In the late hours of the afternoon, two men made their way through the busy streets. One of them was walking smugly on the front, while the other followed closely behind.

The sun set the sky to a tinge of orange as the town streets buzzled with activity. Being the busiest time of the day, a lot of people were crowding the streets. Some of them were on their way home coming back from a busy day’s work, while others dressed in fancier manner, just got out to enjoy the city’s night life.

All kinds of people could be seen out on the streets but, no matter who they were, they all had a point in common. They just couldn’t ignore the duo passing by.

Wherever they went, people made way for them to pass through as they whispered among themselves. Not like anyone could blame them though, the two were too unique of a sight to behold for anyone to ignore. Or, more precisely, the one walking in front was.

He wore a white training Gi that felt completely out of place in the middle of the busy streets. And judging by his expression, drawing attention seemed to be the least of his worries.

“Are we there yet Master? People are staring in a weird manner...”

“Don’t be impatient disciple! We are almost there. Who cares if they stare?”

Kyle glanced at his master. The Gi he donned not only fit him perfectly, it also felt like it was tailor made just for him.

With him being the embodiment of the word ‘eccentric’, very rarely did he wear anything other than a Gi, and that was mostly for official events or business-related stuff. He cared naught for other people’s stares nor for most people’s opinion as he always exuded a sense of aloofness to those around him.

“Sigh...”

Kyle couldn’t help sighing, had it been a millennium ago it would be fine to roam the streets in a training Gi. But they were living in the twenty fourth century, it was only natural for people to look their way in surprise. Who knows, some of them might even think they were filming a movie!

Unlike his master, Kyle wasn’t wearing a Gi. It was quite hard, but he managed to convince him to let him change back into his school uniform before they went out.

Having walked in embarrassment for god knows how long, the two stopped in front of what seemed to be a two-story studio.

“We are here.”

The studio’s structure was quite unique. Half the ground floor seemed to be missing as a pair of grey pillars supported the entirety of it. As for the building’s front side? All that could be observed from outside was the giant glass pane window. All in all, it was a decent build.

‘Silverfun Gaming Interactive?’

A sign placed next to the building’s entrance informed Kyle of the studio’s purpose and name. While he was checking out the place, his master closed in on the front entrance, picked a card out from a pocket on the inside of his Gi and swiped it on the panel next to the door. A buzz resounded and it was quickly followed by a clink as the door was unlocked.

“Master... Is this what I think it is?”

“Come in first, we’ll talk inside.”

His master smiled ushering Kyle inside, the door closing automatically behind them.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

‘Just how far does this forest stretch to?!’

Reizel couldn’t help feeling frustrated as he had been walking for over an hour now. He didn’t know whether he was going in circles or not, but he had yet to see anything resembling an exit up until this point. The forest was not only dense and humid, but it also felt empty in some way.

Other than a few critters startling him from time to time, he didn’t come across a single human being. A sense of loneliness and regret engulfing him, he couldn’t help but think it was stupid of him to leave that poor girl he first met alone. What if she met a bear, would she be alright? With those thoughts in mind he kept moving.

“Huff.. Huff...”

Drenched in sweat from walking inside the humid forest, Reizel’s breathing got rougher by the minute. The bandage wrapped around his back was starting to get moist from all the blood and sweat. Given the conditions, the wound would probably not be closing any time soon. It might even get worse if he didn’t take care of it properly.

Feeling feverish, Reizel knew this couldn’t go on for much longer. The blood loss in combination with the forest’s humidity was taking a toll on him. Truth be told, he didn’t expect the forest’s size to be this enormous and therefore chose to search for an exit instead of finding shelter.

Ironically enough, fate had other plans set for him. After walking for over an hour, he finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. His heart was beating faster and his steps were light and hurried as he stumbled onwards. He didn’t go too far though before [Quick to adjust] made an appearance.

‘Don’t rush this Reizel! I know you are tired but, I cannot see anything from here... This might not be the exit but another clearing... What if a maniac jump kicks me in the face?’

Having personal experience from a similar situation to this, he decided to tread the path carefully. With a failed attempt to muffle his steps, he slowly edged towards the area illuminated by light. And as weird as it might sound, he couldn’t see what was on the other side. It might have something to do with the forest mist but he was too tired to check it out. For now, he just wished to be out of this damn forest. Leaving the thick foliage, intense sunlight blinded his vision as he slowly adjusted to the new light levels.

‘This is..’

Reizel couldn’t help feeling relief as well as a tinge of excitement at the sight before his eyes. Sadly, this was nowhere near the exit of the forest, most likely this place was even further into it. But, for all that he cared, the log cabin inside the clearing was a lifeline he desperately needed.

‘A hunter’s cabin maybe? I wonder if there are people living here...’

A quick glance around the place informed him otherwise. Weeds were growing leisurely inside the clearing as a gentle breeze ruffled their edges. Tree stumps budding with new sprouts here and there were a good remainder that this wasn’t a natural occurring clearing, but a man made one. As for the cabin? Although it looked a bit unattended it wasn’t in a horrible state as of yet.

‘This place must have been deserted for quite a while.’

Following a barely discernible dirt path leading to the entrance of the cabin, Reizel decided to knock on the door twice, just in case anyone was inside.

*Knock. Knock..*

After knocking a few more times, he was rewarded with silence forcing him to slowly push the door open. Thankfully, there was no lock on the other side of the wooden door as it slowly creaked open revealing a dusty room hidden behind it.

The log cabin turned out to be quite spacious, spacious enough to house 2-3 people, probably. And, contrary to his expectations, it was quite well furnished.

Other than the essentials consisting of a table, a few chairs, a small kitchen and a fireplace, there were quite a few items nicely decorating the place. Animal trophies attached on the walls, a pile of nicely stacked firewood in the corner and even a rocking chair with a bear pelt below it could be seen. As for lighting issues? The two windows provided more than enough for it.

Through his pair of gleaming eyes, a bunch of useful items could be seen laying around the room. Alas, he ignored them for now and chose to check what was behind the only other door inside the cabin first. With a twist of the doorknob, Reizel found himself in a room far smaller than the main one. Needless to say, this place was also filled in dust to the brim but, he couldn’t care less about it.

‘...’

As he made his way into the room, he couldn't help staring at the object in front of him for a few seconds. A wave of dizziness and tiredness overcame him as he stumbled and fell square on the bed before him.

A cloud of dust rose and fell but he was already too deep in sleep to notice. The immense fatigue accumulated due to his injury was only part of the reasons as to why he fainted. Knowing that he now had a roof over his head, it was only natural he would collapse.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Half a day later, Reizel opened his eyes due to the irritating sunshine falling on them. Staring at the wooden ceiling above him he slowly raised his body upright, yawning while at it.

The sun’s rays warmed up his body as he enjoyed the scenery outside the window. A dilapidated fence surrounded the backside of the cabin forming what used to be a small garden. Weeds had taken over the place leaving no space for flowers to bloom. A quick glance around the room, led to the discovery of two things. The first one was a door on the opposing side of the bed, probably connecting this room to the garden outside.

As for the other one, it was a wardrobe facing sideways from where the bed he slept in was. Now that the room was brightly lit by sunlight, Reizel could better see the interior. Unlike the main room, the bedroom turned out to be rather simple. Standing up, he beat the dust off of him, coughing in the process and wincing at the pain coming from his back.

Looking back at the bed, he was relieved to discover the animal pelts were not covered in blood. It would be too much of a pain cleaning up the mess otherwise. Thankfully, the makeshift bandage did a great job absorbing the majority of it.

With slow and careful movements, he removed the bandage with clenched teeth as the cloth separated from his skin. Once he'd completely removed the bandage, he couldn’t help feeling the wound with his palm. He didn’t know why or how, but the injury was far better than what he imagined it to be. A blood clot had already formed while most of the pain subsided.

‘I shouldn’t strain it too much, lest I want to rip it open again...’

Even though the injury on his back was no longer as serious as it used to be, his overall condition wasn’t that good. His throat felt dry from all the fluids he lost yesterday, while a growl coming from his empty stomach reminded him of another issue. Ignoring the dryness of his throat for now, Reizel decided to ransack the cabin for valuables. First on his list was clothes and, if luck was on his side, there should be at least a few pairs in the wardrobe before him.

And lucky he was, for three sets of white linen shirts were neatly placed inside it, while two brown pairs of leather jeans were neatly folded in a drawer below the shirts. The clothes were a little dusty but nothing a good shake couldn’t fix. Sadly, he had yet to find a pair of boots to wear. Walking around shirtless was fine but barefoot was quite a pain indeed.

Reizel closed the wardrobe for now and headed back towards the main room of the cabin. He didn’t want to get the clothes dirty when conducting a thorough search, therefore he left them where they were for now.

A few minutes later, while rummaging through the kitchen, he picked out a bunch of useful utensils. Among them were a kitchen knife, a mighty pan and an all-purpose butchering knife. All of the utensils mentioned above were covered in a thick layer of dust but a good swipe should turn them back into pristine condition.

He was quite lucky to have found so many hidden treasures but, where fortune lies, misfortune is only one step away. And quite literally, misfortune hit as soon as Reizel decided to open one of the cupboards below the kitchen board.

A foul rotten smell infiltrated his nostrils as he instantly shut the cupboard close. The damage was done though as the foul odour still lingered in the air, making the whole house stink. He hastily pulled the windows open, letting a current of fresh air circulate the place.

Instant regret was painted all over his face. The air current not only pulled the foul smell away, but it also raised a massive cloud of dust forcing a coughing Reizel out of the cabin.

Five minutes later, the dust cloud seemed to have settled down and he went back inside for round two. The place wasn’t exactly clean, most of the dust was now lying on the floor instead of the furniture but it did look a little bit more appealing to the eyes now.

With most of the dust layers gone now, he noticed a closed envelope resting on top of the table covered in dust. A little surprised, he picked it up and beat the dust off of it.

‘I almost missed this... The dust layers were too thick.’

For better or for worse, Reizel decided to open the envelope. Not surprisingly, a letter addressed to a lady going by the name of Isabel was inside of it. Reading through the letter, he found out some clues as to whom this cabin belonged to and the reason why it was abandoned for so long.

The letter read.

Dear Isabel,

If you are reading this letter then I am most likely no longer in this world.

Ever since the mist appeared, the forest has been getting more and more unsettled. I don’t think we can live the happy life we planned for any longer.

This place is getting more dangerous by the minute.

I know the lord said not to go into the forest, but I can’t leave my life long's work behind and you know it.

This will be my last trip to the ‘cave’. If everything goes well, I’ll salvage what I can and come back to you.

…

The letter went on for a bit longer, whispering sweet nothings to whomever this Isabel was. Only the ending was a bit unexpected.

To whomever finds this letter,

If possible, please deliver it to my Isabel. I don’t have a lot I can offer you, but you can have anything you find inside my humble abode.

A trapdoor is hidden bellow the bear pelt, take whatever suits your needs. But please, make sure my letter reaches my beloved.

Erin the hunter.

*Ding!*

A familiar yellow exclamation mark appeared in Reizel’s vision. Needless to say, he didn’t hesitate to click on it.

[New Quest Available]

[Erin the hunter has entrusted you with his will. His sole wish is for this letter to reach the hands of his beloved Isabel.]

[Accept Deny]

Unlike the previous quest, this time Reizel had the option to refuse.

‘Willingly or not, this man practically saved my life... The least I can do for him is make sure this letter reaches the hands of his beloved.’

He didn’t linger over the answer for too long. Gratitude was due to be returned as he simply pressed [Accept] without any second thoughts. It wasn’t too much trouble on his part anyway and the man not only helped him survive, but even told him of a secret compartment inside the cabin.

Reizel would most probably find it on his own anyway, but Erin’s good intentions were to be appreciated.

‘Well, this will have to wait anyway. I have to find my way out of this bloody forest first anyway.’

Putting the letter carefully back in the envelope and this whole thing at the back of his mind, he turned his attention towards the bear pelt lying before the fireplace. An uncontrollable grin formed on the edge of his lips. The prospect of a goodies to be found was too exhilarating for his adventurous spirit!