Chapter 12: First Request
Arlan,
I am sorry for what happened before. Your spirit was guided to that vessel in such a way as to mask any involvement of divine intervention but it seems even that had unforeseen consequences. For now, I have corrected that mistake. I have attached my blessing as well though you may have noticed it provides you with no benefits. However, if you were to meet others with power who can discover that you carry my mark, they'll understand to leave you well enough to your own. That alone should give you more benefit than anything else I could provide. Unlike my kin, I do not wish to meddle in mortal affairs more than needed. What path our children take is their own, even if it's the wrong one.
However, this is one path I cannot just turn a blind eye. When your children are racing towards the edge, even a parent must step in to protect them. The sins of the past have come to haunt our present. My Brothers and Sisters have already devised their own solutions. You are my own.
Why did I choose you? It does not matter. Whatever I say would not satisfy you. Just know that I feel you are the correct solution for the path ahead. Does that anger you? Knowing I have plucked you from the peace of death on merely a whim? Or are you belated at having a second chance at life? Of course you are. You know I hold you in much higher regard than you realize. Our souls resonated in that abyss. I know you all the way down to the very fiber of your being, even if you do not realize it.
But what about you? What path will you take now that you are here? For the coming trials ahead, you will need to be much stronger. There is a reason why I chose that body to be your vessel. Head to the ruins to the northwest of Haldin. There is a room at the very end which will only open to you. In there, you'll find the first step.
Or not. You can always just follow your own path. My Kin have already set their pieces in motion. They may just be the ones who could put a stop to this. But you are not someone who lets others fight their battles, are you? Whatever your choice, know that you will always have my blessing.
But I know you'll make the right choice, Brother.
***
I reread the letter a few more times just to make sure I understood everything that was written. The sender was Celecia, the Goddess of Light and creator of Humans in this world. It also seems that she was the one who put me in this situation. Wait, was she the one I saw in the dream from my first night? She said the same thing too. Said something bad is going to happen soon. The sins of the past, right? The other gods have their own solutions to this as well. I wonder what they did. And there's something to investigate over in the ruins northwest of Haldin. It sounds like there a dungeon there. I'll have to check with the guild sometime to find info.
Should I tell someone about this? No, this will only make me stand out even more. Even worse, if these portents of doom were to come to light, people might panic. Even if I wanted to, I doubt anyone would believe me. No one wants to hear bad news.
In any case, I should continue with today's plans. Thinking on this won't get me anywhere. I leave my room and head out towards the Guild.
The streets started to bustle as I walked down the avenue. Seems like my little display caused quite a commotion. There's a few guards already at the park interviewing people who might have information on what happened. Doesn't seem like anyone saw us, at least. That's one thing I don't have to worry about today.
When I finally arrived at the guild, the foyer was packed to the brim with adventurers. Looks like everyone was here to grab the day's new quests that were posted. I waited it out a bit before the crowd started to die down. I headed towards the board to see what was available to me. As rank F, I could only pick up quests that were the same rank at the moment. Once I got out of this probation phase to Rank E, more options would be available to me.
Speaking of options, even among the requests, they were pretty slim. Most were just gathering herbs or manual labor in the city. I do feel like taking a walk out in the countryside, so I'll pick up a few of the gathering requests for now. I grab three requests for various medicinal herbs and head over to the guild counter for verification.
I walked over to the receptionist manning the kiosk for F to D rank requests. She seemed bored until I appeared in front of her. I'm sure that whatever quests she's setting up aren't quite as interesting as the higher ranks.
"Hey~! You're Arlan right? Did you receive an explanation on how the guild works?"
I hand over the pieces of paper, "Yes, another guild member taught me the other day. I'm here to register for these requests."
"Yes, just let me take a look... gathering quests, huh? These ones are always posted since the herbalists and alchemists in the city always need more."
"Why don't they just farm them like crops if that's the case?"
"Unfortunately, we can't. Unlike foodstuffs, herbs like these are magical in nature. They need soil with large concentrations of mana. Even if we could transplant it, there's no way the city would allow them to allocate farmland to grow it. It's not very cost efficient either."
"I see...", mana seems like a key component to the way things work in this world, huh? It's almost like their equivalent to atoms. Everything here is made up of it.
The receptionist brought back my attention to her, "So they want three bundles each per request. Just so you know, if you can't finish these quests, you'll be charged a fine by the guild."
"I understand." So that's why they have this probationary period. They want to make sure that people they hire on will be able to complete the requests they get. Otherwise, it's bad for the guild and their reputation. In any case, I don't know what they look like but Oracle says she can help me find them. In fact, she's already pinging them towards the forest to the south.
"Oh, right. I'm Penelope, by the way! Once you're finished, just hand them over to me and I'll give you the reward."
"How much?"
"It's 6 silver per quest if you meet the requirements. The guild will pay for more if you bring more bundles."
18 silver in total, huh? That's barely enough for a night and food at the Inn. No wonder Hina said I should rank up, "I'll be back then, Penelope."
"Good luck!"
Penelope waved at me as I head out the door towards the south gate. I stop by a stall to pick up some pork skewers for lunch before I step out on the highway. The forest is directly south of me a few miles out.
I could run there. I won't get fatigued after all. But this is the first time I've been alone since I was reborn. I kind of want to enjoy it. Besides, I'm enjoying the picturesque countryside. Rolling fields of wheat and grass to my sides, it really is like I'm in a fairy tale. Taking in this surreal landscape is like medicine for my soul.
Every once in a while, I'll wave to the random passerby. Most of the adventurers already know me from yesterdays antics. There are still some who don't though, wondering why there was golem with a sword walking down the road. The farmers too. I spot the occasional farming golem working alongside them. I wonder what they sound like? Probably some exaggerated southern drawl, if I could guess.
Even if I wasn't running, I was walking at a brisk pace. It was barely over an hour until I reached the edge of the forest. Oracle's threat detector wasn't going off at least, so I headed in. It was just as nice as being out in the fields, too. The sun beamed down through the tree branches here and there as birds chirps throughout the area. It was a verdant paradise.
Following Oracle's directions, I found my first batch of medicinal herbs. Gently pulling it out from the soil, I examine the leafy green plant. It almost looked like cilantro if the leaves weren't so wide.
[Kapole Herb. Ingested, it provides a minor healing effect. The benefits increase when brewed with other ingredients to make minor healing potions.]
Oracle continues her explanation. These healing potions work very fast. Apparently within seconds of ingestion. To think that something as amazing as this exists. I wish I had something like this back home. Field Medicine would turn on it's head if this existed on Earth! Hell, my job would have been easier.
Too bad I couldn't utilize potions however. I'm not biologic, so drinking a potion with my intake wouldn't have any effect. Healing spells wouldn't either. I should learn a healing spell at least. If not for me, at least for people I might work with someday.
I continue on with my collection. The other herbs were called Topoko Herbs for curing poison and Palaka Herbs for curing paralysis. Common afflictions from fighting monsters apparently. At least for regular people. Anything venomous would find out quickly that my body is immune to it. How about paralysis? I'd imagine some creatures would use something that could cause it but I don't remember seeing anything about paralysis immunity in my [Status]. I'll ask Tessa later or something. I haven't had any experience in fighting monsters. Unless they're just like big animals, like a giant duck or a bear. I've hunted those before at least.
It wasn't long until I had everything that I needed. Thanks to Oracle, it didn't take any time at all. In fact, I've gathered quite a few bundles of each. It'll be a net positive for the day at least considering I bought lunch for myself. Speaking of which, I think it's time to try out those pork skewers. They looked amazing when I saw the street vendor selling them.
I open up my magic bag and put my gathered herbs away. Rummaging through, I find a skewer and pull it out. Taking the meat apart, I put it gently into my intake. Man, what I wouldn't do to taste food again. No more shitty MREs to deal with though now I wonder how much it would recharge me if I ate those? Great, now I'm missing MREs too...
[Warning! Hostile Entities detected!]
Right when I just finished my meal, Oracle was blasting away inside my head. The radar popped up in my HUD detecting three red blimps, though they were quite far away. In fact, they weren't moving at all in my direction. They should be too far away to notice me. Are they more bandits I wonder?
I can't leave this well enough alone. I'm pretty close to the highway still. Whatever they are, it could be a danger if they attack people while they're travelling. Keeping eye on my radar, I head over towards where Oracle found the aggressors.
It wasn't long until I found what I was looking for. I reached a small hill overlooking a clearing. Within it, there were three adventurer's looking worse for wear. The one who looked like a mage was bleeding pretty badly while another was trying to heal him with magic. The last one was a warrior doing what he could to hold his own against... whatever these were. Three beings, twice as tall as a human with pigs head and just as fat, covered in bit and pieces of metal scrounged up as armor and holding giant wooden clubs. What.. what the hell are these things? Pig people!?
[Hostile targets identified as Orcs.]
This was my first encounter with what this world considers monsters.
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