Chapter Start
_____________________________________

Ugh...

That was a rough landing...

I thought as a ray of sunlight hit me straight in the face. Ouch.

Shielding my eyes from the sunlight before opening them, I felt the sudden added weight on my arms.

Huh?

I glance at my wrists, only to see two silver restraints that were attached to them.

The ones you would see on someone if they were chained to a wall.

On the bright side though, they weren't connected to any chains.

That's a bit relieving...

I softly sighed and clutched my knee, in an attempt to stand. There it is again, the same weight on both my feet.

I look down to see another two of those silver restraints around my ankles.

It also made the ends of my slacks tuck in. Good grief...

Who made these and had the audacity to attach them to me?!

Nodding my head from side to side, I stood up, not going to mind the extra weight I gained from these broken restraints.

It looks awfully peaceful for a world that's going to be overrun by demons.

I thought with an unsure mind, who wouldn't?

Grassy plains as far as the eye could see, luscious trees, clear blue skies and a great deal of sunshine. A lot of sunshine.

But now's not the time to think about that.

I surveyed the area once more and my eyes were led towards a sign.

The sign read something about a town called [ Cresthill ]. Under it seemed to be how far it is from this point.

My eyes followed the dirt road and saw that it goes inside a kingdom.

Perfect.

Though, I scratched the back of my head as I let my mind wander.

How am I going to reach that city before sundown? Assuming that you call a kingdom a city in this world...

I turn around and see if there were any travelers in vehicles, just so I hitch a ride.

And there was!

There's an incoming carriage heading this way!

I moved to the side of the road and stuck my arm out with my thumb up.

"Let's hope that hitchhiking is a thing here..." I said with a sigh.

The carriage stops, it seemed to be much more like a caravan.

A cart pulled by a horse that is mostly used by farmers. From what I know in books, at least.

"Oh? Quite the beaming morning it is, right good sir?" The driver, who turned out to be a girl, tipped her sunhat at me.

"I agree, it is quite sunny.." I replied with a smile.

"That's great! It's always a necessity to be under the sun, is it not?" She asked.

"Anyways, I may have gone off-topic." She continued.

"Not at all." Good save. She giggled at that.

"Enough with these silly talks, if you need a lift to Cresthill City then hop on!" She invited, patting the seat next to her.

The girl then scooted to the side to give me space on the passenger seat.

Well, that was easy...

I grabbed the sidebar connected to the carriage and pulled myself towards the seat.

"I'm Marie, how do you do?" She introduced herself with a quirky grin.

"Take, just that."

"I'll be sure to remember that, sailor!" Another smile emerged from her face, this girl's having a nice day.

"So, what brings you 'round these parts? From what I can tell, you're a foreigner... Ain't ya?" She said, gently whipping the leads, making the horse move once again.

I nod my head.

I can't really tell her that Goddess Alune asked me for help. She would think that I'm a mad man!

I decided to make up a story, a brief but believable one.

"I'm from the Eastern settlements, thought that settling here in Cresthill would help me get a job." I lied.

Ping!

What?

A mother box appeared in front of me, it had the text;

+1 D E C E P T I O N

Okay. Why?

"Ah! I guess that makes sense, your name very much so sounds like a citizen from the Eastern Kingdoms." She bought it.

Thank God.

"I suppose you made the right choice, Cresthill supports the trades each made by the five kingdoms." She said.

"How's that?" I asked.

"Well, first of all, it is where most traders go in and go out, acting as a border. Second, is that most traders are often escorted, with the right price, by adventurers, making it difficult for bandits to hijack goods."

Adventurers, huh? Sounds like the good kind of mercenaries...

"And finally, with its fine citizens and a respectively sharp ruler when it comes to resource management, they dominated in the market industry for being reliable in making trades." She explained.

That's pretty cool...

"What'd you want to do as a job then at Cresthill?" The girl asked.

Since we've already gone down this far in the rabbit hole, I think it's best if I gather enough knowledge about his world. In that case, it'll be or may be helpful in the long run.

"I want to be an adventurer." I plainly replied.

"E-eh? You want to become one?" I could sense the feeling of shock from her voice.

I nod in reply.

"W-Well, I shouldn't be in the way of a man's dream but be careful. Not a lot of newbies get lucky. Some always end up the short end of the stick..." Said Marie.

"I will," I replied.

So... Unlucky souls die on their first quest? That's... Depressing, to say the least.

"Uwaahh..... All this driving has made me rather tired." Marie yawned as she stretched her arms up.

"You've been traveling all day?" I asked.

"Yup, gotta help transport these goods to the city. Help the shops restock." She replied.

Oh? So she's a farm gal, huh?

"Uhm... Take?" She turned to me.

"Yes?" I turn to her as well.

"Can you do me a favor and take control from here?" Marie then raises the leads to me.

"Uh... Sure? I guess I can." I nodded, taking the leads from her hands.

"Thank you. Give me a nudge if we're there." She said as I gently whip the leads, making the horse go a little faster.

I reply with a hum.

With that, Marie covered her face using her sunhat and crossed her arms.

This might take a while.....

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
!!Growl!!
.
.
.
.
.
I wonder what's for dinner...

_____________________________________

Chapter End