Calcium squeezed her palm. The tattoo glowed faintly blue, reacting to her anxiety.
[Status: Exhausted.]
[Recommended rest.]
"Yeah, thanks, system. If only it were that simple."
She glanced at Elmar. He looked like he had questions, too.
–Are you sure we should keep going?– he asked, finally putting away the dagger. –We don't even know what happened there.
–Exactly. No one knows. And I don't like it. –Calcium replied.
Elmar snorted, but said nothing.Calcium ran her finger thoughtfully over the tattoo.
"What if I try calling up a new task? Maybe the system will give me a hint?"
"System, do I have any undiscovered tasks?" she asked mentally.
For a moment nothing happened, and then a translucent window appeared before my eyes.
[Hidden quest discovered.]
Name: "Echoes of a Forgotten City."
Description: Find traces of Lorden's inhabitants and restore the lost history.]
Reward: ???
Penalty: Increased interest of unnamed forces.]
Calcium frowned.
"What unnamed forces? They already tried to attack me... so I'm definitely going in the right direction."
–We need to keep going. – she said firmly.
Elmar sighed: –I knew you'd say that.
He rose to his feet, brushed off his clothes, and extended his hand to her.
–Then let's move. The sooner we get to Lorden, the better.
Calcium grinned and accepted the help.
"Well, let's see what secrets this city hides."
With the first rays of the sun, they set off. The sun rose slowly, bathing the forest in pale gold light. The shadows of the trees stretched out, as if trying to reach Calcium and Elmar. The path became increasingly difficult - the path was overgrown with grass, the roots of the trees tore themselves out of the ground, as if the forest itself was trying to hold them back.
Calcium walked ahead, her thoughts occupied with a hidden quest.
[Echoes of a Forgotten City.]
[The quest is active.]
"Traces of the people of Lorden... What happened to them? Did they disappear or something? And why doesn't the system give a reward in advance?"
–You're thinking too much. –Elmar muttered, stepping over another root.
Calcium glanced at him: –Just thinking about what awaits us in Lorden.
–I hope it's not another dark mage trying to steal your soul.
Calcium rolled her eyes: –If he shows up, I'll just write a story where he falls into a hole and breaks his leg.
Elmar laughed, but froze almost immediately.
–Wait…– He abruptly extended his hand, stopping Calcium.
–What?
Elmar silently pointed to the path. Calcium followed his gaze — and saw tracks. Deep boot prints leading deep into the forest. Fresh.
"Someone is walking ahead of us."
[Unknown event detected.]
–It could be a caravan or hunters. –Elmar suggested.
But Calcium felt her insides tighten.
— Or someone who knows about Lorden and doesn't want us to get there.
Elmar frowned, but said nothing. He simply nodded and adjusted his grip on the dagger. Calcium looked at the tracks again and took a deep breath.
–Well, let's see who else is so eager to get to the forgotten city.
They moved on, more quietly now, more carefully. There were answers ahead — and new dangers.
The tracks led them deeper into the forest. Calcium tried to walk silently, listening carefully to every sound. A strange silence hung in the air — no birds singing, no rustling of leaves. Only their own footsteps, echoing dully among the trees.
[Warning! You are approaching a key point in the quest.]
"A key point? That means there's something important here."
Elmar suddenly stopped and motioned for Calcium to freeze. He crouched down, examining the tracks.
–Someone stopped here,–he whispered. –See? The ground is flattened, as if someone stood still.
Calcium leaned closer. Sure enough, there were deep dents imprinted in the soft soil, and there were traces of something heavy nearby.
–Perhaps a chest or a backpack. –she suggested.
Elmar nodded grimly: –Whoever it was, they stopped here for a while... and then went over there.
He pointed to a path disappearing into the trees. Calcium felt the tension building inside her.
[Additional quest: Follow the unknown traveler.]
Reward: 100 exp.
Penalty: Possible combat.]
"Follow? It could be dangerous. But if this man is connected to Lorden, I need to know."
She glanced at Elmar. –Are you willing to take the risk?
He snorted: –It seems that with you, it's always that way.
Calcium smiled, but the tension did not ease. They moved on, stepping carefully, following the tracks. The forest ahead became denser, the shadows thickened, and the air seemed to fill with something... alien. The closer they got, the more it felt like someone was waiting for them.
The deeper Calcium and Elmar went into the forest, the thicker the fog became. It spread across the ground like a thick carpet, muffling sounds and hiding the tracks they were pursuing. The air here seemed... still, as if the forest itself was holding its breath. Calcium glanced around nervously.
[Danger unconfirmed, but be careful.]
"Very useful, system. Thank you."
–I don't like this place. –Elmar muttered, clutching the hilt of his dagger. Calcium nodded. It was too quiet here. And then... Click.
Barely audible, but Calcium instantly felt something grab her ankle.
–Damn! She instinctively tried to retreat, but it was too late.
Suddenly, her legs abruptly went out from under her, and the world turned upside down. She flew into the air and hung upside down with a dull thud - a rope trap had grabbed her!
–Calcium!– Elmar lunged forward.
She swung in the air, her arms flailing helplessly.
[Trap detected! Automatic analysis…]
[Type: Hunting net.
Creator: unknown.]
"Creator unknown?" flashed through her mind. "Did someone put it there on purpose?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement among the trees. A dark figure. Calcium's heart sank.
–Elmar… We're not alone here.
The boy turned sharply, taking a defensive stance. Silence hung for several long seconds. And then a voice, muffled and hoarse, echoed through the fog:
–You… shouldn't have come here.
A man in a tattered cloak emerged from the shadows. His face was hidden by a cloth mask, but his posture made it clear that he was armed.
[New objective: Find out who he is and why he's blocking your path.]
Calcium swallowed. "It seems we have found the first inhabitant of Lorden."
Calcium swung in the air, feeling the rope cut painfully into her ankle. Her head began to spin from the rush of blood.
–Elmar... hurry up.– She hissed, not taking her eyes off the stranger.
The guy slowly raised his hands, showing that he was not holding a weapon, but Calcium could see that he was tense, ready to break at any second. The stranger stepped closer. His cloaked figure seemed strangely blurred in the fog, but even so, Calcium noticed that he was limping.
–You should not have come here.– He repeated, his voice not threatening, but... tired.
Calcium narrowed her eyes.
[Analysis...]
[Condition: exhaustion, moderate wounds.]
"He is injured? Then why is he attacking?"
–We're not looking for trouble. – she said. –We're going to Lorden.
The man froze abruptly: – Lorden?
Silence hung between them. Calcium felt a chill run down her spine. The stranger took another step forward, his voice sharper.
–Turn around. Now.
//To be continued, like and save.