We began our little shopping spree at a weapons shop. We entered the small tan-colored stone building, and inside was a square room lined with weapons of all sorts on the walls and in racks. At the back of the room stood a large and muscular mountain of a man with short brown hair, wearing a white shirt and a black apron, positioned behind a counter.
We walked up to the man, and I had to crane my neck all the way up to get a good look at him before speaking. "Hello, I'm looking for a short sword, not too expensive but still something that will last me for a while."
The man crossed his arms and assumed an annoyed expression. "Look, kid, this ain't no toy shop. These are real weapons that cost real money, so get lost." He started to move his hand in a shooing motion like I was some sort of stray animal.
I understand the doubt people carry when they see me—after all, I am in the body of an 11-year-old boy—but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't starting to get really, really annoying. Just like at the inn, I dropped my bag of money on the counter and gave the man a stern look.
"I have the money, and I know exactly what I'm buying. So let me repeat myself one last time: I want a short sword, not too expensive, but still something that will last me for a while."
The man, his annoyed look unchanging, looked down at the money and grunted before turning around to the wall behind him. He grabbed a sword and laid it on the counter. It was a simple weapon with a brown hilt and a blade that stretched for only about two feet long, making it the perfect length for my size.
"A sheath too, please," I said in a calmer tone as I studied the blade before me and began to take practice swings to feel its weight.
"Tsk," the man spat out, still not seeming too happy, before he began to scrounge around under the desk for a sheath. After a little bit, he popped back up, sheath in hand. After paying, I took my new weapon and headed out of the store with Maya and Rowan.
Next, we went shopping for clothes and armor. We already didn't have terribly much money left, so we didn't go all out. I bought a white long-sleeve shirt and brown pants with a small metal chest plate. Rowan went with a black long-sleeve shirt and pants with a similar metal chest plate. Maya adorned brown pants and a white long-sleeve loose button-up shirt left untucked, with strong red accents complementing her hair.
After we got our new clothes and I now had a proper weapon, it was starting to get later into the afternoon. We decided to go visit Lilia. As we made our way back to the medical building she was in, the tension in the air grew tight as we all slowly got more and more nervous upon our approach.
Finally, we made it and stood in front of the door, staring at it but not opening it. We stood there trying to calm ourselves or think of what to say. At last, I was composed enough, and I walked inside while Maya and Rowan followed behind.
Once inside, we looked around the waiting room where we saw Cecilia and Earlston sitting down, looking like they had no energy left at all. Earlston spotted us first and began to stand up to greet us.
"Welcome back."
I walked slowly up to him and nodded my head before turning my gaze to my left, towards the door to the room Lilia was in. "How is she?"
He sighed, and his eyes drifted to the ground. "Not horrible, considering. Her condition is stable, and I don't know if she's trying to put up a veil of confidence so we don't worry, but she's taking the whole leg thing better than you might expect."
I nodded and was thinking of what to say next when my thoughts were interrupted by a voice from behind Earlston—Cecilia's voice.
"Of course she is. That's how Lilia is. She would never want us to worry, so she's trying her best to pretend, but there's no way she's okay."
Earlston glanced back to her and then reset his eyes on me. For a moment, nothing was said before Rowan spoke up from behind me.
"Has Smith come back yet?"
Earlston's eyes lightened a bit. "Yes, he's in there sleeping next to Lilia's bed. He's... not doing so well either, but he's dealing with it."
I nodded at his words before reaching for the coin purse and pulling it out. "Well, we just wanted to come by to check on things and give you guys your cuts of the job."
I reached the coin purse out to give it to Earlston, but unexpectedly, he matched it with an open palm, stopping me. I gave a questioning look, to which he responded, "You guys keep it. You're gonna need it if you plan to keep moving."
My questioning look grew even more contorted at his words. "But you guys kind of have a lot going on right now. We can't do that to you."
Earlston lowered his hand down to his hip and smiled for the first time since I'd met him. "We've got plenty of money saved up, and besides, Smith was planning to give you guys the money from the beginning, so keep it."
My mouth opened wide. Smith had been so nice right from the beginning—bringing us back to town and getting us food, helping us become adventurers, taking us on a job. He'd done so much for us in the short time we'd known him, and hearing these words now made me sick to my stomach, coming to the realization that not even once did I trust him still in this moment right now after hearing those words… I don't trust him, at least not completely.
Not even once did I consider there might just be good people in this cruel world. Every nice person I'd met in my life was either killed before my eyes or a liar, so when I met Smith, I distanced myself from the start, never allowing myself to trust him.
I sat there in silence for a moment while I thought: what has this world done to me?
The weight of my cynicism crashed down upon me like a collapsing mountain. In my previous life and in this one, I had witnessed enough cruelty to justify my distrust, but in doing so, I had blinded myself to genuine kindness. Smith had been nothing but generous from the moment we met, and I had repaid his goodwill with suspicion and emotional distance.
"I..." My voice caught in my throat. What could I say? That I was sorry? That I had assumed the worst of someone who had only shown me kindness? The words felt inadequate, hollow.
Maya seemed to sense my internal struggle and stepped forward. "Thank you. Please tell Smith we're grateful when he wakes up."
Earlston nodded. "I will. He'll be glad to know you're all doing alright."
Rowan shifted uncomfortably beside me. "Can we... see Lilia? Just for a moment?"
Earlston glanced toward the door, hesitating. "She's resting now, but I suppose a quick visit wouldn't hurt. Just try not to wake Smith if you can help it. He's barely slept since... well, you know."
We moved toward the door, and I finally found my voice again. "Earlston, I—we can't thank you and Smith enough. For everything."
A small, tired smile crossed his face. "That's what adventurers do. We look out for each other."
As we quietly entered Lilia's room, I couldn't help but wonder how many other acts of kindness I may misinterpret or dismiss in my determination to expect the worst from everyone. In a world full of dangers, I had become my own worst enemy—building walls so high that I couldn't see the helping hands extended toward me.
Perhaps the greatest adventure ahead wasn't just surviving until we reached the capitol, but learning to trust again in a world that had given me every reason not to.