Selene had already expected the ride from Lushfort to Spellerguard would not be an easy one.
Yesterday had been bad enough.
Jax had killed those Naturalists, and Little Fox had started going berserk.
Now they were all confined to the back of the trailer.
Jax sat with Aiden in the vehicle, while Victor, Liora, Thalia, Little Fox, and Selene all sat in the back.
Part of Selene felt guilty.
Because in the moment, it had made sense.
They were Naturalists, a group known to train even children to do heinous things. Jax had killed them for the kidnapping and torture of someone.
Yet Little Fox did not know as much about the world.
She did not know about the Naturalists.
Did not know what they had done.
How many people they had killed.
All she had seen was a bunch of children running scared before Jax started killing them.
Selene would have done the same thing in her place.
And that was why she felt like she should have done something.
Stood in the way.
Asked Jax to wait.
Anything, really.
Instead, she had stood there and watched as he killed them.
One part of her screamed that she had frozen up and failed to move.
Another part of her was glad they died.
Glad they looked panicked.
Glad they looked scared.
Her mind flashed back to when she was twelve.
The city had been threatened by a tribe of Naturalists led by a wolf named Orion Stormcaller.
Selene's father and brothers had been away, so the vice captain was sent.
A woman Selene had looked up to because she had never treated her arm like something to be ashamed of.
She never came back.
Selene's train of thought cut off as the vehicle came to a stop, making a few strange popping noises before fully shutting off.
Everyone looked forward in confusion as Aiden and Jax stepped out.
"Bad news," Aiden said, scratching the back of his head with a bit of embarrassment. "Uh, I think we're out of fuel."
"Good news," Jax said energetically, as if the events of last night had not happened. "We saw a group of other vehicles ahead that are parked, so we might be able to get a bit of fuel to make it to Spellerguard."
It took Selene a second to realize everyone was staring at her.
"W-What?" she asked, looking around in bewilderment. "Did I say something?"
"You're the strongest of us, remember?" Liora asked, crossing her arms.
"H-Hey, wait," Selene said, turning. "What about Jax?"
Despite looking for him, Jax seemed to have vanished in an attempt to avoid the task.
Selene turned back just in time to see Aiden walking around the vehicle, dragging Jax behind him.
Jax's butt slid across the ground as he squirmed.
Even with all of them helping, the trailer would make everything difficult, especially since there was a large hill in front of them.
Then an idea sparked.
Selene reached into her bag and fumbled around for a bit before pulling out the item she had found on her way out of the dungeon that you-know-who had gone into with them.
"J-Jax, A-Aiden," Selene said, "if you can attach ropes, I have an idea."
They looked at each other, clearly confused, but did not argue.
Instead, they grabbed some ropes from the supply trunk and began tying them in place.
Selene walked a few paces in front of the vehicle before setting down the small figurine she had received.
Then she signaled for Aiden to come over.
"C-Can you infuse some mana?" she asked, gesturing to it.
Aiden nodded and held out a hand.
A faint blue glow shimmered from the small figurine.
Selene heard the soft whirring of gears as it expanded, shifting from a small statue into a massive, eleven-foot-tall mechanical draft horse.
Its nose let out plumes of steam.
They quickly hooked the ropes to it, and the mechanical horse began dragging the vehicle up the hill with ease at a steady walk.
As they approached the top of the hill, they saw Little Fox, Thalia, Victor, and Liora standing near the parked vehicles.
Liora held a small piece of paper.
"Okay," Liora said, "good news and bad news. Bad news is, this is not a refill place. Good news is, this is a quest where several people can do it together."
Raising an eyebrow, Selene returned the horse to its figurine form.
She made a mental note to give it a name before it became another vehicle-named-Vehicle situation.
Then she looked over the page Liora held.
The Lost Story of the Green March (E)
Time has finally caught up to Nulgen.
With only three days left to live, he requests the company of adventurers, not for protection or battle, but to preserve a truth long buried.
Nulgen is the last living survivor of the Green March, a cataclysmic event that turned an entire kingdom into ruins in the span of just twelve hours.
He asks that someone listen, record, and remember.
Reward:
Copy of notebook detailing tips and tricks for adventurers.
Failure:
No notebook.
Selene exchanged glances with the others.
Victor nodded.
"Therrrrrre is no penalty," he said, "and it will count towarrrrrrds the successes you need. So you will only need just thrrrrrrree morrrrrrrre, and you will be able to enterrrrrrr the games."
Everyone gave a small nod.
Then Aiden asked, "So this may be because I grew up on a mountain, but what exactly is the Green March?"
They all looked between each other to see if anyone knew.
Then they turned to Victor.
Victor just shrugged.
"Welp," Jax said, turning and beginning to make his way toward where the other adventurers had gathered. "Guess we're all getting a history lesson today."
They followed behind him.
The place was simple.
Different groups had laid out blankets and other things to rest and relax on. A small area had been set up with water, and someone was selling snacks.
Nearby, a small stage made of stone had been erected.
Seated in a simple chair was an older elf.
The man had a mane of white hair and a beard trimmed just above his shoulders. He held what looked like a smoking pipe, except little bubbles rose from it instead of smoke.
They found an unoccupied spot and sat down.
Aiden went to the food vendor and purchased something called burritos.
They came in a thin, bread-like wrap and had everything from meat to beans inside.
They tasted really good too.
Little Fox still refused to get close to Jax in any way.
Whenever he tried to approach and talk to her, she slid away or put someone else between them.
Jax put on a show of not caring.
But he did seem hurt by it.
They had only been there for around an hour before the old elf cleared his throat.
Conversations died down.
"Greetings," the old elf said, "and thank you to all of you who have arrived to hear this story that was once lost to history."
His voice was oddly powerful despite his frail build.
"A story known only by its survivors, who have died of different causes, causing their perspectives to be lost. Something I refuse to do without giving it a chance to be remembered by future generations."
The man rose to his feet as he explained.
His steps started labored and weak, but slowly grew stronger.
More certain.
"This story takes place nine hundred ninety-three years ago in a place you all now know as the Lost Barbaric Cities, but I remember it as my home, called Brunden."
His eyes shone with something distant.
"A place that now stands as a small set of crumbling islands that resist any attempt to cultivate life had once been a thriving continent. One that connected the three islands and was full of fight and will."
As Nulgen spoke, there was a strange shine to his eyes.
Like someone thinking back on a precious memory.
Surprisingly, Selene and the others were not the only ones who watched.
Other adventurers who had come bragging about an easy quest now sat enraptured, unable to look away as Nulgen moved and gestured and practically painted a canvas for them to witness.
"It was not perfect," Nulgen said. "But it was ours. And for the first seven years of my life, it was home."
His voice lowered.
"That was until the coup."
The crowd stilled.
"You see, the king had held the throne, but his brother had only become the head military advisor. So the king's brother rallied his men and sought to overthrow him. It was an event we called the Night of Drumming Boots."
Nulgen's hand tightened around his pipe.
"Despite the panic, chaos, and destruction caused by the tyrannical takeover, and despite the new policies established by the new king, mad on his own power, there was a slim hope."
Selene turned to grab another bite of food.
To her surprise, she saw that even Little Fox was wrapped in the performance.
The fox had not even noticed the system screen that had appeared in front of her.
More out of curiosity than malice, Selene leaned over and read it.
Your soul stirs.
From your restless soul, a skill develops.
You have learned skill Basic Understanding (E).
Selene blinked in surprise.
Little Fox must have actually been able to understand everything being said now.
So, not wanting to spoil her newfound stupor, and also wanting to get back to listening, Selene grabbed her bite and turned back to Nulgen.
"For you see," Nulgen continued, "the children of the rightful king had been away from the capital, sent off to delegate in another part of the kingdom."
He walked slowly across the stage.
"The mad king was enraged by this, and for one month, he sent soldiers to chase them down and kill them. For one month, they evaded capture, both through their own guile and through the aid of the people of the kingdom who wished to see the mad king beheaded for his crimes."
Nulgen paused.
"Yet it was the morning of the forty-third day that the prince was finally captured."
A small collective gasp passed through the crowd.
Nulgen grabbed a small bottle of water and took a quick sip before continuing.
"The mad king proclaimed throughout the capital that the prince's sister would only be spared if she was willing to turn herself in. Yet he also spoke to the prince and proclaimed that his sister would be executed if he refused to publicly support the mad king and let her death come to pass."
Nulgen's expression grew distant.
"The princess would have run to her brother's aid had a group, including my family, not stepped forward to stop her."
His voice deepened.
"And in turn, the prince made a gamble. He turned away from the gods and instead reached out to the beings who embody disaster."
A hush settled over the area.
"The Masks."
A shiver ran through everyone.
Selene's only thought was, Huh, guess he misspoke or something.
There was only one Mask.
Everyone knew that.
Imagine the panic that would occur if there were several.
Before anyone could say anything, Nulgen continued.
"In his prayer, the prince reached out. Green answered, offering assistance in exchange for the prince's life."
Nulgen's gaze moved over the crowd.
"So, at the cost of the prince's life, the Green March began."
No one moved.
"As her brother died, the princess was wreathed in shining light. Then the city descended into beasts of all natures."
Nulgen lifted one trembling hand.
"From the smallest E-rank monsters to beings that stood as S rank, they arrived to tear the city and continent apart."
His voice held steady.
"Yet despite this, the princess silently began to walk. She marched from the edges of the palace toward the shore. Despite the carnage around her, she and those who followed remained untouched."
Nulgen placed a hand over his chest.
"I was one of those who followed after her. I watched mountains be crushed. Homes trampled. Streets run red with blood."
The crowd was silent.
"I watched those who could not hold their fear run away in terror, only to be ripped apart for stepping away from the path the princess carved through the chaos without so much as lifting a hand."
Selene felt a chill go through her.
"Several times, monsters arrived to stare at our group. And yet, they turned away, as if knowing we were following the true ruler."
Nulgen's voice softened.
"Even when we arrived at the shore, the princess continued to walk. The monsters that had once ripped our homes apart began to make a bridge for us to cross."
He looked toward the horizon.
"A journey that should have taken days took only three hours as we arrived on the coast of Flinkeq."
Nulgen took a slow breath.
"When we had all arrived on land, the princess turned to us with a smile and gave a final decree."
He closed his eyes.
"My people, while your homes are gone, you are not. And with you, our kingdom will live eternal in the memories of the world."
By this point, to Selene's surprise, Nulgen was crying.
He took a moment to center himself before continuing.
"So we have. And yet, the events that occurred are being forgotten more and more with each passing year, as the remnants of those who know fade and wither with the passage of time."
He stood a little straighter.
"So as I finish this tale, I can stand proud, knowing I have completed the final mission of the last queen of the Brunden Kingdom."
His smile was sad.
"And while the land my home once sat upon lies in ruin, untouchable by life, its existence will be remembered as more than a useless rock by you here who have heard this tale."
Nulgen dipped into a bow.
The audience erupted into applause.
Several people, including Selene, wiped away tears.
You have completed an E-rank quest.
You have gained 1,000 XP.