Gramwell

Morning light filtered through the small window, dragging me out of restless sleep.

Rei was sitting beside my bed, its translucent form more solid-looking in the daylight. "She didn't attack," it said quietly. "Nothing happened all night."

I sighed, running a hand through my messy hair. 

Wrath stood up from the chair with an impatient grunt. "Pick your lazy ass up and follow me. We still need to get out of this forest."

I stretched, working out the stiffness in my shoulders, then picked up Lila's short blade and tucked it into my belt. My cloak went over my shoulders, and I shouldered the bundle of dire wolf pelts I'd harvested yesterday.

Outside, the settlement looked completely different in daylight. What had seemed ominous and threatening in the darkness was just a small cluster of weathered but well-maintained houses. Gardens with vegetables and herbs grew in neat rows between the buildings.

The old woman was tending to some flowering plants near her door, a watering can in her hands. She looked perfectly normal, just a rural grandma going about her morning routine.

I shook my head. "I definitely watched too many horror movies growing up."

She turned at the sound of my voice, a warm smile creasing her weathered face. "You're up? Sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you. I need to head out now though." I bowed slightly. "Thanks for the hospitality."

She waved dismissively. "Think nothing of it, dear." Then her expression shifted to something almost mischievous, and she smirked. "You slept alright, didn't you? No tossing and turning from being scared of a harmless old lady?"

I blinked, caught off guard.

She chuckled at my expression. "Oh, I knew you were terrified of me last night. The way you kept glancing at the door, barely touching your food. Did you think I was going to murder you in your sleep?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling heat creep up from my collar. Not knowing what to say in this situation.

She laughed, a genuine sound that made her seem even more like a harmless grandmother. "Was it because I said if someone wanted to try something funny, they could definitely try?"

Before I could come up with a response that didn't make me sound completely paranoid, she gestured for me to follow her.

"Come on, let me show you something before you go."

I stared at her for a second, then followed.

My hand moved instinctively to my sword hilt as she led me away from the houses. Wrath walked beside me, his translucent claws flexing in anticipation. Rei immediately ducked behind my back, whispering frantically.

"This is it! This is where she kills us! Why are we following her?"

The old woman walked with the easy gait of someone completely comfortable in these woods, leading us along what looked like an old hunting trail. 

Birds chirped in the trees overhead, and morning sunlight filtered through the canopy.

After a few minutes of walking, we emerged into a small clearing filled with the ruins of what had once might've been a tower. The structure was maybe thirty feet tall, but the top half had crumbled away long ago. Moss and vines covered most of the remaining part, and saplings grew from cracks in the foundation.

"There," she said, pointing at the ruins with obvious pride. "That's why anyone with 'funny ideas' would be making a mistake."

I stared at the tower, not understanding what she was getting at. It looked like any other ancient ruin - old, weathered, abandoned.

"I don't get it," I said.

She smiled and walked closer to the base of the tower, then placed her weathered hand on one of the moss-covered stones.

The entire structure began to glow with a soft blue light.

Then a beacon of light suddenly materialized in my vision, floating like a translucent marker above the glowing tower. 

The sight made me blink in surprise, it looked exactly like the quest markers from the RPGs I used to play.

"This was where the Heroes of the West were summoned decades ago," the old woman said, her voice taking on a reverent tone.

I blinked again, processing her words.

Yeah, I'd heard about them from other adventurers back at the guild, who'd been summoned to fight against some great evil that had threatened the world. Most people talked about them the way you'd discuss mythical figures.

She placed her weathered hand on the beacon, and her eyes drifted closed as if remembering distant times. "I was the one who summoned them. They were young, just like you."

A long sigh escaped her lips before she opened her eyes again, the nostalgic expression fading into something more guarded.

"Well, don't ask me what happened to them or to me. Just keep in mind that this place is still protected by them." 

Her voice carried a weight that made the morning air feel heavier. 

"The Barrier Empress Selena and the Void Architect Zeroes."

Wrath's bloodshot eyes widened a little, and Rei had stopped cowering and began staring at the glowing tower.

"You're saying two of the legendary Heroes protect this settlement?" I asked carefully.

The old woman's smile returned, but it held edges now that hadn't been there before. 

'Well. That explains the confidence.'

"This place is blessed by them," her hand still resting on the glowing beacon. "So even if they're not physically here, as long as someone remembers them and keeps their memory alive, this settlement and its people remain under their protection."

I nodded slowly, trying to process the implications. Magical protection from legendary heroes, even from wherever they'd gone. It explained why a handful of families could live safely in the middle of a monster-infested forest.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked. "I'm just a complete stranger who got lost in your woods."

Her smile softened, "Because you remind me of someone very close to me."

I blinked, not sure how to respond to that. 

She coughed lightly, breaking the moment.

 "But you said you were in a hurry, right? You should get going." She pointed northeast through the trees. 

"Follow that path for about three hours and you'll reach Gramwell. You'll be able to find transportation there, back to wherever you're headed."

"Thank you," I said, shouldering my bundle of wolf pelts. "For everything."

But she was already turning away, walking toward the entrance to the ruined tower. As she reached the stone archway, she paused without looking back.

"Take care of yourself out there, boy. The world's gotten more dangerous lately."

Then she disappeared into the shadows of the tower, leaving me standing alone in the clearing with my two echoes and more questions than answers.

Wrath crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, that was cryptic as hell."

Rei peeked out from behind my back. "At least we know which way to go now?"

I looked northeast toward the path she'd indicated, then back at the glowing tower. Whatever secrets the old woman was keeping, they weren't mine to uncover. I had enough mysteries in my own life to worry about.

"Come on," I said, starting toward the path. "Let's get back to civilization."

Three hours of walking through well-maintained forest paths brought me to the outskirts of Gramwell. 

The town was small but had a lively energy to it, merchants calling out their wares, children running between the market stalls, the sound of hammering from what looked like multiple smithies.

I stepped inside, looking for adventurer's guild.

In few minutes' walk, I found it, though it was noticeably smaller. But it buzzed with the same kind of activity, adventurers coming and going, clerks processing paperwork.

I approached the counter where a middle-aged woman was sorting through job postings.

"I'd like to sell these," I said, setting my bundle of dire wolf pelts on the counter.

She examined them with a practiced eye, checking the quality of the cuts and the condition of the fur. 

"Nice work. These are in excellent condition." She counted out coins from a strongbox. "Eighty copper for the lot."

After pocketing the payment, I moved to another counter, pulling out my adventurer card. "I want evaluation for my rank."

The clerk took it and placed it on the familiar crystal device.

She studied the glowing display that appeared above the crystal, her eyebrows rising slightly as she read through my recent job history. 

"Impressive record for someone your age. Multiple solo completions with excellent success rate..." She looked up at me.

"However, you still need five more completed jobs to meet the minimum requirements for B-rank advancement."

I nodded."Any particular type of jobs you'd recommend?" 

"For B-rank preparation? Take on some of the higher-tier monster subjugation ones. They pay better and test the kinds of skills you'll need at the next level."

 She handed my card back.

 "There are a few posted."

"Thanks." I pocketed the card and headed back out into Gramwell's bustling streets. 

The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.

 After the day I'd had - teleporting to an unknown forest, fighting crystal-back bears and those wolves, then meeting that mysterious old woman - I needed food and a proper bed.