A day had passed
The caravan had already crossed the first village, and with soldiers on high alert, he missed the first escape point.
Not that it mattered—escaping at the first point was notoriously difficult. In his playthroughs, he had always preferred the third or fourth escape point. Those camp were far less guarded, making escape much easier.
'But the spies?'
Ever since he overheard them, paranoia crept in. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
From the way they spoke, Centuria's ambush was already in motion. That meant someone high-ranking—someone with access to the caravan's route—was leaking information
By the end of the day, the refugee caravan reached the second major village, close to the first. The soldiers resupplied and set up camp just outside the village perimeter.
Arlen, as usual, found himself lying on the grass, eyes fixed on the star-scattered sky. Each passing day made him feel more uneasy—an ominous chill crept under his skin, one that instinctively told him something was coming.
"Hey! Little lad!" a deep, gravelly voice called out, followed by a firm pat on his back.
Startled, Arlen turned to see a middle-aged man with a weathered face and a scruffy beard, dressed in a worn leather jacket. He was holding a bottle and smelled faintly of alcohol.
"Who...?" Arlen blinked.
"Oh, me? Name's Abel," the man said with a wide grin. "Saw you starin' at the sky all day like you're waitin' for something to fall outta it."
Arlen gave a stiff nod, unsure how to respond.
"So, where you from, lad?"
"Marshwood," he muttered, hoping the man would leave him alone.
"Marshwood, huh?" Abel's expression turned solemn for a moment. "Heard that place got wiped out by those Centuria dogs. I'm sorry."
"Yeah…" Arlen lowered his gaze and sighed.
Abel took a swig from his bottle, then leaned in a little. "Don't let it weigh you down too much. This caravan's in good hands. We're under the watch of Kaius Greyroad, you know—the disciple of the Fifth Commander himself."
Arlen forced a nod, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
"Don't believe me, eh?" Abel chuckled. "I've seen him fight once. That man can swing a halberd like it's made of feathers. They say he once killed a rock bear with a single strike."
"A rock bear?" Arlen raised an eyebrow.
"I swear on my life." Abel slapped his chest with pride. "Biggest damn beast I've ever seen—stone-plated hide and claws like sickles."
Arlen managed a small smile.
Abel took another swig from his bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Haah… hits the spot every time." He looked at Arlen with a grin. "Smile more, you cheeky lad. The world ain't all misery."
With a casual wave, the drunken man stumbled off, humming to himself and fading into the shadows.
Up until now. Arlen chose to ignore the signs from Abel. Now he couldn't no longer just ignore him.
"Of course, no random person would just come up and talk!!!"
The drunken man had a faint red glow surrounding him.
A character glowing red just meant one thing.
It was a Unique scenario NPC.
Somehow there was unique scenario in his character quest.
Triggering the Unique scenario was one thing but actually completing it while surviving was another thing.
More time had passed and the things started to change as they were heading towards the third village en route to Felrod.
There were a few ambushes from roaming monsters along the route started. The Melrose soldiers under the command of Kaius, quickly defeated them. There was no significant damage to the caravan apart from a handful of minor injuries.
Most of the attacks were from the Ripper Wolves.
It was definitely odd since Ripper wolves don't live close to human settlements or where there was human activity like roads. The ambush attacks of the Ripper wolves happened mostly on roads.
The frequency of the attacks went up as they made their way to the third village.
Ripper wolves were good hunters and highly intelligent. Their frequent ambushes were tiring the soldiers down a lot.
A grim look fell on Arlen's face.
It was clear this was Centuria's doing.
They were being boxed in.
"I have to take the risk."
Arlen clenched his fists. There was no time to hesitate.
It was time to find Abel… and accept the Unique Scenario.
That night, as the caravan settled once again under the starlit sky, Arlen scanned the camp, searching for the familiar face.
'Where the hell did he go?'
'Don't tell me that was a one-off…'
A sudden clap on his back made him jolt.
"Hey! You're that lad from yesterday!"
Abel's grin was as wide as ever, bottle in hand.
"Damn it…" Arlen exhaled, startled. "Where did you even come from?"
"I saw you looking around like you lost something," Abel chuckled.
'Alright… how do I trigger this quest?' Arlen wondered. 'Do I ask directly? Or does he give it to me himself?'
Trying to keep the conversation flowing, Abel took a swig and nodded. "Those monster attacks have been getting wild, huh?"
"Yeah. Did they figure anything out?" Arlen asked casually.
"Not really. I heard from one of the guards they're increasing patrols though."
"Right… figures."
'Screw it. I'll just go for it.'
"By the way, Abel…" Arlen said carefully. "What if I told you I knew what was behind the attacks?"
Abel paused mid-sip. "You do?"
"Yes."
"Then go on. Tell me."
Arlen met his gaze. "Centuria."
Silence.
Abel lowered the bottle slowly. The grin disappeared.
In that moment, the air around him changed.
The carefree drunk was gone—replaced by something colder, sharper.
He screwed the cap onto the bottle and said in a low voice, "Follow me."
No slurred words.
Only command.
"Let's talk somewhere else."
They reached a secluded place beside the camp.
"Speak now, Child." Abel leaned against a tree. "There's no one listening."
Arlen told him how he heard the spies speaking and the attacks from monsters not from this region was the last confirmation.
"Hoo…" He finally exhaled, stepping a little closer. "But here's what I want to know—why tell me?"
Arlen squared his shoulders. "Because you don't act like a refugee."
"Oh?" Abel raised an eyebrow.
"You walk around with a carefree attitude when everyone else is on edge. You have access to alcohol—good alcohol—while even basic food is rationed. You stand out."
A slow smirk crept across Abel's face. He patted Arlen's shoulder. "Sharp. Sharper than most."
Then he turned. "Come with me. I know someone who'll want to hear this."
Arlen narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
Abel looked back with a glint in his eyes.
"To meet Kaius Greyroad."