A temporary refuge

Welcoming the cheap experience points the small horde of boars would offer, Jay took out his True-shot rifle after a long while and readied himself.

Pulling the trigger after finding his aim in no time, Jay got as surprised as the spectators on the carriage.

With just one shot, resulting in a bright beam, the whole boar's head was gone.

Repeating the same thing resulted in another dead boar, though that one lost the latter half thanks to Jay's hurried aim.

At the same time, Jay noticed his mana dwindling way faster than the last time he used the magic weapon.

After getting rid of the remaining three boars he looked at his mana bar again. Even with two of the beasts needing two shots to die, his mana reserved were enough to repeat this at least three times.

The lesser damage was due to some shots not being critical hits as Jay hard to hurry and move when the beasts charged at him.

Walking over to the farmer after storing two relatively undamaged boars into his inventory under the cover of high grown grass, Jay greeted the family friendly and asked if anyone was hurt.

The man introduced himself as Farmer Orlean while his wife kept silent and cowered with her two smaller kids in her arms on the carriage. The two teenagers next to her had a different reaction and were staring towards Jay's direction.

The boy was eyeing the magic weapon with a yearning expression while the plain girl was looking at Jay and blushing.

Latter ignored the rest of the family and talked to Orlean. He told them to travel towards Sentinel where they would receive help and shelter.

While the farmer thanked him and would travel to Sentinel without wait after he repaired the damaged carriage, he asked Jay to do him a favor:

While they hurriedly left their farm after it got set aflame, they left their last remaining family heirloom back there. It was stored in a small chest, hidden in the farm and would prove their identity and that said farm was theirs.

The farmer feared they might get disowned of the lands if they couldn't prove their ownership.

While Jay wanted to help the farmer and his family, he was a bit reluctant as he needed to gain more XP fast to level up.

It was in situations like these he really welcomed his system.

***

Quest:

Searching the ruins

Object:

find the Orlean's heirloom and deliver it.

***

After reading the prompt, Jay agreed to the farmers request and only asked him to report to the Adventurers Guild so he would get some points to his rank. Even though he hadn't used his ID much until now, Jay knew that higher ranks had access to more regions and more difficult requests.

Parting with the carriage, Jay rushed down the narrow path towards the Orleans Farm. It really was a ruin he arrived at only a couple of minutes riding later.

The outer walls were all that was left standing, and even those were only partially intact. Everything was charred black and Jay began to doubt he could find anything that resisted the flames.

From inside, after Jay entered through what was once a door, it looked even less plausible to search for the family heirloom. But farmer Orlean told Jay to look for the chest holding it inside a clock in the living room, so he tried to find said room.

It took Jay some few minutes to spot the remnants of the clock, as most of it was lost to the flames and only the lower part was still there.

Most of that time went on finding the living room, as nearly all inner walls had crumbled.

The good ting was that Jay didn't need to open it as he could simply grab the small chest from above and inspect it.

The chest was locked, so he used his lock picking skill and in no time he could take a peek inside. A small silver pocket watch was all that was inside, so he closed the chest again and stored it inside his inventory.

Back at the broken front door, Jay suddenly heard voices closing in on the farm.

Peeking through a gap in the door, he saw two bandits half ducked down and closing in on the farm. Their attempt to sneak up on him was not even funny, though Jay doubted those level 16 idiots had spotted him and only tried to be careful of patrolling soldiers.

Taking out the bow he had assigned on his second fast-equip slot some time ago, Jay knocked a arrow and took aim. After letting go his aimed shot, he used a double strafe on the second bandit, instantly killing the first of them with a critical shot.

With shadow step he appeared behind the second bandit after he rushed in his direction. The bow was long switched with the Wingblade that now peeked out from the mans chest.

Just then, Jay noticed three other bandits closing in from the side.

One of them died to Jay's arrows again, then he switched back to his sword and just moments before the two men arrived, shadow step was once again ready. Two moves later, two headless bodies fell limp to the ground.

Without even posing something like a real fight, the bandits donned Jay slightly under nine hundred experience points.

After looting their corpses for anything of worth, he made his way back to the already waiting farmer.

The Orleans had repaired their carriage as best as they could and were already pulling it back on the road to their farm. Spotting Jay riding towards them, the farmer and his son walked in his direction and greeted him.

Giving the man his small chest with the heirloom, Jay received many thanks and a direct prompt.

***

Quest:

'Searching the ruins' cleared!

870XP

***

It wasn't much to Jay, but he still earned himself some free experience points.

After telling the Orleans to hurry, Jay said his goodbyes and went back on the road to travel further south. He was close to leveling up, so his aim was to find a few targets and get the remaining points he needed.

A few miles further south he spotted a pretty big brawl at the side of the road. Speeding up his horse, he found a group of soldiers, seemingly a whole patrol, engaging with a larger group of bandits.

Helping the troupes from Sentinel with cover fire until he was in range to fight them directly, it took the group only minutes to overwhelm the bandits. But as Jay had not been in a party with the soldiers, only his own victims counted and got him XP.

"Thank you for your help, you really seem strong, boy... what's your name?" Corporal

"You're welcome. I'm Jay, send by Stoutmantle himself... can you tell me what happened?" J.

"I'm not sure myself...

Those bandits were laying fire on a farm two miles down the road.

We rushed in without second thought as those guys normally take off for a run when they see us. After we engaged combat with them, some fled to the main road and after taking the ones at the farm down, we ran after them.

It was here we caught up with them, but they were stronger than the normal bandit you encounter here and there!" Corporal

"So it was a planned action from the bandits to burn down the farms... I will relay the Information to Sentinel.

Please try to find those people who seek shelter and send them to sentinel. Tell other patrols you encounter as well: all farms that are left standing need protection." J.

"Is that an order from Captain Stoutmantle?" Corporal

"Yes, it will be. I have been sent to this region to aide him with the bandits by Marshal Whitmore herself." J.

"Very well, I will believe your word.

Men, on to the next farm! And hurry!" Corporal

"Thank you, good luck!" J.

Without further ado, Jay summoned his horse and galloped towards the north where Sentinel lay.

He was still a bit reluctant to head back, as his goal to level up was still not reached. It took him some time to get back to Sentinel, and once he entered through the south gate and passed the wall, he saw the city had changed quite drastically.

To be more precise, it was the open area in the eastern part of the city that had changed.

Dozens of tents had been erected and people were squirming around in between.

Walking along the temporary refuge for farmers and workers that lost their homes or fled due to the threat of attacks, Jay was called from somewhere between the tents. Looking over to where the voice came from, Jay found Sybill and the Saldemas who had set up a pretty big tent next to their carriage.

Even Kylie was there, tending to the wounded people and few protectors that got wounded on duty.

Protector was what the assigned soldiers were called by his system as he looked at one.

Greeting them all and after asking if everything went well for them, Jay told what he had experienced at the farms.

He excused himself shortly afterwards as he had to relay those information Gyran Stoutmantle as well.

Before he took his leave though, he asked if they all would stay with the carriage to what he learned that all but Kylie would stay at the inn that night. They already ordered rooms and reserved one for Jay as well, except Kylie of course as she would stay in her assigned chamber within the chapel.

Promising to meet up at the inn in at most an hour, Jay went back to the main road and up the hill towards the tower.

The others told him they would only clean up their place and wait for Jay at the inn.

During his report to Captain Stoutmantle, Jay learned that the Kids he saved first had arrived at Sentinel. Their family was called Cradler and they were lucky their neighbors picked them up, so they arrived in Sentinel even before the first wave of refugees.

From then on the captain had send out the soldiers he had at hand to protect whoever they could.

Jay gave his report and told that the bandits had laid fire.

The decision to ask the patrol to inform the others and guide the civilians towards Sentinel was the right one as Stoutmantle stated. He only asked Jay to give him this night to think of the next steps to take.

They would talk on the next day, so Jay took his leave as the sun was already starting to set again.

Jay had only arrived this morning, so he wondered a bit how fast the time went by as he was out of the city...

As one of the guards explained him the route to the inn, Jay arrived at the big, three stories high building. It was one of the few structures made of stone, probably to grant the residents there some shelter if they got attacked.

Upon entering and stepping into the wide pub like dining hall, Jay got called over by the escort group.

They told him that today's dinner is on the house as well as the drinks, what explained their happy moods and the overly friendly and talkative Sybill. She had apparently already drunk two mugs of ale, so with her slim build it was obvious she got a bit drunk.

Jay inquired from the Patric Saldema what happened and got a bit surprised.

They brought the roc Jay left with them on the carriage to the inn, asking if the chef would buy it, and he did.

Not only that: the quality of the meat was so good, after he paid the Saldemas a normal sum, he invited them and the ones who hunted it for dinner.

The reason Sybill was drunk was a bit sad though.

She would leave Sentinel the next morning as she had come to this region to hunt wild beasts. With them already having defeated the most difficult one together and Jay getting rid of the Gnolls, she was going to leave for the adjoining forest.

Jay was a bit worried but she only laughed at him and told that a friend notified her and they would meet up at the border. He also learned that the beasts there were of a slightly lower level range, at least near the river where they would travel along.

She still promised Jay that she would run away in case they would loose, but he doubted she would remember that the next day.

Though she was drunk, she still managed to disband their party before she emptied her third mug.

Jay was still on his first mug of ale he got served after Saldema's order. The dark liquid was really tasty, but came with quite some alcohol. Jay no longer wondered why Sybill was alrerady that drunk while they hadn't been at the inn for too long.

The meal they got was really good as well. Itwas really only the meat that tasted similar to chicken but was even more tender, fried with some spices that Jay didn't know yet. With the meat they got served a mix of roasted vegetables from this region.

It was the waiter from whom they learned that meat had gotten pretty rare in Westfield as only few hunters went there and the cattle farms in the east had to sell nearly everything to the kingdom.

Pointing at the filled to the brim dining hall, he explained that every guest would happily pay more if they would get some tasty meat.

Jay used that situation to ask for the innkeeper as well, as he hadn't seen him or her as when he entered.

The waiter pointed to a small empty counter next to the stairs th the right of the room. Jay had passed it after he entered, but didn't see anyone there as well.

Sending him to wait at the counter, the waiter stated he would notify the Innkeeper and went back towards the kitchen.

Jay did exactly like he was asked for and went over to the counter to wait for him.

A minute later, a bearded man with a cooking apron came out of the kitchen and asked how he could help. Jay had expected a rough voice, but the man was really friendly.

Telling him that his friends reserved a room for him, Jay asked for the key and at the same time, showed his coin.

"Sorry man, that one's not gonna help ya much here. Here's your key." Innkeeper

"Well, it was worth a try. Are you the one who prepared our dinner by chance?" J.

"Right, that's me... why?" Innkeeper

"I just wanted to thank you for the meal. It really was delicious..." J.

"Thanks Boy! Or should I say man, considering you got one of those?" Innkeeper

"Hehe... can you tell me what spices you used for the meat?" J.

"Oh, it's a special mix I brought with me from my travels... kind of a business secret." Innkeeper

"Thought as much. How much is the room? I'd like to pay in advance for the night." J.

"One night? ...With your discount, it's 12 copper for the private room, breakfast included." Innkeeper

"Make it two big copper, here. The rest is for the great meal!" J.

"Thanks again, man.... oh, and if you want to ...relax a bit, have a look at the bath house in the night." Innkeeper

Back at the table after he thanked the Innkeeper for his hint and again for the tasty roc-meat, Jay talked a bit with the Saldemas. They would stay at the inn tonight as well and would help the other refugees at day until they could go back to their farm. Their workers apparently made it to Sentinel and were residing at the tent area.

After their small-talk was over, the couple guided Sybill to her room. The Archer was totally drunk after she tried to empty a fourth mug and while they were talking, she had started sleeping with her head on the table.

Some people change drastically once they are drunk, some even to be adorable, was all Jay could think of that...

Still indecisive and pondering whether to check on the bathhouse or rest early as it wasn't that late after all, Jay noticed a new guest in near the bar.

A black haired beauty looking different to all the people he had met until then with her slight asian touch. But Jay didn't even have the chance to walk over to her and try his luck.

The moment she saw him looking towards her direction, it was her that came to his table...