WebNovels

Chapter 3 - Fate or Misfortune?

"Speaking/speaking"

'thinking/thinking'

"Skills/skills"

•items/items•

The gentle glow of moonlight gave him a way to safely navigate the dark path ahead. It has been hours since his last encounter with the strange monsters. His journey through the dark field was silent. But his mind was filled with thoughts. Accepting the fact that he was no longer on earth ( at least the one he knew) was hard. Especially when he thought about his friends.

They were the only meaningful connection he made back then. 

'Why weren't they sent here with me?' was one of the questions that he guessed he wouldn't get the answer to anytime soon. He glanced towards the friendlist window he keeps open in case one of the names lit up.

The fact that the other names on his friend list vanished but the names of his close friends remained told him that there's a possibility that they are sent with him. He just doesn't know why their names were greyed out.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the depressing thoughts, he looked ahead and continued his aimless journey.

D-O-T-E

The night passed, but Eremes didn't stop his walk. It might be because of the level up he got from killing the Goblins last night, but he doesn't feel even a little tired. His legs didn't even feel sore from all the walking that he's been doing.

What he did feel was hunger, that's why throughout the night, he would stop at some trees beside the dirt path and pick some fruits to consume. 

He has more than enough apples and other fruits in his inventory to feed him for more than a day. But he's hoping that his journey to find a settlement wouldn't take him that long. The monotony of the road is becoming too boring for him since after the last encounter with the Goblins, no other monster appeared to cause him some trouble.

"Haaaah" he released a sigh out of boredom.

The sun is beginning to rise in the horizon but he still hasn't found any sign of civilization.

Honestly, if not for the clearly well used dirt path that he was treading, he might've thought this world to be devoid of humans. Or at least sentient beings.

Hours passed and the sun had risen enough to make Eremes feel the heat it radiated.

Half an hour ago he found a remnant of what he could only guess was a campsite. It looked fresh too as the firepit in the middle was still somewhat warm when he checked.

So, not wasting any time, he increased the speed at which he is traveling to try and catch up.

Eremes, being observant as he is. noticed that there were wheel marks left on the grass around the encampment. So his walk turned into a jog, and then into a sprint.

D-O-T-E

It didn't take him long to catch up to the person that used the camp. They were riding a carriage that was being pulled by two horses.

At the distance between them, Eremes couldn't see the occupant of the carriage clearly. So he jogged fast enough to catch up to them.

When he finally got close, he saw that the carriage was being coached by a man that seemed to be in his late 40s with greying hair and beard. The carriage doesn't have another passenger but it is filled with various crates and items.

"Excuse me" he started. Checking to see if the man can understand him.

"Huh" the man turned to his side in confusion before his eyes landed on Eremes who was jogging beside him. " What is it, young man?"

Eremes inwardly sighed, thanking his lucky stars that the man could understand him.

"I was wondering if you know where the nearest town or city is, i don't really know the land and i have been walking since yesterday but i still haven't seen a sign of one" Eremes replied.

"Hmm" the man thought for a second before replying. "Orario is a few hours of travel ahead, but if you don't have a map you could get lost and take you a little longer to find your way there on your own. Back where you came from was a remote village where I came from but it was a little deeper into the woods so no wonder you didn't see it."

Eremes mulled over the information he received. Orario, huh.There wasn't a city or a settlement called Orario on Midgarts. This really is a new world, huh?.

"If you want, I can give you a lift until we reach Orario. Traveling such a long distance isn't really good for one so young such a s you." The man spoke again as Eremes was having a deep thought. 

Eremes didn't argue and immediately agreed. No use wandering aimlessly when there's literally someone offering you help.

"That would be helpful, Thank you." Eremes replied earnestly. Although, what did he mean by young?..

The ride was silent for a while before Eremes struck a conversation with the man.

"This City, Orario was it? What kind of place is it?" Eremes asked as he took in the scenic view he had in front of the carriage, curious about the place he's headed.

"You must be from a really far place if you don't know what Orario is like." The man commented before he continued. "Well, Orario was the city where being an adventurer is most prominent due to it being Built around the entrance of the Dungeon. It is under the jurisdiction of the Guild which oversees any and all Familia and Adventurer activities within the dungeon."

"Familia?" Eremes tilted his head slightly.

"You don't know what a Familia is???" the man asked incredulously before shaking his head, chalking it up to Eremes being raised in a secluded village. " a Familia is a group of adventurers and supporters led by a God or Goddess. Familias also vary on their main focus, There are the adventuring familias, focused on gaining excelia and exploring the dungeon. There are also familias that prioritizes agricultural aspects of the city"

"Are you part of a familia?"

"I am not. I am far too old to be part of one. But I am contracted by one to transport materials from outside the city." was the man's reply.

Eremes nodded and the ride towards the City once again returned to a calm silence.

It took them a little over an hour to get close to the city.

In the distance, Eremes could see a tall tower in the middle of the walled City. It was tall enough to pierce through the clouds and go beyond them. The city itself was large. If he had to guess. It would be about twice the size of Prontera back on Ragnarok Online. Although it reminded him more of Geffen, with both cities having the same circular walls with a tower in the middle that you could see from far away. The only difference is that it is magnified a few times.

"There's Orario. We're getting close. People from outside have to pay a small fee to get in so I hope you brought some money with you. I have a stamp with me as a courier so I can enter freely. If you don't have money on you i can cover for you, it's not a large sum"

Now, Eremes didn't have any money on him, what he did have was the monster drops and magic stones.

"I don't really have money but-" Eremes dug into his pockets to mask his use of Inventory and took out a few goblin Magic Stones and the goblin fang he got the previous night. " i have these" 

The man leaned closer to inspect his loots and hummed." judging by the size of these they are from surface monsters Right? They cost a lot less than their dungeon variants but i think these would suffice along with that surface goblin fang"

"I see"

Soon enough, they were in front of the large gate of the CIty. Two guards stood in the middle, stopping every carriage and checking if they have stamps or if they're residents, otherwise they would have to pay a small fee.

They were next on the line. The man passed his stamp to the guard who then inspected it,the man was clear to enter but Eremes had to pay.

Silently, he handed the other guard his monster drops. The guard inspected it with a hum. " You're a little short seeing as the magic stones are a lot smaller than regular and even the fang was such a low quality. But you're free to go in. Just remember to treat me to some mead when you're well off" the guard then patted him on the shoulder with a laugh.

Only now did he realize how short he is because of the height difference. 'I need a mirror'

A few minutes later, Their carriage arrived in the centre of the city where the guild headquarters is located.

"I guess this is where we part." the man said.

"Thank you for taking me here"

"It's nothing! Just be sure to treat me to some mead too when you can. I'll see you around" with a wave, the man rode off towards the northern part of the city.

D-O-T-E

"You need to be part of a Familia and have received Falna to register as an adventurer." said a young woman with shoulder-length salmon-pink hair, wearing a standard guild uniform consisting of a long-sleeved shirt beneath a black sleeveless vest, a gray necktie, and black pants.

"Can't I just enter the dungeon without registering?" Eremes asked, to which the young woman shook her head repeatedly while making an 'X' shape with her arms,

" no! no! no! Entering the dungeon without a Falna is a death sentence to anyone! Especially for one as young as you!"

"Young?!" Eremes exclaimed.

 A tic mark appeared on Eremes' forehead when he heard 'young' once again. He hasn't got the chance to check his appearance on a mirror and he could gander that it is because of that that they are calling him young.

Shaking his thoughts off. Eremes turned to the guild attendant once more. With a sigh, he asked the woman a question.

"If there's no other way, can I at least ask for a list of familias that I can apply for and their location? I'm new to this city and I don't have a map on me. It would really help me a lot"

" Give me a moment." The woman gave him a smile before pulling a paper from a drawer and writing down the names of various Familias. 

It didn't take long for the woman to write down the names and location of many Familias that are recruiting. She handed the paper to Eremes who then thanked her before walking away.

Before he left the premises though, he ran back and asked. " By the way. I'm Eremes Guile, what's your name? It feels rude to continue referring to you as "the woman" in my head" he extended his hand for a handshake.

"My name is Misha Flott" Misha took his offered hand as they shook.

"See you later, Miss Flott!" Eremes bid his goodbye.

….

"We're not Recruiting!" *SLAM!*

"Go away!" *click*

"Bother Someone else!"

"We're full!"

"We're not accepting little shrimps!"

Ridiculous, ridiculous and unbelievable.

The sun is starting to set but Eremes still hasn't found a familia willing to accept him. He spent the whole day asking every Familia in the list that Miss Flott made for him but not a single one wanted to accept him in their ranks.

One of the reasons, one that irked him a lot, was the fact that he seemed to have regressed in age. Not by a lot, mind you, but enough to make him look like a teen that hasn't had his growth spurt yet. By his estimate, he's probably in his 16s in this body. A full two years of growth gone.

The second reason that he was given by a few of the Familias he asked was. " We're looking for experienced people."

Eremes grumbled under his breath as he sat at the cold stone path in front of the guild. "'Need experienced people,' my ass, just like those jobs asking for two years of experience before they'll even give you a shot."

"I don't even have any money to rent a room. This sucks.." he stood up and walked out of the alley. 

He doesn't know the city very well, or even the common senses in this world seeing as he's quite literally new around. He doesn't know where he could sleep. He passed by an abandoned section of the city where a dilapidated church stands, but based on the few noises he could hear inside and the hanging laundry drying outside, there's already someone living there so he left.

The area doesn't look safe too to be honest and as confident as he is in his skills, he's still only a novice class, so he doesn't want to take his chances.

Wandering aimlessly across the city as the sun sets and the lights on various establishments turn on, the realization that he's really going to have to sleep on the streets, sunk deeper.

As he threaded through thick crowds of people, he could see just how different this city- no, this world is from his previous earth and even midgards Different races coexist and interact with each other seamlessly. Different races like Elves, Dwarves, Beastmen,Humans and even small humanlike creatures that looked like children at first glance roamed the street. 

The life in the city, Orario, also seemed to have become more lively when the night fell than it is during the day. He guessed that maybe it's because the adventurers that were in the dungeon during the day had come back up to spend their day's earnings.

Either way, he could only slowly squeeze through people with every step. Navigating the city has now become even more difficult due to the amount of people in the streets.

He arrived in front of an empty bench and sat down as for the first time since arriving in this new world, fatigue seemed to have caught up to him at last.

Clutched in his hands was the paper that Misha handed him earlier containing the names and location of every Familia that was recruiting. But none of them even gave him a second look. Maybe it's because he looks like a child, maybe it's because he lacks the adventuring experience that they require. He tried telling them that he has experience in hunting monsters, but none of them believed him.

He really does have an experience in hunting monsters, even fighting other people for prizes… just not in real life. 'But it does count!' He exclaimed in his mind. Really , it does. His encounter with the goblins showed him that not only did he keep his muscle memory from the game, he also seemed to have gained the instinct of his characters to some extent. It's just that his previous strength didn't seem to have followed him.

"Do I even need to join a Familia?" He wondered out loud.

Back on earth, he had a reason to become stronger, his friends were there with him, to compete with him, to grow alongside him. But here? He doesn't have any reason to, this new life given to him, he could spend it living normally. This isn't a game anymore. He had no reason to get stronger. No impending doom was awaiting this world, no Big Bad Evil wanting to bring about destruction like in midgards. Really, what reason does he have to become strong?

His heart seemed to give up, to let go of his desires to become strong, but a part of him, or maybe it was a memory from the past, but something inside him stirred him. 

'What am I thinking? Keyron and the others could be here. And like me, they could've lost their strength too. I need to be strong so when I find them at last, I will be strong enough to protect them.' the passion in his heart reignited, for now at least. ' I will never fail to protect ******* ****** again!'

"Huh?" he loudly asked. 'Where did that thought come from?'

His moment of confusion was cut off as a hand landed on his right shoulder in a friendly manner.

He turned to where it came from and he saw a man, a chubby middle-aged man with red-brown hair and yellow eyes. On top his head lay a pair of animal ears, racoon ears to be exact. He was wearing a white shirt under a brown short-sleeve jacket along with grey pants that were held up by a leather belt.

"Excuse me my friend but I overheard you earlier talking about finding a Familia, if you haven't found one I could take you to mine."

Eremes craned his neck towards the man, he was smiling at him. He seemed friendly enough so Eremes agreed.

They didn't walk for long, soon enough they arrived in front of a manor with a high fence and gate that screamed wealth. 

Two guards stood in front of the gate but both looked too intoxicated so the man that brought him here just led him inside.

"I'm gonna introduce you to the captain first.

They passed through long corridors and many rooms. Occasionally though, they would bump into people that acted too out of it, like they were on some kind of drug. Eremes paid them little to no mind but he took a mental note that something is terribly wrong with the place and that maybe, coming here was a bad idea

The more of the manor he gets to see the more the dread and uncertainty increases in his heart. 'Is this really my only option?'

But he couldn't voice out his concern. He doesn't want to.

Sure, he could try and find a better familia, but there's no guarantee that he would. And taking longer to start getting stronger would only decrease his confidence that when the time comes that he finds his friends, he wouldn't be strong enough to protect them. 

They passed an open courtyard where a young woman of the race that looked like children, he really got to learn every race in this world, was looking at him with pity. 

The 'Woman?' Was wearing a hooded cloak over her clothes, hiding her features pretty well.

He sent an awkward wave to her but she just turned away and left. Leaving Eremes to sweatdrop.

Finally, they arrived at their destination, a large double door adorned with decorative designs stood before them. The man who had led him there knocked twice before entering, pulling him inside with him.

The inside of the room was elegant, paintings from the walls and various expensive looking trinkets are neatly arranged over the fireplace.

On the desk in the middle of the room sat the captain of the Familia.

"What do you need, Canoe?" the man asked in a cold tone.

"I-i brought a new recruit with me, Captain Zanis."

The Captain's eyes landed on him. But unlike canoe who began whimpering, so to speak, Eremes remained calm and collected.

" My name is Ereme Guile. It's a pleasure to meet you." He introduced himself with a small nod.

"Zanis Lustra, Likewise" The now named Zanis rose from his seat and walked towards them, extending a hand to Eremes for a handshake which Eremes took.

He's wearing a long black coat with a high collar and silver trimming. Underneath, he has a dark gray vest over a light-colored shirt with the collar slightly open. He also wears black pants and knee-high boots, completing a clean yet imposing look. His outfit has a formal, almost military-like style, fitting for a captain of a Familia.

"Has Canoe told you the requirements for joining and the rules you must follow?"

-End-

A\N: yo! I wanted to start by saying thanks for reading this work of mine, it is a great joy for me seeing that a few are actually reading something that i wrote. So, update on my health! I'm better now! At least much better than last time where I was coughing blood but I will manage!

I will have to catch up on a lot of things that I missed during my time recovering. 

A lot of School papers that need to be submitted and projects with such a short deadline. But like I said, I will manage. I hope I do.

Now, update may take a little longer since I'm busy with personal matters and also need to make some Bread so I ask once again, please be patient with me!

Anyways! That's about it for today, if you see any mistakes in my grammar and phrasing please don't hesitate to correct me. 

BuhBye!

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