Life Story

Page 1

Benjamin was raised in a mining village in the southern part of the continent, bordering a remote forest.

This was a region where harm from vermin and monsters was common, and his father was not only a craftsman, but a warrior respected for his bravery.

But one day, while out playing, Benjamin was attacked by an enormous monster known as the Lord of the Mountain.

His father, axe in hand, stood alone before the monster to defend his son, somehow managing to drive the monster back into the mountains.

But the injuries sustained during battle eventually took his father's life.

Page 2

While the entire village grieved, Benjamin was in shock, realizing that his father, whom he thought was invincible, was dead because of him.

He lost control of himself, often growing violent.

The head blacksmith of the village scolded the unruly boy as hard as he could, while the old lady who lived next door lent him a friendly ear and comfort him with soothing words.

Blood ties run strong in dwarven settlements. The adults around Benjamin patiently watched over him, aware of his situation and yearning for the memory of his brave father.

Page 3

As the years went by, Benjamin slowly began to cool down. He began to channel his unfocused passion into training to fight and quickly rose to prominence. By the time he came of age, he had become a taciturn but well-liked figure, taking on village security and hard-to-hand combat training, just as his father had done.

Benjamin was deeply grateful to the villagers who had overlooked his misdeeds and watched over him, and he wanted to protect them.

So one day, Benjamin approached the head of the dwarven hearth for permission to destroy the Lord of the Mountain. Once his plan was approved, Benjamin and the villagers spent several years researching the Lord of the Mountain’s territory and how his behavior changed with the seasons.

The blacksmiths and craftsmen worked together to build an especially sturdy trap, and all the able-bodied men of the village worked together to finally defeat the lord of the Mountain once and for all.

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The long-standing threat vanquished, the village was alive with festivity. Benjamin was celebrated by the villagers, lauded as the son of the village’s greatest warrior.

But it was through the efforts of everyone in the village that the Lord of the Mountain was defeated, not by Benjamin alone. What was more, Benjamin had lost a friend in the battle. Although everyone assured him that his lost friend would be happy for him, he blamed himself, wishing he had been stronger.

And so, Benjamin decided to leave the village. He thought to go to the outside world and train himself.

“I’ll be back,” was his short but determined farewell message as he set off from his village.