Chapter 11: My First Quest!

CHAPTER 11

The carriage ride to the destination was largely uneventful at first. Soon after we departed from the town three more passengers joined us, a mother with two children and further along the path a young man and a woman, a couple it seemed to me, also got on. At that point I had asked the coachman if it was possible to sit with him at the front and he was kind enough to agree. He was a talkative man, which, all things considered, I did not view as a negative trait. I was akin to a child who has entered a new and strange world and I needed to be fed as much information and stimulus as possible in order to grow.

After the coachman took his time in explaining to me how even the hardest of work yields the least amount of money, and after a lengthy explanation of how he was a father of four, doing his best to provide for his children, I finally got some information that I could call useful. He explained how the road we were traveling on was known as Elrod’s path, a ruler of ancient times that is known these days as the Blacksmith King. The legend says that he had gathered a stampede of drakes, draconic creatures without wings and by shoeing wedges of sturdiest metal onto their feet, he had them run through here, stomping out the path that is used today as the main road for travel.

Apparently this path connected the town we had just left with the Merrin Terrel, the capital of this kingdom. If the coachman’s words are anything to go by, the Kingdom’s capital was one of the most beautiful cities ever built. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit the place someday if that was the case, but as the coachman cared to explain, getting an entrance pass into the city was no easy endeavor.

As we trudged along the path, I rested my head against the wooden planks of the carriage and let myself relax for a bit. The sun had begun to set and this was a rather long day. Only a day in this new world and so much had happened already. Through my half sleeping state I heard the coachman explain that we would be stopping for the night to let the horses rest, which is something that I naturally assumed, would happen. I have to admit that I didn’t form much of a connection with the other passengers. Since none of us was able to afford staying at some inn, we decided to rest on the side of the road. After we stopped on the side of the road where a small spring of glittering water ran, the coachman fed the horses and let them drink; by that point most of the passengers were asleep.

The young man came up to me during this time.

“I see you wield a dagger, I’m not too bad with the sword myself, had little practice here and there” he said pointing to the short sword at his hip, “If something comes up, I hope we can count on you.”

“What could come up?” I asked.

“We’re on the side of an open road; the possibilities should only be limited by your imagination. Thieves or bandits could be taking this road and approaching as we speak, or some hungry beast could jump out of there and feast on us to its heart’s content.” He said, pointing at the tangle of dark trees behind me.

“Don’t worry,” I said finally, “I think I could handle that.”

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The man let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s good to know.” He said.

“You should probably rest too, I’ll be on the lookout.” I told him.

“No, I can’t do that, I promised my dear I would keep watch while she rests.”

“Very well, do as you please.”

I retreated at the foot of one of the trees and picked up a blanket that the mother had offered me, to keep me warm through the night. I didn’t plan to sleep, I don’t know if it was because of the short nap I had taken earlier but I felt fully awake. I watched the young man crouch near the carriage and looked at the coachman sleeping at the front.

First night in this place, I thought, looking up at the night sky. There are stars here too at least, I noted, watching the countless dots of golden glitter against the dark blue backdrop. I only then noticed the two moons, large circles, one of white, the other having a pale pink color. There was a light breeze tonight, though the weather was warm and pleasant. The idyllic scenery of nature left an impression of beauty and harmony on me.

I thought about the new dagger and drew it out from the covers, inspecting it under the light of the stars and the two moons. It really was beautiful and the grip of the hilt felt satisfying. I remembered then.

System, can I use [Layer of the Abyss] on this dagger?

[Affirmative] the system replied.

That was good to know, speaking of which maybe this was a good time to get acquainted with the system and get a better grasp of my abilities.

System, what are my abilities? I asked.

[Invalid inquiry, command is not specific]

What is [Layer of the Abyss]? I asked after I took some time to think about it.

[Layer of the Abyss is a unique skill in your possession. Drawing from the darkness within, this ability allows you to coat compatible weapons with dark energy, amplifying their power.]

It actually worked; I reacted to the system’s response with a shocked expression.

What is [Shadow’s Belly]? That was my next question.

[Shadow’s Belly is a unique skill in your possession. Employing the power of darkness, this ability allows you to consume the abilities of your slain foes and use them as your own.]

I assumed it was something like this but the system actually confirmed it. This ability seemed really broken but of course it appears that there are some limitations. The target has to be dead and even then it doesn’t always work just how it didn’t work on the sea serpent; maybe because the sea serpent didn’t have any special abilities that I could take.

System, what skill do I have that gives me weapon proficiency?

[Weapon skills are not part of the system’s abilities. They are the retained skills from your living self.]

What, what did this mean?

What does that mean?

[Information unavailable]

Was the system messing with me at this point? I decided not to question any further since it appeared that the system was talkative only when it chose to be.

[Warning] the system came in suddenly [Several creatures nearby are reacting to the nature of your being. You have invoked their bloodlust.]