It ended suddenly, but I was grateful for it. All the pain and all the agony I felt over the years. It was finally coming to an end. "This is what I wanted, but was it worth it? Was this the ending I was after all this time?" I thought to myself as I laid on the snow-covered concrete. Blood was pooling on the ground underneath me as I looked up at the night sky. My vision is slowly fading. "I'm getting so tired, so very tired, I need a bit of rest." And as the last bits of my strength left me. I saw up on top of the rooftops a woman in a red dress; it seemed like she was staring down at me. My eyes slowly started to flutter open. I felt my head resting on a soft bed of grass. "Grass? How did I get on grass? The last thing I remember is snow."

I thought to myself. Looking around, I was surrounded by a beautiful forest. And I was hurting from wounds that I don't know how I got. Meanwhile, a young woman named Agatha was gathering herbs in a field near her village. When a sudden shaking beneath her hoofs nearly knocked her off her feet as if the earth were being ripped open and torn apart. It was a violent shaking, but it came just as quickly as it went. She got worried even though earthquakes like this were common in the region where she lived. She still worried about her friends and family back home. So she ran back as fast as she could to her home village. After making her way home and assessing the damage and healing who she could at her clinic. As time passed, it was time to close up her clinic for the night.

As she locked up and made her way home, she overheard one of the locals, a man named Grothar, talking a bit to loudly. It was the next night, and while closing up her shop, Agatha heard from a local villager, a man named Grothar, say to his group of friends. "Hey guys, did you hear? Some of the kids went into the forest and saw a body just lying in a huge patch of grass. They came back and said they were too scared to approach to see if the poor sod was dead or not." "But there was a decent amount of blood." Agatha after hearing that went back to her shop and opened the door. And got her medical belt and supplies and hurried out towards the forest. As a healer, its her job to help everyone in need.

As she walked through the forest, she noticed that the terrain had a lot of damage. The earth was split and cracked all over the place, almost as if a great battle had happened here. The tree's all around her shimmered with a magical glow. Mana was all around her; it felt like the forest itself was breathing with Mana, the magical lifeforce of this world. Fireflies danced along the trees, shining lightly, and the creatures of the night, from the owls singing there soft songs to the crickets chirping along in harmony, could be heard. It made the night feel a little less scary to her. After some time of searching for the area that Grothar had described, she finally found it, and indeed she saw a motionless body sitting in the clearing on a bed of grass. Thinking to herself as she approached the body.

"Am I too late? Has this poor soul already passed on from this world?" She called out before getting closer to the body. "Hello! Are you alright?" With no response, her worry increased slightly. She called out again. "I'm a healer; my name is Agatha, and I'm here to help." She reached out and took me into her arms and turned me over in my arms to check me over. I had a significant amount of wounds. The potion of healing she had on hand could treat all these wounds. My eyes though to her were glazed over, and thankfully to her she saw I was still breathing. "That's good; at least these wounds are treatable, but in his eyes, he seems like he has experienced a significant mental trauma of some kind."

Even though I wasn't reacting, she pulled out of her satchel of supplies a light green bottle. Putting it up to my lips, she calmly poured some down my throat. A soft green glow enveloped my body as the wounds I had received began healing. After some time, she smiled seeing me healed and called out to me as I began to come back into focus, the light returning to my eyes. "Easy, I got you. You suffered quite a few injuries, and I was able to help you with a healing potion. Can you tell me your name if you can hear me?" As my eyes regained focus, I saw I was in a dense forest. But what had my attention was the beautiful green eyes that were looking into my own, and she had a sweet smile.

And I noticed she had what looked like horns in her long black hair. "My name?" After some time, I thought to myself as I sat up, groaning slightly in pain and holding my head with one hand. "I can't remember my name." I say more to myself than to her, "What is going on here? Why can't I remember anything?" Agatha saw my distress and gently touched my shoulder. Her green eyes scan my form, noting the lingering pain in your gaze. Despite her own grief over the loss of her parents, who were A rank adventurer's, she has since learned to channel that emotion into compassion for others. That's why, at a young age, she learned how to heal. Studying all the healing arts and even opening up her own pharmacy to aid other adventurer's.

She knows all too well the weight of trauma and the struggle to find one's footing in a world that feels foreign and hostile. "It's ok, your safe here. I don't know what has happened to you, but I am a healer. I will do my best to help you through this." She smiles gently at me, saying this. This woman, whoever her name was, is a comfort. Even though we had just met, she gives off a kind aura about herself, like I know that even though we were strangers, she means me no harm. Even though I couldn't give her a name, she decided to tell me hers, and she laid about her equipment on the grass to do a more thorough checkup on me telling me.

"To let you know at least who your talking to, my name is Agatha, and as you know, I am a healer." We sat there talking for awhile. She checked my ribs and arms for any broken bones that her potion couldn't mend. She checked with a stethoscope my lungs to see if my breathing in my lungs and my heart were working correctly. After her initial examination, she helped me stand up even though my legs were a bit shaky. And said to me. "How about I take you back to my village? It's not to far from here. And then we can see where to go from there. Maybe getting you some food to." Slowly we walked through the forest; the stars were the only thing lighting our path back to her home.

As we walked, she thought up an idea she had to break the silence. "Since I can't call you John Doe, how about I give you a temporary name? At least until your memories return." Her green eyes sparkled a little with warmth and softness. I could see a bit of glee in her eyes as well as we walked. I liked the idea and told her. "Sure, I'll let you come up with a name. I can't really think of anything special right now that would work." So for what felt like hours, she told me names she thought of. Most people would think it would be annoying, but to me, I was just happy to have someone to talk to. I had to admit to myself that I was scared a good bit when I woke up.

No memories. A beautiful woman had found me; she was a satyr, a horsewoman, but I didn't mind. I didn't really feel I needed to understand any of why, from what I could remember, a mythical creature was walking along side me. I had someone with me to go through this journey. No memories of my old life. But if Agatha stayed beside me. Maybe going through this new life I can make new memories with her as my first friend. I thought to myself as we continued our walk into the night. "What kind of name will she give me?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As we are walking through the forest, I can't help but take in the unfamiliar surroundings. This forest we were in was alive with the sounds of nature. Creatures big and small were scurrying in the underbrush, and the gentle rustling of the leaves was dancing in the breeze. She occasionally points out here and there as we walk along the pathway back to her home various plants she uses for medical purposes. Pointing to a shrub with yellow flowers, she tells me. "That flower right there is called 'Witches Hazel.' continuing her explanation, she walked over to the shrub and picked the yellow flower, putting it into her satchel all the while telling me.

"It's great actually for treating skin with irritation or for inflammation and those berries over there." She points over to a bush not to far away; it was laden with deep purple fruits. "These berries here are called 'Elderberries' and they are excellent for boosting a person's immune system and fighting off common colds. A simple and effective remedy. As we were making our way through this forest, Agatha saw movement in the darkness something that seemed to her out of place. Her instincts told her something was wrong, so she took me to some cover behind a big trunk. Looking out from behind our cover, scanning the area for the source of her unease.

After some time, she cursed under her breath as she saw a large group of orcs emerge from the darkness of the forest. "Damn orcs and a good size pack to. Why are they so far away from there territory?" I poked my head out beside her and saw the orcs. The weapons they had were crude but from first glance, they seemed effective. Spears, axes, clubs. The lead orc seemed to have glanced in our direction, and we both quickly hid back behind cover. The leader felt suspicious it seems and wanted to check the area we were hiding in. So with a quick motion to the rest of the pack, he commanded them to follow him.

I was feeling nervous and I could tell Agatha was to. There weapons were in hand and the orcs seems to be ready for a fight. Agatha passed me a small short sword and reached for an orange potion in her satchel and passed it to me. Explaining what it does as she helped me drink it down. "You see, this is known as a temporary strength boost. it's one of my combat-oriented potions. It's kind of like a buff for adventurers to help them in tough spots." Agatha's instincts were suddenly going off as she quickly took me in her arms and jumped out of the way. A large sword has suddenly shattered the tree trunk we were hiding behind.

The orc who attacked us glared before saying to us with a growl, its voice laced with suspicion. "What are a half-satyr and a human doing in our territory?" I see Agatha standing her ground in front of me holding a bow and arrow; she retrieved off her back and with a arrow drew back, ready to fly at any moment. I had gathered most of my strength back with few potions she had shared with me and holding tight the short sword tight in my hand, I stood beside her. The orc narrows his eyes seeing the weapons in our hands.

Agatha firmly told the leader. "I am a healer of the village in the area. I heard that this man was seriously injured and came to retrieve him. We mean, you and your tribe of orcs, no harm; we are just traveling through the area and stumbled upon your group. Please let me pass so I can give this man a more proper treatment other than the potions I have on hand." The orcs behind the chef were looking at one another before the one who spoke to us said. "Ah, a healer, your from that village we heard about; we were looking for you." That shocked Agatha, "They were looking for me? Why I wonder"

Taking his large sword from the ground where he had stuck the tree trunk and throwing over its shoulder before addressing us. "You human, you seem strong. I will make you a deal. If you can defeat me. I will let you and your healer pass. If not, the healer WILL be coming with us." it said firmly. And with it's peace said, it charges forward, roaring. Agatha jumps back into the trees and lets arrow after arrow fly, "YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!" She screamed at the orc as she fired. but she is not strong enough to be nothing more than an annoyance. The orc swats the arrows away and focuses on me. "Get out of the way!" Agatha screams as she keeps firing arrows.

I fell back to Agatha and used the forest to my advantage the best that I could. I heard each swing of the orc sword and dodged when I could. I knew I was frustrating the beast when it screamed in rage. "Stop running you damn human and fight me! Aren't you a warrior! I see your scars, boy!" As I ran, my heart pounding in my chest. Agatha is trying her best to support and cover me. Dodging the other orcs who had joined in the battle the best she could. We both were running for our lives. After some time, I heard a voice as clear as day, almost like a woman's voice telling me.

"The requirements have been met, system has come online. The player is now active. Now unlocking mana pool, level one. Now acquiring tutorial quest. Kill the Orc leader. Failure of the quest: the person named Agatha dies in combat." I was so lost, what did the voice mean, What system, and I had mana now? And I had to now fight this thing. I couldn't think of that right now. Agatha was in trouble, and I needed to fight. Still feeling the effects of the orange potion, I turned to face the charging orc. It came in with a large heavy swing. I braced for the impact and felt a surge of unknown power coursing through my veins.

As our swords met in a fierce clash, I held my ground. "FINALLY!" The orc roared in satisfaction. "You are acting like a warrior!" And we fought. I got a few good slashes in, but I wasn't wearing it down any time soon. And with a large vertical swing, it struck at me. I blocked, but its force was to great, and it flung me hard into a strong old oak tree. The blow knocked the wind out of my lungs, and Agatha landed beside me panting. "There strong. really strong. I don't even know how you unlocked mana so soon when you literally, from what I could tell, had none. We'll figure it out later."

We both jumped out of the way as the orc made another swing at us and it's blade crashed into the oak tree, cutting deep inside of the bark and getting stuck. Seeing an opening, Agatha screamed, "Stab it in its head as hard as you can! Do it now before it gets its sword free!" Going as quickly as I could, I jumped up on the sword, standing on the hilt My body was pulsating a soft orange glow in and out. Agatha's eyes widen as she realizes the potion she gave ne was wearing off. With all the strength I had left, I kicked it in the side of the head, disorienting it. At least I hope I did. Before grabbing firmly the orcs head and slamming the sword sword as deep as I could into the side of its head.

I buried the blade as deep as I could, hoping, praying, that I had hit the brain and killed it. It screamed in pain and was thrashing about but I held on as hard as I could. The orcs around us stopped there attack on Agatha to watch the confrontation between me and there leader. The group felt this was a decisive moment. It took me in it's hand as it finally grabbed me and tossed me viscously aside. But Agatha came in suddenly and slammed her hoofs with a powerful kick, finishing off the orc, forcing the sword I had in its skull all the way through into it's brain, killing it instantly.

Blood poured from the open wound as it collapsed onto the ground. And its body finally gave way. Agatha glanced back at me where I had been thrown and saw I was unconscious. Ready to defend me from the orcs, she turned back to the rest of them. But surprisingly, they did not attack. One orc came forward a ways and said to Agatha. "Normally, Satyr, by all rights, we should kill you for interfering. That match was a one-vs.-one challenge. Our customs dictate it to be respected. But you fought us the best that you could. even though you could not damage our chef. You fought as a warrior should. Depending your mate to the bitter end."

Agatha blushed heavily at that implication but did not speak as the orc continued saying to her. "Your mate, though, is quiet unusually we saw him run away but he found his courage to face the chef. He fought the chef even though he was not strong enough. He still fought against him, even though your blow is what finished off the chef; it was his sword that managed to kill him. So we will follow your mate from now on. He will be our new chef."