Something goes wrong indeed, I'm rather rudely awakened by a screeching bird. Whatever the species is, I don't give a damn, all I care about is it is screaming and I'm trying to sleep. I threw the forest green blankets off, yes, threw, and pushed the curtains back. I can make out some form circling the town, the sun catches it's feathers and outlines them in a white glare, making the form hard to see, but I can still figure that it's a griffin. I hate griffins.

If you have never heard a griffin’s call them let me tell you this; you are one lucky bastard. It's rather hard to describe what it really sounds like exactly, but imagine an eagle's cry, make it a more guttural sound, like a lion's roar, and turn it up a hundred decibels or so. Repeat that sound over and over in your mind and you are hearing exactly the same thing I am right now. Makes a great alarm clock.

I figure if this thing is going to be screaming all morning there's no use in trying to sleep anymore. I stumble over the floor to a jug of ice water sitting next to a bowl in front of an elaborate vanity mirror so I could wash the dirt and grease off my face. That damn pigeon is still making sure it's voice box works. Pushed my hair back out of my face, I make my way downstairs in hopes of getting a pot of scalding hot coffee. There's another one of my special abilities, chugging nuking hot water.

I sat down at the bar next to an empty stool and a guy who looks like he's been celebrating all night, the circles under his eyes gives it away with the fact that his head jerks up occasionally. The bartender glares at me.

"What d'ya want?" he gruffly asks.

"Coffee and something edible," I replied. He hands me a cup of coffee that had obviously been the bottom of the pot and walks through a door to the kitchen, coming back out with a continental breakfast. It's already cold, but it's food, and when you're traveling like I am, you are just about ready to eat the bark off a tree. I shovel food into my mouth and finish off the coffee which leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I pay the bartender with five coins and leave.

The griffin isn't there anymore, I don't know where it flew to, but I sure as hell am not going the same way. It must be noon, I shield my eyes and look up, the sun's directly overhead, it's a perfect time and weather to be traveling in, and everything that makes up my body aches for the road. I should set off today, staying in one place becomes unbearable after awhile, but I need supplies first, and I want my weapon upgraded so it's three pounds heavier. I sigh and drag my feet towards the item store to pick up potions. That is, I would have picked up some potions if my worst nightmare didn't show up first.

"Lo Wen! I haven't seen you for ages!" a man came running towards me, I recognized his voice and face from when I was sent to Greenhill at age fourteen. Uhg, how many times had I secretly wished to punch him so hard he’d need fifty stitches to recover? "You should spend the night at my place, I already married and have a daughter and wife, we can talk about what we've done recently," he smiles. Lord, what did I do to deserve this? It must be payback for stealing off a dead body and not burying it.

I followed the guy back to his home, it's an incredibly ugly house. It's about two stories tall, shingles are placed irregularly, almost as though he had hired some kid off the streets to do it. The color of the paint is bright yellow with pastel pink shutters. The black doors do not exactly fit in, I'm wondering if he failed art class or had someone color blind paint the house. I look back at him, he had that glossy stare over his brown eyes he usually got whenever he was happy, his hair already seemed to be going gray, and his smile became even more unbearable. I can hardly even remember his name, Hardy... Harvey... Harry... no, wait, it was Harell, I'm sure of it.

Harell has trouble opening the door, it's stuck on it's hinges and in desperate need of oil. He shoves the door open and a disgustingly cute little girl runs up to him. Floral pattern dress, brown hair tied back with pink ribbons, big green eyes, you know, all the stuff that makes you want to run to the nearest garbage can. "Daddy daddy daddy daddy!" she squeals, hugging him. "Hi sweetie, Mommy must be out with her friends again, huh?" he asks her, the little girl just nods. "How about you go outside and play, I'll call you for dinner," he smiles lovingly at her as she runs out the door. "Here, sit down, we'll talk," I jumped when he addressed me directly.

"Oh, t-thanks," I muttered, taking my seat at a kitchen table. "So, what have you been up to lately?" Harell asks. "Well, mainly I've been traveling, venturing around the world, living life the way I want to," I flipped back some of the hair that got into my eyes after replying, trying to look casual so he wouldn't ask any questions. I cut out a few important parts, including the ones about being a bandit and using a thirty pound ball and chain to defend myself against the occasional monsters. "Oh, well I'll just have to tell you about my life so far..."

I don't know how long he talked, or what he talked about, I just sort of blanked out during the elaborate retelling of his life story. "Do you want to stay for the night here? We have an extra guest room," he asked me, I snapped out of my daze. "Oh, sure," I replied. Like I would ever want to do something like that. He directed me to the room I'd be staying in and left. Yes, I'm now positive I'm being punished. Luckily, the room has a clock, so I can keep track of time, as soon as it strikes midnight, I'll be out of here.

Four hours later, I peer out the door to make sure that everyone's asleep. No, there's still a few lights on. I don't want to be here anymore, it's making me remember, causing the shadows to look like everyone I ever knew.

Greenhill Academy... every girl was too busy with nail polish and none of the boys were brave enough to leave the school walls, I was all on my own there, and all of the teachers disapproved of my constant travels. Like they ever cared about me. I remember leaving to live on my own when I received the news of my mother coming to apply as another teacher. I think she just came to torture me. But if she applied, she would have gotten a position somewhere, since she was the most "noble" of the women in the Two River and Greenhill area, with all her Kobold servants she looked down her nose at, and her fine jewelry that dripped from her neck and wrists. Deep down inside I knew she was no greater than the women who worked at street corners. And if she came, there was one more problem, I would have to face the lash, again. She thought of everyone that was not as proper as herself was an animal, and needed to be treated like one. And she claimed that whipping builds posture and makes you more gentle and lady like.

Sometimes it hurts to think about my past. Sometimes, but not all the time.

The last light went off half about an hour ago, perfect time to leave, tomorrow I'll get supplies and move on, three extra pounds on a weapon can wait until I get to the next stop. No more remembering, I'm getting far away form here. Maybe I should go back to Tinto, that's the closest to home I've ever been, and the closest to family. I stepped on the top stair and counted how many there were in the entire staircase. It's a universal rule that the first, third, and fourteenth steps creak. I jump over the last few steps and land catlike at the bottom, but when I made one more step forward my boots made a shuffling sound. A light clicked on. I'm screwed.

There was a woman standing there, I forgot Harell had a wife, and I forgot about what a bad taste in women he had. A cigarette was plastered onto her lips, her messy hair looked like an old, dusty wig that had been dyed blonde one too many times, her dull eyes seemed to be looking past you, instead of at you. She wore a black vinyl cocktail dress that was too loose at some parts and too tight at others, and she sounded like a camel when she began to speak.

"Are you a friend of Harell's?" she asked, I searched for the right words. I don't want to be associated with that man or the woman who stood in front of me. I just totally froze up, then boldly answered, "I wouldn't exactly know, ma'am, I'm robbing this place."

That was absolutely the stupidest thing I had ever said in my life. I rushed out the door, that woman probably called the city guards. If she did, I guess it will give me some time to let go of my anger, I've been too submissive lately. Sure enough, just as I'm rounding a corner someone grabs onto my shoulder, his hand is covered in the kind of leather most people used when handling swords. I swung around and punched him in the face, he stumbled and landed on the ground and I jumped after, planting a few kicks to the gut. While he was lying on the ground cursing I used the opportunity to stop behind the item shop and pick the lock to the door. No one will suspect this, they will have thought I ran off. The back room is full of potions, so I grab about ten of them and stuff them into my bag.