... 

Fate hastily ran through the forest, shoving plants and branches out of his way as he searched for his dagger. The trees in front of him appeared to be similar to oak trees, which were covered in thick layers of moss, and whose roots pushed up from the earth they were dug into. 

His eyes scanned through the various brushes of tangled bushes, hoping to find his weapon before Jacob would presumably initiate his ‘assignment.’ However, despite his lower stats and an extended period of tearing through the various obstructions, at least the ones that he could get rid of, Fate didn’t feel especially tired, which puzzled him, though he threw these thoughts away and focused on finding the dagger…

-I’m not getting tired just yet, so I should feel thankful for that and not say anything that would lead the universe to trip me!

After a few minutes of searching, he noticed a gleam in the shadow of one of the mighty oaks, whose leaves acted as a barrier against most of the starlight in the sky, which caused him to heave a sigh of relief.

Even though he had only acquired this blade tonight, he already felt that he was naked without it, as if it was a piece of clothing he had worn for years. 

Soon, after calmly sweeping his legs through the short expanse of tangled roots and smooth grass, he now stared at the hilt of the blade, which was neatly protruding from an ‘X’ shaped marking that was obviously carved, and yet unnaturally neat… 

-Seriously...he is one scary bastard...He provides me with a weapon, potions…

His eyes moved downward, locking on a carving of an arrow mark that pointed to the left of the tree he was looking at, and yet, when he looked in that direction, he only saw the similar sight of scattered trees, roots, and bushes...

-And he even had time to mark the way, but... he couldn’t even give me a clear footpath! Seriously...you scary bastard, if you want me to make it through your maze, at least make it look presentable…

Fate held his head in his hands in frustration, trying to comprehend how someone who looked so old could be so spry and terrifying, while also being so incomprehensible…

However, he soon found himself smoothly sliding the dagger’s blade out of the tree trunk, admiring its sheen while squeezing the hilt, as if to make sure it was real. 

-Even he wouldn’t make a fake that was this realistic...right? Wait...if I lost this again...I might never get it back, after all, the crazy geezer had the time to stab my dagger in a tree, and I’m pretty sure it didn’t land here when he threw it!

The more Fate thought about it, the more he considered that if he lost the dagger again, it would most likely be in combat, and he wouldn’t have the time to look for it again. Without a weapon, he would be at a major disadvantage, even if it was only a wild animal…

Fate’s eyes slowly focused on a small vine that protruded from the ground, as he slowly began to walk toward it with his weapon at his side.

-Whatever keeps me from losing it...so, whatever keeps me from doing more work, basically…

He cut the vine from the ground and began to wrap it around his hand, tying it off in a tight knot to prevent the dagger from falling out. Fate now looked at his work with some sense of satisfaction, but still seemed somewhat unsure of the bindings as he sighed…

Fate: “I’m just going to kill an animal, I’ll be fine...as long as PETA doesn’t sue my a**...heh, finding humor at times like these is important, I guess…”

The dagger tightly tied and gripped in his right hand and with his left hand touching the bottles in his pocket, Fate began to follow the marks that Jacob had left for him with a determined gleam in his eyes…

…

-F***, this took way too long to find!

Quite a while later, Fate had been following the trail and had arrived at what he reasonably believed to be the clearing Jacob told him to search for. It was a wide, circular area that was devoid of trees, bathed under the light of the stars, and possessed a forked path that stretched into two shadowy domains…

He had been observing the clearing for some time, watching for any signs of movement from behind his tree, but was unable to find Jacob’s location nor the location of his target.

-This is taking a while, can’t he just get on with it already?! Or is it...please don’t tell me that this isn’t where I’m supposed to be, I don’t want it to be like scouts’ camp in zeewolde!!!

[Snap!] [Snap!] [Snap!] [Snap!]

Suddenly, a series of sharp, snapping noises sounded from inside the circle, causing Fate’s eyes to widen, as he now observed that the branches he had thrown several minutes ago, in order to check for traps, had all been split apart...

Fate’s eyes now sharpened, as he walked out of the thick forest and into the sharp gaze of the one who had disturbed the silence…

Jacob: “Ah, young master, I was wondering when you would be arriving…”

...

[Chapters completed this week: 3/7]