Chapter 4
Hillcrest is somewhat on the halfway point to Gaco, so it wasn't a detour, and getting some armor was necessary for survival. Two villages were connected by a dirt pathway through the forest, made by villagers trading goods, where we provide fish, they provide iron made tools and tinkers. Going through the forest, I got a weird feeling, uneasy to be exact, there was no one. No traveling merchant, no villagers, no animals, it felt weird even though I expected to be alone, but not this lonely. It wasn't a dense forest, it was mostly pine trees, so you could see quite far away. I got scared, thinking that it might be true, the quiet which eats and loneliness that claws into you, the wolfen forest. This is where pine wolfs reside, they aren't that impressive, but they got no natural enemy here, so they grow to great numbers over the years, it was dangerous to even cross this path. Every twig that played in the wind, every step on the ground I took, every droplet that fell, they all scared me. I was confident that I could take on a few of them at the same time, but they travel in large groups under a leader, a black pine wolf, quite bigger and stronger than a normal wolf. It is a two hour walk from Donaville to Hillcrest, so I could only pray that I get to see none of them, or only a few if I have to. But after some time, I spotted something, someone, a person! What a great luck I thought, I rushed to him to which he didn't even turn. He was wearing rugged clothes, even a beggar wouldn't take those, and a dagger, old and broken, with no tip. No shoes, no coin purse, no bags or anything. I didn't care, a company is company, and maybe he was a fighter, even a bandit would join hands to get out of here safely. „HELLO TRAVELER" I said in a happy tone, as I was truly happy and revealed, „Can we travel together, pine forest is a dangerous place.". A moment of quite took over, as he stopped in his track and turned around to face me, few seconds pass before he answered: „Ah yes, some company would be great."
„So... Why are you going to Hillcrest" I asked, felling less and less safe walking next to him. He was young, not that well built, but he gave me a feeling he could burn down a village and couldn't care less.
„So that is Hillcrest, no idea, I am just walking." He answered this time without even turning around, his eyes fixated on the road, "I weird old man attacked me and called me a hero from the legends or something, I said a few good ones and went in a direction."
"A hero? Did you do something really good?" His dagger looked like it went through a lot, but in time not in a fight, he doesn't look like a fighter and this simple walk is tiring him out. I couldn't believe such stuff, an insane beggar maybe?
"Nothing, if anything I stole some money from that bastart by selling him some goblins." To which he pulls out some copper coins out of thin air.
"Are you an adventurer?! How did you pull those coins out of thin air?!"
"They were always in my hand, don't get any ideas, I am no adventurer. But that sounds like fun. By the way, my name is Jhonny" I was sure I saw them just appear out of nowhere, but maybe I went inane from this forest, as the forest was getting denser and denser as we were getting closer to the village.
"Jake, nice to meet you. If you want, we can do some goblin hunting together, it could help us with cash." I originally didn't like the idea of us fighting side by side, but him telling me he sold goblins must have meant that he fought them before, and him pulling out those coins was enough proof to me. And I was sure he was in dire need of cash.
"Deal, but you will have to wait, I need to prepare some stuff, can I also borrow some money, like 5 copper?" That was enough to buy a small lunch, so I just gave it to him, not my smartest decision in life, but it was what is was.
Soon we got out of the forest, Hillcrest in front of us. Quite a nice and lively place, quite similar to Donaville in many ways. I immediately took to the bullet board in the center to take a quest, Jhonny went to a random street and disappeared, it didn't matter as I was in shock. The bullet board was double the size of ours, there were knights around it and many people looking and taking quests, it was the liveliest place in the whole village. The stands around the center were selling simple weapons and armors, one even small glowing blue potions, mana recovery, some even selling goblin teeth. Most quests asked to bring goblin teeth as they were alchemical ingredients, and they weren't half bad. A goblin has two small fangs, each worth 20 copper, so one could quickly get some cash going. But first I took to the inn to get some rest and take the quest following day.
I would have totally forgotten hadn't I have seen it first thing in the morning, the blacksmith. It was an open tent, in which a short man was hammering something over an open flame, first time ever seeing a dwarf. "Hello sir! My name is Jake and captain Fred sent me here to request an Armor set!" I didn't wish to disturb him in his work, but seeing as he could continue hammering for hours, I had to jump in.
"OH, was it already that long, it felt like days passed only. Boy I will make an armor for you, but you have to bring me a blue cristal from the forest." The dwarf turned to me, before showing me his back, now showing his long black beard and dark black hands from all the smithing he has been doing. His dark eyes were measuring my body, getting every single detail as not to miss anything, even checking my sword.
"Where can I find that cristal?"
"Beats me, find it, it is in the forest" After which he turned his back again and continued hammering the glowing metal piece thinner and thinner.
Whit a new goal set, I went straight for the bullet board where a disaster struck.