12 Entering The Village

Leo felt nervous as he walked towards the village entrance as not only did the players take notice of him, but the village guards did as well. 

He was limping slightly as he walked in character towards the village wall as he wanted the village guards to assume that the reason behind why he was wearing bloody robes was because he was injured and not because he was forced to kill some enemy. 

Being far from a seasoned actor, his inconsistent limping was a dead giveaway of his inexperience as each step he took varied slightly from the last, a telltale sign to any observant onlooker that his injury was a fake, however, fortunately for him, the attention of the village guards was captivated not by his gait, but by his mask, which, for reasons unknown, held significant intrigue for them. 

"SIR! This is Private Ryan here SIR!, US Air Force commander, SIR!, please tell me if I can assist you anyway possible SIR!" A man suddenly shouted as he appeared in front of Leo and began stomping his feet in traditional military salute everytime he shouted SIR! 

He was wearing the layman's clothing so Leo knew that he was a player, but his sudden antics prompted all the nearby players to pay full attention to this interaction making Leo feel awkward to have been put in a spot. 

Leo could clearly make out that the man in front of him was lying, his posture was pathetic and his designation was even more ridiculous. 

He assumed the title of a commander after introducing himself as a 'private', because it was probably the only military title he knew about which made Leo sure that he was a complete novice, since no commander would shamelessly introduce themselves first and display such a lackey-like behaviour.

Leo was 99% sure that the man was trying to see if Leo issued a quest to him, since this was a game and he did not look like a player like the rest of them wearing layman's clothing, but unfortunately, Leo was not an NPC. 

"Out of my way-" Leo said with the same tone as a pissed off old man who was rushing to a convenience store to buy a cigarette as he walked straight past fake Private Ryan, without giving him any face. 

Audible laughter could be heard as the other players burst out laughing having witnessed the spectacular failure of Private Ryan and even Leo was forced to suppress a chuckle. 

Thankfully, no other players bothered him anymore and instead made way for him as he approached the village guards. 

" Greetings soldier-, May I know the purpose behind your visit?" One of the two village guards asked, as Leo did not answer immediately but rather waited for a few seconds as he stared directly into the eyes of the two guards. 

Staring directly into the eyes of someone was an intimidation tactic he had learnt from living on the streets. 

Those who had something to hide, would subconsciously avoid eye-contact, however, if you stared confidently into someone's eyes it was more likely that they would believe you. 

" I'm here to meet the village chief, I have government business to discuss with him" Leo said as he flashed the government letter with the kingdom's stamp on it. 

"Oh, it seems like you are here on official business, please let me lead the way," the village guard on the right said, as he signalled for Leo to follow him into the village. 

Sighing in relief, Leo followed the man into the village as he slowly faded out of the curious gazes of the players outside. 

He had managed to get into the village without having to pay an entrance fee like the rest of the players which was a small consolation on its own, however, unlike them he was not free to do as he pleased within the village, but had to conform to his role as the government soldier. 

His relief at being able to enter was short-lived as he was quickly guided towards the village chief's quarters due to which he did not get much opportunity to observe the village and it's beauty in depth, but his first impression of the place was that it was just like a fantasy town straight out of mediaeval times. 

Wooden houses with smoke coming out of makeshift chimneys, narrow paved roads that had a thin layer of snow covering them and villagers dressed in thick fur clothing mostly made out of wolf skin were some sights that Leo observed before arriving before the chief's house. 

"Please wait here while I inform the chief of your arrival" the guard said as he politely bowed to Leo before excusing himself for a while. 

The part of the village where he was standing at the moment seemed to be the local residential district, whereas the part where the newly spawned players were resting was the area where the taverns, motels and adventurer guilds were based. 

"A Virex mask? Are you sure?" 

Leo heard someone saying from a distance as he could hear the sound of approaching footsteps. 

Soon, the village guard was back alongside another man who Leo assumed was the chief of the village, as the tall and stout man examined Leo and the mask that he was wearing. 

"Why is a Virex operative in my town? I hope none of my villagers are on your hitlist" The village chief said with scrutiny as he tried to probe Leo for some information.

The village chief was 6 foot two and built like a literal bear. 

If Leo was to take him on, he was sure that the man could punch him out unconscious with a single blow, but despite the intimidating stature, Leo maintained his calm. 

"The business I have in this village is stated clearly in this letter, however, it's a conversation we best have in private" Leo said as he handed over the government letter to the village chief who tore open the seal and began reading it immediately. 

The tense expression on his face eased significantly as he read the letter and by the end of it he was even smiling as he chuckled out loud. 

"Hahaha, so you're here to help us with the wolf problem, how rude of me. Please, come in, let's discuss this in my hall. 

Have you had dinner yet? Please honour my family by having dinner with us today. 

Oh- you're injured? Fayley, go call the healer Miss Shayana. 

Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Brahim, the elected chief of Silverpine Village, and it's my as well as my village's honour to host a warrior of your calibre, esteemed Virex operative sir 'The Boss' " Brahim said as Leo needed a moment to process the sudden 180° shift in his attitude. 

Leo had no idea what was written in that letter, however, from Brahim's reaction he assumed that it was something related to the wolf problem that this village was facing and not some execution order like Brahim had assumed. 

Once he realised that Leo was not there to kill anyone, his attitude softened significantly, however, Leo could not help but feel uneasy internally. 

He had a strong gut feeling that the quest he was going to be forced to undertake would be a wolf extermination mission, a mission that he was not skilled enough to accept.