《The Dark Mind》


 A Band Meets

    Sitting at a table in the quaintest of taverns is a group of old heroes. They do not bare the look of those that have seen long military campaigns and disturbing rituals. They are simply a trio, sitting and drinking the loatheful food made by an overeager wife helping her husband make a business.


    The most grandiose of these three was the large man in his fifties in armor that shone gold. The dark steel of the suit had the signs of battle on it and was the only part of the armor that didn''t shine. He had banners all over his suit showing many designs of a sun all made of a bright orange. On his back he had a large broadsword with a blade as wide as five inches and with a cross-guard that had the largest sun of them all. For a man with such bright colors upon him he didn''t have the cheery look acquainted with his coloring. He instead shared the look of many people of the land, cold, discouraged, and as detatched as possible.


    The women to his left bore the leathers of tropy a hunter would wear. By her side was a large white wolf, the wolf was as old as the women herself and it layed down on the ground in laziness. On her back was a handmade bow and many arrows. She had braided hair that was greying at almost every corner. On her face were the scars of many fights and she held herself with the courage of many fights won. Any questions asked were answered with quickresponses and the respect she demanded through sheer looks was given. The brawn of her physique was outmatched by the silent dexterity that she walked around with. Her face gave neither a look of happy nor sad, just that of existence.


    The final member of this makeshift crew was a man in a long cloak. His face was gaunt, he had long skinny hands and looked like he walked out of a novel to scare chldren. The way in which he carried himself was with a hunched back and slow limp. On his head was a crown of black jaded rocks that dug into his head. His drink was all that he had touched while he left the desolate meal he was given to its own devices. No armor protected his body and he wore simple peasant clothing under the cloak. When the man in the golden armor finally breaks their silence he listens without looking back at the man.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    With no humor in his voice the man named Galavander says, "So shall we leave this distraught village finally and grab a contract."


    The woman, Armelia, speaks bluntly, "And miss all the fun this place has to offer. Now who would want to leave?"


    "Yes of course, we could tip cows or drink dusty ale" Zandef, the lean man speaks.


    "Yes of course" Galavander and Armelia say together.


    "Or we could take that tomb contract and get the supplies to brave the snow" The sun covered man says as though this was not the only viable course of action.


    "Yes of course" The other two say in their own moment of unity.


    "Shall we go deal with that annoying shopkeep then" Armelia asks rhetorically.


    "If we must" Galavander says with held back anger.


    Zandef speaks up "If he tries to say bring up that first contract again I will not be in control of my actions when he speaks"


    Armelia already up replies, "We did almost burn down his family home"


    "Let us leave first and then we can talk about what we will do to him" Speaks Galavander


    Zandef begins to sit up, "If we must"


    As the group steps out into the snowy landscape they prepare to head to the shop of Geraullt. When they walk out they leave assuming that this will be a normal job, they were wrong. This simple contract will lead to many risks, rewards, and a very, very perilous journey. And at the end, the world will either be safer or something worse. For the sake of a people who long for hope, they better succeed.

 A Job Board Saves The World

    Galavander, Armelia, and Zandef were not friends of any kind. They had only met three weeks ago when it was decided at the job board that they could make good work together. They took the simplest and most paying job. They were to meet with Zabder of Zabder''s House of Relics. The fabled Zabder was nothing beyond a con man selling forgeries of gems and what he called "antiques" to the simple people of the town. The job was to procure an item and to get details of its description and location from the man.


    This then led to a series of events which ended with them burning down his home. His family home to be exact and all the items of sentimental value were burned with it. This was due to Zandef sending a fireball spiraling to the bandits that had the home as theirs. This fireball got rid of the bandits since it landed right into a hidden alcohol stash that they were not informed of. The stash quickly blew the house into flames of gargantuan size and none of the old heroes wanting to risk their skin for a contract, let it burn.


    And this is why meeting with the man was such a pain. Why the strange looking group walked down the street with melancholy like that of death. When they eventually arrived at the shop ofovercompensated size and flamboyance they stopped outside the fake witchwood door. All wanted to not enter the room though none discussed this thought. Armelia spoke blunt and quick as usual as they waited utside the door.


    "Well lets get this over with."


    Galavander and Zandef both nodded as the group walked in. On the inside there were tables lining the walls with gems of different colors, shapes and sizes. There were suits of armor on the most pristine stands. Armor of bronze, gold and silver with stands of platinum. There were racks of potions on the front desk stacked to the ceiling. Stuffed animals with extra extremities and brightly colored hides lined the walls. And the final decorations to top the room off were random antiques, from grandfather clocks that were once sentient and murderous, to bull horns that gutted wannabe mattidor nobles.


    This was all fake of course. The armor was painted aluminumon on polished stands of even cheaper aluminum. The gems were molded hard candy and cheap geodes that had a bit of a glisten to them. Died water or animal blood for the potions with bright labels. The hides across the walls weren''t even actual hides but cheap fakes with paint smeared across them. Animals with grotesque add ons were simply stitched together toy parts that had extra stuffing in them. Real, real was not the word that could describe this shop. The realest part of the shop was the anitques. They were newly made furniture and other things that had great stories attached to them. When they walked into the shop the small man known as Zabder poked his head above the desk and smiled a sickenning grin.


    "Well, well, well. To what do I owe the pleasure of having the worst hires ever show back up at my door?"


    Galavander holding back a quick insult at the mans overcompensation instead gritted his teeth as he spoke, "We came for the new job."


    "Oooh, really now," He said with exaggerated interest, "Well I could, but I feel like actually getting the specific item this time-"


    "Rather than embers." Armelia quickly spoke with a smile on her face.


    "Yes, actually. And frankly I don''t think you are qualified for a task so important." Shot back the man with an anger in his eyes.


    Zandef turning to enter the conversation speaks in his slow voice and says, "How could you have anything important? You are a conman through and through, we have no reason to trust you. And we could spread that truth like a rumor through this town."


    "Hah," Zabder spat, "I rule this town, these people adore me and my "relics". I have them around my tiny little finger and eating out of the palm of my hand. I practically rule this town!" His voice getting increasingly louder as he spoke to the adventurers.


    Zandef getting real close to the mans face starts to whisper, "But it would be enough, just to make them doubt. Just once. That''s all we would need to ruin you."


    Armelia stepping forward speaks in the same hushed town of Zandef except faster and says, "But we won''t if you give us the job. We will leave this desolate town and never return. And when that happens we wont be around to make them question. You can go about your days without ever seeing us again."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The increasingly angry Zabder''s face quickly shot to a small grin, "Never again you say?"


    Galavander this time steps forward and without the charade of slow talking speaks, "Never. And if you want to make it official you can add a bit more to that reward. Lets say another five hundred."


    Zabder gives Galavander a look of absolute bafflement as he says, "Another five hundred! I can''t do that! That would be another months worth of rent for this building!"


    "And yet you are ready to give two thousand. That is four months rent. And as you said these people adore you, you could pay it off." Zandef says.


    Armelia points at the man and says, "What item is of enough importance to a greedy ass like you to spend that much money not on yourself?"


    "It is something of family value, nothing more," The small man says folding his arms.


    Galavander with a small grin on his face, finally says a small mockery to the man, "You don''t have any more family heirlooms, we can account for that."


    "Why you!" And with that Zabder launched himself from his spot towards Galavander. The only thing stopping him being Malcum, Armelia''s old wolf, grabbing onto the back of the small mans shirt and throwing him right back onto the ground, surrounded by the group.


    "Listen, listen, guys. Why don''t we just forget this happened? You go on the job, I pay you when you''re back, it can all be so easy. Let us just forget my little slip." Zabder said with fear echoing in his voice.


    Zandef painfully kneels down to man and says, "Do not worry, you will indeed forget about this" And when he finishes speaking he blows what appears to be black dust in the mans face, dropping the man into a peaceful sleep.


    "Will he remember this?" Asked Armelia.


    "No, he shall think this went smoothly with a few insults thrown." Replies Zandef.


    "Any chance you can see what he wants us to get?" Asks Galavander looking to Zandef.


    "Sadly no, we will be flying blind on that account."


    "Well, that''s just great."


    Armelia attempting to end the situation on a high note, looks to Galavander and says, "Blind has never killed anyone before. As long as we make sure anything that wants us dead is blind when it tries we will be okay. Trust me I know what I''m talking about here."


    Galavander looks up at her and replies, "And trust me when I say I have seen enough death from being blind. The kind of death where in all other situations it would not have occured."


    "Well then you can rest easy since I fight like this. I have always fought like this and I can make up for your lack of ability."


    "I have no lack of ability! I have sense! The sense to not think blind is a viable route!"


    Zandef gets off the ground and splits the two apart and says, "It does not matter now! We only have the way of being blind and nothing else! So we must take that route and learn on our way!"


    Galavander looks to Armelia and says, "So are you sure you know what you''re doing?"


    "I am. And if you want proof you will have to follow me into the wood so we can get our prize."


    "Fine, just make sure nothing follows us. I have seen the devastation the hubris of forgetting to watch that can cause, it is never pretty."


    "Alright, I will watch and even spread Nightmare Lily around the camp."


    "Nightmare Lily? You carry that with you?"


    "Yes, it is quite helpful when living in the wood. Keeps animals away."


    "Of course, for animals." Galavander says while wiping away confusion from his eyes.


    Zandef pulls the contract out and reads it, "So we are heading to the Tomb of Ricardo Regium. I remember that name, wasn''t he known as the Disgrace of Science by his family and the Science Towers?"


    "Yes he helped the Libert of Viri and for that they accused him of doing crimes against the natures of science."


    Armelia blurts out a response to this statement, "Yes, accused being the key word. In reality all he was doing was making sure the animals of that area could live. Yes, it occasionally went too far but all he did was assure that they had a fighting chance for the future."


    Both Zandef and Galavander look at Armelia with confused looks upon their face and turn to each other. Galavander looks back at Arnelia and says, "The animals they made have done many horrible things now. Good intentions can not reinforce an action like that."


    "Yes, but the same must be said about the ones who slaughtered them. They did not care who they killed that day."


    "Yes, well, why dont we start on our way now? It will be a long treck to the tomb so we might as well get started already."


    And with that the heroes set out. They are on their way to the Tomb of Ricardo Regium with the belief that it will be easy and, at most, will only have a few minor traps to slow them down. Galavander walked from the store with the fear of the wood, being blind to what was out there, and the very strange responses from Armelia about the Libert of Viri. And at the same time Armelia walked away with the anger at herself for losing control and potentially outing herself to a Paladin of Luxara. Or as she thinks of them the slaughters of a good cause. Zandef only walked away questioning the weird hostility of the whole situation.


    The adventurers quickly gathered all supplies that they would need. From food to blankets and even a single tent for all three of them to use. When this was done they followed Armelia and the, currently, much more enthusiastic Malcum as they walked into the wood. Armelia called it home, Galavander called it an enemy, and Zandef figured he had no reason to feel anything about the woods. And with this they began their journey to get something, as discussed they had no idea what this could be. But if the eccentric man wanted it then it would have to be obvious, for subtlety was not of his skill set. And that hope settled within them as they rode off to the wood.