Chapter 2: The frontier village Serepike

It was a sound that caught his attention.

He was floating in the middle of a dark, vast space. There was nothing to be seen, nothing to be felt. He tried to move his arms and legs, but somehow, he couldn't. His body, ethereal, his mind, befuddled. 

He wondered where he was, but no memory came to him. No recollection of how he was floating in darkness. Nothing to be seen, nothing to be felt.

How long had he been here? A minute? An hour? A day? Month? Year? 

He didn't even know if time existed in a place like this.

But he heard it.

A sound caught his attention. Deprived of any and all senses, the sound seemed so loud, so nostalgic and recallable. He tried to look toward where the sound came from, but the unpierceable darkness blinded him, the non-existing body confused him. He knew not where the sound came from, he knew not if the sound was a play of his mind, a sign of him gradually going insane.

The sound kept periodically coming, slowly but surely. He was sure of it. It was the sound of pages turning.

And then he jolted. Once. Twice. He felt a twang somewhere on his body.

He regained his body then, he could feel his limbs once more. And his eyes slowly opened. 

Bright. It was too bright for his eyes to adapt to, after spending gods-know how long in the space without light. He winced, his eyes became tiny slits, allowing him to see what was around him.

The sound stopped.

His body was lying on something soft, his head was cradled by some kind of soft substance. The bright light was coming from his right side, from a round window. It was sunlight. 

The roof was dried leaves and wooden beams, intricately carving can be observed all throughout the wooden walls and beams. 

"He's awake, father." A voice called out. The voice was beautiful and reminded him of chiming bells. It didn't sound like any language he knew, any language he had spoken or heard before. But still, he understood it.

Charlie slowly brought his elbow back, raising his upper body up. He was lying on a thick moss-like carpet on a wooden bed frame. And beside him were two individuals, one was taller than the other. They were adorned with silky clothing, colored in green and white and gold. Their hair blond, their faces beautiful and elegant, their ears long and pointy.

Elves.

Charlie knew immediately that the two people standing next to his bed were a demi-human race called elves. He now recalled what happened before he fainted. He was attacked by goblins and got shot twice by a goblin archer. He instinctively reached to his left shoulder, his torso laid bare without clothing but wrapped tight with bandage. There was a clump at the spot where Charlie remembered getting pierced by an arrow, green liquid seeping out from the bandage. The smell was pungent, no doubt some kind of healing herb. His shoulder didn't even feel any kind of pain and he had no problem moving it slightly.

"Go and call the human representative, Elauthin." The older elf called out, his voice full of strength yet still elegant, as beautiful as a song. It was difficult for Charlie to discern the gender of the elves due to their androgynous look and their long hair, but after hearing their voices, he can be sure that both are males and probably father and son. 

The little elf child nodded, laid a thick tome down the stool he was sitting on and quickly reached the doorway when Charlie called out 

"Where am I?"

Both of the elves were surprised, their eyes opened wide for a moment, but quickly returned to their resting expression.

"I see you can speak Elvish, human." The father elf said, taking a few steps toward him. "Don't move too much yet, your wounds were healed by magic but the poison was problematic." 

"... Did…the goblin…" 

"All were slain. We got there at the nick of time. What were you thinking challenging goblins on your own, human?" The elf's brow frowned, but then he breathed out and smiled "Thanks to you, my son was saved." 

He patted the head of the elf child still clinging at the doorway and sent him to fetch a human representative, whoever that was.

Charlie laid down again, the cool, squishy pillow clutched half his head, which sent shivers down his spine. It was very comfortable, he would say it was better than any of his pillows in the old world."

"We brought you back to our village, Serepike. Ah… where was my manner… My name is Eltaor Fenhana, salen E'Sum's arraness."

Charlie frowned. He could understand most of Eltaor Fenhana's speech, but the last phrase escaped him. It sounded Elven, but stood out from what Charlie heard.

"Salen… what?" 

"It means my son's savior in ancient Elvish. I assume you only know common Elvish then?" Eltaor nodded.

"..." Charlie looked away from the smiling elf and stared at the ceiling. He remembered the intriguing content of the leather scroll in his backpack and said  "Charleston. My name is Charleston." He introduced, not knowing what to make of the fact that he got beat by goblins and accidentally bought enough time for the elves to come and help.

"Mhmm" Eltaor looked pleased "What were you doing wandering alone in the Cerlyn Guenhyvar forest, Charleston?"

Charlie didn't have time to answer when a cloaked individual leapt over the balcony and stood at the door to the room. "Yo, Fenhana! The kid's awake?" He called out, giving a quick bow with his hand on his chest.

"Yes, Liam." Eltaor said, stepping aside

A human? Charlie thought, looking at the individual's round, ordinary ears. The cloaked man approached his bed.

"Hey kid!" He said "How you feelin'?" His voice was rasps and loud.

The man called Liam looked rough around the edges. He was donning a thick, black-dyed leather armor with multiple daggers sheathed on. The cloak of which he wore was also a matte black, hiding his shoulder length black and wavy hair. He had stubbles and his smirk was surprisingly charming and didn't cause Charlie to harbor any negative feelings.

"Not too bad, I guess…" Charlie sighed "My name's Charleston, who are you?"

The man nodded "I'm Liam Hazecrest, a Guild representative of the Serepike frontier town"

"How's your wound, can you move at all?" 

Charlie nodded and with a swift motion, he sat up. "Eltaor told me they treated my wound with magic, but there was poison."

"Oh yes" Liam showed a disgusted expression "Damn goblins and their poisons. They mixed all kinds of poisonous plants with refuse and their excretions. They spread them on weapons and arrows, causing terrible reactions in the body. If one is immune to poison, the dirty substances would cause the wound to be infected and ucerated."

"We were too late in bringing you back." Eltaor said with a disappointed tone "Our antidote didn't work so we had to use our own curing herb"

"Anyways… What the hell were you doing fighting goblins, kid? You barely look 18, what rank are you?"

Liam reached his arm out and helped Charlie up. His thigh trembled once, but he could walk nonetheless,

"I'm… 20. And I don't think I know what rank is…"

"Charleston didn't have a tag, Liam." 

"Is that so…" Liam sighed "Where did you come from, kid? I don't mind strays joining force on the frontier towns, the more hands helping the faster the village is built or whatever, but at least sign up at the Guide and go with a party, dude"

"Guide?"

Charlie slowly walked towards the door, and he froze at the beautiful scenery that appeared before him. He was standing on a balcony of a wooden walkway, spiraling down the length of a tree. The room he was just in was a small bungalow built on said tree, lying comfortably and securely between two large branches. Large, probably ancient trees stood tall, small houses and bungalows were built on the side of the trees. Bridges and walkways connected trees from trees, made from vines, rope and wooden planks. There were elves, humans and even dwarves bustling around the place, minding their own business. The dwarves were hoisting large rectangular boulders and placing them on the ground, building a stone road. Elves were jumping from branch to branch, picking some kind of fruits and mushrooms grown on trees. Some elves were playing an instrument, singing to the vines and plants, causing them to grow faster and bear fruits in mere minutes. Humans are also hard at work, building houses on the ground, pushing carts full of equipment and tools. The sky was blue, the wind filled with a sweet aroma, triggering Charlie's saliva glands.

"Nice place, isn't it?" Liam said, after Charlie stood still for several minutes, gazing at the busy town. 

"Alright, I'm going to report to the Elder first, Liam. Remember to bring Charleston over later, okay?" Eltoar smiled, without waiting for a reply, he grasped a vine and swung down off of the tree.

Charlie sighed. I'm really in another world. He couldn't help but feel defeated, yet excited. Sad because he probably won't be able to see his old world for a long time, or maybe ever again, but excited because,... well it can be said that adventuring a brand new world, meeting new races of people and finding out new animal species is the dream - the DREAM - of any kid. Charlie was no longer a teenager, let alone a kid, but he still loved fantasy games and movies anyways. He couldn't help but think about the new foods the new world has to offer and the… alluring woman of other species. He was just an ordinary guy, whatsoever, in an extraordinary world.

"Hey… mister Liam?"

"Call me Liam. I'm not that old yet." He clicked his tongue.

"Liam, what does the Guild do?"

The Guild, or also known as the Adventurers Guild, was an association founded by the human king Barbarossa the third. This association was the place where troubled people post quests to find help. And adventurers from all over the land can go to any nearby Guild to pick up a quest, finish the job for a reward. Anyone from any race can become an adventurer, but surviving as one was hard, if not extremely difficult. Adventurers are assigned a rank based not only on their prowess but also their influence and behavior towards others. This means if an adventurer has finished a good amount of quests and was friendly, helpful towards others villagers or adventures alike, he would most likely be eligible to rank up. The higher the rank an adventurer gets, the better payouts they get from quests. Of course the difficulty will also be higher for higher paid jobs, but most adventurers love the renown these jobs brought. Moreover, high ranked adventurers will be considered valuable assets of the Guild and will receive help and support in many forms. Nobles and important quest givers are most likely to choose higher ranked adventurers for their jobs. There are currently 8 ranks available: copper - iron - silver - gold - platinum - mithril - orichalcum - adamantite. And the power level of each rank is apparent: copper adventurers can take on giant rats or slimes and other small monster extermination quests, picking herbs or guiding travelers to another nearby town. Adamantite adventurers, on the other hand, possessed immense power. An adamantite ranked knight can cut through even the hardest of monsters like the stone-bodied Gargoyle or petrifying-gaze Basilisks in one stroke of sword. Of course, the ranking was only relative, but it was generally useful to gauge the strength of any adventurer by their ranks. The Guild was established in any civilized town or cities and in any countries over the world, except for the Protectorate of Tsingchia due to politics issues with the governing body there. The Guild was also responsible for leading adventurers on pioneering expeditions to explore and open up lands to find more resources, building frontier towns and expanding the countries' control over their territories.

This is inline with what I expected of a Guild. I might as well register as an adventurer… 

Charlie pondered on the matter. It was clear that to be able to find a way home, he has to survive this world first. And to be able to live, he needed money, so the logical solution was that he would become an adventurer and accept low ranking quests such as herb pickings or even lesser monster termination. Goblins have proven to be too much, even for him to handle at the moment. Moreover, he had no combat experience other than wild slashes and attacks with the hope that one would connect - that was how he escaped death from the 3 goblins from the last encounter. Luck had been good to him, but who knows when the dice will decide otherwise.

I have to learn how to fight then…

"Hey Liam, what did Eltoar mean by bringing me to the Elder?" Who's the Elder?"

"The Elder is, well you can view him as the mayor of this little town. Don't fret, it's protocol for any newcomer to report their appearance to the Guild or to the Council. But you helped save Elauthin, Eltoar's child, so the Elder wanted to personally thank you. Eltoar also wanted to repay you somehow, too."

"Is that so… Well, would you be so kind as to lead me to the Elder first, then show me to the Guild?"

Charlie smiled. He now had a goal, that was to make connections and build trust to the town folks as well as to train for combat experience. Then, he would take on simple quests from the Guild, hopefully with a party of sorts, to get real experience and make some money. He would also have to find someone with vast knowledge to ask about his current situation of being transported to this world.

"But of course. Liam Hazecrest, at your service, kiddo." He jokingly said while sloppily bowed. "Equip yourself with necessity, your stuff's inside. Here's a tip for you.

"Your backpack is too damn heavy so don't bring it. Just suit up with your shirt and leather armor, bring your quiver and bow too."

"Huh… did you guys retrieve my other weapons?" Charlie rustled through his items, but there was no sign of his knife, dagger and handaxe.

"Ahhh…I think the rescue team collected them and brought them to recycle at the smith, they must have mistaken them to be goblin's weapons" Liam slapped his forehead "Cheap equipment drops from monsters like goblins are usually scavenged and sold for cheap to the smith" 

That's a bummer… oh well… Starting items of a level 1 is usually dirt cheap huh…

Charlie sighed, wearing the attire he originally wore when he first woke up in this world. Then both Charlie and Liam walked down the spiral staircase of the tree to reach ground level. Villagers, adventurers and workers were still bustling with busy-ness, so not too much curious glance at him and he felt thankful for that. 

Thinking back, he was wearing a pretty ordinary outfit for this world where adventurers are all kitted up with all kinds of armors, weapons and the like.

The meeting with the Elder was brief but had proven to be quite fruitful for Charlie.

The Elder, unlike what most people assumed after hearing the title, was a muscular, ash-gray skinned half orc named Holg, adorning a wolf-pelt cloak over his bare torso. He was commanding and supervising a group of strong-man in breaking up an enormous boulder on the side of the town, probably with the goal to open up the land and get more raw resources. He thanked Charlie with a surprisingly elegant and courteous tone and granted Charlie a reward of choice. Of course, Charlie asked for permission and a place to stay in Serepike until he had amassed enough money to travel somewhere else. It was important that he had a place to hide from the weather and the night while he trained and maybe take up some quests. He doubted a frontier town like Serepike would have had a library of sorts where he could find some information.

The Elder allowed him to stay in the guest house - where he had been stationed earlier - for a week, no fees charged. That was enough for Charlie, he still didn't know what to expect of this world's inhabitants, so he couldn't ask for too much. He bowed and thanked the Elder and joined Liam at the Adventurer Guild next.

The Guild building was a large, mostly wooden, two-story house, integrated with a restaurant-cum-bar and an inn respectively on the left and the right. The registration was quick. He was asked to fill in some documents regarding his general abilities, physical strengths and feats. The long-eared, probably an elf or half-elf receptionist carved some information into a small, rectangular copper tablet with rounded corners and handed it to him. It was that easy to become an adventurer. But harder, it would seem, to survive the world. Before leaving, Liam gave Charlie a leatherback book, written in common, titled "Adventurer's handbook".

"If I were you, kiddo, I would read this through. It might help you out more than you think"

Liam nodded satisfactorily when Charlie promised that he would read through the book's content first thing tomorrow. Charlie was actually pretty happy to receive the book for free, because its price was 5 gold pieces when the receptionist recommended it to him.

And finally, Charlie asked Eltoar Fenhana - the elf father whose son Charlie "saved", to teach him how to use his longbow. This prompted a series of emotions from the elf; surprise, confused and disappointed, altogether. But he soon agreed to become Charlie's mentor without probing, which Charlie was thankful for. They practiced for the rest of the day at the training ground of the Guild - where most copper and iron adventurers like Charlie come to train up on swordsmanship or archery. Eltoar had proven to be a great teacher, for he was an elf - master of the jungle and unrivaled in archery. He showed Charlie how to position himself correctly when using a longbow, both while standing and crouching, how to quickly take shots, how to breathe and aim precisely, and how to not hurt himself while shooting shots. He also guided Charlie on how to do maintenance work on his bow, how to restring the longbow and how to craft a makeshift bolt when he runs out of arrows.

By the end of the day, when the sun was slowly setting and casting a deep orange hue on the training ground, Charlie could accurately hit a dummy 45 meters away 8 out of 10 times, which was by far, the most impressive feat he had ever done in his life. He thanked Eltoar, promising to visit him from time to time, and got back to his shack. 

The frontier town at night was dark, torches, candles and lanterns were luxurious items that only adventurers can use. Most villagers would retreat to their home and rest early, for they are the workforce of the town, who would tend to the crops even before the first ray of sunlight illuminates the land. The guards, however, all had torches and were stationed everywhere in the town: around the roads, near the town's wall, at the town's gates,... in looking out for monsters attacking at night. Adventurers, on the other hand, were a noisy bunch. They crashed in the pub and ate and drank through the night, some rented a room at the inn and got their well-deserved long rest. 

Charlie realized he had forgotten some very important information: he had money in his starting gear. 10 golden coins in a pouch in his backpack. He thought of how he set out goals and training regime to go on quests to make money, but he actually had some already. But he didn't know how the currency worked and how much goods cost in this brand new world, so he would refrain from spending gold, for now. But his basic knowledge of game mechanics and currencies would tell him that gold coins are pretty valuable, day to day meals would cost less than gold, for sure. But again, a single Adventurer's Handbook cost 5 gold, so it was difficult for him to estimate how much anything would cost.

Charlie finished the ration in his backpack - the dried meat and hard biscuits with the help of water in his waterskin. The meal was simple, but filling - a standard practice of adventurers in the land who travel days with this kind of ration alone. 

How long has it been since I chewed food? He wondered and sighed from remembering the tasteless nutritious jelly he had to "eat" to live.

He spared a second of thought about how difficult it was for adventurers to defecate without eating any vegetables, but quickly slumbered, taken over by the tiredness from the whole day of training.

Charlie's first day in Serepike, a frontier town of a new world, has come to an end.