Chapter 2: Unforeseen and destined meetings
Around the morning, just before the midday sun approached, I had started my journey into the forest, without remembering very well what I had done in the previous days, in fact I don't even remember what I had for breakfast, but it must be because of the anxiety that was because of this new adventure that I was looking for so much. I heard from good voices that in this region within the forest there was a magical dome that hid the presence of a huge ruin that looked like an old tower, worn out by time and nature, but that kept great secrets and treasures that would interest any sensible adventurer, or not, and bloody explorer like me.
As I dodged some trees and shrubs that were on the way, I arrived in an open area with some stones that were on the ground in a circle shape, just as it was said in the notice that I had a receipt. Just ahead and invisible was the place - the dome. When I went to take the first step:
- Hey hey hey! You there with one foot up.
I froze my position, a voice from someone behind me seems to be calling me.
- You are standing there, I wanted to ask you something.
I turned around slowly and, observing who was calling me, I backed away and stood with my hand holding the handle of the small dagger I kept in my belt ready to attack.
- Whoa whoa! Take care of that there, I do not seek intrigue.
He was a type of humanoid with a tree face and big horns of branches, a garment full of bark and leaves from those found in forests like this, and equipped on his waist… a branch?
- I received a call from the forces of nature to go to an important place where a huge tower would serve as a reference, but I did not find any tower. Could you tell me where it is?
- And who would you be?
I asked him. Then he took off the mask he wore and showed his face, a young man without a beard, with gold eyes and long brown hair. A human like me.
- Let me introduce myself, I am Kaule, just a lover of flora who seeks only to fulfill my duty as protector of the forests.
- So you came to stop me from reaching my treasures in the tower?
I pointed the dagger at him.
- Oops oops - he raised his hands to his chest, as if he were faking a surrender - I think you got it wrong, I protect forests and not towers and treasures.
I watched for a while, but he didn't seem to want to fight - I understand ... - I lowered the gun and started to ponder - In fact, I misinterpreted, my apologies!
I reached out to him and introduced myself.
- My name is Lyunil, but they usually call me Lyu. The tower is just in front of this invisible dome.
I pointed to the spot and he shook my hand.
- Thank you very much, Mr Lyunil, it is a pleasure to meet you.
- I say the same.
In fact, he didn't seem like a bad person, besides, he trusted to show his face to someone unknown like me. In fact, stopping to think, because I gave someone who I just met a valuable information about where the tower is located ?! But a feeling inside me says that I can trust him. We skipped the rest of the formalities and decided to walk together until the entrance to the place. But before taking the next step to enter the dome, Kaule warns:
- Wait a minute ... The forest is saying something ...
- Saying something? ...
I didn't hear anything, but I'll leave it to anyone who is an expert in this area to think. I stood there as he looked around for something. Suddenly a voice from far away began to rise as it approached.
- The forest is a bit noisy at all ...
- I believe it is some other individual approaching, but I think he is not yet the person the forest told me about ...
He whispered that phrase, but I didn't pay much attention, what mattered was the scream of a creature that seemed to come from the opposite direction to the dome. He approached moving, passing through the bushes and shouting louder and louder. I wielded my dagger and Mr. Kaule moved a little to my right. Until it appears running towards us… a dwarf ?! He was screaming and holding an ax in his hands.
When he saw us, he stopped running and shouting, and asked:
- Did you see a boar come here?
What a little full of energy! As if he hadn't eaten for three days, he was desperate to find that animal.
- I'm sorry, but I didn't see any wild boar passing by, did you, Mr. Kaule?
- Hmm, from what I heard from the leaves in the wind, there is no boar around.
- But I saw this sneaky meat thief running with my lunch among these plants!
- I think if you described it better, Mr Kaule and I could help you look for that boar, but first try to calm down.
In fact, I wanted to know why I'm getting involved with people I don't even know willing to help, everyone knows that anyone just wouldn't pass the point of a wave and would already be exploring the ruins of the tower, I feel that there is some kind of magic controlling my sense or I'm going crazy and didn't even notice.
- Ahhhh…
I took a long breath and decided to lean against the nearest tree. Meanwhile, the dwarf stuck the ax he was holding into the earth and began to smooth his long, tangled beard. His beard, like his hair, is dark in color and his eyes are gray like rock, his hands thick and calloused, and, of course, his size is no more than five feet tall. He wore no armor and carried almost no equipment, it seems that he is very confident in his abilities, despite the fact that Mr Kaule only presents his amulet around his neck and does not seem to carry many things with him either. It seems that today I am meeting travelers at random.
- He was big as a man and had black hair all over his body, but he was very agile and I couldn't see that thorn eater properly.
- But didn't you say he ate his lunch and not thorns?
- This is a slang from his native land, Mr Lyunil, that is to say a treacherous person.
- Ah ... I see ... thank you, Mr Kaule.
- You can just call Kaule.
- Okay… (I don't know where so much intimacy with these weird people is coming from) And I apologize… Um… Hmm… what's your name again?
He straightened his spine and changed his voice to appear more proud of himself.
- My name is Adrick, the strong one, and I am a well-known fighter where I came from, so if you want to fight a fight with me don't expect that you can lose without breaking some bones, because the winner will be me !!
And as if snorting with joy, he points to himself with his thumb and laughs like a father who wants to show off to his children. In fact, a weirdo.
- Well, as you must have heard Adrick ...
- Mr. Adrick! Um ...
He interrupted me angrily. You can't really understand what's going on here and I think I gave up on doing this for a long time, I'll just follow the one that gives you less headaches.
- Sir ... Adrick ..., my name is Lyunil and he is Kaule.
- I'll call it a weird kid and a leaf head.
- How it is?
- Mr Adrick, I think I found your boar ..
- Where ?! WHERE?!
- Stealing Lyunil's money bag.
When I look at my left side, I see a hand with a black sleeve and glove taking my bag of coins while I was distracted.
- HEEY !!
He tried to retract his hand as quickly as he could when he realized he was discovered, but I jumped on the bush in which he was hiding and prevented him from running away with the little money I had.
- Calm down, boss! It was just a test to see if I was attentive, of course I was going to give it back later and warn you about how dangerous the world is today, I think I even deserve a reward for being such a good person, don't you think?
He appears to be an amateur thief, wearing light clothes with a hood and mouth mask to hide his face, all in black, in addition to being equipped with some small tools, light weapons and a bag that must contain the rest of the things he takes I can.
I twisted his arm harder to make him feel more pain.
- I understood! I understood! You don't have to take things so seriously, no ...
- So it was this boar that stole my lunch?
- Huuummmm…. I think you're confusing? It must have been another boar, a real one, you know? ...
Adrick raised his ax like he was going to start the scene of an inquisition.
- Hold it tight, I don't want to miss a neck ...
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is this dirty mop head doing with this dangerous thing, didn't they teach that it's dangerous to give weapons to children ?!
- Wait a minute, Adrick, first we have to know the information he has to give us there you can barbecue him.
- While you are having fun there, I will meditate with my friends over there.
Then Kaule leaves and begins to meditate seated more to the side. I decided to tie him to the tree while the dwarf was watching if he did anything suspicious. I took off the mask and the hood, I could see his face, he seems to be someone from a distance, he has blond hair and very light skin, as well as slightly greenish eyes. It seems to be from foreign lands far from here.
- Start talking!
- Do you want me to recite which poem ?!
I drew the dagger.
- Ah! Talk about me, right? I'm a little ashamed ...
- No fuss !!!
- Okay, okay! Where I come from, I'm called Raild Lucker. Yes, you can be amazed, but I am like this for being known for my incredible luck.
I was silent for a few seconds, looked at the dwarf and started to laugh at the situation.
- Haha ha.
- Why are you laughing ?! I mean seriously !!
- I'm sorry to inform you lucky sir, but my coin purse was the one next to the one you took, the one you took is full of rice grain hahaha.
Adrick also starts to laugh, but I don't think he understood why, because he laughed as if he just wanted to laugh.
- Okay, okay, you guys caught me, literally too. My luck is to be unlucky and I ended up earning this nickname as a joke ...
- At least you were honest with us, I think that deep down you are not a bad person.
He looks to the side as if disgusted at being embarrassed by the situation.
- I'll call you a losing boar then!
- How is it, runt? Did you happen to get lost and your parents?
- Do you want to become a barbecue, a wild boar?
And the two begin to look at each other with anger in their eyes, you can feel sparks coming out of them.
- But then, Mr. Raild, why did you come here to try to steal our belongings? As far as I know there is nothing more interesting around except ...
- The Tower!
It was not Raild who said that, but Adrick. It seems that even he came by the call of the tower, I presume that the same was with Raild.
- As the baby armadillo said, I received the call from the tower saying that a young man was going to guide me there.
- A youngster? Like this?!
- It was the same with me! I was having my dwarf dreams and a voice told me that if I came here a boy would show me the way to the tower that will help my brothers.
- Wow, let's stop there! First, isn't the tower just a pile of ruins? Are you guys interested in stealing my chance to get my treasures?
- I don't care about treasures, just fighting and helping my dwarf brothers.
~ If I get there first, it won't be yours… ~ - I mean, didn't you know about the legend of the Wish Tower?
- Tower of Wishes?
- A tower that grants wishes !!
- You can only be playing with ...
- What I say is serious, it may sound like bullshit or a story to a child like this guy holding an ax, but what ...
- You don't have to say anything else! I understand your conversation.
- Wait Lyunil, I think you should listen to what he has to say, we were all brought here for the same cause with the same guidelines ...
It was Kaule who said that after he approached again. It seems that these three that I just met were manipulated by someone to come looking for me. Probably someone is planning some kind of surprise attack by distracting me with strangers to steal the treasure I came for.
But I feel something strange inside me, as much as I try to suspect I can't feel insecurity coming from them. The normal thing would be for me to have to kill them all for knowing about me and the treasures I'm after. There are three unknown people, without a standard of choice for these people, but everyone has been informed of the Tower and me, so I think there is someone behind it all.
The way I received the information from the Tower was during an arcane meditation that allowed me to obtain information about the rumors that I had searched for a long time, but they say it was through a dream that they received instructions on how to find me, in addition to using a short story. of wishing tower fairies to persuade me, there is no doubt that someone who likes bad jokes is planning all this.
Hmm… wishes… if it were so easy to achieve your own desires because of a magic tower, the world would not be as dirty as the real face of people, or maybe it would be, because there is no magic in this world that heals the true nature of living beings.
- Sorry to disturb your "reflection moment", but what I wanted to say is that there is more information that we received in this message that would serve to convince you.
- And what would it be? ...
- The guide would be a young man and the last survivor of clan A ...
- Don't say anything else !!! - Carrying the dagger towards Raild's neck with a furious look - I understand, I'll take you there, but if anyone comments on my past, he will be the first to disappear from the group ...
The silence lasted for a few seconds. So they know about my past! I can't let any more of them escape, I will try to get as much information as I can before I eliminate them all.
I started to pass a more hostile golden age, if there was some magic influencing my actions I am sure that now it has dissipated.
- For someone who seemed to be so serious, it seems that he started showing some weaknesses.
Adrick and Kaule, however, were silent. I decided to ignore the comment, let go of the rope that held him and went towards the entrance to the dome.
- Well, you know, sir, nervous guide, that we are all here for our reasons, don't be thinking yourself special just because ...
But before Raild finished his provocation, Kaule stopped him with a gesture. So everyone was silent, after we got ready and prepared to leave, the three stayed behind me waiting for me to show the way.
They seem to know each other since the only one who thinks this whole situation is strange is me, or it must be just crazy people who were manipulated by someone who is behind me and knows me. Whoever or whatever happens, I won't let my guard down and find out what's going on. But I have a feeling it will be so easy… and just thinking about it makes me tired.
- Ah ...
I let out a long breath.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Aoki_Yuu
Aoki_Yuu First of all I would like to apologize for the English, I still don't have fluency yet, but I promise to improve as much as I can. To help understand the dialogues it is simple:
(-) Speech
(- ~) Whispering
( () ) Thinking
Okay, it can be confusing at first, but with time I hope you get used to it ( ^^')
See you soon, guys!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone