"For now, I'm splitting us into two teams," said Davorin.
"Me, Garran, and Logan will check the area around here to see if there are any more invisible walls blocking the way."
"Got it," said Logan.
"Hmm," grunted Garran.
"Meanwhile, Georgia and Lena, you'll try to get some info from the villagers. I bet your interview skills will come in handy, Lena. And yeah, I'm curious why they've been staring at us like that since earlier," Davorin said, glancing at the villagers watching them.
"Alright, that shouldn't be too hard. I actually had a little chat with the village chief when we arrived," said Lena.
"I won't let you down, Senpai!" Georgia added.
"Oh, and about the Device on our wrists,it looks like we can store our stuff in it, like weapons and food. There's an inventory section," Davorin explained.
"That damn Arbiter... Is he dumb or what? This thing can clearly store all kinds of stuff, so why the hell was a backpack even a reward option?" Davorin grumbled to himself.
"Alright then, let's get started," Davorin said.
"Oh yeah, here's your necklace back, Georgia. If I didn't have this thing earlier, I'd probably be dead by now, HAHAHAHA!" Davorin laughed, handing it to her.
"Eh, you can keep it, Senpai. Just think of it as a lucky charm," said Georgia.
"Well, in that case, I'll happily keep it," Davorin replied.
"Hey, kid, hurry it up! Stop wasting time!"
"Relax a bit, old man!" Davorin shouted, running toward Garran.
They split up according to the teams they'd formed earlier.
Davorin, Garran, and Logan walked around the village, checking if there were any invisible walls nearby.
"Hmm... Looks like there's nothing like that around the village. Alright, let's check out that forest we came from earlier," said Davorin.
"What the hell are you saying, kid? Did you forget about that damn creature that chased us and nearly killed us?" Garran replied, clearly against the idea.
"Don't you remember, old man? After we finished the first objective, that thing got dragged into the darkness by those black hands," said Davorin.
"Besides, we're just gonna take a quick look near the edge of the forest," he added.
"Is checking for that wall really that important?" Garran asked.
"Sigh This is what it's like talking to an old guy... Of course, it's important! If we know whether the wall's there or not, we can figure out how much room we've got to move and start planning properly," Davorin said, exasperated.
"Argh, do whatever you want. Just don't blame me if things go south, kid," Garran muttered.
"Alright, alright. If something happens, don't worry I'm pretty strong, y'know! HAHAHAHA!" Logan said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, he's not too bad," Davorin thought as he glanced at Logan.
Not long after, they reached the edge of the forest. There were a few dead bodies of people who didn't make it during the RedCap attack.
"This place is creepy..." Logan said, checking the area.
"Hmm... Looks like there's no invisible wall at the edge. I think the area boundary goes deeper into the forest. And it looks like the other edge is way out in those grass fields and rice paddies," Davorin said while looking back at the village sitting in the middle of it all.
"Alright, let's head back to the village," said Davorin.
"Wait! Davorin, Garran check this out!" Logan shouted.
Davorin and Garran quickly went over to Logan, who wasn't too far away.
"What... Horse tracks?" said Garran.
"Could be from one of the villagers' horses," said Logan.
"Hmm, but I didn't see any horses or stables in that village," said Davorin.
"And these tracks didn't come from the village. It looks like a horse came out here to the forest and went back in," Davorin added, pointing at the direction of the tracks.
"Hey, kid! There are more tracks over here!" Garran called.
"Same here," said Logan.
"Damn it, damn it... What kind of creature are we gonna deal with next?" Davorin muttered.
"For now, let's just head back to the village," Davorin said, turning around quickly.
"Ugh, told you this was gonna be a pain," Garran grumbled.
"Well, at least we got some info," said Logan.
The three of them rushed back to the village. None of them noticed the pair of eyes watching from the darkness of the forest.
Since the village wasn't far, they got back quickly.
Lena and Georgia were already at the village entrance with an old man.
"Senpai! Glad you made it back quickly!" Georgia called out, waving.
"If any monsters show up, just toss Garran at them! HAHAHA!" Lena joked.
"What's that supposed to mean, you old hag?" Garran snapped.
"What did you just say, huh?" Lena replied, clearly pissed.
"N-nothing, really..." Garran mumbled.
"Alright, enough with the jokes," Davorin cut in.
"Ay, the dayis o'youth are richt blythesome. First o' a', lat me mak mysel kent I am Dougal, the laird o' this clachan," said the old man.
"Huh? What language is that?" Davorin asked.
A notification popped up from his Device:
"Translating language to one you understand..."
"Ah, youth is a joyful time. First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Dougal, the chief of this village."
Another notification followed:
"You can now understand Scottish."
"Damn, this gadget's insanely useful..." Davorin muttered.
"Hey, can I ask you something real quick?" Davorin asked.
"Sure, go ahead, young man," said Dougal.
"Is this Scotland? And... what year is it?"
"Yes, this is Scotland. And the year is 1600."
Davorin, Garran, and Logan froze in shock.
"What...? What do you mean, the year 1600?" Garran asked, stunned.
"Did we really travel back in time? That can't be right..." Logan said.
"Yeah, I had the same reaction when I found out," Lena added.
"This is all kinda crazy, but right now it doesn't matter. Mr. Dougal, can you tell us what's been going on in this village lately?" Davorin asked.
"Well, let's see... Lately we've had failed crops, and there's this weird illness. People start getting these horrible itches all over their skin and then... they die," Dougal explained.
"And like your friend Lena said, you folks are travelers, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, you could say that. We're from a faraway land," said Davorin.
"Well, you're welcome to stay here for now. There's a place in the village where travelers can rest."
"Thank you, sir. That means a lot. If there's anything we can help with, just let us know," said Davorin.
"Hahaha, no need to be so formal. Come on, I'll take you there. Actually, there are a few other people staying there already, just like you guys," said Dougal.
"Hmph, probably those cowards..." Logan muttered in his head.
The group followed Dougal to the lodging house. The village was quiet it was nearly midnight.
"Here we are. Feel free to use this place to rest. Sorry, though we can't offer food, since the village is struggling right now," said Dougal.
"Oh, that's totally fine. This already helps a lot," said Davorin.
"Thank you, sir, for letting us stay here," said Lena.
"Thanks a lot," said Georgia.
"No need to thank me, hahaha. Alright then, I'll be heading off now," Dougal said as he walked away.
"Hmm... Horse tracks, Scotland, year 1600, and some weird disease... If my hunch is right, that creature might be the one coming for this village next," Davorin thought.
The five of them entered the lodge to get some rest.