[SCAVENGERS GUILD HALL]
[The Same Night]
"I am 100% certain someone was here." Hector said as he examined the guild's supply room.
"A thief?" Kristan asked.
"No, I doubt it. There are no signs of a forced entry. A decent assassin could manage that, but judging by what is missing it appears someone took only what they needed for a 3-4 day trip." Percy said as his expert gaze took in the scene.
"Arthos…it's got to be him." Kristan said with an air of excitement.
"Any luck contacting him?" Hector asked.
"None. It looks like he is online but oddly can't be reached. Also based on the system's map it looks like he is outside the boundary of the map." Wain answered
"Outside the map? Like lost in limbo?" Kristan asked worried for her friend.
"No, I don't think so. More like…a land outside the boundary. Based on what we learned, it's very likely there are other people living in this world. Real people."
"What should we do?" Kristan asked.
"Arthos is my oldest friend. He never does anything without a reason. If he is there…it's for a good reason….and it's probably dangerous too." Wain said confidently.
"In that case we better go help him." Kristan said with an urgent tone in her voice.
"Now? It's dark. There are magic beasts roaming in the wilderness." Hector said subtly suggesting they wait until morning.
"We have an expert assassin. A little darkness is nothing to him." Wain said as he looks at Percy for his support on this matter.
Percy nodded and replied, "we leave in 10 minutes."
[…]
[RAY VILLAGE]
[The Next Morning]
A group of ten men and women worked quickly chopping down trees, removing the large branches, and hauling them toward the village. A significant amount of wood was needed to repair, strengthen and fortify the palisade wall and additional village defenses. The branches could be used for spears, arrows, and firewood…so rather than stripping the trees clean and hauling only the logs, the villagers decided to take everything back to the village.
On this morning, Kay joined the group as a guard and frankly he needed to get out of the village and stretch his legs. The group worked silently but with a sense of urgency and alertness.
"AAHHH!!!"
A girl's scream was heard nearby…toward the river.
The group rushed toward the source of the scream armed with axes, swords and bows. A young man reached the location first…he immediately stopped and let out an alarmed scream.
"AHHH!"
The young man froze…as if struck by paralysis or frost magic. His face turned bright red as he remained mysteriously frozen in place.
Kay arrived a moment later with his bow drawn, ready to fire. He quickly noticed the source of the commotion.
An almost naked beautiful woman with long sky-blue hair and matching eyes was awkwardly standing trying to cover her body with tree branches. She wore no undergarments on top…only a small black linen garment covering the center. The woman was blushing a deep red as she frantically tried to cover her sizeable breasts with her petite hands and tree branches.
A young girl hauling water had noticed her and screamed caught by surprise seeing a naked woman there. The young man who reached the spot first also screamed surprised by the highly unusual sight. Kay chuckled and turned his attention to his companions who were rushing towards them.
He shouted, "it's ok! We are ok! Back to work…it's just a…just a…a mouse. The young girl fetching water was freighted by a mouse. We are ok."
"Huh? All that commotion for a mouse?" The group said disappointed and somewhat relieved. They quickly lost interest and returned to their work site.
The young man was still staring foolishly at the naked woman…like a man possessed or caught in a trance. Kay grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him back toward the village.
"What you just saw…and what you did was not chivalrous. Peeping at a naked woman? You should be ashamed. As punishment I need your clothes. Keep your undergarments." Kay said with authority.
The young man quickly complied.
Kay called the water girl to come and deliver the clothing to the naked woman. A few minutes later the woman stepped forward dressed as a man.
"Thank you," she said with much embarrassment.
"There is a village nearby. Go there and get properly dressed. We can talk later."
[....]