Chapter 6: The Cursed

Arawn and his friends had learned a lot about the malevolent spirit in the past few days. They knew that it was a powerful creature and that it was drawn to the negative emotions of people. They didn't know whether its presence was connected to the curse that started to plague the world, but they were determined to find out.

Arawn decided that the best way to do this was to start by taking on quests from the Adventurer's Guild. He figured that by helping people and solving their problems, he could start to make a difference in the world and learn more about the malevolent spirit and the curse.

Arawn and his friends decided to take a simple gathering quest to help Arawn familiarize himself with the process. The quest was to gather a certain number of herbs from a nearby forest.

On their way to the forest, they came across a goblin. Goblins were low-class monsters, but they could still be dangerous if they

were not handled properly.

Goblins are low-class monsters who are usually found in groups. They are not very intelligent, but they are cunning and resourceful. Goblins are also very territorial and will attack anything that they see as a threat.

Occasionally, goblin populations will grow too large, and the adventure guild will need to put a quest to trim down their numbers. This is usually done by sending out a few Adventurer parties to attack the goblin.

Zephyr suggests that Arawn kill the goblin for him to get the experience.

Arawn nodded and grabbed his sword.

the goblin charged at Arawn, swinging its axe. Arawn dodged the attack and tried to counterattack, but the goblin was too quick for him.

Arawn's heart pounded in his chest as he dodged the goblin's axe. He knew that he was inexperienced, but he was determined to win. He focused on the goblin's movements and waited for an opening.

The goblin tried to knock Arawn's sword out of his hand, But Arawn Reflex allowed him to swing his sword to the goblin's neck before it could disarm Arawn.

“attaboy” Zephyr praised Arwan with a smirk on his face while Elora and Eira clapped their hand.

After the battle, they started to ask him about the curse that he had mentioned. They wanted to know more about how it had plagued his village and caused so many casualties.

Arawn was reluctant to talk about the curse at first. It was a painful memory for him. But he eventually agreed to tell his friends what he knew.

"There was an old prophecy in my village that said the Mythical beast would terrorize again," Arawn began. "It said that the beast would be preceded by a night sky that turned dark red. My father and I were among the first to see the red sky. We gathered the other villagers and tried to figure out what was happening."

"We soon saw the creature. It was human-like but with six melted limb-like wings. It was the most terrifying creature I have ever seen. The creature emitted a bloodlust that made it difficult to fight, but we tried our best. My father was one of the first to fall. He was poisoned by the creature's ichor."

Arawn paused, his voice choked with emotion. "I was one of the few survivors. I watched helplessly as my father and the other villagers were killed. I knew then that I had to do something to stop the creature and lift the curse."

Arawn's friends listened intently, their eyes filled with compassion. They could feel the pain and sorrow in Arawn's voice.

"I have been consumed by negative emotions ever since," Arawn continued. "I have been filled with anger, hatred, and despair. But I know that I cannot let these emotions control me. I must remain strong and focused on my task."

Arawn's friends nodded in understanding. They knew that the curse had taken a heavy toll on Arawn. But they also knew that he was a good and kind person. They were confident that he would not allow his negative emotions to consume him.

"We will help you, Arawn," Zephyr said. "We will help figure out about the Mythical beast and how to lift the curse."

Arawn's friends' words gave him a sense of hope, but he couldn't shake the fear that he felt. He knew that the journey ahead would be dangerous, and he was afraid that his friends would lose their lives. He thought about a way to avoid this, but he couldn't come up with anything.

"I'm afraid," Arawn admitted to his friends. "I don’t want to lose all of you."

Zephyr put his hand on Arawn's shoulder. "We're all afraid, Arawn," he said. "But we're willing to fight for what's right. We're willing to fight if it meant to save our world."

Elora and Eira nodded in agreement. They stood together, united in their determination to defeat the Mythical beast and lift the curse.

Arawn looked at his friends and drew strength from their courage. He knew that he couldn't face the darkness alone, but with his friends by his side, he might have a chance to succeed.

"Thank you," Arawn said.

Arawn and his friends continued gathering quests before going back to the adventurer's guild, unaware of the danger that was growing rapidly around them. The curse was spreading, and if they failed to defeat the Mythical beast and lift the curse, the whole world would be plunged into chaos and all living things would die a painful death.

After a day of travel, Arawn and his friends finally arrived back at the City of Lumina, the capital of Rushdia. They went straight to the adventurer's guild to hand over the quest item for the gathering quest.

Arawn and his friends had just returned from completing a quest. They were tired and dirty. They had gathered the quest item that they needed, and they were now ready to turn it in and collect their reward.

They entered the Adventurer's Guild, which was bustling with activity as usual. Adventurers of all races and classes came and went, their gear clinking and their voices raised in conversation.

Arawn and his friends approached the counter where they could turn in completed quests. Sarah, the guild receptionist, greeted them with a warm smile. "Welcome back, I'm glad to see you all in one piece."

"Thanks, Sarah," Arawn said. "We have the quest item for you."

Arawn handed Sarah the herbs that they had gathered. She examined them carefully and then nodded in satisfaction.

"These are the right herbs," she said. "Thank you for completing the quest."

Sarah rewarded Arawn and his friends with gold. She also told Arawn that the mage instructor, Zac, was looking forward to checking his aptitude and teaching him if needed.

Arawn had forgotten that he needed to take the magic examination to become a full-fledged adventurer. He thanked Sarah and then headed to the training area in the back to meet Zac.

When Arawn arrived at the training area, he saw someone standing in the centre of the room.

Arawn turned to face the person and. He was an elf tall and slender, with grey hair that was tied back in a ponytail. His piercing blue eyes were cold and calculating. He was wearing a long, flowing robe made of the finest materials, and a wand hung from his belt.

"You're Arawn, I presume?" the elf said in a callous tone. "My name is Zac."

Arawn was immediately put on edge by Zac's demeanour. He could tell that the elf was arrogant and dismissive. He also sensed that Zac was powerful, and he knew that he had to be careful.

Arawn nodded. "Yes, that's me," he said. "I'm here to take the magic examination."

Zac raised an eyebrow. "I see," he said. "Well, let's get started then."

Zac led Arawn to a secluded corner of the training area. He then cast a spell to create a barrier around them.

Before the magic examination, Zac first checked Arawn's mana core capacity. He brought out a staff with a large magical stone on top of it and asked Arawn to hold it.

"The staff will glow with different colours—red, orange, yellow, green, purple, blue, and white," Zac explained. "Lowest is red and highest is white. This is to show your mana purity and capacity."

Arawn reached out his hand and grabbed the staff. For a few moments after he did, a white light started to emit from the magical stone. But suddenly, the white light changed to black. Both Zac and Arawn were stunned by this. Then, the light changed back to white.

Zac looked at the staff with wonder. "I've never seen anything like this before," he said. "Your mana core is incredibly powerful, but there seems to be something strange about it."

"I don't know what it is," Arawn said.

Zac nodded. "Very well," he said. "Let's proceed with the magic examination."

Inside his head, Zac was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. He was curious about Arawn. He had never seen a mana core so powerful and pure, and he was intrigued by the strange black light that had emitted from it. But he was also cautious. He had to be careful not to underestimate Arawn. He had a feeling that the young man was capable of great things, but he also had a feeling that he was dangerous.

Zac decided that he would need to consult with the guild master about Arawn. He needed to know more about the young man's background and his abilities. He also needed to know if the guild master was aware of the strange black light that had come from Arawn's mana core.

Zac continued with the magic examination, but he was now even more focused on Arawn. He wanted to learn as much about him as he could. He knew that Arawn was special, and he wanted to make sure that the guild was prepared for whatever the future held for him.

Zac hands Arawn the four stones, and Arawn holds them in his hands. The firestone glows brightly, the Waterstone glows with a gentle blue light, the windstone swirls with a miniature whirlwind, and the earthstone hums with power.

Zac smiles. "You have a strong aptitude for all four elements," he says. "This is rare, most people only have 2 maximum attributes."

Zac then proceeds to teach Arawn a basic spell for each element: Fireball, Water Blast, Wind Gust, and Earth Wall.