《Adventurer - Sunrise Over Sunset [A tabletop mechanics LitRPG]》 Repost Changelog - Edits and additions Larger Edit Goals - 1. Humanize the MC, provide more insight into his decisions, motivations, fears, and goals. 2. Improve paragraph and chapter structure. 3. Improve immersion, change the overall tone of the narrative. 4. More showing, less telling. 5. Overall flow and readibility polish Specific Changes- 1. Increased visibility on Cire''s struggle with his desire for blood and losing control. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. 2. Increased Cire''s general intelligence when making decisions, both short term and long term. 3. Changed how he spent or did not spend his skill points throughout the work. 4. Provided visibility to the experience gains through out the story and improved all of the math relating to experience gain. 5. Increased the potency of the Bite skill to provide more experience when used. 6. Changed the internal dialogue to be in italics. Removed all italics not related to world updates or internal dialogue. 7. Increased visibility on the effect of Cire''s Charisma stat''s effect on others. 8. Changed names from middle/old English origins to ancient Greek origins. Samuel to Eugene. Leslie to Stacy. Etc. 9. Changed all skill gain flavor text to ancient Greek quotations. These are all accurately attributed to their authors and are not fictional. Added Content- 1. New conversation between Eugene and Stacy regarding Cire. 2. New story on how Eugene and Stacy met. 3. Improved island description. 4. Small details to the hamlet, its residents, and the surrounding area. 5. Changed the last battle scene to Durg and Selene''s perspective. 6. Over 5,000 additional words spread throughout the narrative. Repost - Chapter 1: Emergence on Elysium Eric hurtled through lightless space. Icy wind tore across his naked body. With a wet crunch, he impaled a fluffy snow drift headfirst. He curled up in the soft powder, snow clinging to him, screaming in terror. This was no dream, nor glitch. Seconds seemed to flow glacially, then a notification suddenly appeared in his vision. A blinking snowman icon expanded into a text window. You are in a freezing environment, the cold will damage you until you reach a warmer area or shelter. 20 health loss per minute while exposed past the first 3 minutes. ¡°Need-d-d to move!¡± He urged himself through chattering teeth. Eric had gone snow camping as a teen with his scout troop. Memories of shelter building and survival techniques flashed in his mind. The snowdrift piled up higher than his head, threatening to bury him in a cold grave. That would be a problem if he was planning on getting out. He wasn''t. Ice particles stung his face as he came to his knees and frantically scooped snow. His arms became sluggish, slowing as the chill took hold. Don¡¯t stop. Just a bit more. A distracting red strobe appeared in his periphery. Crawling into the hollow he managed to carve out of the snow drift, Eric collapsed. Then, he died. Once again freezing air greeted Eric as he fell uncontrollably. His stomach struck snow, hard. Breath escaped him in a gasp. He was dazed, an icon with two small yellow birds flying in a circle confirmed it. Gasping, Eric felt around and discovered that the snow cave he had dug out remained, he dove into the meager alcove. Piling snow against the entrance, he left a small hole so he wouldn''t suffocate. Once the blockade had been constructed, he plunged into fitful sleep. Searing pain in his toes roused him to waking. Time had become abstract. The suffocating darkness of his tomb obscured its passage. All he could tell was that it had been a while. Eric heard a slow dripping of water splashing into a shallow puddle near the entrance. Cold droplets fell onto his scalp and trickled through his hair, sending goosebumps rippling down his neck. Like a good scout would know to do, he¡¯d deliberately tunneled upward into the snowdrift. Warm air was trapped at the top and the difference was enough to melt the snow on the ceiling, and keep him alive through the night. Drawing in his legs, Eric sat up and rubbed some warmth back into his feet. After a few minutes of rubbing, the pain subsided to a dull ache. Breathing regularly and repeating this simple action gave him his first free moment to think. He tried to remember how he had gotten here, but it was all blurry. Was he playing a VR game? This almost felt like a game, with the icons and notifications, but this was far more visceral. What is going on? Alone, in the black of his icy redoubt, Eric realized an important fact. Above all else, he had no desire to fall through the air again. He could discover how this all happened at a different time and in a much different place, if there was even an answer to discover. Opaque information overlaid his at the sides of his vision. Perhaps there is a solution to my conundrum hiding there? Eric focused on the little picture of himself. Abruptly, a translucent rectangle jumped in front of him. Eric''s head slammed back into the packed snow and a deluge of cold droplets drenched him.
Biographical Information: Name: ???? Level: 0 Experience: 0 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class: Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 10/13 Mana: 11/11 Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 (-3) Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 7 Resistances: 25% Enchantment This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. -50% Holy Magic
Skills: None Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite, Regeneration Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: None
He was a heavenly vampire, holy blood sucker? That made even less sense than falling out of the sky. Not much less... but less. He shivered and hunched over to try and stay warm. He attempted to focus in on the panel again. Eric thought he had seen an option or two to get out of this mess. However, one of the queued notifications darted to the center of his view, flashing with urgency. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _? It didn''t take a genius to figure out what the world required him to do before taking any further actions. It was ridiculous that coming up with a name took precedence over survival, but it would be hard to function with a flashing notification in the center of his vision. Okay Eric, put at least a little thought into this. He was a light vampire, in every RPG game he had played monsters weren¡¯t exactly given warm welcomes. He couldn''t let anyone find out what he was. Unless he wanted to go the evil route. If his goal was to survive at all costs, then this was a no-brainer. Pick something terrifying and powerful sounding. However, an Eagle Scout generally didn¡¯t chose the easy or the self-serving path. That wouldn''t cut it now either, obviously. Another shiver ran down his spine. He leaned back and rubbed all over, trying to create heat. What the heck does a heavenly elf''s name sound like? He imagined it needed to have a lot of ''S'', ''L¡¯, and ''I''s'' in it. It was cold and he was in a rush, time to go with something easy, but innocuous. Ciresil, he thought at the interface, and sure enough, the name section filled in. Then another notification annoyingly forced itself into his view. He rubbed at his feet again and rocked himself a bit. Gah! This is too much! You have survived a night in the wilderness at freezing temperatures. You suffer from the frostbite effect on your extremities. Debuff: -3 to Dexterity until frostbite is removed or healed. Enduring the pain and stress has increased your Constitution +1. With a grumble, he moved on to the next notification, eager to look at his status page again. You have gained a new skill: Wilderness Survival (Uncommon) ¡°Necessity is the mother of invention.¡± - Plato At initiate rank, you inflict +1 damage to wild animals. +20% resistance to weather related damage. This was actually welcome information. This skill was useful, particularly considering his current circumstances. This is probably why I was able to survive the night in the buff. Now I just need to improve my situation, given that I do not have an imminent fear of death any longer. Eric pulled up his status page and gave it a quick scan. The only thing that looked like an answer was the Shapechange ability. Maybe he would transform into a fearsome wolf and he could get some ready made fur clothes. He focused on the ability. Shapechange: Change into a bat for a duration of 2 hours. No wolf form and no user''s manual, crap.He would have to figure it out as he went. If the wind wasn¡¯t bad, he should be able to fly off to lower elevations or at least better cover. Changing from an elf into a small bat felt like a migraine combined with the worst head cold he had ever experienced. Warning! At your current level you can only maintain this form for two hours and can only use this ability once per rest (4 hours of relaxation)! You are a Tiny Creature: -50% Strength, -50% Hit Points, -25% Constitution, +75% Dexterity, and +25% Spirit. Strength score limited to 5. Most of the changes didn''t seem like such a big deal. He was small and squishy, but fast. He was pondering this information, now much warmer in his bristled coat, when it finally occurred to him that he had blockaded the entrance and now had no exit. When a bat is cursing, but unable to really speak, it sounds adorable. Letting out the loudest cutest roars a little flying mouse could, Ciresil vented his frustration. Then echolocation clicked in for the first time, and he could see! He had gotten so used to the darkness that this rekindled his motivation.I can do this. With more determination than before, he crawled up to the air hole. Then he tried to squeeze himself through, to no avail. He would have to dig himself out. Using his wings to try and scoop out the snow was awkward and didn¡¯t really work. Being unnaturally strong for a bat with a maxed ¡®tiny creature¡¯ strength score didn¡¯t help much either. He could only do so much with his claws. So in a bizarre reverse from the night before, he threw himself at the small opening he had left for breathable air to enter. Repeating the process several times started to make progress and the escape route widened. Once he had enough room to shove himself into the hole, he dove in and wiggled around. Oscillating himself so that he could increase its size more, he then inched himself back out and did that several more times. It wasn''t glamorous and it sure as shoot wasn''t fun, but he got through the hole and squeezed out... ...right into a puddle! He to pulled himself out of the water, a sodden sputtering mess. He was shivering, but he could tell that there was a marked difference in having fur versus not. This is fricking ridiculous! How in the hell did I get here? A cold breeze bit into his wings as he spread them out under the sun for the first time, but it was worth the price. The light gently kissed his wings, rescinding some of the chill which had nestled there as he dried. Something about all of this feels nostalgic. However, when I try to think about it too hard everything gets fuzzy, like I am concussed. I can think about all of this after I get out of here. Once he was finally dry, Ciresil squeaked a ''roar'' to the world as he beat his wings to soar into the heavens! Well, that is what he imagined was going to happen. His first try, and several after that, ended in him tumbling end over end in an embarrassing display. Many attempts at liftoff later and he was actually airborne. This is amazing! He started flapping towards lower elevations and gazed around, taking in the lay of the land. Ciresil did not have the best judgment of distance yet, but as far as he could tell he was on the side of a very tall peak, in some sort of mountain chain. Ciresil was just above the timberline, blazing white glistened behind him all the way to the summit. Beyond the swell of tall evergreens before him, he could see other peaks stretching out along the horizon. The general spacing of these mountains let him know that he was at the crest of a bowled valley. Ciresil did not know what sort of distance he could make or how much longer he could stay in this form. With some urgency, he flapped towards the trees, pitching awkwardly as gusts hit him. Hurriedly, he selected a large pine and swooped up onto a low branch. Time to be a bat I guess. Crouching, he tipped himself over and clung to the bottom of the branch. Wrapping himself snugly in his wings gave him his first true moment of respite since this whole circus began. Repost - Chapter 2: Walk into Wilds Ciresil woke when his head struck the pine duff under the tree he had been hanging in. There was no way his hands could move fast enough to break his fall, even if he had been conscious. They, like his wings had been, were wrapped tightly around his sides. A throbbing pain lanced from the base of his neck up into the back of his skull. He just lay on the ground, softly groaning. The only thing worse than his morning so far had been his night. He thought he remembered a saying about that, but in his dazed state nothing was popping to mind. Nothing... except the small icon that had small yellow birds flying in a circle around the silhouette of a head. It took another few minutes for the dazed debuff to wear off. When it did, he found himself sitting against the tree with his knees pulled up against his chest. Wonder how I managed that? ¡°Okay, note to self, do not fall asleep hanging upside down when the duration of the ability is only two hours.¡± Talking to himself had always helped wake him up, and he needed every bit of assistance possible on this occasion. He was going to have to get used to not having his smartphone if he was going to be here a while. He blinked a bit, surprised. Somehow, I am not sure how really, but it feels like I won¡¯t be going home and I am terribly far away. Normally, that would freak me out and turn me into a babbling mess. I should be panicking, but I¡¯m not? Why? Ciresil closed his eyes again and took in a deep breath, he could put off the cold for a moment to figure this out. Delving into his mind, he didn¡¯t try to remember how he had gotten here, that would lead to the static, he focused on how he felt about being here, in this place. A sudden feeling of warmth and assurance washed over him from head to toe in a wave of nostalgia. Okay¡­ that was really weird, but it gave me a pretty good answer. It somehow ¡°feels¡± like I am supposed to be here. Here¡­ in the middle of nowhere. Eyes flickered over the landscape, roving over the small glen he had taken refuge in. It was clear he had actually been lucky for once in the last day. A pocket in the center of the grove of trees was bereft of snow. The tree he was under provided a nice dry spot sheltered with thick boughs from the wind. Most of the surrounding woods outside of this glade were sparse and held light vegetation, he was obviously still rather high up on the ridge. Rocky ground sloping downhill at an uncomfortable grade stretched out as far as he could make out between the trees. Generally, the terrain curved downward into the valley below. It would be nice if there was someone to explain why I am here though. No greeter it seems, just have to go with it. Ciresil stood and stretched, time to get going for the day. He still had basic survival to take care of. He found a solid tree branch about the length of his leg. After breaking it off from the trunk by pulling it backwards, he unexpectedly got a notification.
Crude Club Damage: 1d4 -1 (blunt) Rarity: Common Quality: Poor Effect: -1 to hit
Huh. Well, this isn¡¯t great, but it¡¯s nothing to shake a stick at either. He laughed out loud to himself, he noticed that the noise had caused movement down the mountain. A small finch had been frightened away and out of the underbrush, most likely because of his bad pun. The sight of the animal caused his stomach to gurgle in anger. There was a conscious side of him that thought it was odd for a moment on how focused he was on finding something to eat all of a sudden, it had only been a day and he was naked. However, there was a newer, raw, primal side of him that flared with the possibility of food. Strangely, or maybe not so, cooking the prey did not cross his mind. Maybe if I get close enough I can throw the club and get one of those birds? Ciresil placed each step with care. Partially in an attempt to stay silent, but also to save his bare feet from the sharp stones littering the area. Fifteen to twenty yards in front of him a small flock of birds flushed from the trees. It appeared that his talent for stalking was woefully inadequate for this task. What are you doing? Find something to cover yourself with or get off this mountain before you freeze again, preferably both. Ciresil shook his head a bit to clear it and then started down the slope. After a few minutes of walking, with a hand awkwardly clasped between his legs, he finally found a plant that could help him and not covered in thorns. He never thought a fern would bring a shout of excitement to his lips, but he couldn''t hold it in. ¡°Yes!! Clothing!¡± He reached down and gripped his hand around a stalk of the largest frond he could find and plucked it. Then something rather unexpected happened, the leaf crumbled apart into unusable pieces. You have attempted to collect an unknown herb. Without sufficient aptitude for the Herbalism skill, you have failed. ¡°Huh.¡± This left him with some tantalizing questions. Cire figured that the only way to find out if he could gain the skill was to try. Besides, he really wanted something to cover himself with. The cold aside, his lack of dress made him rather uncomfortable, even if there was no one to see him. He lowered himself to the ground in front of the fern and knelt, looking at the plant without really focusing on it. A rather intense internal monologue had kicked off even as he was dropping to the hard-packed earth. If people back home had to have a skill to perform an action as mundane as picking a plant with any degree of success, then the way everything functioned in daily life would be drastically different. Sure, back home people specialized in a specific job, but it seemed that here in his new world that it was someone''s skills, or perhaps someone''s aptitude for a skill, that defined their role in the world. On one hand everything had just gotten far more complex and on the other a lot more simple. Cire needed to figure out what he was good at and progress. That would be his best path for survival. He would also need to find workarounds for skills he either did not possess or could not acquire. Refocusing on the world around him brought at long last another small respite to his lackluster first day. The large fern in front of him pulsed with light in a shimmering opal iridescence. He reached out tentatively, almost afraid the light would flicker out. When he touched at a particular spot on the stem it felt right. Plucking the frond this time brought a satisfying snap.
Braken Fern Rarity: Common Uses: 1. Young fronds of this plant can be eaten. 2. Leaves of this plant have various decorative functions.
You have gained a new skill: Herbalism (common) ¡°That which is grows, while that which is not becomes.¡± - Galen At initiate rank you will be able to identify and collect common plants and potentially uncommon ones, modified by your skill level. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Scouring the plant revealed no young fronds to be eaten. That seemed right for the altitude and the season. Given that the sun was a couple of hours past its zenith and there was a bitter bite to the air, he guessed that it was the tail end of winter, or the start. I hope it isn¡¯t the start, it¡¯s already too cold. Hours of gathering later and he was finally outfitted like a Lost Boy straight out of Peter Pan. True, he had pointy ears and was a bit too pale, but he was just as dirty as one to be sure. He finally had some cover against the wind, it felt good. He stretched and shifted a bit to make sure everything would stay on in place. As night approached, Cire hurriedly built a shelter against a fallen tree. He laid sticks against the trunk, creating a small lean-to shelter. Stuffing it with dried pine needles for insulation took the majority of his time. He had basically made himself his very own mammal den. Are vampires still mammals? I get cold. Hell, I can obviously die by freezing. It stands to reason that I¡¯m still ''alive'' enough that it doesn¡¯t matter. He crawled into the prickly pile of pine duff and bedded down. Inane and mundane thoughts drifted through his head in a tumble of confusion as the night air grew frigid. Exhaustion finally overtook him. Battering his ears, a shrill scream shattered the calm of his dreams. Heart beats thudded in his ears as he instinctively sat upright, slamming his forehead into the top of his shelter, violently knocking loose wood. Crashing sounds echoed off the trees. Twigs snapped under combat¡¯s frenetic pacing. What the hell is happening? Darkness pooled around him in the moonless night. His gaze swept along the small glen he had taken refuge in. He focused harder, looking between the gaps in the sparse stand of trees. Something was out there, he needed to see it. Similar to his experience activating echolocation, suddenly a flood of objects leaped to life before him. You have Darkvision! At your current level, Darkvision will allow you to see up to 100 feet in complete darkness. Warning! If exposed to bright light while using Darkvision you can suffer various debuffs including blinding, stun, and disorientation. It would have been breathtaking, if his breath had not caught for another reason. Some sort of giant boar at the far end of the glade was tumbling and bucking against a ball of growling fur. Squeals, what he thought had been screaming, were being ripped from the pig''s throat like candy from a pi?ata. Huge cat jaws were clamped down on the underside of the swine''s neck. Trickles of blood coursed down through its bristled hide. Cire stood in shock, watching the two beasts writhe on the ground. Wafting over from the fight, the scent of blood snapped him out of his reverie. It smelled heady, rich, and intoxicating. Waves of emotion cascaded through Cire, rage, exhaustion, and most of all THIRST! Cire lunged towards the two animals. His leap carried him into the giant feline, knocking it away from the swine. It was stronger than he was, but the feline was distracted in a death bite. They tumbled and landed hard on the ground, a mess of limbs and fur. Rolling on top of the cat, he shoved his face into its scruff and bit down into its neck as hard as he could. The taste of hot, coppery fluid and the sensation of warmth sliding down his throat was revolting. However, the exhaustion, hunger, and pain he was suffering from fled his body at the same time. Disgust was replaced by a wave of euphoria washing over every part of his body. I am strong! I will NOT be prey! I will hunt down and slay every last thing in these woods! I cannot be stopped!! Clouding his thoughts, the consequences of feeding for the first time enthralled Cire. He was so deeply entranced that the claws leaving rents along his back never penetrated his conscious mind. He collapsed to the ground in a heap, the body of the mountain lion twitching on his chest. Thankfully, he lost consciousness again. Upon coming to moments later, he groggily took stock of his situation. Then began the inelegant process of wiggling himself free from the heavy corpse of the lion. There were a few notifications, but he minimized them quickly. Up on his knees, he could finally fill his lungs with precious air. His head stopped swimming enough for him to make out the gurgled wheezing coming from the pig nearby. Pain surged up along his back and he groaned, he wasn¡¯t in good shape. Half stepping and half crawling his way to the wounded boar he paused at its mangled head. Pulses of thick blood pooled around the animals open mouth as it lay on its side. The sensation of the sticky blood already coating Ciresil¡¯s chest, hands, and worst of all his mouth was more than he could stomach at this sight. Ciresil heaved roughly, sending several large globs of cat blood spattering to the ground. The movements brought more pain and he collapsed next to the dying boar. Sobbing, he curled into a ball and pitied himself. He was naked again, covered in blood, nauseous, hungry, and cold. I am fed up with this! Screw this place! Sobs quieted as Ciresil wiped his nose and snorted. Shaking his head to himself. No one else is here to help, get your act together. Ciresil steeled himself against his self-doubt and sat up. He had been through far more adversity in his life than this. The solution was to push forward. Sure, he had not been through this kind of physical pain, but by the time he was twenty-three he was all that remained of his family. Ciresil would face this next series of challenges in his life in the same manner as previous. He would accept the pain, the loss, and the hardship, but he would come out the other side stronger and more prepared for the world. Most importantly, he would not sacrifice his morals to do it. Squirming movement from the boar drew his eyes. He couldn¡¯t let it suffer, but he also felt wrong ending a helpless creature''s life. Forcing himself to do what was needed, he leaned down and sank his fangs into the bristled greasy skin of the swine. Drawing the last remnants of life from the mammal¡¯s veins felt more natural, even with a clear head, than it should have. Focusing on the sensation of drawing the blood in was remarkably easy when he was not being thrashed about. Therefore, he was ready when the wave of euphoria crashed against him this time, and he pushed it down. No way I am becoming a junkie. I will define my abilities, not the other way around.Ciresil¡¯s mother had abused a variety of drugs before he had moved out of the house, he wouldn''t end up like her. A cold rage swept through him from his core outwards, it tempered the almost sweet-tasting pleasure rushing through him with a hard bitterness. It was a struggle, but the blood ecstasy waned and skirted to the edge of his senses. He drank deep and pulled in every drop the boar had left, he still needed what this animal could provide. Wounds knitted together along his back, skin healed over, and a raw tingling spread across each wound. All of this coalesced into an almost unbearable itching before mercifully dissipating. With a very uncultured burp, he leaned back against the nearest pine amongst the remains. He focused on the blinking notifications that had appeared during his last travail and got some much needed information. Mountain Lion¡ªLevel 3 has died. You receive 391 experience points. Dire Boar¡ªLevel 1 has died. You receive 165 experience points. You have performed your special attack: Bite. You can savagely pierce your enemy¡¯s flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health and experience. HP drain is currently 100 per minute and experience drain is 1% if the target is killed by this action. Warning! This ability renders you helpless while performing its actions. Warning! This ability is synergistic with Regeneration and will boost it by 1 ability level. While feeding you will regain 3 hp per minute. You have been awarded 92 experience from Bite against Level 3 Mountain Lion. You have been awarded 8 experience from Bite against Level 1 Dire Boar. You have gained your first Aspect! You are Indefatigable! Your recent actions have defined a core element of your personality. You have chosen to persevere tirelessly. Effects: Once per week you can refresh daily abilities as if rested, -33% to rest and food requirements. You have gained a new skill: Martial Combat (Rare) ¡°Only the dead have seen the end of war.¡± - Plato At initiate rank, you no longer suffer a hit penalty for fighting unarmed. +5% chance to dodge when unarmored. Ciresil practically burst with happiness at the positive news and his renewed prospects at actually surviving this frigid hellscape. If I don''t bite off more than I can chew, then I shouldn''t die frozen as a naked piece of statuary on a snow-covered mountainside, again. Bite''s bonus to his experience, if he could take down his kills safely, and more importantly alone, could be the most significant revelation. However, seeing an ally latch onto the throat of an enemy and drain them like a juice box would probably cause concern, at the very least. It wouldn''t happen all the time, but if he could snack on the strength of a much higher level enemy it could be a catalyst for rapid advancement. Now that his wounds had closed, his reckless feeding on the mountain lion had been all but forgotten. What Ciresil did not know, what he could not possibly have known given his mental state at the time, was how close he had come to death under the slashing claws of his feline foe. He had been regenerating at the significant rate of 3 hp per minute while drawing blood from the cat, but the mountain lion had fought hard. Ciresil¡¯s feeding had been resisted several times, thereby negating regeneration for those precious moments. While fighting, each set of claws had scored deep grooves along the vampire''s back, shredding his muscles and nicking several bones. His almost helpless state resulted in both blows being critical strikes. Ciresil¡¯s health had plummeted towards the end, one more errant swipe would have sent him back to the snow drifts and howling gales. Repost - Chapter 3: Surprising Strangers Cire gripped a nearby stone and bashed the tusks of the boar until one snapped free. Using this ¡®tool,¡¯ he attempted to skin the mountain cat. He ended up botching it badly, tearing holes in the skin and leaving large chunks of flesh stuck to the hide. Ciresil tied the mangled fur around his body, warm blood smearing over his skin and sticking the cooling hide to him. Squirming in place, he dry heaved, but recovered quickly. Ciresil started repeating the first step of the wilderness survival merit badge over and over again in his head to help him cope. Positive mental attitude Ciresil, positive mental attitude.
Ragged Fur Pelt Armor: +1 Rarity: Common Quality: Poor
Ciresil was a bit curious, he hadn''t received a notification or a skill acquisition while skinning the animal. He had done a terrible job, but he had still ended up with something to show for it. Maybe the gods of this world are tired of watching me run through the forest buck-ass naked? Don¡¯t spend too long thinking about it Ciresil. Just put your head down and get going. Inspecting the two corpses had brought questions of its own, the boar had looked odd at first glance. Upon closer look, he had discerned how it had been able to put up a fight against the cat. It had a single remaining gnarled tusk the size of a kitchen knife. On top of that, it was much larger than any pig he had ever seen. It had small tusk-like growths protruding along its spine. For all intents and purposes, the mountain lion was just a mountain lion. It was a bit bigger than those he had seen back home, but most of the characteristics fell into place. Hell, it could look bigger because he had only ever been within throwing distance of one up to this point. With a grunt and some popping joints he stood, stretched, and started jaunting through the sparse trees. His Darkvision made finding and following the previous game trail easy, he counted this as a small blessing. Sparse woods thinned out as he approached the valley floor. Brush finally cleared to reveal a flat, rocky expanse reaching a good distance from one ridge of the bowled valley to the other. He had emerged onto these plains from the Eastern escarpment. The subtle hue of a pink sunrise blossomed over his shoulders, it was a gorgeous sight. To his side the reflection of the moon bounced back at him from a glassy lake. The waters hummed with ethereal energy. A shimmer of light pulsed from the center of the pool creating small waves. A swan floated on the surface, bobbing with the current. It¡¯s white feathers radiating in the dawn. Ciresil was about to go straight for the water, but then he saw something much more tantalizing, smoke! Trailing lazily into the air from a small cabin across the valley, the wisps climbed into the sky. Warm light escaped through shuttered windows and tantalizingly beckoned him. Dashing towards salvation, all other thoughts fled his mind. He had sprinted halfway across the valley when his ragged breathing and raw throat forced him to slow. Ciresil managed a steady stumbling pace, not willing to stop now that he had a definitive goal. As the distance closed, he could see more smoke trails rising from a tiny collection of ramshackle wooden buildings set against the far curve of the valley. He switched from Darkvision to regular eyesight once the sun flared over the ridge behind him. Therefore, Ciresil was blinded to the door of the farm house opening. Nor did he make out the nocked and drawn arrow on a fine-looking long bow. Taking Ciresil in the shoulder an arrow sunk into his flesh until it bit bone. Thrown back by the force, an involuntary scream ripped from his throat and he toppled off balance onto the ground. He gripped the arrow with his hand and tried to yank it out. A massive wave of pain made him swoon, stars and spots appearing in his vision. Before he could come to his senses another arrow had struck the dirt to his side. It stuck there quivering, only a few feet from his head. Now was no time for screwing around! He jumped back onto his feet and lunged to the side. ¡°Why are you shooting at me?!?¡± Ciresil yelped. Another arrow slammed into his left thigh and his legs buckled. Knees colliding with rocks and dust, he crumpled into a heap. ¡°What the fu....?¡± ¡°By Demeter!¡± Was shouted in a distressed tone and was quickly followed by the scuffling of shoes on dirt. A man crossed the distance in a hurry. Ciresil wasn''t about to flinch away, but he wasn''t going to move either. Having two arrows stuck in him, and having just lost god only knew how much HP, had taken its toll. Moving down to one knee next to Ciresil, the man began to look him over. ¡°Hey there stranger, you look like something a dragon chewed up for breakfast. Sorry about greeting you like that. You still alive?¡± Cire gave the man a rather exasperated hurumpf and pulled himself up to sitting. ¡°What the hell are you shooting random folks for?¡± Ciresil kept his tone as measured as he could, but it was hard to keep the edge out of it. The farmer ¨C it was more obvious now that was what he was ¨C leaned back a little and put a hand on the back of his head. He gave Cire the first smile he had seen since coming to this world, it was friendly and full of warmth. ¡°Heh, I understand you being upset. Really, I do. But no one ever comes from the eastern end of the valley, only wild animals and beasts.¡± He paused giving Ciresil a considering look, his eyes lingered on the bloody furs. ¡°Stacy and I can generally handle ourselves, but we would prefer to put anything down before it gets to the crops or makes it to the cabin door.¡± He yanked thumb back over his shoulder. Cire tilted his head to see a split rail fence surrounding roughly hewn earth surrounding the cabin. ¡°Sorry again, I will get you fixed up before you go on your way.¡± Cire coughed a little and winced as the movement jostled the two arrows. It was a little odd how this guy had so casually dismissed causing him grievous bodily harm. However, he had good points and Cire desperately wanted... no, he needed, help. Brush it off, you regenerate and you¡¯re not going to die. You¡¯ll make more friends with honey than vinegar Ciresil. Time to put my Charisma stat to work. ¡°No harm no foul, apology accepted. I am... Ciresil. It¡¯s a bit of a mouthful, call me Cire for short. Well met.....?¡± He left the statement hanging and with an upward inflection, a small gesture of his hand towards the lanky farmer. Considering, the humans eyes glinted with soft browns of the earth mixed and a hint of green and a hand ran through his mop of curly brownish gray hair. His warm voice offset the cracked and worn skin of his face. ¡°My name is Eugene, and well met indeed. Now let''s get you back to the cabin so we can get those pins out of your cushion. Sound like a good idea?¡± Nodding weakly, Cire grit his teeth together as he flung his good arm around the man''s shoulders. They stumbled back to the cabin, together. It was a humble abode, consisting only of a single room and loft. A fireplace to his left roared with a fresh log for the morning. A table in the middle of the room had an alluring pot of stew resting on it, filling the space with a rich aroma. Furs spread out along the floor and upholstered the chairs. Cire''s head lulled as his senses were assaulted by the pleasures of comfort. It took another hour or so before they had removed the arrows, wrapped the wounds, given him a healing potion, and had Cire laid out on a pallet of furs in the corner with his back propped up by the log wall. Donning a simple set of small clothes, tunic, and pants reassured Cire of his civility. Eugene even gave him an old pair of shoes. The two men were roughly the same size, so the clothing didn''t hang too loosely. Eugene had told him to ¡°just be quiet and rest¡± when he had tried to thank him and start conversation, but after finishing his second bowl of stew, he couldn''t let that stand. ¡°Thank you so much for your kindness Eugene. I really do not know how much longer I could have lasted out there in the cold. Even if it took two arrows to buy some hospitality I am glad of it, just don''t make me pay the same entrance fee ever again.¡± His chuckle was a little weak, but the warm smile on his face spoke to true appreciation. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I told you. Think nothing of it son. Danger is behind every rock and crag in the Chimera¡¯s Mane and the Hamlet of Sunset is no exception. There only be a few of us hearty folk here to take what we can from Elysium. We do our best to make sure that Elysium does not take any of us along with it.¡± Eugene paused speaking for a moment. Giving Cire a sidelong look from his sitting position in his chair. ¡°Now, my hospitality is plentiful, especially to folks who are needing it and who I owe it to. You looked like a dire boar had spent all night rutting you when I found you, the arrows aside. Why in the abyss were you out on the eastern side of the valley anyways? Where did you come from?¡± About to spurt out the backstory he had thought of while walking down from the ridge, he took pause. To Cire, it had been a rather clever tale to explain his peculiar traits. He had lived in the forest with his family, they had been overrun by Orcs, and he had been the only one to survive. While fleeing in terror, he ended up here. It even answered why I have no idea where I am¡­ and the naked part. It felt wrong to lie to Eugene, however, and not just because he had helped him... albeit after shooting him full of arrows, but because deception had never come easily to Cire. Sure, he had played a rogue character from time to time. However, when given a choice, he had hardly been able to lie by omission in order to save someone else hurt feelings. There had never really been an option, and he realized now that he had been fooling himself. He looked straight into Eugene''s eyes and decided to give him as much information as he felt comfortable exposing, hoping for his part that Eugene wouldn''t press too far. There is a reason that the first point of the scout law is trustworthy, lean on it Eugene waited patiently, looking over to Cire and taking a bite or two of stew while anticipating his answer. ¡°Well, I am not from around here, that is probably rather obvious. I have no idea how I ended up in this valley, let alone whatever kingdom we might be in. My loved ones have all passed. I had plenty of friends where I am from, but I doubt I will ever see them again. I just have this feeling I belong here and I won¡¯t be able to find a way back.¡± He paused and looked away from the older man for a moment and took a break to process what he had just said. He had taken years to work through losing his family, for a moment he felt a twinge of sadness regarding his previous acquaintances. It brought a shade over his heart, but after a single deep breath, it receded. Looking Eugene in the eyes again with a renewed sense of purpose, it didn''t hurt that his frostbite debuff had worn off during his recovery, he spoke clearly. ¡°I am not looking for a handout or charity, but I could use a place to stay and some help to get back on my feet. Do you have some work around the farm that I could help with?¡± Cire just needed to get off the ground and he would be able to take care of himself and he was not going to find what he needed naked on a mountain. Cire¡¯s sudden shift to seriousness caught Eugene off guard. He had half-expected a good-natured joke from the elf, or even a jab, considering he had shot the man with two arrows. Most people would have been furious about it, but Cire sounded almost guilty. He had planned on showing the wounded elf to the lodge, where the majority of the camp''s workers slept, and calling it done. Eugene thought for a moment and then he nodded once. ¡°You should recover from those arrow wounds by mid-day at the latest. I will be out in the fields as the winter harvest needs to start coming in. If you take care of the boars that have been tearing up my crops then you can stay here with Stacy and me for a few days. I have some old gear I can loan you, but your success and failure will be on you.¡± He squared his shoulders to Cire as he spoke the last line and raised an eyebrow, making sure he conveyed the message: if you get yourself into trouble, I cannot get you out of it.
Quest Title: Down the Dire Boars I Condition(s): Kill 5 boars to prove that you can pull your weight. Rewards: Room and board for 5 days. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: Decreased respect by Eugene. Do you Accept? Yes or No
¡°Of course. I am just glad to have a chance to earn my keep and pick up a few skills along the way.¡± Cire responded thankfully. He had not expected to receive a quest, but he would take it. Any additional way to earn experience or rewards would significantly increase his chances at surviving. ¡°Well, lets get you properly outfitted with what I have on hand. The sun waits for no one. What weapons and armor do you have high aptitudes for?¡± Eugene asked casually as he stood, heading over to a rather large wooden chest against the back wall. Cire thought for a moment about how to answer that, but he figured he would get far more information regarding his current circumstances if he owned up to his ignorance. He really didn¡¯t want to die again. ¡°Ummm, so this may sound like a stupid question to you, but what are aptitudes?¡± The immediate look of shock on Eugene''s face portrayed how ridiculous he had just sounded. ¡°Remember, not from around here.¡± Eugene nodded slowly, like he still couldn''t believe he was running into someone who didn''t know what aptitudes were. Cire could make an educated guess, he wasn''t a moron. However, perhaps this was the equivalent of asking if snow was cold? After waiting another full couple of minutes Cire cleared his throat and spoke up. ¡°Eugene, going to share?¡± There was a slightly annoyed tone to his voice, but it did not seem to register to the farmer, who shook his head as if clearing some cobwebs and chuckled. ¡°Sure am, still waking up. Normally I do not have that many conversations this early. You must truly be from the wilderness if you do not know how aptitudes work. Pull up your status sheet and let me know one of your skills.¡± Cire did as his host had instructed and gave it a quick scan before speaking.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 0 Experience: 656 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class: Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 7/13 Mana: 11/11 Armor: 1 Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 7 Resistances: 25% Enchantment 20% Weather -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable
Skills: Wilderness Survival 2, Natural Martial Combat 1, Natural Herbalism 1, None
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite, Regeneration Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Simple Shoes (Feet)
¡°Sorry about that. I gather from your response that it is important, and I am still a bit touchy from my morning.¡± Pausing for a moment, he drew in a breath and relayed what he hoped was innocuous information. ¡°I recently got the Herbalism skill and I am only level one. It was rather difficult to pick anything successfully. It says here that I have no aptitude, but I was still able to...¡± Cire was about to finish his sentence when Eugene''s cackling laughs peeled through the cabin. The man doubled over and actually had to wipe a tear out of his eye. At this point, the mystery of what his ¡°aptitude¡± meant was almost getting to him as much as being laughed at for his ignorance. He shot Eugene with his best withering glare. ¡°How... bwahaha... how...¡± The farmer sucked in a deep breath and calmed himself long enough to get out a whole sentence. ¡°How long did you spend picking flowers with your nil aptitude, son?¡± A soft round of chuckles punctuated the mans words, he had clearly not worked out his bout of mirth. Eugene¡¯s arm slid around Cire¡¯s and gave him a sidelong hug, keeping himself balanced. Cire kept his glare leveled at the man for a good long moment until silence hung between them, then he grinned. ¡°For two whole days up on that mountain slope I have been picking ferns. I take it you are telling me that I am dreadful at it?¡± The humor glinting in the older man''s eyes when he made eye contact was all that it took for Cire to start laughing. Soon Eugene joined in. It felt good to laugh. It felt really good to not be alone. Seems like a good Charisma score will be worth more than I thought. Repost - Chapter 4: Bored Boars It took a bit longer to get going that morning than either of them had planned. After about an hour of conversation, Cire had learned that people who were adept at any given skill could test others for their aptitude. The higher the aptitude, the easier it was for one to advance in a given skill and attain a higher level of mastery. Essentially, Cire had been attempting to level a skill that he had no natural talent in, like painting back on Earth. While he had brute forced himself into gaining the skill through considerable effort, it was something he wouldn''t ever go far in.He had only been able to learn it because all common skills, regardless of aptitude, could be acquired given enough persistence. When he asked Eugene if the man would test him for a few aptitudes, he had readily agreed. Cire was a little surprised by the variety of talents Eugene possessed. Eugene dryly explained. ¡°In the mountains you develop a variety of skills or you die.¡± The tone of Eugene¡¯s words made him take this warning to heart. Eugene tested him for Farming, Tanning, Skinning, Carpentry, Musical Instruments,Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields, Archery, Blades, Pole-arms, and Axemanship. Outside of the opportunity that Eugene had given him, it appeared that his run of bad luck was continuing. His aptitude for everything but Blades and Light Armor was all limited or non-existent. His ranking for Armor, and therefore Light Armor was only average, which, while not horrible, didn''t have him as excited as he had been to go out hunting the swine. He had just seen a dire boar go toe to toe ¨C hoof to paw? ¨C with a mountain lion earlier that morning. Eugene, realizing Cire¡¯s blatant ignorance ofElysiumgave him a series of scrolls. Traditionally these were given to each youth when they came of age. They covered the basic information you would need to venture into the world. Mage schools used them as practice tools for leveling up skills in classes, so they were readily available. The farmer always had a few around ¡®just in case¡¯. This was one of those cases. Cire activated the first scroll and a burst of magical essence swirled from the parchment. It surged into him, vibrating his body in the chair until dissipating. Crumbling to dust, the remains of the paper fell from his hands. He had received much welcomed information, but it was like trying to drink from a fire hose.
Leveling and Skill Point Experience Scale:
1 ¨C 1000 exp 2 ¨C 3000 exp 3 ¨C 6000 exp 4 ¨C 10,000 exp 5 ¨C 15,000 exp 6 ¨C 21,000 exp 7 ¨C 28,000 exp 8 ¨C 36,000 exp 9 ¨C 45,000 exp 10 ¨C 55,000 exp ¡­ *Class Upgrade available once an individual reaches level 10 depending on race, stats, skills, abilities, and traits. HP per level: 5-10 + constitution and other modifiers Mana per level: 5-10 + intelligence and other modifiers Skill Points: 1 SP per level + racial modifiers, each SP is equal to a skill level.
ExperienceGain Rate:
Base Modifier
Creatures 5% of creatures total experience when slain. +/- 1% for each level above or below 3 of the slayer. Max experience gain of 10%.
Activity 100 Skill Experience per hour for the first 8 hours. Sub-skills or related skills gain experience at 50% the rate of the main skill being used. -10% (cumulative) Skill Experience penalty each hour after 8 hour threshold. Combat Skill Experience gain +100%.
Questing Variable Variable
Skill Advancement Each skill tier advancement grants 1,000 experience points. I.E. - Initiate to Adept. Increases by 1,000 experience points per tier.
Ouch, mybrainhurts.Cire¡¯s head spun as he processed the data. He scanned the additional titles that Eugene had given him. They consisted of:¡°Item Rarity Scale,¡± ¡°Item Quality Scale,¡± ¡°Aptitude Scale,¡± ¡°Skill Progression Scale,¡± ¡°Relationship Scale,¡±¡°Understanding Alignment,¡± ¡°Schools of Magic,¡± and ¡°The Basics of Stats, Skills, Abilities,TraitsandAspects.¡±1 He would consume these additional scrolls at a later date. They had uninteresting titles and most of it appeared to be rather intuitive. His head was throbbing. Cire felt woefully under prepared, which was antithetical to his nature as a scout. He needed to track down more information than the basics, preferably in non-scroll form. Gurgling stomach sounds from his full belly belied his unease. Resolve hardened his wavering will. He had a new beginning and a far better chance to survive now than before. Cire would not let this opportunity slip from his grasp.I willsurvive. Cire accepted the gear that the old farmer gave him with a smile and strapped it on. They were the only items Eugene had he could use, but he was grateful.
Steel Longsword Damage:1d10 (Slicing or Piercing) Rarity:Common Quality:Average
Light Linen Armored Cuirass Armor:+3 Rarity:Common Quality:Average
Light Linen Armored Pants Armor:+1 Rarity:Common Quality:Average
¡°You seem¡­ pretty ignorant of how things work around here, so I will give you a few pieces of advice to help you out. The boars are all under level five, but that doesn¡¯t mean the same as if they were people. Most boars have a decent enough Strength and Constitution scores, but their Dexterity and Intelligence tends to be awful. ¡°They won¡¯t have skills for fighting, except the dire boars, they can be nasty. Animals use their skills points by instinct and the boars around here generally spend the majority of their time looking for food. They have really high level Foraging skills for the most part, but not much else. Isolate them and you should be fine.¡± Eugene tugged on a few of the armor straps adjusting how the chest piece hung on Cire¡¯s body. Cire took one last opportunity to pick Eugene¡¯s brain before they parted ways for the day. ¡°So, skills and leveling¡­ any suggestions on what to focus on?¡± Eugene clucked his tongue, more or less accustomed to Cire¡¯s growing ignorance. ¡°Well, depends on your goals really. Most folks save the skill points they get from leveling for ranking up the more expensive tiers after they have progressed. Others, like me, had to spend their points as soon as they got them to get by. The size of a single harvest can decide a lot for a farming family.¡± A wistful look passed through Eugene¡¯s eyes, then he shook his head. ¡°Stacy fared better than me in that regard. I¡¯d hold off on spending points if you can. Focus on leveling up a skill or two that you have high levels of aptitude in through practice and then branch out as you get more options. That¡¯s the path that will provide the most opportunity, and in case of an emergency you will have options.¡± Cire listened intently to Eugene¡¯s suggestions and nodded agreeably. ¡°Thank you for the advice Eugene, sorry to keep you from your fields.¡± The affable farmer just smiled warmly and headed out to tend his fields. Cire struck out to get some work done. He walked comfortably in his new shoes to the small woods that abutted the fenced in area of Eugene¡¯s farm. In the distance he could see the small collection of wooden buildings that comprised the rest of the hamlet. It was early enough, and he was far enough away, that he couldn''t see or hear anyone else moving about.Should be a good time to get started and have some privacy. Cire¡¯s leisurely pace brought him up to the first set of trees, and he transitioned from the rough grooved dirt path to soft giving underbrush. With a deep, slow, breath he took in the dawn''s crisp air. It felt far more refreshing now that he had a pit of warmth in his stomach and clothing over his skin. Ever since he had been small, he had loved waking up with the world, hearing the birds rouse themselves to life with song for their paramours. Closing his eyes he took a moment to center himself, the exhilaration of being alive coursed through him. When his eyes opened, there was a calm smile on his lips and determination in his eyes. To survive inElysiummeant he needed to gain levels, gaining levels led to power, and power meant stronger enemies. It would be a constant battle to be sure, but if he stayed still he had no chance. He would end up beholden always to others for protection. He would not, could not, let that happen. Running through the trees was surprisingly easy to Cire''s delight. In the valley the ground was flat and the soil was hard packed, nothing like the slopes. As a result, there were few closely grouped trees and less underbrush. It didn¡¯t take long to find his prey, he had barely gone a mile from the farm, before he could hear squealing and grunting from in front of him. Cire slowed his run to a jog and then ducked behind the largest pine tree that he could find. He had not taken the time to formulate a real plan. He had hoped to come across the beasts one at a time wandering through the forest. Seems like that was not how things worked here. While the world he was in now had elements that felt like a game, the consequences for his choices had been more than real, so far. This appeared to be no different. Drawing his sword and balancing himself with his other on the trunk of the tree, he eased himself around the it to get his first look at his opponents in open daylight. Based on the grunts that were coming from the glade he had expected the boars to be fighting, but he couldn''t have been further from the truth. Right there in the middle of the grove, a mammoth-looking swine was busily making baby boars. He had a stricken female pinned underneath his bulk. Pulling himself back behind the tree, he just breathed for a moment.It is spring after all. Cire had seen animals mating before, but they had always been smaller than him. This was a bit graphic and made him uncomfortable. With a shake of his head he focused on what he had to do. Eugene said these things had been tearing up his crops and rooting them out of the ground. He needed to put them down or there might not be food for the small band of pioneers that called this place home, let alone anything to spare for him, a stranger. Cire sensed he would only get one chance to take both animals by surprise, so he had to make it count. He circled around the outside of the glade as quietly as possible in the faint light of dawn. It was only a moment before he was in position behind the large beast, using a low scrub bush for cover. The boar''s enthusiastic grunting, coupled with his recipient''s not-as-willing squeals, covered his footfalls while getting into position. When he broke from cover that would not be the case. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Cire steadied his breathing and waited for the grunting to get louder, less time started to come between each sound. Right at the crescendo of what had to be one of the world''s most unappealing operas, he started to move. A few steps took him within reach of the mammoth pig. He jumped forward, slashing down at the exposed nape of the creature''s neck. The strike was true and bit down deep into flesh, it was a critical strike. Death took the boar before it even had a chance to pull away from the female. A torrent of blood gushed over Cire''s sword and splattered across him. Heated blood against his skin was intoxicating, and the smell of it drew rage up from his soul. However, a roiling queasiness bubbled up from his full stomach battling his desires. Cire had not expected the same out-of-control reaction from the splash of blood onto his face as when he had been drinking it, nor the conflicting sensation of revulsion. Caught flat footed, bloodlust snatched all control. A growl emanated from deep within Cire¡¯s throat, teeth gnashed and spit flew. When his blade took the dire boar''s head clean off after the third downward stroke, a loud pop and a limp dangling of his arm followed. There was no pain. The limb obviously did not function properly anymore. There was a horrible grating sound and vibration as he managed to flop it about. In a blur of motion, his sword shifted to his free hand. The tip of the blade found the female boar''s ribs. It slid easily between them up to the creatures heart, she had not been able to struggle while trapped under the remains of her previous lover. Cire had not planned on feeding, he had, in fact, decided before leaving the cabin that today he would resist the urges of his new race and rely upon the strength of his arm. He hadn''t even made it past one sword stroke before he had lost control, albeit with some struggle. He dove to the ground and wiggled under the headless remains of his slain foe to seek its still barely-breathing mate. A small voice at the back of his head, which in this case was his conscious will, railed at not being able to stop. His fangs pierced through the animal''s flesh. Thoughts of resistance silenced as blood poured down his throat filling him with vitality once again. His shoulder filled with a now familiar itching sensation as the injury repaired itself. After the shuddering pleasure had fled his body, Cire was finally able to pull himself from an awkward sprawl to a cross-legged sit. His borrowed sword rested across his lap. He had dismissed the prompts during the action and in the direct aftermath of his loss of control, he had something far more important to address. Closing his eyes, he focused his mind and cleared away as much distraction as possible. Listening to the birds, the irregular gusts of wind, and the creaking of the tall pines he lost himself for a moment in simple existence. While his breathing eased and became regular, a peace returned to him. Cire had to harden this calm.IfIhurtsomeoneIcare about...Iwon¡¯t be able to live withmyself. Opening his eyes, he took a quick look around the grove and saw that there was nothing else of immediate importance. Hence, he unfocused his eyes to address the notifications. You have slain a DireBoar(Level3). You receive432experience points. You have slain a Boar(Level2). You receive238experience points. You have been awarded48experience fromBiteagainstLevel2Boar. Smacking the rump of the boar with the flat of his blade he chuckled while standing. ¡°Thank you for your sacrifice Wilbur, Eugene and I are going to eat well tonight.¡± Cire spent most of the day moving through the woods as silently as he could and ambushing each unsuspecting boar he could find. It was nostalgic. Grinding through lower level mobs was never all that fun, but it was efficient, particularly when everything else seemed to be significantly more dangerous. Cire would take fighting a boar over something with claws and fangs every day of the week. Minimizing notifications to avoid distraction had become habit for Cire. Distraction while fighting seemed ill-advised. As the day wore on, his actions became more natural. Almost everything he was doing came with a bit more ease, his skills had gained some levels most likely. Where the armor had felt distinctly uncomfortable at first, now he could flow to the side of a boars charge. When he had first held the sword, the grip had felt awkward and his swings were tentative, but by the end of the day there was a sureness to each stroke. The rate of growth and tangible progress was more fulfilling than he would have expected. Once the sun reached the western edge of the valley he gave up the hunt to head back. He thought about why he felt so complete and the simple answer hit him. InElysium,everything had results that he could sense and know. The world gave him immediate feedback. A small ache in the back of his mind eased to silence as he ruminated on his bounty. Bouncing on his belt, a pouch on his side proudly held the tails of 12 boars in all, two of which were dire boars! Sneaking up on the second direboar had been about as easy as the first. However, a tusk had managed to skewer his inner thigh. He had won the fight and drained the beast while he was at it, thankfully repairing the damage. This second vampiric attack had not elicited nearly the same reaction as others. Cire had been able to resist the heated rush of anger and prevent the drug-like euphoria from clouding his senses.Perhaps my reaction is proportional to how recently I have eaten? Something to puzzle out later, I have a quest to complete. Cire was more than pleased that he had been able to isolate the majority of animals throughout the day. If he had been cornered by two angry boars it might not have gone in his favor. Walking out of the woods from a day of successful effort put a bounce in his step. Eugene''s farmhouse came into view once he broke from the tree line. He felt safe enough to look over his notifications and make some point allocations. He was aching to change his run of bad luck to at least neutral. You have slain Dire Boar (Level 5). You receive 1,537 experience points. You have slain Boar x 9 (Levels 0-4). You receive 2,483 experience points. You have been awarded 193 experience fromBiteagainst Level 6 Dire Boar. Levels 1 & 2 Acquired!
Received per level Points
Health & Mana Points You receive 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4) You receive 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 23 16
Skill Points You currently receive one skill point per level. 2
Ability Points You currently receive one ability point per level. 2
Racial Bonus You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 2
You have gained a new skill:Armor(Common) ¡°Let me moreover wear your armour.¡± - Patroclus, The Illiad At initiate rank you will be able toacquire appropriate sub-skills. You have gained a newsub-skill:LightArmor(Common) ¡°When asked what he would take to let a man give him a blow on the head, he said, ¡®A helmet.¡¯¡± Diogenes Laertius, Diogenes At initiate rank you will no longer suffer penalties for equipping and moving in light armor. You have gained a new skill:Blades(Common) ¡°The blade itself incites to deeds of violence.¡± - Homer At initiate rank you will be able toacquire appropriate sub-skills. You have gained a newsub-skill:Large Blades(Uncommon) ¡°Whatever possession we gain by our sword cannot be sure or lasting, but the love gained by kindness and moderation is certain and durable.¡± - Alexander the Great At initiate rankyou will be able to wield large blades without penalties. Regrettably, it appeared that he would not be increasing his luck stat through leveling. That was a rather large disappointment. He had hoped that he would gain stat points through gaining experience. It appeared that he had to overcome significant challenges to increase those without the aid of magical items. His horrific night in the snow cave being a prime example. Upon review he also noticed that he had received the minimum amount of mana points for the levels and he grumbled a bit to himself.Is that my luck stat at work?He couldn¡¯t be sure, but he needed to figure out a way to fix it. If he could only shift some of his ridiculous Charisma points into that category. The skill point allocation he held off on for the moment; he would follow Eugene¡¯s advice, it felt prudent.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 2 Experience: 5,626 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class:Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 36/36 Mana: 27/27 Armor: 5 Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 7 Resistances: 20% Enchantment 20% Weather -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable
Skills: Wilderness Survival 2, Natural Martial Combat 1, Natural Blades 3, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 3, Natural Armor 2, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 2, Average Herbalism 1, None
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite, Regeneration Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Simple Shoes (Feet) Steel Longsword (equipped) Light Linen Armored Cuirass (Chest) Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs)
Cire focused on his ability icon and was not surprised, for once, when a small menu popped up in his vision.I amfinally getting the hang ofthis.
Ability Level Points to upgrade
Shapechanger:Can change into a small black bat once perrestfor a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others. 1 1
Bite:You can savagely pierce your enemies'' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health and experience. HP drainiscurrently 100 per minute and experience drain is 1%if the target is killed by the action. This ability renders you helpless. This ability is synergistic withRegenerationand will boost itby 1 ability level. 1 1
Regeneration:You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain 1 HP perturn. 1 1
He allocated one point toBite. There was a moment of buyer''s remorse, when he wanted to sure up his defense by investing in regeneration, but scaling experience growth was invaluable. Besides, being helpless while latched onto another being had not been the most enjoyable experience so far. If he could shorten the time it took to drain a victim, all the better. You have chosen to increase your ability:Biteto level 2.HP & stamina drain are now increased to 150 per. minute and experience drain is3% while drinking. This ability renders you helpless while performing its actions. This ability is synergistic withRegenerationand will boost itby one ability level. Well, it appearsthatIamstill going to be as helpless as a kitten whendraining.However, the increaseisstill substantialanditwill go faster at least.Holding onto the other point felt prudent at this moment, at least he had gotten to spend something. Saving up money, or points in this case, had always been a struggle for Cire. Even if it was a good idea, it wasn¡¯t as fun as spending them when you got them. However, leveling and gaining skills had still made him rather pleased with himself. Practically skipping as he rounded the corner of the cabin, Cire had a clear bounce in his step and a smile on his lips. Halting as soon as the hulking stranger sitting on the farmhouse steps looked over to him, there was a palpable sense of danger about the man. The sun had dropped enough that in the purple tinge of dusk he couldn''t make out the man''s features. Additionally, the hood of a cloak concealed all but the stranger¡¯s chin. Having more than learned his lesson about startling folks in the area, his hands shot up and into the air. Cire practically bleated. ¡°Not looking for any trouble! Please don''t shoot me!¡± Stillness prevailed for what seemed like an interminable period of time as the man considered Cire from beneath his cowl. The elf almost itched from the inspection, but he did not dare drop his hands or move, so he did his best impression of one of Eugene¡¯s scarecrows. After what definitely felt like too long to Cire, the man barked out a hearty laugh and stood. Towering over him, the barrel-chested man piratically rumbled. Cire held out a hand hesitantly in greeting. ¡°Hello there, I am Cire. I was looking for Eugene, seen him about?¡± Leaning in, the man clasped the elf on the hand and gave a study shake while his other hand clapped him on the shoulder in a firm grip. ¡°Well met! I am Stacy. Gene told me about earlier. Unfortunate way to greet someone. He told me that you would be coming by before he got back. He headed to the tavern to tell Stout to expect us later. Come on inside,¡± Stacy declared in a loquacious and bold tone. It felt like everything the man said was a challenge to the world to disagree with him. Cire felt a bit bowled over by all of the information, so his only response was a hesitant ¡°sure.¡±
1See the Tables & Charts chapter for additional information. Repost - Chapter 5: Remarkable Revelation Why hadInot expected there to be gay people inElysium? No, it was not thatIhad not expected there to be folks who had all the sexual proclivities of home, it was simply thatIletmyself assume that ''Stacy'' was a woman''s name.Chuckling at his own ignorance, he ran a hand through his hair and followed Stacy to the table. Sitting down across from Eugene''s partner, on one of the handcrafted wooden chairs, he looked over with a smile. The larger man quirked an eyebrow. Then a grin appeared on his his face before he spoke. ¡°Did youreallytry to pick plants all day with no aptitude forHerbalism?¡± Sighing, Cire nodded. He tried to keep the aggrieved look from his face, but failed.There itis,I amnever going to live that one down. Well, better to be the butt of a small joke in exchange for knowledge and hospitality than living in ignorance. Knowingmyaptitudes, better yet, knowing that they can beassessed,is worth the slight humiliation.Brush it off Cire, brush it off.Sliding an absolutely ridiculous matching grin onto his face Cire responded. ¡°Damn right I did. I am one determined bastard. Those ferns never had a chance.¡± Frivolity was a welcome respite from what his activities had consisted of recently. Joking, light conversation, and much-needed information filled the next hour while they waited for Eugene to return. Turned out that the burly gentlemen was not a warrior, logger, miner, or other profession that generally relied upon such a hefty frame, he was a class upgraded Ranger. In a lecturing tone, he informed Cire. ¡°You best not think that here inElysiumthat someone''s physical traits, race, or their alignment is the true measure of a man.¡± He paused. ¡°Or woman for that matter.¡± A knowing grin crossed over his lips. Cire was a little shocked to hear this put so intelligently and plainly. Chastising himself for yet another lapse in judgment, his cheeks flushed. He had not only let the man''s size lead him to think he would have a profession related to it, but also to dismiss the man''s intelligence. Back home, he would have never have made that sort of assumption. Something gnawed at the back of his mind for a moment, but a warm relaxation washed through him. Cire blinked and spoke up when he realized he had been silent for too long. ¡°I won''t Stacy, thank you. I am in your and Eugene''s debt. I know I have a lot to learn if I am to survive, and your advice is priceless. Traveling alone in these wilds was perilous to say the least. I would happily have taken two or three more arrows to meet you both again... non-lethal of course. ¡°Besides, I probably would have just died again up on that mountainside and I do not want to...¡± Words halted abruptly, Stacy''s chair fell backwards with a crash. In a blink, the Ranger was towering over the elf with his axe drawn. He was positioned so that a single chop would bring it cleaving through Cire¡¯s neck. Cire gasped and froze, something he was becoming rather good at. His eyes locked on the towering figure above him. He dare not speak, he went rigid. There was no air of exuberance that had permeated the man before, now he radiated a killer instinct. Words much colder than snow cut through the space between them. ¡°Do not move. Do not speak until I expressly tell you to. If you move one muscle in an aggressive manner, utter a single word of power, or activate a single item you will die. Nod once if you understand.¡± Still in shock, Cire slowly nodded.What the hellis going on? Whatdid I say?Everything had been so friendly, calm, and safe. He had no hint that this amount of violence could have erupted from the man. Creaking filled the air of the cabin as the door swung inwards showing Eugene. He stood in the night air, holding a small cask under one arm. A sharp expression shone on the old farmer''s face as he looked between the two. His tone was calm, there was even a slight warmth to it, but it was also deadly serious as Eugene addressed the room. ¡°So... not what I expected to come home to. Stacy, dear, why do you have our guest at the edge of your blade?¡± Without turning his body, the larger man tilted his head an almost imperceptible amount towards Cire. ¡°He causally mentioned dying.... again on the side of the mountain. I am trying to ascertain if it was a jest or if he has come to threaten us and the hamlet.¡± Eugene stepped into the room casually. He pulled the fallen chair up from behind his lover. Gene reversed the piece of furniture so he could sit and rest his arms on the back of it. Then he took his time looking between the two of them. ¡°Stacy, put that damn axe away. But if you are that worried... stay standing. Cire, relax and take a few deep breaths. Stacy most likely over reacted, he is rather protective. I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt. How about you tell us a little more about yourself.¡± His tone made it clear that he wasn¡¯t really asking a question, but offering a solution. ¡°Also, dear, cast aKnow Alignmentspell on him. That won¡¯t hurt anybody, but it should at least put you somewhat at ease. That¡¯s all fine, right Cire?¡± With the weapon stowed Cire breathed a little easier and nodded.I understand Stacy¡¯s reactiona little betterif coming back from death isuncommon. It would freak me out pretty bad if someone offhandedly mentioned doing something like that. His memory was still pretty fuzzy, but he could recall most of the rough details. It would be nice to get some of this off his chest and share.Perhaps I can get some answers. ¡°It is actually pretty simple, but not at the same time. Like I told Eugene before, I am not from around here. I do not know how I got to this world actually. When I woke up, I was falling and landed face first naked in the snow over on the eastern ridge. ¡°Shortly after that I am fairly certain that I died of exposure, because the next thing I remember was falling through the air again. I landed in the same hole I had made before.¡± Pausing his ramble, Cire took a deep breath, leaning into his chair. Stacy had let his muscles relax, no longer ready to pounce. He had found a stool and was now sitting across from Cire. A nod from Eugene was all the prodding Cire needed to continue. ¡°This time, I managed to crawl into the tunnel I had dug from the time before and I passed out. Sometime later that night, I was able to make it out of the hole and down into the trees where I collapsed again. ¡°After that, I spent a day or two walking down the side of the mountain. To be honest, I am not sure how long it took. I took a few blows to the head during that whole mess. Anyways, after making it into the valley and sometime that morning...¡± He paused blinking for a second and corrected himself. ¡°This morning, I spotted the light from your cabin, along with the smoke from the chimney. It wasn''t hard to miss. What was easy to miss was you...¡± His head nodded towards Eugene, ¡°taking aim at me and letting loose an arrow. I am pretty sure you both know the rest of the story after that.¡± Laughing erupted from Stacy as he threw his head back, letting loose a truly impressive display. ¡°It is true, Gene. All of it. I castNature¡¯s Sincerityon the cabin.While he may have been light on a few details, there was no deceit. Sounds like Hades himself was playing with the poor lad.¡± Stacy¡¯s words were choked out between bouts of uproarious laughter. Cire looked confused and bewildered. He would have guessed that beings coming back from the dead was more common in a world with magic than not. Responding, with frustration at being the butt of another joke Cire inquired, ¡°What, pray tell, isNature¡¯s Sincerity?¡± Eugene spoke up this time, after giving his partner an exasperated scowl. ¡°It is a spell that lets you see the truth to someone''s words and, more importantly, intent. When I told Stacy here to cast aKnow Alignmentspell, he did more than that. Good on you lad. If you had lied to us, maybe Stace here would have gotten to actually use his axe. Glad we didn¡¯t need to find out.¡± There was a big grin on the old farmer''s face now. ¡°Most folks in this world only live and die once. At least, in the same body. Resurrection is rare and mighty expensive. Reincarnation is rather re-occurring though.¡±Gene winked at his pun and continued. ¡°There are exceptions of course, but those are higher level beings. Like gods, demons, fae and such. You having the ability is curious indeed. You are not evil, though, or Stace would have picked up on it. So, you just need to learn how to keep such important personal information, personal.¡± He stopped speaking and gave Stace a considering look, after seeming to make up his mind, he resumed his pseudo-lecture. Tone made to match. ¡°What you need to know, is that each time any creature with such a power is reborn... it takes a toll. Almost all legends and tales warn of this. Do not take the gift of life for granted.¡± ¡°I would never do such a thing. As I told you before, I have experienced great loss during my life. I know how to savor what time I have in this world.¡± Cire got the distinct impression that he was receiving a piece of advice that was significant, yet he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on why. Regardless, he let a huge smile slide over his face as the tension eased from the room. ¡°Besides, there is no way in hell that I want to have to trudge through the snow naked again, when it gets warmer I can think about it.¡± Both of the other men chuckled kindly at that, and with the tension dismissed, they settled down to a more cordial conversation over bowls of boar stew. Each of the hosts took turns filling Cire in on the basics of his new world. Cire learned much over the next couple of hours, and was thankful for every piece of rather mundane information. Stacy tackled the other sensitive topic at hand in between bites. ¡°It¡¯s not too common place for folks to be transported to this world from others, but it isn¡¯t exactly rare either. There are plenty of portals to other planes and realms on the island, but they tend to be in rather dangerous or guarded locations. The gods have the power to summon folks to our world as well. Not sure about your case though.¡± Cire nodded, while eagerly shoveling carrots, potatoes, and stewed boar into his mouth. Residual hunger encouraged him to eat more than was prudent, he could feel the onset of stomach pains. ¡°That explains why my situation isn¡¯t all that surprising to you at least. I guess I will have to get lucky to stumble across any information on my situation. I don¡¯t have much to go on. Mind telling me a little about where I am?¡± Eugene responded with an understanding tone, giving Cire the lay of the land. ¡°Not at all lad. This world is namedElysium, at least here. That would be theIsland of Belleria. You¡¯re in the seasonalHamlet of Sunset. Which is in the heart of theChimera¡¯s ManeMountains. They span the east coast of the island.¡± Stacy chimed in while Eugene refilled his mug of ale. ¡°To the south are theStymphalianSwamps, truly a cesspool infested with foul creatures. Myth tells that it is home to a portal to the Unseelie, or the dark inclined fae, Court. Avoid that area of the island, you don¡¯t want to get caught up in their politics.¡± Stacy cracked his knuckles and let his voice drop to a more guarded tone. ¡°Directly to the west is a great swath of unclaimed territory referred to as theShadowed Forest. Frighteningly dangerous monsters lurk within it''s woods.¡± Gene cut in. ¡°Don¡¯t scare the lad Stace. Plenty of civilized folk live on the island too. Across the forest, on the west coast,isMeadow. Most folks around here hail from there. It¡¯s surrounded by rivers and vast plains, it¡¯s the breadbasket of theCorinthian League. The League is the collection of city-states that controls this region. ¡°North of the mountains is the closest friendly city.Gearspokeis a mixed community of fae, mostly Seelie, the more friendly of the faerie-kin. It was built primarily by gnomes, it is a marvel, but keep your wits about you if you visit. Gnomes sure do like to haggle and the fae don¡¯t exactly see things the same way as normal folk. They are the main consumers of goods fromSunsetthough. So there are regular caravans to transport materials back and forth, about once a quarter.¡± Cire¡¯s imagination started wandering when Eugene spoke of fae for the second time. He was in a world of wonder and danger.I need to get my feet under me so I can survive this place. Stacy refilled Cire¡¯s mug and gave the elf a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry son, you¡¯ll get to see the rest of the island soon enough. If you stick around the area you may even catch theTradewinds. They are a set of islands that float in with the currents. Typically they¡¯re here in the Spring, but it varies. It¡¯s the only neutral trading post not aligned with the league that¡¯s easy to get to. Best place to find or sell rare goods you could hope for.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Cire was very curious about visiting the islands now. He had heard of floating islands on occasion at home. Those had been Mangrove trees interwoven together. They couldn¡¯t have possibly supported a community. He had a sneaky suspicion that these islands would be entirely different than anything he had seen before. Eugene chuckled and polished off his mug. ¡°We are inSunsetfor the same reason that theTradewindsmake a good trading post, no taxes. At least, no league taxes. This hamlet is remote enough that we haven¡¯t seen an official fromMeadowin decades, if not longer.¡± Silence took hold for a comfortable moment in the cozy confines of the cabin. Stew bowls laid empty on the table, and the trio lounged contentedly. Cire roused himself to speak up as he remembered the task he had been set for the day. ¡°Eugene, I had almost completely forgotten... Having an axe in your face has a tendency to do that. I took care of those boars you wanted dealt with and thinned them out quite a bit.¡± Cire tossed a pouch onto the table. Once Eugene opened the pouch, he had one of those classic reactions. He looked to Stace, then to the pouch, then to Cire, then back to the pouch, then back to Stacy, and then he shook his head. Cire felt like he was watching a scene from a movie, it was fantastic. It appeared that he had done better than expected, so his dry unassuming, ¡°What? Not enough of em?¡± elicited just the reaction that he was looking for. ¡°By Demeter! Son, I expected you to be able to put down at least five of the small ones, buttwodire boars!¡± Brown curls tumbled as the farmer shook his head in exasperation. ¡°You can keep the borrowed gear. I figured I would give you the whole set if you made it through the day anyhow. Stacy and I cannot have you on the property defenseless. Since you will be here for a few days you will have to help out a bit more. Your job will be to help keep any wildlife out of the crops. Think you can handle that?¡± Cire had not expected the logjam of notifications to fill his vision, but he should have.Ack! I still need to get used to this.
You have received 1,500 experience forDown the Dire BoarsI. You have received 3,500 experience forDown the Dire BoarsII. You have received Steel Longsword & Light Linen Armor Set forDown the Dire BoarsI & II. By fulfilling the quests given to you by Eugene, whether you had accepted them already or not, your relationship with the couple has improved. You have gained +1,500 Relationship Points with Eugene. You have gained +1,500 Relationship Points with Stacy. Your relationship with Eugene has improved fromNeutral to Friendly. Your relationship with Stacy has improved fromNeutral to Friendly.
Level 3 & 4 Acquired!
Received per level Points
Health & Mana Points You receive 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4) You receive 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 18 17
Skill Points You currently receive one skill point per level. 4
Ability Points You currently receive one ability point per level. 3
Racial Bonus You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 4
Quest Title:Down the Dire Boars III Condition(s):Help Stacy protect the farmstead for the next 5 days. Rewards:Increased relationship with Eugene, Stacy, and theHamlet of Sunset. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest:Wearing out your welcome. Decreased respect by Eugene and Stacy. Do you Accept? Yes or No
¡°Gladly my gracious hosts. I would rather fight with Stacy at my side than against me. I have already had plenty of axe-tion for the day...¡± Cire paused expectantly, looking between the two other men. All he got in return was a deadpan stare. Then after about half a minute of silence, success! An eye roll from both of them almost in unison. Eugene gave him the remaining pieces of the linen armor set as the humor from the pun spread across his face. It was nice having people to joke with. The set was not a grand full plate collection, but he felt far more secure once it was in place.
Light Linen Armored Gauntlets Armor:+2 Rarity:Common Quality:Average
Light Linen Armored Boots Armor:+1 Rarity:Common Quality:Average
Light Linen Armored Helm Armor:+1 Rarity:Common Quality:Average Additional Effects: Prevents critical strikes to the head.
Armor Set Bonus ¨C 5/5 pieces:Light Linen Armor. Armor increased by 1 per item.
He was even more excited for the ability points than he expected. He could practically taste himself becoming more substantial. Both of the other men left him alone to make his allotments. He unfocused his eyes and began to make decisions.
Ability Level Points to upgrade
Shapechanger: Can change into a small black bat once perrestfor a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others. 1 1
Bite: You can savagely pierce your enemies'' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health and experience. HP drainiscurrently 150 per minute and experience drain is2%if the target is killed by the action. This ability renders you helpless. This ability is synergistic withRegenerationand will boost itby 1 ability level. 2 2
Regeneration:You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain 1 HP perturn. 1 1
Following his previous pattern, he dropped the two points intoBite. Cire was revolted by the actual process, but it was the most effective route for quick advancement.Sadly,Icannotignoreit¡¯s potential. You have chosen to increase your ability:Biteto level3.HP drainiscurrently200 per minute and experience drain is5%if the target is killed by the action. This ability renders you helpless. This ability is synergistic withRegenerationand will boost itby 1 ability level. With reservation, he moved on to review his skill points longingly. Cire would take the warning Eugene had imparted to him seriously. Having idle points would help him in a pinch and they were functionally worth a lot more if used at higher levels. He didn¡¯t have the most variety in his skill set so far, but at least he had abilities. It appeared that having abilities at an early level was not a given for most folks.Is it because I am a vampire?That would make sense. I doubt there is a ¡°Bite¡± skill. I willhave tothinkabout thismoreas well. Lastly, before he turned his attention back to the two gentlemen in the room, he looked over his status page with a deserved sense of satisfaction.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 4 Experience: 10,626 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class:Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 54/54 Mana: 44/44 Armor: 13 Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 7 Resistances: 25% Enchantment 20% Weather -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 1, Natural Blades 3, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 3, Natural Armor 2, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 2, Average Herbalism 1, None
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (3), Regeneration Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Steel Longsword (equipped) Light Linen Armored Cuirass (Chest) Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs) Light Linen Armored Gauntlets (Arms) Light Linen Boots (Feet) Light Linen Helm (Head) Simple Shoes (unequipped)
Repost - Chapter 6: Quirky Companions Cire almost begged off for the night, arguing that he was rather tired and he had already put the two men out more than could reasonably be expected. Neither Gene nor Stacy would hear anything of it though. Stace practically dragged him down the mile-long trail to Sunset proper. Normally, the thrill of being in a new place and meeting new people would have had him tripping over himself. Yet he felt as drained as he had left the dire boars. Only the promise of strong drink kept his legs moving towards town, that and Stace¡¯s large supportive arm guiding him. Calling the small collection of rugged buildings squished against the woods a ''hamlet'' was, in Cire''s humble opinion, extremely generous. The first building on his left was a small tanner''s shop. Stretched on frames hides dried in the open air. Pungent tannins and acids turned his nose as they passed by it. A ways off from that was the largest building he had seen by far, a lodge, where the bulk of the hamlet''s villagers must reside. On the far side of a wide dirt thoroughfare were several small cabins in a row. These humble dwellings lined the way to their destination. Raucous laughter, conversation, and bad singing carried through the night air from the only well lit building. Exhaustion receded as they went up the steps to the alehouse. It felt warm, comfortable, and a bit like home. Knots of tension loosened in Cire¡¯s shoulders as he soaked in the atmosphere. Stout''s Tavern, called as such because it was the name of the old gnome who manned the bar. Grumpy, impatient, and of few words, he was the exact opposite of what Cire had come to expect from his barkeeps. The room was crammed full, lively patrons found seats or stood wherever they could. They are definitely breaking the fire code and are far beyond the safe maximum occupancy rating. He chuckled at his own thoughts. Stacy and Gene led him over to a small table in the far corner of the tavern that had two patrons. They were jealously guarding the remaining seats. As Stacy and Eugene approached the table, both of them stood and leaned over to hug the big ranger and willowy farmer. When they saw Cire, each gave him an appraising look followed by reactions that were not wholly similar. The male dwarf laughed and reached out, clasping his hand before he had even brought his own arm up, and shook firmly. ¡°Name be Durg, Stone Dwarf an'' soon ta be class upgraded warrior. I be mining these days on account o¡¯ needin'' a bit o'' coin ta get by. That is how I met these here two gorgeous beasts! Stace helps guard the miners from animal attacks n'' such. Pleasure ta meet ya boyo.¡± Cire gave a hearty laugh, he liked this guy already. Straight to the point, full of determination, already buzzed, and a wee bit full of himself. ¡°Nice to meet you to Durg. I am Ciresil, but please call me Cire. Those ''two gorgeous beasts'' as you put it, already do. I got an introduction to Gene by arrow point, but it''s been nothing but friendly since then.¡± They shook and sat down to join the rest of the table. Across from him sat quite a beauty, she had high cheek bones, striking raven black hair that pooled around her shoulders, a delicate neck highlighted by a beautiful gemstone, and piercing blue-gray eyes. When she tossed her head back a bit, the points of her ears gave her away as an elf. Her appraising look never let up. Her words seemed to pour out of her like molasses, but the tone was not so sweet. ¡°What is with the eyes?¡± Cire blinked, a little taken off guard, no one else he had met so far had mentioned that there was anything different about his eyes. He said the only thing that came to his mind. ¡°Huh?¡± Grumbling, the elf woman repeated herself, but sounded it out even more slowly, like she was talking to a child. ¡°I said, what... is... with... the... eyes?¡± Then she looked to Gene. ¡°Is his Intelligence score below six or something?¡± Insults were not a new thing to Cire. However, at first he had not been sure he was being insulted. The jibe about his intelligence stat was clear enough evidence for him to put the pieces together. ¡°Do you mean my heterochromia?¡± Never having seen his new body in a mirror, or even a pool of water, he had assumed that this trait would not have transitioned with him to this new form. Everyone at the table but Cire had a puzzled expression on their faces, but it was Durg that spoke. ¡°I dunna know what be this hee-tro chromina, but what the lass be referin'' ta be the different color o¡¯ your eyes boyo. The right one be purple and the left one be bright blue.¡± Well, I''ll be damned. That is not the hazel and blue of before. He had acclimated to the uneasy reactions his eyes had always produced in people. Generally speaking, folks do not like to trust others who are different, even if the difference is only superficial. Only difference now, so far as he could see it, was that it was a little bit more obvious. He looked the rather brusque, but still undeniably attractive, elven woman in the eyes. Put the best shit eating grin on his face that he could and winked. ¡°Ohhhhh. That only happens when I am looking at ugly people.¡± For a brief moment nothing happened. Gene, Stacy, and Durg went silent in shock. Then they lunged for the black haired elf. A tirade of swearing erupted from her mouth as the two men and dwarf held her in place as she struggled. Insults that were more creative and vile than Cire had almost ever heard erupted from her mouth. He was both impressed and surprised. Chalk another one up to making bad assumptions about people. If she was strong enough to survive here in the valley, he should not have assumed that there was one iota of daintiness in her. Interesting, while he could not understand her when she dipped into whatever elven language she was speaking, he did pick up a few of the roots here and there. It seemed like Elvish indeed had it¡¯s origins in ¡®Divine Elvish.¡¯ In order to get things back on track, he apologized. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Sorry. Sorry. I tend to be a little touchy about it. It doesn''t mean anything, really. I happen to have two different color eyes. Have you never seen an elf with two different color eyes before? Also, care to share your name? I do not believe we have been introduced.¡± Turned out that her name was Selene. After a few tankards of mead her gruff exterior melted into at least a somewhat congenial attitude. Once everyone''s spirits were higher, Cire got to know everyone a bit better. A lull in conversation provided him the opportunity to learn more about hist hosts and the island. ¡°So, Eugene gave me a rough description of the area. Mind sharing where you came from before making Sunset your home? Should help me understand things a bit.¡± Durg gulped down the remains of his drink and slapped Cire across the shoulders. ¡°Boyo, ya sure be new ta the area if ya don¡¯t know that most dwarves live in the mountains!¡± Jolted forward mead sloshed over Cire¡¯s chin and he sputtered out a response. ¡°I know that Durg! I¡¯m not dumb. I meant where on the island you¡¯re from.¡± Durg grinned as he put a new tankard in front of Cire and grabbed one for himself from the center of the table. ¡°I figured boyo, I was teasin¡¯ ya. Me and most dwarves on Belleria come from other islands or underground. There hasn¡¯t been a true dwarven city on the island in recent memory.¡± He took a long draw from his mead before continuing. ¡°I dunna be comin¡¯ from anywhere in particular, I was born in the Deep Dark. Most o¡¯ the islands in the region be connected by tunnels and caverns. Dwarves and others be callin¡¯ it the Deep Dark.¡± Selene cut in brusquely, delivering her addition to the conversation in a perfunctory tone. ¡°My home is in the Shadowed Forest, The Tempest Treetops.¡± She seemed to be examining Cire as she spoke the words, watching for a reaction. She also didn¡¯t appear to have anything else to share. Stacy began laughing rather heartily and looked over to Gene before smiling warmly. ¡°It¡¯s about time we told Durg and Selene how we met don¡¯t you think Gene? Durg¡¯s been asking since last season and as coy as you pretend to be Selene, I know you¡¯re dying to know as well.¡± Eugene shook his head a bit and stood up. He collected the empty mugs and mock glared at Stacy. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ve drunk enough and It would be a good way of explaining where we came from. I will get us another round, you go ahead and start.¡± Stacy leaned in a bit conspiratorially. ¡°Well, it¡¯s no open secret that we both come around Meadow. Gene grew up on a farm out on the plains. I might not have ever met him if it wasn¡¯t for the wardens. That¡¯s the group that patrols the outskirts of the city and the surrounding countryside.¡± Gene returned to the table and set the drinks down before taking his seat. ¡°You see the plains around Meadow are rich and fertile. Lots of farms, bandits, and wild animals. Some of the more dangerous animals will risk attacking a farm to feed on the livestock. But mainly the wardens stop unscrupulous folks from depriving the league of their grain.¡± Stacy nodded and cheerfully proceeded with the tale. ¡°I was still in my first tour when out on a long patrol we ran short of supplies. Well, the captain knew a few of the local farmers, he had been at the job for decades. He didn¡¯t want to go back to the city so we restocked at Eugene¡¯s family farm. Fresh horses, fresh eggs, and fresh company.¡± Eugene¡¯s lips quirked into a teasing smile. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that it wasn¡¯t the last time that Stacy convinced the captain to stop by the farm. One thing lead to another and the rest is a bard¡¯s tale. We ended up striking out for Sunsetwith the hopes of better prospects than those waiting for us in the city.¡± The table went quiet after the tale, relaxation and intoxication settling in to those gathered. Over the rest of the evening light conversation and continued drinking entertained the group. Cire had been observing the other patrons, lost in the reverie of a good buzz, when his ears pricked up to the conversation at his own table. The moment Cire had been dreading hurtled towards him like an unavoidable magic missile. ¡°..... so then he tells me spent hours up on the mountain picking flowers with a no Herbalism aptitude!¡± All Cire could do at this point was groan. Later that evening, after the bar had cleared out, Stacy and Eugene still sat around the small table in the back corner. Stout had long since retired for the evening. ¡°Stace, you sure he will be okay waking up out there?¡± Stacy chuckled a bit, he was peering into his tankard and swirling around its contents. ¡°He should be fine. Durg thought it was a good idea too, but that isn¡¯t saying much. I doubt either one of them could have walked anywhere, we would have had to carry them. I¡¯m strong, but I doubt I could carry Durg very far. Besides, what if he woke up when he was on my shoulder? Can you imagine his reaction?¡± Eugene leaned back and nodded, he was distracted and the humor didn¡¯t take root. ¡°You know we still have to talk about it, right?¡± Stacy sighed and nodded, a bit resigned. ¡°I know, it¡¯s not as bad as you¡¯re thinking, but some things don¡¯t add up to be sure. Well, let¡¯s get it out of the way. You know it makes me uncomfortable to talk about what I learn when I read people. The spell lets me see so much. ¡°To start with, his alignment is neutral. I don¡¯t mean that he has balanced alignments of opposing types, I mean that he has no distinguishing characteristics at all. It¡¯s like he is a newborn. Heck, most kids pick up some sort of alignment characteristic along the way. It¡¯s odd.¡± Eugene listened, knowing that interrupting would only make it more difficult for his lover to share the intimate details. Stace took his time, taking a couple of swigs from his drink. ¡°He¡¯s also level 2, or he was when I cast Nature¡¯s Sincerity. It would have been difficult for him to survive in wilds with nothing. I don¡¯t really understand how he could have done it. What did you notice?¡± Eugene smiled and squeezed Stacy¡¯s arm gently, then he left his hand there in reassurance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry dear. You know I fed him and we offered him succor. Zeus ensures his guest right, we won¡¯t do anything to risk that. It doesn¡¯t mean that we have to be stupid about someone we have as a guest. I am not suggesting anything more than that. ¡°He is naive as a moon-faced calf and a little too eager to help. You said he wasn¡¯t lying and I have always trusted you. Those facts line up with him coming from another realm and being reincarnated here. Hmmmm...¡± Eugene tapped the table with a finger and then squeezed Stacy¡¯s arm again. ¡°He healed faster than I expected from the arrow wounds. I did cram him full of healing herbs, but he was fully recovered by mid-morning. Did you pick up on anything that would explain that?¡± Stacy put his hand over the top of Eugene¡¯s and squeezed back. ¡°No, not precisely. You know that the spell only gives me loose feelings when it comes to certain aspects of a person. Alignment, level, and stats are always clear, but everything else is vague. When he was telling us about himself he was holding something back. He may have been completely truthful, but there was something that he was clearly trying to avoid discussing.¡± Eugene scooted his chair closer to Stacy¡¯s and leaned his head onto his lover¡¯s broad shoulder. ¡°I got the same feeling and I didn¡¯t have to use magic. Well, we can keep an eye on him and help him out at the same time. Maybe think up a way to test his intentions and moral character.¡± Stacy wrapped his arm around Eugene¡¯s shoulders and gave him a hug. They would figure something out, they always had. Repost - Chapter 7: Morning Memory Cire''s head was pounding, there was a sharp pain in his side, and his body felt stiff. A seizing cramp in his foot finally made him wake. Crisp, cold mountain air filling his lungs was annoyingly familiar. As he cracked his eyes, a cold breeze confirmed that he was outside. He was behind a log building, but which building? When he shifted the pain eased itself, the hilt from his sword dislodging from his side. Next to him lay a sleeping figure covered in a cloak, but with his blurry vision he couldn''t make out who it was.DidIsleep with someone last night? Memories started to flow back as he staggered up to a tree and began to wake up for the morning. Tankard after tankard had appeared before him. Stout¡¯s mead had been considerably stronger than the domestic swill he usually imbibed. He¡¯d gone and gotten soused. Cire blearily recalled a friendly dwarf, a surly elf, a grumpy gnome, and a couple of others. He¡¯d guess that after the third round or so was where his recall failed him. There might have been a woman, but from what he could remember, it wouldn''t have been Selene. Sure, she was gorgeous, feisty, violent, and attractive as hell. But¡­ she was also rather abrasive. So whois under the cloak?Shaking his head a little to clear away the cobwebs, he took a deep breath and stretched out his back, popping a few vertebrae into place. Walking closer to the figure he could now see that it was Durg who had snuggled up against him in the night. Thank god, dodged that bullet.If he had slept with someone it was obvious that he did not remember it. That was never a good look the next morning.Ugh, drinking with dwarves is a bad idea. Cire wasn''t the sort of guy to wake up someone who was sleeping off an evenings frivolities, but his blood was already flowing. Turning back in for the morning wasn¡¯t an option and the ground wasn¡¯t all that appealing anyways. Wandering in the purple light, he walked down the street casually and took in what he hoped to be his new home. It wasn''t quite the Sierras, or even the Rockies, but it felt comfortable and he had already come to like the people he had met. Cire had always done better with folks who cut through the bull and spoke their mind. Most of the time that had gotten him into trouble. When he had worked in a cubicle, it had not been the most conducive behavior for advancement to question the decisions of his manager. However, here in this hamlet it was expected that he prove himself before someone would even start a conversation with him. Cire respected that, hell, he yearned for that. I like this place. It¡¯s sort of like my old scout camp in a lot of ways, but with skills instead of merit badges. Stacy would make a great camp counselor. Heh. He skirted around the back of the lodge and looked over the long expanse of the ellipse-shaped valley. Eyes roving as he scanned the northern, eastern, and then southern ridges. From this perspective, he could tell that the snowline was only covering the top third of the tallest peaks, a thin treeline broke right before it. Stacy had said that they were at the start of spring, so that meant that the snow would recede much further than where it held right now. He needed to prepare himself better if he ended up dying again and if he respawned. Cire came up with a plan to stash a small bundle of clothing and weapons, once he had them, under the first tree he had roosted in.That¡¯sthe proper term right? ''Roosted?'' Cire chuckled softly to himself, there was a reverence to the morning and he would not break it. He waited for the sun to crest the ridge, there was nothing quite as beautiful or awe-inspiring as a sunrise in the mountains. After spending a while looking out over the valley alone, he had started to become impatient for company. He had already gotten back to expecting socialization, and it felt uncomfortable to sit in isolation for too long. A quick check on Durg revealed that he was still fast asleep on the hard packed ground. He looked rather comfortable.Perhapsits astonedwarf thing?Only one place to go really. Cire went to the only folks he expected that would be awake this early, the farm. It hardly occurred to him to consider how much more confidently he strode down the path. Approaching the cabin of Stace and Eugene''s farm, he caught the savory scent of stew wafting through the shuttered windows along with fluttering firelight. Cire rapped on the door before heading inside. Both men were sitting at the table about halfway through their breakfast. It appeared that farmers woke up early no matter what world they were on. A knowing grin spread across both of their faces and it made Cire catch in his step. ¡°What? What did I do last night?¡± A flash of long silver hair appeared in his mind and a pit of doubt bloomed in his core. Eugene looked over to Stace as if to signify ''How about you fill the poor boy in?'' Stace seemed to consider for a moment before acquiescing. He lead with the obvious question. ¡°So, Cire, friend, whatdoyou remember from last night?¡± ¡°There was mead, lots of mead. Selene wanted to attack me, Durg seemed pretty friendly, something crawled up inside of Stout and died, but after the third.. maybe fourth round it is pretty fuzzy. I woke up out in back of the tavern,... so I figure that I passed out at the table?¡± It would be an injustice to say that his tone was anything but pleading once he finished talking. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Stace chimed in to finish explaining what he had done with his evening. ¡°I have never heard it put that way, but you are pretty close to the mark as far as that old crotch Stout is concerned. Durg is indeed a good fellow. It is also true that you and Selene did not get off to the best start, but you were laughing together before she went back to her farm for the evening. What do you remember after that though, anything?¡± A yawning cavern was replacing the small pit of doubt in Cire''s stomach. Waves of nausea, aided by his belly full of alcohol, did not assist the sensation. He only barely resisted the attempt of his insides to purge themselves. ¡°I remember a woman? Silver haired?¡± Stace nodded sagely and provided the last missing detail. ¡°Yup, that would have been old Maisy. By the way, Gene, I won the bet. I told you he would not remember her name. He was far too drunk and far too interested in other things, probably didn¡¯t even know his own name once she had her way with him.¡± Now Cire was starting to feel worse for a whole host of other reasons, he had not been that sort of guy before. Picking up on his shift in attitude, Stace quickly added another important piece of information. ¡°Cire, its fine. What you really need to worry about is not Maisy''s name or if you remember much of the experience... it is paying her the two silvers that you owe her for her services.¡± Exhaling audibly in relief, Cire collapsed into one of the solid wooden chairs. Hesitantly serving himself a bowl of stew. ¡°I see. Well, since I do not have a copper to my name that may be more difficult for me than most. Any chance that if I skin those boars that their hides will fetch that amount of coin?¡± Then something else occurred to him. ¡°Wait,oldMaisy? How old?¡± Eugene grinned as he saw the realization dawn on Cire''s face, he had obviously been waiting for that tidbit of information to sink in. ¡°Well, I am not too sure exactly, women do tend to be a bit touchy about their age once they pass the two century mark. Is that not right Stace?¡± Cire''s eyes boggled for a moment, had he heard that right? Stacy''s response made it clear that he had indeed heard correctly. ¡°That is a fact my lovely Gene. Last time I checked, Maisy had been the longest resident ofSunset,besides Stout of course. Her stone dwarf blood does well here.¡± This made Cire swoon a bit. His first time with a pro and it was a two hundred year old dwarf woman. Catching himself at his unspoken prejudice again, he reconsidered the situation from a more objective viewpoint. Cire was a consenting adult; his actions may have been irresponsible, but he had also clearly not taken advantage of Maisy. He had probably even had a good time. That flash of silver hair in his memory had evoked a definite rush of excitement.Maybe itisn''t all that bad. Deciding to move on, he repeated himself. ¡°So, about those boar hides?¡± Seeing that they would have no more fun at the elf''s expense, they got down to discussion. Stacy and Cire started making plans for the day, but Eugene begged off. He set out to weed the fields, bidding them a good day. Stace was all business once they started conversing about how to make Cire somewhat competent and able to survive. He needed to be able hold his own if there was a threat to the farm, or at least keep out of Stace¡¯s way. Being a professed Ranger, the big man''s skills were impressive. Going over only his martial skills revealed that he was an adept of Axemanship, Water Magic, and Earth Magic. He was an expert in Archery, Light Armor, and Medium Armor. Most impressively, due to the rarity of the skill, Stacy was a professional practitioner of Nature Magic. The ranger had a host of other skills as well, but many were non-combat oriented. Cire made him promise that they would go over those skills once their more pressing priorities were accomplished. Making their way in a slow pacing walk around the farm''s split rail fenced border the two patrolled and talked. Seeing nothing of note so far, they took a break at the far end of the field. Stace used the time to test Cire''s aptitude for various skills. To the surprise of neither, he did not even break the limited rank in any of the skills Stace possessed that Gene did not. His weapon and armor choices so far were negligible. Even Stace admitted that his lack of aptitude for any form of armor sturdier than light armor was a cause for concern. If Cire sought to live a life of adventure he would have to find his niche. With no beasts or animals approaching, they spent a couple of hours making a slow circuit of the farmstead. They would pause for Stacy to demonstrate a movement or point out a particularly vulnerable joint in Cire¡¯s armor. Sometimes they would spar, Stace with his axe, its leather sheath in place, and Cire with the longsword''s scabbard. Cire was thankful that Stace eased him into the training over the course of the day. By noon, when Eugene was coming back in from the fields for lunch, he was already starting to make some progress. ¡°Hey there Gene! How are things with the potatoes and squash?¡± Cire called out. Eugene seemed lost in thought as he approached the two, distractedly he responded. ¡°The potatoes are fine, but there does seem to be something amiss.¡± Stace got serious immediately. ¡°What is it? What is wrong?¡± He lead the other two men into the cabin and shutting the door tight. ¡°Not rightly sure, but there are some boulders near the northern edge of the farm that were not there a few days back. I would not expect you to have noticed, Stace, as you have been gone for a bit. I am thinking that you two should go check it out after lunch.¡± The quest that Cire was currently working on popped up to fill his vision, amended with the new request.
Quest Title:Down the Dire BoarsIII Conditions: Help Stacy protect the farmstead for the next 5 days. Investigate the mysteriously appearing boulders at the north end of the farm and resolve the incursion. Rewards: Increased relationship with Eugene, Stacy, and theHamlet of Sunset. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: Wearing out your welcome and being escorted unceremoniously from the valley. Decreased respect by Eugene and Stacy. Do you Accept? Yes or No
¡°That is what Stace and I am here for. Once we finish lunch, you go back out and take care of the crops and we will head to where you point us.¡± Cire desired now, more than anything, to win the respect of these two men and the whole ofSunset. Going forward on this path was never really in doubt. The three settled in at the table for a brief meal. Repost - Chapter 8: Proper Plans... The party arrived at the area in question, and after a little inspection it was clear that it was, indeed, unnaturally disturbed. Stace was able to provide further insight by utilizing his Tracking skill, he was a ranger after all. The group looked up into the hills of the northern ridge scanning the horizon as he relayed what he learned. ¡°The rocks appear to have been thrown from about two thirds of the way up the ridge, around the snowline.¡± He walked forward a few steps and pointed to a spot about a hundred yards away from one of the boulders. ¡°They landed over there and then rolled to a stop before they got to the farm, but it certainly looks like that is what they were aiming for.¡± ¡°Why would something throw rocks at the farm? Maybe it was an avalanche?¡± with hopeful doubt in his voice Cire questioned. He was not eagerly anticipating a showdown with something that could ''throw'' boulders, even if they were tiny ones. Sighing exasperatedly, showing his tension in a dangerous situation, Stace replied. ¡°See the furrows in the ground from where they rolled after impact? They are all coming from the same direction¡­ straight up the ridge. If we want to know more we need to reconnoiter the area.¡± He looked to Eugene and spoke with a noticeably softer tone in his voice. ¡°Go back to town and see if any of our friends are available to help. Then send them to this area and wait for the group to return to the cabin.¡± There was a heavy pause before he continued. ¡°If we do not come back by nightfall, then you know what to do.¡± Things had gotten much more serious than Cire had anticipated for the day, everything had been easy going so far. All their day had entailed was a few walks around the property, intermingled with light training. He had not even gained a full level at any skill. Now they were going to go and try to sneak up on something that was clearly threatening. Sure, boars could be scary if they were angry or provoked, but they had never sought him out as prey. Almost unbidden, a tinge of cold washed through him. A slight itching tingled at the roots of his fingernails. The hair on his neck stood up, and a low growl emanated from his throat. ¡°Let''s go find what is hunting us, my friend.¡± He did not notice the tips of his canines growing a tad longer, nor the flash of red through his iris¡¯, but neither did the other two men. Both of whom were looking off and up at the ridge with determination written on their faces. The ranger took point on their cautious traverse up the ridge. Cire followed behind, doing his best to mimic the other man''s footsteps and movements. Not as practiced, he sent small rocks skittering and snapped branches with most footfalls. If Cire had not known where to look for Stacy, he would not have been able to track the ghost of a man. Even being much larger, the nimble human made no noise and left no trace of his crossing over the rough rock and dust-strewn terrain.I willbecome that proficient, in time. Nearly two hours of arduous steep mountain hiking later and they reached the edge of the snow pack. Stacy signaled for them to crouch down and hide behind a large rock. Wind whipped around them, dulling all sound with a low howl. The rock at least provided some defense against the biting cold. Cire was much more comfortable than previous occasions at this altitude, but then, a set of clothes and armor made a world of difference. Cire nodded and waited for Stace to speak. The other man would not have stopped if he had not found something. There had been determination in his movements. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Yeti... at least four and no more than six by the look of the tracks.¡± Stace yanked his thumb back over his shoulder to the opposite side of the boulder indicating further uphill and into the snow. ¡°They lead up to a ledge about two hundred paces up.¡± He waited a beat before he was sure that Stacy wanted his opinion on their course of action. Then he spoke up. ¡°So... we head back down for reinforcements. Then come back up here and deal with them?¡± A hint of a smile danced over the ranger''s lips even in that serious moment and then he nodded. ¡°Seems like you do have a bit of sense in you after all. It may not be fun to head back down and then all the way back up again, but it is the intelligent thing to do. Do not get sloppy, stay on your guard. We both know there is an enemy about. We need to warn the others at the very least.¡± Cire did not have much of a response to that, besides to nod again, and then tilt his head in the direction they had come. It was easier to go down the mountain, not because of the decreased strain on their muscles, but as a result of knowing the terrain. By alternating their route, they were able to skirt a few of the more difficult natural obstacles that had blocked the ease of their ascension. In half the amount of time, they were back to the fence and greeting a couple of familiar faces, along with a couple that were new. Durg was obviously more excited by the prospect of a fight than any of the others assembled. Outfitted in a crude iron set of full plate with spikes and blades welded on in odd directions, his armor didn¡¯t look like it came from a scrapheap, it was a scrapheap. He held a hatchet in each hand, both weapons had clearly been crafted to fell beasts, not trees. His thick, dark brown beard was flared out under a huge smile. After getting filled in, his cheerful response was still disjointed from the mood of the others. ¡°Shall we be off on our lil yeti hunt? I have always wanted a pair o'' yeti hide boots ta keep ma toes warm.¡± In that moment Cire grasped two facts: stay behind Durg and keep out of his way. Selene was, as usual, a now-unsurprising contrast to the dwarf. She wore a dark brown set of hardened leather armor that hugged her form. Her black hair was done up in a severe looking bun, which blatantly secured two throwing knives. In her hands she held an elegant short bow etched with carvings of vines. Cire was rather sure she had other weapons that were hidden by her cloak... and her armor. He would not risk losing a hand to find out.Look, but don¡¯t touch Cire. Apparently, Selene ran the other farm across the valley and a threat to one of the farms construed one to both. Cire wondered why a ''farmer'' would be as decked out for a fight as she was, but he remembered Eugene''s words regarding danger, and chose to dismiss it. Filling out the group was Eugene, who was only providing direction for the others, and two humans Cire had not met. They each approached affably. ¡°Nice to meet you stranger. I am Andreas and this here is my brother. Glad to have another set of hands to help. We have already heard a few things about you, haven¡¯t we Nicolas?¡± Grinning and slapping his brother on the back his twin concurred. ¡°Indeed we have. It¡¯s a small town Cire, do not expect anything to stay secret for long.¡± Both lumberjacks held what looked to be double bucked wood axes. The newcomers wore rough hide armor, but moved awkwardly in it. They lacked the excitement of Durg and the determination of Selene. Cire realized that while both of these men were prepared to fight a threat to their home, neither of them would voluntarily seek out confrontation and potential harm if they could avoid it. When had he ruled out that option? While the group fanned out and headed up the mountain, Cire''s thoughts kept him distracted. Could he be content to learn a non-combat profession, earn a stable income, and live a calm, but uneventful life? Cire had barely been content with that life back home. Each day had felt more lackluster than the previous.Elysiumhad changed everything in less than a week. Life here was exciting, dangerous and deadly, but so much sweeter than it had been. He would not be satiated with a life of mundane existence ¨C he thirsted for more. Unconsciously, Cire¡¯s movements up the hillside quickened. It felt like only seconds had passed before he and the others were taking cover behind a rather familiar large rock. Stace looked around at the various faces bunched together, then he went over the plan. ¡°We are going to get as close as possible to the ledge before we attack. I want Selene in the back with me providing support. That means Durg will take point followed by Cire, Andreas, and Nicolas respectively. ¡°If you get wounded and can fight, then hang back and make attacks of opportunity. If you get hurt badly, then get back to the trees. We have weapons and armor, but yeti are strong beasts with thick hides. Do this right... we make it back alive and protect our home.¡± Cire was equal parts cautioned and inspired by his friend''s words.Our home.He would not let any harm come to these people if he could prevent it. Right now, that was outside of his grasp. He needed to be stronger. Repost - Chapter 9: Dreadful Display Moving carefully through the snow, every party member was painfully aware of the crunching under their boots. Yet they made it up to the ledge unmolested and took position. In the fading daylight of the afternoon, they could barely make out the entrance to a cave. Scattered across the ledge, rocks of various sizes identified these creatures as the throwers in question. Some of the stones had been collected and piled into small clumps. Stace silently gave commands, pointing to himself and Selene then up above the top of the cave. Next, he pointed to the remaining four and the closest part of the ledge. Then he took two flasks out of his backpack and handed them to Durg. He passed a flint sparker and a piece of cloth to the dwarf as well. Each of the party members gritted their teeth in determination. The plan was simple, but should be effective: flush them out of the cave like a bear and pray. With weapons brandished, they watched the two archers move into position. Breath caught in Cire¡¯s chest with each shift of snow and crunch of ice. Once the group was secure in the knowledge that the archers had gone undiscovered, Durg jumped into action. Dwarves were not naturally graced with high dexterity scores, and it was clear that Durg had not been blessed in that category. Half waddle and half stumble, his sprint would have been comical to watch if it were not for the racket. Tossing the non-flaming bottle of oil into the cave as far as he could, Durg waited and listened. A heartbeat later an earsplitting roar emanated. Icicles speared into the ground at the mouth of the cave, shattering. A rumble in the earth could be felt thundering from inside the mountain. That was all the signal that the warrior needed. Durg whipped the flaming bottle of oil down at the mouth of the cave and turned to flee back to the group. Not made for quick pivots, his boots gave out on the ice beneath his feet. Durg fell straight onto his back. Without another thought, Cire was jumping over the snowbank and sprinting to Durg¡¯s side. If the dwarf was laying there vulnerable when the yeti emerged the entire group might be overtaken. He reached the dwarf right after he was able to roll over awkwardly onto his stomach. Spikes and ridges along Durg¡¯s armor were lodged into into the ice. The warrior was not made to be on the ground. Cire gripped the collar of the thick iron breastplate and yanked him to his feet. That was when the first yeti burst through the flames. Up until this point, Cire had only fought animals. Yes, the dire boars had far more natural defenses than a typical wild creature, but this yeti was a monster if ever he had seen one. Eight to nine feet tall with the body of a bear, it stood on hind legs. Wicked claws tipped its fingers, sharp teeth lined its jaw, and twisted horns sharp as daggers stood atop the yeti¡¯s head. Flame licked at the beast¡¯s fur as it barreled through the entrance. This only seemed to enrage it more. Suddenly, two arrows struck the back of its neck. The yeti fell face first onto the ground, still burning. Without needing any further motivation, the two fighters scurried back to the snowbank and turned to face the onslaught. Seven more of the beasts tumbled out of the cave after the fire subsided. Enraged enough to brave the flames, the next yeti still dripped oil from the first flask. A wraith of fury and fire came towards them as the flames on the dead yeti ignited the combustible liquid. Howling and wailing, it lunged frantically at it¡¯s attackers. Then it toppled over dead, overwhelmed by a salvo from the archers. Growls echoed along the ridge. Each of the melee fighters screamed a response, some more panicked than others. Five yetis stampeded and Durg¡¯s charged to oppose them. Arrows flew into the white hides from above as quickly as they could be loosed. Axe and hatchet blows reigned down on yeti hide or parried fierce claws. Cire squared up on Durg''s side, protecting his flank. He swung his sword with vigor. For a time they held the claws at bay. He got in a slash across one of the beasts'' stomach, in what must have been a critical strike, and poured its steaming entrails onto the frozen earth below. A surge of desire blazed inside of Cire, he battered it down bitterly. Dwarven iron cut muscles, tore hides, and blood dripped as his crazy companion laughed while being tossed by each of the yeti''s heavy blows. Durg''s fighting style was pure madness. Cire almost got caught up in the blood lust. Out of nowhere, two boulders exploded into their line. Clipped on the shoulder, Nicolas tumbled backwards over a snowbank. His two-handed axe flew into the air haphazardly. Durg got the worst of it. Blasted right in the chest, he flew back and into the drift. A resounding crack and screeching split the air. The stone and breastplate fell apart in pieces simultaneously. Lulling forward, the dwarfs chin thumped into that same piece of now broken metal as he slumped. Undoubtedly that attack had taken most of Durg¡¯s remaining HP, maybe even putting him into critical condition with a single hit. He was helpless. Five of the beasts remained standing, three bearing down on the fighters. The others turned to engage their archers with more rocks in hand. ¡°Protect him!¡± Cire yelled to Andreas as they both pulled up in front of their incapacitated comrade. Cire tried to think as he frantically parried claws and swung his sword in large defensive arcs. What could he do to buy them a reprieve? Wicked talons began to pierce his defense and injuries began to accumulate. If he used any of his active abilities he would be revealed. The terrible fear of losing what little he had at the possibility of being found out tempered his desire for blood, but did not silence it. Impotent. Gritting his teeth, Cire felt fury and rage deep inside his mind, the vampire part of his soul livid at his weakness and the attempt at containment. Cire poured effort into his strikes as he gave up on defense, he could regenerate. Healing in that manner was slow and risky. However, it wouldn¡¯t overtly uncover his race. However, it was clear that their current tact would bring about defeat. For the first time in this world he attacked, not to survive, but to protect. Cire hardened his focus, keeping selfish desires far from his mind. Sword strokes became a blur as he swung with every ounce of strength he could muster with each blow. One slash came down and almost severed the yeti on his right''s arm. He took a slash of raking claws down his left forearm as a response, easily peeling through his cloth armor gauntlet. Another stroke of his sword came across in a wide swipe, backing the yeti¡¯s up. Then he lunged, stabbing into the yeti on his left''s gut. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Sinking deep into the beasts stomach, Cire pushed on, ramming the blade in up to the hilt and pressing his body into the beasts chest. Claws pierced his right thigh, the creature had managed to draw its left arm up and Cire had impaled himself. Pain of this measure was beyond what he had ever experienced and he swooned, almost fainting while cleaved to the monster. Unbidden, a scream of pain tore from his lips to mingle with the din of battle. Two more arrows striking the beasts at his back with solid ''thwacks'' brought him back to his senses. Yanking his sword from the beast was difficult as the pommel was now slick. He took another strike to his back, barely protected by his armor, trying to extricate his weapon and himself from his fallen opponent. Whirling around, suddenly no enemies faced him. Andreas stood over one yeti with the blade of his axe lodged in its skull. The other yeti that had been in his immediate vicinity looked like a pincushion full of arrows. Several had sunk more than half their length into its flesh. The boulder throwers looked much the same, a mess of shafts with bloodied fletching. Skirting around the pooling blood hesitantly, his stomach gurgled. With a full belly, others people in close vicinity, and battle adrenaline waning; the scent wafting from the corpses nauseated and tempted him. Cire tamped down the primal beast roaring inside his mind.I will NOT become an addict! He limped over to where Durg was coughing and collapsed next to his new friend. After a few tense moments warring with himself, he shuddered and turned to the dwarf. ¡°You have a... unique fighting style there buddy. Maybe next time, avoid the projectile that is half your size.¡± Cire winced as talking had pulled at the open wounds on his back. He also finally noticed that there was an icon flashing on the side of his vision. It was a little drop of blood. When he focused, he realized that it was a bleeding debuff, but it was minor and would expire soon. Instead of worrying about himself, his hand found the back of Durg''s armor and helped to hold him up. ¡°How bad is Durg off?¡± Came a shout from Stacy. Cire couldn''t see him, but based on the direction of his voice, he was helping Nicolas. Selene appeared in front of him as if from thin air and shoved some greenish-blue herbs into Durg''s groaning and sputtering mouth. Her command was simple as was her response. ¡°Eat, swallow, do not move.¡± Then she called back to Stace. ¡°He will live, but his armor sundered.¡± Before Cire could ask where the hell she had come from, she crammed his mouth with herbs as well. He scowled at her, but began to chew. She glared at him for a moment and then smiled before patting his cheek. ¡°Not bad. You knew you needed to attack or we would have been overrun.¡± Shocked, Cire almost stopped breathing as he choked and then gulped down a large lump of herb pulp. Selene''s confidence and ease matched Stace''s, but it was her sudden shift in how she was reacting to him that left him speechless. Cire couldn¡¯t tell if she was mocking him or not, it didn¡¯t feel like it, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. He offered her a slight nod and then began helping Durg remove his broken armor. Joined by a pale pair of woodsmen and a sweating ranger, collectively the group recovered. Golden light glowed around Stacy''s hands as he twisted his fingers. Then he placed his hands on Durg''s and muttered a few incomprehensible words. Relief was immediately apparent on the injured dwarf''s face. He took a deep breath and hacked up a ball of phlegm before speaking. ¡°That bugger really got me good with that last shot. Thanks for coverin'' me all.¡± ¡°Of course, we could not let you fail at your ''lil yeti hunt'' as I believe you put it.¡± Stace grinned as he reached down clasping the dwarf''s arm and pulling him to his feet. ¡°Now, if you are agreeable to it, I think Selene and I will check out the cave. If we find any more yeti we will not engage, but we should still check it out.¡± Pausing for a moment, he let an apologetic look spread over his face. ¡°I think that these are all of them, but I already misjudged the number because of the overlapping tracks. We are in no condition for another fight.¡± Cire finally regained enough of his senses to contribute. ¡°Please be our guests, you are accurate on that account. I will stay with Durg, Andreas, and Nicolas. We will work hard to keep the snow underneath us from floating away. An important task to be sure. Please let us know what you find.¡± Selene actually chuckled at his joke and Stace¡¯s easy smile graced his face as the two of them headed off towards the mouth of the cave. Cire¡¯s wounds healing brought about a now-familiar itching, but it was a welcome annoyance. To a person, there seemed to be an unsaid acknowledgment that the moment needed no words. Heavy breathing and the sounds of nature provided a backdrop to their recovery. Cire conceptually understood that the entire engagement had only taken a few minutes. However, the savagery of the yeti and the adrenaline rushing through his veins had made time drip like honey. Stiffness and cramping wormed its way into Cire¡¯s body. With a groan of assent to his aching muscles, he stood to avoid further pain. The temperature in the vicinity of their recent fight did not lend itself to staying loose. Sweat produced during the exertion had already started to freeze in their clothes and hair. Both of the scouts returned quickly and moved over to the group. They bore assorted items in their hands and grins on their lips. Selene even had an air of excitement to her voice as she exclaimed the results of their search. ¡°Looks like these miscreants had some pretty treasures stored up in the back of their cave. I doubt anyone will be coming around to claim what we found.¡± A twist of her lips at the last statement made it clear exactly why no one would arrive. Stace chimed in with the more salient details as far as Cire was concerned; loot was great, but not dying... that was the most fun you could have in a day. ¡°There are no more yeti as far as we can tell, although that cave is no monster lair. The yeti had been there for some time, you can tell that by the smell, but the stone was worked. That¡¯s no naturally occurring cave. We need to come back here again when we are fresh.¡± Selene brushed past Stace and handed each of the men an item in turn, along with a small pouch. She spoke to Cire in the nicest tone he had ever heard from her, it almost sounded sweet, disturbingly so. ¡°You may not be aware, but in the mountains we parse out what we find based on need first, ability second, and then we split the rest. This is your take, enjoy and use it well.¡± The ghost of a sly smile flickered at the tips of her lips as she handed him a fine-looking blade. However, what made him relieved more than anything, was the three gold, seventeen silver, and about thirty odd loose copper pieces. He had a debt to pay after all.
Blessed Fine SteelLongsword Attack:2d6 (Slicing or Piercing) Rarity:Rare Quality:Professional Effects: 1. +1 to hit. 2. Blessed: +1d6 damage to evil aligned beings.* 3. Counts as a magical weapon. *Blessing ineffective when wielded by someone who is evil or bad aligned.
Repost - Chapter 10: Jokes and Jocularity Cautiously moving down the ridge, the group took its time, not the least of which was due to the various wounds they had suffered. Selene finished disbursing additional healing herbs to everyone and Stacy used more healing magic on Nicolas and Durg. Those two had seen the worst of the action by far. Cire begged off awkwardly after the herbs. He did not want to mislead his compatriots. They had relied upon each other in a life and death situation. However, he would also heed the warning regarding his nature. As a vampire, he had a -50% resistance to Holy Magic after all. While he had been too dazed to avoid Eugene cramming herbs in his mouth the day before, or Selene repeating the action almost exactly today, he was not about to take that chance on something less natural. Maybe it was because of his Herbalism skill, as pitiful as it was. Maybe it was his ''divine soul'' which he still had no clue about. Whatever the case, it appeared that healing herbs worked on him like everyone else. He was not in a reasonable state to figure it out, so he moved onto something that he could - notifications. You have slainTundra Yeti (Level8). You receive2,251experience points. Your party has slain atotal of seven Tundra Yeti (Levels7- 14). You receive3,104experience points. Level5Acquired!
Received per level Points
Health and Mana Points You receive 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4) You receive 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 9 13
Skill Points You currently receive one skill point per level. 5
Ability Points You currently receive one ability point per level. 2
Racial Bonus You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 5
Skill level up! You have reached level5inBlades Skill level up! You have reached level5inLarge Blades. Skill level up! You have reached level 3 inArmor. Skill level up! You have reached level 3 inLight Armor. By standing firm with your party members and rising to defend one as your own kin you have significantly increased yourreputation in their eyes. You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Selene. You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Stacy. You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Durg. You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points withNicolas. You have gained +2,000 Relationship Points with Andreas. Your relationship with Selene has improved fromSuspiciousto Friendly. Your relationship with Stacy has improved,stillFriendly. Your relationship with Durg has improved from Neutral to Friendly. Your relationship withNicolashas improved from Neutral to Friendly. Your relationship with Andreashas improved from Neutral to Friendly. All somewhat expected, but also readily accepted. He wondered briefly, if Selene had been''Suspicious''of him before or after their ''warm'' introduction. It hardly seemed to matter now, new bonds had formed while each fought together. A rocky start would not deter Cire from finding the true value of someone. Cire left the ability point alone, he could always use it if he got into trouble, but he wanted to see if theBiteability would evolve at the next rank. Uncomfortably, he banked the skill points as well. The points were starting to burn a hole in his pocket, but he resisted spending any. At least he could sate himself with gaining hit points and mana.No allocations for today.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 5 Experience: 15,981 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class:Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 63/63 Mana: 57/57 This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Armor: 13 Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 7 Resistances: 25% Enchantment 20% Weather -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 1, Natural Blades 5, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 5, Natural Armor 3, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 3, Average Herbalism 1, None
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (3), Regeneration Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (equipped) Light Linen Armored Cuirass (Chest) Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs) Light Linen Armored Gauntlets (Arms) Light Linen Boots (Feet) Light Linen Helm (Head) Simple Shoes (unequipped) Steel Longsword (unequipped) Small Pouch of Coins (pocket): 2 gold, 36 silver, 14 copper
Not long after they had reached the flat length of the valley floor, the group made its way to the cabin and a much needed rest. Armor was stripped, bodies were scrubbed and washed, and the party shared small talk while catching Eugene up on the action. ¡°... so then Selene shot the one who had gotten Durg with the rock right between the eyes with a critical hit and it dropped. I could not have taken a better shot myself,¡± Stacy exclaimed. Apparently, the two archers had put on quite the show. He had assumed as much given the end state of the battlefield once he had bested a single foe. Cire felt much safer than a few days ago when he was alone. Now he was around other people. People who were capable and comfortable in these rugged lands. Pressing through the tavern door, they were already in good cheer, laughing and riding the high of being alive. This of course earned them a stern shout from Stout. ¡°Get the door closed before you let out all the warm air!¡± A little deflated, they shut the shield against the wind behind them and went over to stand near the bar until they could wrangle up a table. While they were waiting, each got a mead or ale. Cire went with the ale this time, and it turned out to be a very good call. Not only was the ale weaker in its intoxicating effects, it tasted delicious. Almost Guinness, but not the right color. He embraced the easy sociable atmosphere and took the time to get to know Andreas and Nicolas. He had not gotten a good chance to talk with them up until now. ¡°So, you two are both lumberjacks? Brothers? What brought you to the valley?¡± The taller of the two, Nicolas responded in a jovial tone. ¡°Yeah, we are brothers, I know the similarity is pretty obvious. We do not shy away from dressing in the same fashion as each other either, so it be clear as the Lake of Twilight.¡± Andreas picked up where his brother stopped. ¡°We hail fromMeadow. Both of us wanted to get out of the city and away from the crap work. We did not have any useful skills for a while, so all we could do was help clear the sewers or other odd jobs.¡± The taller brother pipped in again. ¡°When we found out that we both had the aptitude to fell trees, well you can better believe we struck out as fast as we could for the mountains. Few places take all comers or folks starting out on their own. ButSunsetis dangerous and isolated enough to keep most away, so anyone new who is willing to work hard tends to fit in.¡± Andreas continued the story as Nicolas started in on his libation. ¡°We took a ship from the city around the southern end of the island. You have to go through theChimera¡¯s Heads, they are a small set of rock outcroppings right at the tip of the isle. It¡¯s supposedly the home to dangerous beasts, but all we saw were seabirds. Anyways, it¡¯s better than trying to go around the north of the island. Dangerous monsters lurk in those deep waters.¡± Nicolas set his tankard down and wiped his beard clean. ¡°We got intoGearspokeduring the winter and made it up here with the first caravan when the passes cleared. It¡¯s dangerous to travel alone in the world, best to be with a group. We were lucky that our expedition didn¡¯t get attacked.¡± Unexpectedly, Cire felt a warm hand snake along the back of his butt and then firmly give it a squeeze. He tensed up and jumped half out of his boots, uttering a rather feminine yelp. His cheeks started burning red before he even landed. Cire spun to meet his assailant, only to have his gaze drawn downwards. Maisy was a very comely dwarf, she had obviously been gifted with a naturally high Charisma score. The gorgeous silver hair Cire had remembered this morning framed a warm, mischievous face. She spoke without much of the typical dwarven accent one might expect with a gentle, sweet tone to her voice. ¡°I did not expect you to be back again so soon my lovely, sometimes folks run off or get killed within their first day of being here. But I am glad that you are a man who keeps his promises.¡± You have gained +2,500 Relationship Points with Maisy. Your relationship with Maisy has improved from Neutral to Friendly. Sometimes the notifications were entirely unnecessary. Cire could be as dense as a diamond, but he managed to put one and two together to make three. Her amiable approach brought a smile to his lips. ¡°Maisymy dear, how are you this fine evening?¡± Curling around Cire¡¯s hip, her hand rested on his bottom as she responded. ¡°Oh aren''t you just as cute as a baby boar before its grown tusks. I know fair well that you did not know my name. I never gave it and you never asked.¡± She squeezed again to emphasize her point. Cire distinctly thought he heard a few chuckles behind him, but he pointedly ignored them. The smell of her hair and her soft caress had triggered a few memories to percolate to the surface. It had indeed been a passionate evening, if not the most dignified. He reached into his pouch and pulled out two silver. Then he placed them in her palm. ¡°My apologies for not remembering much of the evening, but what I do remember, I enjoyed.¡± Maisy gave his bottom another tight squeeze before releasing. Then she gave him a hard swat and winked. ¡°You do not ever need to apologize to me, it was a pleasure. I believe for both of us. Now, remember that it was only one silver for the night. It was another for the healing afterwards. I am always around. You come and find me if you need some comfort.¡± With that, she turned to walk back to the table she had been at before. However, Cire caught her by the sleeve before she could make it too far. He asked quickly in a hushed whisper. ¡°Healing?¡± Grinning, the dwarven lady patted his hand suggestively. Then shook her head conspiratorially, before walking away. ¡°A woman has to keep some mystery about her.¡± Cire gawked, he had not expected things to go that way. She impressed him, to be honest, he even felt more confident than before. Confidence can be a tricky thing though, one second it can be sky high and the next... Selene called out to him over several tables. She used a tone that made it clear she wantedeveryonein the room to hear and that she was also speaking directly to him at the same time. ¡°Hey there,Loving Slayer, get that cute ass of yours back over here so we can start drinking for real.¡± Cire blanched.Loving Slayer? LOVING SLAYER!?! That hasto be the worst nameIhaveever heard.A stunned debuff appeared at the side of his vision for a few seconds before disappearing. All the moment of paralysis had done, unfortunately, was give him more time to panic. He needed to run? Hide? It felt like that moment in every horrible teen movie from the 80''s where all the various plot lines collided to completely embarrass the main character. Indeed, almost every member of the tavern had burst into an outrageous fit of howling uncontrolled laughter. For the briefest of seconds, Cire''s heart broke. Hadn''t he done his best to fit in? He had just risked his life to protect a part of this community and he was already a laughing stock? Slapping him on the back, a complete stranger grinned at him. Wiping a tear from his eye, the gruff-faced gentleman pushed a full ale into Cire¡¯s hands. The man couldn¡¯t even speak he was laughing so hard. That was when Cire realized he had gotten it completely wrong. In the strangest of ways, Selene had made it clear to the room that he was welcome to the hamlet. While having a fantastic laugh at his expense, the room was suffused with joy. These people clawed a living fromElysium, and they may be rough around the edges, but they sure knew how to have fun. Now, it seemed, he had been made part of the community. Heading over to the table he sat down with a genuine smile. ¡°So, do I dare ask? How did I pick the nickname up? I take it you all know that I spent last evening with Maisy?¡± Eugene just shook his head and spoke in his best deadpan voice.¡°Cire, Maisy lives upstairs. Thewholehamlet knows that you spent last evening with her. We also know about the first, second, and third time that you told her how amazing she was.¡± Cire almost spit up his ale, but he forced it down. There was no way he was going to ever lose that moniker. It might as well have been tattooed on his forehead. Really not wanting to know the answer, he asked his next dreaded question, trying but failing to keep the nervousness from of his voice. ¡°So... that is thewholereason for calling me ''Loving Slayer''?¡± This time it was Selene''s turn to inform him of what had happened during their absence from the hamlet proper.¡°No. It is a big part of it though. I believe a few folks came up with the name when they found the two dire boars you had slain in the forest. You see, Eugene knew you had a debt to pay, but that you were helping take care of the yeti with us. So he kindly asked some of the other villagers to search the forest for the remains. They found those two exactly how you had left them, mid thruuuuuust.Hence, ''Loving Slayer''.¡± Cire gulped, the look on Selene''s face was predatory as she stretched out the most lewd word in her statement. The rest of his new acquaintances were in various states of euphoric glee. Resigned to his fate, he made a simple plea. ¡°I know I will never live it down, and it is hopeless to ask. But can you please use it sparingly?¡± Repost - Chapter 11: Yielding to Yearning Over the next couple of weeks, Cire settled into an alarmingly familiar, albeit comfortable, routine. He would wake with Eugene and Stacy. Spend some time working around the farm, and then most days end up at the tavern. Cire finished off the quest he was working on and generally got to know the customs ofSunset.He worked on his skills by sparring with Stacy. He even managed to finally consume all the basic information scrolls, unpleasant as the experience was. The process garnered an additional benefit. He now knew that there were some general skills, without aptitude requirements. You have gained a new skill:Lore(General) ¡°The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing.¡± -Socrates At initiate rank youhave access to basicknowledgebased actions with no penalty. By far the most important piece of information from the scrolls had been buried deep in the one labeled ¡°The Basics of Stats, Skills, Abilities,TraitsandAspects.¡±1Under the Luck stat description it stated,¡°An individual¡¯s luck stat modifies their chance to collect resources, items, and skills.¡± That certainly explained the difficulty he was having in gaining a variety of skills. Counter to his previous convictions and the likely results, he still tried his hand at logging, mining, and even skinning. Vampires with low Luck stats were predictably ill-suited to laboring with their hands. However, that didn¡¯t stop him from trying. While out with the logging team, Andreas had referred to the most common tree as a Twin Pine.Cire, thinking it peculiar, had followed up. ¡°Andreas, why is it called a Twin Pine? That¡¯s a bit of an odd name.¡± Andreas tilted his head to the side. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it really, but yeah it is odd if you don¡¯t know the reason. It¡¯s called that because of its massive root structure. The roots go almost as deep as the tree is tall. Once the they mature, after about two to three hundred years according to Stout, it¡¯s next to impossible for them to be uprooted.¡± Nicolas hefted his axe as they ambled down the logging trail. ¡°That stump over there.¡± He pointed behind the tavern. ¡°It¡¯s the only tree the logging crew has ever brought down. Now it¡¯s a dancing platform for festivals and parties.¡± Andreas chuckled. ¡°At least that¡¯s what the others told us. Remember, we have only been here a few weeks. It makes sense though. It does look like most of the buildings in town were made from a single large tree. So far we¡¯ve only been harvesting branches, they are the size of regular trees from back home.¡± Cire enjoyed the company and the easy conversation. Working with the brothers was satisfying, even if he hadn¡¯t managed to brute force his way into learning a skill by the end of the day. He ended up with handfuls of blisters and some coppers for his efforts.Not bad, but not great either.No more logging Cire it¡¯s not worth it, maybe mining will go better. During one of the afternoons, after a chilling spring shower, Cire set out for a hunt. In his estimation it was best to go during the day to avoid suspicion. He made his way cautiously to the woods near town. Avoiding the logging camp and the miners was a minor inconvenience, but worth every step. The vampire stalked through the trees, keeping to the shadows. Now accustomed to his armor and this terrain he crept unnoticed to a familiar glade. Peeking around a tree, a tranquil setting enchanted Cire. Butterflies circled and danced from one pink flower to the next. Explosions of color decorated the clearing, vegetation sparkled with droplets of fresh rain. A brilliant rainbow hung low in the air under a tempestuous sky. Roiling gray storm clouds still polka dotted a mostly clear and sunny day. No boars disrupted the scene with their lascivious distractions. Cire stepped out from the trees and made a slow circuit of the glade. While he did enjoy the beauty of nature, purpose drove him onward.I have to figure this out. I have to control it. Dashing from a nearby spearberry bush, a hare bounded away from Cire. Adrenaline and desire surged through his veins. Cire took a deep breath and then sprinted after the grayish-brown mammal. He focused on regulating his breathing and conjured bitter memories to block out the anticipation of euphoria. When Cire got close, almost out of the clearing and right before the cover of the trees, he threw his sword at the hare. It tumbled end over end and struck the small animal with the flat of its blade. The vampire pounced and enveloped the hare. He did his best to keep the small struggling critter alive. The hare¡¯s screams were deafening and unlike what the vampire had expected, almost childlike. Even though he had wrapped his hand around the hares mouth as fast as he could, he wasn¡¯t sure if anyone else had heard the disturbance. Cire pulled himself into a sitting position and cradled his prey against his armor. It struggled futilely. Cire waited nervously in the clearing, having shattered the innocence it held moments before. After a good amount of time had passed and no one had come around, he decided to move onto the next part of his personal training. Regulating his breathing, Cire pulled air in through his nose and let it out through his mouth. He closed his eyes and centered himself. Then he twisted and snapped the neck of the hare as he cradled it like a baby. Fangs began to protrude inside his closed mouth and heart beats thundered in his ears. Cire continued to breath and centered on the calming rhythm. His stomach twisted, filled with a lunch of Stout¡¯s poorly made meat and potato pie. As Cire had begun to assume, his hunger for blood appeared to be tied to his actual hunger. If he wasn¡¯t in a survival situation or fasting, his divine soul seemed to eliminate his need to actually drink blood, so far.I haven¡¯t felt any odd compulsions between using myBiteability and I have gone a couple of days. I have only had an addiction-like response to the sight and smell of blood.Okay, next step. Cire took a deep breath and held it, breaking the cycle of breathing. He forced his fangs down and used theBiteability to drain the Hare. Every few seconds a fresh wave of pleasure splashed over him. Cire¡¯s will held. Releasing the crushed and mangled body of the bunny to the ground, Cire licked his lips clean. His tongue moved oddly over his fangs, still new to the feel. The vampire slowly smiled, and stood.That¡¯s how you do it Cire. Don¡¯t let anythingor anyoneelse make your decisions for you.Now, one more time. Going out with Durg a few days later didn¡¯t produce much better results than logging. Cire had to practically beg the dwarf to take him. Durg had cautioned him that he probably wouldn¡¯t be welcome in the mine. However, Cire had pressed him and the dwarf had given in. Cire had been denied the chance to swing a pick before he had even held one. Hard boots had roughly collided with his shins and thighs as two dwarf brothers had quite literally kicked him out of the shaft. They had rather severe opinions about the idea of an elf bringing bad luck to the mine. Durg had tried to intervene for his friend. But Cire had backed down willingly in the face of causing a disturbance. Durg explained the reaction. ¡°Bah! Ya see my friend, most o'' the time dwarf clans be gettin'' along. Na matter the type. Sure there be blood feuds between some, but there be plenty o'' things that bring most of us together. Them there Stonebone Clan, they be a clan that cannae get along with outsiders. Na anyone really. This be why I tried to tell ya not ta come.¡± With a humph he resumed. ¡°Ya best not come in ta the mine today, sorry about that. Maybe some day when the Stonebone brothers ain¡¯t around. If ya want ta stick with it, ya can dig through the tailins'' ¡®n see if we missed somethin¡¯.¡± Cire looked over to the commiserating dwarf and grumbled under his breath a little. ¡°What are ''tailins'' and what am I looking for? What would you have missed?¡± Slapping the Cire on the back with a chuckle Durg gave him some encouragement. ¡°That''s the trick. Tailins'' be everything we do not cart back ta town. That pile over there.¡± Durg pointed to the side of the mine entrance where several lumps of soil and rocks rested in loosely sorted piles. ¡°If ya find anythin'' that looks like it be worth somethin'', boyo, pick it out. Shiny, glittery, or strange.¡± Cire situated himself and Durg hurried off to get a good day of work in. Setting himself to the rather dull task of sorting through a pile of rocks was not exciting.Idid askto tag along.I should at least see if I can find something. Shifting high overhead a few hours later, the sun blazed at mid-day. A light pink sunburn settled onto Cire¡¯s neck and shoulders, the discomfort made him retreat under the shade of a nearby oak tree. Joining him with a loud thump, Durg settled to the dirt. The dwarf began talking through a mouthful of nuts and dried fruit he was cramming into his mouth. ¡°Ya..¡±chomp, crunch¡°...fund anyfuthiiin'' ubeful?¡± Looking away and grimacing as bits of the mixture bounced off his exposed arm. ¡°No, not yet. Mind talking after lunch? I have a bit of a headache?¡± Cire did not enjoy lying, he rarely used white lies, but this was a case that called for it. Thankfully, the dwarf agreed to wait until after eating to continue the conversation. Gobbling down the rations, Durg was speaking in a few minutes, which would have annoyed Cire if he had actually been hurting. ¡°So ya gunna keep at it? Na gunna go back ta Stout''s for an ale?¡± Nodding and then shrugging, partially in resignation and somewhat out of hope, Cire replied. ¡°I would rather keep myself busy and figure out what I am good at. ''Sides, Stout doesn''t seem to like me very much and I would have no company. A couple of days ago he practically chased me out of the tavern. Said he needed time to himself. He tasked me to pick spear berries. Which I think was more of a punishment than an actual task. ¡°They grow everywhere in the woods, but he told me the ones near the stage were off limits for some reason. Never explained himself, just told me to get out. I came back with a full basket a few hours later. All I got was the promise of free drinks for a couple of days and 100 experience. Wasn¡¯t worth it, but I got the message.¡± Grinning, he slapped Durg along the shoulders and gave him a half hug before releasing. ¡°We can always go there when you finish up for the day. Spend some of your hard-earned coin. Maybe I¡¯ll pitch in if I end up finding something.¡± Disappearing into the mine, it was Durg grumbling this time, he suspected he was going to end up paying for the first few rounds. Lounging in the shade for a while longer, Cire caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over to the tailings piles and narrowed his eyes. Nothing seemed to be overtly amiss. Cautiously heading back to where he had been sifting before, he tried looking through the clods of dirt. He began to take the medium-sized ones and throw them into the ground, hoping they would reveal something. Hesitating after the twentieth or so throw, he wondered if there was any point to this at all. Durg is buying now though, so I better keep looking and show some effort. Unexpectedly, tossing the next clod to the dirt did not produce the same results as before. Dirt shed off of the lump, but it largely stayed intact. Quirking an eyebrow, he leaned down and lifted the object up. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He removed a few wet pieces of earth from the odd shaped piece of metal? Ore? Cire did not know what it was, but it did not seem to be dirt, so that was a win. Emerging from the soil was a fist sized chunk of a dark silvery black glittering mass of.... something.
Unknown Ore Rarity:Unknown Uses:Most ores can be smelted and used to create various objects.Additional information unknown.
Finding something, anything, motivated him to continue breaking the clods for the next few hours. His efforts yielded two more of the weird-looking pieces of ore. Each one of them blended well into the dirt and they were surprisingly light, which explained why they had been missed. Cire felt an odd shiver run up his spine, was he being watched? Breaking another clod of soil by throwing it to the ground. He timed his next movement as close to the pieces of dirt falling as he could. He whirled around looking for a voyeur. A quick flitter of movement in the corner of his vision, but that was all. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he glared around at the area in which he was ostensibly alone. Sounds of clinking from the mine reached his ears, but nothing more. Ambling back to his resting spot, his suspicions of an intruder were confirmed in a most unpleasing way. Missing from where he had placed it, the larger chunk of ore was gone. Holding onto the remaining two pieces tightly, he settled under the tree to wait for his friend. Scanning the area every couple of minutes yielded no evidence of the thief.Perhaps it was an animal? Beast? What could have taken it? Appearing at the tunnel mouth some time later, Durg gave a grunting shout to Cire. He waved him over to help pull the cart holding the day''s work. After hauling the load to the back of the tavern, the team of miners all stood around for a bit catching their breath. Most of the dwarven and human miners began to unload the cache of iron ore into a pile. Sucking in a few breaths, Cire pushed himself to finish off the work for the day and joined in. Staggering to the tavern once finished, it was not until he was deep into a mug of ale that he recalled his discovery. Pulling the two small pieces of ore from his pocket and laying them on the table before Durg, Cire looked to him questioningly. ¡°Know what this is? Are they worth anything?¡± After picking up one of the pieces, the dwarf''s eyebrows rose high. He choked on some of the mead he had been swallowing. ¡°I dinna expect ya ta actually find anythin'' ya know. Thought we did a good job o¡¯ sortin¡¯ everthin¡¯.¡± Durg closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before rolling the small piece around in his hand. He grunted and set it back down. ¡°Nah that I be knowin'' what it is mind ya. It do seem pretty rare. All the same, it be goin'' ta Maisy n'' Stout seein'' as they own the mine. We cannae keep base metals and the like, but anythin'' rare or gems go ta them. I¡¯m sure ya will get some coin for it though.¡± Cire went back to his ale with an annoyed look on his face, at least the day wasn¡¯t a complete loss. Days later, well after finishing the quest, he addressed the notifications he had received from it and his laborious activities the last couple of weeks. Cire¡¯s skills had grown considerably, even while banking his points from leveling. He even got a nice sub-skill while he dodged Stace''s attacks during a training session while not wearing armor¨CFluid Motion. This was the first skill that gave him some hope for true survivability in combat. He may not be able to wear decent armor, but if he could avoid getting hitin the first place he considered that preferable. There had been another pleasant surprise, even if the new skill did not seem all that useful. His time playing in the dirt at the mine had paid off. You have gained a newsub-skill:Fluid Motion(Rare)Martial Combat Tree. ¡°Everything flows, and nothing abides, everything gives way, and nothing stays fixed.¡± - Heraclitus At initiate rankyourDexterity stat will provide a .5% chance to dodge for each point above 10. You have gained a new skill:Scavenging(Rare) ¡°Eureka!¡± - Archimedes At initiate rankyouhavea5%chancetofinda random resource, related to your environment, while searchingthrough refuse, debris, or waste. Skill level up! You have reached level8inBlades. Skill level up! You have reached level8inLarge Blades. Skill level up! You have reached skill level 5 inArmor. Skill level up! You have reached skill level 5 inLight Armor. Skill level up!You have reached skill level3inMartial Combat.
You have received 5,000 experience forDown the Dire BoarsIII. You have gained +3,500 Relationship Points with Eugene. Your relationship with Eugene has improved from Friendly toFondness. You have gained +3,500 Relationship Points with Stacy. Your relationship with Stacy has improved from FriendlytoFondness. You have gained +1,000 Relationship Points with the residents ofThe Hamlet of Sunset.
Level 6 Acquired!
Received per level Points
Health & Mana Points You receive 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4) You receive 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 11 8
Skill Points You currently receive one skill point per level. 6
Ability Points You currently receive one ability point per level. 3
Racial Bonus You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 6
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 6 Experience: 21,141 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class:Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 74/74 Mana: 65/65 Armor: 13 Dodge: 4.5% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 7 Resistances: 25% Enchantment 20% Weather -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 3, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 1, Natural Blades 8, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 8, Natural Scavenging 1, Natural Armor 5, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 5, Average Herbalism 1, None Lore 3, General
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (3), Regeneration Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (equipped) Light Linen Armored Cuirass (Chest) Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs) Light Linen Armored Gauntlets (Arms) Light Linen Boots (Feet) Light Linen Helm (Head) Steel Longsword (unequipped) Small Pouch of Coins (pocket): 2 gold, 34 silver, 14 copper
Later that evening, well after reviewing his new skills, the most thrilling and terrifying thing he had ever witnessed swooped out of the sky at the western ridge of the valley. Clanging of pots & pans, shouts of ''run'', ''hide'', and ''Roc'' could be heard cascading like a wave through the valley. Cire and Stacy had been splitting firewood. Stace grabbed Cire¡¯s hand mid-swing, the jostling caused the axe to fly errantly into the ground inches from Cire''s foot. Stacy paid it no heed, Cire was drug by the hefty man into the cabin. Closing the door with a bang, the ranger turned to face Cire and pointed up to the ceiling. ¡°A Roc lives somewhere east of here. You know, giant bird that feeds on whales and cattle. Generally, he is a boon. He keeps larger monsters away from the valley. However, Chuckles, that is what we call him, sometimes takes a villager or two if he can get his claws on them. He only passes over about once a month. Completely forgot to warn you about him, sorry about that.¡± Stace grinned in a half mad fashion and gave Cire a slap on the shoulders. ¡°He should be past us faster than a mountain cat with its tail on fire.¡± Right at that moment, there was a loud slapping thud from in front of the cabin and the ground shook. Cire would have guessed that it was an earthquake if it hadn¡¯t been for the odd sound. ¡°Stace, what was that?¡± Next the winds came, the shutters on the cabin burst open and then slammed shut several times. Both men pinballed around inside of the small room, thrown by massive gusts. They bounced off one another first and then into various walls. As suddenly as they began, the gusts stopped. There was dead silence for enough time that both were about to speak. Then the winds picked up again, pulling them towards the windows one moment and then slamming them down the next. It felt like an utterly insane roller coaster. Each of the survivors pulled themselves to their hands and knees to look at each other. They listened intently to see if the giant avian terror would return. Only after a decent amount of time had passed with nothing happening Cire ventured to ask. ¡°So, that happen often?¡± Stace shook his head and stood, testing his legs. ¡°That was a first for me friend, but I have a pretty good idea as to what happened. I have seen something like this from a distance. Let¡¯s go take a look.¡± Stace opened the door to a gruesome sight, a landscape awash in gore. Whatever animal had squirmed its way free of the giant eagle-like bird''s claws had not survived impact with the ground. Nor had it stayed intact as Chuckles retrieved it. Bits and pieces of it remained.... everywhere. After a moment to lament the gift bestowed upon them, they got to work cleaning it up. Both were soon joined by a good part of the folks who had heard, seen, or felt the event. Everyone helped out in the mountains. After all, ''split the rest'' was not a reference only to getting a share of the loot. The statement proclaimed clearly that whatever the challenge, the whole community faced it together. Villagers started making jokes while cleaning up the mess. They laughed loudly to distract themselves from the disgusting task. Cire now understood why the Roc''s name was ''Chuckles''.
1See the Tables & Charts chapter for additional information. Repost - Chapter 12: Openly Onward Calming after the Roc sighting had been more difficult for Cire than most of the hamlet. It was a sharp reminder of how powerless and small he was in this new world. Everyone else had been living here and experiencing events like that on a regular basis. He had never been in the shock waves of such a powerful being before. Its mere presence had tossed about people, trees, and boulders like motes of dust. Cire had lived through disasters like floods, fires, and earthquakes. However, those had been large natural forces at work, not a single giant monster. Roaming outside of the boundaries of the farm and hamlet became far less common for him over the next few days. Paralyzed by his own fear, Stace had to prod him back into action. ¡°Look Cire.¡± Stace finally said. ¡°I know that Chuckles got you a bit shaken up, and I don¡¯t blame you. First time I saw him I damn near turned tail and ran. But I stuck around and so have you. So, it is as simple as that. We go back to the cave and we finish what we started. There may be nothing up there, maybe not. But we need to finish what we started.¡±
Quest Title:Comb the Cave Condition(s):Return to the yeti den with your party and investigate the area. Rewards:Increased information in regards to theValley of Sunset. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest:Decreased respect by Stacy, Durg, Selene, Nicolas, and Andreas. Do you Accept? Yes or No
Slowly, a core of determination bloomed again inside of Cire''s heart. Stace¡¯s words struck right to the heart of his fears and offered a solution. The extra motivation provided from potential quest rewards didn¡¯t hurt either. ¡°I was knocked off my game Stace, you''re right. We cannot let any potential threats linger near our home. I am sorry for being so hesitant.¡± Everyone else cinched their gear or readied their packs, the promise and apology taken for what they were. Living in the mountains, one learned to move on when faced with the plain facts of a matter. Cire had noticed that his use of an earth idiom had raised a few eyebrows, but that no one had commented.PerhapsIshould adopt the local expressions?Theyareprettycolorful, andI don¡¯twant to stick out after all. Moving up the mountain felt so much easier than it had when he had traveled along the ridge before. His footfalls came with a deftness that he had lacked when acclimating to the area, and gaining a few levels. Hunger for progression grew anew within him as they ascended the mountain.Whathave Ibeen doing?Staying in the hamlet had been comfortable, but he had not advanced. Cire needed to grow, and instead he had been wilting. By the time the group reached the oh-so-familiar boulder, Cire was more alert than he had been on previous journeys and more motivated. This was why he noticed the telltale signs of worked stone. The boulder they were hiding behind wasn¡¯t a boulder. ¡°Hey! Are those shoes and legs?¡± He was pointing at the base of the boulder... statue that the party crouched behind as a wind guard. It was Durg who responded. ¡°Aye, I think Cire be right. It be so old that there be no tellin'' what race, but ta be sure those be shoes and legs. Looks like the top o'' the statue be missin'' though.¡± ¡°We should be able to learn more inside the cave, but that was good to notice Cire. Now, same as before? Stace and I go in. Scout it out. Then we make a plan.¡± Selene was all business as she cut off any wandering thoughts while there was a potential threat about. Andreas and Nicolas spoke almost in unison, which now that he knew they were brothers, was all the more amusing to Cire. ¡°We should get ready, just in case.¡± Cire nodded to the others and unsheathed his sword, his actions denoting his response. He checked his armor one last time. It had seen better days, but he did not have a replacement. The yeti claws were more than the simple metal plates and fabric had been able to handle. The rest of the party waited for the two of their number proficient at Stealth to return. They expected a fight, caves were unlikely stay empty long above the snowline. Returning faster than expected. With a sprint to their step, the Selene and Stace ran for the boulder. They dove behind the cover. Most of the others were about to ask what had happened. But then they heard a roar so deafening that snow all around the hillside shuddered. Stace shouted. ¡°Cave bear! GIANT CAVE BEAR!!¡± Selene gave quick orders. ¡°Same as before, no time to plan. Move!¡± Both archers ran up the hill to the side of the cave, hampered by the snow. The ursine beast made its first appearance in the tunnel mouth. Before it stood on its hind legs it was easily over head height. After it arched and raised its front paws from the ice, the head of the thing was well over two stories high. Letting loose a second bellow into the morning air, the mammoth creature signaled challenge. Being a stone dwarf, Durg would not take that affront without issuing his own scream of rage. ¡°JUST TRY N'' EAT ME, YA GIANT WALKIN'' RUG!¡± He charged the beast. Durg¡¯s axes were held in front his newly-repaired armor, their blades leading the way. He was trying to get in close to avoid the bear¡¯s claws and use his spiked armor to its best advantage. Distance closed between the two combatants in seconds. The bear reached out with both paws to grab the dwarf as it would encircle most prey. Durg had counted on that tactic and brought his axe heads in line with the animal''s maw. Spikes on his shoulders and bladed ridges on his sides fended off strikes against his body. The dwarf was strong and compact so his efforts ended up paying off, for the most part. The animal''s left paw caught on a shoulder spike. Sharpened steel sunk into the soft padding and tore a long rent through bear flesh. Sadly, the right bear claw swept out Durg''s lower body. Sent spiraling to the ground, a few feet from being crushed, Durg lay prone. The beast landed and braced itself, favoring its hurt appendage. An arrow glanced off the bear''s forehead doing little damage. However, the next lodged itself deep into the animal¡¯s neck. Cire''s new ghostly white glowing blade danced as he wove into the melee. Following behind Durg to slice along the beasts shoulder, he parted hide from skin. Andreas had actually thrown his full-sized wood axe into the beast''s face, missing a true hit, but doing damage from the impact alone. Nicolas reached Durg during the action and pulled him back up to his feet. Claws ripped through the air from the bear''s unhurt paw. Cire barely managed to dodge the brunt of the blow, but was sent hurtling. Then the bear pivoted, kicking out with its legs one after the other. Durg and the brothers were forced back to the snow bank. Cire struck hard against the icy rock as the bear isolated him. Cire dove to his right in a somersault, picking himself up into a kneel. Then he stood to face the monster bearing down on him. An arrow pierced into the rear end of the snarling beast, giving him a brief pause to bring his sword up. When biting teeth lunged towards his head, he was able to parry the momentum with his blade and spin. Now Cire was trapped on the other side of the cave entrance from his party. Rock walls to all sides pinned him in. A single thought ran through his head as the mass of fur and fangs lunged.At least it will be daylight this time. To his dimwitted amazement, the animal froze up mid-jump as another arrow penetrated its side. It staggered to the ground in a lump of loose muscles and ragged breathing. He heard,¡°Immobilizing Shot!¡± shouted from the overhang and did not need to be told twice. Cire positioned the tip of his sword at the bear''s exposed throat and stabbed once hard. He did not pause as he pulled his blade out and hacked at the side of the animal''s neck. Once, twice, and on the third stroke a thick pool of blood spilled onto the ice. Falling in the slick of the liquid beneath him, Cire back peddled into the corner. He put his sword between him and the choking head of his expiring opponent. Loud huffs and wheezing filled the air. Puffs of steam accumulated and rose from the various wounds now exposed to the cold air on the bear¡¯s hide. Conflicting emotions assaulted Cire¡¯s senses. Fear, cold and sharp wrestled with desire. Rapid breaths abated too slowly as he bared down.In through your nose, out through your mouth. Keep it together Cire, you¡¯re stronger than this. Rattling from the bear¡¯s maw, its last gasp help center Cire¡¯s mind. Picking himself up, he stepped around the corpse gingerly, focusing on his breathing. A shiver coursed through him as the overwhelming smell of the carcass haunted his return to the group, but he kept control. Cire reached the statue, and lead with a question to distract from his state. ¡°What was that? I mean, I know it was an ''immobilizing arrow'', the title is rather self explanatory, but how does it work?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is a higher tier Archery sub-skill. Only available once you reach a professional level. It takes a bit of time to line up. So you do not want to miss. It knocks your target prone a majority of the time. I wasn¡¯t sure it would work on an animal that large to be honest. Sorry we cut things so close. You got yourself into a bad position there.¡± Stace stated in the matter-of-fact way that Cire had grown familiar with. It brought a strange sense of comfort after what he had just been through. Selene roused them after a few minutes of rest. ¡°Shall we all go look at the cave? Let me go first so I can check more thoroughly for traps. If we missed something last time, we do not want to get caught by it this time.¡± When Stacy crossed the threshold of the cave he took out two torches and lit them, handing one to Nicolas. The group started to peer around what was now clearly a single, large, square room at the end of a short tunnel. Faded tile murals lined the walls at chest height, covering each of the walls. Clearer parts of the artwork showed the elegant figures of elves and dwarves living together peacefully. To the left, a dwarf was handing a mushroom two-thirds its own size to an elf who stood next to a cook pot. In front of the group, both dwarves and elves stood next to each other, holding mining gear or building tools. Too faded to make out, the panel to their right had a strange-looking black moss growing over it. Looking around for about a half an hour did not seem to yield much of anything. Cire had resorted to looking through a pile of bones, which had been yeti or cave bear food at some point. Crouched over the pile, no one else had wanted to share the experience. So Cire was presented with an opportunity that he had not expected. On the floor, half coated in decayed flesh, was a gem. He did not know what type, but his first sight of real treasure made him practically giddy. For a moment he was tempted to palm it and slip it into his pocket. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Cire was poor by the standards of any world. He had less than three gold to his name after buying rounds at the tavern. With determination he reminded himself of the first point of a law he had almost forgotten. Cire picked up the gem and turned around holding his hand out to the others. ¡°I found this in the pile of bones over here. We probably want to spend another few minutes here. Check out the other piles of junk in case they also hold something of value? What should I do with this?¡± The others looked at the gem, and then each of them made eye contact with him, grinning. Stacy responded cheerily. ¡°That, my friend, is a Star Ruby. We will indeed be scouring every inch of this room to find another. Keep it safe for later.¡± They did not find more, but they did get very dirty digging through bones. After another hour they each agreed to head home and clean up for the day. Moving down the ridge had almost become routine for Cire, as this was his sixth trip in one direction or another. He took the moment of peace to address his status. You have slain Giant Cave Bear (Level 25). You receive 5,833 experience points.
You have received 10,000 experience forComb the Cave.
Quest Title:Visit the Valley Condition(s):Learnsignificantly moreabout theValley ofSunset. Rewards:Unknown Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest:Unknown. Do you Accept? Yes or No
Level 7 & 8 Acquired!
Received per level Points
Health & Mana Points You receive 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4) You receive 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 22 21
Skill Points You currently receive one skill point per level. 8
Ability Points You currently receive one ability point per level. 5
Racial Bonus You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 8
You havegained anAspect:Trustworthy. You chose to openly share treasure that you found with your party when you could have taken it for yourself.You honoredyour personal oathand values.+1 to Good Alignment, +1 to OrderlyAlignment, and a 100% increase to reputation gain. Skill level up!You have reached skill level10inBlades. Skill level up! You have reached skill level 10 inBlades. Skill level up!You have reached skill level7inArmor. Skill level up!You have reached skill level7inLight Armor. Skill level up!You have reached skill level2inFluid Motion. Skill level up! You have reached skill level 3 inScavenging. Skill level up!You have reached skill level4inLore. Levels had been expected, he had been close to level seven prior to the excursion. A high-level monster like that had been bound to pay off well. However, he had not expected to gain an aspect from his seemingly internal discussion regarding the gem. Cire¡¯s decision seemed to take place so fast, but there had been a debate. Even if a small one. Cire was ecstatic regarding the effect this new characteristic provided. Given his encounters so far, he would much rather have friends than enemies. Over time it would most likely lead to other benefits as well. It even synergized with his high Charisma score. Cire almost tripped over a fallen log because he had become so distracted. That earned him a dangerous look from Stace. He was pretty sure that his Charisma stat had lead to his easy relationships with his new friends, at least in part. The description of the stat in the scroll explained that it only modified factors, not that it truly controlled situations. It was an interesting quandary. Cire generally acted friendly towards those around him and in turn they were friendly back. Was it because of a system that existed unseen in the world? Was it the result of genuine relationships? Up until this point, Cire had only gotten a look at himself in the water barrel on the side of Eugene and Stace¡¯s cabin. Cire thought he had looked like a regular guy as far as he could tell, but he had never been a good judge of beauty. However, just because he couldn¡¯t see something, didn¡¯t mean it was not having a tangible effect.Argh!This islike the whole chicken and egg riddle.IfIspendtoo much time thinkingabout itIwilldrivemyself crazy.Cire decided to shelve the internal discussion for another time.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 8 Experience: 36,974 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class:Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral (+1 to Good, +1 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 96/96 Mana: 86/86 Armor: 13 Dodge: 4.5% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 7 Resistances: 25% Enchantment 20% Weather -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 3, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 2, Natural Blades 10, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 10, Natural Scavenging 3, Natural Armor 7, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 7, Average Herbalism 1, None Lore 4, General
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (equipped) Light Linen Armored Cuirass (Chest) Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs) Light Linen Armored Gauntlets (Arms) Light Linen Boots (Feet) Light Linen Helm (Head) Steel Longsword (unequipped) Small Pouch of Coins (pocket): 1 Star Ruby, 2 gold, 34 silver, 14 copper
Cire had waited after leveling the last time, holding ability points in reserve. This time he continued his dedication to levelingBite. It still felt like his strongest asset for rapid advancement. He was also hoping that the fifth tier of the ability would reveal a new bonus.
Ability Level Points to upgrade
Shapechanger: Can change into a small black bat once perrestfor a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others. 1 1
Bite:You can savagely pierce your enemies'' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health, stamina, and experience. HP & stamina drain are currently250 per minute and experience drain is7% while drinking. This ability renders you helpless while performing its actions. This ability is synergistic withRegenerationand will boost itby 1 ability level. 4 5
Regeneration:You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain 1 HP perturn. 1 1
Cire accepted the quest, it seemed rather simple on the surface. However, the details on how to complete it were drastically vague and the consequences even more so. Cire was so lost in thought that he barely noticed as the party returned to the comfort of the hamlet. Repost - Chapter 13: Alarming Assault ¡°Hey, what ever happened to those yeti corpses? They were not around the cave when we went back up there.¡± Cire asked over a pint of smooth brown ale as he and the others sat around their usual back corner table. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine it was a Newcastle, things felt right. Stace grinned. ¡°Took you long enough ''Loving Slayer.'' Your conquests are quick from your mind once you have come and gone it seems.¡± ¡°That would have been us.¡± Andreas interrupted brusquely before things went wrong for the evening, then he jerked his thumb over to his brother to signal the two of them. ¡°We wanted to level up our Skinning, and the yeti hide was just what we needed.¡± Nicolas followed with the next piece of information. ¡°We dropped them at the tanners over a week ago, they are probably ready now that you mention it.¡± Both brothers shared a conspiratorial look, which made Cire suspicious in a good-natured way. ¡°What are you two up to?¡± Nicolas waved a hand at him dismissively, and the other tipped his mug back and drank deeply. With a sigh, Cire moved on. ¡°So, any plans for next week? Anyone want to explore the valley a bit?¡± ¡°I would like to examine the area around my farm. After what we found so close to Eugene''s, I think that there may be a dangerous monster or clue to the valley''s history somewhere close by. It is in all of our best interest to check it out and know for certain.¡± Selene explained to the group, taking the momentum out from under Cire. ¡°Shall we plan to go out tomorrow, meet at my farm around mid-day? Be ready for anything we find.¡± She raised her tankard in half cheer and half salute to the rest of the group. As per usual, once one of the party had made a solid plan, and possessed a desire to see it through, everyone else assented. It helped that Selene bought the entire group another round. Surprisingly, Selene told Eugene to stop teasing Cire with the ''Loving Slayer'' nickname for the rest of the evening. She insisted that it was because she had become tired and annoyed by the bad jokes. However, Cire was pretty sure that it was a small, but appreciated, olive branch. He had actually hoped to go back to the area of his spawn point. Mainly he wanted to stash some equipment and, more importantly, clothes! If Selene wanted to look at the area around her farm and she had not been able to yet, though, it made sense to Cire.Thoseyeti had been no joke. Cire¡¯s mind wandered, enjoying the warm blanket of alcohol coating his brain, when his illusions regarding this world shattered. Loud barking carried over the laughing and loud conversation. Yowls and yips were soon replaced by screams. The gathered patrons grew silent as the stone. ¡°Gnolls! Run!!¡± For several long heartbeats, no one in the tavern moved or breathed. Then panic set in as chairs fell backwards and tables toppled over. Scared voices mumbled, whispered, and screeched as people''s fear reinforced itself. TheHamlet of Sunsetis under attack!! Stout jumped up onto the top of his bar and shouted. ¡°NO ONE PANIC. ARM YOURSELVES AND FIGHT!!! Half out the front! Half out the back! Anyone who can''t fight, get upstairs to me and Maisy''s room. Now move, we have people to protect. DEFEND SUNSET!!¡± Stout has mobilized the citizens ofSunset. As aleaderof the hamlet he can issue edicts that affect those within it¡¯s boundaries. Buff granted ¨CRallied:immunityto fear andconfusion for the duration of combat,+1 to all attacks.
Quest Title:DefendSunsetfrom theAttackers. Condition(s):Engage the raiders in combat and fight for the hamlet.Live. Rewards:Survival of you and/or other citizens ofSunset. Penalty for failureofQuest:TraitAcquisition ¨CCoward: -2 to Charisma, -100% to reputation gain, +2to Chaotic Alignment, +1 to Dexterity.
Breathing eased and hands steadied as the edict¡¯s effect swept through the room. A few seemed to be unaffected, still panicking, they were escorted to the lone stairwell by friends. Cire and the rest of his group shared meaningful glances. Each tightened buckles and readied themselves. Stace spoke in an even tone. ¡°We stick together and fight them like the yeti. Durg, you stay behind Cire, Andreas, and Nicolas this time. You have no armor. But you can follow up on their attacks. Selene and I will back you up.¡± Pausing he looked to his love. ¡°Eugene, I know better than to give you direction, you going upstairs or coming with us?¡± Determination, tinged with justified fear, shone on Eugene''s face as he drew his commonly donned, but seldom used, short sword. ¡°No one will get up the stairs. I will stay here and defend them. You go help the others.¡± Durg was not pleased being put behind the front line. But he wouldn¡¯t argue with the big ranger when there were deadly consequences. He didn¡¯t have time to put his armor on. Hence, only a few ''humph'' and ''hurrumphs'' emanated from the burly companion. All at their table gripped their weapons with an onset of emotion and nodded with purpose to Eugene. They poured out of the back door to the house of merriment. Cire took the lead. He jumped out of the doorway to the ground, skipping the three small steps that lead up to it. While his action had been unexpected by the attackers, it simply meant that an arrow which would have taken him in center mass struck his left shoulder. Burying itself into the crook where his shoulder pad met his breastplate, Cire staggered. He fell to his knees, hard. Moving past him roughly in haste, the two brothers rushed to engage the long-ranged foes. The two archers of their party moved to either side of the doorway to provide cover fire. Cire gathered himself and stumbled in an off-balance run back to Stace''s side. He propped himself against the wall of the pub. That had not been the most auspicious start to a battle. He hoped it was not to be a harbinger of things to come. At least he had taken the first attack, likely a critical hit, and cleared a path for his companions. In the next brief moment of the fray, Cire focused on tearing the arrow out of his body. Hence, he missed most of the initial engagement. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. When Cire looked up, he would have frozen if it had been two weeks ago. Before fighting with his friends against larger foes. Gnolls, who were head and shoulders taller than even Stace, were swinging vicious looking pole-arms, two-handed axes, and great swords with terrible ease against the defenders. If it had not been for the constant barrage of arrows keeping the dogs at bay, the trio would have been overwhelmed. Cire silently prayed that hisRegenerationwas working overtime. He slammed his spare ability point into the ability to bring it up a level. Then he charged back into the fray. Cire engaged one of the opponents that now faced him. Glowing steel flashed as he cut into the haunch of a canine attacker that was on the verge of flanking Durg. Cire did not stop, he slashed again as the creature turned on him. Slicing deep into the thing''s arm. Thick, hot blood ran from animal''s wounds through matted tan brown fur. This only seemed to fuel its battle lust. With a large arcing swing, a halberd blade raced towards Cire''s head. He stepped back and to the side to avoid the potentially fatal strike. Cire''s next sword stroke moved from left to right across the beast''s side. It was partially blocked by the handle of the gnoll''s lengthy weapon. Running his blade downwards, he severed his enemy''s fingers. Then he spun and used the remaining momentum from his attack to stab his sword into now unguarded ribs. Cire received the butt end of the halberd in his gut in reaction. He lurched backwards a step, but was rewarded with the death gurgle of his opponent. Two of the gnolls down. The one Cire had attacked from behind and one that had taken an arrow in each eye. Andreas had taken a spear to his gut and fallen back to the ranger for healing. Nicolas and Durg were both still fighting. Durg had a long cut across his chest, but each of the gnolls he was holding off had wounds of equal size. Nicolas was not doing as well. He favored his left shoulder and was using his axe to keep the enemies with longer weapons from pinning him down. Selene was assisting the woodsmen and keeping his opponents off balance, but it was a losing fight. Keeping himself low, Cire prowled around the periphery of the melee. He engaged a gnoll to Nicolas''s flank. Wielding a clumsy, but deadly, scythe his new opponent turned on him and swung. Barely able to parry the heavy blow, Cire had to step back to absorb the impact. In a battle of endurance, he was going to lose. He needed to use his mobility to his advantage. Cire growled and turned to slash at Nicolas''s opponent. He left a long rent across the animal''s body. Then he turned as quick as he could to block an expected incoming attack. With no fear of counterattack, the gnoll took its opportunity to swing without regard to its own safety. It poured its strength into a reaping blow aimed at Cire''s chest. Blocking with his sword did not afford him much protection, as his hands and arms overexerted from the single devastating attack. He was sent backwards as his own blade connected with his chest piece. The energy had nowhere else to disperse besides directly into Cire¡¯s body. Landing hard and unprepared, his head snapped back and collided with the ground violently. Cire¡¯s helmet cushioned some of the blow, but not all of it. The jarring impact knocked him senseless. Coming to in blinding pain, but finding out that he was still alive, Cire kept his eyes closed for a moment, savoring the respite. Then opened them too fast as he recalled he was in the midst of a battle. White dots filled his vision. Once he could make out his surroundings he could see that most of the gnolls they had been fighting lay dead on the ground around the party. Running from the group, a single fighter fled through the trees. Cire must have not been out long. Radiating pain throbbed from the base of his skull. Andreas was next to him, groaning and clutching his stomach, but not bleeding too badly as far as Cire could tell. Stacy gave him a quick welcome as he came to, but he moved onto directions hastily once he thought Cire could understand them. ¡°You are back with us, good. We need to get back into the tavern, something is happening over there and our fight brought us too deep into the woods. We cannot leave Andreas and he cannot be moved. Nicolas, stay with your brother, but try to stay hidden. Durg, can you still fight?¡± Cire got his first good look at his burly friend since the beginning of the clash. His jaw dropped. Durg stood covered in cuts and gashes, his clothing hung in tatters, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. ¡°Your damn right I can still fight. Each n'' every one of the mangy bitches is gunna pay.¡± That was all the response needed to get them moving back towards Stouts. When they passed around the last large tree, gaining vision of the building once again, their hearts collectively sank. The gnolls had waited for them to engage the smaller group in the woods as a distraction. The main body of the host had circled in behind them to stream into the tavern. A pitched battle held little interest for the pack. They had come for playthings and blood. Twenty strong had surged through the back doorway to breech the place of refuge. Cire''s group saw the last of them pull up to guard their rear around the entrance. With few seasoned fighters on the inside, they had to move fast. Arrows were loosed on their foes before the close-up fighters were even halfway from the trees to meet their challenge. By the time Durg and Cire reached the gnolls, two of them lay on the ground with arrows sprouting from vital locations. That left one a piece. Durg and Cire each fought possessed with the grim need to protect the defenseless inside. The gnollish guards were no match for them. Durg''s hatchet fell after he severed the thing''s sword arm and then used the opening to swing his other hatchet deep into it¡¯s gut. Cire''s opponent fared even worse, taking a sword stroke against its arms. It¡¯s defensively held spear away was knocked away. His follow-through cleaved the beast''s head clean off from its shoulders. Cire¡¯s blade¡¯s blessing shined bright as it parted gnoll flesh. Stace and Selene joined them with an axe and daggers unsheathed respectively. There would be no use of bows in the close quarters fighting to come. Durg was the first through the doorway, armor or no, he would not let the others face what they would find inside without space to move. He needed precious little compared to his compatriots. Whirling hatchets cut a path into the building and drove the gnolls back. Fully grasping the beast¡¯s attention. The brave dwarf suffered a multitude of counter attacks. Cire was right behind his friend and sliced a spear aimed at Durg¡¯s head to the side. Stace appeared at Durg''s other flank and pushed the gnolls back. Together they established a beachhead. Selene came up behind them and started to work in attacks of opportunity. Filled with passion, loss, rage, and most of all unbridled fury, a scream wailed from Cire''s side. He had no time to look. Focusing on his foe, he lunged and attempted a feint on a giant snarling slobbering dog monster. Blocking with it¡¯s sword the gnoll parried the strike to the side. Then it countered with a gouging stab into Cire''s thigh. With his movement hampered, Cire had only one option. He lowered his own sword and stepped into the animal, stabbing it¡¯s unprotected chest. As he pushed deeper, the blade lodged in his leg sliced through his outer muscle and tore free. He dared not stop. Cire awkwardly jumped, using his good leg to push off with. He threw himself into his enemy with all the force he could summon. Growling through a mouthful of blood, the gnoll dropped its sword and grabbed Cire by both arms trying to push him off. Cire held on for all he was worth. His free hand found purchase in tangles of dirty brown fur and his other squeezed tightly to the pommel of his weapon. One more inch. The blade pushed through the back of the gnoll, running it through. Falling to the side, Cire righted himself as quick as he could with bruised biceps and a bloody mess of a leg. Once he was ''standing'', he pulled his sword free with a boot placed on his vanquished enemies corpse. Looking around through the chaos, he saw two things that broke him utterly. Eugene''s body lay crumpled and still at the top of the stairs. Stacy was fighting, alone, in the middle of the gnolls attempting to reach his lover. Stace¡¯s swings were erratic and he had taken many blows progressing to the bottom of the staircase. Cire had to do something, but what could he do? He only had a sword, no bag of tricks or techniques to use as a solution. Impotent and trapped behind seemingly insurmountable foes, Cire watched his second friend in this world fall. Stacy first took a massive hit to his back that rent armor and made him stumble. Then a sword stabbed into his side. The ranger fell to the bottom steps rolling onto his back. His axe sliced a gnolls leg clean from its body in a useless attempt to fend them all off. Right after this final attack, as he lay on the floor, a spear sank into his exposed gut. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to call out last words as his body went limp. Cire was bereft, shocked, and dumbstruck as the maelstrom swirled around him. Cire''s conscious thoughts retreated deep into his mind, forming a small glowing orb of semi-cohesive ideas. For the first time in this life he experienced traumatic emotional pain and loss in a raw instant. In some ways it was akin to the years long processes of his parents'' deaths, but in many others it was nothing alike. Cire had no coping mechanisms for this kind of immediate trauma. He lost himself entirely. Cire gave in to the darker side of his soul completely and freely. He begged the vampiric monster inside to wreak a terrible vengeance on those who had taken people dear to him. He fed all of his seething hate into this new dark core. It erupted in black flames next to his conscious mind. Unleashing his rage, he poured every bit that he could conjure upon those who had dared hurt him. Ears elongated, muscles bulged, Cire''s sclera tinged red, fangs grew past his lower lip, and his fingernails grew into two-inch-long hardened talons. From the roots where they sprouted, thick blood quickly coated the nails and dripped to the floor. Primal growls tore from his throat. Howling, the feral vampire tore parts of his armor away and flung them to the ground at his feet. Ramming both of his hands into his breastplate, he split it like a pistachio cracking in half. In a truce the span of a heartbeat, the arrayed forces on each side shifted their focus to take account of the this new arrival. Cire dashed forward with far less grace than usual, but much more power, and struck at the closest gnoll in savage passion. His talons ripped through fur, tore muscle, and brutalized anything that reeked of canine. Somewhere in the middle of the pack, a larger gnoll howled a challenge at the vampire. The new monster obliged and ran towards the other animal. Flying through the air, a halberd strike almost took Cire''s head in a massive downward chop. It would have caught him as an elf and cut him in twain. But not as a vampire. Before the blade had even sunk into the ground, his fangs sank into his prey''s throat and his talons pierced deep. Fingers curled into the muscle of the gnoll''s back as he hugged the beast in a bloody embrace. He drank and drew in every ounce of life this thing could give. Squeezing and wrenching the gnoll''s body upwards, he twisted it like a piece of fruit that could yield more juice if properly pulped. Pulling back with a squelching sound, a large chunk of flesh stuck to his teeth. Cire tossed the lifeless body down and glared with hate for his rival. Then he spit the meat still clinging to his mouth onto its previous owner''s face. Planting a foot on the corpse, he roared in triumph. He could not see the look of terror on all the other faces, gnoll and villager alike, but he would not have cared. Opening behind him, with a screech that only shoddy construction can cause, the door at the top of the stairs revealed Maisy. The vampire, drunk on rage and blood, turned to face down this new prey. A look of courage and sadness played on Maisy¡¯s features. She raised both arms in front of her and began to chant. She did not waiver, even as she noticed Eugene''s body at her feet. She focused in on Cire as he ran up the stairs with unnatural speed. Maisy released her spell and it coalesced into a bright stunning holy light before her. Cire was blasted up into the ceiling. Then he tumbled down the stairs, limp and unconscious. Repost - Chapter 14: Examination and Explanation Voices and sunlight roused the sleeping vampire. Pulling himself up to his elbows and knees, he vomited thick black globs onto the tan soil below him. Gagging on several congealed strands stuck in the back of his throat like half swallowed spaghetti, he had to scrape and pull them away with his fingers to free his airway. Taking in a hurried breath caused him to continue his shuddering expulsion. Soon Cire was only releasing small amounts of acid. After a bit longer, the heaving subsided. He looked up weakly to see a small group of figures standing around him, but on the other side of thick wooden bars. Cire gave them a sheepish smile, before uttering a strangled greeting. ¡°Hey...¡± Stout kept talking over Cire¡¯s waking. Although, he stepped back from the cage when the prisoner started to make a mess. ¡°We just need to figure out why it is so resistant to Holy Magic and then we kill it like the rest of the animals that attacked us.¡± Maisy replied in a serious tone. ¡°While it is important to find out why he was more resistant to my magic than most vampires would be, you did not spend any prolonged time with Cire. He is not bad or evil. I will not see someone condemned before they have a chance to explain themselves.¡± Stout looked uncharacteristically shamed by that statement and decided to not verbalize a response. A nod of assent was returned only. ¡°Cire, ya need ta explain yourself ma friend. We have been together fightin'' for weeks now, an'' not a one o'' us woulda felt comfortable with a vamp at our backs if we hadda known.¡± Durg spoke to Cire for the first time, addressing him with the statement. Before he could speak up however, Selene cut in.¡°I know he is not evil. Stacy and I tested him with the blessed sword. He has been using it since the yeti fight. Stacy and Eugene said that they had checked him with aNature¡¯s Sincerityspell as well. They did not tell me all the details, but they said he could be trusted to be a decent elf.¡± She rolled her wrist in a gesture of continuance. ¡°It was apparent from his story, however, that he was hiding something. That was why we were keeping an eye on him. I think it is rather clear what that secret was at this point.¡± All eyes had drifted to Selene during her explanation. Then they all found themselves back on Cire once she finished. Cire stood while nodding to her explanation, he stayed in the middle of his wooden pen, wary of making sudden movements. He looked around, gathering his bearings. They were behind the tavern and hidden in the woods. Cire¡¯s heart began to pump a little bit quicker as he recalled Stout''s words. Isolated for a quick private kill or, he thought hopefully, to keep his secret from the majority of the villagers. Perhaps both options were the case. When it became clear that the group was waiting on him to speak, he hurriedly found his voice. ¡°She is correct, I am neutral, although I did just get a boost in good and orderly alignment. I have not distinguished myself in a specific manner. There is a lot more than that to my story though. I would prefer to speak with Durg and Selene privately if I could. I know that is a lot to ask, but it would mean much to me. They could choose to share what they learn afterwards.¡± Leaving Cire alone in his cell, the group moved back towards the tavern to have a hushed conversation. While his hearing was better than when he had been a human, he was still unable to make out what they were saying. With a blink, several moments from the previous evening rushed back to him. A choked scream leapt from his lips. ¡°Eugene! Stacy! Please tell me they are alive!¡± When they returned, Selene had a sad, almost comforting look on her face. Durg''s cheeks were flushed with anger. Maisy''s features mirrored the female elf, yet showed far more compassion. However, Stout had a clinging visage of hate. It was Maisy who spoke. ¡°Eugene fell protecting me and others who would have been taken. Stacy died avenging the man he loved. It will be difficult to recover, but we have much to do. Now, take a moment. Then tell us your story.¡± Grumpy and sharp, the old gnome cut in. ¡°All of it.¡± Selene frowned and tacked on. ¡°We have all promised to keep this amongst ourselves if we are satisfied.¡± Icy undertones cut through her words making it clear that she meant to personally uphold the guarantee. Cire had no options, he had to put his cards on the table.Give them everything, hold nothing back.Noclever explanations. Memories of the Eugene and Stacy lingered in his mind as his tale began. He could not help but link the first telling of his story with this one. Some sentences hardly came through stilted words. However, by focusing on his potential judgment, he was able to force himself to recount the past month. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Giving more details than the last discussion felt prudent. He had trusted Durg and Selene with his life multiple times, it was time to do it again. Not knowing what else would come of it, he let loose all his secrets. ¡°It also says on my status page that I am, or was, a ''Sun Elf'' in addition to being a vampire. I can speakDivineElvishandCommon, but I do not know if that is important. Stacy and Eugene were working with me to understand more of this world. ¡°I did not tell anyone about being a vampire for the obvious reasons. Most of the time they are evil, vile creatures and not welcome, except in places of the dead. In all honesty, this is what I feared. Being run out of town, or worse, because of what I am and not who I am.¡± Giving him rather askance views, the entire group seemed to be doubting his story until towards the end. With his last words, he seemed to give the others pause. They looked to each other knowingly. Cire was unsure if to continue or if their silence was representative of contemplation. He was about to speak when Selene raised her voice, a questioning look on her face mixed with something that Cire did not recognize. ¡°You are a Sun Elf? You speak the divine tongue? How? Maisy, is what he said true?¡± Giving a slow nod of assent, the old dwarf woman looked Selene in the eyes. ¡°Yes, I cannot provide any information on intent or context, but he has spoken only truth to us. He could have a way to deceive myDivineTruthspell. It is Holy Magic though and that should be difficult for him. Besides, vampires do not posses that sort of power to deceive. I believe he is too low level to have acquired a glamour ability.¡± Selene actually gasped and took a rather uncharacteristic deep breath as she started to shake visibly. Cire had always expected the vampire side of his new life to have the most profound impact on those he encountered. From the beginning, he had only thought of the ''Sun Elf'' half as a mechanism to mute the negatives of his other side. It had not provided any active abilities, so it had been easy to discount. Selene''s reaction insinuated that he had made another incorrect assumption. Durg looked a bit confused and was still obviously processing everything he had heard. It was clear based on his body language that he was not angry with Cire. Stout, well... Cire had not spent much time with him. So he really could not place what was going on with the crotchety gnome. ¡°I do not know how I became what I am. I was human before I came to this world.¡± He tried for a bit of levity. ¡°Also, a good deal taller, heavier, and better looking.¡± Based on the looks he got when he tried to turn the conversation away from anything serious, it had been a bad idea. Selene looked like she had been sucker punched by a heavy weight boxer. She looked at Maisy for confirmation and when the dwarf woman nodded, Selene actually had to catch her knees from giving out by leaning on a tree. Cire was one to ramble, he had just done a fair amount of it after all, but it was also important to know when to shut up. He was not good at this generally, but when his life was on the line, it was much easier than it had ever been before. After a few minutes of the entire group standing in silence, Selene broke it. ¡°Sun elves have not resided inElysiumfor centuries, if not longer, at least not openly. They used to serve the gods and protect their holy sites and artifacts. However, most of them have long since retired to Mt. Olympus to live with their chosen deity. Some hide themselves from the world in cloistered communities, but they hardly ever walk in the open. The divine tongue has not been spoken by any of the elven people inElysiumsince the exodus. There are scholars who have pieced together how to read the text, but not how it translated into speech.¡± She paused, the explanation having rallied her confidence and surety of the world around her. ¡°Reincarnation is common inElysium, but I have never heard of a human being reborn as a sun elf. Let alone one that is a vampire. Based on the myths of my people, it should not even be possible. Its probably why you don¡¯t look like the tales. If we wish to know more about this, we will have to visit my home deep within theShadowed Forest. We do not have time for that now.¡± ¡°I dun know about a lot o'' what Cire said. I do know he is willin'' ta fight forSunset. We will be needin'' his sword for what is ta come.¡± His dwarven friend announced with surety. Selene nodded. ¡°I think we all agree that he is not looking to do us harm. We do need to know one last thing before we let you out Cire. What happened during the fight after you saw Stacy die?¡± Cire had been so caught up in trying to prove he was not a murderous killing machine that he had almost forgot what he had done the night previous. He paled. ¡°I really do not know about that either. So far my vampiric abilities have been limited toShapechange,Bite,andRegeneration. I have a lot of notifications though, so I am sure I will get more information if I look. Whatever happened, I had almost no control. It felt like I was a passenger in my own head.¡± Laughter erupted, disrupting the tone that had been set so far during the meeting. Durg could not hold it in any longer as he doubled over. ¡°Didje not know boyo? Ya were in a rage. Not exactly a true barbarian rage mind ya, but somthin'' close. There be only one way ta control a rage. That be by increasin'' your mental resistance. I be guessin'' that ya have some natural resistance on account o'' being a fang-toothed beastie. But ya have ta practice controllin'' it.¡± Cire blinked, that made a lot of sense. If he had unlocked a rage ability and then failed a resistance check, it explained why he had no will of his own. He had wanted to hurt the gnolls. However, he had not been able to stop himself from attacking Maisy. He shivered involuntarily at the memory. Durg continued, oblivious to the thoughts battering Cire. ¡°Yah need ta learn the skill ''Meditation''. Any sane warrior works on the skill fa years before they try n'' class upgrade ta barbarian or berserker, if they be so lucky.¡± Chuckling to himself, the dwarf grinned. ¡°Course that be any good for his granite dwarf or human barbarian. Most Orcs n'' Goblins dunna bother. The rage makes ya as much a danger ta an enemy as ta an ally. Sometimes they cannae even learn it. We will work on the skill together boyo.¡± Nodding in agreement and with rapt attention, Cire realized that this had to be one of the reasons that vampires tended to be evil. If he never increased his mental resistance past the strength of his rage than he would assuredly lose control. Stout cut in, disrupting the congenial direction the conversation had taken. ¡°I may have agreed with the others. But I would still have you swear an oath Cire. Not just any pledge. Swear to Zeus and he will bind you.¡± Cire looked around at the people gathered before him. He had spoken an oath often in his life, the scout oath. However, no divine entity had ever held him to those words. He took a deep breath and contemplated exactly what he wanted to say, but also the meaning he wanted to impart. ¡°On my honor, I make everyone a solemn oath before the Zeus and the gods. I will not use that ability unless it is to protect my friends or attack those who would do us harm. I will work with Durg and do my best not to become that monster again.¡± The gathered residents looked at each other and then back to Cire. Next, Maisy gave Cire a warm smile before she walked up to the cell and undid the heavy chain locking the door. She left it wide open. Repost - Chapter 15: Gifts Given Stepping out of the cell, Cire was relieved that he would not be reviled as a horror and cast from the hamlet. However, there was bloody work to be done. The other four residents caught him up on what had taken place after he was rendered unconscious. Once their war leader had been slain so viciously, the other gnolls had broken and fled. During the fight, several members of the community were taken by the retreating raiders. Food stores had also been looted. Fortunately, the fighting had been localized largely to the tavern and the lodge. The large number of people grouped in that area had drawn the brunt of the attack. Half of the population ofSunsethad been killed or taken in a single evening. Any notions that Cire had held about finding a non-combat oriented profession and working out his days in minor comfort, but sweet and safe obscurity, were buried with those bodies. He squeezed his fists together and grit his teeth. How many times would it take him to set his resolve? Had he built his moral foundation so weak that each time he faced a decision between comfort or challenge that he would opt for the easy path?No.Iamdone with that.Mydetermination willbe built ofGRANITE. One of the notifications he had been ignoring since waking, exploded into his vision. It was a simple quest box, but with one main difference. Through his thoughts alone he had already accepted it, without even knowing it was offered. An inextricable tightness in his chest surged as he read the text.
Quest Title:DefendSunsetfrom theAttackersII. Condition(s):Pursue the gnoll raiders to their camp, cripple their ability to attackSunsetagain. Recover any captives still alive. OptionalCondition(s):Kill all the gnolls who attackedSunset. AdditionalOptionalConditions (achieved):Make anoathto those who are aware of your true nature that binds your fate to theirs. Rewards:Unknown Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest:Massive decrease in your relationship with Durg, Selene, Stout, and Maisy. These people hold your fate within their hands, refusal would be unwise. Do you Accept?YES
Of course,I willavengemycompanionsand help keepmyhome safe.Taking in a breath to steady himself, he looked around to the others. ¡°What is the plan? What can I do?¡± Stout answered his queries, with a still bitter tone. ¡°We are going to hunt down the dogs and bring back our people. You, Durg, Selene, Nicolas, and myself will be one of two parties to leave theChimera¡¯s Maneand enter theShadowed Forest. We leave at sundown from the tavern entrance. Ready yourself for travel and battle.¡± Walking back to the tavern, Maisy and Stout split off from the three friends. ¡°We do not have long, Cire. Durg and I need to tend to injured friends, you do as well. Go see Andreas and Nicolas. We have both already sat with them this morning before you woke.¡± Selene''s tone was softer than normal, but she was straight to the point as always. ¡°Aye. We be seenin'' ya at the tavern later anyhow.¡± Cire had been fearful of no longer being trusted, but he was left alone as he started making his way to the lodge. He needed to move forward for himself, but more so for others. Cire took the opportunity while he walked to address all the updates from the previous evening. He could not be sure when he would get the opportunity otherwise, he imagined they would travel with haste. Surprisingly, it was his promise earlier that very day which had the highest priority. You have made an oathto Maisy, Stout, Durg, and Selene.Zeusand his pantheonhaverecognized your oath.Failure to keep to your word will cause amassivedecrease in reputationwith them.Additionally, you will lose yourTrustworthyaspect. Ahhh hah.That explains why they had so readily left him by himself among the villagers. Also why it had put them at ease. He had assumed something like this would happen when Stout had insisted on the specifics. Cire made a mental note to remember the power oaths and actions in this world.
You have acquired afavored enemy:Gnolls +25% attackdamage to gnolls, -3500 reputation with all gnolls on sight.
Good.Cire thought as he read over the words. He would gladly drink the blood of every one of the canine beasts he could find. If by some miracle he met an innocent pup... well the others could handle it. He realized that he had stopped walking. Shaking his head to clear his mind. Cire started moving again. Looking over the next notes as fast as possible to distract himself, he pressed on. Skill level up!You have reached skill level12inBlades. Skill level up! You have reached skill level 12 inLarge Blades. Skill level up!You have reached skill level8inArmor. Skill level up! You have reached skill level 8 inLight Armor. Skill level up! You have reached skill level 7 inMartialCombat. Skill level up!You have reached skill level7inFluid Motion. You have gained a new skill:Communication(General) ¡°Speech is the mirror of action.¡± - Solon At initiate rank youhave access to basic speech based actions with no penalty. You have gained a newsub-skill:Persuasion(Uncommon)CommunicationTree.¡°Persuasion has only one temple, speech.¡± -Euripides At initiate rankyoureceive a +1 bonus to your persuasion checks. Youparty has slain atotal of nine Mongrel Gnolls (Levels5¨C 12). You receive5,043experience points. You have slain Mongrel Gnoll(Level9). You receive2,627experience points. You have slain Mongrel Gnoll Pack Chief (Level 13). You receive 9,863 experience points. You have been awarded6,904experience fromBiteagainst Level 13Mongrel Gnoll Pack Chief.
You have received 3,500 experience forDefendSunsetfrom theAttackersI. You have gained +2,000 (1,000 base + Trustworthy bonus) Relationship Points withThe Hamlet of Sunset. Your relationship withThe Hamlet of Sunsethas improved from Neutral to Friendly.
Level 9 & 10 Acquired!
Received per level Points
Health & Mana Points You receive 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4) You receive 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 27 22
Skill Points You currently receive one skill point per level. 10
Ability Points You currently receive one ability point per level. 3
Racial Bonus The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 10
Level 10 Bonus Choose one of the following- 1. Gain 2 stat points to allocate as you chose. 2. +1 to the aptitude level of a current skill. 3. Gain a common or uncommon tier skill.
Ability Current Lvl Points until next Lvl
Shapechanger: Can change into a small black bat once perrestfor a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others. 1 1
Bite: You can savagely pierce your enemies'' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health and experience. HP drainiscurrently250 per minute and experience drain is7%if the target is killed by the action. This ability renders you helpless. This ability is synergistic withRegenerationand will boost itby 1 ability level. 4 4
Regeneration:You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain2HP perminute. 2 2
Blood Rage:Significantly increases your physical stats while decreasing your mental ones.+50% to StrengthandConstitution, +25% to Dexterity. -50% to Intelligence,Spirit,andCharisma for the duration of the rage. If your mental resistance is overcome by theability, you will attack targets at random. At your current level, the duration of this ability is 5 minutes. Duration is refreshed ifBiteis performed while enraged. 1 1
Without a second thought he had allocated the level 10 bonus. Cire¡¯s Luck score jumped by 2, nothing noticeable happened. It was an intangible contrivance, but those ethereal strings had been tugging a bit too often. A decent dance with lady luck would be most welcome. The new skill gain, Communication, was a small piece of good news as well. The additional sub-skill, Persuasion, would most likely be influenced by his Charisma score. Cire was starting to get a feel for how the skill system worked and where his talents were within it. Looking over the explanation of his newBlood Rageability took more effort than he would have thought. Memories of the previous evening drifted through his mind. Cire now realized why the rage had not ended after he thought it should have. When he had drank the chieftain''s blood it had extended the abilities duration. Furthermore, this also clearly spelled out why he had tried to attack Maisy. If he had not emptied his stomach so fully already, these thoughts would have assisted. Maybe ifIput points into the rage ability, it willmake it easier to control? It could just as easily do the opposite.It¡¯s not likeBiteleveled like I expected it would.The ability was powerful, no doubt, but it was far to risky to use when anyone he cared about was close to him. Not knowing what they faced while hunting down the gnolls, Cire decided not to wait on the points to level hisBiteability. Neglecting tools at his disposal, like his other abilities, had become a bit too routine for him. Stace had seemed to all but ensure the party''s survival, if not victory. How wrong he had been. Regeneration:You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal much faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain 3 HP perminute.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 10 Experience: 64,911 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class:Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral (+1 to Good, +1 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 123/123 Mana: 108/108 Armor: 6 Dodge: 4.5% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 9 Resistances: Immune to Electricity 25% Enchantment 20% Weather -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy Favored Enemy: Gnolls
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 7, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 7, Natural Blades 12, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 12, Natural Scavenging 3, Natural Armor 8, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 8, Average Herbalism 1, None Lore 4, General Communication 1, General Sub-skill: Persuasion 1, Natural
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration (3), Blood Rage Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (equipped) Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs) Light Linen Armored Gauntlets (Arms) Light Linen Boots (Feet) Light Linen Helm (Head) Steel Longsword (unequipped) Small Pouch of Coins (pocket): 1 Star Ruby, 2 gold, 34 silver, 14 copper
Skill leveling decisions were harder than previous levels, and it wasn¡¯t because he wanted to spend the points. Cire looked at the skill points and almost resented them. He had just been in a situation where he would have used all of the stored points he had if they would have made a difference.I need to rememberand treasureEugene¡¯s advice,not lament it. I can carryitwith me. Cire touched the torn remnants of the armor the farmer had given him, he had to figure something out before they left. Without a chest piece, he would be particularly vulnerable. He didn¡¯t think that his dodge stat was up to the task of being relied upon yet. Ambling up to the far entrance of the lodge, he made his way up on to the deck. Seeing two friends die had been terrible, but there was a sense of finality to it. Witnessing someone he cared about in pain, possibly never recovering, that was something different. Addressing all the busy work had been a useful tool to distract himself. However, Cire would do Andreas a disservice if he was mentally absent when visiting the man. Besides, there would be others inside as well. Uncontrolled laughter from the other side of the door was not what he had been expecting to hear. It brought a confused smile to his cheeks for the first time that day. Stepping in and closing the door behind him, the scene that greeted his eyes was warm and comforting. Four cots had been set up and separated from the rest of the lodge by a hanging curtain. Three of the makeshift beds held occupants in various states of recovery. Andreas was resting with Nicolas by his side in a chair. Bandages covered his abdomen and wrapped his left shoulder. Waving Cire over, both woodsmen smiled a bit shamefully. Laughter the day after losing so many people was awkward, even if they had practically died themselves. ¡°Cire! Good to see you in one piece!¡± Nicolas jumped up and wrapped him in a hug. Cire hesitated for a moment, but his initial anxiety faded quickly and he embraced the woodsman. The casual human contact was reassuring. He held the hug a bit longer than normal and released. ¡°Good to see you both as well. How are you doing Andre?¡± ¡°Maisy is a very good healer. She will be treating the me and the rest of the wounded. However, it will be a few days before I can walk. You and my brother need to go hunt down the bastards that did this to us.¡± Andreas looked away and to the other occupied cots, then back to Cire. ¡°We need you to go and do this for us. For Stacy and Eugene. For everyone else who died last night.¡± Pausing, the normally stoic frontiersman looked to his brother and then back to Cire with poignancy. ¡°I need you to bring my brother back to me alive.¡± Nicolas shifted in his chair, about to speak, but caught himself. Nic was torn between the earnest request his brother just made of a friend and his desire to insist that such was not necessary. Nodding, Cire extended his hand to Andreas. ¡°I will, of course, do my best to accomplish what you have asked. Your brother will return to you.¡± Cire noted in the back of his mind that there was no quest associated with this interaction, sometimes a promise between friends was just what it was. Standing up from his chair, the older brother practically ''humphed'' out loud. ¡°No need to be so dramatic about it. By Dionysus, we are hunting those bastards down and taking our people back. Not marching to our deaths.¡± Andreas clasped Cire''s hand and shook before settling back down into the sheets. ¡°Brother, we can be as ridiculous about this as we please. Now, go get his present before you both are late.¡± Nicolas moved to the other side of the curtain and returned with a large burlap sack. Setting it down in front of Cire with a thump, he retook his chair. ¡°You did not really think that you received no share from the kills did you? All those boars, yeti, and the cave bear yielded a fair amount of materials. You almost caught on the other night at Stouts.¡± Chiming in, Andreas would not let his sibling steal all the thunder. ¡°We thought you could use some sturdier armor, given how often you are fighting side by side with Durg. It is still light enough for you to move in. Figured this would be more valuable to you than the small amount of coin you¡¯d get from selling the skins.¡± Reverently, Cire took the various pieces of treated hide armor out of the sack.
Yeti Hide Breastplate Armor:+4 Rarity:Uncommon Quality:Average
Yeti Hide Trousers Armor:+2 Rarity:Uncommon Quality:Average
Yeti Hide Sleeves Armor:+2 Rarity:Uncommon Quality:Average
Yeti Hide Gloves Armor:+1 Rarity:Uncommon Quality:Average
Yeti Hide Boots Armor:+1 Rarity:Uncommon Quality:Average
Yeti Hide Balaclava Armor:+1 Rarity:Uncommon Quality:Average
Armor Set Bonus ¨C 6/6 pieces: Light Yeti Hide Armor:Armor given by each piece increased by 1, +25% resistance to Water Magic. Reinforced withDireBoarBone:+5% physical resistance.
¡°Thank you. This means more to me than you know.¡± He reached out and shook each of their hands in turn. Before releasing Nicolas''s grip he looked him in the eyes with renewed vigor and hope. ¡°I will meet you at the tavern around sunset.¡± Repost - Chapter 16: Zigs and Zags Leaving the valley as the sun lowered itself over the mountains, casting long shadows behind their steps, the small band moved with haste. In all, there were ten residents ofSunsetpursuing the gnolls, set out to avenge murdered and stolen family and friends. Cire, Nicolas, Selene, Durg, and Stout made up one of the parties. The woodsman took the lead since he had the most proficient Tracking skill of the bunch. Their ragtag collection was joined by a motley group that held several faces that Cire had seen at the bar or in town. However, he did not know their names. Two dwarves and three humans, all outfitted with similar weaponry and armor as Nicolas moved with determination. Each wore a similar expression of resolve, hardened through the crucible of loss and pain. No one would give up until they had hunted down those who had taken so much from them. Never having been outside of the valley before, the thrill of leaving the familiar behind nipped at Cire. However, it was tempered by the nature of what drew him from the valley. Twin Pines gave way to a sparse, sprawling mountain grassland as they descended in elevation. Once the party was fully in the shadow of peaks and cliffs, walking down well-worn switchbacks, they lit up torches for the humans to see by. While none of the others hadDarkvisionlike Cire, the dwarves and Selene hadNightvisionand could see with ease by star light. The humans though, they had started to slow for fear of tripping. Moving swiftly took precedence over discovery at this point. The gnolls had almost a full day''s start on them and could generally move faster. Their loping strides would cover more ground, encumbered with loot or not. It all depended on how much the hostages could slow them down and how fast the pursuers could make up time. Traveling without conversation normally would have dulled most of the bands'' wits, but not on this trip. Each member of the group moved with an alert sense of purpose. Traversing through the highlands was not carefree, but they were able to spot danger before it caught them. Twice they had been able to avoid ambushes from large mountain cats. Once a dwarf had skewered an animal mid-pounce, and on the other occasion their attacker was sent mewling into the darkness with an arrow in its flank. Not much flora or fauna thrived in these mountains, but those that did often had thorns or claws. Seeking vengeance, these frontiersmen radiated an aura of violent purpose and ready defenses. Only other predators challenged them. Pursuing the dog beasts tirelessly until sunup the next day, they made it most of the way through theChimera¡¯s Mane Mountains. Only a few ridges stood between them and theShadowed Forest. It had been simple to follow the trail down through the mountains. The gnolls were moving swiftly, but they did not seem to expect pursuit, or they did not care. The group moved to a small dell off the trail and made camp in a copse of trees. Most of the band collapsed in their gear and fell asleep within minutes. Traveling light had its benefits, but bedrolls and fires were out of the question. Cire looked over to Selene. Preferring to build back some of the trust he might have lost, he gave himself a chance to do so. ¡°Selene and I will take the first watch.¡± Selene quirked an eyebrow, but simply nodded in ascension. The two moved far enough away from the sleeping forms of their comrades for hushed conversation. They each stood with their backs to a large oak and scanned the horizon. Cire looked over for a moment at what he hoped was still his friend and offered his apology in a whisper. ¡°I am so sorry Selene. I know that I should have told you... all of you. I was scared, but that is no excuse. Please tell me anything you know about what I am?¡± Selene looked pensive before responding in a similarly guarded tone. ¡°Cire, we are still friends. I do not know much more than what I told the others. I do not doubt your word.¡± She rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. ¡°I want you to know that Durg and I only agreed to put you in that cage because we did not know what you would be like when you came to. ¡°We have fought by your side long enough to know you.Sunsethas been a place for all of us to... cast ourselves in a new mold. If you are the same elf I have fought with against the yeti whose fur you wear, then perhaps the vampire who''slayed''those gnolls could also find a home with us.¡± Glad that he was facing away from her, Cire did a poor job containing his emotions. Tears fell freely, even if he dared not make a sound. Selene wasn¡¯t quite done and her next words gave Cire plenty to think about in the cold evening. ¡°Just because we are still friends doesn¡¯t mean I have forgiven you. It will probably simply take more time. However, I will help you and I won¡¯t abandon you because of this error. I understand why you acted as you did.¡± They stood in silence for much of the next couple of hours. Before each settled down to get some sleep of their own, Selene drew close and looked him in the eyes. With a depth of compassion he had not experienced from her before, she spoke clearly, imparting the value of her offer. ¡°I will take you to my home when we are finished. The elders will be able to tell you more about your affliction. If you want to go of course?¡±
Quest Title:Elucidate yourElvenAncestry. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Condition(s):Travel to theTempest Treetopswith Selene.Meet with the Council of Elders. Rewards:Increased relationship with Selene and her people. Additional rewards unknown. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest:None Do you Accept? Yes or No
Cire smiled and nodded. ¡°I am honored that you would take me to your home. I imagine they will have to know about the whole vampire and sun elf thing before I am allowed in?¡± Selene smirked a bit before laying down, but offered no more response. She drew her cloak around her and settled in for a nap. Following suit, Cire bedded down for a brief rest as others took over their vigil. Cire was awoken by Nicolas''s shaking hands more quickly than he would have liked, it felt like only seconds after closing his eyes. HisIndefatigabletrait was working overtime. The packed up camp in a hurry and returned to the pursuit. Trailing the raiders had become increasingly difficult as they left the mountains behind. The gnolls had begun to employ methods to distract their pursuers. It seemed that their scent had been picked up or this was natural behavior for the canines as they entered theShadowed Forest. Either way, the group wanted to be rested before following the gnolls to their den. Setting up a far more formal campsite than when they took their previous rest, this time the group built a sheltered fire. They even prepared a warm meal. While eating, Cire got to know the names of his new companions and a little more about Stout in the process. Starting the fire had been far easier than Cire expected it would be. Apparently, the old gnome was an accomplished Fire Mage. Cire had not seen the barman''s contribution to the defense during the raid, so this was a pleasant surprise. Stout''s familiar, a small flame elemental, danced down the gnome''s sleeve. Without burning any of the fabric under its sparks it hopped into the collected kindling. The animate little fire dried the damp wood and a hot cooking flame sprouted almost instantly. It was kept tended by its creator. Little conversation besides the introductions occurred during their meal of trail rations and a single hare. No one was up to small talk. Cire finally recognized Borg when the dwarf raised his head from cleaning a rabbit leg. He was one of the two Stonebones that had literally kicked him out of the mine. If he was here, it was not hard to guess why. Borg¡¯s brother must have been taken. Bhelbir, a dwarf with similar features to Durg, was an apprentice smith. His motivations were clear as well. During the raid, the blacksmith shop had been hit hard and the smith killed. Nicolas introduced the three humans in the other party. Galen, Timon, and Sebastian nodded in turn. All were either miners or lumberjacks by trade. Like everyone else gathered in their camp, they were either trying to find a loved one or revenge. Upon waking the next morning, the group made sure they were prepared as they descended into theShadowed Forest. The woods seemed not to follow any particular natural design, there were no discernible paths. Trees loomed overhead and rustling leaves whispered nightmares as they choked out the sky. Selene had taken point and moved in stealth for much of the time. She made a rough spotting circuit in front of where Nicolas tracked. For their part, the rest of the pursuers tried to keep as wary as possible. Beasts encountered here would be far fiercer and stranger than anything in the highlands. The party was being led southwest, keeping from the heart of the foreboding woods. With each step towards their quarry, they also grew nearer to theStymphalianSwampand the untold dangers that lurked in it''s putrid waters. Somber moods accompanied each member of the party for the next two days as their pace slowed further. A pack of wolves harried them in the early hours of their first evening. These animals had adapted well to the hollows and darkness of the forest. They were far more aggressive than their mountain cousins. Vigilance could only go so far when facing a beast within its home. When the villagers were attacked, they managed to defend themselves adequately, at least. Most had simply worn their equipment to bed. The pack alpha, an absolute brute of a beast, was able to savage the throat of a man in his sleep. It almost took the man''s life without a sound, but not quite. It had been Galen. He had at least given the others a chance to not suffer the same fate with his dying scream. Now nine strong, they buried him under a small pile of stones. It was a vain attempt to keep his remains retrievable, but animals would likely get to his body. Watch duties doubled after that, but it was a dangerous gamble as they neared their target. They would need their rest to face their foes. Evening fell on their third night of pursuing a still unseen prey. Their hunters appeared resolute, but Cire could sense doubt creeping into his own thoughts. The others would likely be suffering the same. Negative emotions intensified in general when Selene and Nicolas returned to their small unlit camp. Nicolas looked downcast and Selene had a plaintive look on her face. The woodsman addressed them, his tone defeated. ¡°I am sorry, I have failed our fallen. I do not know where, but I was tricked into following a false trail. About an hour ahead of us the tracks just stop. It took a while, but I was able to find a single set of tracks headed back along the original path. Screw these mutts. We need to back track.¡± Deep inhales and a single groan issued from those present before slow nods of acquiescence. Morale had taken a hit with that revelation. Standing from his crouch, Cire moved next to his friend and placed a hand on the taller man''s shoulder. ¡°Nicolas, we know that you have been doing your best. Now get some rest. When you are ready, we will get back to it.¡± Pulling a guard shift with Durg in the middle of the evening, the two men stood back to back in the chill night air. Cire''s new armor provided more warmth than needed to combat the cold. His bowling ball of a friend never seemed to be too affected by the chill. Half hunched so that he was on a level, Cire sensed a quiet moment to pick the dwarf''s brain. ¡°So, how are you going to teach me the Meditation skill, buddy? Do I have to sit in the middle of a river or waterfall? Or is it easier than that for once?¡± Pressing his shoulders back into Cire¡¯s, Durg gave a soft snort and spoke in a guarded tone back. ¡°Aye. I can teach ya the basics, boyo. It ain¡¯t too hard. I dunno why ya would have ta sit in a river. That be a good way ta catch your death of cold.¡± A grin spread to his cheeks so large that the soft hide of his cowl pressed against them. It was nice to talk with his straight forward friend. ¡°Thank you, Durg. So.. there was another thing I wanted to bring up. I wanted to thank you for trusting in who I am after everything that happened a few days ago. Also, I wanted to apologize for not telling you sooner. I was scared, but that does not forgive my actions. Sorry it took so long. I didn''t want to bring it up in front of the others, you know?¡± Snorting, Durg gave his watch mate an elbow to the side. ¡°Cire, ya may have been a human. Ya may even be a vamp now. But ya be as weepy and emotional as any elf I ever met. ''Twas your first rage boyo. I bet ya even gained the ability durin'' the fight. I seen it happin'' ¡®fore. Ya swore ta work on it and ta use it only on enemies. That¡¯s good enough for me.¡± Following this was another, softer elbow. ¡°Sides, ya be the tamest vampire I ever seen boyo. Bet we can get some folks real good with that trick where ya get all scary lookin¡¯.¡± Repost - Chapter 17: Tenuous Termination Each remaining member of their pursuit team slept all they could. Then they gobbled down rations, dried spear berries and jerky. Tracing over their own steps was easier for most of the members, but it still took time. Nicolas had to move with care so he would not miss where the false trail diverged. As it turned out, they only had to wander until about mid-day before the woodsman called out for the group to stop. ¡°If this is the right way, we should be ready to fight. I doubt we will catch up to the scout, but it is a good bet that we are getting close.¡± Looking around to the gathered faces, Stout informed the group. ¡°We will move as carefully as we can, same formation as before. If we get the opportunity of surprise all the better. Be watchful of an ambush. Kill any gnoll you find, protect any victim, and stay alive.¡± Taking a break seemed rather natural, Nicolas and Selene had to confirm that trail was true before they pursued it. The villagers circled up and sat pressed together in a small clearing, waiting tensely. It didn¡¯t take long for their trackers to return. Fading back into visibility to Cire''s side, Selene calmly faced the others and took a moment to gather attention before she spoke. She damn well knew that she had spooked him, Cire could tell. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if she was punishing him or if she had just pulled a wholly inappropriate practical joke. Either way, Selene acted like it hadn¡¯t happened. ¡°Looks like Nicolas was right. This is the trail. It will be obvious when we enter their territory. Everyone be wary. I will try to clear the traps. If you can stealth or go unnoticed, then try.¡± Hands tightened around hilts, armor was adjusted, and, most importantly, to a person each set their minds to the task. They would rescue those taken and avenge those who had fallen. What was once a threat to their home would be be swept clean fromElysium,or they would die trying. Several miles later, with the sun hanging low in the sky, they passed into the gnoll''s territory. Selene ''s statement that it would be ¡°obvious,¡± was proven to be horrifically accurate. Macabre totems were nailed into tree trunks and hanging from low branches, haphazardly decorating the forest. Each grisly pennant seemed to contain the remains of several animals or people hodgepodged together. Flesh hung in various states of decomposition from carcasses or bones mixed with feces and worse. One of the dwarves with them stopped at a head hanging by its beard on a tree next to the trail. Tears fell from Borg''s eyes freely as he cut his brother''s beard free from the limb and then set it to the ground with reverence. After being cast out by their clan, the Stonebones, they had come toSunsetto mine without the heavy taxes imposed by most of the surrounding settlements. Borg and Gorb had relied upon each other. Being the elder brother, he had always felt responsible for Gorb''s safety. Even if the younger dwarf was larger and generally more gifted. Looking back as a small hand fell to his shoulder, Borg gave a sharp nod to Stout and stood straight. He wouldn''t save his brother, but he would send every last one of those fiends to the abyss. Only a short distance later, the two scouts signaled the group to halt and approached for a conversation. Nicolas filled the party in with the details. ¡°We found the camp, no question. There is no movement that we could see, but it is next to a small cliff. There could be a cave or underground base. The sentries could be well hidden.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Piping in, Selene tilted her head back towards where they had come. ¡°No active fire. Smell of death is heavy on the air. Heavier than here that is.¡± She corrected. ¡°It feels wrong.¡± Looking around and noticing that no one else was immediately speaking up, Cire took this opportunity. ¡°Let''s go in together. We cannot afford to lose anyone to a trap and if we are going into an ambush.. I would rather face it together.¡± With a quick gesture of his hand, the old gnome drew attention back to himself. ¡°Do not get too close to each other. I will hang to the back and focus on any of them that group up or try to flank us. Don¡¯t get in my way unless you want to get burned.¡± Sneaking into the camp as quietly as they could, an eerie silence hung in the air. No birds chirped. No squirrels dashed through the trees. Only the buzzing of bugs and insects sounded through the brush. When the group rounded a rock face and got their first look at the camp, each took an involuntary step backwards in revulsion. Cire felt a cold chill run through him and a pressure built in his chest. The scene was grotesque. Butchery was plain everywhere. Chunks of gnoll littered the ground and trees. Broken crates, overturned barrels, and the charred husks of hide tents surrounded a cold fire ring. A miasma of putrid, disgusting aroma swirled in the camp. Rousing himself from his shock, Cire moved over to the fire pit, stripped a glove, and plunged his hand into the ashes dispassionately. Ice cold. Hope fled his heart, leeched from him into the water soaked coals. If the gnolls had been slaughtered, then what hope did they have to find their missing? Pulling his hand back and standing, he shook his head. ¡°Ice cold. This happened a while ago. If the fire had just been doused, it would¡¯ve still been warm.¡± Confirming Cire¡¯s suspicions a moment later, a call from Stout rang through the camp. ¡°They are over here, or at least what is left of them.¡± No one moved over to the edge of the campsite when the gnome called. Stout was standing near a small cave entrance. Most of the group seemed dazed, but they all looked over to the gnome. Cire could see several steel cages lining the back wall of the cave. It wasn¡¯t the cages that had caused Cire and the others to freeze up, it was their contents. On the floor of each metal-barred prison were barely-clothed piles of bodies. Pieces of beings lay over each other in a disturbing orgy of death. Some of the villagers vomited, their stomach contents sent to mingle with the gore of their surroundings. Stout bravely walked up to the cages and started looking over the bodies. Trying to find faces of his former residents. When everyone else hesitated to move, he gave a quick chastising bark. ¡°Come help me get our family out of here so we can take them home.¡± Legs moved forward numbly and each of the party moved over to the cave mouth. Half formed up in a defensive ring and the others emptied the cells. Corpses of gnolls were burned and dead captives buried. They gathered at the bodies of two of the kidnapped townsfolk. They had not been able to identify the last missing member of theSunsetcommunity among the jigsaw puzzle of body parts. They had tried, but it felt hollow. Many of victims were unrecognizable. If some part of the man was still here, and had not gone into a cook pot, then it was buried with the other bodies. They found nothing living or of value in the camp besides their own presence. Nicolas found far too many tracks to count outside of the camp deeper into the woods. It appeared that something had invaded from the swamp to the south. Whatever it was conducted this brutal massacre, and then left in the same direction they had come. No one had any sympathy for the gnolls, but at the same time, simply finding the corpses of friends and family by no means constituted a victory. With no enemy to face besides their own anger and remorse, most were left without resolution. Borg collected the head of his brother as they made their way back to the previous night''s camp. Arriving a couple of hours before daybreak, half settled down to rest and the other half held vigil with those who would never wake. Silence ruled the evening. The only sound they heard was the occasional howl of a wolf or other beast. Cire was still processing what he had seen at the camp. Great-grandparents of his back on earth had lived through the holocaust. He had received more than a passing education on the horrors that people could unleash upon their own. Never before had he been amidst such carnage, such wanton disregard for life. It had been a massacre, plain and simple. Cire had not shown outward signs of being shaken at the camp, but he was moving numbly like most of their number. After the watch duty shift change, exhaustion took him into a dreamless black sleep. Repost - Chapter 18: Constrained Catharsis Moving back to theValley ofSunsetwas easy compared to their pursuit. However, it took considerably more time to cover the same amount of distance. The group had run itself ragged. They had a small burst of good luck and encountered no obstacles, other than the physical effort of carrying two bodies through the high country. Sadly, nothing remained of Galen¡¯s corpse when they checked his cairn. The stones were scattered and deep furrows had been dug out of the earth where his body had lain. In the evenings, or during long breaks, Cire worked with Durg on developing the Meditation skill. He hoped to avoid losing control during his rage when he had to next utilize it. Durg had been right, it wasn¡¯t a difficult skill for him to pick up and Durg made an interesting teacher. Selene helped him with his sword play and martial training, she was not as skilled an instructor as Stacy, but she made up for it with other talents and a different skill set. Wielding two daggers with blinding speed, she was more than enough to keep him on his toes. She taught him a few new tricks, as well as vulnerabilities in his current technique. Putting off his notifications had become a bad habit for the Cire. On the last day before returning to the valley, he finally took care of them for the first time since starting the Pyrrhic trip. You have gained theskill:Meditation(Uncommon) ¡°It is the mark of a divine mind to always be contemplating something noble.¡± -Democritus At initiate rank you receive+5% to Mental Resistance. Skill level up! You have reached level14inBlades. Skill level up! You have reached level 14 inLarge Blades. Skill level up! You have reached level9inArmor. Skill level up! You have reached level9inLight Armor. Skill level up! You have reached skill level 10 inMartialCombat. Skill level up!You have reached skill level10inFluid Motion.
You have received 5,000 experience forDefendSunsetfrom theAttackersII.
Level 11 Acquired!
Received per level Points
Health & Mana Points You receive 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (4) You receive 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 13 11
Skill Points You currently receive one skill point per level. 11
Ability Points You currently receive one ability point per level. 2
Racial Bonus You receive an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 11
Cire dismissed the skill growth and point information after giving it a quick scan. A significant benefit to saving up the points was not having to decide where to put them each time. He had started to amass a healthy stockpile of points. Some of Cire¡¯s skills were getting close to level twenty as well. That was when they would move from the initiate rank to the adept rank. Not only would he gain a small amount of experience for the advancement, he was wagering that they provided decent bonuses as well. In a pinch he use the points to push them over into the next rank. Cire brought up his status page and skimmed it with as little enthusiasm as the previous notifications.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 11 Experience: 69,904 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class:Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral (+1 to Good, +1 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 136/136 Mana: 119/119 Armor: 18 Dodge: 4.5% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 9 Resistances: Immune to Electricity 25% Enchantment 25% Water 20% Weather 5% Mental 5% Physical -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy Favored Enemy: Gnolls
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 10, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 10, Natural Blades 14, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 14, Natural Scavenging 3, Natural Armor 8, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 8, Average Meditation 3, Significant Herbalism 1, None Lore 4, General Communication 1, General Sub-skill: Persuasion 1, Natural
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration (3), Blood Rage Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (equipped) Yeti Hide Breastplate (Chest) Yeti Hide Trousers (Legs) Yeti Hide Sleeves (Arms) Yeti Hide Gloves (Hands) Yeti Hide Boots (Feet) Yeti Hide Balaclava (Head) Steel Longsword (unequipped) Small Pouch of Coins (pocket): 1 Star Ruby, 2 gold, 34 silver, 14 copper
Quest Title:Survey the Swamp. Condition(s):Track the perpetrators of the gnoll massacre to theStymphalianSwamp. Discover their motivations for encroaching on the forest. Rewards:Unknown Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest:None. Do you Accept?Yes or No
Cire thought ¡°yes,¡± and went back to mindless trudging. He didn¡¯t have the motivation to contemplate the quest¡¯s information or requests. It didn¡¯t seem important. Returning home with the previous quest officially completed, but far from concluded, felt empty. Chasing ghosts was futile. Almost two weeks after leaving the valley, they crested the final ridge over Stout''s Knob. This was the recognizable bulbous, barren crag that overlooked the only accessible entrance to their home. Moving between the familiar Twin Pines felt soothing, and Cire¡¯s clouded thoughts began to dissipate. How much do Iowe the people of this valley? What would have happened tomeif he had run into a group of gnolls first?Something worse? True, Eugenedid shoot me.Stacy almost killed metoo. I suppose it wasn¡¯t the warmest welcome,but they didn¡¯t toss me out either. They put me up in their home, fed me, and taught me how to survive.How can Iblame them for testingmeand beinga bitsuspicious?I probably wouldhavefelt the same aboutany stranger that appeared onmydoorstep out of the bluedressed in bloody furs and half naked. Cire felt a growing need to communicate to the people of this place how much it had all meant to him. He wanted to do something after this failed expedition. Cire had no outlet for his anger or sorrow. His previous oath to Zeus replayed in his mind. Then he started repeating the scout oath in his head, searching for something to hold onto. On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the scout law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Meeting the party at the edge of the woods were several townsfolk, one ran off to get Maisy. It was also clear that one of those waiting to meet them had been Galen''s sister. Running off crying from the group''s arrival, no one had the heart, or energy, to stop her. They would tell her of the man''s sacrifice, as meaningless as it was, when she had time to recover. There was at least a finality to what had befallen the hamlet. The bodies found their way to the newly-dug graves in the cemetery behind the lodge. They would buried along the well-worn trail to what had been Cire''s friend¡¯s farm. After resting for a while, they group broke up to get clean, eat a proper meal, and have some personal time to reflect. No one wanted to jump into the company of others so soon after what they had seen. Stout went to the tavern to relay the basics of what had happened to the townsfolk. Many desperately waited for information. Regrouping at the tavern a few hours later, Stout pulled them all to a large table in the middle of the main room. No one else was present yet, although they were gathering for a wake in the lodge. Standing on one of the tables he looked each of the men, dwarves, and the two elves in the eyes one after the other. ¡°We did not have a glorious victory. No revenge was reaped on those who took our loved ones. All of us, Galen included, saw the task to the end.¡± Directing his last statement almost overtly at Cire he finished. ¡°People of theChimera¡¯s Manenever yield, and always protect their own.¡± Raising his left eyebrow at the now-friendlier gnome, Cire figured that this was the best time he could say his part. Taking a deep breath, Cire looked around at the gathered friends he had just fought, cried, and grieved with. Pressure felt like it was building throughout the room, it was palpable. Not surprised at the eyes on him, since Stout had drawn attention towards him, Cire took the opportunity and offered up his piece. ¡°We have been hounded by combat, loss, and blood. I am truly grateful for being welcomed here as I have been. I owe Eugene and Stacy my life.¡± He looked Stout straight in the eyes as he spoke his next words. ¡°I was scared, and I hid behind my fear as an excuse. I am sorry for my failures and grateful for the trust others have placed in me.¡± Thumping his fist to his chest, he almost made the scout sign out of habit. Cire plagiarized the oath that meant the most to him, transferring some of his emotions tied to it as he did. ¡°On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to protect theHamlet ofSunsetand its people.¡± Wind rushed through the tavern and thunder crashed in the distance. Your oath has been acceptedby Zeus.Youhave beenhonorboundto theHamlet of Sunset.You must protect the Hamlet of Sunset and its residents to the best of your abilityor you will receive adivine penance. Other elements of this bonding will reveal themselves over time. Effect: while within theHamlet of Sunsetyou receive +5% bonus to all actions. Bated breath caught in most of the throats of those present. He was pleased with the overall result, he had left the wording of the oath vague enough that his intentions would largely dictate its results. He had event gotten an unexpected buff. Cire looked about, satisfied, until he heard the tavern¡¯s proprietors reaction. Stout started laughing hysterically. Maisy swatted his arm, rather forcefully. Everyone else at the table seemed to have adopted a strategy of avoiding eye contact. Selene was doing a masterful job suppressing a giggle fit behind a delicately placed hand. Cire sighed exasperatedly. ¡°What am I missing?¡± With a gentle tone, but loud enough to make out over the chuckles, Maisy let Cire in on the joke. ¡°Honey, only Stout and I stay here during the winter most years.¡± Stopping only a moment to let her eyes drift back to the table and then over to him again. ¡°When the pass snows in, no one can get through. So, while your oath is appreciated, you won¡¯t want to be staying here during the winter to protect Stout and me.¡± Downing half of his ale in one chug, he hurriedly attempted to shift the conversation. ¡°Why do you and Stout stay here all alone?¡± Cackling would about describe the old gnome''s reaction to that question. Maisy actually gave the back of his head a hard slap, sending his forehead into the table before him. At least he could make Stout so happy on what had been a dreary series of days, that was a small miracle. Calmly, the dwarf with the silver hair answered him. ¡°Well, I stay here because when you ''heal'' the wrong dwarf king too many times and his wives find out, it is best to enjoy life elsewhere. Our kindly bartender here, well he just does not like people all that much. Besides, in the winter there is less... potential for accidents.¡± She grinned and took a deep draw from her mug. ¡°It will be nice to have you around ''Slayer.'' You¡¯re always welcome, but you don¡¯t have to stay each winter. One or two every once and a while will be just fine.¡± Winking suggestively, Maisy let loose her own deep chortle. Still laughing, Stout walked over to the door and propped it open to let the remaining residents ofSunsetinto the tavern. With a rather unusually gregarious shout he let them all know the latest news. ¡°First round is for those we lost. The next is on Cire!¡± With a few confused looks, smiling faces poured into the revitalized place of laughter, camaraderie, and peace. Repost - Chapter 19: Friendship and Fellowship Staggering from the wake, the trio of friends made their way along the trail to their departed companions'' home. Their hearts had been lightened by tales of the departed, laughter, and communal commiseration. Their steps less hesitant than they had been in days. Heading into the cabin, Cire got a fire started in the hearth. Durg rustled up another bottle and Selene collapsed into a fur-covered chair. Spitting the cork from his recently acquired prize, Durg addressed Cire as they settled. ¡°Selene and me be wantin'' ya ta know that we be respectin'' what ya done for Gene and Stacy.¡± Cire immediately began to protest, as nothing had been accomplished. However, before his first word, Durg gave a forceful hand motion. ¡°Cire, ya may na be lookin'' at it this way, but Selene and I know that ya coulda slipped away during the gnoll hunt. Ya may have been thinkin'' that with ole Stace gone, that the rest of us would not be takin'' the same shine ta ya as before.¡± Downing a large swig of the spearberry brandy, the dwarf passed the bottle across the table to a quieted Cire. ¡°By Hephaestus boyo. Ya coulda attacked the hamlet with them fangs o¡¯ yours instead a tryin¡¯ ta make a home here in the first place. You¡¯ve given plenty to the hamlet and done more than that for us.¡± Selene leaned back in her chair and ran a hand through her hair. ¡°It is simple. We spoke to Maisy and Stout. They are the closest thing to a Council thatSunsethas.¡± She waved her hand around in a general motion. ¡°All of Eugene & Stacy''s possessions are recognized as yours. You were already staying here and no one is going to kick you out.¡± Pausing, she looked over to Durg and nodded. ¡°You still need capable friends to guard your back, you¡¯re not strong enough to go out into the wilds on your own. We cannot speak for Andreas and Nicolas, but we would both be pleased to stay by your side. If you¡¯re going to pledge yourself to protect the hamlet, we can pledge ourselves to protect you. Whether it is the snow or enemies, we will face them together.¡± You have gained a new skill:Adventurer(Legendary) ¡°Character is destiny.¡± - Heraclitus You have developed the ability to establish a deep emotional bond betweenthose questing with you.This bondisreinforced by the magical essence ofElysium. At initiate rankyou will be able to have 4 party members.Unlikeabasicgroupedparty, you will have significantly increased cooperative ability. DurgGranitehearttheStoneDwarfandSeleneSilverstarthe ¡°Half¡± Elfhave become yourParty Members.Theywillbewith you only as long as yourreputation, alignment, and interests synergize with their own. Clouded with a warm sensation flowing through his brain, Cire was overcome with emotion. He had been gifted a skill through friendship. Cire hadn¡¯t earned the skill, it was entrusted to him. This represented so much more than the sum of it¡¯s parts. Finally finding his voice, Cire reaffirmed his commitment to them. ¡°I would want nothing more than to have both of you at my side until I no longer draw breath in this world.¡± Selene gave a quick elbow to his side. ¡°You and your surprises. We did not expect to become yourParty Members. I got the Adventurer skill as well.¡± Cire''s brow knitted in a bit of confusion. ¡°I take it from the message that being a ''Party Member'' is more than us being really great friends?¡± He had used air quotes to punctuate his question, he had always talked with his hands. What had come to be common after one of Cire''s seemingly innocuous questions, happened shortly after he had spoken. Stone dwarf laughter erupted in the small cabin. Selene grinned while shaking her head, sending raven black strands in errant directions. She answered while her shorter friend enjoyed the situation. ¡°Indeed it does. We are bonded to each other now. We will all be able to sense each other, in a manner of speaking. I hear it manifests differently depending on the group.¡± She looked contemplative. ¡°This has sobered me up a bit, sadly. So I can explain it a little. However, I have only heard bits and pieces regarding the lore from the elders of my village. It is not a skill that is uncovered all that commonly. Our fates have become intertwined, or perhaps they were before we ever met.¡± She shrugged and her head lulled to the side a bit. ¡°Look, I can see your status page. You should be able to see ours too.¡± Each of their eyes unfocused as they looked over the intimate details of their friend¡¯s status pages.
Biographical Information: Name: Durg Graniteheart Level: Level: 9 Experience: 53,409 Race: Stone Dwarf Class:Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Benevolent (2 Chaotic, 3 to Good, 1 Righteous) Languages: Dwarven, Common
Stats: Health: 217/217 Mana: 62/62 Armor: 21 Strength: 17 Dexterity: 9 Constitution: 20 Intelligence: 8 Spirit: 12 The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Charisma: 11 Luck: 14 Resistances: Earth 10% Mental 12% Physical 10% Poison 50% Aspects: Stalwart Dauntless
Skills: Axemanship 16, Natural Sub-skill: Cleave 9, Natural Armor 12, Natural Sub-skill: Heavy Armor 12, Natural Sub-skill: Charge 7, Natural Sub-skill: Juggernaut 5, Natural Sub-skill: Medium Armor 3, Significant Mining 26, Natural Sub-skill: Sluicing 12, Natural Sub-skill: Smelting 4, Natural Adventurer 1, Natural Hammer 4, Significant Meditation 27, Significant Forestry 6, Average Sub-skill: Lumber-jacking 3, Average Trekking 12, Average Climbing 8, Limited Gambling 24, Limited Sub-skill: Drinking Games 17, Natural Sub-skill: Contests of Might 8, Natural Lore 28, General Sub-skill: Mountains & Hills, 22 Natural Sub-skill: Deep Dark, 18 Significant
Abilities: Skill Abilities: Cleave, Charge Traits: Dwarven Heritage: 10% Earth Magic and Mental Resistance. 50% Poison Resistance. Nightvision. Subterranean: Bonus to various skills while underground. Mountaineer: +1 to all actions in natural environments that are predominately made up of stone or rock.
Inventory: (Not available)
Biographical Information: Name: Selene Silverstar Level: 13 Experience: 100,742 Race: ? Moon Elf, ? Wood Elf Class:Unselected Alignment: Stern Trickster (1 Bad, 3 Chaotic, 1 Good, 2 Orderly) Languages: Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 95/95 Mana: 172/172 Armor: 14 Dodge: 10% Strength: 11 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 10 Intelligence: 16 Spirit: 17 Charisma: 15 Luck: 11 Resistances: Charm 25%, Infernal 10% Holy 10% Life 10% Aspects: Sly
Skills: Blades 20, Natural Sub-skill: Small Blades 20, Natural Sub-skill: Flurry 12, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 7, Significant Sub-skill: Curved Blades 2, Significant Thrown Weapons 15, Natural Sub-skill: Blades 8, Natural Sub-skill: Devices 3, Natural Archery 48, Natural Sub-skill: Marksmanship 33, Natural Sub-skill: Quickdraw 26, Natural Pickpocket 16, Natural Sub-skill: Sleight of Hand 8, Natural Stealth 28, Natural Adventurer 1, Natural Armor 27, Significant Sub-skill: Medium Armor 27, Significant Sub-skill: Light Armor 16, Significant Herbalism 31, Significant Small Devices 15, Significant Sub-skill: Disarm Traps 8, Significant Sub-skill: Find Traps 11, Significant Tracking 18, Significant Healing 14, Average Farming 11, Average Sub-skill: Tilling 4, Limited Sub-skill: Sowing 2, Limited Sub-skill: Reaping 3, Limited Lore 42, General Sub-skill: Woods & Forests, 38 Significant Sub-skill: Arcane, 17 Significant Sub-skill: Mountains and Hills, 3 Limited
Abilities: Skill Abilities: Flurry, Sleight of Hand Traits: Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance. Nightvision. Forest Finesse: Increased accuracy and damage when using ranged weapons. Increased chance to dodge. Astral Concentration: +5% increased potency to Holy, Infernal, and Life spells. +10% resistance to Holy, Infernal, and Life Magic.
Inventory: (Not Available)
Giving Cire''s shoulder a quick jab, Durg chuckled again. ¡°Knew ya was tellin'' us the truth. Stout owes me a few rounds.¡± Cire blinked a bit and shook his head to ward off the intoxication. ¡°Wait, that old gnome still thought I was pulling some sort of trick?¡± Selene cut in. ¡°Well, he wanted us to kill you before you could speak or wake up.To be fair, his hamlet had just been attacked and your surprise didn¡¯t do his mood any good. Stout¡¯s never seemed to like you much. Then again, he doesn¡¯t seem to like anyone very much. Durg and I have spent far more time with you, after all. Besides, Maisy agreed with us. We wouldn¡¯t have let him do anything to you.¡± Grumbling to himself, he looked back to one of the status pages and narrowed his eyes. ¡°So.... Durg... ''Soon ta be class upgraded ¡®warrior'' huh?¡± Looking somewhat startled, the dwarf looked down at the table and then grunted. ¡°That be my goal. ''Soon'' might¡¯ve been a bit over statin'' it.¡± He pantomimed Cire''s previous air quotes, rather badly, but it was encouraging to see. Wincing, Cire patted his friend across his shoulders. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to hit a nerve, sorry about that. We will get you there, friend. Its just, this whole time I thought that you two were leaps and bounds ahead of me. I did not know how much I was being relied upon. I thought you were doing all the hard work while I played the distraction and barely pulled my weight.¡± Selene laughed and she shook her head again. ¡°No Cire. Your primary lack is variety in your skill set. Cire, Stacy was an aberration. Besides Maisy and Stout, no one else inSunsetis high level or expertly skilled. We depend on the isolation of the valley to keep most danger away. That gnoll attack was a first for me, never been anything like it since I have been coming here.¡± ¡°I can see that my skill diversity is lacking pretty clearing after comparing myself to you two. Its pretty obvious.¡± Cire went quiet with contemplation. Without knowing it, he had focused more on fighting and leveling than the majority of townsfolk did over the course of their lifetimes. Had he sought out the blood-soaked path? He shook his head. Introspection at this level of impairment rarely ended well. ¡°Everything else aside. I am happy to have a home and friends to share it with. Now let''s finish that bottle in a final toast to those who will travel with us in spirit if not in body.¡± Repost - Chapter 20: Inciting Incident Admittedly, Selene had tried to avoid drinking so much that she would have to venture out in the early morning, but she had failed. Using a chamber pot with Cire and Durg sleeping nearby was something that she would rather avoid, if she had the choice. Which she did. This was how Selene found herself on the side of the cabin at daybreak, regretting her excess. If her Luck score had been lower, perhaps she would not have noticed. If her elven eyes were not so keen in the din of dawn, perhaps she would not have noticed. If the crisp morning had not brought her to an uncomfortable state of awakening, perhaps she would not have noticed. But she did. About a quarter of the way across the bowl of the valley from her vantage, she made out movement. Upon standing she could make out a small mass of bodies working their way down the last sections of the southern ridge. Even with her sharp eyes, Selene could not make out the number in their party, but she did get a sense of their direction. Without torches and showing the telltale glint of armor and weapons, the band moved with purpose towards the ruins at the center of the valley. With haste, she drew her small clothes back into place and darted into the cabin. ¡°Get up! Durg. Cire. Intruders!!¡± She was already donning her leather armor and buckling it into place. ¡°No idea who or what they are, but they don¡¯t look peaceful and they aren¡¯t giving any warning. Maybe the gnolls are back? They are headed to the center of the valley from the south.¡± Cire had been sleeping in the loft, and at her sudden shout had rolled over the ledge. Floorboards rudely greeted his face. Stringing her bow and tying her quiver to her back, she followed up. ¡°Sorry Cire. No time for niceties. Get your gear, we can plan on the way.¡± Following her lead, Durg was already half-armored by the time he was finally on his feet. Cire could not tell if it was because the stocky dwarf had slept in his plate again or if he was just better at sudden rousing from sleep. Cire was quickly trying to make up for lost time. In only a few minutes, all three headed towards the ruins. Cire had only seen the structures from a distance. Stacy had simply warned him to keep away. Having always taken the advice given to him by his previous hosts, this left him at a deficit regarding information on their destination. ¡°So, the ruins. What are they? Why is this group headed there? Why do we think they are a threat?¡± Selene had been correct in her estimation. The strangers were now about halfway to the ruins and pacing ahead of the trio. Sunlight was streaming over the eastern lip of the valley, they hoped that it would be enough to cover their approach. While keeping up a quick jog, Selene gave a rushed response. ¡°I cannot rightly say. I always kept away from them, most folks here do. Stace poked around a couple of times and said it was too dangerous. I think intruders are a threat because...¡± Selene took a breath a skirted around a rock before completing her answer. ¡°They didn¡¯t come through the pass and they approached under the cover of darkness. They are heavily armed and armored, but they aren¡¯t presenting any League colors. I think we can assume that they aren¡¯t here to throw a party.¡± Durg''s heavy breathing punctuated the silence that followed. Cire and the other elf moved swiftly over the flat terrain, but were forced to keep pace with their friend. As they neared what Cire had thought of as dilapidated buildings, it was not easy for him to hold back. ¡°They are burnt and broken Twin Pines! Two to three times the size of the ones nearSunset. These are not re-growing though. Selene, do you know why?¡± Selene shook her head a bit and then gave the back of Cire''s cowl a slap. ¡°We can look at them when we find out who our guests are. Do not get distracted. Keep your guard up.¡± Nearing the charred husks, Cire started to scan for dangers between the large gaps. Beating the other group to the center was a lost cause, but if their group had been noticed, an ambush could be waiting for them. Their party had no chance against a numerically superior force without the element of surprise, let alone if the situation was reversed. They had to move with care. Finally pulling up to a stop against one of the trunks, they inched around the circumference until they could see into the gigantic grove of stumps. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Roughly-hewn granite blocks lay in scattered formations. The remnants of long-abandoned foundations, there was a rough order to their placement. Familiar, flat, rocky mountain terrain covered the inner area of the grove. However, there were clumps of odd-looking, reddish-brown mushrooms. Interspersed in the mushroom patches was an occasional over-sized variant. Moving back behind the trunk, the party began to prepare themselves. ¡°So, giant mushrooms. Ever seen those before?¡± Cire queried. It was Durg who spoke up. ¡°I be seein'' the smaller ones back home. Poisonous and deadly if ya eat em. Sum o'' the alchemists use em for healin¡¯ potions. The big boys I never seen, they look the same though.¡± Looking to Selene for confirmation, Cire saw a rather quizzical look on her face. ¡°Not familiar with them, I take it?¡± One nod was all the confirmation needed. ¡°Well, let''s keep our distance from the larger ones if we can. Who knows if they have toxic spores or something like that. We head to the center. Let¡¯s see if we can find our visitors.¡± With a surety that had been absent from his previous behavior, he moved around the tree swiftly. Selene and Durg would follow his lead. They could rely upon each other. It turned out that Cire was right about the giant mushrooms, he was just woefully incorrect about what type of danger they presented. Once the three got close to the fungus¡¯, one of the brownish-red caps split down the center. Growing a wicked barbed spike and tilting toward Cire, it fired before he had time to notice the metamorphosis. Catching him in the shoulder, the thorn wedged into his hide armor. Thankfully, it caught on a dire boar bone before penetrating too deeply. The spike forced him to the side and it was actually a spark of luck, for once. Two projectiles fired by partnered ''shrooms glanced off his arm and leg, respectively. Gathering his bearings, he flung himself forward in a roll. Popping up next to the closest fungal beast, Cire drew his blade and struck in a single motion. Splitting the aggressor down the middle leaving two sodden chunks, Cire¡¯s sword sliced through the leathery flesh with ease. Responding to Cire, both of his companions engaged the other opponents. Loosing two arrows into the stalk of the furthest ranged attacker, Selene provided enough cover fire to force its next shot errant. Moving in close to the next monster, Durg opted for his tried-and-true tactic of wantonly throwing himself at whatever stood in his way. Armor spikes shredded the soft body of the plant. With a few hatchet blows tossed in for good measure, there was a veritable salad left at the dwarf''s feet. Dashing to the target that had sprouted several arrow accouterments, Cire sliced it at a diagonal, severing the last connected strands of spongy tissue. Jumping back, he narrowly avoided the open maw of another large mushroom. It had ripped along the stalk to reveal razor sharp teeth. A hatchet and arrow slammed into each side of the new fiend. It slumped from the dual impact, withering and deflating. Looking over the skirmish site, Cire was relieved to see that there were only small, normal-sized fungus in their midst. Gritting his teeth, he yanked out the spike in his shoulder. ¡°See anything else? You know, besides giant killer mushrooms that is.¡± Raising an eyebrow, Selene made a sharp hand motion. ¡°Keep it down. Did you leave your brains out for the boars? Who knows where that other group is.¡± Moving as quietly as Durg''s plate would allow them, the three kept to the shadows. They headed towards the center of the ruins with a sense of inevitability. Nothing jumped out at them... again. Once they arrived at the middle of the grove, they were not disappointed. Dead center was an almost perfectly-circular hole about thirty feet across. Tied off to a worn piece of stone, several ropes disappeared into the depths below them. Following the lines, Cire looked over the edge and could only make out blackness. It obviously exceeded the range of hisDarkvision, one hundred feet was not all that far. Cire had the sneaking suspicion that the bore went much further beneath the valley than that. Standing up from a kneeling position and walking back to his friends, he looked between them. ¡°The way I see it, we have a couple of options, but only one that is really viable. Did either of you pick up on anything I might not have noticed? All I can tell is that the hole goes down for a long ways, far past anything I can make out.¡± Cire¡¯s attention settled on Durg when the dwarf twisted his lips in a snarl. ¡°It be duergar, dark dwarves. Ya can tell by the knots and rope. Its made of material only found in the deep dark.¡± Hacking up a thick lougie and spitting it onto the rocks, Durg uttered a half grunting round of curses. ¡°Oath breakers. Honor blighters. By my mother¡¯s lower braided beard!¡± Selene provided supplemental details. ¡°Four ropes. Probably four to twelve down there. Do we cut the ropes and pray they cannot find a way back up?¡± Straight to the point as always, the female elf looked from the rock to the hole as if the answer would divine itself. ¡°Duergar be full o'' tricks an'' nastier than gnolls. We cannae let ¡®em anywhere near the hamlet. With our wounded and reduced amount of defenders, we would be hopin'' ta be killed. Dyin'' ''n their mines not be ''n my list o¡¯ things ta be tryin''.¡± Durg explained. That was all of the information Cire needed to make his decision. ¡°So, we are going down there. Here''s what I''m thinking...¡± Repost - Chapter 21: Letting Loose Hanging on a rope in a giant hole in the ground was not what Cire had expected to be doing the morning after drinking so heavily. To his relief, it appeared that his Regeneration ability helped cure hangovers. Although, it did not settle stomachs. Moving down, he could just make out where the wall of the bore ceased and the rope hung in naked darkness. How deep does this thing go? Why did I insist on going down first? It felt like he was going to be swallowed by the void. He slipped down from the sturdy support of the wall and repelled past the edge. Cire had no way to tell if the duergar Darkvision had a longer range than his. Maybe they had some form of magical assistance, or they were taking random potshots. Once he cleared cover, projectiles whizzed past him and hit stone in an alarming staccato. One clipped his boot and another glanced off his back. It was clear that he would not have the element of surprise he had been hoping for. This was why he had to go first. While his friends had not been overly partial to his plan, that did not mean either would stand in his way or had come up with a better option. Letting go of as much slack as he dared, Cire began to plummet into the cavern. Echoes off of a stone wall much further away than he was expecting from the ¨C metal-tipped arrows? Bolts? Magically enhanced needles? ¨C were the only indications that the area he had entered was expansive. Not being too sure where his opponents were, he started to swing on his rope. A small debate had occurred when he had explained that he was going to go down without his armor on. It would, after all, get in the way if he had to do what he expected he would have to do. Now though, Cire was thanking Selene''s forethought and stubbornness equally. She had refused to let him take off the armor. Not only had it cushioned his ramshackle slide down the rope, the gloves and codpiece doing good work, it had already saved him from damage. Hopefully, it would also assist when he did the next stupid thing he was planning. Still yet to see his enemies, he could make out that they were at least grouped to his right, based on their attacks. Throwing his body weight as hard as he could towards them, he screamed a loud war cry. With his movement, it probably sounded more like a terrified scream. Cire hoped that the tactic would buy him time, he swung back the other direction away from them. Being near their group had cost him. A crossbow bolt struck Cire and drove into his right thigh. He couldn''t do too much about the pain spreading along his leg, but the worse part was what he had to do next. Flinging himself from the rope as he reached its apex away from the duergar, he prepped himself to land. While not able to avoid taking the brunt of the impact, he was able to diffuse most of it with a half-somersault into a tumbling sideways roll. This had the consequence of driving the small, sturdy crossbow bolt deep into his leg. Pinning his armor to him like a thumbtack through a note onto a bulletin board. Grunting and driving his mouth into the crook of his arm, Cire tried to scream as silently as he could. Ripping the bolt out took two tries ¨C on the first go his fingers slipped in his own blood ¨C it came out with a sickening sucking sound. Bleeding status icons had become far too commonplace in Cire''s life in his own humble opinion. Luckily, depending on one''s taste, Cire had also somewhat planned for this. Not knowing if this would work was definitely a gamble. However, Cire had always been willing to roll the dice when the situation called for it. This more than called for it. Pulling out a boar bladder waterskin, Cire took a deep breath and then used his Bite ability. Puncturing the tanned skin, Cire sucked at the mixture of water and Durg''s blood, it was much more difficult than he had expected. Dwarf blood tasted gamy and rancid. Warm, semi-congealed blood was slimy and crunchy, it took work to get it down, and keep it down. Unlike previous occasions of consuming blood, no rush of excitement clouded his sense of taste. This wasn¡¯t a fresh kill. Half choking up the drink, he could hear the duergar moving towards his position. Swallowing the last glob of his friend''s gift, Cire was finally able to evaluate his situation. No more status icon flashed, and he had recovered from the crossbow wound. However, his potential cover was not ideal. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. All around him spread along the rough stone floor, grew the same over-sized mushrooms from above. Larger and significantly more plentiful, these formed a veritable forest. Cire had landed in an open area, and his previous experience told him he was out of range from the spines. Limping as quickly as he could away from his pursuers, he skirted around a large patch of growth. Stripping his loosely attached armor was prudent, if not more efficient, than ripping it off. It didn¡¯t take long, he had planned for this. Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath and willed himself to become the monster that the hamlet needed. Given his pitiful level in Mental Resistance, he doubted that he would retain control. So he had forced his friends to make him a promise. Hopefully it won¡¯t come to that. Familiar red tinged his vision as his muscles grew and body shifted. Opening his eyes and rising, he let loose a ferocious growl that echoed along the cavern walls. This last declaration of anger was as much of a signal as Cire was able to predict that he could give. In reply, four torches fell from the top of the tunnel. Unlike the pure desperation-reinforced fury of his first use of the ability, this time he had the barest hint of awareness. Almost like he was observing a computer game with lag. He had vision and sensation of what his body was doing, but he was just a passenger, only able to direct a fraction of intent. Worse still, he was witness to everything his rage induced form was capable of doing to other sentient creatures, evil or not. Instead of waiting for enemies to come to him, Cire''s preferred method of combat, he took off at a sprint. Weaving between snapping jaws and shooting spikes was simple for this hunter. Vegetation held no interest to one who feasted on blood. Springing up over one of the gnashing ''shrooms, his talons held out to his sides, the vampire got his first view of the duergar up close. Essentially, they were ash-skinned dwarves, but also slighter of frame. Observations were interesting, but at the first sight of his prey, a surge of blood lust seethed through his veins. His conscious mind was pushed into a contorted vision of reality. Duergar were not known for their bravery. Their race was defined by a warped and twisted form of honor. Contorted to emerge as cruelty, malevolence, and ruthlessness to outsider and insider alike. Hades brooked no half measures. Maragar, was not, therefore, bound by chivalry when the cursing vampire jumped over the ridiculous giant mushroom, all snarls and fangs. She immediately cast a Shadow Cloak spell, rendering her invisible in the low light environment. Then, she ran in the opposite direction. Leaving her remaining four party members to engage this threat was prudent in Maragar¡¯s opinion. Besides, they had not expected such a significant foe. She could regroup with the others who were looking in the treasure room. Holding crossbows, two of the duergar fired as soon as the new enemy jumped towards them. One bolt sliced along the beast''s forearm, but it was only a graze. Before either could reload and fire again, tearing nails had raked across one of their hammer wielders. His eyes, nose and teeth splattered to the floor. Savage was the only way that Thren would describe this. Since he had been a child, brutality had been a daily occurrence. In the Deep Dark, it was live or die. One took pride in overcoming an opponent, taking what was theirs to gain power. This thing had no self-preservation instinct, no will, only the desire for blood. Firing again and sinking a bolt into the distracted vampires back, he cursed. It had gotten the other melee fighter''s helmet off and latched onto his throat. Thren and Krith both dropped their crossbows and drew hatchets off their belts. If this creature was distracted while feeding, this was their chance. They should have kept firing. Once most of the wounds had healed on the animal''s body, it simply pulled back and ripped the fighter''s jugular free of his neck. Thren froze in his charge, Krith was not as fortunate. Twin flattened hands drove into the charging duergar''s gut, piercing his chain mail. With a twist and rotation of its hands, Krith''s bowels were split open and poured onto the stone. A shocked expression was plastered to the duergar¡¯s dying face. Greedily pulling the duergar forward, fangs met flesh and drank. Thren had no chance, he threw his hatchet at the vampire and ran. Unbeknownst to him, in the same direction that their mage had fled. Weaponless and for the first time alone, Thren panicked. He was barely able to pull himself up short before the shields of their other party. They had positioned themselves between a patch of fungus and one of the four massive columns that supported the grand cavern, poised to ambush. Apparently, they had been expecting him, because he fell flat on his face as the shields parted. Maragar pulled him up to his feet as the fighters moved back into position. Thank Hades that their mage was still alive. They had a chance. Seven against one, even if it was a terror, should tilt things in their favor. Looking at his warriors, Fon, the duergar battle leader, made a typically cruel calculation. He could lose another four and still be able to make it out of the valley. Maragar would be preferable to keep alive, her magic would be useful to avoid capture. Whether the others made it out or not would be up to them. It would be nice if his brother, Mon, fell in battle. Easier to explain away that sort of death than a poisoning. None of that mattered though, he just needed to live and find a place of refuge. He had found what they had trekked all this distance for. Why they had risked the last leg of their journey in sunlight. It had been worth all of the others'' lives a thousand times over. Repost - Chapter 22: Killing the Kitten Waiting at the top of the bore, Durg and Selene gave each other a sidelong glance before looking back over the lip. ¡°Why did we not think of any plan that was better than this?¡± Durg shrugged and grinned as he crouched down, and sparked up four torches. Passing two to Selene, he righted himself. ¡°I dunna be comin'' up with plans.¡± He had a rather inscrutable look on his face. ¡°Sides, I be thinkin'' this be a good plan. It be bold and aggressive. Only part I don¡¯t like be the end, if things don¡¯t work out.¡± Selene ''humphed'' at Durg, but before she could get a word out edgewise their signal sounded. Echoing up from the depths below, a feral growl reverberated off the stone. Durg gave a whoop hearing the noise and gleefully tossed his torches down. Selene was less enthused, but followed her friend''s actions. Rappelling down the rock face went fast. They both tracked Cire by sound as best they could while he descended. Neither had Darkvision and the torchlight did not reach them yet, the depth of the cavern preventing it. Metal clashing and screaming indicated that their friend had engaged their opponents. Hastening their slides down, each dropped into the pit as soundlessly as possible. For once, Durg''s clanging armor sounded like background noise. Looking around as she faded into Stealth, Selene noticed the swift movement of running to their side. Pulling her compact friend deeper into the darkness, she expertly avoided the fungal guardians and found a small clearing. These mushrooms gave off a faint purple glow in the dark, only noticeable as she got close. With her back guarded, her ability to assess the situation was greatly increased. Taking her bow from her back deftly, she signaled Durg to look. Then she pointed over the cap of a half-grown mushroom. Forming up into a defensive position behind a pillar before them was the party of duergar. Every one of them was facing away from the pair. This was the best position they could have hoped for. Bursting through one of the mushrooms in front of the duergar battle party, his forearms coated in blood down to his elbows. Wicked glints in those always seemingly unfamiliar eyes spoke to Cire having no reins on the monster before them. Spreading from the top of Selene¡¯s shoulders, a cold shiver slid down her spine to reside in a now-queasy stomach. Drawing an arrow and taking aim at the most vital opponent, the caster, she held position for the optimal moment. Durg began to draw breath in more rapid cycles, preparing himself for battle. Taking the lives of his mortal enemies would bring a joy to his soul that very few things compared to in his world. Honor-bound to wipe these vile perversions from existence, a righteous sense of purpose took root inside of him. Seeing Cire''s terrible form, he felt kinship flare anew. Here was his brother. A true berserker if ever he had seen one. As soon as he saw the vampire engage the enemy, Durg started running. Loosing her arrow into the duergar mage, during Durg''s reckless charge, Selene tried to stay hidden. Another arrow flew before the first had even struck home. She aimed for vitals. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Falling in a crumpled heap, the spell caster was taken out of the fight. Selene would assure it. Continuing to nock and fire arrows at the fallen form, she emptied her quiver. By the time Durg had closed half the distance, he was up to his top speed. Hatchets started to whirl before him as he used his arms to assist his jog. If he had been a human, or proportioned differently, the battle style would have been positively ridiculous. Grace had never been a dwarven forte, at least with movement. When he met the bowmen, who were the closest standing duergar remaining, it was less of a duel and more of a stampede. He tore into the vile perversions with reckless abandon. Durg smashed his spiked helm into the face of one Duergar. Next, he pivoted and threw himself onto the body of the other dark dwarf. His armor crushed the crossbow and bones alike. Durg wrapped his arms around the pinned opponent and ground his armor into the oath blighter¡¯s body. The duergar went limp in Durg¡¯s grasp, but he wasn¡¯t done. Cackling with mad laughter, he jumped and tackled the bowman into ground and then flailed around. Durg ground his spikes and ridges into flesh, bashing with his arms, legs, and head. By the time he was done, Durg¡¯s foe was unrecognizable. Grunting, Durg pulled himself back to his feet in time to see an arrow fly past him and sink into the last remaining bowman. He loved having Selene at his back. Durg searched the battlefield, only one Duergar remained standing, but there were still two monsters. The duergar battle leader, wielding a wicked two-bladed heavy axe faced off against the vampire. Circling, snarling chomping fangs faced clanking metal. Heavy plate coated almost every part of the duergar battle leader¡¯s decorated figure. Selene fired a shot past Durg¡¯s shoulder, it struck the duergar square in the back. In the instant Selene¡¯s opening provided, the vampire was in the air. Leaping onto the body of the dark dwarf, the vampire clung in a bizarre hug. Lurching back, the blood crazed animal pounded its face into the duergar until the dwarf went limp. Then the vampire fed. Whatever ''plan'' the three of them had concocted before they had descended into this pit of battle and confusion was about to come to fruition. Selene had disliked this part intensely. She had known the idiot would suggest using an ability he had no practice with in an extremely risky situation. She even had a pretty good idea that he was going to end up putting them in some sort of position just like this. However, simply because she could reason something out before it happened, did not mean that she was prepared to witness the results. Nor that she had any alternative. Lack of empathy for killing would be putting what emotions were radiating over Cire''s warped face as a severe understatement. By Artemis and Apollo! Her kindhearted friend was reveling in tearing these foes apart. Cire had not even seen a duergar before today. Whatever had become of him, she knew he had been right. They had to kill him. She may be able to make it to the rope and out in time, but there was no way that Durg would be able to. The quicker they acted, the better their chances would be. Looking over to Durg, the two shared a profound silent conversation with their eyes. It was time to uphold their promise. Cire had been right. There was no way he would be able to live with himself if hurt either of them and they didn¡¯t have any suitable options to restrain him. Drawing her daggers she followed Durg, walking slowly over to their rapt friend. They kept their body language non-aggressive, in an attempt to not catch his attention. Cire was a revolting version of his previous self, covered in wounds, dripping with blood, and broken. Compassion welled inside of her, even moments after she had affirmed her resolve. Durg did not hesitate. Throwing himself onto the vampire''s back, the spikes of his armor held him fast. Bucking in a vain attempt to throw him off, the vampire writhed. The dwarf brought down his hatchet in a firm blow to his companions neck. Not an instant kill, but it incapacitated Cire. Another strong hammering blow severed his spinal cord completely. On their first day bound to each other, the question of whether or not their bond passed beyond death would be tested. Both Durg and Selene felt a deep sense of melancholy as they glanced about the quiet room to affirm their safety. Battle high ebbing into exhaustion, the duo rested. Unusually quiet, the headless corpse of their ally kept them company in the silence. Repost - Chapter 23: Unexpected and Unbidden The clattering of heavy coins striking wood sounded through nothingness. A gentle lapping of water on the gunnels of a boat repeated. Formless thoughts. Pressure built in the small log cabin and a cracking tore through the small enclosed space. Cire fell out of thin air onto a fur-covered floor. As expected, he was bare ass naked, but no glacial chill lashed out at him. Opening his eyes he looked around blearily. Eugene and Stacy¡¯s cabin... his cabin. Crap! I changed resurrection locations. ¡°I told Selene and Durg to go find me on the eastern ridge.¡± Sitting in the middle of a bear hide, he palmed himself in the forehead. Then Cire started laughing, he couldn''t help himself. Launching into a shrieking fit of high pitched laughs ¨C Cire did not giggle ¨C it took him a long moment to calm himself down. Maybe there were some nerves being bled off there, maybe he was just happy to be alive. He wasn¡¯t sure. Clearing his mind, he stood and arched his back. Several loud pops sounded out. Dressing in a spare set of Eugene''s clothes and putting on the remnants of the linen armor gave Cire some protection. He belted the old steel longsword on for good measure, no sense wandering about unarmed. Grabbing a full pack of gear on his way out the door, Cire began his jog back across the valley. Muttering under his breath about what a moron he had been. He finally had a few moments for self reflection. Pulling up his status page, he almost missed a step. It felt like the same time of day outside as when he had gone down the tunnel. How long did it take for him to come back? On the first occasion, he had absolutely no frame of reference. It had been dark and cold, a shiver crept up his spine unbidden. Pondering these implications, he made his path veer towards the center of the valley, back towards the entrance to the cavern. If it only took a few moments for him to come back, then he could run into his friends before they got too far away. Maybe while they were still climbing up. Shaking his head a bit, he stopped looking past the opaque information in his vision. Cire refocused on his status, drawing in a sharp hiss. Dying had not been pleasant. Pain was one thing, being reborn had felt like his psyche was reformed from broken shards filtering through lava. Losing stat points really hurt though. His constitution score had fallen by one. That had big ramifications long term. That was at least one HP per level that he would no longer be receiving. Not to mention the countless other ways that stat impacted him. Having no series of notifications to explain what had happened during the battle was frustrating. After checking, he confirmed that he only had the results for reference. He had gained a level during the last fight, at the minimum. But dying had caused his experience to reset at the beginning of level twelve. Focus on the positive, Cire, you gained a level overall. Besides, dropping all of those points into Martial Combat and Fluid Motion right before you went down into the cavern really seemed to pay off. Rage vampire Cire made mincemeat out of those duergar. You helped put down another threat to the valley. Cire had put ten points into each of the skills after he had explained his plan to Durg and Cire. They had both agreed that if there was ever a time to spend skill points in an emergency that the duergar incursion certainly qualified. He had boosted the skills that synergized best with his vampire form. It had worked out, for the most part.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 12 Experience: 78,000 Race: Vampire ¨C Sun Elf Class: Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Alignment: Neutral (+1 Chaotic, +1 to Good, +1 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 146/146 Mana: 132/132 Armor: 6 Dodge: 14% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 13 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 9 Resistances: Immune to Electricity 25% Enchantment 20% Weather 5% Mental 5% Physical -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy Favored Enemy: Gnolls
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Martial Combat 23, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 23, Natural Blades 14, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 15, Natural Scavenging 3, Natural Adventurer 3, Natural Meditation 3, Significant Armor 9, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 9, Average Herbalism 1, None Lore 4, General Communication 3, General Sub-skill: Persuasion 2, Natural Sub-skill: Oratory 1, Significant
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration (3), Blood Rage Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, Darkvision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 25% Enchantment Resistance.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Light Linen Armored Cuirass (Chest) Light Linen Armored Pants (Legs) Simple Shoes (Feet) Steel Longsword (equipped)
Upon review he noticed that he even had a new skill, though he doubted he had gained it during the battle. Best bet for when he had gained Oratory was when he had sworn his oath to the town. Grumbling, he looked over his stat sheet and an unpleasant thought manifested. Why in the hell had he not transformed into a bat to scout out the tunnel and cavern? He had no reason to hide it from his companions any longer. They knew about it after all. He had told the group when he had been released after the gnoll attack. In retrospect, it seemed so clear what he should have done. He had to remember, he was not an avatar. No one was helping him think through his decisions. No outside mind could compromise the validity of his boneheaded moves. Cire was responsible for his decisions and the impact they caused. To that end, he held onto the paltry amount of remaining unused skill points. Carefully making his way to the large, oddly perfect, circular hole in the dead grove of Twin Pines, he scanned the area. The walk was much easier now that he knew what to keep an eye out for. No evidence of his friends stuck out. No ropes remained attached to nearby ruins. Nothing else moved, he was surrounded by silence and mushrooms. Cire headed back out the way he came. He hated backtracking, but it beat finding a new route through killer ''shrooms. Setting into a paced jog, he moved towards the eastern ridge. Falling into the rhythm of his steps, he finally got a true point of comparison for his growth over the last month. Pushing his speed faster, he hardly felt winded. Covering the same ground that had taken him a little over a day and a half to traverse previously was accomplished in half the time. Warm with movement and a profound sense of accomplishment, he sped up the mountainside. Sparse brush, gravel patches, and the occasional wild animal were minor inconveniences. He brought up the skill description for Oratory, easily multi-tasking. You have gained a new sub-skill: Oratory (Rare) Communication Tree. ¡°Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid.¡± - Homer At initiate rank you receive a +1 bonus to your public speaking checks. Finally, Cire felt like his talents were starting to come together. He may not have appreciated his Charisma score properly so far, but Cire was starting to see how it was one of his strongest assets. His party members status sheets had made him realize the need to develop more variety. Tunneling on leveling would leave him vulnerable. If I am going to go to Selene¡¯s home in the Shadowed Forest, or track down whatever attacked the gnolls from the swamp, I¡¯ll need tools to get out of tough situations. Nearing the treeline, anticipation drove him faster. Seeing his friends again would be the best gift life could offer. Yearning to see them and expecting a warm greeting propelled him, suddenly he was panting. Sure enough, he was at a flat out sprint, racing his shadow to the snow. Coming around a scrub oak, he saw them. Huddled under the branches of a small tree around a meager fire. With darkness about to fall a fire seemed rational, but their haggard expressions spoke to it being more than a luxury. Slowing to a walk and working to regain his breath, he was not exactly sure what to say to them. Once he had traveled half the distance, they had risen and come to meet him. Wrapping him in a tight warm hug, Selene practically crushed his ribs. ¡°It has been over a year! We never thought you were coming back!¡± Selene gave him a tragic look and swooned in his arms. She lay limp, apparently having fainted. Cire had to actually support her, otherwise he was pretty sure she would have fallen. She had delivered the line with a straight face and serious tone. But before too long had passed she lost her self control and burst into laughter. Durg stopped a few feet back shaking his head, a huge grin on his face. ¡°Tis only been a day boyo. But ya did get us worried for ya. Me an¡¯ the lass rushed up here with not a bit o'' food. She took that a tad worse than me.¡± Looking back to Selene, Cire beamed and squeezed her back. ¡°I brought supplies! Sorry about the wait. Good try at the joke.¡± Stepping back from the embrace, he looked between his two Party Members. He appreciated their attempt at levity, it had been a rough day. They were probably anxious about his return. ¡°I come back at the cabin now apparently.¡± Moving his hand back and forth over the back of his head, he had a sheepish look on his face. ¡°Actually, I had no idea how long it would take me to come back... it is good to have an idea now though.¡± Taking in a short breath he whispered the next line. ¡°You know... in case it happens again.¡± With that last utterance, Selene punched him squarely in the stomach. Sputtering and gasping, Cire doubled over. ¡°Cire. It will not happen again.¡± Settling down around the fire, the party decided that camping on the ridge was better than traversing the valley at night. Durg and Selene caught Cire up on what had taken place during the fight from their perspective. Selene kept fidgeting, demonstrating her unease with the topic of conversation. So, Cire shifted it. ¡°Did you two get a chance to search the cavern much? The duergar bodies? Find out why they were here?¡± Selene and Durg got serious very quickly. They each took in a long, slow breath almost in unison. ¡°We actually did manage to find out the answer.¡± Selene spoke with gravity to her words. ¡°We did not do much exploring. The leader you killed last had an object of great potential. It is most likely what drew them to the valley, the ruins in specific.¡± She moved a hand towards Durg in a gesture for him to continue. ¡°Ya see Cire, duergar be hearin'' the same ancient tales o'' other dwarves through history.¡± Spitting once into the fire and letting a curse free, he went on. ¡°They be takin'' different lessons from ''em than the rest o'' us. But one thing be true more than most. An unclaimed territory be one o'' the most significant items ya can come across. The potential be boundless. The danger too. Ambient mana in this area is higher than most places cause it hasn¡¯t been directed. Means more and bigger monsters. Maybe even explains what drew the gnolls here.¡± He gave one last meaningful look to Selene before nodding. ¡°Seems the tales o¡¯ this place being the center o¡¯ an ancient kingdom be true. This musta coalesced recently.¡± Durg held out his hand to Cire, a small gray stone of the local granite rested in the middle of his palm. It sparkled in the fire light despite its matte finish. Elegant rune script wove across the surface. White and black swirled along the lines as if living ink, captivating. The reverie broke as the dwarf spoke. ¡°We both agreed that we all be havin'' the same need. Ya be the most suitable, well when ya are in control o'' yourself.¡± Holding his hand out to Durg, Cire''s eyes grew to the size of saucers. Closing his fingers around the stone as Durg let it drop into his hand, he looked up to his party members. ¡°You are both sure about this?¡± Rolling her eyes, Selene actually scoffed at him. Durg chuckled and slapped his back. Cire shrugged, guessing that was the response he should have expected. He unfocused his eyes and centered on the stone. You have received a Territorial Runic Bonding Stone. Would you like to claim the area? Yes or No? Focusing on the ¡°Yes¡± option, he received another notification. You have claimed this territory. You are now Ruler over the Chimera¡¯s Mane and it¡¯s surrounding areas. Your territory is Level 0. Waves of force emanated from his hand. With each pulse, the runestone shimmered a rainbow of colors. Reverberations of energy moved across the land around him in ripples. The vibrations continued long past his sight. Cire felt like a rock dropped into the center of a dead calm lake. Suddenly Cire¡¯s awareness exploded. All the flavors of the earth coated his tongue and filled his nostrils. A cacophony of noises rang in his ears. Adrift in an ocean of sensation. Time stopped. Repost - Chapter 24: Virtual Victory Everything ceased. As soon as it had begun, the chaotic madness Cire had been enduring was over. Disassociated. Detached. Something was wrong. He tried to move his head to look up at his friends. He couldn¡¯t. Nothing in his field of vision moved, the world had frozen. Congratulations! You have completed the free tutorial. Now your adventure will truly begin. You have¡­ Cire wasn¡¯t falling, but as his stomach spun it conjured the sensation. Everything lurched, suddenly he was sitting on a rather plush chair across a regal carved desk from an austere looking gentlemen. Fog concealed everything outside of their immediate area. Flickering in an unseen wind, an oil lamp cast dancing shadows. The man crooked an eyebrow, cleared his throat, and spoke in a route tone. ¡°...successfully acclimated to the Elysium server. Full access to your memories and to the interface have been granted.¡± He set the scroll in his hands down and with a bored dismissive gesture continued. ¡°Please review those details on your own later. I didn¡¯t expect to be handling you again so soon. You completed everything faster than expected. I was betting you were going to die again to finish the tutorial or hit the 30 day mark. Found a bonding stone, most unexpected.¡± Cire attempted to focus on the man, trying to maintain attention as gaps in his memory were assaulted by details. Cire could remember everything. He was dead. Well¡­ his body was dead. He had uploaded his consciousness into the Nextlife system. Humanity had passed the threshold of being able to interact fully with an immersive VR environment. We had even reached the point where we could transfer the conscious mind into virtual hardware. However, we had not found a way to accomplish this feat while keeping the body alive. Cire had been lucky that he had gotten in on the release of Elysium. It was a world based roughly on a tabletop game he had always loved, Adventurer. He had always preferred tabletop mechanics over MMORPG¡¯s. A thump on the desk snapped Cire¡¯s reverie, lost in his concerns he¡¯d been ignoring his host. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Sorry. It is a lot to take in. I bet it¡¯s pretty annoying to go through that with everybody. Ummm¡­ say, what is your name? I am Cire.¡± ¡°Good assumption. You didn¡¯t figure that out. Some of you do, some of you don¡¯t, doesn¡¯t matter. I am Charon, Shepard of Souls.¡± Spreading out his hands in a welcoming gesture, the sleeves of his tweed jacket riding up. ¡°I find that UC¡¯s, uploaded consciousnesses that is, tend to come around better when I am direct. So, sit down, shut up, and let me explain a few things. If you go floundering around in your new memories it will take too long. ¡°You already gave me one headache when you spent all of your character creation points the way you did. Do you have an idea how hard it was to find a neutral starting location for you? I hope you enjoyed the mountain top, you deserved that.¡± Cire felt a wave of dysphoria wash over him. This was a lot to accept. Now it was clear why his memory had been so fuzzy. It had been occluded so that he could get used to living in a virtual environment. So the world would be real, not a game. He came back to himself. Cire was now a purely virtual being. His friends were also virtual beings. They came from this world, but he wasn¡¯t any different than them. When it came down to it, they were even more real to him now. That had been the entire point of the tutorial program. Now he had friends, community, and a home. Nextlife constructed Elysium using what they had learned during the uploading process. It was not simply modeled after previous VR simulations. They were now able to create computer consciousnesses based on the UC pattern. In other words, Durg and Selene were virtual constructs. Living virtual constructs. A loud sigh and another thump stopped Cire¡¯s drifting. ¡°Sorry. Wait, Charon, as in the boatman? The god?¡± Charon, in all his prim stature uttered a low grumble. ¡°The ferry is a metaphor. I don¡¯t actually¡­ humph. Pay attention. You should remember this, but in case it takes a bit, you are not immortal. Each time you die you lose 1 constitution point permanently. If you die with under 10 constitution there is a chance you won¡¯t resurrect at all. If you don¡¯t resurrect, you can never come back to Elysium. Plenty of circumstances can impact this, you already found one of them. Understand?¡± Cire did understand. He needed to avoid that at all costs. The last thing Cire wanted to do was give up his new self or community. ¡°Yes, I understand. Thank you for explaining. My sincere apologies for upsetting you.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Of course. Like I said, shut up. We are almost done and you are only one of many. Do not treat this world as a plaything. We are in control here. I direct players and UC¡¯s resurrection, I will give you a fair chance each time.¡± Charon stood from the desk, picked up his rather long cane and gestured. Repost - Chapter 25: House and Home Sensation slammed itself into Cire as the world leapt into motion. He didn¡¯t know how he ended up on his back, but he was. Durg and Selene were looking down at him. They both wore concern on their faces. Cire felt more alive than he ever had before. His heart was bursting with affection for what his friends had given him. Tears of joy streamed down his face. Durg pulled him up into a sitting position. Selene brushed leaves and twigs from his clothing. The forest was silent and still around them. Only the crackle of the fire gave life to the campsite. Selene slapped him. Then she picked another twig from his shirt nonchalantly. ¡°You alright?¡± Cire moved his hand up to his cheek and rubbed it gingerly, mock glaring at her. ¡°Better than you could imagine. I will tell you all about it some day, soon.¡± A notification started blinking annoyingly in his vision. He focused on it, his conversation with Charon and delving into his memories taking a backseat. Now that the territory has been claimed you must establish your noble house. Please select a name. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _? Cire had an overwhelming sense of deja vu. This time though, he didn¡¯t have to come up with a name by himself. He also had a better starting point. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°So¡­ Selene, Durg. Seems like I have to pick a house name. I was thinking something related to Sunset. Maybe Stace or Eugene had a good family name? Have any suggestions?¡± Selene cocked an eyebrow and sat down on the log she had occupied before the hullabaloo. ¡°I do not know what either of their family names were. They may not have even had any.¡± She poked at the fire and added a few small branches. She looked contemplative, so Cire turned to Durg hoping he had a suggestion. ¡°Well boyo, we have a few different names for the places ¡®round here ¡®n my clan. Maybe one o¡¯ them would be good. We call this here valley, Eventide. It be another word fa sunset.¡± ¡°If you want to go with a translation, vesper is the Elvish word for dusk. That may be suitable.¡± Selene offered. She tilted her head to the side in a feline fashion as she appraised his choice. Cire was thankful to have the suggestions. He didn¡¯t think he could have done much worse than spelling sunset backwards. ¡°I like both to be honest. Do either of you have my coin pouch?¡± Indeed, they had all the gear he had left in the cavern. He took out a coin, it was time to test out his new increased Luck stat. Pausing dramatically, he flipped it. A flicker of gold glistened in firelight. When the disc of metal landed in the dirt, the flames illuminated a symbol of Mount Olympus. The head of Zeus faced the ground. ¡°Eventide it is.¡± The House of Eventide has been established. Would you like to select any additional family members? Now that was a pleasant surprise. This would be a fitting reward for the practical joke they had played on him earlier that evening. He grinned wickedly as he reached out and put a hand on each of their shoulders. ¡°Congratulations, my friends.¡± You have named Durg and Selene as members of House Eventide. Cire wouldn¡¯t have traded all the gold in the world for their priceless expressions. Repost - Epilogue: Naive Naga Kalani¡¯s mother, and queen of their tribe, had forbidden the lantern naga from investigating the sounds from the main cavern. When they had heard the clatter echoing off the walls, the old crone had ordered everyone to hide in their underwater lair. Kalani would not let that sort of cowardice go on much longer. Soon she would kill and eat her mother. Then she would be the queen. She would lead her people to the surface. The lone naga slithered along the stone. Her black violet scales melded into the background. She kept to the darkness, which wasn¡¯t hard, this was her lair. Kalani glided along the smooth rock with practiced ease. It did not take long for her to arrive at the primary point of disturbance. Careful not to trigger the mushrooms, she coiled into a large patch and hid, waiting. Creating quite the ruckus, the duergar troop marched past her in haste. They were odd looking dwarves. They looked exceptionally dangerous. Perhaps mother had been right. She would wait and observe. Only when it was safe would she emerge. She had begun to nod off, the cold stone and inaction making her drowsy, when the noisy dwarves returned. From how they were moving and the tone of their incomprehensible gibbering they seemed pleased with themselves. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Then the dwarves froze and looked up to the large hole in the ceiling. They started shooting at something hanging on one of the ropes the group must have used to descend. She hadn¡¯t seen those. A way out! There had never been a way to the surface before. She needed to remain calm. Steadying her breathing was hard. Heart racing, she startled when she heard the growl. She had never heard anything so vicious. Sounds of fighting came from the other side of the cavern. Then she saw him. Bursting through a mushroom only feet away from her was a magnificent specimen. Blood dripped from his claws as he stalked towards the dwarves. The vampires clothes were in tatters. She could see slashes across his body regenerating. Kalani had never seen a vampire before, but she knew one when she did. She was riveted. The speed and strength of the monster made her shiver with delight. He literally tore through his prey. Carnage rained around her. Kalani would claim this male. He would be a great addition to her tribe. Once he finished with his playthings, of course. Her attention was so focused on the vampire and his savage assault, that she missed the others. A normal dwarf appeared behind the vampire at the end of the battle. He executed the feeding beast as he lay helpless. Kalani didn¡¯t have any time to react. She doubted that she would have intervened anyways. A male, even one as delicious as that golden haired vampire, wasn¡¯t worth it. It was a shame though. Biding her time, she kept a silent watch. Nothing of note happened while the dwarf and elf looted the corpses. She continued to wait as the two to ascended up to the surface. When the ropes followed up after them she was safe again, but trapped. Frustrated, Kalani slithered back towards the lake. Her machinations would soon come to fruition. Adventurer Series Short: The Lurking Lair - Introduction Charlie jumped in their seat as Sophie slapped them across the back. ¡°Way to crush the last few lines of code on the Elysium server. The rapid evolution process should finish up any day now. What are you planning on doing with your bonus once it goes live?¡± Brushing tangled hair out of their eyes, Charlie spun the chair to face their too-cheerful assailant. Glowering and narrowing their eyes before responding. ¡°You know full well the team pulled too many all-nighters getting everything right. This world is the most ambitious we have ever put together. Separate continents devoted to cultures, gods, and environments. We had to get everything right before we pushed the button. We can¡¯t control any of it now, just keep the wheels on.¡± Sophie ruffled her co-worker¡¯s hair and grinned. ¡°You are such a worry wort. Always fretting over every little thing. You did an amazing job, you and the rest of the team.¡± She stood on her tip toes peering over the cubicle walls. ¡°I know you¡¯re here Jason. I came to get both of you. The pre-release party wouldn¡¯t be the same without you. You know I won¡¯t take no for an answer and I will pester you relentlessly until you give in. So just do as I command and cave already.¡± Jason had started filling his backpack during the monologue and was standing next to Sophie¡¯s side before she had finished speaking. He towered over both of them, his dusty brown hair brushing some of the hanging decorations that littered the office. ¡°Charlie, you know she is right. Don¡¯t make me carry you.¡± Charlie would have preferred to scour the information coming off of the evolution file, just to make sure. However, Charlie knew which battles to fight, and this wasn¡¯t one of them. Poking Sophie in the stomach, they relented. ¡°Okay, okay. You win. Give me a few minutes to shut everything down. If I am going to the party, I am going to party. No coming back to work tonight.¡±
¡°¡­ I am planning on putting the money away. Maintaining everything is so much easier than getting it going in the first place.¡± A nameless employee was explaining to one of the others gathered in conference room. Half of a destroyed sheet cake, bottles of warming beer, and other assorted celebratory foods occupied the large table. Small cliques of company employees spread throughout the room making small talk. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Charlie pressed themselves back against the wall towards one of the rear corners. Sophie was busy chatting with a gaggle of folks from the HR department. It never felt comfortable having to engage in these social niceties, at least not until a good buzz was achieved. Polishing off the remainder of the bottle of domestic was a chore. The least Nextlife could have done was spring for enough ice to keep the beer cold. Until more of the programmers who, like Charlie, for the most part kept to themselves arrived, this was purgatory. Soon, that wouldn¡¯t be an issue ever again. Elysium just had to go live and none of this would be an issue. Jason stepped up next to Charlie and sipped at a soda, he typically didn¡¯t drink. ¡°I can stand here next to you. That way, no one else will try to talk with you while you drink. These things are about as much fun as a barrel full of monkeys.¡± Grinning, Charlie gave the taller coder a nudge with their elbow. ¡°Thanks. I don¡¯t mind taking you up on that. Small talk always seems¡­ so pointless.¡± Tipping back their bottle, Charlie polished off their second beer and moved on to a third. ¡°So, now that I have you cornered, I never promised I wouldn¡¯t talk to you. What are your plans for your bonus? Which option did you go for?¡± Jason grinned, he had obviously waited for Charlie to start drinking the next beer before asking his query. Narrowing their eyes, Charlie nudged Jason harder. ¡°That was a dirty trick. Besides, I thought you would have figured it out by now based on my commitment to this particular project.¡± Jason held up his hands defensively, a mock hurt expression on his face. ¡°Not a dirty trick, just a trick. Besides, how else was I going to get the answer out of you. There have been whole weeks when I never saw you speak to anyone in the office. If Sophie didn¡¯t come around and drag you off to lord knows where, I would have suspected you slept in one of the closets.¡± Nursing the start of this beer morphed into aggressively drinking; Charlie¡¯s buzz needed to progress if they were going to start talking about this in public. Charlie went for the red herring and decided teasing Jason was the best strategy. ¡°You know I live with Sophie. She isn¡¯t dragging me anywhere, she¡¯s my ride, we carpool. If you want, I can get you invited to our weeklyAdventurergame. I have seen you eyeing her for the last few months. I may not talk much, but I do watch.¡± Hunching over, the tall man seemed to shrink and cower against the wall. ¡°I thought I was being less obvious than that. Did she say something? Wait¡­ can you tell me if I should ask her out? Think she would say yes?¡± By the end of of his series of questions he had grown close and a hopeful spark shone in his eyes. Charlie almost felt bad for getting his hopes up, it was a bad idea to have baited him. Might as well give him the best shot he could ever get and answer his first question at the same time. ¡°Sorry Jason. I don¡¯t know, you should, and once again I don¡¯t know. I can make sure you get invited to the next game session though, that would be a good way to get to know her. It¡¯s going to be my going away party.¡± The Lurking Lair - Chapter 1: One Last Game Charlie spent the next week packing up the meager remains of their belongings. For the most part they had found appropriate people to bestow gifts upon, donated items to the needy, or thrown out the things no one would want.I won¡¯t be able to bring anything with me, best that it goes to people who will appreciate it. Laying in their bed, Charlie relaxed after doing a last bit of cleaning. Sophie would be happy that she wouldn¡¯t have to do much before renting out the room again. Finally, Charlie wouldn¡¯t have to worry about everything that had plagued them. Finances aside, this world was cruel in a way that could be easily remedied now. Charlie had never felt comfortable in their own body. It went beyond a general displeasure with their physical appearance. Something had always feltwrong. The process of uploading, at least the test program they had experienced, had been liberating. Charlie had immediately known that for the bonus in their contract they would select the unlimited upload option. Now that Elysium was up and running, Charlie could finally become someone beyond the limitations of sex, gender, or even a body. The call had come in earlier this week and the initial uploads had all been scheduled, Charlie¡¯s included. Toying with their last remaining personal possession, Charlie let the spiky edges of the crystal poke into their palms. Sophie, and the group of folks she had introduced Charlie to, represented the majority of their regret. Charlie knew that Sophie didn¡¯t like the decision, but understood.Perhaps we will meet again in Elysium?It was possible, albeit unlikely. The bubbly roommate bustled around downstairs setting up the house for this evenings game, making plenty of racket. It would be nice to wrap up any remaining loose ends, say goodbyes, and put a nice shiny bow on this chunk of life. Muffled by the door, a shout for assistance echoed up the stairwell. ¡°Get down here and help setup! The snacks won¡¯t put themselves into bowls.¡± Trudging down the stairs and into the kitchen, Charlie tugged on the bottom of their sweater to adjust it properly. ¡°They might, you just need to leave things out long enough. Pretty sure I saw something you left in the fridge too long grow legs and scamper out one time when I opened the door late at night.¡± Sophie scowled and put her hands on her hips. ¡°You are hardly one to talk. The number of times I have had to skulk into your room to hunt down dirty dishes with lord knows what on them are countless.¡± Both of them stood like that for a moment, silence invading the space between them. Sophie started sniffling, then she bear hugged Charlie as the tears fell from her eyes. ¡°I am going to miss you, you know?¡± Catching Sophie and squeezing, Charlie tried to squeeze their love into the tiny woman without breaking her. ¡°You will just have to come find me. I know you will be in the world once the player portal opens up. There may not be a player to player communication option, not really much in the way of player support at all, but you stand a better chance than most of tracking me down.¡± Releasing the hug and leaning back, Charlie gave their roommate a quick smile. ¡°If you do, I promise to give you some hefty prizes. Just think of it as an optional quest, with a disproportionate reward.¡± Chiming through the cavernous abode the doorbell interrupted them. Sophie wiped her tears quickly and grinned, changing her appearance and emotions on a dime. ¡°Damn right I am going to track you down. Better believe I will hold you to that promise. I am already starting to make a list.¡± Then she turned and bounded from the kitchen to answer the door. Charlie could hear a deep voice when the door opened, John must be here. The lore master always arrived early to set up, and tonight was no different. Striding into the living room and piling various role playing accouterments onto the broad table, John and his wife, Cindy, greeted Charlie with a broad smile. ¡°I have a real doozy of an evening planned for your last time questing with us. I hope you¡¯re ready!¡± ¡°Ready as I always am, which is to say I am still considering running upstairs and bolting the door.¡± Charlie winked and moved to the table to help setup the map. ¡°You trying to tell me that there will be plenty of ¡®you sure you want to do that?¡¯ and less ¡®hold on a sec¡­ let me check¡¯ than normal?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m not that stereotypical am I? Besides, like you are one to talk. You have one of the most complicated home brewed characters I have ever seen. You know how many special rules I have to keep track of? Now, it¡¯s your night. Want to pull any pranks on the others?¡± Cindy stared at the map distractedly arranging a few figurines, notably changing the atmosphere in the room as she added her piece. ¡°Have you worked out who Asphodel, paladin of Athena, will be passing on their items to?¡± John poked his wife playfully in the side. ¡°Cin, bad form. Let Charlie reveal that. Don¡¯t ruin the mystery before the story has even begun.¡± Amused and jealous of the couple¡¯s easy interaction, Charlie addressed the previous questions and brushed past Cindy¡¯s faux pas. ¡°You¡¯re great John, I was just teasing. Pranks on friends aren¡¯t really my thing. Why, did you have something in mind? Don¡¯t tell me you wanted to tease the new girl. She¡¯s obviously not used to socializing. She only opens up after we start role playing.¡± Sophie arrived with a piping hot over baked pizza and placed it with the rest of the snacks. ¡°No teasing Ashley. I had to work forever to get her to actually come to her first game. She had a player¡¯s handbook, dice, and figurines all over her cubicle, but she had never played before. She is just starting to get comfortable, don¡¯t ruin this for her¡­ or else." Distracting themselves with small talk, the group finished prepping for the evening while waiting on their tardy participant. Interrupting their idle chit-chat and hesitant knock sounded from the foyer. Sophie bounded up from her chair and whipped the door open. ¡°You made it! We were all getting a bit worried there. John already has the game setup, get your move on girl!!¡± Running slender fingers through her hair, Ashley fixed her appearance hastily. A loose fitting hoodie, baggy jeans, and messenger bag completed the guests outfit. With spindly arms she encircled Sophie in a hug. ¡°Ahh, sure. Sorry.¡± Sophie smirked. ¡°Riiiight. Now, get that sexy butt moving. No embarrassing the hostess.¡± Sophie twisted so Ashley was inside the house and pushed her further in upon releasing. Jolted forward, the new arrival used the momentum to continue on into the living room, where she greeted those gathered with a wave and sheepish smile. ¡°Great! Everyone is here. Cindy and I were about to send out a search party. The ¡®za was getting cold.¡± John spread his thick arms out in a welcoming gesture and then pat back of the chair to his right. ¡°Tonight we go back into a world of adventure, to explore the Dungeon of the Shrouded Veil, prepare yourselves.¡± ¡°Now I don¡¯t have any other in game items to give away, but I do have one last present. Sophie, put that cake down and clean your hands.¡± Charlie took out the small gift bag housing a crystal gifted by someone lost, but not forgotten. Clenching the possession briefly, Charlie bundled up all of their pain, doubts, and resentment releasing them with a soft exhale. ¡°Sophie, ever since I bumped into you at one of the lame company mixers, I have never been able to escape. I mean that in the best way possible. You insisted that I move in to your spare room, introduced me to everyone here, and have been the best thing that happened to me¡­ probably ever.¡± Charlie passed the gift bag over to Sophie and smiled. ¡°Thank you for encouraging me to open up and understanding my goal. I want you to have this to remember me by. Maybe, break it out at a gaming session sometime.¡± John¡¯s eye¡¯s twinkled as he saw Sophie unwrap the lavender colored crystal. ¡°I am sure I can work up a deep dark campaign that would work great in! Ohhhh! A crystal cavern guarded by a legion of undead.¡± The new owner of the crystal swatted John playfully on the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! This belongs in a elven queen¡¯s palace or as the locus of power for a pocket dimension. Something elegant and refined, not as a crystal in some cavern. Thank you very much Charlie, it¡¯s beautiful. I will always think of you when I look at it.¡± Charlie felt a true pang of regret looking around at the acquaintances and friends around the table. ¡°You are welcome. It means a lot to me that someone who will treasure it takes care of it.¡± Perhaps Sophie knew, perhaps she didn¡¯t, but Charlie had poured hopes and dreams into that crystal. It represented something that Charlie had always believed impossible, but come tomorrow they would shed this skin and receive a fresh start. ¡°Now, no moping about everyone. Like I told Sophie earlier today, the player portal will open soon. I expect you all to come and find me. Besides, now Ashley won¡¯t be late anymore now that she is taking over my old room. That¡¯s a net gain for the group, think of how many hours you will all get back.¡± Charlie winked at the now blushing woman, free to tease a bit now that they would no longer be part of the group. Now that Sophie would have essentially unlimited time to work on Ashley, she stood no chance of staying introverted for much longer. ¡°Also, even though Jason couldn¡¯t be here tonight, he practically begged to join in. Give him a warm welcome for me. We spent a lot of nights living on energy drinks and adrenaline together. He should fit right in.¡± Stories of previous campaigns, outrageous dice rolls, and John¡¯s extensive practical jokes consumed the dwindling hours of the night. Charlie was certain that John was already planning a devious greeting for Jason at the next session. It would be a coin flip if the prank would be in game or out. Early morning hours approached and the tumbling of plastic ceased. Ashley left last out of the invited guests for once, after getting a brief tour of her new room. Once Sophie had gone to bed, Charlie used the silence to ponder the wonders this next step would bring.What is it like to talk with a god? Chapter 2: A Second Beginning Sitting in the waiting room at the upload facility, Charlie signed what they hoped would be the final document. Charlie had allowed this hope to bloom on previous occasions that morning, only to have it crushed by yet another stack of papers. It was understood that the company had to take significant legal protections regarding this process, but it was still annoying to go through. Charlie just wanted this part of their life to be done with.This is worse than the DMV, let¡¯s get on with it already! Walking into the room and collecting the papers, the nurse smiled warmly. ¡°That¡¯s the last of them. Ready to be one of the first to enter Elysium? You cleared the upload trial and signed all the paperwork, nothing left but plugging you in. Do you have any questions before we start?¡± Standing and shaking their head, Charlie¡¯s heart beat in exhilaration. ¡°None that I can think of. I have sort of been planning this for a while, so I would prefer to get it done with.¡± Guiding Charlie through a series of hallways as they chatted the nurse cheerfully made a series of inquiries. ¡°You have been planning it for a while? So, you are not one of the test cases. Mmmmm, no offense, but you don¡¯t strike me as a priority customer. How did you manage to be so early in line?¡± Charlie tried to keep the annoyance off their face, did this nurse know any of the HIPAA laws? Let alone professional behavior?I have to remember that this is new for him, he is probably as excited as I am. ¡°Employee, one of the programmers. I took this as my bonus.¡± Thinking about it, Charlie was a bit curious as well. ¡°Am I the first? Employee to upload that is?¡± ¡°Ohhh, that¡¯s so cool. It¡¯s nice to meet you. Everyone around here has been talking about how much has been put in to this world, sounds amazing. Yeah, your the first employee I have met so far. Everyone else has had priority for test purposes, medical need, or financial capacity¡­ I think. Some people don¡¯t open up much.¡± Scrunching up into a sour expression, the nurse¡¯s face conveyed more information than explanation alone could. He had already had to interact with a rather disagreeable patient it appeared. Rounding the last corner, the pair went through a decontamination area before entering a large room. In the center of the space was something akin to a bed, but with a cavity in the shape of a human body. ¡°Please remove your clothes behind the privacy screen and then lay down on the device. Cover yourself with the blanket and let me know when you are settled. It might be a bit ¡®refreshing,¡¯ they haven¡¯t installed the warming device yet.¡± Charlie stripped down, shivering for reasons outside of the temperature, and climbed into the machine. Once readied they called out enthusiastically. ¡°Let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡± Returning while rubbing their hands together to warm them up, the nurse started attaching various wires attached to suction cups along Charlie¡¯s shaved scalp. ¡°You are pretty psyched to get in and see the world you helped make aren¡¯t you?¡± Charlie winked, but tried to keep their head still while the nurse was preparing everything. ¡°You could you tell? I was pretty sure it was painfully obvious. Every day Elysium has come closer to completion, I have found myself daydreaming longer about being there. I have no way of knowing what the finished product will look like, but I have a general idea of what sorts of things to expect.¡± ¡°More so than most, it sounds like, on both counts. I will go get the doctor and then we will have you transported to Elysium in no time.¡± Stepping back from the machine the nurse walked out of the room, leaving Charlie alone. Charlie could feel their pulse racing and started taking in long, slow breaths through their nose and exhaling through their mouth in an attempt to calm down. This was really happening. Charlie¡¯s heart threatened to jump out of their chest, then the door opened again. Leading the nurse, a female doctor with blonde hair and glasses appeared at Charlie¡¯s side. In a professional tone the physician made several inquiries while checking over the wires and then pressing several buttons on the device. ¡°You are fully aware of the risks associated with the uploading process? You have put all of your earthly affairs in order and protected yourself legally? You are giving consent free of any coercion or pressure?¡± With each answer to the affirmative Charlie¡¯s enthusiasm was tempered by increasing nerves.Thisis all safe right?Charlie had looked into all of the information available, there was a 99.8% success rate for the process. Seemed like a .2% failure rate was high enough to make sure they covered their butts eight ways til Sunday. With the final ¡®yes,¡¯ the Doctor pressed a few more buttons and then leaned over to look into Charlie¡¯s eyes. ¡°The process has started, you will fall asleep shortly. When you wake, you will be in Elysium.¡± Calling out from behind the doctor, the nurse provided a last piece of encouragement. ¡°Good luck! Have an amazing adventure!!¡± Charlie hadn¡¯t noticed falling asleep, but that was a seldom occurring experience. Upon waking, Charlie¡¯s mind was clear and refreshed. It felt like being fully rested and well fed, but without the lethargy of having a full belly. Charlie was laying on an odd stone slab, upon sitting up, they could see a room decorated wall to wall with bookcases stuffed full. While observing the walls distractedly, Charlie heard someone clear their throat. Jumping a bit in surprise, Charlie calmed themselves, this had been expected. Looking up, Charlie could see a distinguished looking gentlemen sitting at a large desk with his arms spread out in a gesture of greeting, a warm smile on his face. ¡°Welcome toElysium! It is a pleasure to meet one of the creators, so few have entered.¡± He pushed his chair back and stood moving over to Charlie and helping them up to their feet. ¡°Even fewer have uploaded themselves. As a creator and having gone through the upload trials you are allowed to skip the tutorial and retain all of your memories starting on your first day, is that how you would like to proceed?¡± Charlie blinked a bit and smiled at the warm welcome while taking their feet. This was not exactly what they had expected, but it was pleasant. ¡°Yes, thank you. I do plan on skipping the tutorial and jumping right in. My name is Charlie, you are?¡± ¡°Ahhh yes, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Charon, the ferryman of souls and god of this realm betweenElysiumandErebus, Hades¡¯ home. In this incarnation I guide those who are transferring from Earth into our world. "We will create your new body together, attributes and all. Then once you are satisfied with your choices I will pick a location suitable for your arrival. After that, it¡¯s up to you. You will only see me again under specific circumstances or if I would like to meet.¡± Charon moved around the room, taking a book from one of the shelves and placing it on his desk. ¡°Do you have any questions or would you like to get started?¡± He sat back down in his high-backed chair. Charlie very much wanted to get started immediately, but it was probably a good idea to get on Charon¡¯s good side. Charlie had the feeling that once the god had gone through this process a few hundred times that the appeal of conversation would tarnish. This was a golden opportunity, best not to waste it.What sort of information can I gain?I didn¡¯t plan for this at all. ¡°I have a few questions, do you have time for a conversation or would be that intruding?¡± Charlie sat down in the chair across from Charon and read the title of the book that the god had selected,The Odysseyby Homer. That made Charlie¡¯s eyebrow¡¯s raise.Elysiumhad been constructed giving the gods full control, relative awareness of their circumstances, and extensive information from Earth. However, Charlie had not expected, for whatever reason, that they would be interested in the philosophy, poetry, and mythology as written by human authors. Interesting, I know the world is based on Adventurer rules and various mythological pantheons, but I am even more curious to see what theworldlooks like now.Seemslike the Greek continent unlocked first. I was really hoping for the Japanese & Chinese module, but at least it¡¯s not the Norse area. I¡¯venever liked Vikings. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be intruding at all, I can always duplicate myself if there is another upload concurrently. I had hoped that you didn¡¯t want to immediately make your new body, I have several questions for you as well.¡± Charon affably leaned back and took a relaxed conversational position. ¡°How about you start, you are a guest in my home after all.¡± Charlie¡¯s mind went blank momentarily, then they blurted out the first thing that came to mind based on the conversation so far. ¡°If you are a ferryman, where is the river? Your boat? I¡¯m sorry, this just isn¡¯t what I expected. It feels like we are in a library.¡± Laughter echoed through the small room, Charon spoke through a huge grin. ¡°I ferry souls, there is no river Styx flowing under your feet that you have to cross. I teleport you to a neutral starting location, I don¡¯t take you there by water. Hence, I have no need of a boat. Is that really what you wanted to ask?¡± Charlie blushed as the god explained, that probably wasn¡¯t the best question to start with. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. Sorry, I was curious and it was the first thing that came to mind. I am actually a little stumped now that I have been given the opportunity. Perhaps it is best to start with your questions.¡± ¡°Fantastic, I only have one, but it may take a bit of explaining it is rather all encompassing. Why? Why did you create this world? Why give control to our pantheon and not one of the others? Why not keep it for yourselves?¡± Charon leaned back, not giving away much with his facial expressions as he studied Charlie, waiting for an answer. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Charlie¡¯s mouth hung open a little at the god¡¯s cheerfully phrased question. It was akin to asking what the meaning of life was, at least for him.Had any of the other programmers stopped to have a chat? Or am I the first person to be asked that question? How do I answer something like that? I don¡¯t want to tell him his world is based on a game, do I?Wait, he obviously knows that.How much information does he know? How much do I want to give him? Closing their mouth slowly, Charlie tried to work through how to best phrase everything. It was probably a bad idea to get on the wrong side of Charon. Head tilting to the side, Charlie pondered whether they had the right to even give an answer to the questions.I was one of many programmers, I didn¡¯t even make those sorts of decisions. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t make most of those choices. I am not entirely sure that we did make all of those choices to be honest. I didn¡¯t know which pantheon would be in control. We couldn¡¯t keep control of the world ourselves, Elysium is too large, too complex. There are some worlds that do not have any gods, we control everything there.¡± Charlie paused and took a breath. ¡°I helped createElysiumbecause of reasons that are¡­ personal. I would prefer not to get in to it very much, but suffice it to say that Earth does not have the opportunities presented here. I have always wanted to live in a world of magic and wonder. A place where I can choose who I am, not have it decided for me based on biology.¡± Charon had started to nod a bit towards the end, when Charlie had spoken of their own desires he actually smiled. ¡°You seek free will and self determination it seems. Perhaps that answers more than you think. Plato, Socrates, and Euripides all have many opinions on fate. When you say thatElysiumis too complex to control what do you mean?¡± Charlie could follow Charon¡¯s line of thinking, these weren¡¯t exactly concepts that people would consider related, but Charon wasn¡¯t thinking about this from a typical perspective. ¡°I mean thatElysiumis an entire world, constructed from the foundation up. There are too many variables at any given time for us to be able to change one part of the world or another. It is rooted in the creation process. We can set a framework, but there have been terrible consequences when we have tried to change even a small piece of a world built this way. "The worlds and realms that we can alter and change are relatively simple in comparison to this place. When we change something it is easier to alter everything effected by that change. If a world is too complex, making a single small change will cascade through everything, often corrupting it beyond recovery.¡± Scribbling on a notepad on his desk, Charon actually took notes and then nodded as Charlie finished. ¡°Thank you for explaining and for providing the information you have. Did you think of anything you wanted to ask me before we start the creation process?¡± Charlie did want to ask more questions, but the anticipation was also starting to become rather unbearable. ¡°If I think of something I will make sure to ask, but yeah, I would like to get started. How does it work?¡± Charon opened a drawer on his desk and took out a wooden box with no lid and a velvet inlay. Inside of the box there were five dice, each six sided. Charlie grinned and then couldn¡¯t help themselves, they started chuckling.This is perfect! Just like rolling for a character. Arching an eyebrow, as only an older gentlemen could, Charon eyed Charlie. ¡°What is so amusing? You are about to roll for your stats, I would take this seriously, it can have significant long term repercussions.¡± Fixing their face to hide their outward amusement, Charlie did their best to give this occasion the gravity it deserved. Charon was right, this wasn¡¯t making a character, this was creating Charlie¡¯s new body. ¡°Sorry about that, I just found it amusing that you stuck to using actual dice. I just thought you would use a random number generator, that¡¯s all.¡± Waving his hand back and forth dismissively, Charon responded agreeably. ¡°Ahhh, I understand. Yes, I thought that those of you who transfer and are familiar with this tradition would find it appealing. I can have your stats selected at random if you would like, but where''s the fun in that?¡± Charlie nodded profusely, getting excited, this was best part. ¡°I completely agree. The dice are zero through five correct? I roll five for each stat, in order, and I get to remove the lowest die roll each time? Is the order Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Spirit, Charisma, and Luck? Or do you do it differently?¡± Pushing the ornate rolling box to Charlie¡¯s side of his desk, Charon nodded. ¡°Indeed, you seem to have a rather intricate understanding of theAdventurerrules. The others have needed more instruction. You should be familiar with what comes after your stat allocation, but just in case I will go over it. "You use your creation points to select your race, starting skills, starting items, or to adjust stat points. As a creator, instead of the normal one hundred points, you have double that amount at two hundred. Take the dice and roll when you are ready.¡± Charlie scooted forward to the edge of the chair and scooped up the dice out of the box. ¡°I already have a plan for how I am going to spend the points, but things could change in the moment. This is one of the best parts.¡± Clasping all of the dice in one hand, Charlie gave them a good blow for luck and then released them. Bouncing around off the edges, when the small pieces of wood finally came to a rest the number¡¯s on each side glowed. Then five shining numbers appeared in the air above the box, representing each of the dice.Magicis going to be fun. Charlie¡¯s intrigue was dulled by the results of the first roll, upturned corners of their mouth reversing to a frown. After throwing out one of the zero¡¯s, the total of the remaining dice only came to eight.Not the most auspicious start, hopefully my luck gets better.Charlie continued the rolling process to fill out each of the stat categories. As the last set of dice were thrown, and the lowest score tossed out, a glowing chart appeared above the box showing the results of all the throws.
Strength Dexterity Constitution Intelligence Spirit Charisma Luck
Results: 8 14 9 16 16 11 13
Charlie clucked their tongue looking over the stats.Not bad, not bad at all. Nothing too high, nothing too low.I would have preferred one or two higher scores.It all depends on how I use my creation points, but these stats may make me reconsider once I see the racial modifiers. I doubt it though. Charon moved the box to the side of his desk. ¡°Good. Now that you have completed that step, how would you like to select your next options? I can provide any number of interfaces. It is best that you consider this carefully, but I imagine you are more aware of that than most.¡± ¡°I am. I have put a lot of time into planning this. Perhaps you should walk me through it though. I wouldn¡¯t want to make a mistake now. Can you make the creation process display like the stats did?¡± Charlie had settled back into the chair a bit, not needing to roll the dice any longer. Charon waved a hand over the center of his desk and another glowing chart appeared, burned into the air.
CreationCostTable
Uncommon Rare Legendary Divine
Race 10 pts 25 pts 45 pts 90 pts
Skills 10 pts 25 pts 50 pts 100 pts
Items 25 pts 50 pts 75 pts 100 pts
Stats +1 pt to any stat category costs 10 pts. Transferring 1 stat pt from one category to another is 5 pts.
Multi-racial It cost 10 pts to select multiple races, including their initial creation point cost.
Looking over the glowing numbers and letters made Charlie grin, it was all as it should be. Charon had really made this enjoyable so far. Hopefully this next part would go to plan. ¡°So¡­ I know that I have two hundred points compared to the normal one hundred, but do I have any options that most folks don¡¯t to spend them?¡± Charon actually started chuckling and then clapped his hands together. ¡°Yes, indeed! You have access to the godly races, skills, and items. I have to warn you though, it would take your entire allocation of points. If you select anything from the god tier it will take two hundred points and you will have nothing left over. "The item, as I am sure you are aware, is only guaranteed to be usable by you and suitable. You do not get to select a specific one. It is the same with skills, except that you are assured to have a natural aptitude for whichever skill you end up with. The races are of course a different story. Did you have a particular selection in mind?¡± Charlie nodded again.¡°Well, as you have already noticed, I have a fairly good background with the rules. So I know what sort of modifiers are associated with most races, even the divine ones. Not the godly ones though. Can you give me a few examples of what the godly races look like before I tell you which one I am specifically interested in?¡± Waving his had over his desk again, Charon shifted the creation cost table to the side and produced a new set of information. ¡°Easily. Remember, you will start at level 0, no matter the race.¡±
Race PrimaryModifiers Additional Modifiers & Abilities
Red Dragon +10 to Strength +10 to Constitution +1 Ability Point per level +1 Martial Skill Point per level Huge Creature: -50% to Dexterity, -50% to Charisma, +75% to Strength, +50% to HP, and +50% to Constitution. God Tier Abilities¨C Starting Options: 1. Fire Breath Attack 2. Divine Shapechange 3. Manipulate Fire 4. Aura of Terror 5. Wing Buffet
Siren +10 to Charisma +10 to Intelligence +1 Ability Point per level +1 Skill Point per level Large Creature: -50% to Luck, -25% Strength, +50% to Charisma, +25% to HP, +25% to Constitution. God Tier Abilities¨C Starting Options: 1. Divine Glamour 2. Song of Anguish 3. Song of Desire 4. Divine Shapechange 5. Mind Blank
Cyclops +10 to Strength +5 to Constitution +2 Ability Point per level +1 Crafting Skill Point per level Large Creature: -25% to Dexterity, -50% Charisma, +50% to Strength, +25% to HP, +25% to Constitution. God Tier Abilities¨C Starting Options: 1. Forge Living Lightning 2. Rage of the Sea 3. Manipulate Stone 4. Divine Vengeance 5. Summon Flock
Wow, just wow!The primary modifiers alone are easily double, if not triple, the divine racial bonuses.Maybe this is going to be harder than I thought¡­ Chapter 3: Several Decisions Shaking their head violently, Charlie put their hands up in front of the glowing table showing the tempting racial options.Stick tothe plan Charlie,stick tothe plan. ¡°Thank you Charon, but can you actually take that down? I don¡¯t want to be tempted away from something I have spent years dreaming and planning for. Can you show me the information on the dungeon race?¡± Ever since Charlie had gotten their first lore master¡¯s guide and they had noticed this small detail they had dreamed about this. Dungeons in the world ofAdventurer, and nowElysium, were a race that operated under the same rules as all of the others. Of course, John had never wanted to lore master a game where Charlie would be able to play as a dungeon, and Charlie didn¡¯t blame him.How boring would it have been to make the entire party stay in one place for a whole campaign?How would it even work?That would be the most restrictive Adventurer game of all time. Charon leaned forward, genuinely intrigued by Charlie¡¯s request. Moving his hands across the desk in a now familiar motion caused the previous racial table to wink out, and a new shimmering table to coalesce. ¡°You want to become a dungeon? You are a curious person Charlie, even I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that. As you know, they have a fair amount of restrictions that most would find unappealing.¡±
Race PrimaryModifiers Additional Modifiers & Abilities
Dungeon +10 to Intelligence +10 to Spirit +1 Ability Point per level +1 Arcane Skill Point per level MagicalConstruct - Dungeon Stone: Strength, Dexterity, and Movement Speed set to 0. Constitution stat x100 becomes starting durability score. 90% Physical Resistance, 90% Magic Resistance, and 100% Mental Resistance. Starting Skill(s): Creation Magic (All dungeon school spells will be automatically acquired as skill levels increase.) Level 0 Spells - 1. Summon Dungeon Monster 2. Summon Dungeon Familiar God Tier Abilities¨C Starting Options: 1. Bind 2. Consume 3. Assimilate 4. Mana Osmosis 5. Influence Infusion
Charlie¡¯s eyes glazed over as they looked over the information, Charon¡¯s question and comment going largely unregistered.It¡¯sexactly the same as I hoped it would be. All the dreaming, all the planning, and all the time I spent on this. Yes!Yes! Yes!!! The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°¡­ Charlie? Is something wrong? Was there a mistake?¡± Charon looked concerned and was standing out of his chair, hands braced on the desk, leaning towards Charlie. Blinking through tears, Charlie jumped back when they realized how close Charon was. Quickly moving an arm across their eyes to dry them, Charlie smiled. ¡°No Charon, nothing¡¯s wrong. Everything is perfect! Sorry, I¡¯m just so happy. I didn¡¯t expect to get so emotional.¡± Charon sat back and studied his guest, he opened his mouth to speak and then closed it, appearing at a loss for words. Charlie almost chuckled, but caught themself.His reaction makes sense, I am overjoyed to become a living rock. He probably has no frame of reference for my decision. It¡¯s probably hard to understand why someone would give up all theperceivedpleasures ofa body, let alone the ability to talk and walk. He has never had to live in constant, intractable pain without hope. Give him a bit of a break Charlie. ¡°Charon, you remember that I told you that I helped makeElysiumfor personal reasons? Well, my life so far has not been easy. I am not running from difficulty though, I can overcome challenges. Becoming a dungeon will give me the chance to define myself, my environment, and the world in a way I never could in any other form. This means¡­ everything to me.¡± Looking contemplative, Charon nodded, taking his time and giving a measured approach. ¡°This is often the function I served in your mythology, guiding someone from the pain and trials of a mortal life to the rewards of the next. I am honor-bound by my pantheon to be impartial with your fate. However, I am pleased to serve this role for you, Charlie.¡± Charlie moved past their emotional outburst awkwardly, trying to shift the conversation. ¡°Of course, an impartial lore master is the best kind to have. So, now that I have stats, once I select my race what happens?¡± ¡°You would normally get a chance to select the general characteristics given to your new body. In this circumstance though, you will simply go to sleep. When you wake up, you will be in an appropriate location to begin your adventure as a dungeon.¡± Charon paused, and then a sly smile crept onto his lips. ¡°Is there any type of environment that you would prefer to start in? A forest? A mountain cave? The ocean?¡± Charlie immediately realized what sort of benefit Charon was offering. His actions were still neutral, but he was giving Charlie the ability to push the variables of their starting location.So, if I want to start someplace isolated I could pick a desert beginning, but if I want a location teeming with life I could always go with the ocean. Charlie considered the implications that this choice would have on how they had planned to go about establishing themself.My main goals are to make sure that I am strong enough to defend myself, power level to a class upgrade, and have a great time learning about my newworld. What type of environment gives me the best chance to accomplish those goals?Charlie snapped their fingers.Got it. ¡°I would like to start in a jungle or rain forest, preferably one near a beach if possible. I think I would enjoy what those places have to offer.¡± Charlie understood that it was best to phrase things politically, and not to openly acknowledge that they would like to start in those areas for the advantages they presented. Both areas would be relatively isolated, yet packed with plants and animals ¨C part of a dungeon¡¯s complete breakfast. Charlie had a smile to match their generous host¡¯s. ¡°That is something that I can do for you. I know just the place, it is quite lovely. Now, take a moment to make sure that this is what you want. Once you tell me that this is your selection, our discussion will be complete.¡± Looking around again, Charlie took in Charon¡¯s study again.This will probably be the last time I get a chance to talk with him for a while. I better just ask him. ¡°Charon, this may seem silly, but why do you have all of these ancient Greek books around us? I don¡¯t want to make assumptions, but I realized that I had already been making them. I presumed that I could put myself in your place and empathize, which is rather ignorant and arrogant.¡± Charlie ducked their head a bit, embarrassed by their error and attempting to demonstrate appropriate shame with their apology. It was Charon¡¯s turn to take a moment for thought and contemplation. The god looked pensive as he sat, still and silent as an abandoned graveyard. However, the sound of Charon¡¯s mental gears whirring was deafening.It seems like I asked a very right¡­ or a very wrong question. ¡°I will answer your question with one of my own. If you could study the words of your creators forefathers would you? I do not think that you are as unable to empathize with me as you may think. However, it is best that we finish our conversation here. Perhaps we will talk again at length on a future occasion.¡± Charlie looked up, knowing a rhetorical question ¨C and a dismissal ¨C when they heard one.Best not to push my luck any further.¡°Thank you, Charon. The talk was very enjoyable and informative. I would be pleased to speak with you again if you wish it. I believe that I am ready, I will select dungeon as my race.¡± Slumping in their chair, Charlie was asleep the instant the last words left their lips. Charon stood and watched Charlie¡¯s sleeping form for a while. Then with a wave of his hands, Charlie¡¯s form winked out and disappeared from the room in a flash, the glowing tables hovering above his desk followed suit. Charon surveyed his study for a moment and then nodded. A thick gray fog started billowing into the room from an unseen source, shrouding the bookcases in a roiling curtain. The center of the room, around the desk and two chairs, remained clear of the fog. The light of a single flickering oil lamp flared, casting shadows to dance in the mist. *** Want to read more? Click here:The Lurking Lair*** Tables & Charts
Biographical Information: Name: Level: Experience: Race: Class: Alignment: Languages:
Stats: Health: Mana: Strength: Dexterity: Constitution: Intelligence: Spirit: Charisma: Luck: Resistances: Aspects:
Skills: Abilities: Traits:
Inventory:
Leveling Experience and Point Scale:
1 ¨C 1000 exp 2 ¨C 3000 exp 3 ¨C 6000 exp 4 ¨C 10,000 exp 5 ¨C 15,000 exp 6 ¨C 21,000 exp 7 ¨C 28,000 exp 8 ¨C 36,000 exp 9 ¨C 45,000 exp 10 ¨C 55,000 exp ¡­ HP per level: 5-10 + constitution and other modifiers Mana per level: 5-10 + intelligence and other modifiers Skill Points: 1 SP per level + racial modifiers. *Class Upgrade available once an individual reaches level 10 depending on race, stats, skills, abilities, and traits.
Experience Gain Rate:
Base Modifier
Creatures 5% of creatures total experience. +/- 1% for each level within 3 of the slayer. Max experience gain of 10%.
Activity 100 Skill Experience per hour for the first 8 hours. Sub-skills or related skills gain experience at 50% the rate of the main skill being used. -10% (cumulative) Skill Experience penalty each hour after 8 hour threshold. Combat Skill Experience gain +100%.
Questing Situational Situational
Skill Advancement Each skill tier advancement grants 1,000 experience points. I.E. - Initiate to Adept. Increases by 1,000 experience points by tier.
Item Rarity Scale: Common ¨C These items can be found throughout Elysium and are readily available for crafters of all kinds. Uncommon ¨C Items that take some searching, hunting, or skill to acquire, but are still found in common places in Elysium. Rare ¨C Items that are harder to find than most either due to location, paucity, or need a significantly high skill to harvest. Legendary ¨C Objects that are imbued with a high level of ambient mana, constructed by masters, or exist due to a confluence of extremely rare natural events. Divine ¨C Scarce and incalculable in value, items that have been directly influenced by one of Elysium¡¯s gods should be handled with care.
Item Quality Scale: Poor: Rudimentary productions that often carry a penalty to crafting or collection skills. Average: Basic level of quality that is utilized for the majority of recipes, items, and gear. Professional: Items of this level typically have bonuses that reinforce their construction. Expert: Instruments produced by a higher level of skill often confers bonuses to the wielders skills. Masterwork: The height of quality for any object in Elysium. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Aptitude Scale: None: Certain skills require no aptitude to learn and are generally available. However, if you have no aptitude for a skill you still have a small chance to learn it through repetition or special circumstances. Limited: Someone with this level of aptitude will have a challenge to learn the given skill and will only be able to rise an adept level of mastery. Average: Most sentient people of Elysium at this proficiency with a skill can reach professional level. Hence, this is the per-requisite level to achieve any sort of comfortable living at a profession. Significant: Someone with this level of aptitude will pick up their skill with above average quickness and has the ability to rise to truly great heights within their chosen focus. Natural: 100% Synergy with a given skill and the ability to become a true Master, only those with Natural aptitude can rise to the highest proficiency in a given skill.
Skill Progression Scale: Initiate: Apprentice: Journeyman: Specialist: Expert: Master:
Relationship Scale: Love: 9,000+ points Affection: 6,000 points Fondness: 3,500 points Friendly: 1,500 points Neutral: 0 points Suspicion: -1,500 points Dislike: -3,500 points Anger: -6,000 points Enmity: -9,000+ points Relationship points acquired with a person, clan, tribe, party, territory, hamlet, village, town, city, nation, or god etc. are an important element of many interactions within Elysium. It is NOT the end all be all of personal interactions with other individuals or groups. A host of complex factors and personal predilections truly define any relationship. However, a given relationship level with a party is useful to determine how they will most likely act towards you.
Schools of Magic: Fire: Often the most common school of magic to be invoked and used to attack one¡¯s opponents. Naturally opposed to the water school. Focused on offense, destruction, and mining. Water: Typically defense oriented, water magic can be used offensively as with any type of magic, but it is best suited to creating barriers or altering terrain. Focused on defense, alteration, and farming. Earth: Magic that is foundation of construction, settlement, and resource gathering. Earth can be used for defense and offense, like every school of magic, but the spells are intricate and often take significant cast time so they are not preferred. Wind: Focused on speed, control, and time. Not the most potent school for combat, but often can provide boosts to allies or hinder opponents. Holy: Magic that is formed through a direct connection with the gods of Elysium. The type of magic that the wielder is blessed with is often associated with the specific deity of the follower. Life: Healing, growth, and amplification are the domain of life magic. Life spell casters provide the backbone of any settlements health. Infernal: Those who form a direct connection with members of planes outside of our own are practitioners of infernal magic. This includes, but is not limited to, demons, devils, and demigods. Death: Members of the school of death magic work with necrotic, rot, and disease. They are the most advanced school in soul based magic. Advanced Schools: There are countless numbers of advanced schools of magic which are made of up of complex variations of basic schools. For example, Nature Magic is a combination of all elemental types with an emphasis on earth and water.
Basics of Stats, Skills, Abilities, Traits, & Aspects: The core stats that govern beings in Elysium are health, mana, armor, strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, spirit, charisma, and luck. Each has a significant bearing on how an individual is able to grow, evolve, and walk their path through life. Health: Most adult humanoids at level 10 have 50 ¨C 100 hit points, not counting racial or constitution modifiers. If 50% or more of an individuals hit points are lost in a single attack that person will be rendered helpless. If an individual has less than 10% of their hit points remaining they are considered critically injured and must attend to their wounds or succumb. Mana: Most adult humanoids at level 10 have 50 ¨C 100 mana points, not counting racial or intelligence modifiers. If 50% or more of an individuals mana points are used in a single spell that person will be rendered helpless. Spirit modifies the rate at which an individuals mana replenishes throughout their body for spell usage. Armor: For every 1 point of armor that an individual is equipped with it will deflect up to 1 point of damage per. attack. However, armor only covers certain parts of any humanoids body, beware relying upon your armor rating. Strength: is the primary stat that effects damage and carrying capacity. For every 1 point of strength an individual can carry 10 lbs of weight without being encumbered. For every 10 lbs of weight over a person¡¯s carrying capacity they will be slowed by 10% in their movement and actions. For every 1 point above 10 an individual will have +1 damage per attack. For every 1 point below 10 an individual will do 1 less damage per attack. Dexterity: is the stat that governs speed of movement and coordination. On average individuals can move 5 ft per second. For every point of dexterity above 10 a person will be able to move roughly .5 ft per second faster and have +1 to their chance to hit a target. As with most stats for every point under 10 an individual will be that much slower and less likely to hit. Constitution: is the prime modifier of an individuals health total, physical resistance, strength based skill aptitude, and intimidation based skills. For every point of constitution above 10 an individual will gain 1 additional health point per level. For every point under 10 the opposite effect will take place. Intelligence: is the prime modifier of an individuals mana pool, mental resistance, spell aptitude, and mental based skills. For every point of intelligence above 10 an individual will gain 1 additional mana per level and have +1 to spell effects. For every point under 10 the opposite effect will take place. Spirit: effects skills based on an individuals strength of will, focus, and concentration. Spirit replenishes both an individuals mana and health throughout their body. For every 1 point above 10 an individual receives an additional point per hour to their health and mana regeneration rates. Racial modifiers effect these rates. Charisma: is the main stat tied to physical beauty, mental persuasion, and empathic abilities. For every 1 point of charisma above 10 an individual is likely to receive a 5% discount on items or goods from a typical shopkeeper. The inverse is also true. This can be modified based on familiarity, race, circumstances, and other intangible factors. Many elements of this trait do not exhibit tangible effects. Luck: traditionally does not directly modify any specific ability, stat, or skill (except those correlating to chance). An individual¡¯s luck stat modifies their chance to collect resources, items, and skills. It is a point of contention whether or not the luck stat has an impact on other elements of an individuals life. I.E. - does the luck stat effect ones fortune with love? It is unknown. Skills: are the basis of how one uses their stats to impact the world. Many skills are effected by stat modifiers and many skills can over time impact a practitioners stats. Every profession, hobby, talent, and activity has one or more associated skills. Skills can be acquired by chance while performing an action that an individual has aptitude in, being taught by someone of higher skill level, and being imparted the knowledge through powerful items or beings. Abilities: can be innate to an individual due to their race, circumstances, or training. Most abilities are gained due to either skill proficiency or class. When an individual gains an ability they will start to accrue ability points during their level progression at the same rate as skill points. Traits: often are tied to an individuals background, experience, or heritage. Most individuals are born with traits related to their parents. They can be gained through extensive knowledge or involvement with particular places, people, or magic. Aspects: are are inherent elements of an individuals personality demonstrated through either extreme or continued action. They often provide a long term boon or hindrance to an individual based on the nature of the aspect. They are not gained whimsically and should be nurtured if beneficial and quickly remedied if not.
Understanding Alignment:
Good: Acts of benevolence, kindness, and altruism. Righteous: Focused on purity, piety, rectitude, morality and virtue. Orderly: Centered on enforcing laws, rules, and regulating behavior to ensure stability through proper authority. Neutral: Impartial and unbiased. Not a state in which any being naturally resides. Chaotic: Predisposed to tumult, turmoil, disarray and confusion. Evil: Base, malevolent, corrupt, sinister, and hurtful for the sake of causing anguish to others above all else. Bad: Focused on oneself at the sake of all others. One whose actions are often detrimental, inappropriate, adverse, and disagreeable to the majority of others. Alignment is not a straightforward calculation or mechanic within our world. It is an amalgamation of choices, both conscious and subconscious, throughout one¡¯s life. However, it continues to be a useful tool to classify, understand, and interpret the motives of those in Elysium. It takes at least two points to distinguish a dominant alignment or combination alignment.
Supplemental Chapter - Elysiums Gods: Olympian Pantheon
Elysium¡¯s Gods: Olympian Pantheon
Name Primary Sphere of Magic Secondary Sphere of Magic God/Goddess of... Divine Heritage Symbols Sacred Animal(s) Prime Temple Avatar Primary Worshipers
Zeus Cloud Magic Wind Magic Sky, weather, thunder, lighting, law, order, and justice. King of the gods. Youngest son of Cronus and Rhea. Husband and brother of Hera. Royal scepter and lightning bolt. Eagle and bull. Olympus ¨C Hall of the Gods Zeus has many avatars. His primary form is as a satyr. Gods, demigods, fae, most sentients
Hera Infernal Magic Life Magic Marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings, and empires. Queen of the gods. Daughter of Cronos and Rhea. Wife and sister of Zeus. Diadem and veil. Lotus-tipped staff. Heifer, peacock, and the cuckoo. Olympus ¨C Hall of the Gods Hera has many avatars. Her primary form is as a lamia. Royalty, fae, gods, demigods, most sentients
Apollo Holy Magic Music Magic Knowledge, healing, prophecy, poetry, and archery. Son of Zeus and Leto. Twin of Artemis. Laurel wreath, bow and arrow, and lyre. Roe deer, swans, and pythons. Island of Delphi, Delphi ¨C Oracle of Prophecy Hector the Sun Elf Paladin Elves, musicians, artists, bards
Artemis Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Nature Magic Holy Magic Hunt, wilderness, animals, and young girls. Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Twin of Apollo. Hunting spears, animal pelts, deer and other wild animals. Deer. Island of Delos ¨C Forest of the Huntress Hespera the Moon Elf Huntress Elves, centaurs, hunters, rangers
Poseidon Water Magic Ice Magic Sea, rivers, floods, droughts, and earthquakes. Ruler of the sea and the waters. Son of Cronus and Rhea. Brother of Zeus. Trident and Waves. Horse and dolphin. Oceanus, Atlantis ¨C Temple of the Sea Nereus the Atlantean Merfolk Explorer Merfolk, naiads, seafarers, fishermen
Ares Fire Magic Blood Magic War, bloodshed, strength, and violence. Son of Zeus and Hera. Spear and sword. Vultures, venomous snakes, dogs, and boars. Island of Peloponesia, Mycenae - Orc Capital Encampment Lycurgus the Orc Battlerager Orcs, goblins, trolls, warriors, dwarves
Hermes Wind Magic Teleportation Magic Travel, communication, trade, language, and writing. Son of Zeus and Maia. Messenger of the gods. Guide to the Underworld. Caduceus, winged sandals, and traveler¡¯s cap. Tortoise. Oceanus, Tradewinds ¨C Great Marketplace of the Gales Hesiod The Human Heraldic Bard Travelers, rogues, heralds, scouts
Hephaestus Metal Magic Fire Magic Fire, metalworking, constitution, and crafts. Spontaneous birth from Hera. Smith of the gods. Hammer, tongs, and anvil. Donkey, guard dogs, and crane. Deep Dark, Minoa, Dwarven Capital City ¨C Forge of the Gods Pyrrhus the Dwarven Master Smith Dwarves, Gnomes, Blacksmiths, Crafters
Aphrodite Life Magic Charm Magic Beauty, love, desire, charisma, and pleasure. Daughter of Zeus and Dione. Myrtle, roses, and scallops. Doves and Sparrows. Island of Corinth, Human Capital City of Corinth ¨C Palace of Pleasure Helen the Human Madame of the Palace of Pleasure Dancers, Healers, Pleasure workers
Demeter Earth Magic Life Magic Grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Sister of Zeus. Cornucopia, winged serpent, lotus staff, and wheat. Pigs and snakes. Island of Belleria, Meadow ¨C Temple of the Harvest Melanthios the Gnomish Head Brewer Farmers, Dwarves, Gnomes, Humans
Dionysus Nature Magic Mental Magic Wine, festivals, madness, vegetation, ecstasy, and theater. Son of Zeus and Semele. Grape vine, drinking cup, crown of ivy. Tigers, donkeys, serpents, and dolphins. Island of Paradise ¨C Vineyard of the Lotus Eaters Zotikos the Centaur Druid Dryads, Meliae, Satyrs, Woodsmen, Druids, Pygmies
Hades Death Magic Earth Magic Underworld, dead, and treasure. Ruler of the Underworld. Son of Cronus and Rhea. Eldest brother of Zeus. Drinking horn, cornucopia, and key. Screech owl, Cerberus. Deep Dark, Underworld ¨C Palace of Mysteries Akakios the Shadow Elf Lich Dwarves, Miners, Treasure Hunters, Undead
*Hamlet of Sunset Stout''s Tavern Print & Playable Maps - Various Locations in the Valley of Sunset *Clearing near theHamlet of Sunset- includes stage. *Hamlet of Sunset *Cave on the Northern Ridge of theValley of Sunset. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. *Interior of the cavern/ruins at the center of the valley. There are another 2 maps to come and small edits to these. Once again, thanks to Esper, the cartographer, he does great work. Those maps will be the interior of the tavern and theHamlet of Sunsetproper. All of these maps together will provide the ability for folks to play through the area of the first narrative as a role playing Adventure if they wish. I am working on putting together the various elements of the RPG component of the LitRPG narrative. Once I am able to bring everything together I hope to release a players guide and a lore master''s guide that will allow folks to utilize the system that has been laid down in Adventurer. These maps represent the start of that. I have always been a rather visual person when I am imagining a novel that I am reading. It felt natural to then provide more specific maps of the locations that occur in Adventurer. I hope that this brings more of the table top role playing feel to the novel. Acknowledgments I dedicate this work to my parents, Eric and Cindy Hendrickson. Thank you for everything you encouraged me to achieve. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who helped me accomplish this first complete work of fiction. My friends mean everything to me, you are all my family. Special thanks to my snuggles, Tiffany. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Particular thanks to Esper, the cartographer, he did fantastic work and I hope that it helps bring life to Elysium. Patrons Advocate ¨C Nate Wachter Ally - Nicole Emerson Adventurer Book II: Dawn of an Empire Thunderous silence echoed through the forest, Selene¡¯s senses screamed of unseen danger stalking the pair. Flickering her fingers in a series of gestures, she signaled for Cire to take to the trees. Without hesitation, he scrambled up a nearby great oak, his steps sure and movement graceful. Sometimes Selene was still surprised at how sure of himself Cire had become, but this wasn¡¯t a good time to lose herself in thought. Following right behind, the two elves managed to enter the canopy and hide in the leaves within minutes. Almost as if on cue, skittering through the brush, a massive spider the size of a small wagon passed under their tree. Using hand talk Selene identified their new guest. ¡°Giant wolf spider. More trouble than it¡¯s worth. Stay silent.¡± Cire raised an eyebrow, but besides that was keeping his body as still as possible. He signaled back, still having a limited vocabulary, it was a bit stilted. ¡°Giant wolf spider. Each word badder. Received direction.¡± Selene almost, almost, laughed. It wasn¡¯t that Cire had made a good joke, she didn¡¯t even think he meant it as a joke, his signaling was just so atrocious. At least he understands more than he can communicate. Surprised he picked it up so fast, but then again, he doesn¡¯t seem to know what his preferred skill set is yet. He¡¯s just been blindly charging ahead like the child he is. I still can¡¯t believe he is so young, but that¡¯s the least surprising thing about him so far. It even makes sense, for once. The palaestra, if it¡¯s still Eliana at least, will be able to give him direction. Travel through the Shadowed Forest wasn¡¯t as hard for the two of them compared to a large party. However, their best strategy was to run and hide while waiting for danger to pass, not exactly satisfying. Pulling out some of their trail rations, she handed her companion a strip of jerky and began gnawing on her own. Enough time had passed that they could speak and eat, the wide branches of the oak were as good a place as any. ¡°We are only about another day or two away from the Tops¡¯ at the rate we have been moving. Do you remember the people I told you about? Their names? What you¡¯re supposed to do when we get there? Don¡¯t speak common, only elven. You don¡¯t have much of an accent, so that¡¯s good.¡± Looking introspective, Cire finished off the bite he had been chewing and smiled. ¡°More or less. I have been going over it when I am dreaming. Even since you taught me how to keep half of my mind awake while sleeping, I have been trying to use that time productively. Although, to be honest, I¡¯ve been worrying about Durg getting along with Kalani, and the rest of the naga. We managed to smooth things out pretty well before we set out, but it¡¯s Durg, who knows what we could come home to.¡± Selene found the tips of her mouth pulling upwards, he could be so naive. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be concerned about them. You should be far more focused on the challenges before you. The circle won¡¯t just let you in because you ask nicely, and your curse will undoubtedly cause a commotion.¡± Cire nodded and tilted his head a bit, scanning the forest floor before responding. ¡°I know, I know. I just have a tendency to worry more about others than I should. Even though the best thing I can do right now for everyone is to focus on myself, that doesn¡¯t make it any easier. You¡¯re still sure we shouldn¡¯t tell them about the bonding?¡± Sharp and definitive, Selene¡¯s glare brooked no disagreement. ¡°Do not, under any circumstances tell them about the runestone, the bonding, or establishing a house. You remember what Maisy and Stout said? We may be traveling to my home, but you are more vulnerable now than you ever have been. Do not invite danger. We could not hope to defend ourselves from the many threats in the world, even those who are potential allies.¡± Rubbing his cheek to soothe phantom pain, Cire grimaced. Suddenly, Selene clamped her hand over his mouth, he hadn¡¯t even been about to speak. Upon meeting her blue eyes, he went silent. Cautiously he signaled to her. ¡°Danger?¡± Withdrawing her hand, she flicked and wove a quick reply, ¡°Not sure. Listen, something¡¯s in the trees. Not sure where.¡± Twitching, Cire moved his ears and focused on the wind breathing through the boughs. Now accustomed to his elven sense, it didn¡¯t take long for him to pick up the subtle difference. Looking up to the stars to confirm their direction he responded, ¡°From the north. In trees. Moving fast.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Selene nodded confirmation and slowly unsheathed her daggers, shifting to an adjoining branch to give Cire space. There would be no further silent communication. Looking back to Cire she nodded once and then faded into the foliage, her cloak breaking her form as she camouflaged. Grating and metallic, a stymphalian bird¡¯s call shattered the quiet. Leaning her head back, breaking cover, Selene responded. Cire was equal parts intrigued watching her move her finger rapidly over the front of her throat and astonished by the sound she produced. Grinning wickedly, Selene sheathed her weapons and stood nonchalantly on the branch. ¡°No swamp birds this far north Cire, looks like we got noticed. It¡¯s a patrol from the Tops¡¯. Keep still, they will come and find us. Now it¡¯s time for our adventure to really get started.¡± Two weeks ago... Sharp and searing, Selene¡¯s slap across Cire¡¯s cheek startled a small flock of finches and they took flight into darkness. Rocked, he almost fell off the log he was seated on, but braced himself. Cire was shocked and stared, mouth agape, at his companions. Durg let out a loud chuckle and slapped his thighs, ¡°Oh ho, boyo. Ya gone an done it now.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Didje even think ta ask us? Wonder why we be given the darn thing away instead o¡¯ keepin¡¯ it? Gone and made us heirs. Me, a member of a royal house, bwahahaha!¡± Selene scowled, arms crossed in front of her chest and practically barked at the sun elf. ¡°What were you thinking? Wait, never mind, you weren¡¯t. You have no idea what you¡¯ve done.¡± Hugging herself, she stood up and started pacing next to the fire. Gingerly rubbing his cheek, Cire weighed his words carefully. It would be all to easy to react flippantly to this situation. Hell, the pain had made him angry. He wanted to argue. Taking a deep breath, he thought about what each of his friends had said and then nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t have a firm grasp on what making you heirs to the house entails. I don¡¯t even have a great idea about what binding the territorial runestone means. But I do know that regardless of the circumstances I would rather face them together than alone. I¡¯m sorry about not asking, I didn¡¯t even think you wouldn¡¯t want me to name you as heirs to House Eventide.¡± Cire looked between the two, imploring, ¡°Please, give me a better idea of what I did. What do I need to know? Can¡¯t you just say no?¡± Doubling over with mirth, Durg offered no answers. Selene stopped her pacing and let out a long exasperated sigh. Hands on her hips, her icy blue eyes bore into the other elf¡¯s unmatched pair. ¡°Say no? Really. That just screams your ignorance. You¡¯re the ruler of this territory now, but you have no city, no army. Now that the territory has been claimed..¡± She shook her head and sat back down on one of the logs, across from the others, a shiver coursing through her form. ¡°We¡¯re marked now, each of us. I never learned about the inner workings of our city¡¯s house, let alone a territorial house. We need to talk with Maisy, she will know far more about this than any of us.¡± Wiping a tear from his eye, Durg grinned. ¡°Aye lassy, we be marked alright. Marked by the blessing o¡¯ fools. Course I accepted. I dunna know the first thing ¡®bout being a noble, but I ain¡¯t gunna let my friend down. Figure I¡¯ll stumble along the way and learn with ya boyo. What I do know, is that now our lives are bound ta get a bit more exciting. Nobles always have all kinds o¡¯ extra quests, responsibilities ta the gods, and not ta mention fighting each other. I be thinkin¡¯ we¡¯re about ta get a taste o¡¯ that sooner than we expect.¡± Looking askance, Selene toed the dirt between her and the fire. ¡°Cire, traditionally elven house members¡­¡± Her voice caught before she coughed, clearing her throat. ¡°Are wed. Before I realized you named Durg a house member as well, I thought...¡± Selene stopped speaking, letting the words hang. Cire had been silent, largely absorbing his friends outpouring, but at these final words he gulped. Flushing with embarrassment, his cheek stung all the more. By Zeus! That¡¯s why she slapped me. Cire you idiot! What have you done? Lurching forward, Durg¡¯s hearty pounding on his back didn¡¯t help steady his thoughts. The dwarf was cackling and repeatedly thumping his shoulders. Pulling Cire into a one-armed hug Durg offered unwelcome advice. ¡°You gone and done it now boyo! Make sure ya find all the knives before the wedding night, I wouldn¡¯t sleep naked next ta her while she¡¯s armed.¡± ¡°Argh! Durg, don¡¯t you start in. If you mention one word of this to anyone in town I¡¯ll skin you and tan your hide.¡± Selene jabbed the dwarf roughly in the ribs with a piece of kindling and then brandished it towards Cire. ¡°You, you just forget about what I said before. Obviously, you didn¡¯t offer to make me an heir for that reason.¡± Waving his hands before him in mock defense, Cire relented hastily. ¡°I promise. Already forgotten, I swear.¡± He needed to redirect the conversation, unfortunately he couldn¡¯t think of a better target. Sheepishly smiling Cire elbowed Durg and winked at Selene. ¡°If you recall, the ¡®Loving Slayers¡¯ conquests are quick from his mind once he has gone.¡± Genuine laughter filled their campsite and carried up into the trees rising like embers heralding the ascension of a most peculiar family, the House of Eventide. Adventurer Book II: Chapter 2 - Illusions of Grandeur Striking camp the next morning went swiftly, without a hot breakfast the trio was eager to leave. Arriving at a plan once they had reached the valley floor had taken a bit of debate. Durg wanted to return to the cavern first and finish looting the duergar bodies. Cire half suspected that the dwarf wanted to do more than that, but he didn¡¯t want to dwell on it. Selene was determined to make straight for Maisy so they could learn more about their predicament. Cire had finally been won over by the pragmatism of Selene¡¯s case. They could always return to the ruins and cavern once they were better provisioned. He needed to get more information on what it meant to be the ruler over the Chimera¡¯s Mane, before he made any more mistakes. Durg had been right about the additional opportunities for a royal house, even more so for the head of said house. Cire had quests to declare the capital of his territory, found a settlement, dedicate a shrine to one of the gods, and to establish diplomatic relationships with settlements within his territory. He hadn¡¯t even really looked at the details, it was all overwhelming, he needed a better foundation before making decisions. Cire was unnaturally quiet as he traveled with the others through the valley. So many experiences over the past month had come into sharper focus since his conversation with Charon. Dropping by his cabin, they stowed their extra gear and took a moment to freshen up. Frigid water from the rain barrel made cleaning a race against the cold. Cire¡¯s miss-matched eyes, one purple and one azure, gazed contemplatively back framed by his dirty golden hair. Familiar now, yet new. No use thinking about it Cire. When the time is right you can give them the details, not that it will change anything. They have a right to know though. Scrubbing his face one last time with the washcloth, Cire wiped away haunting memories and decisions. Tugging at the hem of his woven hemp tunic pulled the rough grime soaked fabric over his shoulders, both comfortable and skin crawling. He would need to spend an evening sorting it all out over a good pint. However, he had far too much on his plate to complicate things at present. Ringing metal sounded repeatedly as they made they way towards town. Bhelbir, the blacksmith, was taking advantage of the cool morning. Undoubtedly the miners and lumberjacks had already headed out for the day, no one could sleep through the racket. If they were lucky they could get the two hamlet elders alone for a spell. Durg shoved the tavern door open and bustled inside with the two elves close behind. Cire had expected Stout to be behind the counter preparing food or cleaning, it had been a poor assumption. The bald old gnome paced back and forth along the bar growling and grouching at a bemused Maisy. ¡°Can you believe that someone found the stone?!? After all these years of searching! Staying in this Hades forsaken frozen hole. How will I regain my position on the court now? And the people, argh! What do you want?¡± Whipping his head towards the group, Stout bit off each word violently. Maisy frowned and clucked her tongue at the tavern¡¯s proprietor. ¡°Manners, you old windbag. Now get behind the bar. If I am reading the situation correctly, you¡¯re going to need a drink. We all will.¡± Winding down the crotchety gnome took a bit, but after liberally plying spirits he was at least willing to listen. Maisy had collected coin for the drink from Cire poignantly, giving him a long up and down once over. Wrapping a coy smile onto her visage, after downing a shot, she voiced her suspicions. ¡°So, out of all the people in this valley you three found the stone. Let me guess, you gave it to the pretty bronze skinned elf.¡± Throatily she chuckled and ran a hand down her long silver braid. ¡°You three look like you got caught pinching sweets from a street vendor. Don¡¯t worry, not everyone will be able to figure it out. However, all leaders of groups or settled areas within the territory will be able to spot territorial house members and of course, the ruler, if they look close enough.¡± Stout was fuming at the proclamation and had narrowed his eyes at the three of them, squinting. Slamming his hand down on the table the gnome growled. ¡°Already gone and made heirs! You three better come up with a good reason I shouldn¡¯t roast you alive and take whats ours.¡± Cire hadn¡¯t actually seen any of the fire wizard¡¯s magic up close, besides his adorable flame familiar, and he was pretty sure he didn¡¯t want to. Maisy reined in her partner with a sharp slap to the back of his head. ¡°Don¡¯t make threats dear, it¡¯s not polite. Besides, I doubt they have the first iota of an idea of what they have truly gotten themselves into.¡± She cocked her head to the side, her smile widening. ¡°Mmmm, maybe one of them knows a bit more than the others, but still they will need help, advice, and guidance. I bet we can negotiate for a worthwhile piece of treasure or two as part of establishing relations with the house of...¡± ¡°Eventide, I picked that as my house name. I am absolutely positive that we can arrive at an agreeable arrangement. I was a bit surprised though when Selene told me we needed to talk with you specifically. I didn¡¯t realize you were the leader of the Hamlet of Sunset, I had always assumed it was Stout.¡± Snorting, the gnome seemed to loosen up. Foam gathered on Durg¡¯s mustache and beard as he gulped down his second draught, punctuating the conversation with belches and slurps. Selene rolled her eyes at the two. ¡°That¡¯s the whole point. No one suspects Maisy, the anonymity provides more defense than a pair of bodyguards. I told you we are marked now, I just don¡¯t know how bad it is.¡± Maisy clucked her tongue again, ¡°Oh dears, there is a reason that the territories are fought over, they represent power. That is neither good, nor bad. Although, often there can be more danger than it is worth, for most. Let¡¯s start with what you three know about this valley, do you know why the bonding stone was here in the first place?¡± Glancing sidelong to Cire, Selene took a sudden interest in her mug of ale becoming oddly tight lipped. Durg shrugged and wiped his beard clean, burped, then spoke. ¡°We be discussin¡¯ this a bit when we found it and when we gave it to Cire. Be figurin¡¯ it coalesced here ¡®cause those ruins at the center o¡¯ the valley musta been the previous capital fore¡¯ this place went unclaimed for centuries. ¡®Sides that I just know a few scraps about a lost ancient dwarven city, but there be plenty o¡¯ those. By Hephaestus, me own clan be the remnants of a scattered city from millennia ago. There still be a seat on the dwarven high council reserved for the lord.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Snapping his fingers, a nagging memory fought its way to the surface of Cire¡¯s mind. ¡°There were paintings, where we fought the yeti and cave bear. Dwarves and elves living together. I thought it was a bit odd, but there wasn¡¯t much to go on. Put it all together and I am assuming that the ruins in the valley center were the old capital?¡± Sharing a meaningful glance, Maisy and Stout both stood. Waving for them to follow the bartender waddled to the kitchen. ¡°Follow me, don¡¯t touch anything.¡± Jostling to fit and competing to avoid contact with the grease and grime, they finally settled enough for Stout to re-arrange a stack of crates and reveal a trapdoor. Burned into the wood was a circular seal, a setting sun emblazoned in the center. Bending down and placing her palm flush on the marking, Maisy¡¯s hand glowed with golden light. The clang of a latch and spring mechanism filled the small room. Leading the way, Maisy gathered her hair over one shoulder and held up her other hand. Gathering in her palm, motes of light crackled and flashed forming a small globe. Awash with color, a mural depicting various scenes of everyday life covered the walls of the staircase. Cire examined the walls of the empty basement once they made their way down, finding more pictures. Confirming his suspicions, a quick investigation revealed that dwarves and elves were the principal subjects. Clearing her throat, Maisy redirected his eyes to the center of the room, he nearly stepped back at what he saw. Shimmering entirely in with golden light, Maisy¡¯s tunic billowed and whipped back and forth as if caught in an invisible wind. Slithering down her legs, tendrils of energy connected with stone and moved along etchings wrought into the surface. Dazzling, a circular seal identical to the one burned into the hatch above blazed to life. ¡°This is the great seal of Sunset. Every permanent settlement has a seal. Think of it as a magical contract between the inhabitants of this place, its leaders, and the gods. The seal creates a bond with the settlements occupants and through that bond provides various benefits. You already came into contact with one of them during the gnoll raid. Stout issued a proclamation to increase the fighting ability of the hamlet.¡± Walking a slow circuit around the outside of the seal, a repeating angled spiral, the female dwarf continued speaking as the runes below her feet flared to life. ¡°The more people living within the boundaries of the settlement the more mana and abilities the leading house can draw upon.¡± Making her way back to the center, Maisy opened her arms wide and began to chant. Tilting her head back, her eyes closed, her rhythmic dwarven speech reached a crescendo and the golden light suffusing her burst. Motes of tinkling yellow, orange, and white flashes dripped from the ceiling like rain made from fireworks. ¡°Theia, goddess of shining and light, I honor our pact and reaffirm my allegiance. Please bless all those present with your radiance.¡± Awestruck, Cire would have let his mouth hang open at the sight if his attention hadn¡¯t been caught by a notification in his periphery. Focusing, he brought the information forward as a translucent overlay. You have gained a temporary blessing: Glimmer Boon. Effect: +2 to Luck, +2 to Perception, Truesight (The ability to see through most illusions, disguises, camouflage, stealth, or similar abilities.) Duration: 1 day, by making an appropriate offering the duration can be extended by a day. ¡°Once you dedicate the camp, settlement, hamlet, town, or city to a specific deity generally the house members gain access to magic or abilities associated with them. The divine or infernal patron will also gain strength. Depending on the pact there will be different requirements or tasks to perform.¡± Maisy had used the distraction of her spell to sit cross-legged on the floor and she patted the stone next to either side. ¡°Now, everyone take a seat so we can start negotiating.¡± Durg clapped his hands together and gave them a good rub, dropping to his rump with a thump. ¡°Now we be gettin¡¯ ta the good part. What be on the table? Besides clearin¡¯ my bar bill o¡¯ course.¡± Sitting with one knee up, Selene pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed. ¡°Maisy, Cire may be naive as a newborn nymph and Durg would gamble away his father¡¯s beard, but no trying to swindle us. We should both walk away unhappy, otherwise neither of us compromised.¡± Swirling a bottle of spearberry brandy and taking a swig Stout chuckled. ¡°At least one of you has some sense. Be wary of any deals you strike, they will likely last far beyond your lifetime.¡± Shock and awe as a concept was not foreign to Cire, but he hadn¡¯t ever had the strategy employed against him. Cutting to the quick as always Selene¡¯s caveat revealed Maisy¡¯s display for what it was, but it didn¡¯t entirely erase its effectiveness. Cire wanted to have good relations with the hamlet, he was honor bound to the small community and he owed it much. I need to take the long term view on this, Rome wasn¡¯t built in a day after all. Hmmm, not Rome. Athens? Sparta? Wait a second. She wants to start negotiating, now? Wasn¡¯t there something else we were talking about? Leaning back Cire took a look around the room, giving the walls a closer look. Nothing in particular stood out, except the elves and dwarves living together. These murals were in better condition than the cave, but they were obviously all in the same style. These paintings are old, older than Sunset. There was one on the northern ridge, this one is at the western side of the valley. Give it hundred to one that there is a corresponding room with paintings on the southern and eastern sides of the valley. Are these really just empty rooms? Maisy wanted to get us to deal before we learned more. If I ask her, will she tell us the truth? If I play dumb, will she reveal more than she intends? Gah! Politics suck! ¡°CIRE!¡± Durg bellowed and slapped the sun elf on the back. ¡°Lose your brains boyo? Stop day dreamin¡¯ ¡®bout Maisy when she be right in front of ya.¡± Jolting, Cire blinked and shook his head, his internal debate had not gone unnoticed. ¡°Ha, ha. No, didn¡¯t lose my brains, just misplaced them. Maisy, what did you have in mind? Care to lay out your terms so we have a starting point?¡± Observant as most in her profession, the archon of Sunset hadn¡¯t missed Cire putting the pieces together. Blessing them hadn¡¯t just been a kind gesture, she had wanted their perception to increase. Weaving her fingers together in her lap, Maisy nodded assent. ¡°Let¡¯s begin with what I am offering, it will give my requests context. I am a very giving partner as Cire knows, I am sure we will all be pleased. Hospitality is my specialty and I have much more to offer you three than you could hope to trade to me upfront.¡± Clearing her throat, she continued. ¡°I will tell you all I know about the fallen city of Miletus, previous capital of the Chimera¡¯s Mane. Provide guidance on founding your new capital and building your house. We will establish an alliance between Sunset and your house as well.¡± ¡°Alliances between settlements and territories are no trivial matter. The bond will be sealed by the mana tied within the land and it carries with it more than simple trade goods. As our bond grows deeper it will provide access to information and abilities that would otherwise be closed to you.¡± Raising an eyebrow, Cire followed Maisy¡¯s logic. She had revealed just enough to entice, hinting at the fruits of a successful coupling. Tilting his head and looking to his two friends, he shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d rather not complicate things more than they need to be. I¡¯m honorbound to the hamlet in any regard and what you are proposing seems like it is in our best interest. What¡¯s the catch?¡± Deep and joyous, Maisy¡¯s chuckling echoed in the small room. ¡°Well pretty boy, I want to be the emissary for your house and a member when I choose. You will found your capital on the ruins of the previous city and reclaim the titles of the preceding archon of the Mane.¡± Stout grumbled under is breath, leaning his back against the wall he polished off his bottle. Maisy shushed him and added, ¡°You will also consider making Stout your ambassador to the Seelie Court once relations are established. It doesn¡¯t need to be part of the bargain, but it will probably make things easier. Now, I don¡¯t expect an answer this moment, but I won¡¯t share any more information until you make your decision. Let¡¯s go back upstairs and have a bite to eat.¡± Uncharacteristically enthusiastic, Stout scampered wobbly up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare a meal fit for Kings and Queens!¡± Blinking, Cire sighed. He had the distinct impression that he was getting fleeced. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if he had better options, Maisy was holding all the cards. Regardless, it would be better to talk through everything with his friends, it was about time he told them the truth. Adventurer Book II: Chapter 3 - Lighter Revelations Retiring to Cire¡¯s cabin after the meal for privacy, the trio settled in for conversation and to lay out a plan. True to her word, Maisy hadn¡¯t let any additional details slip as far as he could tell. He hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to compare notes, so to speak, with Durg and Selene yet, that might be fruitful. Indelicately breaking the ice, Cire began speaking right after closing the door. ¡°Before we talk about Maisy¡¯s opening proposal I would...¡± Durg cut him off with a barb, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be getting involved in more than one proposal in a day boyo!¡± ¡°Ha ha, very funny, Durg. I was saying, I need to tell you both more about me, who I was.¡± Cire poured them each a mug of watered wine and then swirled it, wondering where to start. Selene solved the problem for him, straightforward as always. ¡°Well, out with it. We already both know that you¡¯re a vampire, not from this realm, and used to be a human. What could be more surprising than that?¡± Tentatively taking a sip of the wine, he managed to not spit it up, but it was difficult to swallow. Cire tried to keep what little of lunch he had been able stomach in place. Without the tutorial obfuscating his modern sensibilities of taste he wondered if he would¡¯ve starved. At least now I am sort of used to the food, the smells, and not bathing. Hell, I probably wouldn¡¯t have made it off the mountain in the first place if the tutorial hadn¡¯t been in place. How long would I have spent second guessing myself? Thinking I was crazy? Not accepting this new reality? Time to get to it, no more stalling. ¡°So, I¡¯m not too sure about the etiquette of this, but I¡¯ll start by offering my own age. I¡¯m 84, at least I was before I came here. I hadn¡¯t thought to ask either of you until now, or if it even matters.¡± Gulping down a bitter mouthful, he shrugged. How do I describe what a cubicle monkey does? In for a copper, in for a gold. Bleh, that sounds so much worse than ¡°in for a dime, in for a dollar¡± or ¡°in for a penny, in for a pound.¡± ¡°Also, I used to be a clerk, well sort of, it¡¯s kind of difficult to explain what my previous profession used to be. Suffice it to say, up until the last couple of months I¡¯d never seen any combat, except with pen and paper. Given all of that, I wanted to ask if you both still think it was the right decision to give me the stone?¡± ¡°Ha! I been callin¡¯ ya boyo this whole time, but I should a been calling ya kiddie. Yah only got about a decade on me, but if I been raised in a proper city I wouldn¡¯t even be allowed outside the walls. For an elf, well Selene you be the better judge, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve met one younger than a century before. You¡¯re practically a toddler.¡± Durg proceeded to pound the table, bouncing the mugs dangerously. Calculating, Selene¡¯s head tilted, raven locks draping over her shoulder. ¡°Do you really think we did not know that you had seen so few winters? We chose you for the stone because you¡¯re an outsider, because you¡¯re so young. You are far more accepting of others than most on the island, partially because of your own reception. It is good that you have known a way of life absent of bloodshed, it gives you proper perspective for what is required.¡± Nodding, he finished his cup and stood. ¡°That¡¯s what I needed to hear. You two know me better by now, I¡¯m always going to want to talk things out and make sure we are clear. So, unless either of you is hiding secret knowledge about the valley, there¡¯s really only one thing to do. Get ready for a fight, because we¡¯re going back to the ruins. I¡¯d rather get as much information as I can before we approach Maisy again and that¡¯s the place we¡¯ll find it.¡± ¡°Sounds fun! I¡¯m always ready for a fight boyo!¡± Punching Cire on the shoulder punctuated Durg¡¯s statement. ¡°¡¯Sides, we still be needin¡¯ to loot those beard burning duergar bodies.¡± Shouldering her quiver and cinching it into place, Selene replied. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more information than the two of you at this point, although I know that we should be asking Maisy for much more if you¡¯re planning on agreeing to her terms. She¡¯s being oblique for a reason, and I don¡¯t like it.¡± Conversation continued as they made their way across the valley towards its center. Cire added his piece, ¡°I picked up on that too. I¡¯d like to know what titles she is referring to. Then again, it¡¯s not like she put a timeline on the agreement, so there¡¯s a chance it¡¯s not too unreasonable.¡± Selene scoffed, ¡°Right, and I¡¯m Durg¡¯s mother. We¡¯re basically walking into this blind. We know that the city used to be made up of elves and dwarves. I¡¯ve never heard of a city like that, but it must have been ages ago, before the great collapse. Why would they have built a city here? It¡¯s an isolated mountain valley, not a center of commerce or port.¡± ¡°Be the perfect place for a dwarven city lass. You be thinking with those pretty pointy ears of yours. Big mountains and heavy with ore, those be the two main necessities for those of us that be livin¡¯ below the surface for most of our days.¡± Huffing, Durg caught his breath. ¡°Bah, I shouldn¡¯t have had that third helping of stew, slow up for a bit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there is a lot more to it, but I think there is a simple reason for the request as well. They have obviously put a lot of work into Sunset, and I¡¯m not talking about the buildings. Trade routes, regular labor, and the basics to start a larger community are already here in the valley. I¡¯d wager they made a gamble on finding the stone, but if they didn¡¯t, they put themselves in the perfect position to benefit when it was found.¡± Clapping his hands together, Cire chuckled and continued the thought process. ¡°The hamlet¡¯s at the only entrance to the valley. All business and travelers will pass through the hamlet.¡± Snapping his fingers to punctuate his epiphany, ¡°There was a miner where I am from who found a rich deposit of gold in a creek. Instead of doing the labor himself, he set up a general store, stocked it full of provisions, and told everyone he could about finding the gold.¡± Pulling in a deep breath through his teeth, Durg sounded disapproving and wounded all at once. ¡°Why in Hades would he be doin¡¯ such a thing! Madness! By Hephaestus¡¯ hammer, you only share such secrets with the clan.¡± Expecting no less from a dwarf Cire resumed his tale with a grin. ¡°I know dwarves have no interest in being shopkeeps, but he was a human. The point is, he made a fortune selling goods to all of the miners that came from all over the world hoping to get rich. If I remember correctly, he hardly got his hands dirty and made a fortune.¡± ¡°So, that old pair are perfectly positioned to profit from the founding of a new city, especially the capital, as they have been planning this for decades likely. We will be the ones stuck plowing the fields while they reap the harvest,¡± Selene said. Pulling up near the twin pine stumps that marked a long burnt out grove encircling ruins, Cire drew his blessed blade and readied himself. ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m hoping we can find something down there that gives us some leverage, because right now we don¡¯t have much. It¡¯s not likely that Maisy will do anything aggressive, but I noticed that she didn¡¯t present an option for declining.¡± Unsheathing his two short axes, Durg chuckled. ¡°Boyo, Maisy doesn¡¯t see too many that be declining her services. Besides, they be powerful potential allies. I be sure there be more than enough treasure to go around. I can¡¯t be mining it all meself!¡± Peering around the massive stump, the sun elf¡¯s eyes flickered across patches of giant mushrooms, broken stones, and rested on the giant hole in the center. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like much has changed, but no one take any chances. If any of the ¡®shrooms start moving, down ¡®em. I still see the remnants of the ones we killed before, so there¡¯s a good chance we won¡¯t have to fight.¡± ¡°Where the fun in that? We should at least clear this place out while we be here and rested.¡± Clanging his weapons together Durg punctuated his statement. String set in place, Selene tested her bow and then nocked an arrow. ¡°Let¡¯s not go looking for a fight if one doesn¡¯t find us first. I¡¯m restocked on arrows, but there are still only three of us. If we¡¯re planning on clearing out all of the mushroom-¡± she paused, a disgusted look washingover her face, ¡°-monsters, that¡¯s a terrible name, we need to think of something better to call them if we have to fight them again, we should ask Andreas and Nicolas to help.¡± Nodding agreement, Cire nimbly stepped into the clearing. As he approached a nearby patch of reddish-brown fungus he heard a familiar moist ripping sound from all around them. Shooting up his spine, a shock of terror almost overwhelmed him. Cire jumped to the side as a thorn shot past him. Whizzing past his ear from behind, an arrow took the humanoid fungus-beast center mass and it deflated like a beach ball. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Durg barreled into the patch laughing madly during his charge. Small ¡®shrooms squished under his boots, larger pieces skewered onto the spikes of his armor. Flinging himself into the largest enemy, a foot taller than him, he bear hugged it. Bodyslamming the fungus to the ground, its maw of unnatural needle-like teeth gnashing ineffectively, he rolled every which way. Sucking pops refocused Cire on several larger mushrooms as they pulled themselves from the earth, sprouting arms and legs. Running from other patches, the enemies began swarming towards the companions. Two broke towards Durg, flinging themselves on top of the dwarven blender. Stampeding towards Cire, five monsters rushed him. Whipping his sword in wide defensive arcs, he shuffled backwards. No time to think, just keep them back! One of the monsters dove and latched onto his leg, teeth sinking into Cire¡¯s yeti hide armor. Latched on like a bull dog, Cire couldn¡¯t strike down without getting rushed. He was on the edge of panic. Zipping into the attackers, two arrows sprouted from one¡¯s bulbous head and it deflated. Selene had scrambled up the nearby giant stump.She stood at its apex and fired rapidly once she established a foothold. Durg shredded his two new opponents by rolling into and then over them. The spikes of his armor and blades of his axes gouging deep into the spongy masses. He manged to bury himself in oozing earthy chunks. Limping backwards dragging dead weight, Cire swung wildly to keep the monsters at bay. He scored minor hits to their arms. Protruding from his shoulder, a thorny spike had pierced his armor, shot from one of the many attackers he couldn¡¯t keep track of. Able to focus on Cire¡¯s remaining opponents, Selene readied herself and channeled mana into her Flurry ability. A cold surge swept down through her arms and into her fingers invigorating them. Deftly, she nocked and fired six arrows in a burst of speed. Telltale wisps of blue smoke leaking from her fingertips. Two projectilessunk into each of the sun elf¡¯s standing enemies, downing them. ¡°Durg, get back to Cire! There are more!¡± Selene shouted. Given a moment to gather himself during the onslaught, Cire decapitated the fungal ball and chain. Yanking the jagged thorn from his shoulder, he trusted his Regeneration ability to offset the bleeding. Swooning, he braced himself on the stump and yelled up to Selene. ¡°How many?¡± Trundling back to the elves, Durg pulled up before the edge of the clearing covered in spongy flesh. Selene called back, ¡°Hard to tell, they keep popping up. Dozens at least.¡± She fired an arrow across the clearing downing a dog sized mushroom as it animated from its patch. Screaming at the top of his lungs waiting for the next group to close the distance Durg taunted the fungal foes. ¡°Don¡¯t matter how many! We chop em all down!¡± ¡°Stay to my side. Keep our backs to Selene,¡± Cire said as he re-positioned himself. With his stalwart friend guarding his flank Cire was able to take a calculated look over the battlefield. Undulating in waves, the redcaps of their enemies swarmed towards the three. With an edge to his voice he called out, ¡°On second thought, up with Selene!¡± Gripping a rut of bark in his free hand, he heaved himself as high as he could and sank his sword into the trunk. Cire scrabbled up the last few feet and threw himself onto the top of the stump. Rapidly depleting her arrows to assist her companion¡¯s escape, Selene provided excellent cover. Durg managed an inelegant, yet effective, approximation of Cire¡¯s climb. The dwarf scaled the massive stump like an oafish feline using the toe spikes on his boots to dig into the wood. Grabbing Durg by the collar of his breastplate, Cire drug him up the last few feet. Squelching and dull thudding shuddered through the forty foot diameter jagged platform. Piling over each other the mindless fungus beasts surrounded them unable, or unwilling, to climb up. Thorns shot out of various ¡®shrooms striking wood and armor. Backing up from the edge, the companions looked to each other and then pressed back to back. Selene restocked her quiver with haste from her backpack. ¡°Either of you two boys have a plan or are we just going to wait up here and hope they fall asleep? I¡¯ve got two more bundles of arrows, I could put down maybe a third of what¡¯s down there. It wouldn¡¯t be safe though, they shoot those barbed thorns pretty far.¡± ¡°Not a plan really, but I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s time to go full vampire. I noticed something, but I want to confirm. Durg, you got up close with those things. They don¡¯t bleed right? No blood, just some sort of ooze?¡± Cire questioned. Tearing a hunk of fungus flesh from his spiked gauntlet, Durg sniffed and then bit off a chunk. He shrugged and swallowed, ¡°Just be mushroom. Taste pretty good, a little spicy, but there be no blood nor bones, boyo.¡± Snapping his fingers, Cire grinned. ¡°Perfect. So, I shouldn¡¯t be able to refresh the rage, it should only last for a handful of minutes. Durg, I know it will pain you to stay up here, but it¡¯s much safer. You two think of anything to add?¡± ¡°We need a better option than that soon, it isn¡¯t a reliable solution. Too much risk, for us and for you,¡± Selene relayed with a resigned tone. Stripping his armor and sword, Cire set them down next to Selene¡¯s backpack. ¡°Agreed, but for now, let¡¯s focus on the things trying to kill us. Try to keep them from surrounding me if you can. Durg, try to block anything coming at Selene, the less distractions she has to deal with the better.¡± ¡°Focus first Cire. Calm yourself and embrace the rage. Ya cannae fight it, only direct it. We been training your mind for a reason,¡± Durg¡¯s advised. Cire balked, the dwarf rarely called him by name and it signaled his seriousness. I need to remind myself that this isn¡¯t a game. My friends won¡¯t come back. I may remember now that I chose to be a vampire and sun elf, but it hasn¡¯t exactly worked out like I expected. No plan survives contact with gods I suppose. He responded while nodding. ¡°Good point, not exactly the best place or circumstances, but I will do my best. Cover me in case one of them gets up here.¡± Closing his eyes and calming his mind, Cire breathed deep. He centered his mind on the image of a candle. Letting flame flicker alone in a sea of darkness. Cire channeled his fear and anger into the fire. Memories of Stacy and Eugene being stabbed, sliced, and bludgeoned flowed easily. He burned an image of a mushroom beast into the blaze. Marrying his fury and outrage to his enemy, he sprinted to the edge of their perch. Cire leapt into the midst of roiling red caps and rubbery flesh. Cire willed his Blood Rage ability to activate as he flew through the air. Wild, scalding fury seethed through his veins as a scream tore from his throat. Talons burst from his fingertips and muscles bulged under his tunic as he landed amidst his prey. These things were assaulting him on histerritory, his hunting range, this violation would not be tolerated. Embracing the seething resentment burning within the core of his vampiric curse, he lashed out viciously.Clawing into the closest monster andtearing it to ribbons. The vampire became a whirlwind. Mushroom monsters of all sizes converged on him. He ran through two child-sized fungi, spearing them on one arm. Slashing out with his free hand while spinning and tossing the corpses into the crowd. Cire didn¡¯t hold the reins on this rampage, but he wasn¡¯t exactly a passenger. He focused what will he could muster into the image of the mushroom foes in his mind. The cursed elf lashed out violently at a giant beast whose dark spotted cap loomed well overhead, blocking the sun. Projectile thorns skewered into his exposed back and haunches. His movements becameerratic fueled by the pain and violence. The giant mushroom¡¯s stalk opened to reveal lines of thin sharp teeth as it lunged to bite at Cire. Thick, finger-less appendages attempted to pummel and bash the acrobatic blood sucker. Diving headfirst into the giant stalk the vampire tore meaty chunks free with each swing. He began gnawing at the thing¡¯s stalk. Taking mouthful after mouthful of flesh in a vain search for the elixir that prolonged his frenzy. Even after the poor monster was pulled apart the vampire chewed at the dismembered segments before moving on to the next, then the next, until he was surrounded by piles of dripping gore. Cire had cut a swath of carnage. Selene managed to keep him from being overwhelmed from behind, being free with the use of her remaining arrows. Restless and frustrated, Durg batted away the errant projectiles sent her way, and chomped at the bit for his chance to join in. Five minutes, the length of the rage, had seemed like a short period of time to endure. Cire was wrong. Stumbling and collapsing in a pile of goop, his claws retracted, muscles seemed to deflate, and his breathing became haggard. Near to him Cire heard a thump and the scuffling of combatants, his head was spinning, but the red tinge which accompanied his rage fueled strength had waned. He propped himself up and had just enough time to fall back downto avoid a lone charging mushroom. A solid thwack accompanied Durg¡¯s thrown axe as the thing toppled in a heap. Selene was at his side and pulling him to his feet before he had a chance to speak. She thrust his sword into his hand and turned him to face three human sized beasts. ¡°Only a few left, press through!¡± Cire hacked and slashed at these last foes as best he could, unsteady on his feet and exhausted, he split one in two and then fell to his knees. Ultimately, it was his friends who helped finish off the last attackers. Durg tackled one, taking it to the ground. Selene stabbed and ripped apart the other with her daggers. The field was cleared, sodden and soaked with goo, but bereft of movement. Dragging Cire by his shoulders, Selene propped him up against the twin pine trunk and then helped Durg to his feet. Stretching and giving the battlefield a once over she popped the cork on her waterskin and took a drink, before passing it around. ¡°That was different. These things only attacked when we got too close last time. Do you think its because of claiming the territory or something else?¡± Pleasant itching covered Cire¡¯s back as his Regeneration ability forced thorns from his muscles. Groaning and pulling himself to his feet, his eyes kept searching the ruins. ¡°It has to be, nothing else has changed since our last encounter. At least we put these down, this area should be safe for a bit. I don¡¯t see any mushrooms left taller than my boot.¡± Laughing heartily, Durg picked pieces off his armor and out of his big bushy beard.He threw some to the ground and ate others. ¡°What we be doin¡¯ now? Still plenty o¡¯ these tasty things down in the cavern. Don¡¯t think we can take all of em ourselves though, as fun as it might be.¡± Cire steadied himself and held a hand up as Selene offered his armor. ¡°We can¡¯t go down and fight, but I¡¯m not leaving here without more information. I think I have a good way to get it too.¡± He paused, looking a bit sheepish. ¡°Did I ever tell you two I can turn into a bat?¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 4: Home within the Darkness Flying had taken a few attempts before Cire had acclimated to his small, furry, winged form. Flitting awkwardly to the giant hole and down inside he decreased altitude with a slow spiral. He took note of everything he could on his way down. Neither of his friends had been all too surprised that Cire had forgotten to tell them about the Shapechange ability. In the grand scheme of revelations so far it had been trivial. Selene had chastised him and Durg laughed, so about standard as far as their reactions went. The hole was obviously constructed; the walls were too smooth for it to be natural. About halfway down the bore he noticed something out of place. Glowing faintly on the northern edge was circle six feet in diameter of iridescent blue set right into the stone. Flapping in place, he confirmed his observations and then made his way further down. Squeaking loudly in every direction once he entered the cavern proper, he built a picture of his surroundings using echolocation. To the west was the largest concentration of mushrooms, none were moving, but there were hundreds of them at or larger than the size that had attacked them above. To the east he could hear the sound of running water and the air was noticeably damp. Cire was pretty sure he made out tunnels exiting the main cavern on each side, but he didn¡¯t want to get too close. Gliding lower in the larger room he made a circuit around the space. It was vast, he hadn¡¯t truly appreciated the size when he had been focused on fighting. Four large columns, etched with art and symbols, rose hundreds of feet from the cavern¡¯s floor to its roof. Along the walls he could make out hundreds of inset alcoves with stone staircases linking them set right into the stone. They reminded him of Anasazi cliff dwellings, but significantly more sophisticated, if worn by time. Spotting the duergar corpses, dismembered and strewn about near one of the columns, he made a quick inspection. Weapons lay scattered, armor hadn¡¯t been removed, and nothing had tracked through the blood. Having gathered enough information, he returned topside more gracefully than he had left. Turning their backs as Cire morphed and grew from a small bat into a nude elf had been more to keep Durg and Selene¡¯s meals secured within their stomachs than an act to spare him indiscretion. The process could easily be characterized as grotesque. From Cire¡¯s perspective, bones popped, re-aligned, and stretched excruciatingly. Skin tore and reformed as limbs reshaped themselves. When it was all said and done, the sun elf started talking before he had even fully dressed. ¡°We have to go down the tunnel. Not inside the cavern entirely, just down about halfway. I¡¯m not exactly sure what I found, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s important.¡± ¡°I collected all the arrows I could, most of them were fine. These things are squishy.¡± Selene noted as she kicked a chunk. ¡°Explain while we set up the ropes. Guard our backs as we tie them off, we don¡¯t want to get surprised again.¡± Durg jokingly contributed as he pulled coils of rope from his pack and tossed them next to an anchor stone. ¡°You better not be wrestlin¡¯ with ya tunic dragon when we look up boyo. I don¡¯t wanna be tackled into that pit by walking food.¡± Sighing and shaking her head, Selene tied off the rope and queried. ¡°Since we aren''t going to the bottom no torches? Fill us in on what you noticed before we descend.¡± Cire dropped the end of his rope into the pit readied himself. ¡°In the cavern I saw a lot more mushrooms, but they are clumped to the western side, the eastern side is wet and largely barren. The walls have holes dug out of them, I think people lived in them. The columns down there have been worked, we might be able to get more information if we look at them up close. ¡°But what I want us to look at before we go get help is about halfway down the tunnel. I saw a glowing blue circle in the stone. I couldn¡¯t exactly touch it, I was a bat, but it felt different. I don¡¯t think I would have seen it without the truesight from the blessing.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for them to rappel to the location that Cire had described. Each of them examined the stone, but all they could make out on the surface was a nearly invisible seam running the length of the glowing blue line. ¡°I cannae sense anything off about the granite, feels solid. Could be somethin¡¯ magical interfering, but I cannae tell. I say we hit it an¡¯ see what happens,¡± offered Durg. Using a single arrow, Selene traced the seam and prodded. Nothing happened. ¡°I haven¡¯t sensed any traps or seen anything besides the obvious. It may be nothing, some ancient, long inactive spell.¡± ¡°I have one last idea.¡± Remembering what Maisy had done earlier with the trap door, Cire removed one of his gloves and tucked it into his belt. He tentatively reached out and placed his palm against the stone. Slowly a soft white glowing symbol flared to life at the center of the panel, its center was blank, as was its outer border. A single repeating pattern filled an inner border and it started to rotate. Grating and grinding echoed through the tunnel as the stone slab rolled into the wall. Musky, damp air burped from the opening. Choking and gagging preceded a round of swears. Nothing ventured from the newly discovered shaft. Cire manged to croak out, ¡°I think we found something,¡± before hacking again. ¡°Whoa ho! There be a room in there, ¡®bout twenty feet back. This place hasn¡¯t been opened in a while. Can¡¯t see anything, must be no light at all. We may be needin¡¯ those torches after all!¡± exclaimed Durg. They ducked into the new area and found a flat floor coated in a thick layer of grime. Arming themselves with torches and lighting them, shone light on the long unadorned corridor. Selene began inspecting their surroundings. Coming up empty, she nodded and turned back to the two torchbearers. ¡°Looks like we are good, no traps that I can detect. We should still proceed carefully. Cire, since you opened it, probably best that you¡¯re up front.¡± ¡°Ahh huh.¡± Cire answered wryly as he walked to the head of the group and proceeded towards the room. Nothing jumped out at them, nor ominously clicked, the hallway was simply a hallway. The expanse at the end was another story. Each of the members of the party halted at the entryway and looked around at a most unexpected scene. A garden, vibrant and lush, filled the center of a large room with a vaulted dome ceiling. Exotic scents mingled with a heavy undertone of decay. In the wild torchlight, unexpected pink, red, and yellow fruit hung on branches of tropical looking trees. Vines wound around and inbetween palm fronds and citrus blossoms. Pulling his gaze away from the absurdity of the jungle, Cire gazed around the room to see if he could find any other surprises. It didn¡¯t take long. Collapsed along one side of the gardens stone planter were the desiccated bones of a gigantic skeleton. Wooden pieces of debris littered each of the corners that weren¡¯t obscured by the out of place foliage. Trickling somewhere hidden, the sound of flowing water sounded through the chamber. ¡°What in the world...?¡± Cire managed as he stood slack jawed in bewilderment. Similar exclamations of confusion emanated from his friends. Nothing moved, yet no one wanted to enter the strange room. ¡°No traps. After you Cire.¡± Selene grinned and gave him a push. Stumbling would have been undignified, so Cire proceeded more with a shuffle while waving his torch to illuminate the weird surroundings. Nothing jumped out at them and a thorough investigation of the room yielded more questions than answers. In the rear corners were a commode and cooking area, respectively. Each of the more mundane conveniences were wrought from the stone and constructed in relief, much like the alcoves below them. Barely visible, covered by overgrowth, a bubbling fountain was easier to spot from the rear of the garden. Holding up a platter she had rustled from a cubby next to the stove, Selene drew their attention. She blew dust off of the metal and placed it on the stone table. ¡°It¡¯s a magical serving plate. We have a few back at the ¡®Tops, but they are never seen outside the royal court, too valuable. This one can produce a cooked and spiced roast, duck, or three trout once a day, quite rare.¡± Waving her hand around to indicate the rooms contents, Selene built to her conclusion. ¡°Food, water, and a washroom. It¡¯s a bolthole. A hiding place of last resort.¡± Kicking one of the larger bones of the over-sized skeleton Durg snorted. ¡°Bah! A hiding place for somethin¡¯ that couldn¡¯t get in here?¡± He started poking through the bones with one of his axes. ¡°Be careful when we search those wooden piles near the entrance. Most likely be the remains of a bookcase or desk if you be right.¡± ¡°Got it. Best let me search through the piles of trash. My scavenging ability will give me a better chance to find things. Not that you two can¡¯t give them a once over after I frolic in the muck.¡± Cire pondered his friends observations and began inspecting the cooking area, it was preferable to the alternatives, at least to start. If this is some sort of panic room than it was probably for the last royal house. Touching the door unlocked it, so maybe I can turn on other things in the room. Pressing his hand to the side of what he assumed was a cook top, based on the scorch marks, he ran it along until he found a familiar symbol carved into the granite. Laying his palm flat to the seal produced the same light that had shone on the door. He didn¡¯t see any flames, but pouring water on the stone produced hissing and steam, so the experiment had worked. Cire pressed the symbol again to turn off the stove, he didn¡¯t want to cause an accident. ¡°I think we can activate the devices in the room, well at least I can. My conjecture so far is that we have found the last ruler¡¯s bolthole, as you put it Selene. See if you can find a device that produces light, I doubt he or she was living in darkness. I¡¯ll get started on the rubbish heaps.¡± Rotted wood, rusted bits of metal, and muck were the primary contents of the pile Cire had chosen to root through. He found a bits of badly decomposed cloth and feathers which led him to conclude that he was searching the remains of a bed, possibly a dresser. Right when he was finishing up playing in the first refuse pile, a warm orange glow lit up the room. Scattered across the ceiling inset into the rock were swirling amber globes about the size of grapefruits. With their torches extinguished and full light the room didn¡¯t get any less strange, just more visible. Selene pulled her hand from a familiar seal etched into the stone near the doorway. Cire shook his head and laughed as he moved to the other pile. Huh, whether magical or electric, convenience dictates that a light switch goes in the same place regardless. Searching through the room yielded a few treasures that had withstood the test of time. Besides the platter, which may prove invaluable during a long trek, they found two rings, a mysterious spinning top, an ornate silver circlet, and a small unadorned chest about the size of a large bread loaf. No one was able to identify the objects, but the fact that they were all in pristine condition once cleaned of dirt left little doubt that their durability was enhanced through magical means. They put all of the items into Selene¡¯s backpack, it had the most space given she was down a bundle of broken arrows. After cinching the straps into place, she addressed the unspoken question hanging in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s divide up the loot once we get it all identified, no use guessing at it.¡± ¡°Be soundin¡¯ fair to me lass. I be bettin¡¯ one o¡¯ those items will give us a clue as to big bones over there.¡± The dwarf gestured to the skeleton. ¡°I still be mighty curious how it got in here. The skull be bigger than an ogres.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go trying on either of the rings or opening the chest, it could all be dangerous. Maybe one of them gives you the strength and size of a giant. Could be how the person died, putting the ring on and breaking their neck on the ceiling.¡± Cire warned. The group turned the lights off and sealed up the room. When they returned it would be with the equivalent of whatever Maisy had for industrial strength cleaner. The bolthole had too much potential utility to ignore. Once they had gotten topside and gathered up the ropes, they headed back towards the cabin. Gliding overhead in the sky trailing after them, a lone swan chased a dragonfly in the warm spring afternoon. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Cire took the quiet downtime of the walk to sift through the jumble of information scattered in his brain. He wanted answers, but he was naturally resistant to accepting Maisy¡¯s bargain. It irked him to not have the initiative, especially while he was still playing catch up. Things still aren¡¯t adding up. I need to get ahead of it all somehow. I feel like I keep getting behind, one thing piling on top of the other. Then again, I could be looking at this all wrong. I haven¡¯t committed to anything yet, besides acting generally in the interest of the hamlet when I am here. I should really look at all of those new quests in detail and make a general plan. Renewed with a shift in perspective, Cire tackled his overdue notification log. He pulled up his character sheet first, giving it a once over. Naturally, after discovering a new skill and trait he looked over those messages next.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Level: 12 Experience: 79,803 Lineage: Sun Elf ¨C Vampire Profession: Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Disposition: Reliably Flexible (+1 to Chaotic, +1 to Good, +1 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 146/146 Mana: 132/132 Armor: 6 Dodge: 9% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 13 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 9 Resistances: 50% Enchantment 20% Weather 5% Mental 5% Physical -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy Favored Enemy: Gnolls
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 23, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 23, Natural Swordsmanship 15, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 15, Natural Scavenging 7, Natural Adventurer 5, Natural Meditation 3, Significant Armor 9, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 9, Average Herbalism 1, None Lore 4, General Sub-skill: Arcana 1, Significant Communication 3, General Sub-skill: Persuasion 2, Natural Sub-skill: Oratory 1, Significant
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration (3), Blood Rage Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, heat vision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 50% Enchantment resistance. Low-light vision & acute senses, Perception +1. Honorbound: While within the Hamlet of Sunset you receive a 5% bonus to all actions. Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane: As ruler of the territories¡¯ noble house you receive a 10% bonus to all actions within the area. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (Equipped) Yeti Hide Breastplate (Chest) Yeti Hide Trousers (Legs) Yeti Hide Sleeves (Arms) Yeti Hide Gloves (Hands) Yeti Hide Boots (Feet) Yeti Hide Balaclava (Head) Simple Frontier Backpack (Back): Small Pouch of Coins (Pocket): 1 Star Ruby, 2 gold, 34 silver, 14 copper
You have gained a Trait: Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane. You have bound yourself to the very land of Elysium. You will gain and lose power based on various factors within the territory. Other elements of this bonding will reveal themselves over time. Effect: 10% bonus to all actions within the area. You have gained a new sub-skill: Arcana (Rare) Lore Tree. ¡°In the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with effort.¡± - Socrates At initiate rank you have access to basic mystical knowledge based actions with no penalty. Skill level up! You have reached level 6 & 7 in Scavenging. Skill level up! You have reached level 5 in Adventurer. Your party has slain a total of 18 Red Cap Fungus Beasts (Levels 2 ¨C 10). You have earned 1,803 experience points. All experience point bonuses (10% from Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane) have been added to the total. For a moment Cire pondered the skill text, in specific the quotation. Now that he knew Charon was responsible for various elements of the world it felt more like an admonishment. Cire had even read the quote in the intimidating beings voice. He shook his head a bit to clear it. Probably not the best idea to ponder the motivations of gods, even if created. Cire could have pulled up his friends information sheets as well, due to their Adventurer skill, but it felt rude. He preferred to simply ask. In the midst of cleaning fungus goop out of his hair at the water basin next to his cabin he did so. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure how to bring this up, so I am just going to come out with it. I gained a new trait when I bound the territory, did you two get anything similar when I made you heirs?¡± ¡°Aye boyo, at least I be getting one. Should be useful to grow my skills and increase my level. I had always thought nobles had it sweet with the extra quests, piles o¡¯ gold, and passed down magic items, but the bonus be more valuable than all o¡¯ that. By Hades¡¯ balls, we ain¡¯t even seen what other benefits it be hiding within its depths,¡± Durg commented while dumping hunks of mushroom from his backpack into a barrel, he had indeed found their foes delicious. Selene shook her head watching the dwarf and then climbed the stairs to the cabins deck. ¡°Indeed, although I am sure there is a catch or two. Maisy most likely knows more about how the trait evolves for this area. It¡¯s rare information that no house would want widely distributed. Each territory yields different benefits based on the resources, people, wildlife, and god-touched locations within them.¡± The three headed inside and got themselves comfortable around the table as the conversation continued. Selene pulled out the unidentified items and set them on the table while Durg poured them wine. Cire, eager to put off indulging in the bitter watery mixture, spoke before drinking. ¡°Can you give me an example or two? Also, do either of you have a map of the island with the territories marked? It sure would be helpful to know the boundaries and generally what¡¯s around.¡± While examining the nondescript chest, Selene responded, ¡°I don¡¯t have a map, you may want to check the items in the cabin though, Stacy and Gene may have had one. The boundaries fluctuate over time, I don¡¯t know too much about the way of it though.¡± She drew her knife and began prodding various places on the chest while speaking. ¡°As far as an example of a prominent blessed site, the Spring of the Muses in Pyrene, a small town in the countryside of Meadow, is one such location. It¡¯s pretty open knowledge. The spring provides a hefty bump to crop yields and fertility of other kinds.¡± She paused long enough to grin mischievously before waving her hand. ¡°One of the reasons the Ionian League bothers with an island so far on the fringe of the archipelago.¡± ¡°It be said that down below, in the Deep Dark, at the heart o¡¯ the legendary dwarven city o¡¯ Minoa be the forge o¡¯ Hephaestus himself. The Steelspine clan be the ruling house for ages by the power of their arms and armor. Be the dream o¡¯ most youngins to have an enchanted axe from that smithy.¡± Durg guzzled down his mug and refilled it swiftly upon conclusion. A resounding click followed by a squeal of glee by Selene bounced off the cabin walls. Eagerly Durg and Cire looked on in anticipation as the raven haired elf slowly cracked open the box. Nothing sprang from it¡¯s insides, nor hissed, however the gravest threats are often barely a whisper in the pages of innocent books. Chapter 5: Lord of the Eclipse ¡°Bah, I be expecting treasure from chests, not dusty old tomes.¡± Durg grouched as they examined the contents of the box Selene had unlocked. Rolling her eyes Selene parried with an astute observation. ¡°The books should have decayed ages ago like everything else in that room. Besides the shortsightedness of not knowing the value of the information those tomes might contain, the chest itself is a treasure. I believe it is a stasis device.¡± Cire motioned to retrieve the texts, but caught himself. ¡°The inside isn¡¯t trapped is it? I think you¡¯re right Selene. If one of those is a journal hopefully we can learn more about the mysteries surrounding this place.¡± ¡°No Cire, it¡¯s not trapped, but be careful. We are still dealing with the unfamiliar and just because it was held in stasis doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t fragile.¡± The female elf gingerly removed the two books and set them on the table next to the other unidentified items. Deftly she traced the velvet inside of the box and shook her head. ¡°Nothing else. Which item do you want to identify first? The crown, the top, or one of the rings? We know what the platter does and how useful it is. I suspect the other objects may hold similar value.¡± The question caught him a bit off guard. Cire tenderly picked one of the books, a plain red covered text without cover script and tilted his head. ¡°What do you mean which item do I want to identify first? If your lore skill didn¡¯t pick up anything I doubt mine will do better.¡± At first Selene gave the sun elf a look that conveyed she thought the last fight may have left him a bit daft, then she snapped her fingers and bounded from her chair. While riffling through one of Gene¡¯s large chests at the foot of their bed she explained her sudden actions. ¡°I did not remember that you had not gotten a chance to go through much in the cabin. How do you think Stacy identified the sword he gave you? He may have been a ranger and good at living off the land, but- got it.¡± Selene pulled out a bracelet made of interwoven pieces of smooth dark wood. Retaking her seat she presented the unadorned piece of jewelry. ¡°He was very good with Nature magic. I believe he made this with a friend many winters past. It can identify most items and reveal their properties. However, it can only be used once every full moon, something to do with the wood.¡± Cire¡¯s female companion had just shown more unguarded excitement than he had ever seen. He was a bit flabbergasted. Although, Cire supposed that a king¡¯s ransom worth of loot would put a bounce in anyone¡¯s step. Come to think about it, perhaps she is behaving right. I haven¡¯t stopped moving since the gnoll attack. It really hasn¡¯t been long enough for everything to sink in yet. I need to stop rushing. I put us in a pretty dangerous spot just because I wanted to get information fast. Time to start thinking and acting like a leader. He winced. I need to act more like Stace. He seemed measured, but aggressive. ¡°Let¡¯s wait before we pick something, there might be information in the books about the items. Is there anything else in the cabin like that bracelet? I don¡¯t like the idea of just leaving these things in the cabin unguarded.¡± Durg shrugged and stood from his chair with a bit of a wobble. ¡°Seems I be deeper in me cups than I be thinking.¡± After a hiccup, he continued. ¡°I can look through things while you two read the books.¡± Following the dwarfs stumble to the back of the cabin with a skeptical gaze Selene wore a cat-like grin. Looking back to Cire she made a series of quick hand gestures, flicking her fingers in an odd, yet intentional pattern. As a clear look of confusion overtook Cire¡¯s face she frowned. Then pointed at Durg and then to the pile of mushrooms he had been chomping. He didn¡¯t really know where this was going, but the intent had registered. Selene wanted to play a prank on Durg. It didn¡¯t really feel like the right time for that sort of thing to him, but the female elf had an odd sense of humor. Seems like she is working through things in her own bizarre way. Cire slowly arched an eyebrow and nodded. He didn¡¯t want to give anything away by speaking. After fetching a container from the mantle over the fireplace Selene sprinkled some of its contents over the hunks of fungus. She arranged the remaining book on the table before her and began inspecting it attempting to look innocent. ¡°Remind me to teach you handtalk soon, it¡¯s convenient for situations like this. As far as other objects of value in the cabin like the bracelet, I¡¯m not too sure. I only knew about that because Stace used it a couple of times for me. They probably had a few things stashed about. Farmers and rangers don¡¯t tend to accrue much wealth, aside from what they take from the land.¡± Cire began to page through the book in his hands. He was mainly skimming for maps, pictures, or diagrams. Regardless of the value any of his fallen friends possessions may hold he treasured what they represented far more. His conversation with Selene carried on during his preoccupation. ¡°Ugh! I hadn¡¯t even thought about that until now, what am I supposed to do about the crops? I haven¡¯t even checked to see if I have any of the farming skills.¡± Selene laughed, throwing her head back and letting her black hair tussle wildly. She flipped through the last couple of pages of the book she was holding and set it on the table. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to figure that out on you¡¯re own. I can barely get through my own farm without wanting to pull my hair out. Ask around at Stout¡¯s tonight? That¡¯s the best thing I can think of if you don¡¯t want to work it yourself.¡± Also, I think that this is a diary based on the format. So you¡¯re in luck, if you can figure out how to read the thing. I can only make out a few words here or there. My guess would be it¡¯s written in ancient elvish, but it could be a dialect or regional form of high elven script that I am unfamiliar with.¡± A tickle manifested on the back of Cire¡¯s scalp from her commentary. If she doesn¡¯t like farming, and isn¡¯t particularly skilled at it, why is she here running a farm? He shook the thought out of his head, they were on the cusp of unraveling the mystery at the heart of the valley. The more information he had before he met with Maisy the better. Ignoring his search for pictures, Cire took a close look at the script in his own book. If Selene could not read the words he doubted his ability to decipher the text. However, it would be better to try before giving up on garnering what the paper treasure chests might contain. With a start of surprise he realized that he could make out the flowing script, much like Arabic with a woodland motif, as easily as if it was printed English. Tingling pulses lightly brushed against his fingertipsemanating from the tome. After blinking a few times he read a bit of the page to try and identify the book¡¯s contents.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°While appropriately bending the knees maintain the low crouch posture. Then utilize your mana to energize your scabbard, sword, and body. Using the 1st through 4th forms are effective against a single opponent or a series of separated opponents. While the 5th through 8th forms can be used while maintaining a low crouch they are not as efficient. The proper form is the standing ready position as this will provide the needed flexibility to quickly engage a large number of opponents.¡± Clanging and clattering caused Cire to whip his head up from reading. A metal pot spun lazily and settled under the loft at the back of the cabin. Durg kept rooting through the various items absolutely oblivious to disruption. It made the sun elf shake his head, the book had been engrossing, far more so than the topic and manner of writing dictated. He could feel an enervative tingling spreading from the books cover into his hands. Snapping his fingers, only much afterwards realizing he was imitating Selene from earlier, he began speaking excitedly. ¡°I could read this last book, but that isn¡¯t the exciting part. It was giving me the same feeling as when I used the instruction scrolls that Gene gave me. Like I was on the cusp of falling into a good story and losing track of time. Are there books that can do the same thing?¡± Turning her head back from watching the dwarf¡¯s drunken antics Selene narrowed her eyes skeptically. She ignored his question and pointedly handed him the other book, relieving him of the plain red covered one. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can read this one too, just start at the beginning and tell me what you can make out.¡± Shrugging, Cire took the proffered item, noting that it had a far more regal appearance. Leather bound and reinforced with wood inlay it was quite hefty. In the center of the cover were two gems, each a half circle, together they were the size of his palm. One was a milky yellow, like moonstone suffused with sunlight. The other jet black and liquid, like water in darkness. He half expected the book to light up or a magical being to pop up from the pages. However, nothing more than the creaking of wooden hinges greeted him as he opened the tome and read. To his surprise, he could read this one as well. Although there wasn¡¯t anything particularly strange on the first page of the diary he could pick from the words. He read the book aloud so that Selene could follow along. ¡°The life and record of Constantine Dawnslight. Founder of Miletus. Holder of the 9th seat of the Mithril Order. Member of the Unbroken Grove. Lord of the Eclipse.¡± Shrugging, Cire smiled. ¡°Well that¡¯s at least a place to start. Certainly explains the symbol on the front of the book. I don¡¯t know what most of it means, but I can make decent educated guesses. I was hoping we would find a good source of information that we wouldn¡¯t have to make ambiguous agreements with. Maisy will probably be a bit miffed. Do you have an idea of what any of that means? I am starting to think she may have been trying to con us a bit more than I thought.¡± Selene sat across from him, mouth half agape, an indescribable sheen in her eyes. Lips moved, her jaw worked up and down, but her tongue tripped and stumbled every which way. Finally she coughed out. ¡°Durg, get over here! We need you.¡± Whipping his head up from the pile of blankets and furs he was rummaging through he knocked his head into the sturdy beams of the cabin. None the worse for wear the made his way to the ladder and half climbed, half tumbled, down. Demonstrating her seriousness, Selene neither joked nor made a snide comment. ¡°How much do you know about the Age of Wilderness? About dwarves during that time specifically.¡± Grabbing a hunk of mushroom he waggled it at the female elf. ¡°I cannae be given away any o¡¯ the clans secrets, Graniteheart or otherwise. You gotta narrow it down lassy. The history o¡¯ my people be jealously guarded.¡± A tinge of frustration manifested as her hand waving dismissively. ¡°You should know by now that I am not after any information you cannot share. Besides, we may have stumbled onto something significant. Go over generally what you can share regarding the first age.¡± While gesturing with the mushroom chunk Durg ran through the basics. ¡°You can hear this at taverns told by dwarves with less sense than stone, but there be too many tall tales for it to be myth. Be helpful for Cire to hear it though. Might as well tell you what I heard.¡± Before we took to mines, the inside o¡¯ mountains, and the Deep Dark we lived in hillside villages and mined much like many of the human kingdoms do now. Before the Age of Monsters o¡¯ course.¡± Jumping in, Selene answered Cire¡¯s questions before he could ask them. ¡°When the first settlements fell. Legions of orcs, goblins, gnolls, swamp denizens, and worse tore across the islands. Elves, dwarves, gnomes, and other peaceful peoples had built great cities intertwined with the world. Great towers of buildings grown from the land, houses shaped by granite bones of the earth, and large scale mechanimagical city projects.¡± Selene¡¯s voice took on a tone that Cire couldn¡¯t place, wistful? No, more wonderment. Remember, she may be over a century, but she is a teenager in elven standards. I want to ask what mechanimagical inventions she might know have been made, but it¡¯s probably not a good time to interrupt. Better let her continue while she is on a roll, I don¡¯t know if I have ever heard her talk this much and it seems like she is on the cusp of figuring something out. ¡°The cities were razed, the kingdoms torn asunder, and the peace was broken. Those refugees who survived fled to places of safety. The elves retreated to the forests. We hid deep within the trees and brush. We learned to walk silently and not be seen by the world. Honed our blades and gathered our magic.¡± Nodding, Durg tossed his food down to the plate, uneaten. ¡°Aye, that be what the wee ones are told. Keep you¡¯re wits about you when traveling topside,lest a pointy eared shadow be followin¡¯ you and you don¡¯t know it.¡± My folk burrowed into the hillsides. We found caves and we made caves! Carved great halls deep within the rock. We tamed the beasties o¡¯ the Deep Dark. Still be places we¡¯ve yet to explore, but most clans have established cities. The forges run hot, strong brew fills our halls, and there be food a plenty.¡± ¡°Yes, and the orcs and goblins built their homes on the large islands. Their tribes couldn¡¯t stay unified without cities to raid and loot to plunder. So they fought amongst themselves and lost cohesion, momentum. Humans filled the void. Their numbers recovered faster and they created kingdoms in the resource rich areas left behind on the periphery. We don¡¯t have peace, but no mass of kingdoms is at war. Raiding parties of a few tribes will sail from the central islands, but no mass invasion, no grand war has come close to coalescing since ancient times.¡± Taking a long pull from her drink Selene wet her palate before focusing Durg on her questions, ones she knew the answer to. ¡°Have the dwarves ever reestablished one of the ancient cities? Or are all of the new locations hidden away deep within the earth? Do they welcome trade and outsiders?¡± Hearty and rich, Durg¡¯s laugh filled their small space with mirth in the face of such serious discussion. ¡°Hah! You know we haven¡¯t. If we had built near the surface again all o¡¯ the islands would be envious o¡¯ the mighty city. As far as visiting any of the settlements, we could find a trading outpost or two, but anyone who isn¡¯t from the city¡¯s clan be having a hard time seeking entry. Why are ya asking?¡± Cire jumped in, not willing to let Selene cut him off, having largely be shut out from the discussion. ¡°Because that¡¯s part of what Maisy is after. I don¡¯t really remember the details, not sure if I knew them to forget, but Maisy was caught up in something with some dwarf king. We have barely any information regarding the political landscape of the local territories. Being part of the house with these titles gets her something. Not that I know what that is.¡± Nodding, Selene looked to their dwarven friend with an amused look. ¡°He didn¡¯t hear you read the cover page of the journal. Cire, tell Durg who used to rule these lands.¡± Cire, still far more in the dark than Selene, regurgitated the text on the first page of the diary. ¡°Dragon balls!¡± Durg was wide eyed and seemed to have sobered up in a flash. Absently he snatched a hunk of mushroom and took a massive bite, he didn¡¯t even seem to notice as the raging spice seared his tongue. He was too stunned to care. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 6: Intended Consequences The trio of companions had spent the better part of the rest of the day into evening piecing together what information they could from the journal. Most of the early pages summarized Constantine¡¯s rise to prominence. A moon elf from a family of of deep seated magical power and ambition he had been given many advantages in his youth. Dawnslight¡¯s journal was not exactly user friendly and didn¡¯t have conveniences like an index. Hence, Cire was largely skimming through sections and relaying what he could read. Frustrated by banal details he flipped to the very end of the book and mysteries started to unravel. Constantine did not know why he was betrayed or by who, but he knew it had to be someone from his own royal house. One day, seemingly without warning, his city¡¯s massive defenses were circumvented by legions of monsters of all kinds that roamed on the island. When almost everything was lost he was able to escape. Constantine fled to a prison of his own making, a hiding place of last resort unknown to everyone but himself. A safeguard that he had constructed in the early days far before his family had grown. Leaving the haven was not an option, as Constantine knew there would be forces left behind to find and kill him. He had to wait and bid his time as everything he had made was torn down around him and scattered to the winds. The moon elf had known that kingdoms did not last, that time wore at all things, but he had hoped it would be his legacy. His last heroic act was to live and die alone, trapped, but free. Through his sacrifice the territory became barren of a leader until the binding stone coalesced to be discovered once more. ¡°Dragon balls indeed.¡± Cire sighed and closed the book. He quickly minimized a series of notifications, notably a quest updateincluded among them. ¡°Boyo, you don¡¯t know the half of it. Maisy be asking for the impossible so far as I be thinkin¡¯.¡± Durg guzzled down his latest mug to manage some of the spice as he shoveled another mushroom down his gullet. He seemed to be rather enjoying the flavoring, contrary to Selene¡¯s intentions. ¡°Getting involved in millennia-old political games sounds a bit over my head, but I imagine you have a better idea. You obviously figured out something from those titles. Care to share?¡± Cire said. ¡°To me they sound impressive, but have very little meaning.¡± ¡°The Mithril Order be the ruling council o¡¯ the dwarven clans Cire. Ta claim a seat be no small feat, the least of which is to be the head of house that rules a dwarven city. Not a mere single clan. There haven¡¯t been any but my kind in the order since the collapse.¡± Durg said. ¡°I don¡¯t be knowing about the others, but I be thinkin¡¯ Selene knows.¡± Running he nimble fingers through he long raven hair Selene looked uneasy. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Founding the city is obvious, although once again, I don¡¯t know much of the specifics. It¡¯s about gathering a community, building structures, and most importantly, connecting with the land.¡± ¡°At this point I think that is the biggest gap in my knowledge, whether we accept Maisy¡¯s proposition or not. We will need to found a settlement somewhere, although the resources already here are potentially significant. I think she could provide invaluable instruction.¡± Cire glared at Durg to head off any of the obvious commentary. ¡°There is also a good chance that she doesn¡¯t know as much as she is letting on. It¡¯s not like she was a font of information. She gave us just enough to be enticed, but not enough to make an informed decision.¡± Drumming her fingers on the table, Selene stopped the motion as quickly as she started and nodded. ¡°The Unbroken Grove is an old druidic order. There are some members who live at the Tops¡¯, but they aren¡¯t exactly welcoming to outsiders. I think it would be a difficult proposition for you to seek membership, but not impossible. We still don¡¯t know what your full skill set looks like. It¡¯s possible you have more nature and wildlife skills than you have displayed.¡± ¡°Ahh huh. Have either of you ever heard of the last title, Lord of the Eclipse?¡± Cire asked trepidatiously. Both shook their heads. Cire tried to amalgamate all of the various details they had gleaned from conversation with Maisy to the journal, it was too much. He felt like he was in the middle of putting a puzzle together. He had found the corner pieces, even assembled some of the border, but the middle was a discordant jumble. Mentally exhausted, the group spent most of the evening relaxing before the fire. Cire excused himself to take a walk around the farm. He needed some time to himself to sort through everything. His mind felt like a blender of whirling thoughts and desires. Looking up to the stars, a warm breeze brushing over his shoulders and the sweet scent of blooming wildflowers helped center him. He ran a hand along the weather worn split rail fence as his low light vision easily inspected the crops. He didn¡¯t know which plant was which, but he could tell that their leaves were starting to wither. Cire snatched up a jug and dipped it into the water barrel at the side of the cabin. He started going through the plants watering them row by row. At first he simply let his mind wander, giving it the freedom that had been denied for so many days. This was his second chance. A chance to live his life with excitement and not buried in the mundane. No clocks to punch. No empty house. No monotony. He chuckled and shook his head at the irony as he continued diligently watering the thirsty stalks. ¡°Well, maybe some monotony,¡± he said. The mundane action let his mind wander. Memories of Eugene and Stacy weren¡¯t all that hard to find. He missed them, the easygoing comfort and hospitality they had provided had been priceless. Death hadn¡¯t exactly been a stranger to him before he came here, but violent deaths were. He knew he wasn¡¯t behaving sensibly. It wasn¡¯t hard for him to think back over the long day, but it brought some clarity. Even though Durg and Selene now knew what he was, he had still put them into an unacceptable amount of danger. He¡¯d almost frozen up when the fungus beasts had attacked them. It had almost felt like his fight with the boars. On top of his poor performance, he had gone and used the Blood Rage ability again without much compunction. Odder still was the lack of chastisement from Selene. Durg didn¡¯t seem to care about him using the rage power, but Selene had been wary of him ever since he had first subconsciously activated it in the wake of the gnoll attack. That didn¡¯t seem to be the case today. Now that he mulled it over, both Selene and Durg hadn¡¯t been acting normal. While his dwarven friend typically drank, he didn¡¯t tend to get nearly as sloppy as he was. Selene seemed to be grasping for a path forward as much as he was. Throwing herself into unraveling the mystery in front of them instead of thinking about what was behind. He shook his head while thinking of earlier that day. He hadn¡¯t exactly been thinking clearly either. ¡°I said it¡¯s time to ¡®go full vampire¡¯ before I just jumped off that twin pine trunk. Ridiculous.¡± To be fair, he didn¡¯t think he was reacting to the situation as he might have before his rebirth. Now that he was on the other side of the looking glass he was getting a better sense of himself. Cire wasn¡¯t sure how elves and vampires managed stress physiologically, but he had a suspicion that it wasn¡¯t the same as humans. He had always been guilty of compartmentalization when it came to emotional issues, but this was something different. Cire didn¡¯t think he should feel guilty about killing the mushroom monsters, they had been attacking them and he doubted they could be reasoned with any more than the gnolls. However, he had panicked at the start of the fight before getting a handle on himself. This was understandable given it was essentially his first fight since the tutorial. He wondered how much work it had been doing since he got here. Obviously the point had been to ease his transition into the world. Once he finished watering, he moved on to pulling up small weeds, continuing the calming process of moving up and down the rows focused on the ground before him. With a clearer head than he had possessed in some time, he pulled up the bevy of notifications awaiting him. It was about time he looked over the quests he had received from bonding the territory.
Quest Title: Set your SettlementThis tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Condition(s): Found a settlement within your territory. Minimum of 50 individuals and basic shelter required. Rewards: Experience and linked abilities, skills, or spells Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: Unknown Do you Accept? Yes or No
Quest Title: Dedicate your Domain Condition(s): Construct, discover, or dedicate a divine site within your territory to one of the deities. Rewards: Commensurate to the site and deity. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: Unknown Do you Accept? Yes or No
You have earned 1,000 experience for the quest Visit the Valley.
Quest Title: Flay the Fungus I Condition(s): Clear the remaining red cap fungus beasts from the ruins of Miletus. Discover the origin of the infestation. Rewards: Experience and settlement rewards. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: Increased infestation. Do you Accept? Yes or No
You have learned a new Language: Ancient Elvish. Your understanding of divine elvish and elvish have bridged the gap in your knowledge base to allow you to comprehend ancient elvish. Skill level up! You have reached level 5 & 6 in Lore. Skill level up! You have reached level 2 in Arcana. While walking back to the cabin, he sifted through the quests and accepted all of them. None of them had a time limit and they were all things he either was planning on doing or had to do. He took note of the amount of experience from finally completing the Visit the Valley quest. It was much lower than when he had been completing quests during the tutorial period. It made sense that things would normalize, the bonuses had essentially helped him catch up to other adults. It was nice to know the reason he could read the books. In a roundabout way the fact that the book was written in ancient elvish confirmed its authenticity, not that he had been doubting it. Cire knew that there would be much more to glean from the books once he had the wherewithal to read again. Cire sat on the front steps of the cabin gazing out over the valley in darkness. The moonless night shrouding the peaks in dark shadows. He had so many potential paths. He could head to Meadow by way of Gearspoke, how Nic and Andre had gotten to the valley. That was the most likely place he could find settlers. He didn¡¯t think that there were many significant population centers on the island, but he doubted it would be effective to approach cloistered communities like the Tempest Treetops, Selene¡¯s home. Travel to the elven city held a lot of appeal to Cire as well. He didn¡¯t really know how to be an elf, he had ideas, but the decision to select sun elf and vampire for his new species had been dictated by balancing traits and abilities. The ramifications of that decision were all the more salient now that he was starting to understand that being an elf wasn¡¯t just about having pointy ears and long hair. Over the course of the last couple of months he had come to an uneasy peace with being a vampire. Now that he remembered choosing to become one it was easy to chastise himself. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think about how disgusting drinking blood would be? Or how hard it would be to manage the bloodlust? How bad would it be if I wasn¡¯t also a sun elf?¡± Cire knew why, he had tried to game the system without considering the consequences. It had seemed like a good plan in a vacuum. ¡°Nothing to do about it now but to move forward. Your friends know who you are. Just be a good vampire. Suck it up and only drink bad people¡­ and monsters, lots of monsters. Maybe I will find some that taste good.¡± Creaking open behind him, Selene poked her head out from the front door and spotted him sitting. ¡°What are you going on about out here?¡± ¡°Grinning at my own terrible puns and talking to myself. Nothing that should surprise you. Come out and join me?¡± Cire said. She nodded and moved to sit down next to him, a comfortable gap between them. ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡± They sat in silence, taking in the night with their exceptional elven eyes, muted colors playing in a palate of shadows and starlight. The two sat like that for a while before retiring for the evening. Durg had long since begun snoring having simply laid down on the floor under the table. Standing in the dirt road in front of the Hamlet of Sunset''s lodge Nicolas, Andre, Durg, Selene, and Cire discussed heading to the underground ruins to clear out the remaining mushroom monsters. Durg and Selene had gotten the same quest and had quests related to the founding of the settlement as well. They hadn¡¯t told the human brothers about the binding, but they had to reveal details about the duergar they had fought and the ruins. ¡°So, you need our help for cleanup, but we miss out on the bulk of the fun.¡± Nicolas grinned as he cinched the straps on his hide armor. ¡°We never get invited to the party brother, you know that.¡± Andreas ran his hand through his matted dusty brown hair before pulling on his leather padded helmet. ¡°At least I¡¯ll get a chance to get back into the fight. I know what you all found at the gnoll camp, but healing in bed was a frustrating way to contribute.¡± ¡°We still didn¡¯t move fast enough. If you had been with us we might not have caught the trail in time.¡± Selene¡¯s comment was the most supportive, but it didn¡¯t leave any ambiguity either. Andreas had taken a spear in the stomach and regardless of quick magical healing a wound like that took time to recover from. ¡°Besides, we need you two now. No way we are getting back to loot those duergar without help. We will make sure you get a fair cut of whatever we find. I would prefer to work with people I know instead of asking around.¡± Cire said. Durg nodded before he took a giant bite from a piece of rubbery flesh pieces of it scattered already in his beard. ¡°There be rewards a plenty ma friends. More tasty mushroom than you will be able ta store before it goes bad!¡± Both Nic and Andre looked at Durg doubtfully before shaking their heads. ¡°You three lead the way, let''s work out our strategy as we walk.¡± The party set out towards the ruined grove at the center of the valley as the sun crested the ridge before them. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 7: Familiar Solutions, Familiar Results ¡°¡­ so our best bet is to make it to the eastern side of the complex. There were lots of puddles of water on that side, but far less mushrooms. If we can fight from a corner and clear them out patch at a time I think that¡¯s our best bet.¡± Cire had finished explaining the layout of the dwarven ruins under the grove and launched into his plan. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but what if they all come at us at once? We can¡¯t count on them behaving like before. You remember yesterday, they were far more aggressive.¡± Selene chimed in. ¡°I be thinkin¡¯ that might be the case so we are going to do what we did with the yetis.¡± Durg reached and patted the side of his backpack causing a several glass bottles to clink. Nic and Andre looked at each other with a mirrored smirk before the elder brother Nic spoke. ¡°You mean you¡¯re going fall on your ass and then get the crap kicked out of you?¡± ¡°Bah! No. We are going ta drop as much oil down there as we can and set them on fire. I haven¡¯t tried cooked red cap fungus beast yet. I be lookin¡¯ forward ta it.¡± Durg said. ¡°I was wondering how we were going to be able to fight down there. If it is as big as you said it¡¯s probably pretty dark. Not a problem for you three, but Nic and I would have some trouble.¡± Andre winked. ¡°Not that Selene wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that I am the handsome brother in the dark.¡± The group circled up around the thirty foot bore at the center of the valley circled by a burnt out grove of twin pines. Selene rolled her eyes at the brothers, who looked like twins so far as she could tell. ¡°You¡¯re both toddlers compared to me. I have already expressed that I have no interest in either or both of you.¡± Durg started setting up the rope, pulling it from Cire¡¯s pack and tying off anchor points. ¡°You know that never stops humans from tryin¡¯ right? Besides I bet one or both em¡¯ have given Maisy a good look or two.¡± Suddenly interested in checking the ropes Andre avoided further inquiry, but affirmed Durg¡¯s supposition all the same. Nicolas couldn¡¯t help twisting the dagger though. ¡°Little brother, are you sure it¡¯s wise to stir things up right before we drop into a dark pit to fight monsters and she will be firing arrows from behind your back?¡± ¡°All I said was that I she could tell I was the handsome brother! It¡¯s objectively true.¡± Andre backpedaled and folded his arms across his chest defensively. Shaking his head, Cire started passing out the bottles of oil. They had a dozen in total and planned to throw ten down in a general line. This way when they lit it on fire they would have a defensive line to assemble behind. The two humans were left out, they couldn¡¯t see as far and didn¡¯t know the layout of ruins. ¡°I didn¡¯t think to ask this before, but Durg, Selene and I all got a skill that lets us bond with our party members more than experience and loot sharing. It let us see each others status sheets.¡± He paused seeing uneasy looks come over the brothers faces. ¡°I was going to ask if we could do that with you, but that can be intimate information. Mind sharing your levels and primary combat skills? I am sure Stacy had a general idea before he brought you along to fight those yetis, but I don¡¯t.¡± Noticeably relaxing the two men nodded to each other, some unspoken communication passing between them. ¡°Were both good with an axe, can wear medium armor, and we each have a skill ability or two that we want to keep to ourselves, but we will use them freely.¡± Nic responded. ¡°Besides my bountiful charisma, not much is different between us. Nic can track, but I don¡¯t think that will help us much in this situation. Were both around level 10.¡± Andre didn¡¯t let up, but it wasn¡¯t too overbearing. Cire chucked several oil flasks down the hole and waited for Durg and Selene to do the same. ¡°We don¡¯t have that much variety in our combat styles. Four of us use melee weapons that all cut and slash. Selene, you¡¯re going to have to cover a lot of gaps.¡± The female elf finished throwing her last flask. ¡°Let¡¯s keep a rotation going, three of you fighting and one holding back. That way someone is getting rest and we have a reserve if we need it. We can¡¯t exactly run away once we are down there, only re-position.¡± Sparking up a torch Durg passed it to Cire and then repeated the process with Selene. ¡°So much strategy. We burn em¡¯, we bash em¡¯, and we eat em¡¯. Nuff said.¡± Shrugging with a smirk, Cire tossed the lit torch down the hole towards the oil patch. ¡°He isn¡¯t wrong, but he has missed some of the nuance.¡± ¡°Stop the messing around. Everyone get on a rope and start heading down.¡± Scooping up one of the lines, Selene was over the edge and rappelling before any of the others could argue. The rest of the group followed behind her keeping a reasonable pace. Each stopped to orient themselves once they had slipped down past the overhang and into the wide open cavern. Roaring flames burned below them in a patchwork line towards the center of the room. A massive column dominated each quadrant of the hall. Touching down one after another the party dashed for the north eastern column, putting the solid object to their backs. Cire¡¯s description of the space had been accurate. Only two patches of mushrooms were close enough to sense them and react. Familiar ripping and popping sounds echoed off the walls. ¡°Get ready! Don¡¯t let them over run us!¡± Cire shouted over the noise.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. One group with several human sized mushroom beasts and two lumbering giants whose dark red caps rose close to twenty feet in the air approached from the south eastern column. Closer, between the party and the wall of fire another pack of the fungus beasts were running towards them. These were a radiant glowing blue hue, but their stumpy legs and arms matched their red cousins. Nic, Durg, and Cire turned to face the blue fungus monsters, weapons held at the ready. Arrows flew past them and thinned out the pack causing several to stumble and fall back. The initial clash pushed the three defenders back as four monsters charged into their ranks. Blunt spongy limbs pummeled Durg¡¯s armor getting worse than they got as sharpened spikes and ridges left rents in mushroom flesh. Chopping like a lumberjack, Nic focused his double buck axe on legs and torsos. Felling the beasts like saplings. He didn¡¯t kill with each swing, but he left the monsters rolling on the ground unable to fight effectively. Cire danced between the two. His blessed blade wove quick short strikes in between the other two. Twang¡¯s of Selene¡¯s bow sounded in rhythm as she nocked and fired at the group still bearing down on them. She had foisted extra arrow bundles on the human brothers, but she was still trying to be sparing with her shots. The more damage she could do with less resources all the better. The monsters started dropping, going down easily. One of the glowing blue mushrooms deflated and went limp after Durg¡¯s last pair of short axe strikes. Spreading out from its cap a cloud of sparkling blue and white spores enveloped the dwarf and his two closest companions. Coughing and sputtering they continued to fight on, hacking apart the rest of the beasts whose flesh offered little resistance. When each fungus monster succumbed they spewed the same particulate into the air blanketing the area. Stumbling out of the cloud Durg gasped and choked. ¡°Poison. Strong.¡± Cire grabbed a fallen Nicolas and drug him back to the column, he didn¡¯t have time to check the poison notification, but he could feel his Regeneration ability fighting the continual damage. It didn¡¯t feel pleasant. Nausea came and went in waves as he faced up against the next charging group. His voice came out in a croak. ¡°Andre, you¡¯re up. Watch out for the blue ones.¡± Dwarves had a natural ability to resist various poisons. Their hearty bodies and closeness with the earth rendering many mildly toxic or poisons plants quite delectable. This concentrated dose was throwing Durg for a loop. However, he had battled through many, many intoxicating effects before. He wobbled over to stand with Andre against the oncoming threat. Ceasing her barrage of projectiles Selene rapidly dosed Nicolas with herbs. She didn¡¯t have anything to counteract the poison, but the healing herb Old Man¡¯s Beard lichen grew plentifully in the valley so they had a large supply. She was back to firing arrows before the human had started chewing. Thorny spikes shot from the charging mushroom monsters as their red caps split down the center and fired them with popping bursts. Toothy maws unnaturally ripped open along the stalks and the beasts thundered into the adventurers. Whittled down as the giants had been by Selene¡¯s artillery barrage they still carried far more momentum than their human sized counterparts. The companions were staggered, but managed to hold the beasts from reaching too close to Selene. Cire played the distraction, running right up to the base of one of the lumbering beasts and then darting to the side. Andre and Durg focused on the man sized equivalents, cutting them down to prevent any from breaking through their line. Selene focused her fire on the giant showing the most wounds, but for the huge mushrooms the arrows individually caused little worry. Finally, all three melee fighters chopped down one of the mammoth mushrooms while abandoning any pretense of defense. Cire was laid out by the unopposed giant. A bashing clump of leathery mushroom appendage flung him ten feet through the air before he skidded and rolled along the damp stone. Andre and Durg turned on the beast, but it was Nicolas who took it down as he rejoined the fray. He took off one of it¡¯s legs at the knee. When it toppled to the ground he killed it with one solid blow, sinking the entirety of his axe head into the bloated stalk until the giant red cap tore off. Slowly, but surely, the party began to find a rhythm as packs of mushroom monsters crashed upon their blades. They were able to clear out the entire eastern section of the hall without recieving too many hits. The next batch of blue caps gave them less trouble than the first, but they were still hard to handle. They waited until most were near death and then everyone but Durg ran a good distance away. Then the dwarf killed the half dead beasts and ran himself. It wasn¡¯t the best tactic, but Durg was able to resist the effects of the poison better than everyone else. They had made it all the way to the south eastern column, but now the blazing oil fire they had set in the middle of the room had dwindled down to nothing. Each counted their blessings that they seemed to be out of range of the mushrooms across the hall. None seemed to be active or moving yet, just giving off a soft glowing light. ¡°So, we got a rude awakening with those blue ones. Although we should have expected poison from mushrooms to be honest. I am more worried about those glowing orange ones though, any guesses on what they do?¡± Cire asked as he pointed across the big hall in the descending darkness. Now that the flames had were no longer over powering the mushrooms natural irridescents the underground cavern was lit up by the soft effervescent glow of oranges and blues. Dark clumps spread amongst the glowing gave away where the blood red variants were sprinkled amongst them. Compared to the five groups they had just taken on a veritable army was spread out before them. Thankfully, few of the monsters posed much of a physical threat besides the over sized variety. If these beasts were anything like the ones topside they were no more than level 12 and most too low level to pose much of a challenge. Everyone was more or less recovered from the previous fighting having taken the respite between each group to replenish their hit points through herbs and rest. Ominously, no one had answered Cire¡¯s question. An uneasy silence hung in the air. They took a moment to sweep their surroundings their minds active while their bodies rested. Behind them, in the eastern wall was a large archway that opened up into a tunnel half as high as the cavern. There was more than enough space for a semi truck to drive through. More puddles of water filled the passageway hinting at a source for the moisture hidden within. To their side from the floor to the ceiling they could see doorways, windows, stairs, and balconies carved out right into the stone filling the wall. ¡°Well, if the blue ones are poisonous, but weaker than the red caps it stands to reason that the orange ones will do something different. Let¡¯s use the rest of the oil to create another defensive break, but try to catch one of the orange patchs in the flames. Maybe we can figure out what they do before we are in close quarters.¡± Cire offered. Grumbling in a friendly tone Durg jabbed Cire with his elbow. ¡°You and your caution. I just say we run at em¡¯ swingin¡¯. What¡¯s the point if there be no surprises?¡± Nic and Andre look less enthused than the bushy bearded dwarf and shook their heads in unison. ¡°We like Cire¡¯s plan better. How have you stayed alive so long Durg?¡± Andre asked. Hefting one of the last three flasks, Durg waited for Selene and Cire before they all threw them across the hall. Durg grinned as he sparked up one of their last torches. ¡°What¡¯s the point of fightin¡¯ monsters if you arn¡¯t going ta have fun? Bah!¡± Durg tossed the torch across the hallway. The party was ready for a wave of attacking monsters. Some even thought they were ready for the unexpected. However, no one was prepared for the wave of explosions that tore through the cavern. Pandemonium and destruction spread out like a wave through the mushrooms, adventurers, and naga. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 8: Daughters Embrace Lielani, Queen of the Lantern Naga, received a report from her scouts sent to investigate the group which had descended into great hall. The village gatherers had returned to the safety of their nest at the lake as the newcomers had invaded the cavern. She ordered the hatchlings into the underwater caves and gathered her warriors, the other females, to her side. The small turquoise bulb of light that extended from her forehead on a small rod-like appendage twitched and bobbed, signaling her excitement. Her dark smokey gray, purple, and black scales rippled in the faded light from above as her serpentine body and tail held her upright. She checked the ceiling, a large clear sheet of thick crystal serving as the bottom of an artificial lake. Sunlight glimmered through the blue-green depths giving the small cavern that held the true underground lake an otherworldly appearance. It was midday, a good time to act. She knew that more of those who dwelled above the earth would return after she had let the last groups go. This would be the time of their ascension. Since time forgotten their nest, her brood and that of her sisters, had languished in this underground prison. When she was young, the plentiful fish, warm temperature, and dim environment had seemed like the perfect home, even with the constant tribal infighting and violence. Not until she had killed and eaten her mother had she learned the frustrating truth. The tribes elders, fangless old hags not worth her attention, had disclosed their dire circumstances. They had no way out. The nest did not possess the magic nor the means to leave their underground cavern. Long ago they had explored the great hall, the mushroom cavern beyond, and all of the small alcoves along the walls. There was no escape, until now. ¡°Alana, Melya, Kina, and Ele, you will lead your kin and follow me to the great hall. A Sssmall group of Sssun dwellersss has come and started to fight the mussshroomsss.¡± Leilani shifted her grip on her trident, it¡¯s sleek dark metal cool and reassuring to her touch. Kina, the boldest of her first brood, uncoiled and slithered to her side. ¡°Ssso it is time. They have returned. Tonight we will feassst on fresssh flesssh and blood.¡± ¡°I want the liversss! You know I need them for my Sssensssitive conssstitution,¡± Melya whined. Her purple black hair was being raked and combed through with her spindly clawed fingers. Staying silent, Ele and Alana simply twitched and flashed their lantern bulbs in exasperation at their more demanding sister¡¯s outburst. Leilani gestured curtly with her hand, quieting the two who spoke out of turn. ¡°No. We will take them alive. If we kill them we may lose our chanssse to leave. These interlopersss will Ssshare the Sssecretsss of the Sssurface before we eat them.¡± Melya pouted, her long fangs accentuating the expression on her purple lips. ¡°Yesss, mother. Can I have first right to claim any malesss that are worthy breeding stock? I haven¡¯t been satisfied since Kina flayed Ori and fed him to the hatchlingsss.¡± Stroking her black scaled shirt with a slow vulgar gesture, Kina hissed at Melya, ¡°He makesss better clothing than breeding stock.¡± Low chanting in guttural rasping tones rapidly tumbled from Melya as she wove her hands through intricate patterns before her chest. Dark twisting energy swirled from her body as she began casting, her eyes affixed to Kina¡¯s. Catching the girl in her ribs, the butt of Leilani¡¯s trident knocked the wind out of her before she finished casting. ¡°Enough!¡± the naga queen shouted, invective dripping from her words. ¡°You will ceassse thisss petty fighting and prepare the other warriors to fight. Bring them all to the tunnel.¡± Disgruntled, the gathering broke apart only to reassemble moments later with another eight female naga dressed in black scaled naga hide shirts. They each held various weapons made from bone and scraps of mushroom leather. Shades of purple, blue, gray, and dark green dominated their features. Milling about the younger sisters of the tribe were wary and cautious as they looked down the tunnel. ¡°Everyone follow me. Keep hidden and encircle the outsssidersss. On my Sssignal use disssabling magic or netsss. No killing the prey until I command.¡± Slithering through the wet tunnel towards the great hall the serpents spread out in groups of three, except Leilani. They kept to the shadows, their scales naturally blending into the surroundings. The party of adventurers, distracted by their fight with the fungus beasts, didn¡¯t even notice as the snake women surrounded them. Leilani was about to give the signal as the humans, elves, and dwarf huddled up talking and sparking a torch, but the wave of force from a series of growing explosions threw her backwards tumbling into the dark. Goblets and chunks of spongy, rubbery mushroom flesh rained down around and on top of the scattered party. Blown towards the southern wall, Durg and Nicolas were the first to dig themselves out of the debris, only having been slightly covered. Thick viscous goop dripped from everywhere.Both had been battered and stumbled to their feet. Nic was leaking blood from his ears and fell down shortly after rising. He pulled himself to a sitting position with his knees up and head ducked down between them. He worked his mouth trying to regain his senses. Holding his hands on his knees and sucking in deep steadying breaths, Durg gathered himself. His trusty shortaxes were no where to be found. Their ragtag party was in a bad way and he knew it. He choked out, ¡°We gotta... regroup.¡± He looked up, surveying the damage. Durg was surprised and delighted by the destruction. Only a few remaining mushrooms stood in the hall all blue or dark red. Small fires were scattered throughout the area. Bits of mushroom caps were splattered on the walls. Disassembled stalks littered the floor. His companions, besides Nic, were still missing.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Suddenly pulled to his feet, Nic looked around, the constant ringing in his ears disorienting and his evident concussion impeding his balance. He saw that Durg had a hand and arm around his midsection and nodded. He tried to speak, but he couldn¡¯t hear his own voice, so he screamed. ¡°WHAT HAPPENED? WHERE ARE THE OTHERS?¡± Nicolas saw Durg point over to a pile of stalks that were shifting and jostling. He nodded and teetered over. Working quickly he started digging through the fungal rubble. Durg suddenly dove into the heap shooting past his scrounging hands and burying himself up to his waist. Digging and burrowing into the pile, Durg finally grasped an arm or a leg. He didn¡¯t think twice about the amorphous sense guiding him, he simply acted. The stalwart companion didn¡¯t know which of his friends was buried, but as he started to yank and pull backwards, he finally got a good look. Nic grunted as he helped drag Durg from the hole he had dug and then they both pulled Selene free of the debris. She had a deep laceration across her forehead. Blood was gushing across her face, her eyes coated in drying blood. Her left arm was bent at an unnatural angle and white shards of bone poked through her skin. The woodsman cleared a space for her best he could and the two laid her down gingerly. Durg waved his hand right in front of Nic¡¯s face. Then he pointed to Nic and pointed at Selene. Then he pointed to himself and back out at the cavern. He pushed the taller human into a sitting position next to the elf before heading back out into the havoc strewn landscape. Covering most of Andre¡¯s body with his own, Cire had managed to shield the human from the worst of the blast. He had been tossed into the young lumberjack. More by happenstance than anything else, he landed on top of him as they were inundated by heaps of giant mushroom carcass. The sun elf hadn¡¯t lost consciousness as his head and body were pelted by fungus lumps and thorny spikes. He wished he had. Cire could feel the spikes lodge themselves as searing white hot pain radiated up from his left leg and forearm. Chips of shrapnel gouged into his back. His yeti hide armor stopping countless more that he couldn¡¯t feel. Rubbery dead weight pressed the splinters deeper as he was crushed into Andreas. Pinned against the stone floor, Andre grunted and gasped as he struggled against the weight on top of him. Bursts of shocking pain spread through Cire as his healing ability attempted and failed to reject the prodigious amounts of foreign material riddling his body. Uncontrolled and animalistic groans rose up from deep within. He seized and his body attempted to go rigid. Cire¡¯s very soul felt like it was cramping. Muscle and insides wrenched themselves taut as he thrashed against his confines. Pushing the frantic elf away, as far as he could in their tight quarters, Andre¡¯s mind reeled. Everything had happened so fast. He slapped and pressed his hands into Cire¡¯s face and chest. He held the seizing elf in place until he went limp and sagged heavily onto him. He stopped pressing into the elf and relaxed as they were pressed back into a hug, chest to chest. Andre worked his tongue and hacked out muddy goop. ¡°What gives?¡± Gritting his teeth, Cire coughed out, ¡°Cramps.¡± After a few moments of them uncomfortably squashed together they could both feel the weight pressing down on them reduce. Next, pieces to their side started jostling, the pile shifting. The spikes lodged in Cire pressed in different directions with each press. Involuntary screams almost deafened Andre before the human clamped a hand over Cire¡¯s mouth. Durg¡¯s meaty hand clasped hard under Cire¡¯s shoulder and jerked him out of the fungal rubble. Everything felt terrible and his blood felt like a white hot burning liquid running through his veins. Worst of all the discomforts was the growling hunger growing inside. Thankfully, depending on how you thought about it, he had at least prepared for this. Dragging himself to a sitting position, he popped the stopper on a waterskin and untied it from his belt. Then he thrust the neck into his mouth and squeezed. Gamey and tasting heavily of iron, Durg¡¯s blood tasted just as revolting as he remembered. He drained half of the contents before capping the waterskin and tying it back in place. Bracing himself, he ripped the thorns free one after the other. Cire managed to bite down the shrieks and they escaped as muffled whimpers. Bleeding icons were nothing new, but the multiple blinking lights at the periphery of his vision only made his condition worse. He swooned and collapsed onto his side. Nic watched Durg run off and focused his attention on Selene. She wasn¡¯t moving. He didn¡¯t know much about elven physiology, but he knew there were some things he could treat. Pulling a mat of herbs from his pouch he pressed it straight onto the deep cut on her forehead. Time warped as he applied pressure and waited for the leaking blood to stop. After an interminable amount of waiting, he was able to remove his hand without crimson liquid seeping through the herbs. Looking up to check on Durg¡¯s progress, he caught movement towards the eastern side of the hall. Bitter flavor washed over his tongue as fear spiked through him. They were too wounded to fight. If more fungus monsters attacked them now, they were done for. Straining to see in the darkness, the human was at a loss for what he saw. Past the rest of Nicolas¡¯ companions digging out of the morass of earthy rubble was a terrifying snake woman. The brothers had grown up in the city of Meadow until they had struck out for Sunset. They had rarely encountered wild monsters or magical creatures within the towering walls of their previous home. He didn¡¯t know what the half-snake half-woman looming on the edge of the darkness was, but he knew he didn¡¯t want to find out. Pointing at the purple-haired and black iridescent-scaled humanoid serpent, he shouted at Durg, ¡°Snake lady! Run!¡± Durg, Andre, and Cire all turned to look at Nicolas before quickly looking in the opposite direction to where he was pointing. All three were treated to a truly grotesque show of monstrous sensibilities and strength. Kalani, one of the youngest of the female naga to join the hunt, had suffered little damage during the explosion. She had used her excellent reflexes and agility to dart behind one of the columns before the brunt of the detonation reached her. When she emerged from cover, she couldn¡¯t believe her luck. Crumpled and twitching right next to Kalani was Leilani¡¯s crumpled form. Right angles that had no business under the sleek scales of the naga¡¯s skin ran the length of her tail and midsection. The queen¡¯s lantern was broken and missing, a true sign that she had fallen. She looked up into the ravenous eyes of her daughter. Through the pain and disorientation she stared in surprise when she realized who it was. ¡°I alwaysss thought it would be one of the eldessst.¡± Leilani had no way out and she knew it, but that didn¡¯t mean the naga queen would make it easy. Twisting to face her purple haired daughter, she had the quick thought that the girl must have been from one of Kayl¡¯s broods. His blood had always carried craftiness with it. Her hands wove and she hissed out the words of power for one of her potent Death magic spells. Perhaps she would have time. She didn¡¯t waste time with words. Using all of her strength, Kalani sprung at her mother. Once she was on her, the attack was unrelenting. She wrapped her tail around the shattered one of her mother¡¯s and constricted. Her claws raked and tore shimmering scales from skin. Kalani bit and chewed. Ripping pieces of Leilani¡¯s body free and hurriedly gulping them down. Coated in blood, euphoric in her victory, Kalani twisted and squeezed her mother¡¯s lifeless remains until they ground into pieces. She rose up with her tail curling under her as stood defensively over the corpse. The surface dwellers were right there gawking and uttering gibberish. Now was her chance to seize control. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 9: Translated Negotiation Shock coruscated through the assembled audience to Kalani¡¯s unnerving display. None of the recovering companions had any idea what to make of the naga savaging the other injured naga. Retreating to Nicolas and Selene¡¯s position the three on their feet circled around them. Andre held his axe between them and the potential threat. None of the others had retained their weapons, most had been lost while they had been tossed about. Cire glanced around them, catching the movement of other creatures in the shadows. Then he turned a discerning eye on the female who had ceased to move, but clearly caught their attention. No weapons or armor hid Kalani¡¯s form and for all intents she was nude outside of a fish bone necklace and hairpin. She had long, luxurious purple hair that spilled over her gray-black scaled shoulders. Lighter shades of ash trailed from her stomach down to the tip of her tail, showing off a toned abdomen. Her full breasts prominently on display would typically be quite distracting if they hadn¡¯t been coated in blood and overshadowed by her face. The naga¡¯s wicked fangs poked well past her lower lip which was still stained crimson. Her serpentine eyes shone dark violet that matched a dancing glowing purple bulb on her forehead. An ineffable feeling tingled at the edge of his senses as he focused on her. Why did she kill the other one? What is she? What is this weird vibe I am getting from her? She hasn¡¯t attacked, but she doesn¡¯t exactly look all that friendly. We aren¡¯t in a good position to fight, we¡¯re banged up pretty good. I need to try something other than force. Let¡¯s hope this book can¡¯t be judged by its cover because that¡¯s some scary necronomicon style craziness. Might as well hope she is like me, perceived of as a monster, but more than she looks. Cire reasoned with himself as he took a position at the front of his party. He thanked his ability to rapidly regenerate once more and resolved to put more points into the ability. He barely limped, taking steps to put some distance between himself and his companions. He called out in common, hoping to open a dialogue. ¡°My name is Cire. Thank you for the help, if that¡¯s what you did just there.¡± He gestured with his hand to the gruesome looking remnants of the previous naga queen. ¡°Can you understand me?¡± Durg grunted and tugged on Andre¡¯s sleeve. With a hushed voice he challenged the elf. ¡°What are ya doin¡¯ boyo? Ya don¡¯t be talkin¡¯ with monsters.¡± Waving his hand behind himself to silence Durg he turned back to glare at him quickly before looking forwards again. ¡°We are in no state to be fighting. She isn¡¯t attacking, so let¡¯s see if we can work something out. Besides I have a feeling about this.¡± Arching an eyebrow in curiosity, Kalani warily tracked Cire as he moved out to engage with her. The battered white hide armor the elf wore made him stick out in their dark confines. He wasn¡¯t trying to hide. He was either a very brave or ignorant male to approach a naga without a weapon in the dark. There was something about him that she couldn¡¯t place. When he started to utter nonsensical mutterings, she shook her head. She could see her sisters, both older and younger hanging back in the shadows whispering about what they were witnessing. Kalani held her ground revealing little to the strange eyed elf and her nest alike. She was intrigued by his one blue eye and other purple. It wasn¡¯t the colors so much as the peculiarity. The ambitious young naga had seen it somewhere before and it rankled her suspicions. Frowning, Cire tried a different tact. He held his hands up to show that he was unarmed and walked half the distance between them. He shrugged and focused on his speech. Cire knew he could theoretically speak various forms of elvish, but he had yet to try. Whenever Selene swore in the sing song language of her people he simply understood what she was saying. It didn¡¯t exactly translate to English, more that he intuitively understood the meaning of her words. His tongue wasn¡¯t used to the acrobatics required, but a garbled whistling form of speech came from his mouth as he spoke. ¡°Do you speak elvish? My name is Cire.¡± Kalani¡¯s eyebrows both shot up at the horrendous intonations in this pretty tanned skinned elf¡¯s speech. She didn¡¯t pick up all the words, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it was him or if he was speaking a different dialect. He spoke in a stilted way that robbed the language of its beauty. At least it was a start. Lilting whistles with hissing sounds sprinkled throughout responded to Cire¡¯s query. ¡°I Ssspeak the old tongue of my ancessstorsss, yesss. I am Kalani, the Lantern Naga Queen of Mistfall Lake. You shall addresssss me as ¡®queen¡¯ or ¡®your majesssty.¡¯¡± Her declaration to hall at large as much as Cire. Cire¡¯s comprehension of the various forms of elvish that he spoke was not great. However, he could pick out that the naga was not speaking modern elvish, but one of the older varieties. Sort of like old timey British English compared to modern American English. Her obvious hissing inflections didn¡¯t seem to impact his ability to discern the dialect. When she introduced herself it also gave him confirmation of where the tingly feeling was emanating from. The way he saw it he had a few options: negotiate, bluff, or fight. If he was going to go with one of the first two he preferred to do it from a position of strength. He couldn¡¯t count Kalani¡¯s unseen allies, but he knew that they were on her home turf. Fighting their way out wasn¡¯t a good bet. I know that Selene and Durg won¡¯t be happy about this getting out, but I might be able to spin this whole messed up situation to my advantage. I have to take some gambles if I¡¯m going to hit a jackpot. Time to put on my fancy pants. Concentrating on using ancient elvish, he strongly doubted that this naga was divine, he reintroduced himself. ¡°Your majesty, I am Ciresil Eventide, Lord of the Chimera¡¯s Mane. You shall address me as ¡®lord¡¯ or ¡®sire¡¯.¡± He paused and then bowed slightly, never letting his eyes leave his counterpart. Might as well go as big as possible. ¡°I would like to begin negotiations with you and your people. But first we require aid and rest.¡± Kalani blinked her eyes, twice ¨C once with each set of eyelids. She couldn¡¯t believe her luck. ¡°Of courssse, Sssire. Pleassse allow me to gather my sssissstersss and we can help you at our home.¡± She returned his bow, dipping noticeably lower. Cire tilted his head, wary of her previous treatment of the injured. He projected strength in his voice even though he knew his position was tenuous. ¡°Thank you, Queen. I can tend to my own, but I welcome any aid. We will rest and then join you when we are ready. I may need to have some allies from above join us.¡± He noticed a sharp reaction from the naga, but he couldn¡¯t read what it was. He decided to assuage any irritation.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Of course, I will stay here until we have finished our negotiations. As a sign of good faith.¡± Cire felt uneasy as the ¡®snake lady,¡¯ as Nicolas had called her, studied him while weighing her response. He tried not to let any of his tension show, forcing an easy going smile to his face. Baying at the back of his mind a predatory drive to dominate this obstacle in his territoryhowled. Warring emotions at odds within him provided ample distraction. Logically he knew that if he could get them out of this pickle with words he and his companions stood a better chance of getting out of this debacle alive. The look of surprise on his face at the queen¡¯s response was truly genuine. ¡°I would be honored Sssire. Pleassse invite any you wisssh, they would be welcome. It would be a joy to hossst you and any who travel with you my lord.¡± Kalani hissed in her attempt at a soft tone as her glowing bulb dimmed subtly. She affected an elaborate twisting motion with her tail that lowered her whole body in a motion resembling a curtsy. The astute naga knew that you attracted more fish with an alluring dance than violent thrashing. ¡°I will leave you to your conssserns and attend to my own people.¡± Kalani insisted on staying near to Cire and his companions. She said little else, and her alert eyes took in far more than she revealed. When Durg sparked up a torch in the failing light of the small debris, fires she kept to the edge of the light it cast. Warily her sisters approached, those of her clutch first. She had laid as much groundwork for the nest to accept her as she was most likely able. It would not be unheard of for one of the other clutches to contest her claim regardless of their mothers blood on her lips. She didn¡¯t expect it from these siblings. Huddled together, still bearing injuries from the explosion, three naga with various shades of violet and lavender in their hair, eyes, and bulbs bowed deeply to their new queen. While the rest of the nest had seen hints of their clutchmate¡¯s ambition, they had glimpsed behind the curtain of the keen mind driving it. Alana, Ali, and Kila knew the prudent course of action was to acknowledge Kalani¡¯s claim, the least reason being the potential rewards of their early gesture. Hissing in the rasping vocalizations of nagai, their common tongue, almost came out in unison from the trio. ¡°Your majesssty, how may we ssserve you.¡± ¡°Go collect all the femalesss in the camp and asssemble them at the ritual Sssircle. Tell the fanglesss onesss I will meet with them firssst when I return,¡± came Kalani¡¯s swift reply. She waved her hands towards the tunnel leading to the lake. ¡°Take all thossse who have Sssurvived during thisss failure with you.¡± Before she dismissed them Kalani caught Alana by the arm. ¡°Return by yourssself with Ssseveral healing potionsss for our guessstsss.¡± Alana knew better than to show her shock or question her new queen. ¡°Yesss, my queen.¡± She responded in haste as she dashed away to rejoin the others headed towards the tunnel. If Kalani was right, she would need to manage the next moments with care. It seemed preposterous, but this male was obviously the leader of this territory. When he had announced his title there had been a resonance within the mana around them. Naga were more attuned to the ambient mana of the world than most beings. She had felt, albeit briefly, a connection between her personal well of mana that flowed through her body and the magic all around them beyond the horizon of her senses. An almost tangible link established between herself and the elf through that mystical medium. Things couldn¡¯t be going better for her than if she had planned them. It wouldn¡¯t do for any of the others to witness what was to come, only to see the results.She had a singular opportunity to cement her position. It was a dangerous game not knowing the elf¡¯s disposition or the strength of his forces. However, Kalani had just risked her life and gained a queens reward. As long as he recognized that she was giving up the initiative or, more likely if he was lying about his allies, she was removing herself as a perceived threat and strengthening her hand. Perhaps if she scaled this fish carefully, she could position herself for far, far greater treasures. Soon it would be time to risk more than her life. Chewing roughly on a cud of healing herbs for the countless time today, Andre was regretting the brothers decision to abandon a peaceful day of lumber jacking. The regenerative effect of the herbs wasn¡¯t immediately potent, but it would heal most minor injuries. As he looked down over Selene¡¯s defeated form he winced. He looked to his brother hovering on the other side of the raven haired elf. ¡°What do you think? How bad is it?¡± Nic shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t know, that bad.¡± He looked his brother in the eyes. ¡°Bleeding¡¯s stopped, but we need to get her to Maisy or some other form of potent healing to fix her up from this. We may need to show a few things.¡± Andre visibly grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but if we need to we should. What do you think Cire is up to? I haven¡¯t been able to understand a word since he started whistling in elvish.¡± He eyed Cire talking with the naga doubtfully. ¡°Do you think the snake lady understands him?¡± ¡°Naga. She¡¯s be a naga, I think. Normally they don¡¯t have arms, just be a human head and snake body. But most naga be lackin¡¯ the shiney bits too.¡± Durg grunted as he sifted through mushroom debris, he had already found Nic¡¯s axe and one of his own. ¡°She be talkin¡¯ back so I be thinkin¡¯ she does. We best find our weapons for when their conversation sours. Naga aren¡¯t known for their friendliness. Were up to our beards in it.¡± The party could feel the eyes on them peering from the darkness. Only Durg could make out the darting shadows as Cire and Kalani talked, but he knew they were surrounded. The humans couldn¡¯t see the threats, but he didn¡¯t want to light their last torch just yet. Durg went back to sifting through spongy goop. His new friend was odd, but he still hadn¡¯t ever considered Cire would be talking with a monster. By the time Cire walked back to his companions they had managed to recover his sword and Durg¡¯s other short axe, but Andre¡¯s weapon was still missing. The golden haired elf had dried mushroom stuck in his hair that he didn¡¯t seem to notice as he sheathed his blade. Eyeing him curiously the humans and dwarf glanced past him to Kalani as a group of naga approached her and they started hissing back and forth. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why did she attack the other one?¡± Andre blurted out. Cire held out his hands to forestall any questions and he crouched down next to Selene, getting his first chance to take a good look at her condition. He had plenty of first aid knowledge, but he lacked the ability to put her injuries into full context given that healing herbs were plastered to her injuries. He asked the same question Andre had. ¡°How injured is Selene? Normally the herbs take care of cuts and bruises, but how do we fix her broken arm? Her head? Durg keep your eyes on our friend please.¡± ¡°We get her to Maisy or we give her a potion. She far too injured for the herbs to fix her. I don¡¯t think anyone else in valley has healing magic. Potions are expensive and everyone in these parts is pretty broke, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Nic briefed him. Nodding, Cire looked back to Kalani and then down to Selene. He had plenty of other tricks up his sleeve than he had revealed, but most of them wouldn¡¯t be good to demonstrate with an audience. Isolating himself had a lot of downside, but at least for Cire it also gave him some advantages. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get her out of here. I have negotiated safe passage for you all back up to the surface. I told her we had more allies waiting up top, which is sort of true.¡± Durg glowered as he sparked up the final torch and held it aloft. ¡°We cannae be movin¡¯ her in that condition. No gettin¡¯ her up the ropes. We jostle her head too much and the healin¡¯ won¡¯t take.¡± He stopped and started. ¡°You be talkin¡¯ all peaceful with naga now. No be leavin¡¯ you by yourself boyo. They be dangerous fiends and ya cannae trust em¡¯.¡± ¡°Regardless of how I look on many occasions Durg, I am not an idiot. I don¡¯t trust her, but I was able to get some concessions from her that I didn¡¯t expect. Besides, she seems to be holding the others back and at a bare minimum we have had time to recover.¡± Cire countered. ¡°We can table all of that for now though and figure out what to do for Selene. We need to send for help if we can¡¯t take her to it.¡± ¡°We be runnin¡¯ out o¡¯ light for the humans to see by. Best we send the two of them and I stick with you.¡± Sensing the tension Durg grinned and cuffed Cire on the shoulder. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. I seen her go through worse and you know I have. Maisy took good care of Andreas, she can do the same for Selene. We best be worrying about the slithering shadows.¡± Nicolas and Andreas took the torch with them as they made their way to the ropes warily. Both had agreed to immediately find Maisy and, if she was willing, escort her back to the ruins. Cire had instructed them to tell her and Stout that he in particular would be appreciative of them coming to assist Selene. The dwarf and elf-vampire both easily tracked the pair of brothers as they made their way to the ropes and ascended out of the cavern. Durg broke the quiet as he re-applied a poultice of herbs to Selene¡¯s broken arm. He checked on Kalani as she stood off to their side before asking, ¡°What did you talk about with that beastie boyo?¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 10: Blind Leading The Blind Still bearing her previous injuries, Alana returned to Kalani bearing three small containers fashioned from mushroom leather. She ducked her head and retreated after handing them over. There was opportunity for more than just the new queen after all. ¡°Your majesssty, the potionsss asss you requesssted. May I be of any further ussse? Perhaps cull the hatchlingsss not to your liking?¡± Kalani gave her first sister an appraising eye. She would need capable subordinates and Alana had survived to adulthood through strength of her magic, not physical prowess. She could be valuable. ¡°You will be of much ussse. For now, return to the lake and make ready for guessstsss. We have not had them in Sssenturiesss, but there will be many firsssstsss for the nessst in the daysss to come.¡± Holding the potions before her, making it clear her hands were occupied, the naga queen made her way close to the party once Alana had left. Just outside of striking distance she went still. Finally close enough, she could tell that the injured member of Cire¡¯s group was female and an elf. She wondered what their relationship was, they looked nothing alike. ¡°Sssire, I have had healing potionsss brought to me to aid your wounded.¡± Cire looked up to Kalani as she approached and carefully moved away from Durg and Selene. Now that he had sent the two woodsmen for help they were at their most vulnerable. If the naga were going to strike, it would most likely be during this window. ¡°Thank you, your majesty. They are most appreciated. Once my friend is on her feet we can move on to more pleasant conversation.¡± Cire paused before continuing to a question. ¡°It appears that your people were harmed during the blast as well. Is there any assistance that I might be able to provide?¡± A languid smile spread across purple lips and a long serpentine tongue flicked out tasting the air several times before she responded. ¡°My lord, I look forward to it. Pleassse come and join me once you are ready. Do bring along any friendsss or Ssservantsss you would like, we Ssshall provide you all with Sssuitable accomodationsss.¡± Cire nodded and returned to Durg with the potions. It didn¡¯t escape his notice that she had skipped over his question entirely. He had a bit of a conundrum on his hands. The potions, if they weren¡¯t just poison outright, could be laced. After scrutinizing the leathery bottles his lore skill didn¡¯t provide much insight.
Mystery Potion Rarity: Unknown (increase your arcana lore to identify item) Uses: 1. ??? 2. ???
He held a container out to Durg and shrugged. ¡°Not sure if she is tricking us, can¡¯t say I have ever tried to read the facial expression of a snake before, but she said these are healing potions.¡± Taking the potion from Cire, Durg removed the stopper and took a swig in one clean motion. He burped and ran his hand down his beard. ¡°Tastes fine, but let¡¯s give it a moment.¡± They stood awkwardly next to Selene¡¯s unconscious body casting quick glances into the darkness. Only Kalani seemed to remain in the giant cavern with them, the other naga apparently had left. Neither Durg, nor Cire trusted that they had, there were far too many shadows. Durg took a knee and tipped the rest of the potion he was holding into Selene¡¯s mouth. He cradled her head and fed her small sips of the elixir. Upon draining the potion, Durg took her arm and roughly reset the bone. She whimpered as she started to come around from the rude awakening. Then he gave her another one of the potions. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel any ill effects. Seems like those good looks work on ¡®snake ladies¡¯ just as well as normal ones. I still cannae believe you opened a dialogue with a naga boyo. Selene won¡¯t be pleased you¡¯ve gone and outed yourself. At least you didn¡¯t go and give everything away.¡± Cire scowled and then shook his head to clear it. Durg was right and his forthright nature was one of the things that he liked about the dwarf. He turned his attention back to Selene. Cire leaned forward as the blue eyed elf groaned and rapidly blinked her eyes. Once her vision cleared Selene was looking up at the too close faces of her friends. She shoved them away and propped herself up on her elbows. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Neither responded verbally, but both Durg and Cire grinned. They looked like they were sharing a private joke. When Selene pulled herself to sitting cross legged she forced a deep frown on her face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just happy you be alright lass. You took a pretty nasty hit there. Worse than the rest o¡¯ us at least.¡± Durg yanked a thumb at Cire. ¡°Ole spooky vampire Cire here healed up in no time. Nic was close though, his noggin¡¯ got thumped pretty bad. Me and Andre were fine. We had to borrow a couple of potions to get you fixed up.¡± ¡°Borrow?¡± Selene asked. Cire sighed and then nodded his head up and to Durg¡¯s side towards Kalani. Sometimes ripping off the bandage was the best move, but that didn¡¯t mean anticipating the discomfort was any better. Selene actually hissed, not unlike the naga, but in a far more violent than communicative manner. She jumped to her feet in a crouch and had her daggers out of their sheaths before Cire could blink. Durg stood and stepped back in a singular motion, while Cire put his hands up in front of Selene.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Whoa. Hold on. We aren¡¯t fighting.¡± The female elf didn¡¯t look entirely convinced. However, she took note that the ashen colored naga hadn¡¯t reacted to her movements. She had some experience with serpentfolk, but not their cousins, naga. The snakelike humanoids that lived close to her home were violent, murderous worshipers of Phobos. Hence, Selene¡¯s first impressions of the thing were threat and danger. Then she put together what they had been talking about and her face screwed up into an expression of rage. ¡°You gave me a potion that you got from her! A potion that could have had the god¡¯s of Olympus only knows what in it? What else did you do?¡± Cringing, Cire gave her a disarming half smile. ¡°Something as bad as you¡¯re thinking. I only want to go over it once, so we need to wait for the others to get back.I¡¯ll apologize plenty, later, after we are out of here. At least Durg tried the potion before we gave it to you.¡± She narrowed her eyes and steamed. Selene stood up fully, gave their surroundings a once over, and then settled back onto her haunches in a half crouch. As she sat her daggers disappeared into their sheaths in a fluid motion. She bit off her next words, anger still prevalent within them. ¡°Where are Nic and Andre?¡± Durg waved his hand towards the ceiling. ¡°Sent em¡¯ off to get Maisy. Couldn¡¯t be riskin¡¯ movin¡¯ ya. They should be coming, but who knows how long til they get here.¡± Still cooling off, Selene glared at them both and then nodded. Just because she understood their actions didn¡¯t mean she was going to let them off the hook that easily. ¡°You think Maisy will be able to get down here? It isn¡¯t exactly a simple walk,¡± she said. ¡°I think Maisy, and probably Stout for that matter, are far more capable than they tend to let on. I don¡¯t doubt for a moment that there is far more to both of them than they have shown us. They tipped just enough of their hand to let us get interested, but I¡¯m sure they kept plenty to themselves.¡± Cire responded. ¡°I just hope they get here before it gets late.¡± Over the next couple of hours Selene fully recovered. Forgoing the remaining potion, she had eaten the rest of their healing herbs. She continually dosed herself each time the regeneration waned. Durg started telling bad jokes and was gnawing on one of the many pieces of singed mushroom he had picked up straight from the floor. With the immediate stress of their previous ordeal bleeding off, Cire went to feel out Kalani. During their intense introduction he hadn¡¯t gotten the best read. He had been focused on how he was carrying himself, not wanting to slip up and truly reveal the dire situation he was in. Cire still felt that things were a bit off, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. With time to consider the situation he had started to put things together. He didn¡¯t think that a group that lived down here, sentient or otherwise, that had them surrounded had good intentions from the outset. Kalani had to be benefiting in some way by giving up her advantages. If there was one thing he was sure about, it was that a keen intelligent mind lurked behind those penetrating lilac eyes. ¡°Greetings again, your majesty. I wanted to extend my thanks again for the potions you so kindly provided.¡± Cire slipped into ancient elvish speech as he addressed the naga. Kalani had done nothing to change her appearance, dried blood marred an otherwise beautiful and dangerous alien visage. A new elegant trident of dark metal rested non-aggressively on her shoulder. She set the weapon down by her side with measured care.Her head tilted and she flicked her tongue before conversing with him. ¡°You are welcome, Sssire. I am pleasssed that your friend has recovered. Ssshall we prossseed to our negotiationsss? I would like to return home and see to my own people.¡± Cire was surprised that she wanted to begin diplomacy with just the two of them. He had assumed she would have advisors. He thought at least part of the reason she had waited patiently for them was to allow them time to arrive. It struck him that she had been waiting alone, vulnerable, as they had been. Kalani has gone through a great deal to make me feel at ease. I¡¯m not exactly sure how I would approach someone down here without them freaking out. It doesn¡¯t quite explain being surrounded, but maybe she was just being prepared? Why has she been waiting here instead of someone else? Because of me? I might as well try to piece together whats motivating her through the negotiations. She is bound to give away some of what she wants. I am too, but all I really want right now is to get everyone out of here safe. ¡°I would like to wait for one of my advisors for any formal agreement, she is undoubtedly better at mediation than I am.¡± Cire said before adding, ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t mind starting the conversation and seeing where it takes us.¡± In many ways Kalani was masquerading through this muddled act herself. Up until early that day she had been one of the least influential members of the nest. Her tribe had one singular goal, but she had invested in many. Her problem was that if she gave away her peoples principle desire, namely simple escape from the cavern and tunnels, she would drastically weaken her position. ¡°What an odd way to begin, Sssire. Perhapsss you can tell me your goals are for your domain. Which deity do your people worssship?¡± Cire blinked and pondered her questions. It was the first one that took more time to formulate a response for the first one than the second. She was asking him questions that he didn¡¯t really have an answer to. It forced him to some conclusions faster than he was ready. Once enough time had passed that it had become noticeable, Cire started rambling. ¡°No deity yet, undeclared? I am waiting until I get a chance to scout out some of the divine sites. I don¡¯t want to step on any toes if a few of the gods already have interests in the area. I¡¯d like to get more information as well. I know that there are various benefits depending on which god is venerated, so I would like to make that choice with as much context as possible.¡± Cire¡¯s stance relaxed and his hands gestured enthusiastically as continued talking. He was making plenty of assumptions based on what he knew of life outside the valley, but he had to answer this question for himself as much as Kalani. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t too much of a guilty pleasure to project his personal desires into the idea. ¡°I want my domain to be a place a safety. There are plenty of dangers in the world and few places where regular folk can be comfortable. I want a territory where people can live peaceful lives if they want to and challenging lives if they don¡¯t. A place where people are judged for who they are and what they have accomplished, not for how they look or what they are.¡± He paused, caught up with himself and shook his head. ¡°Those are aspirations though. I don¡¯t think any gathering of people from a single family to the largest city would be able to keep to that ideal. It¡¯s about creating a system that works the best it can within the limitations constraining it.¡± Cire stopped, realizing that he had monopolized the discussion and given away a fair amount of information while doing so. If Kalani¡¯s ideals or intentions were at odds with his own she had the upper hand. He could have been lying of course, but he had let himself get carried away in his river of words and his veracity as he spoke was plain as day. ¡°How about you, your majesty? Can I address you as Kalani? I don¡¯t mind being formal, but since we are having a conversation and not formally negotiating, it feels out of place. Please call me Cire. The naga had expected him to describe ambitions, like taking over new territory or conquering settlements that refused to yield. What she got instead was as confusing at times as it was ridiculous. He described picking a god to worship like selecting an article of clothing. Then he spoke of ideals instead of plans, her mind worked best outside of the abstract. His open nature and the strange circumstances eroded her caution. Kalani still picked her words with care, but was less guarded than before. ¡°Yesss, you may call me Kalani. It isss the proper order of thingsss, Sssire. I am the leader of a Sssingle Sssettlement, but you are the leader of many.¡± Kalani answered. ¡°I will to lead my people to a better life, one with more opportunity than we have now. We live a Sssimple life. I will lead my people to one where we are no longer conssstricted by the Ssscarsssitiesss that plague usss. We have and alwaysss will venerate Hera, Goddessss of women, kingsss, and empiresss.¡± The blind kept leading the blind. Each dodging around what they really wanted and pretending to act the way they thought they should. Kalani noticed the return of the two humans she had scented previously along with several more people. Cire was too caught up in his discussion with her to notice until the new arrivals had gathered with Durg and Selene. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 11: A Dusting of Levity and Sarcasm Dressed in a white and yellow flowing robe, preposterously clean for someone jogging across a dusty mountain valley, Maisy worked over the information she had to go on. Those fools had been messing around in the ruins of the ancient city. Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have pushed them into a corner. Even Stacy, the most capable for the task of the higher level residents, had stayed away from the potential danger lurking in that long forgotten place. She had made sweeps every few months searching for the stone. However, her spell cast a wide net and provided little detail of the area it covered. Dangerous beasts and magical creatures abounded throughout the unclaimed territory. Without a ruling house there was no common order in a whole host of ways. This was one of many reasons she had been able to carve out her small piece of the world. However, she had never expected there to be a nest of naga slithering under their feet. Cire¡¯s action to send for her was one of the few pieces of information that had made any sense about the situation. The group had been caught in some sort of giant explosion because they had stupidly attacked an unfamiliar monster without considering the consequences. Then he had somehow prevented an ambush from the naga by opening a dialogue with the creatures. By the time her group reached the desecrated grove at the center of the valley most were winded. Maisy had pushed them hard. Stout actually flopped down and laid on the ground as he caught his breath. Nicolas and Andre were hunched over with their hands on their knees. Only the silver haired dwarf showed no signs of distress from the ragged pace. ¡°So, Selene is critically injured. Cire is talking with the naga. He sent you to come get me, but he didn¡¯t tell you anything else?¡± Gasping in between breaths, Nicolas struggled out a response while shaking his head in the negative. ¡°No ma¡¯am, can¡¯t say that he did. Just that he would really appreciate it if you both you and Stout came.¡± The hamlet was still caught up in its work for the day. Miners were toiling away pulling ore from the mountains and lumberjacks were harvesting timber. Maisy had wanted to shut down operations and bring everyone to the ruins. Never the less, she had the suspicion that doing so would have not only exposed her secret, but Cire¡¯s as well. That was something far more significant to consider. If he had only needed healing he wouldn¡¯t have asked for Stout. I wonder what that boy is up to. Obviously they were trying to dig up more about this place before sitting down with me again. I really should have just made it more clear what I want out of this. I just had to go with the impressive display and cryptic request. Hopefully the situation didn¡¯t get so out of hand that I can¡¯t salvage it. Maisy waited for the brothers to fully regain their composure before she pulled Stout to his feet. She thrust a rope into his hands. ¡°I know it¡¯s been years since we have done anything like this, but do try and keep up.¡± Her easy smile affixed firmly in place, the leader of the hamlet began chanting. Maisy¡¯s hands delicately traced lines and circles in the air before her. Occluded by the bright sunshine, a soft yellow light gathered on her skin. The light pooled in her hands as she uttered the last lines of her incantation with clear and resonant words. ¡°Theia, goddess of the light and bright, guide my path and pierce the veil of darkness. Shine and illuminate.¡± Gathering from the energy suffusing Maisy¡¯s body a twinkling miniature star formed between her hands. The bright globe floated away and then down the giant bore leading to the cavern. It stopped towards the top and held position. She wanted the spell active, but she didn¡¯t want to give away everything. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave the light in the tunnel until I need it. That means you two need to be able to see in the dark because we are not going to be casually throwing around any torches. Come here,¡± Maisy instructed the two humans. There was no incantation or gestures to accompany the next spell. The female dwarf simply closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before touching each man on the temple. Maisy dusted her hands off and picked up one of the ropes. ¡°Theia is the goddess of sight, first and foremost. She will grant you vision in far more than darkness. It will only last a short while, let me know if you need me to bless you with it again. Now hurry along.¡± Before either of the brothers could ask any questions, she had hopped over the side and started rappelling down into the pit. Andreas and Nicolas were soon to follow, smart enough to keep their mouths shut. Grumbling and complaining, Stout brought up the rear. Getting to Selene and Durg was uneventful if a bit difficult. The group had to navigate carefully around heaps of blasted apart mushroom bits. Most of the eastern side of the cavern was traversable compared with the goopy amalgamated mass that covered the floor on the other side. Maisy would have liked to explore the space, at least with her eyes, but she was focused on her task. When she saw Selene no worse off for wear sitting next to Durg, she was more than a little frustrated. She skirted around Cire and the Naga, watching them talk. Once the two groups had gathered together Maisy gave Selene a quick once over. She pressed her palm to the elven woman¡¯s chest and a pulse of mana spread into Selene and back into the dwarf. There was no outward display of power, only an echo in the ambient magic gathered around them. When Maisy was satisfied that Selene had no lasting damage she removed her hand. ¡°How long have they been talking? Is that elvish? Do you know what he has told her?¡± Selene leaned over and whispered into Maisy¡¯s ear before standing up.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Not too long, she has been waiting here by herself for quite some time. He just went over there a bit ago. Its ancient elvish, I don¡¯t understand much of it, not enough to hazard a guess at what they are saying.¡± Cire had noticed the commotion as the two brothers returned with Maisy and Stout. He excused himself from his conversation with Kalani and joined them. Pointedly looking at Maisy he addressed their situation. ¡°So, this will come as a bit of a surprise for Nic and Andre, but considering what they have just gone through I think they have a right to know. I am in way over my head and I am beginning to realize just how far above me the water is. The good thing is, I think Kalani is swimming down there with me.¡± ¡°Kalani? The strange looking naga?¡± Maisy inquired. ¡°Strange looking? I hadn¡¯t seen a naga before, but a snake person doesn¡¯t exactly look normal to me in the first place. She introduced herself as Kalani, Queen of the Lantern Naga of Mistfall Lake.¡± Cire looked back at Kalani, who had resumed her patient still position observing the group. ¡°I didn¡¯t really have any better options. Our party was pretty banged up and Selene was completely out of the fight. So I took a gamble, still not sure if it paid off or if I am just playing into her hand. I told her I am the ruler of the territory and that I wanted to negotiate. I figured at the bare minimum it would buy us some time. She has been rather helpful and agreeable since then.¡± Everyone but Durg¡¯s eyes went wide for various reasons when Cire revealed his position. Durg already knew, so he had been watching the others and taking amusement in their reactions. The first to speak was Maisy, taking control of the situation before it could spiral. ¡°That explains it. Well, at least some of it. I think you and I should have a quick talk Cire. I imagine circumstances between us have changed.¡± Cire nodded and peeled off from the rest of the group with Maisy before they could start in with questions. The two huddled amongst the mushroom carcasses a small ways away from the others. There was no doubt that they could be overheard if any of the others had tried, but they appeared to be busily talking between themselves. ¡°They have indeed changed. I have more details about the bargain you wanted me to accept. But I have also gotten into a pretty sticky situation that I have no idea how to navigate. I was thinking that instead of haggling or tricking me, we could put everything out in the open when we get out of here. To that end, I seem to remember something about you wanting to serve as the emissary for my house.¡± Cire immediately jumped straight into the crux of the matter. The experienced dwarf had spent many years in the high dwarven courts politicing. Bizarre situations were hardly rare for nobles and aristocrats, but this was odd to say the least. Cire wasn¡¯t willing to just assent to her previous demands to garner her assistance, but he was giving her upfront concessions. Maisy knew that she would have come to help Selene in any case. Maisy wondered how much he had already given away to the serpent. She had wanted to wait until he had completed far more of the process of establishing his capital and consolidating the territory before she got involved. On one hand, she would have immediate influence over how the area was developed. On the other hand, she would have to deal with the myriad of struggles of getting things moving and she knew that headache all too well. ¡°I did, but I hadn¡¯t anticipated you needing one so soon, dear. You really don¡¯t like to wait do you? It¡¯s all jumping straight into the action, no foreplay.¡± Maisy teased, she wasn¡¯t in a hurry anymore and she might as well have her fun. Young men were always so easy. Cire was thankful for the dim setting given his flushed features. He may have a depth of experience when it came to expense reports and requisition requests, but he had never been good at flirting or sexually charged conversation. He knew she was lightening the mood, but it made him uneasy in an entirely different way than Kalani. When Cire didn¡¯t respond Maisy prompted him with additional questions. ¡°What have you told her besides basic introductions? Do you know what she wants? Do you even know what you want to accomplish?¡± Explaining what he had told Kalani didn¡¯t go over well, partially because Maisy couldn¡¯t quite comprehend what Cire was saying either. Cire didn¡¯t overtly talk about accruing power, wealth, or influence. He was thinking of the territory like a guild or business, not an empire. She could fix that easily enough in the long term, but she put it out of her mind. She summed up the salient points as she saw them. ¡°Let me see if I understand. You have both been dancing around exchanging platitudes. She managed to get you to talk and spill your intentions. On top of that, she has been watching you this entire time. She even gave you healing potions, and I can¡¯t believe I am saying this, that you administered to Selene without identifying. Am I missing anything?¡± She had started to let an exasperated tone leak into her voice towards the end of her statement, but she reigned it in before her question. ¡°Before I go meet with her I need to get as much information as possible. I don¡¯t want to make anymore of a hash of this than you already have.¡± Furrowing his brow in thought, Cire tried to think back over the last few hours. They had pretty much covered everything. Most of the stress and his focused had been directed towards Selene¡¯s condition. He looked back over at Kalani and he was immediately reminded of the first time he had laid eyes on her. ¡°Well, there is this one other thing. Right after the explosion, we all saw her kill and eat some of that other naga over there. You can see pieces of it on the ground mixed in with the mushroom chunks. I¡¯ve been trying to figure out why she did that, but just asking outright doesn¡¯t feel like the best approach.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re so pretty.¡± Maisy said as she sighed and patted his arm. ¡°Brave too, maybe foolhardy. But at least plenty of interesting things have happened since you crawled into my bed.¡± Now, I am about to go and represent your interests Cire. That means you need to decide what you want to do. You don¡¯t really have any resources to trade, but you do have some options when it comes to bartering. Do you want to bond their settlement to the territory through an alliance, leave them be, or do you want to declare them enemies?¡± Chagrined, Cire looked uncomfortable and shifted on his feet. He wasn¡¯t used to making decisions with such significant implications. Ultimately he realized that he didn¡¯t have to make that choice until he had more information. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I didn¡¯t even really think about that. I was just busy making sure we stayed alive and conning my way through not getting attacked. It didn¡¯t really occur to me what to negotiate for. I figured you could help out with that. I¡¯ve just been trying to build a rapport so she doesn¡¯t bring her whole village back here and eat us all.¡± Maisy clucked her tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s likely to do that, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have been alive by the time I got here. She obviously wants something that you can provide. A queen wouldn¡¯t have waited around personally to attend to you regardless of how small her settlement is.¡± ¡°I was thinking along those same lines. Now that you and Stout are here, and she still hasn¡¯t called back any of the others we aren¡¯t in the same kind of danger as before. Kalani doesn¡¯t seem like the type of person who would willing trade away advantages without expecting something in return,¡± Cire explained. ¡°Ohh, so you¡¯re on a first name basis with our scaly vixen are you? Manage to figure out what she likes to eat besides eating her own kind?¡± Maisy felt like it was important to remind Cire that he was not dealing with a creature he understood, it was easier to deliver those messages packaged with a dusting of levity and sarcasm. ¡°Well, we might as well head over. You will need to translate for me. Make sure we present a united front, my lord.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 12: Delicate Arrangements Introducing Maisy to Kalani went smoothly. Cire could sense a perceptible shift in how the naga was interacting with them. He didn¡¯t know if the change was precipitated by Maisy being a noticeable elder, he silver hair made her age evident, or if it was because she was a female. It might have simply been a result of having an obviously more knowledgeable understanding of how to move a conversation along. Shortly after introductions Kalani had transitioned into speaking a rough brogue style speech that utterly baffled Cire. Apparently, the naga queen also spoke an archaic version of dwarfish. This was immensely beneficial as Cire had done a poor job translating. He had kept inserting opinions and ideas to the point at which Maisy had made him reiterate Kalani¡¯s words repeatedly. The elf and dwarf had powwowed about general objectives for the negotiation. Cire gave Maisy carte blanche for general discussion and feeling things out. She had pressed him again about his intentions for the naga settlement. Ultimately, he went with his gut, it was his turn to razz Maisy back. ¡°Try to figure out as much as you can about them. Reveal as much as you think prudent. You¡¯re the one who impressed me with your magic and wanted to be an emissary. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re as good with your tongue as you think you are.¡± Shaking her head, Maisy rolled her eyes and shot back. ¡°Ohhh dear, I believe I impressed you with far more than my magic. Now go run along and play with the others while I talk with the queen. She seems very insistent on us visiting her home. I have my suspicions, but I would like to confirm them. It will be easier if you leave me to it.¡± Happy to hand things over to more experienced hands, Cire moved back to the others. He fished through his pack and pulled out some dried figs. They had been down here for a while and without being able to track the sun he had lost track of time. Munching on the vittles he caught on to the conversation he had walked into. ¡°¡­the stone was down here. Well, we be thinkin¡¯ it was, on account o¡¯ the oathbreakers having it,¡± Durg explained. ¡°And you gave it to Cire? Why didn¡¯t one of you keep it, or sell it and split the proceeds?¡± Nicolas questioned and then hurriedly added. ¡°Not that you are a bad choice Cire, you just seem a bit unprepared for everything.¡± Selene motioned to Durg with her head. ¡°You think Durg or I would have been any better of a choice? We already talked about it with Cire and made our decision. Not that anything can be done about it now.¡± ¡°I understand that, well I understand how out of the three of you it ended up in Cire¡¯s hands. I suppose I find it more puzzling that you didn¡¯t just sell the thing like Nic said,¡± Andre chimed in. Cire chuckled and shrugged as he joined the chat. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think about that to be honest, I just bonded the stone when they gave it to me. Same thing when I made them heirs, it just felt like the right thing to do at the time.¡± ¡°We considered it. Durg and I had plenty of time to talk about it when Cire was injured and unconscious. We judged that there would be little chance of us selling it for what it was worth and managing to stay alive during the process. At least this way we have a better chance of keeping our heads.¡± Selene pointedly steered the conversation, not wanting for Cire to get careless and overshare, more. ¡°On that note, Cire do you know when we are going to get out of this place? It doesn¡¯t look like the naga are going to have us for dinner, but that one hasn¡¯t left like the others.¡± Cire looked over to Maisy and Kalani enthusiastically conversing, in a much more relaxed manner than he had induced, and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will be too long now. Maisy appears to be doing a better job at reading the landscape than me. We should probably just hold tight though, I doubt interfering would help things along.¡± During the wait Durg had suggested that they try and find the duergar bodies they had still yet to strip of any valuables. The others had wisely pointed out that it would be very difficult now that they were most likely scattered amongst the mushroom remains. They mainly spent time being bored. However, Durg satisfied himself by stuffing everyone¡¯s packs to the brim with choice specimens of mushroom. By the time Maisy finished up her parley, Cire had begun to regret not rummaging around for the duergar. It would have at least given them something to do. He had thoroughly familiarized himself with the massive cavern they were in. It was actually a large squared room the size of a small sports arena. He didn¡¯t know if it was a converted natural cavern, but it was hard to imagine removing the amount of stone it would have taken to clear the space. Intricately carved dwarven figures were inlaid into the massive columns that dominated the room. The alcoves along the walls, upon closer inspection, were clearly living spaces carved into the rock. Commercial style open faced shops ringed the lower level and as he looked up the wall he saw more closed off spaces. Rotted out wooden ladders connected various dwellings or were laying in jumbles of dust and splinters. The northern and southern walls had archways similar in a fashion to the tunnel leading down the eastern side, however they were blocked by huge stones. The massive stone wedges seemed purposefully constructed for their tasks and the seam between the tunnel and the stone couldn¡¯t fit a piece of paper between them. He had only been able to inspect the southern arch, it was far closer, but he assumed that the blocked tunnel across the hall to be in similar condition. A now unobscured tunnel arch to the west was still clogged with mushrooms that had not been caught up in the explosion. Cire had been about to suggest that the group start investigating the buildings set into the walls, but Maisy¡¯s return had forestalled any need to assuage the tedium. On top of that, whatever news she had to share would either be interesting or lead to their deliverance from waiting around in a dark, dank hole. Unfortunately for most of the group, they had to wait as she whisked Cire away for a private discussion.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I am going to get straight to it because I would prefer not to stay down here overnight and we still have plenty of work to do. She was a hard nut to crack. The queen really didn¡¯t want to give many details away before we make a pact, but I know enough about this place to make some good guesses.¡± Maisy reached into a small white leather pouch on her belt and produced a much larger waterskin and took a long drink. ¡°Naga are a very intelligent and traditionally reclusive species. They normally live in wetlands, swamps, or near rivers. It doesn¡¯t make any sense that they would be trapped down here in an ancient dwarven city. I do mean trapped when I say it. I don¡¯t think they have a way out of here. We don¡¯t know how big this place is, so we don¡¯t know how big of a nest we are dealing with, but they have obviously been here a long time.¡± Nodding, Cire agreed. He didn¡¯t know how long it had been since ancient elvish was simply elvish, but it had to be noteworthy. There was something else suspicious about the naga that lined up with this observation. ¡°Everyone kept saying that she looked strange for a naga. Durg, I think, said they don¡¯t normally have arms. I haven¡¯t ever seen one before to compare, but she has some elven features. I know those well enough to recognize them. You think they are descendants of the original inhabitants of this place, Miletus? She also speaks ancient elvish and dwarfish, I can¡¯t think of any other reason that a tribe of naga would speak both dead languages. I suppose they aren¡¯t exactly dead though.¡± Giving Cire an appraising look, Maisy had not anticipated him putting it all together without walking him through it. She patted him on the hip with her common mischievous smile. ¡°You¡¯re not all golden hair and pearly white teeth, at least you have a working mind. That¡¯s why she was willing to negotiate, I think they want to be able to leave, but I don¡¯t think they want to abandon their home. On the face of it, we both want something that costs the other nothing besides positioning. Queen Kalani most assuredly has more ambitions personally. Depending on what you are willing to trade, I think it would be a relatively simple thing to bond their settlement. Otherwise we can both step to the side and let each other pass.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any problem figuring out a way to get them out of this trap. I couldn¡¯t imagine my entire existence being confined to a cave, even a really big one. You have pushed for bonding settlements, Sunset included, a couple of times now. You were really vague about what that would do besides the tantalizing prospect of nebulous power. I would be more willing to lean in that direction if you gave me a hint or two about what it means to do that. Also, I don¡¯t really have much to trade besides a couple of magic items, most of which I haven¡¯t even identified yet,¡± Cire said. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you explicitly what sort of effect bonding the Mistfall Lake settlement would have on your house or territory. The benefits of bonding Sunset are what I a most familiar with, obviously. You experienced the Glimmer Boon when I blessed you. It would be similar to a permanent version of that boon for your house, perhaps a much more minor version for all those within your capital or territory.¡± She waved her hand towards Kalani and continued. ¡°As far as her settlement, it would most likely be linked to whatever blessing Hera provides her worshipers and the people who live in it. Which in this case are naga. So, I don¡¯t really know. The hamlet has a community of mainly dwarves and humans. Hence, Theia, my goddess, provides a gift that is most appropriate for them.¡± Cire was finally starting to make sense of the larger process at play. ¡°Okay, got it. I still don¡¯t really know what I have to offer to trade with a settlement though. I don¡¯t have my own city so it¡¯s not like we can trade goods with them. I imagine you have some ideas though.¡± ¡°You have far more to barter with than you seem to realize. You don¡¯t own all the land in the territory, but anything that is unclaimed is ostensibly yours by right. As oblique as the queen has been, I have been as well. She has very little understanding of just how little power you possess.¡± Suspiciously grinning, Maisy looked Cire up and down. ¡°There are a lot of options to secure allies. Given that she has obviously ambitious there is a very simple route to take. Queen Kalani and her people worship Hera. Are you familiar with arranged marriages?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. What does that have to do with the naga worshiping Hera? She is pretty for a snake lady, but that isn¡¯t saying much, she would be terrifying to wake up next to.¡± Dubious skepticism rang through Cire¡¯s words like a church bell on a quiet night. ¡°I am serious. Hera, Queen of the Gods, has reign over many things. However, marriage is one of her principal dominions. I have run into no small amount of curses directed my way invoked in her name by unhappy wives during my years.¡± Maisy locked eyes with the taller elf. ¡°If you think about it rationally, it makes plenty of sense. Your a young lord who will get no small amount of suitors once you are open with the world. I am sure the queen will see the value in being one of your first spouses. You in turn have the opportunity to start off building your territorial power in a way that would otherwise take remarkably longer. I would obviously suggest waiting to discover the size of the settlement and the resources they are offering before agreeing.¡± Cire was tired of circumstances dictating his decisions. At first blush Maisy¡¯s suggestion had felt like he was being forced into an uncomfortable position. He chided himself mentally for his reaction. It was simply an option. He understood Selene¡¯s reaction when he had made her an heir much better now. Maisy was right that it made a certain degree of sense as well. Cire had started to feel vulnerable the more information he learned about his position. It would be nice to start building a foundation that could provide some protection. ¡°Wait, what do you mean one of my first spouses? I am not exactly looking to have a harem. That has always seemed like far more trouble than it¡¯s worth. Besides, people make all sorts of terrible assumptions about men with harems.¡± Rich chuckles proceed Maisy¡¯s chastisement, he would have to start learning sooner than later. ¡°My dear lord, it hardly matters if you are looking to have one or not. Political marriages, often loveless and absent, are quite expected of men in your position. By the gods, I wasn¡¯t joking about how I ended up running a small hamlet in the middle of no where. The dwarven king I was involved with had many wives. It only took one of them, with a particularly vindictive streak, to drive me from the city.¡± Maisy had just soured Cire on the prospect further, but she had re-framed how he looked at the concept of the marriage. He was no stranger to how arranged marriage had been used through royal history on earth. Cire figured that sometimes those relationships worked out, even if they started with a business perspective. However, he was pretty sure that no British prince or princess had to worry about their prospective spouse being reptilian. ¡°Okay, no harm in feeling things out. See what Kalani can offer and ask her to be more specific about what she wants. In other words, put together a tentative agreement to set things in motion. If she can¡¯t offer enough, or she is asking for too much, we move on and revisit this another day. Since your fate will be tied to mine in many ways moving forward, I trust you to protect my interests.¡± Typical behavior for Maisy in Cire¡¯s experience would be for her to follow up his request with a double entendre. He had left a few easy targets for her to jump on. The silver hair dwarf stroked her long silver braid once and then nodded. ¡°Yes, my lord, I shall.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 13: Malleable Expectations Returning to her people alone had always been a risky proposition, one that Kalani was actively bargaining a solution for. Not only would announcing a pact with the territorial lord provide her much needed legitimacy, it would redirect the energy some may put into overthrowing her into the transition. If she could convince him to formally acknowledge her before the other naga Kalani¡¯s position would be practically unassailable. Maisy had proved quite capable in pulling information out of the naga queen, but she had gotten as much as she had given. Kalani had revealed that the size of her settlement was at the camp level. In other words, Mistfall Lake held a population between fifty and two hundred and forty nine. She knew that the next level, hamlet, required a minimum of two hundred and fifty people. Her tribe had several times in their past attempted to breach that threshold only to bring about decades of famine and worse. Holding on to her kin¡¯s primary secret had been a simple affair, the dwarf had never even asked questions along those lines. In all the time her tribe had been isolated from the wider world, she had learned about voraciously from their library and elders, it appeared that their tribe had been forgotten. While anonymity served her tribe¡¯s purposes, it didn¡¯t sit well with Kalani. If the histories were true, and she had no reason to believe otherwise, than they would eventually have to settle the primeval feud that had forced them into their current circumstances. Kalani detailed the various goods that her camp could provide in trade. Naga were able to use their magical sensitivity to seek out the abundant herbs and components for alchemical concoctions throughout the cavern and tunnels. They had expert hands when mixing the ingredients as well. Their ability to sense the various forms of mana in its constituent parts, whether the life magic in Old Shepard¡¯s Beard or the fire magic in the Orange Death Caps, made them experts at mixing potions, casting rituals based spells, and magical cooking. In turn, the polite and adroit dwarf had shared much. Kalani soaked up any any and all information about things outside her small contained world. It was not surprising that one of Cire¡¯s subordinates ranher own settlement. The queen was now beginning to recognize the shift in mana that occurred when she had observed Cire and the others. It was a subtle thing, but once she noticed the difference, Cire had shone like a beacon. Maisy¡¯s aura tasted similar, but more like a torch and far less tangible. Promises of lumber, furs,and open hunting grounds in exchange for potions and herbs were a good start.Prospective larger trading opportunities with the regular caravans that visited the valley were more persuasive prospects. Ultimately, nothing was more important than continual access to a manner of egress out of the cavern. Apparently Cire was still consolidating his territory and had yet to found his own city or establish an existing one as a capital. This limited the benefits of forming a bond with him and the land at this time. Although, that was only a momentary concern. Cire was young, had much potential, and had yet to take any wives. Maisy had been quite pointed in revealing that last fact. In turn Kalani had shared that she had one husband and several lovers. The naga queen was still unsure if she would make any of her previous lovers consorts now that she was queen, but that hardly mattered in her consideration. A marriage could serve her purposes very well. ¡°He fightsss well enough,¡± Kalani had observed the elf and his group during their melee with the mushrooms. She had little doubt that Cire could fulfill other needs of her adequately as well. She had always preferred elven features on her partners versus the blocky, and hairy, ones of dwarves. ¡°It isss a considered idea. I believe I would be open to a union between usss to formalissse the allegianssse of my people. Hera Teleia would be honored if we were to join in sssuch a way. You are wissse and knowledgeable, Maerria.¡± Maerria, more commonly known as Maisy, smiled warmly at the comment and the continued easy manner of her conversation with Kalani. ¡°Thank you for the compliment, Kalani. I shall go over the proposed agreement with my lord and return with him so that we can proceed to your camp once we make final arrangements.¡± During the second round of negotiations the group had decided that sitting around was no longer an option. They couldn¡¯t leave Maisy unattended with the naga, but they could split off half the group to go poking around the ruined dwarven homes. Durg, Andre, and Nic went off in the direction of the alcoves built into the southern wall. Nicolas had been hesitant, but had gone along so he could keep an eye on Durg and Andre. Stout sat on the dismembered cap of a giant mushroom with his knees pulled up. He was in a sour mood after running across the valley just to wait in the musty cavern. For once, he worked on reigning in his temper, but it screwed up his face into an unpleasant countenance making his demeanor all the more apparent. Rechecking her gear for the third time after having recovered, Selene was still showing a degree of unease with the situation. Without the others driving the conversation she had gone silent. Cire could feel the prickly atmosphere and stayed quiet himself. Without much else to do, he tackled the long overdue notifications he had minimized or disregarded during this last foray. You have gained a new sub-skill: Mountains and Hills (Common) Lore Tree. ¡°But why all this about oak or stone?.¡± - Hesiod At initiate rank you have access to basic mountain and hill based terrain knowledge based actions with no penalty. You have gained a new skill: Climbing (Uncommon). ¡°In that air they say that clouds do not gather and no stormy weather exists.¡± - Augustine At initiate rank you can perform basic climbing actions with no penalty. You have gained a new sub-skill: Rappelling (Uncommon) Climbing Tree. ¡°Nature does not make sudden jumps.¡± - Proverb At initiate rank you can perform basic rappelling actions with no penalty. You have gained a new sub-skill: Diplomacy (Rare) Communication Tree. ¡°Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.¡± - Pericles At initiate rank you can negotiate for terms with groups and organizations with no penalty. +10% relationship point gain with groups. Skill level up! You have reached level 16 & 17 in Swordsmanship. Skill level up! You have reached level 16 & 17 in Large Blades. Skill level up! You have reached level 10 in Armor. Skill level up! You have reached level 10 in Light Armor. Skill level up! You have reached level 6 in Adventurer. Skill level up! You have reached level 4 in Communication. Finally receiving the skills for all of the climbing up and down out of the giant hole was gratifying. It had taken a couple of goes so it was unlikely he had high aptitude for the skills, but it was nice to gain them. Building up his communication skill options was also welcome. The bonus from diplomacy to his relationship gains would compound nicely with his Trustworthy aspect and his high Charisma. Cire really wanted to visit a shrine so he could see the requirements for the various professions. He was high enough level now, but he still needed to meet the skill conditions. If he had a better idea of what he was suited for in the long term he could map out a better plan for his advancement. So far he had just been muddling through. He focused back on the notifications and continued to plow through them.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Your party has slain a total of 63 Red Cap Fungus Beasts (Levels 1 ¨C 12). You have earned 4,103 experience points. Your party has slain a total of 24 Blue Roundhead Fungus Beasts (Levels 1 ¨C 8). You have earned 1,642 experience points. Your party has slain a total of 47 Orange Death Cap Fungus Beasts (Levels 4 ¨C 10). You have earned 2,332 experience points. Cire¡¯s quick progression through early levels was starting to slow down dramatically. He suspected that the tutorial¡¯s experience boost was essentially a mechanism for him to help catch up with other adults in Elysium. He wasn¡¯t sure how much bonus quest experience he had been getting, but he knew it was significant. On top of that, the diminishing returns of no longer fighting enemies that were higher level than himself were readily apparent. At this point, anything that was below level 4 gave no experience for defeating. Given that the experience was also divided by all the members of their party, his gains for the fungus massacre felt paltry. They had just killed more enemies in one go than he had killed up to this point, but he hadn¡¯t even gained a level. The dramatic benefits of having settlement based quests and the scion bonus were starting to reveal themselves. Over the long run he would be able to continue progressing, something that most people wouldn¡¯t be able to do. He pulled up the next notification with a renewed sense of purpose. Quest update! The conditions for a currently accepted quest have changed now that you have gained additional information.
Quest Title: Flay the Fungus I Condition(s): Clear the remaining Red Cap, Blue Roundhead, and Orange Death Cap fungus beasts from the ruins of Miletus. Discover the origin of the infestation within the western tunnel. Rewards: Dilapidated dwarven residential and mercantile quarters. Additional settlement rewards still available.
None of the new information was particularly revelatory given his recent inspections and their unwelcome introduction to the Orange Death Caps. It did confirm that the rewards depicted in his quests were related directly to the tasks at hand. He had thought this to be the case ever since the first quest series with Gene and Stacy when he had received hand me down armor, but confirmation was good.
Quest Title: Net the Naga Condition(s): Form a pact with the Lantern Naga Camp of Mistfall Lake and bond them to your territory. Rewards: Territorial population increase, settlement bonus, territorial bonus, and trade goods. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: None Do you Accept? Yes or No
Quest Title: Raze the Reptiles Condition(s): Eliminate the Lantern Naga Camp of Mistfall Lake and slay the nest. Rewards: Experience and unknown treasure. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: None Do you Accept? Yes or No
Cire wasn¡¯t surprised to have received new quests regarding the naga, but this was the first time he had diametrically opposed options. He knew that he could judge the quests against each other by their rewards, but that didn¡¯t feel right. He refused the quest to eliminate the naga outright. Everything the elf-vampire had killed so far, except the boars, had attacked him first. The boars had been pests actively digging up crops, and the hamlet had eaten the meat, so had no compunctions with their fate. Cire had very different feelings on wiping out a whole community of people that hadn¡¯t come after him or the hamlet, scary snake people or no. It felt like the quest system wasn¡¯t exactly accurate or it lacked the nuance to deal with complicated political situations. If he failed the Net the Naga quest he expected there to be very real ramifications. However, the quest listed the penalty for failure or refusal as ¡°none,¡± which couldn¡¯t be right. If he tried and failed to bond Mistfall Lake he didn¡¯t think it would go well. In the middle of his musings Maisy came back with a mischievous smile. She pulled Cire aside from the rest and briefed him on the potential agreement. ¡°¡­ so the trading options are quite plentiful. I believe that you would benefit much from making allies of the naga. Typically they are quite isolationist and seldom have regular contact with other intelligent species. Their magical goods however, as you have already found out from the potion you administered, are of the highest quality. I suspect that once they have access to materials outside of the cavern that their production will greatly increase.¡± Narrowing his eyes, Cire nodded. ¡°I can see that Sunset will benefit from this arrangement and having ready access to a more diverse market of local goods will be positive for everyone. How does it help me? Will I receive taxes on the exchanged goods?¡± ¡°Not in the form of gold and silver, but in kind, yes. Until your capital is constructed there will be a developing stockpile of supplies. Many of those goods, like healing potions and magical services will be of immediate use to you and the house. Of course, I have also teased out a bit regarding Hera¡¯s blessing. It will primarily be for you and your heirs. There will be a residual effect for the territory, but Hera¡¯s domain over heirs and kings has focused the gift to those groups.¡± ¡°That does sound intriguing. I am starting to realize how much strength I will need to stay alive. Okay, besides the physical goods, I assume you put their ability to exit the cavern on the table. I am leaning towards the pact pretty heavily. Are you going to let the other shoe drop?¡± Cire said. Maisy actually paused, tilting her head a bit to the side and looked at him curiously. She didn¡¯t recognize the idiom, but she could pull the meaning from context. Normally Cire gave little evidence away that he was not from her realm. It reminded her that for all he done to fit in and keep his secrets hidden that he had been stumbling around like a lost child more often than not. She reminded herself that did not mean he was unintelligent or incapable. Ideally it simply increased her value. ¡°I was very wary about the queen¡¯s intentions, but I have sussed out that she is looking for your support to bolster her position of authority. This is why she insists on you being introduced to her people. If she returns to them with your blessing as leader and a pact with the territorial lord it is of great value to her. We can use her motivation to our advantage and secure a settlement, albeit small, that otherwise would most likely reject you. Not many elven lords have a tribe of naga under their command, at the very least it would be unexpected.¡± ¡°That makes sense, logically. I can see the value, but I can also tell that you are dancing around something. Which means that the marriage is still on the table isn¡¯t it?¡± Cire asked. ¡°Yes, it is. I did warn you that worshipers of Hera would put much stock in the proposal. I hadn¡¯t expected Kalani to already have a spouse and suitors, but with their isolation it is reasonable. You would be her second husband, but from a status viewpoint of course you would be her first. She seems quite amenable to the prospect. However, I suspect her concept of marriage and yours differ.¡± Sometimes in this new world Cire felt incredibly young. In comparison to Maisy and Stout he was, less so when matched against Durg and Selene. However, he had plenty of life experience for a human being. He had never married. There had been romance in his life, but he had never found a partner. This was his chance to make different choices, decisions that included more risk than before. Cire also had far more to consider than personal happiness or gratification. He had been considering his response ever since he had let Maisy go negotiate with nuptials as an option. ¡°I suspect it is wildly different, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you aren¡¯t right. It¡¯s just, when we came to explore the cavern today I really didn¡¯t expect to end up getting married. This whole thing, the exploding mushrooms and the naga, it¡¯s a lot. I figured we would fight some fungus beasts, loot the duergar, and maybe explore a bit. This is a very different result.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t all get what we expect. I thought you would be more of a push over after my little display. Instead you went off and started rummaging around in dangerous ruins. Now I am acting as your emissary years, if not decades, before I wanted. I suspect we will both end up compromising more before the day is done. Now, my dear, are you going to agree to the terms or shall I go back to her with a different offer?¡± Maisy didn¡¯t deliver the question as an ultimatum, but she intimated with her tone heavily. She knew he couldn¡¯t conceive of the true value of bringing the naga under his control this early, but she didn¡¯t want to push him too hard either. Maisy had already learned her lesson of the consequences of pinning him into a corner. Cire¡¯s response was measured, but it was clear he would assent as soon as he started speaking. ¡°I am still not sure how I feel about it, but it¡¯s not like I have ever done something like this before. Okay, let¡¯s go get me hitched. What sort of ceremony do you think it will be?¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 14: Joining Ceremonies Grinning from ear to ear, but still somehow managing to keep uncharacteristically silent, Stout¡¯s mood improved along with the revelations about the negotiations Maisy had finalized. Durg was chuckling and making jokes about Cire having made three marriage proposals in as many days. Surprisingly indifferent, Selene had simply nodded like this result had been a forgone conclusion since she had regained consciousness. ¡°The quicker we get this done with, the faster we can get a real meal and clean up. I still have mushroom goop in places it doesn¡¯t belong.¡± ¡°I am beginning to realize why you gave the stone to Cire. I mean, she¡¯s pretty, but she¡¯s also a snake lady. I wouldn¡¯t want to marry her,¡± Nic commented. ¡°She isn¡¯t a snake lady Nic, she¡¯s a naga, a lantern naga at that. I don¡¯t need to have met one before to find them attractive,¡± Andre grinned. ¡°There is a whole camp of them! Do you think they all have purple glowing lights?¡± Nic shook his head at his younger brother. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯ve forgotten how we met her already. We actually saw her eat another naga right in front of us. You think you wouldn¡¯t be a nice tasty morsel? Cire will be lucky to wake up with only bites taken out of him.¡± ¡°Hush boys. You all agreed to act as Cire¡¯s escort while we introduce him to the village. I would be very careful and take my lead. We are dealing with a tribe that has been isolated for many generations. They could have any number of cultural differences that we don¡¯t understand. Point in case, as I explained to you, Kalani was assuming control of the tribe. Any princess who can kill and consume the queen is considered strong enough to take the throneamong her people. I don¡¯t think they eat each other often though. Remember to keep still during the ceremony.¡± Maisy had walked the group through the majority of the information she had pulled from her discussion with the naga leader. Then she had secured their agreement to serve as Cire¡¯s honor guard. Cire walked ahead of them down the large tunnel as Kalani guided them. The party had already passed several smaller caves that branched off from the main shaft. Puddles and standing water increased noticeably on the floor and condensed on the walls. Damp mildew scents hung oppressively in the humid air the further they went. Kalani and Cire stopped, waiting for the group to form up behind them and moved around a final bend. Opening up before them was a mystical sight awash in dark blue and green light. A massive pool dominated the cavern before them. For a moment it felt like they underwater. Almost the entire ceiling was, at first glance, a dark blue crystal, but after closer observation realized was clear. Cire had run past the Lake of Twilight on some of his first days in the valley and more recently on his way back up to the eastern ridge when he bound the territory. He had never suspected that under the lake would be another lake. Let alone that it would have a false bottom to let light through. He didn¡¯t think it would really occur to anyone the more that he thought about it. Dwarven architecture was certainly impressive. A small beach-like shoreline ran the length of water near where their entrance opened into the cavern. Several small islands of mostly barren rock poked out of the water in various places with narrow stone bridges connecting them. In the rear of the cavern a small, but fast running, waterfall dumped into the lake sending small waves rippling outwards. Next to the white water a large granite shelf jutted out from the wall. Gathered on the platform was the tribe of naga. Various glowing lantern lights in green, blue, and purple shades bobbed and twitched like a kaleidoscope of fireflies. A cacophony of hissing conversation tapered off slowly as Kalani revealed herself in the pale flickering light. She slithered out by herself to the center of the beach, holding her elegant trident high. Her pronouncement, in eerie hissing nagai, echoed off the walls. ¡°I, Kalani Darkssscale, have by tribal rite taken the mantle of Queen from my mother, Leilani. By Hera¡¯s rites, the tribesss authority and power belong to me. I have sssecured our sssafe passssage from thisss place.¡± She rose up to her full height, balancing precariously on a single coil of her tail as if on her tip toes and then pulled herself back down in a slow twisting motion. Her tail slide across the sand and formed a circle around Cire, pulling her next to him. Then she relaxed at Cire¡¯s side, her height held slightly lower than his own. ¡°I presssent to you Sssiresssil Eventide, Lord of the Chimera¡¯sss Mane and hisss entourage. We welcome them as guessstsss. He has come to form a pact with our tribe. Our allegiance will be sssealed with Hera¡¯sss blessssing by a joining between our people.¡± Hushed hisses sounded throughout the assembled naga as she made her proclamations. Even those who had been coalescing support to overthrown the new queen were shocked by this new information. Some of the naga, like Kina and Melya, had little respect for the younger clutches. Kina and Melya¡¯s brood was the eldest of Leilani¡¯s offspring. While they detested each other they had quickly come together to gather the remains of their clutch following the debacle in the great hall. They had expected to either have their fangs removed or fight to the death. Neither had planned on their younger sister returning and introducing the Mane¡¯s lord after brokering a successful exit from their plight. It was even more astounding that they would be allying themselves with him. Kalani had robbed them of any backing or support that they could have expected from the elders. Kalani waited patiently for the shock and hurried comments to die down. Then she speared her trident into the sand and wound herself around Cire¡¯s form. Her tail encircled one leg, his waist, and her arms enveloped his chest in a tight embrace. Then she tilted her head and unhinged her jaw, her fangs seeming to extend as her mouth opened. Kalani pressed the tips of those sharp teeth against Cire¡¯s neck as she almost lovingly rested her head against his shoulder. If Cire hadn¡¯t known the gesture was coming he didn¡¯t think he would have kept standing. Offhandedly he wondered if this is what his victims had felt like with his fangs at their throat. It was a more than unsettling feeling. A cold sweat bubbled up under his hair and dripped down his spine ashe went rigid. The two held that position for an interminable period of time. In his periphery he could see the others wide eyed, but staying as stock still as he was. Uncoiling from his body, Kalani deposited herself on Cire¡¯s other side. ¡°I have claimed thisss male as my own. Asss he isss the Lord of the Mane I ssshall join hisss houssse and he ssshall have our people. He speaksss the anssshient elven tongue of our ansssessstorsss. All Ssshall ussse that language or Ssstay Sssilent.¡± Poking down into his lower lip, Cire could feel hiscanines growing in length and a primal need to respond to Kalani¡¯s display in kind. He shook it off, she had explained the simple marriage ceremony in brief during their walk through the tunnels. While the protocol was not complicated, it wasn¡¯t exactly easy for him. Males had little input in the procedure. It felt uncomfortable not to engage in the dialogue, even if he couldn¡¯t understand the hissing language, he generally knew what she was saying.He simply had to wait to see if any of the other naga were fool enough to try and challenge his potential spouse.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Kina separated herself from the nest and glided over the smooth water polished stone. Her dark scales flashed iridescent purple and gray in the wavering light. Her noticeable navy blue markings and lantern flaring as her body undulated with her slithering glide. She was covered in a dark black shirt made of scales similar to her own, but little else. The older female naga made her way to the central island, no others joined her. Most of the nest had pressed themselves low to the ground in their position of supplication. Tossing her indigo hair back over her shoulder, Kina declared her defiance with a bone chilling hiss the pitch of fingernails on a chalkboard. She unhinged her jaw and bared her fangs in much the same manner Kalani had just done. However, a sickly green liquid spit from her mouth to land on the opposite side of the small island. Darting off in a flash Kalani dove straight into the water. She moved so fast that a small wake built up in the ¡°V¡± shaped lines coming off her body. There was no pause or break as she reached the island, one moment Kalani was in the water and the next she was flying through the air attacking Kina. The naga¡¯s bodies tangled up and wrapped around each other. They thrashed and tumbled across the slick stone. Kalani bit and tore at her sisters flesh as she repeatedly felt the same strikes visited upon her own body. Her hands punched and grasped until they were too closely wrapped together for her to get leverage. A maelstrom of blue, purple, black, and gray splashed sprays of red across the wet ground. Kina was a powerful warrior and she had trained extensively fighting with her body¡¯s natural talents. She used her abilities well and had invested heavily in her species gift of shapeshifting. Long talons sprouted in place of her fingers and tore rents across Kalani¡¯s scales. With her next bite Kina latched on to her sister¡¯s bicep and forced her fangs to grow and pierce through the appendage. Using her trapped arm as a fulcrum, Kalani wrenched them both off the stone and into the water. While many of the older females had an edge on her in regards to combat skills, few in the tribe rivaled her mastery of water control. This was another gift of their naga lineage, and while rooted intrinsically in water magic, it was not a spell, but an ability not requiring casting time nor incantation. Lances of compressed water shot through Kina¡¯s body impaling her. Some of the spears pierced Kalani as well, but she was able to avoid her critical areas. Her sister continued to fight, her reflexive death throes foaming the water around them. Their tails broke the water and slapped down on the surface like a breaching whale, then Kalani forced the water to drag them down. Plummeting to the depths of the dark water, Kalani focused on shifting the current to swirl and toss them about. She did everything she could to stop her sister from escaping the watery coffin. Finally, Kina¡¯s body twitched haphazardly before going limp and hanging ragged in the water. Kalani extricated her sister¡¯s mouth from her arm and swam back up to the island dragging the corpse by it¡¯s dark blue hair. She slithered to the center of the island, leaving Kina¡¯s crumpled form half in the water. She didn¡¯t speak, but her posture dared anyone else to approach. Viewing the sudden wild and violent scrum that flared up was startling. Cire¡¯s party all knew it was coming when the other naga issued such an obvious challenge, but that didn¡¯t mean they knew what to expect. The naga had exchanged no words or gestures upon closing with each other, they just started tearing each other apart. During the battle Cire had quietly prepared to gather up his companions and run if Kalani fell. He had no intention of being claimed by a random naga who wouldn¡¯t honor the agreement they had struck. Once the brief struggle concluded, Cire let out a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he was holding in. He could hear a choked off chuckle from behind him, but by the time Cire turned around, everyone had a straight face. It was an inappropriate time for humor so it was probably Durg, but he wasn¡¯t going to investigate. Instead of all of them jumping into the lake and swimming out to the island to join the naga queen, the party opted to stay dry. They took one of the many stone pathways out to the island and then they followed Kalani over to the gathering. As they neared the large stone outcropping a gentle mist curled around their feet. By the time they set foot on the large stone surface the mist had risen to their knees, swirling about. The gathered naga split apart and left a wide path to the base of the waterfall. Closest to the wall stood a row of gray haired naga displaying coloration unlike many of the nest. Their lanterns and scales ranged widely in colors from scarlet to yellow, but the color was dull and washed out. Noticeably, all had closed tight lipped mouths as they tracked Kalani appraisingly. One of the last in line made her way to Kalani¡¯s side and then dropped back a reverential distance joining Cire¡¯s honor guard. The procession stopped at the base of the waterfall and then Kalani slithered through the curtain of water and they followed. A hidden grotto illuminated by small patches of regular sized glowing blue and orange mushrooms revealed itself. It was a circular cave that was clearly artificial and now served as a very moist herb and plant garden. The center of the room was cleared except for a gentle carpet of moss. Kalani wrapped her hand in Cire¡¯s and lead him on. Her hissing whistle of ancient elvish came out with a delicate tone. ¡°My lord husssband, tell your essscort to Ssstay out of the Sssircle while we perform the Ssseremony. Maerria Ssshould know that we cannot be dissstrubed while the bonding isss taking effect, but it would be bessst if you told them.¡± ¡°Maerria?¡± ¡°Maisssy, your emmisssssary, Sssire.¡± Kalani explained as she pulled him to the middle of the room and then looked to the elder naga, still speaking ancient elvish. ¡°Aanya, you will bear witnessss and Ssserve as guarantor of the Ssseremony. ¡°Yesss, my queen. It will be an honor to ssserve a ruler of the territory. You have brought a great honor to usss.¡± Aanya coiled and lowered herself in the same curtsy-like movement that Kalani had made upon greeting Cire. Cire looked to his friends and smiled, he didn¡¯t feel married. But he hadn¡¯t exactly been expecting flower bouquets and handfuls of rice. He supposed that even at the best of times there wasn¡¯t a dramatic change immediately. Relationships, regardless of their beginnings, took time and precious little had passed between him and his new wife. After Cire relayed Kalani¡¯s message to the group in the common languagehe worked his tongue over in his mouth. Now that he had been speaking elvish for a whilecommon felt clunky and in-precise in comparison. A grin spread over his face as he realized his mind had wandered and he looked back to Kalani. ¡°So, how does this work? Is there an elaborate incantation? Do I need to use an ability?¡± Shaking her head, Kalani slid down and laid completely in the moss in a tight coil. She pressed her chest to the ground and laid her hands crossed before her head. ¡°We, the lantern naga of Mistfall Lake hereby pledge our settlement and people to the territory of the Chimera¡¯s Mane. In Hera¡¯s name we accept the authority of our new lord and ruler, may she in her power bless this joining.¡± Initially nothing noticeable happened, perhaps the mist was swirling more than it had been. Then the mist darkened, gradually at first, until it was a roiling black mass filling the dimly lit space. It pooled in the center of the room and condensed. In short order Kalani was completely enveloped and soon the pitch black shadow covered Cire as well. Rushing from the entrance tendrils, of black mist poured through the waterfall streaming past Nicolas, Andre, Maisy, and Aanya. Durg and Selene yelped as the tendrils grasped on to them and pulled them along to the center of the circle like a riptide. In short order they were completely covered in the shadowy substance as well. The overwhelming fragrance of lily and lotus flowers dripped from the air and the garden alike. Bursts of color popped along the ground and walls as flowers bloomed. Echos of power shuddered through the ambient mana in the air. They couldn¡¯t see the magical underpinnings of the world, but they could feel it flow through the syrupy black cloud sticking to the four. A soft fizzing sound heralded the evaporation of the condensed vapor. Instead of flowing up into the air however, the clouds leaked into the moss below them. For the briefest of moments a symbol carved into the stone under the moss illuminated. Different parts of the symbol shone in the same hues as the dancing blue-green light of the lake. The colors flowed into one another around the smaller symbols etched into the great seal. Maisy¡¯s was the first to speak, an accomplished smile residing firmly on her lips. ¡°Shall we all go introduce ourselves to the camp? I am sure that these four could use a bit of time to themselves.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 15: Strange Ideas The feast had been arranged so fast it appeared to almost have been conjured. Upon first look the rock platform had appeared flat to Cire¡¯s party. However, when they emerged from under the waterfall, drenched and sopping wet for the second time, the naga were bustling around laying out food on a square shaped rock raised up in the middle of the stone. Black scaled males without lanterns, but with the same colorful hair as the females, continually dove into the water and returned with various pieces of crockery. An odd assortment of mismatched bowls, serving dishes, and plates held a similar bizarre selection of edibles. Some held fillets from large fish while others held strings of aquatic plants. One especially curved bowl had a roiling mass of living beetles. All of the previous violence and dramatic tension seemed to have dissipated. Pockets of females were grouped up conversing in the whistling hiss of ancient elvish. While the hissing was still discordant to the party¡¯s ears there was a rhythmic beauty to the sound. Unlike with many languages, the various discussions didn¡¯t step on each other, but wove together. The effect produced a strange choral music to the background noise of the lake cavern. The humans, gnome, and dwarf were transfixed. The quiet that spawned upon being noticed after their exit shocked them from their enchantment. Gliding over to them a violet shaded naga with her hair tied back with cordage stopped and bowed. Alana wore a simple dark red mushroom leather tunic that contained several pockets. Most curiously, she had a pair of round spectacles perched neatly on her nose. The magnification of the lens drew even more attention to her bright lavender eyes. She looked over Nic and Andre as if she surveying the days catch, let her eyes linger on Stout with interest, and then nodded to Maisy. ¡°Onginnan, I Alana. I beon schaewen ye symbel beon bittan.¡± It took Maisy a bit to puzzle out what she was saying, but Alana¡¯s associated hand gesture¡¯s directing them to the food made it much easier. Maisy nodded and the group made their way over to the table. The bookish naga handed each of them a plate. Maisy received a delicate piece of porcelain with elegant spiral patterns worked under the glaze. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Nicolas and Andreas both got dried irregular shaped pieces of mushroom to hold their food. Stout got a stone platter with spiral etchings similar to the porcelain.Then Alana slipped away and back into the crowd leaving them to eye the food dubiously. Taking the lead before any of the men could do something rash, Maisy started placing small bits of every dish onto her plate, beetles included. It didn¡¯t escape her notice that only the female naga were eating, small portions at that. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to mingle, but we won¡¯t have to wait long, dears. Remember, we are guests and they have provided food. It is safe to interact with our hosts. However, you could as easily insult them with a hand gesture that is out of place or by refusing what they offer. I suggest we stick together and demonstrate our goodwill.¡± She popped several of the juicy black shelled bugs into her mouth and started chewing. Cool and refreshing would be how Cire would describe the feeling of the black mist. He was about to make a comment in that vein when he felt a surge of power shock his feet. The multicolored light contained in the seal was now crawling up from the mossy floor and enveloping him all over again. Cire felt like a live wire and full to bursting all at the same time. He wanted to throw up while running as fast as he could. In the end, he went with the puking. By the time the four house members had ceased being sick they were all either sitting or laying on the floor of the grotto. Durg¡¯s loud groans punctuated the small space. He was holding his head in his hands. ¡°Soiled me beard, boyo. This better have been worth it.¡± Through the throbbing headache, Cire took a quick glance at his notifications. He had leveled up by completing the naga quest so there were a few things to sort through, but he had ample reason to get back to them later. When he found the notification he was looking for he gave it a once over before dismissing it. Your trait Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane has evolved. You have bound a settlement within your territory and received a blessing from their deity, Hera, Queen of the Gods. This blessing has added an additional bonus to this traits effect. This bonus has been applied to all house members and will increase as the level of the settlement increases. As ruler your bonus will be unique. Current bonus level ¨C 1 (Camp). If the settlement is abandoned, razed, or conquered this bonus will be lost. Effect: 10% bonus to all actions within the area. You may summon a Territorial Keep once per month. Description: Territorial Keep ¨C A sturdy, defensible structure that provides your inherent territorial bonus¡¯s regardless of location when deployed. The size and shape of the keep will adapt to the terrain when summoned. Allows the use of settlement and territorial edicts within the range of this effect. At level 1 the keep¡¯s effects project up to a 1 mile radius. The keep will last a single week or until it is dismissed. ¡°It was, clearly. At least for you and Selene. Neither of you had to get married, so I don¡¯t want to hear anymore complaints. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve had worse hangovers, it¡¯s not that bad.¡± Standing up, Selene went to the waterfall and washed off her hands and face. Then she pulled her fingers through her long black hair and pulled it back. She was about to walk through, but she stopped herself. Turning around, Selene moved over to Kalani and crouched down locking eyes with the naga. Selene stayed there eye to eye, gauging her up close. Carefully, Selene reached out her hand and brushed Kalani¡¯s hair back behind her ear. The long tapered ear of an elf. Selene¡¯s light blue eyes flicked back and forth. She didn¡¯t know what to say, and anything she did, Kalani probably wouldn¡¯t understand. Asking Cire to translate would bring about questions she wasn¡¯t ready for. Instead of searching for words, the elf took action. She leaned in and kissed each of Kalani¡¯s cheeks tenderly. Kalani smiled back as Selene approached and when she felt the elf¡¯s gentle caress. She leaned back and kissed each of Selene¡¯s cheeks respectively. Then she turned to Cire and asked a question he was clearly meant to translate, not answer himself.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°It isss an honor, sssissster. What isss your name and place within our houssse?¡± Not looking to Cire as he conveyed the naga¡¯s words, Selene politely kept eye contact. ¡°I am Selene, an heir. As is Durg, the dwarf over there who was complaining. Thank you for the potions earlier.¡± ¡°You are mossst welcome. They were worth far more to you than me. I have gained much in return, even if the elixsssersss were only a small part of it.¡± Cire felt ill at ease translating the conversation between the two women. It felt like he was watching an intimate moment through a peephole. Selene thankfully read his face and spared him too much further conversation. ¡°You say that, but I wouldn¡¯t be too sure. Cire has a tendency to find more trouble than he can handle. Your a good example of that though. I will take Durg with me and rejoin the others so that you two can have a more private conversation.¡± Selene exaggeratedly winked at Cire before she hefted Durg to his feet. For his part Durg grinned and gave Kalani a short wave before the two ducked out through the waterfall. Selene¡¯s parting words before she left tormented Cire. ¡°Make sure you translate all of that, I¡¯ll know if you don¡¯t.¡± Maisy had lost track of Andreas. She knew he was a free man and could make his own decisions, but she still felt responsible to manage the situation. After getting food he had approached a pair of naga with turquoise coloring, he was whisked away before she could get a word in edgewise. Nic and Stout stayed with her near the waterfall taking polite bites of food. She would have enjoyed their distaste of the deliciously prepared cuisine, knowing it clashed with their human and gnome palates, if she wasn¡¯t so concerned about the other human. Splashing sounded behind her and Maisy turned to spot Durg and Selene returning to them. Her dwarven cousin saw the food and made a beeline for it. He didn¡¯t even wait for a plate before grabbing handfuls of quivering raw fish and chomping it down. Selene abruptly halted as she cleared the waterfalls spray, her wet clothes an afterthought. Sonorous waves of melodic elvish speech ebbed and flowed through the cavern like a symphony with a backdrop of rushing water. Selene could understand broken bits and pieces of what the naga were saying, but there was a heavy amount of cognitive dissonance for her to overcome. Plenty of species spoke different languages. Common itself was a mishmash of dwarfish, elvish, gnomish, and some human dialects. Therefore, it was baffling to her that the entire naga population spoke ancient elvish so fluently. It was undoubtedly evidence that this tribe had been hidden away from the world for a very long time. She needed to learn more. ¡°Maisy, have you been able to figure out anything more about how they got stuck down here?¡± Giving her an assessing look, Maisy smiled while crunching on a bit of slimy aquatic vegetables. ¡°Nothing confirmed, not yet at least. They have been diving into the water a lot. When they were bringing out the food they were getting it from somewhere in the lake,¡± She sifted through her plate and handed Selene a Water Apple, it was probably the most agreeable thing for elven taste buds besides the fish, if it had been cooked. Selene popped it in her mouth without question. ¡°So, their naga, they have a deep affinity for the water element. Your intimating something more, what?¡± ¡°I think that the Mistfall Lake still has plenty of secrets we have yet to see. Kalani was clearly educated in the ways of creatures and people, just with woefully out of date information. If this is all there is,¡± She made a sweeping gesture to indicate the expansive underground lake, the stony islands, and the waterfall. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case. It would have to be an incredibly impressive oral tradition, but even so, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what is responsible. We should ask Cire about it when he comes back to the hamlet tomorrow.¡± ¡°It is his wedding night, he should stay with Kalani. I wasn¡¯t thinking about that. It didn¡¯t feel like a wedding. How much longer do we need to stick around? The waterfall cleaned me off some and it¡¯s oddly warm in this cavern, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to stand around in sopping wet clothing for the rest of the night.¡± ¡°Probably not too much longer, but we can get those clothes taken care of. One of the elders saw to my robes. Let¡¯s find her and I am sure she can wick the water from yours.¡± Scanning the back wall she spotted Aanya¡¯s familiar scarlet bulb and gray hair crowded with the other older members of the tribe. Maisy lead Selene over to the naga and through a series of hand gestures communicated their need. The assembled naga seemed amused that their guests didn¡¯t like to be wet, but that didn¡¯t stop them from drying her off. A large puddle grew under Selene until she felt cleaner than having had a bath. ¡°That¡¯s convenient. Do you think we could work out a washing service with them? I don¡¯t think I have ever seen Durg clean.¡± Relaxing on the soft cushion of moss in the grotto, Kalani and Cire took each other in. This was truly their first private moment since they had met. Both had recently experienced vast transitions that neither had settled into. It wasn¡¯t exactly awkward, but neither knew how to interact with the other. During their first conversation they had both been acting, now they didn¡¯t know how to act. Kalani for her part overcame her hesitation first. She had been with her fair share of males, even taken a spouse, but she knew that marriage outside of her tribe had radically different expectations. Besides, if Cire made her angry she couldn¡¯t kill him and find another, he was unique. She had to strike an even balance with her new husband. Her tongue flickered to taste his scent, it was becoming more familiar. An open ended question would give her a good place to start. ¡°I would like to know more about you husssband. What do you think of my tribe?¡± For his part, Cire was conflicted. He had never had a chance to tell Kalani about his vampiric side. Maisy might have informed her during the negotiations, it seemed like a pertinent piece of information for a prospective spouse, but she also may have expected Cire to tell her. He wanted to blurt it out, but thought better of that strategy. There was nothing he could do about it now, so it was probably best to ease in. ¡°I got to the valley above these caves a few months ago. I came from a far away realm, not unlike many of the fae I have been told. Generally, I have been trying to get my feet under me,¡± He smiled sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to figure things out as I go. I made some friends who have been helping me along the way. You met Selene and Durg. We all found the territory stone together. To be straight with you, I have only been the territorial lord for a few days now, I¡¯m just muddling through. Until we had our first conversation no one had ever called me ¡®Lord¡¯ before. It feels weird, like something I haven¡¯t earned. I would prefer you call me Cire, at least when we don¡¯t need put on airs.¡± As he talked he could see Kalani visibly relax, her tail seemed to slump into the moss. He knew that she had just taken over her position as leader of her people. Maisy had filled him in, along with the others, regarding the lantern naga tribes particular form of royal ascension. That lead him naturally to her question. ¡°So far I think your tribe is remarkable, but I have seen very little. I can¡¯t imagine what it would be like to be trapped down here. I doubt it has been a comfortable life. But your about to change a lot of that. I suppose I am too for that matter,¡± He smiled warmly. ¡°What are your plans for your tribe? You must have assumed the throne with purpose.¡± Winding her tail through the moss Kalani curled the tip of it around Cire as he sat cross-legged, the naga equivalent of holding hands. ¡°I must consssolidate my posssition of courssse, but for asss long asss I can remember our tribe has only Sssought two thingsss: freedom and Sssurvival. Now we can grow and rebuild what we once were. Long ago my people ruled another territory clossse to this one. We have no memory of it, but we have talesss.¡± She grinned at her accidental pun, showing off her long tapered fangs and patted his thigh with her tail. ¡°Perhapsss we will return Sssomeday. However, we have much work before any of that.¡± Cire lightly rested his hand on Kalani¡¯s scaled skin, which was surprisingly warm to the touch. He hadn¡¯t really focused on how she had felt against him during the ceremony, but now it was unavoidable. Kalani¡¯s scales were smooth and had an almost silken feel under his palm. He didn¡¯t know when she had healed from after the fight, but he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she had taken a potion. They stayed like that for a while, simply being with each other. Each thinking about the long journeys ahead of them and how the person across from them fit in. After a good amount of time Cire chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone is going to come get us, we¡¯re in charge. We should probably go out and meet with the tribe before people start getting funny ideas.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 16: Underwater Same as Selene, Cire had not been expecting to spend the night at Mistfall Lake. He had tried to come up with good reasons to not stay in the settlement full of naga, but he knew that skipping out wasn¡¯t in the cards. Cire had seen the others to the great hall, but they had climbed up the ropes and left him behind hours ago. Pulling Stout up last with one of the ropes tied around him in a harness, the group had made it out of the cavern in the early evening. Dusk blanketed the valley carrying the refreshing smell of mountain wildflowers on a cool breeze. Spring was settling in and the night was full of life. Nic and Andre both took in deep lungfuls of fresh air. Their time underground in the musky confines was eventful, but a bit much on their noses. Nic eyed his brother. ¡°You¡¯re still telling me nothing happened between you and the dozen naga women I found you with? Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice that your tunic is missing from under your armor.¡± With a dopey grin affixed in place, Andreas looked down to his chest and then shifted his hide armor. ¡°I didn¡¯t go and get married, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. Some of the women were just very interested in seeing what a human male looked like, felt like. I figured I might as well let them see the half of me that most of them were showing in return.¡± Maisy¡¯s typical amusement was absent as she glared at Andre. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that is truly all you got up to, dear. I don¡¯t think you know all of the rules of the game you¡¯re playing, nor the consequences. I don¡¯t think you should be allowed back here until we have a better handle on the situation. Unless you want to end up as a garment?¡± Andre¡¯s grin shrank after each of Maisy¡¯s sentences until a deep frown replaced it. ¡°What do you mean end up as a garment?¡± Nic ran a single hand down his face as he hefted his backpack, still filled to the brim with mushroom. ¡°You didn¡¯t even notice, did you Andre? The naga women, not all of them, but a good number were wearing black scaled tunics and shirts. The same color of scales that the men had.¡± White as dried bones, Andre shook his head. He took a large step away from the giant hole leading to the cavern, like the small amount of additional physical distance could somehow keep him away from the danger. ¡°What about Cire? We left him down there by himself.¡± Stout and Maisy both shared a look, having a quick conversation with their eyes. Stout took the cue and went back to being his irascible self. ¡°We did, and you¡¯re going to keep quiet about it. In fact, you¡¯re both going to sleep at the tavern tonight. You know too much and too little. I¡¯m going to bring you the rest of the way in.¡± ¡°Thank the gods for that. I didn¡¯t know how I was going to keep his big mouth shut. You didn¡¯t answer his question though. What makes you so sure that Cire will be alright?¡± Nicolas asked. ¡°You¡¯ve never spent any time around territorial royalty dear. So I will explain the basics as we hike back to the hamlet.¡± Maisy tied several strings along her robe, cinching the loose sleeves and fabric in place. She started walking, leading the group away from the ruins. ¡°They are and aren¡¯t like leaders of a settlement. However, the bond between them and the land is much stronger. You know how when you¡¯re in the hamlet you feel a little bit more alert? Ever notice something out of the corner of your eye that surprises you? A coin, or gem just laying on the ground out in the open? Maybe skills come to you easier since you have come here?¡± Durg grumbled, ¡°I stopped lookin¡¯ in the mine. We have to turn over everythin¡¯, I found a solid piece of silver ore one day just sittin¡¯ there in the middle of all the iron. Made no sense.¡± ¡°Magic seldom makes sense entirely, too many factors to fully consider. However, that is easy to explain. My goddess brings all valuable metals their luster, improving the value of ore would be one of the more common effects. Theia¡¯s blessing improves the perception and luck of everyone in the hamlet who is a member of the community. You don¡¯t need to take an oath to be venerating her through your work, neither do you need to make more of an offering to receive her boon.¡± Side-stepping a large rock, Maisy continued her explanation. ¡°Some settlements restrict the benefits they receive to select members like the ruler or just citizens. In Sunset we don¡¯t place limitations, partially because we are a seasonal operation, with lots of people coming and going. It would be too restrictive if we made everyone take an oath of allegiance before letting them into town.¡± Grouching, Stout add in, ¡°I can still banish people or refuse to let someone into the hamlet. They can ignore the warnings at their own peril.¡± Maisy frowned, but still nodded. ¡°If a settlement leader marks someone as banished or doesn¡¯t give them access they will be at a significant disadvantage when in the confines of the settlement. The magic will restrict their abilities, but not render them powerless. That is particularly the case if they are the leader of a settlement or large population themselves.¡± Nicolas had been following what Maisy had been saying fairly well so he interjected with an appropriate question. ¡°Like the gnolls we fought. They didn¡¯t seem to be suffering too badly, it¡¯s because they had their leader with them?¡± ¡°Somewhat, it¡¯s also because the level of power for each settlement is limited by its population. Sunset is a hamlet, only the second level. That means the gnolls could largely overcome the disadvantages, with smaller populations they aren¡¯t very restrictive. The bonus effects tend to help the people living on the land, not target enemies. That¡¯s especially true for Theia¡¯s blessing.¡± ¡°So, what does this all have to do with Cire being safe alone in a snake nest?¡± Andre had been following along too, but he was still sour from earlier. ¡°It¡¯s simple, the naga of Mistfall Lake did make an oath of fealty to him. That fealty is bound by their deity, in this case, Hera. Theia¡¯s divine will is not weak, but she is not a member of the Olympic pantheon. For one of the lantern naga to attack Cire they would have to renounce their goddess and their tribe. That may eventually happen, they do seem rather violent, but it is very unlikely to happen tonight.¡± Selene¡¯s mind had been preoccupied during the walk, but she had kept track. She didn¡¯t wait before peeling off from the group, heading south to her homestead. ¡°I¡¯m going to my farm for the night. Nic, he isn¡¯t alone, he is with Kalani. If Cire doesn¡¯t come back by tomorrow night I¡¯ll go get him. I was going to wait until the next caravan arrived before heading home, but I don¡¯t think we should wait.¡± They dropped Durg off at Cire¡¯s cabin and unloaded all of the mushroom pieces from their packs. The rest made their way to the tavern. It was later than they had expected to be back. A crowd of frustrated, but curious, onlookers waited for Stout to open the door. Maisy hustled Nic and Andre up to her room following the hoots and jeers of the thirsty patrons.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°How much did you two pay her?¡± ¡°You better get your money¡¯s worth!¡± ¡°We always knew you two brothers were close, but you must really love each other.¡± Cire knew that a naga had followed him to see the others off, but he hadn¡¯t seen her until he came back to the cave. She stood to one side of the tunnel entrance waiting for him. Gray hair neatly hung to her shoulders and brushed against her faded rose red tinged scales. She wore no clothes except a pair of artfully carved scrimshaw earrings. She bowed her head and lowered her body. ¡°My lord, I am Aanya, a fanglessss one. I will gladly essscort you back to the lake and to the Queen¡¯sss resssidensse.¡± ¡°Aanya, you witnessed the bonding right? I could be wrong, it¡¯s been pretty hard to keep track of everything,¡± Cire remarked. ¡°I did my lord.¡± ¡°What is a fangless one exactly? I can see you don¡¯t have fangs, but I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± Aanya¡¯s smooth curving motion stopped and started for a measure. Her fingertips brushed over her lips as she reminisced. Her bulb flickered and danced. Then she ducked her head in a signal of deference. ¡°My apologiesss, Lord. Fanglessss onesss are the remnants of previous Queens.¡± A puzzled expression crossed Cire¡¯s face. ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t the previous queens get killed and eaten before they grew old?¡± Raising an accusing eyebrow, Aanya schooled her expression to politeness and dipped her head again. ¡°Indeed, my lord. We are sisters and daughters of deposed queens. All of the females besides us are daughters of the previous queen, Leilani. She was queen for many yearsss. When Leilani took power she left very few of her sisters alive to serve her. Other queen¡¯s were more generous with offspring.¡± Cire¡¯s eyebrows had been creeping up his forehead after each of Aanya¡¯s declarations. He knew it was a high likelihood that the majority of the naga were related, but all of the young females were sisters. He was starting to wrap his head around how the environmental pressures affected their culture. A dearth of food, for the naga at least, was evident. Durg was as happy as a hog in mud eating mushrooms. However, only a sparse amount of vegetation had been placed on the stone table for the feast, none of it fungus. The males didn¡¯t seem to be eating either. They had served the food and intermingled with the females, but he hadn¡¯t seen any of them with plates. Fish and insects. It¡¯s a healthy diet, but not high in calories. I didn¡¯t see a single overweight naga either. No wonder they are so motivated to get out. They are putting forward a strong front, but it isn¡¯t any surprise their society is as ruthless as their home. Aanya lead Cire back to the lake and then out to the central island. Then she held her hand out to the water and a gentle blue glow enveloped her skin. As the elf watched, water began to stream up into the air forming a bubble that sat in Aanya¡¯s open palm. ¡°My lord, thisss will allow you to breath asss I take you to the queen¡¯sss quartersss. I can take your Sssword and armor with usss, but it would be hard for you to Ssswim with them.¡± Disarming himself felt wrong, but he knew that building his relationship with the naga required consecutive shows of trust. Besides, his vampiric abilities never left him truly unarmed. Cire unstrapped his sword belt and stripped off his armor, which had started to smell rather ripe. The armor was tanned yeti fur, originally it had been white, but with all of the dried goop it was stained a mottled brown. Nose wrinkling he placed it on the stone and gave his sword to Aanya. ¡°Any chance I could clean my armor somewhere first? It could really use a good wash.¡± Aanya made a series of chortling hisses and her bulb flared bright. ¡°Leave it there my lord and I will take care of it.¡± Cire nodded and then he looked at the bubble in her hand quizzically. ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s appreciated. So, how do I use that?¡± More hissing chuckles followed his question. The elder naga reached up and pressed the bubble against his face. In a serpentine manner the water flowed over over him and cocooned around his head. It felt weightless and the water didn¡¯t get him wet, but it was still cool and wicked away the warmth from his skin. Slipping her free hand into Cire¡¯s Aanya pulled him into the water. They didn¡¯t splash, the liquid received them like a giant pillow. The fangless one didn¡¯t so much as swim through the water as much as propel herself with the water. Cire had a difficult time seeing anything in the inky black depths, even with his abundant gifts of vision. He let himself be pulled along for what felt like minutes. However, lost in the void and without landmarks he wouldn¡¯t trust his judgment of time or equilibrium. Ahead a dim orange light shone through the darkness, then one after another he could see dozens. When they got closer he could see a small honeycomb of amber light, like snow covered windows. They banked and angled towards the largest one, set in the middle. With an odd popping sound the water pulled them through doorway sized hole, suddenly he was on his feet standing in a spacious carved room. He looked back to see the water retreating, like an octopus tentacle, through the hole in the ground. Aanya released his hand. Then she touched a single finger to the bubble of water swirling around his head and it slid around her hand before dissipating. The room was square, about the size of single family home, but without any walls. There were two doorways, hung with beaded curtains, on either side of the spacious room. Along the rim of the ceiling were carved swirling patterns set into the rock. Covering the floor, a soft carpet of moss squished underfoot. The gentle glow of mushroom light shone over Kalani as she lay languidly flipping through the pages of a thick tome. ¡°My queen, I have guided your husssband to you as requesssted. Do you require anything elssse before I depart?¡± ¡°No Aanya, thank you. Make sure all of the fanglessss ones are prepared for my meeting with them tomorrow,¡± She raised up and placed the book back into shelves set into the stone. It joined a plethora of its brothers and sisters. Turning and diving back into the water, Aanya took her leave. Laying on the floor, half sunken into the moss, Cire¡¯s sword was left in place. In the absence of any furniture Cire plopped down onto the cushioned floor across from Kalani. Putting his hands back into the moss, he leaned in relaxed posture. ¡°So, everything since this afternoon feels a little unbelievable. On my way out I made sure that the others left the ropes in place, but I¡¯m not sure how you would climb up them. I asked Nicolas and Andreas, the two humans with me, to make a wooden platform that can be lowered down and pulled back up. I know that there is a lot for both of us to focus on moving forward. We both have plenty we need to accomplish.¡± He stopped and smiled warmly as Kalani¡¯s tail slid around his legs and backside so he was leaning against it. ¡°But I think it would be good for us to spend some time talking about the past. I would like to know more about you and your people. I don¡¯t know that much about naga in general. What was it like growing up here at the lake? Are there any rules I should know about before I accidentally insult someone?¡± Kalani tasted the air and caught herself before she laughed. Patting his thigh with the tip of her tail and then coiling it around his waist, she pulled them both closer together. He certainly loved to hear the sound of his own voice. She would have to learn how to manage his verbose conversations. A sultry and playful tone answered Cire. ¡°No others besssidesss me have any right to punisssh your transssgresssionsss, you are my mate. You have already broken many of our tribesss customsss, husssband. But that isss to be expected during a period of change. How about a trade? I will tell you about myssself and you tell me about your passst.¡± Together they spent the rest of the evening conversing. Cire had always been an over sharer and nervous energy from managing the challenges of the day exacerbated this trait. Their similar circumstances, at least as Cire saw it, made it easier to share the more outlandish details of his arrival in Elysium. He knew that once Kalani left the caverns, her and her people would be in a world they hardly understood. Describing earth and his previous life before his rebirth was a bit of a challenge. Not because Kalani hadn¡¯t readily accepted beings from another world dropping into hers, but because so many of the things he had done couldn¡¯t be contextualized. The naga had no paper, nor offices. They had a rudimentary understanding of mathematics, but the idea of a career based around crunching numbers and sitting at a desk was as alien to Kalani as her appearance was to him. Cire did skirt around the edges of one very particular topic of conversation until he could physically feel the stress building in his chest. He knew that the longer he put it off the more difficult it would get. With a hesitancy that was uncharacteristic given his loquacious nature, Cire asked a single question. ¡°Kalani, you know many things about the world above the great hall. Do you know what a vampire is?¡± The beaming smile that graced Kalani¡¯s lips would have given most creatures nightmares. She had suspected he was the vampire she had witnessed carving a swath of gore through the odd looking dwarves ever since she had seen his eyes. Those miss-matched orbs were extremely memorable to her. A shiver of pleasure rippled down her body causing her tail to shudder against Cire. ¡°Indeed, Cssire, I do.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 17: By the Throat Exhaustion had finally caught up to Cire sometime in the night. One minute he was talking with Kalani about naga abilities and comparing them to his vampiric equivalents then the next he was waking up laying on a bed of moss with a leathery blanket draped over him. By the time Kalani had returned to find him, he had explored the two adjoining rooms and found the bathroom to freshen up. Cire¡¯s trusting, and sometimes oblivious, nature revealed itself when Kalani swam him back to the lake cavern and they sat down for breakfast at the long stone table. He was seated next to Kalani at the head of it, the rest of the forty person table held either fangless ones or naga with violet coloration. It wasn¡¯t just sushi for breakfast that had him feeling uneasy. They all seemed to be looking at him differently, but he hadn¡¯t immediately placed it. Up until this morning they had been oddly deferential, but he had dismissed it due to Kalani¡¯s rather dramatic introduction and his title. Today the air had an electric charge to it. The naga queen coiled around Cire, in the same manner when she had taken him as her mate. Instead of her fangs resting at his throat however she had exposed her throat to him. That¡¯s when he knew what had changed, they all knew he was a vampire. I have made a terrible mistake, maybe? I don¡¯t know. It feels so freeing now that they all know. I don¡¯t have to worry about slipping up with them, but it¡¯s bound to get out right? Maybe I should stop trying to hide it altogether, it¡¯s getting hard to keep straight who knows what. Kalani was bold. In the short time Cire had known her she had taken quick, decisive action on several occasions. He hadn¡¯t thought to tell her not to inform others about his darker nature. The panicked series of thoughts that tumbled through his mind finished with a simple realization. Right now, none of his future concerns mattered. He took a page out of his new wife¡¯s book. Tilting his head to expose a view of his open mouth, Cire let his canines grow as if he was using his Bite ability. He then mimicked Kalani¡¯s action from the day before. The tips of his fangs pressed lightly to her skin. A yearning to sink his teeth into her pulsing neck was present, but fleeting. Growling he chased it away. When he leaned back and took in their audience he could finally place the true difference in how they looked at him. Yesterday he had been seen as an authority, today he was viewed as a beast of prey with that authority. The rest of the day had been relatively uneventful in comparison. He was approached by small groups of women and introduced to them until he had met most of the tribe. Two thirds of the lake¡¯s inhabitants turned out to be female, so by the time he was done visiting with them he was struggling to keep up and had long stopped remembering names. Lastly, he met all of the males as a group. They weren¡¯t skittish, but the men didn¡¯t exude the same intimidating presence as the women. Overall, they were less physically robust than the females. Standing half a foot to a foot shorter and with smaller musculature. Cire learned that the men largely filled the menial labor niche for the tribe. Practicing a complex form of aquaculture, aided by their affinity for water, they maximized the lakes output of sustenance. Judging by the plant stains on their hands and sparse clothing they performed many of the gathering based tasks as well. It was an odd experience for both parties, neither Cire nor the naga knowing how to interact with each other. In the afternoon Aanya returned Cire¡¯s armor, sparkling clean and smelling of lotus flowers. He spent another quiet moment with Kalani in the grotto. She strung a simple necklace with a carved bone medallion around his neck. He parted for the surface with a promise to return within the week. While hiking back to his cabin he took the opportunity to go through the backlog of notifications that had built up during his adventure in the ruins. He dismissed countless small reputation gains with the various naga. When he got to the larger, more important relationships, he spent a bit more time reviewing them. You have gained +2,832 Relationship Points with Kalani Eventide. Your relationship with Kalani Eventide has improved from Suspicious to Friendly. You have gained +523 Relationship Points with Selene Eventide. Your relationship with Selene Eventide has improved, still Fondness. You have gained +721 Relationship Points with Durg Eventide. Your relationship with Durg Eventide has improved, still Fondness. You have gained +719 Relationship Points with Nicolas. Your relationship with Nicolas has improved, still Friendly. You have gained +944 Relationship Points with Andreas. Your relationship with Andreas has improved, still Friendly. You have gained +1006 Relationship Points with Maerria. Your relationship with Maerria has improved, still Friendly. You have gained +634 Relationship Points with Stout. Your relationship with Stout has improved from Dislike to Suspicious. Next he looked over the naga quest update. Kalani had told him that she now had a quest to increase her settlement to the next level by adding eighty six people to reach a population of two hundred and fifty. Cire was curious to see if he had a similar version of the quest, a territorial equivalent, or no new quest at all.
Net the Naga Quest Complete: Your territory has gained 164 subjects. You have earned a new effect for your trait ¨C Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane. Various goods from the Camp of Mistfall Lake are available for trade. You have earned 3,000 experience points. You have gained a bonus for completing successful negotiations beyond the quest requirements.
No new quest, but the rewards had been substantial so he wasn¡¯t put out. If he recalled correctly, the quest rewards should have included a settlement bonus and hadn¡¯t had experience. He hadn¡¯t expected to gain a level until he finished clearing out the fungus infestation, but the quest put him over the line. Cire wasn¡¯t going to look a gift horse in the teeth, but he was curious if Mistfall Lake had received a bonus of some kind once the pact had been made. He needed to ask Kalani the next time he saw her. Finally he addressed leveling, reviewed his vampiric abilities, and gave his status sheet a good once over. His skill set was truly starting to reveal itself and he was back to banking points. Waiting on his ability point expenditure until he needed to use them felt right, so he left the points untouched. If things were desperate he could rank up Regeneration, if not he would probably push bite to the fifth level. Shapechanger and Blood Rage were not nearly as appealing prospects for advancement until he had an idea of how they would evolve. If the rage became anymore uncontrollable it would hardly be a useful tool and it was hard to use as is. Cire finally had more options than hack and slash to overcome obstacles, it made him eager to have his skills tested again. He bet Maisy and Stout could help out and check for a lot of skills that Eugene and Stacy hadn¡¯t. It was about time he asked, now that he knew who he was really dealing with. Level 13 Acquired!
Earned per level Points
Health & Mana Points You earn 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (3) You earn 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 11 13
Skill Points You currently earn one skill point per level. 3
Ability Points You currently earn one ability point per level. 4
Racial Bonus You earn an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 3
Ability Current Lvl Points until next Lvl
Shapechanger: Can change into a small black bat once per rest for a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others. 1 1
Bite: You can savagely pierce your enemies'' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health and experience. HP drain is currently 250 per minute and experience drain is 7% if the target is killed by the action. This ability renders you helpless. This ability is synergistic with Regeneration and will boost it by 1 ability level. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. 4 4
Regeneration: You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain 3 HP per minute. 3 3
Blood Rage: Significantly increases your physical stats while decreasing your mental ones. +50% to Strength and Constitution, +25% to Dexterity. -50% to Intelligence, Spirit, and Charisma for the duration of the rage. If your mental resistance is overcome by the ability, you will attack targets at random. At your current level, the duration of this ability is 5 minutes. Duration is refreshed if Bite is performed while enraged. 1 1
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Eventide Level: 13 Experience: 91,880 Lineage: Sun Elf ¨C Vampire Profession: Unavailable ¨C Requirements not met Disposition: Reliably Flexible (+1 to Chaotic, +1 to Good, +1 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Ancient Elvish, Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 157/157 Mana: 145/145 Armor: 6 Dodge: 9% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 13 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 Charisma: 19 Luck: 9 Resistances: 50% Enchantment 20% Weather 5% Mental 5% Physical -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy Favored Enemy: Gnolls
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 23, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 23, Natural Swordsmanship 17, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 17, Natural Scavenging 7, Natural Adventurer 6, Natural Meditation 3, Significant Armor 10, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 10, Average Lore 4, General Sub-skill: Arcana 1, Significant Sub-skill: Mountains and Hills 1, Average Communication 4, General Sub-skill: Persuasion 2, Natural Sub-skill: Oratory 1, Significant Sub-skill: Diplomacy 1, Significant Climbing 1, Average Sub-skill: Rappelling 1, Average
Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration (3), Blood Rage Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, heat vision. If noticed by others, your true nature may have drastic consequences. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic, vampiric light vulnerability negated, vampiric hunger reduced. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time. Elven Heritage: 50% Enchantment resistance. Low-light vision & acute senses, Perception +1. Honorbound: While within the Hamlet of Sunset you receive a 5% bonus to all actions. Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane: As ruler of the territories¡¯ noble house you receive a 10% bonus to all actions within the area. You may summon a territorial keep once per month. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.
Inventory: Basic Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (Equipped) Yeti Hide Breastplate (Chest) Yeti Hide Trousers (Legs) Yeti Hide Sleeves (Arms) Yeti Hide Gloves (Hands) Yeti Hide Boots (Feet) Yeti Hide Balaclava (Head) Scrimshaw Necklace of the Naga (Neck) Simple Frontier Backpack (Back): Red Cap Fungus Beast Pieces Blue Roundhead Fungus Beast Pieces Small Pouch of Coins (Pocket): 1 Star Ruby, 2 gold, 33 silver, 14 copper
Interrupting his perusal of his personal information he heard his name being called out. He dismissed the opaque screens and looked up to see Durg sitting on the steps of his cabin. He was busy taking a brush to his armor, but set the metal breastplate aside and stood when he saw Cire. ¡°I be glad to see ya made it back in one piece boyo.¡± ¡°Me too. Do you know where the others are? I want to go settle things up with Maisy.¡± ¡°Probably at the tavern drinkin¡¯, which is where I should be. If I didn¡¯t have to hang out all of the mushrooms to dry I wouldn¡¯t be here. Got bored of it though and my armor had a powerful stink about it. Doesn¡¯t be botherin¡¯ me too bad, but I be thinkin¡¯ ya tender elven folk would appreciate me given it a scrub,¡± Durg joked. Cire slapped him on the shoulder and chuckled. Dropping his full pack at Durg¡¯s feet he opened the top flap to reveal more fungal prizes. At least Durg got some loot out of this he thought. ¡°Ohh, I¡¯m familiar with your over bearing stench and I do appreciate you giving it a wash. I will appreciate it more if you left the armor outside. How about you finish up while I go grab some things from the cabin and we can head into town together?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready to go now if you want. Those will keep til the morrow.¡± ¡°Not in my pack they won¡¯t. Besides, I need to get those unidentified items from inside. Figured we might as well ask Maisy and Stout to take a look at them now. I¡¯m willing to bet that both have decent knowledge of magical objects. There¡¯s a good chance they can figure out what they are.¡± Durg waved a hand at him as he began rummaging through Cire¡¯s backpack and sorting the fungus. Once in the cabin, Cire dropped most of his remaining gear and armor in the corner. Grabbing a simple satchel and stuffing it with the two rings, the odd spinning top, and the circlet took little time. He debated on what to do with the journal and the mysterious book, ultimately he packed them as well. Both of the two books were delicate compared to the other items, so he wrapped them in a spare tunic to provide cushioning. By the time he got outside, Durg had haphazardly laid out his prizes along the split rail fence surrounding the farm. Swaying in the slight breeze his pack had been hung up to air out as well. The dwarf and elf trotted off down the worn dirt path towards the hamlet to seek out answers, and ale, lots of ale. Spartan and clean, Selene¡¯s cabin was not the same welcoming abode as the residence left to Cire by Eugene and Stacy. To the far from home elf, it felt worlds apart. However, there was an appeal to the warmth cast by the hearth and held by the precise construction. She scattered the remaining coals so the fire would burn down quick. It may be spring, but this high in the mountains she had still needed to chase off the chill lingering from morning. Sleep had been a parting and unattainable enticement during the night. All she had wanted to do was turn off the countless questions that bombarded her mind. Selene had eventually relented and given in to the half sleep available to elves and few other species. With half her brain resting she was able to lose herself in the meditative state of route actions. Her already spotless cabin had been cleaned and organized down to the splinter. When she pulled herself out of the dreamlike trance she was halfway through stuffing her traveling pack. The desire to return home for answers driving her actions. Why had she been sent to the valley? Surely it had been to find some of what she had stumbled across. The question of the naga¡¯s ancestry, the ancient ruins, even the territorial stone all lead to one conclusion. This valley was where her own people once lived, before they had taken to the Shadowed Forest. Mother didn¡¯t tell me anything about this, did she want me to find it for myself? Why would they have hidden this? Maybe they don¡¯t even know. I could be the first one to put it all together. All they told me to do was move here to start negotiations with Maerria. They wanted me to help her build and protect Sunset because it was a nearby, had regular caravans to Gearspoke, and because she had connections with important people. She didn¡¯t believe the words she was telling herself. Anger sat, curdling inside her at the idea of being left out in the cold. At first, she had viewed the assignment as her first chance to leave the forest and see the wider world. After the first few years she had come to resent being stuck in such an uneventful joke of a settlement. The visit¡¯s home gave her glimpses of what her life could have been if she had stayed though. At first it had felt like she was missing out on the festivals, training, and community. Over time she learned that politics and intrigue were rife within the sturdy bows and tall trunks of the Tempest Treetops, she wanted no part of it. Returning to the valley¡¯s simple life of tending to her farm and keeping the monsters at bay became a little sweeter every time. Until one day the process reversed and she had dreaded the prospect of returning home more than welcoming it. Frustrated and upset without a viable outlet, Selene threw her pack across the room into the wall and screamed. Clothing scattered wildly across the floor and table. Slamming her door as she stomped out of the cabin she made her way to the tavern. If Cire hadn¡¯t come back yet she would have plenty of reason to go kill something, if not she could numb her mind in other ways. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 18: Shining Revelations Already serving bountiful mugs of good cheer, Stout was busy behind the bar downstairs. Cire hadn¡¯t seen Nicolas or Andreas around, but Maisy had assured him that they knew to keep their mouths shut. She had let them in on Cire¡¯s unusual background and heritage. It was either, bring them all the way in or risk them finding out the hard way. Cire agreed with the strategy, he just wished he had been the one to break the news. He wondered how they would react to him in person the next time he saw them. Would they see him as a monster or would they accept him? It wouldn¡¯t be the same way the naga had taken the news, that was for sure. Cire lounged on the edge of Maisy¡¯s bed watching her examine one of the items laid out neatly on the floor. Flames from several candles in a small bronze candelabra danced and flickered next to them. He had filled her in on what they knew about the items so far, which included what he had gleaned from the journal. Closing her eyes, Maisy muttered soft words under her breath requesting a blessing. Light from the candles surged outwards, growing brighter. It coalesced and pooled into a glowing sphere above the three candles. It didn¡¯t carry any extra heat, but the color in the room was washed out by the strength of the flare. Rushing into Maisy¡¯s face, the light streamed from the globe until the room was left with only the illumination from the candles. When she opened her eyes they were shining a bright golden white, no pupils, iris, or sclera remained, only the shining depths. It was quite unsettling for Cire to witness and he was rethinking his ideas about light magic. Everything he had seen from Maisy had been spectacular to behold, it made him itch to use his first real magical power. However, he only got to summon the keep once per month and in Elysium that meant once every full moon. He needed to figure out what it did, let alone what it looked like, but he wanted to wait for a peaceful moment. Preferably out of eye shot from everyone, except Durg and Selene, probably Maisy too. It felt like he shouldn¡¯t interrupt Maisy with conversation now that she was holding the objects and tracing her fingers over them, but she had said it was alright before they started. ¡°I am a little surprised you decided to identify these for me before we worked out a deal. Isn¡¯t it in your best interest to keep me in the dark?¡± Cire put the added emphasis on the light based pun, interjecting a little low grade humor to compensate for the disquiet. Maisy couldn¡¯t roll her eyes currently, but the expression on her face left little doubt as to her appraisal of his comedic talents. She never took her eyes, or hands, off the spinning top in her hands as she examined each faceted side. ¡°Once I found out about the naga circumstances changed. The successful negotiation should help prove my worth as emissary. Besides dear, it¡¯s quite clear that you don¡¯t like being pinned into a corner. Pinned to other things, yes, but I shouldn¡¯t have handled things with you the way I did. It¡¯s clear you will respond better to other types of encouragement,¡± She grinned and looked up with her disconcerting eyes. ¡°How was your night with Kalani by the way?¡± Cire shifted uncomfortably and made a waving motion with his hand to physically brush away the question. ¡°Fair enough, when would be good for us to negotiate terms for the hamlet? Do you want to do it now? Wait until everyone is asleep? I imagine that if it is anything like what happened with the naga, you don¡¯t want folks seeing if you can avoid it. Might throw everyone into a panic.¡± Maisy chuckled, a warm and mirth filled sound. She set down the top very carefully, ensuring not to spin it and moved on to the circlet. ¡°It won¡¯t be anything like what happened with the naga, but for completely different reasons. Tonight won¡¯t work, I can arrange something for tomorrow morning. Meet me at the stage around sunrise.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not ominous or anything. Why do we need to meet out there? And so early?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you yet, but you¡¯ll find out when you show up. There is a very obvious question that you have yet to ask, but people seldom actually do, so it isn¡¯t surprising. They just accept what is presented to them and move on,¡± Maisy¡¯s tone was teasing and playful, but there was an undercurrent of an obvious teaching moment. Pulling any additional hints from Maisy was often an effort in futility. She had managed to hide the fact that she was ruler of the hamlet from him until she had decided to reveal it, he hadn¡¯t figured it out. What am I missing? It''s not unique to me, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t expect others to ask the question too. Maisy derailed his thought train by leaning over the items between them and taking his hand. Slipping a simple silver band with an onyx gem rimmed in gold onto his finger caught Cire by surprise. Then she placed the circlet on his lap. ¡°Your very lucky to have found all of this. There can be no doubt now that you discovered the remains of Constantine Dawnslight, not that the journal wasn¡¯t evidence enough. These are the remnants of his royal regalia. You should be able to see the item descriptions now, take a look.¡±
Ring of Lunar Sunrise Description: Mithril ring inset with an onyx and gold eclipse symbol. Crafted for Constantine Dawnslight as a symbol of his power. Rarity: Legendary Quality: Masterpiece Effects: 1. +2 to Spirit, +1 to Luck 2. Spell Vault ¨C Can hold one spell of any level. Spell can be discharged at will. The ring can only be charged by the wearer. If the ring is charged and removed, the spell will dissipate. 3. Conceals the wearers aura of leadership making them indistinguishable by other rulers. Does not inhibit scrying, tracking, or divination.
Crown of Moonlight Description: Mithril circlet with moonstones pattered after the moon¡¯s cycle. Crafted for Constantine Dawnslight as a symbol of his power. Rarity: Legendary Quality: Masterpiece Effects: 1. +2 to Intelligence, +2 to Perception 2. Clear Mind ¨C immune to fear, confusion, panic, and berserk status. +33% mental resistance. 3. -33% casting time required for spells.
Regalia of the Eclipse Lord ¨C 2/4 pieces: Incomplete set, bonus information unavailable.
¡°He obviously had these crafted for him specifically. The mithril doesn¡¯t match your complexion, but it will be a long time until you can afford your own.¡± Next Maisy handed him the spinning top, with a warning. ¡°I couldn¡¯t figure out everything that this one does. My knowledge and the aid of my goddess could not penetrate the veil that obscures some of the facets. This object has been touched by the divine, not one, but two gods ¨C Artemis and Apollo. Don¡¯t spin it by accident dear.¡±
Top of Dusk and Dawn Description: A mithril spinning top with 10 different sides each with their own symbol representing one of the various basic schools of magic. The effect changes based on the top being spun during the day or night. Once a side has been used it¡¯s magic will go dormant a year. Graced by Apollo and Artemis during its creation.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Rarity: Divine Quality: Divine Effects: 1. Fire ¨C Casts a massive fireball that scours a targeted area or sets everything within 60 ft. of the spinning top ablaze for 30d5 worth of fire damage. 2. Water - Summons an Oceanic Elemental Titan for a 1 hour duration that obeys the item user or summons a Berserk Oceanic Elemental Titann for a 10 hour duration. 3. Earth ¨C ??? 4. Wind ¨C Imbues all allies present with Improved Haste or inflicts all present with the status affliction Sluggish. 5. Light ¨C Blinds all but the item user within 60 ft. of the top for 1 day or permanently Blinds the item user. 6. Dark - ??? 7. Holy - ??? 8. Life ¨C Fully heals all allies present and removes all status afflictions or drains all within 60 ft. of the top to 1 hp. 9. Infernal - ??? 10. Death - ???
Looking over the object he shook his head in amazement and consternation. There¡¯s no doubt that it¡¯s powerful, but these types of items are always more risk than they are worth. Besides, with my Luck stat I am more likely to kill myself than anything else. In the right hands though, it could be pretty useful. ¡°Is there any chance you want to buy this last one? I doubt I would ever want to use it and if I am in a position that I need to it could easily do more harm than good,¡± Cire asked. Maisy was checking the last ring, but she stopped and stared at him with those eerie orbs. Shimmers of white swirled through the golden glow in no discernible pattern. Incredulous laughter erupted with an irreverent snort. ¡°Cire, I have saved the proceeds of my mine for decades so I can afford it, but it wouldn¡¯t be worth giving up the capital. You¡¯re best trying to sell it at auction in Gearspoke. They have a large number of fae clientele that seek out more eclectic items such as this. Furthermore, I¡¯m not about to chance a spin, it¡¯s far too dangerous.¡± Tucking the top away back into the pack carefully, Cire picked the crown back up and ran his hands over the cool, light metal. He debated putting it on, he wanted access to the tremendous effects, but it was also ridiculously ostentatious. Silvery mithril threads braided into a circle with inlaid moonstone gemssparkled in the candlelight. The miners and loggers of the hamlet would immediately notice the resplendent item and begin to questions its origins. He could probably get away with the ring, it wasn¡¯t nearly as flashy. Butbest not to tempt anyone with sticky fingers, into the pack the circlet went. ¡°Fair enough, I was thinking the same thing. Are either you or Stout headed there when the next caravan heads back? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get the chance for a while, maybe the summer. Durg told me Selene mentioned leaving the valley for home soon and I am pretty sure I¡¯m going to go with her.¡± ¡°Neither of us generally travel with the caravans. You shouldn¡¯t entrust any of these items to non-house members, they are tremendously powerful. Any one of them is worth thousands of gold pieces. Well, except this last ring, it¡¯s priceless. Not in the same way as the others, you¡¯re not so dense that you won¡¯t realize why once you read the description. Don¡¯t put it on dear, it¡¯s not suited to you.¡± Maisy placed the ring into Cire¡¯s hands and then picked up the blank covered red book. She had inspected the journal, but she couldn¡¯t read it and it was non-magical, just a simple diary. Taking the ring, he focused and brought up the item box.
Cursed Boss Miner¡¯s Ring Description: Rarity: Rare Quality: Expert Effects: 1. Cursed ¨C Cannot be removed without magical cleansing once donned. Wearer receives the Ravenous affliction. 2. Sleep required reduced by 90%. 3. Grants access to the Mithril Mines of Miletus and allows the wearer to grant access to others.
Holy crap! Mithril mines! No wonder Constantine built a city here. It¡¯s also no surprise armies were willing to try and take it from him. As soon as the world knows, people will try and take it from me. Loud thumping sounded from the other side of the door to Maisy¡¯s cozy bedroom followed by drunken slurring. Cire jumped and the miner¡¯s ring tumbled out of his hands onto the floor. ¡°You ¡®bout done in there? I know you ain¡¯t foolin¡¯ around. It be too quiet.¡± Durg hiccuped and continued. ¡°Your missing Selene¡¯s seein¡¯ off party. Get down here already.¡± Sharp and commanding, Maisy¡¯s tone carried an expectation of no response, simply action. ¡°Durg, you know better than most not to bother me when I am with paying customers. Now, go back to the others.¡± Cire called out quickly, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there buddy, just one last thing to take care of.¡± Loud solid steps proceeded down the stairs without so much as another word. Cire picked up the miner¡¯s ring and put it into the pack along with the journal. Smiling, with a small shrug, he brushed past Durg¡¯s faux pas. ¡°Looks like I may be leaving with Selene as soon as I thought. I doubt she¡¯ll be in any condition to leave tomorrow though.Can we put off that ominous meeting a day or so? There are a lot of things I need to get in order before I leave the valley.¡± ¡°No problem. It¡¯ll make it easier for me dear.¡± Maisy handed him back the book and closed her eyes. When she opened them they had returned to their normal sultry earthy brown. Standing up and brushing off her plain robes she signaled the end of their rendezvous. ¡°I couldn¡¯t pick up everything from this one either. It¡¯s obviously a fighting style based skill book, but I only revealed the requirements and basic information. It will be a while until you can use it, so you have plenty of time to find out more about it or sell it. There are good reasons to take either course of action, but if it compliments your skill set I recommend keeping it. Gold can be earned, but rare knowledge is hard to come by.¡±
Dancing Heavens Style Technique Manual Description: A skill book crafted by Constantine Dawnslight conveying his personal fighting style. Rarity: Legendary Quality: Masterpiece Pre-requisites: Level 30, Swordsmanship Skill Level 61, Dancing Skill Level 41, ??? Effects: 1. Grants skills and sub-skills developed by Constantine Dawnslight: Starlight Edge, ???, Constellation Forms, Starlight Footsteps, ??? 2. ??? 3. Imparts a residual memory of being trained by the style¡¯s creator.
¡°I was right!¡± Cire grinned as he looked at the description of the book. ¡°I knew it was a book that was going to impart skills. I didn¡¯t know it would give more than one or that it had other effects, but I guessed it was a skill book when I paged through it,¡± Cire said. Winding her braid up into a bun, Maisy speared it with a hairpin made of the same metal as Cire¡¯s new items. Light tinkling bells sounded as she shook her head. ¡°You got lucky you didn¡¯t ruin the guidebook¡¯s magic dear. If you had read too much or tried to absorb the magic bound within the tome, you would have failed. The book would have been destroyed and you might have died in the magical backlash. It isn¡¯t wise to fool around with unknown magical items.¡± With eyes the twins of saucers, Cire nodded and tucked the book away with the other objects of immense power, danger, and value. Screwing his lips into a look of dissatisfaction he came to a troubling realization. ¡°Do you have anywhere I can store all this safely? I¡¯d rather not tempt fate by keeping it on me before I go drinking with Durg and Selene.¡± ¡°Fates dear, there are three of them. Best not to ignore any of the sisters,¡± Maisy playfully scolded. Taking his pack, careful not to jostle any of the contents, she walked over to the wall of her cabin and removed a wall panel. There were several of small chests and bundled sacks hidden in the wall frame. She placed his pack on the top and resealed the panel. ¡°Now let¡¯s go head to the party. I could use a good drink. I think I¡¯ve earned it, so you¡¯re buying my lord.¡± ¡°Hey brother, let me use the cooking skill real quick so I can heat up this stew and add some spice.¡± Andre held out his hand and Nicolas reached over and took it. After holding hands for a few moments they released the grip. Flopping back down onto the stool he had been sitting on, Nicolas went back to eating his cold bowl of congealed slop. The table he sat at was to the rear of the workers lodge, next to the wood burning cooking stove. With a waggle of his fingers to re-acquaint himself with the skill, Andre began adding dashes of various herbs and salt. Stirring the contents and warming it until it resembled a liquid versus a putrefied mass. He called out over the pot, ¡°You really think Cire was the¡­ you know what? He seems too kind hearted. I still don¡¯t believe it really.¡± ¡°Keep quiet and don¡¯t talk about it, not inside the lodge. I don¡¯t care if everyone is over at the tavern for the party, you never know when someone is going to come back.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. You never know who is in the latrine next to you, I know. Well, are we going to try and find somewhere else to take us in? Maybe try to earn enough to get to another island?¡± Andre asked. Spooning up his last bite of his solidified boar stew, Nic shook his head and chewed purposefully before answering. ¡°No where else for us to go. We can¡¯t go anywhere near Meadow and there won¡¯t be work for either of us in Gearspoke. You know how the elves and the dwarves are, I don¡¯t want to go begging for scraps at their gates. I don¡¯t want to chance work as crew, so saving up for transport would take years.¡± Nic looked towards the tavern, staring at the lodge¡¯s thick Twin Pine wall. Thinking over his interactions with the golden haired elf didn¡¯t take too long. The loquacious elf wasn¡¯t complicated to figure out. ¡°Cire is reasonable enough. I don¡¯t think the naive good natured persona is an act, but we keep our eyes open. We have a chance to catch these eggs before they hatch. Maybe even strike it big.¡± Pulling the pot off the stove, Andre served himself up a steaming bowl and began wolfing it down while still piping hot. While chewing, he kept his mouth open to cool the food, a most indelicate sight. Between bites he grinned and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind staying as long as you think it¡¯s safe, it took us a long time to find a place like this. Maybe see about taking a wife of my own, follow Cire¡¯s example.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t think that would be safe Andre. I bet it even requires armor.¡± A splatter of peas and grease leapt from Andreas mouth to the table as he laughed and swallowed hard. ¡°I bet it does! That¡¯s all part of the excitement brother.¡± Nicolas stretched and got up off his stool while shaking his head again. ¡°You never learn. That¡¯s half the reason we are in this place. When you finish up come join everyone at the tavern or go find that wife of yours. If I never see you again, I know which option you took.¡± Andre followed his brother out the door a few minutes after his elder brother left. Neither looked up into the sky or back at the roof of the lodge. Perched at the apex of the roof, hidden by the dark of the new moon, sat an observer dressed in pure white feathers. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 19: Parting Arrangements Raucous laughter and many drinks filled the tavern until late into the night. Cire was right about Selene being in no condition to leave the next day. When he made his way to her farm the next morning, she had readily agreed to delay leaving for a couple of days just to get him to stop talking. Nicolas and Andreas had been friendly during the party. They made a point to share a round with him, but they begged off anymore monster fighting. Fighting the yetis had been a favor to Stacy. The fungus beasts had been low level and the temptation of a share of duergar loot had been tempting enough to lure them, but they weren¡¯t warriors. Getting knocked around like they had was enough adventure to last them a while. Far from being caught off guard, their reasoning made sense to Cire. He worried that they were bowing out because of his darker heritage, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. They hadn¡¯t come to the hamlet for excitement, they came to be loggers and earn coin. To get away from their problems. Cire had walked them right back into a whole mess of new ones. Cire requested that Durg to stay in his cabin while he was away. Since he didn¡¯t know how long he would be at the Tempest Treetops their discussion resulted in Durg agreeing to move in, but under permanent arrangements. The dwarf couldn¡¯t work the farm, but he had stayed in the lodge long enough to get his fill. Before parting that afternoon for the naga camp he extracted a promise that Durg would find someone to tend to the crops. Letting the farm go fallow was probably the right call. The hamlet didn¡¯t need the food, even though the fresh produce supplemented the poor variety available. Dried meat, grain, and other edibles that kept were the main staples of the laborers who worked the mines and forest. Cire felt driven to harvest Eugene¡¯s last planting. He wanted to honor the memory of the kindly strangers who had taken him in and shown him the way of things. Taking joy in the warm sunshine and beauty of the day, Cire made his way towards the center of the valley without a rush. No one else was available to join him, but he had to see Kalani and explain why he was leaving, so he was headed her way. Not that he knew how to navigate the strange waters of their relationship.However, running out on her without a heads up felt like the opposite of a good idea. At least I come baring gifts, I should get a warm reptilian reception. I wouldn¡¯t feel good about myself if I didn¡¯t start helping them out as soon as I could. They are my people now. That¡¯s going to take some getting used to. Standing at the lip of the giant bore leading down to the great hall, Cire recalled the several times he had traveled here already and had a thought. He couldn¡¯t exactly fly down there as a bat right now, he had a lot of stuff to bring with him. Although, if he left a set of clothing down there he could save himself the need to climb up and down. It wasn¡¯t difficult, bit it was hard and tiresome. Tying his pack off with a new rope, he carefully lowered down the fully laden rucksack. Cire had left his armor back at the cabin and wore a plain hemp tunic. Belted to his waist, his blessed steel longsword stuck out awkwardly as he made his way down into the cavern. He still hadn¡¯t gotten the hang of how to secure the weapon without it getting in his way. By the time he touched foot to stone there were two female naga waiting for him, one already had his pack on. Sea green hair brushed ashen shoulders and their matching lanterns flashed in what he was starting to recognize as excitement or amusement. He didn¡¯t recognize either of them from the other day, but they saved him the need. ¡°My lord, I am Lita and this is Tila,¡± the taller of the two spoke and waved her hand to her sister. ¡°How may we be of Ssservissse?¡± Chimed in Tila right after, like they commonly finished each others sentences. Cire was still wrapping his head around becoming the territorial lord. It felt like they were calling him Mr. Eventide instead of Cire. He had never much cared for formality, but he knew enough not to suggest they use his first name. If he was going to have the responsibilities and danger of being the leader he needed to assume the role as well. He wasn¡¯t a symbol yet, but if he lived long enough, someday he would be. ¡°Looks like your already a step ahead of me, well, a slither ahead of me? I don¡¯t know if you have an equivalent idiom.¡± He started walking towards the lake, trying to put physical distance between him and his ungainly reply. ¡°I was going to ask Kalani if she could get the mushrooms cleaned up and you beat me to it. Did you find anything besides the fungus beasts?¡± ¡°The dwarves, yesss, Sssire. We found the remains of your kills. The queen holds the prizes of your victory,¡± Tila replied with a reverence to her tone. Lita¡¯s tongue swished in the air close to Cire¡¯s face and a purring hiss wound it¡¯s way to his ear. ¡°Most impressssive Sssire.¡± ¡°Ahh, Thank you?¡± Cire didn¡¯t really know how to take the compliment, so his stilted response came out as a question instead of a statement. He still felt threatened by the unpredictable violence of the naga, but displaying any of that fear would undermine his uncertain position. Staying quiet the rest of the trip up the tunnel to the lake, Cire was relieved when Lita and Tila handed him back his pack and returned to the great hall. Waiting for him on the small sand strip at the lip of the water, Aanya smiled broadly and performed the naga style curtsy. A beehive of activity stirred in the camp behind her. Clumps of males were treating large pieces of mushroom skin with a glowing sickly yellow fluid. Piles of the fungus had been neatly sorted and an assembly of females picked through them selecting choice specimens for alchemy. ¡°We are still harvesssting the remainsss of your battle, my lord. We will be able to produce no Sssmall amount of potionsss before the next caravan arrivesss.¡± Nodding, Cire was pleased to see Aanya again. Aanya had a more relaxed demeanor than the others the elf had interacted with. He had the distinct impression that she had been waiting to greet him, but he hadn¡¯t seen any naga leave ahead of Lita and Tila to inform her. ¡°Your here to take me to the queen?¡± ¡°Yesss, my lord. Ssshe has many tasssksss to oversssee, so when Ssshe was informed of your impending arrival Ssshe asked me to Ssserve you until Ssshe was ready.¡± ¡°Thank you Aanya, it¡¯s nice to see someone I recognize. I wish I had done a better job remembering everyone¡¯s names, but it was a bit of a whirlwind.¡± Cire¡¯s pack hit the ground with a thud and he started pulling out bundles and placing them on the sand. First were a series of cloth wrapped bunches of smoked meat ¨C boar, deer, rabbit, and goat. The next was a single large bundle of fresh boar sealed in a hide. Finally, he took out the magical serving platter they had found in the bolthole and handed it to her. ¡°I saw some tracks from your people up by the ropes. Have you done anything besides check it out? I doubt you¡¯ve had a chance to hunt anything. I brought as much meat as I could carry. The platter should help increase the amount available more than a simple packs worth though. Do you know what it is?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yesss, my lord. I am quite adept at the arcane artsss. Your going to give this all to the tribe? Not keep it for persssonal ussse?¡± A chuckle escaped before Cire had a chance to school his expression and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a member of the tribe now right? I managed to trade a gem that I found a while ago for the meat. I cleared out most of the available excess. There should be another delivery by the dwarf that was with me, Durg, in a few days once the hunters bring down more large game.¡± Cire paused andclosed the top of his pack, leaving it on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s call the platter a loan. I can get by without it for a while and it¡¯s better that I left it with you. That¡¯s actually why I am here today, I need to go on a trip away from this valley and I don¡¯t know how long it will take to get back.¡± An unreadable expression crossed the elder naga¡¯s face and then she nodded, lost in thought as her fingers traced the edge of the platter. Then, as if startled by her own lack of mindfulness, she blinked her two sets of eyelids rapidly. She made a piercing hissing sound and waved her hand towards a nearby pair of males who hurried over. ¡°Take thisss all to the Ssstoresss and then return to your previousss tasssk.¡± With haste, the two males scooped up the various bundles and made their way across the rock bridges over the lake. Cire paid them no mind once they had left, still trying to puzzle out Aanya¡¯s reaction, and failing. After taking care of business, they were left to converse and the fangless one took him on a second tour of the lake. Aanya pointed out small details about the lake he had missed on his previous visit. Fresh and spotlessly clean, the naga¡¯s fish processing station reminded Cire of the basics of mass production. No male broke down a whole carcass, they made a few quick cuts and passed the tilapia looking fish to the next male. By the end of the line they had not only removed two clean fillets, but also all the extraneous meat to be found, leaving little waste. The men were noticeably more expressive with their faces, without the lanterns they compensated as they could. Aanya took him for another swim down into the depths of the lake and to the hidden living quarters of the naga. He was starting to get a sense that they were entering an artificially constructed underwater complex. It was still hard to make out until they neared the honeycomb structure of amber light that held the queens quarters. They dipped to the side, away from the familiar larger entrance from before, and entered a smaller tunnel. Stepping off from the cushion of water, more accustomed than last time, Cire was startled by immediately being rushed by toddler to pre-teen sized naga hatchlings. The little boys and girls all had light blue shading mixed with gray and black. Hurried hissing of nagai bounded through the room. An elder with a yellow lantern flickered it wildly and called out with a clear scolding hiss causing the little ones to scurry back. Cire grinned and laughed, deep and filled with joy. The bundle of kids weren¡¯t exactly adorable, but they were cute in their own way. Typical childhood issues abounded within the gathered naga. Some had zits, others nervously stroked greasy hair, and one even sported a leaky nose that she constantly wiped on the back of her arm. Aanya smiled as one of the little boys wrapped himself around her tail in a very full body hug. She bowed her head slightly in apology. ¡°They can¡¯t Ssspeak anything but nagai yet my lord. I would be happy to transsslate anything you would like to Sssay or asssk them.¡± Smile still firmly affixed, Cire went to the middle of the moss carpeted room and snatched up a leather ball. A quick toss between his hands and he looked to Aanya with a shake of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to be able to talk to get to know each other.¡± For the next hour the naga children zipped around playing ball, tag, and other simple childhood games with Cire. Kalani came to the nursery towards the end and played with the hatclings as well, showing a very different side to her personality than he had seen so far. Leaving the little naga with a treat, he used the platter to create a spiced roast and left it with their minder to prevent a frenzy. Escaping during the distraction, Kalani and Cire relocated to her quarters for privacy. He gave her the platter and let her know about the meat he had managed to bring. She had the same unreadable expression on her face that Aanya had. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t find any more food. They have plenty of grain and dried fruit back in Sunset, but their stores of meat aren¡¯t as abundant. I asked Stout to keep any extra meat they get. It¡¯s a tertiary operation compared to the logging and mining, but the hamlet has a tannery. A lot of the miners and farmers have some basic hunting skills. If you stick to the woods near the lake with your own hunting parties they shouldn¡¯t run into them.¡± Cire had let his mouth go on autopilot again and drastically overshared. Listening with obvious amusement, the naga queen greedily took in the information. Kalani lead him to sit on the moss and placed the platter onto a nearby stone table. Snaking her tail around his sitting form she gave him a squeeze. ¡°Husssband, why do you do thisss?¡± ¡°Aanya asked the same question. Is it not expected that the territorial ruler helps their bonded settlements? Maybe it¡¯s my way of saying sorry that I need to leave and I don¡¯t know for sure when I will get back, probably during the summer.¡± ¡°Where will you travel? Ssshall I have Sssissstersss I trust accompany you?¡± Kalani asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the Tempest Treetops. It¡¯s an elven settlement in the forest at the base of the mountains. Selene will be with me. I don¡¯t know if naga would be welcomed, but it¡¯s best if I travel inconspicuously anyways. Thank you for the offer.¡± They spent the rest of the evening much like their first. Quietly conversing about the naga and the lay of the land above the caverns. Kalani moved closer to him during their talk until she was sitting in his lap with her tail coiled around him. She brushed his hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ears. Slowly, while holding eye contact, Kalani¡¯s face began to change. Her features smoothed, her high angled cheekbones bent and her fangs shrunk to the size of human canines. Blinking her eyes, only a single set of lids closed to reopen. The scales on her cheeks and forehead melted away to display pale gray skin. Vibrant and bright, Kalani¡¯s lavender hair framed a familiar, yet far more elven, face. ¡°My people can innately change our Ssshape. It¡¯s one of our more common abilitiesss besssidesss water manipulation. I have not focused on it as an area of growth or practissse, but I have Sssome talent.¡± For once, Cire didn¡¯t speak, he leaned down and kissed her. Kalani didn¡¯t melt, she wasn¡¯t that kind of woman, she pressed back fiercely. Tugging on his lip with her teeth, she let a low hiss rumble from her. Then she leaned back with her arms wrapped around his neck. ¡°It took you long enough, husssband.¡± Smiling, he kissed her again, lightly on the cheek this time. ¡°I¡¯m still figuring this all out. Unlike you, I haven¡¯t been married before. How long do your people typically date or court each other before they wed?¡± Chortling hisses that Cire now recognized as laughter came from Kalani. Her tongue brushed ticklishly across his neck and collarbone. Shaking her head, she leaned back and pulled him with her to lay in the moss. ¡°Cire, we don¡¯t. We take the malesss that catch our eye when and asss we please. If no other female challengesss a claim then we have firssst right to the male. If it weren¡¯t for your title I Sssussspect some of my Sssissstersss would have already requested you to attend their needsss.¡± He wasn¡¯t blushing, but Cire was tongue tied. Kalani pressed into him, nestling against his side and resting her head on his arm. Her hand lightly stroked his torso as she spoke with a disappointed tone. ¡°We must wait until you return to consummate the marriage. If you are not here when the eggs hatch it would be dangerous for the children. It will give me time to set some of the changes I have spoken about with the fanglessss onesss in place.¡± Cire nodded, he was appropriately distracted by the prospect of children that his passions cooled. He moved a hand over her hair and stroked it, letting his fingertips wander over her shoulders. He didn¡¯t know whether to be relieved, disappointed, or both. ¡°Why would the children be in danger if I wasn¡¯t here?¡± Leaning into his hand, Kalani closed her eyes before responding. ¡°Up until you arrived, we had no way out of this place. No way to increase our yields. Only the strongest females, and maybe a single male, from each clutch of eggs are allowed to live. This is why the elders raise the hatchlings, they make those decisions. I could command them to cease the practissse, but I prefer to show them it is no longer needed before I have to. Many of the fanglessss onesss hold reservations; about me, our bonding, and the future. I may be queen, but without them, the tribe would be lost.¡± They kept talking while holding each other close. The topics became more mundane as the hours grew late. A male came to deliver dinner and served it to them. Cire was pleased when he got to watch Kalani unabashedly devour a piece of the fresh boar. Her enjoyment of the meat evident by the little moans of pleasure escaping her lips between bites. By the time he was being guided back to the ropes in the great hall, he was starting to feel downright comfortable around the naga. While many of the mannerisms and traditions of the tribe were foreign to him, they weren¡¯t complicated. He tied his pack, full of various potions and duergar equipment, to the ends of one of the ropes to haul up. Once he was back up to the surface a small voice at the back of his head was telling him to stay. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 20: Unrelenting Assault Snoring penetrated Cire¡¯s senses as he was slowly shaken out of his surreal slumber. He was sitting on the edge of his bed of furs half dressed with a sock in his hand. Odder still, he could remember his waking dream from his supposed sleep. When he laid his head down for the evening his mind had been racing. He tried to force himself to sleep early so he could meet with Maisy and Stout on time. Cire hadn¡¯t thought to ask how he was supposed to wake up before sunrise without some form of alarm. With closed eyes he tried to regulate his breathing and slowly counted down from a hundred. Errant thoughts bounced around, interrupting his count and forcing him to start over. Why do I have to meet Maisy at the stage? The hamlet¡¯s seal is in the basement of the tavern. I still haven¡¯t figured out the cryptic question I need to ask her either, but I suppose it will be moot come tomorrow. Somewhere between sleep and mediation, Cire had sat up and puttered around the cabin. He didn¡¯t really do anything constructive, just light tidying, but he had put on the wooden bracelet Selene had dug up the other day. It still rested on his wrist, confirming that his dream hadn¡¯t been one.
Warden¡¯s Bracelet of Elucidation Description: A piece of woven aspen root jewelry crafted by Stacy of Sunset. Imbued with a nature magic enchantment with a specific function ¨C Identification. Rarity: Rare Quality: Professional Effects: 1. Identification ¨C Can identify one object or being per month. The information gained is dependent on the quality of the item or level of individual. 2. +1 to Constitution
Pulling the sock onto his foot, he finished dressing and hopped down from the loft. Cire cracked open one of the wooden shutters on the window and peaked outside. Subtle hues of purple invaded on the pristine black of the starless sky overhead. He had more than enough time to make it to the grove. Not wanting to wake Durg, he stoked the fire carefully and then slipped out into the cold mountain air. Pulling the coat he had scrounged up tight he thought briefly about the first morning he had run into Eugene on this same porch. Cire wasn¡¯t positive, but he thought this might be the same coat that the farmer had been wearing. While walking towards the hamlet he pondered the weird trance he had been in. It was similar to the metal state he reached when meditating. He hadn¡¯t actively practiced the skill since returning to the valley. The half-sleep didn¡¯t feel vampiric in nature, those abilities came with urges severely different than waking up refreshed and relaxed. That narrowed down his experience some, but not entirely. It was most likely linked to his elven side, but it could easily be something related to all of the bonding experience he had undergone. Poking around the outside of the woods near the tavern, Cire spotted the stage. Nic and Andre had showed him the spot back when he tried his hand at logging with them. Standing in the center of the expansive trunk, more than big enough to hold the entire town¡¯s population, were Maisy and Stout. Both were dressed in resplendent robes, Stout¡¯s were bright red with with orange and yellow accents. Maisy¡¯s robes were the same ones she had worn to meet with Kalani. Cire suddenly felt very under dressed. ¡°There you are dear, punctual as always. Come join us so I can introduce you,¡± Maisy called out from her position. Finding the steps, Cire ascended the ten feet up to the top of the trunk and walked out into the middle. Looking around and only seeing the gnome and dwarf he furrowed his brow. ¡°Who are you going to introduce me to? Are you going to tell me why Selene and Durg couldn¡¯t come? I have met all of the folks in the hamlet, it¡¯s not like there are that many.¡± ¡°Told you he wouldn¡¯t figure it out. No one ever does unless they have a specific reason. Are you sure we should go through with this?¡± Stout grumbled while ignoring his question. Maisy swatted Stouts arm and sighed. ¡°You just said no one figures it out, he hasn¡¯t been a ruler long enough to put it together. You still want back into the fae court don¡¯t you? Maybe show a bit of deference until we have completed negotiations.¡± Stout obviously wanted to add more to the conversation, but he reined in his irascible nature and stayed quiet. Walking over to the edge of the stage, Maisy called out into the forest. At first, Cire thought she was warming up her voice to sing. However, she finished with an odd chittering series of squeaks for over a minute. He was very confused. In the purple-blue of the early morning Cire saw small shapes darting between the trees and running along the branches. Scurrying through the underbrush were dozens of small chipmunks. Once they climbed up onto the stage he could make out noticeable differences from the rodents he was accustomed to. Clothed in earthy browns and greens, these chipmunks wore clothing and were standing on their hind legs. They had extra bushy faces and long whiskers compared to a garden variety chipmunk. One group ran over to Maisy quickly on all fours before raising up to stand at her feet. Others were still forming up and running in from the forest, but the dwarf turned back to Cire with an amused smile. She reached down and held her hand flat, allowing the lead chipmunk to walk onto her palm. Dressed in a small green vest and matching robinhood style hat, it even had a small red feather sticking out of it, stood a tiny chipmunk with its hands on its hips. ¡°Cire, meet Sir Walnut Pinesong, the Hamlet of Sunset¡¯s champion and spokesman for the chipmunkin of Sunset Woods. Sir Walnut, let me introduce Ciresil Eventide, Lord of the Chimera¡¯s Mane.¡± Bowing and removing his tiny hat, the chipmunkin held himself with poise. A high pitched voice rose from the small creature, but he spoke in clear resonate common. ¡°It is an honor, lord. It has been some time since our lady,¡± he gestured to Maisy, ¡°has brought any others to meet with us, please pardon the clumsy manner of my speech.¡± Cire was caught off guard by the cavalcade of stampeding forest critters, but he was downright flabbergasted by Sir Walnut¡¯s greeting. A bunch of chipmunks wearing clothes was odd enough, but the fact that he was going to talk with one hit him upside the head like a brick. Thankfully, that brick dislodged a few key pieces of logic, solving the puzzle Maisy had presented to him.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Sunset is a hamlet, not a camp like the nagas. That means the population has to be over two hundred and fifty people. They always dismissed any questions by calling it a seasonal hamlet. But the loggers and miners don¡¯t swear fealty, so the bonded people still had to be somewhere. I just didn¡¯t expect them to be chipmunk people. Bowing in return, while feeling a little bit ridiculous, Cire responded in kind. ¡°Indeed, it is an honor to meet you and your people, Sir Walnut. Your speech is not clumsy in the least.¡± ¡°I have informed them of what I intend and they have consented. However, they did have a couple of conditions. Sir Walnut and his escorts will accompany us to the seal to ensure that I barter in good faith for his people. They all wanted a chance to meet with you first though. I suggest we sit.¡± Leading them through action, Maisy folded her robe underneath her as she dropped to a cross legged sitting position. She placed Sir Walnut onto one of her knees and he put his tiny hat back in place. The other chipmunkin, more rodents than Cire had ever seen in one place, gathered around. Taking Maisy¡¯s example, both Cire and Stout sat down. The gnome was inundated and soon his lap, shoulders, and robe were covered in small chittering clothed figures. Spared the same experience, Maisy¡¯s lap held the small number of chipmunkins that had arrived with Sir Walnut. Cire¡¯s form was absent any of the small denizens of the forest, but he was ringed by a substantive crowd. Interspersed within the various squeaks and sounds bits of common wriggled their way free. The mass of chipmunkin didn¡¯t stay still, they constantly darted from one position to another. One of the smaller ones ran up, touched Cire¡¯s boot and then ran away, only to be followed by more doing the same around most of his body. He couldn¡¯t keep track, and after he stopped trying, he started grinning from ear to ear. Boiling off with the morning mist, Cire¡¯s tension and fear of the unknown evaporated in the face of the unrelenting assault of cuteness. Placing his hand down, palm up like Maisy had done, Cire welcomed any who were brave enough. Rushing onto his hand, up his arm, over his shoulders, and down his back, countless numbers of the chipmunkin ran over him in ticklish glee. ¡°I never saw one of these little guys when I was out and about. Stout, is this why you told me to keep away from the stage when I picked berries for you that one time?¡± Sir Walnut answered from his perch on Maisy¡¯s knee. ¡°We take care of the spearberry bushes in this area of the woods. You wouldn¡¯t have liked the results if you had harvested any by accident. Our guards take their role to protect the berries seriously.¡± One of the child sized chipmunks clambered up onto the top of his head, pulling itself up using his long golden hair. Sir Walnut chirped at the smaller member of his tribe and the individual scampered back down. His statement undercut by the rambunctious nature of his people. ¡°I¡¯m sure they do. I saw that the bushes here were practically bursting with berries. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be picking berries anymore. So, do your people have any questions or has Maisy filled you in?¡± Cire inquired. ¡°Maerria has told us much about you. We trust her judgment, no questions are needed.¡± Nodding, Cire let the chipmunkins explore. They tucked into pockets and fished out their contents. He had to safeguard his coin pouch after he saw one wriggle their way in and run off with a silver piece. It felt like he was being mugged by tickly kittens. A pair even tried to tug his sword out from it¡¯s sheath, but they couldn¡¯t manage budging it. After a while, Maisy clapped her hands and the living cloak of tiny furballs scattered from Cire. Sir Walnut and his party scuttled up to Maisy¡¯s shoulders as she stood. ¡°Time to go. Stout has a treat for everyone, so you better get it from him before we leave.¡± Maisy¡¯s tone was playful and she grinned mischeviously as a flood of chipmunkins poured over Stout and skittered up into his robes. Stout cursed and danced, careful of his foot placement, but eventually relented and stood still. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we¡¯re such good friends Maisy, most wouldn¡¯t tolerate this.¡± ¡°Hush dear, we both know you have a sweet heart regardless of the face you show people. Now, after they find all of those candied nuts, join us at the seal.¡± Leading Cire back to the tavern, Maisy somehow made walking with a bunch of chipmunks on her shoulders look dignified. Her white robes, gilded with golden and silver embroidery, shone bright in the morning light. Upon reaching the structure they walked through the empty common room and behind the bar. It didn¡¯t take long for them to head down to the basement and back to the room with Sunset¡¯s seal. Looking back to the art covering the walls, Cire couldn¡¯t help but imagine what the ruins had looked like when they were full of families and life. What would his capital be like? Would it be full of snakes and chipmunks? He chuckled at the idea. Then Cire joined Maisy and Stout, sitting cross legged on the floor. Sir Walnut, and his escort, stood to the side of the seal bearing witness. Cire had no way to tell the chipmunkin apart outside of their disparate clothing, but he assumed that there was nuance to their appearance that he was missing. For the moment he dismissed the thought and focused on Maisy. ¡°First things first, the titles. I know that Constantine Dawnslight was a member of the Unbroken Grove, a dwarven king, and Lord of the Eclipse, whatever that last one means. Since achieving each of those has its own challenges, not the least of which being that I am an elf, I would like to know what you really wanted to achieve by making them a condition.¡± ¡°That, dear, has a very complicated and detailed explanation. One that I would be happy to explain at length on another day. For the sake of company and brevity I can summarize though.¡± Maisy reached into the small pouch at her side and withdrew a water skin. After a decently long drink she passed the container to Stout as he walked into the room. ¡°I want to unify my people, and I want you to be the catalyst. I don¡¯t need you to do more than claim the first two titles. Which are within your rights as territorial lord, if you found a capital on the ancient site of Miletus. I doubt you could become a lord blessed by the gods, let alone two. Lord of the Eclipse is a divine title, in this case granted by Artemis and Apollo. I amend the condition to only the first two titles.¡± ¡°Your people?¡± ¡°Surely you have talked with Durg about the dwarven clans? Our cities are isolationist, our royal houses selfish, and our people yearn for more. Many of the younger generations have traveled the land above and know what the wider world can offer them. I want to show them an example of what that can be.¡± ¡°Okay. So, why the elven title? It¡¯s a druidic order, I¡¯m not sure I have the skill set to become a druid or if I want to be one,¡± Cire asked. ¡°For the same purpose. I want to show my people that elves, gnomes, humans, and all intelligent beings can do wondrous things when they live together. Hiding away will only lead stagnation and death,¡± She smiled and her tone shifted to a lighter tone to reinvigorate the conversation. ¡°You don¡¯t have to become a druid, not by profession. All of the elven rulers are members of the order. You will need to pass a series of challenges and swear to uphold their ethos, but the trials will be tailored to you because of your position.¡± Cire nodded and rolled everything around in his head. He had a taste of the benefits of bonding settlements, but he knew that was only the beginning. While claiming the two titles still sounded like a challenge, they didn¡¯t sound insurmountable. Maisy¡¯s purpose was noble enough. It was uncanny how similar her goals were to the ones he had expressed to Kalani. Taking the long term perspective now would benefit him more than quibbling. He had already witnessed Maisy¡¯s value to his house, and he suspected that she still had plenty of tricks she hadn¡¯t shown him. ¡°Alright, but I am not going to go about it alone. You¡¯ve already involved yourself with the naga. Is it fair to say that you will be serving as my emissary and joining my house as part of the pact?¡± ¡°It is fair to say, my lord.¡± Maisy¡¯s tone took on a coquettish quality as she responded. The rest of the conversation went by rather quickly. Stout reminded Maisy to include consideration for his future emplacement as the territories ambassador to the fae court. The chipmunkin wished to remain unknown to the hamlet and the valley at large until their tribe wished involvement. Apparently the cute little talking chipmunks spent most of the winter inside the lodge and tavern when the workers left. Having worked out the details of their agreement, Cire and Maisy shook hands and then placed them to the seal on the floor below them. Maisy didn¡¯t speak, but she bowed her head and closed her eyes offering up a silent prayer. Silver and gold light burst up from the etchings of the seal. Tinkling clinks of coins striking stone echoed through the small room as the light pooled onto the ceiling like liquid and dripped to the floor. None of the ethereal raindrops struck the seated occupants. When they hit the stone floor they burst into small puffs of sparks, without heat, like divine sparklers. Soon the deluge of light forced Cire¡¯s, and everyone but Maisy¡¯s, eyes closed tight. He could still see flashes through his eyelids, but a warm feeling spreading over his skin from his head down to his toes proved the larger distraction. Cire wanted to look and see what was happening, but he also didn¡¯t want to go blind. Ceasing with a literal flash, the entire room went dark. Peaking open a single eye, he saw Maisy standing up and rubbing her hands together. ¡°Now that we have concluded our business dear lord, would you care for some breakfast? We still have a busy day ahead of us and I need to start educating you as soon as possible.¡± Cire mock groaned, but he nodded and stood up to take the next steps on his grand adventure. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 21: Psychedelic Realizations Heavily laden, Selene and Cire hiked at an easy going pace through the Sunset Woods, leaving the hamlet behind them. While he was eager to learn more about his sun elf heritage, he was almost equally excited to see an elven city for the first time. By the way Selene had described the Tempest Treetops he doubted his imagination could do it justice. He kept thinking of simple tree houses linked with myriad hanging bridges. Selene wasn¡¯t exactly known for effusive description, so he was curious about what she was leaving out. When he had followed up with questions it was clear that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. She had been preoccupied since the fight in the ruins, Cire thought it had been a reaction to her injuries, but he was starting to reconsider. For the start of the trip he gave her plenty of space to dwell in quiet. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a few of the chipmunkins following them in the trees. He wondered how many times he had been watched and not even known it. Even if he had noticed, he probably would have just thought they were regular woodland creatures. Making it to the pass in good time, they set out of the valley, leaving the towering Twin Pines behind them. Smaller fur, pine, and oak trees dotted the landscape as they made their way over Stout¡¯s Knob, the last hill dominating the exit into the foothills. By mid-afternoon Cire had tired of the silence and gave conversation another shot. ¡°So, a couple of nights ago, the night before bonding the hamlet, I had a pretty odd experience. I was waiting to bring it up with you away from the others, so now seems as good a time as any.¡± Selene stopped and pulled off the trail under a sprawling oak. Dumping her pack to the ground and stretching her back, she gave him an inquiring look. ¡°And? What happened?¡± Following her example Cire dropped his pack, but instead of stretching he sat down and took a long drink of water. ¡°Well, I¡¯m still not entirely sure how to describe it. It was like I was asleep, but not asleep. I thought I had been dreaming all night, but when I came around, it turned out that I had been awake. Sort of awake? It¡¯s hard to describe.¡± Selene nodded and took the offered waterskin from Cire. ¡°Elven sleep. We can sleep with half our mind, and stay awake with the other. What did you do during the night?¡± ¡°I cleaned up, I think. I still don¡¯t remember it too clearly, but I know I straightened up the cabin. Took ash out of the fireplace and picked up some mushroom pieces that Durg had left under the table. Why?¡± Tapping the left side of her head with a finger, Selene answered. ¡°Left side of your mind was awake then. You wouldn¡¯t have been so active if it had been the right and it would be much harder to remember, at least details. This is why we are going to my home, and why we will spend most of this trip teaching you how to be an elf.¡± Cire raised an eyebrow in questioning confusion. ¡°How to be an elf? I thought I was going so that I could learn more about sun elves and why there aren¡¯t that many around. I know I don¡¯t know the culture or lore, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to need to fit in, at least a little bit. If you go to the city and keep acting like a human; falling into deep sleep every night, not using your hearing and sight properly, and being so focused on the immediate, you will be received as less than a child. Even wild elves, those who live in scattered families, get a warmer reception than those who behave like humans.¡± Cire frowned, he didn¡¯t like the idea of pretending to be something he wasn¡¯t, but that wasn¡¯t exactly the case here. It was more like he hadn¡¯t become what he was yet. Ultimately, he decided it was better to learn more about himself. If he had been ignoring talents that could help him in the long run, he wanted to correct that mistake. ¡°So, I¡¯ve been able to sleep like this the whole time, but I haven¡¯t been. Why didn¡¯t you say something earlier? You must have noticed.¡± ¡°Same reason I didn¡¯t ask why you haven¡¯t been using your ears properly, I wanted to make sure you still weren¡¯t lying. Also, it¡¯s rude. Deep sleep is still the best way to manage stress, physical and mental. You seemed like you needed it.¡± ¡°Fair enough. I know that a human being reborn as an elf isn¡¯t exactly common. I would have needed to be won over as well. Now that your convinced by my obvious incompetence, mind telling me how I am not using my ears right? I mean, I can hear things much further away and with far greater detail than when I was a human. What am I missing?¡± Flashing the ghost of a smile, Selene razzed him. ¡°You¡¯re missing a whole lot, but let¡¯s stick with the ears. You don¡¯t angle them or move them to pick up specific sounds or to listen further. They just sit there attached to that ridiculous face of yours.¡± Genuinely scowling, Cire looked up and down the dusty dirt trail cutting through the mountains. No one was around for miles. Then he spotted a hawk riding an updraft, circling high overhead. He strained, but he couldn¡¯t make out any sound from it. He could tell that he had moved his ears, but that was all. ¡°So, teach me. I¡¯m willing to learn.¡± It was like he had shaken loose whatever anchor had attached itself to Selene. With her attention redirected, and a target for her frustration, Cire at least had her talking. They spent the rest of that day, and the next, teaching Cire the basics of using his elven abilities. Elven vision wasn¡¯t telescopic, but it could magnify. Cire learned to relax his eyes to induce the effect. He could sacrifice vision at a distance for greatly increased sight at close range or vice versa. The experience left him disoriented at first, but with practice he finally stopped feeling dizzy after each attempt. Early on he had taken a fantastic tumble and nearly fallen down the side of a small gorge. After that he stopped trying to practice while hiking on anything but flat clear trail. Working with his ears was more comfortable, as it didn¡¯t give him a sense of vertigo, but it proved more complicated.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. At first he would watch Selene as she pointed out something, like a small lizard, and then angled her ear towards the animal. He thought it was a matter of concentration, until he realized that she wasn¡¯t just moving her ear, she was moving each part of it individually. The pointed tip curled and flexed almost like a finger. Wobbling, the lobe twisted and stretched, making her ears protrude further. By the time they stopped at the base of the foothills, with the densely packed trees of the Shadowed Forest looming before them, he had started to develop a rudimentary technique for ear movement. Neither Selene nor Cire wanted to enter the forest during the night. Selene even proposed that they spend a day or two at the campsite preparing themselves. If they got caught by a group of monsters or enemies amongst the trees their best recourse would be a mad dash to the settlement. The best tools they had moving forward would be silence and stealth. Around the campfire they continued to work on Cire¡¯s training. Selene introduced the elven handtalk alphabet. It wasn¡¯t anything like sign language he had seen before. Each finger angled in reference to an imaginary straight line conveyed a different meaning. It gave the signals an angular and rigid appearance compared to the more natural flow of the signing he was used to. Not that he knew any sign language besides ¡°bullshit,¡± that sign was easy to remember and hilarious. Thoroughly overtaxed, Cire welcomed the respite of sleep with open arms. Selene wasn¡¯t so gracious. She insisted that he practice elven sleep, this time with the right side of his brain staying awake. At first Selene shook him awake minutes after he fell asleep. Then, one of those times, he hadn¡¯t fully awoken. Cire felt high. He¡¯d had his fair share of trips to the hospital for broken bones, and whatever he was on right now, was leagues stronger than any painkiller he had ever taken. The stars streaked through the night sky with long comet-like tails. Spinning under him, the ground felt alive and pulsing. Selene¡¯s eye¡¯s hung like twin pools of thunderstorms on a pitch black canvas. Words floated out of her mouth and he could swear that he saw vibrations waver through the air. Swimming through the stars, images of his friends melted and reformed. Maisy¡¯s head on top of a chipmunkin¡¯s body ran through constellations. Stacy and Leslie sat with each other watching him curiously. Andreas and Nicolas both waved and then merged into one person. Busily eating one star after another, Durg feasted on the heavens. Flames consumed them all as Stout, wreathed in fire, set the world ablaze. Staggering to his feet, Cire screamed as he felt his flesh melt, and then cackled as he flew into the sky carried by the embers. The world below him surged with shapeless shadow suffocating the conflagration. Raindrops started falling past him, raindrops in the shape and color of Selene¡¯s eyes drowned the sky. Cire fell. He crashed into the earth and hurtled through time. Parents, children, siblings, friends, all people he knew, but had never seen invaded his mind. They pressed into his awareness and then it was gone. Cire was lost in an ocean of eternity. ¡°Cire, wake up.¡± He heard the words, but they lay beyond the horizon, their meaning foreign. ¡°Cire, wake the hell up.¡± Pain pulled him through the world and suddenly he was present. He was laying down next to the campfire with Selene leaning over him. A stinging pain faded on his cheek. Sitting up slowly, Cire ran his hands over his face and rubbed it hard. He looked out over the grassy foothills and down into the forest below, centering himself. Nothing he could remember made any sense, but a deep sense of purpose resonated inside him. He felt drained and refreshed, physically ready to slay a dragon, but mentally hung over. Groggily he croaked, ¡°What the hell was that?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t have a good first experience in the ¡°trance¡±? You were sleeping with the right side of your mind. We call it the ¡°trance¡±. It has entirely different uses than its opposite, and can be revelatory. Elves carry their trauma and joy close to the heart, we don¡¯t truly reside within our emotional selves except within the trance,¡± Selene explained with a soft tone uncommon for her. Still blinking his eyes and rubbing his temples, Cire grumbled under his breath. When he looked Selene in the face his eyes were shooting daggers. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have warned me? I feel like I been wrung out and hung up to dry.¡± Selene shrugged and chewed on a piece of jerky before handing Cire a piece. ¡°It isn¡¯t normally that bad. It helps us process our experiences. Elves take in so much that we notice far more about the world than we consciously realize. The trance helps us draw connections we wouldn¡¯t otherwise put together and unravel mysteries we don¡¯t understand. If you don¡¯t learn to enter the trance on your own, the stress will build up and you¡¯ll go insane.¡± ¡°Go insane?¡± Cire¡¯s voice spiked an octave. ¡°Not until you reach three or four hundred years old, but eventually yes. It¡¯s rare, you didn¡¯t seem to have any problems reaching the trance with assistance, I don¡¯t think you will have any trouble. I wasn¡¯t sure if you would be able to enter that state at all, but it¡¯s a good sign when you¡¯re so young.¡± Standing up and pacing next to the fire, Cire tried to make sense of what Selene was laying out. He knew he had been approaching his life so far as a human with elven abilities, but he hadn¡¯t gotten anywhere close to wrapping his head around what that meant. Nodding, begrudgingly, he released his anger and took in a long, deep breath and bit into breakfast. Selene had to prod Cire to speak this time around. He was either sulking, or mulling over the strange memories that every trance produced. Redirecting him would be a better course of action. ¡°Anything you want to do today? We should try to rest as much as possible, but some light activity will help keep us aware. You¡¯ve been wanting to summon your keep and I still haven¡¯t shown you the ability I received.¡± Perking up immediately, Cire shoved the remaining smoked jerky into his mouth and chewed it aggressively. Roughly swallowing, he cracked his knuckles, and shook out his hands. ¡°I still don¡¯t even know how to do it, just that I can. You haven¡¯t even told me what you got, but I am willing to bet it¡¯s something like Durg and Kalani¡¯s gifts. Durg can summon armor, which is good, because his current set is on its last legs. Kalani has a magical trident from the settlement bond and the territorial bond gave her access to infernal magic and another skill or two I think.¡± Standing next to Cire, Selene held out her arm. At first he thought she was pointing to the forest, so he looked down the hill, but when he looked back he could see tendrils of purple-black mist swirling out of her hand. Gradually the mist took the shape of a bow and with an arrow nocked in place. Blowing away with an unfelt wind, a gorgeous, and clearly magical, bow was left in it¡¯s place. Grey metal with an ephemeral string held an arrow that was clearly still swirling with mist, both solid and insubstantial. ¡°Now I don¡¯t have to worry about running out of arrows, so you and Durg won¡¯t have to carry extra bundles. It hits hard, has great stats, and the arrows are partially incorporeal. They will be able to hit ethereal monsters, like ghosts, but they will also pass through some armor and deal more damage.¡± ¡°Wow, can you summon it every day like Durg can with the armor?¡± Cire asked with obvious envy in his voice. ¡°Yup, I still packed my bow though. Just not nearly as many arrows as I would usually bring. Now hold your hand out and concentrate on summoning the keep. That¡¯s all it should take, my bow doesn¡¯t need an incantation.¡± Cire followed her advice and held his hand out before him while focusing his vision on a small flat piece of ground across from them in the small dell. With Selene¡¯s summon a small amount of mist had emanated from her hand, in comparison, Cire¡¯s entire body poured out a thick billowing cloud. Wild streaks of neon purple light splintered through the mist like chain lightning. The mist cloud crawled along the ground like a living animal, tentacle like tendrils snaking out to grip soil and rocksto pull it forward. Settling into the area Cire had concentrated on, the mist climbed upward into the sky. It began to solidify until a four story blocky stronghold emerged. Swinging down, a large drawbridge crashed to the earth. Clicking chain links heralded the portcullis raising up from behind where the bridge had been, revealing a set of thick, ten foot tall, black metal doors. Rigid stone, capped with a parapet, imposingly towered over them radiating an aura of strength. Lastly, a blank banner of violet unfurled down the center of the front wall and the doors swung open. Cire looked to Selene, who was staring wide eyed in stunned disbelief, and then back to the keep. A smile affixed in place, as he commented. ¡°Now, that, makes me feel like a lord.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 22: A Clear Mind Holding up the lid to an empty strong box, Cire peered around the vault they had discovered on the third floor of the keep. He had so many questions about the imposing magical construct. They had done a cursory once-over of the floors and found many oddities for what it was. The first floor was large and open, windowless and built for defense. Nothing decorated the walls and harsh white light blanketed the room from glowing orbs set into the ceiling. A stairwell at the back had a similar set of thick metal doors as the entrance, but these were already open. Ascending the stairs had revealed a dormitory on the second floor with bunks from wall to wall. On the back wall was a large cooking area with a similar cooking top to the one he had seen in Constantine¡¯s panic room. There was also a small commode set in the opposite corner. Between the two areas was the next staircase up. Separated into two halves, the floor they were currently on, held an empty vault and armory respectively. Weapon and armor racks lined the walls in one room and shelves with chests filled the other. Letting the lid to the lock box he was holding fall closed, Cire voiced his curiosity to Selene. ¡°What do you think happens to stuff I put in this chest when I dismiss the keep? Will it be here when I summon it again? Durg¡¯s armor turns back into mist and goes inside him. If I put something in here, will it turn into mist and go inside me?¡± He got a disgusted look on his face. ¡°What about things inside the washroom? You didn¡¯t already use it did you?¡± A delinquent grin flashed to Selene¡¯s lips as she started making her way out of the room. ¡°Why would I know? It¡¯s your ability. I¡¯ve never seen anything like this. While most women worship Hera at some point in their lives personally, the Tempest Treetops is bound to other gods,¡± She dipped out of the room, leaving a parting sentence. ¡°Try leaving something in here and we can find out.¡± ¡°Good idea, I¡¯ll leave an extra tunic as an experiment.¡± Cire halted and then turned to run after her, catching her just as she was climbing up to the next floor. ¡°You never answered my last question. You didn¡¯t did you?¡± Selene didn¡¯t make eye contact or speak, she tortured him with uncertainty until she¡¯d had her fill. When they got to the large suite with open windows that dominated the top floor, satisfied, she relented. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. But if it¡¯s like most magical devices, physical waste won¡¯t be left behind, it will be broken down and consumed. You¡¯ll just have to test it yourself.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re right. At least if I test the bathroom it won¡¯t be too bad, I suppose.¡± Cire complained, but he kept pace with Selene, who had walked across the room to the last set of stairs. As they headed to the roof, Cire followed up with his next question. ¡°So, why all the of the zig zagging stairs? Why isn¡¯t there one large staircase? It feels weird to have to walk across each room to get to the next floor.¡± ¡°Defense. Attacking enemies would have to fight through each corridor. Multiple defensive barricades, an armory most of the way up the building, and¡­,¡± She paused as they threw open the trap door to the roof and made there way to the parapets. ¡°A strong firing position. This entire structure is based on securing a defensible foothold in a hostile environment.¡± Cire looked down over the side towards the mountains and then he stepped back to take in a three hundred and sixty degree view of his surroundings. He hadn¡¯t been up so high on this side of the mountains. Across from the forest, to the west, lay another mountain chain bisecting the entire island. To the south he could barely make out the twisted trees and half rotted plants of the swamp. Above the forest, the vegetation changed and a lush jungle abutted against the tall pines of the Shadowed Forest. Carving a meandering path through the middle of the vast woods, a wide river rushed with white water from the spring thaw. He could barely make out the headwaters where it sprang from the mountains to their backs. Finally having some perspective of the island, he pointed out to the river cutting through the treeline as a reference point. ¡°What¡¯s the name of that river? Where does it flow to? Is the Tempest Treetops settlement south or north of it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Swiftwater River, it¡¯s navigable all the way to Meadow and the ocean during the summer and fall. It runs too fast in the spring and it gets too low in the winter for an easy trip.¡± A small frown creased her lips, but she continued. ¡°The Tops¡¯ are south of the river, just after the first large bend. We¡¯ll be sticking to the middle of the forest, far away from the swamp. We got close enough when we went after those gnolls in the southern reaches of the forest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. The closer we got to the swamp, the worse everything smelled. I¡¯ve been thinking about when Gene was telling me about how animals leveled their skills. The boars in the valley mainly put their effort into finding food, for them that meant foraging. Is that why everything in the forest is more dangerous? More predators and more competition means that the animals have skill sets to kill or hide?¡± Selene nodded as she took aim at a tree next to their campfire and loosed an arrow into its trunk. She seemed pleased with the results, but quickly drew back the string to fire another. Then she angled her bow to the sky and loosed another missile, watching its long arcing flight. ¡°There are also more monsters for the animals to compete with. Monsters are mainly animals that at some point were exposed to magic and created a new species. Sometimes they are more intelligent, sometimes they have more fantastic adaptations. Dire boars instead of boars, for example.¡± Running a finger along one of the reinforcing dire boar bone plates woven into his armor, Cire tapped it lightly. ¡°So, that¡¯s also why everything is higher level than back in the valley? Or is there another reason for that?¡± Firing another arrow along the same trajectory, Selene tracked the perimeter of her range from the elevated emplacement. Done with her testing, she dismissed her bow and it disappeared in a puff of black mist. She shook her head as she responded.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°No, well, partially. There is more abundant life in the forest because it has a higher density of mana than the mountains. Part of that is it¡¯s location in the world and the number of divinely touched sites. Some of it is because of the level of the settlements within the forest. The more people there are, the more divine presence there tends to be. No territory on the island has enough magic to support a high level population of animals or monsters, Belleria is simply too small.¡± Selene¡¯s words gave Cire a decent amount to mull over. He released how much he still didn¡¯t understand about this world and how isolated the small section of it he had been dropped into was. If he had started out in the forest, let alone some different island, how much harder would it have been? Would he have made it through the experience with his sanity intact? Taking in the view, and seeing no movement besides the occasional animal, Cire got another idea. This was the perfect time to test out something else that he couldn¡¯t around other people. Pulling the crown out from the depths of his pack he fidgeted with it in his hands. ¡°Thank you again for letting me keep the crown and ring. I can¡¯t argue that I need them the most, but I have some idea of how valuable they are. Hopefully when we sell the top and the duergar armor we can find you some suitable items. I know you and Durg said we will need the funds to build the capital, but it wouldn¡¯t feel right if you both didn¡¯t get something for your efforts.¡± Waving away his gratitude, Selene shot straight to the point. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Now, I assume you want to give it a test to see if the Clear Mind effect will work to control your blood rage?¡± Cire nodded and then slipped the circlet onto his head. ¡°Mind waiting up here? I¡¯ll get a good distance down the hillside and then give it a go. That way, if it doesn¡¯t work out, you shouldn¡¯t be in harms way.¡± Over a mile away from the base of the keep, Cire stood on a patch of dusty tan earth. Granite outcroppings spotted the small rise, but besides a few pieces of scrub, it was barren. His pack was back in the tower, along with his arms and armor. He figured a bit of meditation wouldn¡¯t hurt either way, so he was currently regulating his breathing and clearing his mind. Reaching a peaceful state of mind was remarkably easy while wearing his new headpiece. Dwelling in the blank space of calm, all noise and smell dropped away. He could feel the vampiric beast within his blood, surging through him, screaming a promise of strength. For the first time, he could sense something more. The benevolent warmth of his sun elf soul bathed the hunger and rage with a quelling light. The light didn¡¯t fight the burning flame of the curse, but it tempered it, held it back from consuming him. With the crown in place he could feel the moment he released the monster of fury caged deep within his blood. His body¡¯s transformation felt like an after effect. The tremendous well of anger endemic within the energy assaulted his mind, but failed to breach his consciousness. He was still himself. The abilities deleterious sapping of his intelligence, spirit, and charisma were unaffected by the crown. Bulging under his tunic, his arms felt strong and his blood sang as it rushed through his body, thundering in his ears. But he was in control. Opening his blood shot eyes, he looked through them with clarity. He took a moment to stretch and acclimatize himself with the filled out physique. Nicking himself with his sharpened and elongated talons, he focused and made them retract to half their length. He tried to shout towards the keep to let Selene know he was alright, but his fangs made speaking impossible. How do the naga do it? Probably has something to do with their crazy long snake tongues. Okay, let¡¯s see what I can do. Without the drive to attack everything and anything, I have to re-learn how to use this effectively. At least I won¡¯t go off trying to eat my friends, that¡¯s obviously more important. Starting with a light jog, Cire zipped around the clearing. Then he started to jump from boulder to boulder, using his increased dexterity to great effect. Towards the end of the five minute restriction of the ability, he picked up one of the boulders. Straining under its heavy weight, Cire still struggled to lift it. However, without the ability enhancing his strength he wouldn¡¯t have been able to even budge the rock. Once the ability faded, he made his way back up the slope and rejoined Selene. Sitting next to the campfire pit, she was packing up their gear. Cire went back into bottom floor of the keep and stowed the crown in his pack. Then he dressed in his armor and belted on his sword before exiting the structure. As soon as he focused on the thought of dismissing the keep, the whole thing started to roil and dissolve. The large cloud of black mist reformed and crawled over to Cire and enveloped him in a storm of purple lightning. Falling from the sky, his stored tunic landed square on the top of his head irreverently. Cire could hear laughing, but by the time he got the clothing clear of his eyes, Selene¡¯s expression was flat and without humor. Looking back to the space the keep had occupied, Cire sighed. ¡°It would have been nice to have a magical storage space, even if I could only access it once a month. But I suppose that does answer the other question too, one way or another.¡± Adjusting a heavy set of straps around his shoulders and waist, Durg tested the harness against the ropes connecting it to a makeshift wooden sled. Piled high with boxes of provisions the dwarf grumbled that Cire had roped him, quite literally, into fulfilling this task. At least the naive elven vampire had managed to clear Durg¡¯s long standing bar tab with Stout while trading in the star ruby for supplies. Although, Durg didn¡¯t think that Cire truly understood the value of the gem he traded. It was a good thing that Maisy was dealing honestly with them, because if she hadn¡¯t been, Cire would have gotten fleeced. Durg had Andreas along to help him with the delivery, but the human, as strong as he was, couldn¡¯t manage the sled like a dwarf. Trudging to the middle of the valley wasn¡¯t enjoyable, but it wasn¡¯t hard either. Andreas kept a lookout and cleared Durg¡¯s path of small sticks and stones to make his passage easier. When they approached the burned out grove of Twin Pines at the center of the valley, both had lapsed into quiet plodding with their heads down. Which was why they were startled when a sing song hissing voice called out to them. Standing by the ropes, on a pair of long elegant legs, was an elven female with vibrant purple hair and a delicate pair of spectacles. Her red mushroom leather tunic hung to mid thigh and she wore no shoes. Durg slapped his thigh and gave a hearty laugh before waving. ¡°Good afternoon to ya missy. I doubt ya be understandin¡¯ what I am sayin¡¯, but I brought more of the meat that Cire promised. Plenty o¡¯ folks were willing to hunt down some game for the extra coin.¡± Grinning, the dwarf turned to Andre, who was looking at the elven bodied naga with an entirely different spark in his eye. ¡°Now we know how they were gettin¡¯ up the ropes before we installed the platform yer buildin¡¯. Cire said he wasn¡¯t sure if they could change entirely or not, but he knew that they be startin¡¯ to come out of the cavern. I best tell Maisy when we get back, otherwise there¡¯s gonna be trouble.¡± ¡°Ahh huh, sure.¡± Andre¡¯s response was perfunctory and his eyes never left the elven shaped naga. Alana listened as the dwarf babbled at her with words she couldn¡¯t comprehend, and promised herself that she would learn to speak the inelegant language as soon as she could. Wafting from his packages, the promising scent of meat caused saliva to pool in her mouth. She waited patiently for them to finish speaking, pushing her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose as they slipped down. Giving up on trying to speak with Alana, Durg and Andreas unloaded the sled and piled the foodstuffs on the ground. Then they unpackaged a large rope net and pulled up four of the ropes. They tied off the four ropes and then loaded the net with most of the goods. Alana helped once she understood what they were doing. After it was filled up, they lowered the net down into the cavern together. Once they finished, before the two men departed, Andreas walked up to Alana and held out his hand. She looked at it, then she spent longer than he was comfortable with looking him up and down. Finding him dissatisfying, Alana simply turned away and walked back to the ropes. Durg didn¡¯t stop laughing at Andre¡¯s misfortune until they reached the hamlet. The lumberjack bought him a drink to keep quiet. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 23: Running from Problems Fast asleep next to Selene, high in the Shadowed Forest¡¯s thick canopy, Cire¡¯s hammock swayed slightly in the evening breeze. After a long day of painfully navigating their way through dense thickets and bushes, standing in the crook of the tall oak tree was quite relaxing. Her ears twisted and turned as she kept watch using her full suite of senses. A damp, warm wind carried the scent of a newborn thunderstorm on the horizon. Educating Cire on the basics to not make a fool of himself in the elven settlement had filled their breaks since entering the forest. The day before, the first time they took to the trees to avoid a threat, shehad started to open up about the Tempest Treetops. Selene had finally come to terms with how close they were to their destination and couldn¡¯t put off talking about it any longer. The conversation hadn¡¯t gone as she had planned, but things with Cire seldom did. His blatant curiosity and eagerness to listen made it hard to tamp down her anger. She still wasn¡¯t sure if her descriptions of the aristocratic houses had been accurate as a result. The Morningdew, Goldenspring, Cinnamonswirl, and Silverstar families each controlled one of the large towers, the pillars of the sky, at the center of the village. The royal family, the Tempestnight bloodline, allowed the other citizen families free reign within their own towers. However, all of the other complexes ostensibly fell under royal authority. In practice, the druid tower was largely left alone as well. Each order having a rigid set of rules for the free persons who came and went within their sections. Selene was sure that Cire didn¡¯t understand the nuances of elven politics, but that could always be explained away by his peculiar origins and age. If he managed to accidentally offend someone, he would be summarily dismissed as the child that he was. That didn¡¯t mean that Selene wanted anything to go wrong during their stay in town. The best thing they could do was introduce him to her family, find out more about his heritage, and keep their heads down. If Selene could, she wanted to minimize his connections to Sunset, Constantine Dawnslight, and Miletus. Although she didn¡¯t think that was likely to happen. She had to get her answers too, and Cire was stuck right in the middle of that mess. It would be best if she brought him in on her observations, otherwise he might go spouting his mouth off to the wrong people. Running her hand along the rope securing the hammock to the massive oak, she checked on Cire again. His eyes had the far off look of an elf in half-sleep. Earlier in the evening, Selene had to keep him from pulling himself from their perch. She didn¡¯t know what he had been dreaming about, but it had to have been something active. If she could convince her mother to spend some time working with him it would be better than her fumbling instruction. A wicked smile slashed across the female elf¡¯s visage. She tugged at her midnight black hair with an idle finger, it was the perfect way to get Cire up to speed. Selene wondered how long it would take before he came to her begging for relief. At least this way she wouldn¡¯t have to spend too long at home with her insufferable, high and mighty, siblings. If I had any aptitude for magic I would be wrapped up in that game just like Penelope and Alexander. At least Damien married away from the families web of schemes and plots. If they find out about Cire¡¯s new title, and my new house, there¡¯s no way we will escape. Thank the gods he has that ring and learns quick. Shaking Cire by his shoulder, Selene woke her companion as the morning light threaded weakly through the dense blanket of leaves overhead. Stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Cire nodded his thanks. He used rudimentary handtalk, obviously wary to break the silence. ¡°Talk, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, we can speak. There is a family of squirrels behind us, towards the mountains. A bear circled our tree, but left after marking it, shortly after I took over watch. Besides that, nothing but insects and birds.¡± Cire was eating a handful of nuts and passed her a small pouch containing the rest. Selene polished them off as a light breakfast.She gathered up the hammock and untied their packs from the tree, where they had been stored for the night. ¡°We aren¡¯t too far out now, we should get to the river today. We¡¯ll follow along the southern bank until we get to the town¡¯s borders. We should get intercepted before we get close, but if we make it to the walls on our own, let me do the talking,¡± She paused to take a long drink of water. ¡°In fact, try not to talk at all in front of other elvesbefore I get you to my mother. The less attention you bring to yourself, the better.¡± ¡°You never told me you were from a noble family, I don¡¯t think anyone back in Sunset knows. Well, I besides Maisy and Stout.¡± Cire stopped speaking with his mouth open, obviously wanting to ask follow up questions, but catching himself as a cloudy expression crossed her face. Selene sighed and brushed past her prickly reaction. He didn¡¯t know any better. It wasn¡¯t like she would be able to hide it anyways. Deftly hopping down to a lower branch, and then another, the elf used her momentum to carry her down to the ground. She called back up to Cire after the acrobatic display, ¡°If you want to know, you¡¯ll have to keep up.¡± There was no way Cire could copy her agile practiced movements, especially in armor, but his natural dexterity bridged the gap adequately. His descent was more of a mad scramble, catching himself from falling with his hands more than once. By the time he was running through the brush, thorns catching on his padded yeti hide, he was only a few strides behind Selene. In between breaths, he huffed out a series of questions, hoping to slow her up by having to respond. ¡°If you were already nobility before I made you an heir, why did you accept the offer? Why were you the only elf in Sunset before I popped up? Why don¡¯t you want to go home?¡± ¡°Magic.¡± Selene¡¯s one word reply punctuated her pivoting around a copse of fir trees and dashing away. When Cire rounded the last trunk, she was gone from his vision. Straining his sight, he scanned the dark woods. Twitching the tips of his ears, he heard a twig break and swiveled his head. Standing with a broken stick in her hands, Selene clucked her tongue and kept running. Chasing after his elven companion, Cire managed a passable job with rapid forest movement. Selene was pushing him to see if any untested woodland skills might reveal themselves, and because she wanted to. She couldn¡¯t out run his queries, but she could make him earn the answers. By the time he caught up, she had eased to an ambling walk and casually explained her flippant reply. ¡°I don¡¯t have the aptitude for any of the basic types of magic, or any of the advanced schools I have been tested for. In my family, that makes me an outcast of sorts. The Silverstar¡¯s are known for our powerful casters, moon elves have a natural affinity for the arcane arts.¡± Looking over Cire¡¯s face, an expression of adorable confusion tempered her frustration with his ignorance. Hiking up to the top of a small rise, she stopped and cupped her hand around her ear. Rumbling on the wind the sound of the river welcomed her. She may dislike much of what she was returning to, but the place itself would always be dear to her heart. ¡°You saw my status sheet when we became companions. Do you remember any of my traits? Skills? Take another look. Let¡¯s see if anything I have tried to teach you has stuck.¡± Selene saw the focused look in his eyes and knew he was scanning over her status, so she pulled it up herself. Glaring, as always, Selene¡¯sAstral Concentration trait taunted her with its potential and her failure. She knew he would figure it out, even if it took him a while, so she started walking again. It was easier to show him, versus saying it out loud. She wasn¡¯t a child anymore, but that didn¡¯t make the pain brought by falling short of her families expectations any easier. It didn¡¯t make the look in their eyes feel any better. Giving him plenty of room, she led at a slow pace.
Biographical Information: Name: Selene Eventide Level: 15 Experience: 133,682 Lineage: ? Moon Elf, ? Wood Elf Profession: Unselected Disposition: Stern Trickster (1 Bad, 3 Chaotic, 1 Good, 2 Orderly) Languages: Elvish, Elven Handtalk, Common
Stats: If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Health: 110/110 Mana: 198/198 Armor: 14 Dodge: 10% Strength: 11 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 10 Intelligence: 16 Spirit: 17 Charisma: 15 Luck: 12 Resistances: Enchantment 50% Magic 10% Aspects: Sly Determined
Skills: Swordsmanship 22, Natural Sub-skill: Small Blades 22, Natural Sub-skill: Flurry 14, Natural Sub-skill: Dual Wield 10, Significant Sub-skill: Large Blades 7, Significant Sub-skill: Curved Blades 2, Significant Thrown Weapons 15, Natural Sub-skill: Blades 9, Natural Sub-skill: Devices 3, Natural Archery 49, Natural Sub-skill: Short Bows 41, Natural Sub-skill: Long Bows 22, Natural Sub-skill: Marksmanship 35, Natural Sub-skill: Quickdraw 28, Natural Sub-skill: Vital Shot 9, Natural Pickpocket 16, Natural Sub-skill: Sleight of Hand 8, Natural Stealth 29, Natural Sub-skill: Hide 24, Natural Sub-skill: Stalk 24, Natural Adventurer 5, Natural Armor 29, Significant Sub-skill: Medium Armor 29, Significant Sub-skill: Light Armor 16, Significant Herbalism 31, Significant Trapping 15, Significant Sub-skill: Disarm Traps 8, Significant Sub-skill: Find Traps 11, Significant Sub-skill: Set Traps 7, Significant Tracking 19, Significant Farming 12, Average Sub-skill: Tilling 5, Limited Sub-skill: Sowing 2, Limited Sub-skill: Reaping 3, Limited Musical Instruments 7, Average Sub-skill: Harp 5, Average Lore 42, General Sub-skill: Woods & Forests, 39 Natural Sub-skill: Elvish Culture & Customs, 25 Natural Sub-skill: Fae Culture & Customs, 15 Significant Sub-skill: Human Culture & Customs, 15 Average Sub-skill: Arcana, 18 Average Sub-skill: Mountains and Hills, 9 Limited Communication 24, General
Abilities: Skill Abilities: Flurry, Vital Shot, Sleight of Hand, Hide, Stalk Traits: Elven Heritage: 50% Enchantment resistance. Low-light vision & acute senses, Perception +1. Forest Finesse: Increased accuracy and damage when using ranged weapons. Increased chance to dodge. Normal movement rate when in dense brush. Astral Concentration: +10% Spell potency. +10% Magic resistance. House of the Chimera¡¯s Mane: As an heir of the territories¡¯ noble house you receive a 5% bonus to all actions within the area. You may summon a Hera¡¯s Bow of Dominion once per day. Theia¡¯s Blessing: +1 to Luck, +1 to Perception. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.
Inventory: (Not Available)
Pleased with the advancement of her skills since the last time she had given her status a look, Selene dismissed the opaque screen and picked her way to the bank of the river. Once she got to the rocky shore, she refilled her waterskins and then took Cire¡¯s to do the same. She took up a sitting position next to him on a fallen tree, but didn¡¯t make eye contact, her eyes lingering on the water. ¡°You always worry about offending people, just ask.¡± Cire shifted uncomfortably, his boot scraping against bark. ¡°Well, you¡¯re half moon elf and half wood elf. Based on what you have eluded to, your dad is a wood elf? I never really thought about what that meant, not in terms of skills or inherited traits. If your family has a reputation for high magical aptitude, but you do not possess it...¡± He stopped talking, not needing or wanting to list the large amount of implied ramifications. ¡°Exactly, all of that. I was volunteered to take a posting out of sight. At first it was for them, my family. Over time, I carved my own place out of the mountains, defined myself.¡± Out of the corner of her eye she could see conflict at play on Cire¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but she knew he was measuring his words. Taking the time to think through the information before speaking. Slapping him across the shoulders, Selene stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. There¡¯s a storm coming and we don¡¯t want to get caught out in it.¡± Departing the immediate shores of the Swiftwater, they began making their way deeper into the forest. Keeping the river to their right as a directional marker allowed a more rapid pace than before. They pressed on later than previous days in the woods, letting the starry sky shroud their steps as they caught glimpses of it between the trees. Selene was watching as Cire worked on his hearing, twisting the tips of his ears and pushing his lobe to cup and angle, when a sudden quiet descended around them. Serenading crickets and buzzing june bugs ceased their concert of spring, sending a cold shiver up Selene¡¯s spin. She immediately signaled for them to take to the trees. From their position hidden in the leaves, Selene could make out the interloper, a giant wolf spider. Hairy and bulbous, the size of a small wagon, the arachnid scuttled along the forest floor below them. Communicating back and forth with Cire, she told him to be quiet until the monster passed them by. Once it was out of earshot, they broke out food and picked up conversation. However, in the middle of their conversation about Cire¡¯sexpected behaviour once they made it to town, Selene clamped her hand over his mouth. Upon meeting her blue eyes, he went silent. Cautiously he signaled to her. ¡°Danger?¡± Withdrawing her hand, she flicked and wove a quick reply, ¡°Not sure. Listen, something¡¯s in the trees. Not sure where.¡± Twitching, Cire moved his ears and focused on the wind breathing through the boughs. Now accustomed to his elven senses, it didn¡¯t take long for him to pick up the subtle difference. Looking up to the stars to confirm their direction he responded, ¡°From the north. In trees. Moving fast.¡± Selene nodded confirmation and slowly unsheathed her daggers, shifting to an adjoining branch to give Cire space. Looking back to Cire she nodded once and then faded into the foliage, her cloak breaking her form as she camouflaged. Grating and metallic, a stymphalian bird¡¯s call shattered the quiet. Leaning her head back, breaking cover, Selene responded. Cire was equal parts intrigued watching her move her finger rapidly over the front of her throat and astonished by the sound she produced. Grinning wickedly, Selene sheathed her weapons and stood nonchalantly on the branch. ¡°No swamp birds this far north Cire, looks like we got noticed. It¡¯s a patrol from the ¡®Tops. Keep still, they will come and find us.¡± Dropping from higher in the canopy, as if on cue, a chestnut haired elf with a ruddy complexion landed on the end of their branch casually. He was wearing a flexible suit of leather armor similar to Selene¡¯s, but with dyed panels of green mixed in with the dark brown. A bow strapped to his back and long curved sword at his hip remained untouched. The tone of his challenge was professional, offering it as a greeting, and less as identification. ¡°Our house is built with strong beams and breezes. What are they made of?¡± ¡°The moon and storm. I am Selene Silverstar, returning with a report for my mother.¡± Giving a slight bow, the wood elf¡¯s eyes glanced from Selene to Cire. ¡°Welcome home, Lady Silverstar. I am Lucas Rootwine, scout of the guard. May I ask who you travel with?¡± ¡°A wildling I found in the mountains. Enough talk, we are weary from our trip. Take us to your camp so that we may rest.¡± Lucas nodded, but instead of heading to the ground, turned and ran along the branch. Leaping across a small gap in the trees, Lucas bounded along the boughs of the next oak like a squirrel. Running and jumping after him, Selene gracefully moved through the trees. Cire attempted his best, but lagged behind. Selene¡¯s words of caution drove him forward without complaint. ¡°Keep up! He is still testing us!¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 24: Uneasy Questions Pregnant raindrops splashed among the trees putting a damper on the mood inside the outpost. Clearly constructed for defense and lacking many creature comforts, the elevated tree fort was more of an aggrandized deer blind than walled structure. A large platform of woven branches, with a domed roof of the same, the building was seemingly grown from the trees. The floor bounced under Cire¡¯s foot, the pine and fir branches giving, but supple. Half walls ringed the platform, but all around them large open air windows let in an unpleasant whipping wind. At least the pelting rain was kept at bay. A big metal brazier suspended in the middle of the structure gave off a dull, but welcome, warmth. Most of the elves Cire had seen wore armor like Lucas and Selene. Tight, interlocking panels of hardened leather sewn in place around a thin shell of padding. They were outfitted with gear that Selene typically employed as well. Daggers, bows, and swords dominated the armament of the outpost¡¯s garrison. Selene was busy talking with a small group huddled near the brazier wearing thick water slicked cloaks. The patrol had made it to the shelter moments before and another left in their place. Cire surmised that she actually knew some them, but she still hadn¡¯t introduced him. Huddled against the wall, thankful for the thick yeti fur of his armor, Cire kept silent and observed. Walking over to him from another group, an elf with tawny hair and matching eyes dropped down to sit next to him. He held out a hand and offered a greeting. ¡°I¡¯m Dimitri. Don¡¯t let Lucas and the others put you off. We¡¯ve had to step up guarding our borders since the incursions from Stymphalian Swamp. Still don¡¯t know what they¡¯re after, but you and Lady Silverstar are lucky we found you before any of those fiends did.¡± ¡°Ciresil.¡± Clamping his mouth shut after he gave his name, Cire immediately recognized his mistake. Taking up Dimitri¡¯s offered hand, he shook it. Unsure of what to do next, without the crutch of conversation, he took out a small parcel of honeyed spearberries that the chipmunkins had given him. Holding out half of the contents to the inquisitive elf, Cire¡¯s uneasy smile conveyed little confidence. Brushing past Cire¡¯s awkward silence and actions, Dimitri smoothly took the proffered gift and popped a few into his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s an odd name. Can¡¯t say I have ever heard it before. Say, these berries are pretty good. Lucas said you were a wildling, you must have a good story or two to share.¡± Dimitri¡¯s hanging statement abandoned any doubt that he was trying to goad Cire into conversation. However, his open body language and easy going tone didn¡¯t match his calculating gaze. Striding over, Selene settled onto her haunches and inserted herself into their one sided conversation. ¡°He does, but he won¡¯t be telling any of them to you. My mother will decide what information gets disseminated after she has had a chance to speak with him.¡± Holding up both hands to symbolize his apology and defeat, Dimitri chuckled dryly. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to go poking my nose where it doesn¡¯t belong. I was just curious is all. Nice to meet you Ciresil. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be seeing you around town when I come off patrol,¡± He stood up and bowed slightly to Selene, his tone turning her title of respect into a barb. ¡°My apologies, Lady Silverstar.¡± Watching Dimitri wander off, Selene glowered. Cire waited for Selene to explain, when she didn¡¯t, he decided not to press the issue. It wasn¡¯t only the storm that was causing discomfort in the enclosure. Eyes lingered on him when people looked around, conversations were angled away, and hands rested on the pommels of swords a bit too casually. No, not only me. Suspicious gazes drifted towards Selene as well. This was far from the welcome Cire had expected. He had been warned of high protocol and rigid decorum, but Selene hadn¡¯t told him they would be this wary. Over the course of the evening Cire was glad that his indefatigable trait decreased his need for sleep. While at the outpost they were ostensibly safe from the dangers of the forest, but surrounded by strangers Cire felt on edge. More than once he awoke from half-sleep to catch a pair of eyes dart away from observing him. The next morning, while rubbing grit from his eyes, Cire overheard Selene arranging their escort to the cities walls. Lucas was insisting on delivering them, having been the one who found them. Dimitri was accusing him of using the situation as an excuse to duck out of patrol. The rest of the twenty odd elves were involved in various tasks from sharpening blades to making breakfast, but their ears gave away their keen interest in the conversation. Feeling measurably lighter as they left the tree fort and began their trek further into the forest, Cire enjoyed the easy pace and new scenery. Keeping close, Selene stayed a few feet ahead of him. Five elves and a centaur roamed in a spread out circuit around them. Cire wasn¡¯t sure where the centaur had been during the night, but he would have noticed if it had been on the platform with them. White dappled spots and a matching tail made the light brown coat of the half horse, half man quite striking. His torso was covered in the garrisons matching armor. But his weapon resembled a lance more than a spear. Cire still hadn¡¯t worked out why the centaur carried it in the close quarters of the forest. The list of questions piling up during his imposed silence was becoming longer than he could remember. Having abated in the early morning hours, the storm left a wet and fresh scented forest in its wake. A giant dragonfly, the size of a hawk, flitted back and forth through the trees. Crooking his ear to the north, Cire could make out the rushing sound of the river. He was amazed when Kepheus, the centaur, literally spoke with a particularly large thicket and convinced the plant to open a path for them. Late in the afternoon, Kepheus used his trick to create an arched doorway in a massive two story hedge. Based on the surrounding crush of trees and scrub, Cire didn¡¯t expect the wide open space that was revealed beyond. Spreading out on the other side of the wall of shrubbery and vines were lush verdant fields. Thick with sprouting grain, an ocean of vibrant green gave way at the center to the most visually stunning thing Cire had ever seen. Skyscrapers made out of living wicker baskets towered over a nest of small huts and buildings at their base. Wearing caps of flowering vines, each grove of towering woven trees was marked by a particular color. As they made their way through the farms, Cire caught sight of several small winged figures zipping around and leaving trails of twinkling golden dust behind them. Shortly after the small shimmering figures disappeared a centaur came running from around the side of a barn shouting. Cire couldn¡¯t help but ask Selene about them with a hushed tone, ¡°Fairies?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Narrowing her eyes, Selene managed to convey ¡°keep quiet,¡± while her voice came out banal. ¡°Pixies. There are some fairies in the central towers, but pixies enjoy teasing the farmers.¡± Weaving between the ever increasing numbers of small huts, Cire noticed that few of the farmers were elves. Mainly centaurs, satyrs, and gnomes worked the fields or tended to livestock. The fair folk he did see tended to have the ruddy complexion and earthen tones prominent to Lucas and other wood elves. Arriving at the first large tower¡¯s base, Cire could make out a vast shaded area beyond. Each of the towers was made up of a grove of native trees, but they were far larger than their indigenous counterparts. He was standing at the roots of a group of oaks that put the height of the Twin Pines back home to shame. Woven together, the trees branches formed walls and clear levels hundreds of feet up. Pink trumpet flower vines hung all around the outside of the living buildings, filling the air with a heady sweet smell. Beyond the oak tower, he could see a fir tree and pine tree version to either side. Connecting the towers at their second story was a large platform made of branches, effectively creating two ground floors for the town: one under the canopy and one above, bathed in sunlight. The construction was in the same style as the outpost, but far older and better cared for. Cire wanted to go exploring in the odd space below the towers. He could hear hawkers preaching the value of their wares and the bubbling energy of a marketplace. Better yet, the clanging of pots and pans accompanied by sizzling meat heralded food cooked by skilled hands. But he knew there would be time for wandering later. Marching into the oak grove, Lucas led them to an elevator made of wood, rope, and pulleys at the center. He exchanged a few words with a pair of attendants, wearing dyed pink tunics, before they pilled onto the hoist. Kepheus waved goodbye to the other guards and trotted away as they went up. The first floor was still largely open air, with large windows looking out over the farmland behind them. A large promenade stretched out before them connecting the various woven skyscrappers by a massive mat of branches. Poking up at random intervals, manicured regular sized tree-like branches gave an overall feeling of a sprawling park. Walking out onto the mat, the group made their way along the outer ring. In the center, a massive cedar stand hosted the largest and tallest tower. The trunks of the trees were absolutely swollen and pressed tightly together as they climbed skyward. Moving past the pine tree tower, it¡¯s blue morning glories closed in the dimming light of the afternoon, the group pressed on. Cire was distracted as usual by all of the new sights and sounds. He didn¡¯t see Selene tense up as they neared the tangled web of willows topped with white honey suckle and asphodel. Attendants, dressed in white, rushed forward from the foyer containing the willow grove towers elevator. Their hair was platinum blonde and their skin a soft milky white. They hurriedly took Selene¡¯s pack and parted so she could walk into the greeting room. ¡°Lady Selene, it is a pleasure to see you return home. Your mother awaits you in the gardens. She asks that you attend to her once you have refreshed.¡± Lucas and Dimitri stepped forward, having compromised and both come off patrol, and bowed. A twinkle flashed in Lucas¡¯s eye, ¡°Can¡¯t blame me for sending word ahead Lady Silverstar. I knew your mother would want to know of your return as soon as possible.¡± Giving Cire a small wave, Dimitri followed Lucas away. ¡°See you again soon wildling. If you get kicked out of the pillars, come find us down below. We spend a lot of our time at the Pan¡¯s Bounty when were in town.¡± Cire waved back and followed Selene into the willow grove tower. The attendants went to take Cire¡¯s backpack as they had with Selene, but he pulled away. After his hesitancy, the two white tunic dressed elves shared a look, but directed them to the elevator. ¡°Would you like us to guide your guest to the bath?¡± One of the two attendants asked as they wrinkled their nose. ¡°Or will you be taking him to the guest quarters on your way up?¡± Selene exited the platform as it raised up to third floor. An enclosed space with windows covered in gossamer thin fabric, the space was lit with additional glowing yellow bulbs growing right from the walls and ceiling made of branches. Support beams made of willow trunks ribbed the outside of the large circular room. It made Cire feel like he was in the belly of a massive plant elemental and not living architecture. ¡°I¡¯ll take him up. He¡¯s been instructed not to speak frivolously until meeting with my mother. Keep others from running into him before I am ready to present him.¡± Selene took to the side of the room and led him up several flights of stairs. Each floor had a doorway with a hanging curtain separating the staircases and hallway from the space beyond. On the fifth floor she pulled back the curtain and directed Cire into a steam filled washroom. Baskets holding clothes and shoes were piled up near the wall on an incongruous tile floor. This level was split in two, with subsequent curtained entrances leading to each side. Selene began stripping off her armor. ¡°Left side is for women and the right side is for men. No one will mind if you keep to yourself. Wash before you soak. It isn¡¯t easy to get water up the tower.¡± She stepped behind a standing curtain and quickly tossed her clothing over the top of it, emerging in just a towel. ¡°You¡¯ll get a chance to ask me all your questions when we visit my room on the way to the garden. Keep biting your tongue.¡± Sighing audibly, Cire dipped behind the curtain on his side and returned with his clothes. Dumping them a basket next to the one holding his armor, he chanced a question, not wanting to risk being wrong. ¡°Its safe to leave my pack here?¡± ¡°Perfectly. Now, go wash up.¡± Cire entered the washroom to find several small buckets of water, short stools, and wash cloths. No one else was in the cleaning area, but he could make out a couple of figures lounging in the bath through billows of steam. He sat down on one of the small stools and scrubbed himself raw. Ripples of relaxation ebbed their way through his muscles as he stripped away all of the filth from their trip. Besides his waterfall shower at the naga camp and the impromptu cleaning of his armor, Cire hadn¡¯t been truly cleansed of dirt since his arrival. He lost himself in the process. After cleaning the detritus from under his fingernails for the second time, he pulled himself into the bath. Knots melted as Cire slid into the hot water and he had to stop himself from falling asleep. The other occupants weren¡¯t any more interested in conversing than he was. Eventually a male attendant, dressed in white with short cropped hair, came in to inform him that he was keeping Selene waiting. Cire still hadn¡¯t gotten a good read on the servants. They had all been oddly obsequious, more so than he would have expected. It was yet another question to ask Selene about. Eager to finally get some answers, Cire pulled himself from the euphoric embrace of his first bath in months and toweled off. When he returned to the changing room and picked up the basket containing his discarded clothing, he almost wretched. The stench coming from his armor and under clothes was revolting. ¡°Whoa. I can¡¯t believe I was that nose deaf. Is there a laundry I can take all this to?¡± ¡°Leave them in the baskets and pile them in the corner with the others. Put towels over them to spare everyone else. Hurry up, we¡¯ve tarried too long.¡± Already dressed in a simple bath robe, Selene had her pack slung over one shoulder. It was noticeably deflated, having disgorged all her extra clothing into the dirty laundry. She waited impatiently next to the doorway to the stairs. Cire followed his elven friend up two more flights before they stepped off the staircase and onto another floor. Two kneeling servants greeted them, one opened the door for Selene as she approached. The inside of her room was already lit with soft yellow glow bulbs dangling from the ceiling, and it was everything Cire imagined an elven nobles room to be. Filling much of the space, a grand four post bed with an over stuffed cushion and mounds of pillows fit oddly against the curved wall. A dresser, closet, and nightstand, complete with mirror, were grown from the wall and burnished to a shine. The room itself only took up half of the floor, but it was still larger than Cire¡¯s entire cabin. Selene pre-empted Cire¡¯s flood of inquries. ¡°Turn around and face the wall while I get dressed. It¡¯s already past sundown, so we have delayed my mother, Daphne, too long. I would ask only the questions you need answers to.¡± Cire turned and heard drawers opening behind him. He wanted to ask about a lot of things. Why had the garrison had been so riled up? Why weren¡¯t there any roads leading to the Tempest Treetops when so many people lived here? How did they grow trees into buildings? However, he settled on a feeling that had been nagging at him. ¡°Selene, the servants, are they slaves?¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 25: Tragic Love Story ¡°That¡¯s your question? Of course they are slaves Cire.¡± Selene finished pulling a long white silken gown with lace cuffs over her head and smoothed it over her slip. ¡°The Tempest Treetops is a large town, almost the size of a city. The population generally falls into three categories: citizens, free men and women, and slaves. There as many slaves in most settlements than free people or citizens. You can turn around.¡± Cire instinctively bucked at large scale societal enslavement, he was also experiencing a heavy amount of cognitive dissonance. Elves had never been associated with slavery in his mind, dark elves sure, but moon elves? Wood elves? The wretched institution felt incongruous with the whimsical ambiance of the majestic towers. I didn¡¯t see any collars or beatings, not that those couldn¡¯t be hidden. I probably shouldn¡¯t just immediately jump to conclusions. Besides, I am one man in a town of thousands, in a foreign territory. Ask more questions. Catching a pair of silken pants and a tunic of the same fabric thrown by Selene, Cire waited for her to turn around so he could change out of his robe. ¡°How does slavery work here? I mean, do they have rights? Or...¡± He verbally stumbled, not knowing how to ask how a person was owned. While brushing her hair out, Selene answered. ¡°People sell themselves into bondage, are sentenced with it as punishment, or they are taken as prisoners of war. They can buy or negotiate their freedom. But for many, the promise of safety, regular meals and a comfortable bed is more valuable. In the ¡®Tops all children are born free and cannot be enslaved before adulthood, but for orphans that can be a technicality.¡± Cire was still having a hard time marrying the idea of elves enslaving other species, let alone other elves, with his mental preconceptions. His romantic stereotypes and ideals clashed heavily with concrete reality. He knew fundamentally that the Greek influences of Elysium would contain slavery as a fundamental societal element, but his isolation in Sunset had allowed him to wallow in ignorance. Selene continued when it was clear that Cire was at a loss, ¡°Slaves have the right of life and limb, but little else that their owner does not grant them. The higher ranked a slaves owner the more status the slave has. Slaves are treated better here than most of the human and dwarven settlements, but they are still property.¡± The silks he was now dressed in felt as far removed from the rough tunics he was accustomed as the small town community of Sunset from the elven city he was in. Cire wondered how many of the luxuries of this world, magical or not, came with price tags written in suffering. Would he let himself be changed or would he change the world? A seething anger bubbled through his veins. I¡¯m not just one man. I am the leader of a territory. At the very least I can change that small part of this realm. I can show the island an alternative. I have hundreds of years if I do things right and if I don¡¯t die first. When people find out about the mines I¡¯ll have a giant target on my back anyways, I might as well earn it. I¡¯m sure there are other settlements, other islands, where slavery is not common practice. I can ally with them. The idea was a pipe dream and Cire knew it, but it was easier to cling fiercely to hope than to dismiss ethics he¡¯d built over a lifetime. Scouting had been a solid foundation when he was a youth, but continued community involvement and life long friendships had forged him into someone who seldom compromised his values. He was the type of guy to return money if a cashier had given him too much change, he couldn¡¯t see himself ever treating another person as chattel. ¡°How much? How much for a slave?¡± Cire asked. He needed to know, it was madness to believe he could buy them all, but he could buy as many who were being mistreated as he could. Selene had turned around to face him and was caught off guard by the question, based on her facial reactions. ¡°Why would you want to know that?¡± ¡°In case I need to liberate any from their owners, I imagine that doing so by force is frowned upon.¡± Nodding, as if this answer by Cire was an acceptable response, she laid out the facts in her typical straightforward manner. ¡°It depends on their skills, age, and species. Also, how valuable they are to their owner. Many households become attached to their slaves and incorporate them into their families. Someone who is being groomed as a potential adoptive heir for a barren house would be priceless. Whereas a professional laborer who is specialized in farming or gathering would be fifty gold, or roughly half a years wages for a skilled craftsman.¡± Deftly donning a pair of earrings and sliding a matching set of clips into her stark black locks, Selene pinned her hair back to display her ears. Completing her ensemble were a pair of silver bracelets and slippers. She looked nothing like the elf Cire had gotten used to. ¡°Now you¡¯re starting to understand why Durg and I picked you. You not only have an outside perspective, you have lived it. Do you have any questions that are pertinent to meeting my mother? We really need to go.¡± Cire shook his head, he had a lot more questions, but they could wait. Now it was time to meet Daphne and figure out why sun elves were so rare in the world. Cire felt that the answer had been perched on his shoulder since Selene had told him of their exodus. What could have caused an entire sub-species of elves to seclude themselves from the world? The story that Selene had told him of them retiring to Mt. Olympus to serve the gods didn¡¯t sound like the whole story. ¡°Should I bring the journal with us? I know you said it would make an appropriate gift and would put me in your mother¡¯s good graces, but I still want to read more of it. There might be secrets of the valley in it.¡± ¡°No, we can trade it later for a greater advantage.¡± Whisking him up the remaining floors and to the rooftop garden, the pair exited under a gazebo bathed in fragrant white blossoms and starlight. Daphne sat at a small table covered in a cornucopia of fruit, cheese, and pastries. Standing, the distinguished matron gathered her long gown, and embraced Selene in a hug. Decorated in a wealth of pearls, Daphne¡¯s hair was exquisitely done up. It¡¯s silver sheen complimenting her pale skin and sky blue eyes. She radiated assured power in her white and silver silks. Releasing her daughter from her firm squeeze, she turned to take in Cire. Uneasy under Daphne¡¯s scrutiny, Cire reigned in his twitching leg and bowed. His mismatched eyes, one purple and one azure blue, looked down. Olive bronze skin and shimmering golden hair marked him as unique among the elves he had seen in town. When Cire had been covered in dirt and grim the differences between him and the others had not been as obvious. His golden hair had been matted and hidden under a yeti hide balaclava. Olive toned skin could be heavily tanned and Cire had been caked in dust besides. Now he stood out. ¡°So daughter, you found a sun elf, intriguing. Is he cursed like most of his kin?¡± Raising an eyebrow, Selene¡¯s incredulity shown through her expression. However, her tone was uncharacteristically respectful, ¡°Yes mother, he is. It appears that I have been mislead by the tales I was told as a child. I brought Ciresil to you because he wished to learn more about sun elves. Before he was reborn in this body he was a human.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Selene couldn¡¯t resist showing up her mother¡¯s casual acknowledgment of Cire¡¯s curse with a surprise Daphne couldn¡¯t have predicted. Indeed, the elven matron looked upon Cire with bewildered confusion. She addressed him directly for the first time. ¡°It is not unheard of across the millennia, but it is exceptionally rare. Elves reincarnate as elves, but seldom do others transition to our kind. Is this true Ciresil?¡± ¡°Yes, your grace. I came from another world to this one a few months ago. I may be a sun elf afflicted with the vampiric curse, but I know little of either,¡± Cire responded. Daphne waved a hand dismissively as she sat down at the table, giving them both leave to join her. ¡°Travel between the planes is quite common on this part of the island. We worship Hecate, the goddess who governs transition between worlds. Many of the fae in the Tempest Treetops made their way by the Tempestnight family¡¯s portals. The Cinnamonswirl family relocated here ages ago from their home plane. It would be more surprising if you had been a sun elf who managed to hide from the realm. That at least answers why you don¡¯t know your peoples history.¡± Cire was still surprised that folks didn¡¯t even blink when he told them he was from another world. It was always the fact that he had become an elf which put folks of kilter, that and the vampirism. Eager to hear more, Cire took a seat. ¡°Ambrogio, the first vampire, turned many of his own people before the depths of the curse were discovered. Sun elves were servants of the gods, principally Apollo. Ambrogio betrayed his god and fell in love with one who had caught Apollo¡¯s eye, Selene. Yes daughter, the titan goddess you are unfortunately eponymously named for.¡± Taking a bite from a pear tart, Daphne offered Cire a small plate and encouraged him to eat. ¡°Apollo cursed Ambrogio so that he would never feel comfortable under the light of the sun. Of course this did not dissuade Ambrogio from pursuing Selene entirely, but he soon realized that she was divine and would never die. Sun elves live a very long time compared to even most other types of elves, but they are far from immortal. He sought out Hades and struck a deal to preserve his body while relinquishing his soul.¡± Selene had taken a seat at the table and was daintily eating a slice of cheese with quince jam. A war of anger and joy played out on her face. She was beside herself at having believed the pleasant myth about the sun elf exodus, but fresh food, dairy and baked goods, were ample bribes to assuage her frustration. It was paradoxical, knowing her mother had picked the treats for exactly that purpose didn¡¯t lessen their effect on her mood. Daphne continued, ¡°For an elf that is no small bargain. Unlike other species elves do not reincarnate randomly, but as an elf. A moon elf may be reborn as a glade elf or even an ocean elf, but always as a member of the elven kin. Ambrogio severed this cycle by promising his soul to serve Hades in the underworld. He was also given a task.¡± Gesturing towards the central tower of twisted cypress trees lit up with red glowing lights, Daphne drew Cire¡¯s attention to the beauty of the towers. ¡°Hades has always coveted the other god¡¯s objects of power. Ambrogio was charged with stealing our goddesses bow. He failed, of course, and was caught in the act by Artemis herself. She cursed him so that the touch of silver would sear his flesh. After he dropped her silver bow and arrows, instead of fleeing he begged our goddess for forgiveness.¡± Cire looked down at the silver plate in his hands with the crumbs of baked goods scatted across it. Rather obviously, he put the dish onto the table and folded his hands in his lap. Selene had warned him to not get taken in by her mother¡¯s approachable personality, he had just gotten a peek into how calculated this meeting and discussion was. ¡°I take it there is a reason that neither of those curses have afflicted me in the same manner?¡± A light tinkling giggle escaped Daphne¡¯s lips, she covered her mouth. ¡°Of course child. You didn¡¯t think I would let my daughter escort an evil vampire, sun elf or no, into the depths of our settlement do you? The more vile acts you commit, the more pronounced the effects of the curse. Your soul must still be intact for sunlight at mid-day and prolonged contact with silver to cause no harm. Other vampire offspring are not so lucky. Without a divine soul you would have been sculpted by the affliction and blessings alike.¡± ¡°Blessings?¡± ¡°Artemis took pity on Ambrogio after he told her of his plight. He vowed to follow her as one of her hunters and to never fall in love or marry. As he proved himself over centuries our goddess rewarded his service by gifting him many powers similar to her own. With divine nature magic she improved his eye sight, gave him a predators claws and fangs, increased his strength and speed, placed venom in his blood, and bequeathed him regenerative healing.¡± However, he still looked elven. So she gave him the ability to transform. Artemis can change into a deer, she gave him the ability to assume the form of a bat, wolf, or other denizens of the forest. All of the powers that vampirism brings are derived from our goddesses boons, besides immortality. That is gained by giving your soul over to Hades or by surrendering to the curses and letting them devour it.¡± Daphne made a small motion with her hand. A slave hidden among the flowers knelt at her side. ¡°Elias, fetch us some tea appropriate for the evening.¡± She turned back to Cire, not bothering to watch after Elias as he walked briskly towards the stairs. ¡°Ambrogio returned to Hades with Artemis bow. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t forget Selene. Our goddess gifted him her bow so he could return and make his trade. However, deals with gods seldom work out the way mortals expect. By the time Ambrogio returned from the Underworld Apollo had lashed out against Selene for spurning his advances and stripped her divinity.¡± Unable to hold back his nature, Cire interrupted with a question. ¡°How did Apollo take away Selene¡¯s divinity?¡± Perturbed by Cire¡¯s interjection, Daphne¡¯s lips went flat as she restrained herself. Selene, who had been occupying herself with food and listening to this piece of lore long hidden from her, apologized. ¡°Beg your pardon mother, Cire has trouble controlling his impulses and first among them is to speak out of turn.¡± Flushing with embarrassment, Cire gulped and administered his own apologies. Daphne accepted and continued with her explanation. ¡°She is a titan and he is a god, I wouldn¡¯t presume to know the manner in which Apollo accomplished the act. However, Ambrogio brought Selene to Artemis and asked her for salvation. First, Ambrogio passed along Artemis¡¯ gifts by sharing his blood with Selene. Then our goddess was able to restore Selene¡¯s divinity by returning her to the seat of her power, the moon. But this left Ambrogio and Selene separated for eternity.¡± Returning with the tea, Elias served each of them a cup and then left a small tray with cream and honey. Daphne didn¡¯t stop speaking as she received her tea. ¡°Ambrogio returned to his people heartbroken, but gifted with immense power and immortality. At first, when he passed his gift to others the curses manifested as a simple aversion to holy magic. For many, the trade felt like a pittance. His blood conveyed our goddess¡¯s boons as well, only weaker, like the afflictions. It was only after decades that they uncovered the truth. The more a sun elf lives in darkness the greater it warps Artemis¡¯ gifts. The more of an animal they become. For those without a divine soul for protection, resisting those urges is all the more difficult.¡± On balance, far more vampires take on undesirable dispositions over time than beneficent ones. As I am sure you are aware Artemis¡¯s gifts are potent. Even servants of the gods fall from grace. As originators of the malediction they faced tremendous shame and retribution. Many sun elves fled this realm in self imposed exile.¡± Pausing, Daphne sipped at her tea. ¡°In the centuries since, sun elves on our plane have all but ceased to exist. Small families, mostly spared the curse, are said to still protect hidden shrines or temples. Vampires, while not plentiful, are common enough though. You can understand why we tell most children a more simplified version of the truth.¡± Moving her eyes from Cire to Selene with her last sentence, Daphne punctuated the end of her recounting. She had arranged quarters for Cire in a guest suite and directed Elias to deliver him to them. Keeping Selene behind, she waited until they were alone. ¡°How have you been sweetie? You know, the spring ball is coming up at the end of the month. It would be helpful if you made an appearance.¡± Raising an eyebrow skeptically, Selene dropped the pretense of decorum. ¡°I¡¯m fine mom. Well, you know what, no. I am livid. I didn¡¯t come home to bring you Cire. He has his own reasons for being here. Given your display, I am sure he will reciprocate. I want you to tell me why you actually sent me to the Valley of Sunset. Not the ¡®more simplified version of the truth¡¯ that you sold me on when I took the posting.¡± ¡°Ahhh, figured that out did you? Well, I knew you would stumble across something sooner or later. Debrief first, and if you have discovered enough, I will tell you. How is Maerria by the way?¡± Tossing and turning, sleep in Cire¡¯s luxurious plush bed was elusive. He had been confronted by several difficult to reconcile facts and they kept his brain abuzz. The brilliant plan he had come up with before entering his new life wasn¡¯t pioneering, it wasn¡¯t clever, but it had come with a whole avalanche of complications. The same ignorance that lead him to overlook the apparent abundance of slavery in this world made him assume that as a sun elf vampire he was one of a kind. Cire knew, deep down, that part of it was his innocence. What did he truly know of living hand to mouth? Of living in a world where government and power were individual, not collective? Of goddesses and divine curses or boons? Nothing. He answered the voices in his head. I really am a child fumbling around in the dark. I have no concept of the consequences my actions have had on myself, let alone others. I need to be better, do better. I can¡¯t squander my time here drinking in a tavern. If what Daphne said is true, it¡¯s time to embrace what I am and not look back. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 26: New Friends, Old Enemies Tumbling across a wooden floor, Cire landed hard. His simple tunic and pants provided little padding against the impact. Struggling to his feet while gripping tightly to a black wooden practice sword, Cire tried to shake off the numbing feeling spreading through his core. Eliana was relentless in her assault, immediately clashing with him once again. Parrying an overtly aggressive overhead strike, Cire leapt to the side. Channeling a burst of mana into his feet, he positioned himself to his sparring partners side. Lashing out like a whip, his sword angled at her shoulder. The sapwood sword struck a glancing blow, leeching Eliana¡¯s mana. A boot to his knee sent him sprawling to the training platform again. ¡°Proper footwork,¡± The gray haired instructor danced away from Cire¡¯s paltry parry and struck him again in the mid-section with her matching practice sword. ¡°Must always be maintained, regardless of ability use.¡± Cire groaned, but scrambled to his feet and stepped back. Eliana gave him distance, she could have ended the match right then and there; but they weren¡¯t competing, they were training. Her fighting lectures had become commonplace for Cire. He eagerly engaged the grand master at every opportunity since his inclusion at the academy. Snaking his curved mock blade forward, he clashed with his teacher. Forcing Eliana to continually parry rapid weak strikes. He knew they would do little but buy him time. Pushing himself, he tried to summon up another surge of mana, but found himself dry. Mid-step, the instructors sword lanced itself into his ribs. Cire crumpled. Waving before his nose, an acrid ammonia smell brought him around. Standing over him, Eliana gave a curt nod before walking away. A hand reached down and clasped his own, helping him to his feet. Fizzilius, a gnomish classmate of Cire, shook his head. ¡°You really need to learn how to better incorporate your skill abilities into your fighting style. You used up so much mana that you blacked out again. At least you recover quickly.¡± As one of Cire¡¯s few non-elven peers, Fizz¡¯s shared sense of being an outsider had endeared him quickly to the vampire. During his introduction to Eliana, and the rest of the class, he had freely shared his heritage. It had become an open secret in the town, with rumor spreading quickly in the weeks since his arrival. As a result, Cire had seen no reason to try and hide any longer. He had become somewhat of a polarizing figure, but had managed to stay isolated on the academies floors at the administrative pillar. ¡°I know, I know. They¡¯re still new to me, so I don¡¯t have a feel for them yet. I keep using them too early instead of at the right moments. Eliana said it would be easier now that I am focusing on fighting without armor, but I¡¯m not used to keeping track of so many things during a fight.¡± Fizz grunted acknowledgment and shrugged his sculpted shoulders. He was an incredibly well built gnome and fulfilled the same general roll Cire did during a fight, mobile damage dealer. Instead of fighting with long blades, the ball of muscle and agility employed knives, lots and lots of knives. A dagger spun across his fingertips and disappeared into his boot. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you weren¡¯t focused on your martial combat skill before now. You can even regenerate, so it¡¯s a far less punishing style of fighting for you compared to most. You¡¯ll get there, keep dodging and lining up overwhelming, devastating strikes. It¡¯s better when your not sparring Eliana, your evenly matched against Honeydrop and Matthias.¡± Cire walked to the edge of the wooden sparring surface, moving around the other pairs of students still engaged, and sat down. ¡°Well, they have honed their skills for decades, Eliana centuries. I¡¯m self aware enough to know that I am behind everyone else. I won¡¯t catch up anytime soon, but I¡¯ll get there eventually. It¡¯s just a little surprising to be routinely trounced by people who are lower level than me like Calix. I swear, that moon elf is untouchable.¡± Waving a hand to ward off the notion, Fizz responded conspiratorially. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that too much. You¡¯re starting to build a good skill base, not compared to mine of course, but still decent. Calix and a lot of the others are academy darlings. Perfectly suited for practice, not battle. Most of the class hasn¡¯t seen any real combat, that¡¯s why were going out for a supervised patrol after the ball.¡± The rest of the class session went by fast. Cire partnered up with Fizz for a quick unarmed fight. Hard to pin down, the toned gnome constantly had the taller, and larger, elf on his heels. Using his size to his advantage, Fizzilius constantly struck sideways at knees and ankles keeping him off balance. After they had worked up a good sweat, and Cire had gotten a good number of bruises, they both called it quits for the day. Pushing his skills, Cire had heightened his ability to avoiding attacks. His martial combat skill at apprentice level increased his dodge chance when unarmored by a flat ten percent and allowed him to strike unarmed at a bonus. The fluid motion sub-skill increased his dodge percentage by another one percent per point of dexterity above ten. Overall, when he wasn¡¯t encumbered by armor, he had roughly a one in five chance to dodge an attack he saw coming. Apparently, this was a stand out quality that he had been woefully under utilizing. In the past, Cire had only resorted to stripping the protection of his armor away when he had used his blood rage ability. Letting the overwhelming aggression of the rage pair with the quick movements of his unrestricted body. The idea of fighting without armor against a yeti, gnoll, or giant wolf spider seemed ludicrous. That was until he had watched Eliana fight. The wizened elven master had tested his skills, along with several other teachers, and sufficiently chastised him for early point investment. Eugene had warned him to save his accumulated skill points from early leveling, Eliana had laid into him. Cire¡¯s only saving grace was that she had approved of the two skills he had sunk the points into. His natural aptitude for each promised that he could achieve the upper echelons of the skill¡¯s benefits. Eliana had demonstrated the speed and maneuverability a combatant could employ when unrestricted by the confines of leather and plate. Her movements looked more like a blur as she twirled and spun around the other teachers attacking her. The presentation had been for the class as a whole, but Cire had taken it¡¯s lesson to heart. He had added several new skills and even a couple of skill abilities that fit an unarmored fighting style. Cire pulled up his status sheet and gave it a once over, knowing that no skills had increased today, but that in the last few weeks he had done a good job raising many of them. He hadn¡¯t sold his armor, it had been a gift after all, but he had stopped wearing it. Every time he saw his inventory without it listed, he felt like something was missing.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Eventide Level: 13 Experience: 93,880 Lineage: Sun Elf ¨C Vampire Profession: Unselected Disposition: Flexibly Idealistic (+1 to Chaotic, +3 to Good, +2 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Ancient Elvish, Elvish Handtalk, Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 157/157 Mana: 145/145 Armor: 0 Dodge: 19% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 11 Charisma: 19 Luck: 11 Resistances: 50% Enchantment 20% Weather 5% Mental -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy Favored Enemy: Gnolls
Skills: Wilderness Survival 3, Natural Martial Combat 32, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 29, Natural Sub-skill: Martial Acrobatics 7, Natural Sub-skill: Grappling 4, SignificantThis book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Swordsmanship 27, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 23, Natural Sub-skill: Curved Blades 9, Natural Sub-skill: Exotic Blades 5, Natural Sub-skill: Surging Strike 8, Natural Scavenging 7, Natural Adventurer 8, Natural Meditation 14, Significant Armor 10, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 10, Average Lore 9, General Sub-skill: Arcana 3, Significant Sub-skill: Mountains and Hills 3, Average Sub-skill: Woods & Forests 5, Significant Sub-skill: Elvish Culture & Customs 5, Natural Sub-skill: Fae Culture & Customs 2, Significant Communication 7, General Sub-skill: Persuasion 3, Natural Sub-skill: Oratory 1, Significant Sub-skill: Diplomacy 5, Significant Climbing 2, Average Sub-skill: Rappelling 2, Average Acrobatics 7, Natural Sub-skill: Flash Step 7, Natural
Abilities: Vampiric Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration (3), Blood Rage Skill Abilities: Flash Step, Surging Strike Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, heat vision. Nascent vulnerability to silver and Light Magic. -100% resistance to Holy Magic. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic by 50%, vampiric light & silver vulnerability negated, and vampiric hunger reduced. Elven Heritage: 50% Enchantment resistance. Low-light vision & acute senses, Perception +1. Honorbound: While within the Hamlet of Sunset you receive a 5% bonus to all actions. Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane: As ruler of the territories¡¯ noble house you receive a 10% bonus to all actions within the area. You may summon a territorial keep once per month. Theia¡¯s Blessing: Luck +1, Perception +1. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.
Inventory: High Quality Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (Equipped) Scrimshaw Necklace of the Naga (Neck) Warden¡¯s Bracelet of Elucidation (Wrist) Ring of Lunar Sunrise (Finger) Silver Ring (Finger) Small Pouch of Coins (Pocket): 1 gold, 15 silver, 88 copper
Cire had gained a bevy of swordsmanship and martial combat sub-skills to go along with general gains across the board in relevant ones. The more in tune with his body he became the more acrobatic movements he had added to his technique. The general acrobatics skill had increased his movement speed and given him the ability to disengage from a clashed opponent. Martial acrobatics let him move with alacrity when on a battlefield, overcoming obstacles and navigating difficult terrain. Skill abilities had been both a positive and negative for Cire. Now, he had a use for his mana, but he lacked a lifetime of learning to manipulate it. His vampiric abilities and the powers granted through his territorial bond utilized mana, but not his own bodies. They drew from outside sources and channeled that strength through him as a vessel. Learning to draw up this unseen force internally had occupied the majority of his evenings after he left the gymnasium behind. Eliana had taught him the basics of his flash step and surging strike skill abilities after had tested for them. That is to say, she gave him a book on basic mana manipulation and told him to read it. Then, she had demonstrated both abilities. Gathering mana in her hands and feet, she made a series of rapid movements and struck out with her sword as fast as lighting. If he hadn¡¯t worked on his elven vision, he might not have been able to track her movements. It had taken him days to activate each ability, but with each additional usage he had grown more accustomed to the feeling. He could feel the gathering of buzzing energy and the strength it temporarily released into his body as it dispersed. Like Selene¡¯s flurry ability, a small blue wisp of smoke expelled as the mana pushed through his skin and out from the soles of his feet or the palms of his hands. When he had crossed the level twenty threshold with swordsmanship he had finally met the requirements to select a profession, but he had been putting off visiting one of the towns shrines. He wanted to get Selene¡¯s advice, he knew she still hadn¡¯t selected a profession, and he had a good idea now as to why. However, with his training schedule and Daphne tying up most of her daughter¡¯s time, no opportunity to bring it up had presented itself. Cire still hadn¡¯t met with the elders of the town either, so he hadn¡¯t completed the quest that brought him here. He was demonstrating a bad habit of stalling or getting distracted halfway through quests. While his presence in the settlement was an oddity, he was still considered insignificant by the ruling powers. He didn¡¯t want to do anything to disrupt that line of thinking. So, while he could have pressed Daphne to arrange a meeting, he was waiting for a more opportune occasion; the ball. Pulling his shoes onto his feet, Cire felt Fizz give his shoulder a pat. ¡°Now, you¡¯re going to come down to the Undergrowth with me tonight, friend. Everyday I¡¯ve known you so far, it¡¯s been training and back to the willow tower. I bet you just keep working on your skills there too. Tonight you¡¯re going to get a drink with me, no excuses.¡± ¡°Is that why you went easy on me in our last match Fizz? Wanted to make sure I could still walk?¡± ¡°Of course not, you¡¯re getting better. Besides, none of that matters, you owe me. I¡¯ve gone plenty of extra rounds with you after every one else knocks off, now you¡¯re going to go a couple of rounds with me.¡± Cire headed to the stairs with the sandy haired gnome and they descended to the main level. Curiosity about the area beneath the pillars that the locals referred to as the ¡°Undergrowth¡± had plagued him ever since he had come here. He could probably wander about town without drawing too much attention. ¡°Is that how it is? How about I meet you back here after I have had a chance to clean up?¡± ¡°Deal. Don¡¯t take too long perfuming yourself pretty boy.¡± Fizz grinned and gave Cire¡¯s thigh a light hearted punch. Lowering down to the ground level under the massive towering oaks of the administrative pillar, Cire, Fizz, and Honeydrop Cinnamonswirl waited for the counterweights of the elevator to settle before stepping off the platform into the Undergrowth. Honeydrop, a small hand sized fairy, flitted back and forth around their heads. She wore a yellow full length gown that had holes cut out for her delicate wings. Thrumming like a humming bird, she gave Cire goosebumps whenever she hovered near his ear to speak. ¡°Oooo, this should be exciting! Where are we going Fizz?¡± ¡°Well, I figured we would start out at Bellerophon¡¯s Folly and then see where the night takes us. No use making plans when we are out looking for fun, best we let fun find us.¡± The gnome wore well made clothes, but the unmistakable outlines of his knives poked through. Cire eyed his acquaintance warily as they walked amongst corridors of massive roots and swollen twisted trunks. Glow bulbs dangled from the woven ceiling of branches lighting the expansive warren. The group pulled up at a large open square, various stalls were separated by hanging curtains. In the far corner, a large cloth sign of a man falling off a pegasus hung above tightly packed tables and chairs. ¡°Fizz, you know I already have an unearned reputation through gossip and assumption. I would prefer not to add to it.¡± Honeydrop landed on an empty table, tip toed three steps across it, and then took off again. She zipped to the bartender, who jumped backwards in startled surprise. Returning to the table with a tiny fairy sized chair, she plopped it in the center and sat down. ¡°Oh, I know it bloodsucker. Don¡¯t grind your fangs dull, we¡¯re just out for a night of good times,¡± Fizz said while climbing into a chair. He held up his hand signaling for a barmaid. Then he took a long stemmed pipe out from his jacket pocket and started stuffing it. Lighting the pipeweed with a candle from the table, the gnome took a long draw. Swiveling his head around, Cire took note of the other patrons. No one seemed to be paying them much attention, nor had they reacted to Fizz¡¯s off handed remarks. A young centaur barmaid nimbly made her way between the tables to them. It was hard to order over the multitude of conversations and distant music drifting in from other establishments. Frustrated and standing by stamping her foot, Honeydrop eventually flew up to the centaur¡¯s ear and relayed what they wanted. Drinks delivered and partially consumed, Cire had taken to watching the various patrons and foot traffic around the pub. All sorts of people casually walked through the marketplace. He didn¡¯t see any pixies or fairies, besides Honeydrop, but he lost track of the number of centaurs, satyrs, and various elves. Moon, wood, and glade elves made up the bulk of the elvish population in the Tempest Treetops, but he knew there were others. Each elven sub-species had an affinity for a general terrain and magic type. For example, oceanic elves tended to live in or near bodies of water and had high aptitude for Water Magic. Cire had never asked Maisy to test his magical aptitude, but he knew nowthat as a sun elf he was predisposed to Holy Magic. That didn¡¯t mean he would actually have the skill, as evidenced by Selene¡¯s lack of talent for the Light and Dark Magic associated with moon elves or the Earth magic preferred by wood elves. He thought it would be ironic if he could cast Holy spells because of his natural weakness to the magic from the cursed side of his vampire lineage. It¡¯s nice that those traits have been more clearly defined now that I know more about sun elves and vampires. That weird text about other elements revealing themselves went away. I wonder if they will still evolve? My money is on absolutely. The status sheet appears to be more of a reflection of who I am and what I know, not a limiting factor. If I get Holy Magic, would I cast it fifty percent weaker than a regular caster? If I cast some sort of buff spell, would it hurt me? I should really ask someone who knows more about magic than I do. I bet if I go to the temple of Selene they will treat me better than the other shrines. She¡¯s the patron goddess of vampires. I could probably ask Daphne too, but I don¡¯t want to get in any deeper if I can get help elsewhere. I don¡¯t think the journal I gave her buys me more than the cost of enrollment at the academy and everything else she has insisted on giving me. Selene warned me enough times to not get in too deep with mother that I¡¯m not going to ignore her. Clapping her small hands right in front of Cire¡¯s nose, Honeydrop hovered with her hands on her hips. ¡°No thinking about training, skills, or magic. We¡¯re here to have fun! I don¡¯t know what you were thinking about mister, but joy it was not. Now drink!¡± She flew down and bear hugged his mug of ale and flew back up, cramming the wooden rim into his mouth, sloshing his face with brew. Mock batting her away from him, it was futile to actually try and hit her, Cire grabbed his mug. Then he rubbed his lips together before taking a draw. ¡°Always so serious about your fun Honey? You¡¯re never this excited about sparring.¡± Fizz blew a smoke ring and chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m always excited for sparring, but whats the point if you don¡¯t enjoy yourself in between?¡± Flying a loop through the smoke ring before settling back down on her small chair, Honeydrop lifted her miniature glass champagne flute skyward. ¡°I get excited about sparring, but elves are so resistant to my enchantments it¡¯s not fair!¡± She pouted and then immediately smiled. ¡°A toast! To our merry little band of misfits, may we all stay safe at the ball.¡± Cire rose an eyebrow, ¡°Don¡¯t you mean when we go out on patrol?¡± ¡°No, of course I mean the ball. All of the ¡®Tops high society gathered in one place, there will be more political intrigue afoot than between the gods during the games of Olympus.¡± They toasted and finished their drinks before walking to another bar. Cire couldn¡¯t keep track of their meandering route through the maze of corridors, curtains, and trunks. Somewhere towards the middle, deep within the burrows, they stumbled through the thick curtains of a bar whose sign boasted a satyr holding a cornucopia of grapes. An over sized phallus dangled between the goat-god¡¯s legs. Sitting themselves at the bar, a giant shaped and smoothed cypress root, the three inebriated classmates ordered another round of drinks. Honeydrop turned an empty shot glass over and perched on it facing the other two. She was about to speak, when a grizzled and scarred wood elf thumped the bar loudly next to them. ¡°Give me another round. We¡¯re gonna be at war soon, I plan to make the most of my time before.¡± Filling the patrons glass quickly, the satyr behind the bar looked uncomfortable with the disturbance. He gave a quick bleat and another satyr, with a sharp black beard and fur, started playing a jaunty tune on his pipes. The veteran elf eyed the bar tender and then snatched his drink. Downing it and tossing a coin to clink on the wood, he turned and walked away mumbling under his breath. ¡°Gods damned swamp witch and her...¡± Fizz, Cire, and Honeydrop each watched the man go. The vampire was the first to pick up his new glass and hold it up. With the mood appropriately soured, he went for the easy, if inappropriate, joke. ¡°May we all stay safe at the ball.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 27: Dangerous Dancing Awoken early one morning, before he could head to the academy for training, Cire found himself ambushed by Duchess Silverstar¡¯s machinations. Daphne had insisted on spending the day with him. This turned out to mean impromptu singing, dancing, and flute lessons on the rooftop garden of the willow pillar. He only had decent aptitude for dancing, but she had insisted he try the others as well. Standing opposite of Cire, in what he had come to recognize as a casual silk gown, Daphne stepped forward with a rhythmic skip and swung both of her hands up. He reciprocated and they clapped hands like a game of patty cake. Then they each twirled in place until they faced away from each other and strode away. Upon reaching his original position, Cire bent his knees outward and stood straight again. Spinning to face the duchess, he bowed and held the position until she matched him. Cire stretched and took in a deep breath of fragrant air. ¡°Thank you for teaching me some of your peoples dances. I know you said that it¡¯s only an uncommon skill, but I was never any good at it before. I¡¯m surprised that you insisted on teaching me personally.¡± Daphne walked over to a table set with several pitchers and poured herself a glass of apple cider, before quaffing its contents. An all too familiar mischievous smile poked at the corners of her lips, framed by her silver shining hair. ¡°Nonsense, I am a generous host to the companions of my children. It was a chance to spend some time alone with you. I haven¡¯t seen you in the library as often as you gave me concern to believe. Is the academy so enthralling that it has kept you away?¡± Cire gulped down his own glass of water, at her question the liquid went down rough and he almost choked. ¡°No, your grace. Not enthralling, but necessary. My skills are paltry and underdeveloped. I will follow through on my commitment to translate the journal and any other works in ancient or divine elvish that I can. Apologies for the delay.¡± Taking her position across from him again, Daphne waited until he was ready and they proceeded to start the dance over from the beginning. Cire was doing well enough that he no longer had to stare at his feet. She continued the conversation while he was off balance. ¡°No apologies needed. What is my daughter to you?¡± Tripping over his own feet, Cire almost fell. He was able to right himself, but the damage had been done. ¡°She¡¯s a close friend, one of the few that I have here. I didn¡¯t meet her under the best circumstances and she isn¡¯t exactly the gregarious sort. But she¡¯s always straight with me and I¡¯ve fought by her side enough to know I can rely upon her.¡± Daphne¡¯s calculating blue eyes lingered on the rings on Cire¡¯s hands as she clasped them and spun with him in a tight circle. ¡°Your ring, is it suitable?¡± Squeezing Daphne¡¯s hands, Cire paused before he released and started moving sideways in a counter-clockwise circle. A noticeable delay before his response belayed his ill ease. Cire had a sneaking suspicion that Daphne¡¯s words were always chosen with care. It made him feel like a mouse being chased by a cat. Normally he was unguarded with his speech and spoke from the cuff, he couldn¡¯t be that way around Daphne. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s comforting to have a tangible method to know if I am putting myself at risk. I could always hold a silver coin, but a pure silver ring is a better indicator; for me and others.¡± They continued to dance around each other, both with their feet and conversation. Cire could tell that Daphne knew far more than she was letting on. It was a challenge unlike anything the vampire had faced in this world. A day of dancing and music, even if poorly practiced, was a welcome relief from the constant training Cire¡¯s daily routine had become. Late in the evening, he had managed to catch Selene during a rare shared moment of free time. She was coming out of the library as he was headed in. ¡°Selene, nice to see you. It¡¯s been a few days. Can we talk?¡± Turning, Selene lead him back into the room and shut the door. The room¡¯s walls were all covered in bookshelves, except the door. She sat on the circular couch in the center of the room and waited for Cire to move a chair before her. Running a hand through her stark raven black hair, Selene gave him a tired smile. ¡°Has Eliana whipped you into shape yet?¡± ¡°The palaestra is quite the taskmaster. I can¡¯t tell if she is pushing me harder because I am temporary student or if her other disciples aren¡¯t as enjoyable to abuse.¡± Selene adjusted one of her bracelets, pushing it up her forearm. ¡°Probably both. She always had an exceptional ability to find my weaknesses, and she doesn¡¯t use half measures. Now, I doubt you wanted to talk about training, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± Cire looked around the empty room, assuring their privacy, but he still leaned in and kept his voice low. ¡°I wanted to ask you about selecting a profession. A couple of weeks ago I crossed the apprentice threshold for two skills. Your the only person here who knows about my larger concerns. Do you have any advice?¡± ¡°Martial combat and swordsmanship?¡± Cire nodded confirmation. Tilting her head in thought, light glinted off the pearls in Selene¡¯s ears. ¡°Well, that would make the fighter profession available, they¡¯re both obviously martial skills. You can only choose one profession each tier and obviously that restricts your pathway to later professions. Fighter would be good for you, it suits your skills and the role you take in battle. That¡¯s not what you¡¯re asking though, is it?¡± ¡°It is, in a way. In the past, well¡­ recently, I have made some poor assumptions on what the world around me is like. Sooner than I would hope I am going to have to shoulder more responsibility than fighting an enemy directly before me. Is it wise to pick that profession? Given my circumstances, would it be better if I went with something that lead down an administrative path?¡± Selene noticed that Cire had gotten better at coding his language, she wondered how much influence her mother had already begun to exert over her hapless friend. She maintained the double talk, but if her mother was listening in, it would still give her one more piece of the puzzle to work out. ¡°Great leaders are seldom bureaucrats. The best leaders; rulers of settlements, famous adventurers, and the heads of large clans are all first and foremost responsible for the protection of their people. Personal power is not only expected, but required.¡± Cire had suspected as much, but confirmation gave him confidence in his choice. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s what I thought. Do I need to go to a particular shrine to do this? I know each god disburses different professions, but that tends to matter more with the higher tier ones right?¡± ¡°Right, every god and goddess that the Tempest Treetops is bound to can bestow the fighter profession. If you want to go this late, we could visit Selene, Hecate, or Artemis¡¯s temples as this is their time of worship. Aeolus¡¯s shrine is most likely closed til the morning, we shouldn¡¯t be seeing any storms tonight.¡± It was about time he visited Selene¡¯s shrine after what he had learned from Daphne. Cire figured he might as well go for two birds with one stone. Then he thought about the reason that his friend had likely not selected her own profession. ¡°Would it be uncomfortable or inappropriate for you to accompany me? I would like you to come.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let me inform the house staff and gather an escort. My mother wouldn¡¯t be pleased if we were seen out alone together.¡± They stepped off the elevator platform at the base of the willow pillar and made their way towards the main square in the center of the voluminous roots of the Undergrowth. Elias, and three other male slaves walked with them, two ahead and two behind. Before reaching the center, near to the cypress pillar of the Tempestnight family, they veered east. Hidden down a dark corridor, with an unassuming doorway, they found the temple to Selene. While the location of the shrine and the outside of the temple was demure and secluded, the inside was as grand. White and silver shrouded practically every surface, right down to the painted wood of the roots and branches shaped into walls. The altar had a white cloth covering it, embroidered with the full cycle of the moon in silver thread. A silver platter sat in the center with round white cakes. Next to the platter was pitcher full of milk and decanter filled with white wine. Behind the alter, suspended in mid-air, was a mirror. Near the door, as they made their way into the intimate space, a clergy member rang a silver bell once for each of them. The slaves each knelt towards the back of the temple as they entered. Selene lead Cire down the aisle and they joined a small line of worshipers. Cire watched as each supplicant walked forward to speak with the priestess. After they exchanged a hushed conversation, they would be given one of the cakes and a drink from each of the vessels. As he got closer, he could make out the priests words when they presented each refreshment. ¡°Eat of the mother¡¯s sweetness. Drink of the mother¡¯s love. Drink of the mother¡¯s dreams.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. When it was Selene¡¯s turn, she repeated the same procedure as the others. Cire had thought that she may eschew the practice, his elven friend had never demonstrated a particular reverence for the gods. Stepping forward, he bowed his head, and the moon elf priestess joined him by leaning her head next to his. ¡°I am here to select my profession priestess. I am unfamiliar with the¡­¡± He stopped and took a quick breath. ¡°¡­ the mother¡¯s desired form of worship.¡± Whispered back, the priestess¡¯s voice was warm and welcoming. ¡°The eye of the night see¡¯s all that falls within her light. She knows her children on sight and provides her assistance to all those who need emotional clarity. Speak your offering, a promise to imbibe only foods of white until moonrise or to help those suffering from lunacy would be more than sufficient to appease the mother.¡± Cire repeated that he would only eat white food for the next day and received the same communion as the previous aspirants. Upon finishing his sip of wine, the priestess summoned an acolyte to lead him and Selene to a small ante chamber. At the back of the room stood a statue of a woman clad in long robes with angels wings, wearing a diadem. Above the statues head was a crescent moon glowing with soft white light. The acolyte, dressed in white robes with silver trim, held a hand out towards the statue of the goddess Selene. ¡°Place your hands upon this edifice of the mother and state your intentions.¡± Doing as instructed, Cire laid his palms against the cool stone and closed his eyes. ¡°I wish to choose my profession.¡± Flashing on the inside of his eyes, a chart of his various options appeared. It was illuminated by the soft white glow of moonshine. He felt a rippling chill spread across his body from the top of his head down. Tenderly, a light caress of energy filled him with a sense of calm.
Basic Profession Information Chart
Primary Bonus Secondary Bonus Restrictions & Penalties
Laborer 25% Increase to Physical & Extractive Skill Growth Removes the diminishing skill experience penalty per day and 25% Increase to Personal Production Rate. 50% penalty to experience gain from slaying creatures. Removes skill experience combat bonus.
Student 10% Increase to Skill Growth 100% Boost to Experience Gain from Skill Growth 25% penalty to experience gain from slaying creatures. Removes skill experience combat bonus.
Apprentice 25% Increase to Craft & Talent Skill Growth Removes the diminishing skill experience penalty per day and 25% Increase to the Production Rate of Crafting Skills. 50% penalty to experience gain from slaying creatures. Removes skill experience combat bonus.
Adept 25% Increase to Arcane Skill Growth Increased Chance to Gain Arcane Skill Abilities Can only gain bonus experience from arcane skill growth. 25% decrease to martial skill growth.
Fighter 25% Increase to Martial Skill Growth Increased Chance to Gain Martial Skill Abilities Can only gain bonus experience from martial skill growth. 25% decrease to craft skill growth.
Rogue 25% Increase to Espionage Skill Growth Increased Chance to Gain Espionage Skill Abilities Can only gain bonus experience from espionage skill growth.
Acolyte Bonus based on the selected divine entity. Increased Chance to Gain Divine Abilities Restrictions based on the selected divine entity.
Cire had reviewed the basic professions during a previous session in the Silverstar family¡¯s library, but he gave them a once over in case he had missed something. This was a pivotal decision and double checking at the last moment was prudent. ¡°Mother, please make me a fighter.¡± It felt weird to make the request, but the light pressure Cire could sense all around him truly felt like the comforting embrace of a long lost relative. Cire kept his hands in place as the statue grew colder. Time dilated and the rapidly building cold dissipated back out through his fingertips. Blinking his eyes open, he wasn¡¯t aware of any monumental change, but he knew he had taken an irrevocable step forward. Feeling a reassuring hand grip his shoulder, Cire turned back to see his friend with a melancholy smile. She didn¡¯t break the reverent quiet by speaking. However, he saw congratulations and pain play out on her face. Cire knew then, that if he could, he would find a way to help Selene gain access to magic. Kneeling with the black sapwood sword across his thighs, Cire watched Eliana dash around a sparring dummy and strike it from several angles. The palaestra was a dervish of kicks, punches, and slashing wooden blades. Every time she shifted positions, her body would blur as a sudden explosion of speed launched her to a new spot. She kept this routine up for a little longer before disengaging and walking to kneel across from Cire. Pulled back into a severe bun, Eliana¡¯s gray-white hair gave away her age when her movements and grace did not. Her almond shaped green eyes were a stark contrast with the rest of her sharp features. Pinning down the sun elf with her scrutiny, she addressed him. ¡°Pupil, do you see now what you lack?¡± ¡°Yes, instructor. When you told me to correct my footwork, it was not about when I should use my skill abilities, but how.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°I have been using my flash step and surging strike abilities as amplifications to my movements, not using them to push beyond how I was moving previously. Even though the flash step costs just five mana and surging strike ten, I only recover six mana per hour. Regardless of the total amount of mana I posses, I have a fixed number of times I can use the abilities in a single battle. I need to make sure that when I use them they are impactful¡± ¡°Yes, exhausting yourself during a simple practice match is unacceptable. We already work at a deficit using sapwood swords. Your skills are not meant to replace passive increases to speed or strength. They are meant to definitivly decide a fight.¡± ¡°Yes, instructor. I will endeavor to improve.¡± Rising, Eliana took a single step back and raised her sword. ¡°Demonstrate.¡± Matching the elder elf¡¯s pose, he bowed his head slightly, but never broke eye contact. Edging forward slowly, Cire feinted to one side twice and then lunged in the opposite direction. As his feet reconnected with the ground he charged them with mana and flung himself back to his starting position. Eliana kept up with Cire¡¯s movements, watching him carefully. She deftly swept aside his weak attacks. The barest hint of a smile creased her lips. Flowing around Eliana, Cire kept moving. Waiting for the right moment. They traded slashing strokes and then he disengaged while dodging a sweeping leg attack. He had to find an opening. Beginning an attack sequence of her own, the grand master rolled towards Cire after the sweep. She bounded up with her sword raking a wide horizontal arc. Ducking down, Cire avoided the strike, but limited his movement options. He caught a knee square to his nose before he could counter. Pushing past the pain, the sun elf angled his body directly towards Eliana and leapt. They tumbled together and rolled across the hardwood floor. Cire¡¯s sword clattered away from him. Mana surged into his fist, and he slammed it home into the older elf¡¯s stomach. Wincing, Eliana rolled away and sprang to her feet. She kicked Cire¡¯s sword to the wall and stood between him and the weapon. He had adapted, but at the cost of his weapon. The transgression would need to be punished. Pushing off with a burst of speed of her own, Eliana charged each foot in quick succession. Rapidly re-positioning herself she slammed her sword into each of Cire¡¯s thighs before he blocked a third strike. Cire¡¯s palm pushed the flat of her blade away and past him. The telltale wisps of blue smoke showed that he had used his surging strike, unarmed, against her sword. Back peddling, Cire kept up the best he could. Without reach he was finished. He needed to close the distance between him and Eliana, and keep it closed. He turned and sprinted towards the wall opposite from his opponent. Following aggressively, Cire caught several quick attacks on his backside from Eliana. Planting his foot against the wall, Cire activated his flash step and threw his weight into a controlled flip. Landing behind Eliana with a single foot, he propelled himself again and dove to retrieve his sword. A biting sting numbed his ankle as Eliana scored a hit. Cire spun and re-oriented himself as he stood unevenly, baring his sword. Batting the wooden obstacle aside with her own, Eliana closed. She rotated her hips and threw her body weight into her next attack. Eliana¡¯s elbow crashed into Cire¡¯s jaw, sending him slumping to the ground. Stepping back, the old elf waited to see if he would rise. When Cire stayed limp she retrieved a small vial of smelling salts and waved it under his nose. As his eyes fluttered open, she nodded. ¡°Better than expected. You still have a lot of gaps, but they are closing.¡± Wobbling to an upright kneeling position, Cire bowed once before rubbing his jaw. His words came out a bit slurred. ¡°Thank you teacher.¡± Walking over to the edge of the gymnasium¡¯s sparring arena, Eliana removed her slippers and changed into a simple pair of shoes. ¡°Do not thank me. You are a barely trained novice. You should study here for another two or three decades before you leave.¡± Cire joined her and started changing as well. Eliana was one of the few elves he had established a rapport with, and he had a question he wanted to ask. Waiting until the end of their sparring session had only made his curiosity fester. Looking to change topics anyways, he simply blurted it out. ¡°The other night I was down in the Undergrowth with Fizz and Honeydrop. We heard a man bring up the possibility of war with the swamp witch. Any chance it¡¯s not just rumor?¡± ¡°We have never had peace between the Shadowed Forest and the Stymphalian Swamps. It has been many years since either side has crossed the border in force. Raids and probing skirmishes can always become more. The uncertainty of war is the wellspring of fear, child.¡± That was as definitive an answer as Eliana was going to give Cire. The old crone always delighted in the process of guided discovery. Cire bowed again and left the academy floors, preoccupied by the unavoidable fact that his own territory shared a border with this same aggressive foe. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 28: Complex Positioning Huddled against the wall, Cire and several of his classmates watched the entrance as more notable attendees were announced upon entering the ballroom. Honeydrop, and kin, zipped around overhead. They moved so fast that he couldn¡¯t keep track. One of the Cinnamonswirls had taken to annoying Cire by flying overhead with a glass of water and constantly raining small drops down like an angry spitting child. Fizz shook his sandy haired head as an errant drop caught him. Cool as the ocean depths, he kept right on talking as he pointed out various people of note who had already arrived. He did his best at keeping his voice low, but the gnomes observations were not as guarded as they should have been. The relevance of elven handtalk in a town where the majority of folks could amplify their hearing was all the more apparent to Cire. ¡°Over there, by the table of drinks, that¡¯s the Bellarian Crafter¡¯s Guild representative Sirius Goldenspring. The wood elf talking to him, the one with the cane, is also a junior member of the Goldenspring family, Jace. They may be minor house members, but both have higher standing because of their positions. Jace is the head of the local Ionian League Adventurers Guild.¡± Dragging one of her relatives down by their hand, Honeydrop deposited herself on Cire¡¯s shoulder with her kidnapped prize. The newly arrived fairy, with strawberry pink and brown hair, leaned over and pressed Cire¡¯s upper lip up to reveal his canines. Honeydrop pushed her kin away and hugged them, trapping their hands to their sides. ¡°This is my younger brother, Nutmeg. He¡¯s happy to meet you!¡± Squirming and wriggling his way free, Nutmeg hovered a fingers breadth from Cire¡¯s nose. An over exaggerated pout smeared on his adorable features. Then he just flew away to rejoin the storm of fairies and pixies zooming overhead. Honeydrop chased after him, her gossamer thin wings beating rapidly. Blinking, Cire recovered his composure from the odd introduction and looked back down to Fizz. Fae were a strange bunch, with even stranger predilections. Best to take it in stride. ¡°Adventurer¡¯s Guild? I heard some of the other students talking about wanting to become members, but most are planning to rejoin their house after their education wraps up. What does the guild do? We ran into the guard on our way here, don¡¯t they keep the monsters away from the town?¡± Rolling his eyes, Fizz¡¯s tone shifted and he started talking to Cire slower, like he was a child, who was hard of hearing. ¡°I know you¡¯re not a local, sharp teeth, but you don¡¯t even know the basics of how the guilds operate? You¡¯ve been training in the administrative tower for weeks, haven¡¯t you visited any of the floors not used by the academy?¡± Shifting from foot to foot, Cire rubbed his hands together. Fizz knew he was from a different realm, and like the others, didn¡¯t seem to care. The gnome had apparently decided to not cut Cire any slack in that area though. When the sun elf demonstrated ignorance, Fizz would good naturedly mock or exaggeratedly explain Cire¡¯s faux pas. Cire resisted ruffling his newly minted friends hair, it hadn¡¯t gone well the first time he had tried it. He still didn¡¯t know where the knife had come from that Fizz had deposited in his hand. After the gnome had discovered Cire regenerated, he had stopped pulling punches, and stabbings. It was one of the reasons they paired well as sparring partners. The gnome didn¡¯t like to hold back, and Cire knew he needed to push himself as hard as possible. That happened most often with real stakes on the line, even if they constantly had to do a little extra cleanup. ¡°You know how far behind I am. How many skill abilities do you have, five? Six? I only have two. You going to keep basking in the blinding light of my ignorance or are you going to tell me?¡± Taking an extra long drink of his wine, Fizz let his pause draw out before responding. ¡°The town guard stops wild animals, monsters, and people from getting through the walls. They man outposts throughout the forest to protect against attack from invasion and to secure trade. There is a base close to my home, Gearspoke. But the guard doesn¡¯t proactively subdue threats. ¡°The Adventurer¡¯s Guild is far more multi-purposed. They hunt down monster nests, gather difficult to harvest resources, investigate dungeons, and help ensure a larger order between settlements within the league. For small or isolated towns like this one they serve as an ad hoc embassy and bank. It¡¯s nice to not have to carry around all of your gold, but it does make it harder to pinch the occasional big score. The guild secures records across various branches and often serves as guarantor for treaties between other guilds, clans, and territories.¡± Flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder, a moon elf showing off her long elegant legs in a sheer dark blue silk dress strode right up to them. She held her hand out to Cire and introduced herself. ¡°Katherine Morningdew, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you young master Eventide. Would you accompany me for a dance?¡± Cire starred at her hand, his mouth hanging slightly open. He hadn¡¯t met, or even seen, this woman before. After a nudge to his leg from Fizz, Cire nodded and clasped Katherine¡¯s outstretched fingers in his. ¡°It would be my pleasure, Lady Morningdew?¡± Leading Cire towards the middle of the large circular dance floor, the wood elf giggled demurely. ¡°Katherine is fine. My parents put far more stock in titles than I.¡± They formed two circles with the others who had assembled during the break in music. All of the men in an inner ring and the women in an outer one. A small group of flying folk joined them above, but their circles were much smaller. As the music began to play, Katherine and Cire danced. It happened to be one of the last communal dances that Daphne had taught him. You would repeat several movements with your partner and then each circle would spin in opposite directions. Then you would dance those moves with a new partner, and repeat. By the time the reedy sounds of a cheerful flute solo finished, Cire was back in his starting positing across from Katherine. The moon elf took Cire¡¯s arm in hers and walked with him towards the refreshment table. Katherine pulled him close to the wall and angled her body to block him in. Giggling again, Katherine covered her mouth with her hand and the picked up a small plate.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I do insist that you join me for a conversation now that I have bestowed upon you a dance.¡± ¡°Of course Katherine. Is there a particular topic that you would like to engage?¡± Cire took up his own plate and selected several slices of fruit, cheese, and meat. It didn¡¯t escape his notice that Katherine was keeping herself between him and the rest of the guests. She seated them at a small table within full view of the dance floor and entrance. There turned out to be no specific topic of note that Katherine wished to discuss. She asked him what he thought of the town and where he had been. After hearing how limited his exploration of the settlement was she insisted on taking him on a tour after his class returned from their patrol. Suspiciously, she deflected or redirected his questions. Calix, a supremely skilled academy student, sneered openly at Cire as he had come off the dance floor. Sitting a couple of tables down, he snatched a wine glass offered by his partner and drank it. Muttering with enough volume to be overheard, but not loud enough for true impropriety, he levied a harsh grievance. ¡°It¡¯s a disgrace they let that race defiling wildling into the academy, let alone despoil the ball.¡± A hush descended on the tables around them, the lively music masking the soured atmosphere. Katherine looked back over her shoulder and scowled. With an apologetic smile she covered Cire¡¯s hand on the table with her own. ¡°Some among the noble houses eschew proper manners when it most suits the occasion. Pay them no heed.¡± Katherine pulled him back to the dance floor, and pointedly to the other side of the room from Calix. However, Cire¡¯s appetite for frivolity had been sufficiently doused. He begged off another dance with the lovely moon elf, and returned to his place as a wall flower with Fizz. Calix must have had a few drinks before arriving at the festivities, but still, race defiler? What brought that on. That¡¯s the sort of sentiment that festers. I¡¯ve never even beat him in a sparring session. This feels like high school drama, with life or death consequences, but I¡¯m probably missing something. Not long after Cire had rejoined the gnome, Lady Silverstar and the other heads of the Tempest Treetops¡¯ aristocratic families were presented at the entrance. The only absence was the Tempestnight family, whose cypress tower the ball was being hosted in. Cire was eagerly anticipating his first view of a sky elf up close, enough to distract him from mulling over the earlier unpleasantness. He had seen them flying in and out of the towers at a distance, but there hadn¡¯t been an occasion until now for him to personally interact with any of them. Daphne was wearing a gorgeous white and silver gown, sky blue sapphires adorned her ears drawing attention to her eyes. Her hair was done up in curls and waves. It was practically sculpted in appearance. After making her way around the hall, Cire found her at his side. ¡°There you are child. Why are you hidden away from everyone? Come with me, I have several introductions to make.¡± Totting him around like a trophy, Daphne showed off the oddity that was Cire to various other families. The Goldenspring brothers were more affable than he would have guessed by Fizz¡¯s observations. Katherine¡¯s parents, Duke and Duchess Morningdew, were inscrutable with politeness. Although, he could sense a strong underlying tension between the two moon elf families. All of this jockeying for position and status. This is one of the clearest cases of a crab mentality that I have ever seen. All the families are trapped in the same small bucket, instead of letting any others ascend they would rather pull them back to the bottom. Cire¡¯s internal musings were cut short by blaring of horns and radiance, as prismatic sparkles erupted through the air. Laughing and flying between the cascading sparks, the pixies and fairies added their own fireworks. They cast small fire, lightning, and other visually appealing spells. Swirling air stirred the room, ruffling banners and any guest who hadn¡¯t properly secured their attire. Landing with barely a sound, five figures stood at attention on the main balcony. They were joined by a sixth, a tall lanky elf with large brown wings much like a falcon protruding from his back. King Zephyr Tempestnight¡¯s wings spread out, blocking his family behind him, before folding against his back. The crooks of each wing poked out above his shoulders, but without them he strongly resembled the appearance of a wood elf. Except the eyes, all of the sky elves had yellow or golden irises. Everyone in the room dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Zephyr outstretched both arms in greeting. ¡°All rise and welcome the final days of spring. Raise a glass in celebration of cool breezes and thunderous storms, for tonight we feast!¡± Following the toast, a round of clapping and cheers heralded the true beginning of festivities. Libations flowed heavily and the whole room was alive with the thrum of merriment. Late into the evening activity started to taper off, but not by as much as Cire would have expected. Each of the aristocratic patriarchs and matriarchs he had been introduced to had displayed varying levels of interest. Cire couldn¡¯t tell if the casual interest shown by Zephyr was out of politeness or genuine intrigue. Honeydrop¡¯s great grandparents weren¡¯t as rambunctious as their children, but after introductions they had soon bored of him and flown away. Sometime past midnight he completed the quest he had been working on since the first time Selene told him about the Tempest Treetops. Standing on a balcony, with his back to the still energetic dance floor, he reassessed the experience. If he was the Shadowed Forest¡¯s lord and this place was his capital, what would he change? What would he keep the same? What did he actually have control over? I didn¡¯t see a single centaur, satyr, or really anyone besides an elf, pixie, or fairy here tonight. It¡¯s not like I went back to the farms since arriving. I got all high and mighty questioning Selene, but did I ever investigate? No, of course I didn¡¯t. I got tunnel vision like I always do. I¡¯ve been acting just like every other free person or citizen. I¡¯ve barely left the pillars. How many people live in this city without touching the ground for a whole year? How many slaves does it take to make that happen? Having just piled on even more unanswered and unanswerable questions, Cire let out a long exasperated sigh. Pulling up next to him with her hands on the balcony rail, Selene gave him a sidelong glance before looking back out over the colorful lights dotting the town. ¡°Now you know why I was hesitant to make the offer for you to visit.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Cire had watched Daphne parade Selene around to various guests just as she had done with him. Except, in Selene¡¯s case there were more obvious overtures being made to families possessing young men of similar age. His friend had never put up with sophistry or dissembling back home, it had to be eating her alive. They enjoyed the silence of each others company. Neither wanting to engage in any further dancing for the night. For a small moment, there was the solitude of the mountains around them, in spite of their true location. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I didn¡¯t understand before. Why you were the only elf in the valley that is. Stout seemed odd enough, a single gnome surrounded by dwarves and humans. He doesn¡¯t hide his displeasure though. With you, I couldn¡¯t tell if you loved or hated Sunset. It¡¯s a little surprising to realize it¡¯s both.¡± Selene nodded once. Bitter resentment lacing through her words. ¡°I¡¯m still not exactly happy that my mother didn¡¯t tell me why. But after reviewing the information she was working from I can see her reasoning. She had too little to confirm her suspicions, but enough to encourage them. I was the right tool for the job, and she used me effectively.¡± Keeping his back to the gathered celebrants, Cire held his hands close to his stomach and signed a quick message in elven handtalk. ¡°Does she know?¡± The pause before Selene¡¯s shrug told him all he needed. Cire didn¡¯t know when the crafty moon elf duchess had solved the riddle of his last unrevealed mystery, but he had inklings that she would. It really didn¡¯t change much as far as he could tell. Daphne was always going to leverage his association with her family, in particular her daughter, to her best advantage. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 29: Odds and Ends Rolling the thick boss miner¡¯s ring around in one hand, Durg tugged at his dark brown bushy beard in thought with the other. He sat on a chair gazing into the cabins fireplace. Holding the desire of countless dwarves in his palm, while contemplating relinquishing the dream of one was never a place he thought he would be. Durg wasn¡¯t a smart man, he knew that. Going with his gut had more often than not served him better than trying to work out a problem. As he grew into adulthood, he had learned to throw himself in whatever direction felt right. As a result, he tended to be well aware of what he was good at, what he liked, and his own limitations. However, for the first time in a long while, he couldn¡¯t intuit the proper course of action. Grumbling to the lonesome cabin aloud, ¡°Bah, we cannae trust anyone but house members with this. Too many people be knowin¡¯ already.¡± He poked at the fire, rolling the logs and shifting coals. Trusting that he wouldn¡¯t discover the answer sitting by himself, Durg strung up the heavy ring on a leather cord and tied it around his neck. Bhelbir was probably cleaning up the forge, if he left for the hamlet now, he could probably catch him for dinner. The metal dwarf blacksmith had walked a similar crossroads to Durg¡¯s current conundrum, maybe he could help. Bhelbir was still at the forge by the time Durg got there. The copper haired dwarf was busy cleaning out the build up of spent coal and ash from the days work. After a quick trade of greetings, Durg picked up a broom and got to work hastening Bhelbir¡¯s end of shift. ¡°So, Bhelbir, I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯ hard about which profession ta take up now that I be able to. I always thought mining ta be a way ¡®n support meself becoming warrior. But now that I need to choose, I dunna know which be the right choice, laborer or fighter. How did ya decide?¡± Grunting, the blacksmith tossed a pair of freshly assembled mining picks into a crate. ¡°It was no simple feat. As you know, my family has long been a line of fightin¡¯ folk. The cost of an apprenticeship is much greater than a blade and armor. Without Dorkas I would not have even had the option. When he was banished, I followed. By the time we made it out of the Deep Dark, well before arriving in Sunset, I knew it was how I could make my mark on the world.¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± ¡°There be plenty o¡¯ people who seek glory in battle. Before Dorkas fell to the gnolls he was responsible for giving the people here the means to protect themselves. For me, that be more than enough. He found a fire inside of me and nurtured it to a crucible.¡± Durg stepped out of the blacksmith shop as Bhelbir clamped a large iron lock and chain in place, securing the wide double doors. ¡°I get ya. But do ya miss it? The thrill of combat.¡± ¡°I can still fight! You don¡¯t have to give up monster huntin¡¯ just cause you focus on a craft and take the profession. It don¡¯t be servin¡¯ the same purpose is all. I still protect whats mine and put down the occasional beast.¡± Trailing behind Bhelbir as they made their way to the tavern, Durg resolved himself then and there. He was done overthinking, hesitation melted away like ice on a hot summer day. Yanking the ring from the cord around his neck, Durg shoved it onto his finger. The metal band was disconcertingly warm against his skin, but he paid it no mind. A loud rumbling from his gut preceded an overwhelming hunger. Durg¡¯s pace picked up, he had much to eat and do. Sitting behind the counter on a stool in the small recently constructed apothecary shop, Alana corrected the position of her round spectacles on the bridge of her nose. The before dinner rush had just ended, and only a few stragglers remained. She smoothed her fur robe out over her lap and waited for the customers to approach for prospective barter. Kalani had placed her purple haired sister in charge of arranging continued deliveries of food and maintaining the small shop as a trading outlet. Providing all sorts of salves, unguents, and potions to the rugged mountain folk proved to be mutually beneficial. Alana had been the first, but not the last naga, to pick up the basics of the Common tongue. Maerria had readily offered to tutor Kalani and any other naga who wished to learn. The queen had then encouraged others, including the children, to take up the language. At first, only the naga who could fully transform into an elven or dwarven form visited Sunset. However, after the initial shock wore off, the group of male loggers and miners were very, very supportive of increased interaction between the two small settlements. Now naga openly worked at the tavern and could be seen roaming the hamlet on most days. Holding several small containers and a potion, a logger stepped close to the small counter in the one room store. He set down the items and sheepishly smiled. ¡°How much for the cleansing ointment and the minor stamina potion?¡± Blinking her still serpentine eyes, Alana assessed the amount of labor and ingredients contained in the customers desired purchase. Alana may have been the first to pick up the local language, but she lagged behind on customs. ¡°One daysss hunting or something of equivalent value, human.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Nodding, Sebastian took a satchel from his shoulder and took out five hares strung up on a single rope. They were gutted, but their furs were still intact. Alana gathered them up and hung the harvested animals on the back wall to be taken home when she left. Laughing and drawing attention from the customers, two new naga women entered the shop and made their way to Alana. Lita and Tila both eyed Sebastian as they moved around him. Lita leaned in close and took a deep breath next to his shoulder, her tongue flicking out around his body. A deep throaty chuckle followed his lean away from her. ¡°My Sssissster and I would be happy to bed you human. You tassste of hard work and Sssmell delisshiousss. It would Ssstill be the Ssstandard rate of courssse,¡± Lita and Tila both turned to Alana, but it was Tila who continued the course of thought. ¡°Alana was his barter fair, or doesss he Ssstill need recompenssse?¡± The two green haired sisters flanked Sebsatian completely. Lita put her arm around his lower back and pressed her body against him. Tila leaned close to his other side and flicked her tongue to tickle at his ear and the nape of his neck. Both had partially transformed to largely elven appearances, but here and there clear indicators of their reptilian nature popped through. Small patches of scales and their long tongues remained. Each were wearing very loose fitting robes that left little to the imagination. Alana looked back at the hares and then to her two sisters and grinned, the tips of her fangs poking past her lips. ¡°You could charge him half rate, and if he doesssn¡¯t have anything to trade now, we can take payment tomorrow.¡± Gulping, Sebastian looked back and forth between the two naga sisters pressing against him and nodded. They left with him out the backdoor and directed him to one of the three small cabins that provided private quarters in the hamlet. The naga had rented out all three from Maisy, only one had been converted to storage. At the start, few of the naga had believed the wise silver haired dwarf. They had never heard of prostitution before, nor had a need for it, but they had taken to the practice like a snake to tall grass. The idea that males would pay a female to ravish them was not only strange, but immensely amusing. For a people that had artificially limited the number of males available for generations, increased access to a pool of new, eager to please participants had created quite a stir. Without having to fight over mates, and by securing plentiful food, much of the tension that impacted the lantern naga evaporated like the mist their lake was named for. Cinching a pair of finger-less gloves over his hands, Sir Walnut made eye contact with each of his assembled troops. They were on the lowest branch of a twin pine near the stage, hidden by bushy bunches of needles. A small bone sword, the length and sharpness of a darning needle, was tied tight to his back. Pacing the branch, he marched back and forth as his soldiers prepared themselves. Sir Walnut Pinesong¡¯s son, Spearmint, preened his tail and fluffed it. Chittering, he checked with his father regarding the operation. ¡°Me and Alderleaf will go in through the roof. You and the others will sneak in through the back door. When you give the signal we each select a target, secure it, and escape before the distraction is over?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. No getting greedy. We mustn''t be seen. It is important that we secure offerings for our goddess, but until we make ourselves known, staying hidden is still of utmost importance.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± Resounded from the assembled warriors. Sir Walnut lead the other five chipmunkin through the trees as they ran on all fours through the branches. They had some weapons and sacks, but wore no clothes, only their fur. Their white markings had been dulled by rubbing in ash, making them look like bushy tailed mice. Springing from branch to branch, they neared their target. They pulled up short on the final branch overhanging Stout¡¯s tavern. Sir Walnut, or Wally to his friends, gave a couple of quick paw signals and then charged down the trunk of the tree. Three of the others followed their leader, scampering down and onto the forest floor before covering the short distance to the base of the building. Alderleaf and Spearmint dashed to the tip of the branch and then jumped off. Landing with little thumps on the roof, they deftly skittered to the upstairs window. Alder quickly cleaned her whiskers and edged up to the open sill. Poking her head over, she peered around the room with beady eyes. No one was in the space, they were free to proceed. They would never bother Maisy, but that didn¡¯t mean her guests were off the menu. Running through the room, the two chipmunkin scurried through the open door and to the top of the staircase. Then they dropped down onto the rafters in the main room of the tavern. Positioning herself above a hanging lantern, Alder scoped out the various patrons. The gnome behind the bar who was shouting was also off limits. Stout never really interacted with the chipmunkin, but they knew riling him up was a terrible idea. Sparky, the fire mage¡¯s flame familiar, had once scorched almost all the fur off of a friend of Alder¡¯s who had gone for a swim in a cooking stew pot. They knew to keep away from the new colorful haired females in town as well. The chipmunkins could smell the reptilian predators, and as an inherent prey species, sensed the true nature of the shape changed naga. Thankfully, the rodents were no more than a single mouthful and the naga appeared disinterested. As her eyes glanced over a table near the back entrance, she spotted her objective. Even in the dim light of single candle lanterns the sparkling radiance called to her. It would be perfect! Waiting an interminable amount of time, Alder slowly crept along the solid beams of the ceiling until she was right overhead of an unsuspecting dwarf. She thought he was talking about mining, but it could have easily been some type of crafting for all she knew. Nibbling on a seed she had tucked away in her cheek for just this sort of occasion, she bided her time. Alder was ready when the signal clattered in the kitchen followed by a loud string of curses. Wally, or one of her compatriots, had managed to knock over the largest stack of pots and pans. The loud noise had drawn everyone¡¯s attention, including her targets. Alder climbed down the wall and ran up under Durg¡¯s chair. Jumping from one chair leg to the other, she pulled herself up onto his lap. Drawing the small blade strapped to her back, Alder slashed upwards in a quick skilled strike. The button quickly fell into her tiny reaching paws as her blade severed the string holding Durg¡¯s tunic in place. Her mission complete, she leapt down to the floor and bolted out the backdoor of the tavern and into the night. Shoving the prized shiny button into the pouch tied to her back, Alder shifted to a run on all fours until she was back at the base of the closest twin pine. Soon she was joined by each of her companions. Wally held up a clear shot glass, obviously purloined from the bar. The others had various sparkly nick knacks as well. Alder pulled out her button and held it up proudly. The chipmunkin danced cheerfully. No one followed them out, or even seemed to have noticed that they had been there. Reconvening back in their tree houses high up in the twilight woods, the recently thieved items joined a squirreled away cache of glittering coins, buttons, pieces of ore, and other odds and ends. Another successful raid in the name of Theia¡¯s illumination. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 30: Out for Blood Gathering at the west gate of the Tempest Treetops¡¯ large hedge wall, Cire¡¯s class of twelve milled about waiting for the two instructors to finish making arrangements with the guards. Calix¡¯s white hair was pulled back into a tight braid giving his already angular face more sharp points. He was speaking to some of the other elves and no doubt casting aspersions in Cire¡¯s direction. For his part, Cire tried his best to ignore the teenage antics of the elf who was no doubt many years his senior. Fizz, Honeydrop, and Dimitra were embroiled in their own debate, but it had little to do with the patrol they were about to embark upon. Dimitra, a tawny haired wood elf, fit in with their band of outsiders. Most of the elves enrolled in the academy were the sons and daughters of the nobility. Dimitra was a commoner whose adventurer parents had scraped together the exorbitant fee to enroll her for a full twenty year session. Her brusque nature often put her at odds with the residents of the pillars, but they had endeared her to their small clique. ¡°You¡¯re yanking my tit Fizz. There¡¯s no way one of your relatives completed a territorial quest. Those are harder than my calluses.¡± Honeydrop did a barrel roll as she flew quick, yet somehow lazy, figure eight patterns in the air. Her dragonfly like iridescent wings glinting in the dawn¡¯s golden light. Bursts of giggles trailed in her wake at Dimitra¡¯s comment. ¡°They did! My mother helped! She made the bridle Spurglepop used to ensnare a pegasus!¡± ¡°The Plain¡¯s of the Pegasus quest hardly even counts as a true territorial quest. Might as well brag that they caught a puppy with an expensive leash. One day I will hunt down the a stag of shadows.¡± ¡°Do puppies fly? Do they live thousands of years?¡± Fizz grinned and continued picking at his nails with a dagger. ¡°Do they get passed down to their great, great grand nephews?¡± At that moment, Eliana clapped her hands together immediately silencing the idle chit chat. Her companion instructor, Obelius, wore loose fitting brown robes cinched in various places with cords. Obelius¡¯s manner of dress reminded Cire of when Maisy had come to entreat with the naga on his behalf. The simple fabric the man was outfitted with practically hummed with power and his staff actually did, at least when he cast spells. ¡°Students, gather round. We will be splitting into two groups on our way to the Scorched Oak of Storms. This is not a race, nor a competition. You are here to demonstrate your competence, nothing more. Do not displease me.¡± ¡°Yes teacher,¡± Responded the pupils, practically in unison. ¡°We will be watching all of your actions. Try not to disappoint us.¡± Obelius tugged at the ends of his long blonde mustache, his tired voice wavered as he admonished them. Then he swept his green crystal topped staff outwards and pointed it at the hedge wall. Chanting rapidly, tendrils of soft green light grew outwards from the crystal forming leafy vines of pure energy. The vines wove through the tight branches and leaves of the wall before spreading them apart one stem at a time. It was like watching someone unthread a cross stitch. The guards were ready and waiting, as if the wall had held back a pack of blood thirsty beasts. Only dark shrouded forest greeted them with eerie quiet. Their party reassembled on the other side of the hedge and Obelius released his spell, letting the plants crawl back into place. Moving west, in the same direction as the Swift Run River, the class split into two staggered parties. Obelius lead Cire, Fizz, Honeydrop, Dimitra, Lander, and Philip while Eliana split off with the others. Lander and Philip were both heavily armored, with thick suits of plate hiding most of their features. Zipping ahead and flying at a break neck pace, Honey scouted for the party. She constantly disappeared into the canopy and popped back to relay approaching terrain conditions. They hadn¡¯t gone more than a few miles before she returned with larger news than which direction to turn. ¡°Myrmekes! A whole nest of them!¡± Obelius shook his head. He began waving his staff in a small series of repeating circles. ¡°No reason to engage them, we will go around. Which direction will be easiest to avoid the monsters?¡± Honeydrop crossed her arms in an obvious sign of disappointment. However, she flew straight up, buzzed to the left and then the right, before dropping back down. ¡°Closer to the river there seem to be less of them.¡± Walking with his sword drawn, Cire picked his way through the underbrush carefully. Following behind him, monitoring their rear, Fizz walked several feat back. The vampire was curious, he didn¡¯t know what a myrmekes was, and Honey had been pretty excited. ¡°Hey Fizz, what is a myrmekes? Why aren¡¯t we going to fight them?¡± ¡°Giant ants the size of dogs. They¡¯re not aggressive, Sir Pointington. We¡¯re not out here on some collection quest, we are doing a patrol. We don¡¯t start with adventuring requests and assignments until we pass this. Most people don¡¯t join the adventurers guild until they don¡¯t need babysitting. It¡¯s a quick way to die. I bet Honey just wanted to mess with them because they are huge bugs.¡± Dimitra shouted back, she had obviously been listening from a distance and didn¡¯t seem to care if she was heard. ¡°Why? Does Honey not like bugs?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fae thing. Fairies and Pixies are like Light and Dark Magic. There¡¯s a lot of overlap, but they are fundamentally different. Fairies are more similar to the sentient species of the world; gnomes, elves, dwarves, and the like. Pixies are more like beasts, particularly the insects.¡± ¡°Okay, but why does that mean she wants to mess with the giant ants? Do Fairies and Pixies hate each other that much?¡± Cire asked. ¡°It¡¯s not hate, more of a rivalry? They¡¯re fae. We live so long and we¡¯re connected to the magic of the world in ways most species can¡¯t even conceptualize. Most of us don¡¯t think of the folk from this plane in equal terms.¡± Fizz finished explaining and punctuated his last sentence by throwing a dagger into a nearby trunk. As they passed by the tree he pulled the blade free, then slipped it into a sheath on the back of his forearm. The party lapsed into quiet travel after avoiding the myrmekes. They had skirted along the outside of the sprawling mounds the ants had skillfully constructed. After a few more miles they stopped seeing any sign of the ants, but that turned out to be more worrisome than relief. Long rents gouged into the trunks of several trees marked the hunting grounds of something far more dangerous than the insects. The party gathered around a twisting oak with claw marks over a story up. Lander removed his heavy helm, revealing sweaty black hair plastering his scalp. He peered at the marks and ran a gauntleted hand over the marred bark. Looking back to Obelius, he offered a supposition to the teacher. ¡°Might be a dire bear, but I think it¡¯s a timber troll.¡± Nodding sagely, the instructor replied, ¡°In point of fact. Likely only one, unless it is a female with offspring. What should we do?¡± ¡°Take it out. They are too violent to leave this close to the walls. It must have just claimed this area, otherwise a previous patrol would have,¡± Fizz astutely observed. ¡°I¡¯ll go find it!¡± Honeydrop¡¯s words were all that remained as she took off through the trees without awaiting confirmation. Frowning as he watched the fairy depart, Obelius tipped his head to Fizz and the others. ¡°Trolls are intelligent enough to construct rudimentary dwellings and build up a strong force in a quick amount of time. It only takes a few in this forest. We don¡¯t wait for the adventurers guild, unless the situation is too dangerous for a patrol group. If that happens to be the case, I will take us around it and send a report in to town.¡± Dexterously winding her way through the lower branches of the forest, Honey made her way back to the party. She hadn¡¯t been gone long. By the time she was speaking, most of the students were already shedding packs and travel equipment.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°It¡¯s up ahead! Big ole dark green guy, nasty looking teeth.¡± ¡°Philip and Lander up front, Cire and I will swing out to the sides. Dimitra, go wild after we engage. Honeydrop, provide support as needed. Trolls regenerate fast, cut it up bad so we can torch it.¡± Fizz rattled off the instructions with haste. Cire ducked into the trees and made a wide circuit out to one side. Moving through the brush was much easier without armor encumbering him. Uneasy without any truly familiar companions, Cire cautiously crept along, suddenly very wary of his vulnerability. Picking his way through tight branches, the sun elf worked carefully into place under the cover of a large bush. He managed to not give away his position by shaking the shrub. Ahead of him, in the center of an aspen grove, crouched a revolting creature. Ripping large chunks of flesh from a freshly slain deer, the massive brown-black troll gobbled down its prize. The thing was easily two stories tall and its disproportionate branchlike arms were tipped by intimidating scythe shaped claws. Mostly bald, it¡¯s bulbous head showed off patches of stringy black hair. Buzzing flies accompanied a stench reminiscent of pond muck mixed with excrement. Cire adjusted his stance and valiantly held in the contents of his stomach. Running a finger along the warden¡¯s bracelet of identification, he activated the function by passing a small shock of mana through it. Overlapping with his vision, a translucent status sheet appeared before him.
Biographical Information: Name: Nak¡¯vek Level: 19 Experience: Lineage: Troll ¨C Timber Class: ??? Alignment: Vile (+1 Chaotic, +4 Evil, +3 Bad) Languages: Drutheon
Stats: Health: 323/323 Mana: 38/38 Armor: 16 Strength: 17 Dexterity: 7 Constitution: 19 Intelligence: 6 Spirit: 14 Charisma: 5 Luck: 11 Resistances: 50% Earth Resistance 25% Physical Resistance -75% Fire Resistance -50% Acid Resistance Aspects: Filthy Indefatigable
Abilities: Focused Miasma: Upon a failed Constitution save, target creature will become sick and unable to take any action except movement for 1d4 turns. Can be used once per day. Enhanced Regeneration: 10 hp per minute, can regrow lost limbs Traits: Wretched Stench: All creatures within a 5¡¯ radius of the troll must make a successful save against poison or take 1d4 damage per round. Natural Offenses: Bite ¨C 1d8 (Piercing) damage + 1d6 (Poison) for 3 rounds, Poison Claws ¨C 1d12 (Slashing) damage + 1d4 (Poison) for 3 rounds. Natural Defenses: Bark skin provides protection equal to medium armor in most areas. Large Creature: -25% to Charisma, -25% Intelligence, +25% to Strength, +25% to HP.
Cire could only use the identification function once per month. While it hadn¡¯t revealed anything additional about the skill book stashed away back at Sunset, this time it proved rather valuable. Even if most of the information was intuitive, Cire was thrilled to actually have insight into his opponent before he had to fight it. If he had been by himself, or even with his friends from the valley, Cire would have run. If he had been as adept at using his skills as when he had left the valley, he would have run. None of that was the case, he gripped his sword and readied to fight. Metal on metal rang through the woods. Nak¡¯vek whipped his head around looking into the trees. Clang! Steel struck steel again. The troll stood to it¡¯s full height, dropping a gnawed deer haunch to the ground with a splattering thud. Belting a tree shaking roar, the troll lumbered in the direction of the sounds. Covered in glimmering plate and holding a massive tower shield, Philip shouted a mighty bellow. Infusing the air, streams of mana laced through the clearing. The stalwart heavy armor user¡¯s skill bolstered the confidence of his allies and taunted his enemy. Philip jumped forward and slammed his shield into the ground and braced for collision. Three long strides and the troll clashed with Philip. Throwing it¡¯s shoulder into the tall shield and using its leverage to push upwards, the monster launched Philip backwards using its mass alone. Flying quickly past the timber troll¡¯s bulbous wart covered nose, Honeydrop emitted a massive burst of erratic sparks. Nak¡¯vek swiped and clawed at empty air. Crunching under the impact of a heavy war hammer, the timber troll¡¯s knee exploded. It toppled like a chopped tree. Lander caught a thrashing set of claws across his armor as he delivered the attack. The poison coated nails didn¡¯t penetrate. He cocked his arms back again readying his two handed war hammer for another swing. That¡¯s when he started choking. Puke filled up the inside of his helmet and sloshed around in the visor. Dimitra ran past the vomiting front line screaming like a hell razor. Raising her massive axe high overhead she brought it down hard. The troll¡¯s leg severed at the injured knee. Slicing across her armor and peeling the leather, the trolls thrashing arms drove her back. Splashes of fresh red blood dripped off wicked claws. Shouting as he ran, Cire pushed mana into his hand readying his attack. ¡°Lots of Poison! Watch out!¡± Knives punctured the troll¡¯s body, but didn¡¯t stay in place long as it immediately started healing. Dodging a low swipe, Cire jumped over a grasping appendage. He pressed on. Surging forward with his next step, he drove his sword downwards. An arm came up to block, and Cire¡¯s blade sank halfway through troll flesh, meeting bone. More small blades whipped through the air piercing the trolls gut. Wrenching his sword free, Cire leapt backwards and threw himself into a roll. By the time he was on his feet, so was the troll. It stood on a fresh sprouted limb still coated in a sheen of goopy foul smelling blood. Cire didn¡¯t know how long he had spent in the things stench, but he could feel the inflicted poison chipping away at his health. The party¡¯s assault was chaotic and uncoordinated. However, it was effective against the outnumbered foe. Philip and Lander got tossed about frequently, but managed to guard the remainder of the group from most direct attacks. Attacking from a distance, Fizz would reposition himself after each volley of thrown projectiles. Cire and Dimitra landed powerful hits as they skirted around the edge of the trolls reach. It was Honeydrop who truly saved the day. Not only was she a constant distraction, but her magic enhanced most actions taken by the attackers. It wasn¡¯t by a lot, but when their enemy kept healing, it added up. Dimitra chopped off the damaged arm that Cire had struck with a clean blow. But when she retreated flecks of blood and phlegm coughed from her mouth. She took out a small potion vial and quaffed the contents hurriedly. Managing to mostly dodge a rush by pivoting to the side, Cire got clipped by the troll. Instead of trying to recover, he went with the spin. Mid-revolution he planted his foot hard and infused it with mana. Cire was launched horizontally past the monster¡¯s gut and his sword landed a clean slice, practically disemboweling the wretched beast. Hot steaming blood, bile, and stink splashed over Cire as he tumbled to the other side of the clearing. Conflicting desires washed through Cire like competing eddies on a smooth lake. His vampiric hunger, egged on by his injuries, growled and struggled deep within his blood. Although, the utter revulsion encouraged by the foul smelling prey tampered down any idea of consuming the thing. If Durg¡¯s blood was almost unpalatable, what would this thing taste like? Even though his classmates knew he was a vampire, it would be a different thing entirely to viscerally demonstrate through action. Gurgling growls alternated with disturbingly high pitched screeches and whimpers as the team set forth dismantling the downed timber troll. Only Honeydrop and Fizz kept their distance as the others swarmed the beast. They took off all it¡¯s limbs, and finally its head. After dousing the whole mess liberally with oil, Honey flew low over the corpsereleasing sparks that ignited the disgusting pile. Lander in particular graciously guzzled down the antidote potions that Cire passed out to anyone who had gotten close. Cire didn¡¯t need an elixir to heal up, letting his regeneration wash away the toxic stink that had invaded his pores. There wasn¡¯t really anything to harvest from the trolls remains, singed and crisped as they were. Dimitra poked around in the ashes with her axe. ¡°Shame we torched it before collecting any blood. That stuff sells pretty well to alchemy shops.¡± Obelius stepped into the small clearing and clapped his hands once. ¡°Gather round students, I have critiques for each of you. Miss Cinnamonswirl, please resume scouting ahead. We should leave this area promptly. There will be plenty of animals that are drawn by the smell.¡± The party set out again, picking their way through the forest. Obelius spent a small amount of time reviewing the short battle with each of them. There would be plenty of encounters on their way to their destination, both planned and unexpected. By the time they arrived at the Scorched Oak, they had several stories to share with their peers. Many of them were brimming with confidence after their first true taste of action. However, none of them were prepared for what was to come. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 31: Concoction of Fiery Death ¡°When I cut off that giant wolf spider¡¯s head, I swear it felt better than spending the night with a centaur. Not two, but you all get the idea.¡± During the party¡¯s two day trek through the cramped dark woods they had learned far more about Dimitra¡¯s sexual preferences than they had expected to. Free from the strict behavior expected in the training hall, she was truly cutting loose, much to the chagrin of anyone with delicate sensibilities. Cire, having been inured to such behavior by his association with Durg, wasn¡¯t bothered by it. He had long ago learned to cope with unwanted mental images. I suppose I¡¯m not really one to talk. I spent the night with Kalani. Whatever lights her fire is good with me, just wish I didn¡¯t have to hear about it in so much detail. The group was occupying themselves during one of their many waits between Honey¡¯s enumerable scouting trips. Cire realized that if he was willing to stay as a bat for any prolonged period of time, and if someone was willing to carry his clothes, he could accomplish the same feat. He was getting better at identifying how to utilize his abilities. How much of that was his increased perception, he wasn¡¯t sure. Rocketing through the trees at head height, Honeydrop returned clapping her hands rapidly. ¡°We¡¯re there! I didn¡¯t see the others, I bet we won!!¡± She slapped her tiny hands over her mouth and flew behind Fizz¡¯s head, hiding from Obelius¡¯ s chastising gaze. Fizz swatted his hands behind him attempting to shoo her away. He didn¡¯t succeed. As they moved on, the barest hint of a worn trail emerged among the roots and cloistered trunks. Vines and branches started filling in over their heads creating a tunnel effect. The party emerged from the dark into the warm vibrant afternoon sun. The clearing before them was similar to the Tempest Treetops, but there were no woven skyscrapers or buildings, only robust single spaced trees. Each tree was distinct, not only in type, but also in maturity. A single fur tree was spaced equidistant from a small twisted juniper tree, and so on. Towering over all of the others at the center was something wholly unique. A massive oak with bark black as night crackled with energy as lightning bolts struck the ground intermittently at its base. Following the electricity upwards Cire was dumbfounded, the tree didn¡¯t have leaves so much as clumps of roiling storm clouds. Repetitive small thunderclaps reverberated through the air in discordant crashes. The whole group¡¯s attention, except Obelius, was so fixated on the wondrous tree that none of them saw the approach of its caretaker. Long hair, well past her waist, shifted in hue mirroring the clouds of the great oak. Her dark ebony skin matched the bark, down to small scars scattered across her body. The dryad¡¯s eyes were the most peculiar. The orbs possessed no true definition, just swirling white electric energy. As she spoke, each of the students reacted in some form of surprise and turned around to face her and the instructor. ¡°Welcome, to the Hamlet of Wreath. For many of you this is your first visit, take care where you tread. We will provide you succor and hearth. You shall respect the dryad¡¯s trees, some, but not all, are meliae. Particular care is to be taken near the storm oak.¡± Obelius bowed deeply, gesturing for the other students to follow his movements. His response lacked the common tired tone to his voice. ¡°Thank you matron. We are honored by your greetings.¡± Around them other dryads, all resembling their trees, began to emerge from trunks and foliage. Many wore long gowns or simple dresses made of leaves, but others went without. All of the dryads had female forms. Pushing up through the soil roots changed and warped on many of the trees into rudimentary legs. Branches pulled down and wrapped together forming arms. Hidden under moss, or tucked away in small nooks, blinking eyes and jagged mouths emerged from bark covered trunks. The meliae, or sentient trees, followed after the dryads, but at a much slower plodding pace. Minutes later, the group was surrounded by curious eyes and unreadable expressions. Cire was approached by two dryads and a walking willow tree. The dryads both had lithe, athletic figures and could have passed for twins. Their skin tone matched the light brown of the willow tree. Both their hair and eyes resembled the light green leaves. Each wore a short skirt and blouse, exposing their legs and midriffs. They looked at Cire like they were examining a strange wild creature. While the dryads were both shorter, the willow tree meliae was many feet taller than him. A wispy set of coiled branches reached out and brushed his golden hair back over Cire¡¯s ear. The two dryads both nodded in sequence, and one of them cocked her head to the side. The matron¡¯s voice was warm, but carried a hint of disappointment as it danced on the wind. ¡°Girls, if you are going to visit with our guests, speak out loud. Tumblebranch, you too.¡± The pair of younger dryads looked appropriately chastised and blushed. Tumblebranch, the meliae, gave Cire an odd creaking smile. Then he rolled his shoulders and shook, sending a gentle cascade of thin leaves over them. To Cire it was reminiscent of a dog stretching and re-settling. One of the dryads dipped her head before she spoke, ¡°You are an elf, to be sure. But you are no wood elf or moon elf. What are you?¡± Cire had become more acquainted with the peculiar natures of fae, his budding friendship with a fairy had done much in that regard. He didn¡¯t know how young these dryad were, but he would wager they were much older than him. Cire was still considered a pre-teen as an elf and fae tended towards longer lifespans. He decided to error on the side of caution and be as open as possible, while still holding back pertinent details. ¡°I am a sun elf. From what I understand, there aren¡¯t too many of us walking the world these days. What are you?¡± Blinking wide green eyes, the dryad leaned in extra close and brushed her lips across his cheek before she whispered in his ear. ¡°A willow dryad, silly.¡± Sliding along his ribs from behind, the other dryad¡¯s hands encircled his stomach as she pressed her body against him. ¡°We have not had many visitors. Will you be here long?¡± Extricating himself from the tangle of limbs and bodies like a slippery eel, Cire took a step back from the pair. Bumbling out a stammered response, Cire put up his hands between them. ¡°Uhhh¡­ sorry ladies. I¡¯m married.¡± Whipping his head around, Cire searched for help navigating the turbulent waters he was wading in. To his chagrin, the rest of the group was similarly inundated by energetic and forward forest folk. He couldn¡¯t even see Fizz buried under several bodies and twisting branches. ¡°We do not care, do we?¡± ¡°No, sun elf, we do not.¡± Cire was saved further excuses by a loud thunderclap and the matron announcing the arrival of the other party of students. Following the same welcome as before, Eliana¡¯s shrill voice sliced through the ruckus, sending students and dryads scattering. ¡°Setup camp and assemble for assignments.¡± The Wreath didn¡¯t have any buildings, but several of the meliae worked out an agreement to provide shelter. They planted themselves in a large circle around a lone fire pit and spread their branches over it. Calix¡¯s party was sent on a quick circuit around the hamlet, downing several small monsters. Cire and the others were set to prepare camp. Eliana and Obelius walked with each other around the inside of the hamlet¡¯s clearing. While shadowing the party on patrol they reviewed the student¡¯s progress during the trip. Each party had mistakes and successes, but constant improvement was the goal. The wizened melee fighter prompted Obelius on the next topic, ¡°What holes do you see in Cire¡¯s form?¡± Obelius blew a puff of air out his mouth, sending his mustache waving. ¡°Obviously, you are a better judge of that Eli. You have been working closely with him. However, we did form the parties so that we could swap students for the trip. If I was facing him, or any magic user for that matter, it is his approach that is most lacking. He showed some creativity when we fought a troll, but in his current state, the boy is just hack and slash.¡± ¡°His off hand? His legs?¡± Rubbing his chin, the wizard gave her questions some thought. ¡°Cire does not utilize them like you. That is clearly his area with greatest offensive potential. Without a shield, dual wielding, or two handed weapon skill, he is at a disadvantage until he properly incorporates a full body fighting style.¡± I never saw him shift forms. You said he has an ability that greatly increases his physical prowess, but he never displayed it. Does he use a sword after he changes?¡± Tilting her head and giving her long gray braid a tug, Eliana scowled. ¡°No. Cire has only sparred with me in that form. He fears revealing his true self, it holds him back. Mixing skills and abilities is something he has been fixing, but I do not have a years to mold him. If Daphne had not requested his admittance personally...¡± Obelius waved his hand and let a tired wheezing chuckle pass his lips. ¡°But she did. We both know Lady Silverstar is quite aggressive, in ways foreign to the two of us, but just as deadly.¡± Sparking up a campfire after crafting it from gathered downed wood, Cire peered around the inside of the shelter. He couldn¡¯t see any of the meliae faces watching him. However, he could palpably feel the presence of the treefolk all around him, something to do with the density of the air. It¡¯s going to be super weird essentially sleeping inside of other people. The meliae are sentient trees, and the dryads live inside of them, but this is still odd. I guess it¡¯s not any weirder than a tree with perpetual thunderstorms as leaves. As Cire was laying out his bedroll, Calix and the other¡¯s returned. They began spreading out their gear, noticeably on the other side of the makeshift building. Most of the other party were wood elves, but there was another moon elf besides Calix and the lone glade elf in the class. The glade elf had pale skin, dark hair, and almond shaped eyes with a familiar appearance. She stared at Cire unabashedly, keeping eye contact as he unpacked. There was no doubt in Cire¡¯s mind that sooner than later the unwanted tension between him and Calix would come to a head. If he could, he was going to head it off at the pass. Brushing his hands clean, he stood up from his crouch and made his way over to the other party. ¡°What do you want?¡± Resting the urge to reply with an equally short and disagreeable response, Cire flattened the tenor of his response to as banal as possible. ¡°Calix, I¡¯d like to talk for a moment. See if we can work things out.¡± Pursing his lips, the white haired moon elf considered the request. Obviously valuing his public persona, it wouldn¡¯t do any good for Calix to refuse outright. With the instructors absent this was an opportune moment to humiliate the scum who had garnered so much attention. ¡°Speak your piece vampire, but no tricks of glamour or bewitchment.¡± Wrapping a warm, if insincere, smile to his face Cire sidestepped the obvious attempt to provoke him. It wasn¡¯t definite, but Cire was pretty sure that he saw several branches of their roof shake with small tremors. ¡°Mind taking a walk? We can take a look at the trees before the sun goes down.¡± ¡°We can talk here, where there are others. I won¡¯t be brought under your curse.¡± Cire pressed on, evading the barbs and feints of Calix¡¯s words. ¡°It is warmer in here away from the wind. It is best for me to let others judge for themselves. I¡¯d like to apologize. I¡¯ve obviously wronged you in some manner to garner this reaction. What can I do to make recompense?¡± Spitting in the dirt at Cire¡¯s feet, a sneer cut its way across Calix¡¯s visage. ¡°You can keep your filthy cursed blood away from us and keep your disgusting hands away from Katherine. Keep servicing that broken Silverstar and leave with her when she flees to the mountains.¡± Calix couldn¡¯t have picked a much better target to raise Cire¡¯s hackles than he had. A seething heat palpated through his veins as this boy sullied Selene¡¯s name and reputation. He wanted to tear Calix apart, not that he had any illusions that he actually could. It wouldn¡¯t do to appear weak, but he could care less what Calix¡¯s opinion was at this point, this was a demonstration for the others. The best way to undercut an aggressive bully, kill him with kindness and implied insults. ¡°Sure thing. Like I said before, my apologies. I didn¡¯t even ask Katherine to dance, she pursued me. I¡¯ll make sure to steer clear. You¡¯re in luck on the last account as well. I plan to leave during the summer. Got plenty at home to see to.¡± Cire turned and walked to the other side of the shelter and snagged his pack, unwilling to leave its valuable contents out of sight. Several sets of eyes followed him. On his way out of the door, he muttered to himself. ¡°I wonder how he keeps his hair so spotless. I mean, we trudged through the forest for days and it¡¯s as white as snow.¡± Together the class refreshed and reinvigorated themselves at Wreath. Only being a place respite for a day, most did not have a chance to explore the grounds. Although, this did not stop the grounds from exploring them. Their shelter hardly resembled its appearance when first constructed. Meliae had come and gone during the evening, alternating the placement of their branches as needed. Cire found it hard to keep track. He was pretty sure that the willow tree overhanging his section of the structure was the same one he had gone to sleep under, but he hadn¡¯t noticed a stand out feature. Gathering on the western edge of the clearing before setting out, another gaggle of dryads clumped around them. Either some of the class had been overly affectionate with some of the nature folk or they were taking excessive liberties with their goodbyes. In any case, Cire was pleased to see the two willow dryads who had cornered him yesterday draped around Dimitra¡¯s arms, enraptured in conversation. Prying some of the students away from their new acquaintances may have been difficult if it weren¡¯t for Eliana and Obelius. Neither of the teachers would put up with dallying, nor would the matron. With morning mist still chilling the air, the large group set out together towards the center of the island. Far from support, the dozen students and two instructors didn¡¯t split in two, but kept close. Honeydrop still played scout for the combined party, zipping ahead to flit between the trees. The two instructors hung back at the rear of the group. Fizz and the wood elves from the other party moved through the brush fanning out to the sides. Cire walked in the middle behind Lander and Philip, and unfortunately near Calix. Cire¡¯s saving grace was that unlike before, they weren¡¯t conversing while traveling, only waiting until they were resting to exchange words. Pulling up at the banks of a bend in the river, they refilled their waterskins and took a break. Obelius kept watch sitting cross legged on a large boulder while Eliana lectured the group. Her instructions were quick, more commands that statements, each sentence packed with critical information. ¡°We are close to the foothills of the Spine of the Island now. If you do not remember, the spine is neutral territory and cannot be claimed. Hence, the monsters and magic are wild and chaotic. We could as easily run into a high level monster as a magical confluence. Do not wander off and follow our instructions.¡± Still willing to interrupt, even after countless scoldings, Dimitra blurted out her question. ¡°I¡¯ve never been anywhere near the Spine instructor, what monsters are common? How far do they encroach into the forest?¡± ¡°If you had waited, instead of speaking out of turn, you would already have your answer. Mountain ogres, yetis, cynolycus, harpies, and even manticores are common threats the closer we draw to the peaks. We will head south, away from the main ridge. However, many of the threats I have described venture into the forest for food. Be alert, be ready.¡± ¡°Yes teacher.¡± Cire and the others responded. Busy securing his pack, Cire¡¯s hand drifted down and gripped the cool metal of his hidden item, taking comfort in its power. The only entities Eliana had listed that he was familiar with were yetis, and they hadn¡¯t been foes to be taken lightly. He could see others with similar expressions of caution.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Picking their way through the thinning trees, tension built in correlation with their uneventful travel. After Eliana¡¯s wary words, Cire expected a terrifying beast to come rampaging through the bushes. When none came, he was paradoxically pleased and worried. Scattered birdsong and buzzing insects revealed a forest alive in late spring¡¯sheady embrace. Building anticipation of a nebulous threat aside, the band of trainees reached the base of the mountains in good spirits and swung south. After heading back into the forest for several miles, they took to the trees for rest without a fire. Cire volunteered for an early guard shift with Fizz and Honeydrop. The gnome desired a smoke before turning in and the fairy didn¡¯t need to sleep. Dimitra joined in for the first round of watch as well, not wanting to miss out on any choice gossip. Lander and Philip, both exhausted from the heavier weight of their gear turned in after rushing down trail rations. Spread out as they were between three sprawling oak trees, Calix and his knot of companions kept to themselves. The teachers both set their hammocks high in a center tree, easily within earshot. Dimitra and Fizz both sparked up pipes as they split off to the opposite end of camp from Cire and Honey. The fairy took off to search for a flower that grew in the region, but promised to keep an eye out and stick to the perimeter. That left Cire with some time to himself and an opportunity to address a curiosity that had popped up during their trek. Somehow, the mushroom quest had completed. That, along with finishing off the quest to visit the Tempest Treetops, and the various monsters slain along their patrol; pushed him up another level.
Flay the Fungus I, II, & III Complete: Your territory has gained dilapidated dwarven residential and mercantile quarters. Your territory has gained a dwarven fungus farm with a legendary relic. You have gained 6,000 experience points. This quest line was completed by subjects of your territory.
I get experience for quests that members of my territory complete for me? The naga must have expanded into the great hall. What sort of relic did they uncover? I somehow doubt that it¡¯s another piece of the regalia set. I bet it has something to do with how farmed mushrooms turned into mushroom monsters that can explode. Anyways, what Durg and Selene were saying about the benefits of being in a royal house makes a lot more sense now. When I get back I need to send some scouting parties out to find a divine site and see about founding my capital pronto. I had the option to set Sunset or Mistfall Lake as the territorial capital after I bound them. But I prefer founding something new. A fresh start is better to ensure that folks don¡¯t have any preconceived notions of how things will operate.
Elucidate your Elven Ancestry Complete: Your relationship status with Selene and her people has increased. You have gained valuable knowledge regarding sun elves. You have gained 3,000 experience points.
Cire didn¡¯t look over the specific relationship gains. For the most part, everything was still neutral except for a few exceptions. Daphne, Eliana, Fizz, and Honeydrop stood out as individuals he had significant increases with. He hadn¡¯t gotten a notification for Calix, but he had a feeling that he was too far negative for a general quest to effect it. He kept his ears tuned to the forest, not wanting to slack off in his watch duties, but moved on to his leveling notification. Level 14 Acquired!
Earned per level Points
Health & Mana Points You earn 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (3) You earn 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 4 7
Skill Points You currently earn one skill point per level. 4
Ability Points You currently earn one ability point per level. 5
Racial Bonus You earn an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 4
I suppose that answers that. Stat bonuses from items don¡¯t carry over to increasing permanent growth from leveling. It makes sense. Otherwise you could load up a child with Constitution raising items, even if they are hard to come by, and watch their hit points sky rocket during early level growth. Heck, you could pass them around between family members right before level thresholds. Also, ouch. That was one small hit point gain for this last level. At least it feels good to be back to banking points. Keeping them in reserve has paid off before, but I might as well level one of the under developed abilities once, I¡¯ll still have enough to push Bite or Regeneration up a level if needed. If it¡¯s one huge enemy, Bite, if it¡¯s a large battle, Regeneration. Time to see what pumping up the rage ability a tier does. Cire dropped a point into Blood Rage and gave the ability a once over.
Ability Current Lvl Points until next Lvl
Shapechanger: Can change into a small black bat once per rest for a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others. 1 1
Bite: You can savagely pierce your enemies'' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health and experience. HP drain is currently 250 per minute and experience drain is 7% if the target is killed by the action. This ability renders you helpless. This ability is synergistic with Regeneration and will boost it by 1 ability level. 4 4
Regeneration: You can heal from small wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. At your current level you regain 3 HP per minute. 3 3
Blood Rage: Significantly increases your physical stats while decreasing your mental ones. +50% to Strength and Constitution, +30% to Dexterity. -50% to Intelligence, Spirit, and Charisma for the duration of the rage. If your mental resistance is overcome by the ability, you will attack targets at random. At your current level, the duration of this ability is 6 minutes once per rest. Duration is refreshed if Bite is performed while enraged. 2 2
Like Cire had guessed, the ability was still a double edged sword. It had increased in duration by a minute and it had gained a five percent increase with the Dexterity buff, but there was no change in the negative effects. If he wasn¡¯t wearing the crown, with his current level of mental resistance, there was little chance that he wouldn¡¯t go berserk when activating the ability. Based on what I learned from Honeydrop and Daphne, natural abilities evolve when they hit the fifth tier. That¡¯s where I am most likely to see a qualitative change. Still, I was hoping that leveling it would do something more impressive. Even if that hasn¡¯t been the case when I put points into the other two abilities, it would have been a nice surprise.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Eventide Level: 14 Experience: 107,351 Lineage: Sun Elf ¨C Vampire Profession: Fighter Disposition: Flexibly Idealistic (+1 to Chaotic, +3 to Good, +2 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Ancient Elvish, Elvish Handtalk, Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 161/161 Mana: 152/152 Armor: 0 Dodge: 19% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 11 Charisma: 19 Luck: 11 Resistances: 50% Enchantment 20% Weather 5% Mental -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy Favored Enemy: Gnolls
Skills: Wilderness Survival 9, Natural Martial Combat 36, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 32, Natural Sub-skill: Martial Acrobatics 16, Natural Sub-skill: Grappling 6, Significant Swordsmanship 32, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 28, Natural Sub-skill: Curved Blades 10, Natural Sub-skill: Exotic Blades 8, Natural Sub-skill: Surging Strike 16, Natural Scavenging 7, Natural Adventurer 12, Natural Meditation 16, Significant Armor 10, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 10, Average Lore 15, General Sub-skill: Arcana 4, Significant Sub-skill: Mountains and Hills 5, Average Sub-skill: Woods & Forests 9, Significant Sub-skill: Elvish Culture & Customs 10, Natural Sub-skill: Fae Culture & Customs 7, Significant Communication 10, General Sub-skill: Persuasion 5, Natural Sub-skill: Oratory 2, Significant Sub-skill: Diplomacy 6, Significant Climbing 2, Average Sub-skill: Rappelling 2, Average Acrobatics 16, Natural Sub-skill: Flash Step 16, Natural
Abilities: Vampiric Abilities: Shapechanger, Bite (4), Regeneration (3), Blood Rage (2) Skill Abilities: Flash Step, Surging Strike Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, heat vision. Nascent vulnerability to silver and Light Magic. -100% resistance to Holy Magic. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic by 50%, vampiric light & silver vulnerability negated, and vampiric hunger reduced. Elven Heritage: 50% Enchantment resistance. Low-light vision & acute senses, Perception +1. Honorbound: While within the Hamlet of Sunset you receive a 5% bonus to all actions. Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane: As ruler of the territories¡¯ noble house you receive a 10% bonus to all actions within the area. You may summon a territorial keep once per month. Theia¡¯s Blessing: Luck +1, Perception +1. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.
Inventory: High Quality Set of Clothing (Body) Blessed Fine Steel Longsword (Equipped) Scrimshaw Necklace of the Naga (Neck) Warden¡¯s Bracelet of Elucidation (Wrist) Ring of Lunar Sunrise (Finger) Silver Ring (Finger) Backpack: Extra Set of Clothes Bedroll Wool Blanket Fire Sparker 6 Tinctures of Minor Healing 6 Tinctures of Moderate Healing 3 Minor Antidote Elixirs 2 Concoctions of Fiery Death 1 Potion of Naga¡¯s Quickness Crown of Moonlight Food Bundle 3 Waterskins Small Pouch of Coins (Pocket): 1 gold, 11 silver, 54 copper
Cire¡¯s skills continued to climb higher and become more defined as he applied himself during class and the patrol. He was pleased with the progress and felt that his variety of talents was starting to become commensurate with his level. Matching Selene or his peers was still out of the question, but he was rounding out an area of expertise. There was a change of note at the top of his status page. Cire¡¯s disposition had changed. Previously it had been ¡°Reliably Flexible,¡± now it read as ¡°Flexibly Idealistic.¡± He hadn¡¯t gotten a notification, so he wasn¡¯t sure when the shift occurred, but he had a few good guesses. Disposition, reputation, and plenty of other mechanics Cire encountered were finicky. These systems weren¡¯t as straightforward as the items in his inventory, but they were far more complex. The status sheet was more reflection than definition. In the same way that level didn¡¯t truly indicate strength, the written description of his status didn¡¯t truly belie who he was. Buzzing in his ear, Honeydrop landed on his shoulder disrupting his train of thought. She reached out and held onto his ear lobe as she gave him an update. ¡°All quiet! Nothing scary around! I bet we won¡¯t have any fun before we get home.¡± Dismissing his status screen, Cire resisted the urge to turn his head. If he tried to face Honey while she was speaking to him it wouldn¡¯t go well. He had learned this on their night out when he had gotten a fairy hand in his eye. ¡°You just had to go and say that, didn¡¯t you.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 32: Every Flavor of Death ¡°So, one of the Tempestnight¡¯s ancestors supposedly accomplished a divine task given to them by Aeolus, God of the Winds. As a reward for their service he gifted them an acorn made of lightning and clouds. Wherever they planted the seed it would bless the land with fertile rains and the protection of storms.¡± Fizz recounted as they rested for lunch. Cire had inquired regarding the origins of the Scorched Oak of Storms, still taken by the enchanting place. Both knowledgeable of and happy to share the information, the gnome was curiously well informed given he was from a different territory. ¡°So, it¡¯s a divine site? It effects the entire territory?¡± Taking a long slow draw from his pipe, Fizz nodded, forgoing the need to speak as he held in his inhale. Honeydrop flew a series of back and front flips, occupying her relentless energy. Her words came out clipped and oddly patterned as spoke once per flip. ¡°Such-a-gift! To-bless-any-territory-with-a-place-touched-by-Aeolus!!¡± Cire¡¯s eyes followed Honey¡¯s loops and nodded with her assessment. Then he cupped his chin in thought. Maybe he was thinking about divine sites backwards. There were probably plenty of sites linked to permanent geography. However, it was obvious that building one, or planting one in this case, was a viable option to increase the strength of your domain as well. ¡°Any of you know what the quest entailed? The one that was given to the Tempestnight family. That¡¯s a pretty incredible reward.¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Honey said as she twisted in a tight barrel roll before landing on Dimitra¡¯s head. Fizz shrugged and Dimitra shook her head, making Honeydrop buzz her wings to maintain balance. The group finished their apples and walnuts while readying to leave. Fruit and nuts had been prevalent in the supplies they had restocked with at Wreath. They were convenient for the trail and allowed the group to go without a fire if needed, but Cire hoped they ran across game soon. By early afternoon the training patrol had made it far south enough that the fetid stench of the neighboring swamp lingered faintly in the air. Dripping with lichen and moss, the tree branches were heavily laden with extraneous growth. Thick tangled vines hung down like curtains across their path. Without warning, when half the group was ahead of a sheet of vines and the other behind it, the twisting leafed rope groped out at them like a mass of thorned tentacles. Caught towards the rear, Cire was the only melee fighter between the whipping living weapons and the casters. Eliana was already engaged with a pair of vines striking at them from behind. Even traveling with weapons at the ready, the vampire didn¡¯t have time to react offensively. He barely managed to deflect a tendril reaching for his face. Looping around his ankle, another vine jerked him forwards. Twisting his other foot, he flooded his next step with mana and flung himself into the mass of vegetation. Piercing thorns tore through the fabric of his pants and shredded his tunic. Warm floods of oozing red soaked through his clothing. Cire desperately blocked rapid strikes aimed for his head. He couldn¡¯t do much to halt the attacks, hemmed in by close quarters. However, he could keep himself between the deadly ivy and those who could. Green bolts of crackling energy whizzed past his head and struck the plants. Several of the vines wilted and drooped, others slowed. Cire wasted no time, hacking at the immobilized vines with his longsword. Blood dripped into his eyes and clouded his vision. He could hear more incantations from his rear. Desperately he struck out at any vines trying to snake past him that still showed life. Red, green, and pain suffused Cire¡¯s existence as he persevered in a blender of thorns and leaves. He endured through the countless minutes. No break to retrieve a potion. No rest between the thrashing. Only all out effort and constant movement kept him alive. The mages rallied after the sudden ambush. Obelius casting a spell stored in his staff as a reaction and immediately launching into a complex incantation. He wove a complex series of symbols in the air as he spoke low rapid syllables under his breath. The moon elf caster was holding himself in reserve, beating back errant vines with a quarter staff. Ripping through the matted curtain of vegetation and spraying Cire with wet sap, Dimitra¡¯s axe gouged a massive hole into their enemy. Cire jumped to the side, colliding with a tree trunk as he dodged away from his ally¡¯s assault. Another sizzling blast of emerald green energy burst from Obelius¡¯s staff and struck the remaining vines causing them to wither and die. In short order the patrol reunited with twitching segments of vines littering the forest floor. Lander, Philip, the glade elf Erinna, and Calix followed Dimitra through the hole to regroup. Fizz and the other wood elves rejoined them from various places along the sides of the party. Looking a bit ashamed, Honey drop toed the air as she hovered silently next to Cire. The moon elf caster, Iaso, knelt down and pulled Cire to sit next to him. Laying his hands on Cire¡¯s chest, he closed his eyes and offered a short prayer to Artemis to illicit her aid. A gentle cold glowing silver light infused his hands and spread around Cire¡¯s body. Cire was less wary about receiving magical healing now that he knew more about his nature, but he still would have protested. That was, until he had his first chance to see the tatters that remained of his garments. His regenerative powers were doing their due diligence to seal the multitude of wounds, but he was still leaking thick trickles of blood from several places. Cool, like the press of chilled metal, the silvery glow around Cire settled into his skin and dissipated. Relief settled in place of pain almost immediately. Minor itching around small unhealed scratches on his arms and legs still remained, but he felt worlds better. He nodded his thanks, not wanting to step on the instructors words as they issueddirectives. ¡°Ambrose, Chloe, Lysander, Fizzilius setup a four point perimeter. Iaso, save your mana. Cire can recover the rest of the way on his own,¡± Eliana barked. Obelius beckoned Honeydrop with his hand, ¡°Fly ahead, see if anything heard us.¡± A reassuring smile spread across his face. ¡°No one expected you to spot the vine elementals. They are nearly impossible to differentiate from natural brush. Now go, keep us safe.¡±Stolen novel; please report. Waiting for Honey to return, Cire leaned heavily against the tree he was sitting under. If they were in no immediate danger, he really needed to change his clothes. Ragged pieces of cloth adhered to his skin where the blood had seeped through. He was a gruesome sight. Cire fished around in his backpack and took several potions out before putting them into his belt pouch for easier access. During the commotion he wouldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to take one, but they were practically worthless buried in his pack. Besides, they weren¡¯t in glass containers, and mushroom leather vials were hard to break. After resting a few moments, Cire stood and waited for Honey to return. He didn¡¯t want to be caught changing clothes if their fight drew monsters in. The group milled about, wary and on edge. Eventually, Honeydrop came back, flying an easy pace in full view. Shoulders and grips relaxed as they all let out a collective sigh. Stripping with haste, accustomed to changing before the others, Cire threw on his spare set of clothing. His garb had minor reinforcement here and there, in the elbows and knees primarily. But it was nothing like armor and couldn¡¯t stand up to the wear and tear of being hit too often. Thankfully, Dimitra had been carrying an additional spare set for him. Now that he had space in his pack, she passed it over and he left the remnants of his destroyed pair littering the ground. Eliana placed her fingers to her lips and blew out three birdlike whistles, summoning the perimeter guard back to them. Twisting their ears, a distant response echoed the mimicked birdsong. The alert sounded again, carried on the wind from the south, closer this time. Eliana pointed to Fizz and Lysander, their archer, and gestured to the trees. The rest of the group circled up around Obelius and Iaso, Lander and Philip positioning themselves to the front. Echoing through the hefty boughs, another repetitive call bounded to their ears. It heralded allies, but they had been taken unaware moments before. Honeydrop buzzed close to Obelius and Eliana. Her normal voice a whisper, ¡°They must be closing fast! There was no one ahead of us for two to three miles. I swear!¡± Their preparations proved to be in vain as an elven scout approached them running along the tree branches. Dropping down from a nearby tree, a familiar guard dressed in green and brown armor looked over the group. Lucas gave a quick salute to the two teachers and turned his head to issue a series of whistles to the forest. ¡°Don¡¯t we have Tyche¡¯s own luck to run into the academy patrol. Instructors, we have a host of gnolls headed this way. We¡¯ve been tracking them since they left the swamp and breached the forest boundaries. We¡¯re maybe three to four miles ahead of them.¡± ¡°How many? Headed north this whole time?¡± Eliana¡¯s clipped words came out rapidly. Catching his breath, Lucas ran a hand through his chestnut hair before responding. ¡°An advanced group of six to ten is pushing ahead. The dogs have a perimeter guard so we couldn¡¯t get an exact count, but at least fifty,¡± He took a quick drink of water and continued. ¡°Straight north, they haven¡¯t gotten any closer to the mountains.¡± ¡°Tsch, that means they will have a blessing. How many in your group scout? What was your plan before running into us?¡± Obelius asked. ¡°Standard eighteen man compliment. We¡¯re going to set an ambush. There is a good clearing ahead and we¡¯ve been downwind this whole time. We wait until the mutts are halfway across and hit them from the trees.¡± Walking up to the group, several members of the guard gave gestures of greeting. Others hung back and watched the forest. One, a tawny colored elf, laughed openly with a huge grin. Dimitri, the elf Cire had shared the chipmunkin candy with, moved to Dimitra and wrapped an arm around her in a sidelong hug. ¡°Hey sis! I knew you were due to be out here. But it¡¯s crazy running into you like this. Been giving the teachers a hard time?¡± Dimitra rolled her eyes and stepped out of the embrace. Lucas punched Dimitri on the shoulder and then gave Eliana and Obelius an apologetic shrug. ¡°Sorry about that. We¡¯ve been in the field for a while, some of my subordinates are a bit too casual this long out.¡± Eliana tapped her chin with a finger as she thought over the situation. After an appraising look over the gathered students, she gave swift orders. ¡°We will assist. I am taking command. Everyone head to the clearing. We will not let these savages violate our lands.¡± ¡°Have you sent for help? Do you have any idea of the levels or skills of this pack?¡± Obelius questioned while the guards turned and led them to the clearing. ¡°Yeah, our mage sent his familiar back to the garrison. We¡¯re too far away for reinforcements before we engage, but they¡¯re a good safety net.¡± Lucas pulled up at a treeline composed mainly of oak, fir, and pine before a long scar of grassland cut into the forest. ¡°No one has an identify ability, but we took one of their scouts and disguised it as an animal kill. The dog was level sixteen. So, the majority are probably lower level on average. They tend to put their best in their vanguard.¡± Eliana signaled for the class to gather around her with a quick clap of her hands. ¡°I will leave organizing the guard to you,¡± The old instructor balked, realizing that she hadn¡¯t gotten any of the guard members names, and gave a wave towards Lucas. ¡°As for the students, I will assign them to various positions. Obelius, Honey, and Iaso will keep to the back, anyone with ranged skills will take to the trees, and all melee combatants to the edge of the trees. Stay out of the tall grass. If you get injured, pull back to this point to heal.¡± A deep seated anger thrashed through Cire as he struggled to keep himself in control. Bitterness flooded his mouth as he chewed over the word ¡°gnolls.¡± He dropped his pack, took out all the remaining potions and left them against a tree. Finally, he took out his crown, covered in a cloth, and followed the other fighters to the treeline. Running through the knee high grass of the wide open clearing, a single galloping centaur bolted towards them. Breaking his momentum by rearing up onto his hind legs, Kepheus brought himself to a halt in front of Lucas and Eliana. They exchanged a few hurried words. Lucas¡¯s ruddy complexion paled and Eliana¡¯s tightened. Peering out over the waving grass, Cire could barely make out movement behind the opposite treeline. Off to Cire¡¯s side, Dimitra hefted her large two handed axe from her shoulder as she caught sight of what the sun elf had. Fizz called down from a tree above them as he picked his way down to Cire. ¡°From what I can see, there are a whole lot more than fifty of them. Better give me those exploding potions you¡¯ve got fangy. I¡¯ll be able to put them to better use than you can.¡± Right after the nimble gnome snagged the two concoctions of fiery death, and climbed back up to his perch, Honey flew by to confirm their observations. ¡°Kepheus says there are more than a hundred! We wait for as many to get in range as possible before attacking. Obelius¡¯s spell will be the signal!¡± The fairy zipped off heading down the line and informing students and guard alike. Cire logically knew that they were too close to make any sort of organized retreat. The open meadow was little over a mile of separation, but no obstacle. Even if fleeing had been an option, and might end up being their course of action if routed, Cire wouldn¡¯t be part of that group. He hadn¡¯t encountered a living gnoll since that last dreadful night in the hamlet, and if he had his say, none of these would be alive once he wrought his long awaited vengeance. I¡¯m going to tear these gods forsaken pieces of shit apart. So help me, this will be nothing like last time. I¡¯m not the same man, I¡¯m not the same sun elf, and I¡¯m certainly not the same vampire. Cire let the cloth fall from the crown of moonlight, he put the mithril circlet onto his head. He adjusted it so the metal fit snug, even if it was biting into his scalp, he couldn¡¯t afford to lose it. Closing his eyes, he sought to block out the intrusions penetrating his equilibrium. There were no villagers to protect. No matter how many of these gnolls he killed, Eugene and Stacy wouldn¡¯t be brought back to life. That didn¡¯t mean there was nothing to defend. That didn¡¯t mean there was nothing to hunt. Growling in the darkness of his mindscape the terrible predator lurking within his blood bayed on its leash. The crown gave him control, kept his fury caged, but it still howled. His hate begged him to set it free upon the gnoll scouts making their way across the clearing. Cire could hear their huffing breaths and smell the acrid sweat on their fur. Saliva dripped from pointed tips and dribbled down Cire¡¯s chin. Opening his eyes, the vampire had found a calm akin to the eye of a hurricane. He was ready to embrace every flavor of death he delivered upon these unsuspecting victims. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 33: Hidden Tricks Perched on a thick low hanging oak branch, Fizz watched Cire curiously from his hidden position behind a thick bundle of leaves. Ever since the gnome had met the sun elf vampire one day in class, he had felt that Cire wore mystery like perfume. It wasn¡¯t simply because both sun elves and vampires were rare. It wasn¡¯t even that Cire was from a different realm, Fizz knew plenty of people from planes outside his own. As reticent as Cire was about all of those things, he still shared them openly. Fizzilius knew there was more, he could smell it. Sparkling in Fizz¡¯s eye, a gleam of understanding flashed in unison with a sunbeam reflecting from Cire¡¯s donned mithril crown. Plenty of folks wore items like magical circlets to enhance their attributes. But he had never seen Cire wear this item before, and it was far more ostentatious than any other piece of gear he had seen the sun elf employ. Thumbing his long nose, Fizzilius Coppersprocket double checked his inventory of various projectiles. Dwelling on the enigma that was his new acquaintance had its time and place, and the cusp of battle was not it. It wouldn¡¯t do to spoil the ambush, and his range was far shorter than the archers, so he held fast and silent in wait. Gnomish eyes were not nearly as sensitive as elven ones, but they were still were sharp. He could make out a long line of the gnoll scouts pushing through the tall grass. They were spread out, with nearly twenty crossing the field. The humanoid dog beasts long brown fur covered limbs propelled them across the meadow faster than most upright beings. Lolling out of their mouths from the exertion of their trek, long drool dripping tongues wobbled with their gaits. Crossing more than halfway across the meadow, the scouts kept probing, sniffing the air and listening to the wind. On one hand, the elvish band was lucky, the wind, as it often was in a territory blessed by Aeolus, was on their side. The fickle force of nature muted their presence to the main senses of their enemy. On the other hand, the intelligence of the gnoll scouts to cross most, if not all, of the field before calling over the rest of their tribe was troubling. They needed to catch as many of their foe unaware to even out the advantage in numbers the gnolls held. Even if the guard, and to a lesser extent the students, had level and skill advantages on the gnolls, they could still be overwhelmed. One of the groups decisive resources was busy using the end of his staff to draw a complex ritual circle in the soil at his feet. When Obelius, or any caster, had time and a fixed position the results were truly spectacular. He had prepped their area already with a natural blending spell that hid their presence within the forest. However, this next conjuration had a very large radius of effect, he had to cast it before the scouts got too close to the trees. Eliana cinched her gloves and peeked around the side of a pine tree, observing the gnolls. To her senses this didn¡¯t feel like a raiding party, those generally were not as cautious, nor organized. Something was off, she didn¡¯t like it at all when things didn¡¯t line up. She could call for a retreat, but any hope of it being organized would be dubious. If the gnolls didn¡¯t catch up to them, the forest, or its inhabitants, certainly would. The wizened old teacher was not concerned for her own safety, Eliana had little doubt any combatants on the field would be her equal. However, protecting the academy charges was her main consideration. For the moment she would hold herself in reserve. Wiping the drool from his mouth with the back of his hand, Cire shook his head to realign his focus. The waiting was interminable. He wanted to run across the open field and blindly engage, but he wasn¡¯t fighting brainless mushrooms. This was all the more apparent from his position hiding in a bush as the first gnolls breached the treeline on the elven side of the clearing. The dark brown furred lookout tentatively pawed past the first tree while swiveling its head with wary sniffs at the air. Sleek tufts of the scout¡¯s wiry coat poked out between hardened plates of leather armor. Using a long handled halberd it pushed branches aside and tread deeper into the woods. Unease hung in the air like a thick soupy fog. The gnoll couldn¡¯t sense the hidden ambushers outright, but Cire could see the bristling fur of the beasts hackles. Bearing down, the vampire squashed his desire to pounce. Obelius had not released his spell to signal attack, Cire had to wait. Besides, a single dog would be a minor addition to today¡¯s butchers bill. Turning back, the gnoll let out a series of yips that carried across the clearing. These calls were matched by other scouts spread throughout the forest. The gnoll resumed prodding through branches and making its way clumsily through the tightly spaced trees. The lanky grace of its powerful limbs awkward when hemmed in. Cire heard a change in the wind that caught his attention. A subtle thrumming reverberated through the sky as what had been a sunny day with cotton ball clouds rapidly shifted to dark gray. Peels of thunder crashed over head as a localized storm surged in strength. Rain poured down drenching the area, but all of that was inconsequential compared to the lightning. Cire would always remember the lightning. A web of erratic bolts cascaded through the clouds and then dozens of strikes ripped across the clearing. Flashing blue, yellow, and purple the deadly heaven¡¯s fire was a technicolor light show of carnage. While focused on the scout, and the building storm, the sun elf had missed the gnoll army¡¯s advance. In the chaos of Obelius¡¯s grandiose opening Cire couldn¡¯t make an accurate assessment of how many enemies he was truly facing. But based on the number of gnolls he could make out pushing through the random blasts he could make a good guess, and it was anything but encouraging. Regardless, it was time to move. Jumping up from his cover, Cire bounded across the forest floor. Nimbly Cire placed his feet on roots, fallen trees, and less often, firm soil, as he closed on his target. With a surety lacking prior to his training Cire plunged the length of his blade through the back of the scout. The skewered gnoll had turned to look back at the field and the vampire had full taken advantage. Slumping against his blade, the body of the dog beast went limp. Cire leaned forward, bracing, and shoved the corpse forward with his shoulder. Sour copper and dog stink filled his nostrils. Cire hadn¡¯t expected to be that efficient. In the haze of battle he hadn¡¯t noticed the throwing knives protruding from the gnoll¡¯s neck as it fell. Ripping his sword free, he dashed towards the edge of the trees. As he neared the final break in cover before the field Cire almost stumbled. Amidst the remnants of the dying storm poured a river of howling mad canines. Arrows flew into their ranks whittling down their number as they charged. However, each that fell was replaced by two or three more. Cire halted, a moment of clarity tearing through his thoughts as he stared down the sizable host. Turning, he ran along the elven line until he was close enough to their casters and the center of their ranks. Without waiting to second guess himself, he held out his free hand and called forth Hera¡¯s divine bestowal. Dark cloudy mist emanated from all over Cire¡¯s body and streamed through the forest. Gathering on the edge of the clearing, the mist pooled and swirled as lavender voltaic spiderwebs laced through it. Obelius and Iaso took defensive positions as the obviously magical mist collected near them. The wizened old mage¡¯s eyes followed the strange mist back to its source and his bushy eyebrows practically crawled up off his forehead and took flight. Realizing his mistake, Cire gave them a quick wave and shouted. ¡°Get inside!¡± ¡°Inside what?¡± Obelius and Iaso both asked practically in unison. Cire didn¡¯t have time to discuss, he assumed they would figure it out once the keep solidified out of the amalgamating cloud. He turned back towards the clearing and sprinted back to his position in the line. Burning all of this energy before the thick of it was dangerous, he would need everything he had, and more, to push through what was to come. Ahead, an unknown member of the guard stood on the edge of the clearing using a long spear to push back the first wave. Three gnolls were keeping him tied up with feints and coordinated attacks. All the nimble elf could manage was to defend his ground. He was still getting pushed back. Cire angled his approach to the side of the defender, around a tree to his flank that he was using to prevent approach. Springing from cover, the sun elf swung his sword with a wide horizontal slice at one of the attackers. Cire¡¯s sword tore through gnoll hide and armor alike. He kept moving. Bands of gnolls were forming ranks and charging up and down the length of the clearing. Simply moving to the next clash, Cire wove through the line in a deadly dance. A wicked curved scythe raced towards him, but he was gone. His sword struck exposed backs and unarmored legs as he pirouetted and whirled. Constant movement was Cire¡¯s boon companion. Using the trees, he avoided getting pinned down. Cire only spent enough time in the clearing to steer a fight to each ally¡¯s advantage before ducking behind cover. The strategy worked, for a while. Slicing through a particularly gangly gnolls hamstring, causing the monster to collapse to one knee before Lander, a wicked smile tore across Cire¡¯s lips. He got caught up in the frenzy. Losing himself to the sirens song of violence and blood, Cire ran faster. He cut deeper. He pushed harder. Crown or no, Cire¡¯s hate and anger towards the canines was driving him to pursue reckless actions. His thoughts may not have been clouded by the rage, but nor were they fully tempered by fear or caution. Directed by his objective, to defeat the opponent on the field before him, Cire¡¯s actions became efficient, analytical, and without mercy or concern. Dashing up to Dimitra¡¯s flank, Cire¡¯s sword sliced neatly between a gap in one of her three foes armor. The beast snarled and snapped its jaws at Cire, saliva flying over him as he ducked under the reckless attack. The dog¡¯s shield arm dropped from the wound Cire had inflicted, exposing its stomach. Cire lunged, attempting run the gnoll through.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Mid-stride Cire knew he wouldn¡¯t avoid the counter. This gnoll wasn¡¯t carrying one of their typical unwieldy slow, but powerful, weapons like a halberd or scythe. Held in it¡¯s ashen speckled furred fist was a twisted looking morning star, all spikes and ridges. It raced towards Cire¡¯s side and free hand, right as the tip of his sword pierced the gnolls hide the oozing dripping spikes of the beasts weapon began ripping through Cire¡¯s shirt. Next, something odd happened, at least to Cire¡¯s perception everything seemed to slow. He wasn¡¯t moving any faster, he couldn¡¯t suddenly boost himself, and it was far too late to use his skill abilities to change the outcome. Maybe if he had started the charge with a flash step or used surging strike as he lunged, but now, neither skill would change things. Cire knew he couldn¡¯t dodge, but maybe somehow he could somehow deflect the strike? Channeling mana through his hands and feet to move or strike, after instruction and practice, felt natural. Grasping for a solution in the moment, Cire acted on instinct. In the split second between contact of the gnolls weapon with his skin, the spikes piercing his skin, he got lucky. Energy burst from Cire¡¯s side where the morning star struck him and threw the weapon backwards. The force tossed him into a spin, the tip of his sword whirling through the gnoll and opening it¡¯s stomach, causing the gnoll to drop. Crashing against a tree, his head struck the trunk jarringly as he tumbled to the ground. Cire slumped, a warm wet feeling spread across his midsection. He could hear Dimitra yelling, at him maybe, he couldn¡¯t make sense of what she was saying. Her great axe swung in huge arcs pushing back the remaining attackers. Two more gnolls moved in to replace their fallen comrade. Clawing at the tree trunk, Cire pulled himself to his knees. His head slumped against the bark as the world spun. Bile rose in his throat and exited with the contents of his stomach into the grass. The strong acrid smell of his meal triggered a pertinent memory of one-on-one training with Eliana. Cire coughed and grit his teeth. After pulling multiple potions from his pouch, he downed them one after the other. The last student, besides himself, had packed up and left a short while ago, leaving Cire alone in the sparring room with the palaestra, Eliana. She had called him out at the end of class signaling he was to stay behind, but gave little away as to what she wanted to talk with him about. The leathery skinned old elf cinched the tie in her long gray hair and rolled up her fighting tunic¡¯s sleeves. She was holding one of the simple sapwood sparring swords, checking it for wear and imperfections. She spoke as if distracted by her task at first, however, her words were direct and to the point as always. ¡°The class has known you are a vampire since your introduction. It was the prudent thing to do considering the risk, both to them and to yourself if they found out later that you were hiding such a thing.¡± The instructor moved opposite him and held her wooden sword up in a simple guard position. ¡°But you have not used any of your vampiric abilities during a single one of our training sessions, besides your regeneration of course. If you do not train with your greatest weapons they will dull and break when you need them most. Like on our upcoming excursion.¡± Cire looked at Eliana and gulped. ¡°It¡¯s not quite that simple palaestra. You know the other abilities I possess. I went over them with you. Turning into a bat wouldn¡¯t help in combat and it¡¯s not like I can drain any of the other students, what if I pass on the curse? I can¡¯t use the blood rage either, I still can¡¯t control it.¡± Cire looked towards the weapons hanging on the wall, avoiding her heated boring gaze. ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t risk using the item to help during class, it¡¯s far too valuable for me to let anyone know about, besides you instructor.¡± A scowl began to press it¡¯s way onto Eliana¡¯s face, but pinched off at the end of the naive boys speech. He took too much for granted and knew too little. He was getting better, less rough around the edges, but there was still so much potential to mold. The circumstances frustrated more than him, but he was right in front of her and she was too old to not be direct, nor did she care enough to soften her words. ¡°Do not be daft child. Of course, you need to work on your rage ability.¡± The old teacher let out a weary sigh. ¡°Both with the item and without. You may need to fight without the circlet and have no other options besides vampiric fury. What will you do then, give up and die? I think not, you will use what tools you possess. So, learn to use them.¡± Cire hesitated, he knew it was incredibly unlikely that he could actually hurt Eliana. However, he had only unleashed that part of himself in dire need or controlled circumstances. Thoughts tumbled through his head of the previous times he had used the ability. Even with the crown, he was hesitant to tap into the power, doing more to prove Eliana¡¯s point than any words really could. Does my fear of what I might do without control outweigh my fear of facing an enemy I cannot defeat? If I am not going to train myself to my full potential, what is the point of spending this time here at the academy? ¡°Stop fidgeting and come at me boy, I do not have daylight to spare.¡± Eliana barked. Going still, Cire took a slow steadying breath and gave her a slight nod. He knew there would be no argument brooked or escape from her request, Eliana was exceptional at pushing her students, whether they wanted it or not. Self inspection was put on hold for the immediate. ¡°I don¡¯t have the crown with me. It goes without saying, but subdue me until the ability runs it¡¯s course.¡± Obviously tired of waiting, Eliana scoffed and pivoted on her heel swinging an obviously telegraphed strike towards Cire¡¯s head. Cire ducked out of the way and flung himself backwards to create distance. Touching the fury writhing through his veins was easy, too easy. Without the crown muting its effects, even with a centered mind, it roared and thrashed as he activated the ability. Rushing from his throat in a torrent, a wail of passion and pain loosed as physical changes rippled across his body. Violent jerks of muscle and bone reshaped his physique. He was larger across the chest and in the arms. Talons burst from the tips of fingers, the practice sword slipping from his grip and falling to the floor. Before the clattering of woodhad ceased the vampire was springing towards Eliana. A wild snarling scramble of swiping claws, whirling kicks, and animalistic movements at first pushed the older combatant back. She met each attack that got close with a block, but managed to sidestep and deftly maneuver herself around the gym. She didn¡¯t attack, not yet. This was a test, and she needed to draw out everything this form of his currently possessed. It wasn¡¯t a dance, it was scattered, rapid, and messy. The vampire smashed through an ornate banister leading to the sparring surface. Eliana easily kept her distance with a quick hop backwards. In the spray of splinters Cire kept coming, but she needed him pushed to the brink. ¡°Is that all there is to you?¡± Using quick rapid strikes, Eliana slapped about Cire¡¯s body. One hit on the elbow, several on exposed joints and even one across his knuckles. All focused on causing pain and make it clear she was toying with him. ¡°No hidden tricks? Only brute force and a bad complexion?¡± Verbal banter during a battle galled her, it was a tool of the indecisive or the prideful. However,Eliana wasn¡¯t truly fighting, she was teaching. At least the other students were not here to witness it, nor the other instructors. The vampire didn¡¯t growl, or strike immediately at the taunts. It actually paused its reckless string of slashes and stood somewhat still. Gnashing his teeth and stomping the ground, his eyes searched around the room and nostrils flared. Eliana wasn¡¯t one to give enemies pause, but a rage induced fury didn¡¯t often present them. It was curious, so she watched. Keeping him at a distance was wise. She watched with curiosity as he shook his head like a beast shooing away flies. As suddenly as the strange behavior began, it ceased. This next charge by the vampire wasn¡¯t anything like the one before. Eliana was not so green a fighter that she didn¡¯t immediately sense the change. Nor was she so worn down that watching a student experiment and exceed their limitations didn¡¯t excite her. Clouded in the rage, Cire didn¡¯t fully appreciate his next actions. When he looked back on the memory after the training though he saw whole worlds of possibility open before him. Mana surged through the soles of his feet as he activated the vampire activated the first skill ability, flash step. This put him within reach of Eliana as he used his next ability. Slashing towards the instructor with blinding speed, Cire¡¯s talons were propelled by mana from surging strike. One clawed hand swept towards her mid-section while the other angled for her throat. All his effort was thrown into reckless offense, disregarding her wooden sword entirely as a nuisance. Pivoting on her heels, Eliana grinned as she activated her own skills abilities in response. Suddenly her entire form took on a hazy blurry appearance and a soft blue glow covered her whole body. The combined effect made her difficult to focus on and extremely hard to pick out any details in her movements. She felt the barest graze of his claws across the front of her tunic and a brush of air near her neck as Cire rushed past. The palaestra kept up the exchange for another minute, seeing if in his enraged state he would overuse his mana or find any new tricks. Once she was satisfied that this was as far as his current skill level could produce she decided to end the lesson. Pulsing in an erratic strobing pattern, the light suffusing Eliana¡¯s form began to flash and darken like the phosphorescent communication of a bizarre deep sea fish. Her movements became unreadable as she vaulted over Cire, using a leaping ability. As the vampire turned to face her the tip of her wooden sword thrust hard into his gut. Eliana was relentless with strikes to his arms, chest, and thighs. He would wake up bruised, but besides the mana drain and the accompanying headache, everything could be healed. A final elbow to his jaw, to remind him that a warrior was more than their weapon, sent him sprawling to the ground enraged state or not, he could still be rendered unconscious with enough mana drain and a good beating. It only took a few moments for Cire to rouse, his enraged state having waned away. The first thing he did was grab a waterskin to wash away the taste of bile and blood in his mouth. His memory was always cloudy after using the rage ability, but he could taste the results easily enough. Gritting his teeth against the remnant pain ebbing through his body, Cire tried to steady himself. He swallowed hard to rid himself of the lingering bitter after taste of his sick and it triggered an interesting thought. After taking a slow steadying breath, he firmed his resolution. If Cire had lost more hit points, he might have fully passed out. If he had hit his head hard enough to knock the crown off, it wouldn¡¯t have worked. If he had been put in a less desperate situation, he might not have had the same options. But that wasn¡¯t the case. Cire took a slow shuddering breath as he braced himself against the tree and pulled himself to stand. Fumbling with the pouch tied to his belt, he growled as he tugged at the ties. The adrenaline rushing through his veins helped in many aspects, fine motor control was not one of them. He finally got the pouch open and pulled out several potions. Yanking the stoppers off, Cire downed two healing tinctures and the potion of naga¡¯s quickness in a couple of terrible gulps. The mixture of the various concoctions tasted absolutely foul. Perhaps they tasted better to a snakes palate, but Cire doubted it. A curious aftertaste of what he swore was root beer lingered on his tongue. The remaining flavor was the least of his concerns after he began to feel the effects rush through his body. Cire only had a short window to deliver maximum impact on the battlefield, he couldn¡¯t afford to hesitate. Without making eye contact with Dimitra, who was still carving out space with mighty swings of her axe, Cire double checked his crown and put his sword into its sheath. Taking a quick survey of the immediate battlefield, watching the tides of gnolls pouring into the treeline, Cire banished the lingering doubt and committed to his course of action. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 34: Apex Hunter Obelius scanned the clearing through the remnants of his conjured storm. The battlefield had quickly turned into a quagmire of mud, trampled grass, and blood. From his observation post atop Cire¡¯s summoned keep he could assess that his Tempest spell at the start of the engagement had given them the initiative. Worryingly, the gnolls hadn¡¯t broken or become disorganized in the maelstrom, they had solidified. Circles of ten to twenty gnolls a piece spread across the clearing bunched into tight formations. The canine warrior¡¯s longer reach, and penchant for weapons that matched, fit their strategy perfectly. Multiple skirmishes had broken out up and down the treeline where the gnoll formations pushed into the elven forces. Muttering under his breath, Obelius dropped a couple of choice curses and looked over the others who had joined him atop the battlements. Iaso was busy casting various support spells on those within range, hastening their steps with the swiftness of wind or buffering them with shields in opportune moments. The moon elf caster showed his true value as he imbued ready arrows with blessings of wind causing them to fly faster and further. Several archers had joined them, one of Calix¡¯s retainers and two from the guard that he did not know the names of. Preparing a spell to continue disrupting the terrain and slow the gnoll¡¯s advance, Obelius began to chant and wave his staff in the air. A roaring lance of flames struck the top of the keep and licked at the ranged combatants forcing them to duck behind the crenels. With his spell interrupted the wizard staggered with mana backlash, but was able to keep to his feet. ¡°Distract their casters! We need to maintain the high ground or we are done for!¡± Without leaving cover, Obelius reached into a bottomless satchel on his belt and took out a weathered scroll case. The instructor was a veteran of many conflicts, as an adventurer in his youth, member of the royal guard as an adult, and finally as an officer in the cities army. He knew when a clash was about to turn pear shaped, and the first moments of this conflict screamed at his well honed senses. No one had prepared for the gnolls to have magic users in their ranks. Screams and smoke rose up from under the keep. Several trees near them caught fire as he scrambled with the stopper holding the scroll tube closed and unfurled the delicate piece of paper. Obelius placed it on the cold black stone of the keeps roof and pressed his palm into the complex patterns crafted in magical ink. Closing his eyes he began to channel his mana into the item to activate its magic. A green and yellow orb struck the head of one of the archers at his side. The unstable magic burst and flooded the rooftop in a quickly spreading sickly stinking miasma. Wracking coughs sprung from Obelius¡¯ lips as spit sprayed, but he kept his hand pressed and his mana flow focused. The archer collapsed at his side, but he couldn¡¯t spare a moment to look and assess the elf¡¯s condition. On the far side of the keep, Calix and several others were being pushed back into the forest. Their defensive line lost positioning and exposed the flanks of the fighters on the edge. Erinna, the glade elf, had taken the hammer end of poleaxe to the head and was insensate on the ground. Chloe, a wood elf in full plate armed with a great sword, defended him by cutting at the shafts of the long weapons wielded by the gnolls. She had already managed to take the heads off two spears and a pike, but the hedgehog style attack of her enemies continued to press. Nimbly weaving her way through several attacks, Eliana burst into the canines ranks. Her whole body blurred and six illusory copies surrounded her as she dashed in between the gnolls. Flashing with a shroud of blue-white light, Eliana¡¯s razor sharp saber slashed and parried rapidly. With each strike splintering shocks of lighting spread between her foes. She turned aside all attacks and her impressive display provided more than sufficient distraction for the elven force to re-group. On the other side of the keep the lines held in an uneasy stalemate. The gnolls would surge forward pushing Lander and Philip deep into the trees. Members of the guard would hit back with skirmishing strikes to take ground. Many lacking plate, the forest warriors were outfitted for ease of movement in thick brush, the guards couldn¡¯t directly square off with such a massive host. Fizz whistled a shrill short call and his throwing daggers disappeared from the gnolls flesh they were embedded in and reappeared in the sheaths at his hips. Ducking into a thick clump of leaves, he hid for a moment to allay attention. Fizz couldn¡¯t reposition himself easily and he couldn¡¯t afford to be caught, caution would be his watch word for the day. The gnome had barely been able to keep the gnolls from circling around Dimitra and attacking Cire when he had gone down. Running his fingers over the potions Cire had given him, he considered using the pivotal tools, but his hand went to his daggers hilts again. In this chaos, keeping a few tricks in reserve would prove wise in his estimation. Emerging from his cover, spinning blades flew from his nimble fingers and found bloody purchase once again. Showers of multi-colored sparkles sprayed along the line as Honey buzzed all of the gnolls she could in a mad dash. The fairy looped and spun between gnoll, elf, and weapons alike. As she rounded a tree near the end of the line she pulled herself up short. Knowing the curious elf with golden hair, a ready smile, and friendly demeanor was a vampire was one thing, seeing it, was another. It was his eyes, there was a near lunatic sheen to them and they were beyond bloodshot. His mismatched pair of purple and blue irises stood out all the more surrounded by the crimson backdrop. Those orbs drew her focus until she saw glints of light from his fangs and claws. He was panting and looked to be readying himself. That¡¯s when Honeydrop was truly surprised. Going through the physical changes of his enraged form was never pleasant, but with healing potions swimming in his system Cire barely noticed the pain. He was too focused. The crown induced a state of unnatural calm and objectivity when his system was flooded with so much stimuli. However, the vampiric rage lowered his intellect and critical thinking regardless of being consciously in control of his actions. Taking a steadying breath, Cire felt like ages had passed during his transformation. He knew that it had only been moments, but details of the plan he had come up with before changing had already begun to elude him. He ticked off the major elements of his plan that remained in his head as he readied himself by dropping his remaining ability points into his Regeneration ability. Cire was fully aware that this was the second time he was increasing the ability mid-battle and thanked Eugene for the long ago advice to save points for critical circumstances. I took the potions and activated the Blood Rage. Now I need to hit as hard as possible. Don¡¯t get too far from the line. Stay moving. Disrupt as much of the battlefield as I can. Flexing his sword hand, he looked over the curved deadly talons that had erupted to replace his fingernails. During his enraged state he had never been able to truly examine them, that was until Eliana had pushed him into sparring in the form. A quick look confirmed what Cire already knew. In close quarters the ability granted him weapons he couldn¡¯t hope to purchase.
Talons of the Apex Hunter Attack: 4d6 (Slicing or Piercing) Rarity: Divine Quality: Masterpiece Effects: 1. +1 to hit for every 10 levels of the vampire. 2. +1 to damage per die for every 10 levels of the vampire. 3. Venom Coated ¡ª 1d6 poison damage per turn for 3 turns once inflicted per every 10 levels of the vampire. 4. Counts as a magical weapon. Inherent ¨C cannot be removed or transferred. Ignores all proficiency requirements for use. 5. ???
The claws possessed one major flaw though ¨C lack of reach. Against the gnolls, on open ground, that would be a death sentence. Perhaps there was a way to have the best of both worlds.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Without the crown it would have taken him months, if not years, of meditation to develop enough mental resistance for clear thought while his mind was assaulted. Cire¡¯s training with Eliana had pushed him in many ways. Forcing him to explore various aspects of his abilities, even if he had not fully realized them, was only part of her guidance. With an effort and concentration Cire willed the claws to retract on one of his hands. It felt unnatural in his current state, yet he persisted. Once each of the deadly hooked and hardened nails was pulled back, a wicked smile crossed his face. Fang points shown easily over his curling lips and hearkened violence almost as much as the softly glowing sword he drew from its sheath. Preparations made, Cire bolted from his position. Speed and dexterity boosted well beyond his standard through the combination of the Blood Rage and the potion of Naga¡¯s Quickness propelled his steps rapidly. Cire had been training with increased movement abilities for months, while it hadn¡¯t been continuous, he had strung more than a few Flash Steps together at a time. This meant he only suffered a few jerky steps and managed to avoid tripping over himself as he acclimated. ¡°On your right!¡± Cire yelled as he moved next to Dimitra and engaged one of the many foes trying to skewer her. For a moment they worked in tandem, his excessive speed and acrobatic movements dancing around the outskirts of her wild swings. They effectively beat back the closest schiltron style gnoll formation by snapping spear hafts and cutting off tips. A gap formed in the gnoll line. Cire jumped, quite literally, at the presented opportunity. Propelled by a Flash Step with each foot he whipped into the center of the canines as a whirling dervish of death. Every piece of exposed flesh he saw within reach was sliced and ripped. He parried incoming strikes with his sword and pivoted to slash with his talons. Ducking under the clumsy bite of a yellow spotted gnoll, he spun to give himself an area to maneuver. Covered with dangling beads and colorful strings woven through its fur, a hulking feral beast of a gnoll stomped towards Cire. Spit flew as angry barking growls escaped gnashing teeth. Twisting in its grip, the handle of an over sized mace rotated as the gnoll attacked from an unexpected angle. In the midst of battle, with his mind clear, but with his critical thought hampered Cire acted on training and instinct. He didn¡¯t block the weapon moving with crashing momentum or parry, he rolled under the attack and raked his claws across the uncovered calves of his foe. Springing upwards his sword lashed out, empowered by the mana of a Surging Strike, and took the beasts head from its shoulders. Blood sprayed over his body, stink filled his nostrils, and the cacophony of battle rang through his Cire¡¯s ears. He could taste the chaos on the wind. None of it shook him from his purpose. A sting spread across his back and a searing pain pierced his thigh. He pressed through with faith in his newly increased self healing. Cire burst out of the other side of the pack of gnolls and ran across open ground towards the next. He left the gnoll formation disorganized and in tatters. Towards the center of the open grass and mud, a knot of tightly packed canines guarded a group of four. These gnolls wore robes, held twisted wooden staffs, and were howling madly against the dying wind of Obelius¡¯ storm. Surges of anger, distinct and separate from the natural bloodlust of his predatory vampire form, bucked at the restraints in his mind. As he ran in a zig zag pattern in the open field he saw two more large gnolls step out from the pack in the middle. Swirled paint markings and black-red feathers threaded in their fur appeared the same as the leader of the raid on Sunset. Cire closed in on the two beasts that dwarfed his last opponent. Even with his dulled state of mind he knew that interrupting the gnoll casters was critical. It wouldn¡¯t do any good to charge in, that¡¯s why he had trained. Easily out pacing the gnolls, even with their larger size, Cire looped around the outside of the center pack. This began to accomplish his goal of drawing the two large attackers towards him along with the eyes of the casters. He was the first of the elven forces to reach them and he was not what they expected from the woodland host. The howls of the gnoll shamans began to crescendo, their haunting rhythm increasing in pace. Cire pivoted and dug the side of his foot into the ground to arrest his momentum and turned towards his pursuers. One had a massive great sword and the other wielded a two handed hafted blade that Cire had no name for. Neither was a good option, so he angled himself towards the one that was slightly ahead. No time to second guess, Cire channeled mana through the soles of his feetand picked up speed. He didn¡¯t count the number of steps, he needed every bit of advantage that he could in this moment. A feint of his sword drew out an attack from the great sword wielder and Cire leapt. The tip of his sword ran the length of the gnoll¡¯s sword weakly as he ascended but kept it at bay. The wide eyes of the gnoll bulged as Cire planted a foot into its chest. The vampires next step was placed roughly into the gnolls shoulder and a burst of mana threw the canine down. Cire was propelled through the air as he rolled into a corkscrew flip arcing over the defenders before him. Without his enhancements and practice bouncing around a sparring room he would have never pulled it off. As it was, he got tagged by one of the two gnolls during his jump on his side. Cire landed in a roll to disperse his momentum and came popping up right before the casters. His appearance alone shattered the concentration of at least one. The cleaving strike of his sword broke the focus of another as she was forced to block. Changing the direction of his staff, the shaman furthest from the vampire shifted his target instead of getting distracted. Realization shown in Cire¡¯s eyes as he made eye contact with the gnoll who was pointing a staff at him. The time limit on his gambit was up, he needed to get out. Cire turned to run as the casters defenders closed around him and the shaman had him in his sights. There was a short moment where everyone seemed to slow down around him. He saw a gap in the line as two gnolls bounced off each other as they rushed him. Right as Cire was throwing himself at the gap, the ground rolled and bucked under his feet. His Flash Step propelled him at an angle and he went down in a tumbling heap. The earthquake didn¡¯t stop after an initial shake, it continued and grew in strength. Gnolls fell around him and were tossed around in the mud. The clouded sunlight was blocked out further as a towering earth elemental, no it was something more, pulled itself from the soil and formed in the center of the meadow. Soil, stones, grass, bushes, and even a few small trees had amalgamated into a humanoid form that was easily three to four stories tall. With a ponderous sweep of its arm it tossed a group of gnolls who had risen flying in scattered directions. It turned and repeated the motion with its other arm. Cire squirmed on the ground to avoid a gnoll¡¯s swinging axe that sunk into the dirt next to him. He needed to get up, he needed to move. Reaching up with his clawed hand, Cire sunk his talons into the gnoll who had just struck. Yanking himself to stand, he shredded the beasts arm into strips of sinew. A heavy blow from a war hammer crashed into Cire¡¯s shoulder and pushed him back. He managed to stay on his feet, which was all he needed. Hurdling over downed gnolls and thrust weapons, Cire broke free of the scrum and onto open ground. A thundering jolt as the elemental stepped forward and crushed several gnolls under foot tested his Cire¡¯s own footing. With room to maneuver the flexible vampire was having a better time navigating the altered terrain than most. While running Cire could feel the power fueling his enhanced movements waning. Whipping his head around he tried to figure out where he was in relation to the elven lines, the massive elemental, and the closest gnoll formations. Cire was stuck much closer to the far treeline than he had expected after being tossed about. The way he saw it he had two options, try and make it back across the unpredictable field of battle or take his chances in the unknown woods, either way he was isolated. I¡¯ll be to vulnerable if I try and Bite a gnoll to increase the length of the rage. I should have done that before now. No second guessing during a fight Cire, find cover. Twisting towards the trees, Cire poured on every bit of speed and agility he could muster. Dodging out of the way of a charging gnoll and vaulting over a smaller gnoll who was dragging an injured warrior on the ground put him only a few strides from concealment. An arrow thudded into Cire¡¯s shoulder causing his grip to falter on his sword. Tumbling from his hand, the sharp metal fell to the ground. He didn¡¯t waste time on looking back, or even double clutching towards his sword, he dove into the brush and behind the first trunks he could find. Several more arrows whizzed past him or thunked into the bark at his passing. Pulling up behind a tree deeper into the woods, Cire poked his head around and looked to see how many were in pursuit. Too many, he couldn¡¯t count them all before he yanked his head back and started pressing on. Why? Sure, I was pretty damn showy, but the gnolls were demonstrating impressive discipline before my escapade. Why would they be chasing me like this? Cire felt the Blood Rage slip, the bound fury wailing in his mind began to grow fainter as if buffeted by wind, less distinct. He needed the power or he was going to get caught. Running straight through a bramble bush he let the thorns rip into his skin and the tattered remains of his clothes. Blood ran across his skin as his dulled mind scrambled for options. Grasping for more, his tireless rapid pace began to take its toll and he stumbled over a root. While getting his feet fully back underneath himself he felt the strength ebb from his form completely. A weariness began to settle into his muscles as the fog in his mind began to lift. Cire had faced a similar challenge before, if not in form then in function. During his first night on this world he had to endure to survive harsh conditions. Hell, he hadn¡¯t entirely survived for that matter. An aspect integral to who he was had been revealed in the wake of that event, one he had yet to truly utilize, having never had a need. Reaching inside of himself Cire summoned the force surging through his blood to return. He had never actually triggered an ability reset through his Indefatigable aspect previously. Cire had never been a reason to turn into a bat more than once per day and the only other ability with a cooldown was the rage. There was an instinctual nature to it, not the same as manipulating mana, but something similar. Cire felt an odd sensation rush through him, at first a wave of nausea bubbled from his stomach, but it was gone quickly and replaced with a bright-eyed refreshed feeling. Before Cire¡¯s claws could fully retract or his fangs could retreat he willed the rage to activate once again. Hammering heartbeats shuddered through his body and it felt like molten lava was flowing through his veins. The searing pain abated as his regeneration went to work. Cire didn¡¯t know what had entirely happened, but he could tell his distracted steps had yielded ground to his pursuers. Barks and yips closed on his position as they echoed through the trees. Deep enough into the forest to correct his course, Cire made to circle around the outside of the meadow and rejoin friendly territory. Arrows continued to fly past him on either side, but his ability to weave in and out of cover prevented any more from hitting him. Cire hoped that he would simply be able to outrun the chasing enemies, he was wrong. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 35: For the Pack Orbs of orange and red fire zipped between the trees and exploded on Cire¡¯s heels. On the plus side, he had drawn one of the casters from the main battlefield. On the negative side, he had drawn the attention of one of the casters! The spells were interspersed with deadly arrows and other projectiles. He didn¡¯t have many options except to escape before his enhancements wore off. Cire poured on the speed. The fireballs started to taper off along with the other ranged attacks as he got deeper into the forest. Cire attributed it to not wanting to waste arrows or mana. A pile of mossy boulders in his path blocked out a small gully shrouded by large oaken canopies. Cutting quickly around the corner to maintain cover, Cire was agape at what he had run headlong into. Arrayed throughout the gully, hemming him in on all sides, were easily over fifty gnolls, maybe over a hundred. Blood covered, without a shirt, and armed with only his talons; Cire felt woefully outmatched. Memories of Sunset being flooded by an overwhelming host, the tavern surrounded on all sides, crashed through his thoughts like the Swiftwater River during the spring thaw. A savage roar was the only warning the gnolls had before Cire struck. The vampire had enough presence of mind to not repeat his previous mistake. He slashed at each of the closest gnolls, more to push them off balance than to deliver damaging blows. Their blocks were feeble and the pitchforks they brandished were unwieldy, easy to avoid. Cire dodged and moved past them. Kicking up leaves as he accelerated with a mana infused footfall, Cire bowled through a small gangly gnoll. Other canines in the circle had started to react, many scattering to the walls of the depression. Yips of panic echoed around the semi-enclosed space. Several small gnolls hid behind larger ones, clumping up in odd numbered bunches. Only two groups stood between the vampire and the exit to the gully across from him. Fully extending his arms while readying his claws, Cire charged at the closest one. There were maybe five, they had wooden and metal implements brandished towards him. Cire prepared to unleash an empowered slash to start the engagement off with a decisive declaration. A look of pure terror, wide eyes and lolling tongue, swept over the gnolls face as she froze in place. Shimmering around Cire, a white-silver glow suffused his form. Cire felt the gentle caress of Selene press against him, and he stopped in his tracks. There was no way to mistake the goddess¡¯ touch for anything else. Ever since his visit to her temple the lingering memory of his experience flitted often through his thoughts. Suffusing his mind, a clarity as cold as moonlight bloomed. A flash of concentrated light emanated from his crown as the goddess¡¯ power channeled through the item and faded. Cire¡¯s vision swept the crowd of gnolls again and he noticed illuminated details that his battle focused mind had dismissed. None of them held true weapons, only farming implements and hiking sticks. More than half of the gnolls were pups cowering behind gray furred elders or crutch using infirm. Most importantly, they were absolutely scared witless. Cire took a step back. He had seconds at most to make an irrevocable decision. One of the pups stepped before an adult they had been hiding behind and threw a rock at Cire, it missed badly. If I attack these gnolls, these people, if I attack these people it wouldn¡¯t be self defense or in open combat. I would be the aggressor, maybe I already am and I don¡¯t know it. Maybe we don¡¯t know it. A honking sound trumpeted from the canopy above as a flutter of white wings flew between the branches. It broke the silence and distracted a significant number of the gnolls who were already on edge. Cire made up his mind. Lowering his hands to his sides, he didn¡¯t think displaying the talons by raising his hands would give the best impression, he took a slow step to the side of the group. Then Cire inclined his head towards the end of the gully leading out of the sheltered area. He took another step when none of the gnolls moved. Some of them shifted, clearing a path from him or pressing back as far as they could. Gritting his teeth, Cire took slow agonizing steps trying not to show any aggression. Heart beats thundering in his ears made the calm movements difficult. He didn¡¯t have time to waste, but rushing would only lead to ruin. When he had made it over two thirds of the way to freedom he heard the howls. Most of the gnolls went rigid, but one let out a return howl. It sounded crisp and clear echoing across the small ravine¡¯s walls. Cire ran. A flurry of movement burst from the crowd. Most moved in a rush towards the side of the depression that Cire had entered on. Barking and howling filled the tight confines of the gully. Rocks flew at Cire. A couple caught him in the torso, but none of the makeshift projectiles inflicted significant harm. Only a few strides from freedom, an elderly gnoll swung a stick at Cire¡¯s legs. He easily hurdled over the obstruction. Actively resisting attacking back, the vampire ground his teeth and pressed on. In short order he had re-entered the overgrown forest. Cire¡¯s breath came out in heavy pants as his mind grasped for a plan of action. I don¡¯t have enough time left in the ability to make it all the way around the field. Cire¡¯s pace slowed as he picked his way past a bramble bush too thick to run through. What can I do to get out of this besides intervention from allies? No one knows where I am. Even if they did, I¡¯m not even sure Eliana could get to me, let alone anyone else. Scanning the forest as he ran, Cire shook his head a bit and angled his ears. Listening to the sounds around him, he got a good idea of how far away the chasing gnolls were. Most had gotten hung up in the gully, but several were already on his trail into the brush. Cire didn¡¯t pick up anything else large in the woods, only small animals. Only Small animals! That¡¯s perfect. Laughing out loud, especially given his current state of dress, made Cire come off as positively mad. He only got a reaction from a small flock of finches that startled from nearby cover. Looking around desperately, it didn¡¯t take long for him to spot a good location. A small brook rambled between the trees and Cire wasted no time in running down the middle of it. The gnolls superior tracking abilities were something that he had already encountered. Cire had no belief that he could stop them from finding his scent, he simply needed to buy some time. Leaving the water, Cire immediately began stripping on the stream bank. The remains of his shirt, pants, boots, and pouch, less a healing potion, were stripped off and scattered. While downing the healing tincture he began picking his way through the trees again. Once Cire found a large oak he paused at the base. Closing his eyes he used his ears to check on his pursuers once again. After confirming that he still had plenty of time before anyone caught up, he kept picking his way through the forest nude. It wasn¡¯t pleasant, but Cire needed to time this perfectly or things could go very badly for him. Heavy thrums of exhaustion began to emanate from deep within his muscles and Cire knew the moment was close. Finding a nearby tree, he clambered up the trunk. Once he was three to four stories up he found a good crook and snugged himself into it. Drawing his claws across the bark, he left four small rents marking his location. As the Blood Rage ebbed it took its toll on his body. Cire¡¯s muscles shrunk, bones re-aligned, his fangs and claws retracted. Left quavering and hanging desperately onto the tree, a flop sweat broke out on his forehead. With unsteady hands Cire untied the naga scrimshaw necklace from around his neck. He almost dropped it when it came free, but he managed to snag the leather cord. Cire took off his crown and rings, then he strung the necklace through them. Next he tied them to a small branch. Climbing down from the tree, Cire took his time. Rushing right now could easily lead to failure and he was running out of tricks. Dropping to the ground, Cire crouched and immediately fell to all fours. Compressing and folding in on itself, Cire¡¯s body began contorting and reforming for the second time in mere minutes. Patches of brown fur erupted along his body. His perspective changed dramatically as he took on the form and features of a small brown bat. It was always odd to shift into such a tiny form. Suddenly everything felt so much larger and consequently he felt much more vulnerable. Cire managed better each time he shape changed, and even with desperate need, this occasion was no different. He was pulling himself up the tree trunk to a low branch rapidly. Moments later Cire was taking flight.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. By the time the gnolls were at the river he was hanging high up in the trees watching. There were only three of them who had followed. There was no longer any mystery as to why he had warranted such pursuit during the battle, he had threatened the most vulnerable members of their tribe. Now that he had fled, the same amount of resources were not being devoted to searching for him. One of the gnolls, with piebald coloring, sniffed at the air after rummaging around in Cire¡¯s strewn about clothing. The other two were clearly on guard, scanning their surroundings, but they kept looking back to the main battle and the rest of their tribe. Upon close and more relaxed examination, he could see how shoddy their weapons were. Spears with wooden tips and a rusted axe were all they carried. The piebald ripped Cire¡¯s pair of pants in half down the center and growled. Cire winced, he was going through clothes too quickly. The somewhat lighthearted thought died as he watched one of the dark brown furred gnolls gesture towards his path away from the brook. Moving deeper into the forest, the canines tracked Cire¡¯s movements from the river to each of the trees he had stopped at while waiting for his ability to taper off. A barking conversation between the three suggested to Cire that one of them was either wary about continuing to chase him or convinced that it was simply best to return to the battle. Looking up into the branches from the base of the current tree they were positioned under, the grumbling barks grew in volume as all they spotted was wildlife. After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes the gnolls gave up at the sound of a cascade of howls from seemingly every other gnoll in the forest. They had walked several circles under Cire¡¯s position, but not once had they tried to scale the trees. Loping with haste out of sight across the stream the gnolls left.The small bat let out a squeak of relief. Obelius¡¯ forest elemental had decidedly changed the state of the battlefield. It wasn¡¯t a complete route, butthe elves were able to regroup into the keep and largely pull themselves from the field. Plenty had injuries that were being tended to by the few healers in critical cases and with herbs or, rarely, potions in others. Several of the elven host had fallen. Without powerful healing magic, far outside the expertise of any present, they wouldn¡¯t rise again. Those lost were student and guard alike. The chaos of battle held no certainties. This was an early lesson that laurels were heavy even on victorious heads. Without time to mourn, the dead had been pulled into the first level of the fortifications and covered. Lucas, the head of the guard, was busy sending injured up to the second level while guarding the entrance. He shook his head as he saw Dimitri limping towards him. ¡°How are things looking out there? I haven¡¯t gotten a peek recently.¡± Grimacing, Dimitri responded while ducking into the keep. ¡°Better than things were. Kepheus has been able to keep any lose gnolls from getting into the forest behind us. Eliana marshaled everyone who can keep up with that elemental out there.¡± Sucking in a breath through his teeth as a jolt of pain shot up his leg, Dmitri took hold of the rail on the stair case as he headed up the stairs. ¡°I obviously couldn¡¯t, keep up that is. Got caught by a gnoll that hit hard enough to break my knee when it landed a strike.¡± Before Lucas could ask any follow ups, Honeydrop buzzed into the room flying a quick circle to disperse her speed. She pulled up close enough to reach out and touch the wood elf¡¯s ruddy cheeked elf¡¯s nose. Lucas lurched back and tried to swat her on reflex. Honey easily floated backwards avoiding the blow. Then she drifted back to where she was with her hands on her hips. ¡°We have no time for that! The gnolls broke and are retreating. Anyone who can secure prisoners and recover wounded need to get moving.¡± Lucas left Dimitri in charge of organizing things inside the keep with the wounded. He assigned an able bodied member of the guard to keep watch. Making his way outside, he kept his chin level walking past the corpses lined up on the floor. He was responsible for this catastrophe and no doubt would pay the price. If he could do anything to prevent more of his troops from falling, he had to. Taking in the trampled and destroyed meadow, Lucas made a mental note for the countless time at this point not to anger mages. He had always tried to stay on Obelius¡¯ good side, but this warranted blatant favors in his book. Looming tall over a crowd of kneeling gnolls the forest elemental easily cowed the disarmed foes. Eliana saw him from her position on the other side of the prisoners and waved him over. There was an assortment of students and guard members busy tying the paws of the gnolls behind their backs. A pile of discarded weapons was off to the side out of reach. Making his way over, Lucas wasn¡¯t surprised at what the two teachers had been able to pull out of the fire, but he was impressed. ¡°I have to say that we would have been in a terrible state without you instructor. Thank you for your leadership and personal contribution to the battle.¡± Scowling, Eliana waved her off hand parrying the compliments like weak attacks. ¡°None of that. Round everyone up. Make sure there are not any stragglers waiting for us to let down our guard.¡± She pointed to the far side of the clearing, tamped down from heavy movement. ¡°They retreated in that direction. We are in no state to hunt them down, but we need to keep ears on them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have my best scout on it immediately.¡± Came Lucas¡¯ reply a bit too eagerly. Eliana let out a slow sobering sigh and tilted her body so that her whispered words had a chance of going unheard. ¡°It will be alright Captain. Obelius and I will explain things when we return. I took command, it will not be you who faces repercussions for our losses. Now, find that scout, better make it at least two and get them moving. We can¡¯t afford to have them loose within the forest.¡± With a salute, a flat hand over his heart, he nodded and jogged off. Under his breath Eliana could easily make out his self chastisement. ¡°Lieutenant actually, but I doubt I will hold that post much longer. I don¡¯t deserve it.¡± The palaestra had no time or inclination to spend any longer on that sort of drama. Quickly signing in elven handtalk she issued clipped orders to Honeydrop and Iaso. The former was to do a headcount of the students and have any stragglers or wounded found. For the later, she had check in with Obelius and report to her. Even Eliana didn¡¯t know how long the elemental would last for and she did not want to be caught unaware when the spell came to an end. Looking out over the wasteland that the once peaceful meadow had been, Eliana bit back a curse and made a small prayer to the gods in thanks. The broken bodies of tens of gnolls littered the field. In point of fact, there were more dead than they had thought had been arrayed against them before the outset of the confrontation. Eliana¡¯s mind started whirring at the incongruent facts she was putting together. She had far too many unanswered questions. Why are they here? This is far too many for a raiding party and far too few for an invasion. What is going on? Also, what is it the force I can feel emanating from that tower? Where did it even come from? Amon rallied her fleeing pack. She may not be a war chief, but from her observations there were none left standing. Hylas would recover, his wounds were significant, but they had been able to pull him to safety and heal him enough to walk. He had not regained his senses. The other shamans, and their sole wizard, had died or been taken captive. The responsibility fell to her. The pack had gathered at the small ravine they had left all who couldn¡¯t or shouldn¡¯t be fighting. She wanted desperately to group with her cohort, their children, and comfort them. There wasn¡¯t time for her to consider herself, she needed to decide a course of action that was best for them all. Amon found a Pack elder, Lykon, he had been a war chief many winters past and one of the few to live to an age of gray fur and missing teeth. ¡°Elder, the rest of the Pack leaders have fallen. I request advice. We must flee. But where? We only knew of the pass to the plains.¡± Exposed teeth and stretched lips gave away Lykon¡¯s mood as clear as the coughs before he answered. The days of travel had not treated him well. ¡°We only ever had three choices. The pass to the plains, hide in the forest, or chance the mountains.¡± Amon tilted her head, her tongue flopping out as she cooled herself. She flicked her ears back and forth to demonstrate her unsure state. Drawing her tongue back she questioned further. ¡°We cannot hide, the elves will be following. They stand between us and the pass.¡± ¡°Yes, it appears as though we only have one choice. It will be tough, game will be sparse and predators many. We will lose more on the journey.¡± The elder gnolls raspy words were heavy with implication, but an ear waggle conveyed his assent. Even if Lykon died, the pack must survive. No gnoll lived for themselves, only the group. The greedy and selfish were always cast out. In that same vein, there was no going back. A worse fate than a torturous death awaited them if they did. Turning to the pack, many of their number worried or wounded, Amon barked out a declaration. She infused her words with a burst of mana and channeled it through her connection with the spirits. Intent formed the mana into a spell that resonated with everyone who heard it, bolstering their resolve. ¡°My sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, we must press on. We head east and we cannot stop until we cross into the mountains. This territory is too dangerous, we will not live if we press forward.¡± Several growls rumbled at her from the remaining warriors, an unwelcome consequence of her spell. They would not leave this battle easily, even if outclassed so greatly, particularly now. Regardless of their bluster, their tails were between their legs and their ears were flattened. Whatever that elemental had been, they had no hope to defeat it and they knew it. Amon couldn¡¯t leave the challenge unanswered though.She had no time to waste on posturing. This was why they had war chiefs. She growled and pounced on the closest warrior and pushed him to the ground. With strength far greater than hers, honed from years of labor and practice, he could have thrown her off. The warrior went limp under her as Amon bit his throat. Her words came out muffled, but still brimming with ethereal strength. ¡°You will follow, you will all follow. Every moment of delay puts us in danger.¡± Amon released the warrior and stood to her full height while displaying her staff of power menacingly. Then she walked with haste to the exit of the ravine and gestured for the rest to follow. A single yip carried from her and was returned by the others. ¡°For the pack!¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 36: The Living and the Dead Cire was about to change back into his elven form after he waiting a fair amount of time once the gnolls to left when he saw the whole tribe of them making their way through the forest. Counting his lucky stars that he had kept his bat form, he observed the ramshackle parade through the trees. The Shadowed Forest was not a territory conducive to the movements of large groups. At most the gnolls could travel three to a shoulder between the trees, and that was only the younger ones. It wasn¡¯t the state of their travel that had Cire¡¯s attention firmly fixed, it was their direction. They were headed directly east, towards the Chimera¡¯s Mane. While watching the marching canines below him Cire was at a loss. He had plenty of time to consider his next decision, the gnolls were not moving fast, but that didn¡¯t really help. What was his best course of action? I have obligations in and to my territory. If they make it to Sunset before I can get there I would never forgive myself. I can¡¯t just leave my class. They¡¯ll think I got captured, or died. Do I follow them or go back? Cire was still debating his course of action by the time the last gnoll tromped under him and disappeared into the brush. He waited for several long moments, points and counter-points firing back and forth in his mind. None of it helped, but at least the gnolls were gone. Two elves came through the undergrowth, picking their way cautiously as they followed the gnoll host. It was obvious that they weren¡¯t working hard to keep to their trail, but the elves need to be wary hampered their pace. Cire let them pass. At least that made his decision easier. Taking a gliding flight around the area, Cire double checked that no others were in the vicinity. Landing at the base of the tree that held his necklace he changed back to an elf. After snagging his jewelry and putting it back on, he picked his way carefully back to his clothing. It was in a sad state, but his boots and pouch were still serviceable. Using the pant legs he managed a loin cloth that would have to do until he found an actual pair of pants. The remaining potions that had been in his pouch were all missing, but he also hadn¡¯t spent time searching for them. Cire placed the crown back into the pouch. He had no need of its effects for the rest of the day after all. How am I going to explain the keep anyways? In the moment I just acted and didn¡¯t really consider the ramifications. Someone has to have seen the crown though, it¡¯s too ostentatious to go unnoticed. That¡¯s easier to deal with at least, Obelius has a circlet and so does Iaso. Granted I am not a caster, but I don¡¯t wear armor. Perhaps I can kill two birds with one stone. A thorn from a bramble bit into Cire¡¯s skin and left a stinging cut. Slowing his steps, Cire took more time. He had just reminded himself that he wasn¡¯t wearing any protection, so the mistake felt earned. I need to find some more durable clothing, maybe something magical if this is going to keep happening. I don¡¯t know how many times I have been running around naked since I got here, but it¡¯s been way too many. That¡¯s the worst part of turning into a bat, well maybe not the worst, it still sucks though. Cire stopped by the gully that the vulnerable gnolls had been hiding in. Partially, he wanted to make sure that there weren¡¯t any gnolls left behind to attack them. However, Cire was mainly interested in finding any clues as to why the battle had happened in the first place. He was working from an information deficit and he didn¡¯t like his current choices. The gnolls hadn¡¯t really left anything when they fled. That in an of itself was notable. Traveling light for a purpose was one thing, but these gnolls had ventured deep into enemy territory without a lot of supplies. For there to be nothing left behind, except a few broken weapons, told a particular tale of desperation. Without additional clues to uncover, Cire didn¡¯t dally.He kept his guard up as he made his way through the remaining woods. Very little of this was sitting well with him. He had been so sure of himself prior to the battle, so sure of what was right. As the comedown after fighting settled in, Cire began to question what he had done, not only today, but prior. Cire had been down this road of guilt and self recrimination before. It wasn¡¯t the right time for reflection. Besides, Selene had stepped in and helped him before he had committed a truly terrible act. That was something in and of itself. The vampire was sure it had been the goddesses grace that touched him. What was he supposed to do with that information? I can guess at her motivations all day long, and there are a few good ones. I am probably one of very few non-evil vampires in the world and she is the patron goddess of my kind. She could want me to dedicate my territory to her and that could have been a way for her to convince me. It might be as simple her helping during a moment of mental instability. Either way, why she did it doesn¡¯t matter as much as the fact that she did. I need to talk with someone, preferably Selene, my Selene not the divine one. Stepping out onto the field, Cire finally had a chance to see the destruction their battle had wrought. A sour taste flooded his mouth as he walked up to the bound and blindfolded prisoners. There were between twenty and thirty gnolls bunched in a circle sitting on their haunches. A ring of guards watched them, but with the open space of the field it would be easy to see an attack coming. One of the guards chuckled darkly at Cire¡¯s state of dress and undid his cloak so that Cire could cover up. He didn¡¯t know the man, and they didn¡¯t exchange names, but plenty of small niceties were beyond them right now. Cire redirected to the keep. He still hadn¡¯t seen Eliana or Obelius, they would be the best sources of information and direction. Cire made his way to the front of the keep and approached the heavy set of doors. An extremely dower guard waved him in. That¡¯s when Cire saw the bodies lined up and covered with cloaks or whatever could be found. Suddenly thinking up excuses to explain away what he had done and keeping things hidden felt petty, shameful.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Pace picking up, Cire moved through the lower room. Partly to put physical distance between himself and the corpses, hoping that somehow that would make things better. Partly because he hadn¡¯t seen a single other student yet, and he was worried. On the second floor the bunks were partially occupied by wounded. There were less people in them than under the blankets below, but Cire suspected that was mainly due to magical healing. For the injured to be laid up this long after the battle spoke to how serious their wounds were. Herbs to aid regeneration were common, potions distilled from them less so. Healers were relatively common magic users, but rare to find outside of controlled settings like temples or towns. Iaso, Erinna, and Kepheus were far rarer as they actively engaged in combat. Cire had almost made it to the staircase when he saw a very familiar face dosed off in slumber on the last lower bunk. Sporting a heavy bandage to his head, Fizz looked battered. Bruises covered his small arms and what Cire could see of his upper chest. Their color was already turning off yellow and fading, so he had to have had healing, but it was still a gruesome sight. Sucking in air through his teeth, Cire was apoplectic. He wanted to wake up Fizz and ask him what happened, apologize, and see what he could do to help. The best thing he could do though was let his friend sleep. Cire looked back over the other cots to see if he recognized anyone else. Erinna, the glade elf, was laying on the bunk above Fizz with a similar bandage wrapped around her head. He didn¡¯t see nearly as many other injuries, but one of Erinna¡¯s eyes was covered. Cire wondered if she had lost it. Not seeing any other students, Cire went up to the next level. The silence that hung in the air was fitting and terrible. No one was on the third floor, which made sense, there hadn¡¯t been any need for the armory or vault. He hadn¡¯t seen anyone on the roof, but that didn¡¯t mean that no one was there, just that they were far enough from the edge to be seen. The silence from the fourth floor made him fear ascending. When he stepped up into the large open suite of the highest floor his heart sank to the underworld. Cire could immediately tell that not everyone from their class was present, even discounting the two injured. Frantically, his eyes darted back and forth between the various faces. Eliana and Obelius each wore grim countenances. There was a spark of happiness? Relief? Cire couldn¡¯t tell what flashed in Eliana¡¯s eyes at his appearance. The silence was pervasive. If only because of his prominent features, Calix¡¯s lack of attendance was obvious to Cire. He would have caught on sooner or later given the lack of barbs and hateful stares. There was one more missing from that party besides Erinna downstairs convalescing. While Cire was looking he saw Honeydrop sitting on the floor weeping. He hadn¡¯t heard her, the sounds were so soft. Panicked, Cire¡¯s eyes darted around the room cataloging faces. Philip, Lander, Honey, were all here. Fizz was downstairs. And Dimitra was missing. He could see the answer on the others faces before he even asked. No! Not again. Even the voice inside Cire¡¯s head broke. The world seemed to go telescopic as the edges of his vision went black. He staggered, but kept his feet, before letting them go out from under him as he crashed sitting to the ground. The rest of the afternoon swept by in a blur. At some point in the early evening, after the insects began to play their harmony, the relief patrol arrived. The squirrel familiar of the mage who was a member of Lucas guard patrol had made it back to the garrison and roused those stationed there. They had traveled over two days worth of normal distance in less than half that time, but it was too late. Everyone who had participated in the battle was given a reprieve to some degree. Many of them kept busy by collecting the items left on the field. Each of the fallen elves would have their possessions returned to their families, or sold to pay for their funeral. The captured gnolls were kept bound, but brought into the trees where Obelius and Kepheus had created several a makeshift holding cells. Each had used nature magic, or a derivative ability, to grow and shape the branches of groves of trees into sturdy walls. The relief guard kept watch. With the addition of new healers, who had not exhausted their supply of mana, the injured had largely been made ambulatory. Lysander had been wounded so badly by a plague acid spell, which had struck him in the face, that Cire had not recognized him in the bunks. The wood elf archer was the primary ranged attacker in the other party of students. He would live, but he was the lone survivor who would not make a full recovery. At least not without immensely expensive healing items or treatment. Late in the evening the whole class was prodded up to the roof by the instructors. They had let the group largely process their immediate grief. Some had cried, others moved around in a daze, and some screamed or took their anger out on trees. Neither Eliana nor Obelius would allow the students to wallow in their doubt. If this broke them, then that was important to know now as well. As teachers, they couldn¡¯t waste any opportunity to guide their students. If the result was to put them on a better path of dealing with their sorrow, all the better. Waving his staff deliberately in the air, Obelius worked through the somatic components of his simple spell. When he uttered a single unintelligible word six small fist sized orbs of soft glowing light popped into existence. They began to weave a simple repeating pattern and then they started shifting colors. At first they all changed together from yellow to pink and then green. Upon shifting to green they started to individually alternate. It was a beautiful substitute for a campfire, but the elegance and literal magic of it was lost on Cire. His eyes were drawn to the lights though and he began to follow them. Tightness in his shoulders relaxed and he began to be suspicious that the radiant display did far more than illuminate. He fought the feeling, he wanted to hold onto his sadness like it was a piece of Dimitra. Honey and Fizz had told him she had died fighting. There hadn¡¯t been anything out of the ordinary. No one had messed up. There had just been too many spears, too many opponents. Before she could be pulled away from the line to be healed she took a fatal strike to her head. Fizz had leapt from the tree in an attempt to reach her, but his efforts ended with him defending her body. Eliana had made an appearance and pushed the gnolls back on their side of the line, but Fizz had taken several attacks in the interim. That¡¯s when Obelius summoned the elemental and turned the situation around. Shaking his head, Cire realized that Obelius had been talking. His tone was low in an obvious comforting voice. His wizened features and long mustache lent themselves to the grandfatherly approach. ¡°¡­ which is why when you all sleep tonight it will be elven sleep, the trance. You must process everything that happened today. We have a great gift as elves, but if we do not engage with our emotional selves eventually it will poison us as you all know. Fizzilius and Honeydrop my apologies, of course this does not apply to you two.¡± Cire bucked at the idea of going to sleep, but it was beyond late and the lights were lulling him to a blank mind state. He stretched out on the top of the stone. The light chill of the deep summer night was kept at bay by a fresh set of clothes and cloak. With the entrancing and sedative effect of the lights it wasn¡¯t long until each of the students gave in to slumber. Standing firm, the two instructors kept a vigil, for the living and the dead. Adventurer Book II -Chapter 37: Forced Realizations Letting out a low groan, Selene rubbed her temples as she finished off the end of the chapter she had been working on. The author had a tedious, rambling style and if she hadn¡¯t committed herself so thoroughly to her task, this book might have broken her. As things were, she desperately needed a break. Standing and giving he back a long popping stretch, Selene tried to relax. She ran her hands through her long raven colored locks and gave one a tug as she tried to clear her head. There had been so many threads to pull at and research had never been her forte. The more that she learned about the fallen city of Miletus, the more she was sure there was something being covered up. I haven¡¯t found a single mention of the city having a dwarven population, not one. Not even a record of any dwarven clans associated with the Chimera¡¯s Mane territory. It could be pride, or some ancient feud. But call me winged dwarf if it isn¡¯t suspicious. There are hardly any contemporary sources. Constantine¡¯s Diary had more information in it than any other single source I have found. Not that I could ask any of the other families for access to their libraries without arousing their suspicious. Going to the academy was risky enough. Selene knew that she could always ask her mother, Daphne, but the act of asking questions alone would likely give her mother more information than Selene got in return. That wouldn¡¯t have necessarily been a bad result. But the last thing Selene wanted was for her mother to start mucking around with things in the Mane. The mountains were where she had found her escape from the jaded politics and vanity pervasive to this place. That¡¯s what she told herself at least. Selene had most certainly not been running away. Pacing around the table in the middle of the Silverstar¡¯s library and study, Selene gave her muscles a chance to warm up. Feeling started to return to her numbed limbs. Feeling a rumble from her stomach, she admitted to herself that she needed more of a break than she had been about to allow herself. In reflex, as if to remind herself where she was, Selene smoothed out the silken gown she was wearing and adjusted her hair pin. Once she had prepared her appearance to combat the whispers and gossip, Selene exited the library and descended the many flights of stairs to the kitchens. The late nights crisp chill hung heavier the lower in the tower she went. She could hear laughing and muffled voices drift through the curtained doorway with flutters of yellow light as she neared. Selene hadn¡¯t expected there to be anyone in the cooking area this late, but she was thankful there would be a warm fire. Pushing the curtain aside with a smile, it was banished with the cold. Long, gorgeous silver hair spilled out in an unruly mess perched upon a soft dimpled face similar to, but more youthful than, their mothers. A twinge coursed through Selene as her muscles tensed. It had been a pitiful hope to think she would manage a visit home without running into her siblings. ¡°Good evening elder sister,¡± Selene managed through the scowl she was actively trying to push from her lips. ¡°What a wonderful surprise.¡± Mischievous intent sparkled in Penelope¡¯s light blue eyes as they went comically wide. She dramatically clasped her hands over her chest, dropping the pastry she had been eating onto the butchers block. Penelope¡¯s voice was high and lilting as she addressed Selene. ¡°Oh my! Dear sister, it is indeed a wonder to see you. It¡¯s been so long since your last visit I was beginning to think you¡¯d gone feral. Instead you brought a wilding to us, a wicked beast from the tales I hear.¡± Penelope¡¯s mouth alighted in a ¡°O¡± shape as she pretended to notice her fallen dessert. With a conductors precision she twirled her fingers and spoke a short incantation. The half-eaten fruit tart rose slowly from the table, twirled a few times, and then hovered to her mouth as she took a bite. Seething, Selene almost took the bait. It had always been easier to channel her doubt, frustration, pain, and shame into anger. Fundamentally, Selene¡¯s position had shifted, her family didn¡¯t know it though. This had brought about a change in mindset, one that she had yet to fully realize herself. Her actions were now tethered to so much more than before Cire had gone and made her an heir. A twitching smile pressed its way onto Selene¡¯s mouth. She stepped forward and awkwardly embraced her sister in a hug. With a parting squeeze, Selene stepped back with a true grin at the bewildered expression on Penelope¡¯s face. ¡°Truly it is a miracle I have returned with my wits intact.¡± Petulant, Penelope took another bite at her tart when she failed to illicit her desired reaction from Selene. The girl had always been so easy, especially given her unfortunate, but predictable circumstances. Selene¡¯s father had only been a fling for little more than a decade, Penelope and Alexander¡¯s sire had been house consort for over a century now. ¡°Will you be departing once your pet returns? Mother has requested my assistance with some delicate ritual work. I suspect she will be quite busy for the next month.¡± Clang! An empty pan struck the floor in the back of the kitchen. Elias, hastily picked it up and put it back into the washtub he had been quietly working on. He ducked his head obsequiously and resumed washing with over exaggerated enthusiasm. Selene slowly blinked at the interruption, she was well past jumping at sudden noises. She hadn¡¯t even registered Elias¡¯ presence more than a piece of furniture or cooking implement. Suddenly Cire¡¯s naive words bubbled up in her mind, ¡®Selene, the servants, are they slaves?¡¯. Shaking her head, Selene turned and walked away, leaving her sister more confused than cross. I had never really given it much thought before Cire asked. There are not any slaves in Sunset. I had always thought that it was because no one could afford them. But that¡¯s not the case, I know Maisy and Stout both have plenty squirreled away. Could freedom be that the reason I like Sunset? Maybe it isn¡¯t the lack of the things I don¡¯t like here. Perhaps it is the liberty Maisy encourages? Full of thoughts, a distracted Selene wandered back to the study, all ideas of food abandoned. The half moon elf, half wood elf had unexpected things to ruminate on. It wouldn¡¯t be until Elias covered her sleeping form on the study¡¯s desk with a blanket that her mind truly eased. Entering his dream state, Cire found himself, at least his own actions within the twisting reality, more lucid than before. Often he had been tossed about of crashing waves of realization playing out as images before him. On this occasion, Cire was standing in same meadow he had fought in the day before, only it was pristine and untouched by battle. Striding in his direction through the knee high grass was an elf, one that looked nothing like any of the ones he had seen. The elf was wearing loose fitting dark robes, but his fingernails were pure black and he had small black horns poking through blonde hair. His eyes were serpent like and the color of pumpkins. It was all together foreign. Cire knew he was in a dream, could see wisps of evaporating colors and blurry edges beyond the meadow. Even though, he took a step back from the approaching figure. Why would he be picturing a stranger he had never met in a dream? An unexpected throaty chuckle was the elf¡¯s response. Instantly Cire knew, he knew from his toes to the tips of his ears that this was Dimitra. Or at least a representation of Dimitra. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for being taken back, Fell Elves can have disconcerting appearances.¡± The male elf had Dimitra¡¯s female voice and occasional his features would morph to match. ¡°Fell elves?¡± Cire lapsed into casual conversation without thinking about it. ¡°Yeah,¡± Dimitra gestured with their hands indicating their whole body and then started playing with one of their horns. ¡°Fell elves. Still not very quick on the uptake when introduced to new concepts are you fangy.¡± Off kilter, Cire shrugged and decided to go with the flow. ¡°Seems like I am. What¡¯s a fell elf? I mean, I get that you¡¯re one now and apparently male, but have any details to share?¡± Dimitra ran her hand through her long blonde hair and then held her hand out palm up between them. A small ring of rune script appeared above it and filled in with a void of darkness. Two small purple skinned hands grasped the edge. Then a tiny imp pulled itself into the dream and flapped to perch on Dimitra¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Fell elves are primarily connected to the infernal base element. They, we, are the most adept at conversing with and summoning beings from the planes. Didn¡¯t you learn this when you were young?¡± Cire watched the purple skinned tiny humanoid with wings with fascination and then his cheeks burned at his ignorance. Before he could answer, Dimitra cut off his potential reply with a snap of her fingers. ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re not from our world. Never mattered much to me so I didn¡¯t think too hard on it. Most of the elven types are pretty intuitive. River and ocean elves are linked with water. Wood elves are bound to earth, whereas sky elves the air. Desert elves have intrinsic fire elements. Moon elves are tied to darkness and sun elves light. Lastly, swamp, or shadow elves, are the only type with two affinities, life and death.¡± Raising an eyebrow, Cire tilted his head. ¡°I think that¡¯s more words than I have ever heard you speak, about anything, even sex.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really here now am I. Not that there is really a ¡®here,¡¯ anyways.¡± Dimitra grinned and reached down to grab his hand. Then she was tugging him into the meadow. Taking flight, the imp chittered disapproval at the sudden movement. ¡°I am an independent projection of your subconscious connected to the mana of the world. So this is more a representation of what you know and can guess at, than what will actually happen, but there are, how should I put this, influences.¡± Dimitra made a motion like jazz hands to signify influences, then they winked. ¡°You must have gleaned all of that information, but not committed it to active memory. I wonder why you think I will be reborn as a fell elf next. I had always hoped it would be as a fire elf, that would be hot.¡± Cire couldn¡¯t help but follow. Dimitra had always been a force of personality, in the dream she was impossible to resist. While they moved, the landscaped began to shift under their feat. Trees were replaced by towering buildings in the Tempest Treetops style, then jagged peaks, before settling into long stretches of ocean.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± Dimitra laughed and ran into the surf, not caring one iota about their robes getting wet. ¡°To what you need to see. To what you know, but do not admit.¡± Cire¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked around the open beach. Up the coastline a ways from them were structures grouped together forming an obvious settlement. They were both already moving towards it, Dimitra letting the waves lap at her feet. ¡°Are you going to tell me or is this one of those times where seeing it conveys more than words?¡± Dimitra¡¯s face shifted to a dower expression as they ran back to him and took his hand once more. Cire had never been this familiar with Dimitra in person, nor she him, but it felt in line with their personality. It was hard to remember that he was dreaming and that this wasn¡¯t real, no matter how strange and unrealistic. Sighing, Cire kept walking while holding Dimitra¡¯s hand. The next wave was larger than the last, and when it receded it left terrible debris in it¡¯s wake. Bodies, all along the coastline littered the beach. The ocean washed back in with a wave of blood. Cire jumped back from the water. With their hands entangled Dimitra was practically jerked from her feet. Dimitra yelped, and they were standing on the edge of a peak high in the mountains. Below them an avalanche of rocks, broken trees, and snow rushed towards a marching army and swallowed it whole in an instant. Flames, screams, battle cries, and smoke filled the air all around them, choking out thought. When the chaos cleared they were back in the meadow. The discordant information assaulting his senses was too much. Cire would have been sick if Dimitra hadn¡¯t seized his shoulders and forced him to stare into their alien orange eyes. After a moment of focus, Dimitra stepped away and revealed a whole crowd of people lined up at a festival feast behind her. Sumptuous dishes of meats, fruit, and food of all sorts filled every spare piece of tabletop that wasn¡¯t some sort of game of chance. Dice, a wheel of fortune, a board game Cire had seen in the Silverstar tower, and more were all being played by the attendees. At the far end of the table Cire could see Eugene and Stacy drinking and laughing. Dimitra gave him a hearty slap on the back and grinned. ¡°You need to remember that I chose this life Cire. I always knew the risks, so did my family. You¡¯ve made your choice, you need to live it like I lived mine, to the fullest.¡± Cire nodded, he knew that battle was capricious. A friendly wave from Eugene reminded him of that easily. Dimitra didn¡¯t say anything else, they turned and walked down to the far end of the table and took a mug right out of Stace¡¯s hand. A small child with a shock of white hair was sitting to Stace¡¯s side, Calix. For whatever reason, Calix didn¡¯t look all that different, simply much younger than when he had died. Cire was a bit puzzled as he examined the boy. Calix displayed none of the bitterness that Cire had experienced at the moon elf¡¯s hands.Feeling no hate or residual distaste for Calix, Cire looked over the others at the table. It was an odd assortment of celebrants to be sure. Naga sat side by side with elves, dwarves, gnomes, and even chipmunkin. There were other species, Cire was certain, but whenever he looked straight at someone with disparate traits they blurred and were replaced. A round of applause broke out as everyone looked to the head of the table. Following the crowds gaze, Cire¡¯s mouth hung agape. Raising a chalice, a ridiculously ostentatious version of himself toasted the gathered people. His talons grasped the gaudy cup awkwardly, but in full view. Kalani, in an equally resplendent gown, stood on noticeably long legs at his side. Durg and Selene flanked him, then came Maisy with Stout and many others. The scene seemed to wink out, everything turning and spinning into a black hole at the center of the table. Cire was sucked into the vortex with everything and everyone else. Landing on his feet, he was standing at the center of the Valley of Sunset, near the large bore. Empty cobblestone streets stretched out in all directions separating various buildings into distinct districts. Before him, one of the largest buildings loomed with massive columns and broad steps leading to a heavy set of metal doors. In his hands, Cire held a trowel covered with some sort of white paste. The unfinished wall had several workers attending it besides himself. Cire placed the next marble brick in place and smeared the paste over the top mechanically. Time warped and Cire spent years placing stone after stone. On one of his upswings the trowel morphed into a sword. When Cire brought the blade down it cut deeply into a fungus beast. The redcapped mushroom monster split in two and leaked dark red juice over the ground. Then he was walking, hiking, and running. The rest of Cire¡¯s dream was spent traveling through dark forests and jungles. Delving into the depths of moaning caverns or swiftly across the ocean on the open deck of a ship. The adventurer explored places of wonder and terror. Each monster slain rewarded him with another brick of white marble. Exhausted, yet fulfilled, he always returned to the mountains. Drawing him from the trance, the twin rousing forces of sunlight and the scent of cooking food were too much for Cire to resist. He stretched as he sat up on the cold stone of the keep and surveyed the rooftop. Several other students were in the process of rousing, but some were still deep in sleep. He didn¡¯t feel lighter, but he had perspective. A set of alert eyes fell onto Cire. Eliana approached and tapped him on the shoulder before he could stand. When he looked up she gestured for him to follow. Walking down through the keep, Cire was tempted to nick something from the kitchen as they passed through. He was still busy rubbing sleep out of his eyes and jumbled thoughts out of his head as they stepped outside. Leading him into the forest, Eliana had stayed silent to this point. That wasn¡¯t abnormal for the taciturn elder elf. She seldom spoke frivolously, at least in Cire¡¯s experience. When they reached a private grove, with plenty of cover, Eliana immediately addressed the issue at hand. ¡°Obelius told me that you summoned the defensive structure. How long will it last? Is it going to discorporate while everyone is inside?¡± Stifling a yawn, without truly thinking things over, Cire responded dutifully to the instructor with accurate information. Only afterwards did he realize that he may have said too much. ¡°Should last a week. It won¡¯t dissipate until I release it. Then I can¡¯t summon it again for a month.¡± Eliana¡¯s eyes widened slightly at his response, then she nodded curtly. ¡°Yes, well, good. Do not go around sharing that. Release the structure once we have left and as privately as possible. Obelius and I will keep conversation regarding it limited,¡± She hesitated uncharacteristically. ¡°I saw you during the battle, charging their mages. I will not tell you how reckless that was, you know. It showed good instincts though.¡± Knowing better than to verbalize his gratitude, Cire dipped his head in a slight bow. Eliana turned and waved her hand to follow as she began heading back. Cire had processed so much during his dream that the day before felt like months ago. He knew that few of the other students had been in heated combat previously, while Cire was growing accustomed to it. Cire¡¯s path wouldn¡¯t be one of obscurity. By necessity in this world he would either be drawn to danger or it to him, better to be prepared. Cire needed to keep constructing his foundation, one brick at a time. Snapping his wandering thoughts, the teacher wasn¡¯t quite done with her lessons. ¡°What happened to your weapon?¡± Wincing, Cire instinctively looked down to his hip, now absent a sword or sheath. ¡°After I engaged the casters I was attempting to get away and I got hit in the shoulder by an arrow. I couldn¡¯t keep hold and dropped it. There wasn¡¯t time for me to retrieve the sword.¡± ¡°So, since you returned yesterday you have not armed yourself? Even though we are holding almost as many captives as guards? While we are deep in the forest and close to our borders?¡± Sheepishly, Cire countered with a piece of information he was sure he needed to admit, but felt like it wasn¡¯t the answer she was looking for. ¡°Yes, and no, teacher. I have not looked for my sword yet, or taken another primary weapon. I am still armed though, I have my claws.¡± Cire looked down at his hand and flexed it. ¡°I am not sure if they are limited to when I am using my rage ability or not, I will find out soon. Obviously, I still need a weapon with reach.¡± Having successfully redirected Cire¡¯s line of thinking and presented him with a problem, Eliana steered him towards the cache of weapons they had recovered from the battle. A few choice items had been spread out on a blanket, others were grouped by like kind and stored in piles. ¡°See if your sword has been collected. Nothing has been distributed yet, if we found the blade it will be here. If it was not recovered take a partner and search the area you lost it. Return to me if it is truly missing.¡± Sifting through the various weapons that had been taken from the fallen and captured gnolls confirmed Cire¡¯s suspicions. Clearly absent, Cire¡¯s gleaming steel sword was no where to be found. It was not on the blanket, and Cire had little hope that it had been missed in the low quality items. The majority of the weapons were poor, that being even more evident up close. He would bet that the pile of spears, pikes, and makeshift polearms would be destroyed instead of saved. Cire still did his best to sort through the piles without cutting himself. While the wound would likely heal rapidly, he didn¡¯t want to catch a long term illness. Eliana and Obelius had warned them all to be careful of magical and mundane diseases in the wake of the battle. Cire didn¡¯t know what magical dysentery would be like, but he had no desire to find out what so ever. Set on his task, Cire found a member of the guard milling about and asked her to accompany him across the field in search of his missing sword. In the rush of his escape it was impossible for Cire to pin point the area he had dropped the blade. Even with elven eyes and attention for detail they couldn¡¯t spot it. There was a good chance that one of the gnolls had snagged it during their retreat, it was bound to be better than what most of them had been carrying. Cire felt bad losing the sword, it had been an early gift from Stacy, but he knew prioritizing escape was the right move. Eliana was waiting at the blanket of items with an odd looking weapon in hand as Cire came back to her. She was obviously testing the balance of the staff with a curved sword blade on the end with several spins and strikes to the air. It didn¡¯t look clumsy in her hands, however it was ill-fitting. The length of the item needed to be trimmed down for an elf to properly wield. It was Cire¡¯s turn to raise an eyebrow as he took in the display. Eliana had demonstrated skill with numerous weapons during class, but she rarely showed them anything exotic. Her movements and forms were entirely dissimilar from what he had seen with a sword or a spear. Smoothly, Eliana spun the staff and pulled her hands together, she finished the motion by presenting the butt end of the weapon to Cire. ¡°Take this. A glaive is suited to all of the movement you constantly use, and the enemies you challenge.¡± Cire grasped the shaft of the weapon and held it between both hands. He turned it around a bit and tested the feeling of the weight. The wooden haft was slightly taller than he was and the blade was longer than his arm. Testing out several vertical and horizontal slashes, Cire could tell that the balance was perfect, even if the size was off for him. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be contrary instructor, but I have never shown any proficiency for two handed weapons. Do you really think this is the best option?¡± Eliana resisted rolling her eyes, Cire¡¯s education was piecemeal at best, and while he showed surprising aptitude for some things it often took a while for his understanding to catch up. ¡°What do you think a glaive is?¡± Leading questions were a clear sign that Cire had missed something, so he thought about it a bit before responding. It was a shame, because he didn¡¯t come up with any better answer than his initial impulse. ¡°A polearm?¡± Grinding her teeth a little that he couldn¡¯t put it together, Eliana began looking through the pile of weapons again. ¡°What type of polearm?¡± Cire looked at the shaft, decorated with carvings down the length of it, and topped with a well honed blade. It was obviously in good condition and it felt deadly in his hands. Going on the information that it had been set aside, he hazarded a guess. ¡°Its enchanted?¡± Finding a sword good enough for her needs, Eliana deftly picked it out of the pile and struck it against Cire¡¯s blade. ¡°Most likely, it has not been truly identified yet. That is not what I was asking.¡± Cire stepped back and put the glaive into a defensive position between him and the instructor. ¡°Obviously,¡± he shot back, getting irritated. That wasn¡¯t the correct response either. Eliana¡¯s attacks came at Cire in a torrent. Short thrusts, feints, and slashes from every angle. Cire was forced to adapt with the large weapon. No longer able to use the blade alone to defend, lacking the speed or maneuverability necessary, he blocked with the haft of the weapon and the end. Pushing Cire back, Eliana kept up the barrage until she was sure it had clicked. Cire wasn¡¯t adept at using the weapon, but he wasn¡¯t hapless with it either. Once he started to mix in attacks she could see him working to incorporate some of his more familiar sword movements. He even managed to catch her off guard when he struck with the end of the staff as a quick jab. She hadn¡¯t expected him to try something like that so quick, it was foolhardy. A punch caught Cire square in the gut as Eliana ducked under his attack. She stepped back and lowered her sword in a signal that the sparring match was finished. Needed to wrap this up, Eliana was questioning him before he had caught his breath. They were already starting to draw more attention than she wanted. ¡°Have a better response now?¡± Running his fingers down the length of the staff, Cire nodded. ¡°Yes instructor, it¡¯s a bladed polearm, it counts as some type of sword. I can tell now that I have used it. It doesn¡¯t feel unwieldy to me like a great sword or hand and a half sword.¡± ¡°It is a swordstaff. It is an uncommon weapon and it is doubtful that before now you have been tested for such an aptitude.¡± Eliana paused, debating internally, before giving in to herself. ¡°I saw you adapt some of the exotic weapon techniques you have been working on in class. Treat this similarly. It will do for our return trip.¡± Cire gave a half bow with his chest and head as Eliana turned and walked away. A sense of awkwardness hung in the air with the delectable scent of cooking bacon. All other thoughts left aside, Cire made his way back to the keep for a sorely needed breakfast, new weapon in hand. It was only now that he was realizing he hadn¡¯t eaten since lunch the day before, and he was famished. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 38: Accepting Revelations Wrapping up their makeshift camp did not take as long as Cire would have expected. Many of the guard members who had relieved those who had fought were more experienced than the patrol Lucas led. Cire hadn¡¯t even noticed that the bodies had been removed and stored onto a large stretcher until he had come back down from breakfast. Eliana and Obelius organized the students into the center of the march back to the Tempest Treetops. Leading, far ahead of the column, was a scout patrol clearing their path. With this many bodies trampling through the brush few monsters would challenge them outright, but in this forest it was best to be on guard. Behind them were the members of the relief patrol guarding the captive gnolls. The canines were tied together with strings of vine binding their wrists behind their backs. Another vine attached them all by loops around their throats creating a long single file procession. Watching the gnolls with their tails between their legs, downcast eyes, and flattened ears, Cire couldn¡¯t find it in his heart to hang on to the hate that had been festering there. Instinctually, Cire knew that the gnolls presented a real danger. He had not been living with constant incursions of their forces into his territory. Nor, had he been involved in the long history of conflict between these people. But there was far more to this groups actions than a simple raid or attack. They had been fleeing, with their young and old. Cire no longer saw them as simply enemies, monsters, or beasts ¨C he recognized them for what they were ¨C people. People who still posed a danger to a hamlet he had sworn to protect. Twisting the pure silver ring on his finger, Cire waited for any telltale warmth to seep through. Doubting his own actions, feeling shame over striking without being fully informed, and anger over senseless violence did not amount to evil. The silver band was still cool to the touch. The goddess Selene had given him the agency to make his own decision, he prayed he had made the right one. Behind the captives, Kepheus and another centaur from the relief guard, pulled the wide stretcher with the bodies of their fallen. Each corpse was bundled up and they had all been tied down together with another sheet covering them. If Cire hadn¡¯t known what was being hauled he would have guessed trade goods, if not for the splotches of scarlet that had leaked through. The back end of the stretcher bumped over the ground as the two poles skipped over roots. Cire avoided the gouges that the poles were cutting into the soil and looked over his shoulder. Eliana and several of the guards monitored their rear. He was pretty sure that the guard the instructor was talking with was Dimitri, Dimitra¡¯s older brother. Cire wanted to say something, but he really didn¡¯t know what he could. Compared to the other students in the class he had barely spent any time with Dimitra. Based on the look of Dimitri¡¯s face, this wasn¡¯t a good time to say anything at all. Slapping Cire on the rump, Fizz chuckled when the elf partially tripped up on his own feet before righting himself. ¡°You¡¯ve been pretty quiet there blood guzzler. Bat got your tongue?¡± For someone who had been pummeled to the doorstep of the underworld, Fizzilius sure was able to maintain a positive outlook. He had immediately embraced the joy to be found in the day. To him, Dimitra¡¯s fall had been immediately painful, but her life and sacrifice beautiful achievements to celebrate. Cire knew that processing grief was different for everyone. However, he was beginning to suspect that more than elves, gnomes and other fae were even more divorced from his previous human mindset. To be fair, Cire didn¡¯t feel like he thought he should either, his emotional state was more or less even. The trance sleep had given him the emotional equivalent of a drink from a waterfall in a single evening, it had felt like years. Selene had told him that as an elf he was not fully emotionally present on a day to day basis. That seemed more true now than months ago. He didn¡¯t know if there was a transition period or if he was handling things better, but he didn¡¯t feel governed by his experiences in the same manner. Fizz snapped his fingers as close to Cire¡¯s face as he could get while they were walking. ¡°I lost you again. You sure I am the one who had the head injury?¡± Blinking, Cire let a small chuckle escape, and then gave himself permission to act normally. ¡°Ohh, I am sure. You should have seen how many bandages you were covered in. I almost thought you were a mummy and went looking for a priest.¡± Fizz¡¯s grin widened as he pulled Cire into a joking conversation. Honeydrop settled on Cire¡¯s shoulder, he wings still drooping and her ineffable spark seemingly absent. She didn¡¯t contribute any words, but her slowly growing smile as Fizz recounted tales of Dimitra¡¯s wild escapades was enough. By the time they reached the first break area, Cire was feeling better about feeling better. Sneaking away from the column would have been next to impossible if Eliana had not pulled him away. Once he was fully out of view from the others he released the keep. They had been hiking for sometime, so Cire wasn¡¯t truly sure what would happen. After a short while, a cloud of black mist with roiling purple energy streamed through the trees. Eliana, who was watching from a distance, had an inscrutable look on her face as she observed. Cire absorbed the mass of insubstantial mist into his form and felt slightly reinvigorated by the action. With a shake of his hands, he gave Eliana a signal of assent, and they made their way back to the group. He hadn¡¯t expected the teacher to observe the process, but he wasn¡¯t exactly in a place where he could have asked her to leave. At the very least, away from the group in the forest, they were vulnerable. Most of the travel was uneventful during their trip back. Fizz continued joking and generally buoyed the classes spirits. The elves in the class had generally settled into a quiet acceptance of their losses, while encouraged by their victory. They had after all won the day by any measure. Even so, Cire wouldn¡¯t realize the full ramifications of the battle until days after they returned to the city. During the quiet, well guarded travel, Cire took an opportunity to review his notifications from the engagement and before. He had gained some skills, had plenty increase in strength, and a few other truly surprising changes to look over. Squeezing the shaft of his new weapon he figured it was about time to start there. He felt remiss in not inspecting it sooner, but it was easy to forgive himself with his scattered thoughts. It had probably been what Eliana had expected instead of deductive guesses.
Unidentified Swordstaff Description: An exotic bladed weapon that provides long reach, significant striking power, and is effective against cavalry. Attack: 1d20 (Slicing) or 1d8 (Bludgeoning) Rarity: Rare Quality: Professional Effects: 1. ??? 2. ??? 3. ???
Hmmm. Not really much new information, but at least the description confirms my suspicions about which skills are needed to use it properly. It looks like there is a two handed weapon out there for me to use. As expected, even without any additional effects it packs a wallop. I wonder why Eliana didn¡¯t tell me about this before? She had to have known when she was teaching me the skills I had that this was an option. Cire thought back and realized that he had never asked Eliana for assistance in finding a way to utilize his off hand. She had given him the tools, but the elder instructor had left it up to Cire to discover the methods. He promised himself that he would communicate better as his esteem for Eliana grew immeasurably. Looking over the series of combat notifications didn¡¯t take long, mainly because he had grown more accustomed of what to skim for. Checking over experience gains often gave Cire context for the struggle they had endured. Given the numbers he was seeing the elvish forces were lucky to have come out of the conflict in the state they had. Your party has slain a total of 3 Shadow Vine Elementals (Levels 11 ¨C 18). You have earned 0 experience points. You have slain a Gnoll Rogue (Level 11). You earned 3,563 experience points. You have slain a Gnoll Fighter (Level 14). You earned 5,372 experience points. Your war party has slain a total of 13 Gnolls (Levels 8 ¨C 12). You have earned 0 experience points. Your war party has slain a total of 8 Gnoll Rogues (Levels 10 ¨C 19). You have earned 0 experience points. Your war party has slain a total of 15 Gnoll Fighters (Levels 10 ¨C 19). You have earned 0 experience points. Your war party has slain a total of 2 Gnoll Shamans (Levels 22 & 25). You have earned 0 experience points. Your war party has slain a total of 1 Gnoll Wizard (Level 34). You have earned 0 experience points. Your war party has slain a total of 2 Gnoll Battlechiefs (Levels 26 & 28). You have earned 0 experience points. Your war party has slain a total of 1 Gnoll Packchief (Level 37). You have earned 0 experience points. Your war party has achieved victory over another and won the field of combat. Your war party has received a bonus for being outnumbered, +50% experience. Your war party has received a penalty for level superiority, -50% experience. You have earned 5,000 experience points. First and foremost, Cire wondered what a war party was compared to a traditional party. It was relatively easy to grasp from the clues presented at least. The low experience gains overall were to be expected since Eliana and Obelius were ostensibly part of the group. Cire didn¡¯t know what their levels were, but he assumed they were significant, and this all but confirmed the fact. Their group had been outnumbered three to one at a minimum. Most of the students had been lower levels than their opponents and the guards had been equivalent. The two instructors accounted for roughly the battle strength of sixty gnolls, some of which were relatively high leveled. Shaking his head to himself, he looked over the list again. It left him with some unsettling questions and some rather obvious ones. How many high level gnolls are left in that group headed to the Mane? I firmly believe that they are refugees, what I don¡¯t know, is can I risk that they won¡¯t attack Sunset? What level are Maisy and Stout? What are their professions? Would the naga help defend Sunset if it was attacked? It¡¯s not like I left any standing orders or requests. How have things been going back at home? At that last question an unbidden smile poked its way onto the corners of Cire¡¯s mouth. Basking in the warm sensation of having a place to call home, Cire took his time moving on. It was a pleasant realization that he had a place he belonged. Eventually he brought up the list of skills he had gained and grown. You have gained a new skill: Body Mana Manipulation (Legendary). ¡°It¡¯s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters.¡± - Epictetus At initiate rank you can utilize skill abilities with any applicable part of your body even if they are limited to a specific one. You have gained a new sub-skill: Mana Burst (Rare) Body Mana Manipulation Tree, Skill Ability. ¡°Learn to bear bravely the changes of fortune.¡± - Periander At initiate rank you can release a burst of mana from any point of your body. This can produce many effects. If used as an attack will cause 1d8 damage. Cost: 5 mana. You have gained a new sub-skill: Undiminishing Returns (Legendary) Body Mana Manipulation Tree. ¡°We are what we repeatedly do.¡± - Aristotle At initiate rank you receive a 5% reduction in mana cost after each skill ability use, stacking. An instance of the reduction will be removed every minute after they begin accumulating. Skill level up! You have reached level 11 in Wilderness Survival. Skill level up! You have reached level 40 in Martial Combat. Your skill, Martial Combat, has progressed to Journeyman rank. You have gained 2,000 experience points. At Journeyman rank, you receive a hit bonus for fighting unarmed,+1. +15% chance to dodge when unarmored. Skill level up! You have reached level 32 in Fluid Motion. Skill level up! You have reached level 20 in Martial Acrobatics. Your skill, Martial Acrobatics, has progressed to Apprentice rank. You have gained 1,000 experience points. At Apprentice rank, you suffer no movement penalty from minor natural obstacles during combat. You have an increased chance to recover when balance is lost. +1 to all movement based saves during combat. Skill level up! You have reached level 34 in Swordsmanship. Skill level up! You have reached level 30 in Large Blades. Skill level up! You have reached level 20 in Surging Strike. Your skill, Surging Strike, has progressed to Apprentice rank. You have gained 1,000 experience points. At Apprentice rank, you can imbue your strike with mana enhanced strength. This will increase the damage of your next strike by 50%. Cost: 20 mana. Skill level up! You have reached level 10 in Scavenging. Skill level up! You have reached level 13 in Adventurer. Skill level up! You have reached level 17 in Lore. Skill level up! You have reached level 10 in Lore: Woods & Forests Skill level up! You have reached level 11 in Elvish Culture & Customs. Skill level up! You have reached level 9 in Fae Culture & Customs.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Skill level up! You have reached level 20 in Acrobatics. Your skill, Acrobatics, has progressed to Apprentice rank. You have gained 1,000 experience points. At Apprentice rank, you have increased movement speed over difficult terrain and through vertical movement, +10%. You can disengage from an opponent with ease during combat. Skill level up! You have reached level 20 in Flash Step. Your skill, Flash Step, has progressed to Apprentice rank. You have gained 1,000 experience points. At Apprentice rank, you can rapidly propel yourself by channeling mana through your feet and legs. Doubles movement speed for one round. You can now use flash steps without physical contact with a surface. Cost: 10 mana. Cire was at a bit of a loss when he re-read the new skills he had acquired. They made sense from a logical standpoint. He had been pushing his skill ability use ever since he had gotten them. These were perhaps the first tangible benefits of selecting his profession. It did speed up martial skill and ability acquisition after all. I have to ask Eliana about these skills. If I get an opportunity I should really ask her to help me find a martial art or form that fits with my general skill set. These skills and abilities will obviously compliment what I already have. Right now I am just hodgepodging everything together. It¡¯s worked so far, but that really isn¡¯t an excuse. Most of the other skill gains were expected given how he had fought during the battle. What he hadn¡¯t been tracking was the influx of experience that he had earned by pushing them forward in rank. Cire had not taken a typical path to his current level, so it was rewarding to finally see progression through more typical means. This was especially heartening after the penalty the group had incurred to experience gain from Eliana and Obelius involvement in the fighting. Those zeros, while understandable, still hurt. Level 15 Acquired!
Earned per level Points
Health & Mana Points You earn 5 ¨C 10 hit points per level + constitution modifier (3) You earn 5 ¨C 10 mana points per level + intelligence modifier (3) 13 9
Skill Points You currently earn one skill point per level. 3
Ability Points You currently earn one ability point per level. 2
Racial Bonus You earn an additional skill point per level that is restricted to a martial skill of your choice. 5
Ability Current Lvl Points until next Lvl
Shapechanger: Can change into a small black bat once per rest for a duration of 2 hours. Bats are considered a tiny creature. You will have reduced stats in many areas, but increased stats in others. 1 1
Bite: You can savagely pierce your enemies'' flesh with sharp fangs to drain their health and experience. HP drain is currently 250 per minute and experience drain is 7% if the target is killed by the action. This ability renders you helpless. This ability is synergistic with Regeneration and will boost it by 1 ability level. 4 4
Regeneration: You can heal from small and moderate wounds with ease and heal faster than most sapients. Limbs can be reattached if applied quickly. At your current level you regain 4 HP per minute. 4 4
Blood Rage: Significantly increases your physical stats while decreasing your mental ones. +50% to Strength and Constitution, +30% to Dexterity. -50% to Intelligence, Spirit, and Charisma for the duration of the rage. If your mental resistance is overcome by the ability, you will attack targets at random. At your current level, the duration of this ability is 6 minutes once per rest. Duration is refreshed if Bite is performed while enraged. 2 2
Overall things are shaping up well. Much better result for hit points this time, but my mana is lagging a bit. Now that I have ways to use it, and a lot of it, I should find out about ways to increase my stats outside of leveling. I have done that once before, but it seems like the exception rather than the rule. I am obviously going to keep banking points at this juncture. The only thing I could really do with what I have is level Shapechanger or Blood Rage. Neither of which feels like the right play. It really doesn¡¯t make sense to push any skill. I am starting to regret using the skill points I did, even if it turned out for the better. I am better off waiting to push Bite or Regeneration to their last level and see what happens. Cire brought up his status sheet, which was starting to resemble Selene and Durg¡¯s. Compared to others in his class he was still a bit behind for skill variety. However, the skills that formed the core of how he engaged in combat were filling out.
Biographical Information: Name: Ciresil Eventide Level: 15 Experience: 127,286 Lineage: Sun Elf ¨C Vampire Profession: Fighter Disposition: Flexibly Idealistic (+2 to Chaotic, +3 to Good, +2 to Orderly) Languages: Divine Elvish, Ancient Elvish, Elvish Handtalk, Elvish, Common
Stats: Health: 178/178 Mana: 161/161 Armor: 0 Dodge: 24% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 13 (+1) Intelligence: 13 Spirit: 9 (+2) Charisma: 19 Luck: 9 (+2) Resistances: 50% Enchantment 20% Weather 5% Mental -50% Holy Magic Aspects: Indefatigable Trustworthy Accepting
Skills: Wilderness Survival 11, Natural Martial Combat 40, Natural Sub-skill: Fluid Motion 36, Natural Sub-skill: Martial Acrobatics 20, Natural Sub-skill: Grappling 6, Significant Swordsmanship 34, Natural Sub-skill: Large Blades 30, Natural Sub-skill: Curved Blades 10, Natural Sub-skill: Exotic Blades 8, Natural Sub-skill: Surging Strike 20, Natural Scavenging 10, Natural Adventurer 13, Natural Meditation 16, Significant Armor 8, Average Sub-skill: Light Armor 8, Average Lore 15, General Sub-skill: Arcana 4, Significant Sub-skill: Mountains and Hills 5, Average Sub-skill: Woods & Forests 9, Significant Sub-skill: Elvish Culture & Customs 10, Natural Sub-skill: Fae Culture & Customs 7, Significant Communication 10, General Sub-skill: Persuasion 5, Natural Sub-skill: Oratory 2, Significant Sub-skill: Diplomacy 6, Significant Climbing 2, Average Sub-skill: Rappelling 2, Average Acrobatics 20, Natural Sub-skill: Flash Step 20, Natural Dancing 3, Significant Sub-skill: Group Movements 2, Significant Sub-skill: Solo Expression 2, Significant Musical Instruments 2, Average Sub-skill: Singing 1, Average Sub-skill: Flute 1, Limited Body Mana Manipulation 3, Natural Sub-skill: Mana Burst 1, Natural Sub-skill: Undiminishing Returns 2, Significant
Abilities: Vampiric Abilities: Shapechanger (1), Bite (4), Regeneration (4), Blood Rage (2) Skill Abilities: Flash Step, Surging Strike, Mana Burst Traits: Child of Night: Vampiric abilities, heat vision. Nascent vulnerability to silver and Light Magic. -100% resistance to Holy Magic. Child of Heaven: You have retained a divine soul. Reduced susceptibility to Holy Magic by 50%, vampiric light & silver vulnerability negated, and vampiric hunger reduced. Elven Heritage: 50% Enchantment resistance. Low-light vision & acute senses, Perception +1. Honorbound: While within the Hamlet of Sunset you receive a 5% bonus to all actions. Scion of the Chimera¡¯s Mane: As ruler of the territories¡¯ noble house you receive a 10% bonus to all actions within the area. You may summon a territorial keep once per month. Theia¡¯s Blessing: Luck +1, Perception +1. Other elements of this trait may reveal themselves over time.
Inventory: Set of Clothing (Body) Unidentified Swordstaff (Equipped) Scrimshaw Necklace of the Naga (Neck) Warden¡¯s Bracelet of Elucidation (Wrist) Ring of Lunar Sunrise (Finger) Silver Ring (Finger) Backpack: Bedroll Wool Blanket Fire Sparker 2 Tinctures of Minor Healing 2 Tinctures of Moderate Healing 2 Minor Antidote Elixirs Crown of Moonlight 3 Waterskins Small Pouch of Coins (Pocket): 1 gold, 11 silver, 54 copper
Looking over his status sheet, Cire discovered the results of his next notification before he brought it up. Generally he skipped over the top of the sheet, it didn¡¯t really change as often as the skills and traits. This time, that was not the case. You have lost your favored enemy: Gnolls You have gained an Aspect: Accepting. You chose to see enemy combatants for what they truly were, individuals. Your perspective of the living beings of Elysium has fundamentally shifted. You are open to disparate cultures and ways of life. Effect:+1 to Chaotic Disposition, decreased chance to perceive a potential threat, 75% penalty to sneak attacks unless the enemy is known, increased chance for territorial population immigration, and a 25% increase to reputation gain with non-elves. Cire was pleased to see what he considered a generally positive aspect of himself enshrined in the reflection of the status sheet. While he would still put down any gnoll raiders who came to threaten him or his community, he no longer looked at them as a monolithic group. This would obviously make sneak attacking difficult, if not pointless, but the memory of ambushing the gnoll at the start of the battle now conjured a bitter taste in his mouth. In fact, that was a rather severe unexpected result of wearing the crown in battle. Before when he had fought with the Blood Rage against the duergar and the mushrooms it had fogged over his memories. He could still remember generally what he had done, but the visceral experience of battle was overshadowed by fury and a dulling of his senses. The Clear Mind state the crown induced didn¡¯t dull the experience at all, if anything he remembered details from fighting the gnolls too crisply. Something had happened to the two items when Selene had reached out to him. Surreptitiously Cire inspected each of them, making sure to keep the crown tucked away. Plenty of people had seen him wearing it, but during the rush of combat he was counting on it being forgotten. Perhaps his paranoia was overblown, perhaps not. Cire had already revealed more than he had intended when answering Eliana.
Ring of Lunar Sunrise Description: Mithril ring inset with an onyx and gold eclipse symbol. Crafted for Constantine Dawnslight as a symbol of his power. Bestowed with a residual blessing by the goddess Selene after it was used as a conduit of her power. This had changed elements of this item permanently. Rarity: Legendary Quality: Masterpiece (Divine Touched) Effects: 1. +2 to Spirit, +1 to Luck 2. Moonlight Shroud ¨C A near invisible shield that only appears when dampening a ranged attack. Reduces magical and non-magical projectile damage by 33%. 3. Conceals the wearer¡¯s aura of leadership making them indistinguishable by other rulers, citizens, freeman or slaves. 4. Soulbound: cannot be used or removed by anyone other than Ciresil Eventide.
Crown of Moonlight Description: Mithril circlet with moonstones pattered after the moon¡¯s cycle. Crafted for Constantine Dawnslight as a symbol of his power. Bestowed with a residual blessing by the goddess Selene after it was used as a conduit of her power. This had changed elements of this item permanently. Rarity: Legendary Quality: Masterpiece (Divine Touched) Effects: 1. +2 to Intelligence, +2 to Perception 2. Serene Mind ¨C immune to mental status afflictions. 3. +50% Holy Resistance. 4. Soulbound: cannot be used or removed by anyone other than Ciresil Eventide.
The changes to each item appeared to be tailored for his use. Effects that were exceptionally powerful, but functionally useless to him had been replaced with effects that offset specific weaknesses he possessed. Cire didn¡¯t think that was unintentional. It made the goddesses¡¯ motivations all that much more important to uncover. Ultimately, he decided to accept the gift and worry about any strings that may be attached later. He wasn¡¯t in a position where he could turn down the boon. If I was a suspicious man, which generally I am not, I would assume that Selene was watching the battle. Those are some very specific changes, extremely welcome to be sure, but specific. I wonder if I caught her attention when I went to her temple, or if it was before? Realizing for the countless time that trying to suss out the motivations of the goddess were beyond him, Cire moved on to the last notifications blinking away at him. Ever since sequestering himself in the academy he hadn¡¯t received any new quests. The ones before him fit with a recent trend, he was forced to pick one or the other.
Quest Title: Chase the Canines Condition(s): Track down the gnoll pack that you recently fought with. Eliminate the threat. Rewards: All items and treasure held by the pack. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: None Do you Accept? Yes or No
Quest Title: Help the Hounds Condition(s): Engage the gnoll pack that you recently fought in a diplomatic negotiation. Discover the reason for their incursion into the Shadowed Forest. Rewards: Unknown. Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: None Do you Accept? Yes or No
Quickly dismissing the quest to hunt down the gnolls, Cire said ¡°Yes¡± to the ¡°Help the Hounds¡± option. He wasn¡¯t ready to welcome them with open arms, and he doubted they would be too receptive to him either, but he knew in his bones that he didn¡¯t want to slaughter them. At one point he had been so sure of what he would do any time he ran into a gnoll, now he was doubtful. There had to be more raiders out there, threats to him and his friends, but this pack had purchased a right to mediation with the blood of their fallen. There was nothing to say he wouldn¡¯t end up needing to do both if the option he chose failed. The group was in the midst of pulling up to make camp for the evening when a messenger party arrived. Word of the battle, and its results, had reached the city. Eliana, Obelius, Lucas, and the relief guard captain were pulled together as orders were delivered. Cire caught a knowing look from Fizz as they exchanged glances. They were both wondering what they were in for when they got back to the Tempest Treetops. The mood on the hike so far wasn¡¯t exactly jubilant, but it wasn¡¯t downcast. They had managed to best a significant host, but Cire got the feeling that the people who lived high up in the towers, behind secure walls, might not see it that way. He hoped he was wrong. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 39: Gilded Expectations Wind gusts made the leaves above them rustle and the treetops sway. The elvish column continued its march back to the city the following day. Overall the trip was easy. None of the captives tried to flee, they seemed to have accepted their fate or there was an element Cire had missed. Magic could have been at play, but Cire hadn¡¯t seen anything being cast. That didn¡¯t mean it hadn¡¯t happened. No monsters attacked them. No wild beasts tried to pick off one of the wounded. It was as if the forest knew their purpose and let them through. Cire was fully aware it was because of their groups size, and that they were in more heavily patrolled areas as they got closer to the Tempest Treetops, but that didn¡¯t change how it felt. Eliana and the messengers who had come the day before split off from the group as they neared the city. Upon nearing the outer wall the elvish formation reorganized itself. They could all hear faint sounds of music and overlapping conversation. Obelius stepped up and wove a spell with his staff, green energy flowing from him into the vegetation. The thick wall of brambles slowly unwound and created an entrance big enough for four of them to walk side by side. A crowd of elves, centaurs, satyrs, pixies, and fairies were gathered a little ways from the wall. The crowd separated and lined up along on either side of the path leading into the heart of the city. Lucas stepped to the head of the procession, a forced smile plastered across his visage. His leather armor had been treated and cleaned, a fresh light green cloak hung from his shoulders. The guard followed him in two lines. Thankfully, elves didn¡¯t march. Cire¡¯s gait was easy as the students followed the guards in. Obelius led them wearily. Passing the townsfolk caused the satyrs flutes and lyres to pick up in volume. Cheers rang out from sporadic sections. Small children whistled from the shoulders of their parents. Centaurs stomped their hooves in applause. The pixies and fairies flew overhead and left streams of colored sparks or glittering dust in their passing. The show of celebration was distracting and chaotic. The gnoll captives had almost slipped Cire¡¯s mind until he heard the jeering. Following up behind the victors were their prizes, trudging along bound and hobbled. ¡°Murders!¡± ¡°Monsters! Demons!¡± ¡°Swamp scum!¡± Cire concentrated on following the steps of the elf walking ahead of him. Philip¡¯s gleaming plate and tower shield kept a slow pace. Focusing in on the back of the heavily armored elf, Cire took slow deliberate breaths. There was nothing he could do right now, he needed to look ahead. Following with route steps, Cire almost crashed into Philip¡¯s back as they reached the center of town. While not elegant, groups of six proceeded to step onto the wooden elevator platform and regather up on the main level. Being in one of the last groups made it easy for Cire to confirm that none of the captives or relief guard were brought up. Gazing out over the pristine park-like atmosphere of the matted branches and the tall wondrous towers, Cire felt more than could put into words the cognitive dissonance of elvish society. It had the veneer of what he had expected, magic and grandeur. What he hadn¡¯t expected, was the vanity and pride woven through the towns culture like the branches supporting the very floor he was standing on. With a second glance he confirmed that Kepheus, the centaur who had hauled the dead, was not with them either. Cire started to suspect that Calix¡¯s attitude towards anything that threatened the gilded aristocratic balance of this town was more prevalent than he had thought. This celebration reeked of pageantry. Lucas led the group to the cypress tower at the center of the large mat. When they got close the forms of various nobles could be seen sitting at round tables along their route. The final table held the Tempestnight family. King Zephyr, the sovereign himself, was busy conversing with one of his consorts. Walking in an easy rhythm, still without a marching step, Lucas kept his neck straight and progressed to the foot of the main table. Going down on one knee, he bowed his head, his chestnut hair sweeping down over his brow. ¡°Sire, Lucas Rootwine and the guards of the Notus division¡¯s fifth patrol reporting.¡± Revealing his thin and tall form, Zephyr stood and let his piercing golden gaze fall upon Lucas. With a pause for dramatic effect, he waited before speaking with a sonorous voice. ¡°I have heard tale of your exploits in defending our territory and our home lieutenant. I have a place of honor for you at my table. Arise, captain, and take your seat.¡± Zephyr looked over the others, guard and students alike kneeling before him. Spreading his arms, his large brown wings followed. ¡°It is with great honor I welcome you home to the Tempest Treetops. A peaceful, safe place in this savage world. We are gathered here to celebrate those who sacrificed to protect our families and friends. We have suffered losses. In every battle that will be the case, no fighting force is invincible.¡± Bringing his hands and wings in, a gentle breeze swirled through the area. ¡°Arise all and find a seat. Take up a cup and join me in a toast to the elves who have moved on to be reborn in their next lives. May they rejoin us with familiar faces in familiar places.¡± Listening, the bottom dropped out of Cire¡¯s stomach as he realized that regardless of the spectacle, he would absolutely have to deliver a similar speech at some point in the future. Zephyr was right, no fighting force was invincible. Death was commonplace in this world. Cire heard his name being called and turned his head to a table to his side. Duchess Silverstar, Daphne, was sitting flanked by two moon elves he did not recognize. It was plainly apparent from their matching features that they were Daphne¡¯s relatives. Still no expert at predicting elven age without obvious clues, like Eliana¡¯s gray hair or Obelius¡¯ wrinkles, Cire couldn¡¯t wager a guess if they were siblings or children. Selene was at the table as well, her dark black hair contrasting starkly with the others. ¡°Your grace, thank you for the kind invitation.¡± Cire managed to stammer out and quickly took his seat. Offering him a glass filled with wine, Selene practically bored holes through him with her gaze. He only wished he knew what she was trying to communicate. In battle he had grown accustomed to her signals, but this was a different type of arena. Deciding to error on the side of caution, Cire buttoned up and tried to remain as reserved as possible. Raising his glass to match the others, the odd juxtaposition of returning forces still clad in their filthy armor with the nobles and aristocrats clothed in silk finery appeared stark to Cire. He could see the same look in other students and guards eyes. This wasn¡¯t the type of feast they would prefer to send off the dead with, but it wasn¡¯t their choice. Filling the empty seat next to Cire, Lander, a wood elf with black hair almost as dark as Selene¡¯s eagerly began filling his plate. Daphne¡¯s eyes lingered on the new students presence briefly before taking up residence on Cire. Her tone was easy, conversational. ¡°Young master Ciresil, it appears that your patrol was an eventful one. I am pleased that you have returned to us intact. Not even a single scar. Do regale us with a tale or two from the journey.¡± ¡°Mother, perhaps we should-¡± Selene attempted to interject. ¡°Indeed. Our little sister has been ever so tight lipped regarding your deeds. I am intrigued.¡± Alexander, the heir to house Silverstar, sat to his mothers right with a bored expression on his stately features, quite contradicting his words. A look of disgust passed over them as Lander crammed a huge piece of cheese with fig preserve into his mouth. Penelope discreetly hid half her face with a fan, her words anything but disguised. ¡°It¡¯s not like Selly to travel with anyone, my curiosity has been piqued as well. A heavy gauntled hand slapped against Cire¡¯s back making him lurch forward. Lander grinned as he wiped his mouth on a quickly discolored napkin. With a hearty, deep resonating tone uncommon for elves he responded without any propriety or understanding of the situation. ¡°Do you want to know about the timber troll? I thought I was going to die choking on my own sick when the beast hit me with some kind of stink attack.¡± Penelope¡¯s nose wrinkled, barely visible above the fan. While waiting for an answer Lander picked up a piece of mutton by the bone and bit a chunk off. No attempt to hid is contempt, Alexander leaned back and scooted his chair a short distance away from the uncouth dining companion. Duchess Silverstar reigned back in the conversation, a small sharp movement of her hand immediately drawing the attention of her children. Ever the picture of composure, none of her evident displeasure shown in anything else. ¡°Excuse my house member¡¯s manners. I do not know your name child. Are you also a student from the academy or a member of the guard?¡± Swallowing hard, Lander gave a seated bow. ¡°Lander, your grace. I am a pupil at the academy.¡± Daphne nodded politely, her eyes flicking back to Ciresil and reading his expression.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Perhaps another story, one more appropriate for while we dine. I hear that you took succor at the Scorched Oak of Storms. Is the Matron of Wreath in good health?¡± Thankful for Lander¡¯s distraction, Cire he let the brawny wood elf take the lead on relating the facts of their expedition. Eyes roving over the other tables, Cire watched the aristocratic dance play out at each. String and flute music, playing in harmony, cast a light backdrop to the heavy scene. Lucas and Obelius were sitting at one of the head tables with Zephyr and the other ruling family members. Looking far more comfortable than most of the others, Obelius was resting easy in his chair nursing a long pipe. On the other hand, Lucas looked like a dryad dressed in full plate, intensely uncomfortable. The Morningdew¡¯s sat across from the Silverstar family at a table placed equidistant from each other and the main table. Katherine sat with a few other moon elves with similar complexions, more sullen expressions on their faces than most, most likely her parents. The two members of the guard sitting at their table looked put out and harried. Cire wasn¡¯t sure if the Cinnamonswirl family had insisted on a table of equal size to the others, or if there simply hadn¡¯t been a fairy equivalent. Honeydrop and her kin were walking around on their table surrounded by dishes of food that dwarfed them in size. Philip and Fizz were at their table having a lively conversation punctuated by wild gesticulations and raucous laughing. Nutmeg, one of Honeydrops younger brothers, had stuck his entire head inside a pomegranate and was fishing around for the tasty red seeds. The Goldenspring family had multiple tables, Cire picked out one of the brothers he had met at the ball at each. He was less interested in Sirius, the head of the Bellarian Crafters Guild, than Jace, the head of the local Ionian League Adventurers Guild. Iaso, the student caster from Calix¡¯s party, and a guard were seated at Jace¡¯s table. Many other tables were spread out in a lazy half circle, Cire would have continued watching the various interactions if his attention hadn¡¯t been called back to his own. ¡°Ohh yeah, Cire was amazing during the battle. I could hardly believe it when I saw him charging the center of the gnoll¡¯s ranks. Wouldn¡¯t have noticed him if it wasn¡¯t for the crazy flip he did right at their wizards. Bought us time to re-organize before Obelius cast a massive summoning.¡± Burying itself into the top of his foot, Selene¡¯s heel sharply brought Cire¡¯s attention back to the conversation in a bit of panic. He honestly didn¡¯t know what Lander had already told them. For that matter, he hadn¡¯t really probed the class to see what anyone had noticed of his actions during the fight. Cire did his best to hide the pain and stammered out a question to redirect to a different topic. ¡°So, you¡¯re Selene¡¯s brother and sister?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t introduce ourselves did we Alexander? Well of course Selene has to have mentioned us. Alexander is the heir to the house and I am the house high mage, Penelope.¡± Her expression was more playful than Daphne¡¯s, but there was an undercurrent Cire couldn¡¯t put his finger on. She continued, ¡°You are the wildling she found in the mountains. A sun elf vampire to be precise, what a rare treat.¡± The way Penelope had described him made him feel like an exotic specimen at a zoo. She hadn¡¯t exactly asked a question, so Cire simply dipped his head awkwardly. He didn¡¯t know what he was sticking his hand into, but the quicker he could disengage the better. Not about to let that happen, Alexander probed further. ¡°Our house has sponsored your attendance at the academy have we not? Have you received adequate recompense for our gold?¡± Cire was a little taken aback by the question and he could see a disapproving reaction flit across Daphne¡¯s face. As far as he knew, he had gotten exceptional value out of his training, but Alexander¡¯s tone suggested heavy disbelief at the prospect. Cire answered the best he could, truthfully. ¡°Yes, you have and I am most grateful to Duchess Silverstar for the aid. In my estimation I have grown much by the experience. I would like to stay longer, there is much for me to learn.¡± Swirling her wine, Penelope took a sip before probing with a follow up. Heavy implications dripping from her words. ¡°So you will be leaving so soon? Going to follow Selene back to the crags and cliffs?¡± Cire¡¯s eyes flicked to Selene¡¯s, which in retrospect wasn¡¯t the best reaction, before looking back to the others. His response lacked his typical surety, Cire honestly didn¡¯t know what he was going to do next. ¡°I think we will be leaving soon. I am not sure, there are a lot of things to consider before taking my next step.¡± The cryptic and purposefully vague answer didn¡¯t seem to appease anyone, but before they could follow up Cire pushed his chair back. Standing, he quickly excused himself. ¡°Pardon me, I need to go thank a member of my class for some timely healing. Please indulge my absence until I return.¡± Walking with a barely noticeable limp, Cire made his exit towards the most distracting table he could find, the Cinnamonswirls. The rest of the celebration tarried well into the early evening. Cire made his rounds with people he wanted to touch base with. The students agreed to meet up with the guard later that evening at one of the bars in the Undergrowth for a more appropriate send off. After today, the two groups would have much different trajectories. Slipping out from the crowd wasn¡¯t as difficult as Cire had suspected. He collected his new weapon with his backpack as he exited and made his way to the Silverstar families willow tower. A bath, change of clothes, and some time to himself would be splendid before going out later. Stepping right up next to his side, Selene made her escape from the frivolities as well. ¡°Wait until we can speak privately.¡± Cire flashed the handtalk sign for agreement as they made their way. He hadn¡¯t felt that probing Selene for information about her family would be wise, now he had confirmation. Then again, if they had prepared beforehand things might have gone better. It wasn¡¯t too hard to read the situation, but that didn¡¯t mean it was his place to stick his nose in it. When they made it to the tower Cire split off to clean up and Selene retired to the study for him to join her. It wasn¡¯t the leisurely bath he had been looking forward to, but no longer having a coating of grime and blood was more than a little refreshing. A new pair of clothes made him feel positively extravagant. As distasteful as many things were here, Cire was absolutely going to miss the abundance of creature comforts. Arriving to the study with a soft knock on the doorway, Cire pushed the curtain aside. He found Selene sitting in a nook next to one of the large bay windows looking out over the expansive courtyard between the towers. Glowing multi-colored lights hung sporadically through the foliage giving off an otherworldly appearance. Selene looked up to Cire, the gentle play of light shading her features and making her appearance soften. ¡°Sorry about your foot. You were distracted and I don¡¯t know what happened out there. Lander was being very free with his words.¡± It wasn¡¯t like Selene to apologize, for anything. She seemed vulnerable, unsure of herself. This whole time around her family she hadn¡¯t been acting like the Selene he knew. Selene had never been exactly talkative, but she hadn¡¯t ever been meek. Cire really didn¡¯t know how to broach the topic, so he gave up trying to finesse it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It was the right move, but I don¡¯t think it will matter in the end. I would be very surprised if your mother doesn¡¯t learn the whole story before all things are said and done. That¡¯s actually one of the many things I need to ask you about,¡± Cire paused to give his next words the weight they deserved. ¡°But before any of that, are you alright?¡± Selene pulled her legs up onto the cushion she was sitting on and hugged them. Knots of tension seemed to release from her shoulders as her chin sank heavily onto her knees. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I didn¡¯t think it would be this hard, to bring you here. It isn¡¯t just that my brother and sister are impossible to deal with or even mother. The more time I spend away the more this all¡­¡± She waved her hand towards the window. ¡°Feels wrong? I don¡¯t even really know myself. I can¡¯t put it into words.¡± Never having been physically close, Cire¡¯s placement of his hand on Selene¡¯s shoulder was somewhat out of place. He gave her a parting squeeze before settling into the nook across from her and looking out over the esplanade below. Without any great insight to impart, Cire fell back on his own self discovery. ¡°Sorry about that, if I am making things worse. You don¡¯t seem to have the most agreeable family life. I was an only child, so it¡¯s not like I can compare. But I did figure out something important in the midst of finding heaps of questions I need to talk with you about.¡± Cire looked back and waited for Selene to make eye contact with him. ¡°The Chimera¡¯s Mane, Sunset, is my home. It may not be where I started, but it¡¯s where I belong, in this world and before. So, yeah, things here feel wrong. In the Mane, everyone puts each other first, here-¡± Cire waved his hand to take in all of the towers, ¡°too many of the people are self interested.¡± Selene leaned back, pulling her head up, an annoyed look crossing her face. Her attitude had improved, but not in the manner Cire had intended. ¡°You sure do love to hear yourself talk, maybe do a bit better at listening. It¡¯s a boon from Artemis that you were able to keep that mouth of yours closed this afternoon. You had things to discuss?¡± After apologizing, Cire and Selene jumped into a hushed conversation about the patrol, the gnolls, and their next steps. While recounting the battle Cire employed handtalk when referring to sensitive topics. Quick enough on the uptake, Selene ticked off the major unresolved issues at hand. ¡°We don¡¯t know how much you revealed, or if it is even a concern. We don¡¯t know where the gnolls are truly going, or if they are a threat. It¡¯s time to leave the academy and return to Sunset, but you want to sign up with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild before we leave. Did I get all of that?¡± ¡°More or less. Also, I want to go to Gearspoke, but I need to stop by Sunset to pick up the top if we are going to have any money to make purchases. I, we, need to recruit an adventuring party. I might be able to get a couple of the students I¡¯ve gotten to know to join up, but I am counting on you and Durg.¡± With a shake of her head, Selene disagreed. ¡°You can count on me, for what it¡¯s worth, Durg too. I doubt you will convince any classmates to leave their education behind. Their families have paid at least through the winter and it is no small amount of coin. Besides, most have years left before they can challenge to graduate. The recognition that comes by finishing your training is worth a lot to most, even discounting the preferential postings they can request.¡± Deciding after his earlier faux pas that challenging her statements of self doubt to be unwise, Cire left them unaddressed. ¡°Sure, I know I am not exactly in the same boat as the rest. It¡¯s worth a shot though. I¡¯d like to get a group of four to six, so at least one to three more.¡± ¡°Why not see if there are any adventurers looking to join a team at the guild hall? There are always a few. We don¡¯t have to take on anyone we don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s a good idea, I hadn¡¯t even considered that. I would like to recruit people I am familiar with if possible though.¡± ¡°Why, do you want to join up with the Adventurers Guild? You haven¡¯t told me that.¡± Cire flinched slightly at the question, it wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t been expecting it, it was that the answer was painful to admit. Knowing better than to expect Selene to let him off the hook, he spoke what he already knew. ¡°Because of the battle, the questions, and my inability to do more. But also because that¡¯s what I have enjoyed doing and what has felt right. Stopping boars, yeti, or timber trolls is necessary. If any of those went unchecked people would die, maybe not the boars, but farms would still have been ruined.¡± Cire rubbed the back of his hand, his eyes dropping. ¡°We won the battle, but it doesn¡¯t feel good. Not after what happened, not after what I learned. I can¡¯t stop seeing the gnoll pups, the captives, and the dead. I need to know why.¡± It was Selene¡¯s turn to do the unexpected and place her hand tenderly on the top of Cire¡¯s. He stopped his rubbing. She didn¡¯t say anything for a long while, Selene simply sat with him in silence. As the summer twilight faded more to darkness she stood. ¡°We need to find out what we can about the gnolls who escaped. I¡¯ll see what I can learn from the guard. You said there were scouts following them?¡± ¡°Last I saw, but it¡¯s not like I was in a position to ask. The students weren¡¯t even supposed to be involved in the first place.¡± Smoothing out her dress out of habit, Selene nodded. ¡°I can use our house contacts to learn more. There are plenty in the guard who owe their allegiance to House Silverstar and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if my mother has already requested the information. It¡¯s getting late, go to the Pan¡¯s Bounty and be with the others, if we will be leaving soon this may be one of your last chances for a while.¡± Adventurer Book II - Chapter 40: Falling Leaves and Rising Spirits Alone, Cire felt like an intruder as he wandered the twisting claustrophobic corridors of the Undergrowth. Musty and stale, the air almost had substance. His new weapon was far too cumbersome to bring down to these tight confines, but he was hardly concerned, anyone who accosted him would find him more than armed. The Pan¡¯s Bounty was somewhere near the administrative pillar, close to the guard headquarters and Adventurer¡¯s Guild hall for good reason. It catered to the more rambunctious clientele of the town and had a staff equal to the task. Cire was able to hear the commotion from far enough off that it spared him getting lost during the short traverse. Cire walked in through the open archway made of huge twisting roots and found that their group had taken over a large swath of the establishment. Chloe was standing on one of the tables with a member of the guard who had a bit of girth for an elf, her heavy plate and great sword no where to be seen. They each dropped an oak leaf off the side of the table. Leaning down, they scooped up shot glasses of a glowing green liquid from the table and threw them back. Laughing, Chloe flung herself into a waiting Iaso¡¯s arms who looked like he was afraid of what he had just caught. Cire made his way to a table with Fizz, and two guards. By the time he got to an empty chair the heavy set guard had hopped off the table with more than expected grace. The pair had been replaced atop the apparent alters to Dionysus by a set of one guard and Philip who repeated the leaf dropping display. ¡°What¡¯s that all about?¡± Cire yanked a thumb in the direction of the drinking game. ¡°We have to keep the leaves falling all night,¡± Fizz practically groaned through a puff on his pipe. ¡°What he means to say, is that we keep the leaves on the wind for our brethren. It is a wood elf tradition sunny.¡± A hiccup interrupted the shorter guard¡¯s explanation. ¡°One we should have thought about this afternoon when those silk bed clothes wearing nobles treated us to such a fine swaray.¡± ¡°Too true brother, but it would have been a shame to waste all that fancy liquor they were pissing away.¡± Smearing her hand on her tunic, the taller guard reached over and clasped Cire¡¯s forearm. ¡°We didn¡¯t get a chance to really talk, with the fighting and all. I¡¯m Charis and this here¡¯s Myron.¡± Cire clasped the vigorous and clearly inebriated Charis¡¯ forearm, very happy that he had kept his drinking previous to a minimum. ¡°Well met, I¡¯m Cire and it looks like you already know Fizz.¡± Before he could ask a follow up question Lander had come over and clasped him by the shoulders and hauled him to his feet. Fizz began cackling as he saw a look of terror wash over Cire¡¯s face as Lander began marching him up to the table. He called out to the vampire, ¡°I hope your regeneration powers work on wine pointy fingers because there are less students than guards, and we each have a leaf.¡± Proceeding to successfully complete his first round, Cire hoped down from the table and handed the leaf to Fizz to pay him back for his laughing. The gnome pretended to be put out, but eagerly made his way up. Following him went Ambrose, Honeydrop, and so on. Once all of those expected had arrived the jovial nature of the drinking game shifted. After each shot the person standing on the table would make a toast to one of the fallen. They often told a quick story, recounting a fond memory or shared adversity. It was in the midst of these eulogies that a surprise puzzle piece slide neatly into place. Erinna, the glade elf had begun her toast with Calix¡¯s full name. ¡°Calix Morningdew, may he swiftly transition through the planes and find this realm again. He was at times a difficult man to serve as retainer. He had a short temper, but quicker sword. In his end, he died while those pledged to him lived.¡± Cire had barely heard the rest of the tribute, he was preoccupied by the shattering of his own blinded assumptions. Calix hadn¡¯t been jealous of him dancing with Katherine, well maybe, but he had most certainly been being protective. The Morningdews had lost a child, but they had still hosted tables earlier. A wave of dysphoria bubbled through his wine soaked stomach. Just when I had started to think I was understanding how things worked and I am spun for a loop again. Selene told me I didn¡¯t think like an elf yet, she sure was right. Well, maybe I don¡¯t think like a noble. I don¡¯t know if the Morningdew¡¯s had to host tables or if they insisted. Not every person looked upset, mainly the people at Katherine¡¯s table. I don¡¯t even know if I want to understand that. Tributes and homages complete, the previous pace of non-stop drinking continued. Cire managed to pull Fizz and Honeydrop aside right after the fairy had completed a turn. There was no point in delaying letting them know, or asking them to come along. ¡°So, I think I¡¯ll be leaving the academy soon and heading back to the mountains. I¡¯ve been giving it some thought and I am going to be traveling around a bit while the weather welcomes it. Figured the best way to fill my coffers and build my skills would be to sign up at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± Cire took a bite of a piece of crusty bread he was hoping would sop up some of his over indulgence. ¡°Would you two be interested in joining up with me?¡± A full belly laugh shook Fizzilius until he flopped out of his chair, a somewhat perilous height given his gnomish stature. Honeydrop managed to avoid the gnome, but not her own mirth as her giggling and distracted flying caused her to flit headlong into Cire¡¯s chest. The sun elf¡¯s brow knitted and his expression turned as sour as three day old milk left in the sun. Looking up from his lap, Honeydrop started in with another round of giggles as she rolled around a bit holding her stomach. ¡°You¡¯re serious?!¡± Wheezing in between words, Fizz started slapping his knee, ¡°By Demeter he is!¡± Folding his arms across his chest, Cire tried not to be offended, and failed. Selene had warned him, and he gone made a fool of himself. ¡°Okay, fine, I get it. Forget I asked.¡± Climbing back up into his seat, quite literally as the chair was not made for gnomes, Fizz wiped tears from his eyes. ¡°No, Cire, it¡¯s¡­ well I can¡¯t say that it¡¯s unusual, for you, but it is surprising. Sounds fun! Count me in.¡± Honeydrop seemed to sober up in a lightning flash. The situation no longer as potently hilarious to her. She buzzed straight into Fizz¡¯s face with her hands on her hips all bluster and puff. ¡°You can¡¯t leave me in a class full of elves by myself! I¡¯ll never have any fun.¡± Fizz leaned forward with glazed eyes and poked her in the tummy with his long nose. ¡°Maybe you should come with us.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave until I graduate and you know it. The frollick would never allow it. I¡¯m too young!¡± Cire had a leaf thrust into his face by a dangerously unsteady Iaso. Snatching it up, he nodded and gave the moon elf caster a friendly pat on the back. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back you two, keep it civil til I return.¡± The wake kept going until late into the evening and right up to dawn. Eventually, members of the guard started to pitch in and passed the student¡¯s leaf for a round or two. The bartender even broke out a special drink mixed with stamina potion to keep them going for a few extra rounds. It wouldn¡¯t be until hazy purple light broke on the summer morning that Cire stumbled, in the wrong direction and alone, out of the Pan¡¯s Bounty.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Moving silently through the administrative tower was often appreciated, that was if in its execution nothing nefarious was underway. Selene wasn¡¯t exactly breaking any rules, but the time and hour dictated discreet actions on her part. It wouldn¡¯t do for any untoward gossip to be stirred up in the wake of their exit. Ascending the stairs to the guards headquarters, Selene passed by several dark and quiet floors of the academy. It wasn¡¯t until the last floor of the place of learning, the faculty and headmaster¡¯s level, that she saw soft orange light and heard muffled conversation. The voices were not being purposefully quiet, simply carrying through walls and fabric, with a little focus and twist of her ears she was able to pick up bits and pieces. ¡°...really am¡­ Eli, but you know¡­ the Morningdew¡¯s have¡­ don¡¯t you think it¡¯s the best solution for everyone involved?¡± The headmaster and a retainer of House Tempestnight, Cyril, was explaining in a tone that suggested resignation and a sense of the inevitable. Selene had heard him give uplifting speeches to new classes, terrible warnings to rule breakers, and, most importantly, supportive cheers to a certain downtrodden student. This, defeat and capitulation, riddled in Cyril¡¯s voice plucked a chord of sorrow deep within her. ¡°I know Cy, I know. Someone had to pay a price for the young nobles blood, the five houses would never accept the loss without recompense. I prefer it to be my penance instead of that young guards. I simply wish it had been on my own terms.¡± Eliana¡¯s voice was even more familiar to Selene, and when she realized what they were talking about she froze mid-step. Of course someone would be punished for a failure to protect Calix. The most likely culprits were the lower class officers of the guard patrol that had led the gnolls to the students. The palaestra must have stepped in front of the proverbial axe. ¡°I am sure Lucas and his family are immensely grateful Eli. Instead of reassignment to one of the northern outposts near the Jungle of Serpents he was promoted. We both know those patrols have... a harder time than most with the servants of Phobos growing in strength.¡± It¡¯s just retirement from the academy. You can still do plenty of other things. Like tutoring or travel. By Aeolus, you could visit some of those islands from centuries ago we quested on when we were both young.¡± Feeling the impropriety of what she was overhearing creep up the back of her neck like an unseen pair of hands, Selene crept up the remaining stairs. Selene released her held in breath as she pushed the curtain leading into the foyer of the guards headquarter aside. In accordance with the late hour only a single moon elf stood ready at the reception desk. ¡°Good evening, how can I assist you?¡± he said. Folding her hands over the front of her waist Selene gave a demur downward tilt of her head. She had to phrase this just right otherwise she would be severely overstepping her bounds. If she had learned anything from her mother, it was how to be as deft and delicate with her words as her arrows and blades. ¡°I am Selene Silverstar, fourth child of the Duchess. I have come this evening to request a report on the remnant gnoll force that our guard engaged with in the south. It is our understanding the scouts have been reporting back.¡± Looking from side to side, causing his silver-white hair to fall past his shoulders, the guard made a too ostentatious display of checking for others. Apparently satisfied, he placed a small hand held bell on the counter and ushered her back. Taking her to a private office, he drew a curtain and ran his thumb over a small inset pink gem in the doorway. ¡°A veil of silence is now active. My pardons Lady Silverstar, the duchess requested updates once per day. Has this changed?¡± Her first impulse had been to obfuscate, it hadn¡¯t gone as well as Selene hoped. It was obvious that this moon elf guard was loyal to, or had ambitions towards, her house. This meant there were other tools at her disposal. Ones that in hindsight would be rather unpleasant to remember. ¡°Guard, I didn¡¯t ask for your pardons. I requested a report.¡± Selene remained standing, her hands placed firmly on her hips, her timbre scathing and haughty. ¡°You will present me with all current information for me to return to my house, immediately.¡± Selene knew she would get what she needed the moment the guard turned white as a sheet, his jaw working to answer her before she was done berating him. ¡°Yes Lady Silverstar, right away. Please take a seat, there is not much to relay, but I would be remiss if I did not offer the courtesy. Perhaps a cup of tea?¡± Waving her hand to dismiss the ill begotten start, Selene modulated her voice and resumed a more conversational approach as she sat. ¡°Thank you, but the refreshment will be unnecessary. Please convey all current intelligence that his been gathered. Perhaps a pardon is necessary, what is your name officer?¡± ¡°Rastus, Lady Silverstar. I will endeavor to provide you with what you seek, but I caution you. We have not had any updates since the scouts broke off their pursuit and sent in their lone messenger squirrel. The gnolls made their way into the Chimera¡¯s Mane while the scouts followed. It was in the south of the territory and they did not want to stray so far without support.¡± Selene tried not to give away her relief at the news. There were no easy routes to cross from one part of the Mane to the other. An inexperienced group would not fair well, even in summer, and there were no southern entrances into the Valley of Sunset as far as she was aware. Then again, she hadn¡¯t known about a lot of things in the valley. ¡°Their numbers? Provisions? Likely intent?¡± ¡°Close to a hundred, counting the young. They moved slow, hampered by their wounded. Well rationed for gnolls, more stored food and general tools than any raiding group in the last decade. The scouts saw them setting up camp in a gorge. They left before it could be ascertained how permanent.¡± ¡°Follow up measures by the guard? Any intention to rally a force to hunt them in the mountains?¡± Shrugging, Rastus dutifully replied. ¡°None as far as I am aware, but they likely wouldn¡¯t tell us until deployment or upon issuing the orders. It¡¯s not likely. There¡¯s been too much movement to the north with the serpent folk. As long as the gnolls stay out of the forest I doubt the guard will devote resources to it.¡± Everything she had learned pointed to circumstances she had generally expected. Those results weren¡¯t positive or negative. On one hand, the gnolls were most likely not an immediate threat. On the other, the Tempest Treetops wasn¡¯t going to do anything to resolve the issue either. They couldn¡¯t let the threat fester too long, leaving a group that large unaccounted for was asking for trouble. Rastus relayed a few more odds and ends, but there wasn¡¯t much other news of note. After promising to deliver the report to her mother personally, Selene departed the administrative tower and headed to the willow tower. The one problem having used this tactic was that she couldn¡¯t hide it from her mother. Sitting comfortably at the center of her web, Daphne would inevitably discover her actions. Selene would put them in the best light possible while she could control the narrative. It was late, but she could tell that her mother would still be up. The day had presented much for the Duchess to consider, and the moonlight would provide the clarity she required. Rounding a corner, Cire found himself outside in the brightening dawn. The tall trees encircling the whole town and the towers in the center kept it darker at this hour than in the mountains. He hadn¡¯t noticed during his time in the towers himself. Cozy cottages and shops ringed the main circular road around the towers. Cire¡¯s intoxicated state made the prospect of navigating a wide open thoroughfare preferable to the twists and turns behind him. The peaceful caress of morning pulled at his senses with blooming flowers and musical birdsong. Without many pedestrians awake the town really was beautiful, an ordered, manicured garden blending seamlessly with a wild and untamed forest. Standing in front of him at the entrance to a small alley was a most peculiar character. What stood out the most was the cloak, a mass of pure white feathers draping all the way to the ground. Next was the golden hair mirroring Cire¡¯s own. A beckoning hand waved Cire over, but he hesitated. It felt like he knew this person. Cire still hadn¡¯t been able to peg whether the elf was male or female, perhaps neither. He was absolutely positive he had never seen this elf before, but the feeling of familiarity grew as he found himself walking towards them. One step followed the next until he was at the friendly persons side. Their voice was melodic and captivating as they called out, ¡°Good, good. Come with me darling. We have so much to discuss and it wouldn¡¯t do to be seen about.¡± The stranger took Ciresil by the hand and led deeper into the back of the alley. A throaty chuckle preceded their next words, ¡°You were so hard to get alone. I¡¯ve been watching for sometime you know, and you¡¯re always keeping people about or running from one fire to the next.¡± Cire followed in a fog, he found himself nodding along with the elf¡¯s statements and agreeing with them. He had been going from one emergency to the next without stopping. It was nice that he had found people to travel with. Cire kept listening dutifully. ¡°But Selene has reached out to you directly. That means there is no more time for observing or testing. Perhaps I should have come to you before now, but I played the slow game dear. That means I have some catching up to do.¡± Cire and the mysterious individual reached the dead end of the alley by all appearances, then the elf dressed in white feathers snapped their fingers. The entire street was bathed in a flash of brilliant bright light. When the radiance cleared, along with the vision of Elias, the Silverstar family slave tasked with following Cire, was left staring down an empty street. A pure white swan flew away over the tops of thatch roofed homes towards the forest with a small brown bat in tow. Adventurer Book II - Chapter 41: Epilogue Cursing Fon, the duergar battle leader, for the countless time, Thren picked his way through the dark tunnels of the Deep Dark. It had taken him weeks longer to make his way home than it had to get to the wretched valley his whole party had died in. If his nose was right it would only be another days journey before he arrived at the stronghold. Thren had to get his story straight by then, it wasn¡¯t hard, he had been convincing himself for a while. It had taken a some time to work out what tale would be most beneficial for the young duergar. If he told the truth; that a single vampire, a dwarf, and an elf had slaughtered their entire party while he cowered in an alcove he would be strung up or gibbeted. However, if the tale was too fantastical it wouldn¡¯t be believed and he might be put to the question regardless. That meant shaping the truth and making himself believe the story by the time he had to tell it. Thren cackled as his memories of day after day of eating mushrooms and hiding in a moldy decrepit dwarven city perverted and twisted. He hadn¡¯t hidden for weeks from those black serpents hissing in the shadows. No, he hadn¡¯t scrambled up the rope and out of the cavern with a trickle of piss running down his leg while they changed guard. He had been tortured. Thren even had the gouges, bruises, and cuts healing on his body. Those wounds had absolutely not been self inflicted. Elves had returned to the valley. Elves had killed his comrades. Elves had taken him and abused his body. He escaped and lived off what he could find while avoiding capture. Thren had seen at least one elf, there had to be more. He could use this. It was only a matter of how he could make it benefit him the most. What positions of power could Thren ascend to now that Fon and Mon were no longer impediments to his advancement? He would never know unless he seized the opportunity. A wicked smile rippled across Thren¡¯s pale visage as he cautiously pushed forward. A shrill whistle of steam pouring from a boiler startled every wild critter within miles as the heavily modified caravan rolled and pitched along the mountain road. Sitting atop the brightly colored horseless carriage was an old gnome with a particularly long nose, which was saying something for a gnome. She was moving around a series of large cranks and levers to operate the contraption. A couple of other caravans traveled disorderly behind as they snaked their way up into the mountains. They were packed to the brim with foodstuffs, mining, and logging supplies. On their return trip those same holds would be filled with lumber and ore. Squiggle Roundwadle loved making the trip to Sunset. It was always fun to play a trick or two on her grumpy old uncle. She knew the reminder of home pained him, but that the joy of seeing her outweighed it. Every year while he lived out his exile he had become a shade more bitter. If only she could convince him to apologize, but the stubborn old fool was peculiar in that trait.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! With a snap, the gnome sitting next to her fired off a stone from their sling. It struck a large single horned rabbit square between the eyes and dropped it. The passenger jumped down from the slow moving caravan and ran over to scoop up their kill. ¡°Got us a dire rabbit! Well be eating well tonight Squiggle.¡± ¡°Good shot! Now get back up here before you are left behind Wicket.¡± Running to catch up, Wicket hauled himself back up onto the bench next to Squiggle, still holding the rabbit by its ears. He started in on their usual conversation as he stowed the kill. They had repeated this exchange many times, on many trips, but they kept it up just the same. ¡°So, what do you think is new in the valley? Think any new folks showed up after we dropped off this seasons initial work crew?¡± Squiggle remembered the motley collection of humans and dwarves they had taken to the Valley of Sunset with the first thaw that spring. None of them had particularly stood out. It had been the same as every year she could remember, Sunset was a place that people went to as a last resort. That didn¡¯t tend to bring in promising talents or bright eyed prospects, normally the opposite in fact. ¡°Nah. I bet nothings changed. You know how it is. We take a group there in the spring and by the time we come back plenty will be looking to leave. It¡¯s hard work and not the most comfortable conditions. I¡¯d wager half the ones we got with us won¡¯t make it through the fall.¡± Wicket nodded, she was right after all. Why would anything change in the Chimera¡¯s Mane? It had been unclaimed for centuries. Heavy thudding steps shook the earth and crashed through the underbrush as the large meliae stomped through the Shadowed Forest. Grumblebark, a silk floss treefolk variant, was awash with pink-red blossoms all throughout his foliage. Crushed petals left a markedly visible trail back towards the north of the island and the Swiftwater River. Never caring much for tracking the passage of time, Grumblebark was unsure of how long he had been traveling. It had taken many days for the river¡¯s flow to lessen to the point that even he could cross. Urgency drove him onward, he couldn¡¯t let his partner down. The further he moved away, the harder the dungeon core had been to sense. They had not been able to communicate since the core¡¯s capture. However, no force could keep the bound dungeon familiar from sensing the core¡¯s location. Before he had come so far south, Grumblebark had still been able to feel the Lurking Lair¡¯s emotions. They were not in good shape, but there had still been hope. As long as Grumblebark was seeking help there was a chance that the dungeon could be saved. He wasn¡¯t sure how he would convince the elves to assist in freeing the young dungeon, but he knew they wouldn¡¯t want the serpentfolk of Phobos to possess it. ¡°Dungeon¡­ Charlie, I¡¯m going to bring back help. Hang on until I return.¡± Grumblebark knew that he was well out of range for the mental message to get through, he sent it just the same. It had taken the spiky meliae, with an equally prickly attitude, a while to warm up to the odd dungeon core. Although, once he had embraced the journey, for the first time in centuries, the meliae had been having the time of his life. It was about time to get that back to that adventure. Adventurer Book III - Metamorphosis Rising - Introduction: The Pantheon鈥檚 Games Clapping her hands excitedly as she skipped across the lotus filled pond in the garden of the gods, Euphrosyne, the goddess of joy, merriment, and cheer was a pure embodiment of those qualities on this day. Speaking to the young, athletic human appearing man at the edge of the pond, her voice was positively radiating mirth. ¡°I bet you are ever so excited Hermes! It is time, today marks the day of gathering. Soon we will choose when the next games will begin. The feasts! The friends!¡± A grin sparkled on her rosy cheeks. ¡°The wagers!¡± He held up his hand to take the water goddess¡¯ pale blue one and helped her step from the pond to the small beach. A twinkle in his eye and impish smile returned hers. ¡°I do look forward to the opportunity to see everyone. I may have something special in mind for one or two of our fellows that I have not seen in some time.¡± Brushing out the skirt of her robe, Euphrosyne, leaned forward teasingly offering the barest glimpse of her chest to the youthful god. He could be rather easy to tease and it was ever so enjoyable to vex him. ¡°As long as none of your tricks or pranks are pointed in me or my sister¡¯s direction you may stay on half-sister¡¯s good side.¡± Hermes gulped and hurriedly released her hand as he bent down to scoop up his lyre and staff. ¡°Nothing to worry about there Euphrosyne. How is Aphrodite? It has been some time since we have been social.¡± He paused awkwardly. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the best idea.¡± That would be putting it mildly Euphrosyne thought to herself. Really, he could be too easy to tease, at least he had some shame, unlike so many of the others. She was about to respond when the pair rounded one of the gorgeous flowering bushes and almost ran headlong into another couple of visitors seemingly out for a stroll. An enthusiastic, tinkling greeting jumped from Euphrosyne¡¯s lips. ¡°Why hello, Apollo and Artemis how are the two of you on this splendid afternoon?¡± Each of the twins looked between Euphrosyne, a handmaiden to Aphrodite, and Hermes, one of her former lovers, and raised their eyebrows knowingly and smirked. It was Apollo that answered, giving the Sunsteel bow he was holding a test draw before easing the string back into place. His sun elf form¡¯s golden hair was positively glowing as it danced over his tanned shoulders. ¡°In good spirits, we have only now returned from a hunt in the true bodies of our avatars. It was not a territorial beast, but there was still some challenge to the pursuit. Took us a couple of weeks?¡± Artemis rolled her eyes and shrugged off her quiver before kneeling at the edge of the water to wash her hands and face, the stark white of her moon elf guise¡¯s hair truly a contrast to her brothers. ¡°Hardly, it was enjoyable regardless. What are you two up to?¡± Hermes embraced his best friend, and brother, Apollo in a warm hug of greeting. His response was spoken with an easy smile. ¡°We were discussing the gathering and the games soon to follow. Did you both not return because of the divine call?¡± Shrugging, Artemis stood up and snagged her quiver again. ¡°Not particularly, no. It is convenient though.¡± Somewhat stymied by Aretemis¡¯ typical blunt response, Euphrosyne shifted gears, her exuberant personality bubbling up again. ¡°Surely you must have followers you hope to see perform well at the games? Perhaps even one or two you would like to gain a divine jewel or boon? I remember seeing Theia inside earlier, she must have brought them.¡± ¡°Truly the competition is more enjoyable than the prizes, but there are several dedicated worshipers who are deserving of my favor. I have perhaps been too free with my regular allotment and it is always prudent to encourage a good showing, mortals can secure more than one of our divine patronages after all.¡± A building energy enthused Apollo as he rubbed his hands together while the group made their way past the blooming flowers and sweet alluring scents towards the grand hall. ¡°The best ones almost always do, and there are more interesting mortals to watch nearly every day.¡± The group made their way through a large ornate archway opening into an expansive marble floored hall. Braziers crackled and gave off soft glows, both warming and lighting the indoor area, even during the bright of the day. A heady, rich incense permeated the interior almost as much as the cacophony of conversation, music, and laughter. Glittering magic multi-colored orbs danced along the unfathomably high ceiling, lighting up the frescoes and tapestries adorning the walls. Tales of the gods, and rarely notable mortals, inspired and imprisoned the deities present, some of whom had inspired the very works portrayed. Adorning a place of honor in the center of the room raised on pedestals of various sizes were twelve glowing iridescent gems of divine potential, a jewel representing the preeminence of each Olympian. A serving statue made of pure gold with the visage of a gorgeous woman walked past and presented a platter holding various drinks. Apollo gracefully plucked a glass of wine and took a quick test sip, knowing that Dionysus would let nothing but the best be served on the day. However, he was nothing if not a god of habit and repetition. The others quickly followed him in selecting their beverages of choice.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Stepping up behind Euphrosyne a human looking woman of similar features, with long hazel hair, wrapped her slender arm around the goddess of mirth¡¯s waist and gave her a sidelong squeeze. ¡°Why hello there sister, it is just like you to arrive too late to help with any of the setup.¡± Thalia, the goddess of festivals, banquets, and comedy, teased her younger sister, who had indeed helped over the last few days. Albeit, Euphrosyne had flitted about and had never sat still. Thalia had put her to work on tasks properly corralling her boundless energy and happiness. Pouting, Euphrosyne sniffed and pointedly looked away. The others watched the exchange bemusedly. Well, Apollo and Hermes were amused, and it showed. Artemis simply nodded at Thalia and made a beeline for the food table. Hermes was about to say something, but then looked awkward and remained silent. Clearly he did not want to stir up anything with another handmaiden of Aphrodite, and was unwilling to insert himself between the two sisters. Apollo, full of wisdom, changed course and decided a compliment was the best direction to take things. ¡°You really have done a wonderful job this year Thalia, we should expect nothing less. Is there anything in particular to keep an eye on or that you have taken great care to prepare?¡± Beaming, Thalia took the bait all too easily and snaked her arm around Apollo¡¯s to lead him and the others deeper into the hall. The speed at which she abandoned her little sister giving no doubt to her true intentions. ¡°Why yes, it does appear that there have been a larger than expected number of new territories claimed, divine quests completed, or similar achievements as of late. We will have far more to watch than usual and I dare say a fair number more competitors if what Hermes has been telling me is true.¡± While Thalia spoke her eyes had made their way to the god of athletes and games as her statement of fact took on a questioning tone at the end. Hermes held his hands up palms out to fend off the verbal accusation good naturedly. ¡°Of course, of course. It is all true. I know that you needed accurate information to set everything up. Why would I mislead you?¡± Instead of a verbal response the divine trickster only received sidelong glances and scoffs. His only recourse was a bare recounting of fact. ¡°Over twenty territories have been claimed in the last year alone, many of them having gone without bonded mortals for centuries. Not only that, but there appears to be a new wave of heroes emerging with several epic monsters being slain above what is typical. I know that Heracles and Athena have taken note, one of them is a bit more stirred up than the other, I¡¯ll let you all take a wild guess at who that is.¡± ¡°It has been a while since a mortal has ascended to divinity through a trial or their own accumulation of power. Of course, the rest of us benefit more from other forms of worship and dedication.¡± Artemis rejoined the conversation with her typical apolitical adroitness. ¡°Has there been any re-balancing of note from these new bound territories? Have they been pledged to anyone surprising? Does anyone know?¡± They all looked around for the one divine attendee bound to have the information that Artemis had asked for, Charon. Hermes typically set the boundaries of territories, new and old throughout the land, but it was Charon who managed the dispensation of souls to and from the underworld to the overworld. If souls were bound to the land, he knew, and how. Besides, Hades, Hera, and many of the other gods who would also be privy to the details were not nearly as approachable, nor keen to give out the information. Charon, well, Charon could be bought a lot easier. Almost as if on cue, a distinguished older human looking man with salt and pepper hair coughed, cleared his throat, and downed the remainder of his drink while leaning against the wall mid-way through the room. Charon was busy grumbling to himself and there seemed to be an invisible barrier about ten feet in diameter between him and any of the others keeping the revelers at bay. Charon was standoffish at best with the vast majority of gods; although, Hermes was an exception. The messenger of the gods, who acted as guide to the underworld, was about the only confidant he had outside of the depths. So Hermes found himself taking the lead as the other dropped back behind him. A hand adjusted his winged cap, tilting it back slightly as he gave Charon a wink, before clasping forearms. ¡°You seem to be enjoying yourself as always when we get together for these soirees my friend. How have you been? It does seem a bit busier for us than normal, is that what¡¯s nursing this aura of grumpiness you are giving off? I can practically see the storm clouds, although that would be more dad¡¯s purview.¡± A visible shift occurred to Charon, his countenance brightened, his back straightened, and a palpable change to his demeanor followed. He may not be full of smiles, but Euphrosyne basked in the change. Her action made Charon glower for a moment, then he frowned further at himself, shrugged, and pulled Hermes into a full on hug before letting out a long stress-relieving sigh. ¡°You see straight through me don¡¯t you. So many more inductions now than ever before, and they get more annoying with each additional generation. Some of the fresh souls have made such peculiar choices...¡± Charon stopped talking, looked around at the small group around him listening intently, too intently, and then narrowed his eyes at Hermes. ¡°Here scrounging for information hmmm?¡± The group of gods all spectacularly failed at trying to look innocent. It was predictably Euphrosyne that was squirming the most, both mentally, and in actuality, it was just hard for her to keep still. Artemis had an expression on her face that said it was obvious, but that she was absolutely innocent and this was all Apollo¡¯s fault. Thalia was the host of the festival he was currently at, and Hermes was his friend. Apollo¡¯s felt like a fair target to unleash his pent up frustration and stress on, so he didn¡¯t hold himself back. ¡°You want to know about what?¡± Charon looked to the divine gems and smirked. ¡°I should have said who, you want to know about what sort mortals have been snatching up all of the land. Wondering who is going to get an extra harvest of worshipers? Looking to make some moves already?¡± He a way to twist the knife a bit for Apollo, one of the others too. ¡°Maybe wondering why a certain sun elf who has bound a territory hasn¡¯t already built a shrine to you? You¡¯re always one step ahead of most, and so forthright. Did you send a messenger and you haven¡¯t heard any news?¡± The other gods all stopped and looked at Apollo accusingly. Sighing Apollo put on a sheepish expression and rubbed the back of his head. When you got caught, you had to live with the consequences. He hadn¡¯t expected Charon to hone in on his specific interest so quick. Truth be told, he had sent a messenger as soon as the sun elf had entered the world. From another plane or not, vampire or not, there were so few sun elves in the overworld that they were woefully easy to track. He wondered what was taking Theophanes so long, typically he would have received word by now. Adventurer Book III - Chapter 1: Strange Bedfellows Languidly stretching on the luxurious four post bed piled high with pillows and silks, Theophanes yawned and let out a very uncultured hurumph. He had been enjoying his time toying with the gorgeous glamoured boy, but it was about time he wrapped up his fun and got down to business. Letting his fingertips slide through Cire¡¯s shimmering golden hair a final time, he gave the other sun elf¡¯s cheek a light pat and snapped his fingers. He didn¡¯t need to snap his fingers to free the young lordling from the charm effect, but he couldn¡¯t help himself, he loved the drama. Cire didn¡¯t immediately awake from the enchantment his mind had been ensnared by. It was more like pulling himself from an extremely vivid dream than anything else. The warmth of Theophanes lap, where his head was currently resting, and the soft silks of his robe along with the satin sheets all hindered the process, but did not delay it entirely. Struck dumb by his surroundings, Cire gawked and froze up. He was laying in a truly elegant bed, in the middle of the Shadowed Forest. Trees encircled the cushioned out-of-place piece of luxury furniture and animal calls rang out through the tree canopy. Once things finally all caught up to him he did a double take of the forest, then Theophanes, and then back to the forest before hurriedly sitting up and scooting backwards to the opposite corner of the bed. He was thankfully dressed, but this was an odd way and place to come to his senses. ¡°W-w-what¡¯s going on? W-w-who are you? Why are we in the forest?¡± Cire managed to stammer out, still getting a grip on things while memories caught up with him. He realized he actually knew the answers to a couple of those questions, at least partially. Shaking his head, he cleared out some of the cobwebs and gave Theophanes a suspicious stare. ¡°Why did you charm and abduct me?¡± A lazy smile broadened while watching Cire wake up, Theophanes didn¡¯t bother moving as the other sun elf panicked. He simply gathered up the end of his white feather boa and played with it waiting for Cire to come to his senses. Then, once he seemed to have grasped what had happened, he nodded. ¡°Really? Darling, that¡¯s what you want to know? Not why I have been watching you for months? Maybe thank me for saving your life when I stuck my neck out for you? Perhaps you¡¯re wondering how you could attain a level of beauty such as my own? Well, that last one you would have trouble with, but I am ready. You may praise and thank me.¡± The rambling, and quite frankly narcissistic, response was not what Cire had been expecting. He was successfully bewildered and managed to tilt his head in question. He could swear he had never seen this man before, but the swan. The elf had shape changed into a swan after charming him back at the Tempest Treetops. Theophanes had compelled Cire to shift into a bat and they had flown here together. Cire could remember the swan, he knew he had seen one around Sunset and even here. But why? Who was this elf? Why had he been stalking him? For months! If by design or not, the odd response had relaxed Cire somewhat. This was something far beyond his control, and he was clearly outclassed. He decided to roll with the punches and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, well, maybe not right, but anyways. Let¡¯s start off with something easier. What is your name? And thank you for saving my life. When was that?¡± Reaching past Cire, obviously moving into his personal space to keep him off balance, Theophanes plucked an apple from a bowl on a nightstand next to the bed. Then he took a large juicy bite as he laid back into the bed. Slowly he tapped a finger to his chin as he chewed and deliberately stretched out the silence. ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Instead of immediately responding Cire stopped to think about when he had seen the swan before, or even heard it. Now confronted with the reality that the swans he had rarely seen around Sunset was actually most likely a singular swan, this elf, he was more than sure he had seen him before. He couldn¡¯t place the exact moments, let alone one where his life was saved. Whether the elf¡¯s plan was to distract him or simply re-direct him, it had worked. Cire was more at ease. Besides, it was less likely by the moment that in the immediate he faced any sort of danger. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think that I do, my apologies. Care to remind me? And I am still waiting on that name.¡± It was undoubted that this other sun elf knew his name, but perhaps giving it would prompt him finally to reveal his own. ¡°I¡¯m Cire by the way. Maybe tell me a little about yourself?¡± ¡°As much fun as it is to tease you, you adorable boy you, I think drawing it out any longer would be a disservice. My name is Theophanes, but I am not here to tell you about me. I was sent here to tell you about yourself. After all, there aren¡¯t all that many sun elf vampires around who can teach you about us.¡± Theophanes flipped his hair and propped his head up with a single hand, his other still occupied by the apple. ¡°Apollo selected me to be your guide because those within the same divine race often know best how to help one another. We were both born as vampires as well; although, Apollo did tell me your circumstances were unique. Born as a sun elf vampire, but without an established bloodline or connection to any of the current families. You¡¯re interesting.¡± So much information had been crammed into Theophanes¡¯ short soliloquy that Cire took a moment to process it all. This was really one way to wake up, no, he wasn¡¯t waking up. He was still shaking off another vampires charm effect. Didn¡¯t he have resistance to enchantment? Then again, if this man served Apollo directly he was undoubtedly high level, and skilled at that. It was probably in his best interest to keep him talking while he continued to evaluate the situation. ¡°Nice to officially meet you Theophanes. So, Apollo sent you? As in the god?¡± Theophanes tossed the apple core away and sighed a little. ¡°You¡¯re being boring, you don¡¯t really want to know about that do you? Come on silly, ask me what you really want to know. I won¡¯t be able to keep you here forever, can¡¯t be stirring up too much trouble.¡± ¡°How do I get more vampiric talents? What should I know about being a sun elf? Why is my skill selection so limited? How do I get or establish a vampiric bloodline? What do you mean divine race?¡± Cire¡¯s flood of questions combined things he had been wondering about for a while since he had gotten to Elysium and queries newly uncovered by Theophanes introduction. It would have been pointless to ask these questions of anyone he had met so far besides Theophanes. It irked him that he could feel himself playing into someone¡¯s hand far more powerful than himself, even if they represented an actual god. Theophanes clapped his hands together before replying. ¡°Good, good. That¡¯s more like it. You have to have realized some of the answers to these questions already and are simply looking for confirmation. Correct?¡± Cire almost groaned, but he held it in. It appeared that Theophanes wasn¡¯t lying when he said he was there as a teacher. Suspicions of Theophanes aside, he had never been the biggest fan of the guided discovery process, Cire had always preferred things presented more directly. However, he did have one rather solid theory based on his own experience and information he had gleaned from Daphne, Selene¡¯s mother. ¡°Well, from what I have heard sun elves are generally worshipers or servants of Apollo, like yourself. That their, our, communities were tasked with protecting divine sites or important objects of the gods. If that is true, than the fact that my skills are predominately martial in nature makes sense. ¡°I know that humans have a larger breadth of skills than most, and that non-human races specialize in some manner based on their environment, lineage, and other factors I am not aware of. If a group of people were to be tasked with being divine guardians you would want their skills to match their task. Is there any sort of crafting or non-combat profession that sun elves excel at? Do sun elf villages have terrible food, bad clothing, and live in hovels?¡± Nodding along with Cire¡¯s explanation Theophanes actually grinned and then bopped Cire on the nose with a finger. ¡°You got the dragon by the tip of the tail there. One of the reasons you won¡¯t find many of us around except in Illyria. Apollonia, or the City of Sunlight, is about the only large sun elf predominant settlement left since the Age of Wilderness. ¡°Once the peaceful people splintered it made it much harder for us. And after vampirism was brought to our ranks, well, you can make some guesses as to how most gnomes, dwarves, and humans looked at us once Ambrogio, the first of us, began to share his gift. They don¡¯t resist the more negative aspects very well, it was messy at the beginning, before we had more understanding.¡± Cire hadn¡¯t thought about it up until now, but the way Theophanes talked made him feel like he was describing something he had seen, been a part of. How old was this other vampire? He needed to learn as much as he could without giving away more than what Theophanes probably already knew. ¡°On the note of understanding, mind sharing some details about vampiric ability advancement with me? I know that I gain ability points and strengthen the abilities that I have. I am assuming you have been watching me enough to know which ones I possess?¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Playing with the end of his white feather boa, Theophanes tossed it away. ¡°Of course sweetie, obviously I know that you shapechange into a bat, an adorable one by the way. Not beautiful like my swan form, but you¡¯re still new to the ability. I could help you advance that one the most by the way. I don¡¯t have any regeneration or rage ability for that matter, so ugly, could you imagine? And we all have Bite dear.¡± Cire actually did groan this time, Theophanes was going to make him take guesses at things before spelling it out. He wasn¡¯t feeling too threatened by this point either. Sure, the circumstances were odd, but if the other sun elf had wanted to do something to him he had more than enough opportunity. Even if it was going to be difficult, having someone to help him through all of this, instead of blindly fumbling, would be beneficial. That didn¡¯t mean Cire wasn¡¯t going to eventually get back at this rather full of themselves vampire swan. ¡°Obviously one of your gifts is a glamour or charm ability. I have decent resistance to charm, but you overpowered me easily enough. I fell into it completely too. I don¡¯t think I could have broken out if I had wanted to.¡± Theophanes nodded again, happy that Cire wasn¡¯t as oblivious about all of this as he had feared, and handed over two scroll tubes. It was time he stopped having his fun and baited the hook. ¡°One will give you a basic understanding of the vampiric areas of ability focus, and therefore our lineages and bloodlines. The other scroll will do the same, but for sun elves. Considering that Selene has already personally interceded, I can offer you a gift from Apollo as well. I can awaken your sun elf abilities and grant you an impartment to raise one of them to level three immediately. You are unlikely to have another opportunity to have them sparked, it can only be done by another elf of your lineage.¡± Eye¡¯s widening at the implications, Cire took both of the scroll tubes and began to fiddle with them a bit in his hands. Forgetting himself in distraction, he lapsed into modern terminology. ¡°These are free gifts? No strings attached?¡± ¡°What a curious turn of phrase.¡± Theophanes luxuriated in the expression, letting it marinate on his tongue. ¡°No strings attached. Mmmm, yes. They are gifts, there wouldn¡¯t be any point to them otherwise. Apollo wishes for you to select him as the primary patron of your territory now that you have acquired one, as I am sure Selene and multiple other deities do. However, he sent a guide to you on this small insignificant low-level island far out on the fringe of the archipelago because of what you are, not what you have done. Remember, I was watching before you were bound to the territory.¡± Cire nodded and then uncorked the scroll tubes. He was more than familiar with magical scrolls at this point. It only took him moments to activate them and absorb the information. He had always wondered about non-vampiric abilities and this definitively answered that question. Theophanes offer to awaken his sun elf abilities really couldn¡¯t be passed up. He wanted to know more about what he had been missing.
Basic Vampiric Ability & Lineage Information ¨C Artemis¡¯ & Selene¡¯s Blessings
Principal Abilities Sub-Abilities Related Skills
Predator Shapechange, Talons, Poison Flight, Animal Control, Animal Summoning Animal Husbandry, Domestication, Monster Husbandry, Nature Magic
Sanguine Path Physical Augmentation, Siring, Regeneration Bloodline Dominance, Healing, Blood Transmogrification Blood Alchemy, Blood Magic
Sculpted Mind Glamour, Enthrallment, Suggestion, Command Telepathy, Telekinesis Psionic Magic, Observation
Shadowed Soul Invisibility, Aura of Night, Shadow Form Shadow Summoning, Magic Resistance Spirit Magic, Stealth, Perception
Basic Sun Elf Ability Information ¨C Apollo¡¯s Blessing
Principal Abilities Sub-Abilities Related Skills
Body of the Sun Internal Purification, Resistance to Status Ailments, Resistance to Magic Short-term Durability Increases, Short-term Strength Boost, Increased Regeneration Physical Skills, Martial Skills
Star Heart Mana Storage, Mana Usage Penalty Reduction Short-term Physical boost, Short-term Perception Based Time Dilation Most Schools of Magic, Skill Abilities
Mystic Veins Increases Efficiency of Mana Usage, Skill Ability Overcharge Mana Manipulation, Increased Mana Regeneration Most Schools of Magic, Skill Abilities
Divine Guardian Channeling Divine Power, Aura of Apollo¡¯s Radiance Resistance to the Divine, Resistance to Planar Forces Light Magic, Holy Magic, Divine Lore
The more questions answered, the more Cire needed to know. He supposed that was the way of the world no matter where or who you were. Doing his due diligence at this point was a tad too late, but he figured it was better than nothing. Instead of jumping in head first, he could demonstrate some caution. ¡°Do you have some way to authenticate what you have been telling me? I can¡¯t imagine accepting your gift to awaken my abilities won¡¯t be intrusive in some manner.¡± Cire paused and looked around at the bed covered in pillows and silks, at his strange conversation partner, and then shrugged. ¡°So far I have been taking you at your word.¡± Peels of laughter and giggles erupted from Theophanes before he got himself under control. ¡°Darling, I could have trapped the scrolls if I had wanted to do something nefarious. Really, as if I would need to stoop to something so lowly to vanquish a foe. I would simply ensnare your mind once more if needed. You know-¡± Theophanes pulled at a chain around his throat revealing a pendant and held it out, forcing Cire to lean in close to inspect it. ¡°-you¡¯re lucky I find you so cute. I will do you a favor because of those adorable dimples and striking eyes. I don¡¯t think you are aware, but you have a hidden aspect that revealed itself to me when we linked earlier. It¡¯s one of the reasons you were more susceptible to my alluring charms.¡± A hidden Aspect has been revealed to you: Naive. You can be fearless in your ignorance. You often take things at face value when presented to you by someone you trust. Often, you are willing to assume the best in others or circumstances, even without cause. Effect: +1 to Good alignment, Others receive a +1 to their interactions with you for charisma checks, You receive a +1 to your charisma checks involving others of favorable disposition, Increase in prices by 10% or more when you are unaware of the standard price for an item or service, +1 to checks against fear based effects, and -1 to Perception. Cire chose to ignore the continued flirting, he thought it was flirting, he couldn¡¯t be sure. The notification didn¡¯t surprise him persay, it was more like acknowledging a part of him and getting a better grasp of it. Cire had always been on the guileless and trusting side of things when it came down to it. He already had the Accepting and Trustworthy aspects, this wasn¡¯t too far afield. At least it isn¡¯t only negatives, more of a mixed bag. Besides, Aspects can change, I don¡¯t imagine being a territory leader for too long will be conducive to me keeping this one. Focusing in on the pendant once he had dismissed the notification, Cire was struck by two things. First, there was no way the intricate medallion of a rising sun radiating a pulsing light was anything but a divine level item. Second, that the unmistakable feeling of a god¡¯s presence lingered within the object. Cire could still remember what it felt like when Selene had touched him through his crown and ring, this had a similar, if less potent, flavor to it. He instinctively knew that the authenticity of the pendant was genuine. Not knowing what Apollo¡¯s blessing to an item would feel like, Cire opened himself up and took in all that he could. Cire could feel music? Order, repetition, and light. There was a cheerful and benevolent underpinning to the symphony of sensation. This was as close as he was going to get. Maybe he was being naive, in fact, he knew he was being naive instead of suspicious, but he was going to believe Theophanes. That didn¡¯t mean he needed to beg. ¡°Okay, what do you need to do to awaken my sun elf abilities? Depending on what it is, I am amenable to the idea.¡± Theophanes leaned forward casually and cupped Cire¡¯s cheek, then without warning a sour look spread over his face and he let out an annoyed sigh and moved his hand away. ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t get a chance to show you any of the fun things.¡± Slipping off the bed, he took a long stretch before stating nonchalantly, ¡°We will do it quickly, I simply need to lay my hand upon you for a while and channel my mana. With Apollo¡¯s help it will be practically painless.¡± Cire was about to respond when Theophanes snapped his fingers and the bed started shrinking at a noticeable rate. He had to scramble to get off to avoid getting dumped on his behind on the ground. Questioningly, he looked at Theophanes. ¡°Why are you moving quickly all of a sudden?¡± Cinching his white silk robes in place, Theophanes waited until the grand four post bed was as small as a bar of soap, then he picked it up and put it in his pouch. Stepping over to Cire, he quite abruptly slid his hand up Cire¡¯s tunic and placed it over his heart. Holding him in place with a surprisingly strong embrace, Theophanes grinned. ¡°It appears to be time for you to get back. That feisty glade elf lass and your other friends have been out looking for you for a while. They are tromping this way now, so we might as well let them find you. Now, try not to throw up on me, I really like this outfit.¡± Cire jerked back involuntarily at the surprising and unsettling feeling of Theophanes groping him out of the blue. In his surprise it took him a few seconds to process what the other sun elf had said. He was about to ask what he meant when his entire body seized up and pain surged through him. It was like he was holding a live wire, every muscle in his body contracted and released rapidly. Cire¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. When his head lolled forward he did indeed puke all over the front of Theophanes. Adventurer Book III - Chapter 2: Fairy Dust Silveros and Olithia, both Silverstar family guards and slaves, ranged to either side of Selene within the forest. They did keep within sight and shout. Elias, the head manager of the house slaves, stayed close behind her keeping guard. They wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to the young elven mistress regardless of her own headstrong nature. Selene, on the other hand, was feeling equal parts caution, anger, and worry. She still didn¡¯t know if Cire had been taken or left on his own without telling her. It would be out of character for him to have struck out by himself, but he had changed rapidly since she met him and he was more headstrong now than he used to be. Cire was careful and forthright in most of his dealings, let alone when delving into dangerous places, it was highly unlikely that he had left willingly. Buzzing directly in front of Selene¡¯s face, Honeydrop Cinnamonswirl gestured effusively with her arms to their east. Fairies typically had musical twinkling voices. However, Honeydrop¡¯s was shrill, rapid, and too high pitched without the luxury of being delicate at this moment. ¡°There was a notable flux in the ambient mana in that direction. I¡¯ll go scout it out!¡± Zipping off before Selene could give direction one way or the other, she wondered how Cire managed to work with the fairy. Older fairies were at least somewhat predictable, the only thing she could count on from Honeydrop so far was unexpected and impulsive action. Tracking the bright yellow trail of fairy dust that was quickly dissipating in Honey¡¯s wake, Selene sighed. It would be a miracle if the fairy didn¡¯t lead some terrible monster back to their small group. Reading Selene¡¯s thoughts on her face, Fizzilius, or Fizz for short, offered a few words of encouragement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Honey, she can handle herself. Besides, she¡¯s not nearly as hung over as I am. Cire should be too, so he couldn¡¯t have gotten too far. It¡¯s just like him to wander off by himself.¡± The sandy haired, and surprisingly fit, gnome kept up with the elven party easily as they moved through the roots and tangles of the Shadowed Forest. His movement was more run, tumble, and leap than the easy fluid grace of the elves, but it was working for him. In the sole encounter with forest beasts so far, a small hive of dog sized wasps, he had accounted for himself admirably. Daggers flew rapidly and twirled nimbly in his fingers. Selene snorted sarcastically, she knew that Fizz was trying to lighten the mood. However, this wasn¡¯t like Cire at all, and Fizz knew that as well as she. They had to move quickly, as a bat Cire could cover distance in this forest with ease. It was no telling how far ahead of them he had gotten. At least the swan should be easy to spot in sharp contrast to all of the browns and greens of the forest. Darting through the branches, the yellow glow of Honeydrop was pouring off of her. This signaled that she had found the wayward sun elf, but they still didn¡¯t know what to expect. It could be an emergency or he could be fine, in which case he wouldn¡¯t be by the time Selene got a hold of him. ¡°He¡¯s a few trees up, told me he was fine. I said he shouldn¡¯t go anywhere until we get to him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine? What happened to him? Why did he leave the ¡®Tops? What¡¯s he doing out here all alone?¡± Selene questioned. Honeydrop look flustered by all of the questions, but then stopped flitting about and buzzed in place a few inches from Selene¡¯s face with her hands on her hips. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him any of that! Once I made sure there wasn¡¯t any danger I came straight back to get you!¡± ¡°You did the right thing. Sorry, I¡¯m frustrated and worried.¡± Selene hoped the direct and quick apology would mollify the fairy. She waited and indeed the small fairy took off in the direction she had come, but at a pace slow enough to let them follow. Elias scowled behind her, no doubt as a result of the disrespect shown to a member of the noble family of his house. Selene didn¡¯t have time nor care for politics, she pressed on. Selene, Fizz and Honey all converged on Ciresil at roughly the same time. When they reached the edge of a small break in the trees, a white swan took flight from a low branch and climbed quickly into the sky. So, Elias was right. Selene hadn¡¯t doubted Elias¡¯ word, but his story had been odd. Seeing the guileless and dopey smile on Cire¡¯s visage blunted much of Selene¡¯s rising fury. It was obvious how genuinely happy he was to see them all. Dying on her lips, Selene¡¯s chastisements and criticisms turned into an indelicate touch to his forearm as she caught herself short of hugging him in relief. It wouldn¡¯t do for the servants to see her be so casual with Cire. They had done a fair job disguising many things, their formation of a noble house being primary, but Selene¡¯s more uncouth habits picked up in the Valley of Sunset were high up on that list. The less suspicion they could raise with her mother, Daphne Silverstar, the better. Behind her regal manner and bearing lay a calculating and shrewd mind. ¡°You¡¯re alright? Gotten yourself into some more trouble?¡± Keeping him from dwelling on the dower events the last few days, the odd, yet revealing, morning defied simple explanation. Cire looked a bit perplexed and his reply left much to be desired, ¡°Something like that. I¡¯ll fill you in once I have a chance to figure a few things out. Let¡¯s get back to town and get some breakfast, maybe a quick nap, and then get things sorted.¡± Landing on Cire¡¯s shoulder, Honeydrop steadied herself by holding onto his ear, becoming a very over-sized earring. Her bright yellow gown, almost the same color as her glow and hair, fluttered from where it was tied down to her legs for ease of flight. She was still dressed for the banquet from the previous evening. ¡°Oooo! Breakfast! What a spectacular idea. Some sweet cream and berries sounds positively wonderful.¡± Fizz chuckled and gave Cire¡¯s shoulder a quick punch, he had scrambled up onto a particularly large root at the elf¡¯s side. ¡°If you¡¯re acting like nothing happened then we know it was eventful. You bluff about as well as the fae my friend and your teeth are just as pointy as most of ¡®em.¡± Put at ease by the teasing and steady presence of friends, Cire¡¯s unsettling conversation and trying physical trial receded to the back of his mind. He squinted and raised a single eyebrow Fizz¡¯s way. ¡°You¡¯re going to get flicked on the nose if you keep that up. I said I would fill you in once I had some time to process everything, and I will. Now, let¡¯s get a move on.¡± Watching him closely, Selene clocked the unease and confusion Cire was puzzling through. She had seen the look enough times on his face to know that the man was processing information and working out how it all fit together. It was the same when Maisy had revealed history of the Valley of Sunset, when he had explained some entries in Constantine Dawnslight¡¯s journal, and when her mother had told him about the origin of vampires. Truth be told, this trait was one of the reasons that Durg and her had selected to give Cire the territorial binding stone instead of one of them keeping it. His outside perspective, compassion, and honesty had all played into their decision of course. However, it was Cire¡¯s measured and considered approach to problem solving that was worlds better than Durg¡¯s impulsivity or her rather rigid nature. That had nudged their final decision more than anything else. Covering their flanks, the two guards continued to provide scouting as they made their way through the brush back towards the town. Selene used the opportunity to fill Cire in on a couple of key pieces of information. First, she told him about the remnants of the gnoll war band that him, the guard, and other student¡¯s had faced off against in their skirmish a few days ago in the southern reaches of the forest. The report from the guard captain she had questioned let her know that the gnoll pack had gone into the southern Chimera¡¯s Mane, and was not very well provisioned. The elves had not followed across the boundary of the territory, only lingering in the neutral area between them for a while observing when they could. From the ¡®Tops perspective, the threat had been repelled and that was that.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Selene had instructed Elias to bring up the rear and pressed in close to Cire for a private conversation. Resigning herself to trusting Fizz and Honeydrop, at least when Cire was involved, was necessary. Neither of the two were keen to move too far away from the sun elf. She supposed it wasn¡¯t too surprising, the ingenuous man drew certain types to him and these two fit the mold. The more pressing news, from their prospective as the noble house of a territory, was that Eliana had been dismissed as palaestra from the academy to assuage the Morningdew families anger. She was careful to not mention anything that would lead the others to making assumptions, but her suggestion would still be seen as curious. Knowing that she couldn¡¯t outright say what she was thinking she used her tone to exaggerate certain elements. ¡°So, given what I overheard, which I will be apologizing to her for, I think that it would be best if I approached Eliana. I know that back home in the valley there are not great accommodations, but she would free to pursue whatever path she desired. I do not think Stout or Maisy would give much care to another permanent resident. What do you think?¡± Practically able to see the gears turning in Cire¡¯s mind, Selene made a mental note. He really couldn¡¯t hide his thoughts, let alone emotions, unless he tried, and he wasn¡¯t. That would be something they needed to work on, otherwise he would get taken in by every siren¡¯s song as enemies and friends alike read him like posted scroll. Cire nodded and looked distracted, still obviously coming to terms with whatever odd circumstance had occurred this morning. ¡°Sure, that sounds like a good plan. I am sure that you know what to say to convince her it¡¯s a good idea. Not sure Cire had even picked up on the subtext of their conversation, Selene resisted the urge to snap at him or slap him. It wouldn¡¯t do for any of the house slaves to see her behave that way. Upon nearing the hedge wall of the Tempest Treetops, Silveros, Olithia, and Elias all came in from their sentry positions around the group. Unraveling and twisting, the thorned branches of the hedge wall created barely enough of an opening for their party to enter. Each nodded thanks to the guard on the other side once they had reached the safety of the settlement. The guard members simply returned to their stations when they saw the livery the slaves were dressed in and made note of Selene herself. Making their way towards the center of town in the direction of the pillars and the Undergrowth, Selene was pondering on how to shake their escort when Cire made the need mute. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild straight away, I¡¯d prefer not to put it off. There is a tavern in the Undergrowth near the administrative pillar right? Do you they serve food?¡± Fizz was the one of them who had spent the most time in the warren of shops, temples, and taverns built among the roots of the skyscraper like towers crafted from living trees that gave the Tempest Treetops their name. Casually he was working a bundle of pipeweed into his long stemmed instrument. Honeydrop buzzed from Cire¡¯s shoulder down to Fizz and a small ball of fire lit his pipe for him and he pulled in a long draw. Three smoke rings followed his administrations before a nod and response. ¡°Indeed they do, it would be the most convenient, but hardly our best option given we have to walk halfway across town to get to the tower.¡± Selene wrinkled her nose at the pungent smell from Fizz¡¯s pipe, it made her stomach gurgle uncomfortably. Not many in her house smoked, she was about to ask him to put it out when she stopped herself. She was slipping back into the privileged manner of behavior akin to her siblings and that was unacceptable. ¡°So, you intend to sign us up to be adventurers after all? It wasn¡¯t all fairy dust?¡± Cire¡¯s face screwed up, it was clear he was unfamiliar with the expression, but that once he worked it out he wasn¡¯t pleased. ¡°Of course, when have I said I wanted to do something and then didn¡¯t carry through with it?¡± Holding up both hands, Selene warded off the offense. It was understandable he was touchy and she still didn¡¯t know what he had been through. She would let him off the hook for being snippy though. ¡°Whoa there, calm down. I know we already talked about everything, but it is a big commitment and we already have a lot on our plate. Besides, there is no safeguard for adventurers out on quests like the guard patrols have. I want you to be sure.¡± Selene had a hunch about what was driving Cire so strongly to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild besides the most recent forms of impetus. The whole time she had known him he was never the real aggressor in fights. He only attacked when threatened or forced. Now he¡¯s been through what sounded like a morally ambiguous situation, at least for his considering countenance. The gnoll war party that invaded the Shadowed Forest came with families, children, and the elves had struck first. Cire wants to find a path without guilt or shame when having to take life. Selene knew that didn¡¯t exist, but he had to learn it for himself. After a pensive pause, Cire nodded and his boyish smile easily slipped back onto his lips underneath his miss-matched blue and purple eyes. Tension seemed to ease from his shoulders as he took her questions as warnings instead of admonitions. ¡°I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s important for more than the obvious reasons. I¡¯m not simply being reactive either. Now, everyone know what they¡¯re going to order?¡± The group managed to get some of the first fried fritters and meat skewers available that morning. Cire was even able to procure some scrambled eggs, which the group found to be an interesting addition to the first meal of the day. He did such a good job of assimilating to this world that Selene often forgot he was from another realm. Little things like his culinary peculiarities didn¡¯t really even stick out. Watching the meal with a critical eye, Selene was largely her quiet taciturn self when around newcomers. Even if Fizz and Honey were Cire¡¯s budding acquaintances, their relation to her was still undefined. Besides, she could feel Elias¡¯ observant eyes roaming and his ears perking to each curious part of the conversation. Honey, like most fairies, held nothing back and constantly changed conversation topics from one thing to another. Fizz was equal parts wry, sarcastic, and supportive. Selene couldn¡¯t be sure, but she suspected that Fizz had been ensnared by Cire¡¯s innocent charm and high Charisma, as well as, Honey. In both cases it was odd to see fae affected so. Cire always gave off the impression of a fuzzy adorable kitten at worst and too attractive gallant elven warrior at best. It was one of the reasons she was always so frustrated by him, and she knew how high his Charisma stat was. Others had to have it worse off than her. It felt like being party members with him through their Adventurer skill muted the effect his charms had on her mind. It wasn¡¯t exactly magical enchantment, but it wasn¡¯t too far off either. It was fascinating to behold. Selene realized she had tuned out of the conversation and started actively listening again. ¡°¡­ not fair. I sang about it with the frolic and the chorus said I couldn¡¯t join you.¡± Honeydrop said with disappointment evident in her voice. She was holding a single grape and eating it one cute bite at a time in between her complaints. Skewering a sausage, Fizz waggled the delectable morsel at her position in the middle of the table. ¡°Well, you know as well as we all do that you graduating from the academy has actual ramifications. In my case it¡¯s not nearly as relevant as the skills and experience I have gathered. Let alone the connections to various families I¡¯ve made. That appears to be the case for Cire as well. Besides, I¡¯m the only on that took him up on the offer, other than the lady here of course.¡± Selene gave the gnome a slight nod of assent, not overly committing, ¡°Which means we have a long-range fighter, myself. A dagger user, so mid-range, with Fizz. And finally a melee fighter in Cire. I can pin down multiple enemies if we really need me to, but we don¡¯t have anyone who excels in engaging with multiple opponents.¡± Chiming in like he had been waiting for someone to change the conversation in this direction, Cire had obviously been giving this more thought than she had accounted for. ¡°We need someone like Lander or Philip, preferably Philip. Pure defense. Willing to draw in the enemies while we engage around them. For our group we probably want someone in medium armor instead of heavy armor, so we can travel faster and move quiet if we need to. ¡°It¡¯s a real shame you can¡¯t join us Honey. We need someone who has supportive magic or skills, and you can do a little bit of everything.¡± He smiled at her to show he really was sorry and then took a quick drink of cider. ¡°Most importantly, we need a healer. Herbs and potions are great in battle, if you have the time and can get to them, but a healer provides the sort of security that can¡¯t be replaced. Besides, you can stay out on quests longer if you¡¯re able to heal yourself up. Guzzling potions eats into profits.¡± Selene gave a sidelong look around the table and noticed that Fizz had the only appropriately matching skepticism displayed. Sure, it would be great to try and find each of those types of needs to make a well rounded group like he described. However, she had been to the Tempest Treetop¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild hall and seen the types of people waiting to group with others. There were normally pretty obvious reasons they hadn¡¯t found parties yet. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to account for Durg, he typically fills the heavy armor wearing front liner position. If we get along with someone it would be nice to be able to stick with them long term.¡± Cire nodded, there was a spark of something in his eyes, she wasn¡¯t sure what it was. Selene had seen it before, she had a feeling he was about to do something unexpected. Rising with everyone else, she sighed in her mind, at least sometimes his odd way of approaching things sometimes led to fantastic results. Even if she¡¯d been in more life risking scenarios in the last few months than her entire life previous, she couldn¡¯t argue with their current position. Still, she knew he was pushing through everything that had happened recently. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs and get registered, maybe meet a couple of new folks, and sign up for some starter quests. I mean, how hard can it be?¡± Tempting fate wasn¡¯t Cire¡¯s intention, but with words like that how could he expect things to go unnoticed? After all, the gods have a habit of listening in on mortals they have interest in. Adventurer Book III - Chapter 3: New Quests, Old Enemies Trundling up the stairs, the group enjoyed moving around after breakfast. The platform elevator would have been quicker, but only if the line hadn¡¯t been so long. They only had a few flights up the administrative tower until they reached the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s floors. The first guild floor housed the reception desks, quest bulletins, and bar. Only members had access to the other floors they occupied. Upon first impression Cire was struck by the eerie similarity of a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post or Elk¡¯s Club. A hazy cloud of smoke hung in the air and jumbled with the scents of ale, body odor, and boredom. It appeared only a few types of adventurer were in the guild this early in the morning, a lot of them appeared hung over and the ones that didn¡¯t looked quirky, odd, or down right bizarre. Most had their heads down on their tables or were drowsing in the booths, but a few played cards or were conversing with hushed tones. Not willing to let first impressions dampen his spirits, Cire barreled into the common area and began to peruse the various quest postings. On the back wall towards one side were the receptionists and on the other was the bar. In between were a smattering of tables, chairs, couches, and the aforementioned booths occupied by those in slumber. Cire surreptitiously counted around a dozen presumed adventurers and half that number of staff. Several sets of eyes appraised their group, Cire hadn¡¯t done a good job hiding his survey of the establishment. There was a chance that they stuck out. The composition of their group; two elves, a fairy, and a gnome, wasn¡¯t exactly common, but it wouldn¡¯t be considered rare either he thought. Shaking his head, Cire stopped looking at the quest posters. He knew it was futile until they were actually registered. From his conversations with Selene, Fizz, and students in the academy he knew that there was a trial quest to join. You needed to have a class or rare skills, but there was also a level threshold that would allow you to bypass those requirements. Cire qualified as a class upgraded fighter. Selene was above level fifteen and had the needed skills to boot even if she hadn¡¯t chosen her class yet. He wasn¡¯t sure about Fizz, but considering how fast the gnome had agreed to join up when asked, he guessed that meeting the requirements wouldn¡¯t be an issue. He wondered how they were going to verify the prerequisite. Approaching an open receptionist desk, Cire¡¯s group formed a half circle around the open window. An elder moon elf with bone white hair and long bushy eyebrows peered at them through half-moon spectacles perched on his sharp nose. His nasally piercing tone disagreeably reproached them as he thrust a parchment into each of their hands. ¡°Prospective members need to fill out these forms and can only be seen at the first window.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you for letting us know.¡± Cire led the group to a section of conveniently placed chairs for groups such as theirs lined up at the first window. There was a small line, but by the time they had filled out the basic intake forms with their identifying information like their names, class, level, and notable guild activity related skills their turn was up. Beaming with a warm welcoming smile, this wood elf receptionist was an odd polar opposite of the previous. She was young with a bright smile and eagerly took each of their forms. With a supportive and cheery tone, she addressed their next steps. ¡°Welcome! Welcome to the Tempest Treetops Adventurer¡¯s Guild Headquarters. Truth be told, we don¡¯t really have any other facilities in the town, or the territory for that matter. But, that hardly matters. You all were able to write and fill out the form, wonderful. We will take each of you into the magical attunement room so that we can make an imprint of your mana signature and to prepare all of your badges. ¡°If you have a basic class then you will be a copper level adventurer. If you don¡¯t have a class then you will simply be an initiate adventurer, unless you are fifty percent above the level and skills requirements for a given stratum. The stratum are copper, silver, gold, adamantine, and mithril. They match up with the class levels; basic, simple, advanced, complex, and intricate. An individual can only take on quests at their tier, but a party can take on quests one stratum higher than the highest level adventurer within the group. There are some exceptions, but no need to go over those today.¡± Nodding along in agreement, Cire was pleased that everything he had asked about prior had now been relatively confirmed. So far everything was checking out. Still, he knew that each branch of the guild could deviate from these rules in minor ways. He didn¡¯t want to be caught off guard. ¡°Will we be expected to swear any oaths? Do we need to be citizens of the Tempest Treetops to sign up at this branch?¡± Shaking her head, the receptionists freckled cheeks creased further with her widening smile. ¡°No, no. Well, yes, but not to the guild or the territory. You have to swear an oath that what you reveal is the truth, but nothing binding. We are not a military organization. While individual members may answer their territories or others calls to arms, the guild itself will not act. ¡°We are of the Ionian League, but we are not bound to any specific territory or house. Hence, whichever branch you take succor in, whether you be citizen, or not, it is of no consequence.¡± The other elven clerkfrom before actually interrupted, his penetrating shrill tone cutting in its abrasiveness. ¡°Bah, if your an adventurer here you better take heed when asked. The serpentfolk to our north and the banshee to our south will not differentiate between neutral adventurer or enemy civilian when they come. Skirmishes be one thing, but when it be territory against territory everyone must fight.¡± ¡°Do be quiet Gregorios. I am inducting new members into the guild. They can wait to hear your grouchy inane ramblings until afterwards.¡± The rosy receptionist, who Cire now realized they hadn¡¯t gotten the name of, snapped. Not letting the other clerks dower mood get to her, she plowed ahead. ¡°Now, which one of you wants to go first? Are you going to register everyone as a team immediately or do you need to wait?¡± Fizz beat Cire to the front of the line and gave his thigh a light jab while walking through the door to the back. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Someone has to make sure it doesn¡¯t hurt too bad right? Besides, if I know Cire at all he¡¯s got more questions to ask. And we are going to wait on registering as a team for a bit, we need to scare up another party member or two first.¡± With Fizz departing alongside the friendly receptionist, Cire gave the room a quick scan before heading back to the quest posters. He did have more questions to ask, but he could wait for her to get back. Overall, the structure made sense to him. You would want a way to moderate the danger level individuals and parties could take on while encouraging parties of similar power levels to group together. Currently, their group would be able to take on copper or silver level quests. Based on some of the notices that stuck out to him, and the various levels associated with them, that was an appropriate difficulty level. Even if they managed to wrangle a silver level adventurer into the party he doubted it would be wise to try a gold level quest. Still, there was a tremendous amount of range within each given quest tier.
Guild Quest Title: Bounty ¨C Serpentfolk of Phobos Condition(s): Slay the serpentfolk from the Jungle of Serpents to the north of the Shadowed Forest. Help defend the borders of the territory by striking back at the eternal aggressors, the followers of Phobos. Collect fangs of the fallen to provide proof of your accomplishment. Rewards: 1 gold piece per fang, 1 uncommon magical item per 20 fangs, and 1000 experience points per 50 fangs provided by the guild per party. Experience points only provided to silver stratum guild members and below. Guild Stratum: Silver Guild Quest Information: Maps, Typical Skills, Common Magic Spells, and additional tactical information provided upon request. Quest Offered By: The Tempestnight House Do you Accept? Open Quest, no need to accept.
So, not being a military organization meant that while adventurers wouldn¡¯t be ordered on missions or tasked with patrolling borders. Although, they could be incentivized to help out in a more general sense with an ongoing conflict. It wasn¡¯t too surprising. Cire didn¡¯t really know enough about the serpentfolk to the north of the territory, but he hadn¡¯t heard good things. Unlike the gnolls where there were some civilized exchanges of prisoners, the serpentfolk had a tendency to eat the satyrs and centaurs they captured. The elves were killed outright. It was hard to engage with a group that viewed you as food at best.
Guild Quest Title: Bounty ¨C Stymphalian Gnolls Condition(s): Slay the gnolls from the Stymphalian Swamp to the south of the Shadowed Forest. Help defend the borders of the territory by striking back at the eternal aggressors, the banshee¡¯s pack. Collect fangs of the fallen to provide proof of your accomplishment. Rewards: 1 silver piece per fang, 1 uncommon magical item per 50 fang, and 1000 experience points per 150 fangs provided by the guild per party. Experience points only provided to copper stratum guild members and below. Guild Stratum: Silver Guild Quest Information: Maps, Typical Skills, Common Magic Spells, and additional tactical information provided upon request. Quest Offered By: The Tempestnight House Do you Accept? Open Quest, no need to accept.
The very gnolls he had engaged with in question. The encounter had felt more unsettling by the day with the benefit of hindsight. Everything he had heard about the gnolls was that there were essentially unending raids into elven territory. However, what if there was more to the conflict? It was easier for the noble families to whitewash the fighting than to explain it in nuance. Cire felt like there was a larger mystery at play, but he didn¡¯t have enough information to put the puzzle pieces together. With a small chuckle he looked at the next poster and couldn¡¯t help but remember their recent patrol. Honeydrop had been dead set to go and cause some mischief in the myrmekes colony. There was something about insects that bugged fairies and it carried over into their rivalry with pixies. If only the fairy was going to join up with them, this would be perfect.
Quest Title: Bounty ¨C Cull a Myrmekes Colony Condition(s): A myrmekes mound has been discovered to the west of the Tempest Treetops. Help regulate the numbers of the colony of dog sized ants before they overrun the local area and significantly disrupt the forest. Collect antennae of the fallen to provide proof of your accomplishment. Rewards: 1 copper piece per antennae, 1 common magical item per 100 antennae, and 1000 experience points per 250 antennae provided by the guild per party. Experience points only provided to copper stratum guild members and below. Guild Stratum: Copper Guild Quest Information: Map to the colony and a basic information scroll on the beasts provided upon request. Quest Offered By: Tempest Treetops¡¯ Territorial GuardThis narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Do you Accept? Open Quest, no need to accept.
Cire thought that this quest might actually be a good first one to test themselves out with. The myrmekes were generally much lower level than themselves and the threat they presented was that of being a pest rather than an enemy. Depending on how many they could carry back to town, it might be possible to make a fair amount of coin. Gourmet dishes with the meat of the bugs sold for a fair amount at the various bars and restaurants in the Undergrowth. Overall, these types of quests reminded him over the very first one he had undertaken when arriving in this wondrous, yet dangerous, world. Hunting down the boars and dire boars for Eugene and Stacy had been a strange, but also terribly mundane, way to start his adventuring life. Even if he was signing up now officially with a guild, his heart had always been on the path. The next poster was interesting, not because Cire had any notions of taking on the quest, but because it spoke to the larger circumstances in the archipelago. Sometimes it paid to be on a backwater island at the fringe of all the action. Theophanes may be bored watching him, but larger threats were not poking around. Some adventure was too great to seek out at this time.
Guild Quest Title: Resist the Raiders Condition(s): General call to report to an inner island guild hall to be assigned to a specific task. Prepare to resist incursions of the orc clans throughout the Ionian League. Large scale movement has been scouted in at least four of the clans. Rewards: Variable, based on contribution Guild Stratum: Copper through Mithril Guild Quest Information: Adventurers will provide various services while the military troops are away from civilian centers. The orc clans raiding represent an existential threat to the Ionian League as a whole. If necessary, dispensation has been granted by the guild Council for quests involving limited military applications. Please talk with an inner island guild master for additional information. Quest Offered By: Ionian League Ruling Council and the Ionian League Adventurer¡¯s Guild Council Do you Accept? Unable to accept at this branch, please inquire for additional information at the reception desks.
The next two quests Cire was interested in because of their connection with the Order of the Unbroken Grove. He had an agreement with Maisy to become a member of the Order of the Unbroken Grove. As an elven lord of a territory he should theoretically be able to petition for membership. However, he would prefer to get to know them before revealing he was the new lord of the Chimera¡¯s Mane. Undertaking a quest in service to their druid sect would provide the perfect inroad.
Guild Quest Title: Curtail the Advancement of the Stymphalian Swamp Condition(s): Beat back the over abundant blighted swamp growth on the southern border of the Shadowed Forest. Kill the blighted creatures and burn fungal blooms. Use gathering stones to store the blighted essence that is released when the overgrowth is destroyed. Fill five stones worth of essence. Rewards: 10 gold per filled & returned gathering stone, 1 uncommon magical item per 10 stones filled and returned, and 1 minor blessing for a month with a minimum of 5 filled per party member. Guild Stratum: Copper through Gold Guild Quest Information: The local druid grove strives to contain the magically enhanced growth emanating from the Stymphalian Swamp. A particularly invasive fungal blight constantly spreads from the marshy domains. The grove requests assistance in maintaining balance along the territory border. Entry into the swamp is not required. Quest Offered By: Tempest Treetop¡¯s Druid Circle ¨C Order of the Unbroken Grove Do you Accept? No limit to the number of adventuring parties, no need to accept. Procure the stones from the guild quartermaster.
Cire liked that the quest did not explicitly require killing, and the animals they would be killing if they needed to were infected by a blight. The same with the next quest. These were the sorts of adventurers he wanted to go on.
Quest Title: Secure Wild Rainbow Asters from the Spine of the Island Condition(s): Collect 5 or more Wild Rainbow Asters and return them undamaged to the guild. Rewards: 1 Elixir of Hill Giant Fortitude (+1 to Constitution permanently) per five flowers collected and returned. Extra rewards provided for a flower plant with intact roots and appropriately stored still in good health. 10 gold per party member for per month of searching in the mountains. Guild Stratum: Silver through Adamantine Guild Quest Information: These rare flowers grow sporadically throughout the Spine of the Island near the snowline of the mountain chain. They bloom only under starlight during the summer months when fireflies are plentiful. The guild rating is due to the low threat level if harvested cautiously. However, their location, and the travel time to them, presents significant challenges to lower level adventurers. Caution is recommended. Meeting with the quest giver after acceptance required, only 5 parties can be active at any given time. Quest Offered By: Tempest Treetop¡¯s Druid Circle ¨C Order of the Unbroken Grove Leader, Melany of the Night Oak Do you Accept? Yes or No
Shaking his head, Cire sighed. There was little chance their newly formed party could attempt to take on the quest to hunt down the Wild Rainbow Asters. It was a large time commitment and it was too risky for them. Over his shoulder he caught sight of his gnome companion returning. Sauntering back into the common room, Fizz thumbed his long nose and then yanked his hand back over his shoulder. ¡°Chompy, you¡¯re next, or Selene. Either way, I could use a smoke and an ale. Didn¡¯t get much sleep, so I might as well keep the buzz going.¡± Cire took a step towards the door that the gnome had just come out of, but he stopped when he felt a tug at the hem of his tunic. Looking back he was a little startled. Either he had been totally engrossed in reading the quest postings or this female satyr had some sort of stealth skill, because she was standing right beside him. Still gripping the fabric of his shirt, the satyr tilted her head exaggeratedly causing her floppy ears to bounce past her twisting horns. The fur covering her goat legs was jet black, as was her short tail, hooves, and unruly mane of curly hair. A stained black leather top and green cloak covered her upper body. Dangling from one of her horns was a fist sized bulbous spider attached by a thick web only a few inches long. She had large doe like brown eyes, not goat-like at all. Another tug pulled at his garment and Cire realized they had been staring at each other silently. Fizz, Honeydrop, and Selene all stayed quiet, watching the awkward interaction play out. It was a toss up as to which of the two would speak first, and the tension was building so dramatically that it was palpable. Tug, tug. Cire couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He realized he had been holding in his breath and he hurriedly let it out. His words came out clipped as he was out of air and speaking after only one rushed inhale. ¡°Can I help you?¡± A visible wink from Fizz to Selene showed that he had won the silent bet that had been placed with eye contact alone. Selene got up from her chair and went to the back room to get registered with a sour expression. The satyr nodded silently and gestured with her head towards a booth. She still hadn¡¯t spoken or let go of Cire¡¯s tunic. It was both terribly creepy and oddly cute at the same time. Cire felt a constant pressure on his clothes as she led him over to the booth and he didn¡¯t resist. His friends cruelly abandoned him to his fate as they went to seek out libations at the bar. ¡°You are forming a party?¡± The words were so quiet that Cire leaned in towards her on reflex. He didn¡¯t see any purpose in subterfuge. It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t reject her. He hadn¡¯t expected to be approached so quickly though. Especially not by someone so clearly socially introverted. Maybe they stuck out more than he thought. ¡°That¡¯s right. Came in today to register as adventurers for the first time. We have a few holes in our party composition. Are you looking to join one?¡± The satyr nodded shyly and fiddled with a twisted wooden wand with a crystallized purple flower on the end of it. Cire raised an eyebrow. She wasn¡¯t exactly loquacious, and it was a painful conversation to be sure. However, she had gotten up the nerve to approach him. If he was going to lead an adventuring party then he would need to do his fair share of social heavy lifting. Having someone in the group so sheepish, goatish?, that she was having trouble speaking in relative private to a stranger wouldn¡¯t be so bad. The spider was weird though. ¡°Hrmmm, okay. Do you have a name that you care to share? I¡¯m Cire and the other two members of our group are Selene and Fizz. The elf and gnome I came in with, respectively.¡± The satyr looked down at the table and pulled her cloak tightly around herself. The spider jostled in her horns at the movement, but settled back into a resting spot in her curls. ¡°Zoe¡± Cire supposed that the satyr would largely remain a mystery if she did join up. If the most he could get out of her was one word responses, sometimes non-verbal ones at that, then it was going to be a while before he knew much about her. That didn¡¯t matter too much, if he could count on her in battle then he or Fizz could handle the social scenarios. ¡°Copper or Silver stratum adventurer Zoe? We will all be coppers as far as I know. What is your class? Your role in a party?¡± A small smile darted across Zoe¡¯s expression, then she rifled through a large pouch at her side. She took out a crumpled and creased piece of parchment, and attempted to flatten it out on the table, before sliding it over to him. Cire was impressed that she had thought of a solution and a bit sad that she hadn¡¯t found a party. It wasn¡¯t hard to assume why the awkward, if a bit off, satyr hadn¡¯t found a group yet. Reading the text on the parchment made it clear that Zoe didn¡¯t have a hard time communicating if given a non-verbal medium and some distance from the actual people she was communicating with. ¡°Hello! My name is Zoe Darkwine, Copper Adventurer. I am an aspiring druid and follower of Pan. Currently my class is acolyte. I have a small repertoire of Earth, Water, and Life spells. My familiar, Mr. Spooky, is the super cute black spider that is probably with me somewhere. He excels at scouting and stealth. ¡°We would make a great addition to a team that can keep us safe. We are looking for a party for the summer, or longer, to make coin, get experience, and build up a reputation. We do not have any specific reward or quest objectives.¡± Cire couldn¡¯t help but smile at the endearing introduction. It wasn¡¯t how he would go about letting folks know what he brought to the table, but for Zoe it worked. He was completely taken in by her harmless, yet strange vibe. Besides, she would fill one of their needs nicely. Presuming she could provide some healing and supportive magic they only needed a front liner to round out their composition. ¡°I think we can probably work together Zoe, it¡¯s nice to meet you. Now, let me introduce you to another member of our group, Fizzilius Coppersprocket, or Fizz for short. He¡¯s the gnome over at the bar drinking with the fairy. I have a feeling that I am about to be called back for registration.¡± Nodding so fast Mr. Spooky had to cling onto her horn with all of his legs, Zoe kept her eyes averted downwards and snatched the piece of paper off of the table. When they both stood up Cire could feel a tug on the end of his tunic again as the satyr latched on. He was sure at some point the habit would get annoying, but for the moment it was still quite childlike and disarming. After dropping Zoe off with Fizz and Honey, along with a round of introductions, he was indeed called to switch places with Selene. Cora, the receptionist, was as friendly one on one as she was working with a group. She guided Cire through the process of meeting with a guild officer. The officer was another wood elf. She wasn¡¯t curt, but it was clear she was busy, so the interview was brief and all business. The officer had Cire swear to Pistis, the goddess of trust, honesty, and good faith, that he would be forthright with his answers. She recorded his class, his four highest skills, and took note of his abilities, both inherent and skill based. Cire wasn¡¯t too sure what would happen if he fudged any details, but he wasn¡¯t about to try. Whatever bane or divine geas that he would be afflicted by certainly wouldn¡¯t be pleasant. If sharing some of his secrets was what it took to join up, he was ready. Besides, the guild needed to know some of these details, otherwise how would they know he qualified for certain quests? Or to sign up at all? It actually took a bit longer for Cire to go through the process than Fizz and Selene. Primarily this delay was because the system for recording his vampiric and sun elf abilities was a bit more esoteric than the officer was used to. Satyrs, Centaurs, Fairies, Pixies, and other types of elves were common in the Tempest Treetops, but Cire¡¯s odd mix may have never been seen before by the branch. Cora clucked her tongue as she finished taking down his details and walked him back out to the lobby. ¡°Everything seems pretty straight forward for you. You¡¯re a copper level adventurer, but with your abilities you could probably fight up a level if needed, in single open combatof course. Well, if it¡¯s melee combat. Anyone with range or magic is going to give you a hard time.¡± Cire was about to ask how she had such an accurate assessment of his overall talents, but then it occurred to him that she was probably one of the more knowledgeable folks around concerning local adventurers and parties. She most likely had a keen eye, and if she had payed any attention to her job she would know how to asses people well. Correspondingly, she was likely one of the best people around to ask for advice. ¡°So, Cora, you¡¯ve been in the interviews for each of my party members; Selene and Fizzilius. What do you think of our makeup so far? Anyone around you think we should ask to join up?¡± Waving her hand back and forth in a so-so gesture, she stopped walking and paused before the door to the lobby. ¡°You¡¯re all copper level so far, even though Selene doesn¡¯t have a class. She can engage from a distance, Fizzilius is a rogue, and you¡¯re a fighter. You don¡¯t seem like someone who can soak a lot of engagement though. Maybe keep a fair amount of opponents off guard or distracted, but without armor or a shield you¡¯re not going to be blocking many doorways. Tapping a finger to her lower lip, she puckered her lips in thought and then blew a stray hair out of her eyes. ¡°Why did you sign up with the adventurer¡¯s guild?¡± Blinking, Cire realized that he hadn¡¯t been asked that question yet. The guild officer had only taken down details and processed him. It couldn¡¯t really have been called a conversation. He was signing up at entry level, and besides, there would be the auditor who accompanied them on their first trail quest to make sure the accounted for themselves appropriately. Without second guessing himself, he told Cora the truth, even if it was a little embarrassing. ¡°Recently I was training at the academy and we got a chance to go out on a chaperoned patrol mission with the teachers.¡± Cora sucked in some air through her teeth, but he kept going. ¡°Sounds like you heard about it. Well, it didn¡¯t exactly go to well. The thing is, it didn¡¯t go too poorly either. It was a battle, and there wasn¡¯t any nuance to it. I still don¡¯t know why it happened except that two groups ran into each other in the forest. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s not only that. I want to make choices for myself, not be ordered to perform a task. I want freedom and to help others. From what I know, and from my experiences so far, being an adventurer checks those boxes. If I can make a decent living, advance my levels, and save up for some personal projects all the better.¡± Nibbling on her fingernail, Cora listed intently. Then she caught herself and pulled her hand away from her mouth. ¡°Good. You¡¯ll meet all sorts of adventurer¡¯s out there. Some of them really will not fit with your group. They are all about making as much gold as possible, or accruing as much power as they can. It does not matter what type of class the others you find are, or what skills they have, as long as they align with your values as a party.¡± Cire was about to respond, and of course ask another question, but Cora pushed the door open and directed him into the lobby with a movement of her arm. He could see Fizz, Selene and Honey at the bar engaging with Zoe, well sitting with her. She appeared to be listening to their conversation, but not participating. Putting an arm around each Fizz and Selene, he gave them both a squeeze. ¡°So, we are all signed up and you got a chance to meet Zoe. What do you think of signing up for a trial quest as soon as possible? If there is an auditor available I would like to get out there tomorrow, and the four of us should be able to tackle an initiate level quest.¡± Adventurer Book III - Chapter 4: Assumptions and Misconceptions Strolling through the merchant district, outside of the central pillars and the Undergrowth, was a welcome change of pace. Despite Cire¡¯s wishes, a guild auditor was not immediately available to take the group out and they would have to wait a couple of days. This gave them a chance to outfit themselves properly, have a meal together to discuss some rough strategy, and get other various tasks done. Using the opportunity to shop for more than one purpose, Cire and Selene had calculating gazes as they ambled. They each had an eye on supplies they would need on the adventuring path, as well as back home. Getting out of the Silverstar pillar also had the benefit of evading prying ears. Since they were in town, and now both armed, the pair could avoid having an escort. Selene looked odd back in a dress of crushed blue velvet with large open sleeves and radiant silver highlights bringing out the cloudy blue-gray of her eyes. Obviously reinforcing her familial connections was noticeably grating on her nerves, but she was willing to do it. They were spending her gold, sold off jewelry to be precise,and she wanted it to stretch as far as possible. Cire swore he would reimburse her for his purchases once he sold some of the more valuable items stored with Maisy and Stout, notably the top and maybe the stasis box. That still didn¡¯t mean that he was comfortable going into her debt. However, it wasn¡¯t entirely his choice. Selene had insisted as another member of the noble house that they outfit themselves properly. Already tucked snugly in a bag wrapped in parchment paper was a new pair of boots, socks, and shirts for Cire. Thankfully, bootsdidn¡¯t count as armor, so he could wear them in combat without hampering his Fluid Motion skill. The leather shop they were entering now had some additional items that could fulfill a similar niche according to Elias. Sounding out with a clarion ring a small bell attached to the door heralded their entry to the shop. Cire let Selene take the lead making an introduction while planning to slip in mid-way to close the deal. Her associations helped with negotiations, but his Charisma generally pushed things a bit further. The shopkeep looked up from organizing a stack of uncut tanned leather hides, it was clear that they did custom jobs and sold ready made product. Cire was surprised to see a moon elf, as this was the first one working a job outside of the pillars he had come across. The man was well apportioned and had a smart cut tunic with a jaunty hat atop his gray haired head. With a youthful smile, showing that his hair color was more to do with his lineage than age, he welcomed them in. ¡°Good day, good day fine customers. A lovely one for shopping is it not? What brings you to my Hermes blessed store on this fine morning?¡± ¡°I would like to get my man servant here a proper pair of leather pants and perchance a matching vest. What do you think?¡± Selene looked back towards Cire, but then flicked her hand as if to dismiss his opinion. ¡°Never mind that. Yes, several pairs of leather pants, matching vests, and a new pack so he can carry my things.¡± Cire was honestly impressed at the charade that Selene was managing to put on. Covering his mouth with his hand to hide a chuckle, he had a hard time not erupting into laughter. A cold chill washed over him as he realized that she was emulating her sister Penelope, it wasn¡¯t as amusing as it had been any longer. He saw a glint in Selene¡¯s eye as she looked back, and he regretted his mirth all the more. ¡°Of course, my lady. It would please me greatly to serve you.¡± Giving his hands a quick rub, he pulled a segemented string from around his shoulders. He ushered Cire up onto a small box and began taking his measurements. Cire gave a quick cough, the leathersmith was not gentle when taking his inseam. ¡°Perhaps a new hat? Belt?¡± ¡°Yes, I do believe a belt would make a fine addition.¡± The gleam still danced in Selene¡¯s eyes and Cire counted himself lucky that she hadn¡¯t pushed things too far. Cire¡¯s moment of panic made him cast about for a solution to wordlessly communicate with her. The shopkeeper was still right before him, so he pondered. Suddenly Selene started backwards surprised. Selene and Durg were both party members with Cire through their Adventurer skill. So far this had demonstrated itself as a vague sense of the others well being when they were close enough to one another, and the ability to generally sense each other¡¯s location. Selene had relayed that while she was worried when he went missing, their bond had assuaged most of her fears. It had been difficult to pin down his exact whereabouts though, and Cire suspected that had something to do with Theophanes. Cire had discovered a new function of the skill though and he used it now. Sharing the table of his sun elf abilities took a bit of concentration, but Cire willed the exchange. By her reaction he knew it had taken place. Immediately distracted, Selene¡¯s eyes went distant. Extracting himself from the shopkeeper with care, Cire climbed down from the box.
Sun Elf Abilities
Luminous Physique +1 to saving throws against most status ailments, 10% resistance to magic. Once per day can emit a strong flash of light from your skin that can cause temporary blindness and disorientation in a 20¡¯ radius. This effect can include allies and cannot be directed.
Celestial Heart A heart specializing in the storage and release of large amounts of mana. Can currently hold an additional amount of mana equal to 70% of your maximum mana capacity. Can only be filled a quarter of the way within a given day. If both your Celestial Heart and mana pool are completely empty you will fall into a mana deficient torpor.
Star Vein SurgeYour bodies mana pathways have been strengthened beyond what is typical for a mortal being. Skill abilities can be overcharged with 25% additional mana increasing the abilities effect by 25%. This may have unintended results.
Letting Selene read and consider, Cire proceeded to duck behind a changing curtain and try on one article of clothing after the next. He set aside the ones that fit well, and provided full range of movement. Some of the breeks and breeches were far too tight to be practical for fighting in, but Cire knew the trader had been led to different implications of their uses by Selene. Blinking her eyes slowly, Selene shook her head and waved away the invisible screen. Disguising the action, she giggled using her hand to cover her mouth. Cire had walked out of the changing booth in one of the pairs of overly tight leather pants. They left nothing to the imagination.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Enough, enough. Pick out the ones you liked and let¡¯s settle up with the purveyor. We have lunch with Eliana and I would prefer not to be late.¡± Wincing involuntarily, Cire ducked back into the changing booth and into his original set of clothes. Selene had shared that Eliana was being forced out of her position at the academy after taking the fall for the unfortunate deaths of the students during the patrol. They were going to try and recruit her to help their burgeoning territory. That didn¡¯t mean Cire¡¯s body had forgotten the countless times she had literally beaten a lesson into him during class. Leaning into the act, Cire would have to pay later for his response when they had time to themselves. ¡°Yes my lady, right away. Would you like me to select oil for the leather and myself here or will there be another appropriate store?¡± Waiting in a private, magically secured booth, in one of the upscale restaurants near the center of town, Cire and Selene took a moment to speak candidly and let their guard down. It was the first such time since Selene and the others had come and ¡°rescued¡± him from Theophanes, they had much to talk about. Selene was still caught up in Cire¡¯s new abilities. ¡°So, how do you think it works? Will you shine like a lightning bolt or more like a campfire? Do you think it will go through your clothing?¡± Leaning back on a plush pillow, Cire sat cross legged on the floor next to Selene with a large low table before them. A pot of steaming hot tea and a bowl of fruit, a quirk that he rather liked compared to bread, sat in the center of the table. Finishing his bite of fig, he shrugged. ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s not like I am going to try it out anywhere near your mother, or in town. Most folks still think I am an overly tanned wood elf, no point to give them any reason to think otherwise.¡± Cire tilted his head and grinned. ¡°Besides, that¡¯s what you wanted to ask about? You¡¯re not annoyed that Theophanes has essentially been stalking us for months now?¡± Puckering with the tart flavor, the quince that Selene chewed on was a delicious golden-yellow. ¡°He is a servant of the gods, they are as capricious as they are powerful. If he is truly a guide sent by Apollo then it is indeed a boon. Apollo is know for being honest and kind in his dealings with mortals. It makes even more sense if Selene has shown her favor. For all his positive traits, Apollo can be jealous, and you are a sun elf. Besides, being a vampire appears to be less common among them compared to what we expected.¡± Cire was still getting used to the idea of gods and goddesses that actively mucked around in mortal affairs, let alone garnering the attention of not one, but two of them. It was beginning to become more clear as to why Selene and Durg had given him the bonding stone, being a ruler was as much a danger as privilege, or path to power. How many people came out of interacting with gods for the better? If Cire¡¯s knowledge of Greek mythology had taught him anything was that it was as rare as a politician¡¯s conscience. ¡°You know, Theophanes said something else that I haven¡¯t had time to ask you about. It hadn¡¯t really occurred to me until now, but he called you a glade elf. I have heard of others being refereed to as glade elves, but I don¡¯t know which school of magic they are associated with. Wood elves are associated with the earth, Sky elves are associated with wind, et cetera.¡± A shadow fell across Selene¡¯s face at Cire¡¯s innocent, yet insulting statement. He immediately knew that he had said something wrong, but he still didn¡¯t know what. Assuming it had to do with magic, he was about to apologize, but Selene cut him off. ¡°Cire, glade elf is the term given to half wood and half moon elves, or other similar offspring. It is better than most and does not carry the negative implications of other terms commonly used. Whenever elves of different types produce children they are not linked in the same way to a specific element. They can have a bond with one, both, or neither of the elements of their parents. The same is true for their abilities.¡± A scarlet blush of shame and embarrassment erupted onto Cire¡¯s cheeks. This explained a lot, but in his ignorance he had hurt his friend. In times like this he wanted nothing more than to grasp the right words to convey his apology and sympathy, yet they were as as without purchase as smoke or thoughts. The two sat in a heavy silence. A single knock on the door stymied any chance at further discussion. The door handle turned and Eliana, dressed more casually than Cire had ever seen her, stepped into the room with a waiter following her. Setting a large bowl of salad next to the fruit, the server departed swiftly to inform the kitchen to start on their hot dishes. ¡°Eliana, thank you for coming. I wish the circumstances were better.¡± Selene said. ¡°Yes, we both do. Now, out with it. You were coy with the invitation, but I do not favor games,¡± Eliana laid out with her brusque tone. ¡°I am simply to old for them.¡± ¡°Yes, teacher.¡± Cire used the more general term instead of palaestra or instructor given her recent dismissal from the academy. Selene immediately followed, they had already decided she would make the ask. Selene had a longer, and more personal, relationship with Eliana. They would be going out on a limb, but it was fairly sturdy. Besides they were elves, so it wasn¡¯t unheard of. ¡°We would like you to relocate to the Chimera¡¯s Mane, specifically the Valley of Sunset, where I reside.¡± ¡°To be this young lord¡¯s tutor I presume?¡± Eliana¡¯s head tilted towards Cire, but they were the only three people in the room, so it was also obvious of who she spoke. ¡°When did you work it out?¡± Cire asked. ¡°Do not be daft boy. You all but confirmed it when you summoned a Prometheus cursed fortress from nothing. With your level and mana pool that should be impossible. I had my suspicions much earlier than that. Neither of you are as clever as you think.¡± Selene and Cire both grimaced, almost in unison. Piling a heap of greens and vegetables into a bowl, Selene distracted herself as she let Cire take over. If Eliana knew already then she hardly had to take the lead. It would be more convincing if Cire made the ask himself. ¡°You¡¯re right, we are making it up as we go along. Initially, we thought about asking you to be my tutor, but honestly if you would be willing to be an advisor also it would be most appreciated.¡± Seeming to mull over the confirmation and then Cire¡¯s words, the elder taciturn moon elf pulled her long graying braid over her shoulder and ran her hand down its length. The waiter returned, giving her more time to contemplate. A positively divine smelling roast of venison, delectable fried fritters, and some sort of soup filled the table. Dismissing the waiter, Cire started to serve the whole group, and Eliana raised an eyebrow. ¡°What sort of remuneration can I expect for performing such a task?¡± Cire knew that one hundred gold was generally what a skilled crafter would make over the course of a year. The leather shop they had been in most recently probably earned the proprietor two to three times that based on what they spent for his new clothing. What would be a proper wage to offer her? Was a wage even what she was asking for? Would he even be able to afford it? He hadn¡¯t expected to run into liquidity issues so rapidly, that was a clear lack of foresight on his end. Cire figured that he should simply ask instead of taking shots in the dark. ¡°What would be appealing to you? If it is gold, whatever you are worth. I have a feeling you¡¯re interested in something else though.¡± Eliana went in a different direction than Cire expected, as was common for her, only normally in combat. ¡°You are a hit and run fighter. Based on your current skills and abilities you are maximized to deal as much damage as possible with a single attack and then distance yourself. You need to keep moving, if you get pinned down or encircled you¡¯ll likely die.¡± The elder elf took a long drink from her tea and then swirled the liquid. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t learned that by now you would have been kicked out of the academy instead of leaving it voluntarily. What is your goal?¡± Instead of immediately speaking and trying to answer, Cire thought about the question. Eliana was always purposeful. She wouldn''t have left the query open ended if she hadn¡¯t intended to. All but sure that she wasn¡¯t asking about his martial path, he gave consideration to the direction he hoped for his territory. In a world of magic, wonder, and the fantastic there were also reciprocal terrors, horrors, and danger. He had heard somewhere that the radical nature of most revolutions was not in any dramatic shift from one form of government to the next, or even who the leaders in charge were. It was how the common people were enfranchised. ¡°To build a place of community based on merit that harmonizes with itself. A territory governed by empowered citizens, not built on a foundation of slavery.¡± Cire hesitated. Only Maisy, Stout, Selene, Durg, Daphne, and maybe Nic and Andre knew he was from a different world. Considering the number had reached so many, he doubted it would stay a secret to anyone who cared to uncover it much longer. Besides, it didn¡¯t seem to be the world shaking revelation he had thought it would be. In a land with fae creatures, demons, elementals, and other extra planar beings, he simply wasn¡¯t that special. ¡°I am from another plane. So, my sensibilities and perspective are a bit skewed from standard.¡± Clucking her tongue, Eliana cut and finished several bites of venison steak before setting her knife down on the plate. Her face a wooden mask betraying none of her thoughts or emotions. ¡°You keep telling me things that are obvious child, like I hadn¡¯t been teaching you day in and day out. What would the timeline for this position look like? What are your immediate plans?¡± Cire looked over to Selene, this was not going how they had planned. Eliana had figured out most of what they were going to ask her beforehand and was directing the conversation. They had shared a lot of information without a promise of keeping it secret, and he was beginning to regret that decision. They were already more than halfway across the lake though, and the far shore was closer than turning around now. ¡°We need you to go to the valley before us. The gnoll host that we fought retreated back to the Chimera¡¯s Mane, and the guard last saw them entering the southern part of the range. It is unlikely they will attack Sunset, but we can¡¯t take the risk. Selene and I should be able to follow towards the end of summer after we do enough quests to build up a reputation with the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡± A sharp nod and a frown followed, Eliana obviously felt the weight of her decisions. To learn that they had put a different group of people in danger couldn¡¯t have been easy. Cire hadn¡¯t said it to guilt her, but her expression let him know it had. Uncomfortable silence hung in the air like lazy smoke on warm summer evening. There was a lot left unsaid, lingering between them. They needed someone with Eliana¡¯s experience if they were going to succeed. Cire had all but told her that Selene was part of the ruling house, but not confirmed it. The group ate quietly, the only sounds being the clacking of utensils, slurp of soup, and chewing of morsels. Never one to rush when it was not prudent, nor a person who waited once she had made up her mind, it was only towards the end of the meal that Eliana gave them an answer. ¡°You know, I do not actually know where Sunset is located, you are going to have to draw me a map.¡± Adventurer Book III - Chapter 5: Unexpected Pests Practically dancing around her room, Zoe was busy prepping her backpack for her first quests with a new party. She thought sheprobably couldn¡¯t participate in their trial quest, already being a copper level adventurer. However, she could offer her support and watch them in action. Mr. Spooky, her cellar orb weaver familiar, put the tip of a leg down onto her nose to get her attention and then pointed at the cabinet holding her potions. ¡°Ooo! I¡¯ll give you a treat later, I can¡¯t believe I almost forgot those,¡± Zoe exclaimed. She started shoving the potions into her bag haphazardly like everything else she had packed. A soft knock on her door made her jump. ¡°Eeep! I mean, uhh, yes mom?¡± Opening the door to her bedroom, a strikingly similar satyr wearing a simple tunic with red flowers woven through her raven hair gestured grandiosely with a serving spoon. ¡°Daughter of mine, don¡¯t go destroying your room just because you have finally found a new party to adventure with. I can hear you through the walls. I am sure you will make a great first impression on them when you go questing.¡± Blushing at her mother¡¯s chastisement Zoe started poking two fingers together. ¡°I know mom, I know. Thank you for writing the introduction letter for me. I was so scared approaching the party leader, but it worked!¡± Zoe had been waiting in the adventurer¡¯s guild for weeks looking for the right group to approach. Her last party had been comprised of entirely elves beside herself.While they had not treated her with any outward hostility, she knew she would never truly be part of their group. It didn¡¯t matter if she had a common elvish name or not, as a satyr in the Tempest Treetops she would always be on the outside. This band of new adventurers was already mixed, and there were other fae. Sure, satyrs, gnomes, and faeries all came from different parts of the fae plane, but they were more commonly found in the Seelie Court than the Unseelie. She knew that if she put her best hoof forward it might work out. ¡°I¡¯m very happy that you potentially found a new party my little alfalfa sprout, but they still have to pass their trial quest do they not?¡± Blackreed asked. Bundling up her pack, Zoe nodded. ¡°Yeah, they do, but it shouldn¡¯t be due to a lack of strength. All three of them have spent time at the academy. If anything, they may fail the character or representative portions of the trial, but my horns tell me they won¡¯t.¡± Zoe toyed with a long curly strand of her hair. ¡°The leader, Cire, was¡­ umm, disarming? I almost felt comfortable enough to actually talk with him, like you or dad. Odd, right?¡± Blackreed shrugged, then with a playful smile she gave her daughter a rambunctious hug. ¡°I bet he has high Charisma and you are taken with him? As long as I get grand kids, I approve!¡± ¡°Goddesses above and below! No, mother, no.¡± Zoe shoved her smothering mom away from her and pouted as her cheeks flushed crimson. There really wasn¡¯t any romantic interest in the elf with the golden hair, he made her feel comfortable was all. Now how was she going to be able to be around him without blushing. ¡°I am just joking dear. Besides, you know the rule, do not get involved with anyone else in the party. Other adventurers like when your father met me, completely fair. You never want there to be complexities when you are dividing the loot, or worse.¡± Bringing focus back to the reality of adventuring wasn¡¯t as bad as dousing her daughter with cold water, but it was close. Blackreed gave her another unavoidable squeezing hug. ¡°You come back safe you hear. Now, get going, you have to get clear into the center of town from so far away. We can¡¯t have anyone put a stain on the Darkwine name.¡± While waiting for everyone to gather in the adventurer¡¯s guild hall, Cire took another look over his new equipment. The sword staff, or glaive, Eliana had given him from the spoils of engagement with the gnolls had taken a bit of effort to get identified. However, after visiting a few weapon shops they finally found someone with enough skill. The leather clothing and accessories all came identified already by the shops.
Glaive of the Pack Leader ¨C Phos Tribe Description: Attack: 1d20 (Slicing) or 1d8 (Bludgeoning) Rarity: Rare Quality: Professional Restrictions: 13 Strength minimum to use without a severe penalty. Effects:
Elven Leather Breeks Description: Rarity: Common Quality: Professional Effects:
Elven Leather Jerkin Description: Rarity: Common Quality: Professional Effects:
Minor Belt of Support Description: Rarity: Uncommon Quality: Professional Effects:
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Shoes of Sure Footing Description: Rarity: Uncommon Quality: Expert Effects:
Leather Bracers of Basic Deflection Description: Rarity: Uncommon Quality: Professional Effects:
Unstoppable he was not, but Cire felt far better outfitted now than when the class had gone on its patrol. He had been hesitant to ask Selene for support in this fashion, but that had been his boar headed pride at work. In order to bring out his true potential he couldn¡¯t wear armor, so he needed some specialty equipment. More importantly, the leather clothing was far more durable than the cloth pants and shirts he kept wearing into battle. Cire didn¡¯t have a blacksmithing, leatherworking, or inspection skill that let him see the durability rating of his items unfortunately. It was pretty obvious that leather would last longer and be easier to repair than cloth. Selene had come with him and was doing her own cursory look over the quest posting. There was still some time until midday, but Cire expected that Fizz would arrive early. First day jitters wasn¡¯t exactly what Cire would call it, but he felt energized and excited. He had a feeling he would be talking a bit too quickly and loud so he tried to consciously remind himself to slow down. Philip and Lander the two frontliners from their student patrol group waved as they entered the hall together and spotted Cire. The trial quests were all within the walls of the , and apparently it was common for people to watch from a distance. When Cire had learned this fact he had invited the two heavy armor wearing elves. He doubted either would be enticed to leave the academy, but it was nice to stay in touch and keep the connection fresh. Barreling into the backs of the two brawny elves and then falling down in a disorganized heap was Zoe. She had rounded the corner without enough time to stop. Cire had been planning to introduce her to the two elves, as she would be observing their trial with them, but his plans were going to be less impactful. Already on his way to greet Philip and Lander, Cire made the extra step and leaned down to offer Zoe a hand up. ¡°That didn¡¯t look very fun. You did bump into the right people though. Zoe, meet Lander and Philip. They are both students at the academy, and from the same cohort as Fizz and I. Lander, Philip, meet Zoe. We haven¡¯t actually worked together yet, but she is going to join our party prospectively to see if we mesh well together.¡± Mr. Spooky waved his legs about regaining balance while perched on Zoe¡¯s shoulder, and communicating his disappointment with her. Zoe took Cire¡¯s hand and stood up giving him a nod and a small wave. Then the satyr bowed quickly to both Philip and Lander before scurrying out of the way, and over to where Selene was looking at the quest postings. She had learned that Selene¡¯s tight-lipped nature meant that the two of them could be at ease with each others silence. Smiling at Zoe¡¯s awkward nature, he realized that the distraction was exactly what he had needed. Cire gave each of the two elves a forearm clasping handshake, ¡°Thank you both for coming. Glad we could give you an excuse to get out of the academy while there is sunlight. Now, don¡¯t heckle us too much, it wouldn¡¯t do to be embarrassed in front of the auditor.¡± Lander grinned wickedly, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t do that to you, maybe Fizz though. He is still an open target right?¡± ¡°Ohh, of course. You can really let him have it. Besides, I am still hoping that one of you chooses to join us.¡± Guiding the two to the bar, he bought them each a drink and they shared a laugh. After he made his way to Zoe¡¯s side. He could see her cheeks still glowing crimson through the dim lighting of the hall like neon lights at midnight. ¡°You don¡¯t worry about any of that now. I have some nerves myself. By all accounts the task should be simple, but that still has me a bit on edge.¡± Sniffing, Selene rolled her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s talking big now, but only a few months ago he was running through the forest naked being chased by dire boars.¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes went wide as she took in what Selene had said, and she did a double take looking back and forth between the two. Her head tilted slowly to the side questioningly. Even Mr. Spooky seemed shrug his spindly legs in inquiry. ¡°Ugh, okay, it wasn¡¯t a dire boar. It was a mountain lion and Charon dumped me naked in the snowline when he transported me from my home plane.¡± Looking like a war between curiosity and shyness was playing out inside her head, Zoe look both perplexed and desperate to ask follow up questions. Cire waved her queries aside, ¡°I know you want to know more and I would be happy to fill you in if we work out. Let¡¯s say during our first quest as a party after the trial we work on getting to know one another?¡± Zoe nodded hurriedly. A clap of hands sounded to their side drawing all of their eyes. A plump, friendly looking female elf with auburn hair adorned by a thin gray streak smiled at them. ¡°So, you are my prospective adventurers? I am looking for Ciresil Eventide, Fizzilius Coppersprocket, Selene Silverstar, and Honeydrop Cinnamonswirl. I don¡¯t see a fairy anywhere, or a gnome. Members of your party are missing?¡± Caught of guard, Cire nodded slowly. Honey had signed up to be an adventurer and joined their trial? He knew she wanted to join them, but that she would be unlikely to be able to sway the frolic, the fairy equivalent of a town hall meeting. It was a very welcome surprise. Out of breath and sorts, Fizz dashed into the guild hall with Honeydrop flitting beside him. The diminutive fairy had her traveling gear on, but if Cire had to bet most of her gear would be in Fizz¡¯s pack. It was much easier for her to fly around without extra weight. Cire was ecstatic, ¡°Honey, you were able to convince them? That¡¯s fantastic news!¡± Looking very guilty, Honeydrop halted moving forward and buzzed in place before Cire. She toed the air and shimmied back and forth. Holding up a hand in a plaintive gesture she looked like she wanted to speak, but couldn¡¯t form the words. It was Fizz who provided them. ¡°She¡¯s doing it without their blessing and hoping they agree after she has signed up. I told her it was a terrible idea, but little Ms. Sparklebutt here thinks she can get away with it.¡± Positively affronted, Honey flicked Fizz¡¯s nose with a tiny finger. ¡°They will agree once they know I am in a good party and it is truly what my heart is set on.¡± The auditor looked amused watching the antics of the two latecomers. Having had enough, she clapped her hands sternly together to draw everyone''s attention. Her voice was even, but authoritative, very motherly. ¡°I am Calliope Goldenspring, your guild auditor. We will be taking care of a minor infestation of dire gophers who have taken up residence in the royal Orchard of Dancing Winds. Once we get to the orchard I will give further instruction. Suffice it to say, word of your trial has gotten around and you should expect a bit of an audience.¡± Cire knew better than to express any displeasure at her statement, but now he was worried about a host of issues. Primarily he was going over what he knew about the orchard. It had been a point of interest when he had asked about notable areas in town, but he didn¡¯t have access and he hadn¡¯t gotten out much so he had never laid eyes on the trees. It was a heavily guarded location with unpredictable and powerful wind currents near the eastern wall, that was about all he knew. Cire didn¡¯t even know what type of fruit was grown there. The other members of his team had varying reactions. Zoe looked mortified even though she wasn¡¯t going to go through the trial. He guessed it was because there would be a large crowd watching them, and so far she had demonstrated clear social anxiety. Fizz didn¡¯t seem to be affected one way or another, but Selene¡¯s typically stoic countenance while in the Tempest Treetops gave way for a flash of a moment. A dark, painful, and intensely resentful expression was gone as quickly as it appeared. However, it was Honeydrop that let out a very unfairy-like groan before slapping both of her small hands over her mouth. Calliope didn¡¯t give anything away she walked over to the main doorway with the expectation that the group would follow her out and where she led them. To be fair, she was correct and the whole group gathered up behind her. There was a some jostling, but by the time they had made their way down the administrative pillar, and into the inner town proper, they were readily listening to the auditor¡¯s explanation of their trial quest. ¡°Your group will be responsible for eradicating any gophers in the orchard that you can find today. For the quest to be a success you need to kill at least ten, but preferably twice that number. Now, we don¡¯t expect you to dig them up, or burrow underground. That would be amusing though. ¡°The guild will be providing a full set of lures. You can set one off when you are ready and the little beasties will be drawn up out of the ground as long as it is giving off smoke. They will be in a bit of a frenzy because of the scent, so while they normally would not be aggressive that will not be the case when exposed to the lure. You are to approach this like an accepted quest from the guild. Any questions?¡± Questions, Cire had plenty. He knew there was a balance between asking too many, and asking the right ones. They were being evaluated on more than their fighting prowess in the end. ¡°Yes, Auditor. Will you be giving us any additional information on the gophers preferred skills or typical stats? Any environmental dangers that we need to keep an eye out for?¡± Her face a mask of indifference, Calliope shook her head in the negative. ¡°No. You will be expected to assess the conditions once we arrive. In fact, I will not be providing any assistance besides going to the orchard with you and providing the lures. For the rest of the day you should treat me as an observer only.¡± Cire had expected that response, but felt it was important to ask in the first place. Looking to each of his other prospective party members, they weren¡¯t official yet, he raised an eyebrow in question. ¡°Anyone else have anything they think we should inquire about? Any parameters that we might not be prepared for or have thought about?¡± Selene rolled her shoulders, ¡°Obviously it is expected that we do not damage any of the trees. Are there any special instructions for operating around them or the fruit?¡± ¡°The gardeners will be able to give you additional information regarding the state of the orchard,¡± Calliope¡¯s responses were getting more clipped and it signaled an end to the questions. The group made their way out of the dense inner neighborhoods around the pillars at the center of town. As the buildings spread apart and the roads widened their travel became easier. Each of the prospective professional adventurers began readying themselves. Even if the potential foe was little more than an overgrown pest, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t dangerous. Approaching the orchard, they could see the tops of trees poking over the thorny hedge wall. Glistening with still clinging morning dew, fist sized golden citrus fruits similar to a cross between a lemon and orange. However, the delectable looking fruit was glowing while swaying in a constant swirling wind. A faint tinkling sound made its way over the wall, but not a single gust followed. Standing rigidly with regal bearing, two sky elf guards manned either side of the entrance they approached. Each held halberds with visible magic runes and wore armor tailored to their winged forms in the livery of house Tempestnight. This was the first time that Cire had seen sky elves outside of the central pillars, and most certainly the initial instance he had seen them performing such a function. The guards were of note, but they hadn¡¯t arrested the groups momentum like the crowd waiting bunched around the entrance. Selene¡¯s siblings, a positively thrumming swarm of fairies, the majority of their classmates from the academy, and plenty of others that Cire couldn¡¯t recognize at all. He was beginning to think that rushing things instead of keeping them under his hat was a bad idea. Adventurer Book III - Chapter 6: Spectator Spectacle Opening the gates to the garden, the Tempestnight guards gave short nods to Calliope. Once the group had gathered inside, Cire was surprised to see the gates remain open and the crowd of onlookers flood in behind them. He was really hoping to lose the lookie-loos, but sadly that would not be the case. A wizened old satyr gardener with gray fur and beard leaned heavily on a shepherds crook. A brown leather apron filled with tools and odd baubles jangled as he turned and started walking towards an inner waist high fence. Without introduction he gestured out into the orchard, ¡°They came in from the forest about a week ago. Guild said they would send someone out, said it was high priority.¡± He spit on the ground and bleated. The smallest wrinkle in Calliopes nose gave away her irritation, ¡°High Gardener, it was made a priority. As you can see, we have a group here on assignment instead of posting it as an open quest. The reward offered no doubt would have attracted an adventuring party in, say, a few weeks to a month. Instead we will have this problem wrapped up today. Allow me to introduce Ciresil Eventide, their party leader for this quest.¡± Cire stepped up and gave a slight bow, ¡°Glad to be of assistance sir. We are informed that the pests are dire gophers, but we have no additional information on them or the environment. We would be pleased to accept any suggestions or instructions for operating in these esteemed grounds.¡± The high gardener snorted and then waved his crook back towards the well manicured rows of wondrous citrus trees. Now that they were closer Cire could see that each of the fruits was delicately wrapped in an iridescent, yet clear, cellophane-like material. Each tree was about fifteen feet tall and the leaves dipped down to the tops of the taller individuals heads. A constant erratic wind buffeted them chaotically, but was absent under the leaves. ¡°These golden storm citrons are sensitive to changes. A large nest of gophers tunneled in from under the main wall and into the roots. I need you to get rid of ¡®em. Do not damage the trees, each one is worth more than you are. Don¡¯t bump into them. The fruit will fall, and you cannot afford the five gold per treasure.¡± It was worse than he had expected, but Cire knew that it wasn¡¯t going to be as simple as killing a bunch of low level beasts. These gophers had evolved from base animals and were enhanced by mana, but their individual threat level was still very low. Watching Calliope step back and almost even with the crowd that had spread out along the inner fence, Cire waved to his party for them to gather around. ¡°Any last questions for our host before we go make our plans?¡± ¡°Is there a large open area or at least a place where the trees are less likely to be struck?¡± Fizz asked. With her siblings present Selene¡¯s lips were all but sewn shut and her face was a frozen mask. Zoe was hiding behind the moon elf, ineffectively. Her horns and small tuft of her tail poked out from Selene¡¯s silhouette. The satyr was angling away from the head gardener though, not from the rest of the crowd. Honey was flying in her typical lazy figure eight pattern and shook her head. Small sprinkles of golden fairy dust fell and sublimated mid-air. ¡°There¡¯s a fountain in the middle of the orchard, but the flowers, herbs, and structure are worth more than the trees. Well notice if any go missing. The place you¡¯re asking about would be the tool and material shed near the compost heap. Cut directly across the orchard and you¡¯ll find it against the town¡¯s main wall.¡± The scruffy satyr gardener grouchily replied. ¡°Thank you sir, we will do our best to rid you of these troublesome rodents. Now, everyone let¡¯s head to the fountain and out of earshot so we can come up with our plan. Zoe, you¡¯re not being tested, but no one said anything about you not being able to help. I think this is the best chance we will have to start integrating everyone, so come along with us please.¡± The satyr gardener¡¯s ears twitched when Cire said Zoe¡¯s name, but he didn¡¯t do anything else besides look positively put out by their presence. The party made their way down a worn dirt path between the trees. Carried on the blender of breezes above them the heady scents of blooming flowers permeated the orchard. Fizz sneezed and wiped his prodigious proboscis, obviously allergic to something in the air. Right before they arrived at the fountain Honeydrop misjudged how high she was flying and got sucked up into the jumbled winds in the tree crowns. By the time she fought her way through the tumble cycle and back down to them her hair was a hideous tangle. Musical tones from the observing fairies signaled raucous laughter and Honey looked stricken. It wasn¡¯t the most auspicious start and Cire had never seen the jubilant fairy look so acerbic, it was off putting. He needed to get them focused on the task, the crowd was obviously throwing them off. If he could place a bet down that Calliope, or someone else from the guild, had purposefully leaked the location of their trial he would have bet every last coin he could get his hands on. ¡°Okay folks, this really wasn¡¯t what we were expecting. Also, Honey I am overjoyed to have you as part of the team, but we don¡¯t have any strategies worked out. With five of us there is a larger chance that we get in each others way than when it was only four. With that being said, anyone have any ideas on how to tackle our quest?¡± Zoe raised her hand in front of her. When everyone turned and looked her way she held out a piece of paper with a note on it to Cire. Smiling, he took the note and read it out loud. ¡°Hello everyone! I can cast supportive spells, but they are limited to Minor Stone Skin and Minor Regeneration. Also, I have a Reflective Fog spell that shrouds an area and makes targeting difficult. My only real offensive magic spell is Stone Shards. It is best if I do not have to move while casting.¡± Cire nodded. Honestly, her spell repertoire was much larger than he had expected if she had additional non-combat magic. Honeydrop¡¯s spells and abilities were more specific to circumstance when being supportive or detrimental to opponents. For example, her faerie fire ability highlighted enemies and made them incredibly easy to strike or track. Adding Zoe¡¯s versatility, along with her ability to heal, was potentially amazing. Adapting to her idiosyncrasies and needs was a small price to pay for what she brought to the table. ¡°If we find a place we can position you and Selene securely it would make sense to have you both managing the engagement from a central point. I¡¯ll say out of most I will be grateful for the Stone Skin spell, I can¡¯t wear armor for some of my skills to truly shine. Since we never wrangled up a principal bruiser to soak the attention of our opponents I think that role will fall to me.¡± Fizz chuckled, ¡°Of course it was going to. Can¡¯t have Mr. Nippy ducking responsibility on our first time out, can we?¡± Cire raised an eyebrow, ¡°Mr. Nippy? Really? You can do better. I think you¡¯re running out of nicknames, or creativity, maybe both. No time for that anyways, I want to make sure we get twenty of these gophers. Fizz, until we know how aggressive these monsters are I want you to make sure none of them get in close with Zoe or Selene. Selene could handle anything in close if she needed to, but let¡¯s show Calliope we know how to execute a plan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll mark a primary for the ranged attackers, then I¡¯ll lead them around with the lure. I can keep them off balance for sure!¡± Honey suggested with enthusiasm. ¡°Not a bad idea, but I would prefer to keep you safe. You have a ceiling on your flight here and I do not want you to get caught. At least for the first lure let me lead them around. If I get into trouble I will need you to distract them. Let¡¯s have you mark the targets though. Plan for something to surprise us. Now, lets go drop our packs, properly ready ourselves, and give these spectators a show.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. It was around the third lap past the gathered audience that Cire heard the first scattered laughs, hoots, and hollers. He gave an exaggerated wink as when he turned on his heel changing directions at a right angle before them. The astringent penetrating smell of whatever the lure was concocted from hung in the odd shimmering orange smoke billowing from the incense stick Cire held out to his side. Given the smell Cire assumed that his strategy was not common, but you worked with the party you had, not the one you wanted. Without a true damage soaking companion like Durg around the best he could do was play the bait. If he kept moving the ravening scourge of dire gophers couldn¡¯t actually hurt him. Getting pinned, encircled, or tripped up would spell disaster, but for the first few revolutions things were working out. ¡°I have him!¡± Honeydrop called out. Near the shed, Honeydrop buzzed past Cire¡¯s shoulder and a blueish-green glow shimmered into being along the surface of the lead gopher on his tail. The size of a medium dog, but sporting a pair of buck teeth around a foot long, the dire gopher¡¯s were not too much of a threat as far as beasts went. However, a chunk out of his calve and slice into Fizz¡¯s thigh already let them know the fight wasn¡¯t without danger. The first time they had done this their timing was off. About halfway through the second Selene had started to pepper the six trailing monsters with arrows and Zoe nailed the one marked with faerie fire right in the chest. That turned out to actually be a problem. The near fatally wounded gopher gave up the chase for the lure and tried to escape back into the grove. Improvising, Fizz had run down the limping and bleeding gopher before it got to any of the trees. It had been a close call. Up until this point Cire had managed to keep all of the gophers to the main path circling the whole orchard. On one side of him was the hedge wall and the party used that as their backstop to fire into. They all knew that if they accidentally fired into one of the gawkers that failing marks would be the least of their problems. Using the area in front of the workers shed proved to have another unexpected benefit. The view from the entrance was largely obscured and kept the majority of their actual fighting private. Cire¡¯s antics leading the herd of pursuing gophers past them every few moments kept them entertained, but the cheers and jeers were only directed at him. The rest of his party could focus on their primary task while he did the social heavy lifting. It took another four laps of constant, surprisingly quick, running around the orchard until the first lure burned out and stopped sending out it¡¯s plumes of likely toxic smoke. Cire had kept an eye on the incense stick and managed to time it right. There were only two gophers remaining when he reached the shed and Fizz set upon them with pent up frustration. By the time Cire had snagged his glaive from leaning against the shed there was only one remaining foe. He got a swing in, but honestly the poor beast was done for without Cire¡¯s assistance. Still, the sun elf was glad he had left the glaive and acted as bait without the weapon. He wasn¡¯t exactly winded, but he could use a rest before they sparked up the next stick of incense. ¡°Six gophers down. Not a bad start folks,¡± Cire huffed out in between sucking in breaths. Rifling around in his sturdy new backpack, he pulled out a waterskin and took a few quick pulls. ¡°I am glad we are not doing this front and center. I am sure my siblings, Penelope and Alexander, would have said something terrible and incendiary, but on the right side of politeness so they could not be questioned.¡± ¡°Most of the class is here to be supportive! When they found out that Fizz, Cire, and I were all going to be forming a party together they insisted on being here. Obelius would have had to punish everyone for skipping the practice session if he had not given them the day free.¡± Honey balanced Selene¡¯s dower observation with an upbeat one of her own. It was obvious she was trying to avoid thinking about the jumble of sparkling fairies awaiting her return. Cire was more curious about the smattering of adventurers he had seen in the guild on their few visits. Their strange cohort had garnered the attention of more than family and friends. ¡°Besides our classmates, the fairy frolic, and Selene¡¯s family does anyone recognize the others who are here watching us?¡± Bunched into the back of the crowd, there were nobles at the orchard watching, multiple members of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild observed the greenhorns. The party undergoing their trial was using an unorthodox solution for culling the gophers. Though you couldn¡¯t argue with its effectiveness. Well, you couldn¡¯t argue with its effectiveness and not sound jealous. ¡°You think that the blonde elf will make a mistake and get caught up by some of these gophers?¡± Simon hoped. The dower wood elf had been deep in his cups at the guild, and largely given up on finding a group to quest with. When he had seen these fresh faced novices arrive with all of their pluck and courage Simon was about to approach them. Then they had gone and taken that bitch of satyr onto their team without even looking over the others waiting. As far as Simon was concerned, he had dodged an arrow there. The mixed group of elves and fae was a disgrace. Snorting up a huge loogie, he hacked it onto the ground right on time to shout a jeer a the tan skinned elf as he rounded their side of the orchard again. The insult got mixed in with the hoots and hollers. Many of those watching wanted him to do a flip or show off as he paraded the charging gophers in front of them. Simon wanted him to try, if only so the pretty elf would fall on his arse and make a fool of himself. Nilus spit on the ground in solidarity with Simon, the two of them often on the same side of an opinion. It was a shame that the other wood elf and him were too similar in approach, otherwise they would be in a party together. It irked Nilus that the youth today were willing to pair with untrustworthy fae more readily than those like himself. It didn¡¯t occur to him that he need approach others, the right party would find him. ¡°We can only hope. I¡¯m willing to bet that he draws too many and one or two get loose in the chase. Say, one silver on three or more fruits going squish.¡± Raising her eyebrow, Melissa, a moon elf caster who had recognized Selene listened to the two obviously jealous hangers on. Sure, Nilus was quick with a blade, but he was as quick with taking first go at any loot too. Simon was an archer, and while talented, unlikely to have found a spot on this party no matter how you looked at it. The ¡®Tops had range and damage dealers aplenty, what was lacking for every party in the area were heavy armor users. This is what had caught Melissa¡¯s attention. The party described to her lacked a typical defender or guardian, so she had followed along with the others from the guild in her curiosity. So far, she had not been disappointed. If this overly tanned elf with golden hair and mismatched eyes could serve as a big enough distraction, he might be able to keep of his team free to do the dirty work. It wasn¡¯t exactly revolutionary, Melissa had seen parties like this before. That didn¡¯t stop it from being fun, and a little silly, to watch. She had lost count by the third or so circuit on the second lure, there had been no reason to keep track. Cire began to come up on the fenced off area near the entrance in his lap around the orchard. On one hand, it was incredibly nostalgic. He felt like he was a boy in P.E. class again running around on the track. If you discounted the ravening dire gophers literally nipping at his heels it was a peaceful way to spend an afternoon. Regular deep breathing kept a steady stream of the sweet wondrous scent from the magical citron trees passing through him. A tingly feeling on his extremities was either the onset of exhaustion, which seemed unreasonable given his combined Dexterity and Constitution stats, or something to do with the trees. Cire would wager that the grumpy old satyr gardener had left something out when giving his lackluster description of the garden. I should have asked what kind of magical properties the fruit and the trees have. Even if the guy was getting grumpier by the moment, I really should have pressed him for additional information. There will always be a good balance between appropriate customer service and interrogation. Lost in his thoughts, the lead gopher managed to lung and bite down hard on Cire¡¯s left calve. ¡°Shit! That hurts,¡± Cire cursed. Laughter erupted from the audience and Cire¡¯s cheeks burned. Thumping the gopher on the head with his fist, he yanked his leg free. Running muscles that were regenerating and knitting together hurt, it really hurt, but he didn¡¯t have any other options. Fizz and Selene couldn¡¯t take on the number of gophers still chasing him. Sparing his dominant hand, Cire passed the lure from his left to his right and began digging through his belt pouch. He hadn¡¯t thought he would need any potions considering his abilities, and Zoe being here, it sucked to be wrong. A tincture of minor healing was quickly guzzled, the dried mushroom leather pouch that had contained it discarded as he ran. Only one naga made potion remained. Catching himself before reminiscing about home, Cire concentrated on running with the injury. A grin flashed as the rest of his party came into sight Cire whooped and taunted the gophers. Honey drop flew over his shoulder and began casting her spell on the lead monster. ¡°Come and get me ya varmints!¡± Only half done, with tens of laps under his belt, Cire knew this was going to be one long day. Even while fighting through the injuries, pain, and embarrassment he was having a blast. A dopey, contagious smile plastered itself across his face for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.