You're not Leaving?

"What are your plans now Sevarian?" Ashley asks with curiosity in her tone.

"I'm going to find another shop guy and figure some stuff out. Maybe it'll give me an idea about where to find the next gate." I respond with confidence.

I feel good about how things are going now since I know Ashley is okay, and I'm doing good. My levels aren't bad, even though my system is offline or whatever is going on with it.

I'm sure everything will be resolved shortly since issues are bound to happen with this thing regardless of what I do.

"Just be careful out there Sevarian." Ashley says with worry in her voice.

"He's got us with him, I promise he'll be okay." Rika assures her.

"You're not leaving here?" I question while looking over at Ashley.

"It's a lot safer here for me Sev, plus I don't need to be dragging you down out there." Ashley answers with sadness in her voice.

I get where she's coming from but I don't think I can guarantee her safety if she's left her with just he parents. The world is different and I'm not even sure if guns will be enough if a system user attacks her.

But I can't force her to come with me so this will have to be how things go for the time being until I fix everything.

"I understand your decision. Just make sure to stay safe yourself okay." I say while standing up.

We've been here a day or two just chatting away so I didn't want to waste anymore time here. I've enjoyed it but I need to figure out what's going on with my system.

It's not come back yet, and I'm not sure I should just be sitting around.

"Where you going Sev?" Ashley asks with a bit of curiosity.

"It's time for us to go. The world will only get worse the longer we sit here." I answer while looking back at the door.

~Hello Sevarian, I am model 3.4.5.8, or you may call me Lia. I'll be taking over your system as of today.

~System back online. Everything has been restored.

I didn't even know there was a difference with who talked to me through this system or not. But who was the other person who talked to me before?

Will I hear from them again, or was that the last time?

"Nice meeting you." Rika and Kallista both say before heading over to the door.

Before leaving I went over to Ashley and gave her a hug.

"I'll come back to check on you again soon." I say while hugging her.

"I know you will. Be safe Sev." Ashley replies with a sincere tone.

After that we made our way back out of her house and towards the streets. I just need a new quest so I can get back on track again. Well, Maybe I don't need one.

It would be nice to get a quest but they aren't always going to be essential since I can figure things out on my own.

"Where to now Sevarian?" Kallista asks while standing in front of me.

"We need to find a shop keeper." I answer while looking past her.

It's odd though since I haven't seen one in a long time, not since the beginning of everything. They must be hard to find for a reason, but there's so many places for them to go.

~Would you like a shopkeeper Quest Sevarian?

Yes <---

------

No

~Find the Shopkeeper Mazin. Located near The Hinzel Market area. Reward: You found the Shopkeeper.

I appreciate the help, but I never got this kind of assistance before. I'm not used to this at all.

The good thing is that I know exactly how to get to the market area but I'm not sure what we'll encounter when we get there. I've seen a lot of enemies in this area alone so I need to play it safe when going there.

"Follow me." I say while walking past Kallista.

"Finally!" Rika shouts with excitement.

The two of them followed behind me as we made our way for the Hinzel Market area, it would take a decent while to get there. At least an hour or two of traveling, but it would pay off since they offer quite a bit of useful items and information.

{Just reaching the Hinzel Market Area}

Nobody was really around luckily, this was a good sign for the most part. That's when I spotted the Shopkeeper from before, wearing the exact same clothes and everything.

Hmm, it's odd that no one is here at all. Not even any system users. I'll just have to be ready to fight in case they ambush me out of nowhere.

"Ahh, you return once more." The Mysterious person says as it watches me approach.

"Yes, I'm here to buy whatever you can offer." I reply as I stand in front of the person.

Like before an option was given to me again.

"Would you like to view?"

Yes <---

-----

No

(??? Shop, Updated!)

•Strong Health Potion (Heals major wounds) = 300 Zethel per potion.

•Slow Down Potion (Slows everything down for 20 seconds) = 800 Zethel Per Potion.

• Strong Mana Potion (Restores a Major amount of Mana) = 300 Zethel per Potion.

•Axe of Judgement (B Tier Weapon) = 1,500 Zethel.

•Info on the next Two Quests = 20,000 Zethel.

•Info on the Next Gate = 150,000 Zethel.

"I'll be taking info on the next two quests and the next gate." I say while transferring the 170,000 Zethel.

Balance = 685,000

"Perfect." The Mysterious Being says.

Am I really going to gain anything useful from this thing, or did it just scam me for a lot of Zethel?

"The First quest will involve a meeting with someone you've recently stopped hearing from. The second quest will involve an old foe with a tough decision." The Mysterious Being says.

"What about the second gate?" I question while staring at this mysterious being.

"The Second gate will give you the worst kind of pain you ever felt, it also will be just barely outside the city." The Mysterious Being answers while packing up it's things.

Outside the city? That's new. All of this is a lot to take in, but what did it mean about the quests, and the gate giving me the worst kind of pain I ever would feel?

Shit.