Correctly surmising that any attempt at dissuading the young man from taking the quest would only end in failure and possibly fuel resentment, Dasha proceeded to check if the quest was still valid.

Quests and their associated request forms which were attached to the boards were magically linked to the sponsor. The sponsor had the right and ability to withdraw the quest at any time through a very short and simple incantation which would cancel the contract, grievous or extensive injury which would be detected by the magical link, or death, sudden or otherwise.

After checking the magic link and the enchantment seal used to legitimize the request, Dasha confirmed that it was still active and that the sponsor was alive and well. It came as a surprise for the head clerk, but she kept the expression on her face neutral to avoid appearing rude.

With the quest verified, Dasha proceeded to explain the details of the quest and the process of accepting and finishing it.

Accepting a quest was rather straightforward. After a quest was taken from any of the quest boards and presented to the front desk, the on-duty clerk would verify the validity of the quest, further explain the contents and rewards, and then approve of the choice with a magical stamp and seal.

The magical stamp and seal both served as magical proof that the quest had been accepted properly while also acting as a safety measure to avoid fraud. But in order for the stamp and seal to work properly, the adventurers taking the quest needed to have themselves be stamped and given a unique seal on their skin, specifically on their right wrist, and essentially marking them with a magical tattoo.

This tattoo, or ‘quest mark’ as Dasha called it, would then be bound to the quest document through a magical link, making sure that any transactions and actions done for the quest is recorded through magical means. Adam barely understood most of Dasha’s explanations, but he did his best to at least remember what seemed to be the most important parts.

Specifically, the part where the quest mark would know if either Adam or Ruk were lying in anyway. How it would be able to achieve this was unknown to Adam and not further explained by Dasha, but the young psychic had an idea. With that idea, he expected himself to react in some painful way in a similar experience to the spell that gave him the ability to understand this world. He was not looking forward to it.

That said, Adam’s attention was not drawn to the quest mark, but at the quest at hand. Dasha had a few pieces of extra information to share, information that would prove vital in the quest to come.

“The village of Casmont is considered one of the farthest human settlements here in the New World. Surrounded on all sides by forests and hills, the single road that leads there is often overgrown, muddied, and stalked by bandits. Whoever merchants that do make the trip do not do so often. And tragically, as you may have already guessed from the quest, it was attacked by a goblin horde a few months ago. No survivors.”

Adam’s heart skipped a beat at this new information as he raised both his brows in a confused frown. “You don’t mean to say…”

Dasha could only nod, “The quest giver is the only one who remains there, hence why the quest is still available. Technically, the village of Casmont still exists with a population of… one.

From a logical perspective, there was no point in Adam asking about the well-being and situation of those who survived the so-called goblin horde. The attack had happened months ago, and the damage had already been done, but something inside of the young man could not stay silent.

He wanted to know.

“Surely there were other survivors, right? Did they make it out?” Adam asked. As he did, he focused his telepathy on Dasha, sensing her feelings as the head clerk mustered a response.

The emotions Adam detected sank his heart into the depths.

“What few families survived the attack fled east, only to be preyed upon by the wildlife and bandits. When Carnos heard of this, he sent out two parties to try and escort the survivors to the nearest town, but they were too late.”

Adam found himself clenching his fists in anger and disbelief as he tried to reconcile the utter disregard for the survivors of such a tragedy. Their home had been destroyed and were thus forced to flee for their lives, and yet whatever authority that held power over the land did not bother to send any help? No aid? No soldiers?

“Mr. Adam?” Dasha asked as she noticed the young man forming a deep frown on his face. It was a glare of anger, of disgust. There was no reconciling incompetence. Adam had just learned of an injustice, and as a psychic who couldn’t help but care, he was livid.

But there was not much the young psychic could do. Months had passed and the event had been swept under the rug, forgotten by most. The victims, whoever they were, would soon be swept away by the tides of time, never to be remembered.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Unless Adam did something.

“But the quest giver is really still in the village? Alive and well?” Adam asked.

“That is according to the quest document, yes. The magic link is bright and clear. He is alive and well. A surprising but nonetheless heartbreaking feat.”

Adam shook his head. His anger subsided for now, sinking into the depths of his mind as he stored it away to be used at another time. And there would come such a time. But for now, he needed to wait.

“And the only reason he is alive is because he was not at the village during the attack.” Adam said, receiving one more nod from Dasha. The head clerk eyed him warily but understood where the young man was coming from with his emotions.

The rest of their meeting involved finalizing a few more details and some more minor discussions about routes to take and settlements to consider. Before they concluded, Adam decided to purchase a book about goblins from the guild library. It was a somewhat thin book, but it had a lot of information that Adam wanted to know.

After all, a confrontation with these creatures was inevitable given that they would be searching near their territory. It was best to know the enemy.

As Adam and Ruk decided to stay for the night and begin their quest in earnest by the morrow, the Rukdam Duo bid Dasha farewell and headed to their separate rooms. Their supplies and equipment would be cared for by some employees of the guild. Since the guild was somewhat trustworthy, the Rukdam Duo didn’t need to worry too much about their things possibly getting stolen.

The guild had good accommodations, but that was not what occupied Adam's mind during the night he and Ruk stayed there. He was thinking. He thought about the village of Casmont and the father and husband who refused to leave until he could bury his family.

A slight pang of pain was present in Adam's heart ever since he learned about the tragic event. It was not sharp, but it made its presence known all throughout, giving him no respite as the night dragged on.

Adam had this feeling of responsibility and sense of duty to try and help as much as he could. The quest was simple, but the story behind it was all but tragic and painful to consider.

His psychic power made him more sensitive to his emotions than the average person by a wide margin, making his ability to keep himself under control under most stressful circumstances impressive.

But that didn't mean he couldn't or didn't struggle with the feelings he often kept underneath. He knew how to control what he felt and thought, but that didn't mean he could erase any of it outright.

He was, despite his power and ability, still a human living in a world that was fragile to his touch. One misstep or one mistake would be all it takes to make everything shatter in a cacophony of devastation.

Adam had parents that made this reality seem so far away, helping him be a normal child, teen, and then young man. He was their son, and they were his parents.

And he missed them dearly.

His own background allowed the young psychic to sympathize with the man they were about to help. Losing one's own family was a terrible fate than was oftentimes as bad or even worse than one’s own misfortune or death.

In death, one would be released from the pain and grief that weighed down on one's heart. But Adam had to keep on living. He made a promise. And he had no doubt that the man from the village of Casmont was the same.

Still, Adam was sleepless. He pondered what next to do in order to distract his mind from his own feelings about the matter. As his eyes traveled the room, he took in the relatively simple interior. Wooden walls and a wooden ceiling with a simple table and chair. The bed was nice and comfortable, made from and stuffed with cotton for that extra relaxing feeling. His pillow, meanwhile, was stuffed with feathers, something he had only ever seen on TV in a few of those old cartoons.

A single candle standing atop a small silver plate illuminated his room. Though there was a window, Adam kept it closed, not wanting to feel the cold wind of the outside for the moment.

Then Adam remembered the book he purchased, one that explained what goblins were and how to deal with their kind. The young psychic was familiar with goblins and their portrayals from back in his original world. They were disgusting, little creatures bent on causing as much misery as possible. In most cases, at least. Adam recognized that there were a few portrayals where they were good.

But those were not common, and the original folklore that surrounded them weren’t any better.

Still, he tried to keep an open mind as he took the book and read the first few pages.

Unfortunately for him, whoever wrote this hastily written book did not mince their words. Or rather held a bias against the goblins, and it was beginning to seem like it was for good reasons too. If the contents of the book were to be believed, then the goblins were among the most despicable creatures that could exist in this world.

They were, by all definitions, monsters. But the heinous acts that were listed here almost seemed comical. Surely not all goblins were like this.

Adam wanted to believe that, despite the fact that these creatures were responsible for a horrific tragedy, they were not all bad.

There was also the mention that goblins were the spawn of a malevolent deity. An angry and jealous god bent on destroying the civilized world. That part made Adam a bit skeptical, but since he was in a magical world, his skepticism had the chance of proving itself to be wrong.

Still not able to sleep his thoughts away, Adam decided to finish the book before the morning. If anything, he could just sleep as the mule dragged their lot through the dirt roads.

Wait, didn’t mules need to be directed the same way as other pack animals? Adam didn’t know how to ride or guide one, but Ruk surprisingly was experienced in handling pack animals.

Another idea appeared in Adam’s mind as he mulled over the mule and how to care and guide it. If magic could help him understand the language of the world and read the language, though not enough to write, maybe he could in some way make an animal understand him through telepathy.

He had never tested something like that, nor did he think that such a psychic ability would be possible. But now, he was beginning to reconsider the possibilities.

Maybe there was more to his power than just manipulating reality.

But that also raised another question: would it be right to manipulate another mind?