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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: The Walking Dead

Job Request: Find my missing treasure. Reward: Half shall be yours. Treasure worth 5,000 gold coins.

Tye, covered in a black robe and hood, had gotten down from his horse and was met at the gate to a compound.

In front was a guard.

"State your reason!" the guard said with a voice of thunder.

"I'm here for the Job Request."

"Your face is mostly covered. Remove the hood and I'll consider you."

Tye swallowed hard.

He was the prince of Kiltar; being seen here—in Misk—like this could bring trouble.

But he was prepared, having grown a beard he half-shaved neatly, so no one would know it was him.

"Well?" Before the guard could finish, Tye took off the hood.

"I'm here to find the treasure of your master. Don't trust me? Have a guard escort me."

The guard looked him over and led him to another guard for escorting.

He went through the garden and arrived at the door of a large house.

"Go in. He awaits," the guard told Tye.

The door was opened by two guards, and he was led to the study room.

There sat on a chair a middle-aged man, next to a table of books.

"You may leave, guards. You are here for the Job I was told. Tell me why I should have you do it."

"I've gone on several journeys to countries I don't know, found my way, and returned home, again and again. This was done for hunting and exploration."

"Alright. But do you want to do this? I've had 4 other people like you die and never return."

"...!" Tye was speechless and stiffened.

"And to see if people could really handle this, I decided to make the payment—to the one that succeeds—10,000 gold coins."

"I see. In spite of the danger, I will still go. After all, I'm an adventurer."

"That's the spirit! Big risk, big rewards!"

"But I must know: how did you lose 5,000 gold coins?"

"It was 5 weeks ago. I was traveling through the mountains in this region on my way to another country and I was attacked.

You see, these weren't people that attacked me, which is my guess as to why the adventurers before you never returned."

The noble stood up with a hardened expression.

"I didn't send knights because I didn't want to shorten the manpower of Misk.

So I sent adventurers—not with the intention of just having people do such for my gain only, but for theirs.

Which is why—"

"Permission to speak, sir, but what do you mean it wasn't people that attacked?" Tye interrupted eagerly.

The noble was shocked, his head turning red.

"No one had ever been so bold and adventurous with me!" he said, looking enraged.

But to Tye's surprise, the noble was rather pleased.

"You're such a bold young man, but do stay respectful.

As for what attacked us that day..."

Tye leaned closer.

"They were people with the teeth of beasts. Thick, long, black hair. And pale skin.

The reward is so high because the forces you might face are beyond what has been seen before."

***

In the Northern region of the country Kiltar, a tall man had a hardened expression looking onward.

Chief Doctor of the Medical Camp, Tain.

His staff were short on medical resources for the ever-growing epidemic.

And in the country Kiltar, there wasn't much they could do, like sitting ducks.

So he would be sending two of his workers: Lina and Yiss.

Along with another two adventurers to journey and search for anything they could possibly find to help with the epidemic.

They mounted on their horses and set out for places they didn't know of.

"This is the only choice, but we have to go on," he told Lina.

While the two adventurers were rather candid.

And they'd remain silent because in front of them, miles away from civilization—on a desert—were people dying of a disease.

Strange enough, they were scattered in the middle of lonely and barren land.

Laid a dozen of them, and in spite of their illness, they were moving faster than a normal person.

Looking awful, they were clearly fighting for something.

But then they stopped.

All of them.

And looked straight at the travelers with murderous eyes.