I laid back on the soft carpet beneath me. Grendel sat, stoic and watchful, no longer playful. As I ruffled through his belly fluff I traced the lines of the ceiling again. Fanny soon joined me, and together we watched the ceiling until we could make a sound.
“So, aliens huh?” I spoke first.
“Don’t really know what we should have expected,” Fanny replied. “At least they’re cute like Grendel,” Grendel began to purr again. His eyes tightened as the sleepy boy rested his head.
“Ya’know Belyn mentioned people working together, but I feel like I’ve seen too many apocalypse movies to know how that one turns out.”
“It doesn’t have to, you know, turn out like that, that is. Sure this country is pretty individualistic, but the catios or whatever they’re called at least left us some infrastructure, a system in place. With that we might just make it.”
“I guess…” But what about those of us that never really had a place in society in the first place? Almost my whole adult life has been on a computer screen. People like me tend to see real life as a joke. A game they could never hope to win.
TAP. TAP.
A sound came from the door. “Did someone just knock?” I asked Fanny.
She cautiously rose from the ground. As she quietly walked to the door, I followed suit. Grabbing my staff, I waited wearily behind her as she opened the door. What lay behind was a hooded man. He was old and frail, letting out a sigh I placed the staff back down.
“Excuse me miss, I’ve been to every abode I can find, I’m trying to find a few strong adventurers that could help me.”
“Help you with what exactly?” I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
“There’s a beast that has been stalking the woods. Almost all of my cattle have been taken by it. At this rate, I may not survive through the week if it's is allowed to continue.”
“Wow, do you know what kind of creature it is?” Fanny asked.
“The beast comes at night, as far as I can remember, I haven’t seen it once, but I know when it's been to my homestead. Its path of destruction is always the same, it's unmistakable.”
“Will we be, say, rewarded, for helping you take care of this thing?” I asked.
“Sel!” Fanny scolded.
“Well yes, I am quite poor but I do have a few items that I feel are valuable enough for such a reward.”
“What do you think Tilda?”
“I would have to let my dad know we’re heading out. He’ll be really worried otherwise.”
“By all means, you still have healing magic, correct?”
“A weaver utilizes a mixture of healing and earth magic, so yes, I should be able to take care of us if we run into trouble.”
“Okay then. Sir, we’ll take your quest.”
“Praise be the moon, I will meet you both outside when you are ready to head into the woods.”
Ding.
[You have accepted Isen’s Plea for Help. Meet with Isen to continue the quest.]
Swiping away the screen, I shut the door, “Isen” still standing on the porch. Fanny went and explained the quest to her father, who was understandably worried for her safety. But in the end Fanny was able to convince him to let her go. I wonder what she told him. I probably wouldn’t have even asked her to go with me, but we’re both still at such low levels and if this “beast” is anything like the Howler I faced I could use a healer.
“Ready to head out?” Fanny asked me. She was wearing a jean jacket filled with handmade felt patches. A leatherbound book shifted as her hips swayed. The tome was secured on a belt attached at her hip. Etched into the cover were engravings of suns and beams of light. Wonder if that’s just for healing.
Picking up my pack, I gave her a nod. Grendel wrapped his tail around my leg, looking up at me.
“Are you taking him with you?” Fanny asked.
“No. Not tonight. I’ve been walking around with him for days, he probably needs to rest. I’ll leave some food for your dad to feed him while we’re out.”
“Good thinking. It would be really hard to find him if we get separated.”
Giving Grendel a few goodbye scratches underneath his chin, we took our leave, meeting Isen outside by the dirt road.
“Adventurers! Are you ready to head out?”
Gosh this guy really does follow a dialogue tree. “Yes, we’re ready to head out.”
As we were led out into the thick of the forest, the bright moon beat down above us. The thin veil of moonlight lifted away the darkness that surrounded us. We had been walking for some time before we entered into a clearing in the trees. A large tree stump sat in the center of the clearing, spikes of wood still jutted out from where a large tree had been cut down.
“It was here where it happened.”
Great, is this like a cut scene or something? What is this guy talking about?
“Here, where the beast slept. Where a tree lumbered. I should not have fell the tree.”
“Did the tree awaken the beast?” Fanny asked him.
Oh great, she’s indulging him. “And what did you do with all of that wood?” I asked sarcastically.
“It’s not the wood that matters, but the heart of the tree. I gazed upon such beauty, and such beauty gazed back at me. It shone like moonlight. And it was here that I became the wood, its new tree. Merely a vessel,” the old man turned back towards us. Ripping off his cloak, we could see it now. It was as if a bioluminescent moss had taken hold of him, burrowing into his skin. How it seemed to writhe in the moonlight made my skin crawl. We watched as it grew, covering more and more of his body until it fully encased him. Large glowing eyes peered out at us, from an unearthly form. Large antler-like antennae rolled off the head like a bird ruffling its feathers, flowing in the soft breeze.
What the hell is that?
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