Red Horizon: Enter Rolo the Red

 The goblins gathered around Francisco's beaten body. The dagger, the club, and the curved sword were raised in the air.

"Red Horizon." A deep voice had broken the eerie silence.

Francisco briefly opened his eyes to see the weapons in the sky, prepared to strike him down. He eyed the goblin's twisted faces. And in the blink of an eye, their heads shot up into the air. The weapons fell to the floor as the headless goblins collapsed. The financial advisor glanced to his sides and could see that the stalks around him also faced the same fate; they were all cut precisely in half. The slash that cut everything in the surrounding area could be heard: it was similar to a sharp pitch.

"Hey, how's it going? You're doing okay? I hope you don't mind me helping out," a deep voice broke the impending melancholy. Francisco shielded his eyes from the sun as a towering man stepped closer with his hand reaching out. Grabbing onto his hand, he was hoisted up to his feet with ease. As his vision cleared, he became surprised by the heroic figure before him.

"What's your name, pal? You can call me Rolo. Rolo the Red," Rolo played a large smile. As his name suggested, the man had scraggly red hair along with a flowing beard. The hair glowed under the brightness of the sun. His features were rugged, with a black eyepatch covering his right eye. A small scar was peeking through underneath. A hairy tunic protected his chest. With his arms and legs exposed, his entire physique was the embodiment of fitness. The man was ripped, plain and simple. Additionally, he was incredibly tall. Francisco didn't even reach his shoulders; he must be almost seven feet tall!

"You're very tall," Francisco muttered.

"Huh? That's a weird first statement. I guess I never really thought about it," Rolo admitted, stroking his beard.

Crack!

Francisco defensively turned around once hearing rustling noises. Another individual came walking into the clearing.

"Captain, did you already slay the goblins?" A muscular dwarf asked. Though Rolo might've had an impressive body of fitness, the dwarf beat him in arm size. The dwarf's arms were massive logs of strength. He shared a flowing beard but in a summer color. It formed around underneath his nose, drooping down into a heavy mustache, further connecting to the hair on top. It must have taken a lot of dedication to grow his hair as he had more tied into a ponytail. Unlike Rolo's, his armor was more impressive, resembling a knight of classic fantasy. Gems were embedded in the shoulders and legs.

"Yeah, I got about three of them. Say, Gar, would you say I'm tall?" Rolo tilted his head.

"It's a little late to feel self-conscious now at your age, mate," Gar answered.

"I'm not particularly feeling self-conscious. I'm just wondering."

"I don't honestly think I'm the best person for an opinion on this matter, mate," the dwarf blinked.

Francisco calmly breathed and rubbed his aching neck. He exhaled in exhaustion. "Umm, listen, I think I'm going to go ahead and-"

"Well, I collected the reward. At this point, the farmer hands me the reward before even confirming we did the job." A smooth, upbeat voice could be heard from another direction. Two figures walked into the clearing.

A slightly taller man flawlessly walked into view. He wore form-fitting clothing with muted leather fabric protecting his main areas and limbs—a jet cloak wrapped around his shoulders with a hood drooping behind his head. Despite having boots, his feet didn't make a noise as he approached the others. They were intricate and quiet, almost a vibe of stealth. He took a glance at Francisco, his eyes switching back to Rolo.

For a moment, Francisco felt that he was being studied or scanned immediately. The man had piercing eyes with a chiseled chin. His black hair was a bit ruffled, yet it still showed a fade, indicating some discipline and tidiness despite its carefree nature. His slightly pointed ears were visible thanks to the short fade. He tossed a bag of coins repeatedly in his hand before tossing it over to Rolo.

"He expressed his thanks," a softer voice spoke up, coming from a gorgeous woman. Unlike the man, her footsteps had an air of elegance and confidence. Though she said a few words, her presence demanded attention. Her golden locks caught the sunlight, stretching down her back as some of her bangs dangled in front of her face. She moved them away from her face, and as her slender fingers moved, the rings on her fingers sparkled in the daylight. Her sharp ears were shown as she tucked her hair behind them. She wore a purple robe with intricate designs. The fabric appeared to shimmer as she moved. On the ends of her sleeves and collar were silver threads, showcasing a strong sense of fashion. She twirled the pendant around her neck; a gem, larger than the ones on her fingers, absorbed the sunlight and reflected it back. As she played with her necklace, she smiled at Francisco, her head tilting to the side.

"Thanks, Ziv. Catherine. " Rolo nodded. "But unfortunately, the reward isn't ours to redeem this time." The rugged red-haired man gently tossed the bag of coins over to Francisco.

The gesture surprised Francisco, who didn't get the chance to catch the bag. The sack of coins hit his chest and fell to the floor. The financial advisor felt awkward, groaning as he kneeled and picked up the bag of coins.

"No arguments there," Ziv accepted Rolo's quick decision.

"Actually, I can't accept this. You had to save me," Francisco sighed, tossing the bag of coins back to the red-haired giant.

"Nonsense, you arrived first on the scene and you managed to beat all of them," Rolo retorted, catching the bag and tossing it back.

The bag of coins hit Francisco again on the chest and fell to the ground.

"Okay, stop tossing it," he complained as he bent over to pick it back up. "I don't know what you are talking about. I only killed two out of the five. The most I deserve is at least two-fifths of the reward, but just keep it all. Really," Francisco insisted, holding out the bag sincerely.

Rolo scratched his chin. "Naw, I won't take it."

"What do you mean you won't take it!?"

"Honestly, you killed all of them. I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help," Rolo smiled. He then held out Francisco's sword. "This is yours, right? I found it on the ground earlier. Those goblins would have surely killed me if it weren't for your sword," Rolo winked.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Ziv backed up his captain's words. "We definitely did come unprepared."

"Glad we have that settled," Rolo tossed the sword and bag of coins in the air.

Francisco widened his eyes as he caught the bag but evaded the sword, letting it clang onto the ground. He desperately moved his feet in a panicked fashion. "Hey, don't toss the sword!" As Francisco bent over to pick up the sword, Rolo continued talking.

"Onto the next quest, where to Catherine?" Rolo questioned, his hands on his hips.

"Hmm, don't you think you might need to carry the sword a while longer, Captain?" Catherine hummed.

Rolo lightly tapped his forehead, acting dumbfounded. "Duh! Wow, I didn't think about that." He turned over to the financial advisor. "Could I borrow your sword for a little while longer? How about you rent it to me?"

"Umm, yeah, that's fine, I guess," Francisco said, handing his sword back. "Don't worry about the rent. Just give it back when you're done. I think I'm headed back to town."

"Why not come join us? We have a few quests we need to complete. We'll share the reward." Rolo ushered.

"Umm, look, I know you guys mean well, but I don't really feel comfortable being a charity ca-"

The man named Ziv quickly confronted Francisco. He took a canvas knapsack that he had slung over his shoulder and pressed it roughly into Francisco's chest. "Here. Carry this. If you're worried about not carrying your own weight, then you can carry ours," Ziv sharply suggested, though his eyes didn't say 'suggestion.'

"Glad we have that decided. Alright, onward to the next quest destination!" Rolo announced loudly, marching away from the clearing.

"Wait, I haven't decided on-" Francisco was cut off as the woman named Catherine slung over a stylish backpack with elegant colors matching her robe on top of Ziv's knapsack. Several trinkets were laced into the straps and front.

"Be sure not to drop this. My bag cannot touch the floor under any means or the value would plummet," Catherine smiled warmly and gave another wink.

Francisco balanced the bags on his arms as he watched three of the adventurers leave. Garwood scratched his head and chuckled. He tossed a small leather knapsack onto Francisco's arms.

"You too!?" Francisco yelled.

"Better get a move on, mate. There's a health potion in the bag for you. Chug it and move fast," Garwood patted his chest and started walking toward his party.

Francisco sighed, carefully swinging the bags onto his body. He carried them over his arms and had Garwood's bag hanging over his torso. He didn't have much time to think as Rolo and the others were walking quickly. "Hopefully, this pack mule job isn't permananet. I guess it could be worse."

Reaching into his satchel, he found the health potion and drank it as he followed the adventuring crew. The financial advisor couldn't believe why this party was so friendly to an unskilled fighter such as himself.

It had been a long while since Francisco saw his own reflection. Without having a proper meal, the financial advisor appeared incredibly malnourished and sickly. In his condition, killing two goblins is an impressive feat. Rolo loved to see his fighting spirit.