The alarm going off annoyed him, so he smashed it to bits waking up.
Ulrich sat up, rubbing his face. "Ugh... Another day."
[Good morning, Ulrich.]
The voice spoke in its usual monotone. However, Ulrich made it sound like a male.
"Morning Agnis." Ulrich got out of bed, heading into the bathroom.
It looked like a modern-day bathroom. Nothing out of the ordinary.
He stood in front of the mirror, taking a look at his reflection. His hair had grown out, reaching his shoulders. His beard has grown slightly more full, but not thick. His eyes seemed blank and depressed. "I'm gonna move out... I gotta find the rest."
Ulrich took a shower and brushed his teeth, drying off and throwing on some clothes typical of a blacksmith.
He stepped outside, the smell of minerals, smoke, and iron filled his lungs. A smell he has grown used to in these two weeks of living in the underground nation of Orelia.
His house stood quite high in the air, as this place had a knack for brutalist architecture. He stood on a balcony, staring down at the lights below.
He sighed, jumping off and grabbing onto a hanging hook. Taking it as a lift down.
As he descended, he looked at his neighbors waving at him. He waved back at them, knowing this is his last time seeing them.
He reached the ground and began to walk. His boots were heavy against the stoney road.
He soon came across a shop, entering it and looking around. "Why are you here?" He asked a man leaning against the wall.
"Finally, you're here." The man pushed himself off the way, rubbing the back of his head. He was a dwarf, being shorter than Ulrich, who still stood at 5'5.
"The queen needs another batch of spears. She says that the quality of your weapons are so good that she might just make you the royal smith." The man said, chuckling.
"To think you'd be doing all of this in two weeks. You've got a knack, y'know?" He continued, watching Ulrich take out a cigarette and seeing him light it with a flame that formed at the tip of his finger.
"Tell her I can't. I'm moving shop. She and the army can help themselves to whatever is in this forge. I already made a fresh batch of 7 weapon types just in case you guys needed some... Negotiation." Ulrich said, inhaling the cigarette.
"Wait, what? Why are you leaving?" The man, Gongo asked.
"I'm tired of living here. I have people to look for, and staying here isn't going to help." He puffed out the smoke, pointing to the back. "The weapons are back there."
"Who're you looking for? We can search for them for you! We'll scour every kin-"
"Just shut up, Gongo. I'm done. Just tell her I'm leaving and no amount of convincing is going to make me stay." He turned to walk away, but heard a sword behind drawn.
"Gongo..."
"Ulrich, as a soldier of Orelia, I am obligated to bring any royal smiths to the queen." He was shaking a little.
Ulrich turned to him, his brown eyes glowing in the dim lighting. "Do you really want to test your luck with me?" He asked, turning back around. Gongo being left shaking.
He said, walking out of the shop and stretching. "Well, I'm stocked on food, just in case."
He walked down the streets, men and women giving speeches about the oppression they face. The dangers of the mines, and the such.
He reached a wall where lifts to the surface transported people and cargo were.
A soldier saw him. "Well, if it isn't Ulrich. Goin to grab some wood?" He raised a brow, Ulrich nodding in response.
"Step right on." The man said, Ulrich stepping onto a wooden platform that began to ascend via some rope.
Once he reached the top, Ulrich made his way out of the cave, coming to the bright sunny sky he so rarely saw.
"Two weeks without natural light... Damn..." Ulrich said, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted. "Well shit... I don't know where to even start walking. Which way was New York again?" He asked himself, beginning to walk along a dirt path. Luckily, this path led to a nearby city.
He rubbed his head, walking silently along the dirt path.
All that surrounded him were rolling grass hills with an occasional patch of flowers being able to be seen.
He stared up at the bright blue sky. Fluffy white clouds dotted them. "Outside feels so... Beautiful."
Ulrich began to feel tears forming in his eyes. He hasn't seen the light of day in so long.
"My friends are waiting... If they're alive." He continued to walk the dirt path.
Eventually, he reached the town and decided to immediately look for a map. He found one on a board, and it was large.
He looked for his location on a map. "Whatever happened to cars?" He asked himself, seeing that he was in the middle of what looked to be Pennsylvania. "Are you fucking with me?"
He then saw a few adventurers walk by. "Hey." He said, walking up to a woman. She had long red hair, fair skin, and red eyes. Standing slightly taller than him.
"What's up?" She asked.
"What's the fastest mode of transportation to get to New York?"
"Oh, well, all major highways and stuffed are being worked on due to monster outbreaks. So most people take some form of back roads... Though, even those aren't the safest by car due to monsters. So most people use cars locally. The fastest way would be by plane or by carriage."
"Fuck." He said, turning around. "Bye." He said, walking away.
"Great. Just great..." Ulrich set a course to Vintara, which was a kingdom that seemed to encompass much of, if not the entirety of New York.
"Just what the hell happened?" He mumbled, beginning to walk toward his destination.
"Hey, System... How long will it take me to reach there?"
[Approximately 1 week if you walk.]
"Alright." Ulrich said, taking a road that would lead to Vintara.
As he walked, time passes on, and he began to notice it getting dark. "Huh... Been walking for a while now." He said, hearing something crack.
Assuming it was some random low level monster, he took out a random sword from his inventory, but when he turned around, he saw something he couldn't unsee.
A creature complete black in color and had long claws. It ripped through the air itself, as if it were forcing itself into this world.
The way it looked. The glowing red eyes and its seemingly towering frame. Something about it drove Ulrich mad. It instilled fear, a terror he had never felt before.
He tried to run, to move, but his body wouldn't listen.
The creature reached out, letting out a low growl as it was about to grab him, but it's arm was suddenly sliced off.
The creature let out a loud screech, Ulrich breaking from its trance and falling on his behind.
"What..."
A woman with long white hair in a messy ponytail clad in silver armor and black linings on its waist and chest area. The lower half seemed to be similar to a dress, the fabric mainly being black in color. On the sides, there were metal plates similar to what Samurai wore over the fabric for extra protection. If anything, her armor seemed fully kitted out for protection.
She held a longsword, the blade itself being blue in color with the edges being white. The guard extended for 4 inches and didn't seem all that thick. It extended from both sides of the blade. The handle was black in color and the hilt was blue.
"Wow... These guys are getting more and more frequent. These are only babies too." This was the woman who escaped from death, Agula Myst.
She turned around, having blue and black eyes. "You alright there, little man?" She asked, watching the creature retreat and the crack in the air sealing itself.
"That was an Abyssal Horror. Normally, they don't venture too far from the Abyss, but they've been trying to escape lately. Guess something woke up that's scaring them." She said, looking down at Ulrich and extending a hand.
"My name's Agula. One of the five Paragons from the empire of Tryst. You are?"
Ulrich grabbed her hand, immediately being pulled up by her. "Name's Ulrich."
"Nice name." She said, looking down at him. She stood at 6'4. "Where are ya heading? Not everyday someone just walks alone at night."
"Oh, I'm heading to Vintara." Ulrich said, sighing.
"Oh?! Me too! I could lead you there." Agula seemed quite excited.
"What a coincidence. Alright then, lead the way."
"Great! Let's go!"