Chapter 26
Adventure Center
Asher tossed and turned, the cloying scent wafting through his nostrils and into his dreams, putting him under duress. He jolted out of bed, immediately sitting up, his nostrils stirring for a moment before he blew out a sneeze; it was a loud and thunderous one, the way his grandfather taught him--Give your body a recourse, the old man used to say. If you still it inside, come your thirties, you’ll be blowing your back out like a whore in a brothel.
He had many such ‘wisdomous’ quotes and sayings as it were, most of which were permeated with some level of abhorrence for one or another group of people. He died a grumpy, bitter old man, but, for all his faults, he was there for Asher. A permanent mark of a childhood never-well-lived.
The faint, fading sounds of footsteps startled him awake further, prompting him to get out of the bed and slowly tap his way into the living room. Peeking from behind the corner of the door frame lacking a door, he caught sight of a tiny little green thing in the corner: it wasn't even three feet tall, bald, with jutting, sharp ears coming off in tight curves over the edge of its temples, and seemingly unwieldy, awkward limbs that lacked proper definition. It wore clothes made of old, worn linen, and was currently holding a child-sized broom, sweeping it back and forth.
“It’s improper to stare, you know?” the voice startled Asher for a moment; it was rather low, unnaturally so, unfitting the goblin’s shape. The goblin turned his head and looked at him, a pair of oversized, yellow eyes strangely dissolute in their make. The long, crooked nose sported a golden ring ribbed through both nostrils, oversized and gaudy, falling over the pair of thin, barely visible lips.
“... you must be the, uh, assistant I was rewarded,” Asher said.
“Assistant, huh?” the goblin mused with a smeared smirk. “I suppose that is one way of putting it.” despite the conversation, the little thing never stopped sweeping, moving on from the corner and along the edges of the wall.
“What, uh, what is this smell?” Asher asked. The smell that woke him up--it was sweet, sickeningly so. It sort of smelled like apple cider, but also sort of like sugary vinegar, which made it smell truly like neither and instead like a mixed abomination.
“It’s from the duster,” the goblin lifted the broom for a moment. “You’ll get used to it. Beats needing to smell residual shit, doesn’t it?”
“...” Asher fell silent, feeling awkward. He’d never had someone clean his room since his mom did it back before he was kicked out. Having someone sweeping through his home was... uncomfortable. “You mind if I eat?” Asher asked. He’d already felt the pangs of hunger before tossing himself on the bed and falling asleep, but his stomach was practically begging for some nourishment. He’d already noticed the two meals lined neatly to his left making up a whole loaf of bread and two spoonfuls of sugar.
"Knock yourself out," the goblin said. Asher quickened his feet and grabbed everything, alongside one jug of water, and strode back into his bedroom. There was nothing to clean besides dust--but, perhaps, this was like a communal sentence of sorts. Perhaps the goblin was one of those monsters who, instead of sprawling on the field amidst others, chose the life of servitude to 'pay off a debt', or live out its life. Asher resisted pondering on the vastitude of such thoughts--he knew practically nothing of the world, and his own philosophies fell short in matching whatever reality he perceived here.
The sugar, in particular, was heaven-sent. The sweet, crisp sensation as he bit into a slice of bread lined with sugar sent shivers through him. His body yearned for it, just as it yearned for the ale before. Though it could sustain itself on bread and water and happy memories for some time, it was difficult to adjust to this, coming from a life of privilege. Well, privilege in comparison, at least.
He wolfed down four slices of bread and the two spoonfuls of sugar in just a few minutes, washing them down with the fresh water. It was incomparable, truly; even just the upgrade to the quality of bread was inordinate in its effect on his mood. Perhaps, this was the reason others struggled still, even if caught up in the perpetuity of mediocrity: the simple pleasures.
Asher walked back into the living room and saw that the goblin had just finished sweeping the toilet--though Asher hadn’t tested it just yet.
“Pardon me for saying this,” the goblin said, a twinge of surprise in his yellow-cast eyes. “But you don’t look the part of somebody who conquered an Anomaly.”
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“Hm?” Asher arched his brows in surprise. “You know of that?”
“Who doesn’t?” the goblin shrugged indifferently. “Not many of you out there, I heard. Even fewer who chose a latrine over a bed.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a man of caution and paranoia.”
“Good. More ought to be.”
“... how’d you end up here?” Asher asked, his question prompting the goblin to stop sweeping for a moment.
“How do you think?” the little creature asked right back, not turning its head.
“... sorry.”
“Hm, you humans and your empathy,” it said. “I advise you liberate yourself from such fancy, should you want your stay here to be long.”
“Noted,” Asher smiled faintly. “Want some water?”
“I am not allowed.”
“Oh.”
“There it is, again.”
“Oh, that wasn’t empathy.”
“It wasn’t?”
"No, it was pity." the goblin's shoulder sputtered for a moment, but as it didn't acknowledge it, Asher didn't either.
“Witty,” the goblin said, turning around. “Does as much for you in this place as empathy.”
“Eh, one thing at a time,” Asher said, relaxing somewhat. “The smell,” he added. “Where, uh, where does it go?”
“... work hard,” the goblin replied, continuing to sweep. “And it might yet go somewhere.”
“Ugh. Fuck.”
“Time is up,” the goblin said, facing him once again. “I will be back tomorrow. Do you have a preference of when?”
“When I’m here.”
"..." neither said anything else as the goblin vanished into thin air, as though it had never been there.
Asher shook his head and took a deep breath. It was the first time, since coming here, that he had a relaxing chat of sorts. A mind needed it, a means to unwind, to forgo its weighing mountains even for just a moment.
He began to softly stretch and commit to an hour-long workout session. Now that his intake of daily calories was somewhat increased, he decided to upgrade the intensity--if for just a little--and, if for nothing else, he could always go ‘grind out’ some Souls for one of those fancy, 5,000 Souls a pop meals at the tavern.
Following the workout, Asher used a few handfuls of water to wash his pits in the toilet, following the chart of the water as it vanished into the abyss. Intrusive thoughts popped--as they do--whispering that he ought to jump, just to see ‘where it led to’. He ignored them, as he always did, walking back into his bedroom and drying himself with the blanket before tossing on a shirt, closing his eyes, and ‘wishing’ he was whisked back to the plaza.
The clamor of hurried feet and conversations prompted him to open his eyes quickly. As he looked about, he saw dozens facing a building on the other side of the plaza--a building that was currently tearing through the world in open flames. Nobody seemed particularly worried--rather, they simply seemed annoyed to the point of anger.
“--who was it?” he overheard a nearby group chat.
“Dunno. Heard it was another newbie. Probably hit on her.”
“Fuckin’ hell. And I just got enough Souls to upgrade my boots.”
“How long do you think she’ll be out this time?”
“Ah, who the fuck knows? Last time, Derek put her out for three months. The fucker deserved to die the way he did.”
“Where’s the newbie?”
"Tasha and her crooks beat the ever-living shit out of him. I heard he crawled to the Upgrade Shop and hid inside."
“Tsk, tsk. Tasha’s fuckin’ nasty, man.”
Asher stopped and turned back toward the flames. They burned high and hot, and after a few minutes, the crowds began to disperse. Nobody seemed to be trying to wash them out, and Asher followed the example.
What he learned, though, was that he wasn't the only survivor--there was at least one more person from his 'batch'. Turning back, he faced the Upgrade Shop and, as though by serendipity, saw a familiar figure crawl out. Though it was a bit difficult to recognize him behind the bloodied visage that he'd become, Asher was certain it was Zane, the teenage boy who proclaimed himself the chosen one.
Zane, too, saw him--but didn't rush to greet him. Rather, he lowered his head in shame and promptly vanished, likely back to his cabin. Asher sighed, wondering for a moment what had happened. From his understanding, the building that was currently hurtling flames into the sky was the Blacksmith--and, Zane, if the words of that group of people were to be believed, hit on the Blacksmith. So... they scorched the smithy to the ground? Huh. Fuckin’ psychos, all of them.
Shrugging his shoulders, he turned toward the Adventure Center and headed over, lining up behind six or so people in front of him. He couldn’t see on the inside--it was bulging darkness, just like with the Upgrade and Furniture Shops. His suspicions were confirmed as soon as he entered--darkness swelled and surrounded him, dozens or so windows appearing around. He wondered for a moment why people had to ‘line up’, but was too distracted by all the colors to care for too long.
On his left, there was a column called 'Conquered Stages', where the four stages of Grassy Lowlands were lined neatly in rows beneath it. The second column was named 'Available Stages' and had six listings altogether. The third column was called 'Daily Challenge', sporting one stage, while the fourth column was called 'Weekly Challenges' which had whole ten listings. And, lastly, there was the fifth column, though Asher couldn't access it. It was like a blur in his peripheral.
Shrugging, just for testing purposes, he clicked on the Grassy Lowland's First Stage--the screen shifted and a picture of the familiar arena appeared right alongside the description.
Grassy Lowlands [I]
Description: desolate training grounds for the Empire’s Recruits. Mostly populated by rogue monsters and stray corruptions. Exercise no caution.
Difficulty: 1/100
Defeat Monsters: 0/50
Defeat Rare Monster: 0/1
Reward: 10 Souls
Daily Limit: 10/10 Left
Special Conditions: None
Note: Challenging this Stage may lessen the opinions of Lords and Ladies who may have had their eye on you.