Before going to sleep in the previous night, I had strategically opened the window so that when the day began to brighten, the light would wake me up. And that's exactly what happened.
Truth be told, I had barely slept, thinking about my family and with the anticipation of meeting Katarina, the red-haired mercenary, again. Excitement and anxiety mixed within me.
After washing my face with the little water I had set aside for the morning, I got dressed and went down the stairs to the lower floor. Through the corridor window, I could see the sun just rising on the horizon.
Upon reaching the lower floor, I came across a man with a full, brown beard behind the counter. He wished me good morning in a polite and friendly, though reserved, manner. I imagined he was Neidi's husband. I politely returned the greeting and declined the breakfast he offered me.
Then, my attention turned to the farthest table, where Katarina and her companion, who according to the Player System was named Ruskus, coincidentally were sitting. Well, perhaps not so coincidentally, considering that was precisely what I had hoped for.
Both already had their eyes on me. Katarina smiled softly and signaled for me to approach. Ruskus maintained a neutral expression.
I walked towards them with cautious but resolute steps.
"Sit" Katarina said simply, before I could even greet them or wish them good morning. "This is Ruskus."
"Hi, I'm Lilia" I introduced myself, trying to be at least minimally polite, while pulling out one of the chairs to sit.
Ruskus widened his eyes slightly for a fraction of a second, and then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, suggesting the hint of a smile.
"She really is Etruskian" he said to Katarina with a note of surprise in his voice.
It was at that moment I realized we were speaking Etrusko instead of Low Vernacular. I smiled slightly at him while pondering how to proceed next.
"You didn't tell me which part of Etruskia you're from. Perhaps from Bäahr?" Katarina asked. Her sharp eyes observed me attentively.
At that moment, I knew if I lied, she and Ruskus would know. Not because of a special skill provided by the system, but because of their life experience and, I'd even say, professional experience. They were veterans in the field of information gathering.
So, I strained my memory to recall what I knew about Etruskia. Bäahr was a south-central city in the country, covered in snow much of the year, and also one of the most violent and inhospitable. Well, at least five hundred years ago.
"No, I'm not from Bäahr. I'm more from the north" I replied.
Katarina leaned more towards me, her hands comfortably resting on the table between us.
"Further north? How much further north?" she questioned me.
"Closer to the border than to Bäahr" I replied. "I hope you'll forgive me, but my... condition doesn't allow me to speak exactly where I was born and raised."
She remained silent, her eyes scrutinizing me for long seconds, and then she leaned back in her chair, exchanging a quick glance with her companion. I tried to keep my breathing steady, though I felt as if the air had frozen in my lungs.
Katarina then smiled lightly.
"I imagine an álfr descendant wouldn't tell where they came from unless their life was at risk" she said. "Especially if from within Etruskian territory."
I didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief for not having raised more suspicions about myself or to fear that my life would be threatened for them to obtain such information. I could already imagine the cold of a blade touching the skin of my neck.
"Don't worry, discovering an álfr village isn't part of our mission" she said upon noticing my expression. "And didn't I already say? I like you. Even though you don't have red hair and are much prettier than her, you resemble one of my three younger sisters." And then she murmured one last phrase. "May Navika never find out I said that."
"You... aren't worried about giving away so much information about yourself?" I asked.
She chuckled.
"If you manage to reach any place alive where that information is useful, you have my respect."
I realized how absurd my question had been. What would I do with that information, after all? Would I go up to a random person from Mundus or Earth and say, "An Etruskian mercenary named Katarina has three younger sisters who are redheads, and one of them is named Navika"? Even if it were to someone from Etruskia, the people with enough power to do something against Katarina should already know about it.
"You have a good point" I admitted.
"Doesn't she remind you of Navika?" Katarina asked Ruskus. "Makes me want to make an offer to escort her back to Etruskia. For a fair price, of course."
Ruskus only raised an eyebrow and then focused his attention on me.
"I'm not going to Etruskia" I said. "I'm going somewhere else, so I won't be able to accept your offer. But I would like to ask for another thing instead, if you could help me with that."
"And what would that be?"
"I was attacked by a beastial right after the world fusion and felt completely helpless. I only survived through pure luck. And soon I'll have to travel alone. I need to know how to defend myself" I replied.
"And what do you want? Training? Weapons? Items?"
"Whatever you can offer me" I replied honestly. "I promise to pay a fair price... or maybe not so fair, because I don't have much money with me. But I'll find a way to get it."
Katarina raised an eyebrow.
"And how would you get that money?"
I thought for a moment.
"I have something. A potion that increases intelligence" I replied. "If I give it to you, would you help me get quality equipment and give me some tips on how to use knives?"
"You have an attribute-increasing potion? How did you get one of those?" she asked, surprised, interest shining in her eyes.
"That is... confidential information" I replied. "But it's a good quality potion and increases the intelligence attribute by three points."
Katarina's eyes gleamed, and even Ruskus, who had been practically expressionless until then, seemed interested.
"And you would be willing to give us a rare potion like that for a few training tips and help getting equipment?" Ruskus inquired.
"I hope it's more than just a few tips" I said. "Even if brief, I want actual training. And the value of the equipment has to be included in the package."
The two seemed to consider for a while.
"Let's do it this way: if the potion you have is as good as you said, I'll consider it worth 2 silver coins. One silver coin for the training and the tip on where to find quality equipment" Katarina finally said. "We can train now in the morning; I can teach you the basics of how to handle a knife." She leaned over the table again. "And I'll take you to a good place to get equipment in the afternoon. But I can't guarantee you'll get what you want."
"And the other silver coin?" I asked.
"Later—and if—you find equipment you like, we'll talk about it." She then extended her hand towards me. "Let me see this valuable potion."
I looked at Katarina's outstretched hand before me. The potion was in my Infinite Inventory Bag, imperceptibly attached to my waist. However, I couldn't risk them discovering such an item.
I stood up from my seat, surprising both of them.
"I'll go to my room to fetch it" I said and then quickly headed for the stairs.
I knew I couldn't trust two mercenaries I had just met. Especially when they were mercenaries from Etruskia, a violent country that worshipped none other than Ektir, one of the cruelest and most bloodthirsty gods.
As soon as I found myself alone in my rented room, I locked the door and closed the window. From my Infinite Inventory Bag, I retrieved two kitchen knives and the intelligence attribute increase potion. This one hadn't turned out as well as it should have, since ideally it would offer five intelligence points instead of just three. But still, since the time of Astar, attribute-increasing potions were rare, and I only managed to make this one, and all the others, because of the access the temple allowed me to materials, especially the blessed water from the dragon's fountain.
I sighed. Two silver coins was a fair price for the potion. If I considered the market from five centuries ago, of course.
But without Astar to manufacture such potions, and with the gods boycotting any similar production that could offer a bit of autonomy to the inhabitants of Mundus, the market value of the potion I had probably had skyrocketed.
'Anyway, it's a good price. Even if they take a little advantage of me, it's not a bad deal' I thought. 'I should be more worried about the possibility of them betraying me.'
What if as soon as they got their hands on the potion, they simply disappeared? Or worse, what if they alerted someone dangerous—someone who despised álfrs, as many clans in Etruskia did—about me and the type of potion I had access to?
I shook my head. That was a risk I should be willing to take.
'I would definitely find a way to save myself' I thought.I had enough of experience points to bring me to have more than the double their atributes accumulated inside my inventory bag. And I had the Stroke of Luck skill. It should be enough to let me scape if I encountered myself in a life threatening situation with the mercenaries.
Of course, I would avoid using either of them at all costs, especially the experience points. If I did, my entire strategy would go down the drain, and it would be infinitely more difficult to level up later.
So, I decided I would only use the experience points if my life was in very, very grave danger and I couldn't think of any other alternative to save myself.
Having finally prepared myself both physically and psychologically to face Katarina and Ruskus again, I put the black backpack on my back and opened the room door. My steps had more determination than they had had since I arrived in High Mine.
When I reached the lower floor, I found Katarina and Ruskus still sitting at the same table. The sun had fully risen by this point, illuminating the tavern with golden rays. I could clearly see the tiny grains of dust floating in the air.
However, before I could reach the table where they were, both mercenaries stood up and approached me.
"So? Shall we?" Katarina asked as she passed by me and headed for the inn door, followed by Ruskus.
My heart raced. A little from fear and apprehension that I was being led to a place where no one would see them murder me. But mostly from excitement and curiosity. And adrenaline.
'Yes, curiosity and greed are still going to lead me to my death' I thought before following them out of the inn, not knowing what awaited me but hoping for the best.