The Glitched One

After about five minutes of riding, Mortan, the coachman, brought the carriage to a halt to give the horses a break. I followed him as he hopped off, my eyes darting around, half-expecting some bizarre creature to leap out of the underbrush. Unlike me, Mortan looked completely at ease, as if he knew these parts were safe. Seeing his calm demeanour eased my nerves a bit—less monsters, more peace of mind.

Mortan pulled a brush from his sack and started grooming the horses gently. I stood a few steps behind him, watching. Back in the city, the most I’d ever dealt with were stray dogs and the occasional cat. Seeing a horse up close for the first time made me anxious; they were so much bigger than I’d imagined.

We waited for about two minutes, Morton tending to his horses while I fixed my eyes on the dirt road ahead, trying to make sense of what was happening. This couldn’t be real—no way. This was either a vividly realistic nightmare or an elaborate prank. There was no other explanation because nothing was making the slightest sense.

"Say," Mortan said, without looking up from his work, "how old are you, Axel?"

"Sixteen," I answered.

"Same age as my son," he said. "So, I’m guessing where you’re from, you go to school? Learning magic and all that?"

I blinked at him in confusion. "Magic? What do you---"

“If you say you don’t know what magic is, I’ll just leave you here, boy. Stop fooling around. Not funny.”

“No, no. I just… I---” I shook my head to gather my senses. “It’s not real. What? Something is not right…”

I put one hand against a nearby tree trunk, tilting my head down and shutting my eyes tightly. When I opened them, I wanted to wake up in my class. I wanted this nightmare to be over. Weird monsters, magic—it didn’t make any sense. This was just… not making any sense at all. This had to be a nightmare.

Opening my eyes, I sighed and gazed at the sky. Cold sweat ran down my face, my body shaking slightly. This was real. As real as it got.

“This…” I muttered. “Where am I?”

“Are you okay, boy?” Mortan asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“I don’t know,” I said, pushing myself off the tree trunk and taking a few steps. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why aren’t you driving a car? Who even rides a carriage in this day and age?”

“Huh?”

“I mean… this is just. Why?”

“What do you mean?” He asked. “You must’ve hit your head, boy. Calm down.”

“This is real? Nah. No.”

Before he could respond, a sudden noise grabbed my attention. Someone was chuckling, but also trying to hold it in at the same time.

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NEW QUEST

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Quest Title: First Encounter

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Deadline: !Ambushed!

Objective:

* Eliminate the Goblins

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Rewards:

- Gold: 5

- Experience: 10 XP

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"Goblins?" I mumbled, scanning the area.

Before I could fully process what was happening, a small green creature with long ears and a wicked grin leaped out of a nearby bush, clutching a tiny dagger. I yelped, startled, and the horses spooked, rearing up before bolting down the road. The back of the carriage swung around, hitting me hard and sending me sprawling to the ground.

The goblin didn’t give me a second to recover. It lunged, dagger aimed right at my chest, but Mortan was faster. He kicked the creature square in the chest, pinning it down with one boot. Chanting something under his breath, flames burst to life in his palm. He aimed the fire straight at the goblin's face, turning it into a smouldering mess in seconds. I stared in shock, my legs frozen as I took in the sight of the creature's charred remains. It was… magic. A real magic.

Two more goblins emerged from the brush, snickering and inching closer. That’s when reality hit me—I wasn’t in my world anymore.

"That... that fire," I stammered, scrambling to put Mortan between me and the goblins. "You just cast a spell?!"

Mortan smirked. "It’s the most basic one, kid. Don’t tell me you’ve never cast a spell before."

"I-I haven't," I said, eyes wide, voice trembling.

With a shake of his head, Mortan shoved a dagger into my hands. "Then defend yourself with this if you can't use magic."

Before I could even think about wielding the weapon, Mortan sprang into action. He made quick work of the remaining goblins, launching fireballs from his hands that turned them to ashes in moments. I stood there, stunned, watching the scene unfold. Magic was real, monsters were real, and I was in a world that seemed pulled straight out of a nightmare… I needed to leave fast.

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NOTIFICATION

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* Quest Completed: Ambushed

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+ XP Gained: 10

+ Gold Earned: 5

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| Current XP: 15 / 100

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| Progress: ██░░░░░░░░░░░

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A translucent box appeared in front of me, and my knees buckled as I sank to the ground. The box seemed to hover in place, tracking my movements as if it were locked to my field of vision. Mortan, meanwhile, looked utterly unfazed, already scanning the road for his runaway horses.

"Ah, there they are," Mortan said, pointing at the distant figures of the horses down the road. "Thought I had lost them for a second.”

"Goblins…" I muttered, the word leaving a sour taste in my mouth. "Is the city safer than this place?"

"Of course," Mortan replied, extending a hand to help me up. "Why do you ask?"

"This place is way too dangerous for my liking," I said, gripping his hand and pulling myself to my feet. "Where I’m from, we don’t have problems like this."

"Must be a paradise," he said. "Maybe I should visit someday."

"Yeah," I muttered, brushing the mud off my clothes. "So, what’s the name of the city we’re heading to?"

"Kinowa," he said. "The biggest city in Nu’tar."

"Biggest city, huh..." I repeated, my voice trailing off as I took in the reality of this strange world. "And the safest, right?"

Mortan's grin widened, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Well, my dear friend," he said, "that depends.”

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As we climbed a gentle slope, the city of Kinowa finally came into view, surrounded by high stone walls with bowmen standing alert on top. Unlike the dense forest where I’d woken up, the area around the city was more open, dotted with a few trees. The city seemed smaller compared to what I was used to, but in this world, I could see why it might be considered one of the largest.

I could see a solid stone bridge that spanned a wide river in the distance. Beyond it were fields of crops gently swaying in the breeze, along with a small stable positioned just outside the city gates. It was all very different from the towering buildings of my world, yet it had its own quiet sense of purpose.

“Kinowa,” Mortan said with a hint of pride in his voice. “Magnificent, isn’t it?”

I nodded, taking in the sight of the city. "Yeah," I replied, forcing a smile. "It really is."

As we drew closer, Mortan pulled the reins, bringing the carriage to a stop on the side of the road. He hopped off, and I followed, unsure why we’d paused so close from the city. From our vantage point, I could see the activity inside the walls—people setting up stalls, chatting in small groups, and bustling through the streets.

Mortan moved to the back of the carriage and sighed as he pulled back the blanket covering the bodies. He pointed toward a shaded spot in the forest, a small clearing just visible between the trees.

“We’ll drop them off there. The graveyard keeper will take care of the dead,” he said, his voice calm but tinged with weariness. “Can you give me a hand with them?”

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright,” I said, swallowing back the lump in my throat. “It’s the least I can do.”

"Thanks," Mortan replied with a nod.

“Is this your usual job?” I asked, hoping to keep my mind off the grim scene. “Transporting bodies like this?”

Mortan gave a short, dry laugh. “No. I’m a blacksmith in Kinowa. I was on my way to that village to buy some supplies when I found it destroyed by goblins.”

I felt a chill run through me as he spoke. “That’s... horrible,” I said quietly.

Mortan hoisted a woman’s lifeless form onto his shoulder with, while I reluctantly reached for the small body of a child. The sight made me flinch, my breath catching in my throat. His arm was gone, hacked off at the shoulder, his face eerily peaceful despite the violence he must have faced. I forced myself to grip tighter, lifting him while keeping my gaze averted.

“Doesn’t the city have a graveyard?” I asked, desperate to keep talking so I wouldn’t focus on the body in my arms.

“It does,” Mortan replied, his tone grim as he adjusted his hold on the woman. “But it’s full, so they had to open another one out here, just a few minutes away.” He glanced at me, concern softening his features. “You alright?”

“Y-yeah,” I stammered, forcing a nod. “It’s just... my first time seeing—well, seeing a body like this.”

Mortan’s face darkened, and he stared at the ground for a moment. “I was in the army once,” he said softly. “You get used to it. Seeing life fade from people you knew.”

As we stepped into the clearing, the air seemed heavier, the silence pressing in on all sides. A small cabin stood to one side, surrounded by tall grass and fresh-cut tree trunks. The only sound was the rustle of leaves and the faint creak of the wooden door as it swung open slightly in the breeze.

In front of the cabin, a lone man sat on the steps of the door, chewing on an apple. His face was weathered and lined, like someone who’d spent years tending to the dead in solitude, his eyes distant and tired.

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NOTIFICATION

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* Location Discovered: Graveyard

* Map Updated!

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+ XP Gained: 5

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| Current XP: 20 / 100

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| Progress: ███░░░░░░░░░░

=========================

“Kolaya!” Mortan called out, his voice cutting through the silence.

The man looked up, his gaze sharpening as he spotted us. “Mortan?” he replied, raising an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“Death going on.” Mortan answered simply, setting the body down gently on the ground. “A village got hit. Many didn’t make it.”

Kolaya’s eyes flicked over to me, then back to Mortan. “Who’s this one?” he asked, nodding in my direction.

“This is Axel,” Mortan said, gesturing to me. “He’s a survivor. Found him on the road, figured he could use a lift to Kinowa.”

I managed a small nod. “Hello, sir,” I said awkwardly, not quite sure how to greet a man who dealt with the dead for a living.

Kolaya grunted in acknowledgment, his gaze lingering on me for a second before turning back to Mortan. “How many more bodies?”

“Too many,” Mortan replied, shaking his head. “It’ll take us some time to bring them all here.”

Kolaya nodded, standing up with a resigned sigh. “Alright, let’s get to work then,” he said, watching as I carefully lowered the child’s body onto the ground.

══════✦══════

I put the last body to rest and dusted off my clothes, but the stench of blood and death clung to me like a shroud. I kept my distance as Mortan and Kolaya spoke quietly, exchanging a handshake before parting ways. Never had I imagined I'd be hauling corpses to a graveyard. I needed to escape this nightmare. I missed my bed, my school—hell, I even missed James’ annoying chatter. I didn’t want to exist in this world for another moment.

The coachman smiled at me and gestured toward the exit before moving ahead. I hesitated, then shook my head and followed him.

“You ready to hit the city now, kid?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I replied, hoping to find some answers there. “I am…”