Something I can do

Is Rorick going to be okay?

The question played out in my mind on repeat, but without an answer, I only seemed to feel more depressed. I hadn’t known him for long, but I really got attached to him. He was fun to play with. The first person who gave me a chance, despite my being a golem.

Angry, scared and a little desperate, I turned to the system.

Come on, give me something I can use! Will Rorick be okay? How can I help him?

{Unable to provide information}

What, I wouldn’t be able to ask you anything if you didn’t have some answers to something! Just tell me what you do know! What can I do to help him?!!

{Unable to provide information}

This is getting me nowhere, you’re useless!

{Unable to provide information}

Ugh… well, whatever. Wait, where am I?

Looking around the vast clearing I stumbled into, I was surrounded by the same silver-leafed trees I had come to know over the last few days, but something was odd. The constant murmur and lively noises of the forest had completely ceased. There was an eerie silence.

I don’t like this, I should leave. I turned back, but stopped at the sudden swish of air that flew at me. It was warm, followed by a deep bellow of something living. Something dangerous. I sensed it towering over me, the beast in question, then looked up to meet its gaze.

A wolf–no, it resembled more of a bear-wolf hybrid, with large dagger-shaped fangs. Its deep brown-grey fur had a heavy, loose coating that swayed ever so gently under the breeze. The glowing red colour of its pupils beamed to life at the centre of a black iris, in what could only be described as a death glare.

{Duskmaw Lv16}

{Danger! Immense pressure detected}

Crap, I was so distracted I didn’t even sense it until it was right on top of me. Is there a chance I could run–

Its open paw flung out from its side and crashed into me with enough force to lift me off my feet. I felt my full weight thrown into the air, uncontrollably and then again into the ground. It didn’t just hit me, something else followed that strike and completely buried me into the ground. It moved faster than I could keep up with.

{-40 HP}

Wh-what the hell… I thought it was only level 16? It shouldn’t be that strong. Not even the Malevolent Arachnid could hit me that hard. Wait– I’d been assuming up to this point I knew how stats worked, but maybe I had it wrong. It’s possible that levels don’t affect the stats completely. This guy could have been strong since birth, maybe he gets even stronger in five levels than I would have in ten…

It flared its nostrils and released a large puff of steam. I panicked to my feet as the dirt in front of me rose into pillars. If it was stronger and faster than me, I had to rely on my ace. My skills!

Escape! I need to run away– I need to leave, now!

One by one, spots of dirt rose from the ground and created large structures of uprooted stone and grass that covered my escape. Magic circles popped up at random as I cast the earth manipulation skill one after another.

It could have easily broken through them, but for whatever reason, it let me go. Its menacing glare followed me the entire way until I was out of sight.

My mana was nearly depleted and even though I couldn’t grow tired, I felt mentally exhausted. I lost count of how many pillars I had risen in that time, but it didn’t feel like nearly enough. I’m sure if it wanted to, it could have killed me.

Seriously, what’s a monster like that doing in this peaceful forest? I nearly died back there, good thing it let me go… Why did it let me go? It didn’t seem mindless, the way it watched me run away. If anything, I’d say it wasn’t being serious when it hit me. Was it trying to protect itself?

Whatever the reason, I decided to put it out of my mind and count my blessings. It was nightfall already and I was beyond lost. Somehow, I managed to wander towards a modest-sized lake. I knew there was a stream around here, one I had crossed a few times, but this was the first time I had seen the lake.

It was clear enough to see the earthy lake floor, pebbles and all. Submerged to the utmost bottom, the water felt warm on my cracked body. I didn’t have the sensation of relief most people described from hot springs or swimming, but at the very least, I knew it was objectively warm.

This body’s still not up to par with humans just yet. I joked. I wonder if I’ll ever get to feel what a hot spring is really like?

It didn’t take long for my mind to flood with gloomy thoughts again. It served as a quick distraction, but at the end of the day, there was no way I couldn’t think of Rorick and the village.

There has to be something I could do, surely?

{Unable to provide information}

Enough, I never asked you! It’s not like you ever answer me in the first place, so why bother defaulting to that same line of text every time?

{Unable to provide information}

Never mind, arguing with this lifeless system isn’t going to get me anywhere. I need a plan of action. Those guys that drove into the village said something about being an ambassador if I remember correctly… it seemed like they were bringing in medicine for quite a long time, I guess Rorick was sick for a while then.

I stared out into the ripples that surged from my rising body’s movements. I waved my arm and the ripples doubled over one another. I poked a spot into the water with my rugged fingertip and caused a single ripple that settled the water around it.

Maybe I can heal him? No, I’d need to experience it before I could copy that kind of magic and there’s no telling if healing magic is even possible for me. I doubt any creatures in this forest would be able to use it either… but what about their village?

It wasn’t completely impossible, maybe someone had an affinity for healing, but just wasn’t strong enough to pull it off. Either way, it seemed like going to their village would give me more info than just standing around, so that made it worth a shot, right?

With no other options, I waddled my way in a single direction, trying my best to find the village again. I knew I had a good memory as a golem, but retracing my steps only confirmed how monstrous that fact was. I perfectly navigated back to the village, as if I had done so millions of times.

Once there, I snuck up to the boundary of the village, where a noticeable ring formed between the separate shades of grass of the shaded forest and their village. It really felt like they lived in their own little world, cut off from anything else.

I saw a few villagers and decided to appraise them, hoping I’d see something of use.

{Male Human Lv2} {Male Human Lv4} {Female Human Lv1} {Male Human Lv2} {Female Human Child Lv3}

Besides the little girl who ran past, nothing changed among their nameplates. It seemed like the appraise skill still had lots of room to grow, even in its improved form. At that rate, it didn’t seem like I would be able to point out a ‘healer’ from the group, not that it looked like there was one.

All of them were farmers, busy in the fields and working on crops. Men and women alike, not a single person was idle. Their community was focused and quite hardworking.

Yeah, there’s no chance a healer is among these guys. I really can't do a thing.

“Damn it!” A man shouted. He had a hoe in his hands, well, what used to be one.

The pole of it had snapped and left a flimsy wooden head of a blade buried in the dirt. The others around him had similar tools, their expressions sour. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a few gaps in the rows they had ploughed and a pile of broken tools, like his, off to the side.

“This dry season is killing me… what are we going to do?”

“Don’t complain, Bell, we can only do what is in our power. If we must plough with our hands, then so be it. The lord may have taken away our supplies, but we will not die from starvation!” The man whom I recognised as the chief spoke out to everyone with that last comment.

Bell clutched his broken tool and nodded gingerly, then carried on without another word.

They’re actually in pretty rough conditions, now that I look at it. They said it’s a dry season. Is that why they’re struggling? Wait, if they’ve been behind on production, is that why the lord of these lands stopped funding them with supplies? I wonder if I can’t do something…maybe that’ll get his favour back, then Rorick can get his medicine.

My mind was made, all I had to do was wait for them to leave and I could get to work.