Jericho the "Hero" Options

[Fawkes]

Hey! After a long time of mulling it over I decided to actually do this!


mALX and SubRosa helped me to pinpoint the grammar things, so big thanks there. There still some things like run-ons that I still don't fix, promise they will be be mostly gone next chapter.




The cold morning air chilled the young man to the bone. Wearing nothing but rags, he had no protection against the elements. So he huddled against the stone cold wall.

He was looking at the passerby’s hoping that one will give him some septims, he had been saving for over a year now the little that he had left after the days meal.
He was so close to affording a sword, a hero is what he wanted to be the protector of the innocent and weak, to bring down justice across the lands.

He felt a overwhelming feeling of sadness, he knew that he would never be a hero, he was simply a street urchin.
“Anything to get out of that house…” He uttered under his breath.

“Hey you there!”
He was so concentrated on his thoughts that he had not noticed the man come near him,
Before he could run the man grabbed him. “Darn urchin, you know it’s illegal to beg within the city!”

He could finally see the man clearly, he was nearly double his size, the man’s arms looked like tree trunks his face was clearly scared and wrinkled, a heavy white beard covered half of his face and he a messy set of hair, however the most prominent feature was the fact that the man was missing a eye, his good eye was a deep green that looked as empty as his bad eye.

And what he had not noticed…the man was wearing the Imperial General Armor.

“Kid, you know that I will now have to confiscate any gold that you are carrying.”
His heart skipped a beat, all the gold that he had been saving…gone, due to his stupidity, he felt his eyes start to water.
“…No..” he managed to utter. The man looked shocked, “Really kid, You want to do this the hard way?”

Tears were already running down his cheeks, he was so close…so close. “I..I can’t give you…the money.” he had tried to sound strong, yet his voice came out shaky.
The man sighed, “Now, now, don’t cry.” with one of his sausage like fingers he wiped the tears away, “What’s your name kid?”
“Je…jer...Jericho.”

“Name’s Nale, c’mon I’ll take you for breakfast, you look like you have not eaten in days.”


****

The pub was almost empty, the only customers besides them was a male Orc clad at some fierce looking armor, who was sitting alone quietly eating in the table next to them.

“So,” Nale rested his head on his hands watching Jericho eat the giant slab of mutton, “You want to become a Hero?” Jericho nodded, his mouth was full with mutton, which was rather chewy.

The Orc next to them grunted, “A Hero, eh?” the Orc’s deep voice caused Jericho knees to feel like jelly.
The Orc looked at Jericho with a rather hungry look. “You know, a handsome man like you would make a perfect husband for an adventure like me.”
Jericho felt his face turn red, while Nale just sighed.
“So what do you say little Imperial, after a hard days adventure coming home to a handsome man like you and getting some comfort will be exactly what I need.” The Orc winked at Jericho.
Nale raised his voice, “The kid is with me!”
The Orc sighed, “Well…it was worth a shot.” he got up and headed for the door.

“Nale?”
“Yeah?”
“What does “getting some comfort” mean?”
Nale’s face turn bright red, “Nothing!”

****
The duo found themselves in the Elven district, Jericho could not help but feel fuzzy inside, he was smiling from ear to ear, Nale felt more like a father than his actual father did.
“So your mom is…?”
Jericho nodded, “My…dad, he came home…really drunk one night and he…”
Nale placed his hand on Jericho’s shoulder, “You don’t have to say it kid, don’t worry about it from here on out your with me.”

With out thinking Jericho quickly embraced Nale, he simply could not express his feelings, “Thank you, thank you!” he managed to stutter out. Nale laughed, “It won’t be for free of course, You will be running errands on behalf of the Imperial Legion, so you better not let me down!”