The Simple Hero

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''A Simple Farmer'' In one of the rural provences of Agacata, there used to live a farmer and his family. Their work was difficult at times, and they were not wealthy like others might aspire to be, but they were content. They knew how the war with the Root Of All Evil was tearing apart other provinces, and they were perfectly happy staying out of the fighting. [[None of them wanted to be a hero, despite what happened next.->The Festival]]

''Festival Day'' Everything changed on the day of the [[Brightburrow Festival->Brightburrow Festival]]. The province had been on edge ever since the nieghboring town was attacked, but today everyone was determined to forget their troubles. No monsters or bandits had been seen in months, the armies were passing by almost a hundred miles to the west, and the harvest brought in more than enough food for everyone.The only thing that darkened the day for the farmer and his family was the fallen tree that blocked part of the barn door. The tree had fallen during the night as a storm passed through, forcing some of the animals to share stalls with others. The farmer knew that it could wait until after they got back, but the sheep nearest to the door was looking particurally disgruntled at the pig that was sharing her stall... [[Did he stay behind to clear the tree?->Bad News]] [[Or did he leave it until later?->Trapped]]

''The Brightburrow Festival'' Every year, just before the winter frost sets in and the crops are all brought in, Agacata celebrates Brightburrow. It's a time to bring in the last of the crops, harvest the last of the fruits, and rest before they started preparing for winter in earnest. The festival itself is a riot of color, both from the myriad of toys brought to sell and the bonfires with packets of dye thrown in. It's a time of wonder and magic, and one of the few holidays that all Agacatains look forward to.

''Bad News'' The farmer was almost finished clearing the tree when the first shouts came from the village. By the time that he had dragged the pieces of the trunk to the woodpile the news had spread: another branch of the Root Of All Evil's army had come out of nowhere and attacked the local keep, where the Brightburrow Festival was being held. The farmer was leaving his farm when a boy ran up the dirt path and told him that his family had been captured. The farmer would later swear that those words had nearly stopped his heart. His wife and children had been captured by the most feared force in Agacata, and anyone who might be able to help was certainly occupied by the fighting to the west. [[Does he wait for the Agacatan army?->A Family Lost]] [[Or does he decide to do something on his own?->A Bold Plan]]

''The Attack'' The first hour of the festival is everything the family could have hoped for. The children laughed and shrieked with delight at the sparklers and silks displayed at every stall, his wife smiled fondly at them, and the farmer himself felt his heart swell at their happieness. The lord of the keep had spared no expense, and everyone agreed that it was worth it. Then someone near the gate screamed, and the festival was plunged into chaos. Within minutes the guards were killed and the civilans herded into groups. The farmer held his family tight as [[Servants Of The Root->Servants of the Root]] crowded around them, jeering as the children whimpered in fear. [[The farmer could only hope that someone would save them.->Gone]]

''Hopeless'' For over a week the farmer waited, desperately hoping for some news of his family. None came though, and after a few months he began to lose hope. When he learned a year later that the Servants of the Root had somehow smuggled their prisoners out of the keep without being seen, he gave up completly. Ever since then he became known as a hermit, a broken man who couldn't bear to see others when his own family was likely trapped in one of the Root Of All Evil's prisons. [[The End.->Ending]]

''Preparations'' The farmer wasted no time as he gathered everything that might help him. His shovel had a sharp enough edge, and he knew firsthand how many problems could be solved by digging around them. For a shield he grabbed his daughter's minature achery target, hoping that the wood that stood up to her wild arrows would protect him. His "armor" was hastily-woven corn stalks, thick enough that he didn't feel anything when he knocked into an upturned pitchfork. Lastly, he pulled his favorite straw hat low on his forehead. The other vilagers watched in shock as the farmer set out towards the keep. "Where are you going?" they cried. "You won't be able to save them!" they told him. He ignored them all and walked out of town, heading for the keep where his family was held. [[Did he stop to rest during the night?->An Early Attack]] [[Or did he keep going?->The Cold]]

''Servants Of The Root'' The Servants of the Root are the foot soldiers of the Root Of All Evil, and are feared throughout Agacata. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they only have two things in common: their dedication to the Root Of All Evil, and their love for destruction. They roam Agacata in packs, sacking any villages that they come across. Everyone fears hearing the war drums, and for good reason.

''A Family Lost'' The farmer and his family managed to stay together for almost a year before they are seperated, a rarity in the Root Of All Evil's prisons. Then the guards had taken the children away to another camp, and later the farmer's wife was hauled away to work in another sector. The farmer himself was sent to a labor camp near the Root Of All Evil's fortress, and was never heard from again. Back in their village, those who were left behind would sometimes wonder about farmer and his family. They had been well-liked, and it saddened them to think about their fates. They knew that no one captured by the Servants of the Root ever escaped. [[The End.->Ending]]

''The Camp'' The farmer rose up in the morning rested and ready, glad that he had taken shelter that night. The Servants of the Root were rumored to bring about upsets in the natural order wherever they went, and it seemed like they had brought an unnatural chill with them. Unfortunately for them, the farmer had spent years keeping track of the weather paterns, and he knew when something was wrong. So he followed his instincts and the cold wind blowing from the west and left the path, turning away from the keep. It didn't take long before he found the camp, surrounded by monsters and under the shadow of a dam. The prisoners were huddled in the middle, watching their captors with fear in their eyes. The farmer could see his wife and children huddled off to one side, and his heart ached to see them so scared. They were probably about to be taken to the rest of the Servants of the Root, and he knew that he needed to act quickly. [[The supports of the dam caught his eye...->The Flood]]

''Cold Night'' The farmer tried to push on through the night, his gaze set on the far horizon. Thoughts of his family filled his mind, filling his body with a restless drive. No one can sustain themself with determination alone though, and the farmer was no exception. As the night wore on and the moon rose higher the farmer slowed. His once-sure steps became sloppy and slow, his heartbeat sluggish in his chest. Eventually he fell to the ground, unable to continue his march. The next morning a group of Agacatan soldiers came across a frozen body on the road. "Poor sap," one of them commented. "Probably heard about the attack and got caught in the frost." "Unlucky fellow," another one agreed. "I could have sworn we didn't get cold like this until a month after Brightburrow." A small group took the farmer back to his village, while the rest marched on. There was no time to mourn while the Root Of All Evil was a threat. [[The End->Ending]]

''Thanks for reading!'' [[Play Again?->A Simple Farmer]] Or play the game at agacata.io!

''Striking A Blow'' The farmer snuck over to the dam and raised his shovel high, aiming for one of the supports. Down below a few of the guards caught sight of him and started shouting just as his shovel came down on the wooden beam. The one strike was enough to break the dam, sending a wall of water crashing down over the camp. The monsters shrieked and screamed as their skin bubbled, while the prisoners cheered at their sudden rescue. As soon as the monsters were all dead the farmer hurried down the hillside, running straight to his family. As the other villagers celebrated around them he hugged his family tight, quietly promising to never let them go again. [[The farmer returned home with his family.->Home]]

''A Simple Life'' Within a day the whole province had heard about what the farmer had done, and soon news spread throughout Agacata. Nobles came to the farmer's door to ask him to enter their service, or at the very least tell them how he defeated the Servants of the Root. They always left disapointed, as the farmer wasn't willing to leave his family behind and no one believed him when he said that all he had done was flood the valey. They thought that the Root Of All Evil would never give the rest of his army the same weakness as the Landsharks. The farmer paid no mind to the irate nobles, or the war that raged throughout Agacata. When stories reached the village of a hero that charged into battle armed only with farm equipment who dispatched entire armies he laughed and changed the subject. He had his family, and he had his farm, and he wouldn't give his simple life for anything in the world. [[The End.->Ending]]

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