Finn offered him a hand, but the pity on his face made Silas turn it down.
"You look pale," Finn said. "Are you alright?"
Silas nodded in response, though he also wondered what had happened to him. Why had he been dumbstruck like that, allowing himself to be hit with a cane? The pain in his cheek made him hiss. His gaze shifted to the old man sitting on the floor, rubbing his nose. He looked pathetic. Silas briefly considered striking him with the same cane.
He exhaled and shook his head. He couldn't afford to make a scene in the Archives now that he was close to deciphering the meaning behind those parchments.
"And I can ban you from this library for the rest of your life! Didn't your parents teach you that it is wrong to touch the things of the dead?" The old man spat out, his lips twitching with anger.
Finn laughed at the remark. "They died too young for me to even remember. If they ever warned me about that." He squinted at the man. "Ban us from the library? Wow, that's some threat. The Peacekeepers will never believe you. But I'm certain they'll believe me." Finn pointed at the wound on Silas's bleeding forehead.
The man's face crumpled, and for a moment, Silas thought he would grovel for their forgiveness. But the old man quickly regained his composure, sitting straight with an air of haughtiness that grated on Silas's nerves.
"Hmph. That child deserved it for being nosy," the old man replied, shaking his head. "He needed to be taught a lesson so that when he grows up, he'll be someone worthy of respect."
Silas's eyes twitched at the man's logic. He grabbed the closest chest with his free hand and approached the old man. "They say that when a man reaches a certain age, he enters a phase called second childishness. Wherein they start acting like a child once again… then I guess it will be alright for me to hit you, so that when you grow older, you will be a person worthy of respect."
Silas towered over the man. He snatched the closest chest and raised it over his head. The old man's eyes widened in fear. He tried to crawl away, reaching for the fallen cane, but Silas lightly stepped on his fingers, gradually putting more weight on them.
"Stop!" the old man pleaded, trying to pull his hand back. Just as Silas was about to strike, a hand grabbed his wrist, making him turn sharply. Finn flinched back with an unreadable expression.
Finn cleared his throat. "While I'd love to see you hit this senile man, I am a man of culture who hates blood. I'd rather we find a compromise."Finn held Silas's gaze. "Don't you agree?"
Silas closed his eyes and nodded, feeling ashamed. He pulled away from the scene, placing the chest back on the shelf. He hadn't realized he was holding it so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. If Finn hadn't intervened, he might have completely lost his mind. A mysterious voice in his head told him he might have done more than just hitting the old man.
"A compromise, you say? What does a child like you want from me?" the old man sneered.
Finn clicked his tongue repeatedly, shaking his head. "It's you, Grifor, who wants something from us. But yes, we want something from you."
Finn began rummaging through the chests. Grifor raised a hand to stop him, but Finn persisted.
"It's in the box next to it," Silas instructed.
Finn followed his lead, retrieving the scrolls Silas had been examining earlier. Bending down, he showed the old man the old parchment.
[You have found a way to read the hidden script!]
[Quest 'The Caverns of Flesh' is successfully completed!]
[You have been rewarded +400 Destiny XP, [Normal Weapon Smithcore]x6, [Normal Armor Smithcore]x6, [Empty Bottles]x10, [Large Health Potions]x10, [Small Energy Potion]x10, [Novice Mage Robe]x1 & +6000 Shields]
"Can you read this?"
Grifor snatched the paper from Finn's hand, scanning it. Recognition flashed in his eyes. "Of course, but why do you want to learn High Arkala?"
"It's not for you to ask our reasons. I need you to transcribe something," Finn replied.
The old man blinked, a sly smile forming. "I'll do it, but only if you do something for me."
"Is it related to your inability to stand?" Finn quipped.
Grifor reddened, snatching his cane and using it to push himself up. He was already out of breath from the small movement. Finn grinned, and Silas couldn't help but admire the boy's boldness.
"No, I need you to collect something for me. I need herbs for my next work."
As soon as Grifor said that, a blue box appeared before Silas.
[New quest is available!]
[Quest III: Riddles and Effigies of Holiness]
[Description: Scholar Grifor will help you transcribe the meaning behind the words written in the parchment. But you must also help him in his next work.]
[Collect moonlight tulips 0/10]
[Collect leaves of Redcat Whiskers 0/15]
[Collect Blue Mandrakes 0/5]
[Rewards: +500 Destiny XP, [Normal Weapon Smithcore]x7, [Normal Armor Smithcore]x7, [Empty Bottles]x10, [Large Health Potions]x10, [Small Energy Potion]x10, [Novice Mage Pants]x1 & +6500 Shields]
"I need herbs you can find outside the city, perhaps in the nearest forest. After you find those for me, I'll transcribe whatever you need," Grifor said, handing Finn a list.
"Can't you just buy them from the market?" Finn asked.
"These things are exceptionally rare. I've managed to buy some of the herbs, but it's been a month since I started this work, and I still need more," Grifor explained.
Finn turned to Silas. "What do you say?"
Silas nodded. "Do you have samples so we can identify them easily?"
Grifor looked uneasy, shifting his eyes to Finn. "Yes. I can show you samples in my laboratory. Follow me."
[Character Interface]
Name: Silas Hawthorne
Rank: Novice Wizard V
Destiny Exp: 933 / 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: 394 / 394
Attack: 190
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: 2.20%
Crowd Control Reduction: 0.00%
Damage Reduction: 0.00%
Skill Penetration: 2.00%
Energy Regen Rate: 2.00%
HP Regen Rate: 0.00%