults with sweet-tooths themselves who were eager to get the first pick at the rapidly dwindling luxury. The heavily muscled man who was approaching had clearly already gotten his pick of the bunch, the handle of a lollipop sticking out of his mouth, and the presence of the candy completely ruined the stern face he seemed to be trying to put on.

"So, this is the young Hero, hm? Well, I do hope you're proud of yourself then, cause you're the first Hero to come out of this town since its founding. You better put on a good enough show to grab everyone's attention and bring some new blood to this place. I wouldn't want my favorite little islet fortress to go forgotten, now would I?" The man's stern expression broke slightly with a small smirk growing on his lips. However, he closed his eyes and a second later it was schooled back into an intimidating mask. If one ignored the still present lollipop, stick occasionally shifting from one side of his mouth to the other.

"Still though, we gotta get outta here before high-tide hits in an hour and the gates can't open anymore. We've just finished loading the last of the fish, so I'm thinking we head out now while the men are still pumped up from the exercise. It's nearly a week to the mainland anyway, and every second counts when you're crossing these waters. I am expecting that you help out though. Just cause you're a Hero now doesn't mean that you can't just ignore your duties as a man of the sea."

The young man and the old woman turned to each other one more time, though neither moved a muscle nor spoke and instead simply took the images of each other in before the boy had to break away, with the last calls to board being shouted out over the din of the crowd. Following the Captain who was already barking orders to his crew to start sending the ship off, the teenager picked up his large rucksack and threw it onto his back before nodding to her with a smile and turning and striding towards the ship that would take him away from the town he had grown up in. He walked up the gangplank while carrying his heavy pack with ease, even helping to carry another passenger's load when they had almost dropped it, and walked onto the large boat.

The bell rang once more, and the gates slowly swung inwards, the doors struggling to move forwards against the force of the water on the other side pushing back as some surged through the opening. Soon though, the inner doors had opened all the way, though being recently opened the water level inside the harbour rose didn't visibly rise at all, the salty water glistening underneath the summer sun high in the sky that was shining through the many holes in the roof, each covered by strange looking glass domes that cast the light so that the entire hidden harbour was lit up.

"GOODBYE AUNTIE!" The young man shouted, his voice echoing inside the large stone entrance as he leaned over the side of the ship waving to her in farewell, and a large smile broke out on the woman's face.

"GOODBYE SWEETIE!"

However, their voices weren't the only ones to start being yelled out over the din of the crowd. The rest of the people watching the ship's departure started to shout as well.

"MAKE US PROUD BRAT!

"SHOW THE DEMON LORD WHO'S BOSS!"

"WE BELIEVE IN YOU!"

As the large doors started to swing shut behind the boat, the outer doors ready to release the ship into the open waters once the inner had sealed the passage, the boy thought about what may happen next. Adventure, danger, monsters, and a chance to prove that humanity deserved to live in this harsh world of theirs despite the Demon Lord's ambitions to prove him wrong. And he wouldn't do it alone. His Auntie, the tavern owner who would sneak him treats when he was a young boy, the kind Sister who worked at the temple, and even the grumpy old hag who always shouted at him when he made too much noise during his training near the barracks. His whole hometown was cheering him on and it was a memory that he knew he'd treasure for the rest of his life.

Too bad for the little Hero, despite reaching the mainland safely he would never see any of them again. How deliciously tragic.