Chapter 24 The Fallen Leaves Tell A Story

I know where the Title comes from and I put it there for the memes since I thought it was fitting haha.

.

.

.

------------

/5 minutes later…/

/Creak…/

The Village Head entered the room as he wiped the sweat out of his forehead.

"I am sorry for the wait everyone, I came back as fast as I could..."

"So let's start this meeting."

Misgurd scoffed and asked:

"Can this even be called a meeting?"

"That will be up to that young man to decide." The Village Head replied with a slight smile

And with that everyone in the room looked at Dale, making him tense again.

"..."

'Act natural... Act natural...'

"Look at you all, stop putting pressure on the kid." Granny Tina said as she tapped the table slightly

"I was just a bit curious, his armor was quite interesting, and that sword…" Another one of the Elders pointed out as he caressed his tummy

He was an old man with large muscles and an equally thick, fat belly.

He looked very excited as he looked at Dale's armor set.

"It's been a while since I saw you so excited about working in the forge, can you even lift the hammer old bum?" Tina asked with a smirk as she mocked the old man

"Humph..."

The man got a bit angry, but just when he was about to lash out…

/Clap!/

The village Head interrupted the two with a strong clap.

"Tina, Barme, please, refrain from causing a commotion. It's late."

He looked at Dale and said:

"First, allow me to introduce everyone here properly, starting from me."

"My name is Edimund, I am the current Village head of Resko, an unofficial title but still..."

"There wasn't anyone willing to take the position and the Village can't go on without some basic leadership... So the role ended up falling onto my shoulders."

There seemed to be some story in his words due to his tone, but he didn't speak about it.

He looked at the person on his left and said:

"You already met her, this is Tina Eino, she is one of our Village's warriors and currently acts mainly as a herbalist."

Tina chuckled and said:

"I am far from my youth and am too old to be called a warrior, but I can at the very least grab a few herbs and fruits in the forest from time to time."

The Village Head nodded and looked at the person next to Tina, she had long white hair that went to her waist, and her eyes were also blue like those of Edimund, different from Tina who had brown eyes and curly white hair.

"Next is Adamante, she is our village's best leatherworker… "

"You forgot to add I am the one behind everything from butchering to processing of monster materials." She said as she pushed her glasses up

"Haha!... Of course, Miss Adamante is the one in charge of making most of our guards' cloth armor, without her, I bet most of us would be half-naked…" Edimund said with an awkward smile as he moved on to the next person

"Next to her is Barme, he is the best smith in the village, his family has been running a forge for generations."

"You talk as if anyone else knew how to forge... It isn't anything impressive..."

"Regardless, nice to make you acquainted kid, would you mind if I took a look at your armor later? It's been a while since I saw such a thing…"

"Sure I don't mind." Dale replied with a nod

'So the Village did have a proper smith, good, getting myself close to him is a must if I want to maintain my gear in the future.'

'And just like Tina and Misgurd, he may have his own Questline.'

'Everything related to the core of the Village is bound to end up in unpredictable ways, just like how the simple fetch quest in the Church led to me getting my hands on a Legendary Item...'

'I mustn't forget, but there is one Epic Rank Quest within Level 10 hidden in the Village, perhaps of even higher Levels...'

'I must keep my eyes open at all times, it'll likely be impossible to get my hands on all of them, but some...'

Barme smiled, allowing Edimund to continue.

"Next is Misgurd, Ophelia, and Jyter. Veterans of their respective fields. With Misgurd being a retired Mercenary, Ophelia being a retired Hunter, and Jyter being a retired Miner from when the mines were still in operation several decades ago."

"..."

Dale became pensive when he heard about the mines.

'The Mines huh, it's the second time I heard about it.'

'David mentioned it, and now there is an NPC related to these places... Is it a coincidence?'

'If I were to treat all of this as a game, then no...'

'But in reality, I...'

The village head turned his gaze one more time and said:

"And the final member of the Elder council is Testros… But unfortunately, he isn't here now."

"And that's about it."

Edimund looked at Dale and asked:

"What about you young man? Who are you?"

(Insert Skyrim character creation screen)

"Me? My name is Dale and I am a… Hum… An adventurer?"

'Really... Should I say I am a fallen Noble? But how would they react to this?'

"That is enough, we won't press you about the past. And now that everyone knows each other… Tell us, what happened?" Edimund asked with a nod

"Should I go from the very start or..."

"From the start, we know it has something to do with Misgurd, but it would be better to hear it all from you first."

"Alright, then, it started when I made my way to the Guild after..."

...

Dale became focused as he started to narrate the events, from when he arrived at the church to the boy's help and what he found in the labyrinth.

Though he modified the last part slightly, saying that there was some sort of creature gnawing at the Icon, which is true, but not entirely so...

He further added how he used Caladgolg to slash the creature down and how he purified its body with the Icon, of course, he didn't mention that David, the golden head, was actually aware and very much 'alive'.

However, Dale forgot to consider something very important, to have made use of the Icon to purify the creature meant that...

His story made everyone's eyes pop out, but they didn't mention anything about the last part.

But Edimund was unresponsive as he closed his eyes...

"To think such a thing was happening beneath us all this time..."

"I knew there was an extensive array of passages beneath the village, but I didn't expect it to hold such secrets… Dangers."

"If only we hadn't been so negligent..."

"Nevertheless, this is news that Testros would love to hear…"

"Don't worry, I am here."

Everyone looked at the door to see the old man with spiked white hair entering the room.

"No need for formalities, I already heard everything."

Tina had a cheeky smile as she said:

"Aren't you too old to eavesdrop on other people's conversation?"

But Testros smiled and shook his head.

"I had to go there and confirm it for myself, so I took a bit longer to return…"

This made Edimund frown.

"That was dangerous, I thought we had agreed to wait…"

"I apologize, I just couldn't hold myself when I saw the Sword... Caladgolg…"

"!"

'I never shared the name with anyone though?!' Dale thought as his eyes shook a little

There were many things Dale couldn't tell due to their unknown source.

But hearing it from the old man's own lips made him so surprised he almost lost his cool.

"In any case, I am fine so let's cut the chase and get down to business."

Edimund shook his head and let out a sigh.

"So, as I was saying, I never thought I would bring this up..."

"But beneath the Village lies the Catacombs of the Fallen order of the Southern Wall Corps."

"It's a relic of a time when Resko used to be a much more prosperous territory… From time before it went from a bustling town to a broken down Village…"

Testros continued from where Edimund stopped:

"Kid, you must've realized something happened here in the past, it's not difficult to figure it out."

"This happened around 150 years ago… And it all boils down to the Southern Wall Corps."

Dale asked:

"What was the Southern Wall Corps?"

Testros had to think for a while, refresh his memory and choose the right words before he replied:

"The Empire's influence covers the entire continent, but it wasn't always like that."

"As its power increased and the territory expanded, problems started to arise..."

"Who would collect tax in the region? Who would govern the place in the Empire's stead?"

"Who would develop the region?"

"Nobles fought for territory, bloody civil wars which led to dozens of Families vanished trained the lands crimson... But eventually, a map was drawn."

"Yet, due to their immense reach, even more problems started to rise whenever it came to resolving problems."

"If a powerful beast appeared somewhere, then by the time they sent someone to take care of it, dozens of Villages would fall."

"Nobles are very hierarchical, so it's normally easy to resolve problems between them, they just need to consult a higher ranked one..."

"But Nobles aren't the Empire, they can be bought, they can be unjust, they won't listen to reason if it means raising their own power and territory, because that means a chance to raise in the bureaucratic ladder."

"So the need of a localized power that could content with all Regional powers while also being impartial and completely loyal to the main center power was needed..."

"To this, the empire created 5 corps to manage its territory and protect it, completely modifying its current structure to fit this new order."

"The Northern Infantry that oversees the Northern Plains where most of the population of the Empire is located, and also where the old Empire used to be located..."

"The Western and Eastern Navy who patrol the oceans and bring forth many treasures from beyond land."

"Followed by the Southern Wall Corps, who were tasked with creating the greatest bastion of the Empire..."

"Lastly, in the center of its territory lies the strongest of the 5 corps, the Imperial Arms who protect the Royal bloodline."

"Let's ignore them and go to what matters. The reason why the Southern Wall Corps is called Southern Wall Corps."

Dale nodded, fully focused.

"Kid, did you know that there isn't only one continent?"

"Yeah?..."

'Quite an abrupt way of introducing it but...'

"... You don't seem surprised, did you know about it?"

"Well, I mean… No, I didn't know, I just always thought somewhere out there. Beyond the ocean would be another place."

Testros smiled.

"You're right kid, I don't know how many, but I can confirm at least one."

"5 centuries ago, when the empire had been first established after many brutal wars and conflicts, the Emperor at the time realized how dangerous and precarious the South was."

"It was a liability that had to be taken care of."

Edimund opened his mouth and continued:

"The South is by far, the most dangerous out of all zones in the continent. And that is due to its proximity with another continent."

"If we go deeper into that forest near us, go on for a few days… Around 4-5 weeks on foot, we will arrive at the shores."

"If you go into the sea you will enter into what is called, the Sinking Archipelago. It's a zone with an extreme quantity of islands, condensed, you could even call them a path since they go all the way to the other continent."

"As for the other continent itself… It's hell."

"Terrific monsters and worse all prowl that place day in and night."

"Every once in a while, a few manage to cross the sea by using these islands as footholds, some even migrate between the continents as part of their habits…"

"The emperor of the time couldn't stand these creatures, they were too dangerous to be left alone, especially when the entire Southern section of the continent was filled with precious resources and those monsters would oftentimes cause mayhem in its neighboring areas…"

"So a massive plan was created and the monsters were pushed back, and with it, a wall was raised and the creation of the Southern Wall Corps was officialized as part of the managing system Testros told you about."

Everyone nodded, and this gave Testros a chance to continue:

"Resko was built and used as a base for these Corps to rest and improve themselves, it could even be called the Capital of the South..."

"Not only that, Resko was the first town of the South, and because of that, many immigrants were sent here to help harvest and explore the resources of this area…"

"Everything went well after that, many powerful warriors rose within the corps, and Resko grew massively, and at one time, one of the emperors even considered making Resko into a Capital city, although that plan failed during its execution…"

"Time is cruel kid, and nothing is meant to last forever… The rich resources of Resko started to deplete and since the Corps was so Goddamn good at their job, people had long forgotten what it meant to live right next to a Continent full of monsters."

"And after the rise of the Corps' greatest hero, the empire got afraid…"

Tina interrupted him.

"Testros! That is a bit too much to say out loud…"

"Humph! As if those lousy asses will hear me… Don't interrupt me, I am reaching the end of my story."

Tina eyes's rolled up in annoyance.

"Cough! In the end, the Hero died mysteriously, the resources were close to depleting, and there were no more monsters to kill since everything had been pushed outside of the wall... Because of this, people started to leave Resko."

"And this wasn't all..."

Testros started to clench his fists in anger...

"With the diminishing help of the Empire that was afraid of the potential power and influence of the corps, it became harder and harder to keep things steady…"

"Recruits got scarce and the equipment started to get rusty and tattered due to lack of materials…"

"Resko wasn't the city of dreams and opportunities anymore, so the talented and ambitious people didn't have a reason to remain there anymore... The problem was that this was done too abruptly, causing instability…"

"One leaves... Two leaves... That eventually leads to a mass exodus."

"All of that led the Corps to fall from grace, no longer were they as strong as before."

"Eventually, we were overrun… At the time, I was nothing but a low-ranking soldier… Being raised in there from a young age."

"I watched with my own two eyes the true horrors of what lies beyond the wall, and yet, I could do nothing."

"Many were told to flee and tell the Empire of what happened, with me being one of them… Yet, here I am, alone."

"I never regretted my actions, I only did as I was told, even if it was against my own beliefs…"

"My superiors died doing their duties and protecting the people… Even if they weren't deserving of it as most just left us behind… What I regret is how their actions meant nothing!"

"Since in the end... No one listened to me, and the empire never sent reinforcements… And now our legacy is on the verge of ending."

/SLAM!/

Testros slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"This is the oversimplified story of Resko… As for why this is important…"

"It's just a bit of context for you kid since most of the people here know this old story."

"The most important thing about this discovery was without a doubt, the Icon, however, I would also like to thank you personally."

"You did us... And the Soldiers of the Southern Corps a grand favor..."

He shook his head.

"The problem from this was the creature you told me you slayed… I don't remember much of my old days as a low-ranking soldier, so I can't help in that regard..."

"However, whatever lies sealed in there is by no means something we should ignore."

"It's okay, thank you for sharing all of this, it's a great help nonetheless." Said Edimund

He turned to Dale and said:

"Thank you Dale, you helped our village survive another day, I can't imagine what would've happened had this situation escalated further."

He, together with everyone else, bowed.

[Your reputation rises massively! Resko Reputation +10*2=20]

[You have achieved the minimum Reputation threshold! Your standing has changed!]

[You are now an Honored Guest!]

"Please everyone… This is a bit much…"

Dale tried his best to keep calm and solve this situation but…

[DING]

…

.

.

.

Notes

Lore dump! Yeah, this chapter was another massive dump.

Also, there it is, more Reputation gain, one quest gave multiple reputation gains, scattered through several interactions, this is to make things a bit more realistic and less like a game.

As people get informed about his actions, their standing with Dale will change systematically and not at once.

Well, we now have a big picture of what Resko actually is and signified for the rest of the continent, and perhaps even a bit of a sneak peek into what the Mc will do in the future, lets's see where this story will bring us.

See you all!