Chương 5: The Crossroads
The sun was low on the horizon. Pete stood on the edge of a precipice overlooking a wild, lush green landscape.
A sheer hundred-foot fall awaited him below. Screeching birds flew in from the plains into the forest. Dusk was less than an hour away. Noises of wild creatures floated up from the dense vegetation below, making shivers run up the boy's spine. While the scenery was breathtaking, the boy's heart was filled with dread and anguish. He had lost all hope.
[ Difficulty- Nightmare ]
[ Title: ---- ]
[ Class: ---- ]
[ Inventory: ---- ]
[ Level: ---- ]
[ HP: 10 ]
[ MP: 0 ]
[ Lives Remaining: 0 ]
A few hours had passed since Pete had spawned into a magical land somewhere on medieval earth. He was supposed to be Robin Hood, a legendary hero. He was meant to play and finish a system-genre game.
However, things had taken a morbid turn. Peter had already lost his extra thirteen lives.
The boy had had several mental breakdowns. He did not want to repeat the trauma of being killed horrifically. Instead of soldiering on with the final extra life, he'd rather kill himself and be done with it.
Pete had climbed up a hill to reach a crossroads. Three paths met; one descended from higher up the hill, the other wound in from the north, and the third ascended from the foothills. A ledge jutted out at the crossroads, offering a panoramic view of the forest lands below.
Pete inched forward, his feet dragging over the cliff's edge. "I can't take it anymore!" he said aloud. "I'm going to jump! After all my lives are lost, I'll return to Aisling and fall at her feet. I'll beg for forgiveness and plead to be reincarnated under proper conditions." He nodded to himself. "Yes! That's the way to go! Okay! Let's do this."
The boy took a deep breath and raised his right foot to walk over the edge.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Alarmed by the unexpected speaker, Pete lost his balance. He had nothing to grab onto and break his fall. The boy toppled over the edge.
A hand grabbed him by the hair and jerked his body back to safety.
Huff… huff! The boy collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Who was it? The shock of someone springing out of the blue was nothing compared to his suffering over the past few hours. Yet, his mind was wafer-thin at the moment.
Pete raised his eyes to look at the stranger. A tall, slender man dressed in raven-black clothes stood before him. He had unkempt and stringy hair that looked like an overgrown bush.
A cloak covered the stranger from head to foot. It looked as if it was made of feathers. 'Raven feathers?' Pete wondered. The man's eyes were too large to be human. His head was proportionately smaller than his tall appearance. Considering all the weird things Pete had already encountered in the forest, the stranger's appearance was quite ordinary.
"Who are you?" Pete blurted out rather rudely.
The man tilted his head to the side and regarded the boy with amusement. "Is that the tone you should take towards someone who just saved your life?"
Pete scratched his head. "Ermm, why? I was going to jump."
The stranger smiled at Pete as if his words were amusing.
"If you are a cannibal or a weird monster, just go ahead and kill me," the boy declared. "That would be a mighty help."
The man cackled. The laughter sounded more like croaks and caws. "Ah, such pessimism. Ai did a real number on you, didn't she?" He grinned, revealing two rows of jagged fangs.
"Ai?" Pete asked, getting to his feet. "Do you mean Aisling?
"Yess…"
"How do you know Lady Aisling? Did she send you to torture me?"
The stranger scratched his bony jaw. "She calls herself a lady, huh? Good for her." There was resentment in his voice. "Be rest assured, my friend. She did not send me to you. In fact, it's been ages since I saw her." He held up his chin and raised his eyes to the sky in nostalgia.
"Then… who are you?" Pete posed.
"Hmm. Good question. I have a million answers. I assume you need a name to identify and remember me? Let's see… Ah, yes! They call me Morrigan of the Crossroads…"
Pete racked his brain to remember if such a character was in the Robin Hood lore. Nothing occurred to him at the moment.
He gave a glance at his surroundings. They were standing on a tri-junction of paths. The allusion reminded him of demons in folk mythology who approached travelers on such crossroads and fulfilled wishes in exchange for their souls.
"Alright, Morrigan. Are you even human?" Pete asked, shivering in the chilly evening breeze.
The man's mouth tapered into a devilish grin. "My friend, let there be no secrets between us. I am not mortal."
Pete gulped. Morrigan was a scary-looking man-creature. The sheer confidence with which he talked indicated him as a powerful NPC. "Why are you here? Who sent you?"
"I am here of my own accord. My role is to approach legendary heroes and guide them to their destiny."
Pete listened intently, but his mind still had a nagging doubt.
The entity seemed to perceive his thoughts. "Dear friend, it is too chilly, and you have no clothes. Let's get you something to wear first."
The boy nodded gratefully as his teeth chattered in the cold.
Morrigan's arms were hidden under his black-feather veil. 'Or is it his skin?' Pete wondered. 'I am curious but don't want to risk a closer look.'
A bony arm emerged from his shadowy figure and extended a smaller cloak towards Pete.
The boy looked at it with apprehension. The fabric seemed to be of the same material as Morrigan's cloak.
"Accept this gift from your well-wisher," the man urged. "It'll keep you safe from the clutches of death for the time being." Morrigan grinned again in an attempt to put Pete at ease. The effect of his gaunt face was the opposite. Pete cringed and took a step back.
The boy was suspicious of the stranger's advances. However, he was freezing, and his hand moved on its own towards the gift.
'Even if Morrigan is going to kill me, at least I will die fully dressed this time.'
Pete took the cloak and thanked his rescuer.
Ding!
[ Added to Inventory: Morrigan's Skin ]
[ Equip? ]
[ YES/ NO ]
'Yes!'
[ Equipped: Morrigan's Skin ]
[ HP 30010 (+30000) ]
[ MP 60000 (+60000) ]
[ Gained: 666 skills, 666 attributes ]
[ Level too low ]
[ Failed to unlock skills and attributes ]
"Whoa, what is this?" Pete exclaimed. The boy felt warmth rising in his heart. He was instantly filled with a sense of overwhelming strength and fulfillment.
"Don't be overjoyed, dear friend," Morrigan warned. "The cloak is makeshift and not the real thing. It will disappear in some time." His bony hand retreated into the shadows.
Pete wrapped the cloak around him snugly and eyed his benefactor with gratitude. "Are you a god... like Aisling?"
Morrigan cackled. "Maybe I am, dear friend. You will learn a lot of things over time. However, who I am is important right now."
"What is important, then?"
Morrigan's enormous eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "You are, my friend… Robin Hood is… This is your story! And it's high time you became the main character!"
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