Reyd was standing in the empty fields, having just recently been harvested by his own hand. He had spent months growing the crops, toiling the fields, planting them, taking care of them, and then harvesting them. He was only seventeen years old, a farmer in training, but he already felt like a nostalgic parent, looking at old pictures of their children the same way he was now looking at the once expansive and lively fields. He smiled warmly, for he had been doing this for a long time now, and was already looking forward to the beginning of the new seasonal cycle.

He sat down underneath an old oak tree, and looked upwards towards the tall, jagged mountains. Huge things, miles up, boxing him in, obscuring his view of everything beyond his small sliver of the clear azure sky that stretched out above him, holding the golden sun that was shining radiantly upon his kingdom, large and grand, but by nature still limited by the cage like mountains. Even so, Reyd did not notice the mountains on most days, since he was grateful for the portion of the sky that the mountains granted him. Staring down the weathered path was a steep path up to the top of the mountains, which Reyd had never been over. Only his parents ever left, for they were the only three people inside the range. They took their wagons and went over the mountain, to sell their crops in the outside world of Terrestia that Reyd knew seldom about. Reyd only knew that it was a world of magic, far beyond anything he had ever seen in this farm. Although watching crops grow all by themselves with minor help felt like a kind of magic in and of itself to Reyd.

Night time fell, and Reyd was eating dinner with his parents inside their cramped, cozy cottage. They were eating their share of the harvest, grains and vegetables, fruits, and milk for desert. They were in silence, all tired after the days harvest. Until his father spoke up, clearing his throat heartily.

"Reyd, were were wondering if you wanted to come with me tomorrow, to sell this years harvest." he said to him.

Reyd gulped down his food, a cold shiver running through his body. He had never left before, would he be safe in the outside world?

"I'd stay behind to watch over the farm while you're gone. But we believe you're old enough, and we think that you'd quite like to see the outside world." his mother said, taking Reyd's hand gently within her own.

"I... um..." Reyd tried to respond, but he couldn't. He had a longing, but was he brave enough to leave his kingdom? It was just to sell the labors of his hard work. Not a big deal, right? Then again, it would be a day that he remembered for the rest of his life, for good or ill. And if it ended up being for ill, then he didn't want the memory at all.

"Think about it this evening. I'll wake you up at 6am sharp."

That night, in his room, Reyd looked out through the closed window, at the mountain path, at the silver moon, shining down upon a world that he knew so little about.

As it started to get late, Reyd went to sleep, still trying to organise his thoughts.. Perhaps his dreams would clear things up for him.

"Wake up." Reyd heard a voice, and immediately bolted out of his bed, thinking that his father was waking him for morning. But, it was still dark, and no one was around. Had he imagined it?

"I'm over here, Reyd." spoke the voice again. It was feminine, and deep like that of an adult. Reyd still couldn't see anything though.

"Oh my god Reyd HERE I AM! HERE I AM HERE I AM!" yelled the voice, and suddenly a glowing light was in his face, flying into him repeatedly.

"Ouch, that really hurt, ow ow..." Reyd held onto his face as it began to sting, but he looked across the room to see a glowing orb, dark green and hovering before him.

"What are you!?" Reyd yelped as he tried hiding under the covers.

"Haven't you ever seen a fairy before? We're leaving now damn it I have a strict schedule!" the fairy flew angrily under the bed covers and threw it off of him.

"No I haven't, are you some kind of monster? I'm not going anywhere with you!" Reyd leaped to his feet and backed himself up against the wall.

The fairy huffed furiously and turned around for a moment. There was a small light and it seemed to be reading some strange words floating in front of her, suspended in the air, but Reyd couldn't see any of it.

"Do you want to leave this little valley here and... see... see the um... the outside world?" she asked, her voice very monotone like a bad actor reading from a script.

"Well... I was about to anyway..." stuttered Reyd, very confused at the fairy's sudden change in manner.

"So, the plan was to... lets see here... ah yes, to sell your crops. How... eh? Yes, what a meaningless existence you live, Reyd, boxed inside your own little world. Jeez who wrote this..." the fairy was making quiet disgruntled sounds as she tried to find the right words in front of her.

"Are you reading from a script?" asked Reyd, flabbergasted as he began curiously walking towards the fairy.

"No! Don't be ridiculous, I want to give you an adventure, to broaden your horizons both literally, and in your mind. I want to make you a hero, one that will be remembered for generations!" she suddenly exclaimed with gusto as she finished reading the script, and the words disappeared.

Reyd sat back down on the bed, scratching his hair in frustration. He wondered what his response was supposed to be at that moment, but he quickly disregarded such thoughts as his fear returned.

"No. No! I'm not a hero, please, whatever you are, just leave me alone. If the outside world is a place that needs a hero, then I don't want to go outside!" he exclaimed, grabbing his blanket and laying back down again in a huff.

The fairy flew gracefully towards the window again, as though she were about to leave. "Fine. I'll leave. But the monsters outside grow in number every day. There is also the dark lord, whose armies only ever get stronger with each passing moment. The world is at boiling point, and it could use anyone, anyone at all, to protect our stability, our people, our Terrestia. You'll be happy for a while, you'll see the world outside, and you're certain to return and continue your life. But soon, maybe not tomorrow, or the day after that, or even in a year from now, but all too soon your life will eventually come to the end at the hands of evil, those who would threaten to destroy you and your way of life. And I can tell you now, this valley is a perfect place to trap many monsters. High mountains, lots of space. I don't think I need to tell you what happens if utilizing these lands in our war becomes a last resort." the voice didn't sound like what Reyd had heard from the fairy up to this point, rather, it was that of a monotone male.

After the fairy finished speaking she began flying against the wall.

"Stupid HERO jackasses...!" she repeatedly exclaimed along with some other phrases that Reyd either didn't understand, and would rather not think too much about. Reyd wasn't sure how to get a word in, and he remained quiet as he pondered. Did someone take over her voice for a moment, and was it threatening him?

"Look, It's midnight right now. We have six hours, so I'll take you over those DAMNED mountains and show you some interesting hero crap. If you still want to refuse my offer after that, I can take you back here in good time and we can pretend that this never happened, wasting my time YET AGAIN! NOW, ARE YOU COMING OR NOT?" yelled the fairy in her regular, angry tones.

Reyd, stunned at the fairy's sudden outburst, pondered weather or not he had the abilities to do this, the desire or the strength. But this fairy was correct, if rude. It couldn't hurt to try. He couldn't be cowardly, and he couldn't be selfish. That, and he needed to know more about these monsters.
"Ok. I'll come."

2: Hero or Die

Author's note: Oops, I've been completely forgetting to update this. So much for my SparkaTale debut! Hopefully, I'll have time for an upload surge over next week.

Reyd had decided to take the fairy up on her offer. He shivered slightly in the biting night air as he stood before the imposing mountain trail. "Are you shivering? You are so boned if you die of flu before you even face your first monster. Here. Some adventuring gifts." The fairy focused for a few seconds as a ring of light encircled her. On the ground, several items of interest occurred.

"How did you do that?" Reyd asked, picking them up.

"Summoning magic, duh. I have a personal void where I store all of my stuff. It's an infinite, black void where I can store all my belongings, and retrieve them whenever I want," she responded in a voice that was trying to remain reasoned.

Reyd first picked up a long black coat that was studded with pieces of metal. The fairy remained intensely quiet, as though urging him to put it on. Reyd himself hadn't remembered to dress, and was wearing his blue and white striped pajamas, and there was a world of difference between the temperatures when he put on the coat. He felt a lump on his back, and reaching behind him he pulled out a very long red scarf which he also wrapped around his neck.

"No no no, here, let me do it!" the fairy rushed at Reyd and began flying circles around Reyd with the scarf. Reyd felt his eyes hurt as the fairy's light constantly flashed in his face, and, finally, the fairy had finished.

"Bozo! You tied it like uncultured filth. Let it blow behind you in the wind! The black coat and scarf are totally in for heroes nowadays. You got to have that dark and brooding look! Nothing says epic like things blowing in the wind!" indeed, Reyd did look uncharacteristically dark now in his new get up.

"We'll have to do something about those boots... though that red hair is also very nice. It gives you some flair. We'll just have to grow it out a little longer..." the fairy muttered, flying close to Reyd's muddy boots and his uncombed locks of red hair.

Reyd felt a little embarrassed, since he had never paid much attention to his appearance before now. He was usually scrawny and muddy. He thought that there was nothing else to it.

"Passable. That stuff has low level protection magic on it, so it will work as well as any plate mail will. But I mean seriously, some people nowadays look more like machines than humans! Just a fat gelatinous glob of metal! It's pointless, it's a waste of resources when spells are just as good and IT LOOKS POSITIVELY HIDEOUS! Ugh, look, just follow my fashion advice and you'll look the part. So here's the most important stuff."

The fairy next gave Reyd a rusty iron sword and a single left handed glove.

"Why only one glove?" asked Reyd, putting it on.

"It's a fire glove. Focus your energy and you can set fire to things you touch with that glove. It's pretty basic, low level magic but it works for you."

Reyd was confused for a moment as he mulled over the fairy's words, "Level?" he asked.

"Oh god do you ever shut up! Yes, magic is ranked into levels. You're also ranked in terms of levels, so HERO will only authorize you to use new magic and equipment when you've killed enough crap."

"Killed!?"

"Monsters! Calm it down you imbecile. Requests handed into the guild also count."

Reyd nodded, biting his lip.

"Ok. Lets get moving. But please, don't act like I'm already a part of this just yet."

"Whatever. Watch your step."

The climb was about as long and arduous as Reyd had expected it to be, not helped by the fact that Reyd's sword was much heavier than he had imagined. Eventually in order to keep his footing he had to dig his sword into the sandy ground with each step, and each time he had to raise it he felt his arm muscles strain like mad. He had no idea how he was going to use the thing if he ever had to fight. However, his doubts were erased as they finally reached the top, and he finally saw Terrestia for what it was. The landscape before him was larger and more breathtaking then he could have ever imagined, at it all lit up in dark and magical colours under the light of the moon and the stars, watching over the world as it slumbered in peace. Reyd could see the HERO academy off in the distance, which was so incredibly tall that it's peak was surrounded by wispy clouds.

"Stop gawking. Now look down there, those are the hunting grounds. Beyond that is a city, but we wont be going there. Move it cretin!"

Reyd felt a blow to his ego, struck by the fairy's harsh words that she had been using since they met. He didn't even know the meaning off half the insults that she threw at him, as his parents certainly knew no such language. But the way she stressed such words made the message clear. How did she plan to convince him to join her if this was to be her treatment of him?

"Stop insulting me!" Reyd yelled back.

"I don't believe in being soft. You're my project and I intend for you to be the best of the best, so if you don't like your feelings being hurt then tough! Man up and earn my respect, then your fame will follow!" Reyd quieted down, and headed down the hill at the fairy's insistence.

They wondered down the other side and came across a grassy plain with a simple path running across it. An old wooden sign reading 'Cozy town' pointed in the direction of a small town which Reyd could barely see in the night air.

"Cozy town? Is that its name?" asked Reyd, scratching his head.

"Yeah. It always struck me as desperate, but who cares. Anyway, we probably wont be heading there right now. If we veer off of the path for a bit we might come across some monsters, as those are the designated hunting areas. "

As such Reyd stepped onto the grassy plains and felt at home as he walked in the moonlit world, taking in the midnight tranquility. His nirvana was broken however when he spotted monsters, although, not quite what he had been expecting. Instead, he suddenly found himself surrounded by their carcasses, recently deceased and still bleeding. Reyd wrinkled his face and covered his nose at their foul stench, and he tried to look away. The fairy however seemed unfazed.

"How are you not reacting to this?" asked Reyd, carefully trying not to step on anything.

"Shut up, just get used to seeing this often. It's no big deal. Besides, I can't smell. In any case, I'm worried about who killed these. This hunting area was only supposed to be re-opened today..." the fairy started flying from corpse to corpse, analysing each one.

"Killing monsters huh... I've never killed anything like that in my life... I don't think I've even eaten any meat." Reyd felt a sinking feeling in his chest as the weight of what the fairy was expecting of him dawned upon him.

"You on some kind of diet?" she asked, flying into his chest.

"Ow! No, I just eat what I'm given."

"Your parents are the epitome of cruel. I have no idea how I'd continue to live without meat, it's a great feeling to enjoy the rewards of your hunt," the fairy swooned as she flew to the ground for the sake of playful dramatics.

Reyd looked at the fallen monsters again, at the indescribable mess of flesh, blood and smells. He really didn't want to imagine the inner workings of any person's head who could enjoy eating something like that.

"That's really gross... could we talk about something else?" he asked timidly.

"YOU GODDAMNED COWARD! You've eaten crops, right? Those are living things, too, and you grew them! In nature the strong preys on the weak to survive, that's just how it is," she exclaimed, flying around erratically.

Reyd waited until she stopped and grabbed her, stuffing her quickly under his coat. He was starting to feel sick, and he didn't want to listen to her anymore. He had no time to recover however as he spotted a small patch of ground that was completely blackened, like a hole. It was on level ground, and Reyd could step on it easily enough. The fairy burst out of the bag, coughing.

"Are you aware of how many years I could put you away for for assaulting a superior like that!"

Reyd's eyes widened as something rose out of the ground, a giant claw about half his size which rose into the air. It was pitch black, like a silhouette, and it prepared to strike the fairy. Reyd in response let out several unintelligible gasps.

"What's up with you? Am I really that scary? Well, you know, I do try... but you're still an asshole. There's something right behind me now, isn't there?" the fairy turned around too late as the claw reached out and snatched her, holding her in a vice like grip.

"Agh! Reyd get this thing off of me!"

Reyd hastily drew his sword, and held it up against the creature, shaking.

"Wha- what is it?" he stuttered as he took a pace backward.

"It killed all those monsters, that's for certain! Now for the love of all that is good, GET IT OFF OF ME!" the fairy struggled, but was soon released as the monster clamped it's claws around her like a cage, allowing her to move freely within it's grasp. Several more claws grew out of it, including a bulging, single dark blue eye as dark as the deepest depths of the ocean. They darted around before focusing on Reyd, glaring at him icily before lashing out, striking the ground where Reyd had been only moments before he had hastily fallen to the ground in terror.

"I can't do this! How did you ever intend for me to do this?" he wailed in desperation.

"Suck it uuuuuuup! Just swing that thing! It's enchanted, you know."

Reyd scrunched up his eyes then got to his feet, stumbling ungracefully out of the way of the claw's next strike and slashing at it with all his might.

It glanced off its hide ineffectually.

"That swing was pathetic! Come on you would probably have better results just dropping it on him!" she yelled.

"I thought you said this sword was enchanted?" Reyd stuttered.

"Hey I didn't say that it had any useful enchantments..." the fairy retorted.

As they were speaking, the claw swiped at Reyd again, throwing the sword flying from his hand and gouging a huge wound in the palm of his right hand.

Reyd stared at the blood dripping from it and onto the silver tinted grass in utter shock and horror as his vision began to blur. He had never seen this much, and for a moment there was no pain. It had ceased to mean anything. But all too soon his senses returned and he wailed in anguish, the cry of unfathomable pain. Reyd fell to his knees, but the claw lifted him up by the neck, the eye stared at him with a hunger, then it opened up wider then Reyd had thought possible, revealing that the eye was also a huge mouth, an abyss of death.

Reyd closed his eyes, trying to remain dignified in his last moments, even though he wanted to cry, wail, and thrash about, begging for mercy.

"Did you forget what we were just talking about, dumb ass?" the fairy called out to him, waking Reyd up.

"Huh?"

"Jeez you're as clueless as a goldfish... I just told you, right? The strong prey on the weak to survive?" the fairy flew right up against the cage-like fingers, trying to get as close to Reyd as possible.

"No... life isn't like that..."

"You're right. It doesn't have to be. You're weak, right? But, do you still think you deserve to live?"

"I... I..." Reyd searched inward looking for an answer to her question. But he couldn't find one past what his head was screaming at him.

"I don't know if my life is worthwhile. But I don't care. I just want to live!" Reyd opened his eyes as he felt a sudden burst of adrenaline.

"That's right! Don't let this scumbag hold you down! You're human, it's an abomination, and I'm terrified. Go go go!" the fairy encouraged.

Reyd wriggled his left arm free and focused, activating the fire glove that the fairy had given him. A red light began burning in his palm, and he slapped the monster, setting it alight. The monster was silent, simply dropping Reyd and writhing around like a puppet with it's strings cut. Reyd quickly grabbed the fairy as the monster fell back into the blackened ground, strangely returning it to normal. Reyd lay back on the ground for a moment, and held up his hand against the moon, looking at the wound. It wasn't that deep, he had stopped bleeding now. He was just a big crybaby. He began laughing in relief, the traumatic event now just a memory. Despite herself the fairy joined in, reveling in the life that they had extended for themselves.

"Maybe I can be... a hero after all?" Reyd finally said as they calmed down.

"Don't get cocky now, I know people who could defeat hundreds of those things without taking so much as a scratch." the fairy responded, flying up to Reyd's hand and casting a healing spell on it.

"Really? HERO must be an amazing place. Say... what was that anyway?" asked Reyd, sitting up so he was at eye level with the fairy.

"You'll find out in due time."

"Hey come on, don't be like that."

"Yeah I guess that's a really irritating thing to do... don't want to be like the other mentors. Heh, fine. That was a Dark One, or a Resident of the Darkness, or whatever. Dark scary words describe them and lots of people use different names. Whatever they are, they live underground and they've been attacking us for decades now. They're not like other life forms because they seem to be, well, sentient I guess. There seems to be a hive mind that we call 'The Dark Lord.' and that's that. Many wars, many deaths. That was a scout, but it's a good thing that you beat it. They probably had their eyes set on Cozy town, or even your farm... well, lets get back. I'll give you some time to make your decision."

Reyd got up and smiled. Slowly picking up his sword and dragging his feet back through the trail of fallen monsters, he felt uneasy again. This time, however, it was an unease born not from fear, but a conscience buried deep inside of him.