The Hero — Anonymous

The Hero is a work of impressionist adventure fiction set in a desolate, post-feudal civilization. When the charismatic leader of a merchant guard crew is killed in a senseless accident, his designated replacement decides to fulfill a promise to the late Captain by quitting the crew and finding his surviving relatives in a remote village. Instead of a quaint valley settlement, the new Captain finds a decaying town on the verge of collapse, an old landlord who appears to welcome its decline, and a thriving stronghold of highwaymen fresh from murdering what remained of the merchant guard crew. As the valley's mysteries unwind and the tension escalates, the Captain's mental condition begins to deteriorate as almost-forgotten memories begin to connect with horrible realities.