The ringing of the system clock woke up the four companions. It was precisely 5:00 am. Mark, Abdul, Amit, and Ahmed opened their eyes, chasing away the remnants of a terrifying night. There was no time to lose, so they all freshened up and sat down at the heavy breakfast table in the tavern’s main hall.
The breakfast set was worth the long night of hard work. Tender pieces of lamb were perfectly cooked and glazed with delicious honey. The fluffy scrambled eggs have a unique taste caused by the rare herbs used in their preparation. Warmly baked bread was perfectly matched with the creamy churned berry butter. The four warriors ate in complete silence, carefully calculating every calorie.
After finishing their meal, the comrades left the tavern for the surrounding area. They spent an hour doing warm-ups and practice. As they finished the training, the ringing of the system bell sounded, and blue transparent screens formed in front of the fighters.
[TRAINING IMPROVEMENT COMPLETE]
[ENERGY STATISTICS UPDATED]
Mark: Energy [150/150] -> [165/165] (Temporary Buff: Well-Nourished)
Abdul: Energy [130/130] -> [145/145] (Temporary Buff: Well-Nourished)
Amit: Energy [140/140] -> [155/155] (Temporary Buff: Well-Nourished)
Ahmed: Energy [125/125] -> [140/140] (Temporary Buff: Well-Nourished)
Back at the hotel, the warriors gulped down some thick chalk protein shakes and waited for their mana and energy levels to stabilize. They all gathered around the heavy wooden conference table to discuss the previous night’s ghost encounter.
“So, according to the events from last night,” Amit said, tapping the glowing screen that showed the village schema. “The ghost is completely harmless. She did not harm a single one of us and had no aggressive manifestations. I think that it is necessary to research the background of this particular spirit. Such manifestations had a human appearance, therefore they had human brains.”
Diljeet nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, thoughtfully staring at the schematic. “Therefore, to solve the mystery of the ghost, we have to investigate her life before death. So we should gather all available information concerning this spirit.”
“Agreed,” Mark responded. “So today, our task is to explore the district and find all the pieces of information necessary to find answers. Then we will be able to take further meaningful steps in our quest to uncover the mystery of the ghost.”
The Haunting of the Vale
Soon the morning air greeted the explorers with its freshness and coldness as they walked up and down the muddy roads. The silence was disturbed by the shouts of a few local villagers, who were running up to the main square.
Mark approached the group and politely asked to exchange a few words. “Excuse me, please. Could we ask you for information about the ghost that haunts the village?”
The villagers gasped in horror and took a step back. Murmuring in a frightened group, the farmers stared at the heavily armed warriors. After a moment, one of the older villagers stepped forward to explain things.
“You should leave the spirits’ stories alone,” he warned them. “But if you have to hear the tale about the ghost that haunts our district, I guess there is no harm in it. Twenty years ago, this woman used to live here with her husband and their five-year-old child. They had a lovely cottage at the edge of the woods. However, one day, without any particular reason, the child and the child’s father suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth.”
The old man wiped a tear from his cheek. “The woman was broken by this tragedy and took her own life a couple of weeks later. Her ghost haunts us all, wandering restlessly at night. All the villagers know that they have to be home before sunset and never go anywhere in the woods alone.”
At these words, Abdul stepped forward. “So, where is she buried? Tell us about her graveyard.”
The villagers were horrified by this question and exchanged frightened looks. “The graveyard is located on the east side,” the old man replied, pointing at the narrow road. “However, there is a group of ten bandits that watch the graveyard entrance. These criminals are known to everyone in the village. They do not allow anyone to enter the graveyard and rob those who are willing to bribe them. If an applicant refuses to give them any money, these bandits will cut his throat right away.”
“We understand,” Mark said, tightening his belt. “So, could you describe the route to the graveyard in more detail?”
Nervously, the old man explained the directions. The four warriors followed the narrow road described by the villagers. Soon enough, the narrow trail turned into the forest, blocking out the morning sunlight.
Suddenly, the group heard whispers behind the thick leaves.
“...easy targets coming down the road... strip them of everything...”
The ghost hunters turned around and glared at the enemy. From within the dense thicket, ten rugged-looking men climbed out. Holding rusty blades, the bandits smiled cruelly at the newcomers, surrounding them in a loose circle of steel.
“Hold it right there!” one of the bandits growled, raising his blade in Mark’s direction. “Now hand over everything valuable and not valuable, or we’ll leave you all in a messy puddle of blood!”
Ahmed rolled his eyes at the bandits’ words. Turning to his friends, he frowned. “Shall we give them?”
“Do it!” came the immediate reply from all three of his friends.
[COMBAT MODE ENGAGED]
Mark was the first to move. Ducking under the first bandit’s knife, the warrior drove a straight punch to the man’s stomach, sending the bandit flying backward. Abdul spun around and sent a powerful roundhouse kick to the next bandit’s face, knocking him out cold.
Amit and Ahmed reacted at the same time, joining the combat. A flurry of punches and well-aimed kicks sent two more bandits flying. Holding the bandit’s wrist, Amit pulled the robber’s arm back, making him drop his knife. Ahmed shoved the attacker’s chest, knocking him out cold with one powerful punch to the nose.
After barely a minute of energetic combat, most of the criminals were knocked out cold or suffered broken bones. Seeing that it was hopeless to continue the fight, the remaining bandits scrambled to their feet, running away into the woods.
[COMBAT LOG: VICTORY]
Total Foes Routed: 10
Damage Sustained: 0
[PARTY STATUS UPDATE]
Mark: HP: 100% | MP: 100% | Stamina: 85%
Abdul: HP: 100% | MP: 100% | Stamina: 88%
Amit: HP: 100% | MP: 100% | Stamina: 87%
Ahmed: HP: 100% | MP: 100% | Stamina: 90%
The Gravestone of Cassie
Further along the route, the travelers entered the heavily fenced yard. Their journey had made them tired, but the sight that met their eyes was well worth the journey. This was the graveyard where the ghost was supposed to be buried. However, finding the ghost’s grave turned out to be more difficult than the warriors expected.
There were so many old graves dug out of the earth, and all of them had to be examined to find the right one. To make it worse, the locals had no idea what the woman’s name was. As the four explorers stood in confusion, examining the sea of old tombstones, they heard rustling in the leaves. Curious about the strange noise, the warriors turned around and saw a few young village boys watching them.
“Hey,” one of the boys said nervously. “What are you looking for here?”
Diljeet stepped forward and began explaining the situation to the boys. He told the story of the haunted grave and the restless spirit. He also spoke of the goal of the expedition and why it was so important to the villagers to reach the woman’s grave.
The boys turned white, whispering something to each other in fear. “You should not tamper with the ghost’s grave,” the eldest warned them. “The elders said that the spirits’ matters were dangerous, and they could curse the living forever. It is not safe to be here.”
However, despite these words, the boys still looked at the heavily armed warriors with a mix of fear and respect. The young boys pointed their hands to the west forest, toward a weeping willow tree. “There,” the eldest said. “That’s the tree where her grave is located. You can see the name Cassie carved on the stone.”
As soon as the boys finished their sentence, they ran back into the woods, scared of the haunted grave. With the information provided by the village boys, the four warriors entered the forest and reached the willow tree. There, they found a grave covered with weeds and moss.
CASSIE
The air temperature dropped dramatically as the wind began to blow. Standing in a row, Mark, Abdul, Amit, and Ahmed bowed in respect to the long-forgotten grave.
“Cassie,” Mark said, his voice calm and steady. “We come before you to offer our help. We understand your pain and the sorrow from losing your beloved ones. We promise to help you to lay your rest at the place where you chose.”
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