The Road Ahead

The oil lamp flickered, casting light and dancing shadow all across the room as Ember slept soundly in the warm bed. The gentle wind and chirping crickets outside promised this to be a pleasant night. Still, Ember stirred. Though hard to place for him, something seemed to be steadily rousing him from his slumber. Eventually, his large eyes blinked, his face was pointed at the wall, but still, it felt as if he was not alone. No, it felt like there was somebody else in that room with him, a feeling only confirmed when a light clunk could be heard coming from behind him. Hearing this, Ember turned himself over, eyes going wide before pulling himself out from under his covers and stumbling to his feet.

“Y-you! What are you doing here!” Ember demanded, grinding his teeth.

There, sitting at the desk against the wall was a man, a familiar one in a black cloak and a grinning white and gold mask on his face. Beside him, on the table sat a clay cup, one that he just set down.

“Ah, you’re awake! If I might make a recommendation, you must try the coffee at this establishment, they make a fine brew I assure you~” Said the man jovially.

Ember seemed anything but jovial however. “I don’t care about the coffee, you’re the freak from the boat! Why are you in my room this time!?”

“Ah, right to the chase then? No friendly banter or the like?” The man asked.

“What is wrong with you!? Of course not! You’re a freak who keeps sneaking into my room! Where I’m from, that's not usually considered friend behavior.” Ember snapped.

“Ah! Yes, of course, you’re right. I can imagine you must be under a lot of stress, all things considered. My apologies.” The man replied with a sympathetic bow.

“What do you mean by that?” Marcus asked quizzically.

“Oh, my, well, it’s written all over your face of course! That and, well, It would make sense given the position you’ve found yourself in.” the man said, gesturing towards Ember with his right hand.

“My position huh? And just what exactly do you know about my ‘position’” Ember asked, crossing his arms.

“Oh, well, certainly you’ve caught on by now. You did notice the icons remarkably quickly after all.” The man commented.

“Ah, so you are involved in this somehow, the whole ‘Chosen’ thing. Here I thought you were just some story boss.” Ember growled.

“Hee hee, I am many things.” The man responded, raising a finger matter of factly. “As I’m certain you can tell by the indicator above my head, though you may no longer be able to see it properly unless you focus on it, I am Rykard, and you my friend are one Ember von Scorch, correct?”

Ember thought about it for a moment. No, that didn’t sound quite right, yet somehow, it felt like it was. “Y-yea, guess you can see my name too, huh?”

“Of course! It’s only fair after all~ But I’m not here to antagonize you. To answer your question from when you first awoke, I stand before you now as a messenger.” Rykard explained.

Ember stared at the man quizzically. Thinking of it now, he may not have another opportunity to give this idea a shot. Ember focused on Rykard, not just to see his name appear over his head, but to initiate an inspection. To Ember’s surprise, he actually managed to get a window to pop up for it. Unfortunately, aside from his name and current appearance, every other detail was simply filled in with question marks.

“Oh! Haha, that tickles~” Rykard teased, causing Ember to jump and cut off the scan. “Very clever of you, but unfortunately, you probably won’t get anything useful that way. Still, you are remarkably promising, if a bit thick headed.”

“What!? The hell you mean. C’mon, enough of this crap, tell me why you’re here already. I have more important things to do.” Ember growled.

“Ah, now that, I quite doubt. You see, you’re an imp with many, many questions most likely and I am the man with answers to potentially every single one of them.” Rykard claimed, picking up the coffee cup and briefly tilting it towards Ember.

“Hmm, you are huh? Then tell me, what’s the deal with the whole Chosen thing and how do I get back home?” Ember asked.

“Ah, that, yes, the biggest question as of right now. And here I was hoping you’d feel lucky upon its discovery. Who doesn’t want to be a Chosen one after all? Heh heh, well, I suppose that perspective varies on an individual basis. I’m certain not everyone will appreciate it the same as others after all.” Rykard teased.

“Yea, I noticed that. It’s more than just me that ended up this way isn’t it?” Ember asked.

“Indeed! And you were one of the first to notice on your own. Yes, you are not the only one bearing that mark. Those who have been selected are scattered all about! I would recommend seeking them out but if my understanding is correct, you have already begun such a task on your own. Ah, what an impressive Imp you are.” Rykard commented.

“Hey, enough of the brown nose’n buddy, I love get’n praise as much as the next guy, but there’s just somethin off about it come’n from you…” Ember said with a glare.

“Ah, but Mr. von Scorch, I’m being most sincere, but I suppose that isn’t the point right now. No, you’re more curious about finding a way home, correct? Well, I’m afraid I can’t simply give that information out all willy nilly. No, this is a game of sorts after all, and if you want information, then you must complete a quest for me first.” Rykard offered.

“Dammit, of course I do… Fine, what is it? What do I have to do before you let me go home?” Ember asked.

Rykard chuckled. “Well, if you want information, you first need to prove yourself. The mayor of this town provided you with a task already, correct? Well, you simply need to complete that quest. Once you have defeated the boss of Fort Constance, I will return and fill you in with whatever information I can.”

“Huh, that’s it? Just defeat the first dungeon boss?” Ember asked.

“Yep, that’s all, but there’s a bit more to it than that. Through fulfilling this task, you will learn the rules of this land you now preside in, and how to go about existing in this world. Now, if there was anything more you wanted from me, then I’m afraid you’re out of luck as I shan't be providing any more hints. Good luck out there, Chosen one.” The man said before he turned. His back now facing Ember, he reached up, clearly to lift his mask before taking a sip of coffee “Oh, and by the way, word of advice. Try not to rush so much, eh?”

“Don’t rush? I want out of this stupid place, don’t tell me not to rush!?” Ember shouted.

The man just chuckled as he stepped forward, walking towards the wall and giving Ember a wave. Instead of colliding with the wall however, which Ember was hoping for, he instead simply stepped through it, the wall distorting as he passed through, and with that, he was gone. Ember meanwhile remained standing there, staring at where the man had left. Though he did indeed get some answers, he was ultimately left with more questions. Regardless, his task the next day was clear. He needed to try to locate the other Chosen individuals as quickly as possible. For now though, despite getting fired up there for a bit, he was starting to feel groggy again. With a yawn, Ember turned and flopped face first onto the pillow, passing out almost immediately.