Elf

Roz stood on top of a roof in silence, gazing over the roads below him. From here, he could oversee the entirety of Bordertown, watching anything that moved underneath all the crimson colored rooftops. There were many areas he had to take note of. The town plaza and the stores located in the center of the town, the residences on the east, the townhall and the baron’s estate far to the north, and most importantly, the west side.

Where the great stone wall separated the town from a place known as the Farlands, where all the barbarians came from. The problem with the wall was that there was no one there to guard it, making it easy for anyone to go in and out of the town. The only one who was willing to watch over it was Roz himself. Everybody else was too afraid to volunteer themselves.

Roz looked at his hand and tried to close it, but it still trembled like usual.

“I’m weak.”

He had failed to protect Amity from getting hurt. Sure, she was all smiles in the end, but Roz was sure that she had been traumatized by the incident. If only he were faster, that never would have happened to her.

“I’m incompetent, Lucian. I’m trying my best, but I just can’t protect everyone.”

He looked up to the night sky.

“I’m so tired,” he muttered.

“What are you up to?”

Roz flinched and turned behind him.

Somebody had snuck up on the masked man.

A lady.

The stranger’s pointy ears twitched. The peculiar shape of them was the first thing he had noticed. Her blonde hair shone in the night, strands fluttering in the wind. The lady smelled of spring, Roz noted. As fresh as a blooming flower. It was a sweet, gentle scent pleasant to the nostrils. But such fragrance didn’t make Roz drop his guard.

“Who are you? Are you a barbarian?” he asked.

The lady giggled. “Do I look like a barbarian to you?”

“I don’t discriminate. Barbarians aren’t barbarians because of their appearances.”

She climbed further up the roof, using a long wooden staff to assist her.

“I am but a humble wandering elf, with nowhere to go but anywhere.”

Roz was estranged by the lady’s way of speech, but he realized that if she were a barbarian, she would have tried to stab him in the back earlier.

“It’s dangerous to be out here at night,” he said.

“I could say the same for you.”

“I’m the reason it’s not as dangerous.”

The lady walked towards Roz and extended her hand with a soft grin.

“My name’s Sonia. What’s yours?”

“Roz.” He shook her hand, then he gazed back into the town in silence.

“To be honest, I’ve been watching you for over a week now, and I can’t help but wonder.” Sonia leaned her head closer. “Why are you doing this?”

Roz didn’t respond.

“I’m curious.” Sonia sat down on the roof and looked where he was gazing. “You’re always roaming around at night, endlessly hunting every barbarian that causes trouble in the town. You don’t get rewarded for it, yet you choose to do it anyway. Why is that? What is it that drives you so?”

“I do it because it’s my duty.”

Sonia chuckled. “What a boring answer.”

It was clear that Roz was uninterested in conversation, but the elven lady was stubborn and persistent.

“You should get some sleep, my friend. I can tell from your body that you’re tired. It’s unhealthy for a young man such as yourself without a good eight hours of sleep, you know? Barbarians don’t show mercy to the sleep deprived.”

Roz grunted.

“It’s none of your business.”

Roz jumped off to another roof and stormed away. He didn’t want to admit it, but the elven lady was right. He’d been neglecting his sleep for the past couple of days, and the fatigue was starting to get to him. He realized it when he fought the men who invaded Amity’s store earlier. His movements have slowed down by a significant margin. If he were up against a stronger opponent, he would lose.

He sighed. “Fine. Just two hours should be good enough.”

Roz lived thirty minutes away from the town, in a forest located on the southern side. But this forest wasn’t just any forest. There was something strange about this place. The trees here were crooked, twisted and bent in its branches. Their trunks had faces carved onto them, some of them happy, while others were sad or angry. It almost felt like they were looking at Roz. The mist and shade didn’t help either, shrouding anything that may be lurking around the trees. The townsfolk believed that the forest was cursed. Many brave souls tried to venture into these woods, but they were never to be seen again.

However, for Roz, this was his safe haven. Everyone steered clear of these woods, even the barbarians of the Farlands were terrified of the place. That meant that no one would be here to bother him. He could care less about the ghosts that roamed these woods, because he believed that he himself was one of them. A phantom with a face of ice.

Eventually, he would make it back home, an old abandoned watchtower made of stone covered in moss. Upon first glance, it would seem like no one was living here. But upon entering, visitors, if there were ever any, would be surprised to see how well-maintained the wooden staircases were or how there weren’t any cobwebs littered around the walls. For an Inventor like Roz, he’d be able to create the tools needed to maintain the cleanliness of the place.

Roz climbed the stairs and made his way to the top of the tower. Inside its four corners, there was a simple hammock attached to two wooden poles on the left, a fireplace burning on the top right corner, dark clothes hanging on the back side and one arched window on each side of the wall.

It wasn’t much, but this was all that Roz had.

Roz took off his shoes, then he laid on the hammock and opened a book. He couldn’t sleep without reading, so he flipped through the pages, eyes moving along every word and sentence.

The book he was reading was titled “The Mad Count.” It was about a kind and honest count with a deep passion to serve the people in his territory, but everything in his life suddenly falls apart and he ends up killing his best friend in the end. As Roz finished the book, he took a deep breath, then he placed the book on the floor gently. After that, he laid back on the hammock and stared at the ceiling.

“What a terrible ending,” he said. “I should have picked a happier book to read.”

Left with no choice, all he could do was pray and hope he would fall asleep. And by some miracle, he did. For once, he could finally get some sense of rest……..

BOOM!

The crashing thunder made Roz fall off his hammock.

He rubbed his hip and gazed into the window. Just as he was about to fall into a deep slumber, a heavy storm had to ruin everything for him.

Roz sighed. “Screw this. I give up.”