Once Silas was far from the Three Destiny Monument, the gravity of his situation sank in. It was past midnight, and the factories had long ceased emitting smoke from their tall, slender chimneys. The moon cast its brightest light above him, allowing him to navigate the twists and turns of Tirash with ease. He moved through dark alleys, the moon guiding his steps, his feet splashing in the wet ground and rousing both beggars and stray animals alike.
"Mister, where are you taking me? Please, I want to go meet my brother," the girl on his shoulder whimpered.
Silas glanced at the child and gently set her down. He checked the street outside, feeling his heart pound against his chest. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned back to pick up the girl, only to find her running away. Silas cursed and sprinted after her, stretching out his hand to catch her by the collar of her brown shirt.
"Ahh, help me!" she tried to scream, but Silas quickly covered her mouth with his hand.
"Child," he began, his breath heavy, "why are you running from me? Don't you realize I just saved you? Do you think I want to kill you? Answer me!"
She nodded, tears brimming in her eyes.
He laughed in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have already. I risked my life and my identity to save you. I'm a wizard. So, stop making this hard for both of us. The least you can do is come with me without resisting. Okay?"
She nodded again, tears now spilling over.
"I expect you to not shout or do anything that will put us at risk once I remove my hand from your mouth."
Silas slowly pulled his hand away, and she gasped for breath, coughing. Soon, she calmed down.
"Why don't we start by telling each other our names? It will be a good start." Silas stared at the girl. Her messy hair obstructed the left side of her face, and she looked dirty. He couldn't tell if she was a beggar or if the dirt was from resisting her kidnappers. "You can call me... Eris."
Her lips trembled as she spoke. "I am called Kara," she squeaked.
"Kara, what a beautiful name. Did your mother give it to you?"
"No, my brother named me after a performer he once saw in Tirash. She's a great musician."
Silas nodded. "This brother you mentioned, do you know where we can find him? Does he know you went missing?"
Kara shook her head. "He was away when those men knocked on our door. I thought it was my brother, but when I opened it, those big men started..." Kara started crying again, remembering what happened. Silas touched her back, trying to soothe her fears. "Okay, okay. They're not going to follow you. You're safe now."
"I want to see my brother!"
[Quest I: Those Who Walk Among Books]
[Description: Kara wants to go meet her brother. Bring her to her brother in the Great Archives.]
[Deliver Kara to her brother 0/1]
Sighing, Silas scratched the back of his neck. "Do you know where we could find your brother?"
She hiccupped and blinked rapidly, nodding. "In the giant library. He often goes there."
Silas looked up at the sky, wondering what the system was playing at. He reached for her hand; she hesitated before placing her small hand in his palm. "I'll take you to your brother."
As they walked, Silas heard Kara's stifled cries. He debated stopping to console her, but he realized he might not be able to soothe her worries. Feeling guilty for his earlier roughness, he squeezed her small hand, hoping she understood that he wouldn't let go until they found her brother.
The streets leading to the Great Archives were empty. The only sounds were the wind blowing through wind chimes and the occasional whirring of gears. The first person they encountered was a guard in a red uniform. He glanced at them before continuing his patrol. Silas gleaned from the guard's reaction that in a critical situation, the guard would likely turn a blind eye.
"That's it!" Kara exclaimed, pointing.
Silas stared at the Great Archives, a grandiose building of stone and bright light. They passed through the entrance and walked on the cobbled road where pale lights guided them. A different receptionist welcomed them.
She looked at Kara and rolled her eyes. "That kid can't go inside."
Before Silas could argue, a voice called out. "Kara? Kara! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at home?" A boy with red hair rushed to kneel before Kara, who started crying again.
Only when the boy turned to Silas with wonder in his eyes did Silas realize it was Finn, the lad he met earlier in the library. "Why are you with her?" he asked.
"I saw her with two suspicious men... I think she was about to be abducted."
Finn stopped mid-action, his hand freezing. He cursed under his breath, standing up to meet Silas's gaze. "Thank you. But can you tell me what actually happened?"
"Sure."
They went outside and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard. Silas leaned back, feeling the coldness seep into his body. He collected his thoughts before launching into the story, omitting the fact that he was a wizard. The girl's eyes widened but she nodded, understanding the need to hide his identity. Silas knew Finn was researching the events in Tirash a few decades ago which involve wizards. He might have already developed a dislike for them.
"What do they want from my sister?" Finn asked once Silas finished. "Do you recognize them, Kara? Have you seen their faces before?"
Kara shook her head. "No, it was the first time I saw them."
The three fell silent. Silas had a rough idea of what those people wanted. If he read the situation correctly, the girl was meant to be a sacrifice in a ritual.
"In any case, you must not go back to where you live... if it's not too much, I'd like to extend my hospitality to you," Silas offered.
Finn's face darkened as soon as he heard it. It was the first time the boy had glared at him. He didn't suspect him of anything when he was with his sister, but it seemed trying to invite the boy in his roof had hurt the boy's pride.
"No," he said firmly. His sister looking up at him, her eyes losing the twinkle it already had as soon as she heard Silas inviting him to sleep on his place. "We can do with what we have right now."
He stood and tightly gripped the wrist of his sister's left arm, her only remaining arm. He almost laughed at the scene before him. He would have if he didn't realize it was how he would respond if his savior invited him to his house. Silas shook his head, but he was determined not to let this guy go. Finn might be someone who could help him in finishing this quest. Instead of stepping away, he decided to step on Finn's pride once more.
"Huh? And then you will leave her again once you console her to sleep? So that you could continue from escaping reality? If that's what you want, go on, be an escapist."
Finn rushed at him, grabbing his collar. He raised his fist to punch, but Silas stopped it with his free hand. Kara yelped. The boy's teeth gritted as he tried to push his fist towards Silas's face.
"Don't you realize your pride won't help you? Don't you consider they might come back to finish what they started?"
Finn continued to glared at him, but Silas felt how the force he was applying on his fist weakened. He let go of his collar and turned his back at him and exhaled loudly.
"If it's not too much, please let us stay with you."
Silas nodded. "I'll lead the way. Follow me."
[Quest 'Those Who Walk Among Books' is successfully completed!]
[You have been rewarded: +350 Destiny XP, [Blacksmith Anvil]x1, [Small Empty Bottle]x10, and +6000 Shields]
[Blacksmith Anvil is now integrated. You can now upgrade your equipment!]
They walked in silence. Silas paid an extra fee for his guests and asked the receptionist to prepare a bathtub for two. He sat in the corner of the bed, waiting for the siblings, but eventually fell asleep. When he woke an hour before dawn, he saw the two lying in a bed provided by the hotel. He scolded himself for sleeping, realizing they were still strangers. After watching them sleep peacefully, he went back to bed.
In the morning, Finn thanked him reluctantly. By noon, he thanked him wholeheartedly. Silas was scanning his [Character Interface] when he heard a knock. Opening the door, he found Finn, panting.
"Thank you again," Finn started. "Really, thank you."
Silas tilted his head.
"They found a dead girl under the bridge... it could have been Kara."
[Character Interface]
Name: Silas Hawthorne
Rank: Novice Wizard V
Destiny Exp: 533 / 1851 DES XP
Primordial Destiny: None
Available Attribute Points: 10 Points
[NOTE: Health and Energy will increase by 10 for every 1 Attribute Points added. Defense and Attack will increase by 3 for every 1 Attribute Points. And Critical Rate and Critical Damage will increase by .50% for every 1 Attribute Points.]
Attributes
Health: 308 / 308
Energy: 340 / 340
Attack: 142
Defense: 30
Critical rate: 5.00%
Critical damage: 10.00%
Advance Stats
Casting Speed: 0.00%
Cooldown Reduction: 0.00%
Curse Reduction: 0.00%
Curse Hit Rate: 1.00%
Crowd Control Reduction: 0.00%
Damage Reduction: 0.00%
Skill Penetration: 0.00%
Energy Regen Rate: 0.00%
HP Regen Rate: 0.00%