Part 2: The Lands Shrouded in Mist

Survive till dawn without returning to the Skyblock.

Reward: 3 orbs of berserking mist, 2 credits

Bonus: ensure the survival of at least 80% of Rim Elm's population till morning.

Bonus Reward: Beastmaster Sphere Binding, 3 credits

Gil looked down at the red rectangle in his hands and sighed, the blue light of the portal pulsing as he considered his assignment. Snow had gotten dressed up, even fluffing out her hair to the best of her abilities, and was looking at him with eager hope.

"Yeesh." Gil said, "I'm sorry, Snow. You'll need to stay here. This world seems dangerous according to my sensors. I don't want to risk you getting hurt. If I can be sure it's safe, I'll be back for you. Okay?"

"Oh Pooh." Snow crossed her arms and pouted. "I was looking forward to it so much."

"I'm sorry." Gil assured her honestly. "Hopefully you'll be able to come visit for at least a few hours, but that won't be until tomorrow morning."

"I'll have everything as clean as a whistle by then." Snow assured him, "I really have gotten behind on things after I officially became your maid. You keep interrupting."

She giggled as he left, then went to work with a strip of cloth cut from her shift. That dented old pot still had some stubborn crusted on food, just as she'd feared. Pleasing Master Gilbert had been terribly distracting, and it had all dried well before she'd returned to it.

••••••••••

Gil stepped out onto a grassy plain, the sun high above him and a salty sea breeze blowing from the south to keep him pleasantly cool. He started his expedition by climbing a short hill and looking around, taking in his surroundings. The lands around him were mostly bereft of trees, instead having a lot of smaller plants and grasses.

To the north he could see a river in the distance, which fed into the ocean in the east. To the west the plains rolled into the distance until the field was cloaked in fog. Presumably the mist that his tablet referenced.

Gil saw a huge, blocky fortress to the south. High walls blocked his line of sight, broken up by a large, closed gate. Gil noted that they probably didn't get much trade, or they would probably have a bigger door. Then again, they might be a thriving port. He really needed to get behind the walls; he'd reached the limits of speculation. It was the only place Gil saw that could plausibly be Rim Elm, so if the Company wasn't fucking with him he needed to head south.

Gil walked straight towards the walled settlement at a relaxed, sustainable pace. It was deceptively far away, and Gil found his mind wandering. It wasn't anything of great value, just thoughts on what could possibly threaten walls this high. It would need to be something big, or flying. Maybe a naval threat? Then again, walls wouldn't help much with that.

Alas, he wasn't paying enough attention to his surroundings. An ambusher leapt from behind a bush, slashing at Gil with a wrist mounted claw weapon. The small, shirtless, mud colored humanoid whooped as he landed a long, shallow cut on Gil's side. Gil whipped his ax forward, swinging wildly in order to drive the goblin back. The creature's luminous yellow eyes watched warily.

Gil could feel the blood seeping from his side; it wasn't a bad injury, but blood loss put a timer on his strength. He rushed the violent little creature, who raised up a carved wooden buckler to defend itself. The heavy swing was caught square on the shield, but was heavy enough to jar the creature's shoulder badly. It howled in pain, and Gil didn't give it time to recover. He abandoned his ax, quickly drawing his dagger in a motion he'd practiced all week. The knife sunk deep into the creature's chest before Gil kicked it in the nuts and disengaged. He didn't want another slash to match the one on his side.

The goblin tried to run, but that just left it open to a knife in the back. After all, Gil's legs were longer. Once it was dead, Gil reluctantly made a bandage out of the creature's loincloth, applying pressure until it stopped bleeding and praying that he wouldn't get an infection. He searched the body, yanking off the boots and bladed bracer. He was not wearing it; the two spikes weren't particularly sharp, so these were essentially just very elaborate brass knuckles. He pocketed anything that had the remotest possibility of being valuable and continued on his way.

••••••••••

Gil hefted his ax and strolled up to the front gate. No need to be coy, especially when he had the shiny silver Seal of Peace on his ring finger. As he approached, he heard half of a shouted conversation.

"A strange man is coming."

"No, I don't see one."

"His clothes are strange. Simple tan fabric. I don't know. Maybe?"

"Greetings!" The man turned to look down at Gil from his perch atop the wall. "Who goes there?"

"Gilbert." Gil shouted back, "just a weary traveler."

"Well, the elder will want to meet you for sure." The watchman shook his head. "Where do you hail from? Is it a place free of the mist?"

"A faraway land, and I'm not sure. I haven't seen my home in many years." Gil answered evasively. "It's good your elder wishes to talk. I'm afraid I have grave news."

The gates opened, and a trio of lean, brown haired white guys escorted him through the town to speak with the elder. Gil took in the small town, feeling a faint melancholy. It seemed like a nice, peaceful sort of place. It was a shame that it was scheduled for a disaster so bad that an 80% survival rate could be considered an impressive stretch goal. The men escorting him had a certain uniformity to them, not to mention being all male, so he wasn't terribly interested in capturing any of them. He kept an eye out for unique women; in a town and world like this, any distinctive hot girl had a meaningful chance of being destined for greatness.

The town was full of people wearing a strange mix of homespun, furs, and post-industrial textiles. When they saw Gil, every single one of them gave him at least a second look. It seemed that Rim Elm didn't often host visitors. The houses were mostly simple one room huts, but Gil saw one colonial style two floor house at the foot of a hill. Based on the sign hanging over the door, it was the general store. Gil hoped he would be able to poke around there later; there were so many things he wanted to bring back to the skyblock, and you could learn a lot about a place from their shops.

Rim Elm was a terraced town, forming a loose spiral around some kind of pit in the center. Gil looked down past the guard rail and saw a surprisingly modern looking town square at the center of the spiral, with park benches and a square sign listing the park rules. Cobblestones circled a strange leafless tree, which seemed to be made of a slightly reflective green substance. It's thick, stubby branches reached up into the sky, while its roots poked up through broken cobblestones. If not for the roots, Gil might have assumed it to be some kind of odd sculpture.

_So… post apocalyptic? That tree could be alien technology or something. _Gil thought, The mist is probably important somehow. My app referred to this whole plane as The Lands Shrouded in Mist.

They passed near the beach, where the gravel shoreline started, before turning around and climbing a hill to a large building made of three huts connected by walled walkways. Gil noted a man in a red gi sparring with a blue haired young man with a vest. The hair color alone would have marked the younger man as potentially important, but the fact that he was actively training in unarmed combat made him unusual. People in cheap company worlds rarely had hobbies unless they were based on an important character. He needed to visit the beach today. Then again, he was a guy…