Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero

Tyler's eyebrows rose in surprise. "The Black Cloud Guild?"

Rebecca nodded. "Yes, the Black Cloud Guild. They're not that famous. They only started about a year ago, but some of the members had been working together before that. You look surprised. Didn't you know he was one of them?"

"Uh, yeah," Tyler admitted, "I didn't know he was part of the Black Cloud Guild. I've heard of them, but… to think he was a member."

"What? You didn't know?" Rebecca asked, incredulous.

"No, I didn't," Tyler confirmed.

"Well, that must mean you don't know about their emblem," Rebecca said. "Each member of the Black Cloud Guild has a black cloud emblem drawn onto their armor. No matter what kind of hunter they are, they all have it."

Tyler tapped a finger against the table, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Now that I think about it," he murmured, "he did have some kind of drawing on his robe that looked like a cloud. I just thought it was part of his armor's design."

"Yeah," Tyler said aloud, "so what about them?"

Rebecca took another swig of her drink, setting the cup down with a thud. "What about them?" she repeated, her voice low. "You just killed one of their members. Guilds don't usually let that slide. Anyone outside a guild who kills one of their members doesn't last long. Sometimes it can turn into something big. If a member from another guild kills a member of a different guild, it can even turn into a guild war."

"Well, there's nothing to worry about, since no one was there to see it. No one will know it was me, right? Well, except for you, of course," Tyler said, resuming his meal.

Rebecca took another sip of her drink. "Lucas was someone from my past," she said with a sigh. "I've always wanted him dead." Tyler noticed her grip on the cup tighten.

"Yes, but what I want to know is *why*?" Tyler asked. "Why did he deserve to die?"

Rebecca looked down, a shadow falling across her face. She hesitated. "He… he was involved in the murder of my parents," she whispered.

Tyler stopped eating, setting his spoon down. "What? Your parents were killed?"

"Yes," Rebecca confirmed.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tyler said. "But why? Why did he do it?"

Rebecca gritted her teeth, her knuckles white as she gripped her cup. She took a final sip, slamming the empty cup onto the table. "Hey!" she called out to the owner. "I need more booze here!"

"Alright, more booze coming up!" the owner yelled back.

Rebecca looked at Tyler, her face a mixture of anger and sadness. "If you need to know the story," she said, "then I'll have to tell you why they went after our family and who my father really was."

Tyler's expression was serious. "I'm listening," he said, his voice calm.

"A long time ago, when my family was still alive, we lived in a town called Oria," Rebecca began. "My father was an archer and a hunter. Every time he went hunting monsters, he came back. We lived in a small house, and he was still a D-rank hunter then. Even in Oria, he was known as a very good archer—one of the best there. My mother worried about him constantly. She didn't want him to be a hunter, but he said he loved it; he loved using his bow. He was a kind man. Almost everyone in town loved him. Even when things were hard, when he wasn't around, people would bring us food and other things to help us get by. That was when he was still an E-rank, before he could fully provide for us."

The owner returned with another cup of booze, placing it on Rebecca's table and taking the empty one. He looked at Tyler. "You're not going to drink yours?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Tyler said, picking up the cup. He took a sip; the taste was awful, but he swallowed it down and set the cup back on the table.

"All right then," the owner said, returning to the counter.

Rebecca quickly grabbed the fresh drink and took a gulp, then set it down. Tyler noticed she had only taken a gulp.

"You know, I always wanted to be a hunter too, before I actually became one," Rebecca said. "I always looked up to my father. Every day in the backyard, he'd practice with his arrows, refining his skills. He was incredible," she added, a faint smile touching her lips, though her sadness remained evident to Tyler. "I told my mother I wanted to be a hunter, but she said I shouldn't. With my father and mother's help, we managed to buy some land. It wasn't much, but it was good for farming; the soil was rich. My mother started selling fruits and vegetables. She wanted me to help, but I wanted to be like my father. So, behind my mother's back, my father started teaching me. He said he didn't want me to become a hunter, that he just wanted me to learn how to defend myself. He'd teach me every time he came back from hunting, either very early in the morning or very late at night. And surprisingly, I caught on quickly. I could fire my arrows pretty accurately, though not as well as him." She took another large gulp of her drink. "He saw my progress and was happy, but someone else wasn't."

Tyler looked at his own drink and took another, larger sip, forcing himself to be brave. He drank until the cup was about half empty. The taste was still awful, but it was becoming slightly less so with each gulp, though still far from pleasant.

"And who was that?" Tyler asked.

Rebecca sighed. "My stupid uncle."

"Huh?" Tyler said, clearly surprised.

"Yeah, my uncle sometimes lived with us," Rebecca explained. "He was a poor excuse for an uncle, really, and my father's brother. He was always drunk and never did anything around the house. He just lived there—well, sometimes—and was always in debt for some reason whenever he went into town. My father always helped him out, even though my mother and I always asked why. He always said he still loved him and that he'd always be his brother." She took another gulp of her drink. "You know, crap like that," she muttered. "So, one night, while the sun was setting, my mother and I were at home. I took my father's bow and started practicing in the backyard. My mother and I argued after she found out, but I continued anyway. My uncle wasn't there that night. Then my father returned. He came back while I was practicing, but he didn't have a smile on his face anymore. He looked worried, extremely tired. His armor was stained with blood—not monster blood, but human blood. My mother was really worried, and so was I. I was anxious to know what was going on. But when I went inside and asked him, he just smiled at me and told me not to worry. So I trusted him. I took the bow again and went back outside to practice. But while I was doing that… that's when it happened."

Tyler fell silent, the sounds of the other patrons in the restaurant now the only audible backdrop as he focused on Rebecca. She drained the last of her drink, then spotted the owner watching them from the counter. She raised her cup in a silent request, and he gave her a thumbs-up before heading towards their table with another. She looked at Tyler and hiccuped.

"What happened?" Tyler asked softly.

Rebecca looked down at her untouched food and the empty cup on the table. "While I was practicing," she began, her voice barely a whisper, "I heard a noise from the house—a scream. It was my mother's. I ran inside, and that's when I saw it. My mother was kneeling beside my father, who was also kneeling, holding his hand… but something was wrong. There was so much blood on the floor. His hand… it had been completely severed. He was in so much pain. His hand was on the floor… and then I saw them. Right there, in front of me, four men—one of them Lucas."

The owner arrived, placing another cup of booze beside Rebecca's and taking the empty one away. Rebecca immediately picked up the new cup and drank until it was half full. Tyler said nothing, only watching her with an expression of deep pity.

"So I came back with only two arrows, the only ones left from my practice," Rebecca continued, her voice trembling slightly. "I fired one at the man in front—he had black hair and wore huge armor, a tank. He caught the arrow easily and snapped it in half. My father screamed for me to run, and so did my mother, but I didn't. And then… then…" Her hands began to shake. "My father's… my father's head was severed. Right in front of me and my mother. We couldn't do anything. My father died."

Tyler was shocked, the gruesome nature of the scene Rebecca described clearly impacting him.

Rebecca continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "While my mother was mourning, Lucas laughed. He kicked her and tried to assault her, but I ran at him. I still don't know why, but the other men just let me pass. I tried to fight him off my mother. I managed to scratch his face with my nails, but he hit me and threw me off. Right after that, I tried to stand, but one of the men unsheathed his sword and cut me right across my shoulder."

Tyler noticed a small, almost insignificant knife scar on her collarbone. It wasn't much, but he thought, *That could have been fatal back then.*

"So Lucas started beating me," Rebecca said, her voice strained. "But one of the other men told him to stop, and so did my mother. She pleaded with them to do whatever they wanted to her, but not to hurt me. And Lucas… that disgusting…" She gritted her teeth, her hand tightening on her cup. "But the man told him to stop. And then… then they killed her. Right in front of me. I… I couldn't do anything. I could have… I could have done something. I was so stupid. Maybe if I'd run and called for help, someone could have come, but… after all that… I couldn't…"

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Tears welled in her eyes. Tyler said nothing, only watching her with an expression of deep pity. "No," he said softly, "it's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything back then."

"No…" Rebecca whispered, her breath trembling. "Then… then my uncle came. He saw what was happening and… he ran. He ran straight out of there, that fucking coward, as always. Lucas ran after him, but I guess he couldn't catch him. He probably got away. He was always good at running, before he became a fat slob." She took another drink. "One of the men stabbed me in the abdomen, and I collapsed. All my energy left me. I couldn't move. My consciousness was fading. I could only cry."

Tyler finished his drink, setting the cup down on the table. Rebecca did the same.

"You said they stabbed you," Tyler said. "How did you survive?"

"Yeah, about that," Rebecca replied. "Turns out they didn't finish me off. They just left me there to die. But… my uncle came back. He managed to get me to a healer. They agreed to heal me, but only if my uncle gave them our farmland. He did it, just to save me. I woke up in our house, with my uncle there. At first, I thought it was all a dream, that my parents weren't dead. But after learning it was all true… I broke down."

Tyler was surprised by Rebecca's admission. She didn't seem like the type to open up so easily, but he understood.

Rebecca continued. "After that, I wanted revenge. I wanted them to pay for what they did. I wanted them dead. I wanted them to pay for everything. So I looked for information. All I could find out were their names, that they usually worked in groups, and that they were hunters. But I heard they'd left our town. My path to revenge was getting thinner and thinner. That's when I decided I had to become a hunter."

"I didn't just become a hunter to follow in my father's footsteps," Rebecca said. "I wanted to find them, to find all of them, and make them pay for what they did, for killing my parents. You know, I never understood *why* they killed my father and mother. I wanted to meet that man, the one who severed my father's head right in front of me. Every time I think about him, I want to make him suffer. My blood boils every time I think about what he did." Her voice rose slightly, and she gripped the handle of her cup so tightly that it cracked with a sharp snap. Tyler winced, unexpected noise and the clear display of Rebecca's barely contained rage. He opened his mouth to speak, perhaps to offer some comfort or a comment, but she continued before he could.

"Crap," she muttered, her voice low and laced with self-deprecation. "I'm going to have to pay for that."

She took a deep breath, composing herself before continuing. "After all these years of searching, my uncle sold the house. Guess why?"

"He was in debt?" Tyler offered, his voice cautious.

"Exactly," Rebecca said. "That bastard sold our house because he was in debt. He got some money from it, but he spent almost all of it, leaving me with less than twenty gold. We managed to leave Oria, and in the new town, I started hearing rumors that the people I was looking for were in a guild. When I asked people for information, I usually asked about Lucas. His perverted behavior, scarred face, and the fact that he wore robes made him stand out, so he was easier to find than the other members."

"I heard rumors they were in the Arian Base here in the South," Rebecca continued, her voice low and tight with barely suppressed fury. "And that they'd formed a guild—the Black Cloud Guild."

"So," Tyler said, "some of the members of the Black Cloud Guild are responsible for what happened."

"Yes," Rebecca confirmed, her eyes hardening. "It turns out the three men who killed my father… the guild leader, the captain, is one of them."

"The guild leader?" Tyler asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Yeah," Rebecca said, her voice barely a whisper. "When I heard that, I almost lost hope. But I couldn't. I couldn't let it go. I knew I had to level up, to get strong enough to take them down. All of them. I started hunting in this area because it's close to Viridia, and Viridia is close to Lyria, where the Arian Base is located. I needed to gather information and grow stronger, so I came to this base to hunt. I hunted relentlessly, using every tool and method I could to gather materials. I spent money, I lied, I… I did a lot of things to get to where I am now. And I know I wasn't ready. But to think… I could have died so easily. I couldn't even harm him, just like back then. I could have managed to scar him again, I was just as pathetic as I was back then. He could have… he could have done to me what he fail to do to my mother if it wasn't for…" Her voice trailed off, choked with unshed tears.

Tyler sighed, looking at Rebecca with a mixture of sympathy and understanding. "Listen," he said gently, "back then, you weren't strong enough. You couldn't have done anything. And earlier, you couldn't do anything because you weren't strong enough either. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. And don't forget, even as you were getting stronger, they were getting stronger too. Don't blame yourself for being weak back then. Honestly, you should be glad you've grown stronger. You can push past your limits. You can level up and reach them, all of them. You can go beyond that. As long as you keep trying harder, you'll always get stronger." He offered a small, encouraging smile. "You know where I come from? My brothers used to say that to me. I wasn't getting the best results because I wasn't putting in the best effort, and there was always more I could do. They were harsh, and I didn't always believe them, but I decided to work harder. They weren't the best people, but using their advice, I can say I'm achieving positive results now. What I'm trying to say is, when you find out what you're doing isn't giving you the results you want, you can always try harder, you can always do better, no matter what. You shouldn't give up, because there's always more you can do. You can always do better."

Rebecca looked at Tyler, their eyes meeting, a silent understanding passing between them.

Tyler immediately looked down, avoiding Rebecca's gaze.

"How did you do that?" Rebecca asked, her voice curious. "Grow stronger in such a short period of time? I mean, the first time I met you, you weren't even a hunter. The second time, you were an E-rank, then a D-rank, and now you're a C-rank—all in such a short time."

Tyler continued eating, swallowing before answering. "What?"

"How did you get so strong so fast?" Rebecca repeated.

Tyler offered a small smile. "I'm afraid I can't tell you about that."

"What? What do you mean you can't tell me? What's the big secret?" Rebecca pressed.

"It's because you wouldn't believe me anyway," Tyler said.

"Are you kidding me? I told you everything you wanted to know, and you won't tell me why you got so strong so fast because you think I won't believe you?" Rebecca exclaimed, her voice rising slightly.

Tyler looked at her with a serious, slightly annoyed expression. "I just ran into a lot of monsters," he said flatly.

"What? You're joking, right?" Rebecca said, incredulous.

"No, I'm not joking," Tyler sighed. "I have a skill that… shines a bright light. It attracts monsters."

Rebecca's eyes widened. "A bright light? So that was you?"

Tyler nodded. "Oh, so you saw it. If you saw a bright, white, radiant light shining in the forest, that was me. It seems to attract a lot of monsters. And I leveled up fast with that."

Tyler continued eating. Rebecca leaned back, looking drained. "But that's just so simple," she said. "Aren't you afraid of dying if so many monsters come at you?"

Tyler smiled slightly. "Yeah, I am afraid of dying," he admitted, "but I've faced a lot of monsters before. Believe it or not, some were ten levels above me, and I still beat them. I believe I can pull myself out of most situations. I don't think about how it's going to happen; I just focus on what I'm doing when the situation arises."

"What? That's so stupid," Rebecca said. "You could die using that logic!"

Tyler shrugged. "Yeah, but that's just what I do. I don't think much about it until I'm literally fighting for my life."

Rebecca sighed and lifted her cup. The owner, noticing, said, "Ah, I haven't had a customer drink this much in a while." He poured a generous amount of booze from a small barrel into a large cup and brought it to their table. He noticed the broken cup. "How did this happen?"

"Oh, sorry," Rebecca said. "It was an accident. I'll pay for it."

"All right," the owner said, then thought to himself, *She keeps finishing those drinks quickly. I'll have to bring a bigger cup.*

Rebecca quickly drank a large portion of her new drink, setting it down on the table and wiping her mouth. Tyler noticed her eyelids drooping.

"You're getting drunk, aren't you?" Tyler commented.

"What?" Rebecca retorted, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "I can hold my alcohol better than you. You drank once and didn't order another. It was too strong for you, wasn't it?"

Tyler sighed. "No, this stuff tastes horrible. Why do you even like it? I'm not… enjoying it."

Rebecca smiled. "Well, at least I know one area where I can beat you."

Tyler ignored her, continuing to eat. "You haven't touched your food, you know," he pointed out.

Rebecca took another large gulp of her drink, hissing with pleasure as she swallowed, then slammed the cup down on the table. She looked at Tyler intently. "So, are you going to help me?"

"Help you with what?" Tyler asked.

Rebecca hiccuped. "You know… with my revenge."

Tyler looked at her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Nah," he said, shaking his head slightly as he continued eating.

"Okay," Rebecca said, "I'll give you a lot of money. How about that? You're an assassin, right? I mean, your type of hunter is known for being hired for that kind of stuff."

Tyler shook his head. "I'm not that type of hunter."

"Then how about this?" Rebecca said. "How about you help me become stronger?"

Tyler leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Help you become stronger? What's in it for me? I'm trying to get stronger too, you know. I can't be busy making someone else stronger."

"I'll give you some gold," Rebecca offered.

"And where exactly would you get that gold?" Tyler asked skeptically.

"I know where I'll get it," Rebecca insisted.

"No," Tyler said firmly. "I helped you once, and I'm starting to regret it now, seeing as I killed a guild member because of you. If I help you more, don't you think I'll get into even deeper trouble? Just being associated with you might get me killed."

Rebecca gritted her teeth. "Yeah, I know, but I still want you to help me."

"Huh," Tyler said, "you're just being selfish at this point."

"Then I'll do anything you want," Rebecca pleaded. "Please, just help me get stronger. If I reach B-rank, I'll do anything. How about that?"

Tyler looked at her, a slow smile spreading across his face. He lifted a finger. "Ten gold a day. How about that?"

"What?" Rebecca exclaimed. "But that's too high! Ten gold a day?"

Tyler smiled. "That's because you'll reach B-rank in one day."

"B-rank in one day? That's impossible!" Rebecca protested.

Tyler shrugged. "Well, you said you wanted to get stronger, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I know," Rebecca said, "but I'm level 55 now. I probably only leveled up once or twice while hunting, so maybe I'm level 55. To go from C-rank to B-rank in one day… I could die from exhaustion. I'd need to reach level 80, wouldn't I?"

Tyler scratched his chin thoughtfully. *She's telling the truth. When I level up, I heal and all my exhaustion is gone. That's why I can keep hunting.* He sighed. "Okay," he said, "ten gold, and then you'll do anything I want."

"Huh? You just raised the price!" Rebecca protested.

"That's because you just reminded me how exhausting this is going to be for me," Tyler replied. "Think about it. I'll be weakening the monsters so you can kill them. You won't even have to do much. As an archer, you'll be killing them from a distance. Is there really that much effort in firing an arrow?"

"Of course there is!" Rebecca insisted.

"Hmm, I don't buy it," Tyler said. "It's either you agree to my terms, or nothing."

Rebecca considered this. "All right, fine."

"Okay, then I guess I'll help you tomorrow," Tyler said. "But first, you really need to eat. You said you wanted to regain your energy, but you've only been drinking alcohol."

"Right," Rebecca said, finally looking at her untouched food. "I've never eaten this food before…"

"Go on, try it," Tyler said. "It's pretty good. As you can see, I've already finished mine."

Rebecca dipped her spoon into the moon seeds, tasting them with a surprised expression. *This is actually pretty good,* she thought. She dipped her spoon in again, eating the seeds, mixing them with the meat and soup. She ate with gusto, and Tyler just smiled and watched her.

Her mouth full, she looked at Tyler, a little embarrassed. "What?" she mumbled.

"You were really hungry, weren't you?" Tyler said softly.

"Of course I was," Rebecca mumbled around a mouthful of food, continuing to eat. She then resumed drinking.

Tyler stood up. "Right," he said. "You've told me everything I need to know. So I guess we'll meet up tomorrow. And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and rest."

"Already?" Rebecca protested. "You haven't even ordered another drink."

"I told you before, I'm not drinking," Tyler said.

"You're such a baby," Rebecca teased. "Anyways, you can go. Oh, and don't forget to pay for your food. I'm not paying for that."

"Yeah, I didn't forget," Tyler said.

"Oh, one more favor," Rebecca added. "Can you bring me one more drink when you go to pay?"

Tyler looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "How many more are you going to drink?"

"As many as I can," Rebecca grinned.

Tyler, a little concerned, headed towards the counter.

Tyler approached the owner. "Hey, I'm here to pay for the food," he said.

"Ah, right," the owner said. "With the beer, that'll be one silver."

Tyler reached into his pocket, a silver coin materializing from his inventory. He handed it to the owner. "All right," he said, "and she said she wanted one more drink."

The owner looked past Tyler towards Rebecca, who was now fast asleep. "Are you sure about that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tyler looked back at Rebecca, surprised. "What the hell? She was fine just now."

The owner chuckled. "Well, she did drink a lot. And those were some pretty big cups. I'm surprised she lasted this long. Huh, maybe it's because I was actually serving one of the strongest."

"You were serving her strong booze?" Tyler asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," the owner said. "People around here like strong booze, so I decided to serve it today."

Tyler groaned. "Ah, damn it. What now?"

The owner shrugged. "Well, what do you mean? Aren't you going to take her to the inn?"

Tyler stared at the owner, then facepalmed. "What? I carried her all the way here, and I'm supposed to carry her to the inn?"

"You carried her all the way here?" the owner asked, surprised.

"Ah, no, forget about it," Tyler said. "I guess I'll just…"

"She's still going to have to pay for the drinks," the owner reminded him.

"Yeah, I know," Tyler sighed. He went over to Rebecca, retrieved the money from her pouch, and paid the owner the amount due.

Tyler returned to Rebecca, surprised to find she had already finished her food in the short time he'd been gone to pay. *Man, you're even troubling me in your sleep,* he thought, shaking his head. He carefully lifted her onto his back; surprisingly, she didn't wake. He carried her out of the bar and to the inn.

The inn was dimly lit. He approached the innkeeper, a woman behind the counter. "Ah, do we have a guest?" she asked, noticing Tyler struggling slightly under the weight of Rebecca.

"Ah, no, she's… um… she's not a guest, exactly," Tyler said. "I want to order a room for her."

"Which room?" the innkeeper asked.

"I think I'll just go with the cheaper ones," Tyler said, thinking, *There's no way I'm paying for a better room for her. She's off to sleep in the cheapest one.*

The innkeeper looked a little surprised at his choice, but said, "Oh, okay. I think you know the price."

"Uh, yeah," Tyler said, paying with the money he'd taken from Rebecca's pouch. He received a key and went to the room. He realized as he approached it that it was the same room Grone had stayed in. *This is a coincidence,* he thought.

He gently laid Rebecca on the bed, gathering the blankets from the floor to cover her. He looked down at her sleeping form. "You can't hold your liquor, huh?" he chuckled, shaking his head. He then left the room.

He put his hands on his hips, standing in the hallway. "Time to go craft that shadow armor," he muttered to himself.