William has lived a hard life, which is an oddity in and of itself in a perfect town like Aldrip. Unlike most, he came from outside its walls, from the forest (or so he's told). He's too young to remember his time there but he DOES remember the way everyone else treated him whilst growing up. Avoiding him, whispering about him - no-one would dare do anything so blatant as bully, oh no, that goes against the spirit of living in this idyllic town. He does have a single friend in Ange but he tries to distance himself from her (for her sake, he tells himself) as they grow older.
He ends up becoming a mercenary. A hunter for hire, dirtying his hands so none of the virtuous, law-abiding citizens of Aldrip have to themselves. But he also earns himself a bit of a reputation for being a vigilante, interfering in matters that should by rights be judged by the gods.
William doesn't care. Let them judge him when his own time comes. If they won't act against bad deeds when they happen then he'll do it for them.
1. The hunter
William returns from the forest with a brace of rabbits slung over one shoulder. As usual, it had been a good hunt. Actually, he's not sure there is ever a terribly bad hunt. Sometimes there are less rabbits than usual, or deer, but it's somehow fitting that such a 'perfect' place also never goes hungry.
What would it be like, he wonders, if all the wildlife were to someday vanish? Leave the people starving. See how their precious goodness holds up then--
He gives a sharp shake of his head. There's a clatter nearby and he halts abruptly, tense. Sometimes the other teenagers like to 'prank' him. Nothing terribly harmful. Just annoying. Immature.
"Come out here already and get it over with!" he calls out.
2. Anomalies
There's a maze. William would swear up and down that he has just been through a dark, winding tunnel, getting lost, doubling back, until he finds the centre and gets hit with such a deep, desperate sense of being alone that it has even him turning to strike at the rock to try and claw his way out--
But then he wakes up and it all melts away. Like a dream.
He looks off for the rest of the day though, distracted, glancing around at any little thing he catches out of the corner of his eye. He spots something that doesn't feel like it belongs in Aldrip and stoops to pick it up, only to yell and snatch his hand back as though burned. Images in his head. No, memories? Memories of a far more idyllic life than this, if that's even possible. Loving family, friends, the warmth of a goddess' embrace--
Shaken, he turns his back on the thing and strides away quickly. The townspeople don't need more reason to see him as an oddity.
He doesn't want people calling him delusional. He KNOWS there should be a butcher there. He goes there regularly to deliver the results of his hunts. But...today it isn't. A shop doesn't just up and disappear overnight.
William G Maryblood | The Faraway Paladin | open (will match format)
William has lived a hard life, which is an oddity in and of itself in a perfect town like Aldrip. Unlike most, he came from outside its walls, from the forest (or so he's told). He's too young to remember his time there but he DOES remember the way everyone else treated him whilst growing up. Avoiding him, whispering about him - no-one would dare do anything so blatant as bully, oh no, that goes against the spirit of living in this idyllic town. He does have a single friend in Ange but he tries to distance himself from her (for her sake, he tells himself) as they grow older.
He ends up becoming a mercenary. A hunter for hire, dirtying his hands so none of the virtuous, law-abiding citizens of Aldrip have to themselves. But he also earns himself a bit of a reputation for being a vigilante, interfering in matters that should by rights be judged by the gods.
William doesn't care. Let them judge him when his own time comes. If they won't act against bad deeds when they happen then he'll do it for them.
1. The hunter
2. Anomalies
3. It's all wrong
4. Wildcard