"Father!" Cian rushed at him.
Reactively, his father sprang up, swinging his hammer and missing him by mere inches. "I won't let you bandits take anything," he muttered weakly
"I'm not here to rob you," Cian replied as he handed him the bread.
Sir Owain cautiously collected it, examining it for a few seconds. "Is it poisoned?" Sir Owain asked, impatiently digging into the food.
"Of course not, just eat," Cian responded.
"I've never had a robber feed me before… just know, whatever you're planning, it's not going to work," he said, continuing to chew the bread.
"If this is just a game, why'd they have to do this? Why do they have to make people suffer so much?" Cian wondered with a heavy heart.
[Believe it or not, everything happens for a reason. The Super AI 'Eternalblue' was instructed to make the NPCs as real as possible, so that includes recreating events like this.]
"Who are you?" Sir Owain asked.
'He doesn't recognize me, how do I explain that I'm his son, that I've returned after getting killed… well it's worth a shot'
Cian took his time to explain everything that had happened to him up until now, including the fact that this world was a game.
"Now I see why you gave me bread... you are crazy" Sir Owain concluded
"No! It's the tru-" Cian couldn't finish his statement and was interrupted by sir Owain.
"There's no way I'll believe such a story… my Cian ran away to pursue his dream of being a warrior, and I know he'll return. You may share a name, but that doesn't make you him" Sir Owain attested with the expression of a proud but sad father.
[Your father currently does not possess the mental capabilities to understand you, and I'll advise you don't push it any further because even I don't know what will happen if he were to realize the world of Aetheria is a game, it may end up creating a whole new problem.]
'oh well, I tried… at least he's handling my death pretty well'
"Crazy warrior, I must thank you for the bread. For your kindness, I'll let you choose any item from this shop".
"No sir, please you don't have to" Cian replied
'Anything I collect from here is probably going to be more of a burden'
"I insist, all these items were created by me, a Master craftsman… let me show you all the good ones" he began running around the shop presenting different weapons and items
'Like there's something in this shop with any value…' Cian thought as he took a quick glance around the shop.
'I didn't even activate the skill?…'
After the mental message, he could see a dark aura around his father. It was like he was covered by a black smoke.
"Curse energy? Blue, what is this thing I'm seeing?" Cian asked.
[I can't see what you are seeing, but I know curse energy is the residual effect of a curse]
He thought for a while before considering using his inspect skill, maybe it could give him a better idea.
"INSPECT"
____
NAME: Owain Branwen (Cursed)
JOB: Craftsman
Info: A sorcerer placed a curse on the Branwen descendants that restricted his generation from ever accessing mana, therefore there is no magic in their beautiful creation.
*No more info
____
"Oh, it works for in-game characters, but it doesn't provide too much information… I probably should have tested it earlier on that con man Paddin. I would've at least been able to figure out he was a scam," he muttered with a faint sigh, a trace of regret lingering in his voice.
"It says here that Father was cursed… could it be that all these years he was actually a Master Craftsman, and he just couldn't use magic in his creations because of this curse?" Cian's eyes widened as the realization hit him.
"If this is true, I definitely have to find a way to lift the curse. Blue, how can I lift the curse?" He asked his AI.
[It's not an easy feat, you'll have to travel into the badlands and find a special Rune Stone]
"Can't you just do it the way you did for the Alchemists box?"
[Without that stone for access it'll basically be impossible for me, except you want me to force my way through, risking the exposure of my existence]
Cian thought for a moment, "If there's no other way, then we'll just have to go to the Badlands"
[The Badlands is a very dangerous place, all the beast there are B-rank and above]
"I know I've also heard stories, but don't tell me you're scared of a few stories?"
[I never get scared, I'm just reminding you that it's not going to be an easy quest]
"Of course, but I have to find a way… if I can help him just a little bit then I would"
Cian left the remainder of the food on the table and headed for the door
"Where are you going, crazy warrior? You haven't collected your reward" Sir Owain called out.
"I have to go somewhere right now, why don't you make me something really special when I come back" Cian replied as he stepped out the door.
He was surprised to see the old coach man waiting across the street with his horse and wagon
"You didn't leave yet?" He asked.
"In my experience warriors like yourself don't stay long in villages like this, and why would I pass on another gold coin" the old man replied, his greedy grin stretched across his face.
'At least his greed was good for something' Cian thought
"Would those dark and gloomy mountains of the Badlands have a Pathway?"
[Most villagers don't know this, but there are certain tribal settlements at the bottom of the mountain they let the players use their pathways and in return the players protect them from the beasts in the Badlands]
Cian sighed, "okay, let's return to Ladiel". And got on the wagon.
They began their journey back to Ladiel, but as he was about to leave the village, a young villager that was visibly in a better condition than the others jumped before the wagon, bringing it to a halt.
"Please warrior, save our land" the man shouted with his head bowed to the ground
Cian recognized the young man as Aiden.
He was the only son of the village head, and a very close friend of Elsa. Cian didn't know him too well, but from what he had heard he was nice and faithful to the villagers, so everyone liked him.
[I believe this villager offers a S-grade quest]
Cian was taken aback by Blue's words, 'An S-grade quest? What's something like that doing in a small village like Lowdan?' he wondered.
"What can I help you with?" Cian asked.
"I know I'm only a villager, but I believe I know how to end the drought but please I need your help, the people of the Lowlands need your help"
______
Quest: SAVE THE LOWLANDS BY ENDING THE DROUGHT
info: A witch has placed a curse on the land because of her personal interest. Simply travel to the Badlands and find the White sapphire Rune Stone and dispel the curse.
Grade: S
Reward: *the title 'Hero of the Lowlands'*
Failure: Death
Accept (✓) or Reject (×)
______
"It really is an S-grade quest! But what is it doing here, and why hasn't any other player accepted it?" Cian wondered.
[It can only be gotten by interacting with this particular Villager, and if you fail, you die, so most warriors try to avoid quests like that]
Even if it was a quest to save the Lowlands, Cian knew an S-grade quest would be above his current capabilities. He cared about the people, but he didn't see himself as a hero, plus he wouldn't want to die and restart. He couldn't risk that.
"Blue, do you think we should accept the quest?"
[That is up to you master, but before you do anything, you should know the White Sapphire rune Stone is the only way to lift your father's curse]
"That means we were already heading on an S-grade quest?!"
[I told you it wouldn't be an easy feat]
This made things different for Cian, he had no plans to stop his journey to save his father, and since he's already headed there he'll rather just accept the quest.
"I'll help you" Cian called out from the wagon
"Thank you warrior, to end the drought we need to go to the Badlands" Aiden explained
"Then get on and let's go" Cian replied, stretching his hand to help Aiden get on the wagon.
"That would be another gold coin" the old man said with an even wider grin as Aiden hopped into the wagon
Cian was more shocked than pissed, "Like hell I'll pay you two gold coins"
"I have a wife and kids, can't you also help out this poor old man" he said in a slightly mocking tone
"I'd rather walk all the way back to Ladiel than give your greedy self any more money" Cian replied, even more upset.
The old man didn't bulge and just continued riding, "Oh well, you can't blame a man for trying" he sighed