1. What happens in Lowtown...

Western continent, the mountains outside of Lowtown. 4th March 826 7:08 a.m.
A boy had just woken up in some mountains. Wh- where am I? Aww... my head hurts. Huh! Who am I!? How did I get here?

Western continent, Lowtown 4th March 826 9:33 a.m.

A lot of wooden buildings, most of them lined up next to each other, opposite another line of buildings that looked almost identical. Some of them were homes, some of them were shops, and some of them were both. However, there were certain buildings that didn't look like the others at all. That was the towns hotel, a building about five times as big as a regular one, then there was Lowtown Bar, three times as big as a regular house and the Gold Mine Casino. While twice as big as the hotel the casino also had the biggest and shiniest sign out at the front, saying CASINO (of course), with a picture of a roulette fittingly being inside of the o. The town itself was build at the foot of some mountains surrounding half the place. There was only one way into the town, and only one way out, unless you jumped over some of the buildings. It was a quiet day in Lowtown, at least it was quiet, until a specific girl walked into it. Well... right after she walked in it was still quiet and all, but it wasn't for too long. The sun was shining brightly. It was probably about thirty-three degrees out in the sun. Not many people were out at the time, and the ones who were out, all seemed to be tired, and quite fascinated about the cup of tea right in front of them, as they ate their breakfast and talked about the plans for the day. In fact they were so busy with their tea, that no one seemed to notice her as she entered the town, passing that broken sign saying Welcome to Lowtown. She was 16 years old. She had golden-blond hair hanging down to her shoulders. Her white t-shirt didn't go all the way down to her navel, and her brown skirt barely reached her knees. The t-shirt was actually meant to cover a girls entire body, and the skirt was supposed to easily cover one's knees, they were simply too small. She had no socks, but red shoes with white stripes. At the right side of the chest on her t-shirt there was a brand. It was the wests most famous brand, LadyStar. It was a pink star, and inside of the star, LadyStar was written with shiny golden letters. Her skirt was also a LadyStar, it had the brand filling most of the back. Only the shoes were a different brand. It was the famous Agility Pro, the worlds most popular shoe brand, they provided both speed and comfort.

She had walked for a very long time, the exhaustion in her blue eyes and her heavy breathing gave that away. A little dried blood and some scratches on her left leg showed that she must have had tripped on some rocks. She walked slowly, carefully looking at the people she passed by, while making it look as if she was somehow simply amazed by the old buildings. And she actually kinda was. She had only been to one other town in the West, but the one she had been to looked much more lively and bigger than this one. As she walked she occasionally looked behind her shoulders, as if she were afraid that something was following her. But when she saw the towns hotel she suddenly stopped. The fear in her eyes turned into relief, and she then made a little smile and said to herself with a tired voice- Finally... rest.

Western continent, Lowtown Bar 4th March 826 11:15 a.m.

Lowtown Bar, the second most cheerful place in town. It looked like what you would expect any other bar in a small western town to look like. It was just one big party all day. Some people came and left, while some stayed there all day, everybody knew each other. They drank, they sang and they usually broke a lot of stuff too, not on purpose though. Almost everyone was very friendly, but somehow there still was at least three bar fights a week, sometimes for no reason at all. It was like the fights became a tradition, they could even be triggered just by someone randomly yelling, Barfight! However when he walked in things got pretty quiet. He was about 16 years old, his hair was pale brown and spiky, and his tired green eyes made him look like he was half asleep. He walked up to the desk, stiff and empty... almost like a zombie. Suddenly the bar wasn't quiet anymore, now the people had started talkingCrikey mate, who is that guy? I've never seen him before. Bloody hell, take a look at that crazy outfit. I... is he a samurai? No way man. They only exists in the east, you know that. They all took a good look at the teenage boy wearing a green kimono and wooden sandals who just walked into the bar. The bartender however just looked at him once and askedWhat'll it be kid? The bartender, Jerry, was thirty-eight years old and had moved to Lowtown at an age of ten, when his father had opened the bar. Jerry had only left the town on very special occasions. In the past twenty-eight years he had seen a lot of strange persons walk trough Lowtown, most of them criminals trying to escape the police. He knew never to ask strangers too many questions, and he was certain that any guy in a kimono could cause trouble in the bar. But the kid didn't seem too lively. With his dried mouth that hadn't had anything but spit in it for days, except for all the dirt that were in his mouth when he woke up in the mountains, he whispered the words- Water and food, please... Hey, what's your name kid? The kid didn't even know who asked the question, but neither did he care. He

just said with a hoarse voice- Spence.

Lowtown Bar 4th March 826 About ten minutes later

Is- is he still eatin'? Oi Jerry, how much has he eaten by now? That was all the eggs, and the meat is half gone. Do you even think he'll even be able to pay for all that? Spence was too busy eating and didn't hear anything of the conversation going on around him, except for that last part. Upon hearing that, he instantly spat at out all the meat he was currently stuffing himself with, yelling- Holy frick! I don't have any money! Jerry, whos west was now filled with chewed meat mixed with whatever amounts of water there was in Spence's mouth three seconds earlier, calmly said- Meal's on the house. Then he took off his west, put it somewhere under the desk, and pulled out a brand new identical one. Really!? Spence said. That's awesome! Thank you Jerry. There is one condition though.

Western continent, Lowtown Hotel 4th March 826 11:02 a.m.

Hotel Lowtown, way too many rooms for a place that usually only had an average of eight occupied rooms. And the ones renting those rooms were usually just people who lived in the town anyway. But that was different now that the hotel had two guests, who didn't already live in the town. The first one had stayed there for some days now, and he had gotten used to the small town. He had come from Hightown, a town lying on top of the mountains outside of Lowtown. It was a much bigger and more populated town than Lowtown, but he liked Lowtown better. After all, as the wests most successful bounty hunter, he was always seeking new challenges, and since he had already killed, or captured every dangerous bounty in Hightown, he had now moved on to Lowtown. From his base in Hightown he had captured bounties for more than 200.000.000 zetsels, but he still wanted more. He was visiting Lowtown because a new bounty had appeared. After he had captured the next bounty, he was planning on caching bounties all over the world. The bounty hunters name: Theron Gnther aka. Vicious Hunter Gnther. The other guest had arrived in the morning. Even though she had looded pretty beat up, she had only needed to rest for a very short time, before she was ready to check out the town. She had somehow gotten a weird habit of talking to herself, so as she was getting ready to leave she said- Okay Clare, time to hit the casino. She was trying to get rid of this habit, but it wasn't going too well. She had decided to buy a horse, in order to reach the next town. She was even considering buying a wagon, to keep all her stuff in. She

didn't actually have any stuff at the time, but she was planning on getting a whole lot of clothes. All she needed was some money. To her, that of course meant one thing, casino. But before she had even gotten all the way out of her room, she checked her wallet to see if she even had enough money to get into the casino. She was lucky, she still had 200 zetsels left. She looked at them, almost as if they had offended her, before she put them back in the wallet that she didn't seem to like either. A couple of minutes later she was sitting at a blackjack table, surrounded by an amazed crowd of nicely dressed people, wearing suits and fancy dresses. They weren't just staring at her because, she was a stranger with odd clothes, it was also because she had, in a couple of minutes, won 40.000 zetsels. Wow that girl is on a roll. She hasn't lost a single hand. Well, Who would have thought. With a huge smile on her face, Clare said with a bragging voice- Yes! Blackjack, I win again. The crowd started clapping. Clare now had a total of 50.000 zetsels. She was just about to leave, but felt like she had to say goodbye to the crowd, still staring at her. Well, I'll be going now, see ya later... I guess. Not so fast Frulein, Theron Gnther said. had seen her performance, and would now like to challenge her luck. Clare, who hadn't seen where the voice came from, looked confused around. Her eyes stopped at one of the poker tables, where a man, with a strangely long briefcase next to him, was sitting. They took a good look at each other. The man was tall, muscular, and had silver-hair. Clare thought he must have been last in his thirties, but he was really only thirty-four years old. For some reason Clare found him somewhat frightening. Maybe it was because of the three scars, spread across his face, or maybe it was the two rueby guns, in his belt. When Clare thought about it, she actually couldn't find out which one was the more intimidating. After a short silence, Clare asked- Wh- what do you want? I vant to play a little game... of poker. No thanks, I was just about to leave. Maybe next time. Come on, zis will be fun. And don't take me for a fool. There isn't going to be a next time. Clare had already decided not to take such a risk. She'd rather just get out of there as quickly as possible. After all, she still had those small uncomfortable clothes on, and 50.000 should be enough to get her a new wardrobe. She didn't want anything to do with the man, and she certainly didn't want to lose her money. I'm sorry, but I really have to go now, she said. Ahh well, maybe next time zen. Auf wiedersehen. As Clare left, she couldn't help but to feel a bit uneasy from Gnther's last sentence. Well, she couldn't worry about that now. She had to find some new clothes. On the main street, Clare quickly found a nice looking clothes-shop. Actually it was the only one in town that didn't look completely torn apart, but it also had a sign, which said: Best of West. There also was a cute dog standing out in the front. (at least Clare thought it was cute. Other people would usually describe

it as: big, smelly, terrifying and evil). The dog was chained to the building, guarding it from everyone with a suspicious smell or look. It appeared to be very hungry. Even though she could have walked straight into the shop, Clare stopped and looked at the dog with curious eyes. She then bended down and clapped it on the head saying- Aww, what a cute frog. Of course she knew the difference between a frog and a dog. She just didn't know the right words for them. The dog just turned its head in the opposite of Clare's direction, without making the slightest sound. That just made Clare smile and say- Well, looks like somebody isn't very talkative, but then again, you aren't used to talkative guests are you?. Must be lonely out here. Guarding this place, all by yourself. I hope you have a nice owner. I'm actually on my way to... After a little conversation with the frog (in which Clare did all the talking) she went inside. The owner of the shop looked like he could be anywhere between forty an sixty years old. He was wearing a black suit with a tie. When Clare got inside, the shop owner immediately made a joke about how it was about time she bought some new clothes, but as soon as he noticed the overly stuffed wallet in her hand, he suddenly got very serious. But jokes aside, he said, welcome to Best of West, the finest clothes-chain on the continent. You look like you have a very fine taste. Over there you'll find our best clothes. He pointed towards the left half of the building. Clare found all the western brands there, but she only liked about three of them, she found the other ones a bit silly and, or ugly. A couple of minutes later she was back on the streets, now wearing clothes which fit her. She was wearing a blue denim skirt, a black LadyStar t-shirt, and black and white Agility Pro shoes. She was also carrying four bags containing all the other clothes she had bought. She hadn't planned on buying that much, she just couldn't resist. While carrying the heavy bags, Clare soon came to a conclusion- I guess I should just put this stuff in the hotel. After that, she decided to get something to drink, she arrived at Lowtown Bar. As she was walking towards the door, something suddenly came out through the wall she was walking in front of.

Lowtown Bar 4th March 826 11:24 a.m.

A condition? Look if this is about your west then I'll be happy to clean it, Spence said. Jerry laughed- As if Id make a kid do my laundry. I'm not that old you know. Then what is it? I want to know who you are, and where the hell you come from, kid. Hey stop calling me kid, I'm sixteen years old you know. That still makes you a kid in my book. Well anyway, are you going to tell me

where you're from? There was a brief moment of silence. Jerry had sent all the guests to the tables in the back. Of course some of them had protested, but they knew that Jerry was in charge, inside the bar. Sorry, but I don't really know... Spence said. Upon hearing that, Jerry got a little impatient. He told Spence to at least tell him everything he remembered. Spence concentrated, and there it was, every thing he could remember. He told Jerry that his name was Spence Bunker, and that he was sixteen years old. He also told about how he was most likely from the south (which made Jerry wonder why he was wearing a kimono), how he didn't know why he was in the west, and how the only person he could remember was a young woman. I can't even remember why I ended up on that stupid mountain! Spence said. The only thing I remember about my home is a house on a small island, and I know that the only continent that have such small islands is the south, so I must be from the south. How do you know that house is your home? I think I lived with that woman there, but she's too young to be my mother. Guess she could be my sister or something. So what are your plans kid? I don't know, I suppose I should try to get to the south. That way I can find my house. Then, Jerry had to try and explain just how difficult it would be to find one house, on an entire continent. Then what should I do? Spence asked with a seemingly worried voice. Could you give me a little help or something? Jerry almost chuckled. It wasn't like he found the question funny or anything, it just made him think about what kind of person he was. He explained that he wouldn't just help any random stranger, but also said that he could offer Spence a little help. The south is full of pirates, Jerry said, You won't survive without a weapon. The only ones who can survive in the south without a weapon, is people from the south, and since you don't remember anything about it, you will probably have to learn how to handle a weapon. Suddenly Spence was watching a memory where he and that young woman were fighting with swords. It felt like he was really there. The young woman started talking- What's wrong Spence, are you already getting tired? You really do need to train more. If I can beat you this easily, how are going to stand a chance against him? The woman didn't sound mad, she sounded disappointed. Spence rushed towards her with his sword in attack position, ready to strike. Of course he had no control over his body, since he knew it was just a memory. As he seconds later lay on the ground, beaten once again by the woman, he noticed that the sword they were using was rapped in something that looked like rubber. I think I have used a sword before, Spence said. Sorry kid, but that's not gonna be good enough. Luckily for you, weapons and combat training is something I can help you with. You mean you can train me?

No, I don't have time for something like that, but I know someone else who can train you. You see, entering the south could be entering a war-zone. You'll never know when the pirates could attack you. You could easily end up in a war-zone. Lucky for you, I have a friend who fought in a few wars. His name is Leofwine, he's a blacksmith now. If you tell him you're one of Jerry's friends, he would almost do anything for you. Spence was just about to ask why, but as if Jerry had read his mind, he answered- He fells like he owes me his life, just because I saved him once. Cool Jerry, what did you do? Maybe you should ask him that yourself. Spence hated when people kept secrets from him. He was a very curious boy. So, he asked Jerry again, this time in a begging voice. Jerry just ignored Spence's and moved on- You'll find Leofwine in the city, Corlor. It's located a good amount of miles to the south-west. Lowtown here is located close to the north-east coast, so that means, after you have been trained by Leofwine, you'll have to go back the same way you came from, only a little souther, in order to reach the only town you can get on a ship, going to the west Torp. It's an annoying side-trip, I know, but still necessary, if you want to survive. It's okay. It sounds pretty simple. Cockiness will only get you killed. Robbers and murderers would love nothing more than a defenceless little kid. Spence, who was now getting really tired of being called a kid, then saidDon't worry Jerry. I'm not completely defenceless without a weapon. Even though it's a little shady, I don't think I could have walked all the way to this town, if I didn't have a good amount of stamina and... Spence was interrupted, by a man who suddenly walked in, saying- Guten tag, Jerry. The man looked around, as if searching for someone. He then sat down next to Spence. Spence looked at him and asked- Hey, um... who are you? As the man ignored him, Jerry answered the question. This is Theron G... Jerry didn't get to say anymore, as he was interrupted by the man sayingJerry, ze guests are all sitting in back. Tid you put zem in ze corner because of anozer bar fight? Jerry was just about to answer Theron's question, in form of sarcasm, when Spence interrupted, saying that Theron should stop ignoring him. Unfortunately for Spence, Theron did not like being bossed around. Kid, hafe you ever heard of Theron Gnther, or Vicious Hunter Gnther? Theron said. No I haven't, but I have a feeling you're both of them. You are correct, kid. But since you don't know what that means, I'll have to explain. You hafe ten second to leave, before I kill you. Spence didn't believe him at first, but as Jerry quickly found a map under the table and tossed it to him, he started to feel uneasy. Come on Jerry, he doesn't mean it. He does mean it. Get the hell out of here! Jerry knew the police wouldn't care if Theron killed an unknown boy, but Spence was just sitting there, nailed to his chair. Suddenly Theron reached- Zero. And from there on everything went fast. Theron punched Spence in the stomach, so he flew right into the wall, and before Spence had even hit the ground, Theron punched him again,

forcing him through the thin wooden wall. As Theron was about to go outside, in order to finish the job, Jerry said something that apparently stopped him. Theron then sat down and got a drink. Of course some of the people in the back had wanted to help Spence, but as Theron could've snapped and destroyed the bar completely, no one did.

Western continent, Lowtown 4th March 826 Right after the bar-incident
There wasn't many people wandering the streets of Lowtown. Clare was just about to enter Lowtown Bar. A couple of girls walked past her a few metres away, talking about the latest gossip in town. Clare couldn't hear what they were saying, but then again, she barely even noticed them. As Clare was walking up close to the walls, just about to reach the door, she heard a sound coming from the wall. She stopped and looked at the wall, as if she was expecting to heard something, again. Then it happened. The wall cracked, and a boy came flying out of it. Clare jumped backwards, almost automatically. It was only when she found out it was a human, she ran over to see if he was okay. Spence lay on the ground, coughing. He couldn't talk, but even if he could, he would only swear at Theron... no, Vicious Hunter Gnther. Even though he was severely injured, the only thing he could think about was that bastard Gnther. Clare asked the boy if he was okay. Stupid question, when she thought about it. The boy couldn't even answer, he was clearly having trouble breathing. Clare sat and stared at him for a couple of seconds, completely in shock. She then yelled- Help! But nobody came.

Western continent, Lowtown 4th March 826 Sunset

Clare had gotten the boy away from the bar as fast as she could. She had then asked some women if there was a hospital in town. They had told her to ask at the hotel, so Clare had dragged the boy there. On her way she had almost constantly been watched, by various people. But Clare knew that that might have had something to do with the coughing body she had been dragging along with her. When she had arrived at the hotel, she had found out that the second floor was used as a hospital. She was now standing in a room, next to a bed with the boy in it. He had long since stopped coughing, and was now sleeping. Clare was hoping he would wake up soon. For some reason she found herself really worried about the boy she had just found. But then again, Clare had always hated to see people in pain. The room wasn't too big. In one corner, there was a couch, with the bed right next to it. Bookshelves was occupying two other corners, and the last corner had a door leading to a bathroom, with a toilet in it. The door to the hallways

was located right between the bookshelves. In the middle of the room, there was a square-table. Clare had been told that she could sleep on the couch, if she promised not to wake the boy up. The nurse, who had told her this, had been very friendly. She had even given Clare a big pizza, all to herself. Clare almost felt bad, that she had only been able to eat half of it. The nurse entered the room again. Her name was Paige, and she was 19 years old. She walked over to the bed, looking Clare in the eyes the entire time. Has he been awake? She asked. Clare's silence gave away the answer. I see. Are you going to sleep here? I know I've already asked you that, but the doctor wants to be sure.