Author's Note:
Dear Reader's, Roland's Game is one of my many amateurish attempts to write a Gamer style story. With this in mind, polite and constructive reviews would be welcomed.
As of right now, this story is a one-shot but if enough of you guys follow the story I'll continue to write and post chapters.
Bear in mind that I don't have a beta reader so there may be mistakes in my writing, please leave a review and I will fix the problem.
Current Word Count: 5536
Harry Potter & co are the property of J.K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and friends are the property of the amazing Rick Riordan.
Roland stifled a sigh of annoyance as the holographic panel kept flashing trying to get his attention. He tried waving it away in frustration only for his hand to hit it physically and press something on the screen. The dark void he was in flashed with a kaleidoscope of bright colors causing him to flinch in pain and close his eyes as a reflex. When he next opened his stinging eyes, he was in an entirely different place.
Roland had appeared in a small wooded area, though everything was still and gray as if the world had been frozen in time. Looking down at himself, Roland discovered that different clothes had appeared on his body. He now wore dark, worn jeans, a red t-shirt, and black shoes. A persistent flashing interrupted his observation of himself. Glancing at the new holograph, he huffed with annoyance but decided to read it this time before he swung at it.
You have been reincarnated! To help you on your adventure, you have been given the Gamer System. To continue, please call out 'Status'.
'The Gamer? Like that webtoon?' Roland thought to himself. Trying to remember the exact details, his mind came up blank. The name was familiar although no details made themselves clear.
Roland called out hesitantly, "Status?" An RPG status screen appeared.
-Character Information-
Roland Cosimo
Race: Human,?
Level: 0
Xp: 0/100
Health: 50/50 - Regen: 1/s
Magic: 100/100 - Regen: 1/s
Physical Power: 5
Movement Speed: 5
Vitality: 5
Magical Power: 5
Mana Pool: 5
Points: 0
Roland Cosmos is the reincarnated orphaned Son of {ERROR} and Rose Cosmos. He has been given the Game by a higher being causing him to grow unlimitedly.
Son of {ERROR}: Due to being the child of {ERROR}, nature and earth-related skills grow 2x faster and you gain twice as much mana as usual. Start with a friendly reputation with Nymphs and an allied reputation with Satyrs.
Roland raised an intrigued eyebrow as he looked over his status and read his bio. As far as he knew, Satyrs and Nymphs appeared predominantly throughout Greek and Roman mythology, meaning his new dad was one of the many greek gods, one associated with nature at that. Furthermore, considering Roland's reputation with Satyrs, his dad was either Dionysus or Pan. Along with that, his little demigod perk didn't pertain to anything related to wine or madness/insanity so that ruled out Dionysus and left Pan as the only likely candidate for the position of 'father'.
Due to prodigious critical thinking, you have gained 5 free status points!
His status screen automatically updated with his new stats and information, confirming that Roland's father was indeed the god of the Wild. Closing his status, he was met with the next tutorial.
To continue the tutorial, please call out 'Inventory'.
Doing as told, Roland was met by a screen that held row upon row of empty boxes. At the top of the interface were various tabs sporting an icon. He assumed these were used to categorize or filter the items in the inventory. Clicking away from the screen, he continued through the tutorial. He went through a perk menu, a skill menu, an upgrade menu - none of which he could afford to purchase, and finally a trait menu that already had some additions.
-Traits-
Nature Affinity(Major): Nature skills and magic level 50% faster.
Earth Affinity(Minor): Earth skills and magic level 20% faster.
Divine Blood(Rank: F): You gain +1 stat point added to every statistic every time you level up.
To strengthen this Trait, Please Consume 5 weak soul stones or one regular soul stone.
Roland waved away the menu and read the next menu that appeared.
You have completed the tutorial! You have been awarded a basic equipment stash.
[Basic Equipment Stash][Common]
[Use and gain a random equipment piece.]
[Would you like to use this item? Y/N]
He pressed yes. The notification disappeared and with a flash of light, an ordinary metal ring dropped onto his palm. Holding it up to the sky, Roland noticed the ring had unknown inscriptions carved into it. Shrugging, he slipped the ring on his right index finger, discovering the ring fit the digit perfectly.
[Ring of Stealth][Uncommon]
[An ordinary ring enchanted to hide the user's presence.]
[Durability: 50/50]
After he put the ring on, the world unpaused and rapidly gained color. The oppressive silence was gone and was replaced by the relaxing sounds of nature. Birds chirped by and the trees swayed in the wind and leaves floated in the current. Breathing in deeply, Roland gauged the sun's position and found it to be early morning - maybe 7 A.M. Roland glanced around briefly before he settled on a course of action and started walking West. Out of instinct, he was careful to avoid dry leaves and fallen branches, to keep himself from making unnecessary noise and drawing the attention of any dangerous woodland creature he might encounter.
About 20 minutes went by before something changed. Stopping abruptly, Roland turned his head to listen intently. There! In the distance, he could faintly hear water, a river, or a stream of some sort. Changing direction, Roland walked toward the noise. After a minute of travel, he broke out of the treeline to see fresh, clear water rushing down a slight slope and heading further west. Kneeling by the river, Roland scooped some of the cold liquid into his cupped hands and tried observing it. Surprisingly, it worked.
[Natural Water][Common]
[This water has a higher mineral count than usual but is otherwise safe to drink.]
Closing the window, he brought his hands to his mouth and drank deeply. Water dripped down his hands and chin as he brought his hands down for another scoop. Drinking that, he wiped his mouth with his forearm and stood upright. He stood there for a moment, contemplating which was to go. Ultimately, he decided to go west, downstream. He walked for quite a while, seeing nothing except trees and the occasional animal, particularly deer. They didn't run when he approached so he got to pet a deer for the first time. Their fur was quite soft despite looking kind of course.
A plane flew overhead, causing the deer to abruptly flee. It was low, the plane that is, meaning it was either landing or it had taken off not too long ago which meant there was a city reasonably close by. Speeding up, he angled himself in the direction the plane had come from. After about an hour, Roland started seeing signs of civilization - discarded trash mostly but signs all the same. Eventually, after a few more minutes of walking, he started seeing trails, then roads, then vehicles. Finally, he found himself on the outskirts of a city. Wandering through the suburban area, Roland finally managed to find out where and when he was - Little Wiggling, Surrey in England. You know the place Harry Fucking 'the Savior' Potter grew up.
Roland walked casually down the sidewalk, discreetly checking the number on each identical cookie-cutter house he came across. The farther into the bland neighborhood he got, the more charged the air became as if a thunderstorm was forming, it caused his hair to stand on end like he was being electrocuted. Eventually, Roland stood across the street from #4 Privet Drive where the feeling was at its strongest. Heart pounding, Roland checked around to see if anyone was around. Seeing no one, he crossed the street and peeked over the low stone wall, and saw a maybe 11-year old child pulling weeds in the back garden. His heart sank to his stomach because staring back with luminescent green eyes was Harry Potter. Well, Fuck.
Turns out Roland somehow transmigrated into the Harry Potter universe, one that seems to be mixed with greek mythology - Percy Jackson maybe? Anyway, as much as he hated to admit it, Roland had no way of helping Harry with his probably abusive home. Considering, in the books, anything done to separate Harry from the Dursleys was reversed. Along with that, according to the government, Roland popped out of nowhere without documentation of any kind and was a foreigner with his American accent.
So with mixed feelings, Roland retreated from the wall. He twisted his ring as he thought. According to the books, Surrey wasn't incredibly far from London so he could walk there since he never grew tired. He could hitchhike, Roland considered to himself. After a minute, he dismissed the thought, he didn't want to entertain the possibility of getting murdered or kidnapped and he didn't have any money for a bus ride so that left walking.
Roland had managed to get to London by the time the sun had set, allowing him enough time to find the muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron in the fading light. As he got closer to the seemingly abandoned establishment, Roland started to feel the charged feeling from earlier, telling him there was some serious magic afoot.
Due to repeated exposure to magic, you have learned a new skill!
[Magic Detection][Level: ⅕][Passive]
[The user can sense magic in a (10*Level)m radius around themselves.]
The son of Pan waved away the notification as he entered the tavern. As he opened the door, he was assaulted by the dull roar of multiple conversations going on at the same time. Roland walked in and sat at a table in a far corner casually, planning to follow someone into the alley. It didn't take long, maybe a minute or so, for someone to come in and go toward the back where the entrance to Diagon Alley was located. He got up and silently followed the figure. Following at a reasonable distance, Roland observed as the figure drew his wand and tapped a sequence on the old brick wall. With a final tap, the bricks shifted inward, forming a doorway which the shrouded figure stalked through, his dark robes billowed behind him as he walked. Speeding over, Roland got through just as the bricks returned to normal. Sighing with relief, he took a moment to look around and admire the surroundings.
The alley was a long street with colorful and varied shops lining it. It was a symphony of colors, sounds, smells, and magic. The myriad of magic auras felt like electricity racing across his skin. Roland subconsciously rubbed his arms, futilely trying to chase the feeling away. Roland ignored the feeling and headed toward the pure white building with roman pillars sitting at a split in the alley which he assumed to be Gringotts. While Roland didn't have money, he was hoping his father Pan did and had a vault with the goblins otherwise he was going to have a very difficult time in either world.
Stepping into the bank, the mage bowed to the guards and approached the nearest teller, and waited patiently. It was his turn soon enough.
"Next!" The Goblin snarled from its podium, irritation self-evident in its words and body language. Approaching the desk, he responded.
"I would like to take an inheritance test." Roland enunciated flatly, unsure if that was a thing. It was as the teller barked at another goblin in their native, guttural language. The other goblin, a runner, gestured for Roland to follow. Stepping out of line, he was summarily led through a maze of marble and gold-encrusted hallways. After walking for 7 confusing minutes, they stopped in front of a set of double doors studded with gems of all colors and sizes labeled 'Inheritance Office' The runner knocked 3 times. A snarl of 'Enter' followed after a beat of silence. The goblin pushed opened the doors and gestured for Roland to go in. Walking in, he was met with a sparsely decorated and practical office, just a couple of shelves stocked with books, scrolls, and various little trinkets. In the center of the stone room stood a mahogany desk manned by a positively ancient goblin sitting in a plush high-back chair. A similar chair sat empty in front of the desk. Moving further into the office, the goblin motioned to the free chair.
"I would like to perform an inheritance test," Roland explained neutrally as he gingerly sat in the chair.
"Hmpf, inheritance tests are usually used to settle disputes of lineage though I sense you are not here for that." The goblin mused as he reached behind him and reached for a dagger with detailed runes inscribed on the blade and a piece of parchment. He placed the parchment onto the desk and handed the dagger over.
Once Roland grabbed the dagger, he continued, "Seven drops." Roland nodded before pricking his finger on the dagger's point, barely feeling the small prick. A bead of red blood swelled on the surface of the digit. Holding his hand over the parchment, Roland allowed seven drops of blood to fall onto the material. Once the last drop fell, the tiny wound sealed immediately.
The spilled blood glowed with a dull light and started moving, forming line after line of words. Soon, the blood stilled and faded to black, signaling it was finished.
Roland Hyperius Cosimo
Father: Pan - Alive
Mother: Rosona Cosimo - Deceased
Paternal Grandmother: Oeneis - Alive
Paternal Grandfather: Hermes - Alive
Maternal Grandmother: Reana Cosimo - Deceased
Maternal Grandfather: Jack Hanson - Deceased
Bloodline Claims:
Medici(Through mother)
Olympia(Through father)
Title Claims:
Grand Duke of Tuscany and Florence via Medici Bloodline.
Pontifex Maximus de' Faunus.
"Could you explain this to me?" I asked as I handed the parchment to the goblin. The goblin - I should really ask his name - gingerly took the parchment from me and read it carefully. Shock took over the goblin's face as he reached the end. He took a shuddering breath as the parchment slipped from his slacked fingers.
"My L-lord!" He seemed to compose himself."The Medici were the lords and rulers of Florence and later, Tuscany as a whole. As a living descendent, you can claim the title as you own." He paused, tapping his clawed fingers on the desk.
"As for your other title. The Pontifex Maximus is the High Priest of a god or goddess and is the highest member of that religion. All demigods inherit the title of Pontifex Maximus upon birth. Faunas is the Roman name of your father from where the title originated." The ancient goblin explained patiently. I nodded absently as I thought it over. A thought came to me and I thought it aloud.
"What if the god has multiple children?"
"Each child would have the title in name but usually the oldest or strongest sibling would have the greatest authority or influence." He explained promptly. Again I nodded before I asked another question,
"How do I claim the tiles?" I asked curiously, excitedly thinking of all the interesting items his ancestors had stashed away. The goblin swiveled around and retrieved a small, ornate box from the shelf behind him. He gently set the box on the desk with a small thump.
"Place your hand on the box and repeat after me," He gestured to the box and I did as told, laying my hand flat across the top and reciting the words he said.
"I, Roland Hyperius Cosimo, lay claim to the name Medici and all that it entails, By right, by blood, and by magic. So mote it be!" The office was washed in a colorful corona of light. Ancient feeling Magic filled the air making the world come into a sharp focus and caused his Magic Detection skill to level up. The magic and the light slowly ebbed away, returning the office to how it once.
I slowly withdrew my hand from the box as it clicked open, revealing a white gold ring studded with three emeralds. Mesmerized, I reached for the ring without thought.
"What is this?" I asked the goblin distracted examining the gold ring, noting the lasting inscription.
"It's the family ring belonging to the Medici. Many old families have rings just like this one to protect the wearer from weak poisons, low-level curses, and jinx, and to repel mental intrusions. The family ring is worn by the families' head and is generally worn these days as a show of status." He explained, watching me carefully as I slipped the ring onto my left ring finger. The white-gold band grew warm and shifted to fit the finger perfectly. I observed both the ring and the goblin.
[Sharpclaw][Head of Inheritance]
[Race: Goblin][Age: 174]
[Lv: 58]
[Medici Family Ring][Rare]
[Description: The Medici Family ring worn by the head of the family. This ring has been enchanted to neutralize weak poisons, protect from low-level curses and jinxes, and repel surface level mental intrusions. The ring has been inscribed with the family motto: 'Festina Lente' or 'Make Haste Slowly'. The ring has also been enchanted as a portkey and can transport the wearer to any of the family's properties. The portkey activation phrase is 'Domum'.]
"Hmpf, interesting." I murmured, "Anyway, how would I go about getting an audit of my assets?"
Getting the account reactivated was fairly easy, I just had to sign a few papers, assign an account manager, outline some of the permissions the account manager could perform, and voila! account reactivated and an audit performed and delivered.
I listened as the goblin told me about the assets in the 3 Medici vaults, one for documents, furniture, and literature, another entirely dedicated to the statues, paints, tapestries, and other such things, the last vault was filled with money, ores, and precious gems. Finally, I was given a debit card which I was assured would work in both the Muggle and magical worlds.
My business concluded, I quickly left the bank and walked out onto the dark streets lit by the blue light of old lamps. Breathing in the night, I noticed several stores down the alley were still open despite the late hour. Unfortunately, the stores that I needed to visit were closed for the night forcing me to delay my plans till tomorrow. Disappointed, I walked back to the Leaky Cauldron and booked a room.
'I'll need to find out how powerful skills can be.' Roland thought to himself as he climbed the last step, 'I imagine they'll be more powerful than most wizard spells, especially any nature related skills I create or pick up.' Roland slid the rusty bronze key into the lock and turned it until he heard a faint click. Opening the door, he was greeted by a room much bigger than he thought it would be, having a queen-sized four-poster bed, a spacious bathroom, a walk-in closet, and a little common area with a radio and a filled bookcase. The big window looked out over the dark alley. Huffing in relief, Roland shuffled out of his shoes and threw himself onto the comfortable bed as a vague approximation of a migraine faintly pulsated behind his eyes. A result of all the conflicting auras out in the alley.
Roland groaned quietly as he used his thumbs to lightly massage his aching temples. Bit by bit, the distracting auras dulled and faded away taking the headache with it as he slipped into Morpheus' realm.
Roland splashed the water onto his face, the coldness helped him chase away the dregs of sleep from his eyes. Leaning on the counter, Roland stared at himself through the mirror. His blonde accented his pale green eyes. His face was the same as it had always been except, it was younger by at least ten years.
'It seems the trip through dimensions de-aged me too.' Roland thought to himself mirthlessly as he stared at his 16-year-old face. Small droplets of water dripped down his neck as he turned away from the mirror and left the room's attached bathroom. He entered the common area and sat in a worn chair facing the window. Beside him, on a small table, was a bouquet of dead white lilies in a tiny ceramic flower pot. Its roots are being choked, a small voice in his mind whispered. It needs a bigger pot or fewer flowers, the voice continued. Roland, in search of a bigger container, checked around. Finding nothing suitable, he grabbed the pot and carefully dug out the base of half the flowers, and placed the plucked flowers aside.
Enrich the soil, the voice whispered. In a trance, Roland dug his fingers into the dirt and called upon his innate magic. A current of warmth rose from the depths of his chest, flowed through his arm, hand, and fingers, and flowed steadily into the soil. The dry soil churned, becoming nearly black and turning moist. Distantly, he heard a little ding as if someone rang a tiny bell.
Revitalize the dead plant, the voice whispered again sounding nearly gleeful. Ever so gently, he gripped the stem of one of the three Lilies and called upon his magic once more. From the place of contact, the lily slowly replaced its dead brown color with healthily green and white. The lily rose from its dropped position and its bud rapidly opened. Slowly, the effect spread to the other Lilies through the entwined root system carrying his magic to each plant as it would water. Soon, each plant stood tall and proud, if a bit larger than it should be. Suddenly, the world shot back into focus and Roland fell out of his trance-like state. Blinking rapidly, Roland stared at his hands and clenched them, feeling them tingle from leftover magic.
[Due to a special action, 2 skills have been generated!]
[Enrichment][Lv: 1][Active]
[Description: Soak a material with elemental mana to enrich and enhance it.]
[Cost: 50 Mp]
[Reinvigorate][Lv: 1][Active]
[Description: Stimulates the target's lifeforce to help them recover stamina and health faster.]
[Cost: 80 Mp]
Roland rubbed his hands together and tried to call his magic again. The warmth rose from his chest but it was weak and unstable, it slipped from his grip and sunk back down. He tried it again and again until he could call up a decent amount and direct it somewhat. His body was trembling and sweating from the effort, it ached from the strain. Letting the magic go, Roland sunk back into the chair with a pitiful sigh although the giddy feeling he was experiencing didn't go away. He could do magic! Wandless Magic at that! It was difficult and not all that powerful but it was a start. Roland called up his status to look at while he cooled down and recovered.
-Character Information-
Roland Cosimo
Race: Demigod
Level: 0
Xp: 0/100
Health: 50/50 - Regen: 1/s
Magic: 23/100 - Regen: 1/s
Physical Power: 5
Movement Speed: 5
Vitality: 5
Magical Power: 5
Mana Pool: 5
Points: 5
Roland Cosmos is the reincarnated orphaned Son of Pan and Rose Cosmos. He has been given the Game by a higher being making his potential limitless.
Son of Pan: Due to being the child of Pan, nature and earth-related skills grow 2x faster and you gain twice as much mana as usual. Start with a friendly reputation with Nymphs and an allied reputation with Satyrs.
Roland put his 5 free points into Mana Pool doubling his available mana and mana regen. As of right now, with no enemies to defeat, capacity would matter more than raw power at the moment, he reasoned to himself. Feeling marginally better, Roland closed his menu, left his room, and descended downstairs. It was fairly early in the morning, by the time he went down so there were only 2 patrons in the tavern area. I nodded to Tom who was manning the bar and headed to the back into the little alleyway. There I stopped, I couldn't get into the Diagon without a wand to tap out the pattern on the bricks.
An idea popped into my head, maybe I can. I called upon my recovered magic, shunted it into my finger, and hesitantly tapped out the half-remembered pattern on the bricks with my finger. The brick wall shimmered and folded in on itself as it opened revealing Diagon Alley lit by the early morning light. Moving inside, I barely noticed the wall closing behind me as I hurried towards Ollivander's Wand shop. Conveniently, the store was open.
When I opened the door, it hit a bell and sent a sharp 'ding!' throughout the dusty shop. The ambient magic in the shop was incredibly thick, through it I could distinctly sense someone moving between the shelves. Soon, the wandmaker came into view. He was carrying a long thin box, he stopped for a second and delicately slid the container on one of the many shelves.
"Ah, a customer!" Ollivander exclaimed as he turned my way. I opened my mouth but he cut me off before I could say anything, "Here for a wand no doubt." He flicked his wand and several tape measurers emerged from somewhere and started frantically measuring all parts of my body. While this went on, Ollivander disappeared into the stacks forcing me to stay here to endure. He came back shortly with three thin boxes and laid them on the counter. He made a gesture with his wand and the tape measures froze before docility floated away and disappeared. I sighed in relief and relaxed.
"Here, try this one. Oak, 8 ¾ of an inch, with a core of Unicorn Hair." He shoved a wand into my right hand, I gave it a flick and something exploded in the back. It was snatched from my hand and replaced with another wand, "Yew, 14 inches, Phoenix feather core." The shop's windows shattered.
We continued this song and dance, dozens of wands entered and left my hand with each failure, Ollivander became more and more excited, muttering crazily to himself. I could feel the magic of the wands reaching out to my magic and trying to connect with it. Wands with a Unicorn Hair connected the most but something was missing. I told Ollivander as much and the old man nearly squealed with glee. From then on, the wands he gave me only had Unicorn hair cores but they all lacked something that prevented them from making a vital connection.
Ollivander suddenly stilled in thought with a wild gleam to his gray eyes before he fled to the back, excitement dogging every step. He returned with another box, one which my magic jumped at the sight of. I knew this wand would be the one.
"This is an experimental wand, it was made by my latest attempt of crafting wands with dual cores." He reverently presented the wand to me. I grabbed it. The moment I came into contact with the wand, a strong bond was created and I was filled with intense warmth and power as my magic rushed to meet the wand. A feeling of completeness filled me as a bright stream of green and brown sparks shot from the wand's tip. It was nearly euphoric.
[Dual-Core Pine Wand][Rare]
[Description: An experimental wand crafted by the master wandmaker, Garrick Olivander. This is a Pine wand 12 inches long containing two cores of Unicorn hair and a Siren's tail scale.]
[Effect: +50% bonus while performing Water and Earth-related spells.]
[Effect: +20% bonus to healing spells.]
[Effect: -20% Mana Cost.]
[Effect: +10 Magical Power.]
[Durability: 200/200]
I could distantly hear Ollivander explaining something but I could only focus on the wand. As the description said the 12 inch wand was crafted from polished Pine wood and it had a leather grip wrapped around the base. It was pretty simple. Still distracted, I paid the wandmaker and left the shop.
I stood there, outside the door, wondering what to do next. Logically, I should get some spell books from Flourish and Blotts and get out of Britain and go to Tuscany before the war starts. There in the Medici Vineyard outside of Florence I would be quite safe. However, safe I might be, I will also be bereft of a source of Xp the war could supply.
Alternatively, I could stay in Britain, get involved somehow, fight Death Eaters. Of course, this would happen for a good few years so I could do both, I considered to myself. Travel to Florence, fix up the Vineyard, learn magic, practice my skills, then come back to Britain and help defeat Voldemort.
Looking at the sun's position, I could roughly estimate that I had been trying out wands for at least an hour making it roughly 9:30ish. Which meant most, if not all, the stores in Diagon where open, including Flourish & Blotts. I pushed my way through the morning crowds of robed figures and toward the bookstore. It was a low, squat building a wooden green storefront. Giant, golden chain-bound books the size of cement titles were on display in the windows.
When he entered the store, a bell rang and Roland was greeted to the sight of countless shelves crowded with all kinds of books stacked to the ceiling. To the side was a counter with a small register, next to it was a bored looking store attendant reading a magazine. The attendant, a young brunette woman, looked up and her face completely, going from bored to attentive and vaguely happy in an instant.
"Welcome to Flourish and Blotts, the best bookstore this side of England!" She said happily."What are you looking for?"
"Uh," Roland quickly thought up a list. "The basic book of spells year 1-7, and potions most potent." Roland told her. The girl nodded and swished her wand. Eight books shot out from various shelves and assembled themselves in a neat stack on the counter.
"That would be 9 Gold." Roland handed over his card and she tapped it on the side of the register. Runes briefly lit up when the two made contact.
"Thank you for shopping at Flourish & Blotts! Have a nice day." She said as she handed back the card. Roland gave her a tight smile, quickly gathered the books, and left. Once outside, he found an isolated alley and dropped the books into his inventory.
"Domum." His Business in Britain done, Roland activated the felt a violent tug at his naval and he was thrown into a whirlwind of color as he flew through space. Suddenly, Roland was thrown back onto the material plane. He fell to his knees and grabbed his stomach as he was assaulted with extreme nausea. Hot bile rose and he threw up in the long grass.
After a while, the nausea slowly disappeared and he stopped dry heaving. A few tears slid down his face as he sat there, rocks painfully digging into his knees and hands. Roland shakily fought his way to his feet and looked around. The Portkey had dumped him into courtyard paved with a gravel walkway which he had landed on. However, it was completely overgrown. Errant weeds grew everywhere, trees grew unchecked - their vines pushing up from the earth and wrecking the pathway making it treacherous to walk on. Surrounding the courtyard on three sides were high stone walls cracked with age and draped by flowering vines. Completing the encasing was an old stone cottage with many of its window shutters rotted off. A thick oak door barely hanging on its hinges prevented Roland from seeing inside. Just then a blue, glowing rectangle appeared before his eyes.
[You have entered a Lv: 5 natural dungeon. To conquer a dungeon, defeat the boss.]
It was followed by a quest.
[Retake the Medici Vineyard][Difficulty: Normal]
[Description: The wards around the vineyard have deteriorated and failed allowing giant rats to infest the ancient property. Retake the vineyard by defeating the Rat King at the lowest level of the cottage.]
[Objective: Kill 20 Giant Rats - 0/20]
[Objective: Kill the King of Rats - 0/1]
[Optional: Kill the King of Rats without taking a single point of damage - Incomplete.]
[Objective #1 Rewards: 200 Xp, Random Potion, 50 Gold.]
[Objective #2 Rewards: 350 Xp, Weak Soul Stone, 75 Gold.]
[Optional Reward: 700 Xp, 2x Weak Soul Stone, 150 Gold, Random Summon Card.]
[Failure: Death.]
[The quest has been automatically accepted.]