Chapter 2; The Hero

All Fantasy Stories must have a Hero and this one isn't any different. Peter was a young man destined to do great things. Destiny had great plans for Peter.

Of course, the fact that Peter was lazy and preferred to die of boredom than to die a gruesome and painful death made it quite difficult for him to go out and live adventures.

Destiny had tried his best, but Peter didn't want to hear none of it. Destiny had promised riches beyond Peter´s wildest dreams, and Peter answered that he didn't care. Destiny had promised beautiful women, and Peter answered that he still didn't care. In the end, Destiny gave up and went home crying.

Peter just stood there and continued being lazy.

But what can be said about Peter?

Peter barely remembered his father. His earliest memory comes from living with his Uncle. Peter's mother rarely spoke of his father, always changing the subject as quickly as she could. When Peter's mother was summoned back to Forest of Silversprings, where she was originally from, she left Peter in the care of his Uncle.

Peter's Uncle put Peter to work immediately. However, Peter's Uncle struck a deal with the young boy. Rather than pay him any money, he would pay him in drinks. This started Peter on the drinking path early in his life, enjoying the numbing sensation alcohol brought to his body. While working in the Red Dragon Tavern - this was where Peter saw his first dwarf.

The dwarf introduced himself - with one of the most unique accents he had ever heard - as Pawl the Dorf. Pawl explained to Peter that there was more to life that working in a tavern and drinking (but Peter didn't fall for that nonsense!) Pawl also described how his people lived below the surface in magnificent caverns. Peter grew interested in wanting to see that - and the rest of the world.

Speaking with his Uncle about his sudden urge to explore the world, his Uncle explained that first Peter would need to get in touch with himself and nature to understand the world. In Peter's mind, this meant camping out - alone, no less - in his Uncle's backyard. Back there, day in and day out, he tried to talk to the deer, the mountain lions, all with various results.

When he finally believed he was ready, he told his Uncle that it was time for him to leave. This is when Pawl the Dwarf introduced Grayson the Fighter to Peter, saying that Peter would need a strong right hand man in case they ran into any danger. Peter and Grayson hit it off - and decided to sit down for a drink to discuss their great plans of exploring the world.

And that was sixteen years ago. Destiny had failed once again.

Peter was currently taking care of his Uncle's backyard.

"I hate bugs… I really hope they aren't part of Nature." – mumbled Peter.

Oh, yes… And there was that. Peter knew that by following the Nature path he only had two options as a career: Druid or Ranger.

Well, since he couldn't cast any spells (and he had tried, usually when drunk) he decided that the he would be a Ranger. This didn't mean that he was a great and wise Ranger. The words "great" and "wise" didn't show up when you tried to describe Peter. He was still a Ranger, just not a very good one.

Peter had a really hard time with most of the Ranger's skills. He had never seen a forest. He couldn't even recognize most of the plants, monsters and animals that he spotted.

"Oh! Some footprints… Are they from a rabbit or a bear? Perhaps a duck? Well… It was definitely a small animal. So it must have been a cow." – guessed the Ranger.

And he couldn't talk with animals, even with gestures. The animals simply ignored Peter or mocked him.

"Oh? A bird! And he is right near me… Oh, joy! I will try to talk with him…" – stated Peter.

The bird looked at Peter for a moment and then decided to ignore him. It was either that, or to peck Peter´s eyes.

"Come, cute bird. Fly to my hand! Do it! Please? Please? It isn't that hard!" – said Peter.

The bird eyed Peter with an evil stare. Peter didn't notice and continued to call the bird.

"Do it for Uncle Peter! That's a good boy!" – begged Peter.

Surprisingly, the bird did fly to Peter´s hand. The young Ranger couldn't believe his eyes.

"I did it! I did it! I am the best Ranger of the world! Or at least the best Ranger of this backyard…" – shouted Peter.

But before Peter could start singing a song about Champions and Losers, he noticed that the bird seemed to be concentrating on something. He almost seemed as if he was about to…

"You wouldn't dare!" – stated Peter.

The bird dared… And then flew away. Peter just stood there looking at his dirty and stinky hand…

"I really hope that birds aren't part of Nature, too." – mumbled the Nature loving Ranger.

I know, I know… But he is the Hero of this story.

And may the gods protect us!