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Forgotten Lands - Chapter 10 (Book 1)
🕑 Added 2024-02-13 13:55:02 +0000 UTCZayn expected to encounter monsters on his way back to Emberfall, but he was quite lucky. No monster obstructed his path. It surprised him, however, it was better that way. He reached Emberfall much faster than estimated.
‘There are more Players than I expected.’
On his short journey, Zayn saw a few Players. Everyone was still wearing the same clothes, but most of them were already roughed up, torn in several places, and smudged with dirt. It was not difficult to tell that these Players were either beaten by the flora and fauna of the Arylin Forest or that they underestimated the intelligence of the villagers.
Players would think of the villagers and the other citizens of Forgotten Lands as NPCs(non-player characters). However, it was not that simple. The citizens of Forgotten Lands were lifelike copies of the Gods’ domains. They were sentient beings and thought that they were still in their Gods’ domains. Merely one thing about them was changed. Their memories had been altered to think of Players as ordinary entities called ‘Immortals’.
As Zayn entered Emberfall, he was surprised that the village was still in harmony. He expected some Players to start doing things in Forgotten Lands that they would never dare to do in the real world. Players would start stealing from the poor villages soon enough. They would blackmail them, and some would do even worse. By the time some ‘bad’ Players came into play, the villagers would issue quests to hunt down the Players. The overall situation in the Beginner Villages all over Forgotten Lands would turn a bit more chaotic until the Kingdoms would send guards to scrutinize the Immortals, punish bad Players, and reward the heroic Players.
The kingdoms didn’t particularly care about their villages, but they considered Immortals as perfect weapons for war. They could resurrect from the dead and their strength increased faster than most Soldiers. Hiring them would strengthen a kingdom’s military prowess drastically over time. It would give them an edge over the other kingdoms, which was exactly what they needed since the tension near the borders increased by the day.
Zayn passed through the wounded streets and found himself in the shabby workshop. The bell chimed through the uncleaned room and a familiar drunk man entered his sight.
“You’re still drinking? Don’t you think it’s about time to stop?” Zayn joked lightly while loosening the leather bags from his back. He didn’t rush anything and glanced at the workshop owner from the corner of his eyes.
“Lanky greenhorn, you’re back already? It’s good that you decided to give up. Stop searching Scarface and hunt some frenzy rabbits, or search for an apprenticeship in Emberfall. If you need any help with the latter, I can recommend you to some of my old acquaintances. I cannot promise you anything, but it is certainly better than dying to Scarface.” The workshop owner slurred, his words striking Zayn deep in his heart.
He was not sure why he was so affected by the workshop owner’s words, but he felt sorry for him. Having lost his wife must have hurt just as much as he ached when he lost Natalie. Maybe, it was even worse.
“I didn’t give up,” Zayn said barely loud enough for the workshop owner to hear.
The owner’s eyes traveled to one of the leather bags in Zayn’s possession, and it was only now that he noticed that the lanky greenhorn wore a black leather armor. Zayn carried several weapons and bags with him – items he didn’t possess before.
The workshop owner could swear that Zayn didn’t even have 12 copper coins in his possession, yet now he carried several steel weapons and he wore a tempered black boar leather armor? His attention flicked back to a particular bag, a bag that was drenched in red liquid at the bottom.
Zayn smiled smugly when he noticed that the workshop owner gave him the attention he wanted. He cleared his throat and revealed the blankets that shrouded Scarface Peter’s head.
“I completed your quest,” Zayn declared.
He put the blankets on the fragile wooden counter and waited for the workshop owner to move. His hands began to tremble and the mug in his hands fell to the ground. The mug shattered into dozens of shards, but the workshop owner paid no heed to the damage he had caused. His eyes quivered as he inched closer to the blankets.
It was impossible that the lanky greenhorn in front of him defeated Scarface Peter, yet the confidence in the youth’s voice confused him. At this moment, Zayn looked like he could achieve everything.
The workshop owner removed the blankets with trembling hands, revealing Scarface Peter’s head. His eyes traveled to Zayn, who did nothing but nod faintly before his eyes locked back onto Scarface Peter’s head.
“You…really did it…”
“I told you.”
“You did. But you, you really did it.”
Zayn raised an eyebrow. He felt like responding but noticed that large tears hit the wooden counter. The workshop owner’s eyes were red, and tears flowed down his cheeks in floods.
‘Cry your heart out as long as you have to. I took revenge for you. It might not bring your daughter back, but it will help you recover. You will never heal from losing your beloved, but you can make sure that you don’t disappoint them. The people who loved you would never want to see you like this.’
Zayn felt the weight around his heart increase as the words flashed through his mind. He didn’t say them out loud, but that was not necessary. The words wouldn’t help the workshop owner, either way. They were more for him.
‘This time, I will be the one who protects everyone. There is no need for them to die before me – because of me…– I will become your shield to protect you from all danger, and your spear that pierces all enemies!’
Zayn gave the workshop owner the time he needed to calm down. He watched the man sob for a few minutes until he regained his senses. He put the blanket around Scarface Peter’s head once again and put the head aside. A glimmer of life and determination appeared in the workshop owner’s eyes when he looked at Zayn once again.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Igor Brecht. Thank you for fulfilling my request. I’m sorry for underestimating you…”
“My name is Zayn, just Zayn.”
“Thank you, Immortal Zayn. I’m grateful for your help.”
The workshop owner, Igor Brecht, regained some of his long-lost vigor. It was almost as if the spirit of life inside him had been re-ignited.
Igor Brecht removed the wanted poster from the wall behind him and tore it apart, “I won’t need to see that bastard’s face anymore. That’s great…”
His attention pulled back to Zayn, a thin smile on his face.
“I know that you brought me some stuff you want to sell. But how about we deal with your reward first?” He asked, resulting in a bright smile from Zayn.
“I would appreciate that.”
Zayn might have desired Scarface Peter’s treasures and to obtain a considerable amount of Soul Essences, in addition to a decent Card to use in the future, but one of the more important reasons for Zayn to hunt Scarface Peter was to gain Igor Brecht’s favorable opinion, and the reward promised on the wanted picture.
The listed reward was pretty simple: A weapon of your choice. But why was a weapon so important now that Zayn had several steel weapons? The answer was pretty simple and it was related to Igor Brecht’s identity outside Emberfall.
The workshop owner looked like a depressed drunkard who lost the will to live until a few minutes ago, but he had been a master blacksmith in the past. Igor Brecht was well known for his passion for blacksmithing and his extraordinary talent. He received a promotion and became a Master blacksmith before the age of 20 and was said to possess the talent to become a Grandmaster Blacksmith by the age of 40. However, Igor Brecht retired all of a sudden, a decade ago. He put his forging hammer aside and disappeared from the world.
His wife died while giving birth to his beloved daughter, forcing him to put most of his time into raising the little girl he’d learned to love. Unfortunately, Igor Brecht’s master and clients didn’t want to give up on Igor and his talent. His daughter was nearly taken away from him, forcing the young man who had just lost his daughter to disappear from the surface of the world. He moved to the little village of Emberfall and became a workshop owner.
Igor Brecht loved to work as a blacksmith, but he loved his daughter even more so. Raising a child as a single parent was far from easy, especially shortly after losing your beloved wife. Alone and unsure of what to do, Igor spent several years until he could finally find some time for himself and start doing something else other than raising his little devil. Then Scarface Peter arrived.
Igor left the house to purchase some tools for his workshop, only to return to a broken door and an empty house. His daughter disappeared. Scarface Peter killed her.
Zayn was sorry for the painful experience Igor Brecht had to go through. Fortunately, he managed to help him take revenge. In exchange, he obtained a weapon of his choice. That included ranked weapons!
“You can pick any weapon of your liking. I promise you that I won’t go back on my word, so make your choice and pick anything you want,” Igor Brecht said, grinning at the youth, “And since I underestimated you, I will add a proper sheath. It will fit your armor well.”
Zayn didn’t say anything. Instead, he paced through the workshop for a few minutes. He slowed down to inspect a few weapons, but he couldn’t find what he wanted.
‘Is that the workshop of a master blacksmith? I mean he hasn’t been using a forge for a few years, but still…is that everything he has?’ He wondered, slightly disappointed at the potential reward he could obtain for killing Scarface Peter.
“You said weapon of my choice, but I cannot see any ranked weapons. Do you not have any, or are they hidden somewhere?” Zayn asked aloud.
The corner of Igor’s lips curled upward and he couldn’t contain a light chuckle, “Looks like I’ve underestimated you once again. You know who I am, don’t you?”
Zayn didn’t have to answer Igor’s question. The former master blacksmith understood that Zayn had seen through him long before he entered his workshop.
“Sly little fox,” He said lightly before gesturing him to follow behind, “Of course, I have ranked weapons!”
