I messed up. I really screwed up. On my way to find Tio, I took several wrong turns, wasted many minutes to hours trying to get back on track, and even confused one target with another as there are several adventures whom matches the description of the kidnapper. It didn't help that the grasshopper golem's faint glow was fading. At this rate, it will be almost impossible to find Tio.
It's almost dusk as I keep walking in the direction I think Tio's kidnapper is heading. I'm tired, but I have to keep going. There's no animal I can ride here. I have ridden the tiger, the wolf, and even the elephant, but they only take me for a while before they move on. I wanted to find another big animal to ride, but there are only wild cats and dogs here.
Thirsty. Hungry. Tired. Confused. I need some rest. I still have mana to spend, but my body is getting even more tired. The only thing that keeps me going is that I wanted to save Tio. I couldn't believe I had made it this far.
"Village... A village! Thank goodness!" [Diana]
I was seriously thinking of camping somewhere in the forest for the night, taking a short rest before continuing my mission to find Tio, but resting in a village is even better. I'm not worried about the wild animals if I camp. I'm more worried about bandits and monsters. Keeping my guard up all the time is tiring.
The village guard greets me, and judging by his appearance, he's a villager here. He greeted me like a he would to any other noble, and when I asked him about suspicious wagons and explained the situation, he gave me some clues. He said that there's an adventurer who seems to be in a hurry, heading for a land called Gastrium.
He helped me further by leading me to the local inn. I don't sense any malicious intent on his part, and he seems genuinely concerned about me. I thank him before going to the inn's counter and greeting the old demon granny
"Diana Vars. What a sweet little lady" (What is the little sister of the heroes doing here?).
"Can I rest here until midnight? You see, I came to look for my friend. She's been kidnapped" [Diana].
"Hmm... Can you tell me more about it?"
The Granny Demon, with wrinkles all over her face, begins to listen to my story. I tell her why I think Tio was kidnapped and even show her the Grasshopper Golem. She seems to understand the situation.
"Is it Valdrid... No, it couldn't be. He's a good boy after all".
"Valdrid?" [Diana]
"It's nothing. Your description could be any adventure from Gastrium"
"Why did you and the guard say the same thing?" [Diana]
According to the granny, the closest country to be reached on this road is Gastrium. If you dared to travel non-stop, it would be possible to reach Gastrium in two days. The fact that I was able to make it that far to the village by nightfall is impressive, according to the granny. Second, there's been a lot of adventurers and mercenaries coming from Gastrium lately. Of course, there are some from even further away, but unless there's something really urgent, they usually take their time traveling to conserve their supplies.
"Is there anyone from Gastrium staying at this inn or in the village right now?" [Diana].
"You wanted to see if your friend was here or not. Understandable, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."
"Why is that?" [Diana]
"If I were a kidnapper, would I really risk staying in a village?"
"I see... That makes sense... Tio... Tio..." [Diana]
"But it wouldn't hurt. Come, I will help you" (And in the meantime, better send a carrier pigeon to Madam Eisheth about this little lady's arrival)
It may be out of pity, but she helped me search for Tio in this village. It would be best if Tio were really here, but as the demon grandmother said, it's unlikely.
"Thank you... Can I order something before I leave?" [Diana]
"What... Am I hearing things, or do you really want to go out and look for your friend at night?"
"I don't want her to suffer like I did!" [Diana]
"Sigh... You're acting way too hastily. First of all, you're obviously tired, even if you find your friends, how are you going to help her?"
"Well..." (I can just ask the forest or use my blessing, but, better not tell her) [Diana]
"Second, I might be old, so my vision is a little blurry, but judging by the glow of your friend's grasshopper golem, the kidnapper is resting as well. See, its glow has stayed the same throughout your time here."
"You... You are right!" [Diana]
"Third, there's no way I'm going to let a young lady out in the middle of the night! Even if you don't have any money, I'll still take you in, so just rest for tonight"
"But..." [Diana]
"If you're that worried, then I'll only allow you to leave at dawn, accompanied by some of our guards"
I don't think what Granny said is wrong, but my heart still couldn't accept it.
"Alright... But I'll leave at dawn" [Diana].
"Good" (Thank goodness, or else the knights will have to look for two nobles instead of just one)
"How much for one night?" [Diana]
"That's fine. I'll just send the bill to your house later"
"But I can pay" [Diana].
"And tell me, how will you pay when you get to Gastrium? Is there someone you know there? What will you eat? Have you thought about that?"
"..." (If I say no, will she scold me?) [Diana]
"Just order some food and drink first. I'll prepare your room"
"Thank you, Demon Granny! You look tough, but you're a softie inside!" [Diana]
"Cheeky" (I guess the rumor about her being cheeky and careless is true. I'm glad she decided to listen to me, but I better make sure she doesn't do anything reckless like go out alone in the middle of the night)
I messed up. I really screwed up. On my way to find Tio, I took several wrong turns, wasted many minutes to hours trying to get back on track, and even confused one target with another as there are several adventures whom matches the description of the kidnapper. It didn't help that the grasshopper golem's faint glow was fading. At this rate, it will be almost impossible to find Tio.
It's almost dusk as I keep walking in the direction I think Tio's kidnapper is heading. I'm tired, but I have to keep going. There's no animal I can ride here. I have ridden the tiger, the wolf, and even the elephant, but they only take me for a while before they move on. I wanted to find another big animal to ride, but there are only wild cats and dogs here.
Thirsty. Hungry. Tired. Confused. I need some rest. I still have mana to spend, but my body is getting even more tired. The only thing that keeps me going is that I wanted to save Tio. I couldn't believe I had made it this far.
"Village... A village! Thank goodness!" [Diana]
I was seriously thinking of camping somewhere in the forest for the night, taking a short rest before continuing my mission to find Tio, but resting in a village is even better. I'm not worried about the wild animals if I camp. I'm more worried about bandits and monsters. Keeping my guard up all the time is tiring.
The village guard greets me, and judging by his appearance, he's a villager here. He greeted me like a he would to any other noble, and when I asked him about suspicious wagons and explained the situation, he gave me some clues. He said that there's an adventurer who seems to be in a hurry, heading for a land called Gastrium.
He helped me further by leading me to the local inn. I don't sense any malicious intent on his part, and he seems genuinely concerned about me. I thank him before going to the inn's counter and greeting the old demon granny
"Diana Vars. What a sweet little lady" (What is the little sister of the heroes doing here?).
"Can I rest here until midnight? You see, I came to look for my friend. She's been kidnapped" [Diana].
"Hmm... Can you tell me more about it?"
The Granny Demon, with wrinkles all over her face, begins to listen to my story. I tell her why I think Tio was kidnapped and even show her the Grasshopper Golem. She seems to understand the situation.
"Is it Valdrid... No, it couldn't be. He's a good boy after all".
"Valdrid?" [Diana]
"It's nothing. Your description could be any adventure from Gastrium"
"Why did you and the guard say the same thing?" [Diana]
According to the granny, the closest country to be reached on this road is Gastrium. If you dared to travel non-stop, it would be possible to reach Gastrium in two days. The fact that I was able to make it that far to the village by nightfall is impressive, according to the granny. Second, there's been a lot of adventurers and mercenaries coming from Gastrium lately. Of course, there are some from even further away, but unless there's something really urgent, they usually take their time traveling to conserve their supplies.
"Is there anyone from Gastrium staying at this inn or in the village right now?" [Diana].
"You wanted to see if your friend was here or not. Understandable, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."
"Why is that?" [Diana]
"If I were a kidnapper, would I really risk staying in a village?"
"I see... That makes sense... Tio... Tio..." [Diana]
"But it wouldn't hurt. Come, I will help you" (And in the meantime, better send a carrier pigeon to Madam Eisheth about this little lady's arrival)
It may be out of pity, but she helped me search for Tio in this village. It would be best if Tio were really here, but as the demon grandmother said, it's unlikely.
"Thank you... Can I order something before I leave?" [Diana]
"What... Am I hearing things, or do you really want to go out and look for your friend at night?"
"I don't want her to suffer like I did!" [Diana]
"Sigh... You're acting way too hastily. First of all, you're obviously tired, even if you find your friends, how are you going to help her?"
"Well..." (I can just ask the forest or use my blessing, but, better not tell her) [Diana]
"Second, I might be old, so my vision is a little blurry, but judging by the glow of your friend's grasshopper golem, the kidnapper is resting as well. See, its glow has stayed the same throughout your time here."
"You... You are right!" [Diana]
"Third, there's no way I'm going to let a young lady out in the middle of the night! Even if you don't have any money, I'll still take you in, so just rest for tonight"
"But..." [Diana]
"If you're that worried, then I'll only allow you to leave at dawn, accompanied by some of our guards"
I don't think what Granny said is wrong, but my heart still couldn't accept it.
"Alright... But I'll leave at dawn" [Diana].
"Good" (Thank goodness, or else the knights will have to look for two nobles instead of just one)
"How much for one night?" [Diana]
"That's fine. I'll just send the bill to your house later"
"But I can pay" [Diana].
"And tell me, how will you pay when you get to Gastrium? Is there someone you know there? What will you eat? Have you thought about that?"
"..." (If I say no, will she scold me?) [Diana]
"Just order some food and drink first. I'll prepare your room"
"Thank you, Demon Granny! You look tough, but you're a softie inside!" [Diana]
"Cheeky" (I guess the rumor about her being cheeky and careless is true. I'm glad she decided to listen to me, but I better make sure she doesn't do anything reckless like go out alone in the middle of the night)
