I lower my head. "Greetings, Ma'am."
Mina's expression stays rigid yet I can sense frustration.
"Drop the formality, we are both of the same age and origin," says Mina.
...
"I'm sorry," I reply. "I won't be comfortable towards a potential queen."
Mina gazes down, she sighs and nods. I feel that she experienced this many times.
"What are you doing here?" She asks.
"A short vacation, ma'am." I lie.
"I see. Alright."
...
The atmosphere becomes awkward and stale.
"If there is nothing else, I will be on my way," I say.
"Be careful, deathworms are roaming in the wild near Foresnagh," Mina warns.
"Thank you." I turn and leave.
To think Mina is here for the same reason as I; things may be a little troublesome...
I glance back and observe her outfit. With a fitting bodice under a loose blouse and short leather pants, all of her clothing is enhanced with protective scrolls and magic, confirming my aforementioned hypothesis.
My first objective leads me through the city of nature. Every step is integrated with the aroma of fresh wood and the sweetness of flowers. Occasionally, fluctuating savoury fragrance invades from their delicacies.
"Young human, try some of nature's magic! You can't find this in the human kingdom." a street vendor shoves a stick of various vegetation to my face. It's a dashing young elf wearing a simple tunic and pants.
Unlike humans, elves use magic as the seasoning and cook a vast variety of unprecedented flora. The majority of elves have a vegetation diet and forbid the consumption of meat.
I gulp at the food and reject him. "Sorry, I prefer meat more."
The vendor chuckles. "Then wipe that drool from your mouth."
!
I turn away and swipe my arm across my mouth.
Fuck. The thought of eating exquisite cuisine.
"Fine. This will be on the house, it seems to be your first visit." the vendor hands me the stick.
...
I take a deep breath and lower my head.
"Thank you for your consideration but I will be moving too much..."
"Hm?" The elf notices the sword on my waist. "Ah...You must be here for the deathworms. Head down the street to the alchemy store, they are loaning out risptap at low-interest rates."
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Risptap is a substance harmless to humans but fatal to deathworms.
"Thank you. I will get going now."
Before I leave, the elf stops me. "Hey...um...come back alive. I will treat you to some food."
...
"You should be wary of humans, kindness tends to backfire," I say and leave.
The elf stares at my back. "What...?" He mumbles.
Further down the streets, many people gather in front of a building. A sign atop carved the name of the store "Nature's Chisel", the dominant alchemy association in the elf kingdom.
I join the long line and a small elf hops out of the store. Dressed in a finely tailored alchemist robe, his adorable pointed ears peek through tousled locks of vibrant, nature-inspired colours, turning the heads of the crowd.
"I want to pinch his cheek..." A woman ahead of me whispers to her friend.
The young elf hands me the paper and I thank him.
"Oh?" I mumble to myself.
The paper is a small loan contract for risptaps. Everyone in the queue was given one to speed up the process. In addition, they added another condition to buy all deathworms' loot at five per cent above the market value, the city must be quite desperate to get rid of those deathworms.
"Sir!" The young elf exclaims.
"Hm? You are still here? Yes?" I reply.
The young elf stares at me with his emerald eyes, sparkling with curiosity and enchantment. He smiles and says "The big one is at The Ruins of Ancient." before he hops away in glee.
That elf...
The big one he referred to is the queen of deathworms. If killed, the legion of deathworms around Foresnagh will disperse; It is my target.
I wait for my turn and collect ten vials of purplish liquid. The contract is bound to my body and any illegal attempt will notify the elves.
Next, I head for the bounty board in the central plaza and one catches my attention.
"A thief last seen in the forest north of Foresnagh...Good, I found my target." I mumble.
==============================
Trees in the elf's territory are extraordinary and large. Their tenacity and toughness parallel the gods.
They have trunks as wide as a small building and extend to a tower with occasional roots protruding for air.
Amidst the intertwining nature, I find sinuous, segmented bodies of pale pulsating creatures, ripped into pieces, about the size of a full-grown adult.
Yellow blood spills from their gaping maw, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Frequent corpses of deathworms indicate a presence nearby. I follow the trail until I reach a small tattered cabin protected by a barrier.
Found him!
A swirl of mana gathers around my blade and bursts into bright golden energy. One cut rips a hole in the barrier and I burst into the dimly lit cabin.
One patch of shadow attempts to engulf me yet my holy mana overwhelms the darkness, dispersing the magic and slashing the mage.
"ARGHH?!! HOLY ATTRIBUTE-"
I waste no time to drive my sword into his chest.
"F-Fuck...to think I will fall like this..." The man coughs out blood before succumbing to his wounds. As the situation cools down, I notice this robed man had several fatal injuries seeping his critical life before I put him out of the misery.
A bloody picture is found within the robe and upon closer inspection is two people embracing in brotherhood. The corpse seems to be one of the man.
...
"A coward. That's who I am." I mumble to myself.
-----------
Fate: 9120->13020
Karma: 982->320
Full extraction is available.
Extract?
[Yes][No]
-----------
-----------
Full extract initiated.
You've obtained the talent:
-Magic Tier 5
You've obtained the attribute:
-Darkness Tier 1
You've obtained the skill:
-Quick Casting
-----------
-----------
Loi Krist
Fate: 13020
Role: Background Character
Karma: 320
Talent:
-Sword Tier 7
-Magic Tier 5
Attributes:
-Holy Tier 2
-Darkness Tier 1
Skills:
-Quick Casting
-Death Sixth Sense
-----------
-----------
Quick Casting
You can cast magic faster than average.
-----------
A bad skill for a swordsman but it's okay. My aim is the talent.
I attempt to gather mana once more. This time, the dam unclogs and mana flows smoothly, solidifying around my sword.
"It worked!" I say with satisfaction.
I leave the cabin to find several deathworms emerging from the ground, attracted by the scent of their dead species slaughtered around.
A twirl of holiness and darkness begins to wrap around my blade, opposite elements coexisting in submission.
Several deathworms pounce at me with their maws split open.
I position my sword at the side and swing one horizontal cut, easily shredding through the ivory-coloured exoskeleton.
"Hah...I didn't need to loan ten vials of risptaps...better safe than sorry I guess."
I smile and look towards the east. A mountain can be seen protruding among the trees.
"The next target, the queen of deathworms."