Chapter 3. Village on fire.

I accepted the quest and, right away, I opened the stats menu. The message about “synchronization with the body” seemed to me even stranger than the fact that I had given the quest to myself. Everything was the same, except for two lines:

Intellect- 3.

And therefore:

Mana- 130/130.

It turned out that, after synchronization, two points had been added to my most underdeveloped characteristic; to the one I’d believed had been completely absent in Bon.

Hm…

The clouds of smoke that were rising into the twilight sky grew larger by the second. I had to hurry if I wanted to see the village. Otherwise, I would only arrive to see its ashes.

I looked around and ran down the grassy path. As it turned out, the cemetery was located on top of a hill, under tree canopies, so it was an easy run. I had been running for merely 10 minutes; however, my energy level fell by four points. At the same time, I didn’t feel any fatigue, not even a shortness of breath.

I slowed down as soon as I saw the wooden stockade. For a while I was moving cautiously, ready to jump off the path into the tall grass at any moment. But then I realized that at such a slow pace my efforts would come to nothing. The far side of the village had already burnt out, and the flames had already reached the middle of the village. A little more and it would have all been over.

Hoping that the Iron Faced had already left, I picked up the pace once again and rushed toward the fence. Obviously, its purpose was to keep wild animals away. I was not an animal, so I could jump up, cling to the edge, and with a sort of pull up, I managed to jump over the fence. I almost ripped my pants in the process.

The fire was getting closer. I heard a loud, crackling noise, so loud it rang in my ears. I heard the falling roar of burnt beams in the distance. What was I doing here? Why was I suddenly trying to be the hero? Suffice it to say, I wasn’t much of a hero. All this time, I’d thought that if it became unbearable, I would be able to get out. But now, I had a great opportunity to find something that could make my efforts worthwhile.

“Anyone alive?!” Having broken into the nearest house, I shouted, and for a moment, I froze on the doorstep.

Man, the nonsense that went through my head.

In the center of the room, on the floor, in a puddle of fresh blood, there were two corpses lying side by side, a man and a woman. Another three smaller bodies were at the far end of the room, by the wall. All beheaded, and chaos was the only way to describe the room itself. Whoever had done this had most probably been looking for treasure.

I flew out of that house and into the street, cursing. It took only a minute to check the three other houses. The scene was about the same, except the killing method varied. In the first house, the victims’ hearts were pierced, in the second - their heads were smashed, in the third one - the corpses looked like burnt dolls.

The flames had already started taking over houses that were about thirty meters away from me. I stopped in the middle of the street as I was looking around, hoping I would find something. I guess I was lucky and the Iron Faced had left the village before my arrival, but so far, it was pointless. Maybe it was time to go? My throat was starting to get sore from the smoke.

If I don’t burn, I could easily suffocate.

Suddenly, my eyes stopped on a two-story house, which was waiting for its turn to be swallowed by the flames like the rest of the village. A few more minutes and the flames would take over that house. Why did I have the urge to run into it?

This is Bon’s house, I realized.

That guy had been the son of a chief, and if I had still intended to find something and, in that way, justify putting myself at the risk of being burned alive, I couldn’t allow myself to waste any more time on self-doubt. There wasn’t a better place to get some much-needed information than the house of the chief’s son. What if I found something that had remained hidden from the eyes of the enemy?

The door of the house was wide open. Having rushed inside, I almost fell because I stumbled over yet another corpse. It was a woman whose head had been pierced by a crossbow bolt. Having seen the poor woman, I felt my heart ache and rage starting to grow in my chest. Where did those feelings come from?

Well, of course... She was Bon’s mother, for crying out loud! It would have certainly been very useful to find out what this peasant woman had known, but paying the price by feeling that pain – not so much. And this was only 10% of the whole synchronization process?! I had to do something about this strange connection at some point…

But there was a lot to do besides that. Everything in there had also been turned upside down, from the cabinets that were wide open to the piles of clothes on the floor. It seemed like there was nothing to do on the first floor. Maybe I should take a look on the second floor? The bedroom had to be there, and if the chief had a stash, then where else would it be?

Villager Bon thinks that you need to check the basement. The survivors could be there.

How interesting… Oh well, I should trust villager Bon, since there was no time to check both upstairs and downstairs.

“Hey! Anyone alive out there?!” I shouted as loud as I could. “It’s me, Bon!”

In response I heard a muffled knock. I didn’t realize right away where the sound was coming from, but I turned my head a few times and my eyes stopped on an old dresser. I ran up to it, got on my knees and put my ear to the floor.

‘Boom, boom!’ I heard it more clearly this time.

I got up, walked around the dresser and put my hands on it. I pushed and pulled, my muscles were as taut as they could be, and for the first time I praised the villager for building up my strength.

Rumbling, the old piece of furniture gave in and after sliding it to the side I saw a wooden hatch cover with an iron latch… Which meant Bon’s mother did not intend to let those who were presently knocking to get out by themselves. Perhaps she’d thought a savior would come? I wondered who she’d thought that Savior would be.

The rusty latch moved to the side with a screech and the lid moved, almost bumping into my head.

“Thank you” muttered the black-haired girl, who was about 18 years old, as she was hastily getting out of the basement.

Villager Una. Level 8.

“Hurry up!” Once out, the girl, who was in a simple black dress, reached for the hatch. This time another head appeared in the opening, the head of a teenage girl with freckles.

Villager Rina. Level 2.

“Ahem-ahem” coughed Una. “Go to the exit, faster,” she pulled the girl to the door and glanced at me.

I was about to leave them and dive into the basement, when my throat tightened and I received a system message:

You are experiencing a moderate carbon monoxide poisoning. With every passing minute you will lose 10% of your maximum health.

I should last more than five minutes, unless, of course, the effect increased. Well? Should I take the risk?

“Help! My mom is in there!” The clear voice of a child reached me. I turned around and in the doorway, I saw a boy, who grabbed the hem of Una’s dress to keep her from running away. “She can’t get out! Help her, please!”

The black-haired girl turned around irritably and hissed:

“She’s beyond help! If you want to live, run with us!”

While trying to figure out what was happening, I realized something. I caught myself thinking that even in spite of the chaos, murder, my resurrection and an extremely uncertain future, I couldn’t simply leave someone that had been caught in a deadly trap.

“Come with me!” once on the street, I grabbed Una by the nape of her neck. “Where's your mother?” I asked the kid.

The Peasant Slay. Level 1.

“This is our home!” He pointed at the nearest building, which was completely engulfed in flames.

“We have to go, Bon! Before you suffocate! Ahem-ahem...” tried to say the black-haired girl, but she choked and let out a muffled cough instead.

I looked at the three of them. If they had the exact same debuff as me, then Slay would die first, in about three minutes. Rina would be the second to die, in about three and a half minutes. But Una… hmm… She was next to the little girl. The poisoning takes 10% off, and if measured by the numbers next to the health bar, in percentage terms, she should be on the same level as the little girl. So why did she have more than half of her health points?

“I saved you! And now I will not let you die so easily! You do realize that once you get out you will end up in the dark woods? Can you survive there on your own?” The girl stopped resisting and looked at me angrily. Well, it seemed like my improvised warning had hit the mark. “Cure the children and cover me!” I told her. Una nodded reluctantly, thus confirming my presupposition that she had healing abilities.

Slay’s house was already completely on fire when I rushed in. I had to breathe through a piece of fabric. It didn’t protect me too much from the gas, but at least it was something. I saw the boy’s mother almost right away. She was lying unconscious on the floor near the far wall, dressed in a grey dress and a cap. The leg of the poor thing was pinned down by a massive beam.

Villager Jonna. Level 6.

“Wake up! Wake up, please!” I ran up to her and started slapping her cheeks. She opened her eyes, wheezing. “I will lift it, and you must crawl out!” I explained quickly, as I was grabbing the hot piece of debris.

Grunting and pushing, I was only able to lift it a couple of centimeters.

“А-а-а!!!” I yelled, having a hard time holding up the weight of the beam.

Strength increased by 1.

Jonna was able to get out, and I threw down the piece of wood with great relief.

“Faster!” I said struggling for breath, I grabbed her hand, helping her to her feet. The woman was limping heavily and could not move without my help. Also, she had less than 10% of her health left.

I wondered - if HP gets to 1, can you die? After all, there should be no slaying hit. Or maybe the gas and fire would handle it and send me to respawn regardless?

“Una, cure her!” I yelled as I was getting out of the burning house. Although the black-haired girl was standing at a distance, she was still waiting for me. I was relieved because I was afraid that she had decided to take off, leaving us without a healer’s support.

“Okay, but there won’t be enough mana left to cure you,” the girl said, without hiding her satisfaction.

It took a moment for her palms to shine with a warm light as Jonna’s health went up. Una restored half of the woman’s health points, but, unfortunately, with a damaged ankle, she could not do anything else.

“Now it’s time to get a move on!” I yelled, giving Slay’s mother my shoulder for support. “We’re going to climb over the fence!”

“There are no other options, the gates are blocked!” grunted the black-haired girl.

Fortunately, it went off without a hitch, although I was nervous when I decided to let Una climb over the stockade first. But, to the healer’s credit, she didn’t run away, (apparently, the woods at night are even scarier than I thought); as she had climbed over, the children and Jonna followed. I was the last one to cross over.

“Let’s go! We need to get further away,” I said, as I was picking up the woman again, confused as to why I didn’t receive the notification about the quest completion. Perhaps I had left someone burning alive in the village and as a result, had failed this mission?

We made our way through the tall grass, toward a dense forest. We made a little break when we were about five hundred meters away from the dark, spreading trees.

“Phew… finally…” Una crushed the grass when she stretched herself out on the ground. Jonna and the children sat down neatly next to her. I was standing and I kept watching the village as it was burning to the ground. If I’d happened to leave anyone behind, there were definitely no survivors left there anymore.

“How did you end up in my basement?” I asked the teenager and the little girl, already assuming what the answer was.

“Your mother saw us on the street and managed to hide us there. What’s so confusing about that?” said the black-haired girl.

“She wanted to help the others, but…” said Rina, but her squeaky little voice failed her, and the little girl began to cry.

“She didn’t have enough time to save anyone else,” Una finished dryly.

“However, she saved you. Then again, so did I” I said coldly, glaring at the healer.

“Hmm, yeah…” She admitted, embarrassed.

“And after everything my family has done for you, you want to leave with something that doesn’t belong to you?”

“What are you talking about?” The girl frowned.

“You know what I’m talking about, Una. Well? What did you take from the basement? It’s time to give it back.”

“I didn’t take anything!” The black-haired girl protested. “There wasn’t anything to take!”

“There was nothing left in the room after I brought you out, I checked,” I calmly lied and turned to the little girl. “Well, Rina, tell me which one of us is right, Una or I?”

The little girl, continuing to sob, cried with renewed energy. Taken aback, I thought for a moment that I was wrong and that I was pressuring the healer in vain, but then I changed my mind and turned to her again:

“You even managed to upset the girl. Shame on you…” I nodded and stretched out my hand.” That’s enough. Give back what’s rightfully mine.”

The girl snorted disdainfully and pulled out an old, tattered book as if out of thin air. It looked exactly the same as it did when I’d gotten the trident from my inventory, after the fight with the “Little Spider”.

“Here,” she grumbled while handing the loot back. “I wasn’t going to keep it for myself. I was just trying to save the item, so I took it. But now I’m a little bit ashamed.”

“The small encyclopedia of Lloyd Koala” the inscription on the cover stated. Although the night had finally fallen, the light from the moon and stars as well as the glow of the fire on the horizon provided enough light to see the carved metal letters. Or maybe it had something to do with my night vision?

“Don’t know what you need it for,” continued Una. “You can’t even read,” the girl grunted loudly.

“And you can?” I asked her indifferently.

“What about me?” She was confused at first, but then she stuck out her chest and said: “I can!”

Was she lying? Or was she actually more educated than the other villagers? It was an interesting question… as well as this one: how did the chief of this most ordinary village imaginable get an encyclopedia? I was certain it was very rare. I had to study this book, but in a more relaxing atmosphere.

“Open up the inventory.” I ordered mentally and I saw the grid with its eleven slots. Ten were empty, and the first one had a smaller copy of my trident. I visualized in my mind that I was placing a book into the next cell and it worked! The encyclopedia had disappeared from my hands.

“Keep going,” I stretched my hand to Una again. The girl had opened her mouth to argue, but after seeing my frown, she decided not to cross swords with me.

“Here!”

She handed me four “Gold Coins of the Duchy of Oruel”, which I immediately hid in the inventory as fast as I could. The money didn’t need a separate slot, but the inscription appeared under the cells.

“Ok, let’s eat and get some sleep,” the girl said cheerfully and walked away.

“Wait!” I called out.

“What more do you want?” Una asked peevishly.

“That’s not everything. You kept the most precious item for yourself, didn’t you?”

“Listen, I’ve had enough of your accusations!” She put her hands on her hips. “We have to get some rest and leave for Ahkim in the morning.”

“You think it’s safe to stay here for the night?” Jonna asked quietly, clutching her tired son to her chest.

“No,” the healer said with a smirk. “But it’s safer here more than anywhere else. We’ll stand guard so that others can get some sleep. Until then…”

“Don’t think you’re off the hook, Una!” I cut her off. “Give back what you owe me!”

“Or I will make you” I wanted to add, but I shut up just in time. She was a higher level than me, and so was her health; I was better not to push it. But damn it, I wanted to see what this girl was trying to hide so badly!

I wouldn’t have surprised me if she had sent me to hell. I had to back off, reluctantly. However…

“Argh! I’m sick of you!” Una tossed something small in the air, something that was barely gleaming in the moonlight. I had jumped forward, caught the ring and immediately inspected it.

To see the inscription and use the item, you must reach level 10.

I had decided not to wear it, so I placed it in my inventory. I looked at Una again. She was sitting on the grass and eating a loaf of sweet bread with milk. Why had she given it back? Maybe she was afraid that I might do something? Maybe because from her point of view, I’d managed to survive an encounter with the Iron Faced. Perhaps she thought that she shouldn’t take for granted what I was capable of doing.

Speaking of ‘surviving’, how did Jonna and her son manage to survive? I’m curious to find out, but by merely asking this question, I was putting myself at the risk of running into the same question, and I really didn’t want to answer that.

Other things were more urgent…

“I’ve completed the quest from Villager Bon. I have found the survivors and I want to get my reward” — I mentally enunciated every word.

Quest “Search for survivors” has been completed.

Body synchronization: 20%.

Experience received: 2157.

Level up. Current level 6.

Level up. Current level 7.