Roll for Stealth: Avoid Detection.

Miles clutched the dice tightly, and the system responded, rolling in his mind’s eye. The dice tumbled, landing on a 6 and a 5.

Result: Success.

Vadamir’s footsteps stopped just in front of the closet. Miles held his breath as the door creaked open.

Nothing.

The system’s notification explained it before Miles could process:

Vadamir checked inside the closet, but not behind it. You remain undetected.

Miles exhaled silently, relief washing over him as Vadamir stepped back and closed the closet door.

“Nothing here,” Vadamir muttered. “But I’ll find him.”

With one last glance around, Vadamir stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Miles waited a full minute before stepping out from behind the closet. His legs were shaky, but he managed to steady himself. The boy sat by the door, his expression a mixture of fear and relief.

“Thanks for not ratting me out,” Miles said, his voice low.

The boy gave a small nod. “You saved me. I didn’t want to betray you.”

Miles crouched down, his tone softening. “What’s going on here, kid? Why is this place... like this?”

The boy hesitated before speaking, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s the curse.”

“Curse?”

“The Village of Faelwen hasn’t been able to grow food or thrive for twenty years. Nothing works. The soil is dead, the animals are scarce, and we can’t leave because of the beasts in the wild.”

Miles frowned. “How does a village end up cursed like that?”

The boy’s eyes filled with sadness. “It’s because of the Saintess. She was our protector, a blessed one who kept the village safe and prosperous. But she was killed a long time ago. Without her, we have no protection, no blessings. The beasts come to take what little we have, and we... we’re starving.”

Miles’s heart sank as he pieced it together. “So the villagers just... what, survive on nothing?”

The boy shook his head. “No. We offer sacrifices to the wild beasts. Animals, sometimes even... people. We pray it’s enough to keep them from destroying the village completely. And when we can, we hunt, but it’s never enough.”

Stolen story; please report.

Miles sat back, his mind racing. A dead Saintess, a cursed village, and people forced to make sacrifices just to scrape by. The weight of it all pressed down on him, but his survival instincts screamed louder.

“This isn’t my problem,” he muttered to himself, though the guilt in his chest didn’t ease.

The boy’s gaze was pleading. “You’re strong. You have powers. Maybe you can—”

“Stop,” Miles cut him off, his tone sharper than he intended. “I’m not a hero, kid. I’m just trying to stay alive.”

The boy flinched, and Miles sighed, softening his voice. “Look, I’m sorry. I can’t fix this. I don’t even know how to get out of here.”

The boy hesitated before speaking again. “There’s... a way to lift the curse. But it’s dangerous.”

Miles arched a brow. “Dangerous how?”

“The curse can only be broken by returning the Saintess’s relic to her shrine,” the boy explained. “But the shrine is deep in the forest, surrounded by beasts. No one who’s gone after it has come back.”

Miles groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Of course it is.”

He glanced at the boy, who looked hopeful despite his frail condition. Miles hated how much the kid reminded him of himself—desperate, clinging to the smallest shred of hope in a hopeless situation.

“I’ll... think about it,” Miles said finally. “But first, I need to figure out how to get out of this village without Vadamir catching me.”

The boy nodded, his expression serious. “Be careful. Vadamir isn’t what he seems. He’s... he’s done things.”

Miles didn’t need the system to confirm that. His gut had been warning him from the moment he met the chieftain.

As he sat in the dim, crumbling house, Miles weighed his options. Stay and try to help a dying village, risking his life in the process, or cut his losses and find a way to escape.

Neither option felt good, but one thing was clear: the longer he stayed in Faelwen, the more danger he was in.

Miles sat cross-legged on the creaky wooden floor, staring at the dice in his hand. He hadn’t planned on staying in Faelwen a second longer than necessary, but the sight of the boy and the villagers had gnawed at his conscience. Finally, he decided to roll and see if there was a way to help this cursed place.

Roll for Guidance: Determine a Way to Save the Village.

The dice rolled in his mind, tumbling endlessly until they finally stopped. 6 and 6.

Result: Critical Success.

The system chimed:

There is a way to lift the curse afflicting the Village of Faelwen.

Objective Unlocked: Challenge the Dungeon Known as "The Curse of the God." Requirements: A party of 4, each member at or above Level 5.

Miles frowned, rubbing his temple. A dungeon? That explained a lot but made everything infinitely more complicated. He didn’t even know where to begin recruiting three more people, let alone leveling them all to meet the system’s requirements.

The boy’s small voice cut through his thoughts. “What are you doing?”

Miles glanced at him, debating whether to tell the truth. After a moment, he shrugged. “Trying to figure out how to help this place.”

The boy blinked. “How? You’ve just been staring at the air for a while.”

“Wait,” Miles said, narrowing his eyes. “You didn’t see anything? Like... glowing text or something?”

The boy shook his head. “No, why? Should I?”

Miles exhaled, realizing that this kid wasn’t a “player” like him. That much was obvious, but the next question gnawed at him. “Do you know anyone who’s ever had... I don’t know, special powers? Abilities that normal people don’t have?”

The boy nodded slowly. “There’s something called a ‘divine blessing.’ My dad used to talk about it. People with blessings could do special things—fight better, heal faster, or even use magic. But he said it was really rare. Most people never see someone like that in their whole lives.”

Miles’s mind raced. That sounded a lot like his system, though clearly less expansive. “So, these people... where would I find them?”

The boy hesitated. “I’m not sure. Some of the villagers who left said they were heading to a big human settlement. Maybe you could find someone there.”

Miles nodded thoughtfully. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was a start. If the system wanted him to form a party, the settlement was his best bet.