Bang, bang, bang
"Open the door, open the door, you people inside open the door immediately, or I’ll kick it down!"
The harsh voice of a man accompanied by violent knocking erupted, Nora and her grandmother shivered, clinging to each other, hiding in the small room, eyes staring at each other without saying a word, even their breaths instinctively held, afraid the faint sound of breathing would be heard by those outside.
Nora is a Free Person without status, or more aptly a drifter, living in this wilderness far from bustling towns since she was born.
Gathering in this dangerous wilderness are refugees from other places or those hiding away, serfs, hunters, and common folk, yet once they arrive in the wilderness, they become Free People with freedom.
However, though the wilderness offers mostly unattainable freedom for most ordinary people, it also requires facing dangers that most people need not face.
Because within this wilderness, visible dangers are aplenty: wandering Jackal-Wolf Men and Goblin settlements, bandit-loving Half-Beastmen and Kobolds, sometimes even Ogres crashing into village walls in a rampage.
Furthermore, wild beasts pose numerous dangers, neighbors who were chatting and laughing with Nora yesterday might lay amidst some remote wild corner the next day, accompanied by death.
Nora’s parents left her in such a manner, leaving Nora and her aging grandmother to depend on each other.
Though Nora heard the elderly in the village say their dwelling belongs to the territory of a Red Copper Dragon, Nora had never seen said powerful Giant Dragon, the small village faced accidents and dangers frequently, yet the Red Copper Dragon Lord never appeared to resolve them.
Perhaps the territory is too vast for the Dragon to manage, sometimes fantasies of dragon saving the village arise within Nora.
Luckily, due to living in such an environment, the people in the village are rather united, even if their days aren’t well-off, they’re willing to lend a helping hand occasionally, aiding young Nora and aged grandmother, thus Nora and grandmother survive.
Despite such difficult living, these spontaneously gathered Free People rather risk various dangers in wilderness to cultivate land and settle, unwilling to return to past lives of pain, oppression, and hopelessness.
Nora envisioned such a dangerous yet calm life lasting forever, until she matures, grandmother joins parents, and she establishes a new family in this place.
Until today, the village’s tranquility was once again shattered, but not by beasts or monsters, nor the dragon, but a raider-like group of humans.
These humans were baser and more brutal than Half-Beastmen and Kobold bandits, Half-Beastmen and Kobold bandits, even when breaking village defenses, merely steal food and livestock, occasionally abducting some women.
But these human raiders not only took away food and livestock, they dragged villagers hiding inside houses out to take along, in Nora’s eyes, the village’s strongest headman was overwhelmed when approached to question these raiders.
The only merit with these human raiders was not killing villagers, all defeated villagers were seized by raiders, their hands tied, feet locked like slaves meant for selling.
Nora, petite, hastened back home upon seeing this scene, barricading with grandmother, hoping to evade calamity.
Yet the impatience of those outside thumped through the already tattered door, crashing in.
A tall middle-aged man, dark cracked skin and oily shiny hair rendering him utterly desolate, dressed in fine Leather Armor, wielding a weapon obviously of high caliber, even to Nora who couldn’t discern.
In Nora’s eyes, these raiders seemed more like the mercenaries village-head uncle spoke of.
The middle-aged man bent down, peered under the table, crestfallen, muttering: "Just a girl and old woman, not worth much, should’ve picked another house."
"Uncle, we have no money, this house is the most valuable," Nora timid, blocking in front grandmother, yet committed speaking, "I could give house to you, or go with you, please don’t hurt grandmother!"
"Heh, what little worth’s a wreck house, it’s you that’s valuable, come with me, even your old grandmother fetches some price, don’t force me act, crawl out obediently," middle-aged man indifferent to Nora, wielding a finely engraved sword menacingly.
"Go, Nora, don’t defy this lord’s order, I’ll go with you, may still care for you last," grandmother’s watery eyes poured tears, withered hands caressing granddaughter.
"Hmm," Nora lip-bit nodded, supporting her grandmother crawling out, following middle-aged man exiting most warmest, safest shack that’s entire world to her.