Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Dev Log #29

Hi there, guys!

Right before the end of the month, surprise--it's another dev log!

I decided that since I had some time to spare, I would base this next post on the other option that was available during the poll held previously, namely based on our young adventurer-to-be's past!

Some, or most of this stuff might be brought up at some point during Chapter 2, but I wouldn't consider it too much of a spoiler as it has no real bearing on the main plot at hand--though if you wish to remain completely spoiler free diving into Chapter 2 it might be best to gloss over this one post. It also got a bit lengthy, which I apologise for.

As it may have been made apparent in the brief glimpses into his past made available, poor little Matthew didn't exactly have an easy life growing up. Born to a prostitute and a father who can we can only presume was one of the mother's many clients, never to seen or heard of again, Matt's conception was never intended. Despite this, even if his mother's 'profession' was less than savory, this didn't extend to her personality. In fact, his mother was known especially in her circle for her kind and caring demeanor with her clients that set her apart from many of the other girls working the streets who had grown cold and distant to the world they had been thrown into.

So when faced with an unexpected pregnancy, she didn't take the easy way out and simply ditch him at birth like many others in her position may have done. Instead, she gave him what little she had, ensuring that he always had a roof over his head and a meal to eat as he grew up over the years, even at the cost of her own well-being.

Little Matt was oblivious as to his mother's profession and the pair were able to live something of a happy life, even if poor. At least until the toll of the mother's selfless actions finally caught up with her body; skipping meals so that he could eat in her place, suffering abuse from more rowdy clients that she was forced to consort with in order to have enough money, coupled with the inability to purchase medicine for more common illnesses that could have been remedied--it all added up, culminating in her untimely demise.

So where did this leave poor little Matthew? Attending his mother's funeral, it was there he finally became aware of her true profession, as if a final punch to the gut in what was already a harrowing time.

Several 'co-workers' of his now late mother tried their best to take him in and ensure he had a roof over his head, but most were young and inexperienced, not realising the costs and effort that would come with raising a child. And since they didn't share the same kind, gentle spirit as his mother, nor had any familial bonds with him, any temporary housing he may have found with these girls was short-lived before they either ditched him, or out-right kicked him out, either unable to deal with the costs and pressure involved. He would rarely find himself a place to sleep for more than a few weeks--or months at the most. This cycle repeated itself as he slowly became used to what he was--a burden. The pity of associates of his mother and strangers alike being the one thing that kept him warm and away from the harshness of the cold outside.

The moment his mother died, so too did his childhood come to a swift and abrupt end. With the stress of finding a warm place to stay and a hot meal to eat taking the forefront of his young mind, he had little time to enjoy the more carefree aspects of life that kids his age should have been free to indulge in.

Once he was old enough and able-boded enough to work, any free, sympathetic handouts that were once available to him as a young child were closed off--the expectation now being that he had to really work for his meagre existence.

From his teenage years onward, his place of residence was a utility shed connected to the local inn. It was small, cramped, damp...susceptible to drafts and constant leaks during bouts of particular harsh weather...but despite all this, he still considered his home. It was something he'd worked towards for many months. He earned it; he was finally independent. He finally felt like he was no longer a burden on the town that had collectively raised him over the years. Of course, he still had to work his fingers to the bone every day for a variety of residents to earn the small amount of coin that would mostly be syphoned straight back up by his rent, but this was the life he had been able to claw out for himself out of an otherwise miserable situation.

Socially, it probably comes as no surprise that young Matt struggled to connect with people. Growing up, he almost never had the time to play with children his age, and formed superficial connections at most with the adults that raised him prior to his independence. So when he finally found himself with free time, he was at a loss on how to socialise. All of the people his age had lived entire childhoods he had missed out on; attending school, making friends, finding love. There was no common ground; no connections to be found. He was always a mild-mannered, quiet kind of child given his situation, so to come out of his shell so suddenly, his interactions with people came off as awkward and stilted, repelling them from him quite quickly. There was also the stigma of his tainted background--the son of a common prostitute. It made him especially ugly in the eyes of the more judgemental.

As a bonus bit of information--even though he had little luck with the ladies, he actually did lose his virginity long before ever meeting his first monster companion. Feeling desperate one night with his desires to feel the warmth of another human in his arms, he took the small amount of money he had saved up and headed towards the shady, lawless part of town where girls of a certain profession roamed. Details of how he lost his virginity are hazy after this point, drowned in copious amounts alcohol and mentally repressed with immense embarrassment and shame, though it's suspected that his first time ended almost as quickly as it had begun.

So with little luck in companionship, he opted to spend what little gold he had left over from his rent money to drink the evenings away. Even with his independence now, he had no aim in his life, nothing to aspire towards. Hardly given an education over the years besides the little he was able to learn from his mother before her passing and whatever knowledge those who took him in may have passed onto him, he was unsure of what was out there in the world for him--what his calling in life may have been.

One faithful night at the inn, however, as he slumped against the counter nursing the one drink he could afford, he saw them. Adventurers. Their ornate and intricately designed armour gleamed like nothing he had ever seen before, filling his once dull and lifeless eyes with a near child-like sense of wonder. The sudden appearance of the adventurers completely dominated the atmosphere of the dark, grimy inn, illuminating it with their heroic presence alone. They boisterously regaled their latest adventures to all those who crowded around them in awe--not just captivating young Matthew alone. They were proud, confident, fearless. The ladies loved them. They were everything Matt wanted to be. Slaying monsters, succeeding in heroic quests, he hung off of their every word, mouth agape. To think that there was such a life out there, beyond just working for minimal pay to keep a leaky roof over his head. The moment the word 'adventurer' was uttered, that word stuck with him long after the group of adventurers had taken their fill of ale and awe and left just as gloriously as they had first appeared.

In turn, Matt found himself unable to stop thinking about that heroic group. He asked everybody he could about these 'adventurers' and where they came from, annoying both the general public and the library before one thing finally led to another and he scoped out the requirements and expectations for becoming an adventurer, leading him to work even harder than before to save up the funds to afford a sword worthy of an adventurer.

Being the naive person he is though, people exploited this newfound dream of his in order to shake what gold they could from him: A blacksmith looking for a quick profit cobbled together a sword from crude metals and charged a premium price for it, ensuring Matt is was of the highest quality. And a self-proclaimed 'expert' of the blade taught Matt how to wield his new sword, putting him at a step just above taking his own fingers off when whirling the blade about wildly. Being a washed-up old guard, the teacher had some credibility to what he was saying, though was terrible at tutoring others, resulting in the half-baked knowledge that Matt set out with on his very first quest.

It should be noted that the heroic bravado Matt had instilled in himself before venturing out on his first adventure was his best attempt to emulate the mighty adventurers he had once seen. His true personality would shine for better or worse soon after his first failure, the false ego he had set up for himself well and truly bruised after that.

And what happens from that first quest he takes should be obvious, where he encounters a creature he was vastly under-prepared for~

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Aaaand that about connects things back up to the start of Chapter One! Whew, what a write-up! Admittedly I'll probably come back to this and refine it at some point, but I feel it serves as a good basis for the history of our cute little adventurer-to-be.

I hope it was an enjoyable and informative read, even if a little long-winded!

And as always, if you have any other questions regarding anything here, or want to know something I may have glossed over, don't hesitate to ask!

Thanks again for the support, everyone and until next time!