Limits

At the campfire. I sat down and relaxed a bit. The guy joined me and and sat next to campfire not far away. He then said "If you want to eat, just take what you like. Don't hesitate". I didn't, I was hungry and so I took the meat that was roasting and started eating. The guy took out a bottle of what seemed to be alcohol and started drinking.

He asked "Do you want some?" to which I shook my head and said "I don't drink". He didn't mind and drank by himself. After a while, he asked "Where are you heading?" to which I looked at the fire burning and said "North, I'm heading north". He looked at me and seemed a bit shocked. He asked "Can I ask why?" to which I responded "I don't know, I'm just going there. Anywhere would be fine, it's where my body takes me".

He looked at me with kind of disbelief in his eyes and said "Do you know what is up there?" to which I said "No but it seems you do. Wish to share?". He looked back at the fire and said "With your current skills… turn back and walk different direction. This would be my honest advice". I asked "Why? I seems that north is very dangerous but what exactly is there then?". The guy looked at the fire for a long while and then finally uttered "Monsters. Monster you wished never existed".

I was a bit shocked and confused as well. 'Monsters? For this guy to call something a monster… Does he mean stuff like the massive black boar or the Faming Silver Wolf?'. I decided to ask him "Do you mean monsters like the wolf with flames on its back or huge bear with flames on its paws?". He looked at me a bit surprised but then laughed. He then replied "Those things? Those are not that rare in the north. I mean real monsters, not animals. Animals hunt to survive, monsters kill because it gives them pleasure".

I looked at him with even more confusion but decided to ask no more and changed the subject. I asked "Did you meet someone who practiced the Art of Hidden Weapons before? You knew what skill I was using". He looked at me deeply and answered "Never show those skills in public. I do not know where you are from and who you are but be sure that if you flash those skills in cities or large settlements, you will be hunted and killed". I thought 'Why? A skill is a skill, it doesn't matter what I use, as long as I can win a battle or kill my enemy'.

I asked "Why? Do people hate if someone practices that art?". The guy responded "Hate? no, they don't hate these people. They are scared of them. I've heard they kill any slaves that are found to posses any object they weren't supposed to. Even things like sticks or stones". He then continued "I don't know if that is true but they fear people with those skills".

He then said "You don't seem to be from a city, you know very little. I don't know if you learned those skills by yourself or did someone teach them to you but I don't need that answer. As I said, I just wanted a conversation and I don't care if you are an assassin or a saint".

I looked at him and then back at the fire burning away, bringing warmth to my body. I said "I'm neither". I then asked him "Why are you here then?". The man sighed and said "Well you shared some stuff with me so why not return the favour". He then continued "I'm on the run. Some nasty people were after me, so I ran to this place. Now, I'm a traveler just like you".

I looked at the guy and asked "Why the big sword? Isn't it too impractical?", the man smiled and said "I got used to it, besides it's not as impractical as you may think". I asked "Why so?" and he responded "Weight. That is the purpose of the sword. It doesn't even have a sharp edge but due to its weight and my strength, anything that is slammed with my sword would be crushed or smitten apart… well not everything but I'm sure you get the idea. This type of sword is called Bastard Sword or Great Sword"

'So it's that type of weapon but he needs to have a lot of strength and stamina in order to swing it. This could be a disadvantage in longer fights' I thought. In reality, no skill or weapon was perfect, all skills and weapons had some disadvantages. Even the Art of Hidden Weapons had disadvantages. For example ranged weapons like bows ware the bane for users with mid range weapons like throwing daggers.

Everything had its counter, that was why I wanted to master other arts and skills to fill in the gaps and disadvantages. I then asked him "It is clear that you are very strong. So why run away? Why not face your opponents?". I could see his face bacem visibly more grim, he then replied "It's not something I can fight alone. You probably don't know them but they have people everywhere. That is why I live in the forest instead of sitting inside the city, enjoying my life".

I got more curious and asked "Who are they?", he looked at me seriously and said "Why do you want to know that?". I had no particular reason besides curiosity, I stared at the fire for a while and then turned towards him while saying "Did you know?" the man was surprised by my initial response but then I continued "Everyone I cherished or had some relationship with, is gone. Some disappeared while some passed away".

He looked confused and didn't know what I meant. I continued "If something can be broken, it can be put back together. I may be young but I'm not stupid. You are strong there is no doubt about it and I'm sure your knowledge and experience amounts to much more than mine but it seems you don't realised that simple things in life matter greatly. This is where we differ as well".

The man was even more confused and asked "What do you mean?" to which I responded "If you lived my life, you would know and you could say the same thing about me. I would have to live your life, to know the stuff you know". He didn't seem to realise what I meant still and tried to contemplate. I said "I asked who they were because I was curious. If you don't want to, you don't have to answer".

I laid on my elbow and relaxed a bit. I was curious as to what group was chasing him because I wanted to know more about everything that I encountered but he was right, our lives were different. If we were to compare each other, I was like a cloud, drifting through the sky. While he with his knowledge and background was like a common tree.

I knew that there were loads of people who had similar information, just like this man and there were loads of strong people living in this world. Cities were probably crawling with them. 'Just like Nick said to me, his inheritance was worthless and nobody wanted it, that was why he left the city. He might have had another reason besides his master wishes but he never said' I thought. In my eyes, Nick was strong but no one wanted his legacy. This alone shows what type of people exist in this world.

The guy sat there thinking about something then finally said "I can tell you a story, would you like to listen?" I replied "Sure, we have loads of time".