Cycle of Ruin - Arrival: A LitRPG Series

Chapter 8

In the end, the hard wooden table hadn't proved to be as comfortable as it had first felt, and Leo spent the first few minutes of his morning just stretching out his sore muscles, groaning as he tried to work out the creaks that had formed overnight.

There was a pile of clean clothes folded neatly and placed on one of the nearby chairs lining the table. Next to it was a plateful of steaming eggs, fruit and a large jug of water. Without any hesitation, Leo attacked the meal with a frenzy. It only took him thirty seconds to demolish the whole platter, the taste almost as sublime as the Pandorian to his starving body.

After a moment to bask in the contentment of a full stomach, he tugged off his tattered woolen shirt and pants. The pungent smell that wafted away from his blood-stained clothing almost cost him his meal. He couldn't make a fire high enough for his ruined clothes to burn in.

Not needing any more motivation, he quickly slipped into his new attire. Zeld had lent him a pair of brown thick woolen trousers that were tightened by an embedded rope to fit him, a loose-fitting cotton shirt, high woolen socks and a new pair of dark leather boots. He was almost disappointed that the clothes were all of common quality with no helpful effects, but anything compared to what he had on before was a huge boon.

Finished donning the clothes, Leo went to find the old hermit. He searched the small but quaint interior of the cabin, taking special note of the two sleeping quarters with soft feather beds that he wished he had spent the night in earlier.

A thorough search revealed the old man must be out in the garden. He grabbed Aveth from where it leaned against the kitchen wall, and stepped out the door into the cavern. Judging by the position of the sun, which shined brightly through the large opening in the ceiling overhead, he estimated it was around mid-day.

Zeld's residence was situated against one of the hard, gray stone walls of the Garden, and using the waterfall as a reference, Leo thought it to be opposite from where he had first entered. With its dark red wood and small front porch tucked underneath an overhang, the cabin emitted a pleasant homey feel.

A small green grassy clearing around a hundred paces long separated the cabin from the invading plants. There was a gravel pathway that ran through the center of the clearing before forking off into three directions and disappearing into the underbrush.

A tall, rocky spire several stories high was built upon the edge of the clearing, looking a little out of place with the whole cabin in the woods feel. It protruded straight upward before branching in a "T" formation at the very tip. Leo eyed it for a second, observing what appeared to be scorch marks along the stone pillar, before a shout caught his attention.

"Heads up, boy!" Leo turned around just in time to get smacked in the face with a thick, wooden object. The pain disoriented him and he felt a trickle of what must have been blood trail from his sore nose. "A little late on the warning," Leo growled, clutching his bleeding nose. The object was a thick piece of wood that had been crudely carved to resemble a sword. Something told him his nose was just the beginning of what today had in store for him.

"A little slow on the reflexes," Zeld retorted, holding a similar wooden sword and walking towards him. "Go put Aveth back; you won't need it for this lesson."

Leo hesitated for a moment, glancing around at the surrounding undergrowth. He was reluctant to surrender his weapon while in an area that had literally killed him the day before. "Nothing to worry about until you walk into the plants," Zeld assured him. Leo gave a nod, trusting the old man's word, then quickly stowed Aveth back inside the cabin.

He headed back into the grassy clearing, stooping to pick up the practice sword off the ground before facing the old man and getting a better look at him than the day before. Zeld had a sharp wrinkled face with brown eyes, his completely white hair had been tied back in a small ponytail, and he possessed a build that was lean but held a wiry kind of strength. He tried casting Observation but the skill failed, making him all the more anxious about their impromptu training.