Chapter 8: Home
Chapter 7
Kaizen pushed the wooden door open with his shoulder, muttering a quiet curse when it creaked louder than usual. His back ached, his legs felt like stone, and his shirt was sticking to his skin in places he didn’t want to think about. This raid would have been his best so far if those beasts hadn’t been so aggressive and powerful.
The moment he stepped inside, the smell hit him,pepper, spices, and something roasting over fire.
Finally Home.
"Kaizen?" his mother’s voice came from the kitchen, sharp and a little too loud.
"Yeah, I’m back," he called, dropping his stuff right by the door. "Still in one piece. Mostly."
She appeared a second later, wiping her hands on her apron, and the second she saw the gash on his face, her eyes narrowed.
"Kaizen, what in the five realms happened to your head?!"
The heart of a mother, always worried over little things.
He shrugged, already unstrapping his cloak. "It’s just a cut. Barely bleeding now."
"Barely bleeding? You look like you headbutted a beast."
"Funny you say that, one of them tried."