Agent's Dog System

The two left the house somewhat puzzled by Adia's last comment, but in the end, they had made the decision themselves, and therefore, they had to fulfill what was asked of them.

"Well, a deal's a deal," they said in unison, with a mix of resignation and determination.

Another concern that weighed on them was why, now that Aiden was about to reach level four, his progress was advancing so slowly.

"I wonder if things will be like this from now on," Aiden commented, frowning as they walked.

Reia intervened then, explaining that she didn't have a clear answer either. However, on the screen that only Podbe could see (and which Reia described in detail to Aiden), it indicated that one hundred experience points were needed to level up. The three fell silent, deep in thought, but since they still didn't have an answer to this great mystery, they decided to set it aside for the moment and focus on finding the delivery points.

"I can't see anything," Aiden murmured, squinting as he tried to make out anything in the darkness. "Maybe Podbe, with his sense of smell, can guide us, but I doubt it because he wouldn't know where to go. Everything is darker than the night itself, and all I see are trees. The houses turn off their lights at night, from what I can tell."

Luckily for them, Reia asked them to show her the paper Adia had given them. She scanned it quickly and announced:

"Alright, I've got the locations we need to go to."

"Sometimes you're useful," Podbe remarked with a teasing smile.

Reia, pretending to be annoyed, gave him a couple of playful taps on the head.

"Stop fooling around, we need to finish quickly. Look at the time," Aiden reminded them, pulling a pocket watch from his bag.

"Yes, it's seven in the evening, and the locations aren't exactly closed, so let's hurry up and finish. At least I want to get some sleep," the boy said, raising his voice slightly with impatience.

The first location was fifty meters from where they stood. They began walking, and after covering that distance, they arrived in front of a very old house that seemed on the verge of collapsing due to its dilapidated state. They knocked three times on the door, and after a few seconds of silence, an elderly woman with tousled hair appeared. Her voice rang out sharp and threatening as she asked:

"Who are you, and what do you want at this hour of the night?"

Aiden swallowed hard before responding:

"We've come to deliver your package on behalf of Adia."

The elderly woman lowered her tone slightly, though her gaze remained piercing.

"Well, what are you waiting for, boy? Give me the package."

Aiden, stuttering a little, handed over the package. The woman slammed the door shut, leaving them standing there. They slowly backed away until they reached a nearby tree, where they finally stopped to catch their breath.

"What happened, Aiden? I thought you weren't afraid?" Podbe teased with a mischievous laugh.

"But don't act so brave yourself, because you were scared too," Reia retorted with a sly smile.

"It's just that the presence of that old woman seemed like something out of a horror movie we watched secretly at the orphanage," Aiden commented, still trembling slightly.

"I only had to smell her scent," Podbe said, trying to downplay the situation.

"Yes, sure, cowards," Reia interjected with a sarcastic tone. "Let's keep going with the deliveries. You've just earned five experience points; ninety-five more to go before leveling up. If all the houses are going to be like this, we're going to have a heart attack."

Aiden placed a hand on his chest, feeling nervous.

"Come on, guys, I'm here with you; there's nothing to fear. Next time, just knock, say you're from Adia, leave the package at the door, and we'll leave, alright?"

"Alright," the boy and the dog responded in unison, exchanging a knowing glance.

Up to that point, everything had been going well, until they noticed that starting from the fifth location, there was approximately a kilometer between each one, except for the last, which was ten kilometers away—and on top of that, up a steep mountain… They began walking faster, passing by the fifth, sixth, and seventh stops without stopping for long. They took a brief break, ate something, and drank a little of what Adia had given them before continuing their journey. This time, they decided to run to save time. They passed by the eighth and ninth stops almost out of breath, finishing off the last of their food and water.

During the journey, Reia kept them motivated by informing them of how many experience points they had accumulated, now totaling forty-five points. At that moment, they spotted the final delivery location, situated at the summit of an imposing mountain.

"Well, guys, to reach the tenth point, this is where the climb begins. Good luck," Reia said with a teasing tone that did little to calm their nerves.

They had no choice but to keep walking, since they had already been running and had neither a drop of liquid nor a bite of food left. Nearly out of saliva, they reached the summit and knocked on the door, but this time they didn't have the strength to say whom they were representing. Exhausted, they collapsed in front of the entrance, unable to move away from the house.

From the house emerged a tall man with arms as large as Frankenstein's, middle-aged, and with green eyes so light they seemed to glow under the moonlight. He looked down and saw them sprawled on the ground, clutching Adia's package. Without asking who they were, he deduced they were the delivery people. Pleased with the delivery, he grabbed the bag and took it inside, leaving the door open.

Our heroes were so exhausted they couldn't even move. The man returned with a thermos in hand and said:

"It seems you're not the type who exercises much. Here, this will help you recover."

He offered them the thermos, which contained an unknown liquid. Aiden tried to get up and asked Reia to check its contents, but she responded that she couldn't identify it. The man, seeing that they were still motionless, lifted the boy, sat him down, and gave him a sip of the concoction. He then did the same with Podbe, who also took a drink.

Both swallowed the liquid with some suspicion, feeling strange at first. For a moment, they thought he had poisoned them, but quickly began to regain their strength. Aiden, now recovered, thanked the man with a bow. Podbe, always sociable, barked happily and wagged his tail enthusiastically.

"Thank you so much," Aiden said, standing up fully. "My name is Aiden, and this is my companion, Podbe. We come on behalf of Adia. She told us about the deliveries and the long journey we had to make to get here."

The man nodded with a kind smile.

"Thank you, boys. My name is Eduard Forest. So Adia Lard hired you, huh? Not bad. Usually, she handles the deliveries without any problems or help, but seeing how desperate you were to cross into the next country, she decided to test you, as I see it. Sometimes she goes overboard with people and makes them do quite difficult tasks."

As they listened to the man, Reia reflected silently:

"So that woman's last name is Lard," she thought, sharing the thought with Aiden and Podbe.

Eduard asked Aiden if he had a last name. The boy responded with a hint of melancholy:

"No, I'm an orphan, and I don't know anything about my parents."

The man nodded slowly, understanding the situation.

"I see… And now I understand, with good reason why she put you through that test. If something happens to you, there's no one to blame," Eduard commented with a light laugh, though his tone was kind. Then, pointing to the scratches on the boy's face, he added, "You had some wounds on your face, but with what I gave you, they've all disappeared."

Aiden touched his face in surprise and looked at his knees as well.

"It's true! I don't have those scratches anymore! Wow! How amazing is this miraculous drink she gave us? Though at first, it had a bit of a strange taste… What was that?" the boy asked curiously.

Eduard smiled mysteriously.

"Ah! It's a family recipe, a secret. All I'll tell you is that it heals any ailment and revitalizes the body… I'd say even the soul. Plus, you brought me the ingredients I needed for that delivery."

"Ah! So that's what those deliveries were for," Reia and Podbe wondered silently, exchanging a look of understanding.

Aiden, suddenly aware of the time, checked his watch and became alarmed.

"Oh no! Look at the time! It's going to be midnight. Now we'll have to run really fast to get back."

Mr. Eduard calmly instructed them:

"If you go straight ahead, you'll reach Adia's house much faster. Here, take this lantern so you can see, since the flashlight you have seems to be out of batteries. Also, take this container with the drink I gave you for the road. It was a pleasure meeting you, Aiden, and good luck with whatever you're seeking as you cross the border."

They thanked him, and revitalized, they began to run as Reia excitedly announced:

"Fifty experience points! You've completed the optional quest, congratulations!"

"We're halfway there to leveling up," Podbe commented to Reia as they descended the hill alongside Aiden.

When they arrived at the house, Adia was waiting for them with a thoughtful expression, though she pretended to be indifferent.

"Well, well! So you managed to complete the task, though a bit late, don't you think?" she said, crossing her arms. Then, feigning nonchalance, she added, "Look at the time, it's two in the morning. I see you've met Eduard; otherwise, you wouldn't have that lantern and thermos with you. Alright, boy, a deal's a deal. Go get your things: we're crossing the border."

Aiden, exhausted and with dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, brightened up and went to fetch his belongings, but Adia stopped him:

"That won't be necessary, they're already in the stable."

In the stable, Aiden and Podbe stood staring in amazement. They all went inside and discovered a cart, but it wasn't just any cart. It was like the ones that used to carry important people. However, instead of being pulled by horses, there was a kind of vehicle shaped like a car cabin, equipped with a wheel in the middle and, inside it, a robot that appeared to be the pilot.

"Everyone get on," Adia instructed with a decisive gesture.

They all climbed into the back, and the machine began to move. Aiden and Podbe, worn out from the long night, fell asleep instantly once aboard the cart, thus beginning their journey and their next objective.