Act 2 - A Brand New World

Arc Blood and Blades

Alice had been walking in the forest that overlooked the Cursed Forest for ten days now, and she had a problem.

"I'm BO-RED!" she shouted, desperate.

She, who thought she would finally find the civilization she had missed so much these past six years, hadn’t met anyone, apart from groups of level 18 goblins and level 6 horned rabbits. She had left those to Hati. He had progressed incredibly. He was now level 16 and had learned a lightning attack skill and the same shadow concealment skill as his mother.

"I’m jealous of your leveling speed, Hati. And to think it took me almost a year to reach level 20. And you hit level 16 in just 10 days! You’re not a legendary creature for nothing…"

Hati barked joyfully, happy with the compliment.

"As for me, I’ll stay stuck at my level if I don’t run into anything stronger."

Lacking a way to level up, she had focused on her magics and skills. She had only one level left in her wind magic to reach level 20. Her gamer instinct told her she would unlock an even stronger magic at that level. But going from 19 to 20 would be a long haul. No, right now she was focusing on her brand-new light magic. For the moment, she could only conjure a luminous orb, handy to light the night or blind an enemy, but what she was aiming for was the intermediate tier, certainly with excellent spells as a reward.

She tripped over a root and got up, sulking.

"Ouch… Stupid forest, where is my promised fantasy civilization? The dwarves? The elves? The dragons? Where are my delicious exotic dishes? And above all, where are the conveniences?? I dream of a good hot shower and a cozy bed…"

Pouting, she took a few more steps, kicking pebbles along the way. The forest had nothing to do with the one she had lived in since arriving in this world. It was lush; the air was pure, and the sun reached her easily, bathing her in gentle spring warmth. Birds, now omnipresent, chirped all day long.

At first, she had found it refreshing, compared to the heavy atmosphere of the Cursed Forest. She had headed north, hoping to get out quickly. But now two days had passed with no sign of change, the half-faded path not helping.

Her stomach growled, as if to remind her of its presence. She looked up and saw the sun at its zenith. It was time for a break.

"Storage!"

She didn’t need to shout the name of her new skill to activate it. In fact, she only needed to think of the object she wanted to retrieve, and it appeared. But it felt good to at least hear a voice.

She had discovered that Storage was simply amazing for her comfort of life. After a few experiments, she understood it was a space in a separate dimension in which she could store whatever she wanted, as long as it wasn’t a living being. Food could not spoil, as if frozen in time, and there didn’t seem to be any space limit.

She pulled out some straw she had collected earlier and some dead wood to make a fire, just as Golly had taught her.

"If only Golly were here, I’d feel less alone… Don’t take it the wrong way, Hati, but you’re not very strong at conversation yet."

Her heart felt heavy, as it always did when she thought of the golem. She couldn’t shake that feeling of guilt.

She held back a tear and whispered,

"Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to bring you back."

As she worked, she quickly took stock of her inventory. Over ten days, she had stored thirty rabbit hides and horns as well as their meat, carefully butchered, a few old goblin weapons, worthless beside her faithful Swiftblade. She hadn’t dared to dismember the small creatures, their appearance too humanoid for her taste. She had also stored her pouch of magic gems and her brand-new Cloak of Mists.

Quickly, the fire crackled to life.

"Leveling up my Survival skill was worth it. Now I can light a fire in a few minutes."

She added some larger wood and took from her inventory a piece of meat, a tuber, and her old dagger. Today, it would be steak and mash.

"I can’t stand this bland meat anymore. If only I had salt and pepper… or some spices."

As her ingredients cooked, she lay on her back and took the Cloak of Mists from her inventory.

"Inspection."

[Cloak of Mists]
Allows you to hide from prying eyes.

"Some boss drop this is… What kind of lame description is that? Does it shroud me in mist when I wear it? It’d be nice to meet someone to understand its effects."

As she drifted in her questions, she heard a noise in the distance.

She sat up and strained her ears.

The sound of horses… and a man’s screams?!

Excited, Alice sprang to her feet, sent everything into her Storage, even the campfire, and rushed toward the source of the cries.

"Hati, hide in the shadows!"

The Fenrir used his concealment skill.

At first, she thought she’d imagined it, then she heard the galloping and saw a middle-aged man on a cart shouting,

"Hu, Sultan, hu! Hurry or those damn goblins will catch us!"

A human!!! Alice, hidden behind a tree, couldn’t believe her eyes.

She drew her rapier as a cart approached at full speed along a small paved road, pursued by a group of seven goblins.

"Come on, girl, it’s the first living, non-magical being you’ve seen in six years. Time to make a good impression!"

She waited for the cart to pass and leapt onto the road.

"Don’t worry— BAM!"

In her excitement, she tripped on a root and fell face-first, arms outstretched.

"…"

Everyone had stopped: the man, the goblins, even the birdsong. Alice, her face into the ground, was red with shame. She wanted to dig a hole and bury herself forever.

"Erm…"

She got up and dusted herself off.

"Are you all right, little one?" the man asked. "Get on quickly, you’ll be killed by those monsters."

"Don’t worry, I can take care of those goblins easily!"

"What? But…"

Alice turned without waiting for the man’s reply and charged the goblins.

She drew Swiftblade and hurled it with all her strength. The rapier flew through the air, whistled toward the goblins, and sank with chilling precision into the skull of the first, which collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

The others paused for a moment, surprised by the violence and accuracy of the attack.

Ding

You have defeated: Goblin – Level 18
Reward: +2 XP

"One."

She took the opportunity to leap, closing the distance to the group.

She tore her blade from the still-warm corpse and pivoted just in time to dodge the rusty axe of the second with feline grace. A sidestep, a twist of the wrist, and her blade pierced the monster’s throat in a spray of green blood.

Ding

You have defeated: Goblin – Level 18
Reward: +0 XP

"Two."

Without slowing, she slid under a brutally swung mace, drove her blade into a knee, then rose in a graceful arc to cleave the chest of another opponent.

Ding

You have defeated: Goblin – Level 18
Reward: +0 XP

"Three."

She spun, using her momentum to hurl a goblin against a tree. Another attacked from behind. She ducked, let it pass over her, and impaled it without even looking.

Ding

You have defeated: Goblin – Level 18
Reward: +0 XP

"Four?"

The last two hesitated. Fatal mistake.

One, trembling, attacked without conviction. She parried the blow and countered with a clean slash to the throat.

Ding

You have defeated: Goblin – Level 18
Reward: +0 XP

"Five."

The other tried to flee. She pursued without a word, cut its Achilles tendons, and finished it on the ground.

Ding

You have defeated: Goblin – Level 18
Reward: +0 XP

"Six."

A groan behind her. The goblin thrown against the tree was getting up, growling, blood covering its face.

Hati slipped from the shadows the moment it lunged at him. He seized the poor, startled creature by the throat and shook it violently until it went limp like a ragdoll.

Ding

You have defeated: Goblin – Level 18
Reward: +0 XP

"And that’s seven! Good job, Hati!"

She sheathed her blade with an elegant flourish, her cloak billowing behind her.

"Well, you certainly are skilled despite your… remarkable entrance."

Alice blushed, cursing her clumsiness. All that masterful fight, only for the man to remember her fall! The man proceeded to bow while presenting himself

"My name is Tom Estronza. Thank you, young lady. I am infinitely in your debt. I could have lost my life today without your intervention."

Hati barked.

"And thank you, young wolf."

"I-it’s nothing, s-sir!" she replied awkwardly. "Alice… My name is Alice!"

"Nice to meet you, Alice. What is such a young girl doing lost in the middle of nowhere? Are you an adventurer?"

The man’s gentle, reassuring smile calmed her. She answered with the excuse she had prepared for such occasions.

"I lived alone with my father south of the Cursed Forest. He’s the one who taught me to fight. But he passed away a few weeks ago. Before he died, he told me I had an uncle in the capital. I’m trying to get there, but I’m afraid I’m lost."

The man studied her for a few moments, as if to gauge the truth of her words, then nodded.

"Well, I’m very sorry about your father. I can offer to take you to the village of Odette, a small hamlet just north of here. I was headed there to trade, you see. It’s a day’s ride by cart from here."

"Wouldn’t that bother you?"

The old man replied with a laugh,

"Hoho, not at all! Traveling in such charming company, and with a fine blade at my side, who would complain? And besides, you are my savior. I can’t leave you here alone and lost."

"All right, thank you. And that way, I’ll protect you if more goblins show up!"

Old Tom motioned for her to sit at the back of the cart. Alice obeyed and sat between two burlap sacks.

During the journey, the atmosphere was relaxed. They talked and laughed about various things: Alice’s botched entrance, the goods the merchant carried, his wife waiting for him in a city east of Linaria, his children, and grandchildren. He even suggested she meet his grandson, who must have been about her age. She refused, embarrassed.

She was really beginning to like the old man, a simple and warm person.

During the evening meal, she asked,

"How did you end up in this forest, Mister Tom?"

"The traditional road to Odette has been overrun by bandits for a few years. I wanted to save on hiring an escort by taking the southern path through the forest, but I didn’t expect to run into monsters at its edge. They usually stay inside."

"Bandits? Isn’t anyone ensuring the safety of the roads?"

"No. Since the betrayal of the vampires six years ago, the Prime Minister has had to take charge of managing a large part of the empire’s territory. He sends fewer and fewer soldiers to these remote regions each passing year. And the soldiers are…"

He looked around nervously, as if about to utter a blasphemy, then added in a low voice,

"… well, they’ve been less close to common folk these past years."

Alice’s heart skipped a beat.

"The betrayal of… vampires?"

Tom looked at her, surprised.

"I tend to forget you lived in seclusion before that."

He seemed lost in thought for a moment, then continued,

"Yes, the betrayal of the vampires. It’s a well-known fact in the empire. At the time, they were one of the great pillars alongside the royal family. I even heard that Duke Kael Vanberg was one of the king’s closest friends."

Kael Vanberg? My father? thought Alice.

"Then one night, fire and blood fell upon the empire. The soldiers sacked the noble vampire fiefs and searched the cities. They said Her Majesty, the late Empress, had been assassinated, and that the vampires were guilty of an attempted coup. Now their kind is despised throughout the land."

Alice swallowed with difficulty. Old Tom cast her a sidelong glance, as if trying to remember something. Then he said, fixing her,

"You know, I was in the capital of Draknar, Eleryndrak, that fateful night. I remember seeing Duke Vanberg flee the city with his family. He had a little girl with him… blonde, beautiful as an angel, and her eyes… one green and one blue."

Alice tensed, senses on alert, her hand on Swiftblade.

"Hoho, calm down, child. I mean you no harm. I am not a subject of the empire, so I owe no allegiance to its rulers! And it would be very unwise of me to betray the one who just saved my life."

He added with a wink.

She watched him for a long moment to judge his sincerity, then decided to trust him.

"Yes, I am his daughter… but I have no memory of my life in the capital."

"I see. It was said the entire ducal family perished that night, but you survived. How?"

"The soldiers… after killing my… parents, they chased me and I had to jump into the Cursed Forest. I survived the fall, and I managed to get out recently."

The man looked genuinely pained.

"My poor child… You must have lived through things no child your age should ever know. But that explains your ability to fight."

Nor any adult, Alice thought, but kept it to herself.

"Come now, go to sleep. You must be exhausted. Tomorrow, we will reach the village of Odette."

That night, Alice fell into a restless sleep, filled with the cries of a man and a woman trying to protect their child.

Between two dreams, she wondered for the first time what had become of the real Alice, daughter of the Duke and Duchess Vanberg.

Had she died? Was she asleep?

Had she taken her place in the other world?