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Red's Hold II

~~~(POV: Justin Xander)~~~

~~~(Location: Flying, Approaching Red's Hold, Aeternitatem Genesis)~~~

~~~(Day, Date, Time: Sunday, April 14th, 2:07 PM PST)~~~

~~~(Current Age: 19 Years)~~~

In a short distance, I see a large fortress. It's slightly crumbling from unregulated maintenance. Being under the ownership of bandits will do that to you. Instead of exposing myself and letting them know someone is flying around, I guide Roughtail to the ground.

Gently landing in a small opening of the forest's canopy. After landing, I hear the rhythmic sound of flowing water. I move away from Roughtail, but he follows me slightly. After tracking the sound, I find a stream of water. Perfect, since Roughtail will need water.

As if reading my mind, he walks up beside me. Dipping his eagle-like beak into the water and taking a few swigs. I run my hand down his shoulder as he gets the cool water.

"Thanks for bringing me this far. You've done a great job."

After getting the needed water, he lifts his head and looks at me. Now is when I remember the Griffin food the stable owner gave me for this trip. I quickly open my inventory and pull out one of the sacks. His eyes immediately dart to it.

The second I open the sack, he dives his head into the bag. Grains and dried meat funnily fly out of the bag from his action. A small laugh leaves my lips.

"Get your fill. I don't know how long this will take, so you could be waiting here for a few hours. You okay with that?"

He takes his head out of the sack, and grains and meat hang from different parts of his beak. There is a moment of no movement, and then I observe him lower his head in a small and subtle bow.

I smile and funnel my fingers through the feathers on his head. He enjoys the feeling as he closes his eyes. After another second, I pull away. I gently lay the sack open on the ground about 15 feet away from the stream of water.

"I'll leave this here for you. If I'm not back by nightfall, head home. Alright?"

There are around six hours before the sun starts setting. That should be more than enough time for me to get the majority of this quest finished. In my words, Roughtail acknowledges this.

He understands, I hope.

Thanks to the map in my head, I turn in the direction I know (Red's Hold) to be. In my short travel through the forest, I hear the sounds of clashing swords and laughter. It sounds like they're having a party or a good time.

After a few minutes, I reach the giant walls of (Red's Hold) and see there is no way I'm getting in this way.

I don't think walking through the front door should be my first option. Especially since I don't know what I'm walking into. Looking like I'm doing this the long way. I spend around 45 minutes circling the large fortress.

Eventually, I find a small back door leading into one of the connected towers running through the wall to the ground. Instead of grabbing hold of the handle and opening it, I take this chance to use (EoC) for checking traps.

---[Wooden Door]---

[Abnormal status detected!]

[This wooden door is enchanted with an (Alarm) spell. If the correct password isn't said out loud before attempting to open, the caster of the spell will be alerted.]

[Info: A regular wooden door you'd find anywhere worldwide.]

[EoC bonus info: Getting around an (Alarm) spell is challenging. However, breaking the location of the Seal will disable the (Alarm.) Allowing safe passage and undetection.]

I slightly widen my eyes as I read the information. This information tells me someone can cast magic in (Red's Hold.) I don't know jack and shit about magic in AG yet, so whether they're powerful or not is unknown.

"Find the seal, huh..."

I look up and down the side of the door that I can see. As I do, I notice a slight glow from inside the lock. It's subtle and small. It's the only thing I see out of place, so I pull out (Monument of Sin.)

A small breath enters my lungs as I shift my legs into an attacking stance. I pull my arms back as I hold my creation and shove the blade's tip through the lock. Slicing through it like paper. The door swings open as I pull my sword back.

---[Alarm spell successfully disabled!]---

I get a notification on my Interface as I watch the door. I'm assuming I'm being told this thanks to (EoC,) but I can't be sure. Maybe AG has a feature that tells you when you disable something. I'll have to test that out more later.

Now that I have a way inside undetected, I walk through the door and immediately look around. What I see is a dusty hallway that leads in two directions. Following the walls, they're built into.

Since there aren't any enemies around, I sheath (Monument of Sin) and begin walking down the hallway heading in the Northern direction. 

"Before I start fighting a bunch of bandits, it'd be smart to figure out how many I'm up against. My priority is finding a way up into the fortress and getting an overhead view."

At this point, I've been gone for almost an hour since I told Roughtail to leave without me if I'm not back by nightfall. I've still got five hours. So, no need to rush this and fumble a chance to make this quest easier.

After a few minutes of walking down the hallway, I find a ladder that leads higher into the fortress. I doubt they'd (Alarm) a ladder, so I don't bother checking. I begin climbing up and come to a trapdoor at the top.

"Be ready for a fight..."

Talking to myself is a habit I don't think I'll ever get rid of. I push against the trapdoor and open it just enough to peek outside into the nearby surroundings. What I see is a small room filled with sacks and crates.

I don't notice anyone inside, and the door leading into this room is closed. However, I hear muffled voices coming from the other side of the door. I can't tell how far away they are from it, though. I push the trapdoor open and ensure it doesn't make a sound.

Once I climb out and stand up, I take this moment to use (EoC) on all the sacks and crates here. However, this is a storeroom for the bandits' food. Nothing of real value is in here.

I'm getting deeper into the fortress, and enemies are nearby. Now, I must stay on my toes and remain cautious. I walk to the door and look outside at the small metal bars near the top middle.

What I see are two bandits talking to each other as they stand next to a table. They look and point at different parts of what looks like a large map. They don't notice me and seem engrossed in whatever they're dealing with.

Not wasting this chance to get some information, I use (EoC) on the first bandit.

---[NPC Information]---

[Jeroy Marrida] [Lvl. 32]

[HP: 320] [STM: 270] [MP: 1020]

[Class: Apprentice Mage (Common)] [Nobility: N/A]

[Tier: 0]

[Age: 24 Years]

[Click here for stats and skill list.]

[Click here to see inventory and equipped items.]

[Info: Jeroy Marrida is a common bandit and novice mage. He ran away from his studies due to his inability to learn advanced concepts needed to improve magical control. Now, he uses his basic magic abilities to rob and kill people.]

[EoC Bonus Info: Jeroy Marrida is a nobody who will be forgotten when he dies. However, he does have intimate knowledge of (Red's Hold) and the important people here.]

His inventory contains nothing of value. But if I want information about this place, this is the guy I should ask. Taking on these two guys will be easy. One attack from (Monument of Sin) will kill them both.

I lower my head out of view through the small metal bars. It's not like I can leave this room without them seeing or noticing me. So, I need to decide if I'm charging out of this room and killing the stray bandit while I interrogate Jeroy or lure them closer and ambush them.

An ambush would be a great way to catch them both off guard. All I have to do is find out what I want to do to ambush. Actually, a trick that Blake taught me when we used to play together comes to mind.

I open my inventory and pull out a single Copper coin. I can drop this out of the metal bars and lure them to the door with the sound. They'll be curious and check it out.

At least, that's what I hope will happen. Nothing is certain when it comes to the thinking and feelings of NPCs. They might be smart enough to get back up or question it. But I doubt it. Bandits are stupid most of the time.

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