“So, what do you think is responsible for the stolen supplies? I mean who would steal in this nice city… it seems weird to me,” The thought hit me as we made our way to the mining tunnels. Outside of the main city on the eastern side, the mines sat between a mountain scape. Silence followed my question, causing me to check on Liza. Her brows were furrowed indicating she was mid thought. “I’m not sure…” She increased her pace to match mine, grabbing my arm and wrapping herself around it, dragging me along. “Guess we’ll find out when we get there.”Quickening my pace to match hers, we jogged through the medical district, passing through the gates, entering into the greater world for the first time since arriving. The morning sun crested the tree line, its orange light casting a long shadow on us. The sight was magnificent. Just past the heavy iron portcullis, the manicured cobblestones abruptly vanished, giving way to packed dirt and overgrown roots.The eastern ridge loomed ahead o

"We're almost there... the Healing District should be able to help her," Liza said.We spent the rest of the walk back in silence. The weight of the climb settled into my legs, while Liza carried Nora without a word. She stared ahead the entire way through the mountain pass, her expression distant as if she were trying to piece together everything we'd found beneath the mine.“The guards,” Liza pointed toward two men, standing in front of the healing district. “They know me. Don't stop walking.”The two men wore the light iron armor of the city's hired watch. As we got closer, the taller guard squinted through the torchlight. His eyes widened."Liza? What happened out there?" he asked, stepping toward us."Found her in the western mine," Liza grunted. She didn't slow down. "She's breathing. Barely."The second guard looked at Nora's bloody face. He held out his arms. "Let me carry her. You look like you've been walking for hours.""I've got her," Liza said, nudging past him. "Just get

Once inside my room, I lowered my pack to the floor. I let out a loud sigh of relief. The room felt hollow. It was completely empty, like something important had just been ripped out of it. Before I had a chance to let the feeling sink lower, my system panel flared into my vision. This time it was a new quest.[ Help Nora ][ Completion will result in unpredictable results. ][ Reward: 1000xp + SKILL: ??? ]“So System-kun, can you explain this new quest?” I asked the open air.“Sorry Clint, I didn't make the quest. I just receive them,” the voice echoed in my head.I rolled my eyes at the floating emoji face. It was flashing a lazy, shrugging expression.“Useful as always.” I crossed my arms. “Can you at least show me my current breakdown? I need to see what I’m working with after that mess at the farm.”The screen flickered. It shifted from the quest notification to my standard profile.[ Status ][ Name: Clint Voyer ][ Level: 3 ][ Race: Human / Outworlder ][ Class: Unassigned ][