About mid-day, Owen could finally see the walls of the town. Unlike Grest, this town had a proper wall, gate, and ditch. Nearing the entrance, Owen eyed a single guard leaning against the gate. Curious, he used inspect on them.
Name: Mike Oakshade Class: Commoner Species: Human Level: 8 EXP: 76/100 Health : 77/77 Stamina : 72/72 Mana: 26/26 Stats Strength: 8 Endurance: 6 Dexterity: 7 Vigor: 7 Intelligence: 8 Focus: 7 Skills Basic Spearmanship
Hmm, so most Commoners have 7 or 8 for most stats, Owen thought as he approached the gate. Walking through the gate, Owen side-eyed the so-called guard.
“Hey,” Owen called out to the man, “I need to speak with your Elder. Where are they?”
“Huh, the Elder is in the big house.” The man responded lazily as he continued to lean against the gate. Ignoring the ‘Guard’s’ sloppy behavior, Owen took in the village. It seemed similar to Grest as it had a single central path flanked by houses. That was where the similarities ended, as this village was busy with movement. Adults went back and forth with an axe or bow in hand. Children ran and played while the elderly supervised. Making his way to the only two-story building in the area, Owen knocked on the door.
“Coming.” A female voice called from inside the building, “Hello, Sir, how can we help you?”
“Hello, Miss. My name is Owen from the Bladethorn Mercenaries, and I am here to speak with the Elder.”
“Oh,” the young teen said, “Please come in.” She gestured for Owen to enter the home. Entering the doorway, Owen looked around the large house. It was spacious but without any grand decorations. Following the young lady, they stopped in front of an open doorway. “Father, a Mercenary from the city is here.” With a small curtsy, the young women left, and Owen walked into the office. Like the rest of the home, it seemed practical, a large desk with two padded chairs facing it. A single bookshelf was lightly filled with loose papers and tomes off to the side. A large window in the back provided the light for the room with a simple view of the neighboring house and the village wall.
“Where are my manners,” the man said as he stood up from his desk, “Valen Oakshade, current Elder of the village.” As he stated his name, he reached out with his right arm.
“Owen Grest, Bladethorn Mercenary, here to help with a reported Dungeon.” He said as the two men shook hands.
“Oh, a Grest, it’s so great when a neighbor helps. Ah, but yes, the Dungeon. One of our Hunters found some trees twisted into an archway. When they looked closer, there were stairs leading into the earth. We’ve kept an eye on it since it was found, but no monsters have been seen entering or exiting.”
“How far into the woods was it?”
“Vesper reported it shortly after the Crown set, not too far from the village. That’s why I assigned a Hunter to keep an eye on it instead of being on Guard duty. Ah yes,” Valen said as he stood and shouted, “Valari.”
“Yes, Father?” the young woman, Valari, asked from the archway.
“Could you go get Vesper for me, dear?” As she left, Valen sat down, “Oh, I’m sorry. I should have confirmed if you wanted to go see it today.”
“It’s all right, Elder Oakshade. I was planning on dealing with the Dungeon as soon as possible anyway.” Owen responded lightheartedly, “My only other question for you is if you have a place for me to rest when I return?”
“Yes, of course! We have a few empty homes, and I’ll even send Valari some food for you, should it be a reasonable hour.” Hearing a door open and close, Valen stood from his desk. “That should be the girls now, Sir Owen.”
“Bah,” Owen brushed off his comment as he stood as well. “Just Owen is fine, Elder.” Turning to the archway, Owen noticed Valari, and who he assumed was Vesper. She was tall, wearing brown and green cloth tightly wound around her slim figure. Definitely a Hunter’s camouflage, Owen thought as he also Inspected her.
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Name: Vesper Oakshade Class: Ranger Species: Human Level: 6 EXP: 214/382 Health : 62/62 Stamina : 74/74 Mana: 38/38 Stats Strength: 8 Endurance: 7 Dexterity: 10 Vigor: 11 Intelligence: 8 Focus: 9 Skills Tracking, Eagle Eye, Camouflage
“Nice to meet you, Vesper. I’m Owen,” reaching his hand out, the two shook hands before he continued. “The Elder gave me an idea of what’s going on; if you could show me to one of the empty houses, a water source, we can make our way to the Dungeon.”
“Sure, Owen,” the Ranger responded with a smirk, “Your not nearly as tall and handsome as I was told.”
“Wah-” Owen said, confused as he looked between the women. Noticing that Valari was bright pink, Owen chuckled, “It’s not nice to tease people, Vesper. I’ll have you know my mother says the same thing.”
“Haahah, oh, I’m sure. Come on then, I’ll show you to the well. There’s an empty house near the forest gate. I’ll point it out as we leave.”
“Sounds good. Elder Valari, I’ll knock again once I’ve dealt with the Dungeon. Until then.” Owen waved as he and Vesper proceeded to leave the house. Once they were out and onto the street, Owen spoke up, “So teasing your little sister, I assume.”
“Pretty much,” Vesper chuckled, “She wants to be a Merchant but flusters so easily. Got to get my shots in before she learns to hide it.” As they walked between two houses, Owen saw the well. The entire back side of this street seemed to be gardens as Owen’s eyes wandered while he lifted a bucket. After filling his canteen, they returned to the road, nearing the opposite gate. As they chatted about the village, Owen looked at his mini-map. He noticed it while in town, but unless he viewed the whole map, only enemies showed up as red dots. The people he saw walking by and even Vesper right next to him were a transparent gray instead of green. Well, it definitely helps keep the map readable. As they neared the gate, Vesper called out to him.
“This is one of the empty houses the Elder mentioned. It’s got your basic furnishings, so you won’t sleep on the floor. Once we enter the forest, I need you to be quiet and follow my lead. Okay?”
“You lead Vesper; you are the Ranger,” Owen said with a smile. As they exited the village, Owen fell in behind Vesper. Her movements and footwork were something when they began to navigate the forest. She avoided the fallen leaves, branches, and spotted the roots that continued to trip Owen. Dammit, Owen, focus on her feet, not her ass, he told himself. After ten or so minutes, Owen was able to copy her movements enough to stop making a fool of himself. That was when he noticed HOW she was walking, her weight always on her back foot. She used her lead foot to find footing before shifting her weight.
Skill increase: Sneak Skill gained: Athletics Skill fusion: Athletics, Endurance, Running >>> Physical Boost Skill gained: Tracking Skill increase: Basic Inspection
Tracking* ( I ): Aid’s with following the trail of creatures, finding hidden paths and revealing the location of foes. Physical Boost ( I ): Lowers the User’s stamina consumption from any activity, while providing a small bonus to speed, endurance, flexibility, and precision.
“Nice,” Owen whispered, happy to put his new skills to use.
“I’m aware I have a nice ass, Owen, now if you could look up ahead. You’ll see that we arrived at the Dungeon.” Standing off in the distance were trees twisted in unnatural ways. They bent and looped around one another as if trying to imitate a portal.
“While I’m not saying you don’t have an amazing ass, It’s more the way it moved. Thanks to your graceful movements, I got a new skill of my own,” he said while bowing dramatically.
“Oh, that’s great, Owen,” Vesper responded with a cheerful smile, “ If you don’t mind, what did you get?”
“I got Athletics. Trying to copy how you moved through these dense woods paid off.”
“Well, I guess I can’t be too mad then.” the Ranger replied coyly, “The nice flirting aside, this is it, Owen.” She said as she gestured to the strange space ahead.
“Thanks for leading me here, Vesper; I got it from here. I’ll see you back at the village,” Owen replied confidently as he walked towards the strange trees. Seeing the stairs that lead into the earth, he began his descent.