Lore/Story The Legend Of Bob, Chapter 1! (some Spoilers)

I finally finished chapter 1! Disappointingly, I only recorded the first half of Robert's early life, up until he was 8 and a day old. I had many other projects and school, etc. Ironically, all this time (5 months), my custom title has been:
Bob will be remembered at ANY cost.
I did not follow that phrase at all xD.
Ok, down to the story, shall we?

Spoiler: Billows Across Mortality

Chapter 1: Billows Across Mortality


Robert knew that he had always seemed… different to most of the people of Ragni, the city he’d always called home. His skin was pale, almost grayish, he happened to be taller than all the other 7-year-olds, and his mother, as he was told, died unknown in Ragni’s sewers during a raid. His adopted mother Momo repeatedly said that Robert was special, but normally he felt like a stranger roaming Ragni’s streets. Externally though, he proudly proclaimed how special he was, at least until one day. The day after the dream, in fact. -----------------

Robert woke up, yawned, and stretched before finally standing up and focusing his attention on the upcoming day. Hopefully, he would have time (after completing chores of course) to examine the shops for affordable treasures. But only having saved up 4 emeralds wasn’t going to buy him much. He walked into the kitchen and living space. The couch was empty. “Where’s Momo?” He asked himself. Normally, Robert and Momo switched off using the bed in the tiny room to the side of the main space. Robert had it today while Momo would have it tomorrow.

Robert entered the kitchen part of the room and rummaged through the pantry chest, grabbing an apple and crunching down on it. No more breakfast after this. Robert thought mournfully. Momo and Robert were very poor. Poor enough that they could only eat three tiny meals a day, and their house was barely inside the northern wall. (Not to mention the fact that the house was a two-room worn town shack.)

Momo served odd jobs for all the farmers, lugging carts to the bakery from the farms and back for precious food. Remembering that he was looking for Momo, Robert exited the house, apple core in hand, and trudged towards the garden out back behind his home. He made sure to avert his gaze from the nearby, horrid sewers. True to his guess, Momo was tending to the garden.

Maybe I can have fresh food! Robert thought hopefully. As he came closer though, he noticed the wilting plants. “Are the plants dying?” He asked. Momo sat up, startled for a moment. “Oh yes, sadly. I might be able to recover them, but this soil…” Robert could guess what she was wishing for. He also wished for a better-located home for the two of them. The plants dying here said much for the bad quality of the soil. Momo had a gift with plants which allowed her to grow crops here in previous years. But the soil had decayed in value. Robert stared at the apple core and tossed it next to the patch of tomatoes. “Will it start growing?”

“Yes, but not for long. The apple needs nourishment from the soil.” Momo pronounced the word nourishment slowly as Robert didn’t know the word yet. Then she explained the word. “Nourishment means the food for the plant… mostly.” Robert sorted the words in his head. “Ok.” He replied, satisfied at the answer. “Here, I’ll show you how to plant it.” Momo responded. “Plant a plant?” Robert wondered aloud. Momo smiled fondly at her adopted son. “Something like that.”

After learning more about growing and gardening, Robert completed his chores and asked his mother if he could play at the park. “Sure, Robert. Be back by four in the afternoon.” Then he raced from the house so fast that Momo had to shout, “But be careful!” after him.

Robert stayed at the edge of the main road once he reached it. Carts and wagons bustled about carrying packages to and from farms. Several merchants shouted out their wares from booths along the road. He hummed a tune and enjoyed all these sounds together. He entertained memories of tree-climbing which kept him from noticing, this time, the whispers that followed the seven-year-old. It also kept him from noticing the runaway cart barreling straight towards him.

“Watch out!” The cart’s owner shouted. Robert was jolted from his happy place and into the annoying reality of ‘about to be run over by a cart'. Luckily he reacted fast and sprang quickly into some bushes, checking to see if he was intact. The cart’s edge had scraped his shin and a small trickle of blood ran from the cut.

It doesn’t hurt that much. It doesn’t matter. He thought. Despite calling out after losing control of the cart, its owner didn’t check to see if he was alright, but Robert didn’t care.

Later, after crossing the King's road, Robert took a left to reach the park. He approached the park until he heard a vicious shout. “Hey creature! Where were you hatched?” The voice of an older kid came from a cluster of bushes, apparently directed at Robert. He clenched his fists, ready for a fight. Then the voice came again. “Oh right, the sewers. You sort of look like one of those rats.”

Coward!” Robert exclaimed as he grabbed a rock to fling at a tree near the taunter. Its aim was true and it struck the tree. Soon after, Robert started hearing sounds of scraping and backed away. A ball of mud came flying from the shrubbery and splatted hard against Robert’s shoulder, sending him spinning to the ground. “Get him!” The same voice bellowed. Three large kids raced from the bushes and Robert dazedly got up and retreated as fast as he could. I need to reach a road. He thought wildly, sprinting while avoiding the trees and buildings in the way. That’s safety. Luckily, he glanced back and had time to duck another mudball. Several seconds later, he reached the street.

A couple of people glanced his way and Robert slowed down. The small gang chasing him stopped, not wanting to cause a scene. Then the leader’s words reached him. “You think you’re special but your fate will make you dead or a coward.” This statement hit Robert hard and he rushed home crying.

“Mom.” He said, rushing to Momo’s arms. “Are you okay?” She asked caringly, patting his back.


Seven months later, a large raid occurred. But unlike the usual raids, it came from the direction of Pigman Ravines. A leader had risen from among the pigmen and supplies from Troms were cut off, at least until soldiers could clear the passage. The only food came from food grown inside Ragni and the occasional nearby farm when available. None of Momo’s crops could survive the soil and the small family never had much food to begin with, so they each had to take another job, a first for Robert.

It was on the eve of Robert’s eighth birthday actually, when Momo told him the news. “I found a job at the bakery for you, if you want it.” She began, while they were eating in a previously contemplative silence. “We’ll get more food and we might be able to afford school for you. Robert was excited. He always wanted to learn more about… well, everything! He was intrigued.

Momo continued while looking down at her plate. “Since you’re older now, I thought that this was time to give you more responsibility.”

“Okay.” Robert confidently replied. Due to the easy reply, Momo glanced up in surprise. “If you’re sure, I’ll tell the baker tomorrow.” They cleaned up from their meal without a word and Robert started to enter his room, but Momo stopped him. “Good night.” She smiled at him although her eyes darkened in worry for some reason. “Good night, don’t let any mites bite,” Robert responded. Momo let out a worried laugh and patted his head.

Robert couldn’t fall asleep quickly that night. Whether it was from nervousness or excitement, he couldn’t tell. His job started sometime soon and tomorrow he’d turn eight, big milestones in his life so far. Eventually though, he started drifting, drifting into dreams.

Then he remembered. He had flown above Ragni, but he couldn’t recall what he’d seen or heard. In a tiny fragment, he remembered plummeting. Falling, falling, falling, not recovering from the air, just as birds soaring above all could plummet as well.

This shocked Robert into wakefulness and he sat up gasping, not sure how much of that was a dream. After leaving his room, he noticed that Momo wasn’t on the couch. He wondered if Momo was rocking away on her rocking chair like she occasionally did late into the evening. He creaked open the front door rather quietly and peeked outside. It was surprisingly beautiful with the landscape of stars clashing with the earthen texture of dirt, grass, and trees beneath it. But Robert focused on the sky and realized he was content to stay near the ground.

He glanced to his left and saw Momo was indeed in her rocking chair, although it faced away from him. Then the child noticed the silence. It was an eerie silence that filled the area. And he couldn’t hear any animals moving or calling anywhere near him. He shivered in the warm air, a little worried.

“Momo?” Robert spoke, breaking the deathly silence. He looked towards the rocking chair and though he could clearly see an arm that was definitely Momo’s, he knew something was wrong. Then slowly, creakily, the chair spun to face him. Momo wasn’t there. Instead, a grinning black skeleton sat there and began to speak as Robert screamed.

“He of four masters will train.

All the world to lose or gain.

He’ll answer the call,

Although he will fall,

And the world will never be the same.”

The skeleton had a light, feminine voice as it steadily spoke its way through the poem. But as it reached the last words of the last line, it sped up the words and trailed off into sobbing, or at least, it sounded like that. The skeleton still held its psychotic gleam in its expression, staring hungrily at Robert’s frozen figure.

As they stood there, Robert urged himself to move, to escape, to survive, not coming close to bearing the possible reality of what happened. And finally, he felt his hand twitch, and… his legs worked. Robert ran. He sprinted inside and slammed the door, taking off towards his bed. Just a bad dream. He thought with desperation. As he fled underneath the covers, he woke up.

“Hmmm.” The soon-to-be hero yawned out, scrunching his eyes to block out the bright morning light streaming through the window. I don’t recall any dreams. Strange. Robert normally had dreams that he remembered. It was a rare occurrence if he didn’t. He wondered what he should do today. Momo had said she would tell the baker that he’d take the job, but Robert couldn’t guess when his job would begin. I’ll find out, he decided.

Momo told him that his job would begin tomorrow at midday at the bakery, helping to deliver food to the castle. She mentioned that she brought farm crops to the same bakery so they would see each other on occasion.

Robert had an uneventful day, at least until after dinner. Momo seemed… out of it, as she sat down on the small, ratty old sofa they owned and stared sadly at a picture of a bird Robert once drew. Suddenly, she spoke. “If there ever comes a time…” She trailed off and Robert turned his attention towards her. “A time?” He echoed curiously. Momo continued. “If there’s ever a time in which I get infected by the corrupted, then you…” Her voice cracked but her resolve seemed to harden. “You must understand that I don’t want to leave you on your own. But if I’m infected, then you must make sure I can’t hurt anyone by ending my suffering.” Her eyes still rested on the painting.

Robert backed away in horror, aware of the connotations of what she was saying.

“Never!” Robert shouted, and as he stood there, he realized he needed to get away from there. The walls were closing in on him, claustrophobia flared up, and he turned for the door. “I should’ve known it was too early,” Momo whispered. Robert heard but couldn’t understand as he ran out of the house, thinking that if he ran far enough, he would be able to forget the difficult truth Momo had told him.

His fears carried him far, past the northern gate and into Ragni’s fertile plains. A zombie groaned as Robert slowed down, and realized how far from the city he’d become. He couldn’t return to Momo now. A force, maybe simply his survival instincts dragged him towards the eerie sewers.

Moonlight streamed down on the outside of the entrance, contrasting greatly with the splotches of phosphorescent moss which clung to the slimy walls. Robert entered warily, simply guessing this was safer than the open plains where monsters could spot him from far away. He heard the slow, monotonous drip of water and a foreboding thrumming sound that changed pitch on occasion. He shivered with obvious discomfort. Dark corners where anything could be lurking aided the fear factor, as well as the narrow passages, and the bloodstains Robert tried desperately to ignore. But he felt there was something else about this place. Like the determination of its previous occupants, including his true mother, placed a sturdiness into the tunnels’ walls to ever make it a monument to Ragni’s survival. As Robert looked around, he realized what he needed to do. The urge overcame his fears. He needed to find his birth mother’s grave.

He trekked farther into the cave, hopping over stagnant puddles and avoiding sharp rocks. Soon, he veered left following the passageway. Two tunnels loomed before him. One tunnel continued straight for twenty meters or so. The other branched right five blocks forward. Robert stepped forward and saw that it ended in a curve, at least according to what he could see. Robert chose to go straight and after twenty meters came to another crossway. But this choice was easier because the left path was a dead end. To the right, he found more branching and followed his instincts to go the right way. As he looked down one tunnel, he saw a cave filled with rows and rows of gravestones. At the back of the cavern, a small tunnel twisted back into darkness.

Robert ran towards the gravestones and started checking them to find his mother. The grave might not be named, but I’ll be able to tell if it’s hers. He reasoned.

After checking several rows, Robert realized he wouldn’t find her tomb here. Intuitively, he walked past every row and approached the tunnel near the back. Its low ceiling made Robert have to crouch, but he was fine with that. The winding turns led him to a dead end, or at least that’s what he thought until he noticed a button embedded in the wall. Without any hesitation, he pressed the button and the end of the tunnel rippled and disappeared into the ground below.

Robert stepped forward into a cave with a higher ceiling, allowing him to stand up straight. His eyes landed on a small, cobblestone tombstone which was clearly the room's centerpiece. A small crack in the ceiling allowed moonlight to streak down in tiny rays, onto one part of the grave. “Could it be hers?” He whispered.

Suddenly, a loud scraping noise came from behind him. He turned around to see the wall closing back up. Robert lunged towards it, not wanting to be trapped in there, but he was too slow. “Okay then.” He told himself, turning back with a huff and studying the grave.

As far as the soon-to-be hero could see, nothing, no words or symbols could be seen on his side of the stone, but when Robert checked the other side, he saw words deeply etched into the dark rock. Luckily, Momo had taught Robert how to read and even though the words were rather small, Robert could read them.

It said, “May the woman who died here in tonight's raid rest in peace. Though we did not know her name, her memory will live on through her son.”.

After reading that, Robert then knew for certain that this was his mothers’ grave, and so he knelt and placed a hand reverently on the stone. Suddenly the stone shuddered and bright white lines appeared beneath the others. Robert soon made them out to be… unique symbols. Somehow Robert knew what they said.

“Fleeing from her land, then her people, she survived, but the darkness found her, just as it did all the others.”

Robert said these words out loud ponderously, not understanding what it meant. He stayed there for a moment, contemplating why someone would write that on her gravestone. I wonder what she was like. He thought to himself, wondering if she could be nicer, kinder, or bolder than Momo. Then it struck him like a bolt of lightning. Momo can never be corrupted. Not like… He couldn’t think of it.

Then he realized the next essential thing to do. Momo must have been worried about him, but he needed a way to protect her. To keep her from the ultimate punishment of corruption. Robert needed a weapon to protect her.

But first, he needed to get out of there. “Where’s the exit?” He asked, certain there was a way out. On his right, a gate of iron bars blocked him from the outside world. He started checking the walls for a button, lever, anything like that and found a rusty, well-hidden lever close to the bars.

Robert struggled to push the lever downwards. It creaked, but still stood firmly in its original position. He tried again harder, putting his full weight onto the thing. Instead of giving way, it simply inched down.

As Robert pushed it, the iron bars leading to the outside began to move. With a truly horrible squeal, they came to rest underground. Hesitantly, he hopped over the bars and started cautiously towards home. He made it eight steps before hearing the squeal again. Robert turned around.

The gate was closing itself, locking the body in there to rest. But then he caught a flash of something beyond the tomb vanishing from sight. He shivered in fear for the second time that day. He turned back right before hearing a soft clink behind him. He swiftly returned to face the bars and called, “Who’s there!”. Nobody was there. Then Robert gave up being brave and ran, avoiding everything that moved while heading for Ragni’s gate.

As he neared it, he formulated the idea of stealing a weapon. The blacksmith near the center of town likely had some daggers. The small weapons would be more useful if Robert could keep them with him at all times.

The blacksmith also owned a stall rather than doing business in a building. Although he was notorious for having a strict schedule, Robert could sneak in after dark while the blacksmith was asleep, snatch a dagger, and run home safer than ever.

Fate had different plans. Momo was arguing with a soldier at the gate. Faintly, Robert heard the soldier say it wasn’t safe on the plains at night, while Momo cried and said it didn’t matter.

When she saw Robert approach, she side-stepped the guard and ran towards her adopted son. “Robert!” She yelled. “How could you just run off into danger like that?” Nevertheless, she scooped him up in her arms and pecked him with a kiss on the cheek. Then she remembered to be stern again.

“You know not to be out here. You could have died… or worse.” This reminded Robert of what Momo had said earlier and he flinched. But she didn’t notice because now she was placing him on the ground. Then she grabbed his arm and walked briskly back through the outer gate.

The soldier crossed her arms and stared in silence as they neared her. “I’m sorry for giving you trouble,” Momo said politely to her while brushing away a final tear from her cheek.

She didn’t reply, instead, she looked out over the horizon away from the town towards the nearby ocean.

Momo led Robert firmly to their cottage before slowing to a halt. “Remember what I said earlier. I love you. Good night.” She ushered him inside and to his bed.

“I found my mother’s grave.” He blurted, sitting down. Momo stiffened as he began to cry silent tears. “What?” She asked in surprise.

“It was in the sewers. And she was lonely.” Momo softened her gaze. “She won’t be lonely, up there.” She told him, pointing up. “Or down in the earth.”

Momo left and Robert laid in bed. Thinking, thinking, thinking, about those phrases on the tomb. “The darkness found her just as it did all the others.” He shivered. Who were these ‘others’ mentioned? Then he fell into a dreamless sleep.


Robert woke up before dawn, despite the late night he’d had. He sat up quickly, realizing that now was the time to steal a dagger or two. He sneaked out of his room and quietly pulled the front door open.

Making sure that no one was nearby, he slipped out and bounded down the porch’s steps. Or at least he tried to. Instead, he tripped on the bottom step and landed in the dirt with a thud, letting out a yelp of surprise.

You could be a ninja with your stealthy skills. He thought wryly, brushing off the dirt and standing up in a very dignified manner. Dropping his pretenses, he set course for the blacksmith's shop in central Ragni.

He went a little slower due to his earlier fall and the dimmer foggy light which didn’t allow him to see more than several feet in front of himself. No one was on the streets, although Robert could tell dawn was near.

He began to hurry as he turned onto the King's Road. He didn’t have much time. The horizon had just turned a hot pink like some flowers Robert had once picked for Momo.

With a sigh of relief, he saw the blacksmith's booth comfortably resting in front of several tall buildings. He slowed down a little and looked around, pretending he wasn’t just about to commit theft. Again finding nobody on the streets, he dashed into the stall and started poking around.

The side door of one of the tall buildings took up the back wall of the booth. To one side, a warped knife sat on an anvil located out of sight from the front.

As Robert reached for it, the door leading into the building creaked open. He didn’t have time to run, hide, or do anything, so he stood frozen in scared shock as a grizzled, old villager stepped out the door.

“I see you’re eyeing my weapons. Perhaps you even want to take one.” His eyes zeroed in on the dagger Robert was holding backhanded on accident. “Um,” He squeaked out after several long seconds of silence, finding his voice.

The villager looked thoughtful for a moment as they stood there. Robert was fearful and a bit guilty, wondering what Momo would think if she saw this.

Then the blacksmith decided on something.

“I have some ideas. If you run now, I’ll send the soldiers after you. You're the son Momo found, I know. Next, if you leave the weapon, and promise to never steal from me, then I won’t harm you or tell anyone about this incident. My final option is that I’ll give you the weapon after you create several for me. For that to happen, I’ll have to teach you the art of weaponsmithing.” The blacksmith stepped closer. “What will it be?”

Robert weighed those options and remembered what Momo had said last night. Although he was worried that the blacksmith might tell the police about this event anyway, his desire for Momo to be safe overpowered his doubts about what to do.

“I’ll make those weapons,” Robert said, not just with nervousness, but determination as well.

“Then let’s begin right away.”

“Right now?” Robert asked.

“Of course! What other time’s available?”

“But I need to go back home.”

“If you were captured as a thief, you’d be away from home even longer.”

The blacksmith cleared his throat and strode over to his forge as if the conversation had ended. Accepting defeat, Robert dropped the dagger back in its place on the anvil and turned his attention back to the blacksmith who had just begun to speak.

“First of all, my initial job is to make weapons for the protection of the city.” The blacksmith rummaged in a chest next to his forge. “But here… most of these are weapons sold to me by adventurers. A surprisingly high amount of these are of good quality. Some are even legendary originals like Maltic’s Old Spear.”

He held up a spear with a bent head. “Which is not this piece of junk. This is just something I take for materials. I might be able to create new weapons out of it by sanding the wood and melting the metal down, though.”

He turned towards the forge, grabbed some safety equipment, and removed the lid from the cauldron.

After fastening large leather gloves onto his hands, he poured molten metal from the cauldron into a mold. Then he righted the cauldron and replaced the lid.

The blacksmith grabbed a long, carved stick next, planting it into the quickly drying metal inside the mold. The liquid hissed and writhed, while the smell of burning wood wafted into Robert’s nose. Reactively, he wrinkled it in distaste, not used to the smell.

The blacksmith waited in a long silence before removing his hand from the stick. It stayed balanced.

“And after I do this, I use the anvil to hammer a spearhead into perfection before cooling and reheating. And this will generate a mighty fine spear. This,” The blacksmith gestured to all his equipment, “is how to forge a weapon.”


The sun had already evaporated all of the morning dew by the time Robert had finished creating the two weapons. “Decent.” The blacksmith said approvingly of the dagger and spear Robert made. “You’d make a fine apprentice.”

Robert was so shocked by his praise that he could barely muster a “Thank you!” before collecting the weapon he earned and walking back home.

His mind buzzed. NO-ONE (other than Momo), had ever complimented him. Invigorated by this, he started skipping down the road.

Robert felt like this could be the best day ever.

Spoiler: Prologue and Preface

First of all, the Preface basically the pre-prologue.
Preface:
We all know of Bob. He was the hero of Wynn. But no one knows how many times he failed. Failed at his journey, failing to save those he loved and failing to save himself. Yet, Robert of Ragni was a hero. A hero tries and succeeds eventually for the greater good. They make the world a little bit better. Hero’s often have the worst trials though, and Bob was no exception. His story must be told.

The Prologue - Fate's Dark Hold

Ironically, the earliest thing Robert remembered these many years later, was a dream. One easily forgotten then, impacted all of his years. The dream began with Robert standing near his neighbor's house. Suddenly he realized that he had wings and when he looked down, he saw his talons clutching the ground. “I’m a bird.” He thought. He joyfully took off and soared high above Ragni.

Robert had seen the mountains which the city gently rested against, but he always thought they marked the edge of the world. They stretched far in the distance and several farms mingled between them. Ragni looked small compared to those stone giants. In the other direction, sprawling hills and sparse farms covered the area. One chunk of land held a quiet forest. Several corruption spikes grinned evilly as darkness pulsed there.

Robert saw now much more than he had in real life and yet, he still felt a yearning to explore. To discover. To save. Well, he knew he wanted to do more than flap in one place. Since the corruption frightened him, Robert flew the other way: west, over the mountains. He passed Ragni’s majestic castle and his first mountainous obstacle. “What next?” He wondered as he passed over a bridge, some farms, and small houses. He soon came to the end of the valley.

Still wanting to continue, he flew over a gigantic mountain and noticed a shining, rippling gate. The gate held all shades of blue. Robert despised it. It seemed inviting but it still oozed menace. One time, he had teetered on the edge of drowning and this gate gave off the same presence as the water. He retreated back to Ragni. But when he reached it, fear kept pushing him forward and he flew on.

Suddenly Robert noticed a corruption spike beneath him vanish which surprised him into stillness. He plummeted thirty feet before regaining control. “Did I make it… disappear?” He questioned aloud. Tentatively, he soared above another spike and it evaporated. He felt such an indescribable joy that he kept erasing the corruption. His winding path made him miss the roots of corruption but led him to the darkness later called the Silent Expanse.

The air grew thicker and Robert began to struggle with breathing. He turned around fearfully and pushed heavily enough that he left the aura of darkness. As he began to regain strength on the ground, a voice resonated from the darkness. “You turn back now, I see. It doesn’t matter. I will await your return.”

Then Robert realized. Ragni and the other towns were trapped heavily by forces of evil. The malicious gate and the stifling darkness. They...were doomed. But Robert had one thing in his power: he could eradicate corruption. That would be enough to halt the darkness.

He flew again, seeing the mass of corruption and the dark portal. Robert’s eyes narrowed in determination. He could do this. He shot forward and beneath him the corruption turned to grass, glowing trees, and pure light. The portal turned yellow and flowers covered it. At that moment, Robert’s joy was enough to make him forget the previous darkness. He returned to Ragni and felt a fierce love for his city. “I will protect it.” He vowed and the dream faded.

The Legend of Bob original thread:
https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/the-legend-of-bob-probably-some-spoilers.280437/

The poem/riddle so far: Fate's dark hold, billows across mortality.

Because it's such a long project and occasionally I've lost interest, I might find volunteers to write chapters, but I'm not sure yet. Should I do that or continue working on this and maybe even publish this?

Ok, I'm tired of writing. Happy adventuring!