| Characters |
Darc Glass |
Proficiencies |
Bradford Cooper |
Proficiencies |
| External Health |
43\53 |
Knife 1 |
15\50 |
Archaeologist 4 |
| Internal Health |
15\25 |
Pistol 1 |
2\22 |
Pistol 1 |
| Stamina |
66 |
Rifle 1 |
66 |
Leadership 1 |
| Exertion |
5 |
Throw 1 |
4 |
Speech 1 |
| Mana |
23 |
Traps 1 |
22\50 |
Insight 1 |
| Strength |
15 |
First Aid 1 |
11 |
Driving 2 |
| Dexterity |
12 |
|
11 |
|
| Agility |
10 |
|
11 |
|
| Constitution |
11 |
|
10 |
|
| Intelligence |
12 |
|
18 |
|
| Wisdom |
17 |
|
12 |
|
| Perception |
11 |
|
10 |
|
| Magic Slots |
4 |
|
6 |
|
| Skill Points |
6 |
|
9 |
|
| Feat Points |
0 |
|
0 |
|
| Current Spells |
Strike |
|
Bolt, Float, Blast, Stream |
A few things:
Exterior Health ¨C muscles, skeleton, skin, when 0 cannot move
Internal Health ¨C organs, nervous system, blood & marrow, when 0 unconscious or dead at -20
Stamina ¨C determines how exhausted physically or mentally you can become, when 0 just out of breath (move / act with penalties).
Exertion ¨C feats of prowess, restores at rate of 1 per long rest, comes from wisdom/3, expend to use an active feat.
Mana ¨C returns while resting, faster while eating (counts as short rest) or sleeping, spell costs not dependent on level
Fate ¨C when it reaches 0 you somehow die. Restores over time (1 per day).
Strength ¨C Determines carry, physical melee damage, adds to exterior health (muscles), adds to speed.
Dexterity ¨C Determines fine motor movement (instruments) and crafting. Also accuracy.
Agility ¨C Determines flexibility, also ability to dodge and change of momentum / movement
Constitution ¨C Adds to both exterior and internal health, also to stamina
Intelligence ¨C Faster thought process, adds to mana, determines magic storage slots, start with int/3 spellslots, also int/2 starting proficiency points
Wisdom ¨C Adds to willpower, control of the mind, increased stamina, determines Exertion
Perception ¨C losing an eye or ear decreases perception by 4 to minimum of 1. Together with dexterity determines accuracy. Spacial awareness (judging distances) and awareness of surroundings.
Luck ¨C increases fate
Each stat point gives 1d4 to corresponding health / stamina / mana pool.
Luck and fate are hidden, some feats connected to fate, all feats available to everybody, earth specific proficiencies only available for people from earth.
Character rolling: do 12x 3d6, take best 8
Chapter 1: A Mans First Step
Darc was not having a good day. They had followed what they tentatively called a road until they found themselves at the eastern edge of the forest. To their right ran the same river which ran at a languid pace after the short waterfall they passed by. Before them, however stood a long wooden log, its trunk had obviously been drug across so that the path was blocked and he had caught the telltale signs of movement in the brush over to the left.
We were probably spotted a long while back. Weren¡¯t really trying to hide considering Brad¡¯s condition. Darc looked over his shoulder at the old man that had stopped to rest against a rock and stated, ¡°You should hang back here, I¡¯ll scout out ahead.¡±
Bradford gritted his teeth at that but said nothing.
Darc proceeded to move forward cautiously, zipping from tree to tree in order to at least offer him some cover as he approached. When he got within 50 feet of the roadblock his attention shifted, narrowing down on 12 figures that had emerged from the underbrush. They were looking right at his tree, smiles displayed across their faces, their teeth sharp and dangerous. One yawned with a bored expression and Darc could see multiple rows of teeth hidden within its mouth. Worryingly it had stretched it¡¯s mouth open to almost a full 120 degrees. They looked like wolves but there was a sense of intelligence hidden in their eyes. Those eyes that looked hungry for meat. His meat. And maybe Bradford¡¯s too.
Darc climbed the tree as fast as he could, not stopping until he reached a branch 15 feet high. They had quickly surrounded his tree, fanning out from 25 feet into a semi-circle now. Most of them looked bored, though two of them were still grinning at their prey. A few of them seemed more frustrated, however, as they glanced back towards where he had left Bradford. He drew his pistol, taking aim and letting loose at the 3 that had looked away. As the first shot rang out 4 of the wolves immediately turned tail and fled, two of them heading in Bradford¡¯s general direction yet not directly towards him. The remaining 7 looked stunned, eyes widened in shock. The second shot rang out and Darc heard the wolf it hit squeeze out a sharpened yelp as it fell. Not letting the opportunity pass him by, he let loose again on another of the wolves, its brains splattering around it. At this point the 5 that were still there widened their mouths, a panicked expression painted on their features and 5 fist sized bolts of lightning shot from their maws unerringly towards he and his branch. 3 of the bolts shattered into his branch, splintering it apart as the other 2 bolts slammed into him. Darc let out a small cry as his body shook uncontrollably, the pistol no longer in his grip. Then he fell as the branch beneath him gave way. He landed painfully on his side, thankfully not as injured as he¡¯d feared. The wolves were eyeing him wearily yet hungrily as he instinctively whipped his boot dagger into his right hand. As he stood in a crouched position one of the wolves, 18 feet to his right, leaned down and picked up his pistol in his mouth, casually throwing it off further away out of reach. Darc raised his eyebrow at that.
The other wolves were already opening their maws as Darc sprinted towards the one that had just tossed his pistol. At that moment a shot rang out in the distance. Bradford? But that was way too close- he slammed into the wolf with his dagger, however it had partially dodged out of the way, leaving it with a long lacerating gash on its side, blood pouring out in spurts. He was no longer in the open as he used its body to his advantage to block the incoming bolts sparkling towards him. Ducking just in time, 3 of the balls of electricity zoomed past his head, giving off a faint smell of ozone in the air. The last bolt had landed on the wolf, catching it by surprise, stunning it. Another shot of pistol fire rang out, closer than before, yet Darc had no time to check although he caught the sound of a curse ringing out far in the distance. He spun around, sinking his dagger through the wolf¡¯s eye as he glanced at the other wolves that had started sprinting towards him. The closest one was nearly upon him, yet they were still spread out from their earlier encirclement. If he was fast and deadly enough, he might be able to take them one at a time- He slammed his foot down into the ground behind him, leaping at the wolf that had also leapt towards him. As he twisted in the air he called upon his mana, forcing it into his hand and through his dagger as he tore through its throat. The force of the blow had been so strong that its head barely stayed connected to its body that had just now flopped ungraciously onto the grass behind him. Another shot pronounced itself behind him, though this time its position hadn¡¯t changed.
The other wolves eyed him wearily once again, spending a few seconds to group up, preparing to strike him together as a group. Shit¡ Darc took that moment to glance around, looking for where his pistol had landed. He couldn¡¯t see it through the tall grass. As he turned his gaze back however, the rest of the wolves seemed to have frozen in place. Panic was etched into their features and they quickly turned tail and ran. Darc could have probably chased them down since they didn¡¯t seem that fast, however he wasn¡¯t in the best condition and he still had Brad to look after. Turning around, Darc saw Bradford cresting the slope not too far away, perhaps 100 feet, shaking his pistol in a threatening manner towards the retreating wolves. The old man had a wide smile plastered on his face and his clothes were spotted with blood, yet none of it seemed to be his own. Darc gave the man a wave as he went over to search for his pistol. A few minutes later he had it slotted back into its holster at his side.
¡°We should keep moving, dangerous to stick to one place, specially after all the noise we made.¡± Darc commented, an itch of worry flashing across him.
Bradford looked him over, noticing the black burnt out spots on the other¡¯s shirt, burn marks etching the flesh underneath. Bradford nodded for him to lead the way as they both plodded back towards the dirt road.
¡°Those¡ wolves I guess? ¡ I can¡¯t say I like the look of them.¡± Darc mentioned as he detailed his findings to the old man. ¡°The squirrel from earlier, too. Should take a better look at it later, it''s got teeth like a carnivore.¡±
Bradford followed along in silence for a few moments before responding, ¡°So... the wildlife here is vicious and intelligent. Some of them can cast rudimentary spells as well." He was running a hand through his wispy grey hair as he finished his verdict, "We¡¯ll have to stick close from here on out. I won''t have anymore of this ''protect the leader'' syndrome from you.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Darc nodded in response, unsure about the implications. Bradford was still in bad shape. Real bad shape. The old man kept having to steady himself at increasing intervals as they went. I¡¯m not sure he¡¯d survive getting hit by even one of those lightning blasts from earlier. However, there wasn¡¯t much of anything they could do. Their best chance of reaching the safety they needed to rest and heal was to find civilization and the road they were following was their only hope of doing so.
As they crested the next hill nearly half an hour later Darc could hardly believe it. His heart pumped jubilantly with a hint of anticipation within his chest as he looked over at their salvation. Maybe an hour¡¯s distance from them he saw a small town nestled next to the river off in the distance. The buildings lay in a variety of stone and brick structures, their roofs encasing them with wooden shingles. It looked like the rich probably lived near the center of town, Darc noted, since most of the brick buildings were concentrated there, outperforming their stone neighbors in both size and grandeur. Outlining the town was a wooden palisade and a small dock jutted out around 30 feet into the river. On the other side of the town ran a field of silvery something and next to it sprung an orchard of trees, tiny splashes of purple poking out through their leaves.
They sat down to rest at the top of the hill, its height offering a good view and vantage point against any potential enemies. As Darc cooked the now skinned and gutted squirrel on the fire Bradford had conjured, the old man broke the silence, his expression serious now. ¡°There are a few things you should keep in mind before we get there. First off, spoken language will not be an issue. Andrew confirmed that for us in his report. I¡¯m assuming this has something to do with the nanites again. Second, our goals in this town are threefold:¡± he held up a finger, ¡°We need currency.¡± He held up the next, ¡°We need a place to rest.¡± His third finger lifted to join the others, ¡°And most importantly, we need information. Anything and everything we can gather about this town, this country and the world in general. However, we need to be discreet. Without knowing their culture and customs, revealing ourselves as foreigners could lead to any number of unforeseen consequences, many of which would not bode for us. Judging from the medieval cultures back on Earth, others may try to control and use us for our knowledge, basically enslaving us. Others would be fearful and simply attempt to execute, murder or assassinate us. While it is possible they have some semblance of a code of chivalry or noblesse oblige, we are currently in the dark. So, from here on out, just follow my lead.¡±
Darc grunted in confirmation. While he was a little annoyed at being told the obvious, he couldn¡¯t hold it against the old man considering the state he was in. He watched Bradford steady himself against a tree. It looked like he was deciding whether or not he should throw up. Turning his attention back to his squirrel, he sliced off chunks of meat, placing them onto a plastic bag next to some rations then sat down to eat, Bradford joining him a moment later. As he sat there eating, his eyes wandered the surroundings, taking it in. Forest to our west, goes on for miles. Beyond that a mountain range, probably tall as the Rockies. Continuing on towards the north, he sunk into thought again as a he chewed, Another forest up there, smaller, more dense. Can¡¯t make out what¡¯s beyond it. He swung his gaze back towards the South, Marshes, dotted with small huts far off in the distance. Nothing much but grassy plains with more trees between that and the river. He shoved in the last of his food as he finally looked towards their destination, Medieval looking town, probably around 2000 people living there. Gotta play this cool- His gaze focused in alarm at a figure that had been walking down the road towards them, around a 15 minute walk away.
The humanoid was cloaked in a dirt brown cloak, blending in with the road it travelled. Its gait was steady, seemingly not in a rush, yet strong, eating up the dirt in long strides. Halfway between a powerwalk and normal walking, Darc mused. He motioned towards Bradford to catch his attention and pointed towards the approaching figure.
Bradford grunted then moved to devour what was left of his dinner. He stood up and looked a little sick again yet he held it in as Darc moved to steady him by the shoulder. The old man spoke up, brow furrowed, ¡°Seems odd, right? A lone traveler in a world such as this?" He spent a moment squinting towards the person. "We should stay out of his way. Let¡¯s clean up and get going.¡±
By the time they finished cleaning up camp, the figure was already upon them, apparently having jogged the last 5 minutes. A hand shot out from under the cloak before removing its hood revealing a woman with stern features. Her dirty blond hair was tied back behind her in a ponytail and her pale blue eyes seemed frosty as they settled their gaze upon them. Holding out the same hand before her as she stopped 20 feet from them she spoke loudly in a clear, strong voice, ¡°Hail travelers. If I may have but a moment of your time.¡±
Darc and Bradford nodded in affirmation as she approached, stopping within 5 feet of them. She stood slightly shorter than Darc, perhaps around 5 foot 6 and looked to be well armed. He could see the telltale glint of metal underneath her cloak. The cloak protruded off to her left side, probably armed with a sword Darc affirmed mentally. She wore brown leather boots which encased her legs up to right below the knee, the only other visible adornments she displayed being a bracelet hugging her right hand wrist. Darc¡¯s eyes narrowed, is it glowing? Bradford had been looking at her face, searching for something. It seemed like he found it as he stepped forward and proclaimed, ¡°Well met. If I may be so bold as to ask, why are you here? If I am not mistaken, you seem to have come here for a reason.¡±
She focused her gaze on him, her lips curled into a wry smile, ¡°Indeed, you are quite astute. Do you perhaps go by the name of Bradford Cooper?¡±
Darc stepped forward, a frown on his face, "What do you want with him?"
She didn''t acknowledge him, waiting for the other man''s answer. As she stood there tapping lightly upon her shoulder, Bradford nodded in assent, "Yes, that would be me. May I ask to whom I owe the pleasure?"
A moment passed before she responded, "You may. I am Lady Minoa, paladin of the Order of her goddess Estra. You will come with me."
Darc shouldered past Bradford, stepping in front of him, his dagger was already drawn, yet he stood in an unaggressive stance, still unsure what to make of the situation as he asked, "Look, I''m not sure what''s going on here, but we''re a team. Where are we going and why?"
The instant his dagger had come out her eyes had narrowed. They now settled upon him. Another moment etched past until she merely scoffed. Her hands moved in a blur, striking him twice in the throat and once right between his eyes. His vision blinked and he found himself lying on the ground, coughing uncontrollably, as he vaguely perceived the deafening sound of a pistol sounding off, a brief flash of light and then nothing.
Chapter 2: Enter Town
Darc flopped onto the grass in a most unbecoming manner. Gotta stand up! He gathered his strength and tried to stand once more before unceremoniously finding himself with a mouth full of dirt. Again. Damnit, gotta get up and... The next few minutes were a repeat of the process until he finally got it through his head that he might have a concussion. It wasn''t until about an hour later that he felt his headache and nausea dissipate into a mild throbbing beating against his skull. As he unsteadily rose to his feet he took stock of what the hell had just happened. There didn''t seem to be any obvious tracks that lead anywhere other than around where Bradford and the paladin had been standing before he got knocked down. In that same spot there stood a 3 foot wide circle where it seemed the grass had erupted into nothingness. Well shit... was that some kind of spell? A few moments later, it dawned on Darc that he was out of his depth, there was only one thing he could do: move forward.
He glanced skyward and noted the position of the sun. It was nearing the end of afternoon. Probably only a few hours of sunlight left. Checking his things, he was off once more towards the town sitting in the distance. As he strode along the road, Darc''s brow was furrowed in concentration, deep in thought. What the hell was that paladin earlier and why Bradford... How did they even know?... Did somebody get caught? Was it ... one of the others?... the faces of his friends Matt, Stacy and Lindsey flashed through his mind before finally settling on Lina. Damnit... no use worrying about it... He worried the whole way there.
His mind was elsewhere, running on fumes as he trudged along the road straight towards the town''s wooden gate entrance. By the time he drew close, the sun was already kissing the edge of the horizon, the journey having taken longer than he had anticipated. A few guards were leaning off to one side of the gate, one of them quite tall, standing at 6ft and the other on the short side of 5 foot 4, both with straw-colored hair curling out of their helmets. They seemed fairly well armed in their chain armor suited over padded cloth and iron short swords at their sides, kite shields on their backs. Tabards slung over their mail garments proudly displayed a blood-red crown with an emerald-green orb nestled in the center of it. As he mindlessly approached, one of them called out, "Hey, you there! What business have you in Westhaven?"
Darc shook himself out of his funk as he quickly responded, "I''m here on business. Looking to trade a few things, maybe rest up for awhile."
Giving Darc an appraising look, the short one followed up, "Business, say? Don''t see no cart trudgin along behind ya. And never seen clothes like them, where ya from?"
Waving his hand in a vague westernly direction Darc replied, "West." The guard was eyeing him with a doubtful upturn of his lips. "Far, far west."
Still suspucious, the guard gave him a warning, eyeing the results of Darc''s recently rough lifestyle, "Aye, well then Sir West, won''t be havin no trouble here in town now. I catch a whiff o'' anything n'' I''ll come down on ya like a cat on eels." The guards stood to the side, letting him pass though with a fair bit of stink-eye from the short one.
Mentally rolling his eyes, Darc nodded along towards them and swept past into the town. It took him some time to find a merchant''s stall that was still open. He had combed the dirt streets, occaisionally asking for directions before finding himself in the marketplace not far from the center of town. In this area the buildings were colored brightly in shades of yellow, orange and red brick, the roads and small plaza set with paved stones. The sun was gasping its last rays of orange-red light upon the wooden stalls of various goods and services. Potions and herbs, meat and vegetables, arms and armor, it seemed like nearly everybody was packing up for the night. He took a few minutes observing before heading over to a weapon''s merchant that was still holding onto the fleeting hope of one last customer.
When it became clear that Darc was approaching, the merchant actually frowned. He looked quite thin & frail and he seemed to have some strange mutation with his ears which drew up out of his head into tapered points. Remembering his youth, Darc couldn''t help but think that this man was an elf. The elf''s frown deepened as Darc spoke up, displaying the two daggers he had just taken out of his bag, "Hey, uh.. sorry for the trouble? How much for these?"
The man seemed to be deliberating something for a moment before he snatched up the daggers, giving them an appraisal. As he hefted and thumbed one of them, he commented in a drawl, "They seem ok. 1 Shilling per dagger."
Darc opened his mouth to accept before he noticed that the elf''s frown had entirely disappeared. Whatever had been bothering him, his daggers had swept away that worry. "Yeah, riiight. It''s good steel you know? Nothing like it in the world, as I''m sure you can tell..." Technically it was probably true, though he didn''t know what kind of value much of anything had in this world. "It''s called Stainless Steel where I''m from."
The elf sputtered for a second, before spewing out the words, "Feh, whatever. Even if what you say''s true, they''re just daggers. 3 Shillings. Total."
Darc nodded his head and shook the elf''s hand in agreement. Pocketing his coins, he could almost swear the elf had a smug look in his eyes as he left in a hurry to go find an inn. Two hours later, Darc was in his room, going over the events of the day. Night had fallen not long after he''d left the marketplace and it had taken him the better part of an hour just to find this place. Apparently the Wobbly Willow was the best place for people like him. Travelers or adventurers looking for a relatively secure room to rest for the night. Despite that, there only seemed to be 5 others staying at the inn, from what he had seen in the common room that was set up like a restaurant with a bar. Huh. The folk here kept calling it an inn, but wasn''t it a tavern? He wasn''t sure.
The guests of the tavern were split into 2 different groups, the pair being a man and woman with dark black hair tied up in ponytails. Their features looked somewhat Arabian, much different from the Anglo-Saxon appearance of most of the town''s residents. The other group of the inn-dwellers were a hodgepodge of different races, namely an elf, dwarf and human woman with red, fritzy hair and freckles on her face. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Darc had quickly found the innkeeper, a man with medium length pale blond hair and sharp eyes accented by his hawkish nose. Ah, Wilfred was his name. Wilfred. Wilford... as he continued his thoughts he almost immediately forgot the name again.
The price for his room and food (some hardened, tough to chew bread with a bowl of mushroom stew) came up to 2 dimes and 4 pennies for one night. If he were a betting man, he''d say that in whatever translation method the nanobots had performed, it had probably made things easier for people from Earth by naming coins in easy to remember denominations. After seeing money exchange hands throughout his 2 hours and change journey in town, he came to the conclusion that 5 pennies were equal to 1 dime. Then 5 dimes were equal to 1 Shilling... beyond that he had no idea. Hmm... need to find out how to make money. Only got enough for... 4 more days?... No way I''m selling my favorite. His thoughts eventually turned to Bradford and the others as he quietly drifted off to sleep.
************************************************************************************
Bradford was in a bit of a predicament. Whisked away by the winds of fate, he had found himself stranded with one of his charges in a strange yet terrifying world. Subtly dangerous yet manageable, were his initial thoughts, though he shivered in reminiscence of that squirrel''s teeth. And those wolves'' teeth. Why were there so many teeth? Ah, but now things were different. For the forseeable future, my battles will be fought with words, not beasts. Sure, he''d lost Darc, but he was sure that he''d find his own way somehow. Kid was... is a survivor. He looked in front of him at the two before him, their eyes glued to his, a look of worry set across their features. "Darc will be fine. The town was close. Very close. I''m just glad that we''ve all survived so far."
Lindsey answered in an almost whispering voice, "I... I guess so. But what about Matt? And Lina?"
Bradford shrugged silently in response. There was no way to know. No way for them to know at least. He turned towards his escort behind him. Lady Minoa stood there by the only exit like a statue, eyes closed. They had tried speaking to her to no avail, her only words at Bradford''s arrival being, "Stay here, she will be here shortly." Bradford wasn''t entirely sure what they wanted of him but he did know one thing: they held all the cards. They had somehow gathered information about him from the two girls Stacy and Lindsey. The girls claimed that they had never mentioned him and yet here he was.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
There was only one plausible explanation then. Magic. They were capable of things far beyond him. He shuddered as he recalled his journey to an open courtyard within the mansion they were currently staying. Somehow he and Minoa had moved through the air from that hilltop where they''d left Darc at a frightening speed, far surpassing the speed of sound. They arrived at their destination in mere minutes, crossing what seemed to be nearly a thousand miles. I don''t want to get on their bad side. I can''t- We can''t afford to. Moments passed and Lady Minoa finally opened her eyes, drawing their attention. "Sir Cooper, she awaits our arrival in the dining hall." And with that the old man, followed by 2 girls, one curious, the other stoic, left to meet their host.
**************************************************************************************
Darc awoke with a start. His head still throbbed and his body ached in pain all over. He lay there groaning for a few moments before sitting up and getting dressed. Really need a new shirt, he thought, fingering the holes which seemed to keep multiplying on it. Shouldering his bag, he promptly left his room and went down the stairs. He was greeted by the aroma of bacon and the sounds of arguing from across the room.
As he drew a seat on the other side of the room, he could hear the words being thrown out, stern and female, "I told you, there''s nobody else! This town''s just full of a bunch of cowards!" There was a rebuttal, the tone deep and echoing, "My order teaches patience. Rushing in will only get us killed. We will find others." Darc couldn''t help but to turn and take a look at the speakers. They were the dwarf and red-haired woman from yesterday, the elf sitting to the side looking bored.
The woman spoke again, this time with less force than earlier, she looked resigned, "If this keeps up, we''ll have more trouble than it''s worth. We might have to send word over to the guard at Gale." The dwarf merely stroked his beard in thought then responded, "Indeed, although we will earn little in the end..." His eyes shifted over to Darc, the movement of the innkeeper placing breakfast before him drawing the attention. Quickly turning his back towards the group, Darc focused all his attention on eating what looked like slices of bacon next to more bread. It sounded like whatever they were doing, it was probably dangerous and he could still feel the wounds from yesterday throbbing in rhythm to his heartbeat. Halfway through his breakfast, however, the dwarf was standing before him to his right.
"Greetings." He bowed slightly at the waist, head nodded downwards with his hands in front of him hand over fist. "I am called Thormak. May I have this seat?" He motioned at the bench
Darc nodded slowly, taking a good look at the dwarf before him. He stood around 4 feet tall, golden blonde hair streamed down the sides and back of his head in braids. His aquamarine eyes almost looked like real jewels, as the pupils were shaped with many facets and edges around them. "Sure, grab a seat. Name''s Darc."
The dwarf sat himself opposite of Darc and spoke, "As you heard, my companions and I are in need of help. We are adventurers. We were called here to help deal with the local Tunnelers." He took a moment to note Darc''s appearance and attire before continuing, "It seems you are not a stranger to danger, perhaps-"
Darc cut him off, a frown etched in his face, "Sorry, but don''t you see..." he motioned towards his general self, "this? ... Much as I''d like to join you, how am I going to help anybody in this state?"
Thormak looked baffled. "That.. What..." he cleared his throat, "Why do you not just ask the church for healing?" He now looked a little worried, twisting the ends of his beard.
"Umm... just so we''re clear, by healing, do you mean with... magic?" Darc asked in return.
The dwarf''s look of worry shifted to one of curiosity instead. "Yes, indeed. If I may ask, where are you from?"
"Ah..." Darc took a moment before responding with a half-truth he had concocted the day before,"I''m from a very faraway place to the west. Or at least I think it was west. When I was young, me and my family were driven from our homes. I... ever since coming to this land, I''ve been living alone in the wilderness with my father. He was taken from me recently and this is the first town that I''ve been to."
Thormak sat, sunken in thought. "How many years? How long were you out there?"
"I''ve been fighting my entire life." The dwarf seemed to still be trapped in his own thoughts as Darc rectified, "Well... actually, not me, it was my father that fought most the time."
"Your father must have been a great man..." Darc breathed a sigh as he closed his eyes and nodded. I''ll find you Bradford. Thormak seemed to come to a decision as he stood and clapped Darc on the shoulder, "Come then! Let me show you to the church at least. And... Since you''re new to town... to everything, I am sure you will need money. We can discuss terms later." He made a motion across the room to his companions before leading the way and then they were off.
The streets were busier at this time of day with many people walking towards their morning business. As far as Darc could tell, the majority of folk in this section of town were craftsmen of some sort. As they passed by the 5th building he asked the dwarf ahead of him, "Is everybody here a tailor?" The dwarf grunted, "Indeed, most of them are. You must have seen them coming into town. Fields of silverwheat, that is." Darc muttered, "Ah."
The church wasn''t far at all, only 4 blocks away. The outside was extravagant with a large mural above the 8 foot high doorway depicting a man holding a book open, rays of light streaming out of its recesses. Darc recognized the crown on his head as the emblem on the town guard. After talking with one of the priests, Thormak got them to heal Darc for a small donation of 2D. The healing process seemed to revolve around 12 priests chanting in prayer as an old man splashed him over the head with specks of water. He noticed that he didn''t actually feel any better until three of the muttering priests placed their hands on his shoulders and head. A glowing light escaped the palms of their hands and slowly infused itself into his body. He could feel the skin, muscles, and even parts of his brain reknit themselves as he was overcome with a sheer rush of energy. He felt strong. He wasn''t sure if he had ever felt this healthy his entire life. Even the burn marks from yesterday had healed over, leaving nothing but pink, newly minted skin. The healing process itself had only taken a minute, the rest had just been some type of religious ritual. He made sure to pay Thormak the 2D for the donation before they left.
They met back up with the others, not really talking much along the way, although Darc did learn that the man in the mural was a previous king, 10 generations back, of the kingdom he was in now in. The kingdom of Zenith. Now ruled by King Morris the 82nd. He affirmed to himself as they entered the Wobbly Willow. Pulling Darc aside, Thormak had a word with him first in whispered tones, "Hmm, so I will be introducing you to the others in a second. Then we will discuss terms as a group. Don''t let the red one bother you, she means well." The dwarf almost seemed worried.
They went over to the table that the others were still sitting at, Thormak in the lead. It seemed like the other two were playing some version of chess, though there were 10 spaces on each side and he didn''t really recognize any of the pieces. It seemed like the woman was winning since the elf had a scowl planted on his face. Brightening his expression as they sat down, he saluted Darc, "Zanis, it''s a pleasure." The red-haired woman spoke up as she smirked at Zanis, "Eileen." Darc waved a hand in greeting, "Darc."
Thormak spoke up, "Good, now that we are all acquianted, I will explain." Looking towards the others, he continued, "Darc here seems to be a man of the wild. He knows not anything of this country." Now setting his gaze on Darc, he went on, "Darc, we three are adventurers. What that means is that we work for the guild. The guild is-"
Eileen interrupted with a loud groan, as she thumped her fist on the table "Oh please, can we not do this? This is going to take forever. Let''s just give him the terms and fill him in later." As she finished she held her finger up in the air and a piece of paper materialized. Darc tilted his head at that, eyebrow raised and then he noticed that the paper''s orientation seemed to be following him. Shifting in his seat, moving his head up and down, the paper was still facing him head on. "Umm... what''s with that paper?" With an amused look, she answered, "It''s a contract. Magical contract."
Darc didn''t know what to think. Was it safe? Would he die if he broke the contract? He''d seen magic. Felt it earlier today even. "It''s not... dangerous is it?" She gave a pensive look, "What? Don''t trust me? Everybody uses them." Still dubious Darc nodded slowly as she continued, "Really, people break them all the time and nothing happens... well... most of the time." Darc raised an eyebrow, "Most of the time?" She waved her hand as if clearing the air, "Sure, sometimes people just die after breaking their contracts. Never really seems to be any evidence left behind for whoever or whatever does it though. Sometimes they just die of heart attacks, other times it''s a stray horse stampede or a shooting star slams into their house. But what does it matter anyway? You don''t have to sign if you don''t want to, just make up your own terms if your not happy with them, just gotta think them all official-like in your head." She focused on the piece of paper and black ink words scribbled themselves onto the surface. "Like so."
Darc squinted his eyes, reading carefully over the words that had just magically appeared. He went over the document once, then twice. With all he had seen so far, he couldn''t believe that they would leave this out. Wasn''t it really obvious? Or did they just not care? "Yeah, this is gonna be a problem." Eileen looked back at him, pausing her mental contract scribing as she asked, "What part? I''m sure that-"
"I can''t read..." Darc hung his head in shame. Those fucking nanobots... why would they translate entire languages but leave out the written word? He was pretty fucking sure he read signs that were supposed to be in Spanish before. All three of them paused as they looked at him. It was Thormak that spoke up in the end after clearing his throat, "Indeed... Well then! We should visit the guild."
Chapter 3: New Job
Darc, along with his newfound associates approached the guild. It stood near the center of town, around a 15 minute walk away from the tavern. Nearby there were the clangs of a hammer hitting metal from the only blacksmith he had seen so far in the town as well as a building with open windows, a slightly purple haze billowing out from them out into the open air. The guild itself was nearly 20 feet wide and 40 feet long, reaching up to 2 stories high. It''s faded-yellow bricks spoke of its age and there were four guards standing watch near its sturdy wooden out-swinging doors that had the carvings of the crown emblem etched into them. Thormak received a nod from them as they entered.
Inside, Darc came to the conclusion that this was the centerpiece of the town. There were at least 30 people standing at the far side wall on the right looking upon its billboard which stretched nearly its entire length. The billboard was innundated with papers, some of them looking rather rough or worn. In the far corner from him by the back end wall were long counters with a few workers manning them and to his immediate left stood a door in the center of the inner wall. He received a nudge in his ribs from Thormak and he followed him across the wooden floor through the door on the left.
Within the room, another guard was sitting on a bench to the right and straight across at the back of the room was a wooden altar with an open book radiating a soft golden light from between its pages. Thormak, Eileen and Zanis moved forward, kneeling on one knee before the altar with Darc following suit. They had been over this on the way over. As the others made strange ritualistic motions with their hands Darc mimicked them to the best of his abilities, wondering if he was doing it right. It wasn''t long before something happened.
Darc instantly found himself standing in the room by himself, the transition jarring him, causing him to stagger for a moment. Looking around the room he could see bookshelves now lined along the walls, the bench and guard also no longer present. He turned around and saw that the door they had just come through was open. Through it he saw a view of himself from above. Shaking his head at the disorienting change of perspective, he focused on the task at hand. He came here for a purpose. As he approached the nearest bookshelf on his left he felt ... something. Gingerly placing his hand upon one of the shelves he withdrew it quickly.
Martial. War. Destruction. were the impressions that were left upon him when he had touched the shelf. Placing his hand upon one of the reddish-glowing books narrowed his impression further. Sword. He took a moment to scrutinize all of the bookshelves. Some of them were distinctly different, one being composed of white-gold, another seemed to be made of flesh. All of the rest were made of wood except for the steel colored metal one which he reached out towards. Earth. His hand trembled. Drawing in a deep breath and steeling himself he continued his exploration of the room. Intellectual. Social. Crafting. Spells. Feats. He noticed that upon the flesh shelf of Feats none of the books gave off any indication of glowing as the others had for some reason, nor did they "speak" to him.
Reaching for the section for Intellectual pursuits, he searched the books until he came upon the one the others had told him to find. Written Language. The tome seemed old and withered, the pages between its covers emitting a faint bluish glimmer. As he opened the tome, the blue light encompassed him, enfusing itself into him. He felt like it was filling a void within him that he didn''t even know was there and he immediately felt a mild headache as the knowledge slammed itself into his brain.
As the light faded from his eyes, he found himself in the center of the room again, the book no longer within his hands. The bookshelves were still there however, as was what he assumed to be the exit back into his real body. He started thoroughly going over all of the books, mentally cataloguing the ones that stood out to him. It seemed like there was another book for written language under the section for Earth and the written language book under Intellectual had returned, though its volume seemed thicker. The light it radiated also slightly denser, brighter.
He took a moment to gather his thoughts as the awe of what this room represented hit him. Given a large enough void within himself, he could do anything... be anything. Shaking his head, he focused. Regardless of what this represented, he had goals. Or one overarching goal for now, anyway. In order to reach Bradford, he would have to travel. When asked, Thormak had told him that the order of Estra was in another country nearly a thousand miles away. 30 days of travel. Ideally. It would be dangerous, foolhardy even, to go unprepared. As he came to a decision of what he wanted to be, he selected the books he had in mind one by one.
After he drew the last one, which had only come 3 books later, he found that the books on the wooden shelves were no longer shimmering, laying dormant at rest within their shelves. Only the white-gold bookshelf of spells contained active rolled-up parchments within its recesses though most of them were also dormant. He continued his selection until there was no light left within the room except for what was leaking through from the exit. Moving forwards, he left the room, immediately finding himself kneeling once more.
In control of his real body once more, he looked about the room. The others were sitting on a bench waiting for him, talking amongst themselves. "-you''re on." Zanis finished whatever exchange he had been having with Eileen. She smirked, full of confidence, "Hah, it''ll be your loss!"
Darc stood up and approached, "What''s going on?" Thormak just waved a hand dismissively, "Another bet between the two. They always do this when they get bored."
As they all stood to leave together, Thormak made a gesture towards Zanis who proceeded to speak, placing a hand over his shoulder, "So... Darc... we were just making a small wager. Just a little friendly competition." The elf looked over his shoulder at Eileen with a grin that didn''t reach his eyes. "See, you were taking awhile so we took a look at the quests and there''s one that caught our eye. Just think of it as a test. Make sure you''re good enough before we head off to deal with the Tunnelers."
Thormak looked slightly uncomfortable as he added, "It was not my idea, but I agree. You do not have to accept if you-" Eileen cut him off with a roll of her eyes, "Oh c''mon, he''s not a baby. And we all agreed." She ended with a huff.
Darc looked between them before asking, "So... what''s the quest?"
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Darc was looking on into the dimly lit darkness ahead of him. He could hear faint scratching coming from underneath a recently unlocked and opened cellar door in the far corner of the backroom. The owner of the bakery had fled in a hurry after doing his duty and the others of his group stood by the entrance, ready to help him if necessary. Holding out his hand, a ball of light coalesced into being. Willing it forward he followed it into the cellar.
As soon as the light entered the cellar, the scratching stopped and some noises of hurried shuffling followed before silence set in. There were wooden shelves lining the walls with bags of flour sitting on most of them. Near the back of the small cellar there were drag marks along the dirt floor leading towards a dark corner he couldn''t see into. He caught the glimpse of a bald tail barely peaking out over the top of one of the shelves on the left. Inching towards it, he kept his eyes trained on his surroundings but found nothing. When he got within distance, he leapt, stabbing his dagger at the beast on top of the shelf, feeling it sink into flesh as a screaming squeak emerged out of the darkness.
At the same time he felt a searing pain erupt over his lower back and he rolled forward, spinning to see what had struck him. There stood a rat standing about a foot tall on its two hind legs, hate gleaming in its eyes. Another one had been sneaking closer as well, however his roll had put him out of its reach. Running towards the one that had blood trailing down its claws, he whipped out his arm, slicing his dagger at it, however it nimbly leaned forwards, ducking underneath the swing. He swiftly backswung his dagger, sinking it into its skull as he kept his eyes locked on the last ratman who had just leapt to attack. He quickly sidestepped backward and to the right and the rat flew right past him as he brought his dagger out into another slash towards the thing. The rat backflipped entirely over his sweeping slash, surprising him, however he caught it as it landed with a stab deep in its body. He must have hit its heart because the rat simply collapsed onto the ground.
Quickly glancing around, checking for anymore surprises, he continued forward and sent his light towards the corner which was still unlit. It looked like the rats had been stealing bags of flour and dragging them through a hole in the corner, however the corner was now blocked, one of the bags being too large to fit. There were scratch marks around the sides of the hole where the rats had apparently been digging into the earth, attempting to widen the hole.
Turning around he saw Tormak and Eileen there, the dwarf was checking the bodies as he said, "Good work. A little messy however. You let them catch you off guard."
Eileen was all smiles as she commented, "Yeah, not half bad. Zanis won''t be too happy though. One moment, allow me." She moved around him and reached out with a hand, holding it to Darc''s back. A light crept through her fingers, sinking into him as he felt his flesh slowly knit itself together. Breathing a sigh of relief he asked a question that had been bothering him, "So why leave this type of work for us? What about the town guard?"
Eileen muttered with a scowl, "What, those fools? They just get paid to watch more important things. Like the grainery or the lord''s warehouse." She rolled her eyes at that. "Sure, they''d eventually get around to driving them out but they sure do love taking their sweet time." Thormak nodded before adding, "Indeed. And they might make further demands. Over twice of what we get paid."
Darc frowned, "How much is that?"
Thormak held up 3 fingers. "3 dimes."
Darc sighed as he thought of the ramifications. 3 dimes would only pay for a single night at the inn with a penny left over. The rats were weak and he''d had backup this time, however it was still risking his life. I should''ve gone for being a weaver. Or maybe a blacksmith, heard they make good money... Shaking his head, he asked, "How long have you guys been doing this?" Zanis was walking down the steps into the cellar at this point as Eileen answered, "Oh... for me, around a year. Thormak''s been around longer and Zanis is the weakling of the group."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The elf in question scowled, an expression which grew darker as he saw the aftermath of Darc''s fight. "Fuck!" He promptly stomped back out of the cellar, soon as he had entered.
Looking askance at Eileen, she answered him with a grin, "Ah, yes our wager... he thought you''d get through this without so much as a scratch." Darc furrowed his brow at that. "Oh, don''t beat yourself up. Little freaks are fast and they got good eyes. I''m actually surprised you didn''t come off worse."
Thormak added his piece, "Indeed. If you can deal with this bunch, the Tunnelers should not be a problem."
After around 5 more minutes Darc was fully healed. During that time, Thormak had cleaned out the corpses, leaving them outside on the road. They proceeded to block the tunnel that had been dug into the corner of the cellar, using a heavy barrel the baker had down in his cellar before reporting it to the guild. Apparently he needed to register in order to turn in a quest. The elven woman at the counter eyed him with a look of appraisal before asking for his information. She raised an eyebrow at his explanation for where he was from, however it all went rather smoothly, only asking for his name, age, country, lord and position.
In the end she placed an orb upon a small brass stand on the counter and asked him to place his hand upon it. The orb was swirling with streams of white within the black void inside. As he placed his hand upon it, the swirls spiked out from the center towards the edges of the orb and he felt the sense of static building up as his hair started standing on end. "Hmm. Rank E." She held up a slip of parchment for him to see.
Name: Darc Glass, Age: 22, Country: None, Lord: None, Position: Fremen, Rank: E.
"That will be 2 dimes which will be deducted from payment of your quest. Thank you and good bye." Accepting his payment of 1 dime from the elvish woman, Darc grumbled with his hair spiking out from static as he pocketed it before they headed back to the inn.
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Eileen was holding up the contract again, it''s paper filled with words:
"You will work together with all signees for the duration of this contract. You will not steal from one another. You will not bring bodily harm to one another. You will split all monetary gains as evenly as possible amongst each other from completed quests. All other gains while on a quest will be split according to contribution. You will not work towards the detriment of the group. To exit this agreement, you must speak before the entire group and utter the words ''I am leaving the party.''"
Seems simple enough, Darc thought as he signed the paper, his signature appearing next to the others''. It felt like a chain had coiled itself around his heart for a second before the discomforting feeling vanished. "So what are these Tunnelers and how much are we getting paid?"
Thormak answered as the contract vanished, blinking out of existence, "We will be paid one pound for this." At Darc''s questioning look he added, "50 Shillings. The lord of this town pays well. It is a good thing that he is currently fighting in the war against the Swarm or we would never have had such-"
Eileen cut the dwarf off, answering the other question, "And the Tunnelers are mean little beasties. Can''t see too well but they got claws long as swords and they''re strong. About as strong as a man.. " She eyed Darc''s muscles through the shirt''s ever-spreading holes, "Well, most men." She finished before adding, "You need a new shirt. Almost like you''re not wearing one at this point."
Darc looked down at the rags he was wearing. "Uh.. sure, I''ll get right on that." He rubbed his growing stubble before asking, "What information do we have on them? Numbers? Location?"
Thormak shook his head before intoning, "We know very little. We only know that they are in the northern end of the forest west of here. The lord''s man sent out notice a week ago to all the surrounding towns but not many have answered the call. A few groups left before us but most haven''t returned."
Darc raised his eyebrow, "And you think we''ll do better?"
Thormak shrugged, arms crossed before him, "They were greedy. The others went in pairs, hoping for a greater reward."
"What about those other two that were here yesterday? Couldn''t we ask them for information or to join us?" Darc continued his inquiry in a thinking pose.
Eileen scoffed as Thormak answered, "They will not work with others."
After excusing himself, Darc made a short stop at one of the tailors and got his clothes and jacket patched up. The cost was 3 Dimes. Checking over his shoulder as he worked, it seemed like the tailor was using a spell to repair the clothing. The end resulted in the once hole-ridden shirt being instead filled with rough seams all over. His jacket which had 5 long tears along the back was similarly roughly patched. Damn, should''ve thought this through... new clothes might''ve been cheaper. By the time he returned to the inn across the street, the others had finished their preparations. Thormak was now wearing a dark shade of blue gambeson and Eileen was sporting an iron shortsword by her waist. Zanis hadn''t changed a thing. The innkeeper didn''t seem to like him very much and he wasn''t sure why. "See ya... Wilford, we''ll probably be back tomorrow." He said with a wave while trying a friendly smile. The others were looking at him oddly as they left, Wilfred remaining behind with deadpan eyes.
At the behest of Thormak, they made a short stop at the guild, his reasoning came as, "It is the basics of being an adventurer. After any fight or battle, we check to see if the gods will impart more to us. We do not know what will await us, so we must be as prepared as possible."
Upon reentering his soul, as Darc was now calling the room in his mind, he found 7 orbs floating above the book. They followed along the wall in a straight line, one foot of separation between each one. They exuded small sparks of electricity every few seconds in the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, white and purple. When his hand drew near he received impressions from them. Strength. Dexterity. Agility. Constitution. Intelligence. Wisdom. Perception. As he was moving back along the line, his hand drew a bit too close. One of the sparks from wisdom fell onto his hand and the orb began pulsating, before a shock of lightning connected to where the spark had landed. He fell unconscious. Unsure of how much time had passed, he shakily stood up from the center of his soul. Shaking his head, the fog that had enveloped his mind vanished. The orbs were no longer there. The hell was that? I don''t feel any different. After a moment''s pause he checked the bookshelves over only to find them all dormant except for some simple spells he wasn''t interested in.
Upon returning to his body, he explained what had happened to Thormak and Eileen who had been watching over him. Eileen stated, "Huh, so you got your first orb? Figured you would have gotten it the first time, living out in the wild." Darc shrugged, "I never did any of the fighting, my father wouldn''t let me." Eileen merely tilted her head in response.
As they entered the common room of the guild, they saw Zanis across the room, wildly gesticulating towards a woman standing with arms crossed at about 5 foot 2 inches tall. She had shoulder-length brown hair and emerald green eyes that look tired and spoke of weariness. "-us, just think about it, this job is huge! Enough to live well for 3 months!"
Darcs eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat and he let out a whisper, "Lina?" Thormak''s ear twitched.
She hadn''t noticed him, her attention still focused upon her assailant as she responded in a tired, yet lilting voice, "Look, I don''t know who you are, but I''m not interested. All I''m looking for is something easy with a-" She was swept up in an embrace by Darc, her eyes widened in shock as she instinctively slammed a palm into his face. He immediately let her go as he stood back, rubbing his chin where she''d struck him before saying with a grin, "Nice to see you too."
Her widened eyes shot him a look of guilt as she realized who it was that had grabbed her. "You! I thought..." tears were forming in her eyes as she flung herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Idiot! How could you- Why didn''t you-" She couldn''t seem to finish her sentences as she buried her face into his chest to hide the tears. Darc just stood there, holding onto her as he rubbed her back, trying to calm her.
Zanis was standing a bit to the side, rubbing the back of his head as he sent glances back towards Thormak and Eileen, unsure what to do. Thormak was the one to speak up first, clearing his throat in advance, "Friend of yours?"
Lina stiffened up at the deep echoing voice of the dwarf and turned around, a fierce protective look in her reddened eyes though the dwarf had tried to sound friendly. Darc nodded as he said, "Yeah... long story, look, maybe we should take this outside." Looking around, they had started to draw stares from the other citizens. Thormak nodded, "Indeed."
They walked out onto the street, talking as they went to nowhere in particular, Lina''s hand held firmly in Darc''s own. "So... Lina was... a childhood friend." Her grip tightened painfully. Darc winced as he continued, "When we, when our kingdom fell, my father and I got split up from the others as we ran. I thought they were all dead. No... I had to know they were gone." His words floated off to meet the silence of the group. Eileen broke the silence, "Well, can she fight?"
Lina shot a look towards the redhead, "I can hold my own."
Darc nodded in affirmation, "Yeah, when we were kids she was always pretty good at swordfighting. Better than me anyway."
Eileen glanced at Thormak who only responded with a nod, "Alright, well... how about you talk it over with Darcy boy for a bit. About whether you want to join us. We''ll be back by the inn when you''re ready, Darc."
"Yeah, will do. We won''t take long." Darc responded, coming to a stop with Lina as the others walked off.
Once the others had walked a fair distance, she turned towards him. "Childhood friend?" Darc winced again. "Really, that''s the best you could come up with?" She leaned in, tilting her head upwards as her arms wrapped his neck, drawing him in for a kiss. He reached around in response, gently grabbing the back of her head, his other hand around her waist as he returned it. They stood there, enjoying each other''s company for a moment before Darc opened his eyes. Ah shit... Darc thought as he saw her nose wrinkle. "Uh... guess I need a bath." He sniffed the air, just now noticing how pungent he was. Leaning forwards he repeated the motion. She pushed him back, glaring daggers, "I wasn''t going to say anything. You really are an idiot sometimes." Darc shrugged with a grin, "Yeah, guess so. Good thing I got you to set me straight." He noticed she was trying to sneakily determine her own situation.
After asking around, the two of them found themselves in one of the public baths. Apparently in this world they had no qualms about mixed bathing. On the way over, they''d already briefly gone over what they had been up to before meeting. Lina had tried holding on to he and Bradford as they were stretched through the wormhole, however she''d lost her grip near the end. She winded up alone a few miles east of Westhaven which was an area full of rocky hills. She''d arrived much earlier than he at the eastern gate and had sold her mirror for a hefty sum of 25 shillings. The inn she ended up staying at had cost 2 shillings for the night, so coming to the same conclusion as Darc, she''d figured that she needed to know how to make money. The guild had seemed like the best place to start and that was when Zanis had found her. He probably assumed she was an adventurer looking for bounties given her foreign clothes and the dagger tucked into her boot.
As they sat relaxing off to the side of the pool, Darc brought up the topic that he''d been tasked with. "So, this job we''re going on pays 1 pound. It''s ah... 50 shillings. It''s probably going to be dangerous. Numbers unknown, location not certain. I assume they''re like the other beasts in this world, so... pretty intelligent. Maybe carnivorous. Those wolves me and Brad ran into yesterday were acting like bandits. Had a roadblock up and everything."
Lina had a frown on her face as she voiced her concerns then asked, "I don''t like it. Too much risk. And what about those others? Can we trust them?"
Darc sighed as he responded, holding her against him, "Yeah... to be honest I''d rather you not go, but... we both know that''s not gonna happen. The others seem decent enough. Not sure about Zanis, but the dwarf and redhead seem reliable."
Lina playfully slapped his cheeks as she said, "Oh you know me so well. You try to leave me now, I''d track you down no matter what. Wouldn''t be the first time I dragged you out of hell." Darc nodded in response as they dressed themselves and left towards the Wobbly Willow. "By the way, when''s the last time you prayed?"
Chapter 4: Enter the Forest
Darc was sitting on a bench, sandwiched between a guard and Eileen who had insisted on coming with him. Before him, Lina was kneeling, still stuck within her soul as they waited. After explaining to Lina about the room, they had returned to the others with the good news that she would be joining them. She couldn''t read the contract but Darc had given her the general gist of what he could recall and she''d signed on. The three of them had left together, Eileen coming along to show Lina the necessary movements to activate the shrine since Darc could barely manage it himself. They had been waiting for over an hour and it was now well past noon. Darc had even grabbed some food for them as they waited.
Eileen glanced at him as she chewed on the hard bread, "So... you and Lina huh?"
Darc merely shrugged, "...Yeah, we go way back."
She smirked, "I could see that."
Trying to appear nonchalant, he leaned back, concentrating on chewing his food. She leaned slightly towards him with her head tilted up to look into his eyes, "Kind of makes one wonder what you were like as a kid. You weren''t banging her back then too, were you?"
He choked on his bread, banging his chest a few times while coughing. Wrong hole! A few moments later he recovered, "We haven''t done anything, don''t know what you mean."
Eileen still had on her self-entitled smirk on as she responded, "Sure, sure. That''s why you spend nearly an hour alone coming back fresh from a bath." The guard looked like he didn''t want to be in the same room, as he was turned towards the door, pretending to be a potted plant.
Darc just rolled his eyes as he defended himself, "Hey, I''m not gonna lie. We hadn''t seen each other in a long time so maybe we''re a little close now. Still, we haven''t done anything yet."
"You eyeing my man?" came a voice from the center of the room. Lina stood, turning towards them, hands on her hips.
Darc immediately stood up and smiled, "It''s nothing. Eileen''s just curious is all."
Eileen stood up as well, yawning as she stretched and asked, "Everything good?" Lina nodded as she accepted some bread from Darc and started nibbling it down. Eileen finished with a smile, "Great! It''s about time we got going. We''ve already burned about half the day away."
They met back up with the others and headed west out of town. Along the way Thormak, Zanis and Eileen were talking up ahead while Darc and Lina took the rear. The road was empty as they went onwards and they eventually made their way to the edge of the forest. The log the wolves had set up as a roadblock had been moved to the side and there was no trace of their corpses that Darc could see. It had been close to two hours and there was still plenty of sunlight left in the sky, judging from the sun. They rested a few minutes before heading into the forest, Thormak leading the way.
It wasn''t long before trouble found them. Darc narrowed his eyes as he saw the slinking figures darting between the trees amongst the brush 40 feet away. More wolves... The wolves were barking loudly and growling at each other with some intermittant snarls thrown inbetween. His party had drawn up to a halt, however it wasn''t long before the wolves left, one of them in the back staring at Darc with a steady glare before heading off with the rest.
Thormak glanced around the party, running a hand through his beard, as Eileen stated, "Well that was strange... Guess we scared them off. Strength in numbers?" Her voice was confident however she seemed a little worried or uncertain.
They continued on, looking for what Thormak had described as "disturbances in the earth." Although these disturbances wouldn''t be hard to find, it''s not like they could climb a tree to find them. They spent another 3 hours trekking forth before Thormak claimed, "This should be close to where the lord''s man told us he felt the disturbance. We should keep our eyes open." They moved around in an ever widening circle in order to comb the forest for the next 2 hours, however they found nothing.
It was growing well past dark so they decided that they should camp for the night and set about building a basic shelter from thin wooden branches laying about. Taking 2 hour shifts to keep watch, they slept uneventfully, though there were the sounds of roars coming from something large in the far distance that interrupted the hoots of owls that blanketed the night.
The following morning they broke camp and resumed their search. Around another 3 hours later they could hear shouts off in the distance. The party glanced at each other, Lina''s hand tightening upon Darc''s arm before they headed off at a steady pace at Thormak''s urging. The next 10 minutes were spent in silence as they neared the origin of the shouting they had heard earlier. Then they heard it. Cracking twigs or branches. Something running through the brush up ahead, maybe 100 or so feet away. They took up positions close to the path that the sounds were heading towards and waited a few seconds before seeing the man and woman pair of adventurers from the inn sprinting away.
"Hold!" Thormak called out, his eyes scanning the trees behind the running pair. The two spotted the dwarf and headed their way, breathing heavily as the man spoke upon his approach, "Thormak. Good. Might have a chance now." The brush was wavering in the distance around 40 feet up ahead, the man and woman adventurers approaching the rest of the party. They were mostly behind trees with only Thormak standing out at the front, not entirely hidden. Eileen was 10 feet off behind and to the right of the dwarf while Darc was on the other side with Lina. Zanis had taken position around 15 feet to the rear. The two new additions stood near the dwarf, still breathing heavily as 7 green skinned humanoids, the height of the dwarf came bursting out of the brush.
One of them bellowed in a raspy voice towards his rear, his head turned behind him, "Found them! Has dwarf friend!" Three of the gobs, as Darc would later learn they were called, held short bows in their hands and the other four came charging wielding an assortment of iron clubs and daggers. The three gobs with bows held them at the ready as the woman adventurer loosed an arrow before ducking behind her tree. Her arrow landed with a thwip as it pierced one of the gob bowmen and then they returned fire at the man who hadn''t made it behind a tree in time. Two of their arrows pierced him, both to his midriff as the last arrow flew wide, thunking harmlessly far behind Zanis.
The man let out a scream as he managed to stumble behind the cover of a tree, the other goblins charging towards him. Thormak ran towards the closest one, striking hard and fast with his fists. An audible snapping noise rippled through the air as his first blow bent the gob''s leg into an unnatural angle and as the gob fell to one knee he quickly blocked an oncoming blow from another gob before he slammed his other fist into the kneeling gob''s head, another crack sounding out. The gob wildly swung its iron club blindly towards the dwarf in panic as it screamed, whiffing the air as the dwarf hopped backwards. The other two gobs stepped in past their two allies and Thormak ducked underneath a mace as he used a palm to deflect the dagger to the side.
Darc had darted out to help Thormak who was currently outnumbered, wielding his trusty dagger as he sunk it into the side of the gob to the left. Meanwhile, Zanis let loose a bolt of lightning towards the recently stabbed gob and Darc smelt the sickening scent of burnt flesh as the gob keeled over, clutching its heart.
At the same time, Eileen had not been idle. She had sprinted towards the archers in a charge, slashing at the nearest one, leaving the gob with an arm cut off at the wrist and a deep gash along its stomach. Lina stepped in to help as well as she finished casting her spell. A bolt of lightning erupted from her pointed finger, careening into the gob archer with an arrow sticking out of it. It''s eyes rolled into the back of its head as it fell.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The remaining untouched gob archer''s eyes bulged at the sight of his friends falling left and right. Mustering himself, he barked out a call as loudly as he could, "Run! Must run!" It promptly received an arrow through its stomach before it turned, staggering as it fled. The other gobs, having heard the cry, ran in all directions away from the party. Thormak knocked down one of the fleeing gobs and a sprinting Eileen cut down the archer that had sent out the order for retreat. Darc and Lina managed to catch the last fleeing gob, Darc having tackled it, allowing Lina to freely finish it with her knife. The last archer, the one with the bloody stump for a hand, fainted as it bled out.
There was one gob still there, fear etched into its eyes, pleading with them as the rest approached, "No! Leave alone! No die! Please..." There was blood running down its face from where Thormak had cracked its skull and its right leg was still bent at an odd angle. Thormak made a motion towards the adventurer man and Eileen headed off to tend to him as he sat on his haunches before the gibbering gob. "How many? How many of you are there?"
The gob was trembling as it begged, "Yes! I tell! No kill! Yes?"
Thormak nodded and it answered in a hurry, "No gobs! Only us gobs! Others! Many others! Umm... 8! Yes! Eight! Ok! I tell dwarf! Let live? You go now?"
The dwarf was caressing his beard again as he answered with another question, "What are the others? Are they tunnelers? And where is your base?"
The gob seemed confused at the questions, "Others are others! Not like gobs! Umm... Smell like dirt! Long ... claws? Yes! Claws long!" It let out a pained yelp as it tried to straighten its leg.
"And your base? Where do others live?" Darc stepped in, kneeling next to the dwarf.
The gob had tears in its eyes from the pain as it asked, "Where live?" it thought long and hard before it answered in a tone that said it was guessing, "That way? Yes! That way!" It pointed towards where the gobs had come from. "You go now? Yes?"
Thormak stood and turned from the gob, looking askance of Eileen. She was kneeling next to the man, the arrows now lying broken next to him as she poured her light into his side. She shook her head, "He got hit pretty bad, give me 5 minutes."
Thormak grunted, arms now crossed before him as he spoke, "Hmm. Zanis, help the others set up a perimeter. The gobs were not alone. Don''t go too far." He stood over the gob and closed his eyes.
The gob''s pleading smile slowly faded as a look of understanding crossed its face. It screamed. "No! Let live! Dwarf lie! Dirty st-" Its voice cut off as Thormak slammed his fist straight into its head. Its body slid down and blood oozed out from the fist-sized hole now formed on the front of its skull.
With a sigh, the dwarf cleaned his hand with some leaves before moving towards the man being healed. "Joren."
The man winced before responding, a small smile formed upon his lips, "Ah, if it isn''t my savior. Pity about the last time."
Thormak stood in stony silence, arms behind his back before he spoke, "You will leave. Once this.." he gestured towards Eileen''s light-enfused hands, "is done. Now tell me. Where are they? And what do they have?"
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Darc was standing watch with Lina around a hundred feet away from where they''d left Thormak. The forest around them had fallen into silence, the normal sounds of birds and rustling of small critters vanished since their fight. Lina had her dagger out as they scanned the scant few dozen feet they could see through the underbrush. Keeping watch was dangerous. He should probably have his pistol out, but he still didn''t want to give himself away just yet. Lina dug into his arm sharply, motioning with her dagger towards the right. There. A faint cracking of wood could be heard in the distance.
He gestured back towards where they''d left their friends as he crept forwards. Lina looked furious yet she held her tongue and slunk off through the underbrush. Taking deep, slow breaths to steady himself he kept inching towards the noise. More sounds. Many of them. He hid behind a tree, trying to make out what was moving perpendicular to him by peeking low out of the tree. A short man around 4 and a half feet tall sidled into view over the underbrush of the forest. Followed by... Damn, that was a lot of them. He counted 10. And then there were ... two? Three. Three of those rat bastards.
The ten he had initially spotted were bald with pitch-black, wrinkly skin and their ... noses... had fleshy tendrils shooting out from their exposed, pinkish nostrils. If they had eyes, he couldn''t see them. They stood hunch-backed and their arms were a tad short, though they ended in large hands, almost twice as large as his own. Four long, slightly curved claws shot out from those hands, almost a full foot in length each. Darc''s hand twitched towards his backpack, thinking that maybe he should use his pistol. As he unzipped his bag as silently as possible, there came a loud, challenging roar. He peeked out from behind his cover and saw Thormak standing in their path, his stance like some kind of martial artist. He looked to be alone. Where are the others? Darc crouched low as he could go and moved closer as the small band rushed towards the dwarf.
The molemen fanned out as they moved to surround Thormak, he stepped forward to meet the closest one before they could finish their maneuver as a bolt of lightning flew over the dwarf''s head from behind. It blasted into the creature as Thormak sent a blow to its abdomen through its defenses. It tried retaliating however the dwarf had already leapt backwards out of reach.
And then shit hit the fan. The molemen had the dwarf on the defensive, fighting 3 vs 1 as Eileen swept in from the right, engaging others who were moving to get around from the side. Lina was on the left, attempting to hold a few off that way as well while Darc moved in to help her. The dwarf continued to try attacking however it was too much for him and he quickly found himself overwhelmed, the moles sending piercing strikes through his gambeson for every 3 blows he dodged or parried. Meanwhile Zanis continued firing off spell support from the rear sending one of the moles to meet its maker as Eileen and Darc worked swiftly from the sides, striking down one foe each. As she darted about the leftside flank, Lina managed to pierce through an artery of one of them and its lifeblood began spurting out in gushes.
Thormak was taking on five of them on his own now, spending all of his focus and energy on defending himself from the oncoming flurry of stabbing claws of the furious moles that were gritting their teeth in disbelief at the dwarf that would just not go down. Darc and Eileen had been empowering their strikes with every blow they could manage and they quickly finished off the last foes near them on the left and right, as they moved to help the dwarf.
However, just as he had turned away, Darc saw out of the corner of his eye a sneaking rat that he hadn''t spotted earlier strike Lina in the back with a leaping stab of its empowered claws. The other rats had shown up as well, attempting to ambush Eileen, however she nimbly dodged out of the way, sidestepping them entirely. Zanis stunned one of the moles on Thormak with a bolt of electricity, its body spasming on the ground as the dwarf continued to make the best of his situation. Off on the left flank, Darc ran in a streak towards Lina, promptly braining the rat that was still attacking her while Eileen on her side swung an empowered swing of her sword at another rat, slicing it clean in half.
The pressure somewhat lifting off of him, Thormak moved to attack with a seething fury. His gambeson was now in shreds, blood oozing out from over a dozen holes. The dwarf focused his energy and dove around one of the moles, striking it in the back. A sharp crack rang out into the air as the mole flopped uselessly down upon the forest floor. Eileen finished with her second rat and moved towards Thormak as Zanis sent another bolt out, frying the brains out of one of the moles on the dwarf. Darc likewise moved to help, attacking and killing the mole closest to him, however as soon as he struck he felt an all-too-familiar wave of pain spread over his back and through his right lung. Another fucking rat! He dove to the side and readied himself.
Thormak was now only facing a single opponent but it was the toughest bastard out of the lot. Over half of the stabs he had taken were from the mole before him. He barely dodged another stab and continued to roll past it before striking out with all his strength. A look of surprise fell over the both of them when a loud crack rang out. The mole slid unceremoniously onto the ground, its spine snapped in half just like his friend''s.
Lina was close to Zanis, having retreated after nearly getting her lung tore out and she yelled out as she saw Darc getting stabbed. She sent a bolt at the beast with her last remaining mana and struck true, though it didn''t go down. Darc stabbed towards the rat as Lina''s bolt swept through it, hoping that the distraction would earn him another kill, however it spun on his heels, twisting and turning as it avoided his attack and struck out with its claws in return. Darc prompty swept the claws aside with his dagger as Thormak came barreling in, sending an empowered blow into its side. Flying some distance away from the blow, it got a good look at the outcome of the battle and with a narrowing of its eyes, it spun onto its feet and scampered away before the party could react.
Chapter 5: Social Butterfly
Bradford was having a nice dinner along with his charges Stacy and Lindsey. There was a veritable feast laid out along a 20 foot long table in front of the trio. He spotted on the table a variety of fish, some pot roast, a beef stew, a fully roasted pig and several types of birds that he didn''t recognize... although one was eerily similar to a duck, if a duck had teeth. Minoa was there as well, standing off to the side behind their host with what Bradford had found to be her typical stance of being a living statue. Estra herself looked to be a normal human to his eyes, however he suspected that he would do well not to underestimate her. She smiled knowingly at him.
She had long platinum blond hair which ran down to her waist and eyes a deep shade of blue like sapphires. The contrast between her hair and eyes almost made them seem to glow in the candlelight. She had also been staring at him the entire time, not saying a word.
Clearing his throat, he spoke, in an amiable, respectful tone, "Greetings, Goddess. May I ask to what do I owe the pleasure?"
She smiled once more as a voice entered his mind. It was soft. Alluring. "Oh, I think you know exactly why I have summoned you. Indeed, I have already acquired that of which I seek." Bradford immediately felt around his shirt pocket, not finding the marble Seed.
A bit bewildered at first, he settled himself down as he went for his next question, "Ah... so I see. I suspected as much, however... what do you need me for now?"
Stacy and Lindsey tilted their heads towards him, a bit worried. Lindsey eyed the food, perhaps suspecting foulplay while Stacy set her eyes on the woman sitting across from them.
"Call it... curiosity. I see so many secrets hidden in here. It shall take time to sort them all." Her eyes were still locked on his, her lips tilted in a small smile.
He cleared his throat again in response, a hint of consternation creeping into his eyes, "And what of my charges? My people? Are you... collecting us?"
"Oh, nothing so unsavory. I was merely sating my curiosity with these young maidens however now that you have arrived, they are no longer of interest to me." A frown crossed Bradford''s face as she continued, "Worry not, for I am not without kindness. They may remain as my guests here if they so wish. They may also leave if they so desire."
His thoughts drifted towards his other people and settled on Darc. "Ah yes... an unfortunate accident... You must forgive my servant, she is not known to show leniency towards others." She looked genuinely apologetic, "Minoa is determined to face any challenge no matter how... paltry. It''s a matter of honor for the paladins." Bradford had the distinct impression that she was doing the equivalent of rolling her eyes in his mind.
His thoughts drew back to the Seed... did she know? "I know." He could feel her hands cupping his head though she was sitting motionless as ever. "...You poor thing... the burden you must have borne..." He closed his eyes as tears welled within. A few moments passed before he asked, "What will you do with the Seed?"
This time she spoke from her own lips, a righteous anger bubbling to the surface beneath her placid facade with her voice firm and resolute, "I will kill them all."
Darc was worried. After the small battle their group''s condition was not looking good. He glanced down at his side where Lina was resting, the both of them sitting against a tree. Her face was pale and her closed eyes looked weary. He''d helped her bandage her back, however she''d lost a lot of blood. One of Darc''s lungs had been torn by a rat and he was having trouble breathing, however Thormak had been the most injured and it had taken some effort to get him out of his gambeson in order to treat his wounds. Eileen sat over the dwarf, a look of concentration on her face as she poured her golden light into him.
Only Zanis and Eileen had come out unscathed, the former was now relieving the dead of their weapons and stacking them in a pile nearby. When asked, Eileen had said that she needed twenty minutes with the dwarf. It spent a lot of her mana just to charge her spell and she couldn''t let it go to waste. Afterwards, she would barely have enough leftover to heal Darc''s lung. Zanis dragged the two paraplegic molemen over towards Thormak, his head drenched in sweat as he did so.
Thormak, upon seeing the molemen nearby sat up slowly, wincing as he did so. Eileen scowled as she pushed him back down with her healing palm and spoke over the dwarf, "Look, whatever you want to ask them it can wait. They''re not going anywhere." Thormak frowned but he nodded as he spoke from the ground with a grunt, "Zanis, finish one of them. It does not matter which."
Zanis shrugged and pulled out his dagger from his belt. With a look of trepidation he started stabbing at the one on the left. The elf was weak. The moleman couldn''t even move and yet it took him 10 stabs of the dagger to put him out of his misery. Darc closed his eyes at the scene as the sounds of screaming and wailing inundated the forest scenery. The elf had also been screaming by the end of it in a roar of frustration. And then the screaming finally cut off, leaving only the weeping sobs from the lone moleman soaked in his comrade''s blood.
After a few minutes, its sobbing died down, replaced by a loud sucking noise. The tendrils from its nose seemed to stiffen before wriggling in a disturbing manner as it spoke, "Kill... me..." Its voice was deep yet soft and resonating. "But... not like that... him..." the tendrils settled down before pointing in Darc''s direction. "Let him do it."
Shifting his body to look at the mole with an exasperated Eileen above him, Thormak answered "We have need of you yet. You will take us to your base." The tendrils curled, "If you do not... you will not find the experience pleasant." The tendrils curled even further, blocking the openings of its nose entirely as liquid seeped from its nostrils and the mole continued to weep softly.
Half an hour later, they were ready to move on. Over his shoulder Zanis had a silverwheat bag filled with 3 shortbows, 2 iron daggers and 2 iron clubs from the gobs and the dwarf was sporting a bulging bag filled with all 80 of the molemen''s claws. The make of the gobs'' weapons was surprisingly of comparable quality to what they would find in town. Eileen had wanted to return and rest before continuing however Thormak was set on completing the quest immediately. "We do not know if there are other adventurers out here. Indeed, Joren and his wife may still be around." The dwarf had explained, a stony expression on his face. Eileen looked like she had something to say, however she remained silent as she picked up the moleman, slinging it over her shoulder.
Darc leaned in to whisper to Lina as they walked, taking to the rear as per usual. "Listen, you''re in bad shape and... I''m not doing too hot myself. We should head back... I know Eileen wants to too, she just won''t speak up without support." Lina shot him a fierce look, her mouth open with a ready retort before he quickly assaged her, "Ok, ok. It was just a thought. You''re a big, tough girl, I know. Just... stay behind me, yeah?"
She shot him a glare as she spoke, "You''re an idiot. Just you stay behind me." She ended by leaving him alone to walk up ahead with the others. Great... way to go Darc, real smooth.
He watched as Zanis waited up ahead and joined him in the rear guard. He looked a bit hesitant as he asked, "Something happen?"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Darc rubbed the back of his neck as he answered, "It''s nothing. She''ll come around. She al- she wasn''t that upset."
The elf shrugged as they walked in silence. It was awhile before he spoke, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You know, the others might not notice but I''m the smart one of the group." Darc shot him a look before Zanis added, "Despite what Eileen may tell you. Anyway... and you don''t have to answer if you don''t want to, I''m just curious after all. But yeah, where are you from, really?"
Darc began with his story again before the elf cut him short. He had a disapproving look over his face and his eyes glinted with a hint of anger as he said, "If there''s one thing I don''t like, it''s a liar. You know, I couldn''t quite put my finger on it, but I think I know why you drove her away just now." His lips were upturned in a slight sneering expression before returning to his usual casual appearance, "Well, who am I to judge, just keep your fibs away from me."
The elf walked up to the front as well, an indignant look on his face. Damnit... It wasn''t long before Eileen came strolling over to join him in his solitude. She just gave him a questioning look then stated with a smirk, "Aren''t you a sweet talker?" However he was done talking. Perhaps she could read the aura of his bad mood floating in the air, as they simply walked in silence until they reached their destination.
The walk had taken around half an hour and they were now posted behind trees, looking at... something before them. The moleman had started yelling about 5 minutes ago. That''s how they knew they were close. Thormak had ended the mole''s shouts of warning with one of his bone-shattering fists before they continued onwards in the same direction, eventually stumbling upon the strange structure. Disturbance of the earth my ass, Darc mused as he looked upon solid jet-black obelisks stacked next to each other around 15 feet high. There were barely any gaps between them and their tops stood out like jagged teeth coming out of the earth. Walking around the structure, they spotted an opening between two of the obelisks. In the center of the structure was an iron hatch, a depiction of a worm with a gaping maw filled with teeth engraved onto its surface.
Thormak spoke for the group, "We will rest nearby in shifts. I believe we have most likely dealt with most of their combatants already, however we should proceed carefully." There was a glint in his eyes as he continued, "Watch for other adventurers, I am not going to allow others to steal our prize when we have come so far already."
It was still close to noon, the sun shining its rays down from straight above through the forest''s rooftop canopy, however Darc fell asleep immediately. They had spent the entire morning moving through rough terrain and for the past half hour his back had ached the entire way leaving him tired. Their rest went uneventfully and 5 hours later they were preparing to move on. They were still not in top condition, however they would probably be ready for trouble if it reared its ugly head. Besides, it took time to recover mana and they could ill afford to wait around much longer with only a couple hours of sunlight left.
Upon approaching the hatch once again, they noticed a problem. There was no handle on the door and upon prying at the sides that jutted out of the ground, it seemed to be locked. They searched around for a few minutes until Lina discovered that there were several holes in the door beneath a sliding cover. After some finagling, they fit 8 of the mole claws into the holes and turned them together as one would a key, causing a handle to pop out where the engraving of the worm''s maw was.
Within they only saw a tunnel with a smooth 30 degree incline, leading off down into the darkness. It seemed like the entire tunnel had been layered with a strange purple material that was soft to the touch and had tiny little hairs like fur all along it. The tunnel was also painfully short for the humans & elf since they had to stoop or risk bumping their heads as they moved with Thormak''s torch leading the way. Eventually, after half an hour they reached the end of the ramp, the tunnel leveling off now with an intersection up ahead.
Darc whispered ahead to the rest, "Don''t move!". He pointed towards a wire along the bottom of the floor. Whatever it was connected to was behind the wall, out of sight. Stepping carefully they bypassed the trap and moved onwards, spotting 3 more wires before they reached the intersection 40 feet ahead. The tunnel went on in 2 directions both to the left and straight ahead. As soon as they stepped within, however, there came a shrieking shout, "Now!"
2 Arrows followed by 2 bolts of water sprang in from straight ahead and from their left, one of the arrows pierced Zanis through his stomach and a bolt of water splashed over Thormak. Holes started forming over where the water had hit his gambeson and a faint sizzling sound could be heard. As he sprinted forwards Thormak shouted, "Eileen, left!" Darc followed the woman while forming a light in his right hand with Lina straight on his heels.
They were all still hunched over until they entered the opening of a large room 10 feet down the hall and he blinked as he saw a pink mass of flesh about 2 feet wide straight in front of them. Underneath its slimy mucus exterior the flesh was undulating grotesquely. Next to it was a gob poking its head out above a table on its side. The gob had just now pulled an arrow out of its belt towards its bow''s drawstring when it faced Eileen who had continued sprinting forward, jumping over the small barricade. She caught the gob before it could fully draw its bow with a fierce stab through its heart and tumbled back onto her feet as the creature let out a shriek, red blood pulsing out of the wound.
Darc and Lina had entered not far behind Eileen and he was moving towards what he would later learn to be called a glob. A few steps behind him, Lina shouted out "Dodge!" He dove to the side, barely managing to avoid a ball of water that splashed into where he was standing before looking up to see a 3 foot wide spider hanging from the upper left corner of the ceiling. It''s six eyes were black voids and there were eight exposed meaty tendrils with fangs at their ends sticking out of its mouth, almost like the mole''s nose. It seemed to be magically forming a ball of water before its two pincer-like forearms with the tendrils reaching into the water as they pulsed. He heard a shout behind him as he hurled his dagger at the thing. The spider nimbly leapt out of the way, letting go of its ball while clinging to its home and his dagger thudded against the purple-fur ceiling before getting caught in the web.
Before spotting the spider, Lina had also caught a shadow of movement in the corner of her eye from the right-hand side of the room. She spun around while sliding to a halt just in time to face another ratman... no, the same ratman that had fled from them earlier that day. Its claws were already outstretched towards her as she swiftly swung her knife with a shout, deflecting its dagger-like claws uselessly to the side. It seemed to have a wicked smile on its face as it circled her while it spoke, "Silly human,weak human. You come to die?" It seemed confident.
Lina felt a surge of anger at being called weak, yet she smothered the feeling as she heard a deafening roar ring out from across the room. As the ratman''s attention shifted for a split second, she weaved her way through its defenses and gathered her mana. Sweeping high then low, she sunk her dagger through its ribs, empowering the force of the blow with magic. The ratman''s face gave the impression of surprise and pain as she twisted the dagger which faded into a look of relief. As it gasped its last breath it whispered, "Finally..."
Meanwhile Eileen had quickly turned to face the glob which had been forming a fist sized ball of water at the end of a short, stubby tentacle which was aiming towards her. She stabbed forwards, piercing the mass of flesh with her shortsword and the ball of water splashed over the ground between them, corroding the purple flooring beneath. She must have hit something important because it was undulating faster and slithering away from her like a slug. Showing no mercy she lifted off her back foot and thrust again, her blade piercing into nearly the same spot within it. A putrid smell arose as thick white liquid swirled within the dark red blood pouring out of its wounds. It flattened onto the ground as if deflated and lay still, the flesh no longer undulating.
Darc, having lost his favorite dagger was not in a good mood. He carefully watched the spider that was probably laughing at him from the safety of its web 15 feet up in the air as he rummaged around in his pack for his pistol. Just as he grabbed it, another ball of water sped towards him. He quickly leaned to the side and he heard a wet splash on the ground behind him. Whipping his pistol out in front of him, he let loose a shot at the spider and its face exploded into a shower of gore. Having come this far, he didn''t have any faith that it would amount to anything but he quickly moved to hide the pistol back in his satchel.
That was when he heard the words speaking out from behind him, "Hiding secrets are we?" He could already see the smirk resting on her face in his mind''s eye.
Chapter 6: Monster Mayhem
Thormak was speeding down the tunnel from the intersection straight ahead with Zanis not too far behind. He could see it open up into a room around 30 feet from in front of him. He urged his mind to remain calm, focused, however errant thoughts peaked through. It will be fine. They cannot have m- He burst through into the large room at full speed, he could clearly see the walls to the left and right but the room was long enough that he couldn''t see the ends of it. The room was also tall, around 15 feet in height and he noticed three uneven spots upon the ground immediately to the left and right of him. The purple-fur ground dipped slightly on one section and in two others there was a scarcely detectable rise. He also caught the vague outline of webbing from the right-hand corner of the room as he drew to a halt.
In front of him in the open, 20 feet into the room, were a gob behind a barricade standing next to a glob in clear view. They both loosed their attacks upon him as he shouted, "Ambush!" and the three suspicious spots on the ground burst outwards as molemen leapt forth from their depths. A rumbling could be heard from further in the room. He deflected the oncoming arrow with his fist as water sprayed over his chest, some of it seeping through the holes of his gambeson and another ball of water came hurtling towards him from the right. He leaned backwards out of the way, taking a quick glance at the spider before promptly getting drenched in more water that had come from the left side of the room. He immediately started feeling nauseous.
He spun on his heels, turning as he ran back through the entrance, urging Zanis to flee as well. Not able to move at full speed, Zanis almost made it to the intersection when another volley came in from behind. He grunted as he fell down with a thud, water sizzling over his back and and another arrow sticking through his left lung. Thormak reached around the corner and dragged him to safety as he heard a roar of thunder coming from behind him.
"Hiding secrets are we?" Eileen was standing by the recently defeated glob smiling at Darc who had the look of a child caught with his hand in a cookie jar. Gotcha you little bastard, Now let''s see- A call rang out from the exit towards the intersection, "Eileen! Quick!" She made sure to let Darc see her smirk as she ran out of the room.
Darc sat there dumbfounded with his pistol halfway into his satchel. Lina came walking over, a look of resignation on her face as she fingered her bag where her own pistol lay, "Well, there''s no hiding it now." Punching him lightly on the arm, he stirred with a start. "We should get moving" he said, but he was still standing there, casting his gaze upon the dagger still sitting snugly within the confines of the splattered spider''s webbing. She punched him again, a little harder, "Forget the damn dagger! We''ll get it later."
They turned as they saw Thormak carrying an unconscious Zanis in a princess carry, Eileen following close with a hand upon the elf''s back. Thormak gently laid him down around the corner and they approached the dwarf that was still kneeling over the elf with Eileen on the other side. He turned towards them as their footsteps drew near, "There are more of them than I suspected. They are also well organized and..." He looked down upon Zanis as he continued, a look of frustration mixed with trepidation creeping onto his face, "I am not sure we can defeat them. Their numbers might mean-"
A low voice slithered into their minds, the tone smooth and silky, "You will join us or you will die." Darc could hear soft footsteps and a gentle rumbling from around the corner of the entrance, stopping near the intersection 10 feet down the hall as the voice continued, "Consume them." Several small objects the size of his ring finger came tumbling into the room. The pinkish pieces of flesh wriggled ominously upon the floor. "Together, we will unite the world as one. No more war. No more suffering. Only true peace and prosperity." The voice ceased its whispering.
Thormak and Eileen blanched, their expressions one of despair. Several seconds passed before Thormak, with a look of resignation reached towards one of the fingers. Eileen stopped him short, holding onto the dwarf with out stretched arms. She whispered, her tone fierce "No! We might have a chance..." She locked eyes towards her companion, her expression desperate, "Darc?". The dwarf seemed confused, however he stayed his hand as he glanced around the party, just now noticing the metal object in Darc''s hands.
Darc nodded, his eyes determined as he drew his gaze towards Lina. She reached into her bag, drawing her pistol. He kept his gaze upon her as he made a few gestures: Me high, you low and pointed at the corner next to them. She nodded and positioned herself in a crouch as he stood over her. Glancing back he whispered, "Thormak, Eileen, hold them back if they rush us. Don''t go beyond the entrance." He had no idea what he was dealing with, but whatever it was, it was enough for the two seasoned adventurers to nearly give up all hope.
He tapped Lina''s shoulder as he willed his ball of light towards the entrance and she peaked around the corner. She had good eyes. She would notice anything out of place. She communicated back to him in whispered tones. A glob and a gob all at the far back wall on the right side 15 feet away, two spiders right above them. 3 moles, hunched over in front of them. A... large worm as wide as the tunnel poking out the leftside corner. Nodding, he gave her her targets and held out his hand, counting down with Eileen and Thormak standing behind them. Three. Two. One.
They both leaned out and opened fire with their ready enemies also letting loose a volley at the same time. Lina and Darc quickly ducked back behind the corner, after getting the view of a worm with a gaping maw recoil slightly as a spider exploded, its body parts spraying across the ceiling and wall. The sound of sizzling and a thunk of an arrow could be heard around the corner as two bolts of water sped past into their room, leaving trails of mist where Lina and Darc''s heads had poked out. Then Darc felt his connection to his light vanish and the ball dissipated leaving the tunnel ahead of them in darkness.
The footsteps of the molemen almost upon them could be heard. A slight reddish glow seeped out from around Thormak''s veins as he quickly moved to block the entrance holding his torch alongside Eileen as the two from Earth poked out again with their pistols singing thunder out into the air. The worm seemed to be forming a spell crackling with electricity as a bullet pierced it but it held onto its concentration as the other spider let out a chitter, falling onto the gob''s head. Thormak struck swiftly with all his might, empowering his fist and a sickening smack could be heard as he struck the moleman hard in its solar plexus. Its eyes bulged however it remained standing even after taking a second, weaker fist to its abdomen. Eileen''s opponent was acting with caution, blocking her attacks skillfully.
The last moleman was behind the two yet still within Lina''s line of sight which she took advantage of, sinking a bullet into its brain. Another bullet pierced into the worm from Darc''s smoking gun, purple blood seeping out in gushes from its wounds as it unleashed a thickened blast of lightning. All with eyes to see were blinded and Darc screamed as the lightning struck his chest, flinging him far back into the room as he slipped into unconsciousness.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Unable to react while blinking her teary eyes, for the next few seconds Lina stumbled backwards along the wall as she heard Thormak and Eileen grunting and screaming in pain. She called out, "Darc?!" ... No answer came. Her eyesight slowly returned and she saw the blurry image of a squirming Thormak still by the entrance, a moleman''s claws piercing clear through his entire body and Eileen standing next to him, blood dripping out her sides. She immediately opened fire and the two molemen in front of the pair dropped to the ground, blood spilling out from underneath them, however she could hear the distinct crackle of electricity building up once more. She screamed at the pair in front of her, "Dodge! Incoming!" She closed her eyes.
The deafening sound of thunder. A bright white light filling her eyes even as they were closed. A female cry of pain. She opened her eyes to a blurry view of a still-burning torch where Thormak had been and what was most likely Eileen blindly stumbling backwards towards the far side of the room. She rushed to the corner with her pistol held before her to unleash fury upon the worm. It filled the entire tunnel before her, 5 feet away making it seem as if the walls had grown teeth as far as the eye could see in the torchlight.
Fear and loathing etched into her features, Lina stood against her impending doom. The pistol rang out in a vengeance as she screamed into the void before her. The worm was writhing, the entire floor shaking along with it as the worm inched forwards. She felt the slithering feeling enter her mind again as she kept firing however no words came. The feeling left after the third bullet, however she continued to pull the trigger with tears streaming down her eyes until all that could be heard were faint clicks drifting into the empty void. The worm had already stopped, its mouth now closed, poking a few centimeters out into the room. Eileen put a hand over hers.
She could see the redhead was still bleeding profusely from her left and right sides but all she could think about was one thing. She frantically looked around the room, stumbling as her eyesight fully recovered and she noticed her surroundings. She saw nothing but chunks of flesh and blood sprayed everywhere as she called out, "DARC?!"... Only silence answered her. A moment passed and then she collapsed onto the ground on her hands and knees, tears dripping down, "It killed him... He''s..." She started sobbing uncontrollably holding a chunk of flesh between her hands and several seconds later a wail of pain and loss came slicing through the air. Eileen merely sat there next to the woman, pulling her into her embrace, rocking her back and forth as she looked upon the blood and flesh strewn about the room. The tears began to well within her eyes unbidden.
A faint groan came from the other side of the room. Eileen''s eyes perked up as she gently lay the grieving Lina aside and moved to investigate, picking up the torch along the way. The room here was lined with beds along the back end and storage barrels could be seen lining both the left and right, stacked atop each other. As she approached the middle of the room she spotted a foot peaking out in the far right corner behind a barrel. Rushing forwards, she saw Darc lying there unconscious with a large hole bordered by burn marks in his shirt. Nearly his entire chest was covered in burns down to the bone. She immediately moved to heal him, calling for Lina.
Darc awoke with a groan. Lina was embracing him to his right and Eileen was on the other side with her palm pushed against the pink skin of his chest. The hell happened? He groaned again, a sharp pain piercing his skull. It hurt to think. Lina stirred, rising up to look upon him as he noticed he was lying in a bed, the covers made of smooth silk. She had tears in her eyes as she spoke, "Idiot... you had me worried..." He attempted to rise into a sitting position however Eileen held him firm with a frown. "He really is an idiot." The redhead exclaimed before closing her eyes in concentration and adding, "Stay still."
Glancing to his right he could see Zanis in another bed behind Lina. He seemed to be breathing easy in his sleep. Looking to the left... he took in his surroundings as much as he could in the torchlight, however the dwarf was nowhere to be seen. Noticing his searching eyes, Lina held his hand firmly as she shook her head.
He sighed as he closed his eyes, taking it in. Opening them again he asked, "And the... worm?" Eileen shook her head as she rectified him, "Worm Prince. Lina slew it. Him. Whatever." He closed his eyes again in relief, letting himself rest.
The next several hours were spent with the party in recuperation. The worm''s corpse was blocking the entrance to their room entirely so they felt that they were safe enough to sleep uninterrupted. After finishing their rest, Zanis and Eileen called the other two together for a group meeting.
Eileen was sitting on one of the beds next to Zanis as she eyed the two before her. The raven-haired man to the left had boyish features with slightly thick eyebrows while the woman leaning upon his shoulder looked a little too slim. She also had hard eyes. They both did. It looked like they had been through hell and survived. That was what drew Thormak to Darc in the first place.
He''d eaten up Darc''s story easily enough, but she always had her suspicions. She sighed. Thormak was gone now. They''d been together for almost half a year and she had always found the dwarf to be strong... reliable. Steady as a rock. And now he was blasted to pieces all over the floor, the walls... the ceiling...
She focused her wandering thoughts, a firm look settling itself into her eyes as she spoke, "You''ve been keeping things from us." Darc sighed, a look of resignation on his face as Eileen continued, "Just... tell us. Please." Darc opened his mouth to speak before she added, "And no more lies. That''s all we ask. You don''t have to tell us everything." Zanis nodded from her side, a wry smile on his face.
Darc closed his eyes for a moment as he felt Lina''s hand squeeze for a moment, urging him on. He looked upon the two before him and spoke, his voice hesitant, "I''d like to tell you everything, I really would... but there are lives at stake." He ran a hand over his hair, "If there''s even a chance that word gets out- Well, we can''t risk it."
Eileen nodded as a slight smirk twitched over her lips. Her eyes were grinning as she held up a finger and a contract appeared.
And then he spoke. Darc told them everything. Their world, their civilization, their technology... and then the death, the despair, the destruction. The days... the years he and Lina spent running, fighting, surviving. He told them of Bradford and of the Seed and the portals and the costs they had paid. The thousands of lives they threw away as they grasped onto the last straws of hope. He ended with how he had arrived.
Eileen was sitting still, seemingly entranced by his story as Zanis was in deep thought, eyebrows furrowed.
She spoke up first, a sparkle of excitement in her eyes, "This... world you''re from... Earth, yeah. You said that its people- your people, sorry, had more of those weapons?"
Darc opened his mouth to speak however Zanis interrupted, "You said you brought that Seed here? Doesn''t that mean they''re coming for us now?"
Darc really wished he knew the answer to that one. If they were coming then they might have to find another world. Again. That would mean finding Bradford and the Seed first, however. He turned towards Zanis and shrugged, his tone defeated, "No idea."
Eileen''s face was furrowed in thought until an idea suddenly hit her and a smile spread over her face. Her eyes shot upwards to meet Darc''s, "We should go find Bradford... You said he''s the greatest mage from Earth?"
Darc locked eyes with her and answered with a grin, "Sure, we were gonna look for him soon anyway."
Chapter 7: Odds and Ends
Go-glob was in dire straits, though it didn''t know what straits were. After the tall one with the long pointy-stick took its glob-hood it had been left alone. Probably because it had fainted. As its senses returned to it, it saw its gob next to it taking a nap. It moved to poke its gob but then it froze. It sensed them there in the back by the spidery soft stuff making vibrations at each other. Thankful that its gob had been smart enough to teach it things, it listened in. It was a good glob, it could do it if it focused. "I swear, I saw it move." It puddled like a glob had never puddled before. Several seconds passed. "... Nevermind, probably just my imagination." It sighed internally, still doing its best puddle impression. "Well, only one way to find out." This was bad. It saw the vibrations stand up and slowly come its way. "Hey you!"
After their hour long discussion of foreign exchange, the group was arguing with each other about what they should do concerning the worm corpse blocking the way. Unable to stand the rotting smell emanating from the entrance they huddled together by the beds, shirts covering their mouths and noses. Eileen had stated that they needed to harvest the mana core from the prince since she was pretty sure that it was worth a lot of money. This meant that they had to find the worm''s brain through at least 40 feet of dead, putrid flesh but she had no idea where to start and Zanis was ignorant of worm anatomy as well.
Zanis was making his case, a look of apprehension on his face, "There''s no way I''m touching that, it''s disgusting!" His expression settled into a self-deprecating look as he continued, "Besides, you know how strong I am, I''d just get in the way."
Eileen was fingering a blue jewel between her fingers as she responded, a smirk on her face, "All part of being an adventurer. Sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty." Zanis scowled at that and the others weren''t too happy either. The problem was they didn''t have any good tools for the job. The work ahead of them was daunting to say the least. Lina had been staring off into the distance for awhile now when Darc poked her, "What''s up?"
She had a look of concentration on her face as she stated, "I swear I saw it move." A moment ago she thought she caught a twinge of movement from the pile of flesh however it definitely wasn''t moving now. Several seconds passed. She sighed, she was getting jittery being stuffed in this room that stunk of rotten flesh. "...Nevermind, just my imagination."
Zanis''s face brightened and a smile broadened across it as he looked over at the pile of flesh that had drawn the girl''s gaze. With a glint in his eyes, he stated, "Well, only one way to find out." He stood up and walked over to the puddle of glob on the ground. "Hey you!"
The glob gurgled frantically which drew looks of disgust across the party, however it was seemingly giving off the impression that it really didn''t want them to hurt it. Darc frowned, was this another translation thing or was his mind playing tricks on him? Zanis was standing over the glob with his hands held out wide in a welcoming gesture as he exclaimed, "We''re all friends here, you''ve nothing to worry about."
Go-glob''s flesh undulated in a disturbing manner that meant it wasn''t sure. They certainly hadn''t seemed to be very friendly earlier and now that it had a good look at it, it was pretty sure its gob-master was dead.
Zanis was already reaching for it with his right hand slowly in a calm manner though he was trying really hard not to vomit from the revulsion he felt.
Go-glob was about to go glob on the elf when it felt the smooth-skin''s fingers brushing over it. That felt really globbing good. The tall skinny one was touching it in all the right places and it purred. Maybe this really was a friend? Was this its new master?
A thoroughly disgusting sound emerged from the glob, permeating the room but it seemed content for the moment. Zanis''s eyes were twitching as he tried to keep the revulsion he felt from painting his features however his lips were smiling as he looked upon the useful tool before him. "I''ve got a job for you..."
The job went rather well, all things considered. Over the next few hours the glob ate through the worm at a rapid pace with Zanis playing overseer. Although it couldn''t climb walls very high, it never needed to rest as it spit out more of that purple-fur material at regular intervals. Darc frowned, had he been stepping in shit the entire time? He was just glad he didn''t land face down when he lost consciousness like Zanis had. By the time the glob had found the mana core, which it spit into Zanis''s waiting hands, it had already eaten into nearly 10 feet of the left turn of the intersection.
While Zanis and the glob were busy with their work, the others were searching the room, making sure they didn''t leave anything valuable behind. After thoroughly going through all the barrels, they found that most of them were filled with wood with only a few having dried meat or some kind of bitter alcohol that was strong but with a horrible taste. Seemingly the only valuable things here were the 6 spider-silk covers on the beds. Eileen created a makeshift bag from one of them, stuffing the rest inside while Darc worked on making more torches from the readily available wood and strips of his shirt which he had given up on.
Having finished the torches, Darc was chewing on some meat, a satisfied look on his face. The last time he had something other than bread or nutty nutrient bars was yesterday morning. Or was it the day before yesterday? Hard to tell when they''d been sleeping so much. The bacon was much better, but this wasn''t bad, just a bit tough and chewy. He turned around as he saw a frowning Lina next to Eileen, both of them with their arms crossed. Eileen stated with her usual smirk, "Not gonna cure you if you end up ill."
As Zanis and the glob finished, they decided that the food was safe and refilled their rations while having another group talk. Eileen said that the quest would probably be completed considering how many moleclaws they had on them and the prince''s mana core should net them an additional bounty. There was probably still a lot more of the dungeon to explore, however she didn''t want to wait gods know how long for the glob to make a path through to the other room. With the stink of rot entering their every pore, the rest nodded in agreement.
Go-glob''s flesh was billowing around, curious as to the new development as Zanis finished tying the knot, completing another make-shift spider-silk bag around its body. Eileen turned around, a look of incredulity upon her face as she fiercely asked, "You''re not thinking of taking that... thing with us, are you?" She almost looked angry for a second.
Zanis looked sheepish as he held his hands forward in a calming motion, "Well... yeah. It''s kind of grown on me. I mean, it looks disgusting but he''s got a heart of silver." A revolting gurgling could be heard, strongly denying that it had anything remotely like that. Eileen was still scowling but she let the elf have his way in the end.
Thormak''s bag of moleclaws had been discovered crushed into the ground in the intersection but still intact, however Zanis''s bag of gob weapons was nowhere to be found. They spotted a trail of something being dragged across the ground towards the exit, only stopping at each trapwire. Recalling the gob and glob that had been blocked off when the worm entered the tunnel, the party minus Zanis sighed.
The journey back to the exit went uneventfully and as they opened the hatch they saw the first rays of sunlight peaking through over the forest canopy. Darc was carrying the bulging bag of 92 mole claws while Eileen was tasked with carrying the glob since it couldn''t move very fast and Zanis hadn''t the strength to carry it himself. Eileen was irate. Lina was in charge of the silk bag with a single bow and a few arrows from Zanis''s glob''s dead master poking out of it.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
They trekked through the forest in silence, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention as they concentrated on the path before them. They were heavily burdened and every now and then cracks of broken twigs rang throughout the air. On a few occaisions, more wolves visited them again as they rested however the seemed reluctant to attack. When Darc drew his pistol they disappeared never to appear again. After that Eileen looked like she wanted to say something but settled on gazing at the weapon.
The walk to the road took 5 hours altogether and it was coming close to noon. Now that they were on the relative safety of the road, Darc was questioning Eileen and Zanis. Apparently no, it was not usual for a prince to be with the tunnelers. The molemen typically acted on their own and didn''t need to be controlled since they worshipped the worms like gods. They would usually send out smaller groups looking for resources or to capture more converts to their side.
In response, the kingdom would send out a detachment of men-at-arms led by a knight or lord, however they were currently caught up in a war to the north. Their enemies, which they called the Swarm consisted of many different types of insects. Lina shivered at that. The war was not going well, so the word had it. The kingdom had resorted to hiring mercenaries such as adventurers to aid them in the war and it had drawn into a stalemate.
At Darc''s behest, Eileen went over what it would involve to reach the Republic of Gant, where Estra''s order was located. Although the distance was around 1000 miles away, the journey was not as straightforward as that. The Republic lay nearly straight north from Westhaven through a large swath of wilderness that was pocketed by Swarm. Taking the short path would most likely mean fighting the entire way and they would have to find a way to cross several rivers as well.
Normally, one would head east, passing by more towns and villages before arriving at the kingdom''s capital, Zenith. From there, they would either charter a sea-worthy ship or keep traveling along the road north. Taking the entire journey "safely" by foot on the road would mean a trip of around 2000 miles. Darc groaned after taking in the fact. He didn''t feel confident about taking to the insect-filled wilderness, especially after how things had gone with his recent ventures into the unknown.
As they crested the last hill before Westhaven, they could see a river barge docked at its port with a bustle of activity concentrated around the area. An hour later, they were at the west-side gate, the guards giving them questioning looks upon noticing the dwarf was nowhere to be seen. Eileen answered them with a hand in her trousers pocket and a grim expression. Darc thought he saw the glint of tears forming in her eyes as they swept past the guards. After that Eileen and Zanis were unusually withdrawn and quiet, so they continued in silence until they entered the guild.
The elven woman was there to receive them again at the guild''s counter. Apparently this counter was usually empty and was set aside specifically for bounties or quests that involved killing. The other counters had lines of civilians and they processed quests involving crafting or menial labor. The elf before them was studying the mana core from the prince intently between her two fingers. The core was a very light shade of purple and around the size of a fist. It also had black veins running all throughout it. When she pressed a brass tube to the core, the veins suddenly turned white and writhed around inside the core.
Nodding her head, she gave them her verdict, "It certainly is a Prince''s core. How the four of you managed to defeat it..." She stopped when Eileen flared up with a glare, "The five of you, of course, my condolences."
Clearing her throat, she set a professional expression upon her face as she continued, "We will consider the quest for clearing out the molemen complete for one pound and you will receive one penny per moleclaw. As for the bounty for the prince, you must wait."
Darc frowned as he asked, "Wait for how long?" She responded after eyeing him critically, "Until one of the lord''s men arrives with the bounty. Perhaps two weeks, maybe more."
He rubbed his stubble as he followed up, "How much is the bounty anyway?"
The clerk sighed and she pointed at a parchment on the billboard beside them. It was old and withered however it had the stamp of the crown upon it. She answered his question as he was slowly reading the bounty, "Twenty pounds."
Zanis''s eyes bulged in their sockets as Eileen stood there with a shocked expression. A few seconds later with no further inquiries, the woman before them started counting and placing coins into a bag as the party waited. Darc was mulling over the implications. He was still unsure what they could buy that would be useful, but more money was a good thing right? Unless they started drawing the wrong kind of attention... Am I gonna have to start looking over my shoulder? He glanced around but it didn''t seem like anybody was paying them much mind. Ok, getting paranoid.
The woman finished and pushed a bag towards them with a polite smile stating, "52 shillings, 8 dimes, 2 pennies." The party accepted the bag of clinking silver coins and then went to enter their souls in shifts. Eileen and Zanis went first and it barely took any time before they came back, Zanis taking around 30 seconds longer. Then it was Darc and Lina''s turns.
Eileen sat next to Zanis, giving him a glance which he returned with a knowing look in his eye. They stood and moved over behind the two that were currently kneeled before the shrine, unable to respond. It took around 15 minutes. Then Darc was frothing at the lips, the flesh beneath his skin churning grotesquely, eerily similar to a glob. There was blood running out of his nose as Eileen poked him with her foot and turned his head to the side. Zanis waited for the same to happen to Lina.
Darc was in his soul, looking around with an inquisitive eye. It looked like the room was brightly lit with almost every option available to him. The orbs were there and even a book on the third shelf from the bottom of the Spell bookcase was glowing. Then there were the books of feats, which instead of glowing seemed to make the air around them ripple. He took his time, choosing carefully. Perception. He didn''t want to get stabbed in the back by a rat again.
After an indeterminate amount of time, he continued with his selections. Martial: Knife. Spells: Bolt, Stitch, Rejuvenate. Thinking back to his constantly ruined shirt, he chose stitch. The spell was on the lowest shelf which meant that the cost would not be high. As his eyes settled upon the rejuvenate spell, he got the feeling that he had grown too reliant on Eileen''s healing hands. Lina had chosen it already, however... if there was ever the case where both she and Lina were incapacitated... he shuddered at the thought.
He also needed the versatility of bolt, the spider had taught him that. He couldn''t throw away his only weapon after he ran out of bullets. It had only been what... 3 days? And he had shot 6 bullets in that time. The journey to Gant wasn''t promising to be any less dangerous and he would likely have to travel for months. Counting in his head, he arrived to the conclusion that he had 28 bullets left. Lina was down to only one clip, so he reminded himself to share some with her later.
Standing before the shelf of feats, the flesh-like bookcase beckoned him and he reached for the book he needed.. Sense Magic. As he read from its passages, a needle-like tentacle reached out and stabbed him through his brain. He once again fell unconscious.
Upon waking up and taking note of his surroundings, Darc peered through the exit to his body. He wasn''t where he was supposed to be. He reentered his body to find himself on a bed in a dark room alone with Lina. Apparently he had been unconscious for a long time as night had fallen. Then he felt it. Something in his body had... changed. Examining himself in the dark, he didn''t notice anything out of place, however it felt like his muscles had grown denser, tougher. Clenching a fist, it didn''t seem like he was any stronger though. Looking inwards, he felt as if he could squeeze out more mana than before and then there was... something else. It was like he had another muscle in his head, however it didn''t feel like it was connected to anything.
His brow furrowed and he looked upon Lina to see that she was still sleeping. Maybe he should go find the others? He gently placed a kiss upon Lina''s forehead and then stood up, walking out of the room. The others were in the common room sitting at a table near the stairs. He sat down next to Eileen and asked about the changes in his body.
She had a grin on her face as she responded, "What, you didn''t notice anything different before? You must''ve noticed.." Thinking back, he guessed that it was a little odd that he hadn''t died from his wounds on multiple occaisions. He''d also cast a lot more spells than he''d ever been able to beforehand. Damn, I really am an idiot. She continued in more muted tones, "As for the brain muscle thing, yeah... Thormak always said the first time was the worst. He was the only one of us that went through it twice."
She fell silent as Zanis took over the conversation, "Basically, depending on what you pick, you may or may not feel a... connection." The elf continued, answering Darc''s questioning gaze, "I don''t know what it means either, only Thormak had them." He fell silent as well.
Damnit Darc, pull it together. He looked up from the table and went to talk with Wilfred. Coming back, he held three pints of beer in his hands which he set on the table. Holding out his mug, he toasted, "To Thormak."