“They Call Him Kabong”
The story starts with Kain stumbling into a standoff in the forest, between two men: one has a shovel; the other, a crossbow. Before he can decide how (or if) to interrupt, Kain accidentally distracts the armed man, allowing the shoveler to strike back and kill. And that’s how Kain meets Nostromo Kabong.
Kabong is a reject too, one with a vast experience of survival in the world outside the wall. Kain is quick to ask for tutelage, as payback for saving his life, but an unconvinced Kabong defers the debt… to Gilroy, the chatterbox tagalong and “greatest fan” who Kabong, much to his dismay, is unable to lose for long. The three set off along a trail, where Gilroy shares the value of mastering one’s reputation, among other stories. As they hike, Kabong silently ditches Gilroy, and offers Kain the opportunity he seeks, to learn real lessons from the real teacher.
The first lesson is survival: “Kill anything, if necessary”. Basic hunting and fishing follow. Along the way, Kabong instills a caution for dealing with any other person, and the Forest monsters doubly so. The world around them is too foreign, and rejects are both idiots and desperate, so the advice for Kain is to hide from all creatures, at least until he can master some fighting skill, or learn how to bluff.
The heist of a giant bird egg ruins the teamwork, though. When the theft is over and Kain sees the egg turn to gold, Kabong turns against him and robs him of all he owns, leaving only the shovel and a final lesson: nothing, not even learning, comes for free. Kain barely has time to curse his assailant when things go from bad to worse: Sir Cultis San Jarabane, the giant bird, shows up… with a furious vengeance for the thieves.
