NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: // A grieving dwarf
As the door is open in the most gentle manner in the world, a tiny bell on top of its frame jingles, but only a couple of early customers notice the small woman entering.
Wearing her beige sweater and jeans while having a giant dutch braid hairstyle done in her silky white hair, Jae-Hwa looks around the store with her beautiful round green eyes.
Around the store, near the walls of cobblestone, several shelves and stands displaying different kinds of weapons and tools, ranging from swords, axes and even guns to shields, pickaxes and more.
Meanwhile, around the center were armor stands displaying different pieces of armor, excluding some full sets that were carefully shown with the weapon of preference for that style in the back.
As she looked around, none of the armor seemed to be for her. Either they were too big or too small, too expensive or too useless. Neither of them had the stats she needed combined with balance for movement and, if possible, the fashion sense she desired.
After some time looking around hopelessly, Jae-Hwa found a counter at the end of the store. For some reason, a man had his feet up in the counter, arms crossed, rocking his crooked chair while sleeping in the worst way possible.
Just like Christine, this man was impossibly short, having a scruffy beard and rough-looking hands.
"Excuse me."
Jae-Hwa approached him, hoping that it was just a negligent employee.
The man opens of his eyes and takes a glance at her body, immediately closing them with a click of his tongue.
"Hmm? If you want knives, you can find them on your left."
To that direction were different cooking utensils, knives included despite not being what she was looking for.
She could immediately understand what was happening, the behavior of the man in front of her was enough to give away what he was thinking.
"I'm looking for the owner." Frowning with anger, Jae-Hwa asks for someone with higher authority, to which the employee answers with another click of his tongue.
"You're talking to him! I'm Regg' Dob."
"Then look at me in the eyes."
She smashes her left hand on the wood, creating a visible crack in the counter as she shouts as calmly and furiously as she could. On her other hand was her metal spear, ready to be used for a threatening conversation that her pale crazed eyes screamed to have.
"W—What do you want? Can't you wait for a dwarf to wake up!? Our sleep is important!"
In reaction to nearly losing his neck, the dwarf quickly composes himself, although he still balances aimlessly in his drunken state.
"Sheesh, do you always threaten everyone you see?"
"Only those who look down on me, just like you did." Jae-Hwa takes a moment to calm her nerves before continuing the conversation, storing her spear back in her inventory.
Then, her
"I want some armor better than this... I've been looking around but there isn't really anything worth it."
From under the counter, the dwarf grabbed a shiny monocle with several pastel yellow gems in its frame. He carefully hovered it on top of her armor, as if examining it without the need of the system.
"It's in a somewhat good condition, but I don't see the problem with it."
"There really isn't a problem... I just need something with more defense that is also comfortable enough to do fast movements and that can also increase my energy."
No matter how much damage Jae-Hwa has, as long as her defenses continue weak, eventually there will come a time to bite her back and now with her blessing, the reduced energy is enough to make her weaker, considering how much she relies on her skills.
"That is impossible."
The dwarf drops the monocle carelessly, seating back on his chair with an angry demeanor.
"For starters, energy and your other stats can only be altered through blessings or
There was some hesitation around his voice, possibly a lie mixed somewhere in his words.
All of a sudden, Jae-Hwa remembered of the sign that was outside, comtaining the symbol of a hammer. It was strange to her, but she never took the time to confirm if it really served it's purpose. Now, it finally made more sense.
"Fine, I believe that thing about enhancement units, but we both know you're lying about not doing custom orders."
"Heh, as if."
Regg' Dob turns his gaze away with guilt. Even for a race that storytime said to live for a long time, he hadn't learned to lie.
"I saw the sign outside. It looked like you didn't take care of it for some time and you are also evading telling me why... So say it or I will not leave."
Jae-Hwa pulled a stool for those who wanted to try on plated boots and sat on it with wide eyes and a smug. She spent around fifteen minutes tapping her fingernails on the counter, waiting for the tiny man to say something, even creating a joyful, but irritating, music with each tap as she swayed her head sideways to the rhythm.
It was not long after that Regg' Dob finally gave up and hit the wood as hard as he could with his rough hands.
"Agh, alright! Just stop with that anoying tone! I'll tell you, so after that leave."
"Deal." With a smug of victory, she fixes her posture and starts listening attentively.
"...In the past I had a nephew, Eirdan. He would help me around the store, grab everything I couldn't get to... He was an elf, quite tall, but if you consider the rivalries between our species it's ironic we considered each other as family.
But... The day I had to lose my prized hammer was the day a strange group of customers had to come."
He makes a pause to take a deep breath, most likely remembering bad memories.
"They wanted me to create some specific stuff, but without my hammer, there was no way to do it.
They were starting to become aggressive too, so to distract them, my nephew went to the basement to grab my spare hammer... But one of them, a man with a shady aura wanted the group to follow him in case he was lying to them."
Jae-Hwa brushes the side of her thumb as she listens to the story, already knowing how it would end.
"...Hours passed and there was no sight or sound of any of them! When I went to see what was happening, it was already too late. His body was gone, only a skeleton and his soul trapped in it... All of those bastards somehow left without me noticing and killed my nephew for their rotten satisfaction!"
His fist landed on the counter, tears ran down, making Jae-Hwa uncomfortable seeing an old man cry like a child. Regg' Dob kept hitting the counter repeatedly as he cursed the criminals endlessly.
"You have to understand why I don't use my forge anymore! They killed my nephew and turned him into a living monster, just because I couldn't create what they wanted! If only... If only, I was there to help him..."
As soon as his words ended, a short jingle echoed inside Jae-Hwa's head, promptly making a quest panel appear afterwards.
I had a feeling this would happen...
—SIDE QUEST————————————
QUEST NAME: To You, From Me
DESCRIPTION: A group of dangerous strangers killed Regg' Dob's nephew. Not only does he not have his prized hammer to craft new and fantastic gear, he also lost part of his heart and love.
Perhaps putting the young elf's soul to rest would finally ease his mind, or perhaps it will make things worse.
OBJECTIVE(S):
1. Find the lost
2. (OPTIONAL) Kill Eirdan's skeleton
REWARD(S):
1. (SKILL) Dwarven Vigor
2. Obtain Regg' Dob's trust. Crafting will be unlocked.
Looks like sometimes they happen automatically, but the pattern is the same. To start a quest, it needs a story to exist, especially if it is tragic.
"Say Regg' Dob... Reggie? Can I call you that since it's easier?"
"Don't take advantage of my tears, pipsqueak!"
In her mind, she wanted to hit him with the shaft of her spear, but she still needed to contain herself, for his and the quest rewards' sake.
"You're one to talk... Anyway, what if I take care of your problem?"
"What do you mean? You think you can grab the hammer and run away before his skeleton catches you!? Don't joke with me! Forget it!"
Once again, the counter was to blame, used to relieve his anger. There was so much of it that the old dwarf's face was turning red.
"I will not run away... I will end that skeleton and your pain."
"Don't run your mouth like it is so simple! That in there is a
"I have the weapon covered, so where can I get those commands or whatever!?"
Both argued fervently, the wood of the counter being the only victim as it gained dents and cracks from the multiple punches and slaps they landed on it.
"You have the weapon covered? As if! And don't even dream of getting a command!
Commands are orders from the deities, fragments of their power stored into crystals, unleashed by the use of a
Hearing his answer, followed by a sigh of despair, Jae-Hwa grabbed her armor in anger and swiftly jumped on top of the counter, then over Regg' Dob.
She opened the door in front of her which led to his locked basement.
Without the dwarf having noticed, she had already changed from her casual outift to her Hunter's Garb and had her spear ready in hand.
"Listen to me, old man." She turns her head to him, serious but calm enough to not worry him any further. "I promise that I will come back, so you better give me a lifetime fifty-percent discount when I'm back."
"Wai—"
Before the owner could end his words, she closed the door on him. There was no lock, but Regg' Dob seemed too fearful of what is down this basement to even approach it.
She started to take her first steps down the smooth stone stairs, strategizing for her battle.
Reggie had called his nephew a skeleton warrior, which would mean that he would at least have a weapon, even if it's only a pile of bones.
It would be the first time for Jae-Hwa to fight against something other than slimes, something than can actually move but she still believed his skeleton structure would be able to slow him down.
She took a few more steps down to the creaky wooden floor that was worn down from someone walking around it endlessly.
Although hard to see in full obscurity, in front of her are some disorganized shelves, with cracks and cobwebs covering them.
"Just for how long did he not come here?" She attempted to whisper, although the dust laying around denied her.
After a couple of seconds coughing, the darkness revealed an old lamp and some matches beside it.
Another couple of tries and a few webs burnt and the lamp finally lit, still working properly despite the amount of time that it was probably forgotten there.
At the end of a shelf, a bright silver light shines in reaction to her flame, hidden behind a dusty box.
After thoroughly cleaning it, Jae-Hwa finds a heavy-duty hammer, brand new with barely any scratches or dents, made of a silver metal with gray details, a dark blue handle almost wider and double the size of her own hand, with some words carved in its head.
[For all the trouble I give, to my dearest and only family.]
As soon as the she grabs the quest objective
Rattling bones echo in the short distance, grinding against each other as they move together.
Jae-Hwa covers her mouth to avoid making any sound as she watches from the corner of her eye a moving skeleton approach. Accompanied by its withering movements are green lights that shows its presence.
"Uncle..."
As if an echo that covered the whole cobblestone basement and still found its way to her mind, a jovial voice filled with despair made itself known, sending grotesque spikes of discomfort to her whole body.
This voice was clearly from the skeleton, Eirdan, since there was no one else with her, but the boy-turned-monster didn't seem to have any capacity to talk in his new structure.
After some more steps, the voice kept repeating the same words and his full figure became visible.
He was merely a skeleton, not much taller than her, but somehow he had some hard leather green armor protecting his bony chest, arms and legs, although it had some exposed parts due to it being tattered and worn down.
Green flames burning with life substituted his eyes and invaded his mouth, his head wandering aimlessly until it finds Jae-Hwa, causing her to flinch and ready her weapon.
Instead of the enemy striking her with his chipped sword, it just waited patiently while looking around for something.
"I only... tried to make... a surprise."
The flames in Eirdan lit up fervently as more words echo around. It was as if his remnant soul still had some fight in him to keep some sanity and talk with the spear user that was threatening him. Even then, his words were clunky and it seemed to strain him too much to talk properly.
"Because I bought a new hammer... I thought it would be fun for him to hunt it... just like when I was but a child..."
Jae-Hwa relaxes her body, knowing it is not an immediate threat. Her eyes deviate in pain for his words, knowing that he did nothing wrong but is still suffering for some reason.
"I waited for the... right time... but was too late. Now... he hates me. Uncle is... scared of me."
Perhaps there will be no one to tell him the truth, because even if she could, her voice doesn't seem likely to reach his non-existent ears.
The skeleton kept muttering to himself the same words of guilt, maintaining a distressed but sad composure. His bones rattled in an almost deafening manner, shortly after causing the flames of his soul to burn hotter than a furnace as he reaches for his sword with his other hand.
"Uncle Reggie..." She flinches upon listen to his final words, now noticing why Regg' Dob was so angry with her for giving him the same nickname as his loved nephew.
Moments after, the elven skeleton had gone silent, frozen in place with a sword at his waist, muttering some words that are barely audible.
"Execute... command—" The living green flames suddenly extinguish, becoming orbs of green energy in his eye sockets and mouth. His bony left foot rattles on the ground as it moves to the side and a flicker of fire surges from the orbs, as if some breeze had reignited them.
"—
As soon as his words are finished, Eirdan strikes his chipped blade in an upwards diagonal motion against the empty space in front of him.
Confused, Jae-Hwa readies her weapon just in case, being caught off guard by a gust of green solid wind formed in the shape of a scythe's blade that has the same dimensions and directions that the skeleton previously executed.
In the nick of time she is barely able to dodge it as some of it needs to be deflected by her spear, bruising her fingers with some light cuts.
HEALTH: 130/140
I get it now. Commands are the equivalent of fantasy magic for this world, where even just a bruise is a lot considering I have nothing to counter or defend with.
"How troublesome... The space is not really that great as well..."
Without waiting for her opponent to attack again, she quickly dashes to the space behind the skeleton, where it was wider and her only worry was some wooden barrels blocking the corners.
This time, Eirdan simply moves near her with clumsy movements and slashes downwards her torso, easily avoidable, proceeding to immediately retrace the movement upwards and throw her to the ground.
She only manages to pierce some of his lower ribcage, exposed by the tattered leather, before being thrown down. Then, while still on the rocky floor, swiftly slashes the tarsal bones of his feet without much success. As soon as she gets up and creates some distance, she decides to analyze the enemy using the Terminal System.
—ENEMY———————————————
ENEMY NAME: Skeleton Warrior
HEALTH: 108/120
SKILLS:
"I did more damage than I imagined thanks to the blessing and my weapon's element, but feints, commands and enemies that know how to protect themselves... There is so much to learn that it feels like a whole different world I'm in now... Just shows how much harder it will be from now on."
As she held on to her weapon, Jae-Hwa tapped the shaft of her metal spear with her her index finger in uneasiness.
"What do I do now? Haste? But in this space it will only make me hit something if I'm not careful with my speed."
While lost in her loud thinking amidst the battle, her foe made otherwordly groans and quickly leaped forward with his bones somehow connected, sending his sword forward. With unimaginable speed, the skeleton unleashed a series of attacks coming from all directions with great strength, most likely his
Jae-Hwa's only reaction was to retreat as best as possible until she finally hit a wall in the back of the basement, hitting her head in the process.
"Ouch!" The flurry of attacks had finally stopped, but she was not in a position to calm down and think just yet.
HEALTH: 123/140
Some of the slashes had bruised her body and although she hadn't lost much health, she was starting to get tired faster than normal, since in this closed space there wasn't much oxygen or wind being provided besides the occasional breezes that sneaked from the cracks in the lower half of the basement's door.
"You sure are quite the problem." She said aloud in hopes that Eirdan's skeleton would understand, even then it seemed to not be able to listen to a whisper of her words.
"Don't worry Eirdan, no matter how strong you are, I will put you to rest for the old man's sake."
—CURRENT STATS——————————
PLAYER NAME: CHO JAE-HWA // LEVEL: 4 <0/135 EXP>
BLESSING: Phantasmagoria
TITLE: Giant Slayer
HEALTH: 123/140
DAMAGE: 30 (+17) // DEFENSE: 24 (+6) // ENERGY: 35/35
WEAPON: Ceremonial Metal Spear
ARMOR: Hunter's Garb
ACTIVE SKILLS:
PASSIVE SKILLS:
CREDITS: 20