Chapter 83: The Quests 1

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: The Quests 1

The morning was strangely quiet for Arin, and not because of the nightmare.

He’d fallen asleep again after his little chat with Arene, and upon waking up, the feeling was gone. Not gone entirely, but it no longer sat heavily on his chest. It was more like a faint pressure behind his ribs, easy to ignore if he didn’t think about it. He stood up from his bed and exited his room.

The land of the Elves was very serene, indeed. The morning mist had not yet left the forest floor, hanging low between the ancient roots like a thin veil. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in golden shafts, falling on the settlement that was slowly coming back to life. The damage was still there - he could see it everywhere - but it was less stark than yesterday.

The settlement had mostly cleared away the remnants of the Chimera attack and were currently fixing up several structures, putting back together the broken wall and more aside from the battle grounds that were being cleared. Elves moved with practiced efficiency, carrying planks of pale wood, hauling stone, weaving mana into half-collapsed barriers to hold them until they could be properly rebuilt. Children ran between the workers, carrying water skins that were almost as big as they were. Somewhere near the center, he could hear Eldran’s calm voice giving orders, and Mira’s laugh as she helped Saira lift a beam that should have taken three people.

Arin watched them for a few minutes before heading towards the open space just outside of the settlement. He needed air. He needed to move.

He barely took a couple steps before Arene spoke up inside his mind.

"You’re awake."

"That was obvious," Arin said, not bothering to lower his voice since no one was close enough to hear him talking to himself.

"I was being polite."

Arin smirked. "Since when are you polite?"

"I can be."

"Sometimes."

"Arin."

"Fine, you’re extremely polite."

Arene sighed, that long-suffering sigh she had perfected over the last few weeks. Arin continued towards the open space, and almost immediately paused. There was a very faint System notification in front of him, pulsing gently at the edge of his vision for his eyes only. It wasn’t urgent like a combat warning. It was patient.

He stopped and a familiar translucent window appeared in front of him.

[Quest System]

[Available Quests: 3]

Arin arched a brow.

"More quests?" he muttered.

Arene seemed amused. "You’re surprised?"

"Actually, yeah," Arin replied. "Because the last quest you gave me was finding the missing scouts, and that was a mess."

Arene paused. "I didn’t give it to you."

Arin smirked. "Right, you interpreted it."

"Correct."

Arene looked back at the window - or at least, Arin felt her attention shift to it. "So these are new quests?"

"Yes."

Arin tapped on the space in front of him and the first window expanded, the text sharpening into focus.

[Quest 1]

[Name: Forest Cleanup]

[Objective: Eliminate the remaining monsters threatening the northern forest and ensure the surrounding area is safe.]

[Reward: Elemental Manipulation]

Arin’s eyes widened.

"Elemental Manipulation?"

Arene quickly replied, "That is what it says."

"I know what it says, I’m asking what it means."

Arene chuckled, and Arin could almost hear the smugness. "You should probably read the name again."

Arin rolled his eyes. "Arene!"

"Elemental Manipulation would allow you to manipulate elemental forces after gaining access to the ability," she said, finally giving him a straight answer.

Arin was instantly interested. The northern forest was still smoking from yesterday. The Chimeras had driven out or killed a lot of the native creatures, but the System said there were still monsters threatening the area. That meant stragglers. Wounded Chimeras. Or something that had moved in after they left.

"Fire?" he asked.

"Among others."

"Water?"

"Potentially."

"Earth?"

"Yes."

"Wind?"

"Yes."

Arin looked back at the reward. "That sounds useful. Really useful. If I can combine that with Dungeon Manipulation, I could... I could actually shape a battlefield however I want."

"It would be," Arene agreed. "It would also give you options that do not rely entirely on physical reinforcement or mana barriers. A more complete combat style."

Arin tapped on the second quest, his heart beating a little faster.

[Quest 2]

[Name: Monster Threat]

[Objective: Eliminate the monster responsible for attacks in the western forest.]

[Reward: Monster Creation and Control]

Arin’s eyes widened even further this time.

"Wait."

Arene reread the text, her voice losing some of its playful edge. "Monster Creation and Control?"

"Right," Arin said quietly. "This is one of the abilities that was restricted on my System."

Arene’s tone became serious. "It is related to Monster Management, yes. It was locked behind your Dungeon Master progression. The System deemed you... unready."

Arin stared at the reward. Until now, Monster Management had been restricted, greyed out in his status window no matter how many times he tapped it. He remembered the description: The authority to birth, raise, and command monsters within your domain. As a Dungeon Master, that ability seemed like a must. It wasn’t really a skill per se, but it was something else entirely that came with being a Dungeon Master. It was authority. True authority. If he could create monsters loyal to him, if he could control the wild ones that roamed the forest instead of just killing them, his entire way of fighting would change.

"It feels different," he said. "The other one feels like I would be learning a new trick. This one feels like I would be reclaiming something that was already mine."

"Because you would be," Arene said softly.

Arin tapped on the third quest before he could get too lost in that thought.

[Quest 3]

[Name: Corrupted Territory]

[Objective: Investigate the signs of corruption within the southern forest and remove the source of the disturbance.]

[Reward: Lesser Corruption Resistance]

Arin’s expression changed instantly. The lightness left his face.

"Corruption."

Arene was quiet for a moment. "Yes."

"Is this related to the Chimeras? Or... to what Caelan was doing?" Arin remembered the strange dark energy that had flowed toward Caelan during the battle, the way the air itself had felt sick.

"I don’t know."

Arin reread the objective. "And you can’t tell? You could sense the Chimeras before."

"No," Arene said. "This is not something the System is giving me details on. It is only giving you a direction. South. And the word corruption. It could be residual Chimera blood. It could be something else entirely. Something older."

Once again, Arin was greeted with that answer, and once again, he sighed. "Fine."

Arin looked between the three quests again, letting them float side by side in his vision. Elemental Manipulation, Monster Creation and Control, and Lesser Corruption Resistance. Each one was useful in its own right, but useful in completely different ways. One made him a better mage. One made him a better Dungeon Master. One might keep him alive when he faced something he didn’t understand.

Arin crossed his arms. "Now, which one do I take?"

Arene didn’t answer right away, which was strange for her. Usually she would at least give him an explanation instead of an answer, but she remained quiet regardless.

"What?"

"I cannot choose for you."

"Alright, I know that. Then why did you ask?"

"Because sometimes I like hearing what you think," she said, and Arin could tell she was being honest.

Arene fell silent again, but eventually spoke up. "I think all three are valuable."

"That’s not helpful."

"I wasn’t finished."

Arin waited while Arene replied, her voice taking on that lecturing tone she used when she was trying to be Eldran.