Avan awoke, once again, on the green hill surrounded by maple trees and the steep ridge behind him.

"What a fucking mess..." He cursed, once again muttering to himself. "Respawn, like in the games. Where the hell did the god of death get this idea from? From my head, my memories? Scary thought..."

Without wasting much time this turn, Avan pushed himself off the grassy ground with a lithe leap and briefly patted his hands on his pants out of habit before heading toward the village and the girl Alvira.

As he meandered through the forest between the trees and again without an obvious path, he ran the second encounter with the god through his mind again, anaylizing the statements and encounters.

So, I could have gotten the quest system when I registered as an adventurer. So be it, that was stupid of me, but now I can no longer change what already happened...

Then the possibility to respawn until I pass the test... or maybe even fail. And the quest itself.

I should save Alvira and her grandfather Alva, and if possible as many inhabitants of the village on top. This will be a tough one if I don't understand what this creature really is. I could not grasp it with my dungeon sense and therefore could not identify it. All I know is that it's damn fast and deadly, and on top of that it has a way of letting attacks go through it and nullifying them. A cruel opponent for anyone...

It consists of shadows, or darkness, or whatever this blackness is. Is it perhaps related to the fact that it belongs to the darkness itself?

Suddenly following an intuition, Avan continued the train of thought into this.

So if this raven creature is made of darkness or shadow, then maybe a light source should help hurt it. Or even remove its invulnerability, right?

With an evil grin and still the gruesome images in his mind that wouldn't leave him alone, Avan finally had the beginnings of a plan ready in his head. He just hoped that he could somehow convince Alvira, and then Alva, to believe him and develop a whole plan together.

Avan still didn't know how to approach the girl and reveal himself. Or to the village and the village elder. "Just barging in and say; Hey, I already know you and I know you're going to die tonight! certainly doesn't help..."

With a brief mental command, he recalled the new quest to save the village.

[Quest: Save Alvira and her grandfather's village]

An unknown, but now familiar, figure has slaughtered the inhabitants of the small community, and your first attempt to take down this monster has failed magnificently.

Your blows could not harm the raven-like figure!

Find out how you can hurt the killer and save as many residents as possible, but Alvira and her grandfather must survive at all cost!

Rewards: Perks(?), Unknown

So, how do I set this up... He asked himself, while he walked safely through the maple forest and read the quest text. And the reward also seems mysterious. Perks? I haven't heard of any so far. And unknown also sounds ominous. Maybe it depends on the number of rescued people, like in games? Would be a possibility...

Inwardly content with this for the time being, he closed the quest window again with another mental command and breathed in the fresh and humid forest air deeply.

"If the situation wasn't so fucking disgusting, you'd think the place was a paradise.... No monsters, so far, and everything seems peaceful. Even the villagers, if I had seen and sensed it correctly, had not carried any significant weapons." He continued to analyze his situation. "But now back to the point. How do I approach the supposed first encounter with Alvira? Hmm..."

After some back and forth, he had worked out his first encounter with Alvira and tried not to think about what would happen if he failed. With a nauseated shudder and the vivid images in mind, he trudged on through the forest, now with renewed determination to do his best in each run, starting with this one.

After a few more minutes, Avan slowly came to the spot, which he could sense almost exactly through his dungeon senses, and looked around for Alvira. He looked around, spinning in circles, trying to locate the little mushroom-seeking girl. "I wonder if it's too soon. has she even started walking yet? Or has she still been in another part of the forest at this time?" He asked himself the obvious questions in a soft whisper.

Eager to squeeze out as much time as possible, Avan set off to search the surrounding area, walking in ever-widening circles around the place where he had first met Alvira. After the eighth lap and a great distance from the original meeting place, his sphere of influence finally captured a familiar person who was also picking mushrooms from a tree here.

Now then, Avan, don't screw up... Don't be a creep, be logical about it. You can do it.

With his hands up, Avan stepped around the tree into the small clearing in front of him, where Alvira was picking mushrooms from a maple tree on the other side, with her back to him, and cleared her throat audibly for the girl.

She startled again, as expected, and nervously and anxiously turned around quickly until she saw him standing there with his hands slightly raised.

"Oh... I was frightened! Hello mister, can I help you?" She asked him in her young and squeaky voice, while tilting her head slightly and looking quizzically at him and his hopefully disarming pose.

"Are you... okay? I mean, about your arms. Do they hurt?" She asked a question that Avan had definitely not expected, and elicited a short incredulous laugh from him, whereupon Alvira seemed to grin as well.

Oh god, she really is naive and innocent... All the more important that I don't screw this up!

With an apologetic grin, he put his hands down again. "Ah, no, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. And just to show you that I don't mean any harm, so my bad... Although that didn't seem to give that impression, did it?" He laughed again while explaining himself.

"I'm traveling through and chasing a... monster, which I was last able to track in the direction of the village here. Are you from the village as well, by any chance? Can you maybe introduce me to the village elder so that no one gets hurt if the monster actually shows up at your place during the night?" He asked her, now more serious, and deliberately looked into her small round hazel colored eyes to make his point more clear.

After a moment's thought, during which one could literally hear her little wheels rattling in her head, the girl nodded enthusiastically to Avan and stuffed the remaining mushrooms, which she had been holding in her hand the whole time, into her woven basket and covered it with the cloth.

With a few light steps, she stood in front of him and held out her small hand. "My name is Alvira! And what is your name, mister?" She looked at him questioningly and with her hand outstretched, while she looked up into his face with an innocent expression.

"My name is Avan. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Alvira!" He smiled at her and gently shook her small hand, which seemed to disappear completely into his large hand.

After this brief introduction, the little girl marched in front, as she had the last time, and soon Avan was once again standing in her grandfather's house, who was listening to the little girl telling him how she had met Avan.

Unlike the first encounter, the old man's head jerked up when Alvira arrived at the tale of a monster, staring cautiously and calculatingly into Avan's eyes.

Avan again told him a story of a raven creature that had cut a swath of destruction through the land, and that he had been given the task by the adventurers' guild to hunt it down and bring it to justice before it could do any more harm.

Satisfied with his story, Avan stared back in suspense, waiting for the eldest's reaction and whether he would recognize the half-truth or believe him.

The older man scratched his gray hair on his chin thoughtfully and glanced at his granddaughter before turning his focus to Avan again. "To be honest, I don't know what to make of this, young man... Since we've never had any problems with monsters of any kind here. But if there's even the slightest doubt that there's a deadly monster doing its evil here at night, then I'll have to take this report seriously." He answered him matter-of-factly and seriously with his scratchy but melodious deep voice.

And with it I was already quite correct with my assumption, that here normally everything is peaceful...

"Thank you very much, dear eldest." Avan spoke and bowed with his head and upper body slightly to Alvira's grandfather. When he looked up again, he looked seriously into the old man's eyes, which were also serious.

After a brief gesture to the other chair at the table and an inviting hand gesture from the eldest, Avan sat down opposite him. Resting the crooks of his arms on the table and clasping his hands under his chin, he explained what he knew about the monster. "It seems to hunt only in the dark. And from what I gather so far, this raven creature seems to be immune in the shadows and darkness, because any attacks, whether physical or magical, seem to glide through it." He explained his thesis with thoughtful words. "But, and here I can only theorize, it could be vulnerable to light, or at least make it vulnerable to attack, if it can no longer dwell in the shadows."

Alva, who had not yet introduced himself to Avan by name, tapped the tip of his nose, lost in thought, and let his gaze wander around the room with a movement of his head until it caught on his granddaughter, who seemed to be hanging her gathered mushrooms to dry on a string above the fire in the center of the house.

With a heavy sigh, he looked at Avan again and tapped the dark wooden table a few times. "Then we must let the men and women of the village know about it. And keep the children safely locked in rooms lit with candles." Talked more to himself, until his gaze cleared and he spoke directly to him. "And we need to be ready if the monster does indeed appear at sunset. From what you've told us, young man, it seems safest if we light the village with torches and all stay in one place, but keep the children close by and out of danger. If you need to prepare, I would give you our guest house until then. Also, if you need to catch up on some sleep after your trip before we meet back here in front of the cabin before evening. Does that sound reasonable?" He looked questioningly at Avan, who only nodded at him.

"Thank you, eldest. Then I will use the time to meditate a bit. I will be back in time." He assured him and stood up. Just as he was about to leave without an escort, because he knew where the guesthouse was, he stopped himself in time and looked questioningly at the village elder.

"Ah, yes, that's right. Alvira will show you the guesthouse." He said to Avan and beckoned his granddaughter to do the job.

A short time later, and after a few childish tales from the little girl, Avan was sitting on the straw-filled mattress.

He sat down on the bed in lotus position and immersed himself in the relaxed meditation posture in order to clear his head a bit and finally deal with the core of his soul once again.

After a good two hours, Avan estimated the elapsed time, he stood up again and stretched. His bones and muscles groaned and cracked a bit, but he felt more refreshed than he had in a long time after letting vast amounts of mana flow through his channels in the body.

I really need to do this more often... Sleep is one thing, but this? It feels like a dose of pure caffeine every time. Refreshing and clear-headed.

Satisfied with his preparation and seeing no way to plan ahead, he made his way to the village center, which was less than a hundred meters away and where dozens of torches were already illuminating everything, while the adults seemed to be talking loudly among themselves.

Avan received, as he was used to, a mixed welcome from the people. A few of the men and women looked at him skeptically as he made his way past them toward the village elder, and others even smiled at him gratefully, or scowled as if he had done something wrong and was to blame for it all.

When everyone had listened to a short speech of their village elder, which included things like protecting the children, that the village community would manage this together, and that they would drive away this monster, the sunset was fast approaching on the horizon.

Everyone had their skinning or kitchen knives clutched tightly in their hands and silence fell. Minutes passed and everyone looked around, expecting to see the monster somewhere.

More minutes went by without anyone sounding the alarm or anything out of the ordinary, and the first people squinted sullenly in Avan's direction. When nothing happened for another half hour, and the sun had already set, most of the people were now openly scowling at him, and here and there some were whispering to each other.

With a loud thud of wood on wood, everyone turned to the source of the noise and looked up at their village elder, who was sitting on a chair on the wooden porch in front of his hut in the square. His wooden stick had made the sound when it hit the wooden floor and he looked at the villagers seriously and with a touch of sadness.

"Please, please!" He reassured the residents of the small village with a placating hand gesture, gently moving his palm downward. "We should not judge prematurely. Because if the beast is indeed near, it is better to be cautious than lenient. After all, our children and our lives are at stake here. So please, be patient and wait." He finished his short speech and the grumbling of the people abruptly decreased, although many still gave Avan annoyed or angry looks.

Another thirty minutes passed, when one of the farmers, who had been standing at the edge of the square with a kind of pitchfork, gave an annoyed groan and began to stomp away with a loud grumble.

Before anyone could say anything against or for it, and just as the grumbling man had stepped out of the light of the torches, something deep black hissed past him. The crowd, some of whom had just complained and even wanted to join the man, fell silent.

Only a woman's voice screeched something, while the woman, from whom the exclamation came, ran towards the man outside the light. "Stepa! NO!" She screeched and ran to her beloved, also outside the light, only to be greeted by a black between and wet plop as well.

People couldn't really see it, but for Avan with his dungeon sense, bile was already gathering in his gullet as he witnessed everything at the edge of his sphere of influence.

"STOP!" He shouted, as three more senselessly brave people were already rushing forward to check on the previous two people in the darkness.

They too were greeted by darkness and a hiss, followed by a thud of something soft on the floor.

Before any more of the residents ran out pointlessly, Avan himself set off and went to the edge of the torchlight, ready for battle and with his Akkalons Touch fists loaded.

The sight of the dismembered corpses robbed him of his last willpower and he quickly bent over to the right and threw up with audible and gagging noises.

The sheer sensation of his dungeon range was one thing, but grasping the situation with his own eyes, smelling the ferruginous blood and seeing the bone-colored eyes lurking behind it in the darkness, simply gave Avan the rest.

After quickly regaining control and forcing the retching, he wiped his mouth with the back of his right hand and, while carefully approaching the creature behind the corpses, tried to let Akkalon's touch flow into the creature through his sphere of influence.

Again, his ability did not find an anchor point, and he could not grasp or influence the creature.

Enraged, and momentarily unable to act logically himself, Avan also stormed out of the safe torch circle and tried to fight the crow monster with furious and inaccurate blows.

Before he could analyze whether he had done any damage this time, his world spun dizzily in circles and up and down, while for another brief heartbeat he caught sight of his headless body out of the corner of his eye.

Then it went cold and black.

Avan woke up and jumped to his feet, ready not to give in without a fight, while his heart threatened to jump out of his chest and his hair flapped around his head in disarray.

[Quest: Save Alvira and her grandfather's village]

Condition partially fulfilled!

Rewards: 20 Wisdom

By successfully protecting Alvira and Alva's life, you have earned a part of the reward.

Now you just have to manage not to die miserably yourself and defeat your enemy. Have fun!

Avan read the text, at the appearance of which he almost fell backwards down the small slope when he was frightened.

"Fuck you, death god...!" He cursed the god's sarcasm when he reached the end of the description.

"Fun? Next time I see you, I'll tell you about FUN!" He shouted at the top of his voice to the sky as his veins bulged at the base of his neck.

With a few breaths and a few minutes later, he swallowed his anger and thought about what to do next.

That damn... To the abyss with him!

At least I know one thing now... Light keeps it away. But that doesn't even get it close anymore. So it really does seem to be a weak point.... And I was able to save the two. But how am I supposed to survive that at the same time AND defeat that crow?

Trial and Error? he sighed deeply and ran both hands wearily over his face and eyes.

[Avans Character Sheet]

Avan Leaf

Level: 94

Free Stat Points: 0

Element: Celestial

Class: Healing Dungeonheart [Human]

Subclass: [Bronze] Healer of Akkalon

Stats

Strength: 75

Dexterity: 130

Vitality: 95

Intelligence: 150

Wisdom: 170

Spirit: 200

Active Skills [3/8]

[Bronze] Akkalons Touch

[Bronze] Akkalons Sphere

[Bronze] Celestial Storage

Passive Skills

Pain Resistance: [Bronze] 9

Steady: [Bronze] 9

Potential: [Unlocked]

Celestial Affinity: [Bronze] 9

Identify: [Bronze] 9

Celestial Sphere: 1

First Aid: 9

Tracking: [Bronze] 9

Meditation: [Bronze] 9

Pain Expert: [Bronze] 7

Primary Resources

Health: 525

Stamina: 525

Ambient Mana: 1200

Celestial Storage

[Bronze Coin]: 10

[Silver Coin]: 63

[Gold Coin]: 35

5 [Golden Meaples]

1 [Well-used Spear]

3 [Water Flask]

1 [Short Sword]

3 [Blanket]

1 [Tent]

1 [short ax]

1 [Used Iron Knife]

1 [Bow]

3 [wooden iron-tipped arrow]

23 [Small Stacks of Berries]

122 [Lymia Herbs]

3 [Cups]

113 [Hound Fangs]

13 [Meat Skewers]

9 [Candied fruit]

9 [Apple]

9 [Small Rune Engraved Stones]

3 [Wooden Logs]

33 [Small Rune Engraved Wooden sticks]

2678 [Small Purple Mana Crystal]

313 [Unique Purple Mana Crystal]

Debts

-

Quests

Save Alvira and her grandfather's village

Rewards: Perks(?), Unknown