It appeared nothing was moving in the room below him either which he was thankful for. He glanced around the room and saw nothing worth searching and decided to go ahead and work his way to the central hallway. When he reached the central hall, he started down it as well. This one seemed to be a similar length to the other two, but there was only one door on each side. That struck him as a little odd, but he went with it anyway.
The first door that came up was the one on his right. He gave the door a small push, and it swung open without an issue. Peering inside, he realized why there was only one door in this long hallway on each side. This room appeared to be a guest room of some kind. The first room looked to be a common area or a sitting room, and beyond it was a door on each side of the back wall. If his guess was right, those were going to be guest quarters. This place reminded him of the dorm rooms he had in his technical school for the U.S. Navy.
A glance around the front room showed nothing of interest was there unless he was planning on starting a fire. He moved and methodically checked the other two places in the back as well. Nothing was in either of them except for a couple of rotting bed frames and collapsed desks. He would have to give up on this side of the house and try the other. He walked back to the hallways and proceeded to open the other door. The sitting room was identical to the other side and just as barren. The room on the left had an odd sound coming from it that sounded like scratching again, so Arthur decided to quickly check the right before dealing with it.
Finding the right side empty, he nocked an arrow and pulled it back to prepare to fire. Pushing the door open showed another rat scavenging around the broken bed. He let loose the arrow and once again was given the satisfaction of a clean kill through the head. He guessed his archery wasn’t as rusty as he thought it was. He walked up to the rat to collect another tail and froze. What lay on the discarded bed was enough to give him pause and disturbed him a bit.
Chapter 7
The Haunted Mansion
Arthur froze. On the bed was the skeleton of what appeared to be a small person. He didn’t exactly have experience with skeletons, but this one couldn’t have belonged to someone older than ten. He couldn’t imagine what could have happened here for someone to have left a child this young on their own to die in this room. Shortly after that thought, he saw the bloodstain on the chest of the tattered clothing attached to the skeleton. It looked like someone may have killed this person. That thought just made him angry.
He walked up to the skeleton to get a closer look and to his surprise, found a small blade stuck in the ribcage of the remains. He picked it up and checked it.
Item:
Ornate Jeweled Dagger
Attack: 1-2
Durability: 15/35
Rarity: Common
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 1.0 kg
Slot: Main Hand/Off Hand
Traits: A decorative dagger inlaid with jewels.
The dagger didn’t look very useful, to be honest. The blade was rather dull, but it was clearly used to kill this child. There were even still bloodstains on the hilt. His anger seethed in him for this injustice. He wished he could do something about it, and just as that thought came, so did a notification.
Justice for the Slain I
Requirements: Level 5
Rewards: 800 experience
Description: You have found the skeleton of a murdered child in the abandoned manor. Find someone that can provide details about this murder to help find the culprit.
His anger cooled a little bit, seeing he had found another quest and better yet this quest was for precisely what he already wanted to do. With this quest, he decided to keep the dagger because it could provide clues to the murderer. He also noticed that the box the notification was in wasn’t blue like the last one had been. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was starting to suspect the quests had rarities just like items did.
He dropped this dagger into his bag and looked around some more. Nothing he saw piqued his interest in any way, so he decided that the tour of the upstairs was complete. He worked his way out of the room and back down the stairs to the main entrance. Now was the time to make a decision again. He figured the best option was to do it the same way as before, so he started with the door immediately to the right, when walking through the front door.
This was a hallway similar to the one upstairs, but it had eight rooms in it, and the doors were closer together. As Arthur made his way through each of them, he quickly realized why. The rooms were much smaller. If he had to guess, he would say they belonged to the people who kept the manor running. Cooks, gardeners, valets, and the like. They looked serviceable enough if you took away the years of rot. There was nothing of interest in this hallway, so he continued back to the main entrance.
He then proceeded to check the door on the left of the entryway. This door was a large double door. When he entered this room, it was a vast, open affair. It had the appearance of a formal ballroom. There was a large dining table in the center of it, but Arthur thought this room might have a different purpose as well. The floor in here was a smooth wooden floor instead of the rougher wood and rare stone he had seen in the rest of the house. If his guess was right, they probably hosted parties and dances here as well. The room had a large window toward the front of the house as well as on the side. The wall on his right had a single door on it that he proceeded to.
He opened this door and entered into what appeared to be a sitting room of some kind. Probably a study considering the bookshelves lining the walls. Most of what was on them looked brown and moldy. The books that he could make out looked like they might turn to dust if touched. Something about the room seemed off, though. The other side of the building all had pretty close to uniform places. Unless the space behind this one that branched off of the corridor near the stairs was also overly broad, then this room was not the correct size.
This thought immediately kicked off Arthur’s suspicion. He had seen enough crime-solving mysteries to begin to expect the age-old hidden room trick. The real problem was, would the usual cliches hold? This world could be very different in its approach. He started searching the bookshelves on the back wall. There really couldn’t be much of anything on the left or right walls. One would go directly outside and the other toward the adjacent hallway. They also looked to be the right distance away from the door compared to the previous room. It was the depth of the room that appeared off.
He carefully searched each bookshelf until he was in front of the one almost directly behind the remnants of an old rotten desk sitting in the middle of the room. He could swear there was a visible crack in the wall behind it that looked like one solid and straight seam. The wall itself was made of paneled wood, which was in oddly good condition, but all the end grains of the wood-lined up at this same spot. It would have been odd for them not to have been blended here otherwise.
Arthur decided to just go to the bookcase and use brute force on this section and pull it right off of the wall. The cabinet was rather well attached, and he had to struggle and pull hard. He heard a creak and what sounded like a faint pop, and then the resistance disappeared, and he stumbled back. Looking at the shelf, he realized it was still firmly attached to the wall, but the wall itself had opened. Looking around the backside of the wall, he saw this section of the wall was mounted on metal hinges and that a small metal lock appeared to have broken when he had pulled on the bookshelf.
Peeking into the room, he was in for a bit of a shock. The room itself was pretty well preserved. He wasn’t sure how, but the furniture here was still in serviceable order. To his surprise on the wall on the left was a sword hanging from a wooden wall mount. He walked to this first since it was the most obvious place to start. Picking up the sword, he was both surprised and disappointed.
Item:
Unknown Steel Longsword
Attack: ?
Durability: 55/75
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Cra
fted
Weight: 1.5 kg
Slot: Main Hand/Off Hand
Traits: An unknown magical longsword. Either use a skill to identify this item or find someone who can identify it for you to discover its potential.
It was great to finally have a sword but not much use if he didn’t know what it could do. Trying to take a few swings with it felt off as well. Every time he did, it felt like the sword was trying to slip from his grasp. He decided to hold onto it until he could find a use for it. He found the scabbard to it leaning against the back wall in the corner. He sheathed the sword and belted it around his waist.
He decided to check out the books next. He browsed through book after book and noticed a few that looked like odd writing at first, but then after looking for a bit, he could read them without any issues. Most appeared to be ordinary books on government and family history. Nothing he could see being important enough to hide in a secret room, but then four books over he found something intriguing. A book title had caught his eye.
Item:
Skillbook: Identify Magic
Durability: 45/55
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 0.5 kg
Traits: A Skillbook that will teach the Identify Magic skill. This skill allows the user to identify magical item’s characteristics.
Arthur couldn’t believe it. Could he have been lucky enough to find a skill book this early in the world? Not only that, but for Identify? Just the thing he truly needed for his new sword. He grabbed the book off the shelf and opened it. As soon as he looked at the open book, a notification appeared.
You have opened Skillbook: Identify Magic. Do you wish to consume this book to learn this ability? Yes/No.
Was it going to be that easy? He didn’t even need to actually read it but just absorb the knowledge. He immediately thought of Yes, but nothing happened. Odd, how was he supposed to select things in this world. Maybe there needed to be a bit of a safety measure in this. What would happen if you found something exciting and quickly decided to use it before being one hundred percent sure it was what you wanted. Maybe he needed to confirm it dually.
Arthur decided to focus on the word, Yes, in the notification and then softly said “Yes” out loud. The letters on the page started to cause a small vortex above the book, and the pages began flipping on their own, faster and faster, making the vortex grow larger. The tiny storm absorbed the contents of the book and entered his eyes as a flowing stream of text. He could see the letters as they flew in, but they registered only as nonsense. That did not bother him because his mind was working in overdrive, absorbing the book itself. After the vortex had disappeared, the book slammed shut and crumbled to dust in his hands. He heard a chime.
He ignored the chime, he was getting used to those and knew they typically meant he learned a skill. He would check on them later. He also remembered hearing one when he was fighting the rats outside. He wasn’t sure what that one was for, but this time he was pretty sure the reason was he had learned Identify Magic.
Arthur pulled the longsword out of its sheath and used Identify Magic on it. The skill seemed natural now that he had absorbed the details of its use.
Item:
Steel Longsword of Minor Beastslaying
Attack: 14-18
Durability: 55/75
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 1.5 kg
Slot: Main Hand/Off Hand
Traits: Longsword enchanted with the skill Beastslaying
● Beastslaying: Deals +3 damage against beasts.
Well, that was one hell of an upgrade. While he didn't have any training with a sword, swinging it around after he had identified it felt much more natural. If nothing else, he should be able to use it without hurting himself. He put the sword back in its sheath and decided to continue scouring the bookshelf.
He was coming close to the end of the books and was about ready to give up when one more book caught his eye.
Item:
Skillbook: Scan
Durability: 25/30
Rarity: Common
Quality: Good
Weight: 0.5 kg
Traits: A Skillbook that will teach the Scan skill. This skill allows the user to identify information about people and creatures.
It was a great skill to have, but it was rather odd that the book was listed as a low rarity item. Arthur didn’t imagine it was that easy to create Skillbooks much less to bother making one of common rarity. Either way, he opened this one up, and it followed the same pattern as the last. The vortex appeared with the swirl of letters and was all absorbed straight into his eyes. Once again, he instinctively knew how to use the skill, and the book crumbled to dust.
There was nothing to be seen on the adjacent wall, so he moved to the desk. The desk was a sturdy and functional design with two drawers on each side of the sitting area. Checking the two on the right contained some random papers which didn’t appear of interest. Opening the top drawer on the left side revealed a neat document with official-looking calligraphy and wax seals. Upon touching it, he received a prompt.
Patents of Nobility I
Requirements: Level 5
Rewards: 1000 experience, 1 silver coin, unknown rewards also possible.
Description: Dalia has asked you to infiltrate her family’s decrepit manor and recover items that could help prove her status among the gentry.
You have successfully fulfilled the required objectives. Do you wish to complete this quest now? Yes/No
That was odd. It asked Arthur if he wanted to complete the quest, which wasn’t abnormal. The strange part was he hadn’t delivered it to Dalia yet. Looking carefully at the description, though, it only said he had to find it not return it. He focused on Yes. He heard the beautiful sound of trumpets from gaining a level, and another window popped into his view.
Patents of Nobility II
Requirements: Level 5
Rewards: 800 experience, 5 silver coin, unknown rewards also possible.
Description: You have recovered the patent of nobility from the decrepit manor. You now have the option of claiming the title of nobility for yourself or honoring your original agreement with Dalia and returning it to her.
Do you wish to accept this quest? Yes/No
He quickly selected yes again. With the quest prompts cleared, he was finally able to study the document itself.
Item:
Patent of Nobility (Flamekissed)
Durability: 58/60
Rarity: Rare
Quality: Exceptional
Weight: 0.01 kg
Traits: A sealed and certified document used to proclaim nobility for the Flamekissed family.
Tucking the document into his bag, he decided to hold off on reviewing the notifications and alerts while still in here. Once he got out of here and closer to town, he could sort through all of them.
That last quest prompt was intriguing, though. Looking at the description, it seemed Arthur had a chance to change his outlook in life. It essentially meant he was able to claim the title himself, probably through deceit, instead of handing the patent over. The prospect of it was intriguing, and Dalia had never done anything for him.
That being said, he wasn’t sure he wanted that kind of attention this early. On the one hand, it could help him garner some favor and hopefully push his rather vague guidelines from the Goddess Lianna, but on the other, it could paint a target on his back way earlier than he was ready for. Based on how bad the situation is in this small town, he wasn’t sure he wanted that kind of attention on him yet. Arthur thought it might be more beneficial for him to turn it over to Dalia and keep close to her for the power draw he might need. She was somewhat open about her intentions for a reward.
Coming back to himself, he decided it was time to keep moving. Before he left, though, he decided to try the last drawer in the desk. Looking in the bottom drawer on the left, it was empty except for a small golden
ring with a red ruby in it. Picking up the ring, he saw what it was.
Item:
Delilah’s Cursed Ruby Ring
Durability: 28/30
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 0.2 kg
Slot: Finger
Traits: A cursed ring that once belonged to the mistress Delilah of the manor house. This ring cannot be warn without extreme penalties due to its cursed status.
● All primary attributes -5
That was bad news. The odd thing was that the color of the notification didn’t match the standard shade of green as the uncommon quality magic items he had found earlier. Instead, it matched the color of the quest prompt for the murder of the small child. Getting a bad feeling about this, he continued to examine the ring for a few moments and heard a shrill scream coming from the main entrance. The sound sent a chill up his spine and gave him goosebumps at the same time. He could feel an oppressive air around the place now. It was a sense of fear and dread settling onto him.
He decided to try and set the ring back in the drawer, hoping this would go away. To his disappointment, that oppressive feeling didn’t go away, so he picked the ring back up and put it in his bag. He decided it was time to face whatever hell he had woke up in the central area. There wasn’t any other way he could have exited, short of jumping out of a second-story window. While tempting, he decided against it. He crept back through the dining room and approached the entryway. The sight he saw on the other side of the door made his blood run cold.
Dravincia Page 7