The wood under L’s soles was smooth and sturdy, made of decent and precise craftsmanship. The room was oddly cool, much more so than the murky hallway, and was large enough to house a small family. The amount of clutter in it, however, was simply overwhelming. Dozens of papers, books, and scrolls were scattered littered every open surface. Large bookshelves stretched across the walls, leaving only a breath open for the window. The dark brown desk was in front of it, and behind it was Luke, bent over a large parchment, a grimace shifting across his face. Facing the desk were two small wooden chairs, both filled with similar paperwork with illegible scribbles across it.
Glancing at them as he navigated his way through the accumulating mess, L confirmed that he can only understand the human language, English, while others were in Elfen, utilizing a combination of letters and shapes to write out sentences, and the most difficult, Dwarfing, was mainly written in straight lines to draw symbols.
Luke arched an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly from the ragged paper held limply in his grasps. “I hear you’ve become a lumberjack,” he said, his voice grunt. He shifted his nose as he returned to reading the document, which seemed to only worsen his mood by the second. L, standing in front of the desk, nodded, but did not say anything and let the silence carry on. He lifted his head upwards and behind his shoulder, towards a circular blue crystal hanging in the middle of the room. It was the size of a fist, and lightly radiated a sky blue color.
“Cool air conditioning,” L said, his two black slits within his yellow pupils narrowing down on the crystal. Within the crystal, it seemed as if the stone was swaying gently, like waves turning around themselves. Studying it closer, L could notice nearly invisible blue tendrils splashing on its surface it lightly, vibrating the crust.
“I have a quest for you,” he said, following suit in disregarding the other person's remarks.
“A job or a quest?” L asked. A job as any other task, such as his current one, while a quest would bound both parties deities by oath.
“A quest,” Luke said again. “The task I have for you has uncertain terms, and does not warranty a simple contract.”
“I see,” L said, carefully, “And what might this quest entail?”
Luke handed L the paper he had been holding.
Monster Nest Reconnaissance
Vicious beasts have been sighted in the vicinity of Boliam. The Deep Ones, otherwise known as Vathiá, have found an abode perilously close to the budding village. Bugbears, a slightly higher intelligent monster race, were observed hunting alongside the Vathiá; an extremely worrying sign, as it eludes to the possibility of a highly hazardous Boss being born.
Information is vital. Immediate action is necessary, otherwise, the threat could most possibly spiral out of control.
You are far too weak to protect the village from attacks, but you have proved yourself resourceful in escaping mortal danger. Scout the forest, shadow the beasts, and retrieve any intel which might alleviate this danger. Upon accepting this quest, your task will be to provide all the information that connect to the safety of the village. Your rewards will scale to the amount of information you provide. You will gain five silver for accepting this, and an estimate of 10 gold pieces if you are able to retrieve the necessary information to protect Boliam from any further attacks.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Beware, failure to do so will cause irrevocable trauma to your soul.
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As this is the first quest you have been offered, the information below visible only to you. The dash will separate what the NPC party is able to see, while anything below that is for the player's knowledge only. Attempting to disclose the information below to NPC’S is punishable by permanent death.
Time Limit: Undetermined.
Beware, the difficulty level for this quest is hidden.
Beware, this quest has become a determinant of your evolutionary path. Choose wisely.
Luke studied L’s serious expression closely, the bags under his eyes only seeming to deepen. L looked up, meeting his gaze. He held it for a few moments, and frowned. “Say, isn’t this a bit…”
“Too much?” Luke cut in. “Worry not, there are no penalties to failing the quest. If you are able to complete it, then you will be hailed as a hero-”
L snorted.
“-of the people. If you do not, which as you can guess, I do not expect you to, then the new hunter will arrive in a night or two, and he will be able to take over.”
“How am I to even begin this? The trail is cold, and even if it was not, I do not have the necessary skills to do so.”
“Let the gods guide you. If it is meant to be, then you will find something,” Luke said.
L nodded to himself. He suspects I have something planned, that I did something, that something will happen soon. He’s a scary man, considering even I have no idea what I am doing. There is no way that I could possibly find out where the dungeon is, if I did not already know where it was--that’s why the difficulty level is hidden. The quest will complete the moment I accept it, or it will spike up to at least S rank if I had no lead to follow. It’s a setup.
“What say you?” Luke said.
L sighed deeply, his eyes glazing over his ragged hand. It will only take a few moments, anyway. The hand will be fine, though...I really thought I could go on longer, without having to do this. Is it Null, trying to keep control, or is it truly Luke, simply being astute? I should have--No, there is no time for regrets. There can never be regrets.
“You speak as if I have a choice in this, Luke,” L whispered, his voice suddenly becoming raspy.
Luke did not flinch, did not move an inch. He held his sights on L, carefully watching his every movement. He did not reply.
The paper L was holding slipped out of his grasps. It fluttered to the floor, landing on top of a logistics book. L clicked his mouth and bent down, reaching for the paper with both of his hands, allowing him momentarily escape Luke’s gaze. As L bent down, and as his knees touched the floor his left hand began to lose its shape, slipping past the dirty rag in globs, , and then immediately sucked itself back into his wrist as he lifted himself off from floor.
“I accept the quest, of course,” L said, smiling widely. “Scouting the forest for a minimum of five silver? Since when were you so generous?" He placed his right hand over the parchment and allowed his mana to sink into it.
You have accepted Monster Nest Reconnaissance
“Very well. Do you have anything to tell me, L?” Luke asked. He placed his hands on the desk and lifted himself up, pushing the chair backward.
“Have a nice day?” L said, tilting his head to the side.
Luke froze for a few seconds. The veins on his forehead quivered, tightened, then relaxed. He rubbed his eyes and then slumped into the large seat.
“Good day, Immortal. Here, have your silver."
L nodded slowly, grabbed the small purse, and then walked out, scratching his head. Why would he think I would know where the monsters reside? Or anything for a matter of fact? This is an impossible mission. I’ll take the silver, but what’s the point in even handing it out to me? Walking into the forest looking for a dungeon is utterly bogus. What is he plotting?