Darian slowed, the buff from the wolf seeping from his body. The loss in speed wasn’t substantial, but it was enough to make him worry about the Bone Knight on their heels. While Carver and the wolf sprang through the forest silently, each of Darian’s steps snapped twigs and thudded against the hard ground. The Bone Knight itself was smashing through the underbrush some distance behind them. They were gaining a lead on it though, with Darian’s sliced leg stinging him with each step.
Eventually, the thundering steps of the Bone Knight faded, and all Darian could hear was Carver’s ragged breathing. When they broke through the clearing at the pond’s edge, Carver collapsed. The wolf rushed to his side and nudged his cheek, its eyes narrowed in worry.
“I can’t…continue,” Carver said, crawling a half step forward.
“Don’t worry, we’re here.” Darian grabbed Carver under the arm and helped him to his feet, surprised at how light the archer was. “That’s my cave.”
“Thank Argus,” Carver said, legs wobbling. “Please take me to the water.”
Darian helped the wavering man to the mud thick edge of the pond where he lowered himself to the moon's reflection, his dry lips quivering as he pressed them against the cool liquid.
The wolf helped itself to the pond in the same spot Darian had first seen it, but for some reason it wouldn’t take its eyes off him. There was something in its glare that put Darian on edge, and he backed away a few paces.
“Let’s hope we lost it,” Carver said rising to his feet. “We are in no condition for more battle.”
----------------------------------------
Enemies Defeated
[Skeleton Lv.1] x7
Class XP Gained: 28
Progress to Class Lv. 4 (34/75)
----------------------------------------
“We should be fine.” Seeing the notification set Darian’s heart at ease. As far as he could tell, the XP notifications only happened when he was safe. That didn’t mean the Bone Knight couldn’t come crashing through the trees at any moment, but at least for now he was able to relax.
Free from any existential threat, Darian hobbled over to the rock he liked to sit on. Once settled, he inspected his wounds. His whole body was covered in small cuts and scratches, but the healing potion he drank seemed to mend most of them. His leg was cut pretty badly, the wound still leaking a thin trail of blood. But his chest was the worst. The flesh was torn and puffy, the gash deep. He needed blood, but Carver and the wolf were right there. What am I going to tell him about my thirst? Or the sun? A nipping pain started forming in his gut. Should I have left him behind? Maybe led him somewhere else? But he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he used Carver as a distraction. And the cave was the only place he knew for sure was safe. The cabin could be trapped by now and the ruined temple had too many holes in its roof. Still, what the hell am I supposed to tell him?
“You’ve got a blessed pair of lungs, I’ll give you that much,” Carver said, his breathing finally under control. “Father and I used to run the fields each day and I thought he never tired. But you friend, you’re not even sweating.”
“Yeah, guess I’m just…different.”
“Are you?” Carver raised a brow. “I confess, you’re the first elf I’ve ever met. But I’ve heard stories of how your people can run leagues without need for rest.”
Wait, elf? He thinks I’m an elf? Darian reached up and touched the slightly pointed tips of his ears. I do have pointed ears and red eyes. Though my ears aren’t nearly as pointed as they would be if I was an elf. At least the ones I’ve seen in video games and movies. But they could always look different in this world. “You’ve never seen an elf before? Are they rare around here?”
Carver blinked at Darian like he had asked the stupidest question he’d ever heard. “We’re in Lonelen,” he said as if it should answer Darian’s question.
“Right. Lonelen.” Darian scratched at his cheek. “And…where is that?”
Carver squinted at Darian. “Are you alright? You’re not cursed with memory loss, are you?”
“I might be,” Darian motioned for Carver to follow. “I don’t remember anything before arriving in this forest.” I don’t like lying, but what else am I supposed to say? That I woke up ass naked in the middle of the woods?
“Truly,” Carver said, laying a supportive hand on Darian’s shoulder. “Then we must find the Crusader from my party. He will be able to lift your curse.”
Good God what have I got myself into? “That would be…great.”
The cave mouth yawned ahead, Darian’s bearskin rug and pillow calling to him. By the smell in the air, he could tell sunrise was still a few hours away. But whether it just be the events of the day or his lack of blood, Darian felt like all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and go to sleep.
“This is your camp?” Carver asked, stepping into the cave and settling down opposite Darian. “These are some fine furnishings. How long have you been in these woods?”
“About a week, I think,” Darian said, crouching and pressing his back to the cool wall, his chest throbbing. “These are the things I’ve collected around the forest since I first woke up.”
“You must be resourceful, to survive like this without your memory.” Carver pressed his index and middle finger to his forehead, his eyes closed. “Praise be to Argus for your safety thus far.”
Darian cocked his head to the side. “Argus?”
“He is the God of the Sun,” Carver said, slowly opening his eyes. “He holds dominion over these lands.”
The sun huh. “Do a lot of people around here worship him?”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Not so many in my village. But the Justicars serve him, and that is why we called to them for help. Argus’ followers are experts in killing the undead, but I fear Carn was right when he said we should have hired adventures instead.”
Darian groaned. While Carver and even that dual wilding skeleton from before might not have known what a vampire was, these Justicars certainly could. “You said you were separated from them? How did that happen?”
Carver pulled his knees in close, his eyes staring off like he was witnessing some unseen horror. “They set on us not long after we entered this stretch of the forest. A whole horde of shamblers backed by some spellcasters and Bone Knights. One of the monsters shrouded the area in fog, and I was chased away.” He shook his head. “But the Justicars were right behind Carn and his daughter, Fria. They have to still be out there. If a weakling like me survived, then there’s no way they fell.”
But Carn is dead. Thinking about the man’s torn body and his daughter’s scream made Darian sick. But it wasn’t only the sight that bothered him, but the way he hungered whenever he thought about it.
“But Zan is here,” Carver said, petting the wolf who’d just wander into the cave. The great beast settled beside Carver, its massive head on his lap.
“You two know each other?” Darian said, noticing the wolf still had its eyes trained on him.
“He’s Carn’s soulbound companion. All rangers have one.”
“So you’re not a ranger, then?” Darian said, wincing in pain as he shifted.
Carver frowned and gently pushed the wolf off his lap. “Your wounds need binding. Let me help.” Carver stood and rummaged in his satchel. “I am no Cleric, but I can at least bandage you.” He pulled out a length of tan cloth and small silvery knife. “And to answer your question, no. I am no ranger yet.”
Darian pulled himself off the wall and turned his back to Carver. “How does one become a ranger?” He asked the question partly out of genuine curiosity, but he had another motive. This world clearly wasn’t some video game, but it had a system inside it. He needed to know if the people of this world operated the same way he did. If they didn’t, it might be better to keep some of the system information to himself.
“Endless training, friend.” Carver wrapped his makeshift bandage around Darian’s chest, the cloth wet with some kind of salve. “I’ve been training for five years but I’m still not good enough. This mission was supposed to help me improve, but look how things turned out.” He sighed. “The priests of Argus can tell a man’s worth, and they told me I might be as strong as I’ll ever get. Some of the adventures call this being ‘capped out’, but I never liked that. I can get stronger. I know it.” He tightened the bandage around Darian, his hands trembling. “There is so much frustration in being weak.”
“I understand.” Twice now Darian had to run from a fight, and this sent hot coals ablaze in his stomach. But it looks like he doesn’t get stronger the same way I do. I can level up by just killing monsters and completing quests, but it seems like he has to do things the hard way. Darian felt a bit of guilt pinch his chest. He knew he was lucky, getting a second chance like this. But it seemed he was lucky even compared to the people who lived here. Wish there was something I could do to change things for him.
----------------------------------------
Quest added: Companionship
Objective: Form a party of three
* Reward: (Minor) XP Crystal
* Reward: Scroll of Cure Minor Wounds
* Reward: Scroll of Cure Major Wounds
----------------------------------------
Darian jumped, the sudden trumpets from the quest notification still not something he was used to.
“Are you alright?” Carver asked.
Darian rose, the bandage stiff against his chest. “I’m fine. Just felt a sudden pain.”
“We need to bandage your leg next.”
It will heal on its own in time. Especially if I can find some blood to drink. But he couldn’t tell Carver that. Plus, he couldn’t count out the possibility bandaging the wound could make it heal even faster. “Alright.” Darian leaned back against the wall, his leg held up.
Carver rubbed some kind of green slush onto the bandage before he wrapped it around Darian’s thigh. Being this close to someone made Darian surprisingly uncomfortable. Then he realized. This is the first person to be this close to me that isn’t a family member or medical staff. The last time Darian had a friend over he was ten and the boy had to leave early when Darian started throwing up.
“Your skin is so cold,” Carver said as he finished wrapping the wound.
Trying to swallow his sudden burst of embarrassment, Darian opted to change the subject. “That stuff you put on the bandage, what is it?”
Carver, much to Darian’s relief, stood and backed away. “A poultice made from plants in the forest.” He smiled. “I’ve been working on my alchemy in secret. I’m hoping I’ll be able to make potions one day. But for now, this is all I can do.”
Curious, Darian checked his HP and found it had already increased. Guess this stuff really works. Then he froze. He’d brought the screen up without thinking about it, but now it hovered right in front of Carver’s face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Carver asked.
He can’t see it. “Nothing.” Darian dismissed the screen.
Carver, still with a look of confusion on his face, laid his bow and quiver down, then pulled off his fur jacket. Beneath, he was far skinnier than Darian realized, with gangly arms and bony wrists. He also realized Carver was younger than he first thought. There was a certain freshness to his face that, despite the short beard, marked him as a teenager rather than a fully grown man.
“We must continue my search for the others in the morning,” Carver said, using his jacket like a cushion as he reclined against the wall.
Darian’s heart fell like a stone. “I…I can’t go out in the sunlight.” This is it. He’s going to figure out what I am. Images of the two in combat flashed in Darian’s mind, and he was ashamed when the vision ended with his fangs buried in Carver’s throat.
The wolf nestled down at Carver’s side as he stared at Darian. “You can’t go into the sun? By Argus...why?”
“It burns my skin,” Darian said, raising his pale arms. “I have a rare elven condition.” What the hell am I saying. “It’s one of the only things I remembered about myself when I woke up here.”
Carver’s face grew slack and for a moment Darian thought maybe he was about to attack. But then the archer’s face pinched together in sympathy. “I’m sorry friend. To be denied Argus’ warm touch, there aren’t many worse fates I can think of. But perhaps this is a curse as well?”
Darian nodded. “Maybe. Hopefully.”
“All the more reason to find the Crusader from my party.” Carver slowly ran his hand through the wolf’s fur. “I will search in the morning while I check my snares. Then we can go together at night. The undead are weakened by the sunlight, so I will be safe alone during the day.” His eye lids started to droop. “I apologize, but I fear I am spent. Would you mind keeping first watch?”
Darian turned and looked out into the forest, almost sure he saw something big shift between the trees. “I don’t mind.” By the time he turned around, Carver was fast asleep.
He stood there a while until he was sure both Carver and the wolf were out cold. Then he crept into the forest looking for something to drink. Have to be quick and careful. Thankfully it didn’t take long for a sleepy rabbit to wander across Darian’s path. One quick use of [Command Animal] and it was pressed against Darian’s lips, its warm blood flowing down his throat.
But then a twig snapped, and Darian spun, rabbit still held to his mouth. Carver's wolf friend lumbered out of the bushes, a knowing glare in its amber eyes. Its lips peeled back, and it growled, hackles raised. Darian let the rabbit drop to the dirt and he slowly rose, his palms facing out.
“Alright,” he said. “How about you and I come to a little arrangement?”