I didn't meet anyone else. Moreover, soon I came out onto a small country road, and after a while, cultivated and sown fields appeared on both sides of it. The green sprouts were still very small, and it was impossible to understand what crop it was.
After another half kilometer, I came across a cart. Empty. Maybe that's why the old man driving the decrepit nag set out without protection? Or is there another reason for his fearlessness? For example: high level! And the fact that no weapon is visible on him also means nothing — he can pull it out of his inventory at any moment...
All this flashed through my head as we approached. Just in case, I also hid the sword hanging on my belt. This action didn't go unnoticed, and the previously grim old man suddenly smiled.
"Greetings, young friend!" he shouted in a rather sonorous voice when there were about five meters between us.
"And hello to you!" I answered cheerfully.
And immediately my profession-deformed brain began to throw up thoughts of dubious usefulness...
Take the word "hello". It's from Earth. Why do they speak the same way here? And in general, why in Russian? And is it even Russian?..
The old man didn't let me go into the depths of speculation.
"Where are you heading?" he asked cheerfully, stopping the cart.
"To Kipen," I replied with a smile.
"Looking for acquaintances?"
"No, I'm not from around here."
I tried to turn on all my charm, as this part was the weakest. Possibly, the story of my life (my so-called legend) was lost due to a system glitch, and now I had to somehow smooth it over...
"Some time ago I fell off a horse, lost my memory. Now I'm wandering everywhere. I hope when I see my native lands, I'll remember everything... Well, or at least something..."
"Oh!.. Poor boy..." the old man mumbled, but his keen gaze made it clear that he didn't really believe my tale... "I can tell right away that you're not from Kipen. I know everyone here."
"Then I'll go further."
"Well, you'll have to spend the night there anyway. Our area is relatively calm, of course, but it's still better not to walk alone at night. Especially for someone so young..."
The interlocutor ran his fingers through his gray beard:
"Have you been initiated yet?"
"Today."
Seeing that the old man was easily reading me, I decided not to lie unnecessarily.
"Oh my!" his eyebrows flew up. "And what are those spots on your sleeves?"
Yeah. The conversation was somehow quickly and confidently not going according to plan. And the old man I met was somehow not what I expected. I hoped he was a good-natured farmer, half-deprived of his senses and ready to help a boy in trouble. Isn't that how it happens in games?
And the spots he pointed out were dried blood. By the way, they covered not only the sleeves...
Well, if that's the case, we're moving to plan "B".
"It's blood, grandfather."
"Yours?"
"No, of three small hryuks that attacked me during the day, and another man, or rather a pockmarked guy, who tried to kill me when he found out I was going to Kipen."
[Task completed!]
[You receive experience, 1 gold coin, and gratitude from the village of Kipen. The attitude of the residents towards you has increased by 10 points and equals 10/100.]
That's how it is. Not bad!
"Describe him!" the old man nimbly jumped off the cart for his age and approached me.
If I hadn't received confirmation of completing the task, I would have stepped away and maybe even drawn my sword, but now I knew he wouldn't touch me. Probably...
"Dark hair, dark beard too, height about mine, pockmarked, eyes seem dark, but I'm not sure. Didn't have time to look closely..."
Then I described our meeting, the battle with the hryuks, and the place where the body lies. I didn't even try to hide that I subsequently stabbed the sword into his wound.
"Hm, curious..." the old man, having listened to me, pressed his lips and again grabbed his beard. "And who taught you to do that?"
"I don't know. I only learned about these quests today..." I blurted out and stopped short. "In general, out of fear."
The ensuing pause was dragging on.
"Wait here!" the old man suddenly ordered sharply, and then something strange happened.
He quickly unharnessed the horse, easily flew onto it, and galloped away in the direction I had indicated. Moreover, he was leaning down heavily, apparently looking for my tracks. My new acquaintance surprised me more and more.
The situation was, to put it mildly, ambiguous, and the worst thing was — without obvious solution options. To run away would mean immediately admitting guilt, and in case of capture, it would be much harder to talk my way out. If I stay, there's no avoiding difficult questions.
Okay. In fact, I only have the illusion of choice. I'll have to wait...
***
About half an hour passed, and it had already noticeably darkened. No one else appeared on the deserted road, but I heard a howl. Whoever made it was far away, but the unfamiliar sound quickly reminded me that I wasn't at my country house, where the only wild animals you might encounter are hedgehogs and grass snakes. Here there are clearly more of them, and they are not at all shy about attacking people.
Well, where did the old coot get stuck? Of course, we wouldn't fight off a pack of wolves even together, but at least he knows the surroundings and the habits of the local fauna.
Almost all the time until now I had been standing next to the cart, but now I couldn't overcome the desire and quickly climbed onto it. As if that would change anything!..
My spontaneous act amused me and helped me cope with the growing fear.
After all, am I a "popadanets" or what? I am! And that means I'm the main character! And even if a wolf attacks me, at the last moment someone will definitely save me! At least in the early stages. And then I'll level up and tear everyone apart!
Calming down a bit, I got off the cart again and listened. Seems like someone's coming... Definitely!
The patter of a rapidly approaching horse was now clearly audible.
Well, finally! They're unlikely to attack two of us...
The silhouette of the rider was already clearly discernible. I raised my hand, and then...
"To battle! Wolves!" the old man's voice spread throughout the area:
Damn it! Is this what I waited for you for?
About forty meters behind the horse, three shadows jumped out of the twilight, and these were not fucking hryuks.
The old man surprised me again: drawing level with me, he only slightly held back the horse and jumped off it on the move. He rolled over and in a second was back on his feet.
"Your task is not to die!" he shouted to me and drew his sword.
No, not like that — SWORD! Damn... It was not much shorter in length than himself, which means that when the old man starts waving it around, it's better not to stand nearby.
Meanwhile, the wolves were already ten meters away from us. I tried to blend in with the cart and the rest of the landscape, but it didn't work — two beasts rushed at the old man, and one decided to feast on me.
Gripping the sword in my right hand, I threw a knife with my left. I hit it right in the muzzle. Naturally, with the handle...
The beast jumped from three meters. There were no options: to dodge or jump aside. Even if I could, the wolf would get up earlier and finish what it started with a repeated attack. So I chose a different tactic: defense by attacking head-on.
When the beast pushed off, I activated the shield in my left hand, and with my right, I delivered a chopping blow with the sword.
A terrible blow shook the shield, and I rolled on the ground. I only stopped when I hit the wheel of the cart. The sword flew out (which, however, is for the better. If I had it in my hand, I would probably have impaled myself...), but the shield was still with me.
I quickly (as much as I could) got on all fours and looked around. The wolf also got its share: blood was gushing from its shoulder. It was getting up no faster than me and was heavily favoring its front left paw.
Our eyes met, and the beast growled. It won't back down, bastard...
The thought of climbing under the cart slipped through my mind, but it would have reached me there. So I had to repeat the only technique that worked, with one difference: the first time I surprised it by unexpectedly pulling out a shield, and now...
I jumped to my feet, and at that moment the wolf jumped from its spot. Because of this and the wound, its speed decreased, and I managed to summon a spare sword. This time I didn't chop, but struck from below with a stabbing blow to the neck. Well, or wherever I would hit...
I was thrown back again. This time onto the side of the cart. Pain pierced my back. The beast weighed a lot and hit the boards hard enough. But at least, though with difficulty, I managed to stay on my feet, while the whining wolf collapsed at my feet.
It was more alive than all the living and was quickly getting up, but it was very unlucky with its position.
"Take this!"
Putting all my anger and pain into it, I brought the sword down on its nape. And then again and again! I only calmed down when the head rolled on the ground.
[You have killed a level 4 wolf.]
I really wanted to fall and lie on the cool ground until the pain in my back and the hand numbed from heavy blows against the shield passed, but I remembered the two other beasts and forcibly raised my head.
"Not bad," came the old man's voice.
He was just wiping blood from the blade on the fur of one of his opponents.
"For the first level, it's actually excellent."
I was swaying a bit, but I picked up the reward box (+1 silver and 8 copper) and took a few steps to survey the battle site. Both beasts were beheaded with equally precise blows, and the grandfather, who now didn't look peaceful at all, didn't even have labored breathing.
"Did you bring them to me on purpose?" I asked, not putting away my sword.
"Why would I do that?" he grinned.
"That's what I'm curious about..."
"Breathe out, young man," he suddenly laughed. "And put away your toothpick. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't resort to such complicated methods."
He showed me his sword and immediately deactivated it.
"You just seemed strange to me, and not entirely honest. So I decided to test you a bit more."
After finishing, he whistled, and immediately in the distance, the sound of hooves was heard.
"Well, what are the results of the test?" I asked, putting away my sword.
"You fight poorly," the old man laughed again. "But you don't lack courage. That's better than if it were the other way around."
The old man was clearly not speaking to the point, because we both understood that it wasn't my strength he was going to test...
The horse came out from behind the cart, and only now did I notice that a tied-up body was hanging across its back. The almost completely descended night darkness didn't allow me to see who it was, but it wasn't hard to guess. The old man had found the pockmarked guy I had killed.
"What do we do next?" I asked.
"We're going to the village," the old man grinned.
Well, to the village it is. Although the situation was highly unusual, I didn't feel threatened. For now...