9 Chapter 8: The Fifth Dungeon
In Kishikage City, there was a ceremony conducted for new ninjas. The fighters will receive a scroll as a certificate for their third-tier jobs.
"Congratulations!", Aya Hanabishi, a female ninja greeted Gin.
"For what?", he replied.
"For becoming a ninja for just a month! You're so great in all the examinations", Aya said.
"I know I'm better in physical exams, but I doubt the intellectual part, a nasty scheme was probably plotted that's why I instantly became a ninja, what do you think?", Gin blurted, looking suspiciously at Aya.
"Uh, why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I did it because I want to be with you—", Aya replied, blushing.
"Hey! I already have someone in my mind, stop fantasizing", Gin said.
"What?!, I mean, what are you talking about? I just want to be in a team with you, because you're a really good fighter", Aya responded, feeling embarrassed.
"Find your own team, I don't want to share my role with others", Gin said, walking away from her.
Meanwhile, in Olivet Hills, Sachi bid farewell to everyone to return to the palace. While walking on the dirt road, an adult stranger approached her.
"Are you from Olivet? I'm heading to the Merchant's Town", an adult man said, offering his empty cart.
Sachi accepted the offer, mounted the cart and had a conversation with him.
"Are you Mister Gerard? The one who always help people from my village", Sachi asked.
"Yes, my wife belonged to that village, she said show my love to her to the people in Olivet Hills", he replied.
"Where is she now?"
"She's already dead, our baby was taken by a troll, I hate to admit but I can't do anything since I'm just a merchant and that time too, you cannot get a job that you wanted since acquiring such was always based on your clan history", the man said.
"But now, I'm too old to get a job, and I decided to spend my remaining days by showing my love to my wife", he added.
"What if your baby was still alive?", Sachi asked.
"Then she will be a pretty girl like you, probably eighteen-years old by now", the man uttered.
"How I wish I was, but it could also be possibility since I lost my memories", Sachi replied.
"Then you can treat me as your father if it will make you feel better",Gerard responded.
Before the sun sets, Sachi and the Merchant Gerard reached the Merchant's Town. Some vendors are already packing up their things to close their store.
"There's a lot of inn out there for about 100Gonds per day, be sure to stay indoors at night", Gerard said.
"How about you ? Father", Sachi replied shyly.
"I'm staying at my seed store, you can stop by tomorrow", Gerard said, patting her head.
Sachi walked around the town to find an inn, when the crowd suddenly make way to an incoming royal palanquin. The people are gossiping who was inside it while Sachi was not interested. She just wanted to look for a place to stay, however, she was forced to halt for a while due to a lot of people that blocked her way. When the royal palanquin passed smoothly on the main road of the town, the crowd depleted little by little. Just then, Sachi saw Gin on the opposite side. Their eyes meet for a few seconds, but Sachi withdrawn immediately and focus on finding an inn. Apparently, Aya, who was stalking Gin, witnessed the eye contact of the two.
"Eh? What was that, why he looked at her that way?! hmp", Aya said to herself.
Finally, Sachi has chosen the Pannotia Inn to spend the night, which is just twenty blocks away from the seed store of Gerard. Inside the tavern, a lot of travelers with their own party gathered in each table while Sachi occupied an empty sit by herself. It was getting darker outside when a strange man cried for help. Everyone peek on the glass window and find out that the man was with a struggling pregnant woman. Sachi could not understand why everyone was not moving out to help, so she went to the door to go outside, but the inn's owner stopped her.
"What do you think you're doing?!", the female owner said.
"They need help, what's the matter with all of you?", Sachi replied.
"We are not allowed to go outside at night, the dungeons are open at this hour, I will not sacrifice myself and everyone here for the two outside!", the owner exclaimed.
"We can make it if we help each other, I'm a servant, I can support any damager, please?", Sachi said, looking at everybody. However, no one dared to help her.
"What a nuisance, newbies are always so full of themselves, if we go out there this town will be doomed by tomorrow!", Aya butted in.
"Then what's the use of your job if you're scared to help others? There are some people out there who wasn't given the chance to protect the people they care and here we are gathered inside while having that kind of privelage put to waste", Sachi argued.
Just then, the door of the inn collapsed, and then Gin appeared while carrying the pregnant woman.
"Give way! This woman is about to give birth, Sachi prepare to aid her", Gin said.
He put the woman in a room upstairs and leave everything to Sachi. He went outside again to guard the inn for possible monster attacks.
"What are you doing?!", Aya asked.
"I'm doing what I need to do for my quest", Gin said.
"What quest?"
"Gathering thick hair from trolls", Gin replied.
"So you took that pregnant woman here as a bait for the troll? Whew, I thought you did it for that girl", Aya uttered.
"Shhh! They're here", Gin said.
About five trolls started to lurk around the town and headed to Pannotia inn. They almost reached the entrance of the pub when they suddenly retreated.
"Huh? What happened?", Gin uttered to himself.
He immediately went to the room where the woman was and asked about her delivery status to Sachi.
"How was she?", Gin asked.
"It was a success! She gave birth to a lovely baby girl", Sachi replied.
"Baby girl, hmm", Gin responded, thinking about the trolls a while ago. "There was a baby but the trolls did not make a move, why is it so?", he thought.
"I heard you were taking a quest, about gathering thick hairs", Sachi blurted.
"Did Aya told you that?", Gin said.
"Yes, she suddenly went to me and said that I shouldn't think that you helped them for me", Sachi replied.
"I really did it for you, and now you just proved them that you're right", Gin uttered and left the room.
"Wait—can I?", Sachi blurted.
"Come, let's go", Gin said.
Gin and Sachi made a party for the thick hair quest. They instantly arrived in Trollskogen Forest using a teleportation scroll dropped by a Tokoloshe.
Trollskogen Forest consist of lichen-covered pines deformed by the wind. The fifth dungeon is located at the center of the forest where a Troll, Tokoloshe and Bigfoot can be found.
"Stay behind me—Eh?!", Gin uttered, looking at Sachi who walked ahead of him.
"Wait, aren't you scared?", Gin asked her.
"I'm not afraid of them, I know they don't kill humans, they are just after the babies", Sachi replied.
"So you already knew, but how? These monsters are for third-tier jobs"
"Father told me about this earlier"
"Father?! Do you remember everything now?", Gin asked.
"I don't, and also he is not my biological father, I'll introduce you to him after this quest", Sachi said.
Trolls are human-like hideous hairy beasts with big noses and rotten teeth. Their rough skin are so tough that only a sharp weapon from selected jobs can slay them. They do not kill humans but if they feel the need to defend themselves, they use magic tricks for counterattack. Whenever the fifth dungeon opens, they will raid any village to steal a baby to use as a slave by transforming them to a Tokoloshe.
When a baby is successfully stolen, the trolls will sprinkle a magic powder to disfigure the baby to a horrific look. The head will enlarged in a shriveled form, the fingers will grow longer with broken blunted nails and the ears will become pointed. The trolls will remove the eyes, ripped the tongue out and suck out the brain by burning a hole in the skull with a hot poker, this ritual will ensure that the Tokoloshe will follow the their command. The Tokoloshes are famous for being hunted by the travelers as it drops the teleportation scroll for Trollskogen Forest if successfully slayed.
The last monster inhabiting the forest is the Bigfoot, it is a huge hairy beast with gigantic hands and feet. They are responsible for leaving huge footprints on the ground, where they are believed to be the faithful animal companions of the trolls.
Just then, while Gin and Sachi searched for the dungeon, the rain suddenly started to fall.
