The bedroom was modest, just big enough for one person to move comfortably. Can't really argue about it, since it was free. It was payment for getting that troublesome armored warrior to finally leave.

I took out the black armor and tried it on. It made me feel vile, but at the same time it would be disrespectful and a waste to avoid putting it to use. It was well-made, and would give far better protection than any other kind of armor I would have access to right now. In a way, I am fulfilling my promise to Arma of taking care of her.

"Oh, don't tell me you still feel sorry for that haunted armor. Stuff like this is dime a dozen in this land. You need man up and grow a bone, kid," said the skull.

"I have more bones than you, Calvar. By the way, why do you keep calling me a kid? Even the innkeeper did that."

The skull looked on with surprise.

"Well, you look like a kid. How old are you?"

"27."

"What? You don't look it at all!"

I took a look at the bedroom mirror nearby. He was right, I looked like a teenager. It's as if I was picked right out of a colorful Japanese RPG about friendship overcoming evil. This body belonged to somebody else entirely. Well, I at least looked much manlier with the armor on. It'd be perfect with the helmet as well, but then I might be confused for Arma, and it would be poor manners inside a city. Another upside is that I make for a believable beginning adventurer.

I headed downstairs and greeted the one-eyed inkeeper. He seemed to have a habit of stroking his beard when bored.

"That armor looks great on you. Still, I can't believe Arma straight up gave it to your as a parting gift. Must have cost a lot of money!"

"I suppose so. Taberno, do you mind if I ask some questions?"

"Go right on ahead."

The man's name was Taberno. He ran the inn primarily as a lodging place for travelling adventurers, but has experienced a slowdown in business lately. He seems like an uncomplicated person simply happy to have some company.

"Do you know where I could find a necromancer?"

"Is that part of a quest? Closest thing I know of is a nearby cave with filled with undead. That'd be my best bet."

That must be the dungeon I woke up in. I should go back and eventually fully explore that place when I have a chance.

"Also, do you know what this object is?"

I showed him my pendant.

"This silver pendant? The shopkeep at the general store would know more about it than me. Although... well, it's probably nothing. The general store would know better."

Nothing? I've seen enough dramas to know that when somebody says "it's nothing", they actually mean the exact opposite. It means Toberno has a pretty good clue as to the identity of the object. I pushed him to tell me, not letting him squirm away.

"Well... it might be my imagination, but I think I recall somebody else wearing a very similar pendant before. Who was it? I didn't see it in-person, it was a picture..." Toberno stroked his beard in thought, "Oh, I got it. The Demon Lord! The Demon Lord wears one very similar to this."

Demon Lord? I have never heard of that title before.

"Is that related to the World-Devouring Demon?" I ask.

"The what now? No, I'm talking about the Demon Lord. The vile man who swore allegiance to evil and declared war on humanity. This war is the reason why business is so slow lately. So many young men have died for the war effort, it's a real tragedy."

In Spirit of Darkness, the main antagonist was the World-Devouring Demon, an ancient monstrosity awoken from its deep slumber. The Demon did possess several demon generals (a type of monster) which needed to be defeated before the climactic fight could begin, but there was no such title as Demon Lord, and if there was, it wouldn't have been filled by a human.

But what did this mean? Was my body somehow related to this Demon Lord? Was I an underling, or maybe its child? Is my dad the main villain of this world? How ridiculous. In the first place, it could be a coincidence. What if the pendant is a magical item of some utility, and he simply wore because it was useful? That's entirely possible. All this means is that I should look into the Demon Lord for clues to my identity, nothing more.

"One last question. This is a little embarrassing, since I only recently became an adventurer, but do you know how am I supposed to grow stronger?" I asked.

Toberno looked confused.

"Eh? You go into dungeons and kill some monsters. That's what you adventurers do!"

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"Yeah, I know that. That's how I get aether. But how do I use it to strengthen myself?"

"Really now? I didn't know there was more to it. Well, let me think," he once again stroked his beard, "oh, didn't it have something to do with prayer? Adventurers always talk about praying to the angels and how it gives them strength."

I realized he had a point. In Spirit of Darkness, the player character assumed a prayer pose whenever he levelled up. I always assumed it was just for flavor, but perhaps it did hold some substance. Why didn't I think of this before? I felt stupid for not figuring it out something so simple on my own. I bid the innkeeper farewell and made my way outside.

"Well well, looks like our boy might have something to do with the Demon Lord. The plot thickens!" said the skull.

"Calvar, you could hear that conversation?"

"But of course. What, did you think this bag was soundproof? What caused you to make such a silly assumption?"

"But if it's not soundproof, how come when we first met- never mind. Just never mind. We need to get going."

I made a stop at the general store as Toberno recommended. The shopkeep was far less useful than expected, appearing bored out of her mind the entire time. She knew nothing about the pendant -- a complete waste of time in that regard.

The shop itself proved far more useful. I was ashamed to admit I went on a bit of a shopping spree, grabbing any survival tool I could get my hands on. A compass, a box of tinders, a blank journal, a writing utensil, a mortar and pestle, a set of empty glass bottles, and the like. The weapons section also proved fruitful; I found a simple spear. This meant I could dismantle my hastily-made caveman pole and turn it back into a dagger. For that, I bought sheath. This way I could place the dagger on my body, so if anything were to happen I could draw it in a pinch. Now possessing both a survival knife and a real weapon, I felt far more secure for my future prospects.

This spree had a cost, however, as my two silver coins quickly evaporated and became two copper. The currency system seemed similar to real life, with coins divided into copper, silver, and gold categories. That's not to say that copper was worthless, however, even a single copper coin still held quantifiable value. They're like old pennies -- before decades of inflation set in and made pennies effectively worthless.

Everything fit snugly into my bottomless bag. I began to imagine what I would do if I didn't have it. Would I wear an enormous backpack? It would be a truly ridiculous sight. Just like most outdoor activities, I despised backpacking, and couldn't imagine hiking with such a thing on my back. Then again, I wouldn't imagine traversing a forest and foraging it for plants, yet I did just that a short while ago. Unexpected scenarios can lead to expanding your horizons like that.

I headed outside once again. I wanted to pray, but doing so in front of strangers like her would be embarrassing. I tried to recall the pose the player character assumed, and tried to mimic it to the best of my ability. But it didn't work. After several minutes of trying I gave up and brainstormed as to what could be missing.

Prayer... that reminded me of something. During character creation in SoD, you had select the player's patron deity. There were five different options, and they all came with flavor text and unique buffs. They were meant more for role-playing than anything, as they were never referenced in-story and made little difference gameplay-wise. If I assume the player grew stronger using prayer, and they believed in these deities, that must have been what they prayed to.

That raises an important question: who is my patron deity? That might be the reason I cannot level up. I need to know which god to pray to first. Are there any clues on my body? Symbols, perhaps? As I recall, each deity had their own unique symbol. This is something really obscure, only the most hardcore Spirit of Darkness players would remember. Well, luckily, it just so happens that I'm one of those. If I were to see it, I should be able to discern the symbol between the five deities.

A flash rushed through my mind. I began running towards the forest, trusty bag in hand.

"I got it! I know what I need!" I said.

"What? What do you mean?" Calvar asked.

"It's the shrine!"

"What shrine?"

"The shrine in the dungeon! The one I woke up right next to! That must be the symbol of my deity!"

The skull, utterly confused, could do nothing but hang along for the ride.