The midday sun blazed as Ean approached the guard post that marked the boundary between Argonia Central and Argonia West. Travelers lined up on both sides of the barrier, their faces etched with frustration.
"Good day, citizen," the guard barked at a traveler ahead of Ean. "Why are you traveling to Argonia West?"
"To borrow a breeding ram from me brother's farm," the man replied.
"There is a travel restriction in place," the guard stated firmly. "Sorry, but I cannot let you through. Try again in a few days."
"I have to go today, or my ewes won't be able to breed until next month. Let me through," the man said as he pushed past the guard.
The guard grabbed the man, spun him around, and shoved him in the direction of the city. "No one gets through by order of the Minister of the Interior."
With a scowl, the man turned and trudged back towards town. Ean stepped forward.
"Good day," the guard greeted him. "As you heard, I cannot let you through."
"I'm on the king's business," Ean said. "I have a travel pass."
"My apologies, sir," the guard said. "What name should I put in my logbook?"
With the king's reminder his life was in danger still fresh in his memory, and the assumption a spymaster's business should remain secret, his answer seemed easy.
"I can't give you a name," Ean replied, "because I was never here… if you get my meaning."
The guard nodded. "Understood, sir."
Ean took a step forward, but the guard stopped him and stuck out a hand.
"Unnamed sir," the guard said, "were you going to leave without contributing to the Royal Guard Retirement Fund?"
Ean sighed and pulled a gold coin and slipped it to the guard. He was learning that in the capital, favors are never free. A new worry to add to his list was that payday was two weeks away. If he had to a pay many more unofficial taxes, his coin purse would soon be empty.
"Be careful," the guard warned. "Argonia West can be a lawless place."
* * *
Ean ventured into Argonia West, where untamed forests stretched to the horizon and teemed with wildlife. The dense foliage and calls of unseen creatures were a stark contrast to the bustling urban center of Argonia Central and the rolling plains of his Argonia East home. This was no place for the timid - only rugged farmers, skilled hunters, and daring trappers dared to call this untamed wilderness home. After a grueling trek, he reached Wildwood's Edge, a rustic town nestled within the forest's embrace.
Ean's jaw tightened as memories of his last visit to Wildwood's Edge resurfaced. As a boy, he had accompanied his father and uncle to purchase lumber for a new barn, only to be met with the locals' unpleasant reputation. The salesman at the lumbermill had been rude and insulting, sneering at their lack of knowledge about the precise boards and beams they required. Not until the new barn's walls warped and split did they realize the salesman had intentionally sold them green, subpar wood - a spiteful act that still left Ean bitter.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
With the travel restriction in place, he was mostly alone on the road, with the occasional West Argonian sharing the road for a short distance. A lone rider, whom he assumed was a courier, galloped furiously past him toward Argonia Central. The man was traveling light and wore a purple-colored courier hat, although Ean was unfamiliar with any courier service that wore purple hats.
As Ean neared the town of Wildwood's Edge, the road became increasingly crowded with travelers. Everyone made their way to the trading post, eager for news and supplies. His instincts urged him to blend in, to become another anonymous figure in the throng. Slipping into a small group, he kept his head down, his ears strained to catch any whispered conversations that might yield valuable intelligence. The last thing he wanted was to draw the attention of a vendor who would surely try to peddle their wares.
Ean's ears perked up at the sound of an irate shopper's voice, laced with indignation. "Five gold for deer meat?" the man exclaimed. "It was three gold last week and two the week before!" The hunter behind the merchant table met the shopper's gaze, his expression heavy with concern. "There are no deer to hunt. Fewer deer, less venison meat to sell."
"Why should I have to pay more because you're having bad luck?" the shopper countered.
"It's not bad luck," the hunter insisted. "I've been hunting those woods most of my life. It's wolves. They're gettin' aggressive. No fear of man. Terrible omen that is."
LOG ENTRY CREATED: RUMORS - ARGONIA WEST
His questbook vibrated, signaling it cataloged the information. He made his way to the park with one eye on the setting sun. Even as far away as his parent's farm in Argonia East, he'd heard stories of the dangers of the Wildwood's Edge park at night for anyone not skilled at fending off wild animals.
* * *
As twilight spread its embrace over the untamed forests, Ean's imagination painted a vivid picture of the park's sinister transformation under the cloak of darkness. With each step he took, the gnarled trees loomed like shadowy giants, their branches reaching out like grasping claws. The silence was broken only by the distant howls of wolves, their eerie calls echoing through the desolate wilderness.
Determined to complete his mission before nightfall, Ean scoured the park, his keen eyes scanning every nook and cranny. Finally, his gaze settled on an ancient tree stump, its roots jutting out of the earth like grasping fingers. Beneath its gnarled base, he spotted a likely dead drop, a small hollow concealed in the tangled roots.
With deft fingers, Ean carefully placed his message inside the dead drop. He was relieved when he recognized the pulsating feeling his questbook made when a quest was completed.
QUEST COMPLETED: Q-008 Deliver Secret_Message-02 to dead drop in Argonia West
REWARD: +1 XP (6/6)
The questbook wriggled so fiercely in his satchel that he was forced to take it out. The pages were glowing as he opened it.
# # # CHARACTER LEVEL UP # # #
Gain Increased Vitality, Intellect, and Charisma
Personal Stats
Name: Ean Fleming Level: 3
Experience Points (XP): 6 / 6
Points to next level: 6
Gold Pieces: 6
Active Quests: 0
Completed Quests: 4
Failed Quests: 0
CLASS: Spymaster Rank: 2
Reverse The Word (2/3)
Caesar Cipher II (0/3)
His first quest away from his new home combined with leveling up his stats had him puffing up his chest. Ean hadn't felt this proud since he was fourteen when his father told him he could run the team of plow horses by himself. Unlike then, he was sure this moment wouldn't turn into disappointment and drudgery so soon after.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the park, Ean realized that he could no longer stay. Creatures rustled in the bushes, and yellow eyes glared from the forest. The park was no longer the domain of humans. Deeper in the woods he heard a lone wolf howl. It was answered by another wolf.
And then another close by.
The dangers that lurked in the darkness were not to be underestimated, especially for an inexperienced traveler like himself. He turned his back on the eerie forest and swiftly headed towards the safety of the inn, where he hoped to find shelter and respite for the night.