A sunny morning arrives, and birds are chirping. The warm light began to penetrate the forest, warming the soil. Natalak's eyes were open, and he was fortunate that no predators or monsters didn't rip him while he slept.
As weakness engulfs his body, hunger rumbles in his stomach. Fortunately, a portion of energy remained—Natalak looks for anything that will sustain his hunger, badly enough that there were none to be found. He looks at the grass and dirt, reminiscing about the words from his past.
"Fuck it!" Natalak graze some of the grasses, munching them like a horse.
He looks at the dirt on his hand and hesitates for a bit, not too wet and not too dry, though his hunger couldn't tolerate it, and quickly he devours it.
"Fuck! This is bullshit!"
It tastes like dirt no less, but it was enough to convince his mind he was full.
Before he begins to work his way in the forest, Natalak checks his injuries to see if it's okay to flex his body. Groaning, he begins to peel the bandage. Gathering some grass again, Natalak then refashions the same process before pulling out his remaining items.
Three bottles of endurance potion are all that's left, the bow and arrow that he bought from Barry. His remaining armour, the short sword, and the buckler are all but battered. Looking at his tattered items and a few coins, he contemplates what he got himself into.
"My blood, I regret signing up for this." Natalak then scratches his head, in frustration, maybe?
His armour stinks of blood and sweat; the sword is heavily chipped. Even then, he had no other spare items to use. He contemplates for a moment before putting it on, the wound still pains his nerve, but he needs to keep moving, and he needs—
"Meat, I need to eat meat." Caressing his wounded abdomen.
Sword sheathed on his belt; quivers placed at his back, the traveller's thoughts were to find civilisation, while he tried to hunt for provisions.
Stepping toe, Natalak casually walks slowly, scanning the surroundings for something to hunt. Using shadows to tell whether it is midday, Natalak then resumes his food search. It was nearly lunch, Natalak assumed that it was like ten in the morning.
"I need a break", Natalak mutters while sitting, mesmerised by nature as he rubs his injuries.
It took him minutes to find silence in the forest, then suddenly he heard a rustling sound on his left side. Muffling his breath, he looks. Natalak smiles when he sees a rabbit-like creature. The thoughts of food clouded his mind of what other situations follow. Who knows, a wolf, a monster or possibly a hunter. Nevertheless, in silence, he draws his bow and hopes the enchantment will do the work. The moment the string was pulled, he felt it, as if he could easily snipe the animal in one go. Undeniably, within a single shot, the arrow nailed the animal on the ground. Still, moving, it's leg paddle for escape, but all it took was a single hammer to its head for it to rest.
"Finally! Thank you, old man!" Excitedly, Natalak exclaimed at the sky
Stuffing the rabbit in his bag, Natalak had to find a decent place to butcher his quarry. To do that, he climbs one of the tall trees, the one with many branches, good enough not to worsen his injuries.
From the height, Natalak's eyes were enough to survey the flat, vast landscape. He can see a large building to the east, far away from where he was, assuming it's three miles away. To the west was a castle and possibly a town; however, it was extremely far away, and it would likely take five days to reach. After this, Natalak then decides to take the east path towards the unknown building.
Upon descending, he needed to find water; he let his ears do the work. Wind gently howls through the forest, waving the trees left and right. It was a bit hard for his ears to catch the sound of water flowing, but as he journeys towards the ruined watchtower—
"Eureka!" His mind shouts: there was a small creek, roughly a few feet wide.
After quenching his thirst—gathering twigs and branches—Natalak then started a fire near the stream. Skinning the rabbit, he then processes its body, separating the innards. Afterwards, he let it grill through the fire while he indulged himself in the book, which he picked up at the dwarven tunnel.
Page-turning back and forth, but alas, his knowledge was limited to this type of thing. The language was different; its writing was odd, chaotic, to say the least.
"The girl said it harbours magical energy. Heck, I don't even feel a small sensation from this book. Should have just sold it a long time ago."
From the smell, the meat was cooked, and quickly Natalak devoured it whole, bones and all. Once he fills his stomach, he ponders his next move. Looking at his armour, its tainted smell of blood and human sweat, he needed to erase his scent. Monsters and predators might sniff his wounds. His eyes wander for anything that might give him a solution, and when his eyes look at the stream.
"I need a bath."
Washing both his armour and himself, still the wounds keep spilling a bloody odour.
"Should I?" Natalak said, after scooping the mud, hesitating to plaster the dirt on his armour.
"Oh, what the heck," Natalak mutters, sliming the mud on his armour on his face.
Stomping the fire, Natalak embarks on his travels and when he crosses about a mile or two. A sound of battle is brewing—he can tell it is just a few meters away from the thick forest.
A few meters away, a group of adventurers are fighting for their lives. A party of four people… two fighters, one mage, and an archer.
One man who seems to be their leader was struggling to keep his companions at bay.
The mage— pointing her staff, she conjures a destructive spell, a missile projecting towards a pack of dire wolves. Once it hits its target, the magic missile swishes through the air. Launching and killing three wolves in a single blow.
While the other two fighters are struggling to protect their companions, fighting many creatures is a hassle.
The fiend stood on two feet; its head was a mix of a hyena and a wolf, with horns like a goat—standing tall and hunched, its canine snout dripping with hunger and hate. Matted fur cloaked its wiry muscles, and its yellowed eyes gleamed with a primal cunning. Their legs were reptilian, with scales and sharp claws. Their every ragged breath, the stench of blood and decay followed.
Using the adventurer's abilities, the two fighters begin to buff their strength, increasing their attack to twice their normal strength. Weapons clashed, but still, they were outnumbered by their enemies.
While they were on the battlefield, Natalak was hiding in the thick bushes, observing the battle. The way they fight, relying on pure brute strength and abilities, possibly the adventurers are tired, or they are probably trainee adventurers. Compared to what he saw from Ashalain's graceful battle. She might end the monsters in seconds before they could even swing their blade at her.
Hesitating to help, Natalak decides to go all out again. While his injuries are still recovering, he brought out an endurance potion and grits his teeth, burying the pain.
"Time to get to work," Natalak mutters, jolting his shoulder as soon as he drinks the flask.
Quick to his thoughts and decisive in action, his first target was the dire wolves, for they have greater mobility and attack in packs.
Pulling out the spear, Natalak nails it into the ground, then readily draws the bow. Aiming at their head and their legs, he began circling and deliberately shooting arrows at them.
The bow's enchantment and its magical ring quickly send the arrows at their precise target. Covering their every part with arrows. Away… a man hiding at the far end of the forest was shocked at the wolves wailing as arrows pierced through their flesh. Not just him, but the four adventurers were surprised by Natalak's entrance attack.
His quiver is now nearly empty, holding only five arrows. After discharging the remaining arrows, Natalak quickly cast off the bow and quiver before returning to where he had placed the spear.
Picking the spear, in haste, Natalak runs toward the group of those two-legged monsters. Jumping in ambush, reaching the gnoll's heads. Untimid, his spear punctures the head of the gnolls before it can swing its blade on one of the adventurers' heads. It was visceral to see the monster still swinging his weapons, while its head was a mass of punctured flesh, and bones lay open for the witnesses to see.
Pulling the spear gutted the monster at the head. The wolves he injured came toward him. Even so, they were too weak to run, given that arrows were stuck to every corner of their body. A good throw of the spear was enough to send it to death slowly.
"Take this if you dare." The mage shouts, conjuring a chromatic orb through the use of a scroll.
Suspending in the air, a large dark red orb expands at the top of the enemies.
"Now!" The mage shouts.
The sphere erupts, creating a glittering fog. There, the ground shifts into hunger. A simmering, dark-red water slowly devours the enemies. They tried to claw and club it, but all efforts were in vain as they were consumed.
After that extensive battle, Natalak saw a silhouette of a man. A dagger was flung the moment he took the third step. Evading sideways, he barely manages to avoid the projectile.
Pulling the spear at the dead wolf. Natalak then hurls it towards where the dagger came. The spear didn't hit its target, but Natalak could hear the man retreating.
Subconsciously, the mage who cast the spell spews blood. Her knees buckle, and her body shakes in exhaustion.
Her companions rush to her aid, providing medical treatment. And when he saw their healing capabilities, his mind turned to ways to ask for treatment.
"I-ahh, do you have any water?" Natalak blurts once the mage was completely healed.
The adventurers stare at the man covered in dirt, armour tattered. Questions were bubbling up in their minds about who or what the person was who had entered their situation.
"We do have some." One of the female adventurers replied; Natalak assumed it was a ranger or an archer.
Through the capital of Keshoval, near the watchtower of Ravalind, Ashalain arrived, teleported into a disk paved with flat stones. Six meters in diameter, it has four columns arranged symmetrically. Each column had glowing runes etched from top to bottom. A design not intended, but to subdue anyone from freely teleporting without documents. Because when one of the adventurers tries to step outside of the circle, that person is halted by magic.
"Documents, please." Comes what appears to be an immigration officer; his voice is tired from all the work, wearing formal clothing and a badge bearing Keshoval's flag.
"Here." Ashalain nods, giving her documents.
"Alright, you're good to go. Next!" The officer replied after briefly checking her papers.
"Thank you very much." Ashalain nods before going towards the receptionist.
"I would like to hire a carriage, please. And could you put this on my tab?" Ashalain glides her family crest on the clerk's desk.
"Understood, where are you going, Lady Ashalain?" The receptionist said.
"Ravalind, at the adventurers' guild."
"Understood, then would you please wait for your carriage to arrive?" Said the clerk, before handing the receipt.
The carriage arrived shortly after only five minutes of waiting; it took another three hours before the carriage arrived at the guild's entrance. It was already dusk,
"I shouldn't have taken another rest at Ver Thelen after that assignment. I hope Sir Garrick won't take this to his heart." Ashalain mutters.
Finding Sir Garrick at the adventurers' guild, Ashalain instead was greeted by Mishel.
"Oh, you're here." Spoke Mishel. "The meeting will be tomorrow."
"What?!" Ashalain blurts.
"Yes." Mishel nods. "Sir Garrick knows that you'll be on other miscellaneous tasks. That's why the message that was sent was given in advance."
"I-I see, any other words Garrick follows, that I should be of concern?"
"Nothing much, but you owe me a dinner."
"Fine-fine." Ashalain smiled, a different kind of smile from Mishel's.
"The look on your face, something good must have happened to you. Did you hit some skeleton's head on your way here?"
"It's nothing." Ashalain tries to diminish her expression.
"Mm-hmm…" Mishel tilts her head,
"Can you stop looking at me?" Ashalain looks opposite her friend.
"Hmm?"
The two then go to the counter to order their dinner and see what tomorrow will bring.