The tavern stood deserted, its doors locked tight, with only Lily bustling around, gathering their belongings. As we entered, the only sound in the room was the soft clatter of Lily clearing off each shelf.
"Ah, Mr. Bladeheart, you're here already," Lily greeted me. "Just give me a moment. A few more things to sort before we bid farewell to this place."
"No rush at all," I replied, leaning against a table. "Take your time. I'm in no hurry."
Lily smiled, continuing her task. Lina, her daughter, didn't lend a hand but patiently waited for her mother to finish packing. As for me, I kept silent, our interaction limited to nods and pleasantries. After all, we had only met today, and striking up a conversation felt a tad awkward.
Once all the shelves were bare, it was Lina who hefted the baggage, declining my offer to help. She seemed determined to handle it herself. Lily headed outside, bringing out a carriage parked beside the tavern, now loaded with their possessions. Lina carefully placed their new acquisitions into the carriage. With a few bags in hand, Lily joined her.
"Alright, Sir Bladeheart," Lily said, emerging from the carriage. "The task is yours now. Please, escort us to the Capital."
I nodded in agreement, taking charge of their journey. Lily secured the carriage, and Lina positioned herself at the front, ready to steer us onward.
"Take a seat. We've got a long road ahead, so you might as well relax a bit instead of keeping pace with the carriage," Lina casually gestures toward the empty spot beside her.
"Thanks, but I'll stick to walking alongside the carriage. It's better to be on foot as a lookout; you never know when trouble might sneak up from behind. Seems like the smarter move, doesn't it?" I reply, adopting a more practical approach.
"Fair enough. But if you ever decide you've had enough of walking, the seat's right here. No harm in sitting down if those legs start to ache," Lina offers with a friendly grin.
I nod in agreement.
"Alright then, let's get moving!"
With a flick of the reins, Lina spurs the horses into action, and we embark on our journey. A new quest objective pops up, reminding me of our purpose.
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[Moving Out Part 2] Quest 2 out of 3
Type: Hidden Quest
Details: So, you've already flexed those muscles, huh? Well, now it's time for a little convoy action. Your job: get that carriage safely to the capital. But here's the catch – don't let it get banged up before reaching the gate.
Carriage's Durability: 1,000/1,000
Difficulty: Hard
Rewards: ???
----
Observing the sturdiness of the carriage, we're talking about an endurance-escort mission here. It's not exactly a walk in the park, but it can be downright exasperating, especially when you're tasked with safeguarding a wagon on a long and treacherous route teeming with hostiles. If you're fortunate, you might encounter a few feeble foes or perhaps no troublemakers at all. However, if luck takes a rain check, you'll be stuck wrangling threats to ensure that precious cargo reaches its destination intact.
The escort quest officially kicks off as we bid farewell to Mining Town. Initially, the area remains devoid of adversaries, as it's still within the town's safety perimeter. Unless some unexpected monster mob decides to crash the party, you're in the clear...for now.
As we crossed the supposed boundary separating the safe zone from monster territory, chaos erupted right before our eyes. Spotting trouble was no issue; the threat materialized immediately.
A slew of vine-like monsters slithered menacingly toward us—no solo act here, nor a small group, but a whopping twenty of them.
"Look out! Tangleweeds! Torch 'em, scorch 'em!" Lina hollered, slamming the brakes on our carriage.
"Keep the wheels turning! I've got this covered!" I reassured her.
-----------------------
[TangleWeed]
Level 9
HP: 5000/5000
Attribute: Plant
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These critters may seem like a walk in the park if you've got nothing to safeguard. But defending your turf while dealing with these ambulatory plants means you've got to move quickly or snuff 'em out pronto.
I grasped my trusty Versatile Weapon, transforming it into a blazing magic sword with a mental command – [Flaming Sword]. The blade burst into flames, casting an ominous glow in the dim surroundings.
The Tangleweeds froze, a sense of dread evident in their twitching movements. They knew that a mere brush against this fiery weapon would spell their fiery demise.
"You really should've backed off," I remarked casually.
With a flick of my wrist, I sent a [Basic Fireball] hurtling towards the tangled mass. The moment one Tangleweed ignited, panic spread like wildfire through their ranks. They writhed and twisted, their futile attempts to escape only intensifying the flames licking at them.
It didn't matter whether my stats were through the roof or scraping the bottom; when it came to fire, Tangleweeds were toast.
The burning distraction pulled the Tangleweeds away from their assault on the carriage. Their collective focus now shifted to the fiery menace, as they desperately attempted to douse the flames. I couldn't help but smirk, knowing their efforts were in vain. Good luck to them indeed.
"Lina, move! The Tangleweeds aren't watching us anymore. Time to roll!"
Lina gave a quick nod and steered the carriage to make our getaway. Me? I wasn't about to wait for those creepy critters to bite the dust. If they ended up sizzling in the flames, well, good riddance. If they didn't, not my circus, not my monkeys.
Their loot? Not worth my time. Selling their body bits wouldn't fatten my coin purse much. My focus was on completing the Escort Mission and keeping this carriage in one piece. That's how you score a bigger reward, after all.
As we journeyed on, those notification bells started chiming one by one, adding a little more XP to my tally. It wasn't a jackpot, but every bit helps fill that experience bar. We soon left the Tangleweeds far behind and entered a new territory, where monsters roamed freely. Luckily, these monsters weren't as jumpy as those pesky Tangleweeds.
The monsters eye us and the carriage with suspicion, as if they're calculating the odds of attacking. Some are just passing by, some backed off after realizing they'd be facing certain death, and others shadow us silently, biding their time for an opening.
Lina broke the silence, curiosity evident in her voice. "Do you possess some kind of special power that's keeping these monsters at bay?"
I shook my head. "No, I don't possess any such abilities."
"Most adventurers I've encountered tend to be more eager to battle these creatures. You're different; you're not as trigger-happy."
"Not every adventurer is hell-bent on warfare. While I enjoy a good fight, there are situations where not engaging in combat can lead to better outcomes."
"Hmm, that's intriguing," Lina nodded, seeming to have gained a new perspective. She didn't say anything more but continued to watch our eerie entourage.
So far, those monsters haven't made a fuss about us. Sure, there've been a few attacks here and there, but they've been more of an annoyance than anything else. I've handled them without breaking a sweat.
But now, we've hit the denser part of this forest we're trekking through. This place is crawling with monsters, yet they're not what's on my mind. Nope, it's the other folks out here. You know, the NPCs.
"Looks like we've got some unfriendly company," Lina said, gripping her sword but still keeping a tight hold on the reins.
Right on cue, seven rough-looking characters popped out of the woodwork. They were packing all sorts of weapons, and it was pretty clear they weren't throwing a welcome party. These were your classic bandits, and they fell squarely into the "hostile" category of NPCs. They weren't about to be our buddies, that's for sure.
"Hand over your stuff and the ladies!" hollered the scrawny bandit right in the middle. His cronies all had these creepy grins on their faces as they eyeballed Lina. She wasn't thrilled about the attention, but she wasn't about to back down.
I didn't make any sudden moves. Instead, I took a quick look around, making sure there weren't any more of these guys hiding in the shadows. The last thing I needed was to charge forward and get an arrow in the back. Lucky for us, I spotted one guy lurking nearby with a bow, just waiting for a chance to strike. He was close, but thanks to some clever camouflage, he'd managed to blend in and stay hidden.
No need to hold back; I grabbed my Versatile Weapon and transformed it into a gun, taking aim at the archer perched in the tree. He wasn't too far away, so I squeezed the trigger and downed him without breaking a sweat.
The bandits were caught off guard, their leader seething with rage as they brandished their weapons high.
"Get rid of that guy!"
I acted swiftly, firing shots from my gun. Admittedly, I wasn't a sharpshooter, but it did enough to wound them. After a few rounds, I switched back to my trusty Magic Sword form, plunged it into the ground, and activated a new skill I'd recently acquired.
"[Earth Fissure]!"
The ground trembled, sending the bandits tumbling to the dirt. Lina seized the opportunity, swiftly disabling them from their weapons. As for me, I approached them, wielding a flaming sword, ready to see who I should toast first.