Welcome to Baizefield

“Origins”

• Chapter 1: Welcome to Baizefield

• Chapter 2: The Extorters

• Chapter 3: Realm of possibility 

• Chapter 4: The Beast Queen

• Chapter 5: A New Resolution

***

I had a dream

But didn’t last

I wanted to leave a legacy

But left no-one to fill my shoes

I only have one request,

Take care of my family!

Going on a journey was something Phillip would have never thought of.

Eight years down the road without seeing his father, he became incredibly reserved and sheltered. Then a letter addressed to him from his father, moments after his mother got one, left him with a bit of questions.

“Earlier, I held my weeping mother in my arms after she read a letter that was said to come from dad.”

“Yes, but...”

“No buts! Just tell me. Where was he when he breathed his last?”

***

“I’m tired of having that same old dream. Is it the old man’s way of pushing?”

While rubbing his eyes, Phillip jerked himself into a sitting position just under a large tree within a green leafy forest. The afternoon sun filtered by the wind blown leaves fell onto him.

It was ten days into the forest and he hadn’t found a path for himself out of it.

“Let me hope for a better day.”

Phillip got up with his old bag and walked in whatever direction he seemed was right. He possibly might have made it out earlier if it wasn’t for that mentality.

That evening at dusk, the heavens seemed to have answered his prayers.

There was a small cabin in front of him, It was two floored and looked old. Besides it, was a large wooden barn, larger than the house.

“This calls for better things to come. I’ll try asking around.”

Not thinking about his own safety, he knocked on the door without delay for it seemed that other factors had clouded his ability to think logically. 

A number of times, he had been warned by a certain coachman of the carriage that brought him from Mill Town, where he was living, that the people on the other side of the forest are not normal at all. Normally if a person welcomed a stranger into a home, things wouldn’t be pleasant.

“Coming,” a voice that seemed to come from a middle aged man responded to Phillip’s summon.

“Hello there, I’m a traveller form the Mill County and I don’t know the way around. I was requesting for a place to crib for the night and then I’d be on my way.”

“Sure thing lad, what’s your name?”

“Phillip, Sir”

“James, James Cott! Come on in Phillip! Feel at home.”

 “Thanks, Mr. Cott.”

“Suspicious!” is what Phillip would have thought about at the time if he had listened to the warnings of the old coachman. It might have been possible that he had listened till he saw him as the villain when he threw him off the carriage to cross the forest on his own without prior warning.

“Paula, Danny, meet Phillip! He’ll just stay for the night and then he’ll be on his way to... where to again.”

“Baizefield town, Sir”

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, James spoke up forcing a smile more visibly than before. “Baizefield town, huh!”

Phillip noticed a change in behaviour after the silence.

“Anything wrong, Mr Cott?”

“No! Nothing at all! I just have bad memories of that place thats all. Anyway Phillip, meet Danny and Paula, my kids.” James said as he pointed to a dark haired muscular man and a young lady with brown hair looking to be in her late teens.

“Pleased to meet you! Thank you for having me”

Danny said nothing as he continued eating. Paula politely stood up and muttered some words that weren’t audible enough.

“Awkward!” Phillip thought.

“Food? Drink?”

“Famished!”

“Well, don’t hold back son! Eat your fill.”

***

“Ah! I forgot to ask where the washrooms were before going to sleep!”

Phillip talked to himself in silence as he stood up from his bed as he looked around and coincidentally saw that Danny, in whose room he had slept for the night, was gone from his bed beside him.

“Weird! Where has Danny gone?”

Prioritising his current condition, Phillip stood up hurriedly with his left hand on his crouch and raced towards the door which he swiftly opened passing through it as quickly as he could.

“No need to worry about that. I have to find the washrooms.”

First thing Phillip thought about, as one who had lived in the forest for the past ten days, was going outside to help himself. Racing down the stairs, a cold wind embraced him sending a shiver all over his body, since he was topless.

“Why in the world is this door open? Ahh! Just go outside and do your business there, there’s not much time left, Phillip?”

After a brief session of convincing himself out loud, Phillip ran down the stairs, skipping about two steps in each stride eventually missing one towards the end. Recovering from the slight trip, Phillip rushed out of the door going straight to the bush in-front of the house.

After a brief while, Phillip, feeling refreshed, headed out of the small bush. The bright moonlight illuminated the compound so clearly and the green leaves reflected the light too perfectly revealing a green lit surrounding. The fireflies danced in the distance as the crickets sang harmonious melodies.

“I don’t feel like going back to bed. I can live in this moment for ever.”

After a lively sightseeing, Phillip headed back to the house and on the porch, He noticed the brown haired beauty finely lit by the moonlight. Her damp brown eyes gave them an extra glitter as she stared into the distance. Noticing Phillip, she put on a light smile that seemed to be a little forced.

“Hello there, can’t sleep!” Phillip said, trying to be confident already realising that his upper body was in plain sight.

“Just admiring the work of nature. Isn’t this beautiful?”

Paula didn’t seem to care about the fact that Phillip was half naked as she replied.

“Yeah it is splendid. To many, it is for such beauty that they fight.”

“What do you mean? Fighting is horrid, those people only cause sorrow.”

“Every one that fights, has something to protect, just like how parents would risk a lot just for their children.”

Danny spoke while looking at the surroundings that were the basis of their talk. After a while, their was no reply from Paula. Shifting his gaze to the porch, he saw the fair maiden with tears flowing down her cheeks uncontrollably. Looking back at Phillip, she tries to wipe her tears off of her cheeks but all in vain, only succeeding to create new paths for more to come.

“I’m sorry for you to see me like this,” Paula said as she let out slight sobs.

Danny who was too confused about why she suddenly broke down, approached the porch to try to mend ‘his‘ mistake.

“Paula, I apologize! If I said something that I shouldn’t have, care to share about it?”

“When you talked about parents wanting to protect their kids, I suddenly wished for a parent’s love in my heart. That’s not the issue with mine and all I want is to be free from him.”

Without saying anything, Phillip sat down on the same bench to her left side but facing behind her.

“But I can’t runaway at all. He always finds me. He can control my actions as he wishes. I just want to die. Living like this is not worth it.”

Another wave of tears flowed down from her eyes as she sorrowfully sobbed. Phillip placed his left hand on her left shoulder.

“Paula, I can’t say much, but if you want to live, then live. And if you want to die...”

Paula faced the floor awaiting the obvious answer.

“...then live!”

Phillip finished his sentence as Paula looked up at him speechless in surprise, wonderful surprise.

“And if you think that you still want to die, I’ll make sure that you live because believe me, when you have hope in tomorrow, it gets better.”

Trying not to tear up, Paula faced the young lad with an awkward smile that she tried so hard to suppress. No one on this green earth had ever tried to tell her something like that, to encourage her to keep on living. She saw a new light in life after that small encounter.

“Hey Phillip…”

Phillip looking back, he saw a face showing an expression of appreciation from the girl and imagines a “ thank you” coming out of her lips.

“... be careful.”

“Anytime.”

Phillip answers without hesitation waving his hand towards her while entering the door.

“Wait! Did she say ‘Be Careful’?”

Phillip thought of that for a while before being taken in by sleep.

***

“Urg! Too sleepy! It’s still dark outside.”

“My body, I can’t move! I feel heavy. Is that Danny?”

“Urg! Back to sleep.”

***

“Bang, bang, bang!”

A loud knocking, actually banging on the door was heard about two hours past dawn.

“Hey Cott! Open up! It’s us!”

“Who’s that? Paula check the door for me, will you?”

James, who was lazily sitting in the chair in the living room shouted to the busy girl.

Opening the door, two men dressed like brigands, walked in without anyone allowing them.

“So Cott, where’s the prize?” One of the men who looked older than the other asked James.

“It’s alright Teeg! We have him safe and sound. Follow me!”

With James in the lead, the men ascend the steep flight of stairs upwards.

“He’s in there!”

James said pointing to the door to Danny’s bedroom.

“Frank, open up the door for me, will you?”

The younger brigand stepped forward and gave the door a slight push after turning its knob.

“There you go!”

Entering the room, the two witness a bloody scene with their young visitor tied up on his bed with an x-shaped cut on his left side of the chest going deep throughout his back