Understanding that he would only complicate things by trying to interfere, Cairn watched Kaia's charge with a blend of frustration and resolve visible in his expression. He could still recall how exhausted Kaia was fending off fewer than a hundred rats, so it didn't take a laureate to comprehend how dire the circumstances were. Kaia was a smart girl, so she would probably put off Leveling up for as long as possible, but even with the second wind provided by the Grace of the Goddess, she would still need to defeat well over a hundred, maybe even two hundred Level 7-10 monsters.
("I'm going to have to die...") thought Cairn, his throat constricting at the thought of being chewed and torn apart by hundreds of ravenous rats. He knew it was necessary, perhaps the only way they could come out ahead, but he really, really didn't want to. The thought of dying wasn't that scary, but the notion of being eaten alive with nothing to numb his senses...if he weren't at least a little trepidatious, the 'wiring' in his head would need to be redone...
*Ding!*
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Quest Name: The Qualities of a Hero
Quest Rank: S
Description: It is said that the qualities of a Hero are courage, resilience, and compassion. All people are born with these qualities, but only a few possess the integrity and conviction to live by them.
Objective(s): Face your fears and prove you have what it takes to be a Hero(0/1)
Optional Objective(s): Clear the Guadian's Chamber without dying(0/1), Kill at least 100 [Naked Horned Rat]s on your own(0/100)
Rewards: Variable
Failure Condition(s): I feel bad for giving you a Quest like this, so I'll give you a suitable reward, regardless of the outcome. Stay strong, okay?
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Seeing Restia's message, a dry chuckle emanated from Cairn's throat. The promise of a reward made things easier, but being told to 'stay strong' all but confirmed he was about to experience tremendous suffering.
"Well, I'm going to get eaten, regardless..." muttered Cairn, understanding that if Kaia fell, the only way to avoid such an outcome was to off himself. Unfortunately, Kaia gave the impression she was the type to keep fighting no matter what, so he couldn't just take the coward's way out. If he did, it would likely create a divide between them that could never be bridged. At the very least, it wouldn't be easy...
Seeing a faint, bluish-white light envelope Kaia's body, indicating she had just Leveled up, Cairn leaped into action, his heart and mind racing as he shouted, "Once they begin to swarm, use your Shield Bash! People in the same Party can't deal damage to one another, so don't hesitate...!"
Though she was startled by Cairn's words and actions, especially when he ran directly into the group of rats, Kaia hurriedly replied, "R-Right...!" as she leaped away to ready her attack.
Fearing the possibility of having his eyes and throat gouged out, Cairn wrapped his Shadowsilk mantle around his head, causing his lungs to burn from the strain of his labored breathing. However, with scaldingly hot pinching sensations permeating his arms and legs, dealing between 1-3 damage but steadily whittling away at his HP, he was glad he couldn't see what was happening.
Around the same time Cairn screamed into his hands and the fabric of his mantle, Kaia slammed her shield directly into him. He wasn't certain if people in the same Party were protected from one another's attacks, but when Kaia's hit him, all he felt was a floaty sensation as the energy pulse produced by her attack passed painlessly through him. He found himself unable to move because he was afflicted with the Stun Status Effect, but his health didn't decrease. Rather, as most of the rats swarming him were killed or stunned, his diminishing HP momentarily stabilized. Momentarily being the operative word...
As the Naked Horned Rats were 'programmed' to attack the nearest target, Cairn had about two seconds to steel himself before a second wave of pain washed over him, accompanied by the smell of blood and feces. He did his best to remain upright, but it wasn't long before he fell to his knees, cradling his head between his forearms and balling his hands into fists in a vain attempt to avoid getting his fingers chewed off.
("Please hurry!!!") screamed Cairn, but the words only echoed within his mind as he ground his teeth hard enough to crack his molars. Fortunately, even though Cairn's anguished musings weren't directed at her, Kaia was unrelenting in her use of Shield Bash to both ease his suffering and kill as many rats as possible. As a result, just when Cairn was considering using a [Beginner's Red Potion] to heal himself, a ding sounded within his mind, accompanied by a wave of relief.
Erupting from the newest wave of rats, Cairn released a frenzied battle cry and began swinging his sword recklessly. The Level 7-10 rats gave between 25-30 Experience each, so his Level up indicated around 150 rats had been killed. Fifty, maybe sixty more, and Kaia should be able to take care of the rest on her own. Thus, even as rats climbed up his cloak and bit his face, neck, and ears, Cairn continued to swing his sword like a larper, desperately whittling away at the HP of various rodents while also trying to break free from their encirclement.
"Come towards me!" shouted Kaia, punctuating her words by slamming her shield into Cairn, killing and stunning the rats swarming him. He was also stunned, but the two-second reprieve was just enough time for him to open his Status and place his newly acquired attribute points into Agi, increasing it from 21->28. It probably would have been smarter to pump his Vit, but the prevailing thought in his mind was that he needed to get the fuck away from the monsters that had blinded his left eye.
As Cairn charged intermittently in her direction, Kaia periodically used Shield Bash to clear the rats weighing him down and trying to swarm him. She even took the liberty to use a potion on him when his HP was critical, buying him just enough time to escape the encircling horde, allowing her to corral the remaining rats like a sheepdog.
With the rats' aggro successfully shifted to Kaia, Cairn permitted himself to fall face-first into the ground, sustaining ten HP damage as a result. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to pass out and die, but the pain coursing through his body wouldn't let him succumb to the peaceful serenity of unconsciousness. All he could do was suffer in silence, unable to muster the strength to access his Inventory and ease his burdens with a healing potion...
...
..
.
Though it only took ten minutes for her to finish the remaining rats, Kaia felt like hours had passed by the time she reached Cairn's side, using the rest of her MP to heal him. Fortunately, so long as the wounds didn't heal naturally, forming scars, Light Healing was potent enough to restore even missing limbs. In essence, as long as the target's HP was restored, they would fully recover.
Seeing Cairn's left eye rematerialize before her MP could deplete, a sigh of relief emanated from Kaia's throat as she permitted herself to collapse beside him. Her brain felt like it was pulsing with the beating of her heart, but she ignored the migraine spreading through her skull, forced a smile, and panted, "You did well...now sleep..." while combing aside the matted strands forming Cairn's bangs.
"You first..." groaned Cairn, following his words by forcing himself to a sitting position. He was still in pain, but now that his HP had recovered to 339/540, he no longer felt like he wanted to die. Instead, he opened his system interface to redeem the rewards of his Quest.
--------------------------
Quest Name: The Qualities of a Hero
Quest Rank: S
Completion Rank: SS
Description: It is said that the qualities of a Hero are courage, resilience, and compassion. All people are born with these qualities, but only a few possess the integrity and conviction to live by them.
Objective(s): Face your fears and prove you have what it takes to be a Hero(1/1)
Optional Objective(s): Clear the Guadian's Chamber without dying(1/1), Kill at least 100 [Naked Horned Rat]s (38/100)
Rewards: [Ookami's Visage]x1, [Frontier Treasure Map]x1, [Medium Experience Crystal]x10,
[Ookami's Visage]
Rank: Legendary
Weight: 0.9kgs
Durability: 5000/5000
Level: 0/100
P.Def: 300
M.Def: 500
Enchantment(s): [Auto Repair], [Air Filter], [Thermal Vision], [Scent Lock], [Invisibility]
Description: A recreation of the ceramic mask fashioned by the Goddess of the Hunt, Ookami, for her youngest son.
Ingredients: Fashioned by Divine Energy. Impossible to replicate with mortal means.
Restriction(s): Soulbound to Cairn.
[Frontier Treasure Map]
Rank: Unique
Weight: 0.05kgs
Description: An exceptionally valuable map said to reveal the location of the Legendary Treasure Dungeon, [Cave of Wonders].
Ingredients: [Solar Dragon's Wing Leather], [Lunar Dragon's Blood Ink]
[Medium Experience Crystal]
Rank: Rare
Weight: 0.2kgs
Use: Consume to increase Experience by 5,000.
Description: A rare, surprisingly edible crystal sometimes found within veins of Mithril, Orichalcum, and Aurite. Eating it is said to make one feel stronger.
Ingredients: N/A
--------------------------
Seeing the rewards he had been given, vastly exceeding his expectations, Cairn couldn't help laughing. At the same time, hot tears began streaming down his cheeks, not because he was in pain but because of how relieved he felt. He could still feel the phantom sensation of something attempting to burrow into his left eye, but now that he had an item like the [Ookami's Visage], his face and eyes would never again suffer harm...
Noticing the concerned look on Kaia's face, Cairn ceased his laughter and smiled as reassuringly as he could manage in his disheveled state, saying, "Sorry, I'm not trying to freak you out or anything. I'm just laughing due to the reward Lady Restia provided. Here, check it out."
Pulling out the twelve items he had received, Cairn held up the [Ookami's Visage] and explained, "This little fella is basically indestructible and has all kinds of neat enchantments attached to it. As for the other items, the map shows the location of some Legendary Treasure Dungeon, while the rock-candy-looking crystals increase our Experience by 5,000. Since you did most of the work, I'll give you seven and keep three. 15k Experience is more than enough to get me to Level 10."
Though she was stunned to learn that Cairn had received a reward from Lady Restia herself, Kaia floundered when she heard he wanted to give her seven of the prized crystals, waving her hands violently as she said, "I...I can't accept something so precious...!"
"You will," asserted Cairn, expression and tone hardening as he added, "Until I'm strong enough to contribute meaningfully, I'll be counting on you to deal with most of the monsters we encounter. Now, eat up. You'll feel better once your Level increases."
Setting the example, Cairn bit off a chunk of the pale yellow crystal and smiled as a rich, full-bodied, and somewhat nutty flavor filled his mouth and throat. It strangely reminded him of the first shot of whiskey he ever drank, a mass-produced bourbon given to him by his father. It had a bitter aftertaste, but it carried the warmth of home...
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Name: Adam Masters
IWN: Cairn
Title: Fledgling Hero(Growth Rate+100%)
Class: [Jack-of-All]
[Attributes]
Level: 6->10(33,038/36,890)
HP: 513/513
MP: 210
Str: 10
Agi: 21->28
Vit: 20->23
Int: 10
Dex: 21
Cha: 50
AP: 42
Talents: [Slow Start, Endless Potential(10/100)], [Never Say Die(MAX)], [I Can Do It Too(1/10)], [Awaiting Selection], [Pain Tolerance(9/100)], [Disease Resistance(4/100)]
Skills: [Insight(MAX): 1MP], [Sophistry(1/10): 50MP], [Penny-Pinch(1/10): 50MP], [Gamble(1/10): 10MP], [Awaiting Selection]
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...
..
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(A/N: [Ookami's Visage] is the mask seen on the volume cover. But that Title, though...Restia doesn't fool around when it comes to dishing out rewards O_O...)