Chapter 8: The Call of the Forgotten
The training yard's dust clung to Ryo Aelren's boots as he parried Calen's strike, the iron sword trembling in his grip. Sweat stung his eyes, but his focus was razor-sharp. Calen's blade came again, a feint followed by a low sweep. Ryo's Survival Instinct flared, boosting his agility, and he leaped back, countering with a Weak Point Strike aimed at Calen's wrist. The swordsman deflected, but his scar-twisted grin showed approval.
"Not bad, kid," Calen said, lowering his sword. "You're learning fast."
Ryo panted, his arms aching from the hour-long spar. The System chimed softly: Skill Proficiency Increased: Weak Point Strike. Damage bonus raised to 11%. Experience gained: Level 0: 80/100. Level 1 was tantalizingly close, but the cryptic whisper from last night—Seek the forgotten—weighed heavier. The spire's runes, the Memory Fragment, the Rift's glow—they were pieces of a puzzle he couldn't yet solve.
"Focus," Calen snapped, noticing Ryo's distraction. "Daydreaming gets you killed."
Ryo nodded, wiping his brow. "What's next?"
"Sparring's done for today," Calen said, sheathing his blade. "Got a job for you. Rank D, escort mission. Merchants need protection on the eastern road. Bandits, maybe Riftspawn. You in?"
Ryo's Danger Sense prickled, not from Calen but from the job's risks. Rank D was a step up from goblins, but the pay—eight silvers—could get him a steel sword. And more action meant more experience. "I'm in."
"Good. Meet me at the east gate, dusk. Mira and Brom are coming too." Calen paused, his eyes narrowing. "And Ryo—keep your head down. Guild's still asking about the survey. Don't give them a reason to dig."
Ryo frowned but agreed. Calen's warnings about the guild were growing frequent, and Gav's suspicion still lingered in his mind. He returned to the inn, spending a copper on a meal of porridge and bread. His pouch held nine silvers and some coppers—enough to survive, but not to thrive. He checked his Status Screen, confirming Level 0: 80/100. The escort mission could push him over the edge.
As he rested, he focused on the Memory Fragment. Progress: 1/10. He closed his eyes, picturing the spire's runes. The System didn't respond, but that ancient whisper echoed faintly: Seek the forgotten. It felt like a command, a pull toward the Rift. He shivered, the weight of it settling in his bones.
At dusk, Ryo reached the east gate, his iron sword at his hip. Calen stood with Mira and Brom, their gear ready. The merchants—a nervous trio with two wagons of cloth and mana crystals—huddled nearby. Mira checked her bow, her expression sour. "Babysitting merchants. Thrilling."
"Pays better than rats," Brom said, grinning. His healer's satchel bulged with supplies. "You good, Ryo? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Just tired," Ryo lied, his Danger Sense quiet but alert. Calen gave him a nod, and the group set out, the wagons creaking along the dirt road. The forest loomed on either side, shadows lengthening in the fading light.
The first hour was uneventful, the merchants' chatter the only sound. Ryo walked beside Brom, his eyes scanning the trees. Danger Sense stirred faintly, like a breeze across his skin. He gripped his sword, and Calen noticed, his hand drifting to his own blade.
"Trouble?" Calen whispered.
"Maybe," Ryo said, his senses sharpening. The System chimed: Danger Sense activated. Threat detected.
Before he could warn the others, the forest erupted. Figures in tattered cloaks burst from the trees—bandits, six of them, armed with swords and clubs. But their eyes glowed faintly red, and their movements were jerky, unnatural. Rift-touched, Ryo realized, humans corrupted by the Rift's mana.
"Ambush!" Calen roared, drawing his sword. Mira fired, her arrow piercing a bandit's shoulder. Brom chanted, casting a ward over the merchants. Ryo's Survival Instinct kicked in, boosting his agility by 15%. He dodged a club swing, countering with a Basic Strike to the bandit's arm. The iron sword bit deep, and the man screamed, his glow fading.
Experience gained. Level 0: 85/100.
The bandits were fast, their Rift-touched strength unnatural. Calen fought two at once, his blade a whirlwind. Mira's arrows kept a third at bay, but the fourth charged Ryo, its sword raised. Danger Sense screamed, and Ryo ducked, using Weak Point Strike to target the bandit's knee. The blade struck true, dropping the man.
Experience gained. Level 0: 90/100.
The System's chime was drowned by a new sound—a low hum, like the spire's. Ryo glanced at the wagons. The mana crystals in one were glowing, pulsing in time with the bandits' eyes. "The crystals!" he shouted. "They're drawing them!"
Calen cursed, beheading a bandit. "Mira, shoot the wagon!"
Mira hesitated, then fired, shattering a crystal. The hum faded, and the remaining bandits faltered, their glow dimming. Ryo seized the chance, using Weak Point Strike on another's neck. The bandit collapsed, and the System chimed: Experience gained. Level 0: 95/100.
The last bandit fled, and Calen let him go, his chest heaving. The merchants cowered, unharmed but shaken. Brom tended to Mira, who'd taken a shallow cut. Calen turned to Ryo, his eyes sharp. "You called the crystals. How'd you know?"
Ryo froze. The hum had felt like the spire, like the Memory Fragment. "Just a hunch," he said, avoiding Calen's gaze.
Calen didn't push, but his silence was heavy. The group escorted the wagons to the next town, collecting their pay. Ryo's share—eight silvers—brought him closer to a steel sword, but the mission's end left him restless. Level 0: 95/100. One more fight could tip him over.
Back in Varnholt, Ryo visited the market, spending two silvers on a leather bracer for his wounded arm. The weapons stall tempted him, but he held off. As he passed the guild, he overheard whispers—adventurers talking of a new Rift branch, unstable, spitting out Rift-touched like the bandits. The guild was forming a team, Rank C, to investigate.
Ryo's Danger Sense prickled, but so did his ambition. The Rift called, and the Memory Fragment whispered: Seek the forgotten. He didn't know what it meant, but he knew one thing: the System grew with danger, and danger was where he'd find answers. With Calen's training and the iron sword, Ryo Aelren was ready to face it—Level 1 or not.
To be continued…