3 The first true friend

A week never seems to pass when all the people who know you laugh at you calling you My Lord. My father still can not look me in the eye, he is convinced that it is his fault if I, his son Simon, do not have a unique ability useful for a real job.

I do not worry. It's since I was born that I know I'm special. The deity of Fate often comes to me to help me learn to write, to memorize historical events or even just to talk. If it had not been for the exam I would have started thinking about being crazy and talking to myself with some creation of my sick brain.

In these years I trained my mind as much as possible, studying anything that came to me. Of course in a place forgotten by everyone like the one where I live was not easy but stealing written sheets, listening to the stories of the merchants and with the help of Elza my intelligence in ten years has risen by ten points. A huge effort that has cost me all my youth.

They seem a few points but Elza explained to me that a normal person has an intelligence of eight or nine points. Having eleven means to be already above average. They could have been more if I had not started with a single point, equal to that of a stupid animal, an earthworm.

My spirit has also strengthened. That sadistic of a deity led me to be afraid of my own shadow until over time I managed to raise my characteristic of twelve points. Now, through all these terrible experiences, I have the spirit comparable to a monk or similar. A great result for a child.

On strength and dexterity we lower a pitiful veil. In these years, not even sweating like a damned I managed to raise them above the two points. I am weak and slow like a baby.

The only person who does not make fun of me is my friend Desmond. It has always been a few words but since it ended up under the ice that had formed in the pool along the river, it has not been the same. I believe both his spirit and his intelligence have been hit hard. Now he can only understand if we talk to him slowly in the simple way possible.

Unfortunately, being the two most problematic children of all Ass Mountain we are always victims of the bullies .... or rather ... of all the children we know. That's why it's all week that I try to avoid putting a foot out of the house.

But Doris, my mother, does not think so. Today he decided that I must go out and go with her to see what the merchant brought last night.

"Come on Simon! I'm not asking you if you want to come, I'm telling you to do it right away. Move! Let's go to the well to see what the old Torf brought "

Looking up I answer him: "The usual things, it's useless for me to come"

"Move!"

Resigned I walk out the door, following my mother like a barely struck dog.

Around the well I can already see most of the women, the men are in mine for a few hours already. The merchant, an old man with a swollen belly and two big dark circles, is still preparing his goods on a cloth left on the ground.

Doris approaches to see. Simon thinks: "The usual things ... perfumes that nobody can afford, some gem of little value and the only goods that may make sense to sell here, spices".

Even Desmond's mother approaches the bundle and greets: "Have a nice day Doris, are you all right?"

"Yes, thank you Rowena, where's Desmond?"

"He's sitting near the well waiting for me ... mmm Simon, why do not you go keep him company"

"Gladly Madam" and without letting me repeat it twice I leave the women to my only friend.

Desmond is no longer sitting near the well but instead is in the foot trying to clean the mud dress that some child is throwing at him. "I told you it would be a great target for training" "You're right"

The children's laughter make Simon panick, who, by resorting to every single point of his strength, presses them, trying to push them away. The other three children do not even struggle to dodge and once seen tumble on the ground begin to rage with some kick.

Simon breathless remains on the ground motionless. Desmond ends up cleaning and then approaches him and helps him get up.

"Excuse me, Desmond, but instead of saving you, I'm just finished being beaten again"

Perplexed Desmond "You Should not Friend"

After the scene the two mothers meet with their children and they immediately understand what happened without even asking. Simon knows that for his mother and Rowena it is not the first time that something like this happens, in fact they will pretend nothing and we will finally return home.

Simon following his mother greets his friend "Hello Desmond, if they come back call me well, I can not help you but if they beat us both get tired first"

The other child slowly analyzes Simon's words and when he is away he greets him with a decisive gesture.

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The next day Simon decides to spontaneously go out. Arriving at Desmond's hut, he knocks at the door. Rowena goes out and greeting the child goes to look for the son sitting by the window.

Simon sees his friend and asks him "Let's go get some wood together? I tell you where it is and you help me to bring it? "As an answer Desmond mentions a yes with his head.

Arrived at the edge of the woods immediately near the houses Desmond slowly begins to speak. "Thanks Simon" still collecting the thoughts "you always help me".

Simon waving his hand tries to dismiss Desmond's sentence "Do not worry"

Desmond with agitated "Of course I worry". Then he stops and puts a hand on the shoulder of Simon "We are friends, you explain what I have to do and I will do it, I trust you as my mother or even more sometimes"

After a long pause "I'm slow to understand but if you tell me what to do I'll be quick to do it!"

The other child with a moved look "Well then my friend! I will be the strategist and you the general, pick up the wood and as soon as I have come up with something we'll make it pay to those three wasters! "

As if these last phrases were imbued with magic, Simon's unique ability is activated in such an imperceptible manner that even he notices the result.

"Incredible!" Elza yells at the two children who collect the wood. Simon, the only one who can hear her, asks in a whisper, "What?"

"You did not notice that your ability was activated for the first time. Thanks to the vote made by Desmond you are now responsible for him and he will follow you. You are like a king and his first knight "

"What nonsense!"

"Rinse your mouth when you talk to a deity like me" and as if by magic, Desmond's characteristics start to appear in front of Simon's eyes. "Thanks to his trust in you he benefited from a bonus in intelligence and spirit! Now his characteristics have risen from a miserable one to a more useful four! "

"It's true! It means that now he is back almost as before "At the last exclamation Desmond turns around and with an unsuspecting greater reaction speed asks" All right Simon? "

Simon red in the face "All good friend, you know that sometimes I like to mumble alone stories to pass the time."

Elza meanwhile doing exaggerated "And you have not yet seen yours!"

Simon at these words turns around and looking at his features let slip a few tears from his eyes. Both his strength and his dexterity have risen to a more acceptable value of six points for the first and five for the second.

"I'm not a newborn anymore!" Thinks Simon, convinced that nothing can make him happier until he finishes looking at his characteristics, realizing that next to his Emperor skill a new 'Minor Warrior' ability has appeared. "Nobody has two abilities!"

Divinity before disappearing "Yeah, that's the power I gave you! If you do not die earlier, you will become stronger and stronger with you and the people who will follow you "

Incredulous Simon raises a wood and throws it with all his new strength. "Incredible went beyond my feet today!"

Looking at the friend who has already accumulated a large pile of wood. "Desmond I already see a thousand possible plans to take revenge on the three delinquents but I think that with your strength we can deal with them directly. In this way they will have to accept defeat by force and perhaps they will stop tormenting us. "