Chapter 149: Into the Forest (1/2)
A chorus of insects and birds washed over Mike as he walked through the woods. Speckles of sunshine broke through the canopy of windblown leaves, causing dancing patterns of light on the lush undergrowth. It was peaceful, relaxing. He felt like he could breathe easily for the first time in a while.
[Maybe living as a hermit wouldn't be so bad…]
He was so busy ruminating about potential life choices, he nearly stumbled when he the forest gave way to a cobblestone road. He'd apparently found the landmark he was looking for, and now just had to follow it in one of two directions.
Picturing the map in his mind, he started walking to the southeast. To keep himself occupied during the trip, he started scanning the nearby plant life with Appraise. The majority of it was mundane, but he found a few herbs that could be used as Alchemical Reagents, which he added the rest of his supply in the extradimensional sack.
This continued for close to an hour, and Mike was starting to wonder if he was going in the wrong direction, when his Appraise caught something unexpected.
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Mosswood Deer
Age: 5
Race: Mossowood Deer
Class: Mosswood Deer
Title: None
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This was slightly strange to him, since he had been trying to Appraise a mossy rock. Although, it was admittedly an odd one. The longer he stared at it, the more he felt it was out of place. Activating his stealth, he slowly approached it. Just to be on the safe side, he concentrated his mana into his right hand, and prepared to unleash a wind blade.
Once he was within a few meters, the rock exploded into motion, revealing itself as a graceful four legged animal with a mottled grey and green pelt. It stated running almost immediately and would have quickly distanced itself from Mike, if he hadn't been prepared for just this eventuality. An invisible blade of wind cut the air, neatly decapitating the elegant creature before it had a chance to go too far. The body continued for a few more steps before collapsing.
Mike felt a slight pang in his heart, but pushed it aside and began the process of dismantling the creature. The deer had been rather thin, but it still yielded several kilograms of meat. Recalling the advice from a few survival stories, he buried the entrails, once he'd appraised them and determined they had no value.
In fact, it seemed that the only body part of any real worth was the pelt itself.
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{Mosswood Deer Pelt}
Magic Material (Tier 1, Rank 3)
Taken from the Mosswood deer, these pelts are often used in the fabrication of leather items. Armor or clothing created from them provide a minor system correction to the effects of stealth in forested terrain.
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He packed it carefully and placed it in the sack along with the deer meat. Taking a few moments to clean up the area, he headed back to the road and continued on his way.
[Well, that's one request down. If I can just find this village…]
Almost as if on cue, he walked around a bend and saw the wooden gates of some kind of settlement built into a clearing. A sign above the gate was inscribed with 'Kastvale.' It was currently open, and a young man armed with a quarterstaff was dozing in a chair next to it.
Mike walked up to the man and stopped. He was skinny and dressed in simple clothes. A wide-brimmed hat, pulled low, shaded his eyes from the sun.
[Is this place really in danger of being raided?]
A quick Appraise displayed the youth's information.
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Keith
Age: 17
Race: Human
Class: Ranger
Title: Unyielding
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Looking at the sleeping man, Mike couldn't help but acknowledge that the System had an odd sense of humor. Deciding that he was done waiting for this Keith to wake up on his own, he coughed loudly.
”AH! I'm awake!” The youth yelled while falling out of his chair. The hat slipped off his head, revealing a head of shaggy brown hair. Glancing around in confusion, his eyes finally fixed on Mike. ”Um...hello?”
Suppressing a chuckle, Mike answered. ”Hi, I'm here from the Adventurer's Guild. Can you point me in the direction of the village elder?”
Keith looked at him suspiciously, ”How do I know you're from the Guild? For all I know, you could be a bandit in disguise.”
[...Is he serious? Or rather, why is he in charge of security?]
Mike flashed his guild emblem. ”Is that sufficient?”
Still looking suspicious, Keith nodded, ”I suppose that works, but aren't you a little young to be doing quests by yourself?”
In response, Mike displayed his guild card, complete with his current rank.