Cian and Aiden briskly marched through the snow until they arrived at the Stone Monkey Pathway at the entrance of the First Village. Cian approached the pathway, ready to activate it, but hesitated. He realized that his health was dangerously low, and heading into unknown territory could spell disaster if a fight broke out. After all, the Badlands wasn't the only place teeming with monsters—the difference here was that these monsters would be disguised as warriors.
Fortunately for him, the First Village had a potion store, "let's quickly drop by the potion store, so I can get a health potion" he suggested
Aiden nodded in agreement so they headed into the village, walking past a few villagers and warriors, among them was one from the group that had earlier approached them before they went into the Badlands.
He was shocked to see that both of them made it back alive after spending more than five hours out there. There was no way a newbie player could survive the Badlands.
There had to be something going on, and he would find out what. He secretly began tailing them, with a blend of stealth and precision he manoeuvred from one concealed position to another, always maintaining a discreet distance from them until they got to the potion store. Cian went in, leaving Aiden outside on his own.
"You can come out now" Aiden called out to the person who had been shadowing them.
"I noticed you following us for a while"
The warrior was shocked he quickly retreated behind a building as Aiden called out to him, 'He caught me? How? Isn't he just a villager?'
"Well it doesn't matter, if you don't want to come out I'll just have to tell my warrior about you, and he'll deal with it… I'm sure you're curious about how we survived the Badlands, right? I can't tell you everything, but I can say my warrior is ruthless when it comes to killing" Aiden added, he needed to impact fear in whoever it was.
'He is ruthless? No wonder he could confidently reject our clan leader's offer, but I don't think I've heard of any powerful warrior that still uses a sprite… maybe he's just bluffing'
"Here you are," Aiden chided, suddenly popping up right beside the warrior.
"Ahhh!!" The warrior frighteningly screamed, reactively taking a few steps back.
"Jeez, there's no need to shout," Aiden playfully scolded, rubbing his ear.
"Wh-what do you want?" The warrior nervously asked.
"Huh?!" Aiden's face contorted with confusion, "I should be asking you, you're the one who has been following us".
The warrior awkwardly cleared his throat and regained his composure. "I was simply curious about you and your companion"
"So you followed us just out of curiosity? How does that make sense to you?" Aiden pressured,
"I know it doesn't sound very convincing but I had no other intention" the warrior replied.
"Okay then I'll trust you" Aiden smirked,
"after all, it's always better to make friends than enemies" he added with a light tone, making the warrior a little less cautious but still wary.
"Okay... Is what you said back there true, About that warrior being extremely strong?" he asked
"Of course, he defeated two different monsters all by himself, and that wasn't the only amazing thing he did"
'He defeated two monsters all by himself? In the Badlands every beast is B-rank and above, that must mean he could be above level 100, is he a high level solo-player?'
"What is a powerful warrior like him doing travelling with an ordinary villager?"
"That's where you're wrong, I admit I may not be able to do much in a fight, but do I really look like an ordinary villager to you?" Aiden replied.
In truth, this villager didn't seem ordinary, he had noticed him tailing them even when the powerful warrior hadn't. But he also wasn't a named NPC because there was no information available on him.
"Then who are you?" The warrior questioned.
"I'm Aiden, but that's not important… what is important is, what I can offer you"
The warrior thought for a while, "What you can offer me?"
"Yes, you see, I plan to return to the Badlands, but my current companion wouldn't be joining me, so I need a reliable guide, that can safely bring me to my destination"
"And what do I get in return?" The warrior inquired.
"Don't worry you'll be generously rewarded, I'm sure you've heard of the legendary Lost Castle of the Demon King"
For a brief moment, the warrior's eyes widened with disbelief, which was quickly replaced by a doubtful expression,
"That's just a myth they tell warriors so that they can venture deeper into the Badlands. No one has actually ever seen it or even found a quest connected to it".
Aiden let out a short laugh "As a warrior you of all people should know that there is nothing like 'just a myth' in Aetheria, the castle is real, and I know where to find it"
"That's not possible, how did a mere villager like you find something thousands of warriors couldn't?" The warrior replied, still wearing a skeptical look.
"I found a map in the temple of the demon king," Aiden said, it was a lie, but he didn't mind telling a few lies if it helped him achieve his goals.
He needed to go to the Castle of the Demon King, but he had no way of convincing Cian to join him, so this was his only other option. Plus, he didn't want anyone asking too many questions.
"Just imagine all the treasures that await you at the castle, I'm offering you the chance of a lifetime" Aiden added.
If what Aiden had said was true, it really was a tempting offer, but it also came with an equal amount of risk. He would have to blindly follow this NPC into the Badlands in search of something he wasn't fully convinced existed. Normally he wouldn't even consider such an offer, but the fact that it hadn't turned into a quest made him even more curious.
'Normally a quest window would have appeared by now' Twilight reasoned as he stroked his chin.
Aiden heard Cian call out for him
"I'll have to go now, take your time and think about it," he said to the warrior as he left to join Cian.
"Where did you go?" Cian asked as Aiden returned.
"Sorry, I got distracted" he playfully apologized.
"It's fine" Cian took out a few gold coins and handed them to him, "I managed to trade some of the precious gems we found at the temple"
"Thank you, but you didn't have to, I was only an inconvenience to you" Aiden answered with a heartfelt expression.
"You also travelled to the Badlands so you deserve this much at least… now let's go and save your village"
"I'm sorry warrior, but I'll not be joining you back, I would like to stay and experience life in the First Village for a while" Aiden timidly confessed.
Cian was at first taken aback by his words, but then again he knew Aiden was an NPC with free will, so naturally he would have plans for his life. Cian stared at him with admiration, wearing a soft smile.
"It's your life, you can do whatever you want, just try not to get into any trouble I wouldn't be there to protect you any more"
He had grown a certain level of attachment to Aiden. The past few hours they had spent together, overcoming different challenges, had created a bond that almost made Cian sad that they had to part ways, but still, it had to happen. He began heading out of the village.
"Goodbye warrior. I doubt this would be the last time we would meet, so be safe until then" Aiden cheerfully shouted to Cian, who just casually waved back.
His cheerful expression slowly faded as he watched Cian stroll away
"Be safe until I'm able to kill you myself, until I'm able to kill all of you myself" he mumbled to himself, fuming with hatred.
"Kill who?" The warrior that had since been hiding asked as he joined Aiden.
"It's nothing, have made your decision? Will you be joining me?"
"Yeah but it can't just be us two, I'll need to get my clan involved" the warrior answered
Aiden wasn't pleased with this suggestion, he wouldn't mind working with a team, but he needed a small one, one he could easily control without asking too many questions.
"That's not going to work, the more people we involve, the less individual reward we receive. That's why I came to you, so it would only be between us two… don't tell me you don't think you can handle the job on your own?"
"Of course I can" the warrior nervously defended, "the thing is I'm a scout, I can secure the safest route for us by using my stealth to sneak in and out of beast territory, but that won't do much if we run into a stray beast"
"That means all we need is a fighter, you can find us a strong fighter by tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, I'm sure our main damage dealer would be interested" the warrior sighed.
Aiden excitedly clapped his hands, "Then that's our party, just be prepared the journey might last a few days"